Micronutrients are very abundant in soil but plants normally absorb only a little amount of them, giving them the name "trace elements". Boron (B), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), Molybdenum (Mo), and Nickel (Ni) are the essential micronutrients that are required in smaller amounts but crucial for plant growth and development. Besides providing essentiality in fruits and seeds formation, they are helpful in performing various metabolic processes, nutritional management, reproductive growth, chlorophyll synthesis, and other key plant activities. Among all the essential micronutrients, two particular elements, zinc (Zn) and boron (B) are deficit in acidic soils and zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe)are insufficient in semi-arid soils, which have become a rising problem in a variety of cropping systems thereby, raising alarms for the future. Our understanding of difficulties relating to micronutrients might be improved by the production of detailed soil micronutrient maps that cover wide geographic regions, making relevant judgments about the delivery and distribution of fertilizers supplemented with micronutrients to areas that are deficient in these particular micronutrients. The outcomes of these delineation efforts would also be very helpful in developing site-specific suggestions to increase the micronutrient content of food crops. It's important to note that soil micronutrient availability directly affects plant growth.

Artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture is transforming the sector by improving resources efficiency, sustainability and productivity. Our study examined a number of AI-related applications such as pest control, crop monitoring, precision farming and soil health evaluation. AI powered devices enables automated fertilization, harvesting and irrigation, and therefore, cutting down the labor expenses and resource waste. Predictive analytics in AI helps with crop yield and weather forecasts which ultimately improves the planning and risk management. The paper also discusses the challenges and limitations of AI adoption in agriculture, such as the need for reliable data, technical expertise and infrastructure investment. Ultimately, the findings highlights the AI can have positive transformative potential in creating resilient agricultural practices that can meet the demands of a growing global population while minimizing environmental impact. However, one of the biggest uses of AI is precision farming, which uses the technology to optimize inputs like water, fertilizer and pesticides by adjusting them to the unique requirements of the crop and the field. AI techniques also make it possible to detect the pests and diseases through picture recognition and predictive analytics, which ultimately minimizes the crop loss and allows for prompt interventions. Widespread use may be hampered by issues with data quality, model interpretability, expensive prices and system integration. Furthermore, issues with labor impact, regulatory frameworks and scalability complicate its adoption. In order to fully utilize AI in agriculture, researchers, farmers and policymakers must work together to overcome these challenges and develop workable and accessible solutions that are suited to a variety of agricultural environments. Present review also highlighted how AI involvement has the ability to revolutionize agricultural sector by developing resilient methods that can both minimize environmental effects and meet the needs of an expanding global population. The agriculture industry can set the path for a sustainable future by adopting AI advances and guaranteeing the environmental stewardship and goals of food safety and security.

Towering losses of applied N in the region lead this study to identify the best potent nitrification inhibitors in late sown cauliflower (Pusa Snowball K-1), which could be easily available and eco-friendly. A field experiment was conducted for two consecutive years (2018–19 & 2019–20) with different inhibitors doses supplemented with NPK fertilizer and farmyard manure in CRBD with 3 replications. Results showed that application of recommended dose of fertilizer [N, P & K (125:76:72 kg ha-1)] with inhibitor neem cake (20 g/kg soil) +FYM (250 q/ha) recorded highest nitrogen uptake (92 & 98.9 kg ha-1) for both years, results were comparable to CaC2 treatment (89.4 & 94.7 kg ha-1). Highest nitrogen content in cauliflower with values 7.52 and 7.65%, plant height of 68.43 and 68.90 cm was observed with NPK+ neem cake @20 g/kg soil with statistical significance among all. Regarding growth, increased polar (14.51 & 16.08 cm) and equatorial diameter (17.95 & 18.21 cm) with highest leaf count of 21.42 & 21.96 in 2018–19 & 19–20, respectively were recorded under neem cake. Besides neem cake, melia @ 20 g/kg soil improved growth and lowered the levels of soil nitrate i.e. 42.93 and 40.31 kg/ha where highest i.e. 55.61&51.29 kg/ha were recorded in Pomegranate rind @10 g/kg soil and proved a better inhibitor. Nitrate levels have been decreased in 2019–20 as compared to 2018–19. Therefore, two years of open field research identified neem cake and melia as prominent and potent nitrification inhibitors for cauliflower under mid hilly conditions.

The present review delves into the essential aspect of micronutrient management and soil texture dynamics in agriculture thus emphasizing their pivotal roles in sustaining soil health and optimizing crop productivity. Micronutrients, though required in trace amounts are critical for various physiological and biochemical processes in plants. Micronutrient deficiencies can profoundly impact plant growth and yield, necessitating effective management strategies such as soil amendments, foliar applications, and balanced fertilization practices. Additionally, the paper explores the potential of soil microbes to enhance micronutrient availability. Soil testing emerges as a crucial tool for monitoring nutrient levels and guiding nutrient application decisions. Furthermore, soil texture dynamics significantly influence nutrient availability, highlighting the importance of soil composition and structure. Conservation tillage practices, crop rotation, and the use of micronutrient fertilizers are discussed as means to promote soil health and optimize nutrient profiles. Overall, the paper underscores the importance of integrating micronutrient management and texture dynamics for harmonizing agriculture, ensuring sustainable soil health, and fostering increased crop yields.

Metallophytes are the unique group of plants that have evolved to thrive in metal rich environments and have drawn plenty of attention. Remediating heavy metal contaminated places with plants is an effective choice due to phytoremediation, an environmentally friendly method that uses plants to mitigate the pollution. Metallophytes are ideal options for phytoremediation applications due to their inherent traits such as hyper-accumulation, efficient metal absorption and tolerance mechanisms impacting both the plant and soil. These plants absorb and translocate heavy metals, detoxifying the soil while accumulating them in tissues. This reduces metal toxicity in soil and holds potential for resources recovery. The role of metallophytes in phytoremediation is analysed in this review with particular focus given to their ways of metal absorption, translocation and detoxification. Metallophytes have high metal tolerance and accumulation capacities due to their unique physiological and biochemical adaptations including enhanced metal sequestration in vacuoles, metal chelation by phytochelatins and activation of anti-oxidant defence systems. This review also highlights the significance of metallophytes in enhancing the soil health, reducing metal bioavailability, and promoting the ecological sustainability as well as their potential for restoring contaminated ecosystems. Utilizing the unique capabilities of metallophytes obtained from plants possesses enormous possibilities to minimise the negative effects of heavy metal pollution, protect ecosystems, and promote sustainable development for future generations. Eventually, it outlines future research approaches that aim to enhance metallophytes based phytoremediation strategies, widen their implementation and include them in holistic approaches for environmental restoration and sustainable land management.

Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), a popular hydrological model, created to impersonate how the land management techniques would affect the water availability, sediments transportation and nutrient transformations in region’s expansive and intricate watersheds. SWAT has evolved from its initial development state as a comprehensive modelling tool for agricultural systems, watershed management and climate change adaptation. SWAT predicts the effects of agricultural practices on water, sediment and nutrient loads. Moreover, over time, its functionality has broadened to include complex environmental processes, such as sediment transport, nutrient cycling, and land-use change dynamics. This review paper mainly focused on the literature collected on its relevance and applicability to agricultural sector and climate change. Moreover, the incorporation of SWAT into studies on climate change has broadened its scope by enabling it to simulate the possible consequences of fluctuating temperature patterns, unpredictable precipitation, and severe weather on worldwide water resources and farming systems. In addition to highlighting its practical applicability, case studies from India and other locations also highlighted in current review article. For policymakers, agricultural scientists, SWAT is an essential tool because of its capacity to model the long-term effects of land and water management at broad spatial and temporal dimensions. SWAT also found to help the stakeholders for creating plans to lessen the effects of climate variability by combining several climate models and scenarios and to provide better insights on future soil erosion, flood hazards and water availability. Overall, in light of the escalating environmental issues, SWAT is essential for sustainable management of water and agricultural resources due to its capacity to produce comprehensive and long-term projections.