The present study was carried out during the winter (rabi) seasons of 2021–22 and 2022–23 at ICAR-Central Agroforestry Research Institute, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh to study the impact of conservation agriculture practices within a teak (Tectona grandis L.) + bael (Aegle marmelos L.)-based agroforestry system on growth rate and yield parameters of tree and crop component, as well as on soil properties. It examined the effect of tillage methods and residue retention on the growth and yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) as well as soil properties. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design (RBD), with three replications having eight treatments of comprising combinations, viz. Tillage methods (conventional and minimum); Cropping systems (sorghum-chickpea and maize-linseed); and Residue management practices (residue retention and no retention). Results indicated that residue retention under conventional tillage significantly enhanced plant height and dry matter accumulation in both linseed and chickpea. Crop yields were comparable under conventional and minimum tillage, although residue retention significantly boosted the yields of both crops. Conservation agricultural practices contributed to higher productivity in the teak + bael-based agroforestry system. Residue retention improved soil organic carbon content by 24–39% compared to no residue retention. Additionally, nutrient availability (N, P, K, S, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu) was enhanced through minimum tillage combined with residue retention.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), which is an excellent vegetable to provide important nutrients and antioxidants for human health benefits, is sensitive to boron (B). Influence of B application for improving physical attributes, proximate composition, antioxidants, and mineral composition of tomato, by synchronising B requirements of the crop is not reported yet. This study critically evaluated influence of five B application protocols with seven tomato genotypes on 28 fruit quality attributes and two important fruit quality indices. In-depth evaluation showed that B directly influenced fruit pericarp thickness, pH, phenol, Zn, Cu, and B content. Boron application (2.0 kg ha(-1)) to soil at planting plus foliar spray (0.125 kg ha(-1)) at pre-flowering stage of tomato was the best. It improved tomato fruit quality by improving physical attributes (6.1-33.1 %), proximate composition (7.8-49.0 %), antioxidants (16.7-207.5 %), and mineral nutrients (9.6-146.8 %) content of tomato fruit. This, in turn, led to an improvement in fruit quality indices for both fresh consumption and processing by about 31.0 %. Overall, the order of the genotypes in terms of their B responsiveness was Pusa Ruby > 2016/Res-3 > Pathar Kuchi > 2016/Res-6 > 2016/Res-5 > 2016/Res-1 > 2016/Res-4. Results of the study thus suggest that cultivation of the identified promising genotypes of tomato with optimised B application could produce superior fruit quality in intensively cultivated vegetable growing regions.

Abstract Trees’ canopy pruning is one of the most important management practices in agroforestry that allows understory crops to receive adequate sunlight. The effect of pruning on the productivity of intercrops is well known; however, information on its effect on soil properties is scanty. Hence, studies were conducted to determine 1) whether canopy pruning has any effect on soil properties and 2) what level of pruning should be adopted in selected agroforestry systems. Two separate agroforestry models, based on Albizia procera (10-year-old) and Hardwickia binata (20-year-old), were selected for the study, which included three factors: pruning level (0, 50 and 75%), sampling location (under and outside canopy) and soil depth (0–15 and 16–30 cm), each of which was replicated three times in a completely randomized block design. Canopy pruning yielded varying effects on the studied soil parameters without any definite relationship with pruning levels. Sampling location and soil depth had a significant effect on the studied parameters. Their values were found to be higher and favorable in the upper soil and under the tree canopy. The findings revealed that unpruned trees of A. procera caused the maximum improvement in soil, followed by trees subjected to 50 and 75% crown pruning, while in the case of H. binata, improvement in soil health in 50% pruning over no pruning was noticeable, but similar improvement in 75% pruning over 50% was not so prominent, implying that heavy pruning (75%) should be avoided to keep evapotranspiration under control. Thus, the study concludes that a moderate level of pruning (50%) is desirable in A. procera and H. binata based agroforestry under semi-arid conditions for efficient use of above- and below-ground resources and improved soil health.

Background: Chickpea is an important global legume crop, known for high protein content and ability to fix atmospheric N. Achieving optimal chickpea yields in Bundelkhand region is often limited by various biotic and abiotic factors, including nutrient deficiencies in the soil. Thus, proper nutrient management, through inorganics and organics, is a prerequisite for obtaining better yields and quality produce in chickpea. Methods: A field experiment was conducted at Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi during rabi season 2022-2023 on different nutrient managements in chickpea. The field experiment was done in a completely randomized block design with nine treatments replicated thrice viz, control (T1), 100% RDF (T2), 75% RDF (T3), 100% RDF + 5 t ha-1 FYM (T4), 75% RDF + 5 t ha-1 FYM (T5), 100% RDF + 5 t ha-1 vermicompost (T6), 75% RDF + 5 t ha-1 vermicompost (T7), 100% RDN through FYM (T8) and 100% RDN through vermicompost (T9). Result: Yield and total uptake of N, P and K were significantly (p less than 0.05) higher in T6 followed by T4, whereas total S uptake was highest in T4. Grain protein content and protein yield were significantly (p less than 0.05) higher in T4 followed by T6. It was concluded that combined application of inorganic and organic inputs can lead to dual benefits: increased crop yield and improved protein content in harvested chickpea grains.

Trace element malnutrition is a global malaise and remains a concern for humanity. Hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus L.), an underutilized legume vegetable, could be a suitable option to alleviate such malaise owing to its high content of trace elements. Our study aimed to evaluate phenotypic segregation of some pole-type hyacinth bean genotypes and their logical screening for specific biofortification programs (genetic or agronomic). We observed significantly (P <0.05) higher pod yields in 16/DOLP VAR 4 (344.19 q ha−1), 17/DOLP VAR 1 (283.47 q ha−1), 16/DOLP VAR 2 (280.19 q ha−1), and 16/DOLP VAR 1 (260.22 q ha−1) compared to others. Experimental results also revealed that yield was a function of pod weight and width. Although concentration of trace elements varied significantly (P <0.05) between the genotypes, 16/DOLP VAR 4 showed significantly (P <0.05) greater uptake of Zn (822.12 g ha−1), Fe (2240.28 g ha−1), and Cu (268.42 g ha−1). The relation between the trace elements was antagonistic in most genotypes for Mn and Cu (r = –0.34; P >0.05) followed by Zn and Fe (r = –0.25; P >0.05). Quadrant segregation, based on the relation between yield and uptake of trace elements, identified genotype BCDB 5 (low yield with less uptake potential) as suitable for agronomic biofortification (Zn and Fe) while 16/DOLP VAR 4 (high yield with greater uptake potential) for genetic biofortification (Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu) program. Since agronomic biofortification offers a scope for additional enrichment of trace elements concentration (particularly Zn and Fe), we conclude that it may be necessitated as an immediate effort to promote the underutilized hyacinth bean in populations with the potential for higher consumption.

With the rapid population explosion, the demand for food sources will continue to rise. The use of chemical fertilizers in disproportionate quantities to meet the food demand has caused nutrient imbalances and losses in the soil. Using chemical fertilizer excessively often finds its way to water resources and leads to water pollution. Hence, alternative measures must be adopted to achieve sustainable agricultural production systems rather than the conventional practice of chemical fertilization. In this context, applying nanoformulation and/or nanofertilizer draws attention to its ability to improve crop production and fertilizer use efficiency without causing damage to the environment. Nano-inorganic and nano-organic fertilizers help to transport nutrients gradually in a sustainable way at a specific dose to the crops, thereby enhancing the rate of nutrient absorption by the crop plants. Many reports indicate that using nanofertilizer has reduced nutrient (e.g., P, Zn) acquisition by crops in deficient soils. In this review, the recent advances in nanoformulations as fertilizers are highlighted. It focuses mainly on applying nano-macronutrients, nano-micronutrients, nano-biofertilizer, nano-vermicompost, and nanobiochar in different crops for yield and growth enhancement, better nutrient use efficiency, and sustainability of soil health. The potential additional benefits and precise concerns are also discussed for sustainable agricultural production.

The ‘Green Revolution (GR)’ has been successful in meeting food sufficiency in India, but compromising its nutritional security. In a first, we report altered grain nutrients profile of modern-bred rice and wheat cultivars diminishing their mineral dietary significance to the Indian population. To substantiate, we evaluated grain nutrients profile of historical landmark high-yielding cultivars of rice and wheat released in succeeding decades since the GR and its impacts on mineral diet quality and human health, with a prediction for decades ahead. Analysis of grain nutrients profile shows a downward trend in concentrations of essential and beneficial elements, but an upward in toxic elements in past 50 y in both rice and wheat. For example, zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) concentration in grains of rice decreased by ~ 33.0 (P < 0.001) and 27.0% (P < 0.0001); while for wheat it decreased by ~ 30.0 (P < 0.0001) and 19.0% (P < 0.0001) in past more than 50 y, respectively. A proposed mineral-diet quality index (M-DQI) significantly (P < 0.0001) decreased ~ 57.0 and 36.0% in the reported time span (1960–2010) in rice and wheat, respectively. The impoverished M-DQI could impose hostile effects on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like iron-deficiency anemia, respiratory, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal among the Indian population by 2040. Our research calls for an urgency of grain nutrients profiling before releasing a cultivar of staples like rice and wheat in the future.

To achieve higher crop production in a soybean-wheat cropping system, comprehensive knowledge of soil fertility status and its variability is crucial. However, a significant gap exists between the potential and actual productivity of this system in the Vertisols of Indian semi-arid tropics. Therefore, 2 years of field research were conducted to investigate how different crop management practices affect soil fertility in this cropping system. The trial was conducted using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with five crop management practices: CAO (conservation tillage + organic nutrient and weed management), CAC (conservation tillage + chemical nutrient and weed management), CTC (conventional tillage + chemical nutrient and weed management), OCT (conventional tillage + organic nutrient and weed management), and PoPs (package of practices). Results showed that CAO significantly ( p < 0.05) increased soil organic C (6.8 g kg −1 ), available N (129.5 mg kg −1 ), P (11.0 mg kg −1 ), K (232.6 mg kg −1 ), Fe (9.17 mg kg −1 ), and Mn (10.48 mg kg −1 ) at topsoil (0–15 cm) and deeper layers (15–60 cm). In contrast, CAC had significantly ( p < 0.05) higher soil availability of Ca (5,072 mg kg −1 ) and Mg (901 mg kg −1 ) and Cu (0.84 mg kg −1 ). On the other side, PoPs resulted in the highest S (10.05 mg kg −1 ) and Zn (0.85 mg kg −1 ) availability in the topsoil. Our results evidently suggested S and Zn availability as key indicators of soil health sustenance in the present agroecosystem. Notably, CAC had significantly ( p < 0.05) higher system productivity (4.62 t ha −1 ) than the other treatments, showing a 14.0, 6.3, and 18.2% increase over CAO, CTC, and OCT, respectively. Based on the results, it is recommended that CAC is a better option for achieving higher system productivity, while CAO is the best option for ensuring long-term sustainability of soil fertility. The findings of this study could be useful for farmers and agricultural researchers in designing efficient crop management practices to improve the productivity and sustainability of soybean-wheat cropping system in arid to semiarid ecology.

Rice is the mainstay of food-chain led arsenic (As) toxicity to humans. Mitigating As loading in rice and its risk to human health using soil amendments and prediction models for pre-emptive correction measures are paramount in As-contaminated areas. We, therefore, assessed the effectiveness of 14 amendment regimes involving CaSiO3 (CS), FeSO4 (FS), farmyard manure (FYM), and vermicompost (VC) in curbing As transfer from soil to mouth and its risk to human health by monitoring several factors influencing the processes involved. Tracing the translocation of As from soil to polished rice, FS and its combinations were found as most effective in curbing As loading, and their effect magnified as As moved from soils (27.0%) to polished rice (61.1%). Under FS regimes, average daily intake (ADI) was reduced by half compared with the others (0.71 to 0.81 μg kg−1 BW) and the estimated hazard quotient (HQ) and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) of cooked rice were 0.65 to 0.45 and 0.20 × 10–3 to 0.61 × 10–3 compared with an alarming level of 1.61 and 1.15 × 10–3 of no amendment regime. Cluster analysis with cost and As mitigating efficiency of the amendments reiterated FS along with organics (FYM/VC) as the best management options for mitigating As poisoning to human caused through paddy-rice system. The prediction model developed and validated for an early detection of As toxicity in human from mid-season shoot As would help producing As-benign rice with pre-emptive remediation measures.

Micronutrient malnutrition is a major global public health concern. To curtail this, dietary diversity characterized by the consumption of cereals, pulses, vegetables, and fruits is often advised. Herein lies the need for screening of different cultivars of commonly consumed food crops for their inheritability to accumulate Zn and Fe and to evaluate variability present among their gene pools. Edible part of a few food crops (e.g., wheat, lentil, tomato, and mango) representing a broad group of cereals, pulses, vegetables, and fruits along with their available gene pools were sampled for Zn and Fe concentration, given that these food crops are most widely cultivated and consumed on a global scale. The native Zn and Fe accumulation in the edible parts varied significantly (P < 0.05) among the tested food crops, which followed an order: lentil > mango > tomato > wheat, for both the nutrients. Nevertheless, there was limited inherent variation within their respective gene pools. K-means clustering analysis and a study on critical level Zn and Fe content in edible parts through quadrant segregation helped us to screen certain promising genotypes/cultivars for higher Zn and Fe concentration, above their notional baseline concentration, coupled with the high-yielding attribute in the tested food crops. The segregated genotypes/cultivars with low Zn and Fe sequestration potential can serve as important inclusion for agronomic biofortification program, while Zn or Fe efficient cultivars may offer scope for genetic study and development of new elites through breeding interventions to combat Zn and Fe malnutrition in human.

In recent years, soil fertility in the Northwestern Himalayan (NWH) region has deteriorated partly due to accelerated soil erosion but mainly due to ineffective nutrient management for field crops. However, it is largely unknown whether long-term temperate fruit farming has adverse effects on the soil fertility in NWH or not. Therefore, we conducted a study with the purpose of evaluating the impact of different land uses in the NWH ecosystem, namely: peach orchard (PO), apple orchard (AO), fertile-fallow land (FL), and barren land (BL) on soil physico-chemical characters, nutrient storage capacity, and soil quality index (SQI), along a soil-depth gradient. A total of 116 composite soil samples [four treatments (i.e., land uses), 4- soil depths (0-0.2, 0.2-0.4, 0.4-0.6, and 0.6-0.8 m) and 5, 9, 9, and 6 replications for PO, AO, FL, and BL systems, respectively] were collected for laboratory analyses. Across depths, the soils under temperate fruit plantations had better soil physical conditions (i.e., lower bulk density and higher porosity) over FL and BL lands. The soils in this study can be categorized as slightly acidic to near neutral in soil reaction. Soils under temperate fruit plantations (PO and AO), averaged over depths, had significantly (p < 0.05) less quantity of soil organic C, available nutrients (i.e., primary-, secondary-, and micro-nutrients), nutrient storage capacity, and indices of soil quality, as compared to FL lands. These unfavourable effects were augmented in subsoils (0.2-0.8 m) than topsoils (0.0-0.2 m) affecting secondary- and micro-nutrients more than primary-nutrients. Results further revealed that these lands display a less favourable (i.e., very high) C:N ratio that could easily be degraded if brought under intensive farming. Restoration of depleted soil fertility in temperate fruit-tree-based ecosystems of NWH could be achieved through incentive-based building-up of soil organic matter and adoption of a soil-test-based nutrient management regime.

Zinc and iron deficiency is a serious global health problem in humans depending on cereal-diet and is largely prevalent in low-income countries like Sub-Saharan Africa, and South and South-east Asia. We report inefficiency of modern-bred cultivars of rice and wheat to sequester those essential nutrients in grains as the reason for such deficiency and prevalence. To substantiate, experiments were conducted with elite, high-yielding cultivars of rice (n = 16) and wheat (n = 18) released in succeeding decades since the beginning of green revolution in India. The inherent Zn and Fe sequestering capacity in grains of the cultivars, and their responses to external application of Zn and Fe fertilizers were evaluated following standard protocols. We found a downward trend in grain density of Zn and Fe in those cereals in past more than 50 years. However, we failed to notice yield-dilution as a causative effect for such unwitting downward trend. With time, the cultivars again became stubborn to Zn and Fe fertilization for enhancing their grain density. Further, we noticed that external supply of one element, to improve its density in grains, had inhibitory effect on accumulation of the other, and the effect was magnified along the succeeding decades. Our innovative research warrants an improvement in ionomes of the cereals to alleviate the said incapacitating effect and ultimately the deficiency of those elements in humans, particularly living in low-income countries.

The labile organic carbon (C) and C-related enzymes are sensitive indicators capturing alterations of soil organic matter (SOM), even in a short-time scale. Although the effects of crop husbandry and land use change on these attributes have been well studied, there is no consensus about how plant phenology may impact them. This study aimed to determine the short-term effect of six distinct phenological stages (PS-1: full bloom; PS-2: fruit set; PS-3: pit hardening; PS-4: physiological maturity; PS-5: 60 d after physiological maturity; and PS-6: fall) of peach on the changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions of different oxidizability, labile C pools, and C-cycle enzyme activities in soils, for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016) in the North-Western Himalayas (NWH). Peach rhizosphere soils were sampled at the topsoil (0–15 cm) and subsoil (16–30 cm) layers, along with rhizosphere soils from adjacent perennial grasses, which served as a control. Values for most of the assessed parameters, including very labile C, labile C, microbial biomass C, permanganate oxidizable C, dissolved organic C, mineralizable C, amylase activity, and carboxymethyl-cellulase activity, were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher at PS-3 than at other phenological stages of peach. Conversely, a sudden decline in these soil variables was recorded at PS-5, followed by a slight buildup at PS-6, particularly in the topsoil of the peach orchard. Short-term changes in organic C fractions of different oxidizability, influenced by peach phenological stage, significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected C management index, C pool index, and lability index. Both the C management index and lability index showed their highest values at PS-3 and their lowest values at PS-5, clearly indicating short-term accretion and depletion of SOC, in tandem with the peach phenological events. Principal component analysis suggested that a composite of soil indicators, including microbial biomass C, dissolved organic C, amylase, and invertase, could help detect short-term changes in SOC content. It is concluded that peach phenological events had a major impact on the short-term variations of the studied soil variables, which could be attributed to changes in the above- and belowground plant residues, as well as the extent of nutrients and water acquisition.

At present time, chemical fertilizers are more in practice for crop production, which failed to upkeep soil and environment quality and affected the sustainability of the agricultural production system. Conversely, biofertilizers are ecosystem friendly, one of the best modern tools for agriculture, and are used to improve soil fertility and quality. Biofertilizers have now emerged as a highly potent alternative to inorganic fertilizers and offer an ecologically sound and economically attractive route for augmenting nutrient supply and increasing crop production. These include live cells of diverse genera of microorganisms and have the potential to fix atmospheric nitrogen and solubilize and mobilize plant nutrients from insoluble form through microbiological process. It has also the potential to diminish the gap between nutrient supply through fertilizers and nutrient removal by crops. Hence, biofertilizers can be a feasible option to the farmers to increase crop productivity and should find greater acceptance from the extension workers and commercial biofertilizer manufacturers.

ABSTRACT Soil fertility in many parts of the north‒western Himalayan region (NWHR) has declined owing to accelerated nutrient mining under existing crop regime. Therefore, this study aimed to assess effect of the predominant horticulture‒based land uses on soil fertility and health in mid and high hills of NWHR. Soil samples (0‒20 cm) were collected, analyzed for different soil chemical attributes (pH, electrical conductivity, organic C, available primary-, secondary-, and micro-nutrients), and compared across five key land uses: perennial grass (PG), peach orchard (PO), apple orchard (AO), field vegetable farming (VF), and protected vegetable farming (PV). Soils of the investigated land uses were neutral to near neutral in soil reaction (6.3‒6.8) except field vegetable and protected vegetable farming. Amount of soil organic C and labile organic C was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) in soils of apple orchards (18.6 g kg‒1 and 687.3 mg kg‒1, respectively) and peach orchards (20.4 g kg‒1 and 731.3 mg kg‒1, respectively) over others. An abrupt and significant increase in Olsen-P was recorded in soils of field vegetable farming (17.1 mg kg‒1) and protected vegetable farming (13.0 mg kg‒1), which shifted their nutrient index (NI) of P in to high category (≥ 2.33). The concentration of mineralizable-N in soil was statistically at par in soils under perennial grass and fruit orchards, while protected vegetable farming showed maximum soil mineralizable-N content (115.5 mg kg‒1) and NI of nitrogen (1.83). The NI was in high category (≥ 2.33) for copper, iron, and manganese in majority of the land uses. In view of the results, temperate fruit‒tree based land uses are benign in up‒keeping soil fertility and soil health, and needs promotion on large scale. Additionally, policies to create incentives for the build-up of soil organic matter and replenishment of the depleted soil macro and micro nutrients in vegetable-farmed lands are warranted.

An experiment was conducted under polyhouse and field conditions during 2013, 2014 and 2015 to evaluate the level of resistance of less known apple rootstock, i.e. Paron (Malus baccata var. himalaica) and some popular rootstocks of the region (MM 106, MM 111, M 9 and Srinagar crab) against white root rot disease. All the test rootstocks were grafted with CITH Lodh Apple-1 before their use in field conditions. Paron showed high resistance against D. necatrix by exhibiting least mortality (15.33%) at highest test dose (10 g/kg soil) of inoculum in pot culture under polyhouse, whereas other test rootstocks showed 100 percent mortality at this dose of inoculum. In the field, Paron showed no wilting symptoms on scion cultivar even after 60 days of inoculation, it showed least bronzing and inward cupping of leaves (3.25%), defoliation (3.50%), necrosis on bark (21 mm), wood (17 mm) and vascular tissues (23 mm). It was rated as resistant against D. necatrix as compared to other test rootstocks on the basis of significantly lowest disease severity (4.35%) and least effect of test pathogen inoculation on its above and below ground parts. Srinagar crab was rated as highly susceptible in comparison as, it exhibited significantly highest disease severity (69.80%). From this study, it can be inferred that the rootstock of Paron should be used for shaping production of apple in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.