Corn for Biofuel: Status, Prospects and Implications

Biofuel offers an alternative energy source to meet the energy demands of a growing population of 8 billion while minimizing environmental impact. Globally, around 3000 petajoules of biofuel are produced, diversifying energy sources from conventional to renewable. Corn, rich in starch that can be converted into ethanol, is widely used in biofuel production. Corn-based biofuels are popular due to their potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, their biodegradability, and clean ignition, enhancing energy security. While the current state of corn as a biofuel source appears promising, increasing production requires breeding strategies like varietal crossing and cultivar selection to enhance biomass and starch content. Better agronomic practices and extension strategies are also necessary to improve yield and promote adoption among farmers. Using maize as a feedstock for biofuel production can boost the agricultural industry, create jobs in farming, processing, and transportation, and reduce reliance on foreign oil while preserving foreign exchange reserves. Technological advancements, viz., cellulosic ethanol production, have further expanded the potential use of corn for biofuels due to its abundance and convenience. However, the future of corn-based biofuels is uncertain. Therefore, ongoing innovation, exploration of alternative feedstocks, and cutting-edge technologies are necessary to overcome challenges

Genetic trends in CIMMYT’s tropical maize breeding pipelines

Fostering a culture of continuous improvement through regular monitoring of genetic trends in breeding pipelines is essential to improve efficiency and increase accountability. This is the first global study to estimate genetic trends across the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) tropical maize breeding pipelines in eastern and southern Africa (ESA), South Asia, and Latin America over the past decade. Data from a total of 4152 advanced breeding trials and 34,813 entries, conducted at 1331 locations in 28 countries globally, were used for this study. Genetic trends for grain yield reached up to 138 kg ha−1 yr−1 in ESA, 118 kg ha−1 yr−1 South Asia and 143 kg ha−1 yr−1 in Latin America. Genetic trend was, in part, related to the extent of deployment of new breeding tools in each pipeline, strength of an extensive phenotyping network, and funding stability. Over the past decade, CIMMYT’s breeding pipelines have significantly evolved, incorporating new tools/technologies to increase selection accuracy and intensity, while reducing cycle time. The first pipeline, Eastern Africa Product Profile 1a (EA-PP1a), to implement marker-assisted forward-breeding for resistance to key diseases, coupled with rapid-cycle genomic selection for drought, recorded a genetic trend of 2.46% per year highlighting the potential for deploying new tools/technologies to increase genetic gain

Pulmonary function in patient with ulcerative colitis: A cross-sectional study from North India

Aim: To determine the type and frequency of pulmonary involvement in patients with UC and to determine the distribution of pulmonary dysfunction in patients with UC. Methods: A total of 39 cases of UC, were enrolled consecutively in this study from the Department of Gastroenterology. The age, sex, family history, duration of disease, biochemical parameters (CRP, ESR, blood routine test, etc.), lung function, chest X-ray, diagnoses, and treatments were collected. Patients and controls underwent standard pulmonary function testing. Comparisons of rates among multiple groups were done with Fisher exact test, continuous variables were compared with one-way ANOVA. Results: According to the true love index, the severity of active UC was moderate and severe among 36.7% and 63.3% of subjects respectively. The pulmonary function test “FCV” showed reduced mean FCV among subjects with active UC (2.86±0.77 litres) and inactive UC (3.91±0.62 litres) as compared to controls (4.04±1.14 litres). Among the patients with deranged PFT, 1 (7.6%) had obstructive, 7 (53.8%) had small airway disease and 5 (38.6%) had a restrictive pattern of lung involvement. Conclusion: Subclinical pulmonary dysfunction is frequent in UC and dependent on disease activity. Some alterations were sub-clinical and some of the patients showed troublesome pulmonary symptoms

Crop residue recycling for economic and environmental sustainability: The case of India

India is one of the key producers of food grain, oilseed, sugarcane and other agricultural products. Agricultural crops generate considerable amounts of leftover residues, with increases in food production crop residues also increasing. These leftover residues exhibit not only resource loss but also a missed opportunity to improve a farmer’s income. The use of crop residues in various fields are being explored by researchers across the world in areas such as textile composite non-woven making processes, power generation, biogas production, animal feed, compost and manures, etc. The increasing trend in addition of bio-energy cogeneration plants, increasing demand for animal feedstock and increasing trend for organic agriculture indicates a competitive opportunity forcrop residue in Agriculture. It is to be noted that the use of this left over residue isoften not mutually exclusive which makes measurement of its economic value more difficult.For example, straw can be used as animal bedding and thereafter as a crop fertilizer. In view of this, the main aim of this paper envisaged to know about how much crop residue is left unutilized and how best they can be utilized for alternative purposes for environmental stewardship and sustainability. In this context, an attempt has been made to estimate the total crop residue across the states and its economic value though data available from various government sources and a SWOT analysis performed for possible alternative uses of residue in India. This paper also discusses the successful case studies of India and global level of use of crop residues in economic activities. Over all 516 Mtonnes of crop residue was produced in 2014-15 in India among which cereals were the largest producer of crop residue followed by sugarcane. The energy potential from paddy rice straw crop residue was estimated as 486,955 megawatt for 2014-15 and similarly for coarse cereals it was 226,200megawatt

Effect of Different Spacing and Time of Planting on Growth and Yield of Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa) under Prayagraj Agro Climatic Condition

A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season in 2022-23 at vegetable research farm, Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology & Sciences, Prayagraj (UP). The experiment consisted of nine treatments combinations with three plants spacing viz. (i) 30 x 45cm, (ii) 45 x 60cm and (iii) 45 x 45cm and three levels of sowing date viz. (i) November 5th 2022, (ii) November 12th 2022, (iii) November 19th 2022, were included in the study in Randomized Block Design with three replications. The growth, yield and quality contributing all characters were significantly influenced by the treatments. The highest plant height, number of leaves, weight of head per plant, chlorophyll content and length of outer leaves (cm) as recorded in T6 (D2S3) (plants sowing November 12th 2022 with spacing 45 x 45cm) followed by T3 (D1S3) and lowest in T7 (D3S1). The maximum weight of head per m2, yield per plot (79.6kg) and yield per hectare (89.1t ha) were recorded -1 in T4 (D2S1) (plants sowing November 12th 2022 with spacing 30 x 45cm) followed by T1 (D1S1) and minimum weight of head per m2, yield per plot (35.6kg) and yield per hectare (199.0 t ha-1) were recorded in T8 (D3S2) of Chinese cabbage

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Evaluation of summer legumes for their economic feasibility, nutrient accumulation and soil fertilityA field experiment was conducted during 2007-08 at the research farm of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi to study summer legumes grown as a sandwich crop in ricewheat cropping system for their economic feasibility, nutrient accumulation and their residual effect on soil fertility. Cowpea residues accumulated significantly higher amount of N (97.7 and 4.56 kg/ha in shoot and root, respectively) over that in mungbean. P, K, Mn and Zn accumulation in cowpea residues were significantly higher than those in mungbean. Cowpea also performed significantly better in terms of gross return, net return and B: C ratio. Residual nutrient status in terms of available N, K, Mn and Fe in soil after harvest of dual purpose summer legumes was also higher in cowpea grown plot. However, system productivity of aromatic hybrid rice-wheat-summer legume was highest with mungbean compared to cowpea and summer fallow.Not Availabl

Archives of Microbiology

Not AvailableMicrobial diversity formed by ages of evolution in soils plays an important role in sustainability of crop production by enriching soil and alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses. This diversity is as an essential part of the agro-ecosystems, which is being pushed to edges by pumping agrochemicals and constant soil disturbances. Consequently, efficiency of cropping system has been decreasing, aggravated further by the increased incidence of abiotic stresses due to changes in climatic patterns. Thus, the sustainability of agriculture is at stake. Understanding the microbiota inhabiting phyllosphere, endosphere, spermosphere, rhizosphere, and non-rhizosphere, and its utilization could be a sustainable crop production strategy. This review explores the available information on diversity of beneficial microbes in agricultural ecosystem and synthesizes their commercial uses in agriculture. Microbiota in agro-ecosystem works by nutrient acquisition, enhancing nutrient availability, water uptake, and amelioration of abiotic and abiotic stresses. External application of such beneficial microbiota or microbial consortia helps in boosting plant growth and provides resistance to drought, salinity, heavy metal, high-temperature and radiation stress in various crop plants. These have been instrumental in enhancing tolerance to diseases, insect pest and nematodes in various cropping system. However, studies on the microbiome in revolutionary production systems like conservation agriculture and protected cultivation, which use lesser agrochemicals, are limited and if exploited can provide valuable input in sustainable agriculture production

Conservation agriculture in irrigated intensive maize-based systems of north-western India: Effects on crop yields, water productivity and economic profitability

In north-western India, maize-based systems are being advocated as an alternative to rice-based systems to address the issues of resource degradation, particularly declining water tables and climate-change-induced variability in rainfall and temperature. Conservation agriculture (CA) based best-bet crop management practices may increase crop and water productivity, while conserving and sustaining natural resources. In a 6-year study of conservation agriculture experiment established in 2008, we have evaluated the performance of CA-based management practices [permanent bed (PB) and zero tillage (ZT)] and conventional till (CT) for four intensified irrigated maize systems [maize-wheat-mungbean (MWMb), maize-chickpea-Sesbania green manure (MCS), maize-mustard-mungbean (MMuMb) and maize-maize-Sesbania (MMS)]. Significant (P < 0.05) tillage and cropping system interactions were observed for system productivity. Agronomic performance (yield attributes) of all the crops (except wheat) grown in sequence with maize was maximum with ZT, however wheat outperformed on PB over ZT and CT. In the initial two years, higher system productivity (maize equivalent yield) was recorded in PB (8.2–8.5 Mg ha−1), while from third year onwards ZT registered maximum productivity (11.3–12.9 Mg ha−1).The system glucose equivalent yield increased by 0.6 Mg ha−1 under ZT and PB compared to CT. Economic profits from maize-based rotations were invariably higher either in MMuMb or MWMb systems, while in terms of glucose equivalent yield, MMS and MWMb rotation were highest. Synergistic effects of summer legumes (mungbean and Sesbania) after winter legume/oilseed/cereal were observed on yield of individual crop vis-a-vis system productivity and irrigation water use. ZT and PB practices reduced the irrigation water requirement by 40–65 ha-mm and 60–98 ha-mm, respectively compared to CT system, resulted enhanced system water productivity by 19.4% equally under both ZT and PB. Net profit from the maize-based systems under ZT was up to 31% higher with 72$ ha−1 lower production cost compared to CT. Results from our study showed that adoption of CA based tillage practices in MMuMb and MWMb system for sustainable increase of crop and water productivity in north-western region of India

Reducing Global Warming Potential through Sustainable Intensification of Basmati Rice-Wheat Systems in India

This study examines the effects of tillage, residue management and cropping system intensification through the inclusion of green gram on the performance of the rice-wheat (RW) system in NW India. We hypothesized that zero tillage (ZT) with residue retention provides a means of sustainably intensifying the RW system through lower production costs and higher economic profitability, whilst at the same time minimizing soil and environmental trade-offs. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated six combinations of tillage, residue management and green gram integration in RW rotation in northwest Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of India. Treatments included in the study were: rice and wheat under conventional tillage (CT) with and without green gram (CTR-CTW, CTR-CTW+GG), both crops under zero-tillage (ZT) with and without green gram (ZTR-ZTW-R, ZTR-ZTW-R+GG) and both crops under ZT plus residues with and without green gram (ZTR-ZTW+R, ZTR-ZTW+R+GG). Based on two consecutive years of data, the net return from the RW system was significantly higher in the ZT than CT systems. Methane emissions were only observed under flooded conditions in CT rice plots; otherwise, emissions were negligible in all other treatment combinations. N2O emissions were dictated by N fertilizer application with no other treatment effects. Overall, ZT with residue retention resulted in the lowest global warming potential (GWP) ranging from −3301 to −823 kg CO2-eq ha−1 year−1 compared to 4113 to 7917 kg CO2-eq ha−1 year−1 in other treatments. Operational inputs (tillage, planting, and irrigation) and soil C sequestration had significant effects on total GWP. The water footprint of RW production system was about 29% less in CA-based system compared to CT-based systems. Our study concludes that ZTR-ZTW+R and ZTR-ZTW+R+GG in RW systems of northwestern IGP have the potential to be agronomically productive, economically viable with benefits also for the environment in terms of soil health and GHG emissions

Long term effect of conservation agriculture in maize rotations on total organic carbon, physical and biological properties of a sandy loam soil in north-western Indo-Gangetic Plains

Maize-based crop rotations are advocated as alternate to rice-based systems in South Asia due to better suitability for diverse ecologies, higher yields with less water use and more palatable maize fodder compared to rice, and increased demand of maize from piggery and poultry industries. Alternate tillage and crop establishment practices are important management strategies for tackling the issues of soil health deterioration and over exploitation of underground water resources, particularly in rice based intensive crop rotations. The conservation agriculture (CA) based tillage and crop establishment practices such as zero tillage (ZT) and permanent raised beds (PB) hold potential to enhance soil organic carbon (SOC), physical and biological properties for sustainability of soil health. Therefore, a long term study was conducted to evaluate the twelve combinations of tillage practices (03) and irrigated intensive maize based crop rotations (04) on organic carbon, physical properties and microbial biomass and enzymatic activities of a sandy loam (Typic Haplustept) soil in north-western India. The tillage practices consisted of ZT, PB and conventional tillage (CT) in main plots and four diversified intensive maize based crop rotations (MWMb: Maize-Wheat-Mungbean, MCS: Maize-Chickpea-Sesbaina, MMuMb: Maize-Mustard-Mungbean, MMS: Maize-Maize-Sesbania) in sub plots. In this study we analysed the SOC, physical and biological properties of soil at various depths after 7 years of continuous ZT, PB and CT in diversified maize rotations. Compared to CT plots, the soil physical properties like water stable aggregates (WSA) > 250 μm were 16.1-32.5% higher, and bulk density (BD) and penetration resistance (PR) showed significant (P < 0.05) decline (11.0–14.3 and 11.2–12.0%) in ZT and PB plots at 0–15 and 15–30 cm soil layers. The soil organic carbon (SOC) increased by 34.6-35.3% at 0–15 cm, and 23.6-26.5% at 15–30 cm soil depths with conservation agriculture (ZT and PB) based crop establishment techniques over CT. Similarly, the soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) under CA based systems increased by 45–48.9% in 0–30 cm profile depth of a sandy loam (Typic Haplustept) soil. Significant (P < 0.05) improvement in soil enzymatic activities i.e., Fluorescein diacetate, dehydrogenase, β Glucosidase and Alkaline phosphatase was also recorded in the CA based treatments. Significant (P < 0.05) synergistic effects of summer legumes (mungbean and Sesbania) with winter legume/cereal in crop rotations were observed on SOC,WSA, BD, PR and Ksat at 0–15 and 15–30 cm depths. Interaction between tillage and crop rotations were significant (P < 0.05) for soil organic carbon, physical properties and enzymatic activities. Thus our long-term study suggests that CA based crop management with selected diversified maize based rotations (MCS and MWMb) can be advocated as sustainable intensification strategy in light textured soils of north-western India and other similar agro-ecologies of South Asia