ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute Research Articles

Changes in thermal requirements, growth and yield of wheat under the elevated temperature

A field experiment was conducted inside a temperature gradient tunnel (TGT) at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi during rabi 2014-15 to quantify the impacts of elevated temperature on thermal requirement, growth and yield of wheat crop. Wheat crop was subjected to five temperature treatments, i.e. +0ºC (representing ambient condition), +0.9ºC, +2.5ºC, +2.8ºC and +3.5ºC.Temperature elevation of 3.5°C increased accumulated growing degree days (GDD) and photo-thermal unit (PTU), thereby hastening maturity of the crop. Leaf area index (LAI) of the crop was affected most by the high temperature at the anthesis stage. Temperature elevation by 2.5°C and above significantly reduced the LAI of wheat. Grain weight decreased by 17.1%, while the straw weight reduced by 10.5% with temperature elevation of 3.5°C. Temperature elevation by 2.5°C and above significantly reduced the straw weight, but grain weight of wheat got significantly reduced even with 0.9°C elevated temperature. Reduced number of spikes per/m2 and number of grains/spike decreased grain yield. In fact, the increase in the spikelet sterility contributed towards the grain yield reduction. The information generated from this study will help in developing the appropriate management practices for production of wheat crop.

Methane oxidizing-plant growth-promoting yeast isolated from Indian rice fields

Potential methane-oxidizing-plant growth-promoting yeast was isolated and characterized during 2017-18 at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. Yeast isolates belonging to the genus Meyerozyma guilliermondii were isolated from five major flooded paddy growing regions of India. Among all the isolates, Meyerozyma guilliermondii KAS-143 efficiently oxidized methane up to 57.64% ± 0.83 in 6 d under in vitro conditions. It also produced a significant quantity of phytohormone IAA and solubilized P, K, and Zn. Meyerozyma guilliermondii KAS-143 can be used for devolving potential inoculants for flooded paddy which can not only promote plant growth but also simultaneously reduce methane emission by its oxidation.

Stay-green trait ameliorates combined heat and drought stress in wheat

The present study was carried out during rabi 2017-18 at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi to investigate the effect of stay-green trait on grain yield in wheat under combined heat and drought stress. Two high stay green (GCP 6 and GCP 33) and two low stay green (GCP 23 and GCP 30) Recombinant Inbred Lines (RILs) of wheat along with their parents (HI1500/DBW43) were grown in field conditions under timely sown with irrigation (control) and without irrigation (drought stress), and late sown with irrigation (heat stress) and without irrigation (combined heat and drought stress). High stay-green RILs showed the reduced levels of abscisic acid and ethylene production during anthesis stage under heat, drought and combined stress conditions as compared to low stay green RILs. Furthermore, there was significantly better yield was observed in high stay-green RILs as compared to low stay-green RILs. Thus our study concludes that stay-green traits improve the yield in wheat under combined heat and drought stress condition by delaying the senescence through reduced levels of abscisic acid and ethylene.

Diversification of rice-wheat cropping system to sustain the productivity and profitability

The field experiments were conducted during 2017-19 at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India. The main aim of the study was to find out a suitable cropping system that can replace the existing rice-wheat cropping system to realize higher productivity and profitability. Four cropping systems, viz. rice (Oryza sativa L.) - mustard (Brassica juncea L.) - mungbean (Vigna radiata L.), maize (Zea mays L.) - mustard-mungbean, maize - potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) - onion (Allium cepa L.) and fodder maize+ cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) - wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) -mungbean, were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Results suggested that the highest system productivity was obtained from the maize-potato-onion cropping system, recording almost 150% higher system productivity over the maize-mustard-mungbean and rice-mustard-mungbean cropping systems. The next best cropping system was fodder maize + cowpea -wheat-mungbean, recording significantly higher system productivity than maize-mustard-mungbean and rice-mustard-mungbean cropping systems. The highest gross and net returns was also recorded from the maize-potato-onion cropping system, being significantly higher than all other cropping systems in the first year, and statistically at par with the fodder maize + cowpea - wheat- mungbean cropping system in the second year. Overall, the highest productivity and net returns was recorded from the maizepotato- onion cropping system, and can potentially be an option to replace the existing rice-wheat cropping system of the Indo-Gangetic Plains.

Response of citrus (Citrus sps.) rootstock hybrids to PEG induced drought under hydroponic system

Present study was carried out at the glasshouse facility of the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi during 2020–21 using a simple hydroponic platform to assess the polyethylene glycol (PEG) induced drought impact on shoot-root morphology and physio-biochemical traits of 4 newly developed citrus (Citrus sps.) rootstock hybrids. Hybrid CRH 21-13/14 displayed superior shoot morphological performance in drought, articulated in terms of increment in plant height (4.5%), leaf numbers (9.5%), and dry weight of shoot (7.0%) with the lowest leaf wilting index (LWI). A contrasting pattern was noticed in CRH 23-5/15, CRH 23-9/17 akin to sensitive check Jatti khatti. Hybrid CRH 21-13/14 exhibited extensively, ramified and improved root system, and was able to sustain root growth under drought. It also showed an increment in root tips (116.1%) and forks (12.6%) during drought, whereas the rest hybrids along with sensitive check (Jatti khatti) exhibited a declining trend. The strong positive association of most root traits with relative water content (RWC) and membrane stability index (MSI) underscored the contribution of root traits towards drought avoidance by optimizing water resources. Although all tested hybrids declined total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a/b ratio and CSI (chlorophyll stability index) to varying degrees during drought, CRH 21- 13/14 exhibited minimum decline. Study postulate superior drought tolerance of CRH 21-13/14 conferred by the drought avoidance mechanism and moderate performance of CRH 21-14/14 (Pummelo × Troyer) as against CRH 23-5/15 and CRH 23-9/17 (Pummelo × Morton hybrids).

Screening of wild okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) against yellow vein mosaic and enation leaf curl diseases

Okra yellow vein mosaic (OYVMD) and enation leaf curl diseases (OELCuD) are the most important biotic diseases which cause yield and quality loss in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench). Therefore, development of viral resistance varieties and lines become important breeding objective worldwide. Wild relatives are the natural source for disease and pest resistance. Hence an experiment was conducted at research farm of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi during rainy (kharif) season 2020 and for screening of 24 wild genotypes to identify the resistance source for OYVMD and OELCuD diseases of okra. PDI (Percent disease incidence) for OYVMD varied from 3.12–93.72, while PDI for OELCuD ranged from 0.00–83.29. The area under disease progress curve for both the diseases indicated that the rate of disease incidence was in increasing trend with the growth of the crop. Based on the natural epiphytotic screening A. moschatus (IC 141055), A. tetraphyllus (IC 90476-1) and A. caillei (Sikkim) were 3 top most genotypes from different species which showed very less incidence of OYVMD and no incidence of OELCuD. These genotypes were grouped in highly resistant category for both the diseases; other genotypes grouped in this category were A. moschatus (EC 360900), A. tetraphyllus (IC 90515 and IC 470735). These genotypes can be used further for interspecific breeding programme and resistant variety development in okra.

Evaluation of synthetic hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum) derived RILs for kernel traits

In bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), kernel parameters are significant grain quality characteristics that affect yield and milling quality as well as market price. Utilization of synthetic hexaploid donor to harness the diverse alleles for broadening the genetic base is a novel breeding strategy of the bread wheat breeding programs across the globe. An experiment was conducted during winter (rabi) season 2017–18 and 2018–19 at the research farm of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi to evaluate 188 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) which were derived from HD 2932 (Indian bread wheat cultivar) and Synthetic 46 (Syn 46: Synthetic hexaploid donor) to identify the effect of the synthetic hexaploid donor on kernel parameters. Kernel parameters like kernel length (KL), kernel width (KW), kernel thickness (KT) and thousand kernel weight (TKW) were studied. Syn 46 had larger kernels and a high TKW with respect to HD 2932. Significant variation for all the traits was observed in the population with transgressive segregants. In this RILs population (188) KL ranged from 5.13–7.5 mm, KW ranged of 2.26–3.9 mm, KT ranged from 2.57–3.41 mm, and of TKW ranged from 25.2–53.17 g. Correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation of TKW with KL and KT. Potential RILs identified with desirable allelic combinations may be used for future breeding programs, and RILs with contrasting kernel parameters may be used to create nested RILs for further generation of variability.

Effect of inoculum spraying on rice (Oryza sativa) residue decomposition kinetics

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) residues on Indian farms have remained a major challenge due to its voluminous and unmanageable quantity and short window for sowing successive crops. A study was carried out at research farm of the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi during 2019–21, to develop a microbial inoculum spraying system for efficient decomposition of rice residues. The study involved the evaluation of flood nozzles at different operational parameters like operating pressure (1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 kg/cm2), nozzle heights (50, 60 and 70 cm) and forward speeds (2.5 and 3 km/h). The inoculum spray was characterized in terms of Volume Median Diameter (VMD), Number Median Diameter (NMD) and Droplet Density (DD). The decomposition kinetics was studied in terms of total organic carbon, total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and N-acetyl glucosamine observed at an interval of 10 days and 20 days after inoculums application. VMD and NMD were found in the range of 347–243 μm and 77.67–87.8 μm respectively, whereas droplet density ranging from 252.5–403.9 droplets/cm2 to spray microbial inoculum using flood nozzle. The C:N ratio of rice residue was reduced by 19.96% and 36.77% respectively after 10 and 20 days of rice residue decomposition compared to control. Carbon content reduced from 47.98–41.24% and total nitrogen content increased from 0.532–0.728 % after 20 days of decomposition. The N-acetyl glucosamine content of rice residue increased from 0.77–3.53 mg/g after 20 days indicating that target-oriented microbial inoculum spraying accelerates the decomposition kinetics of rice residues.

Development and evaluation of a battery operated ginger (Zingiber officinale) washer for small and marginal farmers

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) is a commercial crop grown for its aromatic rhizomes which is used both as a spice and medicine. Being a root crop and owing to its physical structure, ginger rhizomes contain heavy soil load which makes washing as an important and prime post-harvest operation. Manual washing of ginger is a laborious and time consuming process. An experiment was conducted at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi during 2020 with an objective to develop a continuous rotary drum type battery operated ginger washer and to evaluate its performance.The machine consists of the frame, feeding and discharge chutes, rotary drum with internal flights, pressure pump and nozzle assembly, battery and a drive unit. The developed washer was evaluated at different feed rate and residence time to appraise the washing efficiency, microbial washing efficiency, bruise index and colour of washed ginger. Increase in feed rate significantly reduced the washing and microbial efficiencies but increased mechanical damage. Washing and microbial efficiencies increased with increase in residence time.Significant difference in the colour was found between washed and unwashed ginger.The best set of conditions under which the washer could be operated was 150 kg/h and 25 sec, at which the machine was found to have mechanical washing efficiency of 92.48%, microbial washing efficiency of 93.18% and 4.54% bruise index. Besides eliminating drudgery of washing operation, the developed washer was found to save time, water and operating cost as compared to manual washing.

Identification of new resistant varieties to Phomopsis fruit rot of eggplant (Solanum melongena)

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is one of the supreme members of the solanaceous group which is widely grown in India. It is considered as the single and economic host of the fungus Diaporthe vexans causing fruit rot, stem canker and blight disease. The present study was carried at the vegetable research farm of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi during 2019–20 and 2020–21 to screen the eggplant lines (18 cv.) for resistance against this pathogen. The pathogen was isolated from the infected fruits and confirmed by morphological and sequencing information. Artificial inoculation using pin prick method revealed the presence of variability in the lines for disease. The studied lines were categorized based on Per cent disease index (PDI) and the highest PDI value of 80–100% recorded in cultivars Pusa Shyamla, Pusa Kranti, DBL-186, DBL-187, Muktokeshi and DBSR-52 and thus categorized as highly susceptible. The cultivars NDB-25, Kashi Sandesh, Kalo Solia, DBL-175 and Debjhuri Hazari were reported to be susceptible with PDI value of 60%. In the present study, first time we have report a number of highly resistant lines, viz. BR 112, Swarna Mani, BR 40-7 and IC-112992 with 0% PDI as novel source of resistance against P. vexans. These resistant lines have significant importance in large scale cultivation as resistant varieties by farmers. They can also be further utilized as a parent in population development for the identification of gene (s)/ QTL (s) associated with the resistance.

Co-Implementation of Tillage, Precision Nitrogen, and Water Management Enhances Water Productivity, Economic Returns, and Energy-Use Efficiency of Direct-Seeded Rice

The sustainability of conventional rice (Oryza sativa L.) production systems is often questioned due to the over-mining of groundwater and environmental degradation. This has led to the development of cost-effective, resource-efficient, and environmentally clean rice production systems by optimizing water and nitrogen (N) use. Hence, a 2-year field study (2019 and 2020) was conducted at the ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, to assess the effect of precision N and water management strategies on growth, land, and water productivity, as well as energy-use efficiency in scented direct-seeded rice (DSR). Two crop establishment methods, conventional-till DSR (CT-DSR) and zero-till DSR (ZT-DSR) along with three irrigation scenarios (assured irrigation (irrigation after 72 h of the drying of surface water), irrigation at 20% depletion of available soil moisture (DASM), and 40% DASM+Si (80 kg ha−1)) were assigned to the main plots; three N management options, a 100% recommended dose of N (RDN): 150 kg ha−1; Nutrient Expert® (NE®)+leaf color chart (LCC) and NE®+soil plant analysis development (SPAD) meter-based N management were allocated to sub-plots in a three-time replicated split-plot design. The CT-DSR produced 1.4, 11.8, and 89.4, and 2.4, 18.8, and 152.8% more grain yields, net returns, and net energy in 2019 and 2020, respectively, over ZT-DSR. However, ZT-DSR recorded 8.3 and 10.7% higher water productivity (WP) than CT-DSR. Assured irrigation resulted in 10.6, 16.1 16.9, and 8.1 and 12.3, 21.8 20.6, and 6.7% higher grain yields, net returns, net energy, and WP in 2019 and 2020, respectively, over irrigation at 20% DASM. Further, NE®+SPAD meter-based N management saved 27.1% N and recorded 9.6, 18.3, 16.8, and 8.3, and 8.8, 21.7, 19.9, and 10.7% greater grain yields, net returns, net energy, and WP over RDN in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Thus, the study suggested that the NE®+SPAD-based N application is beneficial over RDN for productivity, resource-use efficiency, and N-saving (~32 kg ha−1) both in CA-based and conventionally cultivated DSR. This study also suggests irrigating DSR after 72 h of the drying of surface water; however, under obviously limited water supplies, irrigation can be delayed until 20% DASM, thus saving two irrigations, which can be diverted to additional DSR areas.

Effect of GreenSeeker based nitrogen management and its interaction with water on growth and productivity of maize (Zea mays L.) under conservation agriculture

A field experiment was conducted during kharif season of 2019 at research farm of ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India, to study the effect of GreenSeeker(GS) based nitrogen management and its interaction with water on growth and productivity of maize (Zea mays L.) var. PMH-1 under conservation agriculture. The experiment was laid out in split-split plot design withtwo crop establishment techniques (CET) viz. conservation agriculture (CA) and conventional tillage (CT) in main plots three irrigation regime (IR) in sub-plotsirrigation at critical growth stages, irrigation at 25% depletion of available soil moisture (DASM) and irrigation at 50% DASM, and four levels of nitrogen (N) in sub-sub plots; no-N applied, 33% N as basal, 33% N at knee high stage and 34% N at silking stage, 50% basal + rest N as guided by Green Seeker (GS) and 75% as basal + rest N as guided by GS. The results showed that GS based N application outperformed over farmers fertilizer practices in terms of growth and productivity, and its interactionalso significantly differed with irrigation scheduling. The maximum value of grain yield (6.9 tha-1 ), plant height at tasseling (173 cm) and harvest (235 cm), leaf area index at knee high stage (2.11) and silking (4.10), crop growth rate (8.4 and 9.2 gm-2 day-1 ) at 0-30 and 30-60 days after sowing, respectively and NDVI (0.748), were recorded under75% as basal + rest N as guided by GS, over other practices and interaction effect with irrigation at 25% depletion of available soil moisture.

Effect of GreenSeeker based nitrogen management and its interaction with water on growth and productivity of maize (Zea mays L.) under conservation agriculture

A field experiment was conducted during kharif season of 2019 at research farm of ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India, to study the effect of GreenSeeker(GS) based nitrogen management and its interaction with water on growth and productivity of maize (Zea mays L.) var. PMH-1 under conservation agriculture. The experiment was laid out in split-split plot design withtwo crop establishment techniques (CET) viz. conservation agriculture (CA) and conventional tillage (CT) in main plots three irrigation regime (IR) in sub-plotsirrigation at critical growth stages, irrigation at 25% depletion of available soil moisture (DASM) and irrigation at 50% DASM, and four levels of nitrogen (N) in sub-sub plots; no-N applied, 33% N as basal, 33% N at knee high stage and 34% N at silking stage, 50% basal + rest N as guided by Green Seeker (GS) and 75% as basal + rest N as guided by GS. The results showed that GS based N application outperformed over farmers fertilizer practices in terms of growth and productivity, and its interactionalso significantly differed with irrigation scheduling. The maximum value of grain yield (6.9 tha-1), plant height at tasseling (173 cm) and harvest (235 cm), leaf area index at knee high stage (2.11) and silking (4.10), crop growth rate (8.4 and 9.2 gm-2day-1) at 0-30 and 30-60 days after sowing, respectively and NDVI (0.748), were recorded under75% as basal + rest N as guided by GS, over other practices and interaction effect with irrigation at 25% depletion of available soil moisture.

Morphological diversity and genetic variability of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes in the southern hills zone

The morphological diversity and genetic variability for 26 best-performing genotypes representing a spectrum of wheat varieties notified for different ecological zones of India were studied. The study aims to understand the relationship and contribution of quantitative characters and the genetic variation among the genotypes chosen. The field experiment was conducted in augmented randomized complete block design at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Regional Station, Wellington, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India. The correlation between flag leaf width (0.36), flag leaf area (0.38), and single plant yield (0.67) is positive and significant with the harvest index. Path coefficient analysis revealed the highest magnitude of direct positive effect on harvest index is through single plant yield (1.39), flag leaf area (1.03), and flag leaf width (0.77). The variability studies indicated that the traits flag leaf length, flag leaf width, flag leaf area, peduncle length, awn length, number of tillers per hill, single plant weight, single plant yield, and harvest index had high heritability and high genetic advance. The narrow difference between the values of GCV and PCV observed for all the characters under study suggested very low environmental influences upon them. The 26 genotypes were grouped into 7 clusters, each cluster represented a mix of genotypes notified for different ecological zones. This confirms the diversity among the genotypes irrespective of their notified ecological zones. The principal component analysis confirmed the correlations between the characters as obtained in correlation analysis highlighting the importance of flag leaf width, flag leaf area, and single plant yield. The above-mentioned three traits can be used as evaluating criteria for genotypes to be chosen in breeding programs in the southern hills zone.

Weed management in direct-seeded rice under a long-term conservation agriculture-based rice rice (Oriza sativa)-wheat (Triticum aestivum) system

Weeds that occur in repeated flushes pose major challenges to direct-seeded rice (DSR). Zero till (ZT) DSRwith crop residue influences weed interference considerably and can be substitutive to resource-intensive puddledtransplanted rice (PTR). Field experiments were conducted at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute during2018–19 involving conservation agriculture (CA)-based DSRs and weed control/herbicides treatments to appraiseweed interference and productivity under an eight-year old CA-based rice-wheat system (RWS). All DSRs encountered more weeds than PTR. A double ZT system without residue [~ZTDSR-ZT wheat (ZTW); C1] had highest density and dry weight of grassy weeds, but a triple ZT system without residue [~ZTDSR-ZTW-ZT mungbean (ZTMB);C4] had highest density and dry weight of broad-leaved and sedge weeds. However, a triple ZT system with threecrops residue [~ZTDSR + mungbean residue-ZTW + rice residue-ZTMB + wheat residue; C5)] could reduce weedinterference significantly and led to 9.3% and 21.8% higher rice yield than C1 and C4, respectively. The applicationof pyrazosulfuron-ethyl 0.025 kg/ha pre-emergence followed by (fb) cyhalofop-butyl 0.100 kg/ha at 20 days aftersowing (DAS), fb bispyribac-Na 0.025 kg/ha at 25 DAS (W4) led to significant reduction in grassy, broad-leaved andsedge weeds densities by 92.5, 96.6 and 67.7%, respectively. The triple ZT system with rice, wheat and mungbeanresidues (C5) combined with application of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl fb cyhalofop-butyl fb bispyribac-Na (W4) gavealmost similar rice yield with PTR (C6). This may be recommended for adoption in Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) ofIndia and in similar agro-ecologies of the tropics/sub-tropics.

Heterosis and combining ability for yield traits and its relationship with gene action in muskmelon (Cucumis melo)

Twenty-one F1 hybrids were developed from seven diverse parental lines of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) from two horticultural groups, viz. inodorous and cantalupensis through half-diallel mating system and evaluated at ICARIndian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, during 2017 and 2018. The component of variance for sca (σ2s) was higher than gca component of variance (σ2g) for all the characters, except average fruit weight, which indicated the importance of non-additive gene action for improvement of many traits. The predictability ratio and average degree of dominance was less than 0.5 and more than 1 for all the yield related traits, except average fruit weight, which further confirmed the predominant role of non-additive component of variance. The parent DHM-163 (P1) was identified as good general combiner for earliness, whereas parent DCM-31 (P4) for fruit length, average fruit weight and yield per plant. The parent Pusa Madhuras (P5) also exhibited highest gca effects for number of fruits per plant, number ofprimary branches per plant, fruit diameter and negative gca effects for days to first fruit harvest. The hybrid DCM-31 × Kashi Madhu (P4 × P6) exhibited highest heterotic value for days to first male flower anthesis, days to first female flower anthesis and days to first fruit harvest. Three crosses, DMM-159 × Pusa Madhuras (P3 × P5), DHM-163 × Kashi Madhu (P1 × P6) and DMM-159 × DCM-31 (P3 × P4) were found to be best heterotic combinations for yield related traits. These promising heterotic hybrid combinations may be tested under multi-location trials to assess their potential as commercial hybrids.

Impact of Conservation Agriculture on Wheat Growth, Productivity and Nutrient Uptake in Maize–Wheat–Mungbean System

Conservation agriculture (CA) involving minimum mechanical soil disturbance, permanent soil cover with crop residue mulch and diversified crop rotation, plays a crucial role in sustainable crop production. A field experiment was conducted at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi during rabi seasons (November–April) of 2018–19 and 2019–20 in wheat involving maize-wheat-mungbean system to assess the effects of CA on crop productivity, nutrient uptake and profitability. Results showed that CA-based practices with residue retention resulted in higher yield as well as economic benefits when compared to conventional tillage (CT). Wheat yield parameters in CA were greater than in CT. The CA-based practices improved wheat grain and straw yield to the tune of 7.2–27.1% and 5.7–20.6%, respectively compared to CT practice. The CA-based practices with residue retention with 100% N registered 9.7% higher cost of cultivation, but resulted in 24.3–35.1% higher net returns than CT. Among CA-based practices, the plots under permanent broad bed with residue with 100% N (PBB+R+100N) resulted in ~27% higher wheat grain yield compared to CT. The PBB+R+100N plots also had considerably greater nutrient uptake and net returns than CT plots. The CA practice involving PBB+R+100N was found to be more productive, remunerative and could potentially boost up the wheat productivity and profitability under maize-wheat-mungbean system in north-western Indo-Gangetic Plains of India.

Segmentation of genomic data through multivariate statistical approaches: comparative analysis

Segmenting a series of measurements along a genome into regions with distinct characteristics is widely used toidentify functional components of a genome. The majority of the research on biological data segmentation focuses on the statistical problem of identifying break or change-points in a simulated scenario using a single variable. Despite the fact that various strategies for finding change-points in a multivariate setup through simulation are available, work on segmenting actual multivariate genomic data is limited. This is due to the fact that genomic data is huge in size and contains a lot of variation within it. Therefore, a study was carried out at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi during 2021 to know the best multivariate statistical method to segment the sequences which may influence the properties or function of a sequence into homogeneous segments. This will reduce the volume of data and ease the analysis of these segments further to know the actual properties of these segments. The genomic data of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) was considered for the comparative analysis of several multivariate approaches and was found that agglomerative sequential clustering was the most acceptable due to its low computational cost and feasibility.

Effect of tillage and irrigation management on radiation use efficiency of wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Field experiments were conducted during 2015–16 and 2016–17 on wheat (cv HD2967) in a sandy loam soil at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi to study the effect of tillage and irrigation management on radiation use efficiency (RUE) of wheat. The treatments comprising of three levels of tillage as main plot factor (Conventional tillage, Deep tillage and No tillage) and three levels of irrigation as subplot factor (I1: 1 irrigation, I3: 3 Irrigations and I5: 5 Irrigations) were evaluated in a split plot design. The results showed that there was no significant difference among tillage treatments with respect to extinction coefficient. However, pooled data of 2 years, extinction coefficient due to I5 was significantly higher than that of I3 and I1 by 8.8 and 23.8%, respectively, and extinction coefficient due to I3 was significantly higher than I1 by 13.8%. There was no significant difference among the tillage treatments with respect to radiation use efficiency (RUE) of wheat, but RUE increased significantly with increasing irrigation level. RUE of wheat under I5 was significantly higher than that of I1 and I3 treatments but there was no significance difference between I1 and I3 with respect to RUE of wheat in both the years.

E-Governance of skill training programme under Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan (GKRA) initiative was announced by the government of India in June 2020 for a period of 125 days to create livelihood opportunities for the returned migrants in their states and to sustain rural development. GKRA was convergent effort between 12 different ministries/departments covering 25 activities over 116 districts of 6 states. As different stakeholders were involved, therefore for effective monitoring and data exchange an IT platform was created at central level (https://gkra.nic.in) where all departments exchanged data for consecutive 15 weeks. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) organized skill development training programmes for livelihood through Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). E-Governance of these training programmes and exchange of data to central GKRA portal was managed through a module developed during July-October 2020 under KVK Knowledge Network Portal (https://kvk.icar.gov.in) at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute and hosted at ICAR Data Centre, ICAR-IASRI, New Delhi. The emphasis of the training programmes was on the areas of integrated farming to support livelihood. Overall, the participants were satisfied with the quality of training programmes conducted by KVKs. KVKs also supported participants in handholding of technology and setting up their own venture. IT platforms provided efficient storing and retrieval of data, framework for exchange of information and enhanced visibility in the initiative.