Iron (Fe) deficiency is a major nutritional disorder in crops growing in calcareous soils. Varagu crop are more susceptible to (Fe) deficiency in the early stage of growth and the deficiency is exhibited as chlorosis developing interveinally in the new leaves. The objective of the present study was to see the impact of different levels iron on mitigation of chlorosis in varagu, Paspalum scrobiculatum under calcareous soil and to investigate the influence of soil and foliar application of iron on growth, physiological and improvement of yield potential of varagu under calcareous soil condition. The varagu variety CO3 taken for this study The treatments comprised T1, NPK (44:22:0 kg ha-1) + 12.5 t FYM/ha,T2, NPK (44:22:30 kg ha-1) +12.5 t FYM/ha, T3, T1 + Soil application of FeSO4 (25 kg ha-1), T4, T2 + Soil application of FeSO4 (25 kg ha-1), T5, T1 + Soil application of FeSO4 (50 kg ha-1), T6, T2 + Soil application of FeSO4 (50 kg ha-1), T7, T3 + Foliar spray of 0.5% FeSO4, T8, T4 + Foliar spray of 0.5% FeSO4, T9,T5 + Foliar spray of 0.5% FeSO4, T10, T6 + Foliar spray of 0.5% FeSO4. During experimentation, morphological characteristics, growth attributes, physiological and biochemical components and biomass traits determined the mitigation of iron chlorosis. The iron deficiency in varagu was effectively controlled by T10, soil treatment 50 kg ha-1 FeSO4 and foliar spray of 0.5% FeSO4 applied on the 30th and 50th days after sowing through maintaining highest growth parameter values, maximum catalase and peroxidase activity and maintaining more chlorophyll content.

An investigation was performed to study the impact of CPPU (alone and in combination with other PGR’s) and their application stage on berry development, yield and quality in grape (Vitis vinifera L.) cv. Italia at Horticultural College and Research Institute, TNAU, Coimbatore. Treatments were imposed over the vines pruned to standardized pruning level of pruning 50% of canes for crop yield and 50% of canes for vegetative growth and observed for impact on bunch and berry characters. The results revealed that bunches sprayed with CPPU (1 ppm) recorded the maximum berry width at pea stage of 7-8 mm berry size. The maximum peel weight, peel thickness and pedicel thickness was registered with CPPU (1 ppm) imposed both at 2-3 mm and at 7-8 mm berry size stage. But, the results on yield related traits found to be positive with the bunch sprays of GA3 (10 ppm) + Brassinosteroid (1 ppm) at 7-8 mm berry size.

Physiological traits play an important role in crop growth and development. Comparative investigation on small millets, with respect different physiological traits such as leaf area index, leaf area duration, specific leaf weight, chlorophyll content, gas exchange parameters etc. and their relationship with grain yields were meager, and will be useful in small millets improvement. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the physiological traits and their relationship with grain yields five small millets (foxtail millet, proso millet, kodo millet, little millet and barnyard millet). Physiological traits such as leaf number, leaf area, specific leaf weight, chlorophylls a, b, and total chlorophyll, SPAD reading, photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate have reached their maximum value at grain development stage in all the crops, while leaf area index was the maximum at grain development stage, highest root length was achieved at maturity stage, and highest stomatal conductance was at flowering stage. Among different cultivars within the each crop, a cultivar having high leaf number, leaf area, leaf area index, leaf area duration, specific leaf weight, chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophyll, chlorophyll fluorescence ratio, SPAD reading, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and root length, had produced higher grain yield. This shows importance of these traits in for enhanced yields in small millets.

Small millets, such as barnyard millet and foxtail millets are considered as one of the important nutri-rich climatesmart crops [1]. These small millets are adapted to varied agro-climatic regions, and their use as food, feed and fodder make them important for crop productivity and food security [2]. Both these small millets are suited to conditions of extreme weather condition. Besides India, these small millets are also grown in Japan, USA and other African and East Asian countries. In India, the cultivation of small millets is confined to Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. In India, these small millets are cultivated in limited area of 0.4 m ha and occupy about 3.2 lakhs ha with a production of 1.15 lakhs tons, with a productivity of 380 kg/ha (averaged between 2005-2009). Potential yields of up to 2 tons in these millets were reported (http://www.aicrpsm.res.in/Reports.html), indicating a large yield gaps to enhance productivity following improved crop management practices and cultivation high yielding cultivars. Assessing the change in biochemical constituents in foxtail millet and barnyard millet at different growth stages and the relationship with yield would help in understanding the basis of varietal differences in terms of crop productivity. This study aims to assess the biochemical constituents such as soluble protein, nitrate reductase, proline and catalase at different growth stages of five small millets.

An experiment was conducted to find the effect of different levels of nutrients through water soluble fertilizers along with Azophosmet and humic acid on nutrient uptake pattern of hybrid watermelon 'Kiran'.Application of 125 per cent of water soluble fertilizers viz., 250:125:125 kg/ha of NPK in addition to Azophosmet and humic acid showed the best performance in almost all the parameters studied in both seasons I and II, as it recorded the highest nitrogen uptake, phosphorus uptake and potassium uptake by plant and it showed an increasing trend from 30 th to 75 th DAS invariably in all the treatments during both the seasons studied.Control plots showed un-satisfactory results regarding all the parameters.

An experiment was conducted to find the effect of different levels of nutrients through water soluble fertilizers along with Azophosmet and humic acid on biochemical attributes of watermelon.Application of 125 per cent of water soluble fertilizers viz.,250:125:125 kg/ha of NPK in addition to Azophosmet and humic acid showed the best performance in almost all the parameters studied in both seasons I and II, as it recorded the highest total chlorophyll content (1.588, 2.574, 2.426 and 2.162 mg g -1 in season I and 1.652, 2.638, 2.556 and 2.379 mg g -1 in season II, T 8 recorded the highest soluble protein content (6.02, 11.66, 11.19 and 8.42 mg g -1 in season I and 6.18, 12.24, 11.58 and 9.14 mg g -1 in season II, nitrate reductase activity at all days observed during both seasons viz., season I and season II ( 9.29, 16.89, 14.0,9.11µg NO 2 g -1 h -1 and 9. 74, 17.24, 14.35 and 9.46 µg NO 2 g -1 h -1 at 30 th , 45 th , 60 th and 75 th DAS.IAA oxidase was the highest at 30 th DAS and declined at 45 th , 60 th and 75 th DAS in both the seasons.

Grape is one among the most delicious, refreshing and nourishing fruits of the world. It is one of the earliest fruits grown by man. The berries are a good source of sugars and minerals like Ca, Mg, Fe, and vitamins like B1, B2, and C. Grape has so many uses and is so unique that no fruit can challenge their superiority. Crop load is the most important factor affecting yield and cluster quality as well as vine vigor of both seeded and seedless varieties. Hence, an optimum canopy size and bunch number per vine are to be maintained for achieving better fruit Quality which warrants proper balancing between vigour and capacity. The pruning requirement of different varieties differs as per their growth behaviour. Therefore, variety-specific standardization of pruning is essential for any grape cultivars for harnessing potential yield and quality. In this view, it is essential to get scientific information on the pruning requirement of grapes. Pruning all the matured canes to fruit bud level, as adopted by local grape growers results in more exploitation of reserved food material leading to loss of vigour, quality and early setting of senility in vines. Heavy bearing of vines results in poor quality fruits with low TSS and high fruit acidity.

The Field experiment was conducted at College Orchard, HC&RI, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and Coimbatore. The variety Pusa Dwarf was subjected to various levels of 100%, 80%, 60%, 40% evaporation replenishment at different growth stages of the crop. Higher content of relative water content (87.70%) and soluble protein (28.60 mg/g) and chlorophyll stability index (85.74%) thus expressed the higher response in nitrate Reductase activity (152.17 µmol CO2 m-2 s-1)at all stage of the crop.

Effect of drought stress on gas exchange, physiological parameters and yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) genotypes was investigated under pot culture conditions in rainout shelter. The drought condition was created at 15 days after transplanting based on field capacity of soil. Experiment was laid out with 18 genotypes by adopting CRD with three replications and two treatments viz, 100 and 50 % field capacity. As the stress increased from 100 % field capacity to 50 % field capacity, reductions in photosynthetic rate, leaf water potential, chlorophyll stability index (CSI), relative water content (RWC) and nitrate reductase activity (NRA) were noticed at all the growth stages. The genotypes LE 114, LE 57, LE 118 and LE 27 which showed significantly less reduction in the above parameters during drought were considered as drought tolerant. Genotypes LE 1, LE 3 and LE 20 which recorded the lowest photosynthetic rate, CSI, RWC, proline and NRA and ultimately poor yield were considered as drought susceptible.

The field experiment was conducted at national research centre for banana to screen the ratoon banana cultivars and hybrids for water deficit tolerance and to elucidate information on growth attribute mechanism of banana cultivars and hybrids. Stress was imposed at different critical stages viz., 3 rd , 5 th , 7 th and 9 th month after planting. The stress was given by scheduling irrigation at the 50 per cent available soil moisture (ASM) characteristic during critical stages. The soil moisture content was analyzed by using pressure plate membrane apparatus. In control plots, the irrigation was given at the ASM of 80% with the soil water potential of around -6 bars and in the case of stressed plots; the irrigation was given when an ASM reached 50% with the soil water potential of -14 bars. In stressed plots, 50% ASM was reached around 30 days. In this present study conducted with twelve cultivars and hybrids with three replications. The data were analyzed by using split plot design. The antioxidative enzymes of catalase, super oxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase were significantly enhanced during water deficit conditions. Among the twelve ratoon cultivars and hybrids, Karpuravalli, Karpuravalli×Pisang Jajee, Saba, and Sannachenkathali was identified as tolerant to water stress with highly accelerated by water stress treatment in the range of 20% to 28% over control in catalase (CAT), super oxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) leads to reduced the cellular membrane damaged by reactive oxygen species and get higher yield; whereas, Matti, Pisang Jajee×Matti, Matti×Anaikomban and Anaikomban×Pisang Jajee were notified as sensitive ratoon cultivars and hybrids with lesser increase in antioxidative enzyme activity of 13 per cent than control which is leads to get very low yield.

Field investigations were undertaken to screen the banana cultivars and hybrids for water stress tolerance and to elucidate information on morphological, physiological and yield characteristics mechanism of banana cultivars and hybrids. Stress was imposed at different critical stages viz., 3 rd , 5 th , 7 th and 9 th month after planting. The stress was given by scheduling irrigation at the 50 per cent available soil moisture (ASM) characteristic during critical stages. The soil moisture content was analyzed by using pressure plate membrane apparatus. In control plots, the irrigation was given at the ASM of 80 per cent with the soil water potential of around -6 bars and in the case of stressed plots; the irrigation was given when an ASM reached 50 per cent with the soil water potential of -14 bars. In stressed plots, 50 per cent ASM was reached around 30 days. In this present study conducted with twelve cultivars and hybrids with three replications. The data were analyzed by using split plot design. The morphological characters viz., plant height, and number of leaves were significantly enhanced by control when compared to stress-treated plants and physiological characters like RWC, total chlorophyll content and osmotic potential can be considered good indicators of leaf water status in banana and can therefore be used for irrigation scheduling. Among the twelve cultivars and hybrids, Karpuravalli, Karpuravalli x Pisang Jajee, Saba, and Sannachenkathali was identified as tolerant to water stress and showed lesser reduction in the range of 3 to 14 per cent in morphological characters and 8-10 per cent over control in physiological characters leads to maintained its superiority over control and get higher bunch yield; whereas, Matti, Pisang Jajee x Matti, Matti x Anaikomban and Anaikomban x Pisang Jajee were notified as sensitive cultivars and hybrids with mean reduction of 22 per cent in morphological and physiological characters than control due to irrigation at 50 ASM.

The present investigation was undertaken under field condition to study the effect of water deficit on leaf temperature, transpiration rate, stomatal diffusive resistance and yield of banana cultivars and hybrids. Stress was imposed at different critical stages viz., 3 rd , 5 th , 7 th and 9 th month after planting. The stress was given by scheduling irrigation at the 50% available soil moisture (ASM) characteristic during critical stages. The soil moisture content was analyzed by using pressure plate membrane apparatus. In control plots, the irrigation was given at the ASM of 80% with the soil water potential of around - 6 bars and in the case of stressed plots; the irrigation was given when an ASM reached 50% with the soil water potential of - 14 bars. In stressed plots, 50% ASM was reached around 30 days. In this present study conducted with twelve cultivars and hybrids with three replications. The data were analyzed by using split plot design. The research revealed that, leaf temperature was usually negatively correlation with transpiration rate. Transpiration rate revealed a decreasing trend throughout the growth period of the crop with increasing in leaf temperature and stomatal diffusive resistance. The cultivars and hybrids of Karpuravalli, Karpuravalli×Pisang Jajee, Saba, and Sannachenkathali was identified as tolerant to water stress with highly accelerated in transpiration rate by water stress treatment with slight increase in leaf temperature over control.

Experiment were undertaken to screen the banana cultivars and hybrids for water stress tolerance and to elucidate information on morphological, physiological and yield characteristics mechanism of banana cultivars and hybrids. Stress was imposed at different critical stages viz., 3 rd , 5 th , 7 th and 9 th month after planting. The stress was given by scheduling irrigation at the 50 per cent available soil moisture (ASM) characteristic during critical stages. The soil moisture content was analyzed by using pressure plate membrane apparatus. In control plots, the irrigation was given at the ASM of 80% with the soil water potential of around -6 bars and in the case of stressed plots; the irrigation was given when an ASM reached 50% with the soil water potential of -14 bars. In stressed plots, 50% ASM was reached around 30 days. In this present study conducted with twelve cultivars and hybrids with three replications. The data were analyzed by using split plot design. The morphological characters of plant height were significantly enhanced by control when compared to stress-treated plants and physiological characters like RWC, total chlorophyll content and osmotic potential can be considered good indicators of leaf water status in banana and can therefore be used for irrigation scheduling. Among the twelve cultivars and hybrids, Karpuravalli, Karpuravalli×Pisang Jajee, Saba, and Sannachenkathali was identified as tolerant to water stress and showed lesser reduction in the range of 3 to 14 per cent in morphological characters and 8%~10% over control in physiological characters leads to maintained its superiority over control and get higher bunch yield; whereas, Matti, Pisang Jajee×Matti, Matti×Anaikomban and Anaikomban×Pisang Jajee were notified as sensitive cultivars and hybrids with mean reduction of 22% in morphological and physiological characters than control due to irrigation at 50 ASM.

A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of water deficit on total chlorophyll content, soluble protein content and yield of banana cultivars and hybrids. Stress was imposed at different critical stages viz., 3 rd , 5 th , 7 th and 9 th month after planting. The stress was given by scheduling irrigation at the 50 per cent available soil moisture (ASM) characteristic during critical stages. The soil moisture content was analyzed by using pressure plate membrane apparatus. In control plots, the irrigation was given at the ASM of 80 per cent with the soil water potential of around -6 bars and in the case of stressed plots; the irrigation was given when an ASM reached 50 per cent with the soil water potential of -14 bars. The total chlorophyll content, soluble protein content and yield were decreased during water deficit conditions. Among the twelve cultivars and hybrids, Karpuravalli, Karpuravalli x Pisang Jajee, Saba, and Sannachenkathali was identified as tolerant to water deficit with least reduction in total chlorophyll content, soluble protein content and yield in the range of 8, 9 and 11 per cent over control.; whereas, Matti, Pisang Jajee x Matti, Matti x Anaikomban and Anaikomban x Pisang Jajee were notified as sensitive cultivars and hybrids with highest reduction per cent of 22, 26 and 19 total chlorophyll content, soluble protein content and yield than control which is leads to get very low yield.