There is an immense demand for vermicomposting employing psychrophilic vermiculture (Aporrectodea caliginosa) for management of wastes under the Himalayan ecosystem. Dalweed (weeds from the world-famous urban Dal Lake) and cow manure (CM) are cheaply and abundantly available bio resources in Kashmir valley. Dalweed (DW), disposed of in the heart of the city, ascribes unpleasant effects on tourism and the natural ecosystem. Initial substrate mixtures of DW and CM with different ratios (CM₁₀₀, DW₁₀₀, CM₈₀:DW₂₀, CM₆₀:DW₄₀, CM₄₀:DW₆₀ and CM₂₀:DW₈₀) and castings harvested were analyzed for the following parameters: pH, TOC, TN, NO₃^- P, K, Fe, Zn, C:N, C:P, and C:S ratio. The results of a 56day study revealed in consistency and disparity towards the bio-optimization of coprolites depending upon the type of waste residue and mixture ratio used. Treatments with medium to low dalweed residues (CM₆₀:DW₄₀ followed by CM₈₀:DW₂₀) were found to be optimum and significantly primed chemical properties of castings using A. caligenosa. C:N, C:P, and C:S ratios showed a non-linear response with maximum decrease in C:N ratio by 35%, C:P ratio by 38% in CM₁₀₀, and C:S ratio by 67% in DW₁₀₀. Humification ratio, humification index, and percent humic acids were changed across all the treatments with the highest respective values of 21.33 ± 1.05, 11.33 ± 0.76, and 47.83 ± 0.76 for CM₆₀:DW₄₀. Results also showed that the earthworm population and biomass significantly increased with the highest respective increments of 57.53% and 74.88% in CM₆₀:DW₄₀ over initial values. Moreover, the highest number of cocoons (95.67 ± 1.17) were recorded within CM₆₀:DW₄₀ and the lowest in the control (43.33 ± 1.53). Dehydrogenase and fluorescein diacetate activities were inconsistent with the highest in CM₄₀:DW₆₀ (64.64%) and CM₂₀:DW₈₀ (63.54%) respectively over the initial substrates, while highest urease activity (74.40%) was observed from CM₁₀₀. The results highlight the role of A. caliginosa in sustainable transformation of CM and DW with insightful, beneficial, and priming impacts on castings for its agronomic value.

A study was carried out to explore and address the challenges posed by rice blast disease ( Magnaporthe oryzae B. C. Couch.). Keeping in view the unique qualities and cultural importance of this variety, the research introduces an innovative approach by integrating plant extracts into disease management practices through in-depth analyses and field experiments. Three concentrations of ethanol-based extracts each of the twenty-one were evaluated in vitro against the control. The percentage of mycelial inhibition was recorded and based on their effectiveness; six efficient botanicals were further evaluated in the field. The field experiments were carried out on the susceptible Mushk Budji cultivar of rice for two successive years. The results demonstrated that certain botanicals, especially extracts of Syzygium aromaticum and Podophyllum hexandrum , significantly reduced disease incidence and severity, and improved grain and straw yields, performing on par with the chemical control, Tricyclazole. Additionally, molecular docking was conducted to identify active compounds responsible for antifungal effects. The ligands for docking studiesquercetin, podophyllotoxin, and eugenolwere chosen based on literature mining for their reported antifungal activity. These phytochemicals displayed strong binding affinities ( -5.5 to − -3.8 kcal/mol) to the ToxB-like effector protein of M. oryzae , suggesting interference with fungal pathogenicity mechanisms. Among these, quercetin and podophyllotoxin were the most promising ligands. The integration of wet-lab assays and in silico analysis strengthens the case for deploying bioactive botanicals in integrated disease management. Our findings advocate the use of eco-friendly, plant-based fungicides as a viable strategy for blast disease control, promoting organic farming and preservation of indigenous rice varieties. The findings highlight the importance of developing eco-friendly, plant-based alternatives to chemical fungicides, aligning with the goals of sustainable agriculture and organic farming. Future research should focus on developing stable formulations of these botanicals, evaluating their synergistic potential with biocontrol agents, and validating their effectiveness through multi-location field trials. Additionally, further investigation into the molecular mechanisms of action and the long-term ecological and economic impacts of botanical fungicides is warranted.