The Green Revolution, which entails the use of pesticides, fertilisers, and other agrochemicals, has greatly increased worldwide food production in the last sixty years. Nevertheless, this heightened efficiency has resulted in adverse consequences, including environmental deterioration such as water and land pollution. Land degradation, resulting from both natural phenomena and human actions, has a significant impact on a considerable area of the Earth’s land and affects billions of individuals globally. The annual economic cost of land degradation exceeds $300 billion, resulting from a variety of causes such as insufficient land management and the pressures of population increase. Anthropogenic factors such as deforestation, intensified agriculture, and population growth worsen soil degradation, jeopardising essential ecosystem services and endangering food security. Simultaneously, the increasing release of greenhouse gases and the resulting climate change pose a significant threat to the long-term viability of agriculture. It is imperative to take immediate action to reduce their impact. Given the importance of soil health in sustainable agriculture and climate mitigation, conservation agriculture (CA) is seen as a possible option. Conservation agriculture approaches promote soil health, lower cultivation expenses, and decrease land degradation by minimising soil disturbance, boosting soil organic matter, and stimulating biological activity. Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) initiatives, which are essential for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 15, provide a structure for achieving a balance between land restoration and degradation. These initiatives highlight the significance of implementing sustainable land management methods. This review compiles up-to-date research on conservation measures that promote Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and examines their implications for ecosystem services and policy interventions. The assessment emphasises the importance of sustainable land management and stresses the necessity of collective actions to tackle land degradation concerns and ensure agricultural sustainability in response to increasing environmental risks.

In agricultural systems, significant nitrogen (N) losses from traditional fertilizers pose risks to food security and economic stability. An emerging approach to mitigate these losses involves nanoparticles (NPs) coatings onto urea, aiming to enhance N availability and consequently boost crop yields. To explore the most effective and sustainable N management strategies, a field experiment was carried out in Basmati rice at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India over 2020–2021 in a split-plot design, with two summer green manure (GM) types-Sesbania (G2) and cowpea (G3) and fallow in the main plot and six nitrogen fertilization (NF) modules, i.e., 0 kg N + 5 kg Zn ha−1 through bulk ZnO (N1), N through prilled urea (PU) (N2), N through PU + 5 kg Zn ha−1 through bulk ZnO (N3), 1% bulk ZnO-coated urea (1% BZnCU) (N4), 0.1% nano ZnO-coated urea (0.1% NZnCU) (N5) and 0.2% nano ZnO-coated urea (0.2% NZnCU) (N6) in subplots replicated three times. The objectives of the study was to identify the optimal GM crops and the most effective NF modules on enhancing plant height, dry biomass, grain yield, milling quality, and N, P, K nutrition, as well as nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Our findings demonstrated that, a significant enhancement in plant height (13.34%) and dry biomass (38.1%) at harvest was observed with the combined application of G2 and N6 when juxtaposed against G1 and N1. The pooled analysis revealed that GM enhanced grain yield by 12.75% in comparison to G1, irrespective of the NF modules employed. The Sesbania was identified as the top-performing GM, registering a yield 17.5% greater than fallow while it was 8.13% for cowpea. Among NF modules, there was a noted 10.03% yield increase when urea was zinc-coated compared to using only urea (N2), and a 33.75% increase against the N1. The application of N6 modules boosted hulling, milling, and head rice recovery by 3.73, 4.45, and 4.98%, respectively, compared to N1. Moreover, combining zinc with urea raised the N content in milled rice by approximately 9.1% and heightened the N, P, and K concentration in the straw by 22.8, 4.44, and 11.8%, and total N, P, and K uptake by 5.72, 3.33, and 11.7%, in comparison to the combined effect of N1 and N2. Considering the NUE metrics, such as partial factor productivity (PFP), agronomic efficiency (AE), recovery efficiency (RE), and physiological efficiency (PE), the application of GM showcased superior performance in PFP and RE against the G1, while AE and PE remained unaffected. The G2 as a GM, performed best in PFP and RE. The N5 module delineated the most substantial advancements in NUE indices, despite being comparable to N6. In conclusion, the adoption of Sesbania as a green manure crops, coupled with the 0.2% nano ZnO-coated urea module, is identified as an efficient method for maximizing growth, yield, milling attributes, nutrient assimilation, and overall NUE in the Basmati rice.

The study aimed to assess the effects of combined application of urea nitrogen (N) and tank* silt (TS) on greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions [i.e., carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O)] and agronomic productivity of maize‐horsegram system. A factorial [urea (0, 60, 120, and 180 kg N ha −1 )] and tank silt (0 and 30 t ha −1 ) replicated thrice randomized block design was employed for this investigation. Results of the study showed that maize grain yield was significantly influenced by the sole application of both N fertilizer and TS. When both the N fertilizer and TS were combined, the grain yield was significantly ( p < 0.01) improved by 5% (4870 kg ha −1 ) over the highest yield observed under only N. We have noticed a significant ( p < 0.01) residual effect of N and TS on horsegram straw yield during all the years of experimentation. With the increase in N‐rate, there was an increasing trend in CO 2 emission noticed in all the years including the pooled year data. Compared to CO 2 emission, N 2 O emission was greatly influenced by nutrient management and amendment application. Among the seasons, the post‐rainy season ( Rabi ) had a slightly lower emission trend of CO 2 , during all the years as compared to the rainy season ( Kharif ). The observed results marked the marginal increasing trend of cumulative CO 2 (cCO 2 ) emissions with regard to increasing doses of urea. Tank silt addition slightly favoured a CO 2 emissions. The trend of cumulative N 2 O (cN 2 O) emission was greatly influenced by the dose of urea following the order of N 180 > N 120 > N 60 > N 0 . However, N fertilizer application influenced the cCO 2 emissions ( r = 0.83), and significantly increased the cN 2 O emission ( r = 0.99). Therefore, optimum and timely application of urea combined with TS is recommended as an effective strategy to combat GHG‐based emissions (specifically N 2 O based) in semiarid rainfed regions.

Large-scale deforestation and increased land use change (LUC) over the past few years have shattered the ecological balance of the Western Ghats by deteriorating the soil quality and essential ecosystem services. This study was conducted in part of the Western Ghats comprising three different ecosystems, viz., agro ecosystem (AE), tea ecosystem (TE), and forest ecosystem (FE) to assess the impact of LUC on soil carbon dynamics. A total of 150 sites were chosen and soil samples were collected at three depth classes of 0–15, 15–30, and 30–45 cm to quantify the carbon pools, total organic carbon (TOC), total inorganic carbon (TIC), total carbon (TC), carbon stock, and carbon management index (CMI). The findings revealed that TOC concentration and carbon stock were significantly higher in FE than in TE and AE. On average (0–45 cm), the carbon stocks recorded in FE, TE, and AE were 77.94, 44.32, and 32.30 t ha−1 and decreased with the depth, while the concentration of total inorganic carbon (TIC) increased with depth. Among the various carbon pools, the very labile carbon (VLC) was higher in AE and TE while the non-labile carbon (NLC) was higher in FE. The active carbon pools (AP) in AE and TE were higher than passive carbon pools (PP), whereas the reverse trend occurred in FE. The results depict the shift in carbon dynamics under different ecosystems of Ooty. The magnitude of the shift is measured by the carbon management index (CMI), which revealed a higher CMI in FE than in AE and TE. The findings thus suggest the imperative need for immediate implementation of carbon management strategies in AE and TE to improve the carbon sequestration potential, achieve land degradation neutrality and improve the carbon footprints of the Ooty.

Accelerating land-use change (LUC) in the Nilgiri Hill Region (NHR) has caused its land to mortify. Although this deterioration has been documented, the destruction of buried gem soil has not been reported. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the impact of LUC on soil-carbon dynamics in the six major ecosystems in the NHR: croplands (CLs), deciduous forests (DFs), evergreen forests (EFs), forest plantations (FPs), scrublands (SLs), and tea plantations (TPs). Sampling was conducted at selected sites of each ecosystem at three depth classes (0–15, 15–30, and 30–45 cm) to quantify the carbon pools (water-soluble carbon, water-soluble carbohydrates, microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen, dehydrogenase, and different fractions of particulate organic carbon). We found that the LUC significantly decreased the concentration of carbon in the altered ecosystems (49.44–78.38%), with the highest being recorded at EF (10.25%) and DF (7.15%). In addition, the effects of the LUC on the aggregate size of the organic carbon were dissimilar across all the aggregate sizes. The relatively high inputs of the aboveground plant residues and the richer fine-root biomass were accountable for the higher concentration of carbon pools in the untouched EFs and DFs compared to the SLs, FPs, TPs, and CLs. The results of the land-degradation Index (LDI) depicted the higher vulnerability of TP (−72.67) and CL (−79.00). Thus, our findings highlight the global importance of LUC to soil quality. Henceforth, the conservation of carbon pools in fragile ecosystems, such as the NHR, is crucial to keep soils alive and achieve land-degradation neutrality.

During the summer and rainy seasons (April-October) of 2020 and 2021, two consecutive field experiments were conducted at the research farm of the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India. In this study, we examined the effects of summer green manuring crops (GM) and a variety of zinc fertilizers (ZnF) on Basmati rice (Oryza sativa L.) growth, physiological development, yield response, zinc nutrition and economic returns. A combination of GM residues and nano zinc fertilization helped significantly enhancing Basmati rice’s growth and its physiological development. Following the incorporation of Sesbania aculeata (Sesbania), successive Basmati rice physiological parameters were significantly improved, as well as grain, straw, biological yields, harvest index and economic returns. The highest Zn content of 15.1 mg kg -1 and the lowest of 11.8 mg kg -1 in milled rice grain were recorded in Sesbania green manuring (G2) and control i.e., in the fallow (G1), respectively. Coating onto urea with 0.2% nano zinc oxide (NZnCU) was observed to be more effective than other zinc sources in terms of growth parameters, yield attributes, zinc nutrition, grain and straw yields for succeeding Basmati rice crop; however, the effects were comparable to those of bulk zinc oxide-coated urea (BZnCU) of 1%. The highest Zn content of 15.1 mg kg -1 was recorded with the application of 1% BZnCU and the lowest of 11.96 mg kg -1 with the soil application of 5 kg Zn ha -1 through bulk ZnO in the milled rice grain. Application of 1% BZnCU led to a 26.25% increase in Zn content of milled rice grain compared to soil application of 5 kg Zn ha -1 through bulk ZnO. As a result, the combination of inclusion of Sesbania aculeata (Sesbania) residue and 0.2% NZnCU was identified as the most effective treatment, for Basmati rice growth and physiological development. A combination of nano Zn fertilization in conjunction with the incorporation of green manure can be advocated for better growth, physiological performance, zinc dense grains, and higher profitability of Basmati rice for farmers and consumers.

Land use change (LUC) has direct and indirect consequences on soil quality. To gain insight into how LUC influences the physical properties of soil, it can be advantageous to compare undisturbed ecosystems with those that have naturally evolved over time, as well as to use soil quality indices to pinpoint the sensitivity of each ecosystem and land use change (LUC). A soil survey was carried out in the six major ecosystems of the Nilgiri Hill Region: cropland (CL), deciduous forest (DF), evergreen forest (EF), forest plantation (FP), scrubland (SL), and tea plantation (TP), with those having an establishment for over 50 years being selected and analyzed for soil physical parameters. In addition, soil quality indices were also derived to pinpoint the vulnerability of each ecosystem to LUC. The results reveal that the changes in land use significantly altered the soil physical properties. The content of clay was higher in EF and DF and increased with the soil profile’s depth, whereas the sand content was higher in CL and TP and decreased with the depth increment. BD and PD were significantly lower in EF, DF, SL, and FP, whereas they were higher in CL and TP. PS and ASM followed a similar trend to BD and PD. Owing to undisturbed natural settings, an abundance of litter input, and higher carbon concentrations, the HC was higher in EF, DF, SL, and FP, whereas, in the case of anthropogenic-influenced ecosystems such as CL and TP, it was lower. We discovered that LUC has altered Ag S, WSA, and MWD. Due to tillage and other cultural practices, Ag S, WSA, and MWD were significantly lower in CL and TP. However, the results confirm that native ecosystems (EF and DF) with a higher carbon content prevent such degradation, thereby resulting in good Ag S, WSA, and MWD.

Identifying appropriate nutrient management options is crucial for reversing the yield plateau and enhancing the nutritional status of basmati rice under the basmati rice-wheat cropping system of the Indo Gangetic Plain (IGP). Alternative to the conventional chemical fertilizer, ZnO nanoparticles as carrier material for the micronutrient Zn has shown promise in reducing the bulkiness of fertilizer use in the soil–plant environment. But whether its integration and interaction with an organic source such as green manuring could enrich basmati rice grain with micronutrients and promote protein nutrition is not well investigated. Therefore, we conducted a field experiment during the summer and rainy seasons (April–October) of 2020 and 2021 at the research farm of the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi in a split-plot design with two summer green manuring (SGM) options (Sesbania and cowpea, along with fallow) as main plots and six fertilization strategies as subplots: 5 kg Zn ha−1 as bulk ZnO, N at 120 kg N ha−1 as prilled urea (PU), N at 120 kg N ha−1 as PU + 5 kg Zn ha−1 as bulk ZnO, 1% bulk ZnO-coated PU, 0.1% nano ZnO coated PU and 0.2% nano ZnO coated PU replicated thrice. On average, SGM increased basmati rice grain yield by 13.2 and 12.3% during 2020 and 2021, respectively compared to fallow. Integrated application of zinc with urea significantly (p < 0.05) increased the grain yield of basmati rice by 9.56% and by 10.5% relative to urea without zinc and by 33.7 and 33.8% than the sole application of 5 kg Zn ha−1 through ZnO, respectively during 2020 and 2021. On average, SGM boosted Zn, Cu, Mn, and Fe content in milled rice by 25, 22.38, 20.0, and 18.85% during 2020 and 23.75, 21.4, 19.6, and 13.3% during 2021, respectively compared to fallow. Relative to sole urea application, zinc, and urea together improved the Zn and Fe content in milled rice by 2.99 mg kg−1 and 2.62 mg kg–1, respectively during the first year and by 2.83 mg kg−1 and 2.6 mg kg−1, respectively during the second year of study. The highest protein content in basmati rice grain was observed when it was grown after Sesbania aculeata residue incorporated plot during both the years and it decreased in the order: Sesbania aculeata > Vigna unguiculata > summer fallow. Our findings revealed that with the application of 1% bulk ZnO coated PU with Sesbania; the yield response, micronutrient acquisition, and protein accumulation in milled rice was higher than in other plant fertilization methods. However, in plots treated with Sesbania, along with 0.2% nano ZnO-coated PU exhibited statistically equivalent yield and micronutrient loading in edible tissues. Hence, this study unveils the critical role of nano ZnO-coated urea and summer green manuring in elevating micronutrient and protein bioavailability in basmati rice and concurrently reducing Zn dose by 20%, making it a profitable option for farmers.

An Expost facto research design was adopted to understand the learning approaches of agricultural students (deep, strategic, and surface) and the data were collected randomly from 1514 students of Indian agricultural higher education institutions using the ‘Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST)’ instrument. The predominant learning approach adopted by the agricultural students was found to be ‘strategic’ (41.1%), followed by ‘deep’ (40.3 %) and ‘surface’ (15.5 %) approaches. No significant association (Chi-square statistic = 24.106, p=0.156) was found in the student learning approaches across the disciplines, while significant difference (t-statistic=2.248, p=0.028) was found between graduate and undergraduate students in case of ‘deep approach’. Gender had a significant association (Chi-square statistic =14.817, p<0.001) with the students’ learning approaches, especially in ‘strategic’ and ‘surface’ approaches. The paper calls for more systematic and effective teaching-learning and assessment strategies to enhance agricultural higher education quality.

Continuous and unabated land degradation in India is a threat to agricultural sustainability while increasing temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and precipitation intensification are going to further aggravate degradation in future. The timely adoption of integrated land and water conservation technologies minimises erosion and provides significant adaptation and mitigation co-benefits. The objectives of this study were to assess the mitigation potential of soil and water conservation technologies and also the feasibility of making villages carbon positive. The extent of minimisation of soil loss due to soil conservation technologies ranges from 0.10 to 21.65 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1), while carbon emissions minimised range from 0.73 to 158.77 kg ha(-1) yr(-1). Emission minimisation from various water management technologies in rice ranges from 73.0 to 507.9 kg CO2 equivalents ha(-1) yr(-1). Agroforestry practices can sequester 8.64 to 52.77 Mg CO2 ha(-1) yr(-1) besides enhancing system productivity, arresting soil erosion and carbon loss through erosion. Integration of multiple technologies in a farming system further enhances the adaptation and mitigation benefits. Adoption of conservation technologies resulted in a net carbon balance of 0.05-1.23 CO2 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1) in 9 villages in India, indicating net positive carbon balance due to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration. Building carbon positive villages is a potential approach for preventing land degradation, while enhancing productivity, mitigating climate change and realising the sustainable development goals. Building capacities of communities and establishing institutions in villages are essential for upscaling and maintaining of soil and water conservation structures and community assets in the village. Furthermore, prioritisation and scaling of location specific land and water conservation technologies hold the key to establish carbon-positive villages.

The crop residues generated in agricultural fields are mostly considered a burden due to their disposal issues. This study attempts to effectively use pigeon pea stalk (PPS) for biochar production, a promising source as a soil amendment for carbon sequestration and alternative fuel source. PPS was pyrolyzed at different loads and reaction times to optimize the kiln temperature (350–400 °C and 450–500 °C) and changes in physicochemical properties, higher heating value (HHV) and yield were assessed. The results indicated that biochar yield, volatile matter, bulk density, O/C and H/C atomic ratios decreased, whereas fixed carbon, ash content and total porosity increased with increasing kiln temperature across all loads. Biochar produced at 450–500 °C (18 kg load kiln−1) had higher total carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, recovered total carbon and total nitrogen, total potential carbon and CO2 reduction potential. Biochar produced at 350–400 °C had the maximum cation exchange capability (43.0 cmol kg−1). Biochar has estimated O/C and H/C atomic ratios of 0.07–0.15 and 0.35–0.50, respectively. Biochar exhibited good agronomic characteristics and fulfilled key quality criteria of H/C < 0.7 and O/C < 0.4 for soil carbon sequestration, as described by the European Biochar Certificate and the International Biochar Initiative. The estimated mean residence time and the mass fraction of carbon that would remain after 100 years were consistently greater than 1000 years and 80%, respectively. The biochar produced at 450–500 °C (at 18.0 kg kiln−1) from PPS had higher fixed carbon (65.3%), energy density (1.51), energetic retention efficiency (53%), fuel ratio (4.88), and HHV (25.01 MJ kg−1), as well as lower H/C and O/C ratios, implying that it is suitable for use as an alternative solid fuel.

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of chemical fertilizer, organic manure and two cropping systems viz., pearlmillet - clusterbean - castor rotation and upland rice - lentil sequence on microbial quotient (MQ), metabolic quotient, specific enzyme activity (dehydrogenase, arylsulfatase and urease) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) in long-term (1821 years) field experiments in Entisols of semi-arid region of Gujarat and Inceptisols of sub-humid region of Varanasi. Higher MQ values were recorded in Entisols than Inceptisols. MQ ranged from 4.00-5.08 and 1.00-1.85 % across soil layers in Entisols and Inceptisols, respectively. Metabolic quotient values ranged from 0.11-0.23 and 0.04-0.07 across soil layers in Entisols and Inceptisols respectively. The specific enzyme activity of dehydrogenase was maximum in Entisols, whereas, arylsulfatase and urease activity was recorded more in Inceptisols. Higher specific enzyme activity reflects greater microbial activity and microbial biomass turnover. Agro-ecosystem in sub-humid region resulted in 1.5 fold higher geometric mean of enzymes (GMea) than in semi-arid region. The application of 50% RDNF (recommended dose of N-fertilizer) + 50% RDN FYM (farm yard manure) in Entisols and 50% N (FYM) + 50% RDF in Inceptisols improved microbiological activities (GMea) at both the sites. The concentration of soil organic carbon (SOC) and MBC were significantly correlated with GMea in both agro-ecosystems. In conclusion, integrated sources of nutrients with inclusion of FYM and 50 % reduction of fertilizers improved the microbiological activities in both Inceptisols and Entisols.

Enrichment of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks through sequestration of atmospheric CO2 in agricultural soils is important because of its impacts on adaptation to and mitigation of climate change while also improving crop productivity and sustainability. In a long-term fertility experiment carried out over 27 y under semiarid climatic condition, we evaluated the impact of crop-residue C inputs through rainfed fingermillet (Eleusine coracana [L.] Gaertn.) cropping, fertilization, and manuring on crop yield sustainability and SOC sequestration in a Alfisol soil profile up to a depth of 1 m and also derived the critical value of C inputs for maintenance of SOC. Five treatments, viz., control, farmyard manure (FYM) 10 Mg ha1, recommended dose of NPK (50 : 50 : 25?kg N, P2O5, K2O ha1), FYM 10 Mg ha1 + 50% recommended dose of NPK, and FYM 10 Mg ha1 + 100% recommended dose of NPK imposed in a randomized block design replicated four times. Application of FYM alone or together with mineral fertilizer resulted in a higher C input and consequently built up a higher C stock. After 27 y, higher profile SOC stock (85.7 Mg ha1), C build up (35.0%), and C sequestration (15.4 Mg C ha1) was observed with the application of 10 Mg FYM ha1 along with recommended dose of mineral fertilizer and these were positively correlated with cumulative C input and well reflected in sustainable yield index (SYI). For sustenance of SOC level (zero change due to cropping) a minimum quantity of 1.13 Mg C is required to be added per hectare per annum as inputs. While the control lost C, the application of mineral fertilizer served to maintain the priori C stock. Thus, the application of FYM increased the C stock, an effect which was even enhanced by additional amendment of mineral fertilizer. We conclude that organic amendments contribute to C sequestration counteracting climate change and at the same time improve soil fertility in the semiarid regions of India resulting in higher and more stable yields.

The data from long-term management and cropping systems experiments are needed to assess changes in soil quality, organic carbon pool, and agronomic sustainability. Thus, a 13-year-old soil fertility management experiment was used to assess the impact of crop residues carbon (C) inputs on SOC stock in a rainfed groundnut (Arachis hypogeae L.)-fingermillet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn) rotation in semiarid alfisol. The application of farmyard manure (FYM) alone or in a combination with chemical fertilizers contributed to higher amounts of C inputs and subsequently to build up a higher SOC pool. Application of 10 Mg ha(-1) of FYM and a recommended dose of chemical fertilizer (25:21.8:20.7 and 50:21.8:20.7 kg N, P, K ha(-1) for groundnut and fingermillet, respectively) increased soil SOC pool by 41.2% to 73.0 Mg ha(-1) with an increase of 9.3 Mg ha(-1) over 13 years. Both SOC pool and rates of its sequestration were positively correlated with cumulative C input and sustainable yield index. A minimal input of 1.62 Mg C ha(-1) yr(-1) is needed to maintain SOC pool at the antecedent level. Balanced application of NPK fertilizers is needed to reduce and reverse the depletion of SOC pool.

AnaesthesiaVolume 51, Issue 11 p. 1077a-1077 Free Access Is it not dangerous to push epidural needles all the way to the hub? C.S. Rao, C.S. Rao Birmingham Women's Hospital, Birmingham B32 3XQSearch for more papers by this author C.S. Rao, C.S. Rao Birmingham Women's Hospital, Birmingham B32 3XQSearch for more papers by this author First published: November 1996 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2044.1996.tb15019.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume51, Issue11November 1996Pages 1077a-1077 ReferencesRelatedInformation