Drought poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity, particularly affecting economic crops like tomatoes. To address this challenge, various alternatives have been explored, including the use of elicitors or biostimulants such as salicylic acid (SA). This study aims to assess the stimulatory action of SA in alleviating drought stress in tomato plants under greenhouse conditions. The experiment was designed with two main factors: water availability (controlled versus drought) and the foliar application of SA at four different concentrations ranging from 100 to 250 mg L⁻¹. The application of SA, particularly at a concentration of 250 mg L⁻¹, showed promising results in mitigating the adverse effects of drought stress followed by 200 mg L⁻¹. This was evidenced by the increased activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and catalase (CAT). Gene expression analysis revealed optimal APX expression with SA application at concentrations of 200 mg L⁻¹ or 250 mg L⁻¹. Additionally, the application of SA at 250 mg L⁻¹ led to a high accumulation of bioactive compounds without compromising yield. Furthermore, SA application positively influenced both shoot and root weights, with the highest values observed at a concentration of 250 mg L⁻¹. While SA is known to enhance plant tolerance to abiotic stress, further research is needed to fully elucidate its biochemical, physiological, and molecular mechanisms in supporting plant tolerance to drought stress. Utilizing salicylic acid can help growers mitigate environmental stresses, enhancing tomato crop yield and quality. Integrating SA treatments into agriculture offers a sustainable alternative elicitor for ensuring food security under challenging climate conditions.

The present study addresses the potential of marigold cultivation in terms of income and employment effects in the subtropical region of Jammu. Within the field research, we have surveyed 100 marigold farmers from Jammu and Kathua districts of Jammu Region. The region is of special interest in terms of economic development due to disproportional unemployment rate and high level of poverty. The study finds that marigold cultivation exhibits strong employment and income linkages. Marigold cultivation generates employment opportunities of 124.84 man-days (MD) in a season in comparison to 85.37 MD of rice and 49.58 MDs of wheat. Hence, marigold farming could create more and better-paid rural employment possibilities for peasants and lead to a substantial reduction of the poverty headcount ratios. Furthermore, the Cobb–Douglas production function-based econometric specification shows that farmyard manure (FYM), fertilizers, plant protection, and machine hours have a statistically significant positive effect on marigold yield. The second source of the growth of marigold cultivation is the replacement of subsistence farming with a focus on wheat and rice by marigold farming. We find that this kind of growth does not endanger food security in Jammu and Kathua districts. On the contrary, the growing level of income of the rural population could enhance market demand and a greater willingness to pay for the local agri-food sector and assure a greater level of food security.

In the present study, an attempt has been made to analyze the growth on the basis of secondary data in area, production and productivity of major crops in Jammu region for the period from 1984-85 to 2013-14. The comparison has been made over the time to examine the trends and it was observed that in Jammu region rice, maize and wheat crop dominated the area and these crops together occupied more than 84 per cent of gross cropped area during the last three decades. The entire period 1984-85 to 2013-14 found that rice, maize, wheat, millets, condiments and spices, fruits and vegetables, fodder crops had positive area growth while pulses, barley, jawar, bajra, sugarcane, oilseeds and fibers had negative area growth. The production was positive for rice, wheat and pulses and negative for maize whereas as yield was recorded positive for rice, wheat and pulses and negative for maize crop. The study concluded that most of the cultivated land is dominated by cereals groups, therefore, need for crop diversification which ultimately leads to protection of soil health, regular returns, employment opportunities as well as better and balanced diet for the local people in the region.

Indigenous knowledge systems are closely associated with farming practices developed through long-term interaction with local ecological conditions. In the hilly region of Doda district, Jammu and Kashmir, traditional fodder and grain storage structures such as Taye, Kundu and Kothar form part of the local agricultural knowledge system and have been used for storing farm produce and fodder using locally available resources. However, changing farming conditions and preferences may affect the continued use of these practices even when knowledge of them is retained. This study assessed farmers’ knowledge and current use of indigenous storage structures in Bhalla block of Doda district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Primary data were collected from 60 farmers through semi-structured interviews, field observations and informal discussions. Farmers were classified into three knowledge–use categories: knowledge and currently using (38.3%), knowledge but not currently using (40.0%), and no knowledge (21.7%). A multinomial logistic regression model was used to examine the association of selected farmer and farm characteristics with knowledge–use status, with the no-knowledge category as the reference group. Livestock holding was positively associated with both knowledge and current use and knowledge without current use relative to the no-knowledge category, whereas formal educational attainment did not show a statistically significant coefficient-level association. Average marginal effects indicated that livestock holding was associated with an increased probability of belonging to the knowledge-and-current-use category and a reduced probability of having no knowledge. The findings indicate a clear gap between knowledge and current use of indigenous storage practices, suggesting that retention of knowledge does not necessarily translate into continued practice. The study highlights the importance of documenting and strengthening locally developed storage knowledge within mountain farming systems.

The present investigation was carried out to search importance of infrastructural items for agricultural growth in the region on the basis of secondary data on development of infrastructural facilities for the period from 1984-85 to 2013-14. The analysis of study found that there was significant increase in area irrigated by wells and tanks from 0.31 per cent and 0.33 per cent during period I to 1.41 per cent and 0.59 per cent in overall period, respectively whereas area irrigated by canals was found to be highest (86.55 per cent). As far as physical infrastructural items are concerned, development was improved considerably and substantially in the region. Surface road length and storage capacity for agricultural produce has increased by 31.02 per cent and 59.10 per cent, respectively, during the period under study. All infrastructural items have shown increasing trend in terms of percentage changes over the base period except number of godowns which decreased by 1.28 per cent over base period during the entire period. Growth rate were positive for distribution of agricultural implements, road length both surfaced and unsurfaced, number of godowns, storage capacity and tube wells/ pump sets and negative for credit disbursements and electrification of villages during overall period under study.