The decline in performance of sugarcane either due to non-availability of suitable planting material or negligence in nutrient management is increasing at an alarming rate. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted for two consecutive years in Bihar, India to study the effect of different planting material and integrated nutrient management strategies on performance and yield of sugarcane. The experiment was conducted in a factorial randomized block design replicated thrice with four planting materials (single budded sett, double budded sett, three budded sett and tissue culture plantlets) and seven integrated nutrient management strategies [control, recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), soil test-based RDF, RDF + 25% N through pressmud + ZnSO₄, soil test-based RDF+ 25% N through pressmud + ZnSO₄, RDF + 25% N through FYM + ZnSO₄ and soil test-based RDF+ 25% N through FYM + ZnSO₄]. Crop growth attributes viz. leaf area index, plant height, tillers, total chlorophyll content was found maximum with tissue culture plantlets followed by three budded setts while the minimum in single budded sett. During both the years of the study, three budded setts increased the cane yield by 33.9 and 34.5% over single budded sett respectively. Application of soil test-based RDF + 25% N through pressmud + ZnSO₄ significantly enhanced physio-agronomic performance and further, the sugar yield by 39.1, 13.3 and 38.7, 11.6 % as compared to RDF and soil test-based RDF in first and second year of the study respectively. Hence, it was concluded that three budded sett along with soil test-based RDF + 25% N through pressmud + ZnSO₄ of 25 kg/ha can increase overall growth and productivity of sugarcane.

High salt concentrations and high pH occur simultaneously in nature, however, presently most of the studies have mainly focused on only salinity, the research on salt-alkali combined stress are comparatively very limited. Hydrogen peroxide is an important signaling molecule. However, the role of exogenously applied hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) under saline–alkaline stress is not known. The main objectives of present study was to assess role of exogenously applied H₂O₂ as seed priming in mitigating the harmful effect of saline–alkaline stress on differentially tolerant mungbean genotypes (TMB-37 and MH-1314). Saline-alkaline stress significantly decreased the chlorophyll content, leaf relative water content (RWC) and yield while enhanced malondialdehyde (MDA), proline and antioxidant enzyme activity in root and leaf samples of both mungbean cultivars. Seeds priming were done with 0.01% H₂O₂ and distilled water. Seed priming with 0.01% H₂O₂ significantly improved the yield and yield attributes along with increment in leaf chlorophyll content, RWC as well as accumulation of osmolytes. The activities of antioxidant enzymes, viz., SOD, CAT and POX were also significantly increased in both mungbean genotypes and especially the CAT activity both in root and leaf tissue. However, relatively higher improvement was observed in genotype TMB-37. In conclusion, exogenously applied 0.01% H₂O₂ improved the saline–alkaline tolerance, which was reflected in terms of enhanced photosynthetic pigments, RWC, proline accumulation, and antioxidant enzyme activity of root as well shoot tissues and yield.

Genotype × environment interaction (GEI) strongly influences finger millet yield and agronomic performance, making multi-environment testing essential for identifying stable, high-yielding genotypes. This study aims to identify high-yielding and stable finger millet genotypes using complementary stability analyses. A total of 57 finger millet genotypes were evaluated in a randomised complete block design (RCBD) with 2 replications across three environments at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Dholi and Pusa), Bihar, India during 2024–25. The GEI was significant for grain yield and for all agronomic traits (p < 0.001). Therefore, genotype performance and stability were assessed using additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI), the genotype plus genotype × environment (GGE) biplot, the weighted average of absolute scores of the best linear unbiased predictions of the GEI effects (WAASB) with its superiority index (WAASBY) and the multi-trait stability index (MTSI). Based on the WAASBY, PR 202 (17.82 g per plant), IE 2082 (17.08 g), IE 96 (16.92 g), IE 2097 (16.57 g), GPU 26 (16.15 g), IE 510 (14.49 g) and IE 2062 (11.02 g) genotypes were identified as high yielding and most stable genotypes. Considering all nine traits jointly, MTSI selected IE 2097, MR 6, IE 817, IE 2082, IE 510, PR 202, IE 2062, IE 886 and GPU 28, with a selection differential of +29.82 % for grain high-yielding and stable performers. These genotypes represent promising candidates for multi-environment cultivation and may serve as valuable parental material in finger millet breeding programs.