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This multi-location field validation study was conducted across 13 representative farmer-managed sites in the southern districts of Karnataka to evaluate the effectiveness of the Soil Test Crop Response (STCR) approach for precision nutrient management in Maize (Zea mays L.). The research compared eight nutrient management strategies, including STCR-targeted yield goals of 70 and 65 qha-1 delivered via the Dhartimitra digital decision-support tool and manual soil test values, against the General Recommended Dose (GRD), the Soil Test Laboratory approach, and farmers’ prevailing practices. The results demonstrated that the STCR approach for a targeted yield of 70 qha-1 recorded the highest mean grain yield (71.58 qha-1), followed by the software-guided T1 treatment (70.46 qha-1), representing a significant improvement over both GRD (62.56 qha-1) and farmers’ practice (55.25 qha-1). Precision-based treatments also exhibited superior economic returns, with the Dhartimitra software approach achieving a high response yardstick (15.22) and a minimal percent deviation (+0.65%) from the target yield. Furthermore, STCR-guided management significantly enhanced nitrogen and potassium use efficiency while maintaining critical post-harvest soil fertility compared to the “soil mining” or imbalanced buildup observed in conventional and farmer practices. The study concludes that integrating STCR methodology with digital platforms like Dhartimitra provides a scalable and highly accurate strategy for optimizing maize productivity and soil health across diverse agro-ecological zones of Karnataka.

Maize productivity in drought-prone regions of Karnataka is seriously constrained by climate change and diminishing water availability. The present study was carried out at Agricultural Research Farm of University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad during kharif season to determine genetic variability, trait association and access role of secondary traits in drought tolerance in maize hybrids. The 50 maize hybrids were tested in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications under well-watered and managed drought stress conditions. Observations were recorded for important morpho-physiological and yield-related traits including days to 50 per cent silking, anthesis-silking interval (ASI), plant height, relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content, kernels per row, 100-grain weight, and grain yield. Significant difference between the genotype, environments and genotype × environment interaction were observed for all traits by analysis of variance, showing that great genetic variability exists among the hybrids. High GCV and PCV were observed for grain yield (21.84% and 23.12%), ASI (18.64% and 20.42%), and 100-grain weight (16.92% and 18.11%), suggesting wider variability and better scope for selection. The grain yield showed high heritability (89.3%) and high genetic advance (42.54%) which reflected that the additive gene action is dominant. Grain yield was highly correlated with RWC (0.74), kernels per row (0.79), chlorophyll content (0.67), and 100 grain weight (0.72), while ASI was highly correlated with negative value (-0.71). Path coefficient analysis showed all three characters had high positive direct effect on grain yield; kernel per row showed direct effect 0.48, RWC 0.42 and 100 grain weight 0.37 and ASI showed negative direct effect (-0.58). The study revealed that reduced ASI, 100-grain weight, kernels per row, chlorophyll content and RWC are important secondary traits that can be used for better drought tolerance in maize hybrids.

Sunflower is an important crop of the coastal part of South 24 Parganas due to its ability to thrive well in salinity-affected soil with low water requirements. But the yield of sunflower is very poor due to the non-availability of promising hybrids, lack of knowledge on phosphorus management and soil management practices to minimize soil salinity. Keeping those ideas in view, an experiment was conducted at the Instructional Farm of The Neotia University, West Bengal, during rabi (winter), 2025, to study the effect of phosphorus and mulching on the growth and yield of sunflower in coastal saline areas. The experiment was laid out in split plot design replicated thrice. The treatments consisted of six main plot treatments, i.e. P0: No P2O5 (control), P1: 50% recommended dose of P2O5, P2: 75% recommended dose of P2O5, P3: 100% recommended dose of P2O5, P4: 50% recommended dose of P2O5 + seed inoculation with VAM, P5: 75% recommended dose of P2O5 + seed inoculation with VAM and 3 sub plot treatments M0: No mulching (Control), M1: Paddy straw mulching, M2: Plastic mulching. The hybrid considered for the study was DRSH-1. The results revealed that the treatment 75% recommended dose of P2O5 + seed inoculation with VAM recorded highest value in plant growth parameters, yield attributes and yield. Among, mulching, the plastic mulching outperformed straw mulching and control. The study concluded that the application of 75% recommended dose of phosphorus and seed inoculation with VAM under plastic mulching could be considered as the best practice to achieve higher growth and productivity of sunflower.

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) is a climate-resilient and nutritionally rich cereal crop with immense potential for ensuring food and nutritional security. The present study was conducted to evaluate the relationships among 13 quantitative traits using Pearson’s correlation analysis and to assess the genetic diversity of 100 finger millet genotypes through principal component analysis (PCA). Correlation analysis revealed that grain yield per plant exhibited significant positive associations with ear length, finger length, number of fingers per ear, leaf length, finger width, and fodder yield per plant indicating their importance as selection criteria for yield improvement. PCA identified five principal components with eigenvalues greater than one, collectively accounting for 72.88% of the total phenotypic variation. The first principal component alone explained 24.18% of the variability and was mainly influenced by ear length, finger length, grain yield, fodder yield, and leaf length. The PCA biplot showed considerable overlap among genotypes from different geographical regions, suggesting that genetic diversity was independent of geographical origin. The identified variability and key yield-contributing traits provide valuable information for selecting diverse parental lines and developing high-yielding, climate-resilient finger millet cultivars through efficient breeding programmes.

Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.) is a climate resilient nutri-cereal, which has tremendous potential to improve food and nutritional security in rain-fed environments. To study the impact of nutrient levels on the growth, yield, economics and stability of pre-released Kodo millet genotypes, a field experiment was conducted at the Zonal Agricultural Research Station (ZARS), University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra (GKVK), Karnataka during kharif season. This experiment was designed in a Factorial Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications, four fertility levels (control, 75% RDF, 100% RDF and 125% RDF) and three genotypes (KMV 588, TNAU 86 and JK 137). The results indicated that the fertility levels and the genotypes of Kodo millet significantly affected growth, yield and economic data. Increased levels of fertility resulted in better growth, yield attributes, yield, straw yield, and profitability. The genotype TNAU 86 always performed well in terms of productivity and economic returns. Stability analysis using Eberhart and Russell model showed that TNAU 86 had high yield potential, extensive adaptability and stable performance in various fertility environments. The study demonstrated that the use of 125% RDF gave improved productivity and profitability, with the introduction of TNAU 86 as the most promising genotype in the sustainable cultivation of Kodo millet under rain fed conditions.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) play a vital role in food security and as livestock feed in arid and semi-arid regions due to their drought tolerance, early maturity, and low nutrient requirements. Despite their importance, yields in parts of Kenya remain low, largely due to sub-optimal nitrogen (N) management. This study assessed the effects of four nitrogen levels (0, 40, 80, and 120 kg N ha-1) on the growth and yield of pearl millet and sorghum in Kiambu and Bomet Counties. A randomized complete block design with split plots was used, with crop species (sorghum and pearl millet) as main plots and nitrogen rates as subplots. The treatments were replicated three times. Data on plant height, tiller number, and grain yields were collected. Results showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) across nitrogen rates, crop species, and locations. Application of 120 kg N ha-1 produced the tallest plants (163.7 cm in Kiambu and 168.7 cm in Bomet at Flowering). Pearl millet produced more tillers (up to 13 per plant) than sorghum at high nitrogen rates. Grain yield increased consistently with nitrogen application, with 120 kg N ha -1 giving the highest yield at both sites. Interestingly, the yields for both sorghum and pearl millet were higher in Kiambu (KU) than in Bomet when not supplied with nitrogen fertilizers with yield differences for pearl millet between the two sites being 69% while the differences for the two sites for sorghum being 59%. The difference between non-fertilized treatment and highest N (120 kg ha-1) for pearl millet in Bomet was 31 folds while for KU it was 13 folds. Conversely, yield differences between control and highest dose at Bomet was 30 folds for sorghum and 14 folds at KU. The impact of N fertilizer was tremendous in Bomet site as compared to Bomet site. These findings demonstrate that nitrogen availability strongly enhances the vegetative growth and yield potential of both crops but this is strongly dependent on the site and growth stages of growth. Both crops are adoptable to low N with Sorghum being suited to low N than while pearl millet. The study concludes that despite these crops being considered orphan crops, their demand for N is particularly higher than initially assumed and that 120 Kg ha-1 was not the optimal amount.

Digital agriculture seems to be a promising solution to enhance access to scientific information, to boost extension services, and to promote sustainable farming. Evidence of the impacts of digital extension platforms to increase farmers’ knowledge and decision-making is still relatively scarce, especially in semi-arid agricultural areas. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of the digital extension platforms in enhancing the knowledge and decision-making ability of farmers in Northern Karnataka, India. An ex-post facto research design was used and data collected from 150 farmers using a structured and pre-tested interview schedule. The effectiveness of digital extension services was evaluated using knowledge improvement, decision making capability, adoption pattern of digital platforms and constraints analysis. The findings show that farmers’ overall agricultural knowledge significantly increased when they were exposed to digital advisor platforms (54.6%). The area with the greatest improvement was in the use of information for weather-based decision making and information related to markets. Digital extension services were also used to improve the capacity of the farmers to make informed decisions on their crop management, irrigation scheduling, pest management and marketing. The results of regression analysis showed that the digital literacy, frequency of using smart phone and exposure to education and extension training were major factors affecting the improvement of knowledge. Lack of access to good internet connectivity, lack of digital literacy and difficulty in understanding technical information were highlighted as significant restraints. The study finds that digital extension platforms can be useful complements of traditional extension systems to enhance access to information and farmer decision-making. Enhancing digital infrastructure in rural areas, increasing digital literacy and creating farmer-friendly extension services are crucial to secure inclusive and sustainable digital agricultural transformation.

and Sulphur on Growth, Yield Attributes, Yield and Quality of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)”, The experiment took place throughout the kharif season of 2023. The student instructional field managed by the Department of Agronomy at the School of Agriculture, GD Goenka University, Gurugram, Haryana, served as the research site. The experiment itself employed three duplicate blocks in a randomized block design, and researchers evaluated ten different treatment options viz, T1 (NPKS @ 50:20:30:10), T2 (NPKS @ 50:20:30:15), T3 (NPKS @ 50:20:30:20), T4 (NPKS @ 50:40:30:10), T5 (RDF) (NPKS @ 50:40:30:15), T6 (NPKS @ 50:40:30:20), T7 (NPKS @ 50:60:30:10), T8 (NPKS @ 50:60:30:15), T9 (NPKS @ 50:60:30:20) and T10 Control (NPKS @ 50:0:30:0). Sesame seeds of the variety: HERO MS-543, were planted at 45.0 × 15.0 cm spacing. Researchers investigated how varying levels of phosphorus and sulfur impact sesame. The study aimed to assess the effects on multiple aspects, including plant growth parameters, yield attributes, yield, overall sesame quality and economic returns. For maximum profit in sesame crops, treatment T9 (NPKS @ 50:60:30:20) emerged as the superior choice due to its increased economic returns (net and gross) and benefit-cost ratio compared to other treatments. Further exploration of this topic through additional research is warranted for better understanding.

Rapeseed–mustard (Brassica spp.) is a globally important oilseed crop, and its interaction with herbivorous insects is largely regulated by the glucosinolate–myrosinase defence system. Hydrolysis of glucosinolates produces bioactive isothiocyanates that influence herbivore feeding behaviour, survival, and host acceptance. The mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi Kaltenbach, is a major constraint to rapeseed–mustard production, and its population dynamics are influenced by host genotype, biochemical composition, and plant characteristics. The present study was conducted to evaluate the performance of ten popular rapeseeds–mustard cultivars in relation to plant growth traits, glucosinolate content, and mustard aphid abundance under coastal agroecosystem conditions of Satjelia, Gosaba, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India. Data were analyzed using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT), correlation analysis, and cluster analysis. Aphid infestation was minimal during the vegetative stage and increased substantially during the reproductive phase, attaining peak population during flowering. Significant variation was observed among cultivars for glucosinolate content, ranging from 78.8 μmol g?¹ in Binoy to 165.35 μmol g?¹ in Bhagirathi. Aphid abundance showed a negative association with glucosinolate concentration, indicating the role of glucosinolate-mediated defence in suppressing L. erysimi population development. Siliqua per plant and seeds per siliqua exhibited negative relationships with aphid abundance, whereas plant height, primary branches, siliqua length, and 100-seed weight showed positive associations. Cluster analysis revealed distinct grouping of cultivars based on morphological traits, glucosinolate content, and aphid response. The study highlights significant cultivar-dependent variation in mustard aphid abundance and demonstrates the importance of biochemical defence, particularly glucosinolate accumulation, in regulating aphid infestation. Glucosinolate-rich cultivars may serve as valuable resources for resistance breeding and sustainable integrated pest management strategies in rapeseed–mustard production systems.

Increasing environmental and public health concerns regarding synthetic agrochemicals have intensified the search for sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives in vegetable cultivation. A trial was conducted to evaluate the performance of biological seedling priming treatments compared with conventional chemical treatment in tomato under farmers’ field conditions to evaluate the efficacy of biological priming against conventional chemical treatments on the growth, yield, and economic returns of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L., cv. Himsekhar). The experiment comprised four distinct treatments: Farmers Practice (FP: No seedling treatment), Technology Option-I (TO-I: Seedling priming with Beejamrita), Technology Option-II (TO-II: Seedling priming with Trichoderma viride) and Technology Option-III (TO-III: Chemical treatment with Carbendazim 50WP). The results demonstrated that Carbendazim-treated seedlings produced the highest yield (62.74 t ha?¹) with the maximum benefit-cost ratio (1.78). Among the biological treatments, Beejamrita priming recorded significantly higher yield (56.24 t ha?¹) and better economic returns than T. viride (54.45 t ha?¹). The findings indicate that Beejamrita is an effective eco-friendly alternative capable of improving tomato productivity and farm profitability while minimizing chemical pesticide use. Both biological alternatives presented a robust case for suppressing fungal pathogen stress and stimulating growth, offering viable, high-return pathways for organic and low-input micro-level farming systems.

Banana fibre is an annually renewable material that is available approximately 412. 6 million tonnes each year, produced from the pseudostem of banana plant. Extracted raw fibre consists of 60–65% cellulose and the remaining 35–47% consists of pectin, hemicellulose, lignin and wax. Fibre without any modification remains inadequate for manufacturing value-added textiles. To make the fibre amenable for textile, three important modification processes namely chemical (alkali), physical (boiling or ultrasonication) and enzymatic (pectinase, xylanase, laccase) are mostly used. The advantages and disadvantages of individual process on the fibre quality enhancement along with a comparison among those processes has been summarized in details. More emphasis was given on fibre quality improvement in terms of fibre’s fineness, strength, cellulose content, keeping in mind their environmental impact and scope of scalability. Mechanism of action of different types of enzymes was described on a specific substrate. Multi-enzyme system was found to yield better output, raising cellulose content to 84%, enhancing tensile strength by profoundly and reduction in fibre diameter. Hybrid process i.e., combination or sequential treatment of enzymatic and chemical processes could exhibit overall satisfactory results.

Climate change and declining soil health continue to impact crop productivity possing threat to food security, health, and financial security of households in arid and semi-arid areas. The purpose of this review was to explore the potential of sorghum as an alternative food and industrial crop in areas prone to drought, depleted soil fertility, salinity, and waterlogging. Moreover, discuss distribution and genetic diversity for its potential utilization in breeding programmes for tolerant cultivars and in expanding production areas. Furthermore, understand sustainable interventions to enhance its tolerance to drought and low soil fertility. Sorghum is a source of macro and micro nutrients, health-beneficial compounds, and is used as food, feed, and in the manufacturing of industrial products. Hence, a potential crop in marginalised regions prone to drought, salinity, waterlogging, and poor soils can help curb hunger, malnutrition, health-related challenges, and poverty. Sorghum has a broad genetic diversity widely cultivated under diverse agro-ecological conditions and rich in nutrients, hence a potential alternative crop where other cereal crops fail. The crop has high use efficiency of soil nutrients, sunlight, and moisture in water-limited conditions. Additionally, the ability to survive under low soil inputs reduces the cost of production, soil acidification, and pollution caused by excessive fertilizer application. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and silicon alleviate drought and salinity stress, hence suitable interventions to enhance yields and yield components of sorghum to address food insecurity and ensure the suitability of the environment in ASAL.

Present agriculture suffers from several constraints, including declining and polluting natural resources, increasing input demands, climatic vagaries, and abiotic and biotic stresses. In this situation, raising a healthy crop is difficult, particularly for major cereals. Cereals are major sources of caloric energy for human beings, who suffer because of these problems. These consequences call for ecologically and nutritionally sound crops. Small millets have the qualities to confront this situation. They earlier remained the principal cereals for small and marginal farmers. Their cultural heritage made them an inevitable part of rural livelihood in several African and Asian countries. Small millets are nutrient-rich minor cereals that can be grown on resource-constrained marginal lands with low inputs under diversified cropping and farming systems. Moreover, their alignment with some Sustainable Development Goals highlights their importance for food and nutritional security. This article investigated the potential of some important small millets as nutrient-rich, agroecologically sound crops suitable for several cropping systems.

living organisms and economy. Industry has invoked many operating and maintenance procedures to reduce accidents that lead to spills. The rate of spillage has decreased in the past 10 years, even with increased oil production, transportation, and consumption. Despite this, spill experts estimate that 30%–50% of oil spills are either directly or indirectly caused by human error, with 20%–40% of all spills caused by equipment failure or malfunction. Emerging spill risks include increased maritime activity in the Arctic, deepwater exploration and development, and the rapid expansion of rail transport of crude oil. In the present work, an attempt is made to provide an efficient, easily deployable method of cleaning up oil spills and recovering of the oil. Driven by the requirement to replace the conventional synthetic fibres to meet this cause, sustainable eco-friendly alternatives are being developed. Natural fibres and by-products of agricultural processes have emerged as promising candidates, due to the low cost, renewability, abundance, biodegradability and suitable absorption characteristics. This study explores the development of high-value oil-absorbing materials from low-cost natural fibres, focusing on jute, banana, okra and mesta, with kapok chestnut-shell fibres, coconut-derived fibres, palm oil fibres, kenaf fibres, and other lignocellulosic agricultural residues. The raw fibres were subjected to several surface modifications procedures like - alkali scouring, bleaching, silane treatment, TEOS-based silica deposition, acetylation and DTES grafting, and the change on their sorption characteristics were analysed. It could be concluded that porosity, fibre morphology, chemical composition, arrangement of surface waxes, strongly influence their oil and water absorption characteristics.

Delayed sowing affects jute production across environments, compressing the vegetative period and altering canopy development, assimilate partitioning, and fibre formation. This review examines responses of Jute (Corchorus olitorius L.) to delayed sowing, emphasizing Leaf Area Index (LAI), Leaf Area Ratio (LAR), Specific Leaf Area (SLA), canopy architecture, radiation-use efficiency, and source–sink relationships. Timely sowing promotes sustained canopy expansion, prolonged peak LAI, radiation interception, and stem development. Moderate delays may partially compensate through increased early SLA and LAR, supporting canopy establishment. However, severe delays accelerate reproductive transition, shorten leaf-area duration, reduce cumulative PAR interception, and constrain assimilate allocation to structural tissues. Consequently, reduced stem growth duration and fibre deposition may lower fibre yield and alter fibre quality. Integrating canopy traits into crop modelling could strengthen climate-resilient jute production.

Agriculture is increasingly challenged by climate change, land degradation, biodiversity loss, and declining ecosystem resilience, exposing the limitations of productivity-centric farming systems. Conservation Agriculture (CA) has provided a robust framework for resource conservation through minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and crop diversification. More recently, Regenerative Agriculture (RA) has emerged as an outcome-oriented approach that seeks to restore ecosystem functions, enhance biodiversity, and strengthen climate resilience. However, the relationship between CA and RA remains conceptually unresolved. Here, we argue that ecosystem services provide the missing link between these two frameworks. Moving beyond yield as the dominant indicator of success, we propose that soil carbon dynamics, biodiversity conservation, water regulation, nutrient cycling, and pollination support should serve as core metrics for evaluating agricultural sustainability. We further highlight the emergence of Digital Regenerative Agriculture, in which artificial intelligence, remote sensing, sensor networks, and digital soil monitoring enable the quantification and optimization of ecosystem outcomes at unprecedented scales. Despite growing enthusiasm, significant challenges remain, including inconsistent definitions, uncertain carbon sequestration estimates, regional variability, adoption constraints, and the risk of greenwashing. We contend that the future of sustainable agriculture lies not in choosing between conservation and regenerative paradigms, but in integrating both within ecosystem-service-based and digitally enabled management frameworks. Such a transition may represent a fundamental shift toward resilient, measurable, and climate-adaptive food systems. Ecosystem-service assessment coupled with digital regenerative agriculture provides a new framework for evaluating agricultural sustainability.

Horticulture plays a pivotal role in global food and nutritional security, yet its sustainability is increasingly constrained by soil degradation driven by intensive tillage, mono-cropping, and excessive chemical inputs. This review critically synthesizes soil health–driven strategies as a foundation for resilient horticultural systems, adopting a comparative and systems-based perspective. Soil health is conceptualized as the integrated functioning of physical, chemical, and biological properties that collectively regulate productivity, ecosystem stability, and climate adaptability through services such as nutrient cycling, water regulation, carbon sequestration, and disease suppression. A comparative evaluation of key strategies—including organic matter management, biological interventions, conservation tillage, cropping system diversification, integrated nutrient management, water–soil management, and agroforestry—demonstrates that integrated approaches consistently outperform isolated or input-intensive practices. Organic amendments enhance soil carbon and structure, while microbial inputs improve nutrient cycling but show variable field performance. Conservation tillage and diversification strengthen resilience, though often accompanied by short-term yield fluctuations and management complexity. The review highlights that synergistic interactions among practices are central to long-term sustainability, yet adoption remains limited due to economic constraints, knowledge gaps, inconsistent bioinput performance, and policy biases. Emerging frontiers such as soil microbiome engineering, nanotechnology, precision agriculture, and carbon farming offer promising opportunities but require validation across diverse agro-ecological contexts. Overall, this review underscores that resilience in horticulture is a managed outcome, achievable through holistic, soil-centric strategies supported by interdisciplinary innovation, policy alignment, and region-specific implementation frameworks.