Journal of Scientific Research and Reports

A Report on Beekeeping Practices in Cachar, Barak Valley Zone of Assam, India

2026-09-07T13:41:42+00:00

Beekeeping has potential to supplement rural livelihoods while supporting crop pollination and ecological functions. The present study investigated the status, opportunities and challenges of beekeeping as a livelihood activity in Cachar District, Assam, with a specific focus on honey production, marketing practices and farmers’ awareness of beekeeping. The study adopted a mixed-method approach, combining field visits, household surveys, direct interactions with beekeepers, focus group discussions and observational assessments across selected locations. The field visits provided first-hand insights into colony management practices, floral resource availability, seasonal constraints and the socio-economic relevance of beekeeping in the region. The findings revealed that beekeeping serves as a supplementary but increasingly important income source for rural households, owing to the district’s favourable climate and diverse floral resources. However, several constraints significantly affected productivity and sustainability. The study identified seasonal flooding, pest and predator infestations, limited floral availability during the rainy season and a high incidence of fungal and bacterial infections as major biological and environmental challenges faced by beekeepers. Management-related issues, such as inadequate technical knowledge of handling bee boxes, appliances and apiaries, limited awareness of disease- and pest-control strategies, poor honey storage and inadequate packaging materials, further constrain effective beekeeping. Marketing analysis showed that most beekeepers sell honey directly to consumers because of the absence of organised market spaces, branding or cooperative networks. Despite high demand, limited market access and a lack of awareness of value addition reduce overall profitability.

AI-driven Customer Experience, Marketing Intelligence and Anti-money-laundering Analytics in Digital Enterprises: A Critical Integrative Review

2026-08-20T09:27:12+00:00

Artificial intelligence has become embedded in three enterprise decision domains that are usually studied separately: customer experience, marketing intelligence and anti-money-laundering analytics. Their technical foundations overlap, yet their objectives, evidence conditions, error costs and accountability requirements differ sharply. This critical narrative review integrates scholarship on these domains to assess where artificial intelligence creates defensible value, where empirical claims outrun the evidence, and how digital enterprises should govern shared analytical capabilities without collapsing unlike decisions into a single automation logic. Literature was selected from accessible scholarly indexes, repositories and article records for the period 1 January 2015 to 8 June 2026, with earlier methodological work retained where conceptually necessary. The synthesis indicates that artificial intelligence is most credible when the target decision is well specified, feedback is informative, model outputs are connected to an organisational action, and meaningful human escalation remains available. In customer experience, personalisation and conversational systems can improve relevance and interaction efficiency, but privacy concerns, disclosure effects, algorithm aversion and perceived loss of agency make customer response strongly context dependent. In marketing intelligence, predictive gains do not automatically translate into incremental value because data are endogenous to earlier decisions, causal questions remain distinct from prediction, and organisational analytics capability mediates adoption. In anti-money-laundering analytics, supervised, graph, temporal, active-learning and hybrid approaches can improve alert prioritisation and pattern discovery, yet generalisability is constrained by extreme class imbalance, weak or selective ground truth, proprietary data, adaptive adversaries and limited prospective external validation. Across all three domains, the central design problem is not whether to automate, but how to align objectives, data provenance, interpretability, human authority and monitoring with the consequences of the decision. The review therefore argues for portfolio-based enterprise AI governance: shared infrastructure should be combined with domain-specific evidence standards, utility functions and escalation controls.

Digital Agriculture and Sustainable Rural Transformation: A Critical Narrative Review of Mobile Agro-Advisory Services, Agricultural Robotics and Livelihood Resilience

2026-08-22T13:03:42+00:00

Digital agriculture is increasingly presented as a route to more productive, resource-efficient and climate-resilient rural economies, yet technologies grouped under this label differ sharply in capital intensity, evidence maturity and distributional consequences. This critical narrative review examines three connected domains: mobile agro-advisory services, agricultural robotics and livelihood resilience. The review integrates evidence from agricultural economics, extension science, rural development, information systems, precision agriculture and field robotics, with particular attention to smallholder and resource-constrained settings while retaining broader robotics evidence where it illuminates transferable technical or institutional mechanisms. The literature indicates that mobile advisory interventions can reduce information frictions and improve knowledge, recall and adoption, but effects on yield and income are heterogeneous and depend on relevance, trust, timing, connectivity, complementary inputs and human support. Agricultural robotics can improve task precision and reduce exposure to repetitive or hazardous work, but field robustness, capital cost, service infrastructure, interoperability and uneven farm-scale economics continue to constrain inclusive deployment. These two technology families therefore occupy different positions in rural transformation: advisory services mainly augment decisions and coordination, whereas robots automate physical operations and can reorganise labour, asset ownership and production systems. Livelihood resilience is strengthened only when digitalisation expands farmers' capabilities to anticipate, absorb, adapt and transform without creating new dependencies on inaccessible platforms, proprietary data systems or unaffordable machinery. The strongest interpretation of the combined evidence is consequently institutional rather than technological: sustainability gains are contingent on inclusive delivery models, trusted extension interfaces, viable financing, data rights, labour-transition strategies and outcome evaluation that extends beyond adoption. Future research should prioritise long-duration, distribution-sensitive studies that connect farm-level technical performance with household welfare, environmental effects and rural labour dynamics. Digital agriculture can support sustainable rural transformation, but the pathway is conditional, socially mediated and unlikely to be achieved through technology diffusion alone.

Explainable Morphometric Machine Learning for Species Delimitation in Senna (Fabaceae): A Methodological Review and Illustrative Framework

2026-08-29T11:19:22+00:00

Species delimitation in morphologically complex tropical plant groups is increasingly supported by digitised natural-history collections, quantitative morphometrics and machine learning. This methodological review evaluates how explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) and morphometric machine learning can contribute to species-hypothesis generation and specimen prioritisation in the pantropical genus Senna (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae), while preserving the central role of expert taxonomy. Peer-reviewed evidence on integrative taxonomy, herbarium digitisation, computer vision, geometric morphometrics, multimodal learning, uncertainty assessment and explainability was synthesised using targeted scholarly searches of publisher platforms and DOI-indexed literature. A seven-figure worked example is retained to illustrate a governed analytical architecture comprising specimen-quality screening, nomenclatural reconciliation, organ localisation, quantitative trait extraction, multimodal classification, uncertainty-aware review, drift monitoring and explainability. The worked-example values, including the 420-record corpus and classifier benchmark, are used to demonstrate reporting and governance requirements and are not treated as independent evidence of species boundaries or taxonomic novelty. The literature indicates that machine learning can scale specimen identification and trait extraction, but taxonomic inference remains vulnerable to label error, geographic and institutional bias, missing reproductive organs, domain shift, class imbalance and shortcut learning. Accordingly, classifier confidence should not be equated with taxonomic certainty, and low-confidence predictions should be interpreted as candidates for expert reassessment rather than as evidence of hybridisation, incomplete lineage sorting or undescribed species. A defensible computational taxonomy for Senna should therefore combine auditable morphology, rigorous validation, type-based nomenclature, geographic and ecological context, and, where required, molecular evidence within an integrative-taxonomy framework.

Agricultural Extension for Climate-resilient Farming: A Critical Review of the Emerging Roles of Advisory Services in Adaptation and Mitigation

2026-08-29T13:11:16+00:00

Agricultural extension and rural advisory services occupy an increasingly prominent position in national and international strategies for climate-resilient farming, yet the evidence supporting that position is uneven and frequently over-interpreted. This critical narrative review examines what is known, contested and unknown about the roles that advisory services perform in supporting adaptation and mitigation in farming systems, with particular attention to smallholder contexts in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia alongside evidence from higher-income settings. Literature was identified through structured searching of multidisciplinary and regional scholarly sources, supplemented by citation tracking and examination of institutional publications, and was appraised for design adequacy, attribution logic, contextual specificity and consistency. Four claims emerge with reasonable confidence: advisory contact is associated with higher uptake of adaptive practices across many observational studies; experimental evidence confirms that information delivery can raise adoption, though average effects are modest and heterogeneous; digital channels reduce delivery costs substantially but do not reliably reproduce the persuasive and diagnostic functions of interpersonal advice; and mitigation remains a marginal, weakly evidenced component of advisory practice in low-income agriculture. Several widely repeated propositions are less secure than their circulation suggests, including the assumption that improved climate information translates predictably into changed farm decisions, that co-production reliably resolves usability problems, and that gender-responsive design follows automatically from targeting women. Persistent weaknesses include reliance on cross-sectional designs vulnerable to selection bias, conflation of knowledge gain with practice change, scarcity of resilience outcomes measured over climatically variable periods, and near-absence of costed comparisons between advisory modalities. Priorities for future work include multi-season trials with pre-specified resilience endpoints, evaluation of hybrid human–digital models, measurement systems capable of attributing emission changes to advisory intervention, and analysis of the political and financial conditions under which climate-responsive advisory reform survives beyond project cycles.

Artificial Intelligence in Animal Husbandry: A Critical Narrative Review of Diagnostic Performance, Methodological Quality and Translational Constraints

2026-08-29T13:21:29+00:00

Artificial intelligence has become central to the technological narrative surrounding modern animal husbandry, yet the strength of the underlying evidence is uneven and frequently overstated. This critical narrative review examines what can defensibly be concluded about machine learning and deep learning applications across cattle, pig, poultry, sheep and goat production systems, and where confidence remains weak. Literature was identified through six scholarly sources supplemented by citation searching and examination of authoritative institutional publications, with the final search conducted on 23 June 2026. Evidence was appraised for design adequacy, reference-standard quality, validation strategy, metric selection, external validity and reporting transparency, and was synthesised thematically rather than study by study.

Three findings dominate the synthesis. Performance figures reported for algorithmic detection of health and reproductive events are systematically optimistic because validation designs frequently permit dependency between training and evaluation data, because reference standards for outcomes such as lameness and subclinical mastitis are themselves imperfect and inconsistently defined, and because discrimination metrics are reported in place of decision-relevant measures such as predictive value under realistic prevalence. Second, the evidence base is architecturally deep but epidemiologically shallow: algorithmic novelty is abundant, whereas independent external validation across farms, breeds, housing systems and climates is scarce, and the small number of studies that have tested transportability report substantial performance loss. Third, the constraints that most limit practical benefit are organisational rather than computational, encompassing data governance, interoperability, security, workforce competence and the concentration of both technology and research in high-income intensive systems.

Claims of demonstrated effectiveness are therefore warranted for a narrow set of well-characterised tasks, principally activity-based oestrus detection and automated body measurement, and are not warranted for most welfare inference. Priorities include standardised case definitions, prospective multi-farm validation, economically anchored evaluation, and deliberate attention to smallholder and tropical production systems.

Bridging Viral Oncology and Precision Medicine: Leveraging Molecular Signatures of Oncoviruses for Liquid Biopsies and Non-invasive Surveillance

2026-09-01T11:53:40+00:00

Oncogenic viruses contribute substantially to the global burden of malignancy and remain an important challenge for cancer prevention, early detection, and surveillance. This review examines the molecular signatures associated with major oncogenic viruses, including human papillomavirus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, Epstein–Barr virus, Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, and Merkel cell polyomavirus. The manuscript discusses key mechanisms through which viral infections promote carcinogenesis, including viral genome integration, disruption of tumour suppressor pathways, chronic inflammation, immune modulation, and immune evasion. Particular attention is given to molecular alterations that may serve as clinically useful biomarkers, such as viral oncoprotein activity, circulating tumour DNA, altered DNA methylation patterns, and dysregulated non-coding RNAs. The review also considers the translational relevance of these molecular signatures for liquid biopsy approaches, multi-cancer early detection platforms, and biomarker-driven surveillance in high-risk populations. These strategies may support earlier recognition of virus-associated malignancies and improve monitoring where conventional tissue-based diagnostics are difficult to apply. However, clinical implementation remains limited by assay variability, insufficient longitudinal validation, unequal access to molecular diagnostics, and the need for standardised workflows across different healthcare settings. The burden of virus-associated cancers is especially important in low- and middle-income settings, where vaccination, screening, and diagnostic infrastructure may be limited. Overall, the review highlights the potential value of integrating viral oncology with precision medicine while emphasising the need for cautious interpretation, rigorous validation, and equitable implementation of biomarker-based screening and surveillance strategies.

Integration of Biosensors, the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Agriculture: A Critical Narrative Review of Analytical Capability, Systems Integration and Outcome Evidence

2026-09-01T12:05:20+00:00

Continuous, molecule-level measurement of crops, soils and livestock, transmitted through networked instrumentation and interpreted by learning algorithms, is widely presented as a route to agricultural systems that consume fewer inputs while sustaining output. The three constituent technology families, namely biosensors, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, have matured along largely separate research trajectories, and their combination is more often described than evaluated. This review asks whether the accessible evidence supports the sustainability claims attached to integrated biosensor, Internet of Things and artificial intelligence systems, and identifies where the integration fails in practice. Literature was identified through structured searching of open scholarly indexes and through citation tracking, appraised for methodological adequacy, and synthesised around four problems: the translation of analytical performance into agronomic decision value; the architectural constraints imposed by rural connectivity, energy budgets and interoperability; the generalisation behaviour of predictive models trained on curated data; and the quality of outcome evidence linking these systems to resource use and environmental effect. The strongest evidence concerns component-level performance. Plant-integrated and nanomaterial-based biosensors demonstrate sensitive and rapid detection of pesticide residues, stress signalling molecules and pathogen-associated volatiles, while supervised learning models achieve high classification accuracy on curated image collections. Evidence weakens at each subsequent stage. Field evaluations of sensor durability, calibration stability and sampling representativeness remain scarce; model accuracy degrades under conditions unlike those of the training data; and demonstrations of end-to-end closed-loop operation are uncommon. Outcome evidence is weakest of all, since input savings are frequently reported while economic returns remain inconsistent and system-level environmental accounting that would capture manufacturing burdens and behavioural rebound is largely absent. Adoption research indicates that realised benefit depends at least as much on farm structure, advisory capacity and data governance as on device performance, and that research effort is concentrated in regions containing a minority of the world's farms. Priorities are proposed for field-realistic validation, outcome-anchored trial design and evaluation within smallholder systems.

Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning for Energy Forecasting and Load Optimisation in Hospital Systems: A Critical Narrative Review

2026-09-02T12:51:03+00:00

Hospitals occupy an unusual position within the built environment. They operate continuously, maintain tightly regulated indoor conditions for clinical reasons, house diagnostic and therapeutic equipment with sharp and irregular power draws, and carry an obligation of uninterrupted supply that few other building types share. These characteristics have made hospital energy systems an attractive target for predictive analytics and machine learning, and a distinct body of applied work has accumulated over the past decade. That literature nonetheless remains difficult to interpret. Reported accuracy rankings among algorithm families are mutually inconsistent, most studies are built on a single facility, validation protocols vary widely, predictive uncertainty is rarely quantified, and the operational consequences of improved forecasts are seldom measured. This critical narrative review examines the state of knowledge on data-driven forecasting of hospital energy demand and on the use of such forecasts for load optimisation. Literature was identified through structured searching of open scholarly indexes, supplemented by backward and forward citation searching, with a final search date of 22 June 2026. The synthesis is organised around four analytical problems: the structural features that make hospital demand different from other non-residential demand; the contested evidence on model superiority; the methodological weaknesses that limit confidence in reported performance; and the weak evidentiary chain linking forecast accuracy to operational or economic benefit. The available evidence supports several defensible conclusions. Activity-related predictors improve accuracy beyond weather and calendar variables; ensemble and hybrid methods perform robustly at daily resolution; and deep architectures show advantages mainly at sub-hourly resolution when training records are long. Confidence in claimed hierarchies among model families remains limited, and evidence that forecasting systems reduce hospital energy cost, emissions or peak demand under clinical constraints is preliminary. Research priorities include multi-site benchmarking, decision-linked evaluation, probabilistic forecasting, and reporting standards adapted to critical-care settings.

Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Hygiene Practices among Traditional Caterers in Urban Markets: A Critical Narrative Review with Implications for Market Circle, Takoradi, Ghana

2026-09-03T09:54:46+00:00

Traditional and small-scale food catering is integral to urban food access and livelihoods in Ghana, yet its public-health contribution depends on whether food is prepared and sold under conditions that control microbial and other hazards. This critical narrative review evaluates evidence on food-safety knowledge, attitudes and hygiene practices among street-food vendors and related traditional caterers, with particular attention to Ghanaian urban markets and implications for Market Circle in Takoradi. Literature published from 1 January 2000 to 30 June 2026 was selected through live searches of international and African scholarly sources, citation searching and authoritative institutional material. The synthesis prioritised peer-reviewed Ghanaian evidence and used comparative international studies to interpret mechanisms, measurement problems and intervention effects. Across Ghana, reported knowledge, attitudes and practices vary substantially between studies. This variation reflects genuine contextual differences but also non-standardised instruments, different scoring thresholds, reliance on self-report and marked differences in vendor type and infrastructure. The most consistent finding is not simply inadequate knowledge, but a knowledge-practice gap shaped by access to potable water, handwashing facilities, waste and drainage conditions, time-temperature control, cross-contamination risks, licensing and inspection, training quality, finance and work organisation. Evidence from Takoradi Submetropolis indicates important deficits in knowledge, attitudes and reported practices, while local administrative inspections identify environmental and certification problems that plausibly constrain safe behaviour. Training improves food-safety knowledge more consistently than it improves sustained observed practice; therefore, education alone is unlikely to produce durable risk reduction. For Market Circle, the evidence supports a layered approach combining competency-based training, enabling infrastructure, supportive risk-based inspection and permitting, vendor participation, practical control of temperature and cross-contamination, and routine monitoring. Direct Market Circle-specific epidemiological and microbiological evidence remains limited. A contemporary, mixed-method baseline linking standardised knowledge measures with direct observation, infrastructure audits and food or water microbiology is therefore a high research priority.

Fast-food Consumption and Children’s Health and Development: A Critical Narrative Review of Nutritional, Adiposity, Cardiometabolic and Developmental Evidence

2026-09-05T14:11:10+00:00

Fast-food consumption is embedded in contemporary childhood and adolescent food environments, yet the strength of evidence linking this exposure to health and developmental outcomes varies markedly by outcome and study design. This critical narrative review integrates evidence on dietary quality, adiposity, cardiometabolic risk, academic and psychosocial outcomes, environmental determinants, and policy responses. Literature published from 1 January 2000 to 30 June 2026 was identified through live searches of major open scholarly sources, supplemented by citation searching and verification of bibliographic metadata and digital object identifiers. The evidence is most consistent for immediate dietary consequences: on days when children or adolescents consume fast food, total energy intake and intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages, total and saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars tend to rise, while fruit, vegetables, milk and fibre-rich foods are displaced. Associations with adiposity are directionally plausible and supported by several longitudinal studies, but effect sizes are less consistent than for diet quality, and systematic reviews show substantial heterogeneity arising from exposure definition, residual confounding, reverse causation, and imperfect measurement of neighbourhood food access. Direct paediatric evidence for metabolic syndrome is limited but includes a prospective cohort signal. Reported associations with academic achievement, sleep disturbance and psychological distress are potentially important but remain predominantly observational; broader “junk food” or ultra-processed food evidence should not be treated as equivalent to fast-food-specific evidence. Marketing exposure, parental consumption, affordability, neighbourhood retail structure, and adolescent autonomy appear to shape consumption, often in socially patterned ways. Policy evidence indicates that information-only approaches such as calorie labelling have modest effects, whereas healthier defaults, marketing controls, price strategies and reformulation may be more promising when implementation and compliance are strong. Future research requires repeated objective exposure measurement, longer follow-up, stronger quasi-experimental designs, greater representation of low- and middle-income countries, and explicit separation of fast-food source, processing level and overall dietary pattern. Overall, frequent fast-food consumption is best regarded as a modifiable marker and contributor to poorer dietary quality, with probable but less precisely quantified downstream effects on weight and metabolic health and still-uncertain independent effects on broader development.

Climate Resilience, Nutrition, Breeding and Chemical Inputs in Farmed Nile and Blue Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus and Oreochromis aureus): A Critical Narrative Synthesis

2026-09-07T09:05:22+00:00

Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus) underpin one of the fastest-growing segments of global finfish aquaculture, yet the literature describing their environmental physiology, nutrition, genetic improvement and chemical management has developed along largely separate disciplinary tracks. This review integrates evidence across these four domains to evaluate how far current knowledge supports resilient, efficient and safe tilapia production under intensifying climatic and market pressures. Peer-reviewed studies and selected institutional sources addressing thermal, hypoxia and salinity physiology, alternative feed ingredients, selective breeding and genomic tools, and the use of hormonal, antimicrobial and other chemical agents were identified through structured searching of open scholarly indexes and synthesised thematically rather than catalogued study by study. The evidence indicates that both species possess substantial but asymmetrically distributed physiological plasticity, with O. aureus offering superior cold tolerance and O. niloticus dominating global production because of faster growth and better-established breeding infrastructure, most notably the Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia lineage. Nutritional research demonstrates that fishmeal can be partially replaced by plant and insect-derived proteins without proportionate loss of growth performance, although outcomes vary with inclusion level, processing and life stage in ways that limit generalisation. Genetic and genomic approaches have clarified sex-determination architecture and enabled marker-assisted and genome-wide selection, but climate-resilience traits remain comparatively underexploited as selection targets. Chemical inputs, particularly 17α-methyltestosterone for masculinisation and antimicrobials for disease control, remain operationally important yet are associated with environmental persistence, resistance selection and residue concerns that are unevenly monitored across producing regions. The synthesis identifies interactions among these domains, including trade-offs between thermal tolerance and growth rate, and between reduced chemical reliance and disease vulnerability, that are rarely addressed jointly in primary research. Confidence in specific numerical outcomes is tempered by geographical concentration of evidence, heterogeneous experimental conditions and limited long-term or multi-generational data. The review concludes that advancing climate-resilient, low-chemical-input tilapia farming will require research designs that treat physiology, nutrition, genetics and chemical management as interdependent rather than isolated variables.

AI-Powered Crop Protection: Transforming Pest Surveillance and Decision-Making Through Digital Agriculture

2026-09-09T12:56:44+00:00

Crop protection is increasingly challenged by changing pest population dynamics, pesticide resistance and the need for more sustainable agricultural production. Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital agriculture offer complementary tools for improving pest surveillance, forecasting and decision-making through automated detection, continuous monitoring and more precise interventions. This review synthesises the applications of machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, Internet of Things-enabled sensing, smart traps, remote sensing, unmanned aerial vehicles, robotics, predictive analytics and intelligent decision support systems in pest management. These approaches support pest identification, population monitoring, outbreak prediction, risk assessment and site-specific management, thereby strengthening the information base required for integrated pest management. The review also examines emerging technologies, including generative AI, foundation models, digital twins, explainable AI, edge intelligence and autonomous agricultural platforms, in relation to future crop protection systems. Despite rapid technological progress, practical deployment remains constrained by limited high-quality datasets, variable field conditions, model generalisation, interoperability, digital infrastructure, cost and farmer adoption. Effective implementation therefore requires transparent, robust and scalable systems that are validated under diverse agricultural conditions and aligned with ecological pest management principles. Overall, integrating AI-enabled surveillance and decision support with integrated pest management can support more timely, adaptive and resource-efficient crop protection while reducing unnecessary interventions.

Adolescent Tobacco and Cannabis Exposure: Effects on Growth, Bone Health, Endocrine Function, and Reversibility: A Critical Narrative Review

2026-09-10T07:51:54+00:00

Adolescence is a developmentally sensitive interval in which linear growth, pubertal endocrine maturation, body-composition change, and rapid skeletal mineral accrual occur while experimentation with nicotine, tobacco, and cannabis commonly begins. This critical narrative review evaluates whether exposure to combustible tobacco, nicotine-containing electronic products, and cannabis during adolescence alters somatic growth, bone health, endocrine function, and the potential for recovery after cessation. Literature published from 1 January 1980 to 1 July 2026 was identified through multidisciplinary scholarly searching, citation tracing, and verification of bibliographic records and digital object identifiers. Evidence was weighted by developmental directness, design, exposure measurement, control of co-use and lifestyle confounding, and suitability of outcome measures. The most consistent human evidence concerns tobacco and skeletal development: several adolescent and young-adult cohorts associate smoking with lower bone mineral density, reduced cortical dimensions, or slower bone accrual, although newer low-exposure cohorts are less consistent. Associations between adolescent smoking and height or body mass index are heterogeneous and sex-dependent, while post-cessation weight gain is more reproducible than catch-up in stature. Nicotine and cigarette smoke have biologically plausible effects on growth-plate chondrocytes, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, vitamin D status, and endocrine signalling, but evidence from electronic cigarettes remains largely mechanistic rather than clinical. For cannabis, direct adolescent evidence on pubertal timing, final height, endocrine trajectories, and skeletal accrual is strikingly sparse. Adult observational bone studies conflict, and human reproductive-hormone studies do not support a simple model of sustained gonadal suppression. Preclinical studies demonstrate cannabinoid-sensitive endocrine and skeletal pathways but cannot establish adolescent clinical harm. Reversibility is therefore outcome-specific: metabolic changes after tobacco cessation are common, skeletal recovery is plausible but incompletely quantified, and cannabis-related endocrine recovery is supported mainly by animal evidence. Future studies require longitudinal, product-specific exposure measurement, repeated pubertal and endocrine phenotyping, advanced skeletal imaging, and rigorous separation of nicotine–cannabis co-use from causal effects.

Microbial Violacein as a Sustainable Pigment for Textile Dyeing: Biosynthesis, Dye–Fiber Interactions, and Industrial Perspectives

2026-09-12T10:37:58+00:00

Environmental concerns regarding the persistence and toxicity of synthetic colourants have stimulated increasing interest in sustainable bio-based pigments for textile applications. Among emerging alternatives, violacein, a purple indole-derived pigment produced by several bacterial species, has attracted considerable attention due to its intense colouration, molecular stability, and intrinsic antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of recent advances in violacein research, with particular emphasis on its applicability in textile dyeing and functional fabrics. Developments in microbial biosynthesis, extraction, and purification strategies are discussed alongside reported dyeing performance on both natural and synthetic fibres. Key parameters including dye–fibre interactions, colour strength, fastness properties, and process optimisation are evaluated to assess material performance and industrial relevance. The environmental implications of violacein-based dyeing systems are also analysed within the context of sustainable textile production. Challenges associated with large-scale microbial production, pigment standardisation, regulatory constraints, and economic feasibility are critically discussed. Finally, emerging market perspectives and future research directions are highlighted. Overall, violacein is presented as a promising bio-based pigment with significant potential to contribute to sustainable textile colouration and multifunctional material development.

Exploring the Determinants, Effects, and Strategic Interventions of the “No Bed Syndrome” in Ghana’s Healthcare System

2026-08-24T11:18:18+00:00

The “No Bed Syndrome” is a visible manifestation of persistent weaknesses in Ghana’s healthcare system. It refers to situations in which patients requiring urgent care are denied admission because beds, essential equipment, specialist personnel, or operational capacity are unavailable. This opinion article examines the determinants and effects of the syndrome and identifies strategic interventions for improving emergency care. The discussion indicates that the problem extends beyond the physical number of beds and reflects interconnected deficiencies in hospital infrastructure, specialist staffing, referral coordination, medical resources, financing, governance, and health-system management. These deficiencies can delay treatment, increase avoidable morbidity and mortality, intensify psychological distress, erode public trust, place healthcare workers under ethical pressure, and impose social and economic costs on patients and families. The article argues that isolated infrastructure expansion is unlikely to resolve the problem unless it is accompanied by strengthened emergency and critical-care capacity, equitable workforce distribution, reliable referral pathways, functional equipment, sustainable financing, and effective accountability mechanisms. Digital bed-tracking, structured triage, improved communication between facilities, and stronger primary-level emergency care may also support more efficient patient flow. Addressing the “No Bed Syndrome” therefore requires a coordinated, patient-centred, and system-wide response that improves timely and equitable access to emergency services while strengthening confidence in Ghana’s healthcare system.

Development of a Battery-Operated Cattle Dung Collector to Promote Animal Husbandry Mechanization

2026-08-21T10:30:16+00:00

Cattle dung collection in many small and medium-sized dairy farms is still performed manually using conventional tools, making the operation labour-intensive, time-consuming, and unhygienic. The present study aimed to design, develop, and evaluate a battery-operated cattle dung collector to reduce labour requirements and promote mechanisation in animal husbandry. A survey of five dairy farm owners in Raipur district, Chhattisgarh, was conducted to assess existing dung collection practices and the economics of dairy farming. The engineering properties of fresh cattle dung, including moisture content, total solids, bulk density, coefficient of static friction, and dynamic viscosity, were determined and considered in the design of the machine. The developed machine consisted of a mild steel frame, plate-type collection unit, and chain-and-sprocket transmission system, powered by a 0.5 hp (373 W) DC motor and a 25.6 V LiFePO₄ battery. Machine performance was evaluated on smooth and rough floor surfaces at operating speeds of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 km h⁻¹ using a factorial randomised block design. Manual dung collection required multiple labourers, whereas the developed machine required only one operator, thereby reducing the labour requirement for dung collection. The maximum collection capacity of 342.81 kg h⁻¹ and collection efficiency of 89.05% were obtained at 1.0 km h⁻¹ on a smooth floor. The minimum quantity of cattle dung left after collection was 0.440 kg under the same operating conditions. The fabrication and operational costs of the machine were ₹60,000 and ₹59.54 h⁻¹, respectively, including labour costs. The break-even point was 398.37 h year⁻¹, and the payback period was 4.03 years. Under the tested conditions, an operating speed of 1.0 km h⁻¹ on a smooth floor provided the most favourable performance. The developed machine reduced labour requirements and demonstrated potential for improving the efficiency and mechanisation of cattle dung collection in dairy farms.

Occupational Stress and Work Burnout as Predictors of Safety Performance and Safety Behaviour in the Niger Delta Oil and Gas Industry

2026-08-12T11:08:46+00:00

Occupational stress and work burnout may influence workers’ engagement in safe work practices and the safety performance of oil and gas organisations. This study investigated the impact of occupational stress and work burnout on the safety behaviour and safety performance of workers in oil and gas companies in the Niger Delta. A structured questionnaire was administered to 400 employees selected through random sampling, while the oil and gas companies were selected purposively. Data were analysed using SPSS version 16 and AMOS. The analysis revealed good internal consistency across all measures, with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.72 to 0.83. A structural equation model was developed using IBM AMOS. Descriptive statistics (means, percentages, and weighted mean scores), correlation analysis, regression analysis, and structural equation modelling were used. These methods were suitable because they quantified respondents' opinions or perceptions of the constructs related to occupational stress, safety behaviour, and safety performance in the sampled oil and gas firms. Regarding safety performance, the coefficients for occupational stress (OCS) and work burnout (WB) were -0.389 and -0.317, respectively. Regarding safety behaviour, the corresponding coefficients were -0.452 and -0.374. Occupational stress and work burnout had significant negative impacts on workers' safety behaviour and safety performance. Overall, occupational stress and work burnout substantially and negatively affected safety performance and safety behaviour among workers in oil and gas firms in the Niger Delta. The findings indicate that safety behaviour plays a substantial mediating role in the impact of occupational stress and work burnout on the safety performance of oil and gas firms in the Niger Delta.

Effect of Planting Dates and Spacing on Production of Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)

2026-08-12T11:32:46+00:00

Aim: The present investigation was conducted at the Agricultural Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, School of Agriculture, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, during 2025–26 to study the effects of planting dates and spacing on the production of chilli (Capsicum annuum L.).

Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2025–26.

Methodology: The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomised block design (FRBD) with two factors and three replications. The first factor comprised planting dates (three levels, viz. 30^th June, 15^th July, and 30^th July), and the second factor comprised spacing (three levels, viz. 45 × 30 cm, 45 × 45 cm, and 60 × 45 cm).

Results: The results revealed significant differences among the treatments. Among the growth parameters, the maximum plant heights at both stages, 52.00 cm at 45 DAT and 82.00 cm at 60 DAT, were observed in D₂ × S₃. The maximum numbers of branches per plant (30.03) and leaves per plant (125.10) were observed in D₁ × S₃, whereas the maximum plant spread (82.03 cm) was recorded in D₂ × S₃. Among the yield parameters, the maximum number of fruits per plant (79.57), fruit diameter (2.50 cm), average fruit weight (5.90 g), and fruit yield per plant (469.35 g) were observed in D₂ × S₃ (15 July × 60 × 45 cm). The maximum fruit length (12.33 cm) was observed in D₁ × S₃, whereas the maximum fruit yield per plot (18.02 kg) and total yield (16.68 t/ha) were recorded in D₂ × S₁. Among the quality parameters, the maximum TSS (6.9 °Brix) was recorded in D₂ × S₃, whereas the maximum capsaicin content (61.99 mg/100 g) and vitamin C content (195.50 mg/100 g) were recorded in D₁ × S₃ (30 June × 60 × 45 cm). The maximum net return (Rs. 343,792.67) and B:C ratio (3.81) were recorded in D₂ × S₁.

Conclusion: The present investigation indicated that D₂ × S₁, representing chilli planted on 15 July at a spacing of 45 × 30 cm, produced the most favourable yield and economic returns. Therefore, this treatment combination may be recommended for chilli cultivation in this region.

Engineering Properties of Paddy Stalk for Biomass Processing

2026-08-12T12:31:35+00:00

Paddy stalk is an agricultural residue with potential for use as a biomass feedstock, but its effective handling and processing depend on reliable engineering-property data. This study characterised the physical, bulk, flow, and frictional properties of whole and ground paddy stalk to support the design of biomass-processing equipment. Sixty stalk samples, comprising equal numbers of small, medium, and large stalks, were evaluated for length, width, thickness, geometric mean diameter, aspect ratio, and individual weight. Loose and tapped bulk densities, true density, porosity, Carr’s compressibility index, Hausner ratio, angle of repose, and coefficients of internal and external friction were also determined. Size reduction increased the loose bulk density from 76.97 ± 1.07 to 142.65 ± 9.87 kg m^-3 and the tapped bulk density from 102.63 ± 2.48 to 185.24 ± 11.40 kg m^-3. The ground material had a true density of 855.94 ± 0.83 kg m^-3, a porosity of 0.83 ± 0.003, a Carr’s compressibility index of 23.01 ± 0.59, and a Hausner ratio of 1.29 ± 0.01. Grinding reduced the angle of repose from 46.60 ± 1.99° to 37.91 ± 0.53° and lowered the coefficients of internal and external friction. These findings indicate that size reduction improves packing and flow behaviour and provide design parameters for equipment used in conveying, feeding, storage, and densification of paddy stalk.

Climate-Led-Vulnerability of Farmers in Datia District of Madhya Pradesh, India

2026-08-12T12:39:04+00:00

Climate change is a major concern for agricultural sustainability in the Bundelkhand agro-climatic zone, where farming livelihoods are strongly dependent on climate-sensitive agriculture. This study assessed the climate-led vulnerability of 119 farmers in Datia district, Madhya Pradesh, through the three dimensions of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. A structured vulnerability scale based on these dimensions was used, and indicator scores were normalised before calculating a composite climate vulnerability index. The findings showed that 33.61% of respondents were in the very high exposure category, indicating substantial exposure to climatic variability. Sensitivity was also pronounced, with 45.38% of farmers classified in the very high sensitivity category. Reported adaptive capacity varied across categories, indicating differences in the extent to which farmers had adopted coping and adaptation measures. Overall climate-led vulnerability was most frequently moderate, with 36.13% of farmers in this category. The results indicate that farmers’ vulnerability reflects the combined influence of climatic exposure, sensitivity of agricultural livelihoods, and the capacity to adopt coping and adaptation measures. Strengthening water conservation, irrigation access, climate-resilient agricultural practices, natural resource management, climate information, and institutional support may help improve resilience. Integrated interventions addressing exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity together are therefore important for supporting sustainable agricultural livelihoods in Datia district.

Physico-Mechanical Properties of Garlic (Allium sativum L.) Bulbs and Cloves for the Design of Planting and Post-Harvest Machinery

2026-08-13T12:05:17+00:00

Garlic, a widely cultivated bulb crop, poses persistent mechanisation challenges owing to the irregular geometry of its bulbs and cloves. The lack of reliable engineering data on the physical and mechanical properties of garlic bulbs and cloves has remained a major constraint in the design and development of efficient garlic planting and post-harvest processing machinery. Therefore, the present research systematically characterised the physical and mechanical properties of garlic that are essential for the design of efficient planting, clove separation, grading, handling and post-harvest processing equipment. Laboratory experiments were conducted using 100 randomly selected garlic bulbs and their corresponding cloves. Standard engineering methods were employed to determine moisture content, polar and equatorial diameters, thickness, geometric mean diameter, shape index, sphericity, bulk and true density, porosity, angle of repose and coefficient of static friction on plywood, glass and mild steel surfaces. The results revealed that the average polar diameter, equatorial diameter, thickness and geometric mean diameter of garlic bulbs were 45.76, 42.93, 40.73 and 43.08 mm, respectively, while the corresponding values for garlic cloves were 25.45, 10.99, 8.86 and 13.53 mm, respectively. The bulk densities were 529.33 kg/m³ for bulbs and 568.67 kg/m³ for cloves, while the corresponding porosities were 45.49% and 50.49%, respectively. The bulbs were highly spherical, with a sphericity of 0.99, whereas the cloves had an elongated and wedge-shaped appearance, with a shape index of 0.53. A marked difference in flow behaviour was observed: the bulbs had an angle of repose of 50.24°, compared with 34.34° for the cloves, and both types showed the greatest adherence to mild steel, with static friction coefficients of 0.41 for the bulbs and 0.34 for the cloves. The engineering properties generated in this study provide design data for the development and optimisation of garlic planting, clove separation, grading, conveying and storage systems. These findings may support agricultural engineers, researchers and equipment manufacturers in designing efficient garlic processing machinery, thereby improving mechanisation, reducing post-harvest losses and enhancing the overall productivity of garlic production.

Farmers’ Knowledge and Adoption of Improved Maize Agronomic Practices in Kiryandongo District, Uganda

2026-08-13T12:38:47+00:00

Maize contributes to food security and household income in Uganda, yet the uptake of improved agronomic practices remains uneven. This study assessed farmers’ knowledge and use of improved maize production practices in Kiryandongo District and examined factors associated with inorganic fertiliser application. A comparative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 180 maize farmers, comprising 90 adopters and 90 non-adopters. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and field observations and analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, t-tests, and binary logistic regression with marginal effects. Farmers reported high knowledge of early planting and harvesting (98.8%), pest control (95.1%), crop scouting (100%), and timely weeding. However, the implementation of several practices was limited among non-adopters, including tractor use (5%), purchase of inputs from licensed stockists (2%), recommended spacing (4%), organic manure application (3%), seed purchase (2%), and selection of the type of seed purchased (1%). Fertiliser application among non-adopters was 40%. Education was positively associated with fertiliser use (p = 0.017; marginal effect = 0.063), whereas gender, distance to the nearest trading centre, income, farmer-group membership, and maize-production experience were not statistically significant. The findings indicate a gap between farmers’ knowledge and their implementation of recommended practices. Strengthened practical extension, demonstration-based training, adult education, farmer organisation, and improved access to affordable inputs and credit may support more consistent uptake.

Impact of Pandemic Crises on Price Dynamics, Market Availability and Consumer Behaviour in the Pomology Sector

2026-08-17T10:07:14+00:00

Fruits are an important component of the daily diet. India is the second-largest producer of both fruits and vegetables globally, after China. The economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been widely studied in many countries. The pandemic also substantially affected postharvest supply chains, transportation, retail marketing, and the trade of fruits and vegetables. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on horticulture, particularly the fruit sector, has been less studied in India. Therefore, this study was conducted to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prices and changes in consumer behaviour during the pre-COVID (2019-20) and COVID (2020-21) periods. Price analysis was conducted using data obtained from the National Horticulture Board, Government of India. For the consumer behaviour analysis, a prepared questionnaire was administered to a diverse group of people (students, employees, and friends) living in Bangalore city. The study revealed that higher load arrivals in the market had a negative influence on wholesale prices, resulting in lower prices. In contrast, the consumer survey showed that fruit prices were perceived to be higher during COVID than during the pre-COVID period. The survey also revealed that COVID-19 significantly influenced consumer behaviour in terms of perceptions of fruit prices, frequency of fruit purchases, preferences for different fruits, purchases of new and exotic fruits, and awareness of the nutritional aspects of fruits. Understanding the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on transportation, prices, availability, and consumer attitudes may support crucial policy decisions and welfare measures for the pomology sector and society.

Impact of National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) in Jhunjhunu District of Rajasthan, India

2026-08-17T10:14:39+00:00

Climate change and global warming have profound impacts on various sectors of human society, with agriculture being among the most vulnerable. Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and an increased frequency of extreme weather events adversely affect agricultural productivity by reducing the yields of many crops and creating favourable conditions for the proliferation of weeds, pests, and diseases. The present study was conducted in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan, with Mandawa tehsil purposively selected because it had the highest number of farmers registered under the NICRA project. Three villages, namely Bharoo, Chakwas, and Madansar, were subsequently selected for the study. A proportionate random sampling technique was used to select registered farmers as NICRA beneficiaries, while an equal number of non-beneficiary farmers were randomly selected from the same villages for comparison. The findings revealed that the adoption of climate-resilient technologies under the NICRA project led to notable improvements among beneficiary farmers, including increases in irrigated area (8.92%), crop yield (51.71%), cropping intensity (23.35%), and annual income (84.29%). Furthermore, the majority of beneficiaries (76.67%) experienced a medium level of impact from the project, followed by 15.00% who reported a high level of impact and 8.33% who experienced a low level of impact.

A Survey of Common Dermatological Conditions in Pet Dogs in Punjab, Northwest of India

2026-08-17T12:01:38+00:00

Aims: To retrospectively assess the occurrence, clinical presentation, diagnostic patterns, and therapeutic management of dermatological conditions in dogs presented to a university teaching veterinary hospital in Punjab, India, and to determine their association with season, age, breed, and coat characteristics.

Study Design: Retrospective observational study.

Place and Duration of Study: University Teaching Veterinary Hospital, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India, from January 2018 to December 2020.

Methodology: During the three-year study period, clinical records of dogs presented for evaluation were retrospectively reviewed. Dogs diagnosed with dermatological conditions were identified, and data pertaining to the type of dermatological disorder, clinical signs and primary owner complaints, season of presentation, age, breed, body size, hair-coat characteristics, and therapeutic interventions were analysed. Statistical associations between dermatological conditions and demographic and seasonal variables were assessed, and relative risks for commonly encountered dermatological conditions were determined.

Results: During the study period, dermatological conditions accounted for 6.2% of all dogs examined, with a total of 2,853 cases recorded. The most frequently diagnosed conditions, in descending order, were tick infestation (26.2%), dermatitis (21.0%), superficial pyoderma (14.0%), demodicosis (8.0%), otitis externa (7.9%), allergy (7.4%), and pododermatitis (6.1%). The predominant clinical signs and owner-reported complaints were pruritus (95.5%), erythema (73.0%), and alopecia (52.5%). The occurrence of dermatological conditions was significantly associated with season, age, sex, and breed characteristics, with the highest occurrence observed during the monsoon–autumn season (47.5%), in dogs aged >1–5 years (56.8%), small- (40.2%) to medium-sized breeds (46.6%), and short-haired breeds (74.5%). Increased relative risks for selected common dermatological conditions were also observed in relation to season, age, and breed characteristics. Management predominantly involved combinations of systemic and topical medications, including antihistamines, antibiotics, antiseptics, ectoparasiticides, and skin-health formulations.

Conclusion: Canine dermatological disorders constitute a substantial portion of clinical presentations in dogs, with ectoparasitic, inflammatory, infectious, and allergic conditions being the most prevalent. The incidence of these disorders is significantly influenced by season, age, breed, body size, and coat characteristics. The findings underscore the significance of considering these epidemiological risk factors for early recognition, targeted diagnosis, prevention, and rational therapeutic management of canine dermatological diseases in veterinary practice.

Physicochemical and Functional Characterization of Dried Distiller’s Rice Spent Grain as a Function of Particle Size

2026-08-18T11:04:02+00:00

Dried distiller’s rice spent grain (DDRSG), a protein-rich by-product of the rice-based ethanol industry, has considerable potential as a sustainable food ingredient; however, its physicochemical and functional characteristics can vary with particle size. The present study investigated the influence of particle-size fractionation on the physico-chemical, and functional properties of DDRSG. Dried DDRSG was fractionated using a mechanical sieve shaker into seven particle-size ranges: < 125, 125 - 212, 212 - 300, 300 - 500, 500 - 850, 850 - 1000, and 1000 - 2000 μm. The fractions were evaluated for particle-size distribution, proximate composition, colour characteristics, bulk and tapped bulk densities, compressibility, Hausner ratio, wettability, water-holding capacity (WHC), and oil-holding capacity (OHC). The highest yields were recorded for the 1000-2000 μm (27.09 %), 300-500 μm (26.82 %), and 212–300 μm (24.17 %) fractions. Particle size significantly affected most evaluated properties. Crude protein decreased from 53.23 % in the < 125 μm fraction to 47.25% in the 1000-2000 μm fraction, whereas moisture increased from 9.92 to 12.40 %. Increasing particle size decreased L* value from 51.50 to 37.13, while a* and b* values increased. Bulk and tapped bulk densities decreased with increasing particle size. In contrast, WHC and OHC increased from 2.35 to 4.03 g/g and 1.36 to 2.45 g/g, respectively. Wetting time decreased from 30.00 to 11.37 s, indicating improved wettability in coarser fractions. Crude fat and ash were not significantly affected by particle size. Overall, particle-size fractionation effectively modified the physico-chemical and functional attributes of DDRSG, demonstrating its potential for tailoring this protein-rich by-product to specific food-processing and formulation requirements.

Comparative Study into the Mechanical Properties of Two Lesser-utilized Timber Species for Furniture and Construction Works

2026-08-18T13:13:04+00:00

Traditional timber varieties employed in Ghana's furniture and construction sectors are diminishing in availability, necessitating the prompt identification and assessment of underutilised timber resources that exhibit similar structural capabilities. Senna siamea (Cassia) and Azadirachta indica (Neem) are notably underutilised, even though they possess significant potential for structural and furnishing uses. Moreover, the intrinsic anatomical and physiological distinctions between sapwood and heartwood could considerably affect their mechanical properties, necessitating thorough assessment. This research examined and contrasted the mechanical characteristics of sapwood and heartwood from S. siamea and A. indica, focusing on modulus of elasticity (MoE), modulus of rupture (MoR), compressive strength parallel to the grain, and shear strength parallel to the grain, while also comparing the findings with recognised commercial timber species in Ghana. A mixed analysis of variance (mixed ANOVA) demonstrated statistically significant distinctions (p < 0.05) between sapwood and heartwood across all assessed characteristics in both species, with heartwood invariably displaying enhanced mechanical performance. A. indica heartwood demonstrated the highest modulus of rupture at 104.25 N/mm² and shear strength parallel to the grain at 19.50 N/mm², while S. siamea heartwood displayed the maximum modulus of elasticity at 13,238.91 N/mm² and compressive strength parallel to the grain at 64.43 N/mm². Comparative analysis revealed that the mechanical characteristics of both species were similar to, and in some instances surpassed, those of commonly used Ghanaian commercial woods. These results confirm S. siamea and A. indica as viable alternative timber options for structural and furnishing uses. The heightened use of these resources may diminish reliance on overharvested commercial species, foster sustainable management of forest resources, and bolster the long-term resilience and competitiveness of Ghana's timber industry.

Farmers' Utilization of Soil Health Card Recommendations and Associated Profile Characteristics: An Empirical Investigation

2026-08-20T09:32:10+00:00

The Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme was introduced by the Government of India to promote balanced nutrient management and sustainable agricultural production through soil-test-based fertiliser recommendations. Despite its widespread implementation, the extent to which farmers utilise these recommendations remains a critical concern. This study assessed the utilisation of SHC recommendations among farmers in Cuttack district, Odisha, and examined the association between farmers' profile characteristics and their utilisation behaviour. An ex-post facto research design was adopted, and data were collected from 160 SHC beneficiary farmers using a structured interview schedule. The findings revealed that most farmers exhibited a moderate level of utilisation of SHC recommendations. Utilisation was positively associated with factors such as education, annual income, landholding, extension contact, mass media exposure, scientific orientation, cropping pattern, innovativeness, and fertiliser use behaviour, whereas age and farming experience showed no significant associations. Extension contact, annual income, and innovativeness emerged as the major variables associated with SHC recommendation utilisation in the regression analysis. The findings highlight the role of extension services and farmer capacity-building in supporting the effective use of soil health information. Strengthening extension outreach, improving access to scientific information, and promoting farmer-oriented training programmes may improve SHC utilisation and support sustainable nutrient management, soil health, and resilient agricultural systems.

Dissemination of Knowledge at KVKs by Extension Personnel: Extent of Usage of Information and Communication Technology

2026-08-20T09:37:11+00:00

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become an important component of agricultural extension by facilitating timely communication, knowledge dissemination, advisory services, and technology transfer. The study assessed the extent to which extension personnel at Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in Haryana used ICT to disseminate agricultural knowledge. All 19 districts containing KVKs of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University were selected purposively, and the sample comprised 80 extension personnel from the available disciplines. Frequencies, percentages, weighted mean scores, indices, Garrett scores, and correlation analysis were used. Most respondents were aged 29–40 years (56.2%), male (75.0%), Subject Matter Specialists (78.7%), and had 1–5 years of service experience (37.5%). Most held a PhD with NET qualification (97.5%), and agronomy was the most represented discipline (25.0%). The overall extent of ICT use was medium for contacting farmers (WMS = 1.50), solving problems (WMS = 1.48), imparting training (WMS = 1.44), advising farmers (WMS = 1.40), and demonstrating new technologies (WMS = 1.20), but low for preparing media (WMS = 1.09). Telephone or mobile communication, smartphones, WhatsApp groups, computer presentations, multimedia projectors, and video conferencing were among the more frequently used tools for specific extension functions. Age, gender, post held, service experience, and hours of power supply were reported as significantly correlated with all six assessed ICT-use functions. The findings indicate moderate overall ICT use among KVK extension personnel, with media preparation representing the principal area of comparatively limited use.

Consumer Awareness of Garment Care Labels and Proper Garment Care Practices: A Case of Choma District in Southern Province, Zambia

2026-08-20T09:42:14+00:00

This study examined consumer awareness of garment care labels and proper garment care practices among participants in Choma District. The study employed a descriptive survey design using a mixed-methods approach, involving 100 respondents for quantitative data and key informants for qualitative insights. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS and Microsoft Excel, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings showed that awareness of garment care labels contributed to improved garment maintenance, including extended garment lifespan (30%), reduced fabric damage (25%), improved clothing appearance (20%), and correct detergent and washing practices (15%). Additionally, 62% of respondents were able to interpret garment care symbols, while 38% lacked this ability. Literacy level was identified as the major factor influencing understanding and use of garment care labels (35%), followed by language barriers and access to washing equipment (20% each), household routines (15%), and peer influence (10%). Training programmes (30%) and workshops (25%) were identified as the most effective strategies for improving awareness. The study concluded that consumer awareness of garment care labels significantly influenced proper garment care practices and recommended enhanced consumer education, improved garment labelling by manufacturers, increased retail guidance, and the integration of garment care awareness into educational programmes to promote sustainable clothing practices.

Detection of Babesia bigemina in Cattle Using the 18S rRNA Gene

2026-08-20T12:50:14+00:00

Bovine babesiosis caused by Babesia bigemina is an important tick-borne disease affecting cattle. This study investigated the occurrence of B. bigemina in clinically suspected cattle from Mathura and adjoining areas using microscopic examination and simplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 18S rRNA gene. A total of 200 cattle were examined. Samples were obtained from VCC (DUVASU, Mathura), Damodarpura, Farah, and Sikandra (Agra), and animals were screened based on clinical signs and tick infestation. Giemsa-stained blood smears were examined microscopically, and genomic DNA from jugular-vein blood was analysed by PCR. The PCR assay used B. bigemina-specific primers at an annealing temperature of 58 °C, with an expected amplicon of 359 bp. Microscopy detected B. bigemina in 5 ear-vein samples (2.5%) and 2 jugular-vein samples (1.0%), whereas PCR detected parasite DNA in 8 of 200 animals (4.0%). Fever was recorded in all PCR-positive cattle (100%), and haemoglobinuria occurred in 62.5%; anorexia and lymph-node swelling were each observed in 25%. No significant association was reported with age, breed, sex, or geographical area, while higher positivity was observed during summer. Overall, PCR detected more positive animals than microscopy, supporting its use as a supplementary method for detecting B. bigemina infection, particularly when microscopic detection is limited by low parasitaemia.

Socio-Economic Aspects and Aquaculture Practices of Fish Farmers in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India

2026-08-21T09:25:06+00:00

The present study evaluated the socio-economic characteristics and aquaculture practices of fish farmers in Gorakhpur, Deoria, and Kushinagar districts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh. A total of 207 fish farmers were surveyed between December 2024 and February 2025 through structured personal interviews, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews, comprising 53 respondents from Gorakhpur, 76 from Deoria, and 78 from Kushinagar. Respondents were predominantly male and belonged to the middle-aged group (26-55 years), with most having intermediate or graduate-level education and operating small to medium-sized farms (0.5-5 acres). Aquaculture was the principal source of income in Gorakhpur and Deoria, whereas agriculture was the major livelihood source in Kushinagar, with most respondents reporting annual incomes of ₹1-10 lakhs. Pond-based aquaculture was dominant, groundwater was the primary water source, and composite fish culture was the most widely adopted production system. Hatcheries were the principal source of fish seed, while catfish was the most preferred cultured species, followed by Indian Major Carps, Exotic Major Carps, and pacu. These findings demonstrate the important contribution of aquaculture to rural livelihoods and income generation in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. However, limitations related to the cross-sectional survey design and the absence of advanced analytical modelling restrict the identification of causal relationships between socio-economic factors, management practices, and farm productivity. The findings provide useful baseline information for strengthening technical assistance, quality input supply, market access, and capacity-building programmes, while further analytical research is needed to identify the key determinants of productivity and economic performance.

Status of Dairy Cooperative Societies and Milk Production in Rajasthan, India

2026-08-22T12:47:38+00:00

India is the world’s largest milk producer, and dairy cooperatives represent an important institutional component of the sector. This study assessed the status of dairy cooperative societies and examined trends and growth in milk production and per capita milk availability in Rajasthan. Secondary data were compiled from official institutional sources. Milk production and per capita milk availability were analysed for 1993–94 to 2023–24, divided into Period I (1993–2012) and Period II (2013–2023). Linear, quadratic, exponential, and cubic functions were fitted, and the best-fitting models were selected using the coefficient of determination and statistical significance. Compound annual growth rates were also estimated. In the cooperative series, registered dairy cooperative societies increased from 14,193 to 20,015, registered membership rose from 7.83 lakh to 9.70 lakh, and average milk procurement increased from 25.68 to 32.85 lakh kilograms per day. For milk production, the quadratic model provided the best fit in Period I and the linear model in Period II; the corresponding CAGRs were 5.95 and 9.23 per cent per annum. For per capita milk availability, the quadratic model provided the best fit in Period I and the exponential model in Period II; the corresponding CAGRs were 3.78 and 7.69 per cent per annum. The results show expansion of the cooperative network and sustained increases in milk production and per capita availability, with higher estimated growth during Period II.

Insecticide Susceptibility and Toxicity against Pink Bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella Saunders) Populations in Cotton

2026-08-22T12:54:59+00:00

A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the susceptibility of field populations of the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), collected from five major cotton-growing tehsils of Bharuch district, Gujarat, during the kharif seasons of 2024-25 and 2025-26. Populations from Amod, Bharuch, Jambusar, Netrang and Valia were tested against seven commonly used insecticides using a diet incorporation bioassay, with a susceptible Surat population as the reference. Larval mortality was assessed across seven concentrations, and LD₅₀-based toxicity indices were used to compare population susceptibility and relative insecticidal toxicity. Mortality increased with increasing insecticide dose across the tested populations. Across insecticides, the highest cumulative mortality in the field populations ranged from 81.25 to 98.65% in Netrang, 82.34 to 93.06% in Bharuch, 67.56 to 90.28% in Amod, 65.45 to 80.38% in Jambusar and 63.70 to 79.73% in Valia. Toxicity-index analysis indicated comparatively greater susceptibility in the Netrang population for most insecticides, whereas Valia and Jambusar generally showed lower susceptibility. Among the tested insecticides, emamectin benzoate, indoxacarb, lambda-cyhalothrin and spinosad showed comparatively higher toxicity, while profenofos and chlorpyrifos were relatively less effective. The observed spatial variation in susceptibility supports the value of location-specific monitoring for insecticide selection and resistance-management planning in cotton. The results provide a laboratory-based comparison of local population susceptibility profiles.

UV-Vis Spectroscopic Characterization and Wavelength Analysis of Binary Edible Oil Mixtures for Adulteration Detection

2026-08-25T09:31:37+00:00

This study investigates the effect of mixing different edible oils on their spectroscopic properties, using UV-visible spectroscopy as a rapid and effective analytical tool. We conducted spectral analysis on various binary oil mixtures, specifically mustard oil mixed with argemone, mineral, and castor oils, as well as coconut oil mixed with mineral and palm oils. These findings consistently demonstrate that mixing oils leads to noticeable changes in absorbance values, while the characteristic wavelength range generally remains within the ultraviolet region (200–400 nm). A key observation across all mixtures was a reduction in absorbance with an increasing proportion of the adulterant oil. This trend is primarily attributed to a dilution or alteration of the inherent chromophoric compounds responsible for light absorption in the primary oils. These spectral shifts are fundamentally driven by variations in the chemical compositions of the individual oils, including their pigment content, fatty acid profiles and the presence of oxidation products. This research highlights the sensitivity and effectiveness of UV-vis spectroscopy for detecting oil adulteration and assessing purity. This technique not only identifies compositional changes resulting from mixing oils but also offers insights into potential quality degradation in edible oils. Consequently, these findings underscore the significant potential of UV-visible spectroscopy for routine food quality control and adulteration detection applications in the edible oil industry.

Effect of Foliar Application of Nutrients on the Quality of Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla L.)

2026-08-26T13:14:42+00:00

Aims: The study aims to evaluate the effects of seven foliar nutrient treatments on the nutritional and sensory quality of Swiss chard under the agro-climatic conditions of Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra.

Study Design: A randomised block design with seven treatments and three replications was used.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Regional Wheat Rust Research Station, Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra, from March to May 2025.

Methodology: The treatments comprised T₁: Control (Water spray), T₂: Phule Micrograde II, T₃: Calcium nitrate, T₄: Magnesium sulphate, T₅: Zinc sulphate, T₆: 19:19:19 and T₇: 12:61:00. The Swiss chard seedlings were transplanted on 9 April 2025, followed by foliar sprays at 20 and 40 DAT, each at a concentration of 0.5%; observations on biochemical and sensory parameters were recorded at harvest.

Results: The results revealed that foliar application of nutrients influenced the quality attributes of Swiss chard. Treatment T₆ (19:19:19) recorded the highest total nitrogen content (3.08%), total potassium content (4.87%) and excellent organoleptic characteristics in terms of aroma (6.90), crispiness (7.60) and texture (7.40). Similarly, treatment T₇ (12:61:00) registered the maximum phosphorus content (0.50%) and remained statistically at par with T₆ for phosphorus concentration. Among the micronutrients, T₂ (Phule Micrograde II) recorded the highest copper (12.47 ppm), manganese (16.47 ppm) and iron (102.27 ppm) contents, whereas the highest chlorophyll content was recorded under T₅ (2.09 mg/g), followed by T₄ (2.01 mg/g). The control treatment (T₁) recorded the lowest values for most of the quality parameters.

Conclusion: Foliar application of 19:19:19 proved to be the most effective in enhancing sensory quality and major nutritional attributes, while 12:61:00 recorded the highest phosphorus content. Phule Micrograde II was superior for copper, manganese and iron contents, whereas Zinc sulphate recorded the highest zinc and chlorophyll contents. Overall, foliar nutrient application improved the nutritional and sensory quality of Swiss chard, with the response varying according to the nutrient source applied.

Optimizing Emitter Discharge and Plant-emitter Ratio for Improving Yield, Water Productivity, and Economic Returns of Lettuce under Drip Irrigation

2026-08-28T12:22:26+00:00

Efficient irrigation management is essential for improving crop productivity while conserving water resources. This study evaluated the effects of emitter discharge rate and plant–emitter ratio on the growth, yield, water productivity, and economic performance of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) under drip irrigation during the Rabi season of 2016–17 at the Research Farm of Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya (JNKVV), Jabalpur, India. The experiment was conducted in a split-plot design comprising two emitter discharge rates (1.27 and 1.54 L h⁻¹) as main treatments and three plant–emitter ratios (1.0, 1.66, and 2.0) as sub-treatments. Growth attributes, soil moisture distribution, crop yield, water productivity, and economic returns were assessed. The plant–emitter ratio significantly affected vegetative growth, leaf area index, yield, and water productivity, whereas the effect of emitter discharge rate was generally non-significant. The treatment combination T₂E₃, comprising a 1.54 L h⁻¹ emitter discharge and a plant–emitter ratio of 2.0, recorded the highest yield (8285.16 kg ha⁻¹), water productivity (1.30 kg m⁻³), and benefit–cost ratio (13.23). The drip irrigation system exhibited high emission uniformity (92%), indicating effective water distribution throughout the crop growth period. Overall, the combination of a 1.54 L h⁻¹ emitter discharge and a plant–emitter ratio of 2.0 was found to be the most suitable treatment for improving lettuce productivity, water productivity, and economic returns under the agro-climatic conditions of central India.

Correlation and Path Analysis in Leafy Amaranthus Genotypes for Yield and Yield Attributing Traits

2026-08-29T11:25:14+00:00

The present investigation was conducted during the summer season of 2025 at the Instructional-cum-Research Farm, Horticulture Section, Rajarshee Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Government College of Agriculture, Kolhapur. Twenty-nine genotypes of leafy amaranthus were evaluated in a randomised block design with two replications. The study aimed to determine the genotypic and phenotypic associations of fresh weight per plant (g) with its component traits and to assess their direct and indirect effects through genotypic path analysis. Fresh weight per plant (g) had highly significant positive associations with leaf area (cm²), average leaf weight (g), number of leaves per plant, stem girth (mm), number of branches per plant and plant height (cm) at both genotypic and phenotypic levels. Among these traits, leaf area (cm²), average leaf weight (g) and number of leaves per plant had the strongest positive associations with fresh weight per plant (g). Genotypic path analysis revealed that number of leaves per plant recorded the highest positive direct effect on fresh weight per plant (g), followed by leaf area (cm²) and average leaf weight (g). In contrast, stem girth (mm), number of branches per plant and days to harvest had negative direct effects, indicating that the positive associations of stem girth (mm) and number of branches per plant with fresh weight per plant (g) were mainly influenced by indirect effects through other component traits. The study identified number of leaves per plant, leaf area (cm²) and average leaf weight (g) as important selection criteria for improving fresh weight per plant (g) in leafy amaranthus.

Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Growth-promoting Rhizobacteria on Yield, Nutrient Content and Uptake in Tomato under Vertisol Conditions

2026-08-29T13:55:22+00:00

Tomato production requires adequate nutrient availability to sustain high yield and biomass production, while efficient nutrient acquisition remains important under reduced fertilizer inputs. The integration of AMF and PGPR offers a potential biological approach to improve nutrient acquisition and plant productivity. A field experiment was conducted during Rabi season of 2023-24 and 2024-25 at the Research Farm of the Vegetable Research Centre, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, Maharashtra, India to evaluate the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on tomato yield, dry matter production, nutrient concentration and nutrient uptake under different fertilizer levels and methods of microbial application. The experiment comprised twelve treatments arranged in a randomized block design with three replications. Application of 75% RDF + AMF + Pseudomonas fluorescens + Bacillus megaterium + Trichoderma viride through soil application (T₁₂) consistently recorded the highest yield and nutrient accumulation. Pooled analysis showed that T₁₂ produced the maximum fruit yield (376.74 q ha⁻¹) and dry matter yield (46.34 q ha⁻¹). The treatment also recorded the highest N (1.97%), P (0.30%) and K (1.99%) concentrations, with corresponding N, P and K uptake of 91.43, 13.83 and 92.53 kg ha⁻¹, respectively. Compared with 100% RDF, T₁₂ increased fruit yield by 27.27%, demonstrating that the microbial consortium effectively complemented a 25% reduction in mineral fertilizer application. Soil application generally resulted in greater responses than seedling application, indicating more effective establishment and activity of the microbial inoculants in the rhizosphere. The integration of AMF and PGPR with 75% RDF can improve tomato productivity, biomass production and N, P and K accumulation while reducing mineral fertilizer input by 25% under Vertisol conditions.

Technological Constraint Analysis of Sustainability of Farming Systems

2026-08-29T14:03:02+00:00

Agricultural sustainability in the semi-arid tropics of India is increasingly threatened by technological, ecological, and socio-economic constraints. This study investigates the technological barriers hindering the sustainability of farming systems in Telangana State, India. Using an ex-post-facto research design, data were collected from 360 farmers through a multi-stage sampling method across three agro-climatic zones, i.e., Northern, Central, and Southern, representing varying irrigation scenarios. The Henry Garrett ranking technique was employed to analyse the relative importance of perceived technological constraints. The findings reveal that "Lack of skills in scientific crop and livestock management" is the primary constraint. This is followed by "Low adoption of modern farm mechanization" and "Poor skills in early identification and treatment of pest complexes". Constraints such as insufficient knowledge of integrated nutrient management (INM) and limited exposure to climate-resilient practices were also significant. This study evaluated strategies for overcoming these constraints. The findings reveal that establishing mobile diagnostic clinics ranked highest, followed by farmer field schools and custom hiring centres. Promoting composting and climate-smart pilot trials is essential for enhancing farm productivity and resilience. The analysis suggests that the complexity of modern agricultural inputs and the high cost of technology, coupled with fragmented extension outreach, create a significant "knowledge-action gap". To enhance sustainability, the study recommends adopting Situation-Based Extension with Participatory Approaches, restructuring financial support schemes such as Rythu Bandhu to incentivise climate-resilient practices, and strengthening custom hiring centres for mechanisation. Promoting Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) is identified as a vital strategy for income diversification and resource recycling in dryland tracts.

Effect of Tillage Practices and Weed Management in Sugarcane with Special Reference to Cynodon dactylon

2026-08-31T09:33:11+00:00

Sugarcane productivity is adversely affected by weed infestation, particularly by persistent perennial weeds such as Cynodon dactylon. Its extensive rhizomatous and stoloniferous growth makes effective control difficult, highlighting the need to evaluate integrated tillage and weed management practices for improving weed suppression and sugarcane productivity. An experiment was conducted to study the effect of tillage and weed management practices in sugarcane with special reference to Cynodon dactylon at Main Sugarcane Research Station, Junagadh Agricultural University, Kodinar, Gujarat from 2017-18 to 2019-20. The experiment comprised four tillage practices T₁: Control (Farmer’s practice), T₂: MB ploughing f/b rotavator, T₃: Glyphosate @ 2.5 kg/ha (pre-planting) f/b MB ploughing, and T₄: Paraquat @ 0.5 kg/ha (pre-planting) f/b MB ploughing in the main plot and three weed management treatments W₁: unweeded check, W₂: Glyphosate @ 2.5 kg /ha at 45 DAP (post-emergence directed spray) and W₃: Fenoxaprop-P-ethyl @ 75 g/ha at 45 DAP (post-emergence directed spray) in the subplot. The experimental results revealed that a significantly higher cane yield (126.08 t/ha) was recorded under the treatment combination of glyphosate @ 2.5 kg/ha (pre-planting) f/b MB ploughing + glyphosate @ 2.5 kg /ha at 45 DAP post-emergence directed spray (T₃W₂) than under all other treatment combinations, but it remained at par with T₃W₃(glyphosate @ 2.5 kg/ha (pre-planting) f/b MB ploughing and fenoxaprop-P-ethyl @ 75g /ha at 45 DAP post-emergence directed spray) which produced a cane yield of 123.43 t/ha. The quality parameters of sugarcane, such as brix, sucrose, purity, CCS and extraction per cent did not differ significantly among the different tillage practices. All quality parameters, except purity and extraction per cent, showed significant changes due to different weed control treatments. The highest weed control efficiency of Cynodon dactylon was recorded with post-emergence directed spray of glyphosate (64.10 %) followed by fenoxaprop-P-ethyl (46.56 %). The highest per cent control of Cynodon dactylon (87.66 %) was observed under treatment combination T₃W₂(Glyphosate @ 2.5 kg/ha (pre-planting) f/b MB ploughing + Glyphosate @ 2.5 kg/ha at 45 DAP post-emergence directed spray) followed by T₃W₃ (Glyphosate @ 2.5 kg/ha (pre-planting) f/b MB ploughing + Fenoxaprop-P-ethyl @ 75g /ha at 45 DAP post-emergence directed spray) i.e. 83.06 %, compared with other treatment combinations.

Enhancing Psychological Well-being in Elderly Care Homes through Horticultural Therapy

2026-08-31T10:26:09+00:00

Horticultural therapy is a non-pharmacological approach that may support psychological well-being among older adults living in care homes. This study assessed changes in psychological well-being following a structured geriatric horticultural therapy intervention among residents of a government-run care home in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Of 127 residents eligible for the baseline survey, 60 participants with the highest baseline scores were purposively selected. The intervention was delivered three times per week for 16 weeks, with each session lasting 15 minutes per participant. Psychological well-being was assessed before and after the intervention using the Ryff framework, covering autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. The overall mean psychological well-being score increased from 153.85 before the intervention to 156.57 afterwards (t = 6.674, p = 0.0001). Significant increases were reported for autonomy, environmental mastery, positive relations, purpose in life, and self-acceptance, whereas the change in personal growth was not statistically significant. Post-intervention gender differences were reported for autonomy, positive relations, and purpose in life. Psychological well-being was also associated with age, educational status, previous employment, and medical illness. These findings indicate improved psychological well-being scores following horticultural therapy and support further evaluation of structured gardening-based interventions in elderly care-home settings.

Socio-economic Dynamics of Livestock Farmers in the Peri-urban Interface of Guwahati, Assam, India

2026-08-31T12:31:10+00:00

Background: Peri-urban livestock farming occupies a transitional space in which access to urban markets coexists with shrinking agricultural land, changing occupations and uneven access to services. Evidence from Guwahati is limited, although the city is expanding into adjoining rural landscapes.

Aim: The study assessed the socio-economic characteristics of livestock-keeping households in three peri-urban Community Development Blocks (CDBs) of Guwahati, Assam.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Rani, Sonapur and Chandrapur CDBs, all located within approximately 35 km of Guwahati. Four villages were covered in each CDB and 25 eligible livestock farmers were interviewed per village, providing 100 respondents per CDB and 300 overall. Respondents maintained at least two to three livestock and/or a small backyard poultry flock. Because no complete sampling frame of peri-urban livestock keepers was available, respondents were identified through snowball referrals. Data were collected with a structured interview schedule and analysed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, one-way analysis of variance and critical-difference comparisons.

Results: Respondents had a mean age of 46.34 years and a mean family size of 4.40 members. Agriculture remained the principal occupation, while livestock rearing was commonly secondary. Mean herd size was 2.43 livestock units and did not differ significantly among CDBs. Farming experience (5.63 years), landholding (1.86 acres), mass-media exposure, extension contact and annual income from non-livestock sources differed significantly among locations. Mean annual income from animal husbandry was only ₹12,264 and showed no significant spatial difference, whereas mean annual income from other sources was ₹168,883. Most respondents fell in the middle categories of age, family size, herd size, experience, landholding, media exposure, extension contact and income.

Conclusion: Livestock in the sampled peri-urban households functioned mainly as a supplementary livelihood and household-support enterprise rather than the dominant income source. The results indicate a need for location-specific extension, small-scale feeding and housing options, improved market linkages and explicit inclusion of peri-urban livestock keepers in municipal and rural-development planning.

Growth and Variability in Area, Production and Productivity of Major Cereal Crops in Rajasthan, India

2026-09-01T12:12:39+00:00

Cereal crops are staple foods and play an important role in ensuring food and nutritional security. The present study was undertaken to examine growth and instability in the area, production and productivity of major cereal crops, namely sorghum, pearl millet, maize, wheat and barley, in Rajasthan. The study was based on secondary data collected from official sources over a 20-year period from 2005–06 to 2024–25. The study period was divided into Period-I (2005–06 to 2013–14), Period-II (2014–15 to 2024–25) and the overall period. Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) was used to examine growth, while the Cuddy-Della Valle Index (CDVI) was employed to measure instability. The results revealed that the area under sorghum, pearl millet and maize declined non-significantly during the overall period, whereas their production and productivity increased significantly. Sorghum recorded significant growth in production (3.84%) and productivity (2.22%), while pearl millet recorded growth of 1.87 per cent in production and 3.08 per cent in productivity. Maize showed significant growth of 2.62 per cent in production and 3.33 per cent in productivity. During the overall period (2005–06 to 2024–25), wheat recorded positive but non-significant growth in area, production and productivity at 1.10, 0.32 and 1.69 per cent per annum, respectively, whereas barley recorded significant growth in production (3.02%) and productivity (2.22%). The instability analysis revealed that sorghum recorded the highest variability in production (25.85%) and productivity (22.23%), while wheat emerged as the most stable crop with the lowest variability in production (7.56%) and productivity (6.19%). Overall, the findings indicated that improvements in productivity played an important role in increasing cereal production in Rajasthan despite limited or declining cultivated area.

Morphological and Biochemical Characterization of Four Isolates of Xanthomonas Associated with Different Tissues of Acid Lime (Citrus aurantifolia)

2026-09-01T12:37:26+00:00

Four isolates of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri obtained from different parts of acid lime were evaluated for cultural variability and biochemical characteristics at the Department of Plant Pathology, VNMKV, Parbhani, during Kharif 2021–22. Isolates recovered from leaves, fruits, stem, and thorn were designated Xac1, Xac2, Xac3, and Xac4, respectively. Cultural characteristics were assessed through microscopic and visual observations, while biochemical characteristics were examined using Gram staining, potassium hydroxide solubility, catalase, starch hydrolysis, anaerobic growth, and tetrazolium salt tolerance tests. All four isolates were morphologically single rods and produced filiform colonies with convex elevation, an entire margin, and a mucoid, glistening surface. Pigmentation varied among isolates: Xac1 was yellow, Xac2 was brownish yellow, and Xac3 and Xac4 were light yellow. The isolates showed negative reactions in Gram staining, the anaerobic growth test, and the tetrazolium salt tolerance test, whereas positive reactions were recorded for potassium hydroxide solubility, catalase activity, and starch hydrolysis. No biochemical variation was detected among the isolates. Thus, the isolates displayed variation in pigmentation but were uniform in the other recorded cultural characteristics and in the biochemical reactions examined. These findings document the cultural and biochemical characteristics of isolates recovered from different acid lime plant parts under the conditions of the study.

Direction of Trade and Changing Export Pattern of Soymeal from India

2026-09-02T12:01:09+00:00

Soymeal is an important protein-rich by-product of soybean processing and a significant component of India’s agricultural exports. This study analysed the direction of trade and changing export pattern of Indian soymeal from 2014–15 to 2023–24. Secondary export data were obtained from the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), Kolkata, for soymeal under HS Code 23040030. A first-order Markov chain approach, with transition probabilities estimated using the Minimum Absolute Deviations method, was applied to assess the stability and redistribution of export shares among major importing markets. The analysis covered Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Bangladesh, with all remaining destinations grouped as Other Countries. The results showed substantial instability across the traditional markets. Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Bangladesh recorded zero retention of their previous export shares, while Myanmar and Sri Lanka retained 5.3 per cent and 25.5 per cent, respectively. In contrast, Other Countries showed the highest market retention probability at 81.5 per cent and absorbed sizeable shares lost by several traditional destinations. Overall, the findings indicate a shift in India’s soymeal exports from individual traditional markets towards a more diversified group of destinations. Strengthening competitiveness in established markets while sustaining access to emerging destinations may support greater stability in India’s soymeal export trade.

Dietary Supplementation of Coriander Seed, Turmeric Powder and Black Pepper and Its Effects on Performance, Health, Carcass Characteristics and Economics of Broiler Chickens

2026-09-02T12:14:58+00:00

A six-week feeding trial was carried out to examine how dietary coriander seed, turmeric powder and black pepper influence feed intake, growth, feed efficiency, blood parameters, carcass traits, meat acceptability and the economics of broiler production. Two hundred and forty day-old chicks were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments, with three replicates of 20 birds each: unsupplemented control (T1), coriander seed at 2% (T2), turmeric powder at 2% (T3) and black pepper at 0.5% (T4). Feed intake and body weight were recorded weekly, while feed conversion ratio was calculated from cumulative feed intake and body weight gain. At the end of the trial, blood indices, carcass traits, organ weights and sensory attributes were assessed. Birds receiving the supplements consumed more feed overall than the control birds. The highest cumulative intake was recorded in the turmeric group (T3; 3422.00 ± 22.10 g/bird), followed by coriander (T2; 3367.90 ± 21.90 g), black pepper (T4; 3333.90 ± 21.80 g) and the control (T1; 3140.10 ± 22.95 g). Supplemented birds also finished the trial at higher body weights. The coriander group recorded the highest final body weight (1964.40 ± 31.61 g), compared with 1790.83 ± 23.64 g in the control, while black pepper and turmeric groups reached 1940.80 ± 31.30 and 1915.25 ± 34.26 g, respectively. Overall FCR did not differ significantly among treatments, although numerically lower values were observed in T2 and T4. Haemoglobin, PCV, TEC, TLC and ALT were not significantly affected, whereas AST was higher in all supplemented groups than in the control. Live weight, dressed weight, dressing percentage, visceral organ weights and sensory attributes were not significantly altered. The highest return over feed cost (Rs. 1825.60 per 60-bird batch) and profit per chick (Rs. 31.47) were obtained with coriander seed supplementation. Taken together, the results suggest that adding coriander seed at 2% offered the most favourable balance between growth performance and economic return under the conditions of this experiment. The supplementation did not produce detectable adverse effects on the carcass and haematological traits measured in the study.

Artificial Intelligence-Based Smart Farming with Internet of Things and Drone Technologies for Integrated Crop and Aquatic Health Monitoring

2026-09-02T12:57:13+00:00

Agriculture is being revolutionized through the integration of cutting-edge technologies that support efficiency, productivity, and sustainability. Recent trends in transforming traditional agriculture into smart agricultural systems through the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI), IoT, and drone technology are gaining popularity worldwide. In this context, the current study developed an integrated artificial intelligence-based farming system incorporating Internet of Things sensors, drones, deep learning, and web/mobile applications for timely monitoring of crop and aquatic health. Data were collected using IoT sensors and drones equipped with high-resolution cameras to monitor soil and water parameters, including temperature, humidity, and pH, under various climatic conditions. A dataset of 70,000 images was used for system training, validation, and testing with an 80:10:10 split, together with three months of IoT sensor data. Models including YOLOv8, CNN, Faster R-CNN, ResNet50, MobileNet, EfficientNet, DenseNet, LSTM, and Random Forest were used for pest and disease detection, fish classification, fish disease detection, shrimp disease detection, and monitoring of climatic factors. Data pre-processing included denoising, normalization, missing-value handling, and feature extraction. The designed model showed reliable performance across the tasks, with 88.4% accuracy for shrimp detection, 92.1% for pest detection using YOLOv8, and 93.4% accuracy for plant disease detection using the CNN model. Overall performance was recorded at 97% accuracy, with high precision, F1-score, and mAP, and an RMSE of 1.2 for sensor-based prediction and validation. The current findings indicate the potential of using AI, IoT, and drone technologies to detect biotic and abiotic stresses during farming and support a sustainable agricultural system.

Assessment of Farmers’ Awareness about Climate Change in Bundelkhand Region of Madhya Pradesh

2026-09-03T09:41:42+00:00

Assessing climate change awareness among farmers is a crucial prerequisite for building agricultural resilience in drought-prone regions such as Bundelkhand, Madhya Pradesh. This study aimed to empirically evaluate the level of climate change awareness among farmers in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and to analyse the underlying determinants shaping their environmental perceptions. An ex-post facto research design with a multi-stage sampling procedure was employed. A total of 253 farmers who had implemented different climate-resilient strategies were selected from four villages across two districts: 55 farmers from Singrawan Kala and 63 from Pannpura in Nawgong block of Chhatarpur district, and 65 from Kanti and 70 from Nanni Tehri in Tikamgarh block of Tikamgarh district. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient (r). Distribution analysis revealed that the majority of respondents (55.35%) exhibited medium awareness, followed by low (25.29%) and high (19.36%) awareness levels (mean = 18.71 ± 3.02). Karl Pearson's correlation analysis showed highly significant positive associations for knowledge about climate-resilient interventions (r = 0.2104), extension agency contact (r = 0.1985), and education level (r = 0.1824). Training received (r = 0.1412), innovativeness (r = 0.1384), risk-taking ability (r = 0.1352), economic motivation (r = 0.1325), and social participation (r = 0.1298) showed statistically significant positive associations. Age, farm size, and annual income were not statistically significant. These findings indicate that institutional exposure, capacity building, and technical knowledge are more closely associated with climate literacy than asset-related characteristics. Extension agencies should prioritise equitable information delivery, interactive Farmer Field Schools, and decentralised agro-advisories.

The Role of Gender in Shaping CRM Perception: Evidence from Insurance Sector

2026-09-03T11:19:13+00:00

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is central to service delivery in private health insurance, yet employee perceptions of CRM practices may vary by gender. This study examined gender-based differences in CRM perceptions among employees of standalone private health insurance companies in Karnataka, India, while also assessing employee satisfaction, CRM improvement strategies, and implementation challenges. A quantitative research design was used, with a structured questionnaire administered to 175 employees. The instrument was pre-tested with 20 employees, and internal consistency exceeded the Cronbach’s alpha threshold of 0.70. Gender differences were analysed using the independent-samples Mann–Whitney U test, supported by descriptive statistics. Significant gender-based differences were observed for gathering customer information to improve product personalisation (p = 0.013), timely and responsive service delivery (p = 0.001), understanding the positions of employees and customers (p = 0.001), and practising innovation (p = 0.003). No significant difference was identified for managing rejection and identifying sales opportunities (p = 0.06). Descriptive findings indicated relatively strong support for building meaningful customer relationships and developing effective sales strategies, while employee satisfaction with CRM roles was moderately positive. Respondents also highlighted cost, training, software mismatch, data use, social listening, and workforce alignment as important implementation considerations. The findings indicate that gender is a relevant dimension in employee perceptions of several CRM practices and should be considered alongside organisational implementation factors.

Enhancing Productivity and Profitability of Linseed through Cluster Frontline Demonstrations in Jharkhand, India

2026-09-03T13:42:15+00:00

Cluster frontline demonstrations (CFLDs) on linseed were conducted for five years in different districts of Jharkhand to assess the performance of improved production technologies relative to farmers' practices. A total of 2,832 demonstrations covering 1,040 ha were implemented using an improved variety, seed treatment, line sowing, weed management, nutrient management, and plant protection measures. Across the study period, the demonstration plots recorded an average seed yield of 7.73 q/ha, compared with 5.20 q/ha under farmers' practices, representing an average yield increase of 32.69%. The annual yield increase under the demonstrations ranged from 30.80% to 37.37% during the five-year evaluation period. The five-year average extension gap and technology gap were 2.53 q/ha and 4.27 q/ha, respectively, while the mean technology index was 35.60%. Economic analysis showed that CFLDs achieved an average gross return of ₹36,513/ha and an average net return of ₹18,991/ha, with a benefit-cost ratio of 2.08. In comparison, farmers' practices produced an average gross return of ₹25,289/ha and an average net return of ₹10,265/ha, with a benefit-cost ratio of 1.68. The average additional return from the demonstrations was ₹8,726/ha. Overall, the findings indicate that the demonstrated package of improved linseed production practices was associated with higher productivity and profitability than the prevailing farmers' practices across the five-year demonstration period.

Long-Term Integrated Farming System Alters Soil Carbon Dynamics across Soil Depths in the Northwestern Himalayan Region of Jammu and Kashmir

2026-09-04T11:03:32+00:00

A decade-long field investigation was carried out at the one-hectare Integrated Farming System (IFS) research model of the AICRP-IFS, Farming System Research Centre, SKUAST-Jammu, Chatha, and at an adjoining farmer’s field representing the existing farming system (EFFS), to characterise the depth-wise (0–15, 15–30, 30–45 and 45–60 cm) distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), total organic carbon (TOC), oxidizable organic carbon fractions, active and passive carbon pools, and carbon management indices under twelve land use systems of the IFS model vis-à-vis EFFS. SOC, MBC and TOC were all significantly higher under boundary plantation intercropped with turmeric (up to 10.15 g kg⁻¹, 175.34 µg g⁻¹ and 28.00 g kg⁻¹, respectively, at the surface) than under the other land uses, and consistently lowest under EFFS (5.33 g kg⁻¹, 84.78 µg g⁻¹ and 16.80 g kg⁻¹). Among the oxidizable carbon fractions, non-labile carbon (Cₙₗ) formed the largest share of total organic carbon in all land uses, followed by very labile (Cᵥₗ), labile (Cₗ) and less labile carbon (Cₗₗ), with boundary plantation recording the highest values of every fraction at every depth. The active carbon pool (Cₐₚ = Cᵥₗ + Cₗ) and passive carbon pool (Cₚₚ = Cₗₗ + Cₙₗ) followed the same land-use ranking, with Cₚₚ exceeding Cₐₚ at every depth in every land use. The sensitivity index at the surface depth was highest for microbial biomass carbon under boundary plantation (106.82%) and lowest for the non-labile carbon fraction across land uses, while the lability index, carbon pool index and carbon management index (CMI) were all highest under boundary plantation at every depth (CMI = 142.56 at 0–15 cm, declining to 51.95 at 45–60 cm) and lowest under EFFS (CMI = 74.82 at 0–15 cm, the reference value). Most carbon fractions and pools decreased with increasing soil depth, while CMI declined consistently across all land uses. These results indicate that a decade-long integration of tree-based (boundary plantation) and fodder components under IFS, supported by vermicompost recycling, builds up both the quantity and the lability-weighted quality of soil organic carbon more effectively than continuous mono-cropping, with clear implications for soil carbon sequestration planning in the North-Western Himalayas.

Economic Analysis and Commercial Potential of Ornamental Sunflower as a Cut Flower

2026-09-05T10:02:08+00:00

Ornamental sunflower has gained popularity as a cut flower owing to its attractive appearance, short growth cycle, and market demand, although limited information is available regarding its economic feasibility and commercial potential under Indian conditions. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the economic performance and profitability of ornamental sunflower cultivation. The experiment was laid out in a Factorial Completely Randomized Design with three replications and was conducted at the Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Horticulture and Research Station, Mahatma Gandhi University of Horticulture and Forestry, Durg, Chhattisgarh, India, during the summer seasons of 2024–25 and 2025–26. It comprised two factors: four humic acid concentrations (no humic acid application; humic acid at 10 mL/L water; humic acid at 20 mL/L water; and humic acid at 30 mL/L water) and three organic leachates (no leachate application, vermicompost leachate, and neem cake leachate). These treatment combinations were used to calculate the economics of ornamental sunflower cultivation. Among the treatments studied, the highest B:C ratio (3.31) was obtained with T₈ (humic acid 20 mL/L + vermicompost leachate), followed by T₉(humic acid 20 mL/L + neem cake leachate) with a B:C ratio of 3.30. The minimum B:C ratio (2.05) was recorded for the control treatment, T₁. These results indicate the economic potential of T₈ for commercial cultivation and for improving growers’ income.

Need Assessment of Farmers for Improved Agricultural Extension and Support Services in Assam

2026-09-05T13:59:25+00:00

In this era of rapid population growth, the world is changing rapidly, increasing the need for timely dissemination of information and knowledge. Therefore, the present study was conducted to assess farmers' needs so that, based on those needs, different approaches can be undertaken to improve their livelihoods. The study was conducted in Nagaon district of Assam and covered 200 sample farmers. A combined questionnaire and interview approach was used together with Participatory Rural Appraisal and Rapid Rural Appraisal methods. The findings showed that farmers need seeds and fertilisers at the right time to make the KVK system more effective. Irrigation was the second-ranked need, while an improved market network, farm mechanisation, and greater emphasis on horticulture ranked third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. Similarly, among production problems, animal menace was the major problem faced by farmers, followed by pests and diseases; among marketing problems, storage facilities were the main problem, followed by processing and assembling. Hence, farmers' opinions and experiences should be given importance while formulating agricultural policies and development programmes. More scientific and modern technologies should be developed and made accessible to farmers to address problems such as animal menace, insect pests, and crop diseases. In addition, proper storage and preservation facilities need to be improved, as most agricultural products are perishable in nature. Better storage infrastructure, cold chains, and processing facilities can help reduce post-harvest losses and increase farmers' income.

Assessing the Competencies of Village Agricultural Assistants at Rythu Seva Kendras: Evidence from Eluru District, Andhra Pradesh, India

2026-09-07T09:13:02+00:00

Village Agricultural Assistants (VAAs) working at Rythu Seva Kendras (RSKs) are frontline functionaries in Andhra Pradesh's village-level agricultural service system. This study assessed VAAs' self-reported competencies across technical, communication, organisational, and digital domains in Eluru District, Andhra Pradesh, India. A descriptive survey was conducted with 120 VAAs drawn from 120 villages across nine mandals. A pre-tested structured schedule contained 30 competency statements rated on a five-point continuum. Item-level responses were summarised using a normalised competence index, and domain means were calculated from the item indices. Organisational competence recorded the highest mean index (78.8), followed by technical (75.1), digital (71.9), and communication competence (71.3). At the item level, maintaining digital libraries (87), knowledge of recommended crop-production practices (86), and identifying farmers' needs and interests (85) were among the highest-rated competencies. Documenting community success and failure cases (54), transmitting large files using compression software (57), and using an LCD projector (58) were among the lowest-rated items. The digital domain showed the widest within-domain spread, indicating that routine internet and application use did not necessarily translate into competence in structured documentation and data handling. The findings support targeted in-service capacity building in digital documentation, data management, multimedia communication, and application of research and conservation knowledge.

Socio-Economic Determinants of Sojat Goat Keepers in Pali District of Western Rajasthan

2026-09-07T10:34:11+00:00

Goat rearing represents a critical livelihood strategy among marginalised rural communities. The present study assessed the socio-economic status of Sojat goat-rearing households across eight villages in two tehsils, Marwar Junction and Sojat, in Pali district of western Rajasthan. A total of 120 respondents were selected using a random sampling technique. Interview data were collected using a pre-tested, structured interview schedule. The findings revealed that the farming community was predominantly Hindu (95%), with the majority belonging to the Most Backward Classes (MBC; 81.7%), followed by Scheduled Castes (SC; 12.5%) and Other Backward Classes (OBC; 5.8%). The average age of the respondents was 49.54 years, indicating that goat rearing was primarily undertaken by the middle-aged group. The study revealed that the majority of goat keepers adopted an integrated farming system combining agriculture and goat rearing (67.5%), while 32.5% depended solely on goat rearing. Educational attainment was dominated by secondary education (41.67%), while 13.33% of respondents were illiterate. The socio-personal profile indicated a predominance of nuclear families (66.67%), Pakka housing (59.17%), and land ownership (85.83%). Regarding livestock management practices, grazing for 5–7 hours per day was the most common pattern (63.33%), with 80% of farmers relying on community land for grazing. The findings revealed that goat keepers were dependent on common village grazing resources. None of the farmers reported migration, indicating that goat farming was a year-round livelihood sustained within the local community. The present study emphasises capacity building, improved health care practices, and strengthened marketing to improve livelihoods and build the economic resilience of marginalised farming communities.

GIS-AHP-Based Site Suitability Analysis for Establishing a Mega Food Park in Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh, India

2026-09-07T11:06:12+00:00

The 2022 NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS) assessment commissioned by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries estimated post-harvest losses of 6.02-15.05% for fruits and 4.87-11.61% for vegetables in India (NABARD Consultancy Services [NABCONS], 2022), underscoring the importance of improved handling, storage, processing, and logistics. This study applied a Geographic Information System (GIS) integrated with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to screen suitable zones for a Mega Food Park within the 2011 Census boundary of Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh (11,161 km²). Slope was derived from 30 m Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) elevation data; road and railway networks were obtained from OpenStreetMap; Sentinel-2 land-use/land-cover information was used as a contextual screening layer; and proximity to Agricultural Produce Market Centres (APMCs) represented market and aggregation access. The final AHP model comprised four weighted criteria: road proximity (0.5117), railway proximity (0.2378), APMC proximity (0.1725), and slope (0.0780). The pairwise comparison matrix was internally consistent (CR = 0.0389). Approximately 65% of the study area occurred within the 0-5% slope range, about 25% within 0-2 km of major roads, and about 20% within 0-5 km of railway lines. The four-class suitability surface comprised 24% highly suitable, 33% moderately suitable, 20% marginally suitable, and 23% unsuitable land. High-suitability concentrations occurred along the NH-16 corridor, particularly around the Anakapalle-Sabbavaram and Duvvada-Gajuwaka areas. The output is a screening-level decision-support product rather than a final land-allocation decision and requires field, environmental, legal, and economic verification before implementation.

Optimization of Cropping Pattern in Madhya Pradesh for Risk Minimization

2026-09-07T11:11:18+00:00

Cropping-pattern decisions involve trade-offs among returns, risk, resource use, and diversification. This study evaluated a risk-minimising cropping pattern for Madhya Pradesh using the Markowitz mean-variance quadratic programming framework. The study was undertaken to identify an optimised cropping pattern for Madhya Pradesh using the Markowitz mean-variance quadratic programming formulation. The study used 15 years of data from 2005-06 to 2019-20. The suggested Kharif-season cropping pattern involved reducing the areas under paddy and soybean while increasing the areas under cotton, maize, black gram (Urd), and red gram (Arhar). Similarly, for the Rabi season, the suggested cropping pattern allocated a lower area to wheat than the existing cropping pattern. The area under gram was maintained at approximately its existing level, whereas the areas under rapeseed and mustard and lentil increased substantially in the suggested cropping pattern. The suggested cropping pattern reduced risk while increasing returns and also had greater diversity than the existing cropping pattern. The policy recommendations include improved labour management and reduced labour requirements for labour-intensive crops such as wheat, paddy, and cotton. The Government should focus on stabilising the production and prices of soybean and black gram (Urd) to reduce risk.

Trends in Temperature and Rainfall Variability and Their Relationship with Rice and Wheat Yields across Agro-Climatic Zones of Uttar Pradesh, India (1993–2023)

2026-09-09T12:14:17+00:00

Climate variability, particularly changes in temperature and rainfall, can substantially influence the productivity of major food crops such as rice and wheat. Understanding long-term climate–yield relationships across the diverse agro-climatic zones of Uttar Pradesh is important for assessing spatial differences in crop responses to changing climatic conditions. This study examined long-term variability and trends in temperature and rainfall and their relationships with rice and wheat yields across nine agro-climatic zones of Uttar Pradesh, India. Annual climatic data for 1993–2023 and crop-yield data for 1998–2023 were analysed using descriptive statistics, the Mann–Kendall trend test, Sen’s slope, and Pearson correlation analysis. Maximum temperature generally showed weak, statistically non-significant decreasing trends, whereas minimum temperature displayed mostly weak and non-significant increasing tendencies. Rainfall exhibited substantially greater variability than temperature, with pronounced seasonal differences among districts, although long-term rainfall trends were also statistically non-significant. Correlation analysis showed that maximum temperature was negatively associated with rice and wheat yields across the agro-climatic zones, with the strongest negative relationships observed in Jhansi and Mathura. Rainfall was positively associated with crop yields in most districts, with particularly strong rice-yield correlations in Pilibhit, Jaunpur, and Basti. Minimum temperature generally showed weak positive and non-significant relationships with crop yield, while wind speed had only a minor influence. The findings demonstrate clear spatial variation in climate–yield relationships across Uttar Pradesh, with moisture-related influences more evident in the eastern and Terai areas and stronger temperature-related constraints in the semi-arid districts. These results provide a zone-wise assessment of long-term climatic variability and crop-yield responses across the state.

Digital Transformation in Agricultural Marketing: A Comparative Analysis of the Volume of Agricultural Produce Transactions across Marketing Channels

2026-09-09T12:19:06+00:00

The study aimed to compare the transaction volume and economic performance of agricultural produce marketed through physical, digital, and combined (physical and digital) marketing channels across farm-size categories in Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka. An ex-post facto research design was adopted, and primary data were collected from 120 farmers during 2024–25 using a pre-tested structured interview schedule. A multistage sampling procedure combining purposive and random sampling techniques was followed, with 40 farmers each representing physical, digital, and combined marketing channels. Five major crops, namely groundnut, maize, paddy, ragi, and redgram, were considered. Transaction performance was assessed in terms of quantity sold, average selling price, and gross returns, and the data were analysed using means and percentages. The findings revealed substantial differences in transaction performance among the marketing channels. Digital marketing recorded the highest overall quantity sold, ranging from 15 to 21 quintals, compared with 7 to 13 quintals under physical marketing and 11 to 17 quintals under combined marketing. Digital marketing also recorded the highest average selling prices for all five crops, with ₹33/kg for groundnut, ₹28/kg for maize, ₹28/kg for paddy, ₹24/kg for ragi, and ₹34/kg for redgram. Consequently, the corresponding gross returns under digital marketing were ₹66,000, ₹53,200, ₹58,800, ₹36,000, and ₹64,600, respectively. In comparison, gross returns under physical marketing were ₹31,200, ₹23,400, ₹26,400, ₹20,400, and ₹6,300, while combined marketing recorded ₹38,400, ₹16,500, ₹35,700, ₹29,400, and ₹31,200 for groundnut, maize, paddy, ragi, and redgram, respectively. The highest gross return under digital marketing was recorded for groundnut, followed by redgram and paddy. Combined marketing recorded higher returns than physical marketing for groundnut, paddy, ragi, and redgram, whereas physical marketing recorded a higher return than combined marketing for maize. Overall, digital marketing demonstrated superior transaction performance through higher quantities sold, better price realisation, and greater gross returns across the crops studied. The study highlights the potential of digital marketing to improve farmers’ market access and economic returns; strengthening digital infrastructure, digital literacy, and access to online marketing platforms could further enhance agricultural marketing efficiency.

Fish Consumption Behaviour and Sustainability Awareness among University Students: A Study from Eastern India

2026-09-09T12:51:15+00:00

Fish is an important component of diets in eastern India, but sustainable consumption depends not only on nutritional awareness but also on preferences, affordability, availability, and purchasing behaviour. The present study analysed fish consumption behaviour, preferences, and sustainability awareness among university students enrolled in the Faculty of Fishery Sciences, West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences (WBUAFS), Kolkata. Primary data were collected from 120 students using a structured interview schedule, and the data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Garrett ranking techniques. The findings revealed that fish consumption behaviour was strongly influenced by taste, ease of preparation, cultural familiarity, price, and availability. Freshwater fishes such as rohu, catla, and mrigal, along with marine species like hilsa, prawn, and pomfret, were highly preferred. Although students demonstrated a high level of awareness regarding the nutritional benefits of fish, awareness related to sustainable fish consumption was moderate. Willingness to shift towards sustainably sourced fish and willingness to pay a premium for quality fish were observed but remained constrained by affordability and accessibility. The study highlights a noticeable gap between awareness and actual sustainable consumption practices among educated youth.

Investigations on Floral Characteristics and Pollination-related Traits of Drumstick (Moringa oleifera L.)

2026-09-10T13:16:39+00:00

Drumstick (Moringa oleifera Lam.) is an important multipurpose crop whose reproductive performance is closely associated with floral biology and pollination-related traits. This study investigated floral architecture, flower-bud development, anthesis, anther dehiscence, pollen viability, stigma receptivity and nectar characteristics of the PKM-1 variety under Bengaluru conditions during 2023–2024. The study used a Randomised Complete Block Design. Flowers and floral buds were sampled and observed for morphological and temporal traits using the procedures described in the study. Flower-bud development from visible initiation to opening required 24–27 days, with a mean of 26.15 ± 1.03 days. Anthesis occurred throughout the day, with the greatest flower opening recorded in the early morning, particularly between 0500 and 0600 hr. Anther dehiscence began shortly after anthesis and was completed in approximately 1 hr 12 min. Pollen was viable from anthesis and remained viable up to 72 hr, whereas stigma receptivity began 1 hr after anthesis and continued up to 42 hr. Each flower produced a mean nectar volume of 1.36 ± 0.32 µl, with total soluble solids of 23.10 ± 4.09%. The observed temporal overlap between pollen viability and stigma receptivity, together with nectar production and floral architecture, provides baseline information on the floral and pollination-related traits of PKM-1 drumstick under the study conditions.

Hepatoprotective, Renoprotective, and Lipid-Modulatory Effects of Kalanchoe pinnata and Vernonia amygdalina Leaf Extracts (Separate and Combined) in Diabetic Wistar Rats

2026-09-11T12:01:01+00:00

This study comparatively evaluated the hepatoprotective, renoprotective, and lipid-modulatory effects of Kalanchoe pinnata (KPE) and Vernonia amygdalina (VAE) leaf extracts, administered separately and in combination, in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic Wistar rats. Diabetic rats were treated orally for 28 days with metformin (100 mg/kg), KPE (100 or 200 mg/kg), VAE (100 or 200 mg/kg), or a KPE+VAE combination (100 mg/kg each), alongside the normal and diabetic control groups. STZ induction produced significant hepatic dysfunction (elevated ALT, AST, ALP, and total bilirubin), renal impairment (elevated urea and creatinine with electrolyte disturbances), and dyslipidaemia (elevated total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, LDL-C, and VLDL-C alongside reduced HDL-C) relative to the normal control (all p < 0.05). Treatment with KPE and VAE, particularly KPE at 200 mg/kg and the KPE+VAE combination, significantly lowered ALT, AST, and ALP to levels comparable with the normal control, with the combination producing the most consistent hepatoprotective profile. Both extracts also significantly reduced urea and creatinine, with KPE at 200 mg/kg and VAE at 100 mg/kg showing the strongest renoprotective activity, although electrolyte responses (Na⁺, K⁺) were more variable across groups. Regarding the lipid profile, VAE at 200 mg/kg produced the greatest overall improvement in atherogenic lipid fractions, while the combination achieved the highest HDL-C of any group. Notably, metformin’s effect on ALP activity was less pronounced than that of the plant extracts, which more closely approximated normal control values. These findings indicate that K. pinnata and V. amygdalina, individually and in combination, possess substantial hepatoprotective, renoprotective, and lipid-modulating potential in diabetes, complementing their previously reported hypoglycaemic and antioxidant effects.

Long-Term Trend Analysis of Wheat Area, Production and Productivity in Madhya Pradesh, India

2026-09-12T09:47:56+00:00

Wheat is one of the most important food-grain crops and plays a vital role in food security in India. Madhya Pradesh has emerged as one of the leading wheat-producing states of the country in the last few decades. The study deals with long-term trends in wheat area, production and productivity in Madhya Pradesh for the period from 1956–57 to 2024–25. The analysis is based on secondary time-series data collected from official government sources. Descriptive statistics, box plots and seven different trend models (Linear, Logarithmic, Quadratic, Cubic, Compound, Growth and Exponential) were used to study the long-term trend of wheat area, production and productivity in Madhya Pradesh. The analysis showed an upward trend in all three indicators during the period of study. Among the fitted models, the Cubic model had the best predictive performance with Adjusted R² values of 0.6901, 0.9434 and 0.9420 for area, production and productivity, respectively. This increase in wheat production was due to the slow expansion of land under cultivation and remarkable improvements in crop productivity, especially since the 1990s. This improvement can be attributed to extensive adoption of improved varieties of wheat, improved irrigation facilities, improved crop management practices and technological advancement in agriculture. These results reaffirm the consistent increase in wheat production in Madhya Pradesh and call for policies for sustainable intensification, efficient use of resources, climate resilience and environmental sustainability for long-term food security.

Nutrient Uptake Responses to Biochar-Based Slow Nutrient Release Fertilizer in Vertisol and Its Effect on Cotton (Gossypium spp.) Productivity

2026-09-12T09:56:33+00:00

Background: Biochar-based slow nutrient release fertilisers may provide a more gradual nutrient supply than conventional fertilisers and could support nutrient uptake in cotton.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a biochar-based slow nutrient release fertiliser (SnRF, 10% N w/w) applied at varying nitrogen levels on the productivity and total NPK uptake of cotton grown in a Vertisol.

Study Design: The experiment was conducted using a randomised block design (RBD) with seven treatments and three replications.

Place and Duration of Study: Research Farm, Department of Soil Science, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, Maharashtra, India, during the Kharif season of 2024–25.

Methodology: The experiment involved seven treatments under the RBD, as follows: Absolute control (T₁), 100% RDF through straight fertiliser (T₂), 100% RDF through straight fertiliser + FYM @ 5 t ha^-1 (T₃), 100% RDN through SnRF + 100% PK through straight fertiliser (T₄), 75% RDN through SnRF + 100% PK through straight fertiliser (T₅), 50% RDN through SnRF + 100% PK through straight fertiliser (T₆), and 25% RDN through SnRF + 100% PK through straight fertiliser (T₇). The cotton crop was managed with a recommended fertiliser dose (RDF) of 90:45:45 kg N, P₂O₅, K₂O ha^-1 using a spatial planting geometry of 90 cm × 45 cm. At crop maturity, economic performance was evaluated using seed cotton and stalk yields, which were subsequently correlated with total nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) uptake.

Conclusion: Compared with T2, treatment T₃ significantly increased seed cotton and stalk yields by 12.47% and 8.44%, respectively. Similarly, treatment T₄ increased seed cotton and stalk yields by 4.78% and 2.50%, respectively, relative to T₂. These productivity increases were closely reflected in macronutrient uptake; T₃ increased total nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) uptake by 26%, 19%, and 15%, respectively, whereas T4 increased N, P, and K uptake by 14%, 8%, and 6%, respectively, compared with T₂. Consequently, these findings indicate that inorganic fertilisers combined with FYM performed better, while slow nutrient release fertiliser (SnRF) served as an efficient and potentially sustainable alternative to conventional inorganic fertilisation.

Comparative Evaluation of the Hypoglycaemic and Antioxidant Effects of Kalanchoe pinnata and Vernonia amygdalina Leaf Extracts (Separate and Combined) in Diabetic Wistar Rats

2026-09-12T10:08:02+00:00

This study comparatively evaluated the hypoglycaemic and antioxidant effects of Kalanchoe pinnata (KPE) and Vernonia amygdalina (VAE) leaf extracts, administered separately and in combination, in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats. Following diabetes induction, rats received metformin (100 mg/kg), KPE (100 or 200 mg/kg), VAE (100 or 200 mg/kg), or KPE+VAE (100 mg/kg each) orally for 28 days; biochemical analyses were performed using three rats per group after exclusions. Fasting blood glucose, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), serum insulin, glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and malondialdehyde were assessed. At Weeks 2 and 4, fasting blood glucose did not differ significantly between treated groups and the diabetic control, although VAE at 200 mg/kg produced the lowest Week 4 value among extract-treated groups. All treated groups had HbA1c values significantly lower than the diabetic control and statistically comparable with the normal control. VAE at 200 mg/kg produced the numerically lowest HbA1c (4.39 ± 0.28%) and showed strong antioxidant responses, including the highest glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities. In contrast, KPE at 200 mg/kg and the combined treatment produced markedly reduced serum insulin concentrations of 0.51 ± 0.15 and 0.44 ± 0.03 ng/mL, respectively. The combination did not show a clear advantage over the individual extracts. These findings indicate measurable glycaemic and antioxidant effects, with VAE at 200 mg/kg showing the most consistent overall profile, while the insulin findings warrant cautious dose optimisation.

A Novel Single-Pot Process for the Efficient Synthesis of Nonivamide: Detailed Stoichiometric Engineering, Reaction Mechanism, and Comparative NMR Characterization with Capsaicin

2026-09-12T12:43:29+00:00

Nonivamide (N-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl) nonanamide), also known as pelargonic acid vanillylamide (PAVA), is an industrially important synthetic capsaicinoid with potent transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype-1 (TRPV1) agonistic activity and extensive applications in pharmaceuticals, topical analgesics, neuropharmacology, and metabolic activation systems. In the present investigation, a novel single-pot synthetic methodology was developed through in situ liberation of vanillylamine free base, followed directly by low-temperature amidation using nonanoyl chloride under a nitrogen atmosphere without isolation of the intermediate free amine. The process was specifically engineered to minimise oxidation pathways, reduce solvent handling, simplify purification, and improve process scalability. For the synthesis of approximately 10 g of nonivamide, vanillylamine hydrochloride (6.46 g, 0.0341 mol) was suspended in dichloromethane and treated with triethylamine (7.24 g, 0.0716 mol) at 0–5°C to generate free vanillylamine in situ, followed by the controlled addition of nonanoyl chloride (6.32 g, 0.0358 mol) under low-temperature conditions. The amidation proceeded efficiently through nucleophilic acyl substitution, yielding purified nonivamide after aqueous work-up and ethanol-water recrystallisation. The developed single-pot process afforded approximately 9.2–10.0 g of purified nonivamide, with improved operational simplicity and reduced process complexity relative to conventional multistep methods. Structural confirmation was established through comparative ¹H NMR analysis against capsaicin. The uploaded spectrum demonstrated characteristic aromatic vanillyl proton resonances between 6.73 and 7.26 ppm, a methoxy singlet near 3.85 ppm, benzylic methylene signals near 4.33–4.34 ppm, an alpha-carbonyl methylene resonance near 2.2 ppm, a saturated aliphatic proton envelope between 1.20 and 1.65 ppm, and a terminal methyl resonance near 0.85 ppm. Most importantly, the complete absence of olefinic proton resonances characteristic of capsaicin between 5.3 and 5.6 ppm confirmed the successful synthesis of saturated nonivamide. The developed methodology therefore represents a potentially robust and scalable platform for the efficient production of high-purity nonivamide with simplified process engineering and enhanced oxidative stability.

Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Cowpea to Elevated Temperature

2026-09-12T13:18:20+00:00

Aims: To evaluate physiological, biochemical, and micrometeorological responses of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) var. CO 7 to a +2 °C temperature regime and to compare six organic and inorganic treatments.

Study Design: The experiment used a factorial completely randomised design with six treatments under two temperature regimes (ambient and ambient +2 °C), with three pot replicates for each treatment within each regime.

Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted during April-June 2021 in a Temperature Gradient Tunnel at the Agro Climate Research Centre, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.

Methodology: Physiological, biochemical, and micrometeorological traits were evaluated at 30, 45, and 60 days after sowing. The measured variables were proline content, peroxidase activity, cell membrane thermostability, chlorophyll index, photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and leaf temperature.

Results: Relative to ambient conditions, the +2 °C regime was associated with higher proline content, peroxidase activity, transpiration rate, and leaf temperature and with lower cell membrane thermostability, chlorophyll index, photosynthetic rate, and stomatal conductance. Across sampling intervals, vermicompost combined with a 3% Panchagavya foliar spray (T2) generally showed the most favourable overall physiological profile among the tested treatments.

Conclusion: Under the conditions of this pot experiment, vermicompost combined with 3% Panchagavya was associated with improved physiological and biochemical performance of cowpea exposed to moderate warming. Field and multi-season validation is needed before effects on yield or long-term crop productivity can be inferred.