North Bengal Agricultural University

Pomegranates are grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Pomegranate cultivation in West Bengal is expanding due to its drought-resistant nature, wider adaptability and suitability for marginal lands. The Potential of plant growth regulators in boosting the fruit size, yield and quality of pomegranate under agro-climatic conditions of southern West Bengal needs to be exploited. With this background, a research study was carried out to study the effect of plant growth regulators on flowering, fruiting as well as yield of pomegranate under the agro-climatic conditions of Bankura district. The present experiment was conducted during 2018-20 at four locations of Bankura district namely, Pathri, Bamunpathri, Damodarpur and Chhatna of West Bengal, where the Bhagwa variety of pomegranate had been planted at a spacing of 4.5 m × 4.5 m. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design (RBD) with nine treatments and three replications: T1 - NAA @ 30 ppm, T2 – NAA @ 40 ppm, T3 - GA3 @ 75 ppm, T4 - GA3 @ 100 ppm, T5 - 2, 4-D @ 40 ppm, T6 - 2, 4-D @ 50 ppm, T7 – brassinolides @ 100 ppm, T8 – brassinolides @ 200 ppm and T9 - control. The study found that NAA at 40 ppm increased fruit yield, weight, length, diameter, number of arils, rind weight, juice content, sugar content and fruit diameter. GA3 at 30 ppm resulted in maximum flower buds, male flowers, hermaphrodite flowers, intermediate flowers, fruit diameter, rind thickness, fresh seed weight and TSS.

Quality and longer vase life are the most important factors in cut flowers, while chemicals are the reliable ones for enhancing both. To prevent chemical usage, the study was undertaken to evaluate biostimulants for enhancing the vase life of cut flowers. Eleven different treatment combinations of bio-stimulants were used in this experiment to study their effect in enhancing the vase life of chrysanthemum, where extracts of aloe vera, Ocimum gratissimum leaves, lemon juice, Mentha piperita leaves and Moringa olerifera leaves were used at 2 % and 4 % concentration along with 2 % sucrose. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design replicated thrice and in each treatment, 10 flowers were used. Chrysanthemum var. Snowball was used in this experiment. Lemon juice at 4 % + Sucrose 2 % (B7) recorded the maximum vase life (14.94, 15.15 and 15.05 days was observed in B7 in Y1, Y2 and pooled respectively), the best antimicrobial activity by recording the minimum count of microbial colonies (43.33 × 104, 56.67 × 104 and 50.00 × 104 CFU/mL in B7 in Y1, Y2 and pooled respectively), maximum total vase solution uptake (15.76 and 15.53 g in B7 in Y1 and pooled respectively) of chrysanthemum var. Snowball during the post-harvest period. A correlation study demonstrated that maintaining an acidic vase solution helped in suppressing microbial growth and this combined effect enhanced a longer vase life. From the study, it could be recommended that lemon juice at 4 % + sucrose 2 % effectively enhanced the post-harvest life of chrysanthemum.

To investigate the effect of integrated nutrient management on cowpea under conservation agriculture, an experiment was conducted during the pre-Kharif seasons of 2013 and 2014 within a rice-wheat cropping system. The study employed a Factorial Randomized Block Design with three replications, evaluating different fertility levels through the application of inorganic sources, organic sources and biofertilizers. Observation on various parameters viz. growth, yield, quality and uptake of major nutrients under inorganic sources has led to the undisputed conclusion that treatment I3 (150 % RDF) was superior to the other two levels of inorganic sources (i.e., 50 % RDF and 100 % Recommended Dose of Fertilizer). All growth, yield and quality traits were observed to be highest in O5 (vermicompost @ 5 t/ha + PSB @ 10 g/kg of seed + Rhizobium @ 10 g/kg of seeds) however, regarding the uptake of NPK, it was peerless under organic sources of treatment O6 (FYM @ 7.5 t/ha + vermicompost @2.5 t/ha + PSB @10 g/kg of seed + Rhizobium @ 10 g/kg of seeds). Eventually as the economics cultivation of cowpea the treatment combination of 150 % RDF + FYM @ 15 t/ha + PSB @ 10 g/kg of seed + Rhizobium @ 10 g/kg of seeds (I3O4) (B: C ratio 3.04) followed by 150 % RDF + vermicompost @2.5 t/ha+ PSB @10 g /kg of seed + Rhizobium @ 10 g /kg of seeds (I3O6) (B: C ratio 2.77) could be well-suited for the terai region of West Bengal.

The experiment was conducted during November to April of 2024–25 at the Horticulture Instructional Farm of the Faculty of Horticulture, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari, Coochbehar, to evaluate the performance of chillies under diverse nutrient management of different farming systems. The main plot treatments consisted of four nutrient management practices, viz., farmer’s practice (FP), integrated nutrient management (INM), organic farming (OF) and natural farming (NF) and three varieties of chillies, viz., Kashi Abha (V1), Pusa Sadabahar (V2) and Kashi Anmol (V3), were described in subplots. Results of the experiment revealed that the integrated nutrient management (INM) recorded significantly higher plant height (67.21 cm), minimum days to 50% flowering (56.07 days), maximum days to last picking (172.94 days), maximum number of pickings (5.36), maximum number of green fruits per plant (99.83), fruit weight (4.25 g), green fruit yield plant-1 (431.21 g) and green fruit yield ha-1 (24.95 t) whereas NF took maximum days to 50% flowering as compared to other farming practices. Among the varieties, Pusa Sadabahar gave maximum plant height, days to 50% flowering, number of pickings, and number of green fruits per plant, and Kashi Anmol gave maximum days to last picking, average fruit weight, green fruit yield per plant, and green fruit yield per hectare. Despite a minimum number of green fruits per plant (81.65), fruit weight (3.75 g), green fruit yield plant-1 (291.03 g), and green fruit yield ha-1 (16.17 t), the highest benefit-cost ratio of 2.88 was obtained in the NF treatment.

Simulation modelling techniques (SMTs) are computational methods that imitate or replicate real-world processes, systems, or phenomena to gain insights, test hypotheses, make predictions, or optimise decision-making without needing real-world experimentation. These mathematical modelling techniques have risen to prominence as indispensable tools in insect pest management, enabling the modelling, prediction, and optimisation of pest management strategies. They are pivotal in ensuring the effective implementation of insect pest management by empowering researchers and practitioners to simulate and forecast pest population dynamics, evaluate control measures' effectiveness, and make informed decisions. Applications of simulation techniques in insect pest management are diverse. They include predicting the potential risks of invasion and geographical range expansion of invasive pests, understanding population dynamics of pests under future climate change scenarios, predicting insect pest outbreaks, optimising management strategies, monitoring insect pest resistance, conserving biological control, understanding insect pest behaviour, and assessing economic injury levels of pests and yield losses. Their multifaceted applications empower stakeholders to proactively manage insect pests, minimise environmental impacts, and allocate resources efficiently. In this review, we report the present status of the key simulation techniques used in insect pest management, their construction and validation processes, and explore the potential and prospects of SMTs in advancing modern insect pest management paradigms for sustainable crop protection. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.