The increasing prevalence of environmental pollution, especially soil contamination with heavy metals has led to their uptake in the human food chains through plant parts. Accumulation and magnification of heavy metals in human tissues through consumption of herbal remedies can cause hazardous impacts on health. Therefore, chemical profiling of nine heavy metals (Mn, Cr, Pb, Fe, Cd, Co, Zn, Ni and Hg) was undertaken in stem and leaf samples of ten medicinal plants (Acacia nilotica, Bacopa monnieri, Commiphora wightii, Ficus religiosa, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Hemidesmus indicus, Salvadora oleoides, Terminalia bellirica, Terminalia chebula and Withania somnifera) collected from environmentally diverse regions of Haryana and Rajasthan states in North-Western India. Concentration of all heavy metals, except Cr, was within permissible limits in the tested stem and leaf samples. Leaf samples had consistently more Cr compared to respective stem samples with highest concentration in leaf samples of Bacopa monnieri (13.19 ± 0.0480 ppm) and stem samples of Withania somnifera (4.93 ± 0.0185 ppm) both collected from Bahadurgarh (heavy industrial area), Haryana. This amount was beyond the permissible limit of 2.0 ppm defined by WHO for raw herbal material. Other two most perilous metals Pb (2.64 ± 0.0260) and Cd (0.04 ± 0.0274) were also recorded in Bahadurgarh region, although below permissible limits. Concentration of Hg remained below detectable levels in all the leaf and stem samples tested. These results suggested that cultivation of medicinal plants and other dietary herbs should be curtailed near environmentally polluted especially industrial areas for avoidance of health hazards.

The ever-increasing industrial activities over the decades have generated high toxic metal such as chromium (Cr) that hampers the crop productivity. This study evaluated the effect of Cr on two chickpea (Cicer arietinumL.) varieties, Pusa 2085 and Pusa Green 112, in hydroponic and pot-grown conditions. First, growth parameters (seed germination, seedling growth, and biomass production) and physio-biochemical parameters (oxidative stress and the content of antioxidants and proline) were measured to evaluate the performance of both varieties grown hydroponically for 21 days at concentrations of 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 μM Cr in the form of potassium dichromate (K₂Cr₂O₇). In both varieties, significantly deleterious effects on germination and seedling growth parameters were observed at 90 and 120 μM, while growth was stimulated at 30 μM Cr. Significant increases in malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide content and electrolyte leakage demonstrated enhanced oxidative injury to seedlings caused by higher concentrations of Cr. Further, increasing concentrations of Cr positively correlated with increased proline content, superoxide dismutase activity, and peroxide content in leaves. There was also an increase in peroxisomal ascorbate peroxidase and catalase in the leaves of both varieties at lower Cr concentrations, whereas a steep decline was recorded at higher Cr concentrations. In the pot experiments conducted over two consecutive years, growth, yield, yield attributes, grain protein, and Cr uptake and accumulation were measured at different Cr concentrations. Pusa Green 112 showed a significant reduction in plant growth, chlorophyll content, grain protein, pod number, and grain yield per plant when compared with Pusa 2085. Overall, our results indicate that Pusa 2085 has a higher Cr tolerance than Pusa Green 112. Therefore, Pusa 2085 could be used to further elucidate the mechanisms of Cr tolerance in plants and in breeding programmes to produce Cr-resistant varieties.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), being an energy-rich crop, is sensitive to nutrient deficiencies and a scavenger of nutrients from the soil. Optimum and integrated nutrient management (INM) improves productivity and the quality of seeds. The objective of this study was to identify suitable system-based INM (S-INM) options for peanut–wheat cropping sequence in the Saurashtra region of India. Results showed that peanut growth, yield attributing parameters, pod, and haulm yield, and NPK uptake were higher when 100% recommended fertilizer doses (RDFs) + farmyard manure (FYM) @5 t/ha + plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) were applied. However, application of 75% RDFs + FYM @5 t/ha + PGPR in peanut and 100% RDF in wheat was most effective to improve growth and yield attributes, yields and nutrient uptake by wheat. Further, this FYM- and PGPR-amended treatment was found to increase system productivity by 15.3 and 17.1%, system profitability by 17.0 and 22.6%, and net energy gain by 10.0 and 17.9% over the reference treatment and over farmers’ practice (FF), respectively. This sustainable system approach will be helpful for agronomists and farmers in identifying and practicing suitable field practices with further study on the residual effect of organic manures on the peanut–wheat based cropping system in the western region of India with light black soils.

Crop geometry plays a vital role in ensuring proper plant growth and yield. Check row planting allows adequate space for weeding in both direction and allowing sunlight down to the bottom of the crop. Therefore, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) navigated electronic seed metering system for check row planting of maize seeds was developed. The system is comprised of a LiDAR-based distance measurement unit, electronic seed metering mechanism and a wireless communication system. The electronic seed metering mechanism was evaluated in the laboratory for five different cell sizes (8.80, 9.73, 10.82, 11.90 and 12.83 mm) and linear cell speed (89.15, 99.46, 111.44, 123.41 and 133.72 mm·s⁻¹). The research shows the optimised values for the cell size and linear speed of cell were found to be 11.90 mm and 99.46 mm·s⁻¹ respectively. A light dependent resistor (LDR) and light emitting diode (LED)-based seed flow sensing system was developed to measure the lag time of seed flow from seed metering box to bottom of seed tube. The average lag time of seed fall was observed as 251.2$\pm$5.39 ms at an optimised linear speed of cell of 99.46 mm·s⁻¹ and forward speed of 2 km·h⁻¹. This lag time was minimized by advancing the seed drop on the basis of forward speed of tractor, lag time and targeted position. A check row quality index ($I_{CRQ}$) was developed to evaluate check row planter. While evaluating the developed system at different forward speeds (i.e., 2, 3 and 5 km·h⁻¹), higher standard deviation (14.14%) of check row quality index was observed at forward speed of 5 km·h⁻¹.

The study was carried out to find out pre and post-harvest losses in vegetable, viz. tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), brinjal (Solanum melongena L.), okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.), cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) and bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, during 2017-18. Multistage sampling was done for selection of 100 vegetable growers. The sample also included 30 market functionaries. The maximum aggregate losses was found in tomato, followed by brinjal, cauliflower, bottlegourd and okra. The pre-harvest losses at farmers' level contributed for more than 40% of the total losses at farmers' level in all vegetables except cauliflower. The study has recommended that establishment of producer co-operatives to handle various activities relating to production and marketing of vegetables would help in reducing losses.

Background: Lawnmower operators are exposed to high noise and hand-arm vibration (HAV) during their work, which originates mainly from the engine and rotating parts. Higher exposure causes intangible issues for the well-being of the operators, results in immediate and long-term effects on the health, comfort, and safety of the operators. Objective: The study involved measuring noise and HAV from a powered cylindrical lawnmower, developing retrofittable interventions, and evaluating noise and HAV levels with the interventions, and compared their effectiveness using a health risk assessment. Methods: The study was done at three speeds and two modes of operation. The measured noise and HAV amplitudes exceeded the permissible limits of international standards. Higher amplitudes were observed at resonant frequencies of the ear and hand. To mitigate the exposure and increase the safe working hours of the operators, two interventions were developed and retrofitted to the existing lawnmower. The noise and HAV were measured with interventions and compared against pre-intervention phase. Operator's physiological, psychophysical, and postural parameters were also assessed in the lawnmower operation. Results: The developed interventions reduced the noise level from approximately 95 dB(A) to 85 dB(A), satisfying it within internationally permissible limits. HAV has been reduced from 23 ms ^–2 to below 10 ms ^–2 , thereby increasing the safe exposure time by approximately 2.3 times with interventions. However, the operator's physiological, psychophysical, and postural parameters remained unchanged as operational requirements remained the same. Conclusion: Noise and HAV reduction through interventions provided a safer working environment for the lawnmower operators.