India stands at a pivotal crossroads in agriculture. As one of the world’s leading agrarian economies, our farms nourish over a billion people and drive rural livelihoods. But the sector today is grappling with profound change—technological, environmental, and societal. The challenges are pressing, yet the opportunities are abundant for those willing to adapt and innovate.

The yield of linseed crops was low in the study area due to improper field management practices with, poor fertilizer application being a major challenge. To address this issue, a field experiment was conducted during the 2019 and 2020GC main cropping seasons at Harato and Gitilo sites to investigate the response of blended NPS fertilizer rates on the growth and yield components of linseed varieties. The factorial experiment included four blended fertilizer rates and four linseed varieties, arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The analysis of variance showed that growth and yield components were significantly influenced by the main effect of linseed varieties and NPS fertilizer rates. Additionally, days to 90% physiological maturity, plant height, number of capsules per plant, seeds per capsule, dry biomass and seed yield were significantly (p< 0.05) affected by the interaction effect of linseed varieties and NPS fertilizer rates. The maximum seed yield was recorded for improved varieties such as Kuma (1861 kg /ha), Berene (1860 kg/ ha), and Belay (1796 kg/ha) at the rate of 150 kg NPS fertilizer per hectare. In contrast, the minimum seed yield was observed for a local cultivar with no NPS fertilizer applied. Therefore, it is recommended to sow Kuma and Berene varieties and apply 150 kg NPS per hectare in similar agro ecologies for optimum results.

Environmental effects and proper knowledge on the use of agrochemicals is germane in achieving the 2030 SDG of environmental sustainability and sustainable production. This study assessed small-scale farmers’ knowledge on use of agrochemicals and its environmental effects in Izzi LGA, Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 120 farmers for the study. Data collected from primary source were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The result revealed that majority of the farmers (52.5%) were males with an average age of 37 years. The mean annual farm income was N269, 667, with an average household size of 5 persons and mean farming experience of 8 years. The average farm size was 3 hectares. Result further revealed that the most available agrochemicals in the study area is NPK 25:13:13(69.2%) and most available herbicides was Red force (62.5%). Furthermore, the major insecticides in the area were Laraforce, Rambo and Lindane (58.3%). Again, the most available fungicides was SAAF (63.3%). The farmers level of knowledge on use of agrochemicals was low as farmers lacked knowledge on the duration of the chemical before checking for its effectiveness on crops (x = 2.86). From the result, farmers were not aware of other environmental effects of use of agrochemicals like its contamination of water bodies. The result of the multiple regression analysis showed high R2 value of 0.820 indicating that 82% of knowledge on use of agrochemicals and its environmental effects was greatly influenced by the socioeconomic factors. The study identified information, financial, and technical as themajor constraints to knowledge on use and environmental effects of agrochemicals and recommends that Knowledge on safety of farmers and the environment should be prioritized by the state government and measures to curb environmental effects of use of agrochemicals introduced. 

Maize Streak Virus (MSV) disease is a major threat to cereal crops amongst smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this research was therefore, to identify lines with resistance to MSV using phenotypic and genotypic markers. To achieve this, early generation maize S1 lines were grown for phenotypic evaluation in the IITA greenhouse at Ibadan, Nigeria. Symptom severity was assessed visually using a 1–5 rating scale. Leaf tissues from infected maize were harvested and grinded for ELISA

test. Besides, leaf tissues from healthy maize were harvested, dried for DNA extraction and shipped to the laboratory for SNP genotyping. The data on severity scores and recovery response was analysed using One-way ANOVA in SAS Software. The means were separated suing Tukey’s post Hoc test and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. The symptom severity scores differed significantly between the maize pedigree (p = 0.0001). The severity scores ranged from 4-5 within the first week of MSV inoculation with a mean incidence of 80%. Symptoms were recorded 3-5 days after the inoculations. Symptoms severity was significantly high on leaves found on the upper part compared to the leaves located on the lower plant parts. However, after two weeks, the symptoms severity declined with the lowest severity reported six (6) weeks after the inoculations. Twenty three maize lines had recovery response of >50% while 56 lines recorded response ranging 30 – 77.4% hence considered resistant. In contrast, 38 maize lines had a recovery response of < 30% and were considered susceptible. The highest AFV values were recorded in maize lines 35 (3.68), 49 (2.38), and 37 while the lowest values were recorded in maize lines 90, 44, and 75 respectively. Based on the four selected SNP markers, 56 maize lines were resistant to MSV, 16 lines were moderately resistant while 22 were susceptible. The maize lines which were resistant to MSV virus to be further screened for future use in breeding programs and subsequent distribution to farmers for production.

The experiment was conducted at Horticulture Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, during the 2023-24 growing season to evaluate the impact of corm size and spacing on the growth, flowering and yield of gladiolus cv. Malaviya Shatabdi. The experiment involved four different corm sizes (1.0-2.0 cm, 2.1-3.0 cm, 3.1-4.0 cm and 4.1- 5.0 cm) and six spacing treatments (30 cm × 20 cm, 30 cm × 25 cm, 30 cm × 30 cm, 30 cm × 40 cm, 20 cm

× 20 cm and 20 cm × 30 cm). Both corm size and spacing significantly affected all parameters examined. The largest corm size (4.1-5.0 cm) resulted in earlier spike initiation (78.91 days), tallest plant (58.61 cm), longest spike (65.58 cm), longest leaf (49.81 cm) and the greatest number of corms (2.97 per plant). Among the spacing treatments, wider spacing (30 cm × 30 cm) produced tallest plant (58.61 cm), longest spike (65.78 cm), longest leaf (49.58 cm), along with more number of corms (2.84 per plant). The combination of the largest corm (4.1-5.0 cm) and wider spacing (30 cm × 30 cm) resulted in the tallest plant (53.96 cm), longest spike (65.89 cm), longest leaf (50.27 cm) and the most corms (2.78 per plant). The smallest corm (1.0-2.0 cm) with closer spacing (20 × 30 cm) showed the latest inflorescence initiation (86.17 days) and the smallest plant height (40.75 cm).

Present investigation was conducted to study the relationship between physico-chemical characteristics and seasonal variation on the diversity of zooplanktons of river Yamuna in the stretch of Delhi. For this purpose samples were collected for one year during Feb 2024 to March 2025 from three different Locations i.e. SW1-Near Wazirabad bridge (Upstream and entry point of Yamuna river in Delhi), SW2-Near ITO (Mid-stream and located in middle of stretch of Yamuna river in Delhi) and SW3-Near Okhla barrage From Kalindi Kunj (Downstream and exit point of Yamuna river from Delhi). These samples were tested for various physicochemical parameters like Temperature, pH, Turbidity, Electrical conductivity, Total dissolved solid, Total Suspended solid, Total hardness, Total alkalinity, Dissolved oxygen, Biological oxygen Demand, Free CO2, Nitrate, Phosphate and Chloride etc. Zooplankton analysis was also carried out during whole sampling period. The Values of the physicochemical parameters varied at all the three

locations because of discharge of the huge quantity of sewage and industrial effluent in this stretch of river. Four groups of zooplanktons were reported i.e. Rotifers, Cladocera, Copepods and Ostracodes. The density of zooplankton was found to be very low at all the three locations. The lowest density is recorded at location SW2 because it is situated in centre of the city and receive very large amount of sewage and untreated effluent from the whole city. Among all the group of the zooplankton Rotifers were found to be most dominant at all location followed by Cladocera, Copepoda and Ostracoda. The overall population of were recorded maximum during pre-monsoon season. 

The present study aimed to characterize select morphometric traits and assess their inter-relationships in indigenous chickens of Kerala, India. A total of 200 adult birds (36 males and 164 females) were evaluated under field conditions in two agro-climatic zones, namely, Thrippangottur Panchayat in Kannur district and Chekkiad Panchayat in Kozhikode district. Morphometric measurements including body weight, shank length, beak length, wattle size and spur length were recorded and indices of shank and beak lengths relative to body weight) were computed. Results revealed significant sexual dimorphism in all traits except the relative lengths and beak–shank length index. Males exhibited significantly (P<0.01) higher values for body weight (1652.65 vs. 1409.34 g), shank length (93.65 mm vs. 79.70 mm), beak length (32.47 mm vs. 29.98 mm) and spur length (4.06 mm vs. 2.12 mm) compared to females. District-wise comparisons showed no substantial differences in absolute trait values except for shank length, which was significantly (P<0.01) longer in birds from Kannur. Relative shank and beak lengths were significantly (P<0.01) higher in Kozhikode birds, indicating possible regional adaptation. Phenotypic correlations showed strong (P<0.01) positive associations between body weight and both shank and beak lengths in both sexes. Additionally, shank and beak lengths were positively correlated (P<0.01), while relative shank and beak lengths showed a significant (P<0.01) correlation with each other, suggesting proportional appendage development. These findings contribute valuable baseline data for future genetic improvement and conservation strategies targeting indigenous chicken germplasm in Kerala. 

Onion (Allium cepa L.) is a major horticultural crop in India valued for its culinary, medicinal, and nutritional properties. However, its productivity is significantly threatened by onion thrips (Thrips tabaci Lindeman), a globally distributed pest known for causing substantial yield and quality losses. The present study was conducted over two consecutive rabi seasons (2017–2019) at the Entomological Research Field, Chiplima, OUAT, Odisha, to evaluate the seasonal incidence of T. tabaci and its natural enemies. Observations revealed that thrips population initiated during the 50th standard meteorological week (SMW), peaked at 24.86 thrips/plant in the 8th SMW, and declined thereafter. Peak incidence was associated with dry, moderately warm weather, particularly low rainfall and high morning humidity. Significant correlations were observed between thrips abundance and key weather variables such as maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall. Additionally, natural enemies including Spiders, green lacewing and coccinellids were documented as major biocontrol agents. The study underscores the influence of climatic parameters on thrips population dynamics and highlights the potential role of natural enemies in regulating infestations, offering valuable insights for optimizing sowing time and ecological pest management strategies in onion cultivation

Growth media are known to significantly influence secondary metabolite (SM) production with there being a continuing search for cheaper alternatives. Agro-residues constitute potential nutrient sources for growth and metabolite production by different microorganisms. Present study evaluated the potential of rice bran, wheat bran, soyabean chunks and potato peel for umbelliferone (UMB) production by endophytic fungal isolate ZzEF8 (Fusarium oxysporum) and compared the data with earlier optimized potato dextrose broth (PDB) medium. Biochemical studies identified higher reducing sugar (975±15 mg/ 100 ml) and total carbohydrate content (870±1.3 mg/ 100 ml) in PDB compared to the evaluated agroresidues. These results were supported by higher growth (Fresh weight: 2.08 ± 0.49 g and Dry weight: 0.214 ± 0.06 g) and metabolite production by ZzEF8 mycelia in PDB compared to the other evaluated agro-residue based media. Therefore, despite the environmental benefits associated with use of agroresidues, cost-intensiveness in downstream steps and low SM productivity often pose limitations to their utilization for several microbes. PDB as optimal media for growth and UMB production by endophytic ZzEF8 are discussed in the light of observed variability in composition of agro-residues.