Land use systems significantly influence soil physical properties particularly in semi-arid alluvial soils where intensive agriculture and land degradation coexist. The present study assessed the effect of different land use systems on soil physical properties in the Gwalior–Chambal Region of Madhya Pradesh, India. Five dominant land use systems, namelyrice–wheat, vegetable, forest, agri-horticulture, and ravine, were evaluated using GPS based soil sampling. In these land use systems, composites oil samples were analysed for particle size distribution, structural stability index (SI), bulk density (BD), particle density (PD) and porosity following standard analytical procedures. The results revealed significant variations in soil properties across the systems (p  0.05). Sand fractions varied from 34.68% to 60.20%, silt from 12.71% to 21.94%, and clay from 19.38% to 32.28%, with most soils falling into sandy clay loam texture. Ravine land use system exhibited the highest sand content, whereas forest and agri-horticulture systems showed significantly higher structural stability. The BD values ranged from 1.29 to 1.48 Mg m- ³, and porosity varied between 44.45 and 51.54%. Vegetable land use system had the lowest bulk density and highest porosity, suggesting better soil structure, closely followed by forest and agri-horticulture systems. Conversely, rice– wheat and ravine systems exhibited elevated bulk density and reduced porosity, reflecting soil compaction and ongoing degradation. Overall, the research highlights the benefit of diverse and protective land use systems in improving soil physical quality and promoting sustainable land management in these vulnerable semi-arid environments.

Chickpea is an important pulse crop grown globally which is a vital source of dietary protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. The production and productivity of chickpea is hampered by many biotic factors, including Sclerotinia rot caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The current investigation was aimed to test a set of twenty chickpea varieties and genotypes against Sclerotinia rot under inoculated field conditions. None of the genotypes were found free from disease infection. However, H-208 (1.20%) and RSG-888 (2.00%) were identified as resistant, PBC-513 (6.06%), GNG-1969 (6.33%), PBC-518 (7.33%), JG-16 (7.60%), Radhey (8.07%), JG-315 (8.46%), PBC-512 (9.06%), PBC-532 (9.60%) and PBC-503 (9.80%), were found moderately resistant, PBC-502 (12.00%), GNG-1958 (16.93%), PBC-514 (17.06%), PBC-506 (18.73%), and GNG-1488 (19.06%) were moderately susceptible, GNG-2171 (33.27%), Dohad Yellow (36.73%), GNG-2144 (43.53%), and GNG-1499 (47.26%), were susceptible to the Sclerotinia rot disease.

A field experiment was carried out during kharif 2024 at the farm of the ICAR-IGFRI, SRRS, Dharwad to study the effect of phosphorus application with biofertilizers like phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM) on grain yield and economics of cowpea varieties. The experiment was laid out in split-plot design with three varieties of cowpea in main plots, five phosphorus levels in sub plots and replicated thrice. The grain type cowpea variety ‘DC-15’ recorded significantly higher grain yield (12.37 q ha-1), harvest index (33.97%), gross returns ( 100011 ha-1), net returns ( 66084 ha1 ) and B:C ratio (2.94). Application of 100% RRP + PSB + VAM recorded higher grain yield (11.84 q ha-1), harvest index (29.17%), gross returns ( 97403 ha-1), net returns ( 62124 ha-1) and B:C ratio (2.75). There were no significant interaction effects among cowpea varieties and phosphorus levels on grain yield and economics of cowpea varieties.

Lead contamination poses a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems and human health due to its high toxicity and persistence. In this study, Agro-waste-derived biochar was functionalized with magnetite (Fe3 O4 ) nanoparticles via a green synthesis route to produce a cost-effective and eco-friendly nano composite adsorbent. The material was thoroughly characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, EDX, BET, and UV–Vis spectroscopy to assess its structural, morphological, and adsorption properties. FTIR analysis revealed the involvement of hydroxyl and carbonyl groups in Pb²+ binding, while XRD confirmed the incorporation of crystalline Fe3 O4 into the biochar matrix. SEM and EDX indicated surface modification and Pb deposition post-adsorption. BET analysis showed a surface area reduction from 75.6 m²/g to 58.3 m²/g, suggesting pore blockage by adsorbed Pb²+ ions. UV–Vis spectroscopy demonstrated efficient Pb²+ removal, as indicated by a marked decline in absorbance at 280 nm. Overall, the green-synthesized FeO–bio char nanocomposite shows strong potential for sustainable lead remediation in wastewater.

Fermented foods offer beneficial health effects due to the antimicrobial activity of the bacteria present in them. These microorganisms possess probiotic activity that promotes a positive health effect due to fermentation. The fermentation process involves the action of the microorganisms on rice, transforming its chemical composition and imparting unique flavours, textures, and nutritional benefits. Consumption of fermented rice is believed to have the soothing effect on intestines because the rice is fermented and digested by the bacteria. In the past, farmers and the labourers from Asian countries kept leftover rice for fermentation overnight and consumed for breakfast, which has been known to offer several health benefits. This ancient practice not only contributes to the diversification of taste but also enhances the overall nutritional profile of rice-based food dishes. This food provides sustained energy with all natural nutritional supplements. Fermented foods can be consumed by vulnerable groups such as children, expectant and breastfeeding mother, the elderly, sick people and helps in keeping good health. The present study is focused on the isolation and molecular identification and characterization of potential probiotic microorganisms from fermented rice of commonly used rice varieties.

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the interactive effects of sulphur, boron, and organic manure on the growth, yield, and soil fertility of mustard (Brassica juncea L.) under Inceptisol. The experiment comprised eleven treatments with varied combinations of RDF, sulphur, boron, and FYM. Results revealed that the combined application of 75% RDF + FYM @ 6 t ha- ¹ + B @ 3 kg ha- ¹ + S @ 30 kg ha- ¹ (T10) significantly enhanced plant height, seed yield (18.05 and 18.94 q ha- ¹), and harvest index (29.07 and 31.02%) over control and RDF alone. The improvement was attributed to synergistic nutrient interaction and improved soil fertility status. The study concludes that integrated nutrient management involving organic manure with balanced sulphur and boron supplementation optimizes mustard productivity and sustains soil health in Inceptisol soils.

Large cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb.)- a high valued spice crop and one of the important cash crops of Sikkim. Sikkim produces 84% of large cardamom production in India. But for the past three decades, the crop has been at risk due to several biological and climatic problems. The crop is infested with several fungal diseases including leaf streak. It is characterized by rectangular and translucent streak on young leaves along the veins. Later these streaks turn brown showing a necrotic appearance with crinkled leaf. The present study aimed to isolate, characterize and identify the causal organisms of leaf stock in large cardamom. Based on morpho-physiological and molecular analysis using ITS region 4 and 5, followed by BLAST analysis, the isolate was identified as Pestalotiopsis sp. The corresponding sequences have been archived in NCBI GenBank with accession number MN710582, while the fungal culture has been deposited at NFCCI-ARI, Pune, under accession number NFCCI-4698.

Kashmir is a landlocked bowl shaped intermontane valley surrounded by huge mountain ranges of PirPanchal in the Southwest and Himalayas in the Northwest cutting it from the plains. The climate of the valley is temperate and Mediterranean type with four distinct seasons viz, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The winter season is very severe and harsh with temperature falling below -10oC in urban areas. The only lifeline of the valley, the Jammu-Srinagar national Highway which connects the valley with rest of India gets blocked due to heavy snow falls in winter months and incessant landslides at vulnerable points along the highway. The result is the severe short fall of essential commodities particularly of fresh vegetables. To overcome this shortfall, Kashmiris have adopted a novel method of using sun dried vegetables which grow in wild along the foothills of mountains, meadows, pastures and open fields in pleasant spring and summer months.

This study was carried out in Daloa for the preservation of Ziziphus mauritiana, a drought resilient wild plant species and multipurpose shrub which is affected by human actions like bush-fire and deforestation. For this purpose, dried seeds were sown in a four-duplicate sub-blocks of polyethylene bags to assess the influence of four (4) substrates on the germination and seedlings growth. The tested substrates were: S1 (cocoa pod + topsoil: ¼; ¾), S2 (sawdust + topsoil: ¼; ¾), S3 (poultry dung + topsoil: ¼; ¾), and S4 (topsoil) as control. Results showed that germination rates were 50%, 63%, 62% and 68% respectively in S1, S2, S3 and S4. However, the duration for germination was the shortest and the best in substrate S2 (14 days), about 17 days with the control and over 30 days with S1 and S3. The seedlings height was significantly better (P<0.05) during the month 3 in substrate S2 (34.4±4.18 cm) compared to the control (26.8±3.94 cm). And, over the months 5 and 6, the seedlings heights in substrate S3 were respectively 62.5±7.86 cm and 110.8±32.30 cm, and significantly different to the control (35.1±4.01 cm: 44.0±10.55 cm). The other parameters evaluated were not impacted by the addition of agricultural inputs to topsoil. Conversely, substrate S1 has given the lowest values. Therefore, mixture of sawdust + topsoil or poultry dung + topsoil (¼;3 /4 proportion) has improved seedlings height, which would be beneficial to promote domestication of Z. mauritiana.

This study compares pristine biochar (BC) with graphene–biochar nanocomposites (GBC) synthesized using green and economical methods for multi-metal adsorption. FTIR, XRD, SEM–EDX, BET, and UV–Vis analyses confirmed that graphene incorporation significantly enhanced surface area, porosity, and functional groups in GBC. Adsorption tests for Pb²z, Cd²z, and Crvz showed that GBC achieved much higher removal efficiencies and Langmuir monolayer capacities than BC. Kinetic modeling indicated pseudo-second-order chemisorption. Overall, GBC demonstrates strong potential as a high-performance, sustainable adsorbent for wastewater treatment.