Explaining debugging strategies to end-user programmers

There has been little research into how end-user programming environments can provide explanations that could fill a critical information gap for end-user debuggers – help with debugging strategy. To address this need, we designed and prototyped a video-based approach for explaining debugging strategy, and accompanied it with a text-only approach. We then conducted a qualitative empirical study with end-user debuggers. The results reveal the influences of the explanations on end-user debuggers’ decision making, how users reacted to the video versus textual media, and the information gaps the explanations closed. The results also reveal issues of particular importance to explanations of this type

Enhancement of seed yield of rice fallow green gram through foliar application of macro and micro nutrients

Seedling vigour and initial establishment of rice fallow green gram is affected due to mechanical harvesting of paddy which requires complete drying of soil. To enhance the synchronous growth and development, foliar application of micronutrients, mono ammonium phosphate, di ammonium phosphate and 19:19:19 was performed during different phases of rice fallow green gram. Combination of MN chelated mixture and 19:19:19 sprayed on four different stages of crop growth enhanced the seed yield of 1266 kg/ha. This study is the first report on the combination of water soluble micro and macro nutrients on enhancing the yield of green gram under rice fallow conditions. The yield enhancement can stabilize rice fallow cultivation of green gram in Cauvery Delta Zone which will directly benefit the farmers and industry

Optimizing cotton production through efficient weed management using herbicides: A promising solution for labour-scarce farming

Cotton, often referred to as ‘White gold’ and the ‘King of fibre crops’ holds a significant position as a cash and fibre crop in India. Weeds contribute to approximately 45 % yield reduction in cotton cultivation at the national lev?el, making weed management a critical factor in determining cotton productivity, particularly in high-density planting systems (HDPS). Effective weed control optimizes resource allocation, leading to improved growth parameters and higher yields. This study investigates the efficacy of various weed management practices, including pre-emergence and post-emergent herbicide applications, in enhancing cotton yield under HDPS. The results clearly demonstrate that a combination of PE Pendimethalin (1.0 kg a.i./ha), Metolachlor (1.0 kg a.i./ha), POE Pyrithiobac sodium (0.075 kg a.i./ha), and Quizalofop ethyl (0.075 kg a.i./ha) led to significantly greater plant height (113.4 cm) and dry matter production (7609 kg ha-1 ) . This treatment also resulted insignificantly improved yield parameters, with a higher seed cotton yield of 2098 kg ha-1 , and yielded higher net returns of Rs.141961 ha-1 and a Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) of 3.09. In the face of increasing labour scarcity, these herbicide-based weed management practices offer a viable solution for maximizing cotton productivity under HDPS. This approach supports the rapid expansion of cotton acreage in the current era of farm mechanization

Exploring genetic variability, diversity and trait associations in sunnhemp (Crotolaria juncea L.) accessions for yield improvement

Sunnhemp (Crotolaria juncea L.) is an important fibre crop known for its rapid growth and ability to improve soil fertility, making it a vital component of sustainable agriculture. However, to enhance its productivity and meet the increasing demand for high-quality fibre, it is crucial to identify and utilize genetically diverse genotypes with superior yield traits. The present study was conducted at the Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute, Aduthurai, Tamil Nadu, during the Kharif seasons of 2021 and 2022 to assess genetic variability and character association for yield and its component traits among 67 sunnhemp genotypes. Multivariate analyses, including principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis, were conducted using R software to dissect the phenotypic diversity among the genotypes. The results revealed substantial genetic variability for yield and its associated traits, indicating a promising potential for genetic improvement. Genotypes ADSH 1750, ADSH 1701, ADSH 1736, ADSH 1715, and ADSH 1742 exhibited superior performance in key yield-related traits, making them valuable candidates for future breeding programs focused on developing high-yielding, high-fibre varieties. Cluster analysis delineated four distinct clusters, with Clusters I and IV showing significant divergence and highlighting the presence of unique genetic material. Key plant production traits such as plant height, leaf breadth, basal stem diameter, yield, and number of leaves were the primary contributors to the first two principal components. These findings suggest that direct selection based on these traits could effectively improve biomass yield in future sunnhemp breeding efforts, contributing to the advancement of sustainable fibre crop production

Controlled delivery of essential oils for the management of rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros L.) in coconut

Rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros L. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), causes damage to coconut palms by feeding on the unopened fronds affecting photosynthesis. Management measures adopted include use of chemical insecticides and bioagents. Though chemical insecticides are effective, the undesirable effect on human and non-target organisms have led to dependence on botanochemicals for pest management. Essential oils derived from plant parts have the ability to cause desired control on insect pest. The limitation for use at field level is attributed to quick decline in its efficacy due to evaporation and photo degradation. Hence, this study aims to develop a polymer based delivery matrix for the release of essential oils more effectively. Essential oils (citriodora, basil and ajowan) and major constituent thymol, caused growth regulating effect in O. rhinoceros at 0.1 per cent. Among the essential oils screened, matrix loaded with basil and citriodora oils were superior with only 18 and 22 per cent incidence of spindle damage, respectively. Pest infestation in the control plots were over 74 per cent. The physical properties of the polymer matrix and dissipation pattern of actives loaded into the sheet were determined. This offers a potential to be incorporated as a component in IPM measures of rhinoceros beetle

Integrated rice farming systems for improved growth, yield and pest reduction

Soil health and environmental degradation are some of the major challenges to the sustainable production of organic rice cultivation. The study utilized farming systems components like Azolla, fish and duck as nutrient sources in rice cultivation during late samba 2022-23 and 2023-24 at Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute, Aduthurai, Tamil Nadu. The experiments were conducted with eleven treatments replicated thrice in a randomized block design, the treatments included green manure, fish, Azolla, duck and liquid bio fertilizers and their combinations with nano urea foliar spray were compared with RDF. The results demonstrated a significant positive impact of integrating farming system components on rice growth and productivity. GM- Rice + fish + Azolla + duck (PSB+KSB+ZSB) along with nano urea foliar spray (0.4 %) recorded the maximum growth and physiological parameters over other treatments. Similar results were also observed in yield attributes of rice viz., the number of panicles (457 m-2), panicle length (31.26 cm), panicle weight (3.94 g), and filled grains panicle-1 (331.5). The higher grain (6.06 t ha-1), straw yield (7.81 t ha-1), rice equivalent yield (REY) (22.55 t ha-1), system productivity (61.79 kg ha-1 day-1), sustainable yield index (0.881) and relative production efficiency (440.3 %) of rice were recorded in GM- Rice + fish + Azolla + duck (PSB+KSB+ZSB) along with nano urea foliar spray (0.4 %). Additionally, lower pest incidences and higher insect pest control efficiency, richness, diversity and evenness indices were observed in green manure, Azolla, fish and duck-adopted treatments. The findings of experiments revealed that the inclusion of integrated farming system components significantly improved the yield and reduced pest incidences in rice

Tillage practices on soil penetration resistance, soil infiltration, percolation and yield of rice (Oryza sativa) in rice-based cropping system

The experiment was conducted during 2019–23 at Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore), Aduthurai, Tamil Nadu to analyse the effect of conservation tillage methods on bulk density, soil penetration resistance and soil infiltration rate of clay soil and rice yield in rice-based cropping system. Experiment consisted of three tillage practices, viz. conventional tillage/puddling (CT); zero tillage (ZT); and minimal tillage/dry ploughing (MT) and two rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars (ADT 43 and CORH 3), replicated four times. The result of the study revealed that the bulk density was significantly lower with zero tillage due to presence of crop residues and addition of organic matter. The mean infiltration rate under zero tillage was 0.16 cm/h as compared to puddling (0.14 cm/h) and dry ploughing (0.20 cm/h). The study further showed that the mean soil percolation rate was significantly altered by the tillage methods and soil percolation rate was 0.12 cm/h in zero tillage as compared to puddling (0.10 cm/h) and dry ploughing (0.16 cm/h). In contrary to the other physical properties, the soil penetration resistance was in the order of dry ploughing>zero tillage>puddling. The mean soil penetration resistance under zero tillage was reduced from 690–500 Kpa, 740–600 Kpa and 760–620 Kpa respectively at 0–5, 5–10 and 10–15 cm depth as compared to puddling. The results further indicated that the yield parameters and rice did not differ among the different tillage practices

Sunn hemp - An under-exploited versatile crop for soil nitrogen transformation and fibre production

Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) is a versatile legume belonging to the family Fabaceae, commonly used as a green manure or cover crop adding benefits to the cropping system. Nowadays, the excessive use of chemical sources of nitrogen to meet the crop demands has led to poor nitrogen use efficiency and significant environmental degradation. Reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers by supplementing them with green manure can minimize these negative impacts without compromising crop requirements. The incorporation of sunn hemp helps to improve the soil structure, water holding capacity, problem soil reclamation and increases nitrogen availability to the succeeding crop. Besides being used as a green manure crop, it is also grown as a fibre crop, due to the soft, strong and slightly lignified nature of its fibre. Synthetic fibres in blends are deleterious to the planet, requiring the search for natural and sustainable alternatives. The value of ecologically friendly resources has been increasing. Sunn hemp fibre is an underutilized lignocellulose fibre with a wide range of applications and an excellent substitute for synthetic fibres as it has natural characteristics such as high mechanical strength, low density, low cost, easy availability, biodegradability, etc. It is a fast-growing legume with high biomass, increased accumulation of nitrogen, weed suppressor, nematode controller and generates bioproducts viz., biofuel and bioenergy. The role of sunn hemp in nitrogen mineralization, their fibre properties and versatility in day-to-day activity make it a promising crop for the present and future generations. This review article presents the various uses of sunn hemp through past years of research

Exploration of the effect of botanicals on controlling tea mosquito bug (Helopeltis antonii Signoret) in the cashew ecosystem

The tea mosquito bug (TMB) Helopeltis antonii Signoret poses a significant threat to cashew plantations, causing substantial damage to the trees and affecting crop productivity. Botanicals have been examined for their effectiveness against tea mosquito bugs (TMB) in cashew plantations that impose damage on cashew trees. A field experiment was conducted at the Regional Research Station, Vridhachalam, Tamil Nadu, to evaluate the effectiveness of various botanical pesticides against TMB. The study included seven treatments using different botanicals and one untreated control. Applications were made at critical growth stages, namely flushing, flowering and nut formation, at fortnightly intervals, ensuring the pest population remained below the economic threshold level (ETL). Five spray rounds were administered, with a maximum of 10 L of spray suspension applied per tree for each treatment. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in TMB incidence in plots treated with botanical pesticides. Fifteen days after the third, fourth and fifth sprays, TMB incidence was completely absent in treated plots, whereas the untreated control recorded a damage score of 3.25. Furthermore, a marked decline in fresh TMB infestations was observed within seven days following each spray application. Among the treatments, a mixture of leaf extracts from adathoda (Adathoda vasica), datura (Datura metel), vitex (Vitex negundo), calotropis (Calotropis gigantea) and neem (Azadirachta indica) showed the highest efficacy, reducing TMB incidence to damage scales of 0.660 and 0.550. Similarly, Pongamia oil (5 % concentration) exhibited substantial effectiveness, reducing TMB incidence to scales of 0.845 and 0.645. These findings highlight the potential of botanical pesticides as eco–friendly and effective alternatives for managing TMB in cashew plantations