Drip irrigation can save 30-60 % of water and enables the simultaneous application of water and fertilisers through fertigation. A field experiment was conducted for three consecutive rabi seasons (2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24) to evaluate the effect of different injector and emitter types on fertigation uniformity in garlic (Alliumsativum L.) Three types of emitters and two types of fertiliser injectors were tested to determine their influence on the coefficient of variation (Cv) of water and nutrient application. Results showed that both injector type and emitter manufacturing variability significantly affected fertigation and irrigation uniformity. Across the years, the lowest Cv for fertigation was obtained with the combination of a pressure-compensating emitter (2 lph) and a venturi manifold device, whereas the highest Cv resulted from the combination of drip tape emitter (4 lph) with a hydro-pneumatic pressure pump vessel. Fertigation uniformity improved as Cv decreased. The study also revealed noticeable differences between the Cv of irrigation water and the Cv of fertiliser application, indicating that a system performing well in water distribution does not necessarily ensure uniform fertiliser distribution. Based on the findings, the use of 2 lph pressure-compensating emitters with a venturi manifold device is recommended for achieving higher fertigation uniformity in drip irrigation systems.

Soil erosion poses a critical threat to the sustainability of fluvial island ecosystems, particularly in dynamic and flood-prone regions such as Majuli, the world’s largest inhabited river island in Northeast India. Despite its ecological and cultural significance, spatially explicit assessments of erosion dynamics remain limited. This study aims to (i) quantify the spatial distribution and severity of soil erosion across Majuli and (ii) evaluate the influence of key biophysical factors on erosion variability. We hypothesize that erosion risk exhibits significant spatial heterogeneity driven by rainfall, topography, soil properties, and land-use practices. An integrated Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model coupled with geospatial techniques was applied using 160 GPS-referenced soil samples collected from riverbank locations. Soil loss was estimated using five core RUSLE factors: rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), slope length and steepness (LS), cover management (C), and support practices (P), alongside erodibility indices including clay ratio, silt–clay ratio, modified clay ratio, dispersion ratio, erosion ratio, and erosion index. Estimated annual soil loss ranged from 2.58 to 50.88 t ha-1 yr-1, with a mean of 17.72 t ha-1 yr-1 and standard deviation of 9.83 t ha-1 yr-1. Dispersion ratio (0.09–0.34), erosion ratio (0.03–0.25), and erosion index (0.05–0.46) indicate moderate to high erodibility across large areas. Approximately 40.32% of the island experiences moderately severe erosion, whereas only 0.02% falls under very low erosion. The results indicate pronounced spatial heterogeneity in erosion risk, highlighting priority zones for targeted conservation. The study demonstrates the robustness of integrating field-based measurements with GIS-enabled RUSLE modeling to support watershed planning, soil conservation strategies, and sustainable land management in vulnerable riverine environments.

An experiment was performed during the rabi months of 2022-2023 (October - February) at the teaching and research farm of Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat to study the impact patterns of maize. The experimental design was split plot with four irrigation schedules as main plot treatments; rainfed: irrigation at 0.6 irrigation water to cumulative pan evaporation (IW/CPE) ratio: irrigation at 0.8 IW/CPE ratio: Irrigation at critical growth stages: grand growth, tasselling, and grain filling. There were three nitrogen management practices as sub plot treatments; RDF (recommended dose of fertiliser) N60, P40, K40 + water spray at knee-high and tasseling stages: 50% RDN (recommended dose of nitrogen) N30, P40, K40) through urea as basal + 4 ml/L nano urea at knee-high and tasseling stages; 50% RDN through urea as basal + 6 ml/L nano urea at knee-high and tasseling stage. Periodic soil moisture patterns varied among the different crop intervals with the irrigation schedules along with the action of rainfall. Weekly average ground water table varied with the peak of rainfall. Moisture extraction patterns, evapotranspiration, water uptake, and crop and field water use efficiency varied among the different irrigation treatments. The highest extraction patterns were observed at upper depths, 0 - 20 cm, compared to 20 - 40 and 40 - 60 cm. Irrigation at grand growth period + tasseling + grain filling stage recorded the highest evapotranspiration rate and total water use which was at par with irrigation at 0.8 IW/CPE ratio. In terms of crop and water use efficiency, rainfed recorded the highest values followed by 0.6 IW/CPE ratio of irrigation scheduling. However, nitrogen management practices through nano urea showed closely related observations in all the cases with the highest under 50% RDN through urea as basal + 6 ml/L nano urea at knee high and tasseling stage being statistically at par with 50% RDN through urea as basal + 4 ml/L nano urea at knee high and tasseling stage. Overall, irrigation at critical growth stages and 0.8 IW/CPE as well as 50% RDN along with 6 ml/L and 4 ml/L recorded the highest water productivity of rabi maize.

The assessment of soil and nutrient erosion along the scattered Brahmaputra River in the Jorhat district of Assam has been attempted utilizing field and laboratory assessments, satellite remote sensing techniques, and the Revised Morgan–Morgan–Finney (RMMF) soil erosion model. River portions were mapped based on visually interpreted and geo-coded false colour composites (FCC) of Landsat-9 OLI data and Survey of India toposheets (1:50,000). Soil samples were collected from 62 different sites within a region of 86.78 km2 on the banks of the Jorhat River. The main findings revealed that approximately 55.24

Maize productivity and nutrient acquisition are strongly influenced by water and nitrogen management. A field experiment was conducted during the 2022–2023 rabi season at the Instructional-cum-Research Farm of Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, to evaluate the individual and interactive effects of irrigation schedules and nano-urea-based nitrogen management on nutrient content and uptake in maize kernel and stover. The split-plot experiment comprised four irrigation schedules as main-plot treatments and three nitrogen-management practices as subplot treatments. Irrigation at the grand-growth, tasselling and grain-filling stages recorded the highest N, P and K contents and uptake in the kernel and stover and was statistically at par with irrigation at an IW/CPE ratio of 0.8. Among nitrogen treatments, 50% recommended dose of nitrogen applied as basal urea together with foliar sprays of nano urea at 6 mL L⁻¹ at the knee-high and tasselling stages produced the highest nutrient content and uptake and was statistically comparable with the corresponding 4 mL L⁻¹ treatment. Kernel protein content was also highest under the 6 mL L⁻¹ treatment. Significant irrigation × nitrogen-management interactions were observed for N uptake by the kernel and P uptake by the stover, with the I₄N₃ combination recording the highest values. The lowest nutrient content and uptake were observed under rainfed conditions and irrigation at an IW/CPE ratio of 0.6. The findings indicate that appropriately timed irrigation combined with reduced basal urea and foliar nano urea may support nutrient acquisition in rabi maize under the study conditions.

The present investigation was carried out in citrus growing soils of Kamrup district of Assam covering Boko, Rani and Sonapur in order to characterize and evaluate the soil site suitability for citrus and other crops like tea, coffee, rubber, maize, potato, turmeric, sesame, pineapple, and banana. Four soil profiles and 38 surface samples were collected from these areas. The colour of the studied soil samples was dark yellowish brown at the surface in all the pedons and very pale brown to dark reddish brown in the subsurface with a dominant hue of 10YR. A huge textural variation ranging from sandy clay loam to clay loam was found in the surface layers and loamy sand to clay loam was found in the sub-surface layers. Sand, silt and clay content varied from 28 to 70.6 per cent, 13.5 to 37 per cent and 9.9 to 39 per cent, respectively. Soil organic carbon content varied from 0.13 to 0.89 per cent. Soil pH varied from 4.41 to 5.92. The cation exchange capacity varied from 5.2 to 17.4 cmol(p+ ) kg-1 . Among the basic cations, Ca2+ was dominant. These soils were classified at subgroup level as Typic Dystrudepts (P1, P3 and P4) and Typic Udorthents (P2). The assessment of soil site suitability for citrus, coffee, maize, rubber, sesame, tea and turmeric showed that major portion of the soils was permanently not suitable (N2) for maize, banana and sesame, currently not suitable (N1) for pineapple, moderately suitable to permanently not suitable for citrus, tea and rubber, marginally suitable to permanently not suitable for potato, coffee and turmeric.

Soil erosion poses a significant challenge to the sustainability of agricultural systems, particularly in ecologically sensitive and topographically diverse regions such as the Moridhal watershed in Northeastern India. Despite increasing concerns, there is still a lack of spatially explicit studies that assess erosion vulnerability in this area. This study aims to quantify soil loss using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, while also evaluating the erodibility of soils across different physiographic units of the watershed. The analysis revealed that soil structural characteristics ranged from subangular blocky to massive, and textures varied from loamy sand to clay, with sandy loam being dominant. The total sand, very fine sand, silt, and clay content were found to be 5.1 to 86.0

The loss of soil due to erosion is one of the most critical land degradation issues globally, representing a vital asset for both the economy and the environment. To effectively manage and regulate such a global issue, it is imperative to estimate the loss. With technological advancements, methodologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) are crucial in addressing these difficulties. The primary objective of this study was to employ the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model inside a GIS framework to quantify soil loss in the Ranganadi river basin of Assam, providing a more rapid and accurate estimate. Three distinct physiographic units, i.e., Piedmont Plain, Alluvial Plain, and Flood Plain, were delineated. Collected 60 GPS-based soil samples from distinct physiographic units were collected and analyzed for different soil physico-chemical properties, in addition to taking into account a variety of criteria, such as rainfall erosivity factor (R), soil erodibility factor (K), topography factor (LS), cover and management factor (C), and conservation practices factor (P), the RUSLE approach is based on the evaluation of soil loss per unit area. Five basic RUSLE factors, viz., R factor, K factor, LS factor, C factor, and P factor, were used to determine soil erosion. Further, erosion ratio, dispersion ratio, and erosion index are the basic examples of erodibility indicators that were taken into consideration while used to evaluating the erodibility of the soil. The anticipated soil erosion in the above-said area varied from minimal to severe, with values between 0.01 and 27.38 t ha-1 yr-1. Among the physiographic units, alluvial plain soils had the greatest mean soil erosion value of 8.52 t ha-1 yr-1, whereas floodplain landscapes indicated the lowest average value of 3.39 t ha-1 yr-1. The dispersion ratio varied between 0.08 and 0.33, with soils exhibiting a dispersion ratio exceeding 0.15, signifying their vulnerability to erosion. The erosion ratio varied between 0.04 and 0.61, whereas the erosion index fluctuated from 0.06 to 0.84. As a result, this model is particularly useful in anticipating soil loss in an area, allowing community members, legislatures, and other linked agencies to plan ahead of time for future efforts to mitigate the degradation.

The current study was conducted to assess the soil fertility status of flood-prone soils in the Jiyadhol river basin in the Dhemaji district of Assam. Four landform units: Piedmont Plain, Upper Alluvial Plain, Lower Alluvial Plain and Flood Plain of the Jiyadhol river basin were delineated. 170 geo-tagged soil samples collected from different location of each landform and physico-chemical properties were analyzed. The results showed that the particle density, bulk density, porosity, field capacity, permanent wilting point and available water content varied from 2.17 to 2.48 g cm-3, 1.10 to 1.68 g cm-3, 33.6 to 55.2%, 2.0 to 28.6, 0.6 to 13.8, and 1.1 to 18.7 respectively, however, pH was extremely acidic to slightly acidic, electrical conductivity range from 0.01 to 0.15 dS m-1 which was almost negligible, soils were found to be moderate to high in organic carbon, cation exchange capacity of soils range from 3.2 to 13.6 cmol(p+) kg-1, base saturation range from 33.3 to 68.1 per cent, available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium varied from low to high and exchange calcium and magnesium range from 0.90 to 4.30, 0.50 to 3.20, respectively.The soils in mountainous places have high organic carbon content due to the sluggish rate of mineralization caused by the lower temperature. The fertile soils of flood plain may be effectively utilized for crop diversification for attaining high productivity and profitability.

A field experiment was conducted during the winter months (October-February) of 2022-23 at the Instructionalcum Research Farm of Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat to assess the effect of different irrigation scheduling practices along with nano urea on growth and productivity of rabi maize.The experiment was laid out in split-plot design with four distinct irrigation schedules and three varied nitrogen management practices under main plot and sub plot treatments.Results revealed that relatively all growth parameters, yield attributing characters, cob, kernel and stover yield were higher under irrigation at grand growth period, tasseling and grain filling stages being statistically at par with irrigation at 0.8 IW/CPE ratio.Contrarily, 50% recommended doses of nitrogen (RDN) through urea as basal + 6 ml/litre nano urea at knee high and tasseling stage being at par with 50% RDN through urea as basal + 4 ml/litre nano urea at knee high and tasseling stage recorded significantly highest cob, kernel and stover yield over recommended doses of fertilizers (RDF) + water spray at knee high and tasseling stage.Interaction effect was observed for kernel weight/cob, kernel and stover yield.However, lowest growth, yield parameters and yield were observed under rainfed and 0.6 IW/CPE of irrigation scheduling.

Precision nutrient management is an integrated crop management system that, in contrast to traditional agriculture, involves managing whole fields as small areas within fields by complementing the exact kind and amount of inputs with the actual crop needs. As the timely application of agronomical inputs is the prime factor in determining the quality and quantity of produce, the principle relies on selecting the right product, accurate dose or rate, proper time of application, and place. The best part is that precision nutrient management techniques have proven to be economically profitable to the farmers. Modern versions of more intelligent tools perform the activities without any supervision by experts. These techniques have been applied to field and vegetable crops over the years; although in India, it is still in the nascent stages, there is scope to explore their potential in high-value crops.

Assessing soil fertility is crucial for developing effective soil management strategies that can enhance soil health, increase crop productivity, and promote sustainable agricultural practices. The current study was conducted to assess the soil fertility index and, to prepare a soil fertility zonation map using combine fuzzy and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) approaches in Udham Singh Nagar of Uttarakhand. Sixty GPSbased surface soil samples were collected (0-30 cm depth) from different locations, and analyzed chemical properties using a stratified multistage random sampling method and maps were prepared to identify their spatial distribution. The results show that the values of soil fertility index on the fuzzy scale (0-1) was varied from 0.04-0.62 and, therefore, the study area was classified as very low, low, and moderate soil fertility classes comprising 55.61%, 44.24% and 0.14%, respectively. AHP analysis revealed that the most important limiting factor for wheat production was available nitrogen, followed by phosphorous, potassium, organic carbon, pH and electrical conductivity. A correlation coefficient between wheat yield and soil fertility index was found to be as high as 0.86, and its validating the zonation of soil fertility classes. This study infers that combined fuzzy-AHP techniques may be used to compute soil fertility index and limiting factors of wheat production.

Soil erosion is one of the major factors affecting sustainability of agricultural production in watershed. The objective of this paper is to estimate soil loss using the universal soil loss equation (USLE) model and GIS and to suggest soil conservation practices in Moridhal watershed. Soil loss was estimated by USLE. In addition, measurements of randomly selected soil and water conservation structures were done at four physiographic units of watershed. The erodibility of the studied soils was assessed by computing various erodibility indices like clay ratio, silt clay ratio, modified clay ratio, dispersion ratio, erosion ratio and erosion index. The soil loss of watershed was varied from very slight to very severe (range 0.87-67.77 t ha -1 yr -1 ). Among the physiographic units, the soil loss in the upper piedmont plain area was moderately severe to very severe with a value varying from 19.9-67.8 t ha -1 yr -1 . The dispersion ratio of the soils varied from 0.06 to 1.18. It was observed that 48.82 per cent of the total studied soil samples had dispersion ratio values above 0.15 which may be considered as erodible. The erosion ratio and erosion index of studied soils varied from varied from 0.01-0.55 and 0.03-0.71, respectively. Based on the study it was found that the soils in different physiographic units are suffering from varying degree of soil erosion. The upper piedmont plain areas of the watershed require management practices which could improve the erosion status and soil productivity. The results of soil loss obtained from the study could be effectively used by the planners, watershed managers and policy makers to formulate site specific conservation plans in order to minimize soil loss for sustaining productivity.

Dielectric capacitors have been widely studied because their electrostatic storage capacity is enormous, and they can deliver the stored energy in a very short time. Relaxor ferroelectrics-based dielectric capacitors have gained tremendous importance for the efficient storage of electrical energy. Relaxor ferroelectrics possess low dielectric loss, low remanent polarization, high saturation polarization, and high breakdown strength, which are the main parameters for energy storage. This article focuses on a timely review of the energy storage performance of BiFeO3-based relaxor ferroelectrics in bulk ceramics, multilayers, and thin film forms. The article begins with a general introduction to various energy storage systems and the need for dielectric capacitors as energy storage devices. This is followed by a brief discussion on the mechanism of energy storage in capacitors, ferroelectrics, anti-ferroelectrics, and relaxor ferroelectrics as potential candidates for energy storage. The remainder of this article is devoted to reviewing the energy storage performance of bulk ceramics, multilayers, and thin films of BiFeO3-based relaxor ferroelectrics, along with a discussion of strategies to address some of the issues associated with their application as energy storage systems.

A study was undertaken to carry out the productivity and suitability evaluation of the soils of the Moridhal watershed in Dhemaji district of Assam. Satellite image interpretation led to the recognition of four different physiographic units in the studied area which included: upper piedmont plain, lower piedmont plain, alluvial plain, and flood plain. One hundred seventy surface soil samples representing different physiographic units were collected and analyzed in the laboratory for various soil parameters. The productivity and suitability of the soils were computed and assessed by following standard procedures. The productivity index of studied soils varied from 12.13 to 62.14 could be ranked as: alluvial plain>flood plain>lower piedmont plain>upper piedmont plain. However, through adoption of proper improvement measures the soils could be improved to land index values of 41.04 to 90.25.The land index value for Sali rice, Ahu rice and Bororice could categorize into permanently unsuitable (N2) to moderately suitable (S2). The studied soils in terms of their suitability for Sali rice, Ahu rice and Boro rice could be arranged in the sequence: flood plain> alluvial plain> lower piedmont plain> upper piedmontplain. The productivity and soil suitability maps as generated under GIS environment will serve as ready reckoner to farmers, planners and administrators in identifying the potential are assuitable for the major crops grown in that area.

The present investigation was carried out to study the morphometric properties of the Moridhal watershed in the Dhemaji district of Assam, India to understand its nature for proper utilization of natural resources of the watershed. The Moridhal watershed, encompassing a 30,730 ha geographical area, is situated between 94 degrees 52 E to 94 degrees 69 E longitude and 27 degrees 38 N to 27 degrees 64 N latitude. Based on total variation in satellite data (Resourcesat-2, LISS-4), four distinct physiographic units of the watershed were delineated which included: upper piedmont plain (1,844 ha), lower piedmont plain (2,391 ha), alluvial plain (9,888 ha), and flood plain (16,607 ha). The stream order map of the Moridhal River Basin was prepared by on-screen digitization using QGIS 3.12.0 software. Twenty-nine numbers of morphometric parameters were evaluated through the measurement of linear, areal, and relief aspects of the river basin. The drainage streams were delineated up to fourth order with stream numbers of 36, 14, 5, and 1, for I, II, III, and IV order, respectively. The computed value of aerial aspects like elongation ratio, circulatory ratio, and form factor revealed the elongated shape of the watershed area. The studied relief aspects included parameters like basin relief, relief ratio, ruggedness number, and relative relief. The morphometric properties of the Moridhal watershed depicted the permeable nature of the soil which indicated that the precipitation would mostly penetrate the soil and, thereby, a lesser amount would contribute to the runoff. The present study also revealed that Geographic Information System software has immense utility in the analysis of the linear and aerial morphometric aspects of the drainage basins.

The structural, magnetic and magnetostriction properties in CuFe2-xGaxO4 ceramics synthesized by solid state reaction route and sintered at 1000 degrees C and 1020 degrees C are reported here. As per the structural analysis based on the Rietveld refinement of XRD patterns and Raman scattering, the samples crystalized into mixed spinel structures with the coexistence of tetragonal and cubic symmetry. The samples sintered at 1000 degrees C contained the tetragonal structure as the major structural phase, whereas the cubic phase was dominant in the samples sintered at 1020 degrees C. The Ga ions were found to preferentially substitute the octahedral sites. For x = 0.15 and 0.20 samples sintered at 1020 degrees C, a colossal grain growth was observed with grain sizes on the millimeter scale. Analysis of magnetization data in terms of fitting to law of approach to saturation revealed an enhancement of saturation magnetization due to Ga substitution. Magnetostriction strain exhibited a correlation with the occupancy of Cu2+ ions in the octahedral sites, signifying local Jahn-Teller distortion of the lattice as the mechanism behind the magnetostriction. High magnetostriction strain (-88 ppm at 5 kOe) with its rapid increase in the low-magnetic field region demonstrated the potential application of Ga-doped CuFe2O4 for magnetoelectric cofired ceramics. The colossal grain size with relatively low density of grain boundaries played an important role in the rapid rise of magnetostriction curve in low-magnetic field region.