Knowledge of Farmers towards Improved Tomato Production Practices in Jalpaiguri District of West Bengal

India is the second largest producer of tomato in the world after China. West Bengal is seventh largest producer of tomato in India.  Present study was conducted in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. Present study fully relies on the primary data collected by personal interview method using a pre-tested structured interview schedule. majority of the respondents were middle age group, illiterate, majority of the respondents lived in semi-cemented house and most of the respondents were living in extended family with medium annual income and most of them belongs to SC category, medium level of social participation, scientific orientation, risk orientation, mass media exposure. Majority of the respondents had medium level of knowledge and adoption towards improved tomato production. Socio-economic characteristics like age, education, housing pattern, annual income, family type, social participation, scientific orientation, risk orientation, mass media exposure had positive and significant association with the knowledge at 0.05% of the probability. Caste and extension contacts had negative but significant association with the knowledge at 0.05% level. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2023.v10i05.00

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH QUALITY AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF URBANIZATION: A REVIEW

Urbanization is a worldwide trend that has changed economies, landscapes, and communities. It alludes to the process of population concentration in urban regions, which fosters the development of cities and the enlargement of their infrastructure. This article highlights the effects of urbanization on numerous facets of society along with urbanization's causes, products, and implications. Push and pull variables work together to cause urbanization. People are pushed out of rural regions by various circumstances, including a lack of work prospects, poor agricultural production, poverty, and natural catastrophes. Factors that attract people, on the other side, are the allures and possibilities provided by metropolitan regions, such as increased career chances, access to healthcare, education, and attributes of life enhancements. Urbanization has a serious effect on environmental health quality, both positive and negative. While urban areas can provide numerous economic and social opportunities, they also place considerable stress on the environment, leading to various environmental health challenges. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2023.v10i05.00

PROBLEMS IN SUPPLY CHAIN OF POMEGRANATE (Punica Granatum) IN ARGHANDAB DISTRICT, KANDAHAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

Pomegranate plant has been grown since ancient times for its delicious fruits and as an ornamental garden for its red, orange or occasionally, creamy yellow flowers. Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) belongs to the Punicaceae family. It is also known as the Chinese Apple or Carthage or Apple with many seeds. About 12 per cent of the total land in Afghanistan is arable and less than 6 per cent currently is cultivated. Agriculture is the backbone of the Afghan economy; according to the statistical book FY (2017-18) the contribution agriculture to the country Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 20.9 per cent while the labor force engaged in this sector is around 60.8 per cent. The annual growth rate of pomegranate production in Afghanistan was predicted at 2.9 per cent (Fitrat, 2014). Pomegranate contribute of the total population of Afghanistan was about (2) per cent to the total horticultural production in Afghanistan. The local varieties grown in the main production areas of Kandahar province are known for their high quality and productivity. Different varieties of pomegranates are produced in Afghanistan and supplied to the local markets. Through the maturity time of the crop varies according to the climatic conditions, usually the fruit comes into the market during summer and continues into the fall season.  The Agriculture sector is entirely run by private enterprise, including farmers, cooperatives, inputs suppliers, herders, agribusiness processors, and exporters. Kandahar province is recognized worldwide for its high quality pomegranate production especially the Kandahar varieties, which are highly preferred by national and international consumers. Of the total land under pomegranate cultivation in the country, Kandahar share is about 36.7 per cent with 39.5 per cent of the total national production. But due to poor orchard management practices, careless production, widespread pest and diseases, lack of quality inputs and lack of technical and financial support to the farmers both quality and quantity of pomegranate is badly affected and gradually decreasing. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2022.v10i01.00

FABRICATION OF QUADCOPTER FOR AGRICULTURAL SPRAYING

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being used more frequently for agricultural spraying as a result of their effectiveness and precision. This project involved building a quadcopter without sensors, cameras, or GPS for agricultural spraying. The quadcopter was created to rapidly and effectively cover a sizable amount of agricultural land, while also minimizing the usage of pesticides and the impact on the environment. The quadcopter's frame, which was made of lightweight materials to give strength and durability while minimizing the aircraft's overall weight, was used in its construction. The quadcopter's frame was made to accommodate four brushless motors, each of which had a propeller to give lift and movement. Four electronic speed controllers (ESCs) were used to control the motors' rotational speed and direction. The high-capacity lithium-polymer (LiPo) battery used by the quadcopter has sufficient power to run the motors and spraying system continuously. A tank, a pump that pressurized the liquid, and a nozzle that released the pressurized liquid over the crops as a fine mist made up the spraying system. A KK 2.1.5 circuit board served as the foundation for the flight control system, which was wired to the battery, four ESCs, and other components. The quadcopter's circuit board was configured to retain its position and altitude while flying steadily. Additionally, it provided buttons and an LCD panel for the user to use to change flying characteristics including the throttle, pitch, and roll. A handheld radio transmitter that interacted with a quadcopter receiver was used to control the aircraft. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2023.v10i04.00

CONSTRAINTS FACED BY MUSTARD GROWERS IN ADOPTION OF IMPROVED MUSTARD CULTIVATION PRACTICES IN PRAYAGRAJ DISTRICT OF UTTAR PRADESH

The present study was conducted in Prayagraj District of Uttar Pradesh to find out the constraints faced by mustard growers in adoption of improved mustard cultivation practices. A total of 120 respondents were selected randomly for the present study. The data were collected through a pre-structured interview schedule and appropriate statistical analysis was done to find out the association. It was found that unavailability of seed at time, lack of credit facility at time, lack of hybrid seed, lack of training programme related with improved practices, lack of proper market facilities were major constraints faced by the mustard growers in adoption of improved mustard cultivation practices. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2023.v10i04.00

Viruses on Table Vine Varietie

In Herzegovina table grapes have been grown on smaller private areas. One of the most important factors that affect the yield and quality of vines, grapes and the profit of production are the viruses. The aim of this work is to monitor the occurrence of 4 viruses (GLRaV-1, GLRaV-3, ArMV and GFLV) on 6 table grape varieties: Prima, Black Magic, Cardinal, Demir-kapija, Victoria, Alphonse Lavallée. The research was conducted in the period from November 2019 to September 2020 on one of the larger plantations north of Mostar.Studies have shown different susceptibility of different varieties to these viruses. Of the 60 samples examined, the presence of ArMV virus was not recorded. The presence of GLRaV-1, GLRaV-3 and GFLV viruses was proven by ELISA. The variety Victoria is most susceptible to infection with the GLRaV-3 virus, in which each sample of this variety is infected. The second variety that is most susceptible is Demir kapija with 80% of infected samples, followed by Cardinal with 70% and Alfonso with 50%. The most resistant varieties according to this research are Prima with 30% of infected samples and Black Magic with 10% of infected samples. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2023.v10i05.00

EVALUATION OF CALCIUM OXIDE NANOPARTICLES TO ENHANCE HEAVY METAL STRESS TOLERANCE IN PLANTS

Heavy metal contamination is a severe environmental problem affecting global food production and safety. Heavy metal stress due to its toxicity, bioaccumulation, and non-biodegradability, it become quite serious in nature. The available strategies for preventing heavy metal contamination are not frequently used because of their inefficient and time- or money-consuming properties. Recent developments in nanotechnology have been made based on ameliorative strategies which have a potential alternative to physic-chemical methods. Under heavy metal stress, the application of calcium oxide nanoparticles (CaO-NPs) significantly boosts plant biomass, anti-oxidative enzyme activities (such as catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione reductase (GR)), and the level of non-enzymatic antioxidants (ascorbate and glutathione). Additionally, CaO-NPs enhance the gene expression linked to anti-oxidative enzymes. It can be suggested that CaO-NPs could be used as a potential chemical to reduce heavy metal uptake and toxicity in the plants grown under heavy metal contaminated soil. This review provides an overview of plant-CaO-NPs research in increasing heavy metal stress tolerance in plants. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2022.v10i01.00

Study on Economic Analysis of Marketing for Cucurbits Crop (Cucumber & Watermelon) in Kaushambi District Uttar Pradesh

The present study entitled “Study on the economic analysis of marketing of cucurbits crop (Cucumber & Watermelon) in Kaushambi District Uttar Pradesh.” Was undertaken to study overview, marketing cost, margins and price spread, problems in different marketing channels and preferences of farmers in Kaushambi district of Uttar Pradesh. A multistage stratified purposive cum random sampling technique was applied for the selection of district, block, villages and respondents. The primary data were collected through survey on schedule with the help of personal interviews. The data pertained to the agricultural year 2022-23. Secondary data was collected from secondary sources like district marketing office, mandi, Centre for Monitory Indian Economy (CMIE), India agri. stat etc. From the investigation, cucurbit growers faced different types of management &technical, financial and marketing problems. In which top three most common problems in management & technical faced by the farmers were lack of technical knowledge, unavailability of quality seeds (HYV), and labor problems. The top three financial problems faced by the growers were untimely availability of loans, high-interest rates and the repayment period not sufficient. And the top three marketing problems faced by the growers were perishability problems, lack of storage facilities and grading problems, Major suggestions of cucurbit farmers to overcome these constraints are training be imparted to implement new technologies, credit facilities with low-rate interest by institutional agencies and storage facilities in mandi should be provided to the farmers for their perishable products. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2023.v10i06.00

First Comprehensive Report on the Occurrence of Various Fungal Diseases in Seabuckthorn from Uttarakhand, India

Seabuckthorn is a general term given to the deciduous shrub tree Hippophae Linn. It is one of the most magical plant resources with higher value of economy and ecology. It is also known as “wonder plant” due to its multifarious benefits. Therefore, seabuckthorn should serve as a measure to safeguard medicinal and nutritional plants, to conserve biodiversity and environment and to generate sustainable income source for local people. Diseases and insects are the major factors affecting the success of seabuckthorn cultivation. Control measures depend on proper identification of diseases and their causal agents. Proper disease diagnosis is therefore vital as without proper identification of the disease and the disease causing agent, disease control measures are waste of time and money and can lead to further plant losses. Despite although there are a few reports available regarding the pathological aspect of Hippophae spp. in India, but there is no systematic study on distribution and severity of diseases occurring on Hippophae salicifolia D. Don in Uttarakhand.  Hence, a systematic study was undertaken on the occurrence of diseases on Seabuckthorn plant which are responsible for negatively affecting the yield and quality of a magical plant of Indian Himalayan Region. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2022.v10i01.00

Influence of Different Sources of Manure on the Bio-Chemical and Mineral Constituent on the Leaf of Host Plant of Antheraea mylitta Drury

The tropical silkworm Antheraea mylitta is commercially exploited for it immense economic importance in sericulture industry, which feeds mainly on the leaf of Arjun, Asan and Sal and spin cocoon. The quality of silk depends upon the quality and quantity of the leaf they feed on. So, keeping this in mind the present study was carried out using two different organic manure i.e. Sheep and Poultry manure along with biofertilizer and inorganic manure. The different treatment showed significant improvement on the experimental plant. The moisture contained of the leaf ranged from 60.788-79.077%. While the crude protein ranged from 2.572-11.124% and total carbohydrate ranged from 38.489-158.307 mg g-1. The nutrient content of leaf i.e. N% ranged from 0.4177-1.8098% with highest in K10 (1.764%). The phosphorus per cent ranged from 0.0486-0.4611% with highest (0.45%) in K11 and the potassium per cent ranged from 0.7435-1.8504% with highest in K9 (1.8%). The dry matter were found to be ranged from 114.13-486.469 g/plant with highest in the leaf of K8(469.56g). View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2023.v10i04.00