Agriculture is the predominant livelihood for 70 % of the population living in rural India, and food expenses occupy a major proportion of their household budget. Rural household diets suggest that agricultural growth has contributed to increasing calorie intake with very minimal effect on the intake of protein and micronutrients. This in turn causes weak positive impact of agriculture on household dietary diversity and nutrient adequacy. Given the prevalence of high levels of under-nutrition and a large population dependent on agriculture, recent thinking globally on leveraging agriculture for nutrition security has encouraged the agricultural sector to realign its focus not only to increase food production, but also to address under-nutrition. Against this background, an exploratory study was conducted in resource poor villages of Wardha and Koraput districts in the states of Maharashtra and Odisha in India, to investigate how location-specific Farming System for Nutrition (FSN) interventions can potentially improve the diversity of household diets and nutrition outcomes. A detailed baseline study was undertaken to identify the existing disconnect between agriculture-nutrition linkages. In the study locations, the proportion of all forms of under-nutrition, vitamin A deficiency and iron-deficiency anaemia among children 18 years) significantly increased as the dietary diversity score (DDS) decreased from high to low. In Koraput, the prevalence rate of anaemia in adolescent girls and women significantly increased, as the DDS decreased. We conclude that food and diets lacking diversity and without nutrition-sensitive farming systems (either commercial- or subsistence-based) may not be appropriate to improve household nutrition and health status. Our findings provide a basis for structuring integrated agriculture-nutrition programmes or a FSN approach to diversifying household food and diets, for improving nutrition and health in India.

Early vigour traits of wheat composite cross populations (CCPs) based on high yielding (Y) or high quality (Q) or Y*Q varietal intercross evolving under organic or conventional conditions in parallel populations were studied hydroponically. To eliminate storage and year effects, frozen F₆, F₁₀, F₁₁and F₁₅seeds were multiplied in one field, resulting in the respective F_x.1generations. This eliminated generation and growing system effects on seed size for the F_6.1F_10.1and F_15.1.Due to a severe winter kill affecting the F₁₁, the generation effect persisted, leading to larger seeds and markedly different seedling traits in the F_11.1compared to the F_10.1and F_15.1. Seedling traits were similar among parallel populations. Shoot length and weight increased in both systems until the F_11.1across farming systems and remained constant thereafter. Over time_,seminal root length and root weight of organic CCPs increased and total- and specific- root length decreased significantly compared to the conventional CCPs. Rooting patterns under organic conditions suggests better ability to reach deeper soil nutrients. In both systems, Q and YQ CCPs were more vigorous than Y CCPs, confirming genetic differences among populations. Overall, heterogeneous populations appear very plastic and selection pressure was stronger in organic systems.

The challenges of grass-weed control in a mild Atlantic climate, added to by the use of non-inversion tillage and limited herbicide options necessitated on-farm knowledge acquisition on grass weeds in Ireland. We surveyed 103 farms from 2020 to 2021 of which, 62 were plough-based and 41 non-inversion tillage. The survey comprised a questionnaire to determine grower demographics, grass-weed challenges, and the adoption of integrated grass-weed control methods (IWM); a grid-square assessment of key grass weeds encountered in one or more cereal fields in both years using weed scores from 0 (absent) to 10 (total weed cover); with samples collected for herbicide-resistance testing. Across the 103 farms, Bromus spp., (62%) and Avena fatua (56%) were the most prevalent but with moderate resistance (8% acetolactate synthase (ALS)-resistant Bromus, 10% acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase)-resistant A. fatua); Lolium multiflorum (13%) and Alopecurus myosuroides (16%) were found on fewer farms but with higher resistance levels (56% ACCase and/or ALS-resistant L. multiflorum, 43% ACCase/ALS-resistant A. myosuroides). Of those who adopted non-inversion tillage, a higher proportion of growers practiced crop rotation (88% cereal/non-cereal break or 83% alternate spring/winter-sown) and used cover crops (71%) than those ploughing (52-66% crop rotation or 19% cover crops), but herbicide use was similar in both systems. Despite higher levels of IWM practices, non-inversion tillage farms had higher weed scores (2.2 ± 0.2 or 3.8 ± 0.7) of B. sterilis and L. multiflorum than ploughing (1.2 ± 0.2 or 2.0 ± 0.7). Considering the complex resistance profile of high resistance-risk species, there is a need for urgent determination of and adoption of effective IWM across systems, specifically, non-inversion tillage. Most of the growers were aware of herbicide-resistant grass weeds (>80%) and most (>90%) used IWM practices (4 or more) to some extent. In our survey, non-inversion tillage farms tended to have younger growers with more formal education and larger farms. This is the first multi-component survey in Ireland establishing long-term monitoring of grass-weed challenges, grower characteristics and IWM practices.

In response to growers reports of poor weed control, resistance to ACCase inhibitors pinoxaden, propaquizafop and cycloxydim was investigated in populations of six wild oats, Avena fatua, collected from cereal-dominated crop rotations in Ireland. Glasshouse assays confirmed reduced sensitivity to all three ACCase inhibitors in four of the six populations, R2 to R5. R1 was cross-resistant to pinoxaden and propaquizafop and R6 was resistant to propaquizafop only. Dose-response studies confirmed significant differences in the severity of resistance amongst these populations (p < 0.05). For pinoxaden, the ED₅₀ or GR₅₀ resistance factor (RF) of R1, R3 and R5 were between 11.6 and 13.1 times or 25.1 and 30.2 times more resistant, respectively, compared with the susceptible populations. For propaquizafop, the ED₅₀ and GR₅₀ RF of R1, R2, R3, R5 and R6 were between >7.8 and >32 or 16.6 and 59 times more resistant, respectively. For cycloxydim, only R5 had both high ED₅₀ and GR₅₀ RF values of >43.2 and 98.4 respectively. In R2, although the ED₅₀ values to both pinoxaden and cycloxydim and additionally, R3 to cycloxydim, were above recommended field rates, their GR₅₀ values remained below, suggesting a shift towards cross-resistance. While R4 was the only population, where both ED₅₀ and GR₅₀ for all ACCase inhibitors remained below recommended field rates, they would not give effective control at these rates, strongly indicating evolving resistance. This is the first study reporting variable cross-resistance types and levels to ACCase inhibitors in A. fatua from Ireland.

Understanding the resistance spectrum and underlying genetic mechanisms is critical for managing herbicide-resistant populations. In this study, resistance to acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACCase) and acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors was investigated in four suspected resistant populations of Alopecurus myosuroides (ALOMY-001 to ALOMY-004) and Lolium multiflorum (LOLMU-001 to LOLMU-004), collected from cereal production fields in Ireland. Glasshouse assays with three ALOMY-active herbicides [propaquizafop, cycloxydim (ACCase) and mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron (ALS)] or five LOLMU-active herbicides [pinoxaden, propaquizafop, cycloxydim (ACCase) and mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron, pyroxsulam (ALS)], and target-site resistance mechanism studies, based on pyrosequencing, were carried out in each of those populations. For A. myosuroides, Ile-1781-Leu ACCase mutation contributed to propaquizafop and cycloxydim resistance (shoot dry weight GR₅₀ resistance factor (RF) = 7.5–35.5) in all ALOMY populations, and the independent Pro-197-Thr or Pro-197-Ser ALS mutation contributed to mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron resistance (RF = 3.6–6.6), in ALOMY-002 to ALOMY-004. Most of the analyzed plants for these mutations were homo/heterozygous combinations or only heterozygous. For L. multiflorum, phenotypic resistance to mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron (RF = 11.9–14.6) and pyroxsulam (RF = 2.3–3.1) was noted in all LOLMU populations, but the Pro-197-Gln or Pro-197-Leu ALS mutation (mostly in homozygous status) was identified in LOLMU-001, LOLMU-002 and LOLMU-004 only. Additionally, despite no known ACCase mutations in any LOLMU populations, LOLMU-002 survived pinoxaden and propaquizafop application (RF = 3.4 or 1.3), and LOLMU-003 survived pinoxaden (RF = 2.3), suggesting the possibility of non-target-site resistance mechanisms for ACCase and/or ALS resistance in these populations. Different resistance levels, as evidenced by a reduction in growth as dose increased above field rates in ALOMY and LOLMU, were due to variations in mutation rate and the level of heterozygosity, resulting in an overall resistance rating of low to moderate. This is the first study confirming cross- and multiple resistance to ACCase- and ALS-inhibiting herbicides, highlighting that resistance monitoring in A. myosuroides and L. multiflorum in Ireland is critical, and the adoption of integrated weed management strategies (chemical and non-chemical/cultural strategies) is essential.