Background: Bispyribac sodium_is the organic sodium salt of bispyribac. It is used as a broad-spectrum post-emergent herbicide for the control of grasses, sedges and broadleaf weeds in rice crops. Diafenthiuron is an aromatic ether that an agricultural pro-insecticide that is used to control mites, aphids, and whitefly in cotton. There is no validated method for quantification of Bispyribac sodium and Difenthiuron in pesticide formulations.
Objective: This study aimed to develop a simple, specific, accurate, precise and reliable UFLC method for the quantification of Bispyribac sodium and Difenthiuron in their pesticide formulations.
Methods: Bispyribac sodium and Difenthiuron were quantified by using Shimadzu, packed with C18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column. A mixture of acetonitrile: water (50:50 and 70:30 v/v) was used as a mobile phase for Bispyribac sodium and Difenthiuron respectively. The column oven temperature was maintained at 25°C throughout the analysis. The flow rate was maintained at 1.2 and 1.0 ml/min and detection at 254 and 225 nm for Bispyribac sodium and Difenthiuron respectively was carried out with injection volume of 5 and 2μl. The % RSD values for the precision study were <1.19 and <1.60 for Bispyribac sodium and Difenthiuron respectively. The analytical method was validated according to the guidelines described in Collaborative International Pesticides Analytical Council (CIPAC).
Results: The UFLC method was able to quantify Bispyribac sodium and Difenthiuronin in their formulations by gradient elution within 15 and 20 min respectively. % RSD in retention times (R.T.) of Bispyribac sodium and Diafenthiuron was found to be 0.060 and 0.218 respectively. % RSD in the peak area of Bispyribac sodium and Diafenthiuron was found to be 0.218 and 0.403. The % recovery of Bispyribac sodium and Difenthiuron was found to be 101.14 and 99.38%. Conclusion: The UFLC method for assay of Bispyribac sodium and Difenthiuron was successfully developed, validated, and demonstrated to be accurate, precise and specific.

Hand Cranked Improved Chakki was evaluated at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa by rural men and women for products like dal and sattu from common pulses like green gram and Bengal gram. Machine performance indicators were output capacity, dehulling efficiency, milling efficiency, product recovery, and operational cost. The machine recorded the highest dal recovery (36.29 kg/h) at 5 mm clearance between upper and lower stones for green gram. The highest product recovery of Bengal gram was 40.53-44.40 kg/h for dal at 7.0 mm stone clearance and 3.27-3.56 kg/h for sattu at 1.5 mm clearance. Highest dehulling efficiency was 96.75 and 97.25 percent whereas highest dal recovery was 84 and 78 percent for Green gram and Bengal gram respectively. The machine registered 93.7 percent milling efficiency for the preparation of sattu. The cost of production was Rs20.49/kg for sattu, Rs1.98/kg for Green gram dal and Rs1.62/kg for Bengal gram dal. A common trend of increase in heartbeat, oxygen, and energy consumption rate was noticed with an increase in the age of the subjects irrespective of their gender. Dal preparation by machine was reported to be a comfortable task with the lowest work-rest time ratio varying between 5:1 and 3:1 for different subjects. For preparation of dal, Hand cranked improved chakki can very easily be adopted for cottage industry.

Orchids are infested by different insect pests as that of other flowering and ornamental plants. The production of orchids is mainly hampered by the blossom midge, C. maculipennis. Studies on the biology of blossom midge, C. maculipennis showed that the incubation period (1.67 ± 0.39 days), larval period (8.50 ± 0.89 days), pupal period (9.37 ± 0.70 days), adult longevity of female (3.0. ± 0.55 days) and male (1.57 ± 0.53 days) were minimum during March – April 2018. Morphometrics of different stages of blossom midge were observed. The egg measured was 0.26 ± 0.04 mm in length and 0.06 ± 0.01 mm in breadth. The larval length was found to be 1.69 ± 0.11 mm and 0.40 ± 0.05 mm breadth. The length and breadth of the pupa was 1.63 ± 0.06 mm and 0.31 ± 0.05 mm, respectively. The female adult measures 1.91 ± 0.12 mm in length and 0.38 ± 0.04 mm in breadth and the male adult was 1.62 ± 0.08 mm in length and 0.31 ± 0.02 mm in breadth. Thereby, the bionomics and morphometrics on the pest paves way to identify and to follow the pest management strategies in a clear cut way.

The rhizosphere soil microbial dynamics and fertility status of the bamboo in different locations viz., Anaikatty, Barliyar, Mammaram, Gudalur, and Mettupalayam were studied. In general, the density of microflora varied widely among locations as well as between bamboo rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils. The density of bacteria and actinomycetes was found to be higher in Anaikatty rhizosphere soil and the fungal population was higher in Mettupalayam non-rhizosphere soil. Among the bamboo rhizosphere, Anaikatty harbored a greater number of microbial populations while Barliyar rhizosphere soils exhibited greater microbial diversity. Comparing rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils, non-rhizosphere were microbially more diverse. Among natural and managed ecosystems, natural ecosystems had more number of bacteria and actinomycetes, while managed ecosystems recorded a greater number of fungi. Pseudomonas and Streptomyces were the dominant bacterial and actinomycetes genera encountered in the study area. The mycorrhizal infection and AM spore population were greater for managed ecosystems over the natural ecosystems.

Evaluation of forty mulberry accessions for morphological, growth and yield parameters was carried out during the year 2021-2022 at the Department of Sericulture, Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam.Qualitative traits such as growth nature, leaf surface, leaf lobation, leaf color and leaf wrinkles showed distinct variations in the present study. Among the forty accessions, the highest number of shoots/ plant was recorded in MI-0845 (27.40) and the highest shoot length was recorded in ME-0247 (230.70cm).The highest Internodal length was recorded in MI-0715 (8.39cm), the maximum number of leaves per plant was recorded in MI-0145 (584.00) and the maximum leaf area was recorded in MI-0477 (321.51cm2). Specific leaf area was maximum in MI-0615 (282.50 cm2/g) and a maximum number of leaves per branch were recorded in MI-0817 (55.80). The maximum 100 leaf weight was recorded in MI-0828 (673.40g) and leaf dry weight was significantly high in MI-0477 (88.71 g/plant). Phenotypic correlation between a number of shoots per plant showed a significantly positive correlation with specific leaf area and number of leaves per plant. Shoot length exhibited a significantly positive correlation with internodal length, number of leaves per plant had significantly positive correlation with specific leaf area. A significant and positive correlation between growth and yield traits can be utilized for mulberry leaf yield improvement. Based on the cluster analysis, 40 mulberry accessions were grouped into seven clusters. Among the clusters, cluster I and V exhibited maximum variability. The variability existing in the forty mulberry accessions provides opportunities for breeders to select specific donors for genetic improvement.

According to Rigveda, The lotus is the symbol of divinity or immortality in humanity. Lotus is an aquatic plant and is a perennial herb cultivated as an ornamental Lotus. There are two basic species viz.NelumbonuciferaandNelumbolutea belonging to the family Nelumbonaceae. The attractive yellow and pink flowers are mildly scented and offered to Gods traditionally. It is being propagated through seeds and rhizomes naturally. However, micropropagation through tissue culture has also been standardized using rhizome pieces as explants. It has long been revered for its ability to remain unsullied and pure, despite of its growing environment. Lotus was introduced from China to Japan and other nations and cultivated for more than 1000 years During geological changes, particularly when temperatures were low during the Ice Age, most plants in the northern hemisphere became extinct, but lotus flowers survived. Lotus occurs naturally in almost all parts of our country. In floriculture industry, it is being used as a cut flower, loose flower, and potted plant and in landscaping of ponds and huge lakes. Besides its floricultural uses, lotus is a plant where all parts viz. roots, stems, leaves, flowers and buds are commercially being utilized in food or for traditional medicinal purposes. It can be cultivated commercially by utilizing some pond management practices, fertilizer application etc. Improvised post- harvest practices can be utilized to reduce petal blackening after harvest.
Despite of having high economic importance not much attention has been given to the commercial cultivation of this crop in our country.There is a need to carry out research on the commercial cultivation of this crop under Indian conditions combined with organization of trainings to the farmers and entrepreneurs to take up its cultivation. Floriculture business is based on novelty and hence this forgotten traditional flower has again found its way in modern decorations where lotus has become a specialty today. There is a huge potential to use this flower in modern landscaping also where eco-tourism is coming up very fast and offers a unique business opportunity to the farmers. Simultaneously, there is a unique opportunity for converting the waste and barren lands into a profitable venture.

To increase the nutritional value of food crops and their endurance to water shortage circumstances, agronomic biofortification with zinc (Zn) and (Fe) may be used. By enhancing physiological and enzymatic antioxidant defense systems, Zn and Fe may help plants tolerate water stress. Major objective of this study was to investigate the effect of foliar applied Zn and Fe on grain biofortification and drought tolerance in wheat. Treatments include application of Zinc and Iron at terminal growth phases (tillering (20-40 DAS), booting (60-80) and earing stages (100-110) growth stages) with each three levels: [Zn0%, Zn1.0%, and Zn2.0%] [Fe0%, Fe0.5% and Fe1.0%]), laid out in factorial randomized block design with three replications. From the results revealed that water stress significantly reduced relative water contents, gas exchange attributes, and morpho-physiological parameters (leaf area index at 30, 60, 90 DAS, chlorophyll intensity, Canopy temperature depression) and yield related attributes. In contrast to application of various levels of Zn and Fe significantly improved and were markedly increased under water stress condition leaf area index at 30, 60, and 90 DAS, chlorophyll intensity, canopy temperature depression, Zn uptake of seed, Fe uptake of seed and protein content of the seed. Foliar applied Zn1.0% and Fe0.5% predominantly reduced the damaging impact of water stress by improving the plant status in the form of leaf area index, chlorophyll intensity, canopy temperature depression, and Zn uptake of seed, Fe uptake of seed and protein content of the seed. Likewise, wheat plants treated with Zn1.0% and Fe0.5% under water stress conditions increased the grain yield by improving the number of grains per spike, 1000 grain weight, and biological yield compared with control. Moreover, increasing Zn levels also increased Zn concentration in grains and leaves. Overall, this study suggests that the optimum level of Zn (1%) might be promising for alleviating the adverse impacts of water stress and enhance the grain biofortification in wheat.

The groundnut crop is affected by various diseases caused by fungi, bacteria and viruses, among these diseases, stem rot is the most predominant, devastating as well as yield reducing factor of groundnut. In Telangana state, Khammam district is one of the important groundnut cultivating areas growing different varieties. In the recent past, the incidence of stem rot has increased at an alarm level. The survey would ultimately indicate the areas with high disease incidence which can be managed timely to avoid any disease epidemic. Keeping because of the importance of the disease, a roving survey was conducted and a collection of 15 isolates was done during October- December 2022 in the groundnut growing areas of erstwhile Khammam district. The study revealed variations in per cent disease incidence in major groundnut growing areas of erstwhile Khammam district. The per cent disease incidence was recorded highest in Thimminenipalem village of chintakani mandal (52.0) followed by keshavapuram village of kusumanchi mandal (45.0) of Khammam area. A minimum per cent disease Incidence was observed in Dhammapet village of Dhammapeta mandal, Khammam district (7%). The results have also shown that among the 15 isolates collected from the different groundnut cultivars grown in the mentioned groundnut growing areas shown variations in the per cent disease incidence in the decreasing order of SR12 (52.00), SR 13 (46.00), SR7 (45.00), SR11 (44.10), SR8 (42.02), SR15, (41.00), SR9 (36.00), SR3 (33.00), SR14 (32.34), SR4 (32.30), SR2 (28.00), SR10 (28.00), SR6 (23.53), SR5 (17.01) and SR1 (7.10), respectively.

In the past few decades, plastic products have been very popularly used by individuals for shopping purposes because of their ease, low cost, and convenience of use, but their very hazardous negative impact is never analyzed by the consumer. The impact of discarded plastic bags on agriculture is negative in a variety of ways, threatening both our food supply and our quality of life. Plastic usage has caused a variety of diseases in several human and animal organs. Cancer, eye discomfort, visual pollution, and others are a few examples. The consumer plays a critical role in terms of opting for the usage and disposal standards of eco-friendly products over other products. Usage of plastic bags has become a part of our daily life. Plastic bags are used by every other person. Most of the people are unaware of the use of plastic bags. The plastic bags are disposed of haphazardly ignorant of its effects on the environment and health of humans and animals. In this study, an effort was made to learn more about consumer behavior, attitudes, and awareness regarding plastic pollution, toxic gases from plastic production and disposal, their effects on the lives of living things, and the risks associated with the use of plastic bags by humans, as well as how consumers perceive the awareness of plastic bag access. The survey was conducted at the Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, using a research questionnaire with a sample size of 100 participants.

Intercropping in sugarcane allows more profitable land usage, and in Tamil Nadu, blackgram has been reported to be compatible with sugarcane. Participatory on-farm research trials comprising two treatments: sole sugarcane and sugarcane+blackgram intercropping (1:2) were conducted in the farmers’ fields during 2019–20 and 2020–21 at Erode district of Tamil Nadu, India. The results of the experimentation on cane equivalent yield, production efficiency, economic efficiency, gross returns, net returns and benefit cost ratio were statistically analyzed using a randomized block design. To achieve spatial intensification, an additive design of intercropping was followed, wherein, the base crop’s recommended plant population (sugarcane) was retained, and blackgram was introduced into the sugarcane inter-row spacing. Sugarcane+blackgram intercropping gave significantly more CEY (143.20 and 134.73 t ha-1) than sugarcane alone (127.58 and 122.30 t ha-1). Further, its production efficiency (392.37 and 369.13 kg cane day-1) was 12.24% and 10.17% higher than sole sugarcane cropping during 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively. The gross (Rs. 375191 and 353001 ha-1) and net returns (Rs. 174944 and 146674 ha-1), and B: C ratios (1.88 and 1.71) were significantly higher with sugarcane+blackgram intercropping than that of sole cropping. Besides, intercropping also recorded (Rs. 479.30 and 401.85 ha-1day-1) 30.54% and 22.04% higher economic efficiency than mono sugarcane cropping in both the years of experimentation. Thus, sugarcane+blackgram intercropping was found and economically viable than sole sugarcane.