Replant disease in many temperate fruits is a serious and challenging issue that has been reported
across almost all apple growing regions of the world including India where Himachal Pradesh is
traced as a highly affected state. The symptoms includes abnormal growth and development,
yield and quality decline of plants caused by continuous cultivation of same crops on same piece
of land. The variations in growing habitat of exported and imported planting material, mono-
cropping results in a decline in the ability to absorb water and nutrients, pH change coupled
with persistence of soil borne pathogens, deviation in climatic conditions of fields and types of
soil are ascribed as some of the amenable factors. Despite the heavy losses incurred on
purchasing of new seedlings owing to continuous death in already established orchards, farming
community of the state is desperately looking for a viable scientific solution. Furthermore, it
leaves the youth no choice but to either replace apple by an alternative crop or to seek a job that
provides them better income. Crop rotation or changing sites has been practiced since ancient
times by some apple orchardists and could be a preferred strategy for mitigation of replant
problem. Application of soil amendments for instance oilcakes, compost, mustard was reported
to be effective in managing soil-borne fungi and plant parasitic nematodes along with the use of
plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria which aggressively colonize the rhizosphere/plant roots,
thereby enhancing the growth, and yield of plants when applied to seed or crops. Integrated
management is helpful in combating this serious problem. Therefore, this review aims to
describe different practices that pertains to reducing the replant problem in the old orchard sites.

Nutritional security must be addressed by ensuring the availability and accessibility of nutrient-rich foods at the household level. Nutri gardens offer a practical solution and play a significant role in providing a nutritious diet at the household level, thereby reducing nutrition insecurity and the burden of malnutrition. This study aimed to promote nutrition security and education among farm families by providing training, Nutri garden kits, and nutrition counseling. Thirty farm families from Rangareddy, Telangana state, were selected for the study. Data was collected using questionnaires and the 24-hour recall method. Nutrient adequacy was analyzed according to NIN (National Institute of Nutrition) standards. Results indicated that the implementation of kitchen gardens has led to substantial benefits for families, including improved food consumption and financial savings. There was a noticeable increase in the consumption of nutritious foods such as green leafy vegetables, fruits, and other vegetables, contributing positively to dietary diversity. Additionally, participants reported saving money by consuming homegrown foods. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in knowledge levels among farm women, suggesting that the adoption of Nutri gardens had a positive and significant impact on enhancing participants’ knowledge and awareness regarding nutrition gardening practices. While some of the participants indicated that balancing household responsibilities, agricultural work, and other commitments were the challenges faced by them to dedicate to Nutri garden maintenance.These findings of the study underscore the vital role of Nutri gardens in promoting both nutritional well-being and economic resilience within households.

Malnutrition is responsible, directly, or indirectly, for over half of all childhood deaths. Infants and young children are at increased risk of malnutrition from six months of age onwards, when breast milk alone is no longer sufficient to meet all nutritional requirements and complementary feeding needs to be started. Appropriate complementary feeding should start from the age of six months with continued breastfeeding up to two years or beyond. Complementary foods were developed with appropriate proportions of wheat, maize, ragi and moong after processing to reduce the anti-nutritional factors and increased digestibility with enhanced shelf life. Children from 6 months to 23 months were selected, their weight and height were measured, and a list of malnourished children was prepared on the basis of the growth monitoring scale of WHO guidelines. The anthropometric measurements such as weight and height of all the children’s age group has increased after all feeding trials with a weight gain of 23.75 percent, 23.07 percent 23.74 percent and height increase 4.46 percent, 3.6 percent, 5.61 percent after completion of all four-feeding trial in the age group of 6- 11-month, 12-17 month and 18-24 months which is a marked increased/changes in weight and height. Thus, this complementary food is the most affordable and nutrient- rich food that is suitable for parents and children. It is concluded that ready-to- mix complementary food will be extremely rich in nutrients, which will be helpful to improve the health of children.

This study aimed to assess the response of finger millet genotypes to drought stress under vegetative and reproductive stages. Thirteen finger millet varieties were evaluated at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture and Research Institute in Karaikal during the Kharif season of 2023 (April-July). The study focused on three different treatments with each treatment being replicated three times. Various morphological, physiological, and root-related traits were recorded and subjected to statistical analysis. Except for the four traits namely CT, DFF, RLT, and RSR, all other trait exhibited a significant reduction in mean performance under vegetative and reproductive drought stress compared to the optimal condition. The DSI values ranged from -0.64 to 3.38 under vegetative drought stress and from -1.94 to 2.46 under reproductive drought stress. The mean yield reduction was 14.16% under vegetative drought compared to optimal conditions, and 19.44% under reproductive drought compared to optimal conditions in finger millet. Notably, it was observed that finger millet genotypes demonstrated superior drought tolerance especially under the vegetative stage compared to the reproductive stage. Based on the Smith selection index score, finger millet genotypes G9, G7, and G4 were identified as top performers under both vegetative and reproductive drought stress conditions. These preliminary findings emphasize the potential of these finger millet genotypes for breeding and genetic enhancement to improve drought tolerance in finger millet. The challenges of this study included the necessity to carefully manage the timing and intensity of drought stress to mimic natural conditions and ensure reliable results. The study’s findings contribute to the ongoing efforts to develop drought-tolerant crops and enhance food security in regions prone to drought.

Alternaria blight is the major profound disease of sunflowers induced by divergent species of Alternaria. Among numerous species of phytopathogenic fungi the genus Alternaria Nees ex Fr. is distributed extensively throughout the world. It is extremely virulent in infection in all economically important plants, including grains, pulses, oilseeds, spices, vegetables, and ornamentals. Current studies aim to explore the widened host range of Alternaria species, influenced by strain variability and environmental factors, leading to yield losses and compromised crop quality. Additionally, these studies conducted to understand expanded host range of sunflower Alternaria species on various crops and weeds within the Asteraceae family. The host range study of Alternaria spp. recovered from sunflowers belonged to six Alternaria species collected from different commercial sunflower growing regions of Karnataka. A. alternata, A. tenuissima, and A. helianthi exhibit a broad host range, infecting various plants of the Asteraceae family, including African marigold, safflower, China aster, and Parthenium. Conversely, A. gossypina, A. burnsii, and A. solani specifically infect sunflowers and do not affect other host species. The results of the host range test indicate that Alternaria spp. infecting sunflower can demonstrate pathogenicity towards other hosts as well, especially under favorable conditions. In vitro testing of novel fungicide compounds against the pathogen revealed that Fluopyram 17.7% + Tebuconazole 17.7% 400 SC, applied at concentrations of 100, 250, 500, 750, and 1000 ppm, effectively prohibited the mycelial growth of the pathogen. Conversely, the most favorable outcomes in the field were observed with seed treatment using Fluxapyroxad FS at 1.5 g/kg seed, resulting in the minimal disease severity (7.36% PDI) and highest seed yield (2153 Kg/ha). This was followed by a foliar spray application of Fluopyram 17.7% + Tebuconazole 17.7% 400 SC at 1 ml/L upon disease onset.

A study was conducted to assess both the morphological and molecular diversity of thirty-two snake gourd genotypes. Mahalanobis D2 analysis were used to group the genotypes into four major clusters. Out of four clusters, cluster I was the largest, comprising seventeen genotypes followed by cluster II with ten genotypes, cluster III with four genotypes and cluster IV with only one genotype, suggesting the existence of divergence. The highest inter-cluster distance was found in clusters III and IV followed by clusters I and III. Genetic divergence using Expressed Sequence Tags derived Simple Sequence Repeats (EST-SSR) markers revealed that, a high level of genetic diversity was recorded with a total of 21 alleles with a mean of 2.33 alleles per locus. Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) varied from 0.94 to 0.97 with an average of 0.96. The polymorphic EST-SSR markers could be useful in genetic fingerprinting and association analysis of yield and yield-related characters in snake gourd. The complexity of the genetic makeup of snake gourd, coupled with the limited availability of genetic resources for this crop, made accurate assessment of a demanding task. However, despite these challenges, the study yielded insightful results. The findings of this study provide valuable information on genetic structure of snake gourd population and offering a foundation for future breeding programs aimed at enhancing yield and yield attributing traits.

Modern agriculture depends on improved crop varieties and supplementary energy sources like fertilizers, fuels, chemicals, and water to increase yields. However, these advanced technologies consume more energy and are less efficient than traditional practices. There is a necessity of energy balance studies to make agriculture more efficient, sustainable, and economically viable while promoting environmental conservation. Using a calorific measurement system, energetics studies quantify both inputs and outputs. So, a study was conducted on Energy balance studies of different weed control practices through chemical, mechanical and manual approaches in greengram at College Farm, College of Agriculture, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad during rabi, 2020-21. By analyzing both direct and indirect energy consumption, the study determined the energy dynamics associated with each approach. Results indicated that while intercultivation with a power weeder at 20 days after sowing (DAS) required higher energy input, the weed-free check exhibited the highest energy output. Superior values of Energy ratio, Energy productivity and Productivity per day were also recorded with the weed-free check treatment followed by imazethapyr 10 % SL + quizalofop ethyl 5 % EC (tank mix) @ 125 g a.i ha-1 as post-emergence (PoE) at 20 DAS and pendimethalin 30 % EC + imazethapyr 2 % EC combination @ 960 g a.i ha-1 as pre-emergence (PE).

An experiment was conducted in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 8 replications and three treatments viz. [T0= Conventional Cultivation (Control),T1= Zero Tillage Potato and T2=Raised Bed Potato). All the growth attributes (plant height, leaf area and plant cover area) recorded were significantly higher in case of conventional cultivation as compared to zero tillage and raised bed planting. However, the yield obtained was significantly higher for zero tillage potato (327.42 q/ha) in comparison to conventional cultivation (216.03 q/ha) and raised bed planting (283.98 q/ha). Thus, it can be concluded that zero tillage method of potato cultivation is better as compared to raised bed planting and conventional potato cultivation both in term of economical and environmental aspect. Economically, maximum B:C ratio of 3.63 is obtained under zero tillage potato and environmentally, it is an option for residue management and emits no harmful gases into the atmosphere due to no machinery use. Also, the benefits of mulching is additional in zero tillage system rendering better soil health in the long run.

The research was conducted in a designated village within the Agricultural Extension Services (AES) of Block Kalakankar, District Pratapgarh, during the Kharif season of 2023. Despite facing challenges in accessing remote areas and gaining the trust and cooperation of local communities, the study comprehensively documents every traditional method employed in Ragi processing. The labor-intensive process, deeply rooted in indigenous knowledge and techniques, involves key steps such as nursery sowing, transplanting, harvesting, threshing, winnowing, drying, grading, and storage of Ragi seeds.

The study sheds light on the production of value-added products derived from Ragi, contributing valuable insights for agricultural development initiatives and opportunities for value addition in the millet industry. Millet cultivation, including Ragi, Bajra, and Jowar, has seen a significant increase owing to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and a growing emphasis on health. Millets, recognized as “future crops” due to their resilience to prevalent diseases in Asia and Africa, play a crucial role in addressing food security and nutrition challenges.

Endosymbiosis, a specific form of symbiosis, involves one organism residing inside another and has a pivotal role in the evolution of eukaryotic organisms. Insects, thriving globally due to their adaptable diets, harbor endosymbionts in various body regions, notably near the digestive tracts. Endosymbionts play a vital role in insect nutrition, nitrogen recycling, amino acid provisioning, manipulation of plant phenotypes, detoxification of plant secondary metabolites, and pest management strategies, such as reproductive manipulation and pathogen interference. Microbial associations of insects can impact ecological communities by altering the dynamics of plant interactions with both competitors and natural adversaries of their insect hosts. The study of endosymbiosis in insects faces challenges such as the complexity of symbiotic relationships and the specificity of host interactions, requiring advanced techniques and interdisciplinary approaches. Despite these challenges, it elucidates the crucial roles of endosymbionts in insect nutrition, plant-insect interactions, and pest management, offering insights for sustainable agriculture and effective pest control strategies. An attempt is made to explain the role of endosymbionts and insect-plant interactions with promising literature. This review focuses on the significance of endosymbionts in insect biology, their functions, pest management strategies, challenges, and prospects.