Arid Forest Research Institute,Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education

Groundwater contamination by pesticides poses significant risks to this critical freshwater resource, which supports urban, rural, industrial, and agricultural needs. Pesticides, widely used to enhance agricultural productivity, often infiltrate groundwater, threatening both environmental sustainability and human health. By analyzing recent studies, this article highlights the long-term risks associated with pesticide residues and evaluates mitigation strategies, including Best Management Practices (BMPs), bioremediation, and policy interventions. The findings underscore the need for integrated approaches to groundwater protection, such as promoting organic and sustainable farming practices, implementing robust groundwater quality monitoring systems, and strengthening pesticide regulations. This review examines the intricate dynamics of pesticide pollution, encompassing its sources, transport pathways, persistence, and impacts on groundwater systems. In addition, it offers a foundation for informed policymaking, future research, and the development of strategies aimed at conserving groundwater resources and minimizing pesticide contamination.

RNA interference (RNAi) has emerged as a promising strategy for controlling insect pests, offering precise and environmentally sustainable alternatives to traditional pest control methods. By introducing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that specifically targets essential genes involved in pest survival, RNAi disrupts gene expression in target organisms. Various delivery methods, including topical application, transgenic plants, and nanoparticles, have been developed to enhance the effective administration of dsRNA. However, RNAi faces several challenges, including off-target effects, species-specific variations in efficacy, and the potential for resistance development. Despite these obstacles, ongoing research is focused on addressing these issues and improving the efficiency of RNAi-based pest control approaches. Future prospects for RNAi in insect pest management include advancements in delivery technologies, the identification of novel target genes, and the integration of RNAi with complementary pest control strategies. In conclusion, RNAi represents a potential long-term and targeted solution for insect pest control. Continued research and technological advancements are driving its adoption and expanding its application in agriculture and forestry globally. This review provides an in-depth analysis of RNAi mechanisms, evaluates current strategies, highlights the challenges faced, and explores the future directions for its use in insect pest management.

In vitro conservation technique is one of the potential approaches to safeguard plant biodiversity. To protect the important germplasm, storage of whole plant can be challenging. A study was done to conserve the callus of Commiphora wightii at different temperatures i.e. 4°C, 10°C, 20°C, 30°C and 40°C for a longer period of time as well as the effect of light and dark on callus of Commiphora wightii was observed. The callus was initiated from immature fruits of C. wightii on Gamborg B5 medium supplemented with (0.5mg/l) 2, 4 D, 3% sucrose and 0.8% agar and was sub-cultured on same media at a regular interval of 30-35 days. After two passages vigorous callus growth was obtained and thus these proliferated cultures were further placed on two separate parameters which are different temperatures and dark/light experiment on hormone-free B5 medium. The morphological changes and the fresh weight of the callus cultures were analyzed. The cultures on different temperatures were stored for a period of 90 days without sub-culturing and the data was collected on every 30 days interval. It was found that at 10°C, 100% callus survived for 90 days and turned green, compact depicting the embryogenic nature, whereas at optimum temperature the sub-culturing was required after a period of 45-50 days. When the effect of dark and light was studied, the survival of callus kept in dark was 120 days which was around 60 days longer than the callus stored in light without sub-culturing. The callus stored in dark turned from non-embryogenic (white and friable) to embryogenic (green and compact). The survival percentage reduced after a period of 100-120 days for the cultures stored in dark. Our study suggests the feasibility of germplasm storage for species with recalcitrant seeds and facilitates germplasm shipments for conservation of forest species.

The impact of trees on soils is diverse, varying based on tree species and environmental conditions. To better understand the functionality and services of agroforestry systems, we assessed the impact of trees on soil properties and carbon storage in 14 traditional agroforestry systems in Rajasthan, India. Trees were counted for species and density, and were measured for height, diameter at breast height (dbh), and canopy diameter in 0.5 ha plots on 84 farmlands. Soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus, and exchangeable potassium were assessed for samples collected at 1 m from the tree, the canopy edge, and 5 m away from the canopy edge as a control. Soil variables differed significantly between systems and distances from the trees. SOC, TN, phosphorus, potassium, and C-stock showed + 2.3–25.0% increase, whereas pH/EC decreased beneath the tree canopy compared to the control. P. cineraria, P. juliflora, and A. indica exhibited high SOC, TN, phosphorus, and potassium, respectively. Soil pH and EC were low under A. excelsa. Most soil variables increased with an increase in tree size. Rainfall negatively impacted soil pH, EC, and potassium. Climate significantly influenced the distribution of agroforestry systems, and the growth and dynamics of the dominant trees within these systems were key drivers for improving soil nutrients, properties, and carbon storage. These findings suggest that integrating trees into farming systems through planting can improve soil fertility, enhance carbon storage, and help restore degraded farmlands, contributing to both sustainable agricultural production and climate change mitigation.

Climatic factors are normally important in the development, yield and quality of fruits leading to commercial value. A field experiment was executed to evaluate the impact of weather parameter on physiological aspect and quality aspect of Kinnow mandarin, these were subjected to drip-irrigation starting from the first year of planting. Results showed positive correlationof peel per cent, peels thickness and pulp percent of kinnow mandarin fruit with minimum temperature and rainfall at K4 stage while evaporation was the only climatic factor that showed positive correlation withpeel per cent and pulp per cent of kinnow mandarin fruit at K4 stage. Similarly maximum and minimum of both temperature at K1 and K3 stage along with relative humidity at K1stage positively favour the content of number ofseed per kinnow mandarin fruit moreover evaporationalso exhibited a positive effect on number of seed per kinnow mandarin fruit at K2 and K3 stage.Stock: Scion ratio were found positively influence by only evaporation at K4 stage.