Field studies were conducted during rabi 2022-23 and 2023-24 for the evaluation of different fungicides, namely copper oxychloride 50% WP (1.25%), mancozeb 75% WP (0.25%), metalaxyl 8% + mancozeb 64% WP (0.2%), propineb 70% WP (0.2%), and propiconazole 25% EC (0.1%) as a single spray treatment at 45 and 60 days after sowing, along with a control with no treatment. The susceptible variety Varuna was used as planting material for evaluation during both years. All the fungicides reduced disease severity, incidence, and staghead formation compared to the control. The plots sprayed with metalaxyl 8% + mancozeb 64% recorded minimum disease severity (7.71% and 8.61%), incidence (25.56% and 26.70%), and staghead formation (9.61% and 8.33%) at 60 DAS, followed by mancozeb 75% WP, copper oxychloride 50% WP, and propiconazole 25% EC. The yield was also highest in plots sprayed with metalaxyl 8% + mancozeb 64% (30.03 and 30.16 q/ha), followed by mancozeb 75% WP (29.33 and 29.6 q/ha), copper oxychloride 50% WP (28.33 and 28.63 q/ha), and propiconazole 25% EC (26.03 and 26.1 q/ha). The least effective fungicide was propineb 70% WP compared to all other treatments. As the limited effectiveness of conventional methods like cultural and mechanical practices for disease control, which often fail to provide adequate protection under severe disease pressure. Hence the study demonstrated that fungicidal treatments, particularly metalaxyl 8% + mancozeb 64% WP, offered effective disease control and improved yields. This research provides valuable insights and practical recommendations for enhancing disease management strategies in mustard crop, helping farmers adopt more reliable and sustainable solutions.

Prolonged flood water poses to negative impact on the crop land. In this context, the present study was investigated to assess the site-specific flood impact on agricultural land using modern tools viz. remote sensing and geographical information systems. However, digital thematic maps of climatic conditions, topography, and soil physic-chemical properties were overlaid for the potential land suitability analysis of mustard. Hence, satellite imageries of Landsat 8, MODIS V5, and SRTM data were employed to assess the flood inundation in lowland topography. Results revealed that the lowland alluvial plains having gentle slopes were found to be 30 % flood-affected land in Kharifseason, but the same agricultural land in the Rabi season may be found to be marginally suitable (S3) for oilseeds, caused by ranged from 6.25 to 7.89 soil pH justify the slightly acidic to neutral in reaction, while the range of EC value found to be less than 1 dSm−1 that enable to justify safe for agricultural operation. Results also revealed that the precise decision about the best use of the land resources using land suitability analysis helped to overcome the constraints and increase the agricultural productivity in the Rabi season.

The field investigations were conducted at the Vegetable Experimental Farm, Division of Vegetable Science and Floriculture, SKUAST, Chatha, Jammu to examine the impact of intercropping systems on the yield and economics of various sole and intercrops. The experiment employed a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications and fifteen treatments. The sole crop treatments included T1- Cauliflower, T2- Knol-khol, T3- Spinach beet, T4- Swiss chard, T5- Lettuce, T6- Fenugreek, T7- Coriander, and T8- Radish. The intercrop treatments were T9- Cauliflower + Knol-khol, T10- Cauliflower + Spinach beet, T11- Cauliflower + Swiss chard, T12- Cauliflower + Lettuce, T13- Cauliflower + Fenugreek, T14- Cauliflower + Coriander, and T15- Cauliflower + Radish. The sole treatment of Cauliflower produced the highest yield (220.00 q/ha) compared to the intercropping treatments. Among the intercropping treatments, the combination of cauliflower and coriander produced the highest values for Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) at 1.35, Monetary Advantage Index (MAI) at 63.29, and Cabbage Equivalent Yield (CEY) at 284.54 q/ha, while cauliflower and fenugreek had the highest production efficiency at 2.45 q/ha/day. Economically, the cauliflower and coriander intercrop achieved the highest gross return (711,350 Rs./ha), net return (596,352 Rs./ha), and Benefit-Cost (BC) ratio (5.19). Therefore, the research concluded that intercropping cauliflower with leafy vegetables like coriander and fenugreek is more profitable than cultivating cauliflower alone. The study confronted challenges in balancing yield and economic viability across diverse crop combinations, yet it highlights the profitability and efficiency of intercropping cauliflower with leafy vegetables, offering valuable insights for optimizing vegetable farming practices.

Chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora L.), a prominent ornamental flower in the Asteraceae family, is widely cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal value. However, the increasing prevalence of the invasive pest, Thrips parvispinus (Karny) poses a significant threat, causing substantial qualitative and quantitative losses. Despite its economic importance, studies on effective integrated pest management (IPM) strategies targeting T. parvispinus remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the the potential of combining cultural, mechanical, biorational, and chemical strategies for sustainable pest management. Field experiments were conducted in Dasarapalli, Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu during 2022-2023 to assess efficacy of four IPM modules against T. parvispinus in chrysanthemum cultivation. Four IPM modules were tested in Dasarapalli, Krishnagiri district, during 2022–2023. Among the tested modules, Module I comprising a seedling root dip, mulching, blue sticky traps, and the application of Pongamia soap (5 g/L) alongside need-based chemical insecticides, specifically Spinosad 45% SC at 0.2 mL/L proved most effective. It recorded a mean thrips incidence of 18.85 per flower and the highest yield of 19.76 tonnes per hectare, demonstrating superior pest control and enhanced crop productivity. Challenges such as environmental variations and the complex behavior of T. parvispinus highlighted the need for adaptive IPM strategies. While other IPM modules showed moderate effectiveness, complementary evaluations of individual treatments revealed that Pongamia soap (5 g/L) achieved a 74.90% reduction in thrips incidence, making it the most effective biorational. Among chemical insecticides, Spinosad 45% SC (0.2 mL/L) demonstrated the highest efficacy, reducing the thrips population by 80.2%. These findings underscore the importance of integrating environmentally friendly biorationals with targeted chemical applications and cultural practices. The superior performance of Module I illustrates the potential for sustainable and eco-friendly chrysanthemum cultivation by minimizing chemical dependence. This study provides valuable insights for developing practical IPM strategies to address the challenges posed by invasive thrips species.

Adopting a double-row planting system for sugarcane(Saccharumofficinarum L.) cultivation has emerged as a promising approach to boost both productivity and yield. Additionally, integrating intercropping within sugarcane fields further enhances growth and productivity. To explore the potential benefits of these practices, a study was conducted at the Regional Research Station in Madhopur, West Champaran, during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 growing seasons. The experimental design was a randomized block, consisting of eight treatments with three replications each. The findings revealed that the sole PRS (60 x 60-120 cm) method produced a significantly higher yield compared to the conventional 90 cm furrow method. Among the different intercropping systems and planting methods, the highest cane yield (96.73 t ha-1), maximum single cane weight (1079 g), greatest green top yield (14.69 t ha-1), and trash yield (9.98 t ha-1) were achieved by the PRS intercropped with gram (Cicer arietinum). Potato recorded the highest yield (20 t ha-1) among the intercrops. The study also noted significant uptake of nitrogen and potassium, though phosphorus uptake was not significant. The highest uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium occurred when PRS sugarcane was intercropped with vegetable pea (Pisum sativum).In conclusion, the paired row planting method for sugarcane proved more advantageous and profitable than the conventional 90 cm spacing method. The intercropping combination of sugarcane and pea in the paired row planting method (60 x 60-120 cm) was identified as the most lucrative, closely followed by the combination of sugarcane intercropped with gram.

A field experiment was conducted during rabi-2023-24, on a cauliflower crop under drip irrigation using bioslurry as a nutrient source. Bioslurry was incubated with bio-decomposer and then treated bioslurry filtered through a developed cascade filter system. After filtration, the challenge was reduction in nutrients. Therefore, biofertilizers (Azotobacter, phosphorous solubilizing bacteria, and potassium mobilizing bacteria) along with filtered bioslurry through drip system, soil application and seed treatment were used to compensate the nutrient loss and for crop growth improvement and productivity. The experimental treatments included two Irrigation levels viz, drip irrigation at 80% ETc (I1) and drip irrigation at 100% ETc (I2) and six nutrigation levels including filtered slurry nutrigation alone (N1), filtered bioslurry + biofertilizer nutrigation (N2), filtered bioslurry + biofertilizer soil application (N3), filtered bioslurry + biofertilizer seed treatment (N4), drip fertigation at 100% RDF (N5), control: only drip Irrigation + no fertigation (N6). Drip fertigation at 100% RDF (N5) recorded the highest nitrogen uptake (246.9 kg ha-1),phosphorous uptake (58.6 kg ha-1), potassium uptake (218 kg ha-1) followed by filtered bioslurry + biofertilizer soil application (N3) (211.2, 52.9, 199.9 kg ha-1), filtered bioslurry + biofertilizer nutrigation (N2) (212.3, 52.7, 198.4 kg ha-1) and lowest uptake recorded at control: only drip irrigation + no fertigation (N6) (92.5, 15.8, 74.8 kg ha-1). Drip Irrigation at 100% ETc, recorded the highest curd yield (16.3 t ha-1), which was comparable with drip Irrigation at 80% ETc (15.1 t ha-1). Drip fertigation at 100% RDF(N5) recorded significantly higher curd yield (21.25 t ha-1). Filtered bioslurry + biofertilizer soil application and filtered bioslurry + biofertilizer nutrigation treatment recorded curd yield (17.12, 17.05 t ha-1) respectively, which were comparable with each other. filtered bioslurry + biofertilizer seed treatment and filtered slurry nutrigation alone treatments recorded curd yield (15.47, 13.80 t ha-1) respectively. Obviously, the lowest curd yield (9.43 t ha-1) was obtained in control treatment. The quality parameters like total sugars and ascorbic acid content were highest with filtered bioslurry + biofertilizer soil application (6.02%, 111.49 mg100g-1) and filtered bioslurry + biofertilizer nutrigation (6.0%, 110.09 mg100g-1), followed by drip fertigation at 100% RDF (5.67%, 87.8 mg100g-1).Therefore, it could be concluded that, even though yield and uptake were highest in mineral fertigation, curd quality parameters like total sugars, ascorbic acid content were superior in bioslurry/biofertilizer treatments.

Present experiments were carried out with the aim to study the influence of different growing conditions and substrates for vegetative growth of plants, initiation of root, development of bulbs, and quality attributes of Sukhsagar cultivar of onion as it is being an indigenous popular local cultivar in West Bengal and there is no information available in the hydroponic and sand based production of bulbs. Hence, Hydroponic and sand-based growing were experimented under the open roof condition of direct sunlight and a field experiment was undertaken at Horticulture Research Station Mondouri following Completely Randomized Design with three replications during the Rabi season of 2023-2024. The results revealed that the custom low-cost hydroponic system outperformed all other growing conditions of sand and soil in terms of vegetative growth of the plants, initiation of root and bulb, bulb development, and quality of bulbs. The floating bed of the hydroponic system revealed the early bulb initiation faster rate of bulb development and higher pungency of bulbs followed by sand and soil-based growing conditions. The production of onion bulbs in the low-cost hydroponic system even curtails the total time span for growing the crops and might be a better option for future bulb growers to get extra early bulbs with the least input cost and management.

It has become extremely difficult to guarantee the availability of safe food to an ever-growing population due to declining land resources, rising residual toxicity load, and declining safe water levels for agriculture and drinking. Besides, it has become difficult to maintainsustainable production and productivity using the conventional agricultural system. In this context, thehydroponic system has been a potential and widely accepted technology to confront the above issues. In addition to ensuring safe food, hydroponics also maximizes vertical space utilization, improves water efficiency, and reduces environmental problems related to crop production. The present experiment results revealed that vigorous growth of Palak crop under ahydroponics system was observed with better quality produce. The average weight of Palak plant was harvested with 45.44 g per plant in the hydroponic system. Palak crop in the system produced profuse root mass withan average root length of 16.00 cm. This paper deals with acomprehensive study of thehydroponic effect on thegrowth and productivity of Palak crop.

Detailed knowledge of the optimal sowing date for a specific variety in a particular location is crucial for maximizing yield. With this in mind, an experiment was conducted to assess the response of snow pea genotypes to different sowing times. Four genotypes namely, ‘DPEPP-15-1’, ‘DPEPP-10-1’, ‘Arka Apoorva’, and ‘Mithi Phali’ were evaluated under three sowing dates (21st October, 5th and 20th November) during winter seasons of 2018-19 and 2019-20 at Palampur in split plot design using three replications. Early sowing on 21st October followed by 5th November resulted in higher dry matter accumulation, seed and straw yield. Among genotypes, ‘DPEPP-15-1’ was the most promising genotype followed by ‘DPEPP-10-1’ for seed yield, crop dry matter, straw yield, harvest index, and 100-seed weight. ‘DPEPP-15-1’ and ‘DPEPP-10-1’ had advantage of 53 and 45% for seed yield over ‘Arka Apoorva’ in pooled years, respectively. Interaction effects revealed that sowing of ‘DPEPP-15-1’ on 21st October followed by 5th November had higher crop dry matter, seed and straw yield, and monetary gains while ‘DPEPP-10-1’ ranked second and both of them significantly outperformed ‘Arka Apoorva’ and ‘Mithi Phali’.

This review delves into the expansive realm of fermented millet cuisines prevalent across African and Asian regions, elucidating their cultural significance, nutritional attributes, and prospective health advantages. Within African culinary traditions, staples such as Tô, Ogi, and Fura play pivotal roles, offering indispensable nutrients including protein, iron, and zinc, alongside fostering digestive health and bolstering immune function. Similarly, across Asian nations, an intricate tapestry of fermented millet delicacies emerges, ranging from Koozh in South India to Niandoubao in Northeast China, each with distinct flavors and potential health-enhancing properties. Moreover, beverages like Makgeolli from Korea and Amazake from Japan stand out, providing essential vitamins, minerals, and probiotics, thereby contributing to overall vitality and wellness. However, challenges such as the lack of standardized processing techniques, limited awareness of their benefits, and declining traditional knowledge pose significant barriers to maximizing their potential. Addressing these obstacles is essential to fully harness the nutritional and cultural value of fermented millet foods. Contributions made through this study include the synthesis of existing knowledge on the nutritional and health benefits of fermented millet cuisines, the documentation of their cultural significance, and the identification of pathways for enhancing their utilization in addressing global nutritional challenges. This review accentuates the profound significance of fermented millet dishes as indispensable components of cultural heritage, culinary diversity, and holistic well-being within both African and Asian societies.