Exploring the use of POLY4 for the improvement of productivity, peanut quality, and soil properties in Southern India.

Polyhalite-based POLY4, a multi-nutrient source containing potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulphur, is increasingly recognised for its potential to improve crop yields and soil health in agricultural systems. It is also been considered as a feasible approach for addressing the deficiency in potassium, calcium, and sulphur within a single application source. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of polyhalite-based POLY4 application, either as a complete or partial substitute for traditional potassium fertiliser and gypsum supplement, on the improvement of peanut () growth and soil quality.

Effect of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) seed extract on glycemic index, in vitro digestibility, and physical characterization of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) starch.

Diabetes is a major health concern and is approaching epidemic proportions worldwide. In 2021, diabetes mellitus was responsible for 6.7 million deaths across the globe.

Dynamics of growth, physiology, radiation interception, production, and quality of autumn black gram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper) as influenced by nutrient scheduling.

To analyse the effect of nutrient management on the growth, physiology, energy utilization, production and quality of black gram, a field trial on black gram was conducted at eastern Indian Gangetic alluvium during the autumn of 2020 and 2021. Treatments were two soil applications of cobalt (Co) and foliar spray of potassium (K) and boron (B) in five combinations. All treatments were arranged in a split-plot design and repeated three times.

Development of unique soil organic carbon stability index under influence of integrated nutrient management in four major soil orders of India.

Stability of soil organic carbon (SOC) is pre-requisite for stabilization of C leading to long-term C sequestration. However, development of a comprehensive metric of SOC stability is a major challenge. The objectives for the study were to develop novel SOC stability indices by encompassing physical, chemical, and biochemical SOC stability parameters and identifying the most important indicators from a Mollisol, an Inceptisol, a Vertisol, and an Alfisol under long-term manuring and fertilization.

System of wheat intensification (SWI): Effects on lodging resistance, photosynthetic efficiency, soil biomes, and water productivity.

Intense cultivation with narrow row spacing in wheat, a common practice in the Indo-Gangetic plains of South Asia, renders the crop more susceptible to lodging during physiological maturity. This susceptibility, compounded by the use of traditional crop cultivars, has led to a substantial decline in overall crop productivity. In response to these challenges, a two-year field study on the system of wheat intensification (SWI) was conducted.

Sulfonated nitrogen and added-sulfur sources influence productivity, quality, and nutrient acquisition of soybean-wheat cropping system.

Soybean-wheat is the predominant cropping system covering >2.5 Mha area in India. The lower productivity of soybean-wheat cropping system (SWCS), remains a serious concern primarily due to inadequate nutrient management.

Non-invasive measurements to identify mungbean genotypes for waterlogging tolerance.

As the best-fit leguminous crop for intercropping across time and space, mungbean promises to sustain soil health, carbon sequestration, and nutritional security across the globe. However, it is susceptible to waterlogging, a significant constraint that persists during heavy rains. Since the predicted climate change scenario features fewer but more intense rainy days.

Elevated CO ameliorates the high temperature stress effects on physio-biochemical, growth, yield traits of maize hybrids.

The rising temperatures and levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are anticipated to have a significant impact on the productivity of agricultural crops. Although, the individual effects of elevated CO and temperature have been extensively studied in C3 and C4 crops, there remains a scarcity of research investigating their interactive effects specifically on maize hybrids. The impact of elevated temperature and its interaction with elevated CO on phenology, physiology, biomass, and grain yield of maize hybrids was assessed in a field experiment using Free Air Temperature Elevation (FATE) facility.

Do rainfed production systems have lower environmental impact over irrigated production systems?: On -farm mitigation strategies.

The intensive agriculture practices improved the crop productivity but escalated energy inputs (EI) and carbon foot print (CF) which contributes to global warming. Hence designing productive, profitable crop management practices under different production systems with low environmental impact (EI and CF) is the need of the hour. To identify the practices, quantification of baseline emissions and the major sources of emissions are required.

Optimizing polyhalite (POLY-4) use in the maize-wheat system: A comparative case study from upper and Trans Indo-Gangetic plains of India.

Increasing complexity in crop nutrient requirement in intensive crop production systems needs alternate multi-nutrient sources. Polyhalite (POLY-4) which contains 14% KO along withcalcium (17% CaO), magnesium (6% MgO), and sulfur (19% S) can be a possible recourse in this regard. In maize-wheat systems, it was evaluated for productivity, profitability, nutrient usage, and nutrient use efficiency under Indo-Gangetic plain (IGP) zones for consecutive two years (2018-19 and 2019-20).

Long non-coding RNA-mediated epigenetic response for abiotic stress tolerance in plants.

Plants perceive environmental fluctuations as stress and confront several stresses throughout their life cycle individually or in combination. Plants have evolved their sensing and signaling mechanisms to perceive and respond to a variety of stresses. Epigenetic regulation plays a critical role in the regulation of genes, spatiotemporal expression of genes under stress conditions and imparts a stress memory to encounter future stress responses.

Critical weather limits for paddy rice under diverse ecosystems of India.

Rice yields are largely influenced by variability in weather. Here, we demonstrate the effect of weather variables viz., maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall, morning and evening relative humidity, bright sunshine hours on the yield of rice cv.

Responses of phenology, yield attributes, and yield of wheat varieties under different sowing times in Indo-Gangetic Plains.

A field experiment with wheat was conducted at Pusa (25.98°N, 85.67°E, 52 m amsl), Bihar (middle Gangetic plains of India), to assess the responses of phenology, yield attributes, and yield to growing season temperature and heat stress.

Conjoint application of nano-urea with conventional fertilizers: An energy efficient and environmentally robust approach for sustainable crop production.

One of the biggest challenges to be addressed in world agriculture is low nitrogen (N) use efficiency (<40%). To address this issue, researchers have repeatedly underlined the need for greater emphasis on the development and promotion of energy efficient, and environmentally sound novel fertilizers, in addition to improved agronomic management to augment nutrient use efficiency for restoring soil fertility and increasing farm profit. Hence, a fixed plot field experiment was conducted to assess the economic and environmental competency of conventional fertilizers with and without nano-urea (novel fertilizer) in two predominant cropping systems viz.

Carbon offset potential of biochar based straw management under rice- wheat system along Indo-Gangetic Plains of India.

The Paris Agreement goal of a net-zero equation will require decarbonization technologies in agriculture. Agri-waste biochar offers huge potential for carbon abatement in agricultural soils. The present experiment was carried out to compare the effects of residue management, viz.

Impact of organic and integrated production systems on yield and seed quality of rainfed crops and on soil properties.

Mineral and vitamin deficiencies together affect a greater number of human populations in the world than does protein malnutrition. Organic farming is reported to improve nutritional quality of food grains while also improving soil health. However, sufficient scientific information on several aspects of organic farming based on long-term studies is lacking particularly under rainfed conditions of India.

Mapping of QTLs for morphophysiological and yield traits under water-deficit stress and well-watered conditions in maize.

Maize productivity is significantly impacted by drought; therefore, improvement of drought tolerance is a critical goal in maize breeding. To achieve this, a better understanding of the genetic basis of drought tolerance is necessary. Our study aimed to identify genomic regions associated with drought tolerance-related traits by phenotyping a mapping population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) for two seasons under well-watered (WW) and water-deficit (WD) conditions.

Identifying appropriate prediction models for estimating hourly temperature over diverse agro-ecological regions of India.

The present study tests the accuracy of four models in estimating the hourly air temperatures in different agroecological regions of the country during two major crop seasons, kharif and rabi, by taking daily maximum and minimum temperatures as input. These methods that are being used in different crop growth simulation models were selected from the literature. To adjust the biases of estimated hourly temperature, three bias correction methods (Linear regression, Linear scaling and Quantile mapping) were used.

Pest scenario of Helicoverpa armigera (Hub.) on pigeonpea during future climate change periods under RCP based projections in India.

Gram pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Hub.) is the major insect pest of pigeonpea and prediction of number of generations (no. of gen.

Can adoption of climate resilient management practices achieve carbon neutrality in traditional green revolution states of Punjab and Haryana?

Decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhancing soil carbon (C) sequestration in cropland are necessary to achieve carbon neutrality at national scale. The major objective of this study is to quantify the GHG mitigation potential of adopted climate resilient (CR) practices in CR villages using Ex-ACT tool developed by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Intensively cultivated area of Punjab and Haryana was selected for carrying out this study.

Pulse-based cropping systems for soil health restoration, resources conservation, and nutritional and environmental security in rainfed agroecosystems.

Pulses are an important source of energy and protein, essential amino acids, dietary fibers, minerals, and vitamins, and play a significant role in addressing global nutritional security. The global pulse area, production, and average productivity increased from 1961 to 2020 (60 years). Pulses are usually grown under rainfed, highly unstable, and complex production environments, with substantial variability in soil and environmental factors, high year-to-year output variability, and variation in soil moisture.

Double zero-tillage and foliar-P nutrition coupled with bio-inoculants enhance physiological photosynthetic characteristics and resilience to nutritional and environmental stresses in maize-wheat rotation.

Conventionally tilled maize-wheat cropping system (MWCS) is an emerging cereal production system in semi-arid region of south-Asia. This system involves excessive tillage operations that result in numerous resource- and production-vulnerabilities besides impeding environmental-stresses. Likewise, phosphorus is a vital nutrient that limits crop growth and development.