Native isolates of groundnut stem rot causal organism, SclerotiumrolfsiiSacc. were
collected from major groundnut growing areas of Tamil Nadu. Selected isolates were screened,
characterized and identified the virulent isolates. Several native bacterial and fungal antagonists
were isolated against SclerotiumrolfsiiSacc.Two antagonistic actinomycetes isolates were found
to have antagonistic effects the groundnut stem rot pathogen. Morphology and spore structure of
isolated antagonists were studied under light microscopy, Biochemical test, Thin layer
chromatography. and Biolog analysis. It confirmed the group of microorganisms as
Streptomyces. The genus and species level of the antagonists were identified by Fatty Acids
Methyl Esters (FAME) Analysis. The antagonistic activities of S. violaceusniger were found to
be effective in reducing the mycelial growth, sclerotial formation, and sclerotial germination.
When antagonists were combined together in various combinations with each other in pot
experiments the treatment containing, seed treatment of P. fluorescens@ 5g kg -1 +S.
violaceusniger @ 5 g/kg was found to be effective in reducing the disease by 81.84 per cent over
control followed by the seed treatment of S. violaceusniger @10 g/kg (75.06 per cent).This study
provides a theoretical and practical explanation of an antagonist explored for control of stem rot
caused by S. rolfsii.

Bananas are grown in the lower Gangetic plains of Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Purnea, and Katihar
districts in Bihar, which suffer flooding during the rainy seasons. Prolonged water logging in
lowlands provides a vulnerable zone for fungal and bacterial infestation in banana orchards,
leading to a reduction in fruit yield. The assessment of flood inundation and vulnerability
hotspots in banana orchards faced obstacles, such as the dynamic and complex nature of the
monsoon, infestation in plants, and yield losses in fruits. Hence, multispectral, hyper spectral,
and thermal data were utilized for visual interpretation, image processing, and extraction of
geospatial information aimed at mitigation. The study provided valuable insights into the
temporal changes in flooding and water logging in the specific area where banana orchards
are at higher risk, contributing to the development of strategies for mitigating yield losses in
flood-prone areas. Keeping these views in mind, the present study was carried out to assess
the temporal changes in flood inundation during the monsoon using satellite data of the
Moderate Resolution Imaging Specro-radiometer (MODIS V6, 2021) and to analyze the site-
specific vulnerable hotspots where banana orchards may be badly affected due to floods.
Results revealed that out of the total geographical area of Naugachhia subdivision (86982 ha),
only 2541.36 ha (0.97%) are under banana orchards. The analyzed data shows that the
maximum area under banana orchards was found in Kharik block (1157.83 ha), followed by
Naugachhiya block (702.12 ha), Bihpur block (379.57 ha), Gopalpur (189.6 ha), Narayanpur
(63.85 ha), Ismailpur (40.92 ha), and Rangra Chowk (7.47 ha), where, banana orchards were
badly affected by bacterial and fungal diseases in Gopalpur (115.59 ha), Ismailpur (31.28 ha),
and Rangra Chowk (1.25 ha).

The quantity and quality of irrigation water is declining day by day considerably across
India. To utilize this available water efficiently, there’s a need to grow suitable drought
resistant crop cultivars with a greater tolerance to salinity/alkalinity. Hence, a pot culture
study was carried out during 2014-15 and 2015-16 to evaluate the response of five popular
Indian castor hybrids to irrigation water with varying EC levels of 4.0, 6.0, 8.0 dSm -1 and the
best quality non-saline water (0.2 dSm -1 ), in a factorial completely randomized design (CRD)
with two replications. The results indicated that among hybrids, PCH-111 (4.48 g plant -1 )
being at par with DCH-519 (4.24 g plant -1 ) and DCH-177 (4.25 g plant -1 ) produced
significantly higher seed yield plant -1 and was higher by 23.4 and 34.5% over YRCH-1 (3.63
g plant -1 ) and GCH-7 (3.33 g plant -1 ). The growth of castor was gradually suppressed with an
increase in water salinity. The seed yield plant -1 (4.50 g plant -1 ) was significantly greater with
the best quality water (ECw: 0.2 dSm -1 ) followed by ECw4.0 dSm -1 (4.05 g plant -1 ) beyond
which a significant decline in seed yield was registered. Thus, irrigation water salinity of 4.0
dSm -1 can be considered as the threshold level for irrigation water for satisfactory growth and
yield of castor.The post harvest soil pH, EC and available N were significantly greater with
the highest water salinity (ECw: 8.0 dSm -1 ). Shoot length and dry matter were highly and
positively correlated with the seed yield of the castor.

Traditional approaches for the management of various post-harvest diseases involving
synthetic or chemical preservatives have raised concerns regarding their impact on human
health and the environment. In this study, we propose novel and sustainable management
practices using a leaf layer as a natural barrier to manage post-harvest anthracnose and extend
the shelf life of mango fruits, which offer a promising alternative to the conventional use of
chemical fungicides. Therefore, this study was conducted at the Department of Plant
Pathology, N. M. College of Agriculture, NAU, Navsari during the year 2022 to find out the
effect of different botanicals on the suppression of anthracnose disease and its effect on the
shelf life of mango cv. Kesar. Among the evaluated different treatments, fruits covered with
neem leaves showed lowest disease incidence (30.00%) which was at par with fruit covered
with lantana leaves (33.33%) followed by fruit covered with marigold leaves (40.00%) as
compared to control (80.00%). The shelf life was significantly found higher (13.33 days) in
fruit covered with neem leaves followed by fruit covered with lantana leaves (12.00 days) as
compared to control (7.00 days). The aroma and volatile compounds emitted by various
leaves create a thin film and delicate layer around the fruit, acting as a natural repellent and
antifungal agent. This protective film serves to deter pathogens from entering, penetrating,
and attacking the fruit. The utilization of botanicals or plant-based materials for fruit
preservation is considered safer for both humans and the environment compared to synthetic
or chemical preservatives. Consequently, botanicals could serve as a substantial alternative to
chemical pesticides for management of post-harvest diseases. They are not only eco-friendly
and efficient but also cost-effective, ensuring the safety of consumers and the environment.

Titanium dioxide(TiO 2 ) NPs have chemical properties such as high stability making,
highly a perfect choice for photo-catalysts, antimicrobial agents, and in preservatives. Plant
extracts may act both as reducing agents and stabilizing agents in the synthesis of nanoparticles.
TiO 2 NPs are widely used in silkworms for disease resistance. In this present study, Psoralea
corlyfolia-mediated TiO 2 nanoparticles significantly influenced the growth of silkworm larvae
and reduced the toxicity level of BmNPV infestation in treated larvae. The larval mortality was
less in theuntreated control (3.25 %) which is on par with Ankush (3.65 %) followed by TiO 2
NPs at 75 ppm (4.90 %). The treatment TiO 2 NPs 75 ppm recorded a cocoon weight of 2.23 g.
The lowest cocoon weight was recorded in 100 ppm of TiO 2 NPs (2.04 g).

The effect of seed treatment with bioagents, organic amendments, fungicide
and their combinations on seedling emergence, pre-emergence, post-emergence mortality and
growth parameters of safflower conducted in glass house conditions at Department of Plant
Pathology, College of Agriculture, PJTSAU, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. The dominant
pathogen, which causes Fusarium wilt of safflower, was isolated and identified as Fusarium
oxysporum f. sp. carthami commercial isolates of Trichoderma harzianum and Pseudomonas
fluorescens were used in this study and isolates supplied by Bio fertilizer unit, PJTSAU,
Hyderabad. Under in vitro conditions, the results revealed that among all the treatments
tested, T 11 -combination treatment of (T 1 + T 2 + T 3 + T 4 (seed inoculation with test pathogen
followed by seed treatment with Trichoderma harzianum (10 g kg -1 seed) + T 2 (seed treatment
with Pseudomonas fluorescens (10 g kg -1 seed) + T 3 (seed treatment with carbendazim (1 g kg –
1 seed) + T 4 (soil application with neem cake (10 g kg -1 soil) was found superior in all the
parameters discussed. When tested for growth parameters, shoot length was recorded highest
in T 11 (59.2 cm), root length was recorded highest in T 6 (10.0 cm) and total length was
recorded highest in T 11 (68.2 cm). Highest fresh weight (272.10 g) and dry weight (105.35 g)
was also recorded from the same combination treatment.

This study employs three distinct methods: Stepwise Multiple Linear Regression (SMLR),
Ridge Regression, and XG-Boost was used to forecast the sugarcane yield of the Navsari
district of Gujarat, India. The integration of meteorological data and remote sensing-derived
Vegetation Indices (VIs) is a key component in these approaches. A Sentinel-2 satellite image
from May 2023 was utilized for accurate acreage estimation, revealing measuring 8.53%
error compared to government data. Ridge regression emerges as the most accurate model for
yield forecasting, demonstrating consistency across validation years. The combination of
remote sensing data, meteorological data, and machine learning algorithms proves effective
in predicting sugarcane yield, offering a cost-effective, time-efficient, and error-free
alternative. This approach not only enhances the accuracy of crop yield forecasts but also
addresses the challenges associated with traditional methods, such as human error, expense,
and time consumption. Overall, this study underscores the effectiveness of remote sensing in
conjunction with meteorological data and machine learning for precise and efficient
sugarcane yield forecasting, it may provide valuable insights for stakeholders such as
policymakers, crop insurance companies, and agro-processing entities. A constraint of this
study lies in the presence of cloudy images, especially during the months from June to
September. The presence of cloudy conditions introduces contamination, thereby presenting a
specific challenge to accurately forecast the yield, particularly for Kharif crops. Another limitation of this study is the low temporal resolution of Landsat satellite imagery, making it
challenging to obtain real-time data on crop conditions within very short intervals.

Soybean [Glycine max L Merill] is an important oil seed crops known for its richest protein
source and is a miracle crop of twenty century as it plays a pivotal role in agriculture, industry
and export trade of India. Maintenance of seed viability from harvest to next planting season is a
major constraint in soybean production. Among the three storage materials viz., gunny bag,
polylined gunny bag and Purdue Improved Crop storage (PICS) bag evaluated with the seeds
treated with carboxin+thiram @3g/kg, pyraclostrobin+ metiram @ 2g/kg and carbendazim
+mancozeb @ 2g/kg with untreated control for seed viability, soybean seeds when treated with
carboxin 37.5% +thiram 37.5% @3g/kg and stored in polylined gunny bag was found
significantly superior in maintaining germination (77.17%) at above IMSCS with highest
seedling vigour (1871) and absolutely nil seed infections up to eight months of storage followed
by seeds treated with pyraclostrobin+ metiram @ 2g/kg and stored in polylined gunny bag under
ambient conditions. Similarly, in case of untreated soybean seeds the polylined gunny bag
exhibited improved germination (14.01%) and seedling vigour (19.77%) with reduced seed
infections (46.5%) when compared to gunny bags at six months after storage.The present
research findings revealed that of the storage materials, the polylined gunny bag was found
effective to maintain the seed health and quality of soybean seeds during storage.

Fifty-five genotypes were evaluated for a genetic divergence to identify potential parents for the lathyrus breeding program aimed at yield improvement. Mahalanobis D² statistics for eight characters viz. days to 50% flowering (on plot basis), days to maturity (on plot basis), plant height (cm), number of primary branches plant-1, number of seeds pod-1, number of pods plant-1, 100 seed weight (g) and yield plant-1 were used in this study for computing genetic divergence. The analysis of dispersion for eight characters using Wilk’s criterion revealed a highly significant difference between genotypes for all eight characters. The fifty-five genotypes were grouped into seven clusters by Tocher’s method. The maximum inter-cluster distance was recorded between cluster III and cluster VII (D2=15.40) and in between cluster V and cluster VII (D2 = 14.75) whereas the minimum inter-cluster distance was found between cluster IV and cluster VI (D²=3.56). The canonical analysis indicated that yield plant-1, 100 seed weight, number of pods plant-1, number of seeds pod-1, number of primary branches plant-1 and days to 50% flowering were significant source of variation in vector I. Characters number of seeds pod-1, number of pods plant-1, days to 50% flowering and plant height were important source of variation in vector II. Number of seeds pod-1, yield plant-1 and days to 50% flowering were important characters in vector III. The canonical analysis and cluster mean studied together revealed the importance of number of pods plant-1, yield plant-1, and number of seeds pod-1 as important contributors towards the total divergence. Hence, these traits form the criterion for the selection of parents for hybridization program. The 19 genotypes viz., EC-209071, NLK-39, IC-120491, NLK-37, NLK-56, NLK-6, NLK-40, NLK-49, NLK-38, NLK-54, NLK-73, EC-207071, NLK-42, NLK-74, BIOR-208, AKL-7, JRL-16, BIOR-231 and BIOR-222 were identified as potential and diverse parents for their use in crossing program.

Drought is the major probem that causes severe reduction in yield as the plant faces severe moisture and temperature strees. To enhance the area of mungbean cultivation under drought prone region it is important to understand the response of mungbean for different morphophysiological and biochemical traits under drought condition inorder to formulate effective breeding programme. In the current investigation, Twenty-five genotypes of mungbean were evaluated in randomized block design with three replications along with three levels of water stress i.e. Control, drought stress at the vegetative stage, and drought stress at the reproductive stage during the summer season of 2020 & 2021. When all the characters were considered simultaneously, significant differences among twenty-five genotypes were observed as the ‘V’ statistic value was highly significant. During both the years under control and stress conditions, these twenty-five mungbean were grouped into six clusters. The intra-cluster D2 values ranged from 0.00 to 21.86 under the control condition, while it was 0.00 to 36.77 under drought at the vegetative stage condition and 0.00 to 29.62 under drought at the reproductive stage condition. Under control and drought at vegetative stage condition, during both the years, leaf area contributed the maximum to the diversity by taking first rank out of 300 combinations respectively while in drought at reproductive stage condition, seed yield & 100 seed weight contributed the maximum to the diversity during summer 2020 & 2021 respectively. Selection of divergent parents based on these characteristics might be useful in the formulation of a breeding program for drought tolerance as well as it will help in obtaining a large number of transgressive sergeants in subsequent generations.