The existing twin wheel weeder was designed to minimize the high drudgery, time and high labor force required for the weeding. Modification of weeder was done to operate with adjustable height/length of rod, and to facilitates assembling and disassembling in less time to move very easily from one place to another. The modified weeder is tested on the field for weeding efficiency, field efficiency, soil mass manipulation, plant injury and compared with the existing twin wheel weeder. The moisture content of the testing field was found 19.3 % (w.b). Soil mass manipulation was found better in modified twin wheel weeder 3276 cm3 than the existing one (2700 cm3). It was 90.9% for modified weeder where as 86.67 % for the existing twin wheel weeder. It was 7.01% and 9.25% for modified twin wheel weeder and existing twin wheel weeder respectively. Field efficiency founed 88.33 % and 85.29 % respectively for modified and existing twin wheel weeder. The modified twin wheel weeder was found easy to transport from one place to another due to adjustable accessories.

Development of an improved twin wheel weeder

<div style="text-align:justify">Background: Weeds are one of major threats to crop yield and quality. Weeds compete with cane crop and reduce the yield significantly in a very short period. Planned use of all available farm resources leads to integrated control strategy. The current study aimed to study the use of inter row rotary weeder for integrated weeds management to control population dynamics of weeds in sugarcane crop. The objective of experiment is to find out economical, feasible and easy to use approach to minimize the weed density below the threshold level in sugarcane crop and to minimize the use of chemicals for weeds control to promote organic farming. Methods: In this research experiment, at Sugarcane Research Institute, Faisalabad during 2017 and 2018, the treatment includes viz. Application od Click (atrazine and acetochlor) @ 3.75 Liter per hectare as Pre-emergence, Ametryn + Atrazine 80 W.P @ 2.50 kg per hectare as post-emergence, Machanical Inter-culture with Rotary weeder and cultivator plough and earthing up. These treatments in different combinations were compared with control. Result: The application of Pre-emergence weedicide Click (atrazine and acetochlor) @ 3.75 Liter per hectare + Inter culture with Rotary weeder 50 days after planting (DAP) + Inter culture with cultivator plough before earthing up (100 DAP) produced significantly higher cane yield of 105 t. ha-1 and highest net benefits per hectare of Rs. 156250/-. The lowest cane yield of 70 t. ha-1 was noted from the experimental units with Weedy check / control. If farmers use this approach, the use of post emergence weedicides will be minimized and will encourage organic farming with safe and healthy environment.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Valuation of Weed Control Methods by using Inter Row Rotary Weeder in Sugarcane Crop</div>

Background: Clusterbean is one of the most important crop of arid and semi-arid region of India. It is mainly grown for vegetable, manure, fodder and seed purpose. Seeds of clusterbean contain galactomann (stored in endosperm) which has industrial uses, thus making it the major cash earner crop. Various biotic and abiotic stresses affects the crop during its growth stages. Among biotic stresses, weeds are the major one affecting the crop growth and yield. Due to initial slow growth of the clusterbean intense crop-weed competition takes place upto 20-30 DAS and if weeds are not managed properly there will be a severe yield reduction. Under Haryana conditions only manual weeding is recommended which is time consuming and expensive hence there is need to exploit other methods of weed control. Therefore, present study was conducted to study the effect of mechanical methods of weed management on growth, yield and economics of clusterbean. 
 
Methods: A field experiment was conducted during kharif season 2018 to study the effect of mechanized weed management practices on growth, yield and economics of clusterbean at Regional Research Station, Bawal (Rewari), CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar. Experiment was performed in randomized block design with ten treatments and three replication. 
 
Result: It was found that among various weed management practices, two mechanized weeding with power weeder at 20 DAS and 35 DAS under 60 cm row spacing resulted in significantly higher plant height, leaf area index, dry matter accumulation, seed yield and its attributes in comparison to other treatments and it was statistically at par with mechanized weeding at 20 DAS and 35 DAS with tractor drawn cultivator. The weeding with tractor drawn cultivator was found to be most economical with maximum net returns (Rs. 36076 ha-1) and B:C (2.37) in comparison to other treatments followed by weeding with power weeder that fetched net return of Rs. 35868 ha-1 with B:C of 2.25. Therefore, two times interculture with power weeder or tractor drawn cultivator found beneficial and economical for farmers.

Growth, Yield and Economics of Rainfed Clusterbean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) as Influenced by Various Mechanized Weed Management Practices

Background: India faces a critical shortage of farm labour. Out of basic farming operations, weeding operations are not fully mechanized in India. Traditional weed control methods are tedious, labour-intensive and costly. 
 
Methods: The objective of this study was to develop a prototype of an autonomous weeder for inter and intra-row weeding. The materials were used include a DC motor operating on electric rechargeable batteries, a camera for taking photographs of the intra-row space, an inter-and intra-row weeding tool assembly, a Raspberry Pi to deploy a machine learning object detection model to detect weeds and crops, to control a motor and to control an intra-row weeding tool through the pneumatic actuator. While the intensive image dataset was prepared from a cultivated spring onion farm on a test soil bin over the University campus, moreover the small-sized YOLOv8n model worked accurately on the Raspberry Pi. 
 
Result: YOLOv8n achieved a mean average precision (mAP) of 0.85 at the Intersection of the Union (IoU) threshold of 50%. The results indicated that the prototype removed both types of weeds with an overall weeding efficiency of 86%, crop damage of 4%, a field capacity of 0.023 hectares per hour and a performance index 1726.26 using 0.11 horsepower. It was concluded that the study contributed a spring onion-weed dataset and a Weeding Agrobot prototype to test the described concept, which would help farmers reduce labour dependency and the cost of cultivation. 
&nbsp;

Development of a Weeding Agrobot Prototype for Inter-row and Intra-row Weeding

Background: Now a days chemical control measures alone develops resistance in different weed species. Integrative weed management techniques are more effective and sustainable than chemical management. Based on these facts, a field experiment was conducted during kharif, 2019 and 2020 at Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya to investigate the impact of integrative weed management treatments on growth attributes, yield attributes, yield, weed indices and economics of paddy.

Methods: The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with four replications. In each replication, five integrated weed management treatments were done namely, pretilachlor + paddy weeder (P1), pyrazosulfuron followed by metsulfuron methyl + chlorimuron ethyl (P2), bispyribac sodium + paddy weeder (P3), completely no weed (P4) and No treatment (P5).

Result: Among the chemical and integrative weed control options, bispyribac sodium + paddy weeder i.e., treatment P3 showed significantly better results than others in case of all the growth attributes and yield attributes except 1000-grain weight. Significantly higher grain yield than all other treatments were recorded in treatment P4 i.e., complete weed free (6.68 t ha-1) followed by treatment P3 i.e., bispyribac sodium + paddy weeder (6.54 t ha-1). Among all the treatments, weed indices like weed control index (80.17, 72.30 and 82.51% at 30, 45 and 60 DAT, respectively) and weed control efficiency (76.48, 79.01 and 80.79% at 30, 45 and 60 DAT, respectively) showed highest results on all the dates whereas weed persistence index at 90 DAT (0.91) and weed index (2.10%) were calculated lowest in treatment P3 i.e., bispyribac sodium + paddy weeder after treatment P4 i.e., completely no weed treatment. This study also indicated rice treated with P4 i.e., weed free showed highest gross return (₹116700 ha-1) and rice treated with P3 i.e., bispyribac sodium at 15 DAT + paddy weeder at 30 DAT showed highest net return (₹59269 ha-1) and benefit:cost (2.07).

Effect of Different Integrative Weed Management Tactics on Paddy (Oryza sativa L.) during kharif in terai Region of West Bengal

Background: Rural women play a critical role in agricultural operations, often engaging in labor-intensive tasks like weed control, which imposes significant physical strain and limits their participation in other productive activities. The lack of access to mechanized tools exacerbates this drudgery, impacting both productivity and well-being. This study focuses on evaluating the efficacy of mechanized weed management tools, particularly cycle weeders developed by TNAU and CRIDA, in reducing the physical burden of weeding for women in Guntur District andhra Pradesh. By addressing drudgery through improved technologies, the study aims to promote sustainable and gender-inclusive agricultural practices. 
&nbsp; 
Methods: The study employed a quasi-experimental design to compare the drudgery levels associated with traditional weeding methods and mechanized alternatives, such as the TNAU and CRIDA cycle weeders. A sample of 30 rural women, randomly selected from villages adopted by the KVK, participated in the study. The Drudgery Index was utilized as the primary assessment tool to quantify the physical strain experienced during weeding activities. Data collection included both pre- and post-intervention assessments, with observations and feedback gathered to evaluate changes in perceived drudgery and productivity levels. 
&nbsp; 
Result: The findings revealed that both the TNAU and CRIDA cycle weeders significantly reduced the drudgery levels compared to traditional weeding methods. Participants reported improved efficiency, lower physical strain and enhanced productivity after adopting the mechanized tools. Despite the limitations of a small sample size and restricted geographical scope, the results highlight the potential of these interventions to alleviate the physical burden on rural women. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating mechanized tools in agricultural practices to enhance sustainability and support gender-inclusive development. 
&nbsp;

Empowering Rural Women - Drudgery Reduction Through Mechanized Weed Management in Guntur District

<div>State Agricultural Universities&nbsp;(SAUs), in India, have adopted the U.S. land-grant model to meet its goals. They are autonomous organisations with state-wide responsibility for agricultural education, research and extension education. Through teaching, research and extension activities the 64 SAUs across 28 states of India are significantly contributing to agricultural production and productivity of their respective states directly and therefore to the rural development. SAUs rural development strategies include technologies and innovations, extension and human resource development. Regional Agricultural Research Stations in various agro-climatic zones have strengthened research-extension-farmer (REF) linkages. KVKs under administrative control of SAUs serve as farm science centres of their respective districts. In this paper, the rural development approaches of Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur Andhra Pradesh is detailed. Furthermore, strategic planning by the SAUs to increase their effectiveness for direct rural development should be sustained.</div>

​Strategic Role of Indian State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) in Rural Development: A Review

<div style="text-align: justify;">The aim of this study was to detect the levels of calcium(Ca), phosphorus(P), iron(Fe), copper(Cu), manganese(Mn), zinc(Zn) and selenium(Se) in the Tibetan pigs (&gt;6-months-old) in Nyingchi Region(Tibet Autonomous region, P.R.China) in 2016, to discover abnormal contents of several macro- and microelements of Tibetan pigs. Liver tissue and whole blood samples were analyzed for Ca, P, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, and Se content by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The measured values were compared with reported values to discover any mineral imbalances of the Tibetan pigs. Whole blood and hepatic contents of calcium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc and selenium were significantly lower, and the phosphorus content significantly higher, than the reported values in pig bodies. The iron content in Tibetan pig liver in spring was as low as 235.50 &plusmn; 65.54 mg/kg, and the phosphorus content as high as 1537.75 &plusmn; 194.07mg/kg; significant differences were found compared to other seasons (P &lt; 0.05). The results indicate that mineral deficiency and imbalance was widespread in Tibetan pigs and there were seasonal effects.</div>

Seasonal variation of Ca, P, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, and Se contents in Tibetan pigs&nbsp; &nbsp;

Rice is a staple food for more than half of the world&rsquo;s population. World rice production nearly doubled since the 1960s to the 1980s, mainly due to the green revolution. A major issue with the traditional system of paddy production, particularly green revolution technology is input intensive and favors cash rich farmers. Increasing prices of agricultural inputs prevent poor farmers from completely adopting modern production technologies. Water demand by rice farmers were also continue increasing under such circumstances, any strategy that could produce higher rice yields with less water and less expenditure is the need of the day. Under such circumstances the system of rice intensification (SRI) method was suitable and followed by the farmers. System of rice intensification is a method for increasing the productivity of rice cultivation while at the same time reducing inputs, including seeds and fertilizers, and water requirements. The present study was conducted in Ormanjhi block of Ranchi district, to study the socio-economic profile of paddy growers, perception and constraints confronted by paddy growers under SRI method of paddy cultivation. Study revealed that the major constraints in SRI production were lack of awareness, scarcity of skilled labour, nursery management, and drudgery in cono-weeder uses. The major perception regarding SRI method of paddy cultivation were &nbsp;low demand of water, higher yield, remuneration from government, low seed requirement, low costs of input uses. &nbsp;

A socioeconomic study on pros &nbsp;and cons of &nbsp;SRI method of paddy cultivation in ormanjhi block of Ranchi district, Jharkhand 
&nbsp;

Background: Today, India is the world&rsquo;s largest and fastest growing market for milk and milk products. Yoghurt (also spelled &ldquo;yogurt&rdquo; or &ldquo;yoghourt&rdquo;) has been a part of the human diet for several millennia and goes by many names throughout the world. Yoghurt is a coagulated milk product obtained by specific lactic acid fermentation, through the action of L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus. In recent years, yoghurt has become a popular carrier for incorporating the probiotic species, L. acidophilus and B. bifidium. The carbohydrate content of yoghurt is easily absorbed by even lactose maldigestors which makes it a valuable adjunct to any healthy diet. Presence of &alpha;-D-galactosidase activity in pro-biotic yoghurt indicates its suitability for lactose-intolerant infants. Yoghurt is considered by most regulatory agencies worldwide to be a fermented milk product that provides digested lactose and specifically defined, viable bacterial strains, typically Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. 
 
Methods: The experiment was conducted in the laboratory of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, at Udai Pratap (Autonomous) College, in Varanasi. The Plain and Strawberry flavoured Yoghurt samples were tested and statistically analyzed. The experimental techniques employed during the course of present investigation were done under various stages. 
 
Result: Physical properties of yoghurt are mainly influenced by milk composition and the manufacturing conditions under which it is prepared. Further, variables affecting the physical properties are the heat treatment applied to milk, the protein content, acidity, culture, additives, homogenization, mechanical handling of coagulum and presence of the stabilizers.

Development of an improved twin wheel weeder

Valuation of Weed Control Methods by using Inter Row Rotary Weeder in Sugarcane Crop

Growth, Yield and Economics of Rainfed Clusterbean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) as Influenced by Various Mechanized Weed Management Practices

Development of a Weeding Agrobot Prototype for Inter-row and Intra-row Weeding

Effect of Different Integrative Weed Management Tactics on Paddy (Oryza sativa L.) during kharif in terai Region of West Bengal

Empowering Rural Women - Drudgery Reduction Through Mechanized Weed Management in Guntur District

Strategic Role of Indian State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) in Rural Development: A Review

Seasonal variation of Ca, P, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, and Se contents in Tibetan pigs

A socioeconomic study on pros and cons of SRI method of paddy cultivation in ormanjhi block of Ranchi district, Jharkhand

Physico-chemical Quality Comparison of Fortified Yoghurt with Strawberry Fruit Juice