The Front line demonstration was carried out during 2021-22 and 2022-23 Rabi seasons
in farmers fields covering 0.4 ha each by the active participation of farmers with the objective to
demonstrate the improved technologies to evaluate the efficacy of Integrated pest and disease
management practices over farmer’s practices against control over Gram podborer (Helicoverpa
armigera Hubner), Dry root rot and Fusarium wilt damage as they were major concern to
farmers for reducing the yields during crop season in the farmers fields. The results revealed that
the incidence of gram pod borer, Dry root rot and Fusarium was recorded comparatively less in
Integrated Pest and disease Management (IPDM) plot as compared to farmers’ practices. The
Seed yield was recorded higher in the IPDM plots (2035 kg ha -1 , 1830 kg ha -1 ) compared to
farmers’practices (1825 kg ha -1 , 1760 kg ha -1 ). IPDM module also recorded higher gross return
(Rs. 91,575 ha -1 , Rs. 96,990 ha -1 )with net profits (Rs. 66,825 ha -1 , 72240 ha -1 ) as well as benefit
cost ratio (3.71:1 , 3.93:1) as compared to farmers’ practices (gross return of Rs. 82125 ha -1 ,
93280 ha -1 ) with net profits of Rs. 53,625 ha -1 , 61,530 ha -1 ) and benefit cost ratio of (2.89:1,
2.94:1) during the two consecutive years 2021-22 and 2022-23 of rabi seasons respectively. The
improved technology gave higher gross returns, net returns with higher benefit cost ratio than
farmer’s practices with environmental friendly approach.

A desiccant-assisted automated hybrid solar dryer was developed for vegetable seeds. The
dryer consisting two sections, one for drying the air and the other for the regeneration of
desiccant. The collector area of the dryer is 1.3 sq.m and three trays of 0.18 m 2 of area each in
the drying chamber. The dryer consists of a real-time data acquisition system for recording
the temperature, and humidity, and the dryer was equipped with an automatic temperature
control unit to maintain the temperature at a preset level(≤40°C). The bottom of the drying
chamber was also filled with desiccant for continuous drying after sunshine. The performance
of the developed dryer was evaluated by drying fresh onion seeds having an initial moisture
content of 18-20% (wb) and compared with the developed dryer without desiccant
considering both the drying parameters and quality parameters of the dried seeds. The
developed dryer with desiccant was found to produce a significant difference in drying rate
(P<0.0001) for onion seeds compared to dryers without desiccant drying. All the quality
parameters in terms of germination percentage, and vigor index I and II, found to have a
significance difference (P<0.0001) compared to without desiccant drying. The developed
solar dryer provides a promising alternative for the continual drying of other materials
including onion even after sunshine hours with real-time data acquisition system and also
found to be superior in retaining quality.

Land suitability analysis, an important aspect used in land use planning, and provides an
integrated information for land resources management. Hence, the main objective of the
study is to analyze the land suitability for the pearl millet crop of Banka block using
Geographical Information System (GIS) and Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM)
approaches. To fulfill the objectives, there are 9 parameters, viz., land use and land cover,
elevation, slope, soil texture, pH, EC, OC, temperature, and precipitation were considered.
However, satellite imageries of Land sat-8 (2022) and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission
(SRTM) data were employed to assess the physiography, elevation, slope, and land use/land
cover pattern under RS-GIS domain. The results revealed that out of the total geographical
area (114.95 km 2 ), only 25.01 % of the land in the northern part of the study area is highly
suitable (S1), followed by 41.21% of the land found to be moderately suitable (S2) in the
middle portion, and 12.32 % of the land is marginally suitable (S3) which is in the southwest
part for pearl millet. The remaining land (21.5 %) was found to be not suitable (S4) due to the
presence of bed rock, hilly terrain, built-up lands, and water bodies. The integration of soil,
climate, and topographic parameters has aided in mapping the suitable lands for pearl millet.
This information may be beneficial for farmers' advisory services and as a database for
further utilization in land-use planning.

A Present investigation was conducted on “Characterization of weedy rice genotypes and study the impact
of bioregulators ( IAA and GA 3 ) on seed germination of weedy rice genotypes in Jammu region”. Three
different genotypes of weedy rice were identified in farmers’s fields viz. Awnless brown husk, Awns
brown husk and Awnless dark brown husk. The present study was carried out on weedy rice to study their
characterization on the basis of morphology, physiology, biochemical and yield attributes parameters
present in the Jammu region. Two bioregulators IAA and GA 3 were used to examine the effect on seed
germination of different genotypes of weedy rice that were treated with various concentrations of IAA (0.1
ppm, 0.5 ppm, 1.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm, 2.5 ppm) and GA 3 (05 ppm, 10 ppm, 15 ppm, 20 ppm, 25 ppm) along
with control. The results obtained from the study revealed that the plant height (cm) and the number of
tillers were noticed significantly higher in Awnless brown husk (150.66 cm and 19.0). Number of
grains/panicle and grains yield/plant was also increased significantly in the Awnless brown husk (225.0
and 6.41 g). Chlorophyll (SPAD value), chlorophyll ‘a’, chlorophyll ‘b’ and total chlorophyll was observed
significantly higher in Awnless brown husk (67.63, 3.47 mg/g F.W, 0.62 mg/g F.W and 4.09 mg/g F.W.
Impact of bioregulators (IAA and GA 3 ) on days required for seed germination of 1%, 50% and 100% was
significantly lower when plants treated with GA 3 @25 ppm (2.66, 5.33 and 10.77). Seedling length (cm)
was maximum in plants treated with GA 3 @25ppm (9.81cm ) as compared to control (7.44 cm). Therefore,
it has been concluded that among all the treatments of IAA and GA 3 , seeds treated with GA 3 @ 25 ppm
performed better results and germinated weedy rice seeds in the field early as compared to other
treatments.

An experiment was carried out under open field conditions to ascertain the influence of inter-plant spacing’s and planting dates on flower marketable yield and economics of annual chrysanthemum at the Experimental Farm, Division of Floriculture & Landscaping, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Main Campus, Chatha, Jammu (J&K) during the year 2022-23. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) under factorial arrangement with three replications. Two factors were studied Factor A= Dates of transplanting viz D1 – 10th October, D2 – 25th October, D3 – 10th November, D4 – 25th November and Factor B= Inter plant spacing’s viz.S1 – 30 cm × 30 cm, S2 – 45 cm × 45cm, S3 – 60 cm × 60cm. Data regarding flower yield (kg/ ha), post-harvest losses, actual marketable yield (kg/ha), total expenditure (₹), gross returns (₹.), net returns (₹) and benefit cost ratio (BCR) were collected. The experimental results revealed that the overall cost of cultivation as well as the economics of flower production were significantly influenced by inter-plant spacing’s and planting dates. While evaluating the cost of production for different treatments it was observed that treatment T1 produced the maximum yield of saleable flowers (72486.76 kg/ha) followed by T10 (60251.70 kg/ha). Highest gross returns (₹ 1449735.20) and net returns (₹ 11, 98,039.20) were also recorded with treatment T1. The highest benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 4.66:1 was recorded with T1 closely followed by benefit-cost ratio of 3.79 in T10.

Nutrient profiling of five dominant edible bamboo shoots viz., three commercial
bamboos (Bambusa balcooa, B. bambus, B. nutans), one ornamental bamboo (B.vulgaris var.
striata) and one monopodial bamboo (Melocanna baccifera) were carried out in the Terai
region of West Bengal, India. The fresh young bamboo shoots (preferably 7-10 days old)
were collected and processed. The proximate and mineral composition was determined in the
laboratory of the Department of Forestry, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Cooch Behar
in 2021-22 to validate the food value using standard methods. In the present study, B.
bamboos was found to be qualitatively superior with the highest carbohydrate (6.34 g/100 g
fw), energy value (40.62 kcal/100 g fw), calcium (19.35 mg/100 g fw), iron (2.03 mg/100 g
fw), copper (5.36 mg/100 g fw), and lowest fat content (0.56 g/100 g fw); whereas, B. nutans
was quantitatively superior with maximum edible percent (43.17%), crude fibre (1.70 g/100 g
fw), total ash content (0.18 g/100 g fw), sodium (2.06 mg/100 g fw), magnesium (5.65
mg/100 g fw), and manganese (1.29 mg/100 g fw). B. vulgaris var. striata was balanced with
the highest crude protein (2.58 g/100g fw) and potassium (468.97 mg/100g fw). B. balcooa
had the highest moisture percent (92.19%) and M. baccifera had highest zinc (1.10 mg/100g
fw) and lowest hydrogen cyanide content (55.86 mg/Kg fw). However, further research on
value addition and composite mixture is needed to ensure food security.

An epidemiological study for goiter and other nutritional deficiencies was conducted in
Vaishali and Gaya district of Bihar using an interview scheduleof 601 schoolchildren to establish the
goiter endemic and non-endemic area.A comprehensive study of 60 school children, thirty from
Vaishali and Gaya each was carried out.Cooked food and water sample of each child in the summer
and winter season was collected using duplicate dietary sampling technique.Total iodine intake in
goiter endemic area and the non-endemic area was 65.18±21.2 µg/d and 110.93 ±37.54µg/d
respectively.The mean iodine content from food and water was 58.87±30.11 µg/d and 6.31±2.61 µ g/d
respectively in the endemic area while in non-endemic area the figure was 101.19± 47.30 µ g/d and
9.74± 6.88 µ g/d respectively.Majoritywere using iodized salt but most of the salt samples had less than
15 ppm iodine.Therefore despite implementation of universal salt iodization programme the IDD is still
a major public health problem which should be addressed to mitigate the problem of hidden hunger to
achieve sustainable development goals.

Nutrients and weeds are two important factors that influence the productivity of the rice.
Azolla and BGA have ability to replace N fertilizers by 25% of the total crop requirement
through biological N fixation. The Azolla covert may significantly inhibit weed infestation
without harming the rice yield. A 2-year field experiment was conducted to study the influence
of nitrogen (N) levels and weed management practices (WMP) on nutrient content, uptake, and
grain quality of wetland rice during Kharif 2018 and 2019. The experiment was laid out in a split
plot design having five nitrogen levels viz. control, 60, 90 &120 kg N ha -1 through inorganic
source and 60 kg N ha -1 as farmyard manure (FYM) in main plots and four weed management
practices viz. Azolla (2 t ha -1 ), blue-green algae (BGA), two-hand weeding (2HW), and weedy in
sub plots replicated thrice. Results indicated that the use of more N (120 kg N ha -1 ) recorded the
highest N content in rice grain and straw while phosphorous (P) & potassium (K) content was
noticed higher with the use of 60 kg N ha -1 as FYM. Higher nitrogen application (120 kg N ha -1 )
improved NPK uptake by grain and straw. Dual cropping of Azolla @ 2 t ha -1 leads to maximum
nutrient (N, P, K) content and uptake by rice grain and straw. Quality parameters viz. kernel
length & breadth before and after cooking were significantly influenced by N levels and
maximum values were noted with the use of 120 kg N ha -1 . The WMP fails to exhibit any
significant effect on the quality parameters of rice viz. kernel length & breadth before and after
cooking. Length: breadth ratio before and after cooking, elongation ratio, and expansion ratio
were also noted unaffected by N levels and WMP during the study period.

Extreme variations during hot summers cause damage to the intermolecular interactions needed
for proper growth, thus impairing plant development. Temperature variations occur naturally
during the growth of plants. In this study, irrespective of the mulberry varieties, the
photosynthetic rate was considerably decreased under high-temperature stress. Closure of
stomata is a common heat-induced feature in many crops. When the mulberry plants were
exposed to high-temperature stress of 40º C stomatal conductance was considerably decreased.
Greater reduction was observed in G2 and G4 at both 7 th and 14 th day after stress. The percent
reduction in G4 at the 14 th day after stress was 52.2% and G2 at 14 th day after stress was 52.63%
with the values 0.19 cm s -1 and 0.18 cm s -1 . Similarly, the Transpiration rate has significant
impact on the physiological and biochemical processes of the plant system because it alters the
leaf temperature which in turn affect many processes. The varieties G2 and G4 showed lower
transpiration rates under stress conditions, whereas, the variety V1 recorded higher transpiration
rates when exposed to 40ºC. The chlorophyll stability index on the 14 th day after stress showed
that the variety V1 recorded the highest of 79.85% followed by MR2 at 75.64% and S36 at
69.75%.

Farming is more challenging than ever before. Farm families are facing social and financial problems
and these pressures can cause a high level of stress within many farm families. The purpose of this study was to
identify and explore factors associated with stress among farmers. Exploratory research design and Edinburgh
Farming Stress Inventory were used to study farmers' stress levels. A total of 135 samples were selected; 65
male and 70 female samples were selected from two different villages. The study results revealed that nearly
half (48%) of the men scored severe stress, while only 21% of women assesses as having severe stress. This
means that the men sample had scored slightly more stress compared to women. This might be because
socioeconomic conditions, uncontrolled weather, and the marketing conditions of farmers led to high scores of
stress. It is said that money and mental health are often linked.Major purchase for farming activities and
farming-related activities like new technology and policies leads to debt and worrying about money can worsen
mental health, causing depression and stress. The present study concluded that financial and farm-related factors
make them more vulnerable to stress, hence study recommends stress management techniques for farmers to
overcome the stress.