India's economy relies heavily on farming, which is crucial for growth, jobs, and survival. However weather uncertainties like droughts, floods, and heatwaves make farming challenging. These uncertainties lower crop yield and quality, causing financial problems for farmers. Despite farmers' efforts, unpredictable weather still hurts crop management. Understanding how farmers feel about these uncertainties is vital for adapting to climate change and reducing risks. The present study was conducted in three villages: Bhomrapara, Mitrapur, and Maniktala of Haringhata block of Nadia district of West Bengal, India, from 2021 to 2022. Nadia district was purposively selected as it comes under the new alluvial zone (NAZ), which has decent productivity in terms of agriculture. A hundred farmers with good farming experiences were identified from the sampling frame, and responses were collected through a structured interview schedule. The study explores the diverse perspectives of Indian farmers on climate-related uncertainty, reveals that factors such as age, education, and landholding size significantly influence these views. Experienced farmers and those with more extensive landholdings perceive more significant uncertainty, with irrigation practices, crop yield, and cultivation costs play crucial roles. The study emphasizes the urgency of proactive risk reduction and resilience enhancement to avoid severe implications for agriculture and food security.

Background: Organic production of cluster bean is to contribute to the enhancement of production sustainability along with ecology. Sustainability in organic farming must therefore be seen in a holistic sense, which includes ecological, economic and social aspects. A synergistic effectof bio fertilizer with crop increases the crop productivity and sustainability also. Bio fertilizers are low cost, effective and renewable sources of plant nutrients to supplement chemical fertilizers. Therfore to overcome the ill effect of chemical based farming, organic system is becoming the emerging need of the society.Methods: A field experiment ’’was carried out in Pusa Navbahar variety of clusterbean during summer season (February to May) of 2019 at College farm, College of Horticulture, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Jagudan, Dist. Mehsana, Gujarat, India. Sixteen treatments having various combinations of organic sources of nutrients (FYM, vermicompost, and neem cake), bio fertilizers (Rhizobium + PSB + KSM) along with RDF (20/40/0 kg/ha) as a control. They were replicated thrice in a randomized block design having a plot size of 3.0 m × 2.0 m with a spacing of 60 cm × 20 cm. Standard practices were followed during the entire course of the investigation.Result: It showed highly significant differences among different treatments for majority of the growth and yield attributing traits, but treatment T6 (75% N through FYM + Rhizobium + PSB + KSM) was rated as the best treatment for characters like days taken for germination, number of root nodules per plant, plant height at 60 DAS (cm), number of pod per cluster, number of cluster per plant, green pod yield per plant (g), green pod yield per plot (kg) and green pod yield per hectare (kg) as compared to other treatment. It can be concluded that the organic nutrient management in cluster bean with the application of 75% N through FYM + Rhizobium + PSB + KSM is beneficial for obtaining a higher yield.

The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications and fourteen treatments viz. T1: Control; T2: Water spray; T3: GA3 20 ppm; T4: GA3 30 ppm; T5: GA3 40 ppm; T6: NAA 40 ppm; T7: NAA 50 ppm; T8: NAA 60 ppm; T9: Ethrel 50 ppm; T10: Ethrel 100 ppm; T11: Ethrel 150 ppm; T12: Ca 10 ppm; T13: Ca 20 ppm; T14: Ca 30 ppm. The results revealed that maximum number of fruits per vine (2.27), average fruit weight (2702.33 g), fruit yield per vine (4.02 kg), fruit yield per plot (48.05 kg) and fruit yield per hectare (266.96 q) were recorded with application of Ethrel 150 ppm (T11). Whereas, the quality parameters like; diameter of fruit (cm), Total Soluble Solids (°Brix), reducing sugar (%), non-reducing sugar (%) and total sugar (%) were found not significant. High BCR ratio (3.07) also achived by treatment T11 Ethrel 150 ppm.

Jute is an important crop that contributes a pivotal role in the economy and supports the livelihoods of the farmers of the Northern part of West Bengal. However, farmers in the region are gradually shifting away from traditional jute cultivation to adopting maize as their preference and the study investigated the factors influencing transformation. Responses were collected from 60 farmers of Chopra Block using a structured interview schedule during the peak season of maize cultivation in 2019. Principal Component Analysis was used to extract significant factors explaining the motives behind farmers’ preference for maize over jute crops. The study envisages that the factors including lack of capital, remunerative market price, high labor costs, poor soil quality and inadequate irrigation water, unavailability of improved seed varieties, high input costs, and inadequate market facilities are the key factors for discouragement of cultivation of jute. The government should develop some supportive infrastructure like providing high-quality maize seeds, conducting awareness programs to educate the farmers about the benefits and byproducts of maize, and offering knowledge about export and import markets. Capacity building and extension approaches can aid the transition and foster positive contributions to the agricultural sector of the locality.

The biocomposite (PMMA/Chitosan) is synthesized by combining MMA as a monomer and modified chitosan as a filler material extracted from oyster shell powder. The method used for extraction includes deproteinization, demineralization, and deacetylation. The synthesized biomaterial is characterized by using different techniques. The DLS shows the uniform distribution of particles of filler materials, FTIR analysis peaks confirm the formation of biocomposite on interaction of Chitosan with MMA, X-ray diffraction study shows a strong peak at 2θ = 10.3° indicating the formation of a stable biocomposite,SEM image indicates the uniform distribution of fillers, andTGA indicates that the biocomposite is stable up to 500 °C and after that weight loss is observed. The analysis result indicates that the biopolymer chitosan forms a covalent bond with the PMMA matrix and forms a porous structure. The thermal stability of the synthesised biomaterial is gradually enhanced by the increase in the concentration of chitosan microscopic particles at the surface of the matrix, particularly at low thermal expansion. The synthesised novel biomaterial can be used successfully in various applications, such as flexible electronic printing and organic printing. The synthesized biomaterial is highly effective for drug release in the targeted drug delivery system.

Farmers are the primary producers of food and other agricultural goods play a crucial part in the agricultural sector. Farmers need fast and accurate information on a variety of farming-related issues including weather, markets, pests and diseases, farming techniques, and agricultural inputs, to make informed decisions. Farmers’ information-seeking behaviour, however, differs based on several conditions. The proficiency in information-receiving behavior and its interpretation merit humongous importance for the triumph of entrepreneurial success far beyond subsistence farming. The study was conducted in the Nayagarh district of Odisha by selecting one hundred FPO member farmers following multistage and snowballing sampling techniques. A structured interview schedule was prepared and data were collected using the personal interview method. The study envisages that variables viz. age, crop yield, no. of male workers, marketed surplus, and materials possessed and training exposure have significant contributions to the functional contribution of information receiving behaviour of the farmers. The study suggests that improvement of farmers’ network and extension agent farmers’ relationship may be helpful for quick technology dissemination and overall improvement of the farming community.

Because of their application in a variety of important fields such as automotive, packaging, industrial sectors, and construction, biocomposites reinforced with natural fiber have gained widespread attention and are gradually replacing synthetic polymeric materials in commercial markets. Because of their low density, biocomposite materials directly influence the fuel economy of the vehicle. In this work, the PP/nettle fiber biocomposite was synthesized by using various compositions of PP and nettle fiber by adopting injection moulding and compression moulding techniques. The various mechanical properties like tensile strength, impact strength, tensile modulus, and flexural strength of the synthesized biocomposite materials are studied by using suitable procedures. The maximum tensile modulus was achieved for the sample of the biocomposite containing 15 % nettle fiber (2203.35 MPa), whereas the maximum flexural modulus was achieved in the composite containing 30 % NF (2429.75 MPa). The sample containing 30 % NF shows the highest impact strength (27.9 J/m). From the study of mechanical properties, it was found that the synthesized composite materials are suitable in the manufacturing of various automobile parts to maintain a sustainable environment.

A novel sustainable biocomposite (Polypropylene/banana fiber) material was synthesized by using polypropylene (PP) reinforced with banana fibers (BF) with permeation of nano manganese oxide (MnO2). The different samples of the biomaterial were synthesized with varying percentages of PP, BF, and MnO2. The various mechanical properties of the developed biomaterial were studied by using suitable methodology. The maximum tensile strength is demonstrated with a fiber length of 15 mm and reinforcement of 20 % of banana fiber. The flexural strength increases with an increase in fiber loading up to 15 %, and then decreases. The ultimate flexural strength was achieved with a fiber length of 10 mm and a loading rate of 15 %. The absorption of impact energy is maximum with a fiber length of 15 mm and a loading rate of 20 %. Because of the improvement in mechanical properties with an increase in concertation of banana fiber up to a certain extent, it is concluded that this biomaterial can be used in various important applications after suitable treatment.

In this research, short Agave lechuguilla (AL) fibers were used as reinforcement material in epoxy resin at different weight percentages (10, 20, 30, and 40 wt.%) to make a composite by hand lay-up techniques. The rate of erosion and wear behavior of the fabricated composites against the varied impingement angles (30, 40, 60, and 90 degrees) and different striking velocities (i.e., 48, 70, 80, and 109 m/s) of erodent have been studied using an erosion test rig. It was observed that by adding the short AL fibers in epoxy resin, the resistance to wear of pure epoxy decreases, and the mode of failure also changes. The wear rate of composites was maximum at 45 degrees impingement angle and at lower impact velocities (i.e., 48 m/s and 70 m/s), representing the mode of erosion is semi-ductile. However, at higher impingement angles (60 degrees) and impact velocities (80 m/s and 109 m/s), the mechanism of erosion was semi-brittle. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis was carried out to study the morphology of eroded surfaces.

This paper aims to study the synthesis of zirconia nanoparticles within the size of 100 nm using different drying routes and various sintering temperatures, for possible use as a nano-filler in polymeric composites. The nanoparticles are synthesized by cost-effective co-precipitation method. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms stabilization of tetragonal phase at room temperature by the use of yttria dopant. Further, the characterization studies, such as FTIR, EDX, DLS, BET, BJH, TGA and FESEM are carried out to study the structural, morphological and thermal properties of prepared nanoparticles. The result revealed that oven dry route produces smaller nanoparticle size (least particle size in the range of 33–64 nm at 900 °C) than freeze dry process. Furthermore, TGA analysis shows better thermal stability of zirconia precipitate synthesized by oven dry route. However, FESEM analysis of nanoparticles shows better spherical structure exhibited by freeze dry than oven dry route samples.

Depleting natural resources, environmental pollution and climate change are the three major factors of concern simmering up with contemporary global agriculture. Conservation agriculture (CA) is being flagged up as a sustainable adaptation mechanism. Adoption of CA depends upon ecological as well as, farmers’ level of perception, knowledge acquisition, and decision-making process. The present study was taken place in West Bengal covering both the new alluvial zone (NAZ) and terai zones (TZ) following snowballing sampling method during 2018-21. A total of 65 farm households were surveyed considering 57 different social-ecological factors operating across CA farms. The study elucidated that farmers’ perception of energy, climate change perception, formal education, land fragmentation, gender ratio, irrigated area, dietary diversity, and family size came up as strong determinants of their level of knowledge of CA. Understanding and measuring the complexity of social knowledge is essential for sustainable management, with consequences for problem-solving, mutual aid, and decision-making.

The excessive reliance on chemical fertilizers and the negligence shown to the conservation and use of organic manures (OM) have led to the exhaustion of organic carbon level, soil moisture level, and retention of microorganism population in the soil. The present study reveals that the farmers merely have any perception or they are not technically aware of the importance of the application of OM into their farming for the restoration of ecological resilience. Elucidating the factors, impacts, and perceptions of farmers, fifty respondents have been selected from Dalilpur and Kastodanga village of Nadia district by systematic random sampling for the study. The responses are collected through a structured interview schedule.The study envisaged that the livestock count, size of homestead land, size of landholding, production of organic manure, education variables have been found to exert strong and determining contribution to the application of organic manure. The socialization of proper cognitive adoption of organic manure among the farmers for the restoration of ecological resilience and popularization of resource-saving agricultural crop production is the need of the hour.

In this paper, the wood apple shell/epoxy composites were fabricated by hand lay-up technique. The wood apple shell particulates vary from 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt.

Conservation agriculture (CA) is the combination of environmental management, modernand scientific agriculture, which employs farmers’ ability to utilize, innovate, and adapt tochanging situations, as well as their holistic acceptance of knowledge along with ensuringsustainability. Farm-level adoption of CA is related to reduced labour and agricultural inputs,more consistent yields, and increased soil nutrient exchange capacity. A good quality landyields good results to everyone, confers good health on the entire family, and causes growthof money, cattle, and grain. The present study depicts hard evidences by identifying markervariables impacting income augmentation through conservation agriculture. A score of 50farmers has been selected from two blocks of Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, bynon-probability snowballing sampling techniques with a total of eighteen independentvariables along with income from major crop is used as the dependent variable through astructured interview schedule. A basket of multivariate analytical techniques has been appliedalong with Artificial Neural Network (ANN) as well. The results depict that a blend ofdiversified farming and farming experiences in CA contributed immensely to scale up incomefrom conservation agriculture approaches.

Transformation of agricultural lands into non-farm lands or plantations has got tremendousecological chaos and ripples. Northern part of West Bengal is undergoing rapid changes inrural areas where new opportunities are emerging in the form of demand-driven and market-driven agriculture. Due to persistent low returns from traditional rice cultivation, thetransformation of paddy fields into tea gardens has been a recent trend for this part ofWest Bengal. The present study has been conducted by selecting purposively three blocksfrom Alipurduar district and sixty respondents through random sampling, those who havealready transformed their crop field into tea gardens from these blocks. The farmers’perception towards transformation is taken as dependent variable along with a score offourteen independent variables. The responses are collected through a structured interviewschedule. The study envisaged that the farmers’ education level, number of family membersengaged in the garden, their economic motivation, sources of information, risk orientationbehaviour and distance from the tea processing factory showed significant contributiontowards the transformation behaviour. The future impact of such transformation on theecological dynamics in terms of livelihood, biodiversity restoration and ecological resiliencecan be brought under policy frameworks.

Conservation agriculture (CA) is about conserving natural resources through optimum usage along with adopting proper management measures to cut down on excessive use of inputs. Minimum tillage and retention of crop residues on the field help in the conservation of soil moisture and will result in the saving of irrigation water. To inculcate the beneficial effects of CA for conserving water into the minds of the farmer, it is necessary to understand the existing perception of the farmers on water management and also the social as well as ecological factors that influence the perception build up in the farmers. The study was conducted in two districts i.e. Nadia and Hooghly of West Bengal under the new alluvial zone during the year 2018-19, depending on the agricultural intensity and propensity to arsenic contamination in the groundwater. Seventy-five respondents were identified through the snowball sampling method. The results show that variables like age of the farmer, fragmentation of land, income of the farmer per unit of land and stubble height maintained by the farmers have a strong correlation with the perception development of the farmers on water management.

Polymer based substances such as epoxy or poly-epoxide has tremendous role in industrial applications such as surface coatings, potting, laminated circuit boards due to its versatile nature. Synthetic fibers are used in polymer composites as reinforcement to increase its mechanical and tribological properties. However, natural fibers/particulates are more preferable over synthetic fibers due to their environment friendliness, high abundance, viable and cost effective. Due to easy accessibility and manufacturing, worldwide researchers have been tempted to develop biofiber-based composite material and study their ability in tribological applications. In this research paper, the erosive behaviors of reinforced epoxy composite with different weight percentage of bio waste (orange peel) were studied. The erosive wear behavior of fabricated composites was evaluated at different impingement/impact angles (i.e., 30°, 60°, 45° and 90°) and impact velocities (48, 70 and 82 m/s) with constant feed rate at 5 gm/min. The solid particle erosion was carried out taking silica sand as erodent and the average size of erodent is 150–250 µm. The impact velocity and impact angle have a tremendous effect on erosive wear. SEM study of eroded surfaces also carried out to inspect the worn surface morphology.

W (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb) Mansf.) is believed to be the native of Africa (Harry, 2015). Watermelon has high nutritive value, is rich in vitamin ‘C’, low in sugar and calories because of high per cent of water (Bose et al., 2002). Watermelon is used mainly as a dessert and rind is used to some extent in making preserves and pickles. The raw fruits can be used for pickling and candy making. The fruits are very seldom cooked as vegetable when immature. In India, watermelon is grown in about 1.16 lakh hectare areas with the production of 3.16 million MT (Anonymous, 2019-20).