Junagadh Agricultural University (JAU) is an agricultural university at Junagadh in the Indian state of Gujarat. Junagadh Agricultural University offers education in agriculture and allied sciences, i.e., agriculture, agricultural engineering and fisheries. The teaching in the university consists of four faculties: agriculture, agricultural engineering, fisheries and postgraduate studies. The graduate programmes have an intake capacity of 135 in agriculture, 70 in agricultural engineering and 30 in fisheries faculty. The postgraduate level studies are offered in agriculture and agricultural engineering according to the intake capacity of the various faculties.There are seven multidisciplinary Main Research Stations; five Main Research Stations for various crops; and eleven sub-Research Stations/Testing Centres for the development of new varieties/hybrids of crops, vegetables and fruits. These centres also work for the development of economical and sustainable production technology packages for newly developed varieties/hybrids with modification every year. The first hybrid bajra and hybrid castor were developed by scientists of this university.
India holds the second position in the world for the groundnut production wherein Gujarat is the leading producer. The Saurashtra region of Gujarat which includes the districts of Junagadh, Jamnagar, Amreli, Gir-Somnath and Rajkot, is known as the “groundnut bowl of India”. According to research, the productivity of groundnut in India shows a downward trend due to declining area under cultivation, erratic rainfall and changing cropping patterns. For improving productivity and profitability of farmers of Saurashtra region of Gujarat, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Rajkot-II (Pipalia) conducted 60 front line demonstrations in 24 ha area covering six villages of KVK jurisdiction. Improved quality seeds, biofertilizers and other practices for white grub management were demonstrated to farmers. The average yield recorded in the demonstration and local check plots was 2768.33 kg/ha and 2318.33 kg/ha respectively. There was 19.56
Conventional soybean oil contains high levels of linoleic acid, which reduces oxidative stability and necessitates hydrogenation, leading to trans-fat formation. In this study, 40 Indian soybean genotypes were screened for fatty acid composition, and Gujarat Junagadh Soybean-3 (GJS-3) was selected for CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of the fatty acid desaturase-2 (FAD2) gene. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation produced 22 regenerated plants, of which 57.1% were PCR-positive for Cas9/sgRNA. Targeted single-nucleotide substitutions were confirmed by Sanger sequencing in three edited lines (T3, T7, and T15), corresponding to an editing efficiency of 13.63%. These lines exhibited a marked increase in oleic acid content (42-45%) compared with the wild type (22%) and a concomitant reduction in linoleic acid (30-32% vs. 54%), resulting in nearly a two-fold improvement in the oleic/linoleic acid ratio. PCR analysis confirmed the absence of Cas9 and U3 sequences, indicating transgene-free edited plants. This study provides the first evidence of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated FAD2 editing in an Indian soybean cultivar and demonstrates its effectiveness in improving oil quality, oxidative stability, and processing efficiency.
Nanotechnology and transcriptomics are revolutionizing agriculture by improving sustainability and efficiency. Nanoparticles facilitate the slow release of nutrients for better crop absorption, while transcriptomic analysis uncovers gene expression changes. In a comparative study of zinc-responsive groundnut using bulk ZnSO4 and zinc oxide nanoparticles (nano ZnO), zinc nanoparticles were synthesized from ZnSO4 via a precipitation method. Characterization included particle size analysis (67.5 nm), zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. RNA was isolated from leaf samples treated with either bulk ZnSO4 or nano ZnO after seed treatment and two foliar sprays over 73 days. Transcriptome sequencing with the Oxford Nanopore Sequencer enabled de novo annotation and differential gene expression analysis. In the bulk ZnSO4 versus control comparison, 971 contigs were identified, revealing 792 significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs). For nano ZnO, 971 contigs were also found, with 851 significant DEGs. Pathway network analysis highlighted isoprene biosynthesis as crucial for promoting plant growth and enhancing yield by altering photosynthesis and secondary metabolites. Key genes, DXR and DBR, involved in the isoprene biosynthetic pathway, were identified as vital for isoprene production and zinc metabolism. DBR facilitates redox reactions crucial for producing isoprene precursors and maintaining zinc homeostasis by supporting the function of zinc-containing proteins. Meanwhile, DXR, as a key enzyme in the MEP pathway, links isoprene production to zinc-dependent metabolic processes. Overall, this study suggests that nano-form zinc application enhances the isoprene biosynthetic pathway, leading to improved plant growth and resilience.
Perception is a process through which an individual becomes aware of objects and of events taking place around him. To develop and standardize a scale to measure farmers’ perception of climate change and its impact on agriculture. The scale was developed using Likert’s Summated Ratings method, following a rigorous process to ensure its validity and reliability. Initially, 80 items were gathered from various sources, including literature and expert consultations, and out of total, 60 statements were selected as non-ambiguous. These statements underwent a relevancy test with 50 experts, resulting in the selection of 30 items based on their relevancy percentage, mean relevancy weightage, and mean relevancy score. Further item analysis was conducted by administering these 30 statements to 30 farmers, segregating them into high and low perception groups. Using a t-test, 28 statements with 1.75 t-value were selected for the final scale. The scale’s reliability was confirmed with a split-half method, yielding a reliability coefficient of 0.59. Content validity was verified through expert discussions. The final scale, consisting of 28 statements, assesses the perception of farmers on various climate change aspects such as crop productivity, weather patterns and adaptation strategies. It provides a valuable tool for understanding farmers’ views on climate change, guiding agricultural policy and extension services aimed at improving climate resilience.
The present study was undertaken to isolate, screen and evaluate zinc-solubilising bacteria (ZnSB) from lentil rhizosphere and root nodules and to assess their individual and consortium effects on plant growth, yield, micronutrient biofortification and soil nutrient status. A total of 120 rhizospheric soil and 62 root samples were collected from RPCAU research farms at Pusa and Dholi, yielding 157 bacterial isolates. Among these, 127 rhizospheric and 30 nodule isolates were screened for zinc solubilisation using zinc oxide (ZnO) and zinc carbonate (ZnCO₃) as zinc sources. The ZnO was the most preferred substrate, with Zn solubilisation efficiency (Zn-SE) ranging from 25.00 to 416.70 in rhizospheric (Rh) isolates and 57.10 to 357.10 in nodule (Nd) isolates. The most efficient isolates (Rh-ZnSB 38, Rh-ZnSB 60, Rh-ZnSB 90 and Nd-ZnSB 1) also exhibited multiple plant growth-promoting traits, including phosphate and potassium solubilisation, siderophore production, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and gibberellic acid (GA) synthesis and ammonia production and were found to be highly compatible with each other. Based on these traits, a microbial consortium was developed. Seed germination studies revealed that combined inoculation of Nd-ZnSB 1 with the Rh-ZnSB consortium resulted in 100 % germination and the highest seed vigour index, indicating strong synergistic effects. Pot experiments further demonstrated that ZnSB consortia significantly enhanced plant growth and nodulation. Plant height ranged from 30.60–38.80 cm at 45 days after sowing (DAS) and 42.10–57.90 cm at 90 DAS, while nodules varied from 18.50–38.90 plant-1 at 45 DAS and 24.30–45.60 plant-1 at 90 DAS, with consortium treatment T₇ consistently outperforming other treatments. Yield attributes were also markedly improved by ZnSB consortia. The number of pods per plant ranged from 50.00 to 75.00, seeds per plant from 69.00 to 130.00, 100-seed weight from 2.40 to 5.30 g and grain yield from 15.00 to 30.00 g pot-1, with maximum values recorded under consortium treatments. Grain biofortification was significantly enhanced, with Zn content ranging from 21.40 to 46.80 mg kg-1 and iron from 62.50 to 102.30 mg kg-1. In addition, ZnSB consortia improved soil fertility by increasing available nitrogen (0.78–1.18 g kg-1), phosphorus (0.32–0.64 g kg-1), potassium (1.15–1.56 g kg-1), organic carbon (0.42–0.66 %) and DTPA-extractable Zn and Fe.
