The current investigation is based on the Zn management impact through Zn fertilizer application to deficient soils of lowland rice ecosystem of Odisha. On-farm testingswere carried out at threeKrushi Vigyan Kendras (Sonepur, Balangir and Jagatsinghpur) to determine the optimal dose and frequency of Zn application along with soil test-based fertilizer application in rice-rice cropping system of Odisha for enhancing productivity and profitability. Astudy wasconducted for zinc and organic carbon content in initial and post-harvest soil to investigate the potential fate of Zn application on distinct Zn pools as well as organic carbon’s fate in soil and its impact on rice yield and economics in a rice based cropping system. After two cropping cycles, the rice crop responded to Zn application with or without FYM by providing the highest mean grain yield of4.4 t/ha and 3.8 t/ha , as well as mean straw yield of 5.1 t/ha and 4.7 t/ha respectively over all the said locations.The treatment combination of Soil test based recommendation (STBR) (NPK) + Farm yard Manure (FYM) +Zn @ 2.5 kg/ha has resulted highest average net return of INR 41750/ha and B:C of 1.86 along with provided more organic carbon rich soil (0.67%) and Zn sufficient soil range of 0.77-0.93 DTPA-Zn ( mg kg-1 ).

In agriculture, nanotechnology has seen remarkable advancements, particularly with the development of nanotechnology-enabled materials for weed management. Nano-herbicides, which are herbicides formulated through nanotechnology, are created using inorganic, organic, or hybrid (organic-inorganic) components. Nano-herbicides can control metal ions and organic chemicals in agricultural settings, thanks to their compact size and high specific surface area. Studies have shown that nano-herbicides may offer improved weed control compared to non-nano formulations. However, research on their mode of action on plants and their potential environmental risks is still in its early stages. Therefore, further studies are essential to ensure the safe use of nano-herbicides for environmental preservation and human health. This paper provides an overview of the current state of nano-enabled herbicides, highlighting design strategies for creating nanostructures specifically engineered for weed control. It also critically examines the behavior and impact of nano-herbicides on plants, aiming to develop products that promote sustainable, environmentally-friendly agricultural practices.

Nowadays, organic waste management is a major problem. Vermicomposting is an eco-friendly approach in which earthworms play a major role of organic wastes breakdown into nutrient-rich manure, having stabilised organic carbon content resulting from enhanced decomposition with the help of earthworms by a non-thermophilic process. The major advantage of earthworm composting is that it can be practised both indoors and outdoors all a round the year. Composting with earthworms provides nutrients to the crops in relatively less time compared to normal compost. Vermicomposting is an inexpensive technology for converting organic wastes to plant nutrient-rich products (wealth). The vermicomposting process uses certain species of earthworms to elevate the waste conversion process to a nutrient-rich product. The vermicompost is characterised as peat-like material having high cation exchange capacity, water holding capacity and porosity. Vermicompost contains readily become available nutrients to plants in nitrate, phosphate, potassium, calcium and magnesium, etc. forms. An attempt has been made to review the past work done on different aspects of culturing of earthworms and composting for agronomic values of vermicompost in relation to sustainable crop production and safe environment.

Context: Sunflower is a potential summer crop for diversifying the rice-fallow system in eastern India. However, the phenolics present in the plant extract can inhibit the growth of subsequent crops. This allelopathic effect could be affected by rice establishment methods having various degrees of soil disturbance and different planting materials. In the present era of climate-conscious agriculture, technologies like residue retention/incorporation and conservation tillage are being popularized. Therefore, it is essential to assess the effects of sunflower residue incorporation on succeeding rice crop under different crop establishment methods.Objective: The present study was conducted to assess the effect of sunflower residue management options on succeeding rice crop productivity and profitability under different crop establishment methods.Methods: The experiment was laid out in split-plot design with three sunflower residue management options in the main plots, viz., no sunflower crop, removal, and incorporation of sunflower residue in main plots and three rice establishment methods in sub-plots, viz., transplanting, dry-direct and wet-direct seeding of rice. Results: The incorporation of sunflower residues reduced the germination of rice seeds by 21.5% in dry-direct seeded rice, which was avoided in wet-direct seeded and transplanted rice having pre-germinated seeds and seedlings, respectively. The weed dry weight in sunflower residue incorporated plot was 28.3% lower as compared to the plot with no preceding sunflower crop. The positive interactive effects of sunflower residue incorporation and transplanting of rice led to better weed suppression, higher crop growth and improved soil nutrient availability, resulting in the highest rice productivity and profitability. In contrast, sunflower residue incorporation and dry-direct seeding interacted negatively, resulting in the lowest rice productivity and profitability. Conclusions: Transplanting could be the best establishment for the rice crop to harness the benefits of incorporating preceding sunflower crop residue. Including sunflower as a summer crop in the rice-based cropping system and incorporating the generated residues in soil could potentially enhance the productivity and profitability of transplanted rice and, therefore, become a viable option for crop intensification in eastern India. Significance: The study identified the suitable establishment method for the succeeding rice crop in sunflower residue removed/incorporated soil. The results could be used to intensify the rice-based cropping system and develop climate-smart agriculture practices in eastern India and similar agroecological regions around the globe.

Biological nitrogen fixation is the most important eco-friendly approach to nitrogenous fertilizer management in the rhizosphere. Rhizobium is considered the most important symbiotic N-fixing microorganism. Native strains of Rhizobium perform better than the non-native strains by getting ambient conditions for growth and proliferation. Native strains enhance the soil fertility and productivity of pulses. The study was carried out in three phases, i.e., pot experiment, field experiment, and farmers' field demonstrations. In a pot experiment, two isolated rhizobia were inoculated to seeds of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and applied with and without lime to evaluate crop growth, photosynthetic activity, and nodule characteristics of the target crop. In the field, strains were inoculated to seeds of French bean, which received different combinations of inputs- inorganic fertilizers, lime, and boron- to study the influence of native stains on crop productivity and agronomic efficiency. In comparison to non-limed packaging, the amounts of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and chlorophyll a:b were, respectively, 13% to 30%, 1% to 15%, 10% to 27%, and 1% to 20% greater in limed packages. In limed packages compared to non-limed packages, the root length, biomass, density, and growth rate were increased by 16% to 17%, 36% to 52%, 38% to 49%, and 36% to 52%, respectively. In contrast to non-limed packages, limed packages had nodule attributes like the number of nodules per plant and nodular weight, which were 28% to 41% and 33% to 37% greater, respectively. Inoculation of native rhizobia strains with liming to acid soil increased 46% to 72% of leaf nitrogen content over non-limed rhizobia inoculated packages. In a field experiment, the adoption of soil test-based fertilizer application had an advantage of 25% in pod yield over farmers' practice. Acid soil amelioration with lime improved pod yield from 14% to 39% over non-limed packages. Farmers' field demonstration recorded the highest pod yield in the package where seeds were inoculated with S2 (RBHR-21) strain added with soil test-based fertilizers (STD) followed by STD + S1 (RBHR-15) with 98% and 84% increase over farmers' practice. However, experimental evidence favored using both strains for bio-inoculation of the French bean crop.

Strong and healthy saplings are a prerequisite to establish a successful forest. Therefore, an attempt has been made to develop the best package for nutrient supplementation to raise healthy Acacia mangium saplings, especially in acidic soil. The seeds were sown in pots, receiving different combinations of Arbuscularmycorrhizal (AM), Rhizobium inoculation with application of lime, and mustard oil cake (MOC). The highest spore count and infection percentage (3220 kg−1 soil and 69) were recorded in the AM + MOC + R treated pot, whereas the lowest (2553 kg−1 soil and 37) were recorded in the AM + L treated pot. Nitrogen concentration and uptake in the sapling were higher in the Rhizobium-inoculated treatments than the uninoculated ones. The sulfur concentration and uptake were higher in the MOC-supplemented treatment. Similarly, the P, K, Ca, and Mg concentrations and uptakes were higher in the limed treatments than the unlimed ones. The micronutrient concentration and uptake were higher in the unlimed treatments compared to the lime practice. The concentration of N in Rhizobium-treated pots, P and K in lime-treated pots, and S in MOC-treated pots were increased, whereas the soil pH decreased in all treatments except in the integrated package (AM + MOC + R + L) after 120 days. The Ca and Mg were reduced in all treatments, whereas micronutrients were reduced in all packages except the control. Under different nutrient management practices, plant height and stem girth continuously increased by 9.5 to 12 cm and 3 to 4 times, respectively. The production of robust saplings required integrated application of lime, MOC, AM, and Rhizobium in an acid soil that facilitated better root growth with availability of adequate nutrients for saplings.

A field experiment was conducted at the Horticultural Research station, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha during Rabi 2017 and 2018 seasons. Five hundred seeds of variety Utkal Kumari (BT 10) were taken and subjected to single and combined mutagenic treatment as per the specification. The experiment was laid down in Randomised Block Design (RBD) with three replications. Leaf area (dm2/plant), total dry matter and chlorophyll content were measured at 30, 60 and 75 days after transplanting(DAT). NAR (Net assimilation rate) and CGR (Crop growth rate) were also calculated at 30-40 DAT and 50-60 DAT. All the treatments showed increase in yield over control and buffer except in treatment Sodium Azide (SA) 0.06% which indicated that the mutagens had positive effect on the plant for increasing yield. The increase in yield depends on leaf area or photosynthesizing tissues, total respiring tissues or total biomass, photosynthetic efficiency as reflected by chlorophyll content, Net assimilation rate (NAR) and crop growth rate (CGR). Ethyl methane sulphate (EMS) at 0.6% concentration had shown maximum increase in yield which was attributed to maximum leaf area (55.19 dm2/plant), maximum total dry matter (19.44g/plant) and maximum crop growth rate (0.347g.m−2.day−1). The chlorophyll content and NAR (Net assimilation rate) were also significantly high for this treatment.

Vegetable farming is a lucrative agribusiness. It is one of the measures to ensure food security andtackle malnutrition in the world. For vegetable farming to be profitable, it requires a feasiblebusiness plan that is only achievable when you can estimate the cost of each unit of input and itsreturn. Some vegetables by nature, produce vines which enable them to climb, therefore, to getmaximum returns and quality products from them, there is a need to stake and trellisthem. Installing a trellis is never easier and sometimes requires much more labour therebyincreases the cost of cultivation. Because of this, it must be used efficiently for a long term bygrowing vines in the same plot.

A field experiment was conducted at the farmer’s field at Ratanpur village of Marshaghai block of Kendrapara, Odisha, India to evaluate effect of different mulching practices on weed population, moisture content in soil and yield of brinjal. The village is an adopted village by Krishi Vigyan Kendra Kendrapara, in which various activities in agriculture are going on under National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) programme to combat the flood-affected area of the locality. The experiment consists of five mulching treatments like Black polythene mulch, Black and silver polythene mulch, Transparent mulch, Organic mulch (rice straw) and No mulch. Results revealed that black with silver colour polythene mulch was recorded with significantly higher yield per plant (2.59 kg) and yield per ha (62.1 t/ha) which was at par with black colour polythene mulch. Organic mulch was found to be next best treatment with respect to yield per plant (2.40 kg) and yield per ha (53.5 t/ha). The same treatment also resulted in the higher gross return (Rs. 434700/ha), net return (Rs. 274150/ha) and B:C ratio (2.71) which was followed by black polythene mulching and organic mulching practices. Weed suppression and moisture retention was higher with black polythene mulch.

A field experiment was conducted at the farmer’s field at Ratanpur village of Marshaghai block of Kendrapara district of Odisha to assess the effect of different mulching practices on weed population, moisture content in soil, growth and yield of tomato. The experimental field in an adopted village of Krishi Vigyan Kendra Kendrapara where National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) Project activities are being undertaken. The experiment consists of five mulching treatments like black polythene mulch, black and silver polythene mulch, transparent mulch organic mulch and without mulch as control. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with five replications. Results revealed that higher moisture content in soil (14.2 %) at 7 days after planting when black with silver colour polythene mulch was used for tomato cultivation. Black with silver colour polythene mulch showed low weed density and dry weight (0.7/ m2 and 0.4 g/ m2) at 20 and 40 days after planting as compared to other treatments. The same treatment gave significantly higher yield per plant (2.27 kg) and yield (56.5 t/ha). Organic mulch was also found a better treatment with respect to yield per plant (1.84 kg) and yield (48.4 t/ha). Higher return obtained by the farmers when black with silver colour polythene mulch was used for tomato cultivation. Black polythene mulching and organic mulching practices was also found good in soil moisture content, weed population in field and yield of tomato.

A field experiment was conducted at the farmer’s field at Ratanpur village of Marshaghai block of Kendrapara, Odisha to evaluate effect of green manuring and other nutrient management on yield and economics of rice. The village is an adopted village by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kendrapara, in which various activities in agriculture are going on under National innovations in climate-resilient agriculture (NICRA) program to combat the flood-affected area of the locality. The experiment consists of five treatments like green manuring + NPK (60: 30: 30 Kg/ha), green manuring + NPK (80: 40: 40 Kg/ha), green manuring + FYM (2.5 t/ha) + NPK (60: 30: 30 Kg/ha), green maturing + FYM (5 t/ha) + NPK (60: 30: 30 Kg/ha) and farmer’s practice i.e., NPK (80: 40: 40 Kg/ha). Results revealed that green manuring of Dhaincha along with application of FYM @ 5 t/ha clubbed with NPK @ 60: 30: 30 Kg/ha recorded highest grain yield (3.95 t/ha), straw yield (4.86 t/ha) and other yield attributing characters. The same treatment resulted in the highest economic return i.e., B:Cratio of 1.51.

A field experiment was conducted at main research farm of OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The experiment was laid out in double split design with 27 treatment combinations and three replications. In main plot sunflower residue was removed in one plot, incorporated in another plot and in third plot no sunflower was grown. In subplot three methods of establishment of rice was taken namely dry direct seeded, wet direct seeded and transplanting method of rice establishment. Three different nutrient management practices was given to rice in sub sub plot i.e. first is fully organic where only FYM was used as nutrient source, in second one integrated approach was followed through 75 percent of nitrogen through inorganic nutrient source with 25 percent of organic source and the third case is pure inorganic where only chemical fertilizer was given at the rate of 60-30-30 kg of N-P2O5-K2O per ha. Weed observations were recorded after 20 and 40 DAS/DAT by help of quadrant method. Significantly lower weed number and weed dry weight was observed in sunflower residue incorporation and with transplanting method during both the years of experimentation.

A field experiment was conducted in the farmers’ field in Ratanpur, Marshaghai block of Kendrapara district in Odisha, an adopted village of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kendrapara under the National Innovations in Climate-Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project with the objective of determining the productivity of rice straw mushroom in off-season (Month of November) under different cultivation systems. Keeping in view the need to develop more resilient technology for farmers to combat the current scenario of changing climate and market demands along with generation of additional income, the possibility of growing this tropical mushroom during winter month was tested. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with 4 number of treatments and 6 replications with ten beds (blocks) taken in each replication. The treatments undertaken were as follows, T1- Rice straw mushroom cultivation in shade net, T2- Rice straw mushroom cultivation in poly house, T3- Rice straw mushroom cultivation in thatched roof and T4- Outdoor Rice straw mushroom cultivation. It was concluded from the findings that poly house system outperformed the other three cultivation systems i.e. shade net, thatched house and open situations in terms of yield maximization, gross and net return during the off-season (November). The poly house system produced 10.8 - 76.4% higher yield in comparison to other three systems with increased net returns and B:C ratio of 1.78 suggesting it to be the best cultivation system for off-season production of rice straw mushroom.

A field experiment was conducted at main research farm of OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The experiment was laid out in double split design with 27 treatment combinations and three replications. In main plot sunflower residue was removed in one plot, incorporated in another plot and in third plot no sunflower was grown. In subplot three methods of establishment of rice was taken namely dry direct seeded, wet direct seeded and transplanting method of rice establishment. Three different nutrient management practices was given to rice in sub sub plot i.e. first is fully organic where only FYM was used as nutrient source, in second one integrated approach was followed through 75 percent of nitrogen through inorganic nutrient source with 25 percent of organic source and the third case is pure inorganic where only chemical fertilizer was given at the rate of 60-30-30 kg of N-P2O5-K2O per ha. After harvest of rice, green gram crop was taken under residual soil moisture and soil nutrient status. Dehydrogenase activity, phosphatase activity, urease activity and total microbial biomass carbon were higher in sunflower residue incorporation and organic source of nutrient.

A field experiment was conducted at the Agronomic Main Research Farm, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar to study the effect of nutrient management practices on dry matter accumulation and nutrient uptake by weeds in lowland rice during 2017-18. The treatments comprised of three main plots treatments (soil test based fertilizer 100:50:40 kg NPK ha-1, soil test based fertilizer + green manuring with Sesbania and soil test based fertilizer + green manuring with Sesbania + liming @ 0.2 LR to green manure crop) and three sources of fertilizer in sub plots (urea + SSP + MOP, DAP as basal and urea as top dressing + MOP, urea as basal and DAP as top dressing + MOP) in a split plot design with three replications. The maximum dry biomass of weeds was found in STBF at 25 DAT and 45 DAT of rice was 0.35 and 0.15 t/ha, respectively followed by that of STBF + green manuring with Sesbania and the minimum dry biomass of weeds at 25 DAT and 45 DAT of 0.15 t/ha, 0.09 t/ha, respectively was recorded in the treatment STBF + green manuring with Sesbania + liming @ 0.2 LR to green manure crop. The dry biomass of weeds with respect to the nutrient management options at 25 and 45 DAT of rice recorded maximum value in urea + SSP + MOP followed by urea as basal and DAP as top dressing + MOP and the minimum value was recorded in DAP as basal and urea as top dressing + MOP. The nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium uptake of weeds at 25 DAT and 45 DAT of rice recorded the maximum value of 2.04, 1.36 N kg/ha, 1.10, 0.59 P kg/ha and 6.39, 3.00 K kg/ha, respectively in STBF followed by the STBF + green manuring with Sesbania and the minimum value of 0.57, 0.59 N kg/ha, 0.29, 0.26 P kg/ha and 2.28, 1.71 K kg/ha was recorded in STBF + green manuring with Sesbania + liming @ 0.2 LR to green manure crop. With respect to the nutrient management options in rice, the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium uptake of weeds at 25 DAT and 45 DAT of rice recorded the highest value in urea + SSP +MOP followed by urea as basal and DAP as top dressing + MOP and the lowest value was recorded in DAP as basal and urea as top dressing + MOP.

A field experiment was carried out during kharif 2015 with thirteen ratios of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P2O5) fertilizers with constant potassium level (25 kg K2O ha-1) on soybean cultivar DSb 21. The treatment receiving N/P fertilizer ratio of 0.70 (basal application of 18 kg N, 46 kg P2O5, 25 kg K2O ha-1 + foliar application of nitrogen @ 7 kg N ha-1 at initiation of flowering and foliar application of nitrogen @ 7 kg N ha-1 at 15 days after first foliar spray) recorded significantly higher seed yield (3217 kg ha-1), haulm yield (3788 kg ha-1), number of filled pods plant-1 (44.73), total number of pods plant-1 (47.57) and 100 seed weight (15.40 g) This treatment also recorded significantly higher total dry matter production (34.15 g) that higher gross monetary returns, net monetary returns and B : C ratio (Rs. 1,12,595, Rs. 89,770 ha-1 and 4.93, respectively).

The study was conducted to analyze the impact of farm mechanization on rice cultivation in Bargarh district of Odisha. Personal interview method was used to collect primary data using pre-tested structured interview schedules from 120 sample farmers. Multistage sampling technique was followed for selection of sample farmers. Farm budgeting and Garrett ranking techniques were used to analyze the collected data. The study revealed that, in case of manual cultivation of rice in the study area, a total of 35.65 man days of man labour, 22.84 days of woman labour and 2.96 pair days of bullock labour and 3.57 hours of machine labour were utilized. The need of human labour is more in traditional farming the semi-mechanical farming. The average yield per acre of manual and semi-mechanical cultivation was found to be 23.50 quintals and 24.75 quintals, respectively. The net returns per acre for rice cultivation for traditional rice growers and adopters of mechanical harvesting was found to be Rs. 13190.45 and Rs. 17613.91 leading to returns to cost ratios of 1.70 and 2.07, respectively. The major constraints faced by the owners of machines in semi-mechanical cultivation of Rice were high cost of the machines, non-availability of financial support and fluctuations in area under the crop.

Importance of rice: There is booming demand for rice in Asia and other part of the world due to intense rise in world’s population. The feed the huge population the production of rice must be increased by 60-70 per cent over the next two decades (Chauhan et al., 2017). The consumption of colored rice is increasingly becoming popular in many Asian countries where black rice is often mixed with non-colored rice prior to cooking to enhance the flavor (Juliano, 1993). In addition, red rice is commonly used as a food colorant e.g. in bread, ice cream and liquor in several Asian countries.

Grafting in vegetables is a comparatively recently popularized approach among vegetable growers worldwide. Initially the technique was for controlling soil borne diseases which is still of much importance in today’s intensive agriculture. But with modification in grafting approaches and other related researches, this has now become a multifaceted approach being used for several purposes. Grafting is an important integrated pest management strategy to manage soil borne pathogens and other pests of solanaceous and cucurbitaceous crops using suitable rootstocks. Important diseases managed by grafting are caused by fungus such as Verticillium and Fusarium; oomycetes like Phytophthora; bacteria, particularly Ralstonia and root knot nematodes. Grafted seedlings are much favored in hydroponics where the chances of rapid spread of noxious diseases, once infected, is high. Due to limited availability of arable land and the high market demand for vegetables around the world, vegetables are frequently cultivated under unfavorable soil and environmental conditions like thermal stress, drought and flooding, contamination by persistent organic pollutants and low soil temperature and high soil salts, especially under protected cultivations where successive cropping or continuous farming is routinely practiced. One way to reduce losses in production caused by such abiotic stresses in vegetables would be to graft them onto rootstocks capable of reducing the effect of external stresses on the shoot through vigorous attainment of soil nutrients, avoidance of infection by soil pathogens and tolerance of abiotic stresses. Vegetable grafting has also been safely adapted for the production of organic as well as environmentally friendly produce and minimizes uptake of undesirable agrochemical residues. The quality characteristics like firmness, texture, flavor and health compounds might be affected by grafting as a result of the translocation of metabolites associated with fruit quality to the scion through the xylem and/or modification of the physiological processes of the scion.

A field experiment was conducted at Main Agricultural Research Station (MARS), Agriculture College, Dharwad to study the “effect of sequential application of herbicides on microbial activities and yield of maize”. Six herbicides namely glyphosate, paraquat, glufosinate ammonium, saflufenacil, halosulfuron and imazathapyr were tried as a post emergence in addition to pre-emergence application of atrazine. Totally nine treatments were tested using Randomized Block Design having three replications with three controls (Weedy check, weed free check and standard recommended package of practices (RPP).At all the growth stages weed free check was recorded higher weed control efficiency (WCE) than rest of the weed control methods. However after application of post emergence herbicides atrazine at 1 kg ha-1 fb glyphosate at 2.5 kg ha-1 was recorded with WCE of 92.12 percent next to weed free check. Weed free check was recorded significantly higher grain yield (84.59 q ha-1), stover yield (114.10 q ha-1) and harvest index (42.57 %). At different growth stages of maize both pre and post emergence application of herbicides, all the enzymatic activities in the soil was reduced as compared to untreated plots.