Northwest Himalayan Region Research Articles

Assessment of sowing environment for wheat cultivars and evaluation of growing degree days for phenological stages in the Northwest Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh

BackgroundThe date of sowing is a non-monetary input factor that plays a crucial role in field crop management. Based on the sowing time, management practices of crop production affect crop growth, development, and yield. Under varied environmental conditions, this factor may be useful in addressing low yields and combating/escaping stresses either due to diseases or due to any unfavourable environment.ResultsA field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2017–18 and 2018–19 to study the accumulated growing degree days (GDD) and performance of six wheat cultivars (HS 562, HD 2967, HD 3086, HI 1544, MACS 6222 and WR 544) under four sowing dates (5th November, 25th November, 15th December and 5th January). The study revealed that 5th November is the best date for sowing resulting in higher pooled grain yield of 4.85 Mg ha−1 and 3.94 Mg ha−1 at Bajaura and Malan, respectively. Significant reductions in the grain yield and yield attributes were observed when the date of sowing was set beyond 5th November. Among the cultivars tested, HS 562 gave a significantly higher pooled grain yield of 4.46 and 3.75 Mg ha−1 at Bajaura and Malan, respectively. Pooled data on physiological maturity revealed that variety HS 562 took the highest calendar days (168 days) and GDD (1573.42 °C days) to attain physiological maturity at Bajaura while at Malan HI 1544 and HD 3086 took the highest calendar days (156 and 155 days, respectively) and GDD (2055.41 and 2051.81 °C days, respectively) to attain their physiological maturity.ConclusionFrom the study, it can be concluded that the early date of sowing provides the crop with ample duration to accumulate growing degree days resulting in a higher accumulation of photosynthates resulting in significantly higher yield attributes and grain yield. Therefore, 5th November is recommended as the best time for sowing of wheat crop whereas the sowing must not be delayed beyond 25th November. HS 562 was superior among the cultivars and is recommended for Malan and Bajaura regions for attaining higher yield.

Impact of bulky manures and fermented liquid formulations in enhancing the quality parameters of sweet pepper

Indigenous fermented liquid formulations (Panchagavya, Jeevamrut and Amritpani) are rich sources of beneficial microflora and fauna, vitamins, minerals and growth-promoting hormones. Small and marginal farmers of North-West Himalayan region popularly grow sweet pepper as commercial crop. Poultry manure and vermicompost are two cheap nutrient sources, popular among these growers. So, inorder to investigate the combined effect of these organic inputs, two-year field experiment with seven treatments and three replications; with randomized block design; comprised of 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40 per cent recommended dose of nutrients (RDN) which was applied through vermicompost and poultry manure along with Panchagavya (5%), Jeevamrut (5%), Amritpani (5%) and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria which was isolated from experimental location, applied to all treatments, except T1; was carried out to study the response of these inputs on quality parameters of sweet pepper. Results revealed that treatment T2 that comprised of 90% RDN including Panchagavya, Jeevamrut, Amritpani and PGPR led to noticeably improvement in growth and quality parameters viz. chlorophyll-a (0.52 mg g−1), chlorophyll-b (0.73 mg g−1), ascorbic acid (29.47 mg 100 g−1), protein content (28.90%), capsaicin content (0.23 mg g−1), number of primary branches (8.20), average fruit weight (62 g), fruit yield (290.58 quintals ha−1), number of flowers per plant (24.97), leaf area index (4.73) and shelf life (6.03 days). Hence, it is concluded that the combined use of these inputs has the potential to enhance growth and quality characteristics of sweet pepper in achieving sustainable crop productivity.

Geochemistry of Mafic Rocks From the Nagrota–Kathindi Section, Himachal Pradesh, Northwestern Himalaya: A Probable Example of Plume–Lithosphere Interaction

ABSTRACTThe Northwest Himalayan region has a record of several phases of mafic magmatic activity spanning from Precambrian to Cenozoic in a dynamic tectonic setting. Here, we studied detailed petrography and new whole‐rock geochemistry of mafic volcanic and dykes from the Nagrota–Kathindi Section (NKS), Himachal region of the NW Himalaya, to understand the petrogenesis and possible tectonic setting. Both rock types have comparable mineralogical compositions (clinopyroxene + plagioclase + actinolite‐tremolite + chlorite + iron oxides ± hornblende ± epidote ± quartz ± carbonates) overprinted by greenschist to lower amphibolite facies metamorphism. The mafic volcanic and dykes of NKS exhibit subalkaline basalts to basaltic andesites and a typical tholeiite compositional character. The chondrite‐normalized rare earth element pattern exhibits similar LREE‐enrichment and strong HREE‐fractionation, whereas primitive mantle‐normalized multi‐element patterns show pronounced LILE‐enrichment of Rb, Ba, Th, LREE, and HFSE depletion of Nb, K, P, and Ti. The Zr–Y–Nb–Th relationships indicate that both rock types were derived from the plume source, whereas low Nb/La (< 1), similar high large‐ion lithophile element concentrations, and pronounced negative Nb, Zr, P, and Ti anomalies suggest that components other than mantle plume must have been involved in the generation and evolution of both rock types, that is, most likely plume and subcontinental lithosphere mantle (SCLM) interaction. The genesis of parent magma for the NKS volcanic and dykes was derived by 4%–6% and 10%–20% partial melting from the spinel + garnet lherzolite stability field. The majority of the studied samples correspond to spinel + garnet peridotite melting on (Gd/Yb)N versus CaO/Al2O3 diagram, thereby corroborating residual garnet in the mantle restite. All the basalts and dykes from the NK section did erupt/intrude in an intracontinental rift setting based on geochemical discrimination. The key petro‐tectonic processes attributed to the formation of these rocks are as follows: (i) the melting of the ascending plume by adiabatic decompression; (ii) the partial melting of this plume–SCLM source in the melting regime, which produces basaltic magma with a tholeiitic composition; and (iii) the release of heat that provides the thermal condition for melting of SCLM and interaction between upwelling mantle plume and subduction metasomatized SCLM.

Analyzing Current Trends and forecasting Snow Cover Dynamics: A Multi-Data Approach utilizing Satellite Data, ERA5 and SSP Scenarios for Enhanced Disaster Preparedness

The Indus Himalayan region, characterized by its challenging mountainous terrain, presents obstacles for ground observations. This study aims to investigate variations in Snow Cover Area (SCA) and its relationship with other climatic variables. We utilized MODIS snow cover, temperature, ECMWF ERA-5 and SRTM elevation products to assess present trends (2002-2023) and CMIP6 SSP scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP5-8.5) to project future impacts (2024 to 2100) of climate change. Statistical analyses reveal decadal trends in SCA, with slight increases observed in winter, summer, autumn and annual periods (0.14% year−1, 0.33% year−1, 0.45% year−1 and 0.35% year−1 respectively). A significant positive trend is noted in spring (July-September) at 0.35% year−1. The study indicates an insignificant negative correlation (−0.81) between SCA and Land Surface Temperature (LST), suggesting potential climate change impacts on SCA depletion in the Northwest Himalayan (NWH) region. By projecting future climate scenarios including changes in temperature, precipitation patterns and annual frost days (Tmin < 0°C) until 2100, we observed a reduction in frost days and increasing temperatures due to climate change. Understanding evolving climate dynamics and snow cover trends is essential for developing effective strategies to address climate change impacts and to ensure community resilience in the Indus Himalayas.

Impact of crop bio-intensification and nutrient management on growth, yield and yield attributes of rice crop under North West Himalayan region of Jammu-Kashmir

The experiment was performed in rabi, zaid and kharif seasons of 2018-19 and 2019-20 to study the bio-intensification possibilities in different cropping systems at Research Farm, Main Campus, Chatha, SKUAST-Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir, India .The experiment was laid out in randomized block design (factorial)/ DMRT with 15 treatments and three replications. Among the crop bio-intensification, rice crop sown under wheat (FIRB)+lentil (B)-summer moongbean -BM+rice (F)+moongbean (B) practice produced significantly higher panicle per meter row length, tillers per meter row length than the crop sown under wheat - rice during both the years of experimentations. Whereas, rice crop sown under wheat-rice practice produced significantly higher grain yield (35.42 q/ha and 36.65 q/ha), than the other existing crop bio-intensification practice during both the years of experimentation. Among the nutrient management, application of 100% in- organic showed significantly higher panicle per meter row length, tillers per meter row length and yield than 100% organic (FYM) and statistically at par with INM (50:50) during both the years of experimentations.

Apple-Based Farming Systems Improve Production and Rhizosphere Microbiome in The North-West Himalayan Region's Dry Temperate Environment

Apple-Based Farming Systems Improve Production and Rhizosphere Microbiome in The North-West Himalayan Region's Dry Temperate Environment

Prioritization of Susceptibility Zones for Multi-Hazard in Jammu Division of the North-West Himalayas, India for Disaster Risk Reduction

Environmental hazards have always been a source of serious concern as they are becoming more severe and wider in scope, enhancing the risk of additional losses to the environment and public health. The comprehensive risk assessment has emerged as a core component of disaster mitigation strategy. After the international convention on sustainable development in 1992, the multi-hazard approach is widely used as part of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategy. Lying in the vicinity of the North-West Himalayan region, Jammu Division is prone to multiple hazards which have led to numerous causalities. In this study, landslides, floods, earthquakes, droughts, forest fires and soil erosion are considered for prioritizing risk from multi-hazard. Analytical Hierarchy Process have been adopted for data processing for the standardisation and normalisation of the weights. The area prone to multiple hazards is delineated after overlaying all the individual assessment of hazard events using weights computed by an objective approach. The multi-hazard susceptibility map is categorised into five zones: very low, low, moderate, high and very high. The findings revealed that 43.43 % of area lying in south eastern, central and eastern part is suffering from multiple hazards are prioritized for preventing communities to suffer from the multiple hazards. This area lies in central part of the study area in proximity to faults and weak lithology. The identified area under multi-hazard should be well studied for potential cascading of hazards. The targeted interventions and proactive measures should be adopted for enhancing the resilience and disaster risk reduction. The prioritized zones will be extremely valuable for risk profiling, vulnerability assessment and formulation or revision of DRR strategy action plans.

Impact of Crop Bio-Intensification and Nutrient Management on Production and Productivity of Maize Crop under North West Himalayan Region of Jammu -Kashmir

A field experiment was conducted during for two years (2015 and 2016) at the Research Farm, FSR center, Main Campus, Chatha of SKUAST–Jammu, during rabi, zayad and kharif seasons on clay loam soil to study the effect of crop bio-intensification and nutrient management on productivity and sustainability of various cropping. The experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design with three replications. Under different treatments (crop bio-intensification and nutrient management) the grain yield, straw yield and total bio-mass (q/ha) of maize was found varying. The grain yield, straw yield and total bio-mass of maize was observed more in second year kharif 2015 than first year kharif 2016. Among crop bio-intensification, maize crop sown under Lentil (BB) + Mustard (B) – Summer Moongbean –Maize (BB) + Sorghum (F) practice produced higher grain yield ( 30.16 q/ha and 31.50 q/ha ) than the crop sown under wheat + mustard (6:1) –Summer moongbean – maize (bed) + Cowpea (B) (26.03 q/ha and 26.78 q/ha ) during both of the years of experimentations. The same trend was observed with straw yield and total bio-mass. Among nutrient management, application of 100% in- organic showed higher grain yield, straw yield and total bio-mass than 100% organic (FYM) and INM (50:50) during 1st and 2nd years of experimentations.

Prediction of UCS and BTS under freeze-thaw conditions in the NW himalayan rock mass using petrographic analysis and laboratory testing

Repeated freeze-thaw (F&T) cycles substantially harm the durability of rocks, heightening the potential for landslides, rockslides, and avalanches. The current work investigates the effect of the F&T cycle on rock mass (biotite schist) samples. For this purpose, 32 rock samples were prepared and gathered from eight distinct locations in the northwest Himalayan region. For each sample, petrographical analysis and laboratory testing such as uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and Brazilian tensile strength (BTS) are investigated at repeated (0th, 10th, 20th, and 30th) F&T cycles. Additionally, machine learning (ML) sequential models such as recurrent neural networks (RNN), gated recurrent units (GRU), and bi-directional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) are constructed to estimate the UCS and BTS under F&T conditions. Petrographical results show no change in the mineral indices, while there is a noticeable increase in aspect ratio but a significant decline in mean grain size with each successive 10th cycle, suggesting sample damage. The study also provides a comprehensive assessment of the ML models' performance, highlighting the Bi-LSTM model's superior accuracy among all models in terms of R2 (0.9850) and RMSLE (0.0100) during the TR stage and R2 (0.9020) and RMSLE (0.0170) during the TS stage for UCS prediction. Similarly, BTS prediction also shows superior precision, recording an R2 (0.7543) and RMSLE (0.0345) during TR and R2 (0.7404) and RMSLE (0.0213) during TS stages. The present study also explores the heatmap, line diagram, regression analysis, 2D kernel density plot, Taylor diagram, and DDR criterion for evaluating the model performance more clearly.

Assessment of Plant Growth Promotion Potential of Endophytic Bacterium B. subtilis KU21 Isolated from Rosmarinus officinalis.

The current study aimed to evaluate the plant growth-promoting (PGP) potential of endophytic strain Bacillus subtilis KU21 isolated from the roots of Rosmarinus officinalis. The strain exhibited multiple traits of plant growth promotion viz., phosphate (P) solubilization, nitrogen fixation, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), siderophore, hydrogen cyanide (HCN), lytic enzymes production, and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity. The isolate also exhibited antagonistic activity against phytopathogenic fungi, i.e., Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium graminiarum, and Rhizoctonia solani. The P-solubilization activity of B. subtilis KU21 was further elucidated via detection of glucose dehydrogenase (gdh) gene involved in the production of gluconic acid which is responsible for P-solubilization. Further, B. subtilis KU21 was evaluated for in vivo growth promotion studies of tomato (test crop) under net house conditions. A remarkable increase in seed germination, plant growth parameters, nutrient acquisition, and soil quality parameters (NPK) was observed in B. subtilis KU21-treated plants over untreated control. Hence, the proposed module could be recommended for sustainable tomato production in the Northwest Himalayan region without compromising soil health and fertility.

Morels as a source of Food, Medicine and Income in Himachal Pradesh - A North West Himalayan Region, India

Himachal Pradesh is situated in north India between 300 22’ to 330 12’ N latitudes and 750 47’’ to 790 04’ E longitudes within the Western Himalayas in northern India. The elevation varies from 450 meters to more than 7,026 meters above the mean sea level. Tribal and indigenous communities of Himachal Pradesh are associated with collection of wild mushrooms for edible, medicinal and sale purpose. The Morels (Morchella spp.) are fungi belong to family Morchellaceae commonly known as Guchhi in Himachal Pradesh. The traditional people of Himachal Himalayan Region (HHR) cooked it as food and used in medicine and health care system. Traditionally, it has been used for gastric problems, as a tonic, to cure cuts and wounds, and reduce joint pain. The native people gather it from the forest regions and sold it to nearby merchants after drying it at home. Presence of nutrients like amino acids, vitamins and minerals, the Guchhi mushrooms are in high demand not only in India but also in various foreign markets such as Switzerland, France, the USA, Italy etc. Commercial cultivation of Guchhi mushrooms will help rural masses and farmers obtain benefits due to their high demand.

Prevalence and Epidemiology of Apple Powdery Mildew in Northwest Himalayan Region of Himachal Pradesh

A survey was conducted to assess the incidence and severity of powdery mildew of apples during April to July of 2020 and 2021 at the different locations of Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India. Assessment scale of Hofer et al. (2019) with slight modification was used for cultivar screening. Apple seedlings were grown in the pots in the polyhouse of the Department of Plant Pathology in order to test the pathogenicity of Podosphaera leucotricha. Pathogenicity was confirmed through inoculation tests by gently pressing diseased leaves on young leaves of five asymptomatic, potted one-year-old Gale Gala seedlings of apple. Five non-inoculated plants were used for a control treatment. Overall, twenty different apple cultivars were screened against powdery mildew planted under field conditions at Krishi Vigyan Kendra Sharbo, Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, India. Out of these cultivars, five cultivars viz. Red Delicious, Royal Delicious, Red Velox, Auvil Early Fuji and Oregon Spur II, were found to be less susceptible to Podosphaera leucotricha, causing powdery mildew of apples, while Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, and Gale Gala were found extremely susceptible. Gala series of cultivars were found to be extremely susceptible to the pathogen. Incidence of the disease ranged from 25.42% to 53.80% and severity from 39.75% to 66.25%, respectively. According to the present study the disease initiated during the first week of May and peaked in the month of July in district Kinnaur. Temperatures between 18–24°C and RH between 50–65% were found to be favourable for the disease development. The conditions in the region were found to favourable for disease development and spread.

Delineating Local Rice Landraces of Kashmir Valley for Cooking Quality and Physico-Chemical Traits

Crop plant improvement depends on genetic diversity. The regional collections contain a variety of genes, some of which are useful despite the shifting socioeconomic and environmental/climatic circumstances. Plant breeders can produce new and enhanced cultivars with desirable features by utilizing the diversity of available plant genetic resources. Twenty five traditional rice (Oryza sativa L.) landraces from the NorthWest Himalayan region of Kashmir were assessed for cooking quality and physic-chemical characteristics. The majority of the cooking quality traits, such as kernel length before and after cooking, kernel breadth before and after cooking, amylose content gel, consistency, and alkali spreading value, showed a wide range of variability in the rice landraces under study. Extensive genetic variety across the landraces under investigation, which may be used for agricultural development programs, was suggested by the wide variation among the morphological and other cooking quality parameters.

AMMI and GGE analyses of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) genotypes for stability in the north-west Himalayan region of India

Thirty linseed genotypes were assessed across 3 locations during 2019-20 using AMMI and GGE models. AMMI revealed significanteffects for genotype (16.16%), environment (57.39%), and G × E interaction (26.05%). GGE identified Palampur and Kangra as idealmega-environments, with Dhaulakuan as a representative testing environment. KL-322, JRF-4, KL-325, KL-314, and Ayogi were identifiedas stable genotypes based on AMMI stability parameters, while KL-315 and Nagarkot exhibited high yield according to GGE. Thesepromising genotypes warrant further testing and potential release as stable varieties for targeted agricultural regions.

Comprehensive study of extreme rainfall events using model simulations and remotely sensed observations

ABSTRACTIn the present work, a detailed examination of extreme rainfall events (EREs) has been carried out using weather research and forecasting (WRF) model and remotely sensed observations over the Northwest Himalayan region. We performed high-resolution model simulations and studied EREs in association with fine-resolution Indian National Satellite System (INSAT-3D) observations. Remarkable variations noted in the remotely sensed outgoing longwave radiation and rainfall in association with model simulations during the formation of cloudburst events may be utilized to give an alert over the locations potentially affected by the EREs. We found that the fine-scale structure of various physical quantities during the formation of the cloudburst events endures remarkable variations in close agreement with the satellite-based observations. Results obtained in the present study show a promising pathway for the study, analysis and now-casting of extremely heavy rainfall events based on model simulations in conjunction with remotely sensed observations.

Ground motion prediction equation for NW Himalaya and its surrounding region

An attenuation relationship, also known as a Ground Motion Prediction Equation (GMPE), has been developed for the Northwest Himalaya and its surrounding region. This GMPE utilizes strong motion data recorded by two networks: the National Center for Seismology Network and the strong motion network installed by Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee named PESMOS. For the development of this GMPE, 309 strong motion records from 86 earthquakes that occurred between 2005 and 2021 were considered. The selected earthquakes have magnitudes ranging from 3.0 to 6.9. In this study, the average of Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) of two horizontal components was used to develop the new attenuation relationship. A multi-regression model was chosen for the analysis. The proposed attenuation relationship is.Log10 PGA = 1.889 + 0.3996 × M - 0.95736 log10 (HD + exp (0.4114 × M)) ± 0.3646Where, PGA is peak horizontal acceleration in gal of strong ground motion, M is the magnitude, and HD is the hypocentral distance from the source. The standard error of the proposed relationship is 0.3646. This newly developed attenuation relationship holds significance for various applications, including site-specific studies, seismic hazard estimation, ground motion simulation, earthquake early warning (EEW), and engineering applications. It provides valuable insights into the behavior of ground motion in the Northwest Himalayan region, allowing for better preparedness and mitigation strategies against seismic hazards in the area.

Population modeling of oilseed brassica aphids and their biocontrol agents with weather parameters in the north-west Himalayan region of India.

We studied the impact of weather parameters on the population build-up of Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) (Cabbage aphid), Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.) (Mustard aphid), Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Green peach aphid) and their biocontrol agents (coccinellids, syrphids, and a parasitoid, Diaeretiella rapae M'Intosh) on oilseed brassicas in Himachal Pradesh, India, during winters from 2016-2017 to 2018-2019. The temperature and sunshine resulted in the build-up of B. brassicae and their biocontrol agents' population, while rainfall and relative humidity caused a negative influence at surveyed locations. The L. erysimi and M. persicae populations showed an inverse correlation with the density-independent factors at most locations. Correlation coefficients indicated a negative correlation of the coccinellids population with the build-up of L. erysimi and M. persicae, while the predator population was positively related to the B. brassicae population at maximum locations. Parasitization by D. rapae showed a negative relationship with the aphid population. Stepwise regression analysis showed that minimum temperature and rainfall had a significant effect on the variability in the population of aphids. The predictive model could interpret more than 90% variation by minimum temperature in the coccinellid population at the surveyed locations. Further, regression analysis with temperature could explain up to 94% variability in parasitization by D. rapae. This study will contribute to predicting the changes that may occur in a population of aphids concerning the weather.

“Little Tibet”

Abstract With the Chinese invasion of Tibet, exile-Tibetan Buddhist leaders have found new bases for their monastic endeavors in the Himalayan regions of India and Nepal. This article highlights how the northwest Himalayan region of Ladakh has become a homeland for Tibetan-led Buddhism in India. While previously an independent kingdom, Ladakh has been dubbed “Little Tibet” because of its close geographical, political, cultural, and religious association with the central Tibetan empire. Ladakhis themselves promote the region as “Little Tibet” and the “last Shangri-la” to emphasize the identity of the region as Buddhist. In this way, Ladakhis utilize the moral economy of “Tibetanness” as a means for cultural survival, but also to promote tourism and gain the economic benefits of being “Little Tibet.” By highlighting multiple and ongoing processes of Tibetanization, such as historical/political, cultural/religious, and imagined, this article illuminates the complex Ladakhi-Tibetan relations within projects of cultural preservation in India. Ladakhis are not passive recipients of the cultural domination of Tibetan religious leaders in the area; instead they adopt selective processes of Tibetanization to help safeguard their distinct religious and cultural identity as a religious and ethnic minority in India.

Developing cropping sequence modules for round the year green fodder production under irrigated conditions in North-west Himalayan region

The objective of the experiment was to develop cropping sequence modules for round the year green fodder production for feeding 50 dairy cattle under irrigated conditions in North-West Himalayan region. Various modules were initiated at Research Farm of Instructional Livestock Farm Centre, R.S. Pura, FVSc. & A.H., SKUAST-Jammu during 2016 in an area of 2.5 ha. The experimental data was collected after fully establishing fodder unit during 2017-18 and 2018-19. Five fodder sequences modules viz. Module 1 – Maize+Cowpea-Berseem+Mustard; Module 2- Swankhi, Cowpea, Bajra-Berseem+Oats; Module 3 – Sorghum-oats; Module 4 – perennial module (two perennial grasses and two fodder trees) and Module 5 – azolla (supplemental module) were developed for ensuring supply of quality green fodder round the year to feed 50 dairy animals. The efficiency of modules was adjudged by taking system productivity and economic parameters of fodder and milk yield, and composition parameters for lactation study. Statistical analysis was done with one-way and two-way ANOVA. Among annual crop sequence modules, Module 1 showed highest system productivity, maximum net returns and B:C ratio while among perennial fodder grasses, hybrid napier produced significantly highest system productivity along with maximum net returns and B:C ratio. Among fodder trees, Bauhinia variegate had maximum productivity. Further, lactation studies revealed that highest total milk yield of 12 animals (10 cows and 2 buffaloes) and milk components (10 cows), viz. fat yield, protein yield, lactose yield, SNF yield, etc. were achieved when animals were fed with mixed fodder of maize+cowpea whereas, the highest milk energy was found from those sampled cows which were fed berseem+oats. Thus, under subtropical conditions of Jammu, Maize+Cowpea-Berseem+Mustard module was considered more remunerative based on system productivity and milk parameters followed by perennial fodder and Sorghum-oat module.

Novel synergism of Cedecea lapagei KU14 and Bacillus subtilis KU21 for sustainable productivity of Rosmarinus officinalis in Northwest Himalayas

The current study aimed to assess the scope of native potential endophytic bacteria Bacillus subtilis KU21, Pseudomonas aeruginosa SI12 and Cedecea lapagei KU14 for synergistic effect to develop as consortium biofertilizer of rosemary. All the three strains were assessed for multiple plant growth promoting (PGP) traits viz., P solubilization, siderophore and Indole-3-acetic acid production (IAA). Consortia of strains (KU21, SI12 and KU14) showed significantly high production of IAA, siderophore production and P-solubilization over the single inoculants. All the isolates i.e., KU21, SI12 and KU14 individually and their consortia were assessed for in vivo growth studies of rosemary under net house conditions. Combined application of these strains significantly increased growth parameters of rosemary over single inoculation and untreated control. Based on the results, two consortia i.e., B. subtilis KU21+ C. lapagei KU14 and B. subtilis KU21+ C. lapagei KU14+ P. aeruginosa SI12 were further evaluated under field conditions. The combined application of B. subtilis KU21+ C. lapagei KU14 significantly improved rosemary growth parameters (at vegetative and flowering stage), nutrient acquisition, and soil quality parameters over uninoculated control. This is the first field report that describes the efficacy of novel endophytic strains i.e., B. subtilis KU21+ C. lapagei KU14 for improving rosemary production and soil health simultaneously, hence may be recommended for sustainable production of R. officinalis in Northwest Himalayan region.