The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is a public funded agricultural university located in Ludhiana district of Punjab.[citation needed] It is a state agricultural university in India. It was established in 1962 and is the nation's third-oldest agricultural university, after Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar and Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneshwar. It was formallyinaugurated by the then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, on July 8, 1963. PAU pioneered the Green Revolution in India in the 1960s. It was bifurcated in 2005 with the formation of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU). The Farmers Fair, which have been organised by the PAU since 1967, see the footfall of at least one lakh farmers in two days on PAU campus in Ludhiana, Punjab (bi-annually in March and September). The farmers from not only Punjab, but also from neighboring states such as Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, etcetera travel to PAU campus to buy high-quality seeds, farm equipment and gain knowledge on new agricultural technologies in the two-day main fair event.
Conventional rice-wheat systems in the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) are challenged by declining soil health, rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and production costs, underscoring the need for climate-smart management. Therefore, this study evaluated the long-term effects of conservation agriculture (CA) on productivity, soil organic carbon (SOC), carbon sequestration, GHG emissions and profitability in a rice-wheat cropping system. A field experiment established in 2015 was assessed during 2023-2024 season using six crop establishment methods ranging from conventional (CE1 and CE2) to partial (CE3 and CE4) and full CA (CE5 and CE6) with residue retention and mungbean incorporation. CE6 increased rice and wheat yield by 34.6% and 17.9%, respectively, compared with CE1. SOC increased by 34%, resulting in higher carbon stock (23.36 t C ha−1) and net CO2 sequestration (18.40 t CO2e ha−1) under CE6. Simulation studies indicated a 29.5% reduction in seasonal GHG emissions and an improved SOC dynamic under CE6 compared with CE1, highlighting efficient carbon balance under long-term residue retention and reduced soil disturbance. Economic analysis showed that CE6 reduced cultivation costs and increased net returns by 61%, resulting in the higher benefit-cost ratio (1.89). Overall, long-term CA, enhanced productivity, improved SOC, carbon sequestration and reduced GHG emissions. These results support CA as a viable strategy for sustainable intensification in rice-based systems of the eastern IGP.
This study examined carbon mineralization, microbial and enzyme activity in soils amended with composts over 18-week incubation. Carbon mineralization followed three phases: initial, intermediate, and stabilization, with T6 (poultry manure compost @ 5 t ha− 1) and T4 (cow dung compost @ 5 t ha− 1) exhibiting the highest carbon mineralization rates, reaching 308.6 and 281.7 mg CO2-C kg− 1. Microbial Biomass Carbon (MBC), Microbial Biomass Nitrogen (MBN), Dehydrogenase activity (DHA), and Basal Soil Respiration (BSR) were strongly correlated and T6 recorded the highest MBC (486.6 ± 1.95 mg kg− 1) and MBN (18.8 ± 0.27 mg kg− 1), with highest bacterial and actinomycetes counts (50.24 × 107 CFU/g and 56.67 × 105 CFU/g). Fungal counts were highest in T2 (42.74 × 103 CFU/g). Nutrient analysis revealed that T6 had the highest mineral N (131.5 mg kg− 1), and T4 showed the highest available P (15.9 mg kg− 1) and available K (115.7 mg kg− 1). The strong positive correlations between MBN, alkaline phosphatase activity, and Cumulative (cm) indicate their interconnectedness in nutrient cycling. Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) identified MBC, mineral N, and enzymes as key predictors for Cumulative cm, with MBC having the highest importance score (1.2) followed by mineral N and available K. Among the different treatments, for predicting cumulative cm T6 followed by T4, T10 and T8 were found to best. This study emphasizes the critical role of organic amendments in enhancing microbial activity, sustaining long-term carbon cycling, and improving soil fertility for sustainable soil management.
Rapid urbanization and industrialization have exacerbated freshwater scarcity while simultaneously increasing wastewater generation, making the safe and judicious reuse of wastewater a viable strategy to address both challenges. The present study aimed to evaluate the seasonal irrigation suitability of the Kala Sanghian drain using integrated (graphical, indexical, statistical and machine learning) approaches. Drain water samples from two seasons (pre- and post-monsoon) were collected and analysed for physico-chemical parameters and heavy metals, and irrigation suitability was evaluated using different indices and machine learning models. The results revealed a notable improvement in the physico-chemical quality of drain water during the post-monsoon season, enhancing its suitability for irrigation. Among the heavy metals analysed, 84.4
The southwest monsoon (June–September) provides the majority of annual rainfall to Punjab state, India, yet exhibits substantial spatial and temporal variability, with significant implications for agriculture, water resource management, and food security in this intensively cultivated region. This study conducts a comprehensive assessment of monsoonal rainfall characteristics across Punjab from 2000 to 2024, utilizing high-resolution daily precipitation estimates from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, which integrates dual-frequency precipitation radar (Ku/Ka-band) observations with multi-channel passive microwave measurements from the GPM Microwave Imager for enhanced accuracy and near-real-time capability. The objectives of the study are: to quantify the interannual variability of total monsoonal rainfall, documenting a range of 430 ± 11 mm to 1,013 ± 25 mm with a 25-year mean of 744.7 ± 17 mm; to detect and evaluate long-term trends in seasonal rainfall totals, revealing a statistically significant increasing trend of 1.69 mm per year in total monsoon –season rainfall over the 2000 to 2024 period; to characterize the spatial distribution patterns, identifying consistently higher precipitation in the northern and northeastern zones contrasted with lower amounts in the southern and southwestern areas; and to elucidate the broader implications of these historical dynamics for regional drought risk assessment, sustainable water management, agricultural planning, and anticipation of future climate change impacts on monsoon behavior. The results highlight pronounced unevenness in rainfall distribution and a modest but detectable positive trend, underscoring the value of satellite-derived datasets for monitoring regional hydroclimatic changes in data-sparse or agriculturally critical areas. These findings provide a robust baseline for improved climate adaptation strategies in Punjab, where monsoon reliability directly influences socioeconomic stability.
Rapid postharvest deterioration in climacteric fruits such as pears necessitates antioxidant-enriched edible coatings to retard senescence and preserve quality. This study investigates the efficacy of a composite edible coating composed of 0.5
