Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University (SKRAU), formerly Rajasthan Agricultural University, is a state agricultural university located in Bikaner in the Indian state Rajasthan. The university, formerly a part of the Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur[citation needed] became a separate entity in 1987 through Rajasthan Agriculture University, Bikaner Act, 1987. It was renamed after freedom fighter and social reformer Swami Keshwanand in 2009. Raksha Pal Singh was appointed vice chancellor in 2019.
Weeds are a major problem in wheat crop causing low productivity. Nowadays, maximum doses of herbicides are used in wheat crop production, but after some time their negative effects are visible on crop and soil. The presence of ‘sorgoleone’ allelochemical in sorghum extract reduces weed density in early growth stage and increases the quality as well as soil microbial activity. Sequential application of sorghum extract (1:3) + ready-mix of clodinafop + metsulfuron 64 g/ha as post emergence, significantly increased the microbial population in soil, and enhanced quality and production of wheat. Same treatment produced significantly higher grain yield of 4543 kg/ha and magnitude of increments were 34.87
A study was conducted to characterise soil under different land use systems of Medziphema Block, Nagaland (India) during 2021-22 at the School of Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development, Nagaland University, Medziphema, Nagaland (India). The results revealed that the minimum bulk density (1.11 g cm− 3) was found in the forest land system and maximum porosity (50.88
A field experiment was conducted, to study the effect of by weed control measures and nutrient management on growth and yield of fennel, at Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture, Bikaner during the Rabi season of 2021-22. There were 16 treatment combinations with four nutrient managements: control, 75% recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF), 100% RDF and 125% RDF and four weed control measures: weed free, pre-emergence application (PE) of pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ha, post-emergence application (PoE) of oxyfluorfen 50 g/ha at 25 DAS and weedy check. A factorial randomized design with three replications was used. The reduction in weed density, biomass and increase in fennel growth and yield were significantly higher with pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ha PE than with oxyfluorfen50 g/ha PoE. Weed-free recorded the highest fennel seed yield, biological yield and net returns while pendimethalin0.75 kg/ha PE recorded the highest B: C ratio. Among nutrient levels, 100% RDF recorded the highest fennel seed yield, biological yield and net returns.
Crop diversification is a critical strategy for enhancing agroecosystem resilience and sustainability as global food-demand is projected to rise by 50
IntroductionTribal women play a pivotal role in the collection, processing and value addition of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) under the PradhanMantri Van DhanVikasYojana (PMVDVY). However, despite the programme’s growing importance, no standardized and context-specific instrument is available to assess tribal women’s attitudes towards PMVDVY. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop and validate a psychometrically sound attitude scale for measuring tribal women’s attitudes towards the programme.Materials and methodsThe study was conducted in the southern region of Rajasthan, India, which is predominantly inhabited by tribal communities. A total sample of 400 tribal beneficiary women was selected from Udaipur and Sirohi districts using proportionate and simple random sampling techniques. From each selected village, twenty tribal women respondents were chosen. An attitude scale was specifically developed for this study to assess the perceptions of tribal women towards PMVDVY. The scale construction followed standard procedures to ensure reliability and validity.ResultsThe developed scale demonstrated satisfactory content validity through expert evaluation, and reliability analysis yielded a coefficient of 0.81, indicating high internal consistency and adequate representation of the attitudinal construct. The findings revealed that the majority of tribal women exhibited a favourable attitude towards PMVDVY. Aspect-wise analysis indicated strong agreement with statements such as PMVDVY being a significant boon for tribal communities and capacity-building training programmes motivating women to experiment with new products and techniques.DiscussionThe favourable attitude of tribal women reflects the positive acceptance and relevance of PMVDVY in improving their livelihoods. The aspect-wise findings further highlight strong agreement regarding the scheme’s role in enhancing income generation and socio-economic conditions. To transform favourable attitudes into highly favourable ones, training programmes conducted through Van DhanVikasKendras were perceived as instrumental. These initiatives have encouraged women to adopt skill-based, value-added activities, thereby strengthening their entrepreneurial abilities and promoting self-reliance.
