With increased water scarcity and competition for water resources for agriculture sector with domestic and industrial sectors, efficient irrigation strategies have become essential for sustainable agriculture. This study, conducted for the Malda division in West Bengal, India, employs the FAO CROPWAT 8.0 model to estimate maize crop water requirements. Utilizing the Penman-Monteith method for evapotranspiration calculation and considering 50% of critical soil moisture depletion for irrigation decisions, the simulation study provides daily, decadal, and monthly crop water requirements at various growth stages for maize. The estimated values indicate a crop water requirement of 383.9 mm and an irrigation requirement of 340.9 mm. The study indicates that the maize crop needs six irrigations (at sowing, 20, 42, 63, 82, and 98 days after sowing) at 50% depletion during the rabi season in sandy loam soil (New Alluvium). The CROPWAT 8.0 estimated the daily ET0 of 2.89 mm/day in December to 5.98 mm/day in March.

Background: In India, several varieties are being developed by agricultural universities and research institutes which need to be tested for their suitability at a specific location. An experiment was conducted to identify rice cultivars suitable for Odisha and to know the effect of growing degree days at different phenophases on grain yield of rice under transplanted conditions. Methods: An experiment was conducted with fourteen cultivars during kharif season of 2023 having a duration of 120 to 150 days from sowing to harvest in randomized block design, replicated three times. The growing degree days (GDD) of rice calculated to understand the temperature requirement of the crop at different phenophases. Result: The cultivar CR Dhan 319 recorded significantly higher grain,straw and biological yield as compared to all other varieties. The GDD at vegetative stage ranged from 530 to 1204 Celsius, at reproductive stage 543 to 572Celsius and ripening stage 461 to 545 Celsius and the total GDD ranged between 1648 to2195Celsius. The GDD was higher at vegetative stage in long duration cultivars while it was higher at reproductive stage in short duration varieties. The cultivars 148 days duration recorded higher yield (4870 kg ha-1) beyond which there was decrease in yield and the crop receiving total GDD of 2060 from transplanting to harvesting recoded maximum yield (4860 kg ha-1). The optimum GDD at each phenophase found to be 120 at PI and young panicle stage, 245 at young panicle stage to reduction division, 178 at reduction division to anthesis, 113 at anthesis to ripening and 365 at ripening to maturity stages. This study is related SDG goals 1,2, 4 and 15 of United Nations.

Background: Uncontrolled weed growth reported to reduce rice yields by 33 to 45%, while manual weeding is labor-intensive, time-consuming and costly. Pre-emergence herbicides prevent weed establishment and post-emergence herbicides target established weeds, offering effective and less costly weed control. However, an integrated approach to weed management is crucial to ensure long-term agricultural sustainability and minimize environmental impacts and weed resistance development. Methods: An experiment was conducted at Post Graduate Research farm, M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University, Paralakhemundi, Odisha during the kharif season of 2023 in randomized block design with fourteen treatments viz., Pyrazosulfuron ethyl 10% WP @ 200 g/ha at 1-3 DAT(T1), Bispyribac sodium 10%SC @ 250 ml/ha at 25 DAT(T2), Penoxsulam 21.7%SC @ 166 ml/ha at 25 DAT (T3), Metsulfuron methyl 10% + Chlorimuron ethyl 10%WP @ 4 g/ha at 25 DAT (T4), Florpyrauxifen-benzyl 1.31% + Penoxsulam 2.1% @2027ml/ha at 25 DAT (T5), Pyrazosulfuron followed by Bispyribac sodium at 25 DAT (T6), Pyrazosulfuron followed by Penoxsulam at 25 DAT (T7), Pyrazosulfuron followed by Florpyrauxifen-benzyl + Penoxsulam 25 DAT (T8), Pyrazosulfuron followed by Metsulfuron methyl 10%+ Chlorimuron ethyl 10% 25 DAT (T9), Triafamone20%+ Ethoxysulfuron 10% WG@ 225 g/ha at 20 DAT (T10), Pyriftalid 31.0% + Bensulfuron methyl15.7% @375ml/ha 20 DAT (T11), Pyrazosulfuron followed by one hand weeding at 25 DAT (T12), Hand weeding twice at 25 and 45 DAT (T13) and Weedy check (T14) which were replicated thrice. Result: At 30 and 60 DAT, the total weed density and dry weight was significantly low in hand weeding twice at 25 and 45 DAT over all other treatments. At 30 DAT, the weed control efficiency was higher in the treatment Hand weeding twice at 25 and 45 DAT (T13) followed by T8 and T12 where the efficiency was more than 90%. At 30 DAT, the dry matter was significantly higher with T13 and T8 over all other treatments.The grain yield observed with T13 was on par with that of T8 and T10 and significantly superior over all other treatments. For getting higher yield and net returns in transplanted rice, application of T8, T10, or T13 is recommended for transplanted rice during kharif season. This paper is aligned with UN SDG 14.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is highly sensitive to weed infestation and management of weeds is the most difficult aspect of summer maize cultivation, leading to significant yield losses of maize fields. The lack of weed management in critical period of growth results in major losses. To address these issues, reducing actively growing weeds at various stages and improving the bio efficacy of herbicides is beneficial. In addition, due to the scarcity of farm labour and rising labour costs during crop growth, this study aims to investigate the impact of chemical weed management, specifically pre and post emergence herbicides, on maize. In this context, a study was conducted with 8 treatments viz., with 2 pre-emergence and 4 post emergence herbicides, as well as hand weeding and a weedy check (control), with each treatment replicated 3 times in randomized block design. The results revealed that weed density and weed dry matter were considerably lower and weed control efficiency was higher, with the application of Atrazine at 1 kg a.i. ha-1 as Pre-emergence (PEA). The highest treatment remained on par with Tembotrione + Atrazine (1:10) at 750 g a.i. ha-1 during 20 and 40 DAS as Post emergence (PoETA) compared to other treatments except for manual weeding (MW). The higher growth, yield attributes and grain yield were obtained with application of Atrazine at 1 kg a.i. ha-1 as Pre-emergence (PEA) application and the highest treatment was comparable with Tembotrione + Atrazine (1:10) at 750 g a.i. ha-1 during 20 and 40 DAS as Post emergence (PoETA) over other treatments. This paper relates to the SDG of UN 1, 2, 4 and 15.

A field experiment was carried out with four dates of transplanting (29 th July, 7 th August, 17 th August and 27 th August) and three age of seedlings (15, 25 and 35 days old) at PG Experimental farm, M. S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Parlakahemundi, Gajapati district to calibrate and validate the CERES-Rice model for RNR 15048 in the north eastern ghat region of Odisha. The model evaluation with respect to simulation of phenology at anthesis and physiological maturity is considered to be excellent with RMSEn of 3% and 1% as influenced by both dates of transplanting and age of seedlings, respectively. Similarly, the simulated grain yields were also closely related to observed yields with lower RMSE and RMSEn values. The CRM values obtained in simulating both phenology and grain yields were negative, reporting an over -estimation of predictions. Further, the model simulated yields were used to study the influence of elevated temperatures +0.3 and +0.9 degrees C on grain yield which showed reduction in grain yields with an increase in temperatures. Therefore, the model was found to be enough sensitive to be used as a research tool in the variable agro-environments of eastenghat region of Odisha to suggest suitable management practices for RNR 15048.

Background: Water is a precious resource that needs increase in its use efficiency for higher productivity of crops. The wheat crop responds more with irrigation and it is cultivated in large area after rice which requires understanding of wheat water requirements in the region for a practical guide for stakeholders involved in agricultural planning and water resource management. Methods: The present research aims to assess the irrigation water requirement of wheat crop in the specific agro-climatic conditions of South Bihar by using the FAO CROPWAT 8.0 model, a widely recognized tool for calculating crop water requirements. Result: Meteorological and crop-specific parameters of Patna were used in the model to estimate water requirement of wheat. The total crop water requirement for wheat crop in South Bihar was 267.2 mm with 70% irrigation efficiency. The gross and net irrigation requirement was 299.6 mm and 209.7 mm respectively scheduled in four irrigations. The actual irrigation requirement by the crop was 230.9 mm and the actual water use by the crop was 267.2 mm. The moisture deficit in the soil at the time of harvest was 93.25 mm.

Water has a major impact on crop growth, output, and quality and increased production with less water consumption is crucial due to increased demand from domestic and industrial sectors. With evaporative demand-based irrigation scheduling the water consumption gets reduced and improves water productivity. The type of soil, growing season, weather, and crop type affect specific crops' water needs. To compute crop water requirement, irrigation requirement, and its schedule for groundnut cultivated during the rabi season in south Odisha, India, the FAO CROPWAT 8 program was used, with the meteorological data of Centurion University, Paralakhemundi, and NASA power. The water requirement for groundnut was 362.1 mm, the irrigation requirement for groundnut crops was 323.7 mm, and crop evapotranspiration (ETc) was 373.4 mm during rabi season. At 50% critical depletion of soil moisture and soil replenishment to field capacity, the yield did not decrease. These results indicate that irrigation schedules can be practiced for different regions' crops without experimental results by estimating crop water requirements and irrigation schedules obtained through the FAO CROPWAT 8 model.

Odisha is one of the most tribal-dominated states having 9.59 million tribal populations out of out of 41.97 million population of Odisha and more than 47% of tribal people live in rural areas depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. A study was done in Gajapati district to identify different tribal communities live in the district and their lively hoods through adoption of different farming systems. In Gajapati district, there are nine tribal communities (Saora, Tharua, Jatapu, Kandha, Lodha, shabar lodha, Kondadora, Bhuyan, and Sounti) live in seven blocks. These tribes produce paddy (padadhan), ragi, janna (a millet), sugarcane, turmeric, ginger, maize, minor millets like kosla and kangu, and pulses like red gram, bodhei, kulthi (horse gram), biri (black gram), kandul (redgram), and dangarani, and maintains a variety of livestock, including cows, bullocks, buffaloes, goats, sheep, and poultry. They grow variety of vegetables in kitchen garden and occasionally practice fishing. Goats and chickens, in particular, are raised for consumption and ceremonial sacrifices to the deities. The land less tribal earns their lively hood through working as labor.

A low glycemic index fine rice variety RNR 15048 (Telangana Sona) suitable for both kharif and summer seasons was introduced in southern Odisha in 2019 kharif season. Its nitrogen and Phosphorus requirement was not worked out for kharif / rabi / summer seasons. An experiment was conducted during summer season of 2022 at M.S. Swaminathan School of agriculture (MSSSoA), Parlakhemundi, Odisha to study the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus levels on yield attributes and yield of low glycemic rice variety RNR 15048 in split plot design with four levels of nitrogen (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg/ha) in main plots and three levels of phosphorus (0, 30 and 60 kg/ha) in subplots replicated three times. The panicle number, number of spike lets per panicle, number of filled spike lets and 1000 grain weight, grain, straw and biological yield and NPK uptake in grain and straw increased significantly with increase in nitrogen levels from 0 to 50, 100 and 150 kg ha-1 and phosphorus level from 0 to 30 and 60 kg ha-1. For low glycemic index rice variety RNR 15048 during summer, application of 150 kg N and 60 kg P2O5 along with 50 kg K2O ha-1 found to give higher yield in southern Odisha.A low glycemic index fine rice variety RNR 15048 (Telangana Sona) suitable for both kharif and summer seasons was introduced in southern Odisha in 2019 kharif season. Its nitrogen and Phosphorus requirement was not worked out for kharif / rabi / summer seasons. An experiment was conducted during summer season of 2022 at M.S. Swaminathan School of agriculture (MSSSoA), Parlakhemundi, Odisha to study the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus levels on yield attributes and yield of low glycemic rice variety RNR 15048 in split plot design with four levels of nitrogen (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg/ha) in main plots and three levels of phosphorus (0, 30 and 60 kg/ha) in subplots replicated three times. The panicle number, number of spike lets per panicle, number of filled spike lets and 1000 grain weight, grain, straw and biological yield and NPK uptake in grain and straw increased significantly with increase in nitrogen levels from 0 to 50, 100 and 150 kg ha-1 and phosphorus level from 0 to 30 and 60 kg ha-1. For low glycemic index rice variety RNR 15048 during summer, application of 150 kg N and 60 kg P2O5 along with 50 kg K2O ha-1 found to give higher yield in southern Odisha.

On-farm trials (OFT) to assess the water productivity and to suggest alternative agronomic measures for its improvement during 2008–09 and 2009–10 were conducted under D51 distributory of Kakatiya Canal, Sri Ram Sagar Project, Andhra Pradesh. The grain yield and field water use productivity improved by adoption of ridge and furrow method of irrigation in place of flat bed for maize, rotational irrigation/alternate wetting and drying and by maintaining 44 hills m−2 in rice during rabi. Adopting these agronomic techniques there will be a saving of 122–162 mm of water in maize and 8–12% water in rice over farmer's practice of flat bed in maize and daily irrigation (continuous submergence of 5–10 cm), respectively. Further, application of higher levels of N than recommended has improved grain yield of rice and thereby field water use efficiency. Application of 90 kg N ha−1 improved yield and water productivity of sesame. The irrigation rate (quantity of water) applied was more under canal irrigation compared to well irrigation. Farmers adjusted their cropping pattern by crop diversification from rice to green gram and ground nut and used well water in conjunction with rain and canal when water scarcity observed during 2009–10 compared to 2008–09 under D51 canal command area of Sri Ram Sagar Project.

Background: The low glycemic rice variety RNR 15048 was introduced in Southern Odisha recently but the nitrogen and potassium requirement was not worked out for rabi / summer season. Methods: In this study, RNR 15048, a low glycemic index rice variety, was conducted in a split plot design with four main plots at 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg of nitrogen per hectare and three subplot levels at 0, 30 and 60 kg of potassium per hectare, each of which was reproduced three times. Result: A significant increase in yield, yield components and NPK uptake was noted with increase in nitrogen levels from 0 to 50, 100 and 150 kg/ha and potassium levels from 0 to 30 and 60 kg/ha.

A study was undertaken in Krishna river sub-basin (between Nagarjuna Sagar and Prakasham barrage) with an objective to assess the current farming systems and opportunities to introduce alternative farming systems. The sub-basin covers 192 mandals in 17 revenue divisions of seven districts, i.e. Mahaboobnagar, Khammam, Nalgonda, Warangal, Rangareddy, Krishna and Guntur. Survey was conducted in 27 mandals across 16 revenue divisions covering 135 farmers. The size of the land holding differed with source of irrigation. The size of the land holding was greater under rain-fed situation followed by canals and tube wells. The predominant cropping situations observed are paddy-paddy sequence under canal irrigation in black soils (22.2%). It was followed by cotton under rain-fed situation (21.5%) and paddy-paddy sequence (12.6%) under tube well. According to source of irrigation, cotton was predominant under rain-fed conditions (36.3%) followed by paddy-paddy sequence under canal irrigation and tube wells (25.9%). Higher gross and net returns were obtained by growing chili under different irrigation sources followed by sugarcane, cabbage and cotton. The farming system returns were higher wherever they were under canal + tube well or open wells. The returns were higher with agriculture + dairy + goat/sheep with open wells + tube wells + canal followed by agriculture and dairy with tube well, canal and rain-fed. The average annual income of large farmers was higher in Guntur district ( 2,77,748) followed by Khammam and Krishna districts. It was mainly contributed by agricultural crops and sheep and goat rearing. It can be concluded that the adoption of agriculture with diary and sheep or goat rearing under irrigation will be more remunerative than agriculture alone.

Improvement in irrigation efficiency of projects is vital for the development of country's economy. For improving irrigation water use efficiency a clear understanding of socio-economic condition and constraints from the point of famers is paramount importance as it regulates the decision making and option behavior of farmers and in order to assess the status on these aspects, a study was taken up under Sri Ram Sagar Project command (2R minor of D51) during 2008–09. The results indicated that 68% farmers were above 40 years of age having good farming experience and 71% were educated. The average per capita land holding size of farmers was 2.05 ha. Farmers were not aware of different water saving technologies as they were not trained on agricultural water management aspects. Non-availability of water in time and prior information about the release of canal water were the major problems perceived by majority of the farmers. Costs associated with accessing, availability water and distance of the land from water source influenced labour input for distributing water. There was tendency to over irrigate the crops in each term of irrigation because of either availability of water is plenty or as a measure of risk avoidance in the wake of uncertainty and unavailability of water in next turn. Majority of the farmers were of the opinion that poor operation and maintance of the irrigation system was the major reason for low water use efficiency and tail end farmers expressed that head reach farmers were using more water than required and it was suggested that bringing awareness on water use and management under canal commands through trainings and exposure visits was important in addition to extensive interaction between irrigation, agricultural and extension activities with the framers to improve on farm water use efficiency, there by project irrigation efficiency.

Background: The cotton cultivation in India is influenced by high inputs and expenditure. But the farmers do not get sufficient access to institutional credit; hence the farmers borrow money at the higher interest from other sources. Higher risks due to the impacts of climate change furtherincrease the economic burden and uncertainty of getting reasonable income to the farmers. Furthermore, the crop suffers due to incidence of pests and diseases. Because of this situation, farmers encounter risks and pressures, yet they seldom openly reveal the psychological strain that accompanies their agricultural work. Hence, the current study was carried to identify strategies to be adopted by cotton growers to manage risk and stress in crop management, agricultural extension and input arrangement. Methods: The study was conducted by collecting information from 240 cotton growers of four blocks in Gajapati and Rayagada districts of Odisha. The opinion on socio-psychological, technological competency and input supply strategies to be adopted was collected individually through a semi-structured schedule and analyzed. Result: The opinion of cotton growing farmers on the strategies to be adopted in minimizing the risks and stresses in cotton production on socio-psychological, technological competency and input supply showed that the farmers preferred to have participatory decision on cluster approach, developing good drainage facility and advance supply of inputs and materials, periodical visits by extension officials’ to the farmers’ field and create awareness on latest varieties availablewith high yield and training on latest technologies and ensuring quality and timely input supply, providing information on market price and immediate payment for their produce.

An experiment was conducted during kharif, 2007 at Agricultural college farm, ANGRAU, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad where fourteen popular short and medium duration rice varieties were studied at varied N levels for their response under aerobic and transplanted situations in double split plot design with two replications. The grain yield obtained both under aerobic and transplanted condition were comparable in Naveen, MTU 1010 and Erramallelu. On the other hand, varieties IR-64, Tellahamsa, Erramallelu, Rajendra, hybrid ARB-17 (1) K-06, MTU 1010 and Naveen performed better under aerobic condition and varieties Naveen, MTU 1001, MTU 1010 and Er­ramallelu recorded higher yields under transplanted condition. The grain yield increased significantly with increase in N level from 0 to 50, 100 and 150 kg ha-1. The total water requirement was 7314 and 11757 m3ha-1 in aerobic and transplanted conditions, respectively. The water productivity of cultivars was higher under aerobic condition than that under transplanted condition and ranged from 0.29 to 0.83 and 0.14 to 0.49 kg m-3 of water in aerobic and transplanted condition, respectively.

The present study deals with the foraging activities and pollination efficiency of Tetragonula iridipennis in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) under protected conditions. Experiments were conducted during two seasons (summer and winter) with three different treatments: open pollination (OP), pollinator exclusion (PE) and stingless bee pollination (SBP) in Assam, North East India. The foraging activity of T. iridipennis was checked in SBP treatment at different timings after installing a 15,504 cm3 beehive. The pollination efficiency of T. iridipennis was also examined among the three selected treatments. The peak period of visitation on cucumber flowers was recorded during 0800-0900 h of the day during both seasons. The yield increase of SBP over PE during both seasons was five times higher. These findings indicate the significance of T. iridipennis as an effective pollinator in greenhouse cucumbers.

Background: The increasing population and need for higher quantity of food grain production necessitates efficient use of limited water in the country, as agriculture sector alone uses 78% of water resources of India. During rabi season, mostly the crops are grown with irrigation in southern Odisha. There is no enough information on water and irrigation requirement of maize, sorghum and pearl millet crops grown in the region, which necessitated this study. Methods: The model-based study involving FAO CROPWAT 8.0 was used for the estimation of gross and net irrigation requirement and scheduling of maize, sorghum and pearl millet grown in southern Odisha. Result: The water requirement estimated with FAO CROPWAT 8.0 model during rabi for maize, sorghum and pearl milletgrown in Southern Odisha was 252.3, 197.9 and 172 mm and irrigation requirement was 231.2, 178.8 and 156.3 mm respectively.

A field experiment was conducted at M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Bagusala farm, Gajapati district, Odisha during the summer season of 2020 to assess the comparative efficacy of herbicides and hand weeding in managing weeds and improve productivity of irrigated summer finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn.). The pre-emergence herbicide application (PE) of pendimethalin 500 g/ha or oxadiargyl 80 g/ha PE at 3 days after transplanting (DAT) followed by post-emergence application (PoE) of ethoxysulfuron 12 g/ha or bispyribac- sodium 20 g/ha at 20 DAT were found to be equally effective as hand weeding twice at 20 and 40 DAT in effectively managing weeds and improving the productivity of finger millet.

Due to increase in demand of water for irrigation and other sectors, the availability of water for agriculture sector may be limiting.Agriculture consumes the most of water in India (81 percent), which require most efficient use of water in agriculture (Surendran et al., 2015).In India, a greater understanding is a critical component for production of crops, proper planning and distribution of irrigation water is required.Accurate data on evapotranspiration, crop water requirements, and net irrigation requirements are required for effective irrigation planning.Crop water requirements vary from one crop to the other, season to season and region to region as well as over the course of a single crop's whole growth period.Scientific data on agricultural water requirements is required for efficient irrigation scheduling in order to determine crop production potential (Smith, 1992;Kuo et al., 2001).Bahadur et al., (2021) also reported that modeling of water requirement, water planning may be more effective in accordance with the climatic conditions and requirements for resilient agriculture.