Metal and metallic dynamics in soil affect the ecosystem services and mediated the food chain contamination over a period. Industrialization of a country boost the economic growth, whereas waste generation during the different process poorly manage will be the source of pollution. Dumping of industrial effluents in natural resources reach the human body via food chain contamination is a major challenges in-front of researcher and policy makers. Different type of remediation methods are practicing, among them, phytoremediation is an eco-friendly and cheaper. Selection of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) for phytoremediation is well established and popular practice in many countries. It is having the higher biomass and poor translocation of heavy metals from shoot to edible part. Research and development activities have been improved the greater biomass and crop yield in metal contaminated soils also. Long- term cultivation of mustard crop on contaminated soil improved the soil health parameters and reduces the metal concentration in soil solution. Use of mustard crop as a phytoremediation is a good practice without compromising the agricultural crop production in metal toxicity areas.
The present study was undertaken to analyze the constraints faced by rural women in dairy farming and to understand their socio-economic profile. The study was conducted on a sample of 154 respondents selected from the study area using appropriate sampling techniques. Data were collected through a structured interview schedule and analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Garrett ranking technique. The findings revealed that the majority of respondents belonged to the middle age group, were primarily engaged in farming and allied activities, and had a moderate level of education. Most of the respondents were from nuclear families and belonged to the marginal farmer category, indicating limited access to land and resources. The income distribution further showed that a large proportion of respondents fell under the low-income category. The Garrett ranking analysis indicated that household responsibilities were the most severe constraint faced by rural women in dairy farming, followed by high cost of feed and fodder and inadequate availability of water. Other major constraints included low price of milk offered by dairy centres, lack of training facilities, and inadequate veterinary services. Limited awareness about government schemes and lack of access to improved breeds and disease management practices were also identified as important challenges. The study concludes that rural women face multiple interrelated constraints that hinder their effective participation in dairy farming. Therefore, there is a need for targeted interventions such as capacity building programmes, improved extension services, better access to veterinary care, and enhanced awareness of government schemes. Such measures can significantly improve productivity, income, and empowerment of rural women in the dairy sector.
The field experiment was conducted during 2021-2022 at Norman E. Borlaug Crop Research Centre, G.B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, U.S Nagar, Uttarakhand, India to evaluate the impact of diversification and intensification in rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) on productivity and profitability. The experimental field soil was loam in texture, high in organic carbon, low in available nitrogen, high in phosphorus and medium in potassium with neutral pH. Ten cropping sequences were evaluated in a randomized block design with three replications. The study formed part of a long-term trial initiated in 2017–18 under AICRP–IFS. Results revealed that the rice–vegetable pea–mentha cropping sequence recorded the highest system productivity (239.7 q REY/ha), production efficiency (66.4 kg REY/ha/day) and relative production efficiency (148.1%), outperforming the conventional rice–wheat–fallow sequence. Napier grass + fodder cowpea–napier grass + berseem–napier grass + fodder cowpea cropping recorded the highest land use efficiency (99.4%), where as nutrient productivity was recorded highest in rice–vegetable pea–black gram and rice–vegetable pea–mentha cropping systems mainly due to higher productivity of vegetable pea (133.4 and 121.5 q REY/ha, respectively The presence of high-value crops (mentha and vegetable pea) contributed to the superior performance of diversified systems. Overall, diversification of conventional RWCS with legumes, vegetables and fodder crops substantially enhanced productivity, system efficiency, resource use efficiency and economic profitability. Under the Tarai conditions of Uttarakhand, the rice–vegetable pea–mentha sequence proved to be the most productive and remunerative option among the tested cropping systems.
The experiment was conducted during kharif 2019 at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India to study the influence of sensor-based N management on performance of maize. Total eight treatments viz., 100% N (120 kg/ha), 33 % basal N + GreenSeeker based N at knee-height & tasseling stage, 60 % basal N + GreenSeeker based N at knee-height, 70 % basal N + GreenSeeker based N at knee-height, 60 % basal N + GreenSeeker based N at tasseling stage, 70 % basal N + GreenSeeker based N at tasseling stage, 30 % basal N + 30 % N at 25 days after sowing (DAS) + GreenSeeker based N at tasseling stage and 35 % basal N + 35 % N at 25 DAS + GreenSeeker based N at tasseling stage were tested in RBD. Significantly higher plant height, dry matter per plant, grain yield and net return as well as N saving were obtained in 30-35% basal nitrogen + GreenSeeker based N application. Grain yield under 100% RDN was at par with GreenSeeker based N treatments which had 30-35% basal N. Results indicated that GreenSeeker based nitrogen application in maize is not only productive but also saves nitrogen. Higher net return with less requirement of nitrogen can be obtained 30-35 % basal N + 30-35 % N at 25 DAS with GreenSeeker based N application at tasseling stage.
The present investigation was carried out during the Rabi season of 2022–23 to evaluate thirteen oat (Avena sativa L.) genotypes for germination, seedling vigour, and their association with green forage yield. While seed quality parameters are routinely assessed in cereals, their potential as indirect selection criteria for green forage yield improvement in oat remains poorly documented, particularly for newly developed genotypes under north Indian agro-climatic conditions. The field experiment
was conducted at the Dairy Farm, Nagla, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, and the laboratory studies on seed quality parameters were carried out at the Seed Testing Laboratory, Breeder Seed Production Centre, GBPUAT, Pantnagar. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with three replications. Ten genotypes (UPO-22-1 to UPO-22-10) along with three checks (UPO-212, UPO-10-2, and UPO-06-1) were evaluated for first
count (%), standard germination (%), seedling root length (cm), germination index (GI), mean germination time (MGT), mean daily germination, time to 50% germination (T50), seedling fresh weight (g), seedling dry weight (g), seedling vigour index-I, seedling vigour index-II, speed of germination (SOG), relative growth index (RGI), and green forage yield (kg/plot). Significant genotypic variation was recorded for all traits studied. Genotype UPO-22-6 recorded the highest first count (93.67%) and standard
germination (94.003%), while UPO-22-5 showed the lowest time to 50% germination (3.49 days) and UPO-22-9 exhibited the lowest mean germination time (3.94 days) and highest germination index (19.43), collectively identifying these genotypes as the most vigorous among those evaluated. Correlation analysis revealed that seedling fresh weight (SFW) was the only trait under given conditions with a significant positive association with green forage yield at both genotypic (r = 0.431*) and phenotypic (r = 0.431*) levels, while mean germination time showed a consistent negative trend with yield. Path coefficient analysis confirmed
that SFW exerted the highest positive direct effect on green forage yield at both genotypic (+0.758) and phenotypic (+0.691) levels, establishing it as the most reliable indirect selection criterion for forage yield improvement. These findings suggest that simultaneous selection for high seedling fresh weight, high standard germination, and low mean germination time particularly in genotypes UPO-22-5 and UPO-22-6 would be an effective strategy for developing high-yielding, vigorous oat varieties.
