Rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) is the backbone of food security in Southeast Asia, particularly in India. However, continuous intensive cultivation has led to sustainability concerns including yield stagnation, poor resource use efficiency, soil organic carbon (SOC) depletion, multi-nutrient deficiencies, pest resurgence, and declining profit margins. Intensification of leguminous crop in the existing RWCS could be a possible solution. Thus a research trial with fifteen different rice-wheat cropping sequences was carried out at Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bihar, India to investigate the impact of crop intensification on rice performances. The effect of green gram inclusion in the RWCS was more pronounced during the second year of experimentation. In this study, there was two conservation agriculture systems i.e. partial and full based on tillage intensity and crop establishment methods. The partial conservation agriculture system i.e. Vattar direct seeded rice (DSR) in which seeds are directly sown in a moist (vattar) soil condition after pre-sowing irrigation and light tillage, followed by zero tillage (ZT) wheat and ZT green gram recorded significantly higher yield attributes which led to enhancement in rice grain and straw yield by 36.8 % and 31.3 % respectively over the existing conventional RWCS in the year 2022. In addition to above, full conservation system of agriculture i.e. ZT DSR where dry seeds are directly drilled into unpuddled soil without any tillage followed by ZT wheat and ZT green gram, representing complete elimination of tillage operations throughout the cropping sequence also showed significantly superior to existing RWCS and observed highest net return (INR 82863 ha- 1), B:C ratio (2.46), net energy (145351 MJ ha- 1), energy use efficiency (14.5 %) and energy productivity (0.45 kg MJ-1) but statistically parallel result with partial conservation system after first year of experimentation. This study demonstrates that the full conservation agriculture-based system (ZT DSR-ZT wheat-ZT green gram) were found the most suitable climate resilient cropping system to intensify RWCS in the middle Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) for overall better performance of rice.

A field experiment was carried out in the Rabi seasons 2017-18 and 2018-19 at Agronomy Research Farm, CSA University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur, to investigate the influence of integrated nutrient management (INM) on the growth of chickpea. The treatments consisted of three fertility levels: 100 % RDF (20:60:20 NPK kg/ha), 50 % RDF + vermicompost (2.5 t/ha) and 50 % RDF + FYM (5 t/ha), along with seven micronutrient and biofertilizer treatments, i.e., control, PSB, Zn, B, PSB+Zn, PSB+B and PSB+Zn+B. Growth characteristics like plant population, root length, number of primary, secondary and tertiary branches and fresh and dry biomass were noted at 60 DAS and harvest. Treatment with 100 % RDF yielded very high values of plant population, root development, branch development and biomass than integrated organic treatment. Among organic amendments, 50 % RDF + vermicompost gave higher growth than 50 % RDF + FYM, which confirms the efficacy of vermicompost in promoting growth when supplemented with inorganic fertilizers. Micronutrient management greatly contributed and PSB + Zn + B (M7) was the most optimal treatment, followed by PSB + B (M6). The control registered the lowest growth values. In general, balanced fertilization by 100 % RDF (together with appropriate micronutrient management, especially M7) was most effective in enhancing chickpea growth, resource-use efficiency and sustainability under the Indo-Gangetic plains.

Potato is an important vegetable crop as well as the most important staple food crop in India after rice and wheat. Being one of the cheapest sources of energy rich natural nutritive foods, potato contains several antioxidant in minute quantities. Potato is highly sensitive to Zn deficiency and the yield and quality of tuber is affected in Zn deficient soils. Establishing the critical limit of Zn in soil and plant is highly essential for optimizing the Zn fertilization dose. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the critical limit of Zn in soil and plant. To assess the critical limit of Zn, four graded doses of Zn was administered in the form of ZnSO4.7H2O like Zn0: 0 kg Zn ha-1, Zn5.0: 5 kg Zn ha-1, Zn10.0: 10 kg Zn ha-1 and Zn20.0: 20 kg Zn ha-1. The result indicated Zn concentration below 0.49 mg kg-1 in soil showed Zn deficiency while the Zn concentration below 7.0 mg kg-1 would indicate deficiency of Zn in potato tuber in respect of yield and quality of potato. Similarly, the critical concentration of Zn in potato shoot was found to be 32.7 mg kg-1 (average of values determined by both graphical and statistical method). Below this concentration, it was considered to be deficiency of Zn in potato shoot which can influence yield and quality of potato. Moreover, the application of Zn @ 20.0 kg ha-1 showed higher response to biomass yield of potato and may be recommended for quality tuber production.

Screening a suitable genotype is important for nutrient recovery and its acquisition potential. Twenty genotypes of tomato were studied under different doses of B-application. The indices of B use efficiencies, viz. apparent B recovery (ABR), fruit production efficiency (FPE), physiological efficiency (PE), agro-physiological efficiency (APE) and utilization efficiency ratio (UER) were worked out for tomato genotypes. The field experiment was laid out in a split-plot design for the two consecutive years, assigning three B levels (control i.e. without B application, @ 2.0 kg B ha-1 through borax and 0.25% boric acid foliar spray twice) in main plot and location-specific twenty tomato genotypes in subplots, replicated thrice. Soil applied B produced greater fruit yield than the twice foliar spray of 0.25% boric acid B. However, the tomato fruit yield was improved by 2-12% over control by soil applied B @ 2.0 kg B ha-1 through borax and twice foliar spray of B. Irrespective of genotypes, B content in fruit and shoot of tomato plant improved upon application of B. The apparent B recovery (ABR) and agronomic efficiency (AE) of B suggested that foliar application was more effective in comparison to soil application. The use efficiencies were highest in the cultivars NS-812 followed by NS-512 and B-9-2 in B-deficient calcareous soils with the application of 0.25% boric acid foliar spray twice. These genotypes could be a promising lines for breeding program for B enrichment in tomato for cultivation in B-deficient soils.

Purpose: The study was aimed at measuring farmers' helpline services quality in India using a standardized multi-factor scale (HELPQUAL) developed as part of this study. Design/methodology/approach: The present study is based on 360 farmers' and 45 experts' responses gathered using telephonic interviews and mailed questionnaires during the year 2021-22. The principal axis exploratory factor analysis, parallel analysis and Likert scaling were utilized to assess the scalability of items and identify underlying factors. Findings: The 19 item HELPQUAL consisting of four factors, namely dependability, accessibility, understandability and communication effectiveness, was developed. The reliability of the overall scale was excellent (alpha= 0.908), whereas the factor-wise reliability was excellent to acceptable (i.e. alpha = 0.918 to 0.72). The convergent validity of the scale was also excellent (0.819). Practical implications: The HELPQUAL scale developed is the first to measure the quality of agricultural helpline services. There are several farmers' helpline services across the globe, however, no standardized scale has been developed to date for measuring their quality. Moreover, HELPQUAL is highly sector-specific, and factors like accessibility and understandability are different from the dimensions of generic SERVQUAL and SERVPERF scales. Therefore, it is advantageous and appropriate in the quality evaluation of agricultural extension services. Originality/value: This study provides the first standardized scale for measuring the quality of farmers' helpline services. Theoretical implications: This study supports the argument that widely used SERVEQUAL and SERVPERF scales and their dimensions lack universal applicability in service quality measurement.

A field experiment was conducted during the winter (rabi) season of 2020–21 at Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur, to study the effect leaf-colour chart (LCC) and SPAD meter on productivity of irrigated wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The experiment, having 8 treatments, was laid out in a randomized block design. The first 4 treatments (T1 to T4 ) were LCC-based, T5 and T6 were the SPAD meter-based management practices and T7 was considered as fixed-time N management (FTNM) and T8 was kept as control where no N was applied. The SPADbased treatments T5 and T6 received 140 kg N/ha which was higher than all the other N management treatments resulted 13% higher ears/m2 and 18% higher grains/ear over the LCC-based N-management treatments. Among the LCC-based practice, treatment T4 recorded significantly highest grain yield (4.01 t/ha) but was lower (10.4%) than that of grain yield achieved in T5 treatment. The LCC-based treatments T1 to T3 though received a lower dose of N fertilizer (19%; average of T1 to T3 ) compared to the FTNM (T7 ), returns maintained the similar yield components with the FTNM. Therefore, use of farmers’ friendly and cost-effective tool LCC is very useful which saved the N fertilizer (19%) without hampering the yield components. Thus, LCC and SPAD may be effective tool for efficient need-based fertilizer N management using LCC and SPAD meter in improving crop growth for higher productivity in rational manner.

Information on upcoming weather events can be used by farmers to inform their decision making and to reduce deleterious effects of climate on farm productivity while maximizing profitability. With increasing climate variability and change the importance of climate forecasting services to agricultural production is increasing, although these services are largely new in low- and middle-income countries. The present study was conducted to investigate farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for agromet advisories (a type of climate service) in the Indian state of Bihar. We used innovative statistical analyses to identify both the factors influencing WTP and the pay bands considered reasonable by farmers for climate services currently provided under the Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa initiative of the Government of India. Of the 48 % of interviewed farmers who were willing to pay for climate services, 15.2 % were willing to pay up to INR 50 per month (approximately USD $0.6), while 23.5 % and 9.2 % of farmers were willing to pay monthly fees of up to INR 100 (USD $1.2) and 150 (USD $1.8), respectively. Farm (landholding) size, annual income and the extent to which a farmer utilized the agromet advisory all had a positive influence on both farmers’ WTP and the pay band offered. However, the perceived quality of the climate service had a positive influence only on farmers’ WTP, with no significant influence on the acceptable level of pay. Improvements in the quality of climate services may not alone be sufficient for farmers to pay for these services: effort and investment are needed to demonstrate their value and usefulness and to increase uptake. These results have learnings applicable across South Asia and in other agroecologies where smallholder farmers do not generally use climate services.

A long-term field experiment was conducted to study the effects of different combinations of integrated nutrient management (INM) on carbon sequestration and wheat yield in a rice-wheat cropping system. The experiment consisted of 11 treatments that were replicated three times. The organic manures used in the study included farmyard manure (FYM), wheat straw (WS), and green manure (GM) with Sesbania aculeata . The results of the experiment revealed that the application of 50% of the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) along with 50% nitrogen (N) through FYM during rice cultivation, and RDF during wheat cultivation, led to a significant increase in soil organic carbon (SOC). Specifically, the SOC content was enhanced by 46.4% (18.29 Mg ha -1 ) compared to RDF in rice and wheat, resulting in a C sequestration rate of 0.22 Mg ha -1 year -1 . These increases were higher in treatments that combined organic and inorganic inputs. Additionally, the application of 50% RDF and substituting 50% of the nitrogen with FYM during wheat cultivation resulted in a 24.7% increase in grain yield compared to RDF in rice and wheat. The INM treatments, showed significantly ( p ≤ 0.05) higher agronomic efficiency (AE) of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), partial factor productivity (PFP) of N, P and K, and carbon pool index (CPI) compared to the application of inorganic fertilizers at the recommended dose. Moreover, the INM treatments also exhibited lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity. Application of neither chemical fertilizers nor organic manure (T 1 ) resulted in maximum GHG emission intensity (328.1 kg CO 2 eq Mg −1 yield). Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the combined use of inorganic fertilizers and organic manures significantly increased crop yield and soil organic carbon sequestration while reducing GHG emissions in a rice-wheat cropping system in the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (EIGP) of India.

Global awareness of climate change issues, particularly changes in air temperature, has increased dramatically over the last half a century. Concerns regarding ecosystem sustainability and human existence on Earth arise due to population expansion, rising surface temperatures and increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Agriculture accounts for approximately 18% of the total GHG emissions, largely in the form of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. As a result, limiting GHG emissions is critical to alleviating the consequences of climate change, which is attainable if the concept of carbon footprint is understood. Cereal production produces more GHG emissions than other farming methods, including vegetables and fruits. 'Carbon footprint' is a popular term in agriculture and environmental research due to its involvement in environmental impact assessments and global climate change. GHG emissions are influenced by changes in land use, soil type and agricultural management approaches. Therefore, it is important to consider how agricultural management practices, particularly those involving the soil and related systems, affect the relationships between photosynthesis and GHG emissions. This study deals with the concept of carbon footprint in agriculture and various mitigation measures for its management.

Precise adjustment of timing and dosage of fertilizer nitrogen (N) under real-time nitrogen management (RTNM) is crucial to maximize benefits. The study aimed to assess and recommend the best combination of threshold SPAD-502 chlorophyll meter reading (SCMR) and top dressing N rate for lowland flooded rice, amended with farmyard manure 5 t ha−1, to maximize yield, N use efficiency, and economic gains. In optimization trial, four SCMR-based N scheduling (SCMR34, SCMR36, SCMR38, SCMR40), each with three top dressing N rates (15, 20, 25 kg N ha−1) as RTNM treatments, were evaluated for crop growth and yield, nutrient use efficiency, simulated N2O emission, and economics, comparing with fixed-time N management (FTNM) (100 kg N ha−1, 4 splits). Subsequently, the best-fit SCMR treatment was validated across seven rice cultivars. Top dressing of 20 kg N ha−1 at ≤ SCMR 38 (SCMR38N20) led to a higher yield (+ 8

Nutrient management and chemical weed control are the two important aspects in crop production. The interaction between nitrogen (N) fertilizer application and penoxsulam on the biochemical properties of rice plants and soil properties is still to be explored under sub-tropical conditions. Rice was grown for two seasons (2020 and 2021) with three levels of N (100, 125, and 150

The major issue in modern agriculture is long-term sustainability. Nutrient management by integrating organic manures and inorganic fertilizers may play a vital role in improving and sustaining crop productivity. A long-term field experiment (since 1984) comprising 11 treatments with different combinations of inorganic and organic fertilizers such as farm yard manure (FYM), wheat cut straw (WCS) and Dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata L.) as green manure (GM) was conducted to evaluate their effects on crop yield, nutrient accumulation and soil fertility status under a rice - wheat cropping system. The maximum grain yield of wheat was recorded in T-6, i.e. 50% recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) + 50% nitrogen through FYM in rice and 100% RDF in wheat (4291 kg ha(-1)) as compared to chemically fertilized plots T-5, i.e. 100% RDF in both rice and wheat (3441 kg ha(-1)). The application of organic manures in combination with chemical fertilizers reduced soil pH and bulk density from 7.40 to 7.23 and 1.49 to 1.37 g cm(-3), respectively. Soil organic carbon (SOC), available soil nutrients and nutrient accumulation by crop were higher in integrated nutrient management-treated plots as compared to control. A positive and significant correlation was observed between SOC and available soil nitrogen (r = 0.987), phosphorus (r = 0.913) and potassium (r = 0.921). The results clearly suggest that integrated use of chemical fertilizers and organic manures on a long-term basis improves soil fertility and crop productivity with the potential to enhance soil sustainability

The Indo Gangetic Plain (IGP) is a food basket of South Asia and is considered a hotspot for air pollution due to persistently high emissions of anthropogenic aerosols. High levels of aerosols in the IGP not only affect the health of people but also the health of the natural system and the climate of the region. Aerosol effects on crop production in the IGP is an emerging area of interest for policymakers and the scientific community due to their possible effect on the food security and livelihood of millions of people in the region. To investigate the effect of anthropogenic aerosols on wheat production in the eastern IGP, we used a calibrated and validated Agricultural Production System Simulator (APSIM) model at nodes in Bangladesh, India and Nepal, 2015–2017. The effects of anthropogenic aerosols on wheat production were examined by running the APSIM model under three conditions: firstly, the condition with anthropogenic aerosols, using the observed meteorological data; secondly, the condition without anthropogenic aerosols, considering only the radiative effect of anthropogenic aerosols (adding the reduced radiation due to anthropogenic aerosols on the observed data); thirdly, the condition without anthropogenic aerosols, considering the radiation as well as temperature effects (by adding the reduced solar radiation and temperature due to anthropogenic aerosols on the observed data). The study revealed that, on average, anthropogenic aerosols reduced the wheat grain yield, biomass yield, and crop evapotranspiration by 11.2–13.5%, 21.2–22%, and 13.5–15%, respectively, when considering the 2015–2017 seasons at the target sites of eastern IGP. The study also showed an average reduction of more than 3.2 kg per capita per annum of wheat production in the eastern IGP due to anthropogenic aerosols, which has a substantial effect on food security in the region. Moreover, the loss of wheat grain yield due to anthropogenic aerosols in the eastern IGP is estimated to be more than 300 million USD per annum during the study period, which indicates a significant effect of anthropogenic aerosols on wheat production in the eastern IGP.

The concern to increase the production along with maintenance of environmental sustainability is increasing day by day. A long-term field experiment (since 1984) comprising of eleven treatments with different combinations of inorganic and organic fertilizers such as farm yard manure (FYM), wheat straw and Sesbania aculeata as green manure (GM) was conducted during the rabi season of 2020-21 at research farm of Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur to assess the impact of variable integrated nutrient management (INM) in rice (Oryza sativa) and inorganic nutrient management in wheat on leaf area index (LAI), crop growth rate (CGR), net assimilation rate (NAR) and dry biomass of wheat (Triticum aestivum). The results revealed that maximum LAI (0.54, 2.34, 3.05 and 2.43), dry biomass (104.4, 312.5, 663.1, 858.5 and 967.2 g m-2) and CGR (6.94, 11.68 and 6.51 g m-2 day-1)at different intervals were found with application of 50% recommended dose through fertilizers (RDF) in rice and 50% inorganic N (nitrogen) by FYM followed by 100% RDF in wheat. In case of NAR, during 30-60 DAS it was found highest (6.80 g m-2 day-1) with 50% RDF in rice and 100% RDF in wheat but at 60-90 DAS (4.36 g m-2 day-1) and 90-120 DAS (3.06 g m-2 day-1) it was maximum with application of 50% RDF and 50% N through FYM in rice and 100% RDF in wheat. Therefore, application of 50% RDF in rice and substitution of 50% inorganic N by FYM followed by 100% RDF in wheat can improve growth of wheat in long term rice-wheat cropping system with reduced environmental hazard.

The Green revolution era has been the golden period for boosting food production specifically in South-Asia, but the signs of fatigue in the late 1980s with a sharp decline in factor productivity, stagnation in crop yields with dwindling and marginal farm incomes pose a serious threat to food security, agricultural sustainability, soil and environmental health. In a nutshell, growing concerns related to the decline in soil health, productivity and nutrient-use efficiency (NUE) are compelling farmers to use higher amounts of chemical fertilizers during the last two decades. The low NUE and associated environmental pollution as well as global warming problems have increased serious apprehension about the existing nutrient management practices. As such, it is high time to develop site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) technologies that are able to balance crop and soil nutrient dynamics. The SSNM is need-based feeding of crops with nutrients while acknowledging the inherent spatial variability, which enhances crop productivity, profitability, NUE and avoids nutrient loss. For efficient and effective SSNM, the use of soil and plant nutrient status sensing devices, decision support systems, simulation models, and machines for varying applications of nutrients plays a major role. This paper deals with the SSNM technologies and tools that have the potential to enhance NUE, crop productivity, profitability as well as sustainability.

The study investigated the effect of variable integrated nutrient management (INM) in rice and inorganic nutrient management in wheat on vegetative growth and economic profitability of wheat. The results revealed that growth parameters such as plant height (100.4 cm), LAI (2.43) at maturity and number of tillers/m 2 (377) were observed highest with 50% recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) and 50% N (nitrogen) through farm yard manure (FYM) in rice and 100% RDF in wheat. Similarly, highest biomass yield of 10.37 t ha -1 was recorded with application of 50% RDF and 50% N through FYM in rice and 100% RDF in wheat. A highly positive and significant correlation was observed between plant height and number of tillers/m 2 with biomass yield. Net return (69795 ₹ ha -1 ) and B:C ratio of 1.88 were also recorded highest with application of 50% RDF and 50% N through FYM in rice followed by 100% RDF in wheat. Thus, substitution of 50% inorganic N by FYM and application of 50% RDF in rice followed by 100% RDF in wheat was found useful to obtain the better growth and net return of wheat.