Not Available

Not AvailableIn zero-till direct seeded rice (DSR), systematic information pertaining to weed management under on-farm conditions for medium- or long-term is lacking. Therefore, on-farm adaptive trials were conducted to find out the effect of different crop establishment and weed management practices on yield stability and weed dynamics over the years at Faridabad and Sonepat districts of Haryana, India. Results showed that DSR with residue (DSRR) coupled with pretilachlor as pre-emergence (PE) @ 0.75 kg ha−1 followed by bispyribac-sodium as post-emergence (POE) @ 0.025 kg ha-1 (PretBis) or cyhalofop butyl @ 0.060 kg ha-1 (PretCy) resulted in rice grain yield (5.38 t ha-1 and 5.33 t ha-1, respectively) statistically at par with transplanted rice (TPR)-PretBis (5.30 t ha-1) and TPR-PretCy (5.21 t ha-1). PretBis produced 32.3 % higher grain yield as compared to farmers’ practice (FP). Higher broad-leaved weeds (BLWs) biomass was recorded under DSR (8.25 g m-2), followed by DSRR (4.58 g m-2) and TPR (3.99 g m-2). Whereas, among weed management practices, PretBis had least BLWs biomass (4.17 g m-2) followed by PretCy (4.77 g m-2). Biomass of narrow leaved weeds (NLWs) and sedges was found lowest under PretCy (3.63 g m-2 and 3.77 g m-2). GGE biplot analysis of biomass of BLWs and NLWs reveals that PretBis and PretCy, respectively had the highest-ranking owing to their stability across the environments (location x year). In year x location environments, last three years of study were in the same mega environments, which indicated stability in weed biomass and population reduction from third year onwards. Yield stability was highest under DSRR-PretCy followed by DSRR-PretBis. The study highlights that, under north-western Indo-Gangetic plains, if the weeds are managed properly, DSRR can be adopted without significant yield reduction during initial years and comparable yield to TPR and improved soil fertility in the long-term.Not Availabl

Not Available

Not AvailableNot AvailableNot Availabl

Not Available

Not AvailableIn recent times, with the globalization of markets, shrinking of land and climate change, food basket diversification, increase in demand for nutrient-rich food, the protected cultivation of high-value crops (HVCs) have assumed a pivotal role in augmenting higher crop productivity and profitability and enhancing nutritional security of the growing population. In this context, a study was undertaken to analyze the impact of protected cultivation in horticultural crops in the districts of Almora and Dehradun in the Uttarakhand state. It was mainly based on primary data obtained through a primary survey and focus group discussion with the 96 farmers practicing protected cultivation by using a well-structured and pre-tested questionnaire. In economic analysis, the project analysis tools were used to assess the feasibility of the protected cultivation. The study clearly demonstrated that the cultivation of vegetables and flowers under protected cultivation is a highly profitable enterprise. However, the findings of the study indicated that the subsidy scheme needs to be continued to encourage maximum farmers to adopt protected cultivation and farmers need to be encouraged to form farmers producers organizations (FPOs), which would help them in seeking better quality of inputs and enhancing negotiating power in the market to realize maximum returns for their farm produce.Not Availabl

Morphological, pathogenic and genetic diversity in Diplodia seriata associated with black rot canker of apple in India

Abstract Apple cankers are extremely destructive diseases threatening the global apple industry through direct and indirect losses. The population structure of the pathogens is of paramount significance for the development of efficient management strategies. Therefore, phenotypic, pathogenic, and genetic diversity of Diplodia seriata causing black rot canker of apple was investigated in this study. All the isolates were included for investigating the in vitro mycelial growth, conidial dimensions, and pathogenic variability on two-year-old potted apple seedlings. The ISSR approach was used to investigate the molecular diversity of D. seriata. Mycelial growth rates were found to vary significantly amongst the isolates; however, there were no major variations seen between the different geographical groupings of isolates. Pathogenicity tests revealed variations in the size of cankers among the isolates indicating the presence of virulence variability. The isolates were segregated into three virulence groups based on canker length. The Bayesian analyses of ISSR data divided the isolates into two genetic clusters. The genetic clustering of the isolates revealed no relationship with geographical origin of the isolates. Furthermore, no direct relationship of genetic clustering was observed with morphological or pathogenic variability. The ISSR primers revealed very high level of variability in D. seriata; however, no distinct populations of the pathogen existed which is an indication of high level of gene flow between the diverse geographical populations. According to our knowledge, this is the first thorough investigation on the diversity of D. seriata associated with apple black rot canker in India