The present investigation was conducted during the year 2022-2023 with the objectives i) To estimate the magnitude of genetic variability and its contribution trait ii) To find out the correlation between the traits under study and work out the path analysis for yield and yield contributing traits. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with 30 genotypes. Data on the 21 quantitative, qualitative, seed and biotic stress traits has been recorded as per standard procedure. Data on mean performance of all individual plant progenies revealed that genotype Pink long to be the highest yielder followed by long Kashmiri and also performed better for another important desirable trait viz. plant spread, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit weight, marketable fruit yield per plant. The analysis of genotypic and phenotypic coefficient variance revealed a higher magnitude of PCV than the corresponding GCV for all characters which indicated the effect of environment on the character expression. The highest PCV and GCV were obtained for marketable and unmarketable fruit yield per plant. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for average fruit weight showing the influence of additive gene action on the characters hence, may be useful for selection. Fruit yield per hectare showed a positive and significant correlation with the number of fruits per plant, fruit diameter, fruit weight, marketable fruit yield per plant, unmarketable fruit yield per plant and total fruit yield per plant while fruit yield per hectare showed a negative and significant correlation with days to first flowering, days to first harvest. Days to first flowering, plant height, plant spread, fruit weight, marketable fruit yield per plant, total fruit yield per plant and number of seeds per fruit showed maximum direct effect on fruit yield per plant.

A field study was carried out at the Experimental Orchard, Department of Horticulture, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar (Haryana) on six year-old guava trees cv. Hisar Surkha to determine the effect of foliar application of zinc sulphate and plant growth regulators on the quality and leaf nutrient status of guava. Different treatments were taken i.e. T1 : ZnSO4.7H2O @ 0.25%, T2 : ZnSO4.7H2O @ 0.50%, T3 : ZnSO4.7H2O @ 0.75%, T4 : ZnSO4.7H2O @ 1.0%, T5 : NAA @ 25 ppm, T6 : NAA @ 50 ppm, T7 : NAA @ 75 ppm, T8 : NAA @ 100 ppm, T9 : GA3 @ 50 ppm, T10 : GA3 @ 75 ppm, T11 : GA3 @ 100 ppm and T12: Control (water spray) with three replications under randomized block design. The results of the study revealed a significant increase in the quality and leaf nutrient status of guava fruit. However, foliar application of NAA @ 100 ppm proved to be the best treatment in improving the TSS (12.93oB), TSS/Acid Ratio (39.18), total sugars (6.75 %), reducing sugars (4.05 %) and non-reducing sugars (2.70 %) and foliar application of GA3 @ 100 ppm improved the pectin content (0.89 %), ascorbic acid content (208.4 mg/100 g pulp) and leaf nutrient status of guava fruit over control.

The present study is to examine the effectiveness of the intervention program in enhancing self-awareness levels among rural and tribal women. One hundred and twenty (n=120) women were selected from Adilabad and Kumarambheem Asifabad districts of Telangana State. The sample comprised of rural (60%) and tribal (60%) with ages ranging between 25-50 years, were drawn by purposive random sampling method. A self-developed scale was administered to collect the data. The findings of the study revealed that the majority (63%) of the rural and tribal women were not adequately aware of their own self prior to intervention. After the intervention, 58 % of rural and tribal women enhanced their self-awareness levels after exposure to the intervention. The present findings emphasise a need for planning suitable intervention programs for enhancing self-awareness levels among women. Findings of the study highlighted the significant improvement in self-awareness levels among rural and tribal women which can serve as a foundation for personal growth, self-empowerment, and community development among marginalized populations.
The study faced challenges related to the cultural diversity and geographical dispersion of the rural and tribal communities, as well as potential language barriers and limited access to education and resources among the participants. Moreover, this research underscores the need for continued efforts to design and implement culturally sensitive and region-specific programs to address the unique challenges faced by rural and tribal women, ultimately promoting their well-being and social progress.

Higher number of birds population were observed in the college farm research fields and damage the field crops under unprotected conditions. Moreover, complaints also from surrounding farmers, particularly adjacent to college farm and nearby villages were noted. Field experiments were conducted at college farm, PJTSAU, Hyderabad during Kharif and Rabi 2023-24 to evaluate the eco-friendly bird management methods on sorghum. Five treatments were replicated four times in RBD with PYPS-2 at a spacing of 45x15cm and plot size was 5x5m.Treatments were imposed at the milky grain stage. Salt@25g/l, Egg+Hing@25ml/l, Ginger+garlic@30ml/l and Deepam oil@25ml/l were tested along with one untreated control. Among these, Egg+Hing proved to be the best as per cent bird damage recorded was 15.67 in kharif and 15.0 in rabi followed by Salt spray(24.72 and 18.25%) as against 49.56% and 31.5% respectively in control. The highest yield of 2963 kg/ha in kharif and 1470.89kg/ha in rabi was recorded in the best treatment.

Vitamin D deficiency has become a global problem contributed by the limited sun exposure for a large portion of the world population. Hence dietary intake of vitamin D becomes very essential for every age group. However, dietary recommendations for vitamin D are difficult to meet because of the limited dietary sources of natural vitamin D. Further advanced research has proven that vitamin-D3 is more necessary in human physiological functions and vitamin-D2 has to convert to D3 for it to be utilized by the body. This revelation has made it more difficult for the vegetarian, vegan, and population with compromised health conditions, who are denied to consume meat to a level that can fulfill their daily need for vitamin-D. Hence exploring other alternative sources for catering to the need of vitamin-D in the ever-growing population and food trends (veganism) has gained popularity in recent days. Though microbial production or extract preparations (from animal sources) are performing promisingly in this era, as the world is heading towards a sustainable ecosystem, these methods will not fit with the principles of a sustainable future. Traditionally, animal products have been considered as the only source of vitamin D3, but today we know that vitamin D3 and its metabolites are present in certain plants also. However our knowledge about these plants is still limited in terms of their numbers, effectiveness, and production mechanisms. Hence this review is an attempt to imply that plants can be an alternative source of vitamin-D production, through the results of the studies conducted on the quantification of vitamin-D (D2 &D3) and its metabolites in plants.

To enhance the applicability of whey proteins in the food industry, it is essential to improve their functional properties to match with the specific intended applications. This can be achieved by enzymatic modification method. The objective of this research is to develop enzymatic modified whey protein concentrate (WPC) incorporated high protein bar with the ingredients such as, millet flakes (sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, little millet, kodo millet), traditional rice landrace (chithiraikar) flakes, sesame seeds, almonds, ghee with natural sweeteners like dates, raisins, honey, brown sugar and choco chips. Modification of WPC by enzymatic method resulted in enhanced functional properties which included increased protein solubility (from 83.5 to 85.7%), higher emulsifying capacity (from 151 to 430 g oil g−1 protein), and foaming capacity (from 1.70 to 1.75 mL mL−1). The textural and sensory properties were evaluated for protein bars developed using WPC and modified WPC. The modified WPC-incorporated high protein bar demonstrated superior outcomes in terms of both textural and sensory properties. A comprehensive evaluation of the physicochemical characteristics of the modified WPC incorporated high protein bar and WPC incorporated high protein bar was carried out. The findings revealed that the developed protein bars contain high protein and energy content and a significant amount of essential micronutrients. The modified WPC-incorporated high protein bar has been formulated as a nutritious dietary option for a broad demographic of health-conscious individuals.

The challenges in enhancing the yield and nutrient uptake of Summer Greengram include addressing widespread sulphur deficiency in Indian soils, which is crucial for protein synthesis, nodulation and overall plant growth. Integrating organic manures like farm yard manure (FYM) and vermicompost can improve soil fertility, structure and microbial activity, positively influencing crop growth and yield. Additionally, the application of biofertilizers containing Rhizobium for nitrogen fixation and phosphorus solubilizing microorganisms for improved phosphorus availability can play a vital role in overcoming nutrient limitations and enhancing the productivity of greengram crops. A field trial was conducted at the Soil and Water Management, Cotton Research Sub Station, Achhalia during the Summer season of 2021 to evaluate the effect of sulphur, organic manure and biofertilizers on the yield and nutrient uptake of Greengram. The experiment comprised with twelve different treatment combinations arranged in a factorial randomized block design with three replications. Sulphur was applied at three levels (20 kg S/ha, 30 kg S/ha, 40 kg S/ha) along with organic manure (FYM @ 5t/ha, Vermicompost @ 1 t/ha) and biofertilizers (control, PSB + Rhizobium inoculation). The findings revealed that the application of 40 kg/ha of sulphur significantly increased the seed yield, stover yield, and overall nutrient uptake, encompassing N, P, K, S, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu. The inclusion of organic manure, particularly FYM at 5 t/ha, led to improved nutrient uptake, specifically for N, P, K, and Cu in the Greengram crop. The introduction of biofertilizers containing PSB and rhizobium resulted in a notable improvement in seed yield, stover yield and total nutrient uptake. Additionally, the interactive effects showed a synergistic influence when combining sulphur, organic manure and biofertilizers, resulting in increased seed yield, stover yield, and total nutrient uptake for Greengram.

Depletion of soil organic carbon (SOC) is the major cause of the decline in soil productivity and degradation for sustainable crop production arising from elevated CO2 emissions. The adoption of different cropping systems (CSs) is an alternative strategy for soil carbon storage (SCS). Keeping these factors in mind, the current study was conducted in 2019–2020 and 2020–21 to examine the impact of (CSs) on C– sequestration capabilities in the continuing long-term field trial started in 2017. It was conducted at an experimental farm at the College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar. Our findings showed that the impact of effective CSs improved SOC stock above the initial status (7.53 Mg ha-1) in both years. The following cropping order showed a noticeably higher build-up of SOC stock: CS1: Rice – Maize and CS2: Bt cotton – Fallow, respectively, had the lowest values (0.66 Mg ha-1) and (0.60 Mg ha-1) whereas CS5: Maize + Pigeon pea – Groundnut (1.25 Mg ha-1) and CS4: Pigeon pea + Green gram (1:3) – Sesame (1.22 Mg ha-1) had the highest values. The level of SOC in one of the CSs, CS10: Bhendi, Marigold, and Beetroot, demonstrated a detrimental impact on the study’s findings, with depletion (-0.13 Mg ha-1) falling below the original value. Interestingly, the build-up of SOC was more prominent in 2020-2021 in all the CSs as compared to 2019-2020, and SOC accumulation (1.44 Mg ha-1) was more pronounced in CS4, maintaining the same trend as in 2019-2020. However, the higher carbon sequestration rate (CSR) in 2019-2020 was recorded in CS5 (0.42 Mg ha-1 yr-1) and CS4 (0.41 Mg ha-1 yr-1) while a positive increment in CSR in 2020-2021 was observed in all the CSs with higher (2.15 Mg ha-1 yr-1) being under CS7: Fodder sorghum + Fodder cowpea. System productivity in terms of RGEY (40818 kg ha-1) was significantly higher under CS10 after the third year and declined by 18.80% at the end of fourth year. CSR and RGEY reported a negative significant correlation (r= -0.755*) and non-significant correlation in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, respectively. The salient findings have indicated that CSs involving cover crops (legumes and cereals) had sequestered higher SOC, thus bridging the gap to the farmers towards soil carbon loss by elevated CO2 through the adoption of these complementary bio-intensive CSs mechanisms.

To study the monitory benefit from agroforestry system, a field experiment on foxtail millet- Melia dubia based agroforestry under organic production system was conducted during 2018-19 and 2020-21 in northern dry zone of Karnataka. The experiment comprising of eleven treatments with different nutrient management practices through organics in medium black soil in existing Melia dubia based agroforestry plantation system with foxtail millet as an intercrop and sole crop (without tree) under rainfed conditions. The economic analysis in agroforestry system indicated that, application of FYM + poultry manure + panchagavya alternated with vermiwash spray recorded significantly higher net returns and benefit cost ratio (Rs. 28,631 ha-1 and 2.31, respectively) when compared with all the treatments except FYM + poultry manure + vermiwash spray (Rs. 26402 ha-1) and FYM + vermicompost + panchagavya alternated with vermiwash spray (Rs. 26205 ha-1). In system economic analysis (Foxtail millet + tree), crop associated with tree with application of and FYM + poultry manure + panchagavya alternated with vermiwash spray and FYM + poultry manure + panchagavya recorded significantly higher net returns (Rs 3,21,056 ha-1 and 3,20,715 ha-1 respectively) and benefit cost ratio (4.81 and 4.78, respectively) over all other treatments.

Clonal rootstocks have been used by the fruit growers in scientifically advanced countries for better management and quality fruit production. Investigation was carried out to study the effect of clonal rootstocks on storage behavior on two exotic apple (Vance Delicious and Silver Spur) varieties grafted on three clonal rootstocks (M-9, M-4, MM-106) planted in the experimental orchard of Division of Fruit Science, SKUAST-Kashmir, Shalimar campus, Srinagar. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with four replications having two plants in each replication. Thirty fruits from each cultivar were stored under ambient conditions for 90 days and observations on quality parameters were taken at 15 days intervals. Results revealed that trees on dwarfing rootstock M-9 stood best in terms of minimum physiological loss in weight, spoilage, and acidity whereas maximum TSS and fruit firmness were recorded in semi-dwarfing rootstock MM-106. Among cultivars, Silver Spur registered a minimum physiological loss in weight, spoilage, acidity and maximum total soluble solids and fruit firmness as compared to Vance Delicious. From the present study, it was concluded that under ambient conditions fruits of Silver Spur grafted on M-9 clonal rootstock performed best.