Before consumption and for development of millet based food products, millet grains are usually processed by some traditional processing methods to improve their nutritional, organoleptic and edible characteristics. The processing techniques aim to increase the nutritional content and improve the sensory properties of proso millet flour. Thus, an attempt was made in the present research with an objective to study the effect of soaking, germination, roasting and grinding on nutritional and organoleptic characteristics of proso millet flour. Nutritional composition of both unprocessed and processed proso millet flour were analysed by using standard methods given by AOAC, 2000 while organoleptic characteristics were analyzed by using a nine-point hedonic scale. With respect to the nutritional assessment, this study revealed a significant (p<0.05) increase in ash, crude fiber, crude protein, iron, and zinc content while a significant decrease in moisture, fat, carbohydrate, energy, calcium and phosphorus with the progress in the germinating period. Both the nutritional and organoleptic assessment showed that the grains which were germinated for 72hrs were superior among all other processed proso millet flour.

“Zero Budget” means the cost of cultivation can be minimized using completely on-farm resources and utterly avoiding the usage of off-farm resources like purchased seeds, chemical pesticides, fungicides, and other agrochemical inputs. “Natural Farming” means farming with nature avoiding all chemical inputs in agriculture. The study was conducted in the Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh to study the knowledge and adoption status of ZBNF as well as the Impact of ZBNF on farmers. An ex-post facto research design was adopted for the investigation. The results of the study revealed that the Majority of the ZBNF farmers (52.5%) had medium knowledge of ZBNF practices. Education, farm size, annual income, livestock possession, extension contact, training has undergone, Input acquisition source and risk orientation of ZBNF farmers showed positive and significant influence on knowledge whereas, family size and farming experience showed positive and significant influence on knowledge of ZBNF farmers. The majority of the ZBNF farmers showed medium adoption (62.5%) of ZBNF practices. Annual income, livestock possession, extension contact, training has undergone, input acquisition source and risk orientation of ZBNF farmers showed positive and significant influence on the adoption of ZBNF practices. Education and family size positively and non-significantly influenced the adoption whereas, farm size showed a negative and significant influence on the adoption of ZBNF practices by farmers. The majority of the ZBNF farmers had a medium impact (56.3%) and 27.3% of ZBNF farmers had a high impact (27.5%). Whereas, most of the Non-ZBNF farmers had a medium impact (46.7%) followed by low (36.6%). Education, farm size, annual income, livestock possession, extension contact, training has undergone, input acquisition source, and risk orientation of ZBNF farmers showed positive and significant associations with impact.

With a constant hike in the demand for the Indian diet, there is an urge in improving millets production in India. Millet value chain suffers from inconsisitent supply and demand due to near absence of production spport, lack of reach of improved methods of production technologies, lack of public procurement and marketing support that prevents its commercial viability. Hence, this study aims to assess the production-to-consumption levels, and the current demand-supply imbalance, and to forecast these key variables for the foreseeable future. Results indicate that the area declined by 3.59 percent from 1950 to 2021; while the production increased frons to 6.10 lakh tonnes. Both domestic consumption and productivity increased by 0.74 percent and 3.36 percent annually. Rajasthan and Sikkim provided over 40 percent of the total Indian production of small millets. Millets require a minimal quantity of water, but the nutrient composition is the major source to address the issues of food and nutritional security and hence it would be a positive sign for both the production and environmental perspective of the country’s ever-increasing population. Time series analysis indicated that the forecasted area under millets would be declining from 87.69 lakh ha (2020), to 75 lakh ha (2025) and 64.29 lakh ha (2030). The results of the study also inferred that avoiding intermediaries/middle man in the marketing channel in maize and the processors in South India should force sourcing and manufacturing processes to shrink the marketing cost. This study throws light on the dynamics happening for millet from farm to fork in India which would facilitate the policymakers to evolve suitable strategies to achieve food and nutritional security.

A field experiment was conducted on burban during kharif 2021 at Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture, Ummedganj, Kota (Rajasthan). The experiment comprised 10 treatments viz. (Control, 75 % RDF, 100 % RDF, 75 % RDF + Rhizobium @ 600 g ha-1 seed inoculation, 75 % RDF + PSB @ 600 g ha-1 seed inoculation, 75 % RDF + Rhizobium @ 600g ha-1 + PSB @ 600 g ha-1seed inoculation, 75 % RDF + 0.1 % FeSO4 + 0.5 % ZnSO4 foliar spray at pre-flowering and pod formation stage, 75 % RDF + 0.1 % FeSO4 + 0.5 % ZnSO4 foliar spray at pre-flowering and pod formation stage + Rhizobium @ 600 g ha-1, 75 % RDF + 0.1 % FeSO4 + 0.5 % ZnSO4 foliar spray at pre pre-flowering and pod formation stage + PSB @ 600 g ha-1, 75% RDF + 0.1 % FeSO4 + 0.5 % ZnSO4 foliar spray at pre flowering and pod formation stage + Rhizobium 600 g ha-1+ PSB @ 600 g ha-1) was carried out in randomized block design with three replications. The maximum pods plant-1 (34.26), and seeds pod-1(6.93) were recorded with the application of 75% RDF + 0.1 % FeSO4 + 0.5 % ZnSO4foliar spray at pre flowering and pod formation stage + Rhizobium 600 g ha-1+ PSB @ 600 g ha-1 seed inoculation in urban over rest of treatments. Application of 75% RDF + 0.1 % FeSO4 + 0.5 % ZnSO4foliar spray at pre flowering and pod formation stage + Rhizobium 600 g ha-1+ PSB @ 600 g ha-1seed inoculation produced significantly higher seed yield (1269), straw yield (1512) and biological yield (2782)kg ha-1of urdban during course of experimentation as compared to remaining treatments. Harvest index and test weight did not significantly influence by various treatments of Fe, Zn and Bio-fertilizers. Significantly higher protein content (24.19%) and protein yield (309 kg ha-1) in urban seed were recorded with the application of 75% RDF + 0.1 % FeSO4 + 0.5 % ZnSO4foliar spray at pre flowering and pod formation stage + Rhizobium 600 g ha-1+ PSB @ 600 g ha-1 seed inoculation over rest of treatments. The maximum net returns (₹ 81964/- ha-1) and B: C ratio (3.44) were obtained with the application of 75% RDF + 0.1 % FeSO4 + 0.5 % ZnSO4 foliar spray at pre flowering and pod formation stage + Rhizobium 600 g ha-1+ PSB @ 600 g ha-1seed inoculation.

A number of insect pests attack stored grains, but Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has got economic importance and it is the most destructive insect pest of the stored raw cereal grains in the world. Sitophilus oryzae causes substantial storage losses to the grains. As S. Oryzae has been reported to develop resistance to synthetic insecticides, in many areas of the World locally available inorganic inert matters have been used to protect the stored product against damage by insect attack. These products are usually non-phytotoxic, nontoxic to mammals, eco-friendly, less prone to pesticide resistance and relatively less expensive. Several technologies are available with the utilization of local technologies but the use of locally available inert or raw materials in practices is meager. Hence significant research work is required to carry out indigenous practices for protecting the stored products from the attack of stored grain insect pests.

Pollination in fruit crops is a major challenge to ensure fruit quality and production which affects the physio-chemical characteristics of many fruit crops, but the effects of cross-pollination on the fruit quality of plum (Prunus spps) are poorly known. As part of the effort to deal with this challenge, this study suggests how different aspects of pollination affect the fruit quality of plum fruits under Kashmir conditions. The present investigation was conducted on six-year-old bearing plants of different plum cultivars i.e. Burbank, Wickson, Santa Rosa, Satsuma, and Sharp’s Early grown under controlled environment conditions. Plants were allocated to five treatments with four replications with all flowers on each plant receiving either: (1) Self-pollination (Autogamy) (2) Hand-pollination with compatible pollen or (3) Open pollination under environmental conditions. In this study, the data was recorded after fruit set by different methods of pollination. Various parameters viz., physical, chemical, color variability, and stone characters were studied. The results from the above investigation reveal that, the maximum red color (25.01) was reflected in cross-combination of Santa Rosa x Wickson followed by the cross-combination of Santa Rosa x Burbank (24.37). Fruit weight and fruit length were found maximum in cultivar Santa Rosa (51.42 g and 4.86 cm, respectively) under open pollination. Among all cross combinations, Santa Rosa x Wickson combination was best in terms of fruit weight (50.55 g). The maximum fruit density was recorded in cultivar Santa Rosa (0.173 m/V) under self-pollination and minimum under combination Santa Rosa x Sharp’s Early (0.093 m/V). The maximum total sugars were recorded under the combination Wickson x Satsuma (9.05 %) and the minimum was recorded in cultivar Sharp’s Early (6.50 %). Santa Rosa cultivar showed maximum SSC (16.20 oBrix) and minimum (12.38 oBrix) under open conditions. The stone weight of cultivar Burbank (1.79 g) was heavier than other cultivars under open pollination. The highest stone: pulp ratio (49.40) was recorded in cultivar Satsuma under open pollination, and a minimum (21.53) was recorded in cultivar Burbank under self-pollination. From this study, it was concluded that the best pollinizer for Santa Rosa was Wickson, Burbank, and Satsuma as they have high pollen viability and germination percentage. Open pollination is regarded as the best method of pollination having maximum fruit set and fruit retention followed by cross-pollination.

Jasmine is an important remunerative flower crop for peasant farmers in Asian countries. Several insect pests attack the popular jasmine genotype, Jasminum sambac L. and reduces its yield. Among the insects budworm, Hendicasis duplifascialis H. (Lepidoptera; Crambidae) is a key pest causing severe damage across the regions. The perennial nature of the jasmine crop succumb damage by the budworm throughout the year. The knowledge on occurrence of budworm and their frequency of potential damage to the flowers is essential to formulate the season-based pest management strategies. The present study was carried out to understand the spatial and temporal pattern of damage by budworms during the different growing season from December 2019 to March 2022. The level of damage at two important jasmine growing regions viz., Trichy and Erode districts of Tamil Nadu, India was estimated. The results indicated that the maximum occurrence of budworm (13.27-19.61%) was recorded during the August- October months. Spatial distribution revealed comparatively more damage at Erode region jasmine fields. Correlation studies revealed the weather factors viz., minimum temperature, evaporation, and rainfall had a significant positive influence on budworm damage. Regression coefficient analysis indicates that budworm incidence was influenced as 64.7 and 59.6 percent by weather parameters at Trichy and Erode regions respectively. The regression equation specified that every unit increase in evening relative humidity, decreases the damage by 1.24 percent at the Trichy region. Significantly one unit increase in sunshine hours increased the damage by 1.17 percent at Erode. From the study, temporal pattern emphasis more damage on jasmine flowers during winter months. Management strategies can be focused to target the pest during the period to avoid loss and obtain profitable yield.

COVID-19 has changed nearly every aspect of our daily lives, and has forced people to change their consumption behavior thus, concentrating only on essential items. The present study analyses the influence of Covid-19 on consumer expenditure by using a structured questionnaire to collect data from 200 respondents of Telangana state. Garett’s ranking technique was used to rank the preference of the respondents by analyzing the most influential factor on the consumer. The results revealed that the respondents have encountered more expenditure after the pandemic due to the increase in prices of commodities when compared to pre lockdown period. It is also evident that people started consuming healthy and immunity-boosting products in order to enhance their health. They have also restricted themselves to essentials to keep expenditures in check. The overall study highlights that the expenditure of a household is majorly influenced by the rise in prices, unemployment and reduced income. Finding the study sample was challenging as the respondents had to be Covid infected people for current research.

Greengram is the third most important pulse crop in India. Weeds are a major limiting factor in production of greengram that lead to a drastic reduction in yield. Weed management is very important in successful cultivation of greengram. Due to its slow growth during early stages, weeds grow abundantly and interfere with the crop for uptake of water and nutrients. They also limit the availability of light and space for the crop. Weeds mature earlier than the crop and shed their seeds in soil, thereby, increasing weed seed bank in the soil. Naturally more hardy and competitive, they cause significant yield losses if not controlled properly. Weed infestation is one of the major constraints in greengram cultivation and causes 50 to 90% yield loss. Yield losses in crops due to weeds depend on several factors such as weed emergence time, weed density, type of weeds, and crops, etc. Among the various factors responsible for poor yield in greengram is an inadequate weed control measure. Weeds have to be controlled for successful crop production. Significant crop losses due to weeds are simply not acceptable in a world where two billions more people will have to be fed in the next 40 years. The traditional practice of hand weeding requires dependence on the increased number of labor during the peak period of sowing and harvesting and becoming expensive. However weeding through implements i.e., the mechanical way is economical and time saving; it is not satisfactory in a broadcast or mixed cropped area. For effective and timely weed control in crop plants use of herbicides with proper liable techniques has become a common practice. While herbicide application initially inhibits soil microflora, populations rebound with the passage of time due to degradation of herbicides. Integration of herbicides with HW generally provides efficient weed control without any negative influence on symbiosis, growth, yield and nutrient uptake of greengram. Based on the resource available to have to adopt the best suitable weed control strategies like cultural control, mechanical methods, herbicide adoption, and integrated approaches will significantly decrease the weeds, which will lead to even greater yields. Finally, integrated weed management is the key to sustainable crop production throughout the world and will remain the mainstay for weed control for the foreseeable future.

Capsicum is a significant genus for its nutritional, economic, and cultural values. Besides that, Phytophthora capsici causes a significant decline in yield. So, a study was carried out to determine the response of bell pepper crop yield and incidence of Phytophthora disease to two planting methods, three mulch levels, and two NAA levels. Results indicated that planting methods, mulch materials, and NAA levels significantly influenced bell pepper disease(s) and yield. Plants grown on raised beds had minimum severity of disease and higher yield. Black polythene mulch responded best for less disease severity of leaf blight and incidence of collar rot, whereas, silver/black mulch showed significantly least incidence of fruit rot and higher yield. It also recorded lower disease infection and greater yield as compared to no NAA application. As for the consortium, the minimum severity of leaf blight (1.13 %), yield per plot (54.53 kg) and yield per hectare (384.69 q) were noticed under raised bed planting coupled with silver/black mulch and NAA application @ 15 ppm at 30 and 45 days after transplanting.