Increase in wheat production through management of abiotic stresses : A review

About 9% of area on earth is under crops out of which 91% is under various stresses. On an average, about 50% yield losses are due to abiotic stresses mostly due to high temperature (20%), low temperature (7%), salinity (10%), drought (9%) and other abiotic stresses (4%). As there is no scope for increasing area under agriculture, the increased productivity from these stressed land is a must to meet the ever increasing demand. Further, the severity of abiotic stresses is likely to increase due to changing climate leading to adverse effect on crops. Therefore, abiotic stresses like drought, salinity, sodicity, acidity, water logging, heat, nutrient toxicities/ deficiencies etc need to be effectively addressed through adoption of management practices like tillage and planting options, residue management, sowing time, stress tolerant cultivars, irrigation scheduling and integrated nutrient management to conserve natural resources, mitigating their adverse effect and sustainable wheat production

Combined Effect of Disc Coulters and Operational Speeds on Soil Disturbance and Crop Residue Cutting under No-Tillage System in Soil Bin

In the present study, a residue cutting system comprising of different disc coulters (plain, notch, curved teeth, cutter bar and star wheel) was developed and its performance was evaluated under no-tillage system in soil bin. The performance of residue cutting system was evaluated by performing a total of 135 experiments (including replications) in soil bin (black cotton soil, moisture content: 16.8–18.4% db and cone index: 1600±100 kPa) using forward speeds of 0.56, 0.83 and 1.11 m∙s−1 under the crop residues of rice (8 t∙ha−1), wheat (8 t∙ha−1) and maize (16 t∙ha−1). The effects of disc coulters and operational speeds on performance parameters viz. penetration depth, top width, soil disturbance and residue cutting were investigated. For all type of disc coulters, penetration depth and top width were found in the range of 5–10 and 0.6–5.7 cm, respectively. The least soil disturbance was observed for star wheel disc coulter under maize residue. The operational speeds of 0.56 and 1.11 m∙s−1 favored lesser soil disturbance. The highest mean residue cutting was observed for star wheel disc coulter (98.15%) followed by notched (84.12%), curved teeth (75.82%), plain (61.82%) and cutter bar blade disc coulter (52.12%). The change in forward speed did not produce significant effect on residue cutting. Star wheel disc coulter was effective in cutting of medium to heavy residue loads of rice, wheat and maize crops along with minimal soil disturbance

Combined Effect of Disc Coulters and Operational Speeds on Soil Disturbance and Crop Residue Cutting under No-Tillage System in Soil Bin

739-749In the present study, a residue cutting system comprising of different disc coulters (plain, notch, curved teeth, cutter bar and star wheel) was developed and its performance was evaluated under no-tillage system in soil bin. The performance of residue cutting system was evaluated by performing a total of 135 experiments (including replications) in soil bin (black cotton soil, moisture content: 16.8–18.4% db and cone index: 1600±100 kPa) using forward speeds of 0.56, 0.83 and 1.11 m∙s−1 under the crop residues of rice (8 t∙ha−1), wheat (8 t∙ha−1) and maize (16 t∙ha−1). The effects of disc coulters and operational speeds on performance parameters viz. penetration depth, top width, soil disturbance and residue cutting were investigated. For all type of disc coulters, penetration depth and top width were found in the range of 5–10 and 0.6–5.7 cm, respectively. The least soil disturbance was observed for star wheel disc coulter under maize residue. The operational speeds of 0.56 and 1.11 m∙s−1 favored lesser soil disturbance. The highest mean residue cutting was observed for star wheel disc coulter (98.15%) followed by notched (84.12%), curved teeth (75.82%), plain (61.82%) and cutter bar blade disc coulter (52.12%). The change in forward speed did not produce significant effect on residue cutting. Star wheel disc coulter was effective in cutting of medium to heavy residue loads of rice, wheat and maize crops along with minimal soil disturbance

Rethinking non-traditional resistance at work : the case of the Indian Diaspora in Mauritius

Resistance at work can take many forms and this is reflected in the multiple ways it has been theorised in research. In this paper, I use postcolonial theory to analyse employee resistance in Mauritius. To do this, I deploy Homi Bhabha’s concepts of mimicry, ambivalence and hybridity to explore non-traditional forms of resistance among the Indian Diaspora working in the hotel industry. Using ethnographic research, I firstly look at its ‘home’-making practices as it is within the home that visions of community emerge (Bhabha, 1994) which could later influence behaviours at work. I argue that the Diaspora maintains connections with its ancestral roots via routine religious practices and language use while concomitantly resisting assimilation in the local context. The analysis is then extended to their workplace where further forms of non-traditional resistance are found to be enacted which are strongly influenced by the same values emerging at home