Efficient seed storage is crucial for maintaining seed quality, viability, and germination potential, which directly impact agricultural productivity and food security. However, prolonged storage leads to seed deterioration due to both biotic and abiotic factors, resulting in significant post-harvest losses. Modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) is a sustainable non-chemical technology that enhances seed storability by altering the gaseous environment around seeds. MAP operates through active packaging, which injects desired gases and passive packaging, where the product’s respiration modifies the atmosphere. By reducing oxygen (O2) levels, minimizing moisture absorption, and inhibiting microbial and insect activity, MAP extends seed shelf life. Typically, O2 is replaced with nitrogen (N2) or carbon dioxide (CO2), limiting oxidative reactions and metabolic activity. MAP benefits multiple seed types, including cereals, legumes, oilseeds, and horticultural crops. Physically, it reduces seed moisture, delaying deterioration and preserving seed coat color. Physiologically, it prolongs seed longevity by reducing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and conserving seed reserves. Biochemically, it minimizes lipid peroxidation, maintains enzyme activities like alpha-amylase and catalase and reduces electrolyte leakage. Additionally, MAP controls storage pests and pathogens; elevated CO2 inhibits insect proliferation and fungal contamination, mitigating mycotoxin risks. This review examines the strategic role of MAP in seed conservation for sustainable agriculture by comparing MAP with traditional storage methods and assessing its impact on seed viability and longevity.

Improper nutrient management is one of the major challenges for sustainable production of tuberose cultivation. The present study has utilized drones to deliver agricultural inputs, particularly nutrients, in tuberose cultivation over 2 seasons (2022-2024) in Sathiyamangalam, Tamil Nadu. Present study has conducted with 10 treatments replicated thrice in a randomized block design, the treatments included NPK 19:19:19, micronutrients, humic acid and GA3 at various concentrations. Nutrients were applied via foliar spray using drones and knapsack sprayers. Results demonstrated a significant positive impact of drone-facilitated foliar nutrient application on tuberose growth and yield. Drone spray of micro nutrient mixture + 0.5 % poly feed + 0.6 % humic acid + 150 ppm GA3 with spray fluid of 50 L ha-1 recorded the maximum plant growth and yield attributes over other treatments. The study showed enhanced flowering attributes in tuberose, including a reduced time to first spike emergence (77.18 days), increased spike length (99.22 cm) and number of florets per spike (43.39). Additionally, higher yield and quality parameters were observed, such as hundred floret weight (221.57 g), floret diameter (4.36 cm), floret length (6.88 cm), spike weight (126.89 g) and yield per plant (390.51 g). Physiological parameters were also higher in plots treated with a drone spray of MN mixture + 0.5 % poly feed + 0.6 % humic acid + GA3 at 150 ppm, followed by those treated with a knapsack spray of the same mixture. The findings revealed that foliar application of nutrients and growth regulators using drones significantly improved the growth, yield and quality of tuberose.

The presence of Benzene in aqueous solution is a great concern for the health-related issues of the living things that consume the same. Among various removal methods, the adsorption method with volcanic ash is a less laborious and eco-friendly process. With this notion, the seeds and grains of maize COH (M) 8 were coated with volcanic ash and they are utilized in this study as a biological entity to remove the benzene from the aqueous solution. Volcanic ash was characterized using FTIR, XRD, and FE-SEM-EDAX analyses, revealing key structural features, including sulfoxide functional groups, a crystalline size of 179.06 nm, and particle sizes ranging from 36.24 to 234.60 nm. Batch experiments were conducted to optimize adsorption and degradation efficiencies under different conditions. A maximum degradation efficiency of 80.62 % was achieved at a benzene concentration of 10 µg/mL within 1 hr. The efficiency increased to 87.96 % with a higher catalyst dosage at a benzene concentration of 50 µg/mL over 5 hr. Acidic conditions (pH 3) further enhanced the efficiency to 81.43 % over 5 hr. Under sunlight irradiation, a maximum degradation efficiency of 83.54 % was achieved within 1 hr. These findings establish volcanic ash as a promising, eco-friendly material for benzene adsorption in aqueous solutions, with the added advantage of enhancing seed germination and growth parameters. Its abundant availability and cost-effectiveness make it a sustainable solution for environmental remediation and agricultural applications.

The yield of sunflowers is impacted by inadequate source-sink connections. There are no vascular bundles in the center of the capitulum, resulting in low seed setting and filling. It was hypothesized that manipulation of resource availability to peripheral and intermediary seeds by eliminating the predominantly ill-filled seeds of the capitulum core would have an augmenter effect on the filling of seeds in the rest of the two regions. A field experiment was conducted to achieve capitulum core destruction by operating a newly designed hand-held battery-operated ‘capitulum core destructor’, capable of removing the core area to a diameter of 0.8 and 1.5 cm. . Field experiments were conducted to standardize the optimum stage for capitulum core destruction (R5.0- 0% flowering of the capitulum total area (disc florets), R5.1- 10% flowering, R5.4- 40% flowering, R5.8- 80% flowering) and optimum area of core destruction (0.8 and 1.5 cm of inner diameter). The results revealed that the core destructed treatments outperformed the control (T1) in terms of seed yield and seed quality attributes. Amongst the treatments, T5 (1.5 cm core destruction at R5.8 stage) showed a 21% increase in seed yield over the control and registered the highest total number of seeds, total seed weight (48.63 g) and 100-seed weight (g). Additionally, the T5 treatment improved seed recovery percentage (80.23% compared to 70.45% in the control) and reduced rejected seed percentage (19.76% compared to 29.54% in the control). Concomitantly, the resultant seeds of T5 (1.5 cm core destruction at R5.8 stage) also possessed the highest germination potential, speed of germination, seedling growth and vigour index. This study demonstrates a scalable approach for sunflower cultivation globally, offering a practical solution to enhance yield and quality. Therefore, it was concluded that capitulum core destruction optimized resource allocation among the periphery and middle whorls of the capitulum, thereby resulting in a significant augmentation of seed yield and quality potential in sunflower crops.

A study was conducted at the Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture Laboratory to investigate the influence of various nutrient formulations on the post-harvest quality of tuberose using a knapsack sprayer and drone. The treatments involved spraying macro and micronutrients along with growth regulators at different concentrations. Throughout the experiment, all parameters were recorded at 2 days intervals. Drone spray of MN mixture + 0.5 % poly feed + 0.6 % humic acid + 150 ppm GA3 recorded the maximum plant post-harvest quality attributes over other treatments. It showed increased post-harvest quality attributes, including relative water content percentage of flower (95.15 %), physiological loss of weight percentage of flower (14.83 %), shelf life at room temperature (3.79 days) and vase life (12.45 days). Additionally, the treatment was found to be the best for parameters of water uptake (38.45 g) and percentage of floret opened (27.02). Plots treated with drone spray of MN mixture + 0.5 % poly feed + 0.6 % humic acid + GA3 at 150 ppm showed a reduced rate of transpiration loss of water (14.89 g) and electrolyte leakage (12.52). The experimental findings demonstrated that foliar application of nutrients along with growth regulators at different concentrations using drones improved the post-harvest quality of tuberose.