An experiment was conducted to study the yield traits under reproductive stage drought in selected small millets viz., finger millet (CO 15), little millet (CO 4) and barnyard millet (CO 2). The crops were imposed with drought during their flowering stage by withholding irrigation till the soil moisture reaches below 20 per cent. Barnyard millet performed better under drought at reproductive stage over other small millets, such as finger millet and little millet, in terms of more number productive tillers (11.16 plant-1), ear heads (12.99 plant-1), lesser reduction in ear head length (13.35 %), ear head weight (21.66 %) and 1000 grain weight (14.93 %) compared to well watered control plants. Little millet recorded the highest reduction in ear head length (19.01 %), ear head weight (39.64 %) and 1000 grain weight (23.26 %) whereas finger millet recorded the lowest number of productive tillers (9.41 plant-1) and ear heads (9.71 plant-1) under drought over control. Regarding the grain and straw yields of small millets subjected to water stress, it was evident from the results that the impact of water deficit at reproductive stage was prominent in little millet compared to barnyard millet and finger millet. Barnyard millet recorded the highest grain yield (18.94 g plant-1) and straw yield (42.12 g plant-1) followed by finger millet (14.48 and 33.14 g plant-1). Little millet recorded the lowest grain yield (11.31 g plant-1) and straw yield (26.01g plant-1) under drought condition.

Guava is an important revenue generating crop for small, medium, and commercial guava cultivators all over the world. Nematode infestation is one of the factors that cause declines in fruit production. Researches have proven that the application of plant growth regulators induces the synthesis of defense-related proteins in Guava. IBA is one such plant growth regulator, and its effects on guava plants has not yet been elucidated. Thus, this research is focused on the optimization of IBA concentrations, which results in the induction and production of maximum defense-related proteins to defend against root knot nematode. The present study includes the application of IBA on M. enterolobii-infested experimental guava plants at different concentrations ranging from 100 ppm to 2000 ppm. The synthesis of defense-related proteins is identified with 1000 ppm of IBA. At this concentration, IBA influences the morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics and enhances the induction of defense-related proteins in M. enterolobii-infested experimental guava plants. Thus, 1000 ppm of IBA prevents nematode infestation in Lucknow-49 guava plants.

With the increasing population, by 2030, the population of India will have seen an unprecedented rise of 1.43 billion and require food grains of around 311 million tones. Of the total area, nearly 5% of the area in India is affected by soil salinity. It is said that about 10% of soil is salinized every year. At this rate, 50% of the land area will be salinized by 2050.These repercussions challenge us to expand the area under cultivation or to increase the yield per unit area to maintain food security and sustainability. In order to meet the growing demands of the increased population, two major approaches can be met. Firstly, the available area under cultivation must be increased, which can be done by the reclamation of various problematic soils and making them suitable for cultivation. The second and holistic approach is to employ various biotechnological and breeding aspects in the development of resistant varieties surviving the harsh and unfavourable environment and showing no subsequent reduction in the yield parameters. For this, one must understand the various physiological aspects of tolerance for screening the elite varieties suited for a particular ecosystem or environment. Thus, the present study vividly explains the various physiological aspects of salt stress on rice. Employing these techniques, one can screen superior genotypes resistant to various stresses, thus keeping the Malthus predictions at bay.

Background: Studies across various regions reveal that declining crop yields and profits are not just caused by environmental damage and stress. Deficiencies in essential nutrients, both major and minor, also play a significant role. This is why integrating organic and inorganic source of nutrients is critical for ensuring food security and self-sufficiency for maize. Methods: Field experiment was carried out to examine the integrated use of organic and inorganic sources of nutrients on maize growth and yield components at wetland farm, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Tamil Nadu during the 2018-19 to 2019-20 with 15 treatment combination under Split plot design with 3 replications. Main plot consist of five treatments of organic sources of nutrients i.e. M1 (Fish pond silt from desi poultry dropping fed pond @ 5 t/ha and vermicompost @ 5 t/ha), M2 (Fish pond silt from duck dropping fed pond @ 5 t/ha and vermicompost @ 5 t/ha), M3 (Fish pond silt from turkey dropping fed pond @ 5 t/ha and vermicompost @ 5 t/ha), M4 (FYM @ 12.5 t/ha), M5 (No manure application) and three sub plot treatments consist of inorganic sources i.e. S1 (100% recommended dose of NPK), S2 (75% recommended dose of NPK) and S3 (No fertilizer application). Result: The results revealed that the highest grain yield (8293 kg ha-1) and stover yield (11974 ha-1) was obtained with the application of fish pond silt from duck dropping fed pond @ 5 t/ha and vermicompost @ 5 t/ha along with 100% recommended dose of NPK (M2S1) which was 116% and 132% higher to lowest grain yield (3845 kg ha-1) and stover yield (5160 kg ha-1) obtained in control (M5S3).

The goal of the current study was to determine how different chemical defoliants and application timing affected defoliation in cotton variety CO 17. The studies were conducted using a split-plot design with three applications at three different times as the main plot and seven defoliants as the subplot. Thidiazuron + Diuron (0.03%) defoliant reduced the gas exchange parameters, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and stomatal conductance by reducing plant growth parameters, leaf area, leaf area index, specific leaf weight which significantly increased the defoliation percentage. The negative correlation of cotton growth and gas exchange parameters with defoliation percentage was observed in correlation studies. In conclusion, Thidiazuron + Diuron (0.03%) defoliant was found to be superior in action for improving leaf defoliation and its associated parameters. And also it may be a cost-effective cotton defoliant for aiding the mechanical picking of cotton bolls.

Background: Plant nutrient deficiency is the major challenge in agriculture results in lower crop yield and quality. This may lower the farmer’s income by reducing marketable value. In other hand, eating nutrient dense vegetables is the most cost effective strategy to combat malnutrition. The efficiency of inorganic micronutrients applied into soils is low as they become easily fixed to soil particles. Hence, exogenous application of nutrients is an effective option to enhance plant nutrient use efficiency. Methods: This study was conducted at SRM College of Agricultural Sciences, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu during 2022-2023 to alleviate nutrient insufficiency challenges in bhendi variety Senora by using Randomized block design with seven different treatments viz., T1- Control, T2- Nutrient consortia 1 (N + K + B + Fe+ Mn + Zn @ 1% ), T3- Nutrient consortia 2 (N + K + Fe+ Cu + B @ 1%), T4- Nutrient consortia 3 (N + K + Mg + B + Fe + Zn @ 1%), T5- Nutrient consortia 4 (T2 + NAA + SA@ 1%), T6- Nutrient consortia 5 (T3 + NAA + SA @ 1%), T7- Nutrient consortia 6 (T4 + NAA + SA @ 1%), sprayed at 30, 45 and 60 days after sowing. Result: Various physiological, biochemical, yield and quality parameters were measured to evaluate the effects of Nutrient consortia. The results of field experiment strongly improved that the eight biochemical parameters viz., chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll content, chlorophyll a/b ratio, chlorophyll stability index, leaf soluble protein, lipid peroxidation by melondialdehyde and proline content. The yield and quality traits such as number of fruits per plant, total fruit yield, total phenolics and total antioxidants activity were significantly increased through application of Nutrient consortia 6 followed by Nutrient consortia 4. So this can be used as yield and quality enhancer formulation of bhendi crops.