Cultivation In India Research Articles

Revolutionizing Cotton Cultivation in India: A Tailored Automated Hydroponic System for Optimal Yields

Revolutionizing Cotton Cultivation in India: A Tailored Automated Hydroponic System for Optimal Yields

Impact of removal of rubber plantations for urbanization on CO2 mitigating capacity by the loss of carbon sink in Kerala state, India

Mitigating climate change and global warming through carbon sequestration by tree ecosystems is of prime importance since they are cost-effective, environmentally friendly and ecologically sustainable. Urbanization is a part of development, and rubber plantations are usually removed for this purpose, especially in Kerala, the southern state of India. Besides latex, the economic produce, and the associated income, the rubber tree is a fairly good sink for carbon in its biomass, with an average carbon content of 42 per cent and substantial carbon stock in the soil. In the present study, an account of total carbon loss by the removal of rubber plantation for urbanization and developmental activities are given. The present popular clone (RRII 105) existing in major share (85%) of the total rubber cultivation in India accounts for carbon sink loss 57 t ha-1, 57.5 t ha-1, 43.2 t ha-1 for 23 years and 148 t ha-1, 75 t ha-1 and 62.1 t ha-1 for 30 years from biomass, litterfall and sheet rubber respectively. The recent clones RRII 414, RRII 429 and RRII 417 have higher growth rates and higher biomass (44-50 per cent) carbon sink loss compared to the existing popular clone RRII 105. The carbon sink loss in the form of stored carbon in soil is 56.5, with a soil carbon content between 1.2 to 2 per cent. Due to the growth variation in diverse environments with extreme climatic conditions, the clones recorded differences in carbon stock and carbon sink loss. The central region of Kerala showed a higher loss, and a lower loss was in the drought-affected northern region than the southern region. The total carbon sink losses for 23 and 30 years were 214.2 and 341.5 t ha-1, respectively. This study points out that the serious carbon sink loss due to the removal of rubber plantations results in disturbing the self-sustained, carbon-friendly and economically sound perennial rubber ecosystem. Vegetation having higher C-sequestration potential and trees with higher lignin content is essential to increase carbon capture for mitigating the impact of the removal of plantations. From the present study, it is clear that the removal of rubber plantations is affecting the carbon sink loss, thereby the CO2 mitigating capacity, and is a serious matter of concern.

Management of Root-Knot Nematode with Non-Chemical Methods for Sustainable Production of Cucumber under Protected Cultivation

The multi-faceted benefits of growing crops under protected cultivation are gradually establishing it as a promising technology for vegetable cultivation in India. However, the adoption of successive cropping patterns in soil-based closed structures is leading to the buildup of soil-borne pathogens and pests, which are becoming a major hindrance to the sustainable production of these crops, particularly in the northern plains. Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) are a critical threat to protected cultivation and farmers are required to contribute a significant amount of time and money for their management. To reduce the overdependence of chemicals, the present study explored the potential of plant-based by-products as amendments for the management of RKN in cucumbers grown under a plastic greenhouse. A pot trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of different plant-based amendments against nematodes in cucumber plants. The pot trial results revealed that the application of mustard cake (MC) and neem cake (NC) at 1 t ha−1 either alone or as a combined application with farmyard manure (FYM) of 2.5 t ha−1 was effective against RKN infestation, reflecting the improved plant growth parameters of cucumber. Based on the results of the pot trials, treatments with plant-based amendments and FYM i.e., T1: MC 1 t ha−1; T2: NC 1 t ha−1; T3: FYM 2.5 t ha−1; T4: MC 1 t ha−1 + NC 1 t ha−1 + FYM 2.5 t ha−1, along with the treated check carbofuran 3 G 2 kg (a.i.) ha−1 (T5) and untreated check (T6), were evaluated in multi-locational field trials. The results revealed that the combined application of MC 1 t ha−1 + NC 1 tha−1 + FYM 2.5 t ha−1 exhibited promising results in decreasing RKN infestation (56–58%) in all of the three RKN-infested polyhouses, with significantly enhanced yields at all of the three locations. Soil organic carbon also increased significantly in the amended plots, indicating improved soil health. The results of the present work hold good promise for the management of RKN in the protected cultivation of cucumber with an environment friendly approach, along with the additional incentives of improved soil health.

Management of whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) in bushy Lac host, Flemingia semialata at Thrissur, Kerala

Flemingia semialata is an established host plant of lac insects and is widely grown to promote lac cultivation in India. One of the most destructive pests that can cause significant yield loss in many crops is a sap sucking whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), which is also found to infest the Flemingia sp. They cause vast damage to the host plants during feeding by reducing the rate of photosynthesis through the excretion of honeydew and by transmitting a large number of plant pathogenic viruses. Although there are several methods to control whitefly infestation, the commonly adopted practice is the application of chemical pesticides, owing to their efficiency in whitefly control. This study focused to test the effectiveness of two chemical: Thiamethoxam 25% WG (Actara®) and Phosmet 70 % WP (Imidan®) and an organic pesticide: Neem Oil, in whitefly control on F. semialata. The experimental design consisted of two different concentrations of each pesticide i.e., Phosmet 0.5 ml/L, 1ml/L, Thiamethoxam 0.25g/L, 0.5 g/L, Neem oil 1ml/L, 2ml/L applied on 21 test plants in sets of three and also on three regions of the test plants i.e, upper, middle and lower. The number of whiteflies was counted after 6, 12 and 24 hours of pesticide application. The results revealed that, among all the treatments, Thiamethoxam 0.5mg/L was found to be the most effective with highest percentage of reduction over control in the number of whiteflies in all the time intervals. The leaves in the middle and lower regions of the test plants showed relatively higher loads of whiteflies than those in the upper region throughout the experiment. Although, Neem oil is an environment friendly natural pesticide, Thiamethoxan has negligible volatilization properties and high degradation rates in the soil and therefore could be successfully and safely applied on the lac insect host plants during the pre-inoculation stages to lessen the whitefly attack.

Molecular mapping of Chilli veinal mottle virus (ChiVMV) resistance in hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

Chilli veinal mottle virus (ChiVMV) is a serious potyvirus affecting chilli cultivation in India causing economic yield losses. Breeding resistant varieties/ hybrids is best advocated strategy for viral management. Molecular mapping and markers development greatly facilitates accelerated breeding. Genotyping-by-sequencing was employed for marker discovery and simultaneous genotyping of F2 population developed using contrast parents. Total 6628 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and 18,125 silicoDArT markers were determined. The SNPs and silicoDArT markers ranged from 280 on chromosome 8 to 625 on chromosome 3 and 857 on chromosome 8 to 1753 on chromosome 3, respectively. Genome wide association study (GWAS) detected 17 SNPs and 21 silicoDArT markers associated with ChiVMV resistance. A major genomic region on chromosome 9 was identified as major candidate loci for ChiVMV resistance. A cluster of defense related genes and elongation translation factors (eIFLE) responsible for disease resistance were predicted within the GWAS regions. A cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence ChiVMVR9_2 CAPS marker was developed for the major resistant locus which was physically mapped at 2,458,715 bp on chromosome 9. This marker can be used in marker-assisted breeding and genomic selection. Further fine mapping of the identified region will facilitate precise marker assisted selection for resistance.

Chemical investigation and biological activities of Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth) essential oil

Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. plant is known to synthesize the precious and most valuable essential oil available today on perfumers pellet. Because of its limited production in South East Asian countries like Indonesia, the high demand is always a challenge for the producing countries. In order to meet the market demand, CSIR-CIMAP has developed a high essential oil yielding patchouli var. CIM-Utkrisht for cultivation in India. Since the variety possessed a unique fingerprint of essential oil, furthermore, due to patchouli’s more acceptance as ingredients of many perfume preparations, the volatile oils are rarely investigated for biological action, anti-inflammatory, in particular. We investigated the essential oils obtained from dried aerial parts of the plant for their antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory potential. The anti-inflammatory activity (TNF-α) was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in patchouli essential oil treated cells as compared to vehicle control. Essential oil exhibited In-vitro antimicrobial activity against five selected microorganisms’ viz., C. albicans , S. typhimurium , S. aureus , E. coli , and M. furfur . In particular, essential oil obtained from 14 days of drying showed the most potent action (zone inhibition, 16.0 ± 3.0) against M. furfur . The GC-FID, GC / -MS and NMR investigations revealed presence of an array of sesquiterpenoids such as curcumenes (γ-curcumene; 22.0–25.0% & ar -curcumene; 1.3–3.1%), 7- epi - cis -sesquisabinene hydrate (0.3–0.5%), and some guaiane-type sesquiterpenoids like guaia-1(5)-11-dien-3-ol (1.5–4.6%), guaia-11-en-5-ol (0.1–0.2%), guaia-4(5)-11-dien-6-ol (0.6–0.9%), guaia-1(10)-11-dien-9-one (0.4–1.2%) and guaia-1(10)-11-dien-9-one-8-ol (1.4–1.6%). The current work is the first report of bisabolane-type sesquiterpenoids from the genus Pogostemon with high γ-curcumene (22.0–25.0%). Being a highly esteemed basic ingredient of modern perfumery, the patchouli oil is frequently adulterated with non-volatiles compositions to comply with the market demands. We report herein simultaneous thermo-gravimetric analysis-based detection method for authentication of patchouli essential oils for the first time. • Pogostemon cablin essential oils in different drying stages were studied. • Guaia-1(10)-11-dien-9-one & Guaia-1(10)-11-dien-9-one-8-ol were identified. • Curcumenes (γ- & ar -) were the key markers of this oil. • A 14 days dried essential oil inhibits best growth of M. furfur (ZOI-16.0 ± 3.0). • TNF-α significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in essential oil.

Bioclimatic modeling and FACE study forecast a bleak future for wheat production in India.

Since the impact of future climate change on wheat productivity isinconsistent, we studied geographic distribution and yield of wheat using two global General Circulation Models (GCMs) and Free Air CO2/O3 Enrichment (FACE) experiments. The GCMs (IPSL-CM5A-LR and NIMR-HADGEM2-AO) with four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) and 19 bioclimatic variables were used for distribution/ecological niche modeling (ENM). Currently cultivated eight wheat cultivars were exposed to individual treatment of(i) ambient CO2, temperature, and ozone (ACO + AO + AT) representing the present climate scenario, and (ii) elevated CO2 (550ppm) (ECO), (iii) elevated temperature (+ 2°C) (ET), (iv) elevated O3 (ambient + 20ppb) (EO), (v) elevated CO2 + elevated O3 (ECO + EO), and (vi) elevated CO2 + elevated temperature + elevated O3 (ECO + EO + ET) under FACE facility simulating the future climate change scenarios in 2050. The niche models predicted a reduction in climatically suitable areas for wheat, and identified "maximum temperature" as the most influencing factorfor area reduction. The elevated CO2, O3, and temperature individually and in combinations had differential impacts on the yield of wheat cultivars. Only two cultivars, viz., DBW 184 and DBW 187 did not exhibit yield decline suggesting their suitability in the future climate change scenario. Since the performance of six out of eightcultivars significantly declined under simulated FACE experiment, and ENM predicted reduction in wheat cultivation area under RCP 8.5 in 2050,it was concluded that future of wheat cultivation in India is bleak. The study further indicates that coupling of bioclimatic modeling and FACE experiment can effectively predict the impact of climate change on different crops.

Emergence and Incidence of Coffee White Stemborer, Xylotrechus quadripes Chevrolat, 1863 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), under Different Rainfall Regimes across the Coffee-growing Regions of Karnataka, India

The coffee white stem borer (CWSB), Xyloterchus quadripes Chevrolat, 1863 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is one of the most destructive pests of arabica coffee in India. As coffee cultivation in India is mostly confined to the hilly tracts of the Western Ghats of the southern states and it is mainly grown in Kodagu, Chikmagalur and Hassan districts of Karnataka with varying rainfall patterns ranging from more than 3000 mm to less than 1000 mm. The study of the incidence of WSB and emergence of adults in relation to local weather conditions in the estates at different rainfall patterns in Karnataka [High(&lt;2500mm), Medium (2000 to 1000mm) and low(&lt;1000mm) rainfall areas] for two years (2016 and 2017). The emergence data and local weather parameters viz rainfall, relative humidity and temperature were correlated with adult emergence. The results indicated that the emergence of CWSB during the years 2016 and 2017 exhibited a significant positive correlation with maximum temperature and minimum temperature. While beetle emergence was negatively correlated with the quantity of rainfall and relative humidity across the six locations. From these observations, it is evident that the beetles required a higher temperature for their emergence and peak beetle emergence occurred during the middle of November in the winter flight season and during the end of April and the first fortnight of May in the summer flight periods. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that measured abiotic factors have significant effects on emergence of CWSB adults confirming results of correlation analysis. During the same period 2016-17, coffee plantations were surveyed randomly in all the three rainfall regimes to know the influence of annual rainfall on incidence of CWSB and the percent incidence was 10.81% at rainfall &lt;1000, 7.67% at medium rainfall and 6.16% at high rainfall areas and was non-significant across rainfall regimes.

Antimicrobial Property of Some Ethnobotanicals against Flower Blight of Marigold

Marigold is infected with more than ten diseases all over the world. Flower blight, caused by Alternaria zinniae, is a severe threat to marigold cultivation in India and Odisha, resulting in economic losses. The research aimed to look at the efficacy of several botanicals that are readily available in in-vi tro circumstances. At 10% and 20% concentrations, eight plant extracts, including Aloe vera, Azadirachta indica, Allium sativum, Zingiber officinale, Curcuma longa, Phyllanthus emblica, Withania somnifera, and Ocimum tenuiflorum were tested against the pathogen. At a 10 percent concentration, Allium sativum inhibited mycelial growth the most, with 77.93 percent, followed by Phyllanthus emblica (63.38 percent), and Curcuma longa (53.99 percent). The least inhibited plant was Ocimum tenuiflorum, which showed 1.41 percent inhibition. The result at 20% concentration followed the same result as the 15% concentration. Allium sativum had the highest level of inhibition at 87.32 percent, followed by Phyllanthus emblica (85.92 percent) and Curcuma longa (73.71 percent). Ocimum tenuiflorum had the least inhibition, with 10.80 percent. The presence of Allicin in Allium sativum may explain its effectiveness against marigold flower blight, although more research is needed. Furthermore, the effective plant products against marigold flower blight could be evaluated in the field.

DRR Dhan 58, a Seedling Stage Salinity Tolerant NIL of Improved Samba Mahsuri Shows Superior Performance in Multi-location Trials

BackgroundImproved Samba Mahsuri (ISM) is an elite, high-yielding, bacterial blight resistant, fine-grained rice variety with low glycaemic index. It is highly sensitive to salt stress, particularly at seedling stage, which significantly reduces its yield potential in coastal areas. A salinity tolerant QTL, Saltol, associated with seedling stage tolerance was previously mapped on chromosome 1 (10.6–11.5 Mb) from the Indian landrace, Pokkali and is effective in different genetic backgrounds. The objective of this study was to enhance salinity tolerance of ISM by incorporating the Saltol QTL through marker-assisted backcross breeding using the breeding line, FL478 (Pokkali/IR29).ResultsForeground selection was carried out at each generation using five Saltol-specific markers and three bacterial blight resistance genes, Xa21, xa13 and xa5. Background selection was conducted using 66 well distributed polymorphic SSR markers and at the BC3F2 generation, a single plant with maximum recurrent parent genome recovery (95.3%) was identified and advanced to the BC3F4 generation. Based on bacterial blight resistance, seedling stage salinity tolerance and resemblance to ISM, four advanced breeding lines were selected for testing in replicated experiments near Hyderabad, India. A promising near-isogenic line, DRR Dhan 58, was evaluated in multi-location trials-coastal salinity and it showed significant salinity tolerance, resistance to bacterial blight disease, high yield and excellent grain quality during the 2019 and 2020 trials. DRR Dhan 58 was 95.1% similar to ISM based on genotyping with the 90 K SNP chip. Whole genome resequencing analysis of Pokkali and FL478 which were salinity tolerant checks, ISM and DRR Dhan 58 showed a high degree of relatedness with respect to the candidate gene loci for Saltol and OsSKC1 (Shoot K+Concentration 1).ConclusionDRR Dhan 58, possessing Saltol and three bacterial blight resistance genes (Xa21, xa13 and xa5) in the genetic background of the Indian mega-variety of rice, Samba Mahsuri, was developed for potential cultivation in areas prone to seedling stage salinity, as well as areas with endemic bacterial blight disease. This entry had a 24% yield advantage over the recurrent parent ISM under coastal saline conditions in multi-location trials and was recently released for commercial cultivation in India.

Reaction of Chickpea Germplasm Lines against Root-knot Nematode, Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood and its Management using Bioagents under Field Condition

Background: Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is one of the most important food legumes grown worldwide. Its cultivation in India is hampered considerably due to regular occurrence of root knot nematode and reported to reduce the chickpea yield by 9-40%. Methods: The present study was conducted to evaluate some chickpea germplasm for resistance against root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita. The field experiment was also conducted for the management of root-knot nematode infesting chickpea with seven treatments including an untreated control. Mainly the experiment was conducted to check the efficacy of some biopesticides. Result: The screening result revealed that none of the germplasm was found highly resistant against the root knot nematode, however three germplasms exhibited moderately resistant reaction having root gall index between 2.1 to 3.0. All the treatments were significantly superior over the untreated control in reducing the root-knot nematode population, gall index and increasing yield of chickpea at termination. However, soil application of Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 20 g/m2 + Neem cake @ 100 g/m2 was found to be the most effective in reducing root-knot nematode population (47.88%) and increasing the yield of chickpea (50.20%) at termination. This was followed by soil application of Perpureocillium lilacinum @ 20 g/m2 + Neem Cake @ 100 g/m2. The reduction in root knot nematode population and increase of yield over control were 37.46% and 36.40% respectively.

Energy Dynamics of Aerobic Rice Cultivation in India

Aerobic rice needs 30% less total water for land preparation, 50% saving on labour requirement and 50% less GHG emission compared to transplanted rice. Energy use efficiency of aerobic rice cultivation also varies due to varieties. However, a detailed study on various energy inputs components of aerobic rice cultivation (variety, water management, spacing, fertilizer dose and weed management) is lacking. To confirm the energy dynamics of aerobic rice cultivation, a combined study was taken up to find out the energy input, output and energy use efficiency of aerobic rice cultivation consisting of various trials conducted at research farm of ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research and few other trials conducted at other places. Gayatri variety performed well in terms of higher energy use efficiency at eastern part of India. Further higher energy use efficiency (output/input ratio) was recorded at 100% RFD. Crop spacing also affects the total energy output of aerobic rice. It was seen that the total output energy is highest at optimum spacing of 20 x 10 cm compared to 25 x 10 and 30 x 10 cm. Apart from need based hand weeding, Pendimethalin 1.0 kg /ha + Bispyribac sodium 35 g/ha resulted higher energy use efficiency (2.75) compared to those of other chemical weed management practices. It was observed that aerobic rice based systems maintained higher productivity and profitability in comparison to transplanting based rice cropping systems. The study revealed that varieties, fertilizer dose and spacing played crucial role in enhancing the energy use efficiency of aerobic rice cultivation. So, farmers have to strike a balance among the input resources specially variety, water, fertilizer to achieve higher energy use efficiency in aerobic rice based cropping systems.

CKMV 1: A Short duration, high yielding, drought tolerant, non lodging kodomillet variety suitable for rainfed cultivation in India

A high yielding and early maturing kodo millet variety CKMV 1 was developed at the Centre of Excellence in Millets, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Athiyandal by pure line selection from DPS 63/58. It recorded an average grain yield of 2813 kg/ha and 6967 kg/ha of straw under rainfed conditions in all India trials, which was 14, 28, 34 and 16 per cent higher over the check varieties RK 390-25 (2465kg/ha), RBK-155 (2196kg/ha), GPUK-3 (2103kg/ha) and TNAU 86 (2420kg/ha), respectively. All India Coordinated trials were conducted in three years during kharif, 2017 to kharif, 2019. This variety has registered 18 and 16 per cent increased grain yield over the qualifying varieties KMV 546 and KMV 547, respectively in All India Coordinated trials. This variety has registered 22, 27, 23 and 10 per cent increased straw yield over the check varieties RK 390-25, RBK-155, GPUK3 and TNAU 86, respectively in All India Coordinated trials. This variety has registered 7 and 8 per cent increased fodder yield over the qualifying varieties KMV 546 and KMV 547, respectively in All India Coordinated trials. Being an early duration variety with 106-110 days of maturity, it is the best choice for rainfed sowing. It is a profusely tillering and non-lodging variety and is highly suitable for rainfed cultivation in India. The panicle is long, compact and grains are arranged in irregular rows.&nbsp; The grains are bold and dark brown in colour and nutritionally superior with high protein (8.5%) and Iron (3.8 mg/100g) of rice.&nbsp; The introduction of this high yielding, short duration and drought tolerant culture with nutritionally rich grains will fulfil the needs of the dry land, hill area and tribal farming tracts of India, where Kodomillet is grown predominantly under the rainfed situation. Keywords: Kodo millet, CKMV 1, rainfed sowing, short duration, high yielder, non lodging

Development of High Yielding Fusarium Wilt Resistant Cultivar by Pyramiding of "Genes" Through Marker-Assisted Backcrossing in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

Pusa 391, a mega desi chickpea variety with medium maturity duration is extensively cultivated in the Central Zone of India. Of late, this variety has become susceptible to Fusarium wilt (FW), which has drastic impact on its yield. Presence of variability in the wilt causing pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceri (foc) across geographical locations necessitates the role of pyramiding for FW resistance for different races (foc 1,2,3,4 and 5). Subsequently, the introgression lines developed in Pusa 391 genetic background were subjected to foreground selection using three SSR markers (GA16, TA 27 and TA 96) while 48 SSR markers uniformly distributed on all chromosomes, were used for background selection to observe the recovery of recurrent parent genome (RPG). BC1F1 lines with 75–85% RPG recovery were used to generate BC2F1. The plants that showed more than 90% RPG recovery in BC2F1 were used for generating BC3F1. The plants that showed more than 96% RPG recovery were selected and selfed to generate BC3F3. Multi-location evaluation of advanced introgression lines (BC2F3) in six locations for grain yield (kg/ha), days to fifty percent flowering, days to maturity, 100 seed weight and disease incidence was done. In case of disease incidence, the genotype IL1 (BGM 20211) was highly resistant to FW in Junagarh, Indore, New Delhi, Badnapur and moderately resistant at Sehore and Nandyal. GGE biplot analysis revealed that IL1(BGM20211) was the most stable genotype at Junagadh, Sehore and Nandyal. GGE biplot analysis revealed that IL1(BGM 20211) and IL4(BGM 20212) were the top performers in yield and highly stable across six environments and were nominated for Advanced Varietal Trials (AVT) of AICRP (All India Coordinated Research Project on Chickpea) in 2018–19. BGM20211 and BGM 20212 recorded 29 and 28.5% average yield gain over the recurrent parent Pusa 391, in the AVT-1 and AVT-2 over five environments. Thus, BGM20211 was identified for release and notified as Pusa Manav/Pusa Chickpea 20211 for Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, Southern Rajasthan, Bundhelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh states by the Central Sub-Committees on Crop Standards, Notification and Release of Varieties of Agricultural Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, for commercial cultivation in India (Gazette notification number S.O.500 (E) dt. 29-1-2021).Such pyramided lines give resilience to multiple races of fusarium wilt with added yield advantage.

Management of bakanae disease of rice using biocontrol agents and insights into their biocontrol mechanisms.

Bakanae disease is an emerging problem for the Basmati rice cultivation in India. Forty-seven endophytes isolated earlier along with three Talaromyces flavus isolates evaluated against Fusaium fujikuroi [Nirenberg] bakanae pathogen [isolate F250] through dual culture and enzymatic assays. Out of 50 isolates, 6 isolates namely, Tf1, Tf2, Tf3, Fusarium equiseti, Fusarium sp. and Trichoderma sp. produced good inhibitory results under in vitro conditions and were proceeded with in planta studies and conducted microscopic studies and real-time PCR assays. Microscopic studies revealed that the defense response system of plants was activated to a longer extent in bioagent treatments, since the number of live nuclei (DAPI staining) and green stained live plant cells (FDA staining) were higher as seen in treated plants when compared to pathogen-inoculated and uninoculated control when observed under confocal laser scanning microscopy. The analysis of cell cycle-related genes expressed during the ROS activity showed increased expression of the cell cycle-related genes involved. The selected isolates were also tested under glasshouse for disease inhibition studies. F. equiseti, Fusarium sp. and Trichoderma sp. gave a disease inhibition of, 87%, 66% and 94%, respectively. Tf2 and Tf1 isolate dominantly inhibited the disease with 95% whereasTf3 also inhibited successfully with 70%. Through the results of our study, we can deduce that the T. flavus (Tf1, Tf2, Tf3) isolates and the endophytes F. equiseti, Fusariumsp. and Trichodermasp. may represent an important biocontrol agent to control the bakanae disease of rice and also implicated that could further be befitting to capitalize them for field evaluations.

Flow and Rental-Based Opportunity Cost of the Land under Walnut Cultivation in India

The paper presents the opportunity cost paid over time for unsustainable land use in walnut cultivation. Flow and rental factored with CPI-index were estimated for the purchase price, would-sell, and would-rent calculation for the final opportunity cost. The data were collected in August 2021 using stratified random sampling technique. Spearmen's estimation was used to calculate the dependency and linearity of the crop. The results revealed that land-use patterns and more extended gestation periods of the walnut trees resulted in higher opportunity costs and lower productivity which lowered the crop's adaptability. The results indicated high opportunity costs, and therefore, the government should provide high-density, lower gestation-period walnut trees to the farmers.

Economic Analysis of Oilpalm Cultivation in India: A Case of Andhra Pradesh State

Aim: Present study was taken up with an objective to examine the economic viability and financial feasibility of oilpalm cultivation in Andhra Pradesh.&#x0D; Study Design: Random sampling was used for the study. From each district, based on area proportionality 60 oil palm growers were selected.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: The present study was based on primary data collected from 8 oil palm growing districts of Andhra Pradesh. Data was collected in the year 2021.&#x0D; Methodology: To study the financial feasibility, cost concepts given by Commisssion for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), profitability measures like NPV, BCR, IRR and resource use efficiency were used.&#x0D; Results: The results revealed that, the total cost during the pre-bearing period (initial 3 years) was Rs. 247831 per hectare which includes variable cost (Rs. 167267) and fixed cost (Rs. 80564). The total cost during bearing period (4th to 15th years only) was Rs. 1260177 with a variable cost of Rs. 669494 and fixed cost of Rs. 590684. The total cost (Cost C3) of Oil palm and the net returns over Cost C3 were found as Rs. 1666053 and Rs. 942092 pKer hectare respectively. The increased transportation costs of manures and non-availability of Farm Yard Manure led to the usage of more inorganic fertilizers by sample farmers. The resource use efficiency revealed that manures, fertilizers and annuity of drip system are underutilized whereas; labour and transportation costs were over-utilized.&#x0D; Conclusion: Benefit-cost ratio on variable costs and total costs was 2.98 and 1.49 respectively at 7 per cent which determines that the oil palm cultivation is financially more viable and best suited for rich, large land owning farmers. IRR was 26.01 per cent at which NPV becomes zero. The NPV, BCR and IRR revealed that oil palm cultivation was economically viable in Andhra Pradesh.

Dahlia Cultivation in India and Abroad: A Review

Dahlia is a popular tuberous rooted perennial herbaceous flowering plant that is prized for its privileged and spectacularly stunning flowers and is extremely desirable in the landscape. It has no equal as a bed flower in terms of versatility, attractiveness, and even cost, and cultivars can keep them looking beautiful for more than a month. Growing medium is essential for plant growth because it provides nutrients, anchors the plant, and provides minerals. Because of their high water holding capacity, adequate aeration, and improved nutritional status, growth media are a beneficial alternative to traditional soil for high-quality flower production. Plant growth regulators have been proven to be quite efficient in controlling dahlia morphology and physiological behavior. Dahlia development, blooming, and tuberous root creation revealed a surprising variety. The purpose of this review was to give an overview of the effects of plant growth regulators and potting soil methods on dahlia cut flower yield.

Economic analysis of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) under protected cultivation in Maharashtra

Protected cultivation of high-value crops offers higher productivity which in turn increases the profitability of the farm. There are a number of schemes and programs for the promotion and development of protected cultivation in India. Maharashtra is one of the states which have successfully adopted protected cultivation. Thus, the present study estimated the profitability of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) cultivation, its feasibility with and without government subsidy support and assessed price spread in marketing in Pune and Nasik districts of Maharashtra during 2018–19. Establishment cost of carnation under polyhouse was very high (`12.99 lakh for 0.1 ha) but offered higher net income (`2.22 lakh/year for 0.1 ha). Feasibility analysis in both cases: with and without subsidy for carnation cultivation is observed to be sustainable and viable. But with subsidy support, it is highly remunerative and profitableto farmers. Farmers have followed two types of marketing channels which consisted of aggregators but if we compare producer share in consumer rupee it is higher for channel I (64%) than channel II (60%). The result indicates that with subsidy support, the payback period of their investment in protected cultivation was reduced and return increased which could support higher adoption of protected cultivation among other farmers.

Identifying other suitable and potential indigenous carrageenophytes for commercial cultivation in India

Identifying other suitable and potential indigenous carrageenophytes for commercial cultivation in India