Arvind Yadav - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Arvind Yadav

This study was conducted to investigate the response of pearl millet genotypes to rainfed and irr... more This study was conducted to investigate the response of pearl millet genotypes to rainfed and irrigated conditions. The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design under rainfed and irrigated conditions with four pearl millet genotypes i.e. HHB 67 (Improved), HHB 197, HHB 223 and HHB 234. The maximum plant height (216.3 cm), root weight (19.13 g plant -1 ), yield attributing characters and yield (31.19 q ha -1 ) were higher under irrigated condition by maintaining higher leaf water potential, relative water content (RWC) and canopy temperature depression. Root length was higher (97.9 cm) in rainfed condition. Early panicle initiation, 50% flowering and physiological maturity were recorded in rainfed condition than irrigated condition. Genotype HHB 234 recorded higher plant height while higher ear head girth (2.6 cm) and test weight (11.16 g) were observed by HHB 223 genotype. Genotype HHB 67 (Improved) showed early panicle initiation, 50 % flowering and physiological maturity than other genotypes. Interaction effect was found significant and genotype HHB 223 recorded higher plant height, root length, root dry weight, leaf water potential, relative water content, canopy temperature depression, yield attributes and yield under irrigated condition but under rainfed condition these were higher in HHB 234.

A field experiment was carried out at Research Farm of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultura... more A field experiment was carried out at Research Farm of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India to evaluate the performance of pearl millet genotypes (HHB 67 'Improved', HHB 197, HHB 223 and HHB 234) under different environment (rainfed and irrigated). Results showed that irrigated condition recorded significantly (p < 0.05) higher plant height, dry matter accumulation, root dry weight, ear head girth, test weight and yield of pearl millet than rainfed condition. Root length was significantly (p < 0.05) higher under rainfed than irrigated condition. Genotypes were found significant (p < 0.05) with respect to plant height at harvest and HHB 234 recorded higher plant height. Genotype HHB 223 recorded higher earhead girth (2.6 cm) and test weight (11.16 g) compared to other genotypes. Interaction effect was also found significant (p < 0.05) with respect to plant height, dry matter accumulation, root length and weight and yield. These were higher in genotype HHB 223 and HHB 234 under irrigated and rainfed condition respectively but at 20 days after sowing, longest root was observed in genotype HHB 67 'Improved' under rainfed condition and genotype HHB 197 under irrigated condition. To examine the performance of pearl millet genotypes in terms of survivality and yield potential, evaluation trials are necessary under different environment. Therefore, release of those varieties under different situations are essential for the sustainability of the fragile arid and semi arid regions of country.

A field experiment was conducted at Instructional Farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur... more A field experiment was conducted at Instructional Farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur (Rajasthan) to study the effect of tillage and integrated nutrient management on sorghum productivity during kharif season of 2009. Results, showed that conventional tillage recorded significantly higher plant height, dry matter accumulation, yield attributing character, yield, gross, net return and B.C. ratio over minimum tillage. Among the INM treatments RDF recorded significantly higher plant height at 25 DAS, dry matter accumulation at all stage of crop growth, yield attributing character, yield, gross, net return and BC ratio of crop over rest of the treatment. When RDF was applied with conventional tillage, it was found significantly superior over reduced tillage and minimum tillage in terms of grain yield.

Evaluation of different crop sequences in south-west Haryana -V. S. Kadian, S. K. Thakral and Sat... more Evaluation of different crop sequences in south-west Haryana -V. S. Kadian, S. K. Thakral and Satish Kumar Economic evaluation of soybean-based cropping systems in humid south-eastern plain of Rajasthan -Raj Kumar, D. S. Meena and Chaman Jadon Efficacy of ready-mix combination of clodinafop-propargyl and metsulfuron-methyl against complex weed flora in wheat Interactive effect of fluoride, salinity and SAR levels in irrigation water on yield and fluoride concentration in wheat grain and straw -V. S. Arya, Balwan Singh, Balraj Duhan and Anoop Singh Effect of soil ameliorates and nitrogen on growth and yield of barley (Hordeum vulgare) under alkali water conditions -B. S. Kumpawat Effect of boron in irrigation of different EC and SAR levels on yield and its concentration in wheat grain and straw -V. S. Arya, Balraj Duhan, Balwan Singh and Anoop Singh Effect of potassium application on mustard yield, quality and nutrient uptake in soils of southern Haryana Compensating N and P requirement through biofertilizers in pearl millet under rainfed situation -Neelam, V. P. Singh and Anil Kumar Growth, yield and economics of quality protein maize (Zea mays L.) as influenced by fertility levels and foliar spray of thiourea -Panchu Ram, N. S. Solanki, Dilip Singh and R. C. Dadheech Response of mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern and Coss.] to organic and inorganic sources of nutrients, gypsum and thiourea -R. C. Dadheech, R. P. Jat and H. K. Sumeriya Growth behaviour of mungbean genotypes under varying sowing time during summer season -M. Kumar, O. P. Lathwal and S. Kumar Impact of improved technologies on soybean productivity -S. R. S. Raghuwanshi, O. P. S. Raghuwanshi, R. Umat, G. R. Ambawatia and K. S. Bhargav Effect of integrated weed management on productivity of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] -V. K. Yadav and A. A. Shaikh Demonstrating improved production technology of maize at farmers' fields -Virender Sardana and Parvender Sheoran Effect of tillage and integrated nutrient management on growth, yield attributes and yield of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] Distribution of weed flora of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in south-western Haryana -S. S. Punia, Samunder Singh, Dharam Bir Yadav and Sunil Kumar Correlation and path analysis in fababean (Vicia faba L.) -Abhay Badolay, J. S. Hooda and B. P. S. Malik Seed yield and economics of raya (RH-9304) cultivation in Haryana -R. S. Banga, Bharat Singh, R. K. Arya and Dhiraj Singh Effect of iron and zinc on sorghum fodder [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] Influence of fertility levels and plant population on productivity of elite genotypes of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]

A field experiment was conducted at Instructional Farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur... more A field experiment was conducted at Instructional Farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur (Rajasthan) to study the effect of integrated nutrient management on sorghum productivity during kharif season of 2009. Results showed that recommended dose of fertilizer reco rded higher NPK uptake and content in grain and stover of sorghum. Significantly higher protein content, protein yield, grain, stover, biological yield and harvest index was 11.06%, 431.86,kg ha -1 , 3910 kg ha -1 , 9778 kg ha -1 , 13688 kg ha -1 and 28.56 % respectively under recommended dose fertilizer than other treatment combination. Innovative Farming, 1(2): 30-34, 2016 Yadav and Singh, 2016

A field experiment was conducted during the kharif season of 2009 at Rajasthan College of Agricul... more A field experiment was conducted during the kharif season of 2009 at Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur, Rajasthan to find out the effect of tillage and integrated nutrient management on sorghum productivity grown with three tillage practices (Conventional tillage, reduced tillage and minimum tillage) assigned in main plot and four INM practices nOp (SO kg N+40 kg prOr+40 kg KrO/ha) through inorganic fertilizer, 75% RDF through inorganic fertilizer+5 t FyM/ha, 50% RDF through inoiginic fertiliier+Z.5 lpyytlllla+Azotobacter+PsB and control (Native fertilify). Sorghum crop under conventional tillage recorded significantly higher grain, fodder and protein yield and NPK uptake over minimum tilage. Among the INM treatments, RDF recorded significantly higher grain, fodder, protein yield and NPK uptake over reit of the treatments. Conventional tillage and application of 75o/o RDF+5 t FYM/ha provided maximum moisture content in both the depths i. e.0-15 and 15-30 cm at all the stages ofcrop growth'

A field experiment was condircted during the rainy (kharif) seasons of 2006 and20A7 at the lnstru... more A field experiment was condircted during the rainy (kharif) seasons of 2006 and20A7 at the lnstructional Farm, RCA, Udaipur (Rajasthan) to evaluate the weed dynamics and nutrient uptake by weeds and crops (pop com and intercrops) in intercropping and weed management practices. The highest weed control efficiency (74.75 and 66-14o/o) was recorded in farmer's practice in monocot and dicot, respectively, followed by metribuzin 0.35 kg/ha+one hoeing 25 DAS (72.96 and 64.48o/o). Among the intercropping systems, maximum weed control efficiency was obtained under the pop corn*soybean (2 :2) intercropping systems(57.44and51 .48oh, respectively). Maximum N uptake(83.26 kg/ha) and P uptake (25.53 kg/ha) by weeds was recorded under weedy check. All the weed management practices significantly reduced the weed density and weed dry matter at all the growth stages of crop and significantly increased in N and P uptake by crops at harvest.

The result of the study indicated the application of phosphorus upto 40 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 recorded... more The result of the study indicated the application of phosphorus upto 40 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 recorded significantly higher number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, number of total and effective root nodules, test weight, seed and straw yield, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content in seed and straw and their uptake, protein content in seed and net return as compared to absolute control and 20 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 but was at par with 60 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 .Application of different sources of phosphorus led to significant effect on seed yield. PROM(8.36)was significantly superior in increasing the seed yield by 17.74 and 12.21 per cent, respectively, as compared to DAP (7.10) and SSP (7.45). However, both DAP and SSP being at par with each other. Application of phosphorus @ 40 (7.98) and 60 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 (8.44) significantly increased the seed yield by 22.95 and 30.04 per cent, respectively as compared to 20 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 (6.49). However, both 40 and 60 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 were at par with each other in increasing seed yield. The highest net return (Rs. 14865) was obtained with application of 40 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 over absolute control and 20 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 and phosphorus fertilization with PROM (Phosphorus Rich Organic Manure) fetched the highest net return (Rs. 14736 ha -1 ) which was significantly higher over DAP and SSP.

Rice-wheat cropping system is the pre-dominant cropping system in Haryana (India). The continued ... more Rice-wheat cropping system is the pre-dominant cropping system in Haryana (India). The continued adoption of exhaustive puddled transplanted rice method has resulted in declined factor productivity. Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) is a promising resource conservation technology in rice-wheat cropping system. Several on-farm and on-station field experiments were conducted during the year 2014 and 2015 to evaluate direct seeded rice options as compared to transplanted rice with an objective to improve farm productivity, efficiency and economics. Labour and cost saving of 97% and 81% were observed in direct seeded rice (DSR) as compared to manual puddled transplanted rice in sowing/transplanting. Manual puddle transplanted (CT-PTR) was found non-significant effect on rice yields compared to Direct seeded rice (DSRv) in vatter during both the years. DSRv and DSRz consumed 18-26% less water as compared to puddled transplanted rice during both years. When compared to manual puddled transplanted rice, a labour saving of 9-13 percent (overall) was observed in both DSR during both the years. The B : C ratio was highest in DSR in zero till condition (4.0) as compared to CT-PTR (3.5), whereas, energy productivity obtained significantly highest in DSR both conditions than CT-PTR during the both years.

Disposal of paddy residue has turn out to be a huge problem in north-west Indian states, resultin... more Disposal of paddy residue has turn out to be a huge problem in north-west Indian states, resulting farmers prefer to burn the residues in-situ. Paddy residue management is of utmost important as it contains plant nutrients and improves the soil-plant-atmospheric continuum. Burning biomass not only pollutes environment and results in loss of appreciable amount of plant essential nutrients. The objectives of the review paper is to access the amount of residue generation, its utilization in-situ and ex-situ, emphasize harmful effects of residue burning on human health, soil health and environment of north-west states of India specially in Punjab and Haryana. This paper also discusses the possible strategies, financial and socio-economic evaluation of the paddy residue management technologies and accentuates the assessment of range of potential policy instruments which would offer avenues for sustainable agriculture and environment. Timely availability of conservation agriculture (CA) machinery is of utmost significance to manage the paddy residues in-situ. Collection and transportation of voluminous mass of paddy residue is cumbersome, therefore, ex-situ residue management is still not an economically viable option. The agricultural waste opens vivid options for its versatile usage and is possible if residue is collected and managed properly. It is a prerequisite for surplus residues to be used for CA. There is an urge to create awareness among farming communities to incline them to understand importance of crop residues in CA for sustainability and resilience of Indian agriculture.

Continuous rice-wheat (RW) rotation with conventional agronomic practices has resulted in declini... more Continuous rice-wheat (RW) rotation with conventional agronomic practices has resulted in declining factor productivity and degrading soil resources. A farmer's participatory research trial was conducted in Karnal, India to evaluate 8 combinations of cropping systems, tillage, crop establishment method and residue management effects on key soil physico-chemical and biological properties. Treatments (T) 1-4 involved RW and 5-8 maizewheat (MW) with conventional tillage (CT) and zero tillage (ZT) with (+R) and without (−R) residue recycling. Residue was either incorporated (Ri) or mulched (Rm). Treatment 1 (RW/CT − R) had the highest bulk density (BD) (1.47 Mg m −3 ) and T8 (MW/ZT + Rm), the lowest (1.34 Mg m −3 ). After 3 years of cropping, soil accumulated more organic C in (a) MW (9.33 Mg ha −1 ) than RW (8.5 Mg ha −1 ), (b) ZT (9.25 Mg ha −1 ) than CT (8.58 Mg ha −1 ), and (c) + R (10.18 Mg ha −1 ) than -R (7.65 Mg ha −1 ). MW system with ZT and residue (T8: MW/ZT + Rm) registered 208, 263, 210 and 48% improvement in soil microbial biomass C (MBC) and N, dehydrogenase activity (DHA) and alkaline phosphatase activity (APA), whereas RW system in T4 (RW/ ZT + Rm) registered 83, 81, 44 and 13%, respectively as compared with T1 (RW/CT − R), the business as usual scenario. Treatment 8 (MW/ZT + Rm) recorded the highest microbial population viz. bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes. The most abundant micro-arthropods present in the soil of experimental plot were Collembola, Acari and Protura which varied with treatments. Soil MBC, APA, BD and micro-arthropod population were identified as the key indicators and contributed significantly towards soil quality index (SQI). MW system with ZT and Rm (T8) recorded the highest SQI (1.45) followed by T6 (1.34) and the lowest score (0.29) being in T1 (RW/ CT − R). The SQI was higher by 90% in MW compared to RW, 22% in ZT compared to CT, and 100% in residue recycling compared with residue removal. System yield was strongly related to key soil quality indicators and also positively correlated with SQI. Longer-term studies are essential to realize maximal effects of improvements in soil health on crop yields.

In the most productive area of the Indo-Gangetic Plains in Northwest India where high yields of r... more In the most productive area of the Indo-Gangetic Plains in Northwest India where high yields of rice and wheat are commonplace, a medium-term cropping system trial was conducted in Haryana State. The goal of the study was to identify integrated management options for further improving productivity and profitability while rationalizing resource use and reducing environmental externalities (i.e., "sustainable intensification", SI) by drawing on the principles of diversification, precision management, and conservation agriculture. Four scenarios were evaluated: Scenario 1 -"business-as-usual" [conventional puddled transplanted rice (PTR) followed by (fb) conventional-till wheat]; Scenario 2reduced tillage with opportunistic diversification and precision resource management [PTR fb zero-till (ZT) wheat fb ZT mungbean]; Scenario 3 -ZT for all crops with opportunistic diversification and precision resource management [ZT direct-seeded rice (ZT-DSR) fb ZT wheat fb ZT mungbean]; and Scenario 4 -ZT for all crops with strategic diversification and precision resource management [ZT maize fb ZT wheat fb ZT mungbean]. Results of this five-year study strongly suggest that, compared with business-as-usual practices, SI strategies that incorporate multi-objective yield, economic, and environmental criteria can be more productive when used in these production environments. For Scenarios 2, 3, and 4, systemlevel increases in productivity (10-17%) and profitability (24-50%) were observed while using less irrigation water (15-71% reduction) and energy (17-47% reduction), leading to 15-30% lower global warming potential (GWP), with the ranges reflecting the implications of specific innovations. Scenario 3, where early wheat sowing was combined with ZT along with no puddling during the rice phase, resulted in a 13% gain in wheat yield compared with Scenario 2. A similar gain in wheat yield was observed in Scenario 4 vis-à-vis Scenario 2. Compared to Scenario 1, wheat yields in Scenarios 3 and 4 were 15-17% higher, whereas, in Scenario 2, yield was either similar in normal years or higher in warmer years. During the rainy (kharif) season, ZT-DSR provided yields similar to or higher than those of PTR in the first three years and lower (11-30%) in Years 4 and 5, a result that provides a note of caution for interpreting technology performance through short-term trials or simply averaging results over several years. The resource use and economic and environmental advantages of DSR were more stable through time, including reductions in irrigation water (22-40%), production cost (11-17%), energy inputs (13-34%), and total GWP (14-32%). The integration of "best practices" in PTR in Scenario 2 resulted in reductions of 24% in irrigation water and 21% in GWP, with a positive impact on yield (0.9 t/ha) and profitability compared to conventional PTR, demonstrating the power of simple management changes to generate improved SI outcomes. When ZT maize was used as a diversification option instead of rice in Scenario 4, reductions in resource use jumped to 82-89% for irrigation water and 49-66% for energy inputs, with 13-40% lower GWP, similar or higher rice equivalent yield, and higher profitability (27-73%) in comparison to the ricebased scenarios. Despite these advantages, maize value chains are not robust in this part of India and public http://dx.MARK procurement is absent. Results do demonstrate that transformative opportunities exist to break the cycle of stagnating yields and inefficient resource use in the most productive cereal-based cropping systems of South Asia. However, these SI entry points need to be placed in the context of the major drivers of change in the region, including market conditions, risks, and declining labor availability, and matching with the needs and interests of different types of farmers.

Cotton-wheat cropping system is the second most important wheat based system in the South Asia (4... more Cotton-wheat cropping system is the second most important wheat based system in the South Asia (4.5 M ha) and India (2.6 M ha) and contributes significantly to the food security in the region. Under the conventional method of crop establishment and crop management, the productivity and profit ability of the cotton-wheat system is low because sowing of wheat after cotton is usually delayed due to late picking coupled with time needed for seedbed preparation, resulting in low wheat yield. Therefore, an attempt was made to develop and evaluate the performance (in terms of system productivity, water productivity and profitability) of conservation agricultural technologies (like permanent narrow and broad-bed planting and residue management under zero tillage with relay sowing under different plant spacing) under an irrigated cottonwheat system. Results indicate that seed cotton yield in the plots under PB-B was higher compared with other treatments. Similarly, plots under PB-B had significantly higher number of spike, spike length, number of grain/spike, test weight and wheat grain and straw yield than remaining treatments. Therefore, it concluded that cotton-wheat system under permanent beds with residue retention under wide spacing and relay sowing of wheat in two pairs per bed increase productivity of system.

A field trial was carried out at ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal (Haryana) ... more A field trial was carried out at ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal (Haryana) to study the management (tillage, residue management and planting time) influence on weed dynamics, crop productivity and profitability in wheat under rice-wheat crop rotation. The experiment consisted of 4 main plot treatments (tillage and residue management) viz. conventional tillage (CT), zero tillage (ZT), ZT with anchored residue (ZTAR) and ZT with full residue (ZTFR); and 3 sub plot treatments (planting dates) viz. 25-October, 5-November and 15-November, laid out in Split Plot Design with three replications. The lowest weed density and biomass of narrow leaf (56.32 and 57.33%), broad leaf (43.53 and 44.77%) and sedges (56.54 and 57.77%), were recorded with ZTFR over CT. However, ZTAR and ZT were found to be at par with respect to weed dynamics. At 30 days after sowing (DAS), weed dynamics followed the trend; ZTFR>ZTAR>ZT>CT. In early planted wheat (25-October), lowest weed dynamics (density and biomass) were observed, whereas, it was highest with 15-November planting. Lower weed density and biomass was recorded in 25-October planting (24.88 and 23.29% respectively) than 15-November planting. ZT along with residue improved the yield attributes (effective tillers, no. of grains/spike, spike length and 1000-grain weight) and followed the trend of ZTFR>ZTAR>ZT>CT. However, early planting (25-October) resulted in significantly higher yield attributes over normal planting and being at par with 5-November. ZTFR recorded significantly higher grain and straw yield (5.08 and 7.05 t /ha respectively) and economic returns (Rs. 63520/ha) with a B:C ratio of 2.48 than rest of the management options. At early sowing, ZTFR recorded maximum and significantly higher yields (Grain and straw; 4.91and 7.17 t/ha respectively) and economic returns (Rs. 61004/ha) with a B:C ratio of 2.40 than at normal sowing. The maximum grain yield (5.41 t/ha) was recorded with ZTFR sown on 25-October.This study revealed that early ZT planting of wheat with residue retention may help in harnessing the full production potential of the crop under north-western Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP).

Mushrooms are cosmopolitan heterotrophic organisms that are quite specific in their nutritional a... more Mushrooms are cosmopolitan heterotrophic organisms that are quite specific in their nutritional and ecological requirements. They are among the most relished food commodities among a number of nonconventional foodstuffs primarily because of their unique flavor and texture. Wild edible mushrooms have been collected and consumed by people since thousands of years. Mushrooms have been exploited commercially the world over. In India due to its diverse climatic conditions, many types of mushrooms are found in the wild. The knowledge of their historical uses as food, medicine, a source of income, and for small-scale businesses and the sociological impacts (myth, culture, and spirituality) are apparently threatened due to slow ethnomycology-research drive.

This study was conducted to investigate the response of pearl millet genotypes to rainfed and irr... more This study was conducted to investigate the response of pearl millet genotypes to rainfed and irrigated conditions. The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design under rainfed and irrigated conditions with four pearl millet genotypes i.e. HHB 67 (Improved), HHB 197, HHB 223 and HHB 234. The maximum plant height (216.3 cm), root weight (19.13 g plant -1 ), yield attributing characters and yield (31.19 q ha -1 ) were higher under irrigated condition by maintaining higher leaf water potential, relative water content (RWC) and canopy temperature depression. Root length was higher (97.9 cm) in rainfed condition. Early panicle initiation, 50% flowering and physiological maturity were recorded in rainfed condition than irrigated condition. Genotype HHB 234 recorded higher plant height while higher ear head girth (2.6 cm) and test weight (11.16 g) were observed by HHB 223 genotype. Genotype HHB 67 (Improved) showed early panicle initiation, 50 % flowering and physiological maturity than other genotypes. Interaction effect was found significant and genotype HHB 223 recorded higher plant height, root length, root dry weight, leaf water potential, relative water content, canopy temperature depression, yield attributes and yield under irrigated condition but under rainfed condition these were higher in HHB 234.

A field experiment was carried out at Research Farm of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultura... more A field experiment was carried out at Research Farm of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India to evaluate the performance of pearl millet genotypes (HHB 67 'Improved', HHB 197, HHB 223 and HHB 234) under different environment (rainfed and irrigated). Results showed that irrigated condition recorded significantly (p < 0.05) higher plant height, dry matter accumulation, root dry weight, ear head girth, test weight and yield of pearl millet than rainfed condition. Root length was significantly (p < 0.05) higher under rainfed than irrigated condition. Genotypes were found significant (p < 0.05) with respect to plant height at harvest and HHB 234 recorded higher plant height. Genotype HHB 223 recorded higher earhead girth (2.6 cm) and test weight (11.16 g) compared to other genotypes. Interaction effect was also found significant (p < 0.05) with respect to plant height, dry matter accumulation, root length and weight and yield. These were higher in genotype HHB 223 and HHB 234 under irrigated and rainfed condition respectively but at 20 days after sowing, longest root was observed in genotype HHB 67 'Improved' under rainfed condition and genotype HHB 197 under irrigated condition. To examine the performance of pearl millet genotypes in terms of survivality and yield potential, evaluation trials are necessary under different environment. Therefore, release of those varieties under different situations are essential for the sustainability of the fragile arid and semi arid regions of country.

A field experiment was conducted at Instructional Farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur... more A field experiment was conducted at Instructional Farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur (Rajasthan) to study the effect of tillage and integrated nutrient management on sorghum productivity during kharif season of 2009. Results, showed that conventional tillage recorded significantly higher plant height, dry matter accumulation, yield attributing character, yield, gross, net return and B.C. ratio over minimum tillage. Among the INM treatments RDF recorded significantly higher plant height at 25 DAS, dry matter accumulation at all stage of crop growth, yield attributing character, yield, gross, net return and BC ratio of crop over rest of the treatment. When RDF was applied with conventional tillage, it was found significantly superior over reduced tillage and minimum tillage in terms of grain yield.

Evaluation of different crop sequences in south-west Haryana -V. S. Kadian, S. K. Thakral and Sat... more Evaluation of different crop sequences in south-west Haryana -V. S. Kadian, S. K. Thakral and Satish Kumar Economic evaluation of soybean-based cropping systems in humid south-eastern plain of Rajasthan -Raj Kumar, D. S. Meena and Chaman Jadon Efficacy of ready-mix combination of clodinafop-propargyl and metsulfuron-methyl against complex weed flora in wheat Interactive effect of fluoride, salinity and SAR levels in irrigation water on yield and fluoride concentration in wheat grain and straw -V. S. Arya, Balwan Singh, Balraj Duhan and Anoop Singh Effect of soil ameliorates and nitrogen on growth and yield of barley (Hordeum vulgare) under alkali water conditions -B. S. Kumpawat Effect of boron in irrigation of different EC and SAR levels on yield and its concentration in wheat grain and straw -V. S. Arya, Balraj Duhan, Balwan Singh and Anoop Singh Effect of potassium application on mustard yield, quality and nutrient uptake in soils of southern Haryana Compensating N and P requirement through biofertilizers in pearl millet under rainfed situation -Neelam, V. P. Singh and Anil Kumar Growth, yield and economics of quality protein maize (Zea mays L.) as influenced by fertility levels and foliar spray of thiourea -Panchu Ram, N. S. Solanki, Dilip Singh and R. C. Dadheech Response of mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern and Coss.] to organic and inorganic sources of nutrients, gypsum and thiourea -R. C. Dadheech, R. P. Jat and H. K. Sumeriya Growth behaviour of mungbean genotypes under varying sowing time during summer season -M. Kumar, O. P. Lathwal and S. Kumar Impact of improved technologies on soybean productivity -S. R. S. Raghuwanshi, O. P. S. Raghuwanshi, R. Umat, G. R. Ambawatia and K. S. Bhargav Effect of integrated weed management on productivity of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] -V. K. Yadav and A. A. Shaikh Demonstrating improved production technology of maize at farmers' fields -Virender Sardana and Parvender Sheoran Effect of tillage and integrated nutrient management on growth, yield attributes and yield of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] Distribution of weed flora of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in south-western Haryana -S. S. Punia, Samunder Singh, Dharam Bir Yadav and Sunil Kumar Correlation and path analysis in fababean (Vicia faba L.) -Abhay Badolay, J. S. Hooda and B. P. S. Malik Seed yield and economics of raya (RH-9304) cultivation in Haryana -R. S. Banga, Bharat Singh, R. K. Arya and Dhiraj Singh Effect of iron and zinc on sorghum fodder [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] Influence of fertility levels and plant population on productivity of elite genotypes of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]

A field experiment was conducted at Instructional Farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur... more A field experiment was conducted at Instructional Farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur (Rajasthan) to study the effect of integrated nutrient management on sorghum productivity during kharif season of 2009. Results showed that recommended dose of fertilizer reco rded higher NPK uptake and content in grain and stover of sorghum. Significantly higher protein content, protein yield, grain, stover, biological yield and harvest index was 11.06%, 431.86,kg ha -1 , 3910 kg ha -1 , 9778 kg ha -1 , 13688 kg ha -1 and 28.56 % respectively under recommended dose fertilizer than other treatment combination. Innovative Farming, 1(2): 30-34, 2016 Yadav and Singh, 2016

A field experiment was conducted during the kharif season of 2009 at Rajasthan College of Agricul... more A field experiment was conducted during the kharif season of 2009 at Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur, Rajasthan to find out the effect of tillage and integrated nutrient management on sorghum productivity grown with three tillage practices (Conventional tillage, reduced tillage and minimum tillage) assigned in main plot and four INM practices nOp (SO kg N+40 kg prOr+40 kg KrO/ha) through inorganic fertilizer, 75% RDF through inorganic fertilizer+5 t FyM/ha, 50% RDF through inoiginic fertiliier+Z.5 lpyytlllla+Azotobacter+PsB and control (Native fertilify). Sorghum crop under conventional tillage recorded significantly higher grain, fodder and protein yield and NPK uptake over minimum tilage. Among the INM treatments, RDF recorded significantly higher grain, fodder, protein yield and NPK uptake over reit of the treatments. Conventional tillage and application of 75o/o RDF+5 t FYM/ha provided maximum moisture content in both the depths i. e.0-15 and 15-30 cm at all the stages ofcrop growth'

A field experiment was condircted during the rainy (kharif) seasons of 2006 and20A7 at the lnstru... more A field experiment was condircted during the rainy (kharif) seasons of 2006 and20A7 at the lnstructional Farm, RCA, Udaipur (Rajasthan) to evaluate the weed dynamics and nutrient uptake by weeds and crops (pop com and intercrops) in intercropping and weed management practices. The highest weed control efficiency (74.75 and 66-14o/o) was recorded in farmer's practice in monocot and dicot, respectively, followed by metribuzin 0.35 kg/ha+one hoeing 25 DAS (72.96 and 64.48o/o). Among the intercropping systems, maximum weed control efficiency was obtained under the pop corn*soybean (2 :2) intercropping systems(57.44and51 .48oh, respectively). Maximum N uptake(83.26 kg/ha) and P uptake (25.53 kg/ha) by weeds was recorded under weedy check. All the weed management practices significantly reduced the weed density and weed dry matter at all the growth stages of crop and significantly increased in N and P uptake by crops at harvest.

The result of the study indicated the application of phosphorus upto 40 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 recorded... more The result of the study indicated the application of phosphorus upto 40 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 recorded significantly higher number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, number of total and effective root nodules, test weight, seed and straw yield, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content in seed and straw and their uptake, protein content in seed and net return as compared to absolute control and 20 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 but was at par with 60 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 .Application of different sources of phosphorus led to significant effect on seed yield. PROM(8.36)was significantly superior in increasing the seed yield by 17.74 and 12.21 per cent, respectively, as compared to DAP (7.10) and SSP (7.45). However, both DAP and SSP being at par with each other. Application of phosphorus @ 40 (7.98) and 60 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 (8.44) significantly increased the seed yield by 22.95 and 30.04 per cent, respectively as compared to 20 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 (6.49). However, both 40 and 60 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 were at par with each other in increasing seed yield. The highest net return (Rs. 14865) was obtained with application of 40 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 over absolute control and 20 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 and phosphorus fertilization with PROM (Phosphorus Rich Organic Manure) fetched the highest net return (Rs. 14736 ha -1 ) which was significantly higher over DAP and SSP.

Rice-wheat cropping system is the pre-dominant cropping system in Haryana (India). The continued ... more Rice-wheat cropping system is the pre-dominant cropping system in Haryana (India). The continued adoption of exhaustive puddled transplanted rice method has resulted in declined factor productivity. Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) is a promising resource conservation technology in rice-wheat cropping system. Several on-farm and on-station field experiments were conducted during the year 2014 and 2015 to evaluate direct seeded rice options as compared to transplanted rice with an objective to improve farm productivity, efficiency and economics. Labour and cost saving of 97% and 81% were observed in direct seeded rice (DSR) as compared to manual puddled transplanted rice in sowing/transplanting. Manual puddle transplanted (CT-PTR) was found non-significant effect on rice yields compared to Direct seeded rice (DSRv) in vatter during both the years. DSRv and DSRz consumed 18-26% less water as compared to puddled transplanted rice during both years. When compared to manual puddled transplanted rice, a labour saving of 9-13 percent (overall) was observed in both DSR during both the years. The B : C ratio was highest in DSR in zero till condition (4.0) as compared to CT-PTR (3.5), whereas, energy productivity obtained significantly highest in DSR both conditions than CT-PTR during the both years.

Disposal of paddy residue has turn out to be a huge problem in north-west Indian states, resultin... more Disposal of paddy residue has turn out to be a huge problem in north-west Indian states, resulting farmers prefer to burn the residues in-situ. Paddy residue management is of utmost important as it contains plant nutrients and improves the soil-plant-atmospheric continuum. Burning biomass not only pollutes environment and results in loss of appreciable amount of plant essential nutrients. The objectives of the review paper is to access the amount of residue generation, its utilization in-situ and ex-situ, emphasize harmful effects of residue burning on human health, soil health and environment of north-west states of India specially in Punjab and Haryana. This paper also discusses the possible strategies, financial and socio-economic evaluation of the paddy residue management technologies and accentuates the assessment of range of potential policy instruments which would offer avenues for sustainable agriculture and environment. Timely availability of conservation agriculture (CA) machinery is of utmost significance to manage the paddy residues in-situ. Collection and transportation of voluminous mass of paddy residue is cumbersome, therefore, ex-situ residue management is still not an economically viable option. The agricultural waste opens vivid options for its versatile usage and is possible if residue is collected and managed properly. It is a prerequisite for surplus residues to be used for CA. There is an urge to create awareness among farming communities to incline them to understand importance of crop residues in CA for sustainability and resilience of Indian agriculture.

Continuous rice-wheat (RW) rotation with conventional agronomic practices has resulted in declini... more Continuous rice-wheat (RW) rotation with conventional agronomic practices has resulted in declining factor productivity and degrading soil resources. A farmer's participatory research trial was conducted in Karnal, India to evaluate 8 combinations of cropping systems, tillage, crop establishment method and residue management effects on key soil physico-chemical and biological properties. Treatments (T) 1-4 involved RW and 5-8 maizewheat (MW) with conventional tillage (CT) and zero tillage (ZT) with (+R) and without (−R) residue recycling. Residue was either incorporated (Ri) or mulched (Rm). Treatment 1 (RW/CT − R) had the highest bulk density (BD) (1.47 Mg m −3 ) and T8 (MW/ZT + Rm), the lowest (1.34 Mg m −3 ). After 3 years of cropping, soil accumulated more organic C in (a) MW (9.33 Mg ha −1 ) than RW (8.5 Mg ha −1 ), (b) ZT (9.25 Mg ha −1 ) than CT (8.58 Mg ha −1 ), and (c) + R (10.18 Mg ha −1 ) than -R (7.65 Mg ha −1 ). MW system with ZT and residue (T8: MW/ZT + Rm) registered 208, 263, 210 and 48% improvement in soil microbial biomass C (MBC) and N, dehydrogenase activity (DHA) and alkaline phosphatase activity (APA), whereas RW system in T4 (RW/ ZT + Rm) registered 83, 81, 44 and 13%, respectively as compared with T1 (RW/CT − R), the business as usual scenario. Treatment 8 (MW/ZT + Rm) recorded the highest microbial population viz. bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes. The most abundant micro-arthropods present in the soil of experimental plot were Collembola, Acari and Protura which varied with treatments. Soil MBC, APA, BD and micro-arthropod population were identified as the key indicators and contributed significantly towards soil quality index (SQI). MW system with ZT and Rm (T8) recorded the highest SQI (1.45) followed by T6 (1.34) and the lowest score (0.29) being in T1 (RW/ CT − R). The SQI was higher by 90% in MW compared to RW, 22% in ZT compared to CT, and 100% in residue recycling compared with residue removal. System yield was strongly related to key soil quality indicators and also positively correlated with SQI. Longer-term studies are essential to realize maximal effects of improvements in soil health on crop yields.

In the most productive area of the Indo-Gangetic Plains in Northwest India where high yields of r... more In the most productive area of the Indo-Gangetic Plains in Northwest India where high yields of rice and wheat are commonplace, a medium-term cropping system trial was conducted in Haryana State. The goal of the study was to identify integrated management options for further improving productivity and profitability while rationalizing resource use and reducing environmental externalities (i.e., "sustainable intensification", SI) by drawing on the principles of diversification, precision management, and conservation agriculture. Four scenarios were evaluated: Scenario 1 -"business-as-usual" [conventional puddled transplanted rice (PTR) followed by (fb) conventional-till wheat]; Scenario 2reduced tillage with opportunistic diversification and precision resource management [PTR fb zero-till (ZT) wheat fb ZT mungbean]; Scenario 3 -ZT for all crops with opportunistic diversification and precision resource management [ZT direct-seeded rice (ZT-DSR) fb ZT wheat fb ZT mungbean]; and Scenario 4 -ZT for all crops with strategic diversification and precision resource management [ZT maize fb ZT wheat fb ZT mungbean]. Results of this five-year study strongly suggest that, compared with business-as-usual practices, SI strategies that incorporate multi-objective yield, economic, and environmental criteria can be more productive when used in these production environments. For Scenarios 2, 3, and 4, systemlevel increases in productivity (10-17%) and profitability (24-50%) were observed while using less irrigation water (15-71% reduction) and energy (17-47% reduction), leading to 15-30% lower global warming potential (GWP), with the ranges reflecting the implications of specific innovations. Scenario 3, where early wheat sowing was combined with ZT along with no puddling during the rice phase, resulted in a 13% gain in wheat yield compared with Scenario 2. A similar gain in wheat yield was observed in Scenario 4 vis-à-vis Scenario 2. Compared to Scenario 1, wheat yields in Scenarios 3 and 4 were 15-17% higher, whereas, in Scenario 2, yield was either similar in normal years or higher in warmer years. During the rainy (kharif) season, ZT-DSR provided yields similar to or higher than those of PTR in the first three years and lower (11-30%) in Years 4 and 5, a result that provides a note of caution for interpreting technology performance through short-term trials or simply averaging results over several years. The resource use and economic and environmental advantages of DSR were more stable through time, including reductions in irrigation water (22-40%), production cost (11-17%), energy inputs (13-34%), and total GWP (14-32%). The integration of "best practices" in PTR in Scenario 2 resulted in reductions of 24% in irrigation water and 21% in GWP, with a positive impact on yield (0.9 t/ha) and profitability compared to conventional PTR, demonstrating the power of simple management changes to generate improved SI outcomes. When ZT maize was used as a diversification option instead of rice in Scenario 4, reductions in resource use jumped to 82-89% for irrigation water and 49-66% for energy inputs, with 13-40% lower GWP, similar or higher rice equivalent yield, and higher profitability (27-73%) in comparison to the ricebased scenarios. Despite these advantages, maize value chains are not robust in this part of India and public http://dx.MARK procurement is absent. Results do demonstrate that transformative opportunities exist to break the cycle of stagnating yields and inefficient resource use in the most productive cereal-based cropping systems of South Asia. However, these SI entry points need to be placed in the context of the major drivers of change in the region, including market conditions, risks, and declining labor availability, and matching with the needs and interests of different types of farmers.

Cotton-wheat cropping system is the second most important wheat based system in the South Asia (4... more Cotton-wheat cropping system is the second most important wheat based system in the South Asia (4.5 M ha) and India (2.6 M ha) and contributes significantly to the food security in the region. Under the conventional method of crop establishment and crop management, the productivity and profit ability of the cotton-wheat system is low because sowing of wheat after cotton is usually delayed due to late picking coupled with time needed for seedbed preparation, resulting in low wheat yield. Therefore, an attempt was made to develop and evaluate the performance (in terms of system productivity, water productivity and profitability) of conservation agricultural technologies (like permanent narrow and broad-bed planting and residue management under zero tillage with relay sowing under different plant spacing) under an irrigated cottonwheat system. Results indicate that seed cotton yield in the plots under PB-B was higher compared with other treatments. Similarly, plots under PB-B had significantly higher number of spike, spike length, number of grain/spike, test weight and wheat grain and straw yield than remaining treatments. Therefore, it concluded that cotton-wheat system under permanent beds with residue retention under wide spacing and relay sowing of wheat in two pairs per bed increase productivity of system.

A field trial was carried out at ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal (Haryana) ... more A field trial was carried out at ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal (Haryana) to study the management (tillage, residue management and planting time) influence on weed dynamics, crop productivity and profitability in wheat under rice-wheat crop rotation. The experiment consisted of 4 main plot treatments (tillage and residue management) viz. conventional tillage (CT), zero tillage (ZT), ZT with anchored residue (ZTAR) and ZT with full residue (ZTFR); and 3 sub plot treatments (planting dates) viz. 25-October, 5-November and 15-November, laid out in Split Plot Design with three replications. The lowest weed density and biomass of narrow leaf (56.32 and 57.33%), broad leaf (43.53 and 44.77%) and sedges (56.54 and 57.77%), were recorded with ZTFR over CT. However, ZTAR and ZT were found to be at par with respect to weed dynamics. At 30 days after sowing (DAS), weed dynamics followed the trend; ZTFR>ZTAR>ZT>CT. In early planted wheat (25-October), lowest weed dynamics (density and biomass) were observed, whereas, it was highest with 15-November planting. Lower weed density and biomass was recorded in 25-October planting (24.88 and 23.29% respectively) than 15-November planting. ZT along with residue improved the yield attributes (effective tillers, no. of grains/spike, spike length and 1000-grain weight) and followed the trend of ZTFR>ZTAR>ZT>CT. However, early planting (25-October) resulted in significantly higher yield attributes over normal planting and being at par with 5-November. ZTFR recorded significantly higher grain and straw yield (5.08 and 7.05 t /ha respectively) and economic returns (Rs. 63520/ha) with a B:C ratio of 2.48 than rest of the management options. At early sowing, ZTFR recorded maximum and significantly higher yields (Grain and straw; 4.91and 7.17 t/ha respectively) and economic returns (Rs. 61004/ha) with a B:C ratio of 2.40 than at normal sowing. The maximum grain yield (5.41 t/ha) was recorded with ZTFR sown on 25-October.This study revealed that early ZT planting of wheat with residue retention may help in harnessing the full production potential of the crop under north-western Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP).

Mushrooms are cosmopolitan heterotrophic organisms that are quite specific in their nutritional a... more Mushrooms are cosmopolitan heterotrophic organisms that are quite specific in their nutritional and ecological requirements. They are among the most relished food commodities among a number of nonconventional foodstuffs primarily because of their unique flavor and texture. Wild edible mushrooms have been collected and consumed by people since thousands of years. Mushrooms have been exploited commercially the world over. In India due to its diverse climatic conditions, many types of mushrooms are found in the wild. The knowledge of their historical uses as food, medicine, a source of income, and for small-scale businesses and the sociological impacts (myth, culture, and spirituality) are apparently threatened due to slow ethnomycology-research drive.