<div>Background: Goat semen has phospholipase A enzyme which makes removal of seminal plasma an important step in its preservation. This study was aimed to standardize a centrifugation regime for cryopreservation of Beetal buck semen. 
 
Methods: A total of 36 pooled semen ejaculates were used for the experiment where initially 27 pooled ejaculates were utilized to find out the best time period out of 5, 8 and 11 minutes for each g-force viz., 700 x g, 1100 x g and 1400 x g using 9 pooled ejaculates per g-force. The remaining 9 pooled ejaculates were employed to find out the best centrifugation regime amongst the best time period for each g-force (8 minutes for 700 x g, 8 minutes for 1100 x g and 5 minutes for 1400 x g). 
 
Result: The percentage of sperm motility, live sperm, intact acrosome and HOST-reacted sperm differed significantly (P&lt;0.0001) between time periods at 700 x g, 1100 x g and 1400 x g. The sperm parameters were significantly (P&lt;0.05) higher at 1400 x g for 5 minutes and 1100 x g for 8 minutes than at 700 x g for 8 minutes. In conclusion, adoption of a high centrifugation force for a short duration of time for washing could improve the quality of frozen spermatozoa.</div>

Effect of Centrifugation Regime on Cryopreservation of Beetal Buck Semen

Our experiment demonstrated an extension of Percoll&reg; Density Gradient Centrifugation to use as a selection tool for sperm sexing developed for dairy farmer. We develop a simple protocol for bovine sperm sexing and used for artificial insemination (AI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) for embryo transfer (ET). The quality of sperm after centrifugation in each layer were significantly different (P &lt;0.01). There was no significant difference between percentage of live sperm after centrifugation and fresh sperm before centrifugation (P &gt;0.05). The phenotype and swimming capacity of sperms in each layer were significantly different (P &lt; 0.01). It was found that the most appropriate sperm in the layer after centrifugation and after quinacrine staining was between 65-70% Percoll&reg;. X-bearing spermatozoa at this layer was 60.75% and motility was 95.86&plusmn;0.46%. &nbsp;After insemination, the pregnancy ratio in the experiment was 40% which is similar to the percentage of normal AI. The number of female offspring in the experiment was 71.4% in selected sperm vs 50% in non-selected sperm AI. In the In Vitro fertilization experiment, sperm from our 7 layer Percoll&reg; gradient concentration can fertilize and produce blastocyst embryo successfully. The simple 7 layer Percoll&reg; gradient concentration protocol is appropriate for dairy farmer to do as a pre-AI step to increase their female offspring in their herd. &nbsp;

Practical use of percoll density gradient centrifugation on sperm sex determination in commercial dairy farm in Thailand&nbsp;

<div>Background: During rabi / summer irrigation water is a scarce resource, but crop needs more water due to non-rainy season and warmer climate. Hence, a field experiment was conducted during rabi / summer season of 2016-17 to study the effect of irrigation water regimes on water use efficiency (WUE) of groundnut genotypes in Northern Transition Zone of Karnataka.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: This field study comprised of four main plots as water regimes viz. I1: (control) seven irrigations at 15 days interval from sowing to 105 DAS, I2: Stress at pegging stage; withdrawal of one irrigation between 45 - 60 DAS, I3: Stress at pegging and pod filling stage; withdrawal of two irrigations between 45-75 DAS, I4: Stress at pegging, pod filling and kernel development stage; withdrawal of four irrigations from 45-105 DAS and four genotypes as sub plots viz. G1: Dh-86, G2: Dh-101, G3: K-9 and G4: G2-52. Treatments were replicated thrice and laid out in split plot design.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Among the water regime, I2 recorded significantly higher WUE (6.2 kg ha-1 mm-1) followed by I1 (control; 5.5 kg ha-1 mm-1). Water regime I2 also recorded significantly higher pod yield and haulm yield (2,857 kg ha-1 4,648 kg ha-1, respectively) along with other yield attributes, but was found at par with control (I1). This study showed that WUE as well as yield of rabi / summer groundnut can be enhanced if crop was exposed only to mild stress by skipping an irrigation at pegging stage out of total seven irrigations. Among the genotypes, Dh-86 with 2,375 kg ha-1 of pod yield performed significantly better over others like Dh-101 (2,215 kg ha-1), K-9 (2,048 kg ha-1) and G2-52 (1,880kg ha-1) suggesting differential response to moisture stress, thus choice of moisture stress tolerant genotypes is equally important to enhance WUE. Interaction between irrigation regime and genotypes showed that Dh-86 (G1) with I2 irrigation regime recorded significantly higher WUE (6.9 kg ha-1 mm-1), pod yield (3,168 kg ha-1) and net return (Rs. 95,655 ha-1) and was found at par with full irrigation regime (I1).&nbsp;</div>

<div>Effect of Moisture Regimes on Water use Efficiency of Rabi / Summer Groundnut Genotypes in Northern Transition Zone of Karnataka</div>

<div>Background: Groundnut crop grown during Rabi / summer experiences moisture stress, thus irrigation is must. However, water for irrigation gets scarce during summer month hence it becomes important to choose stress tolerant varieties and optimize irrigation schedule without compromising the yield. 
 
Methods: A field experiment with four rabi / summer groundnut genotypes (G1: Dh-86, G2: Dh-101, G3: K-9 and G4: G2-52) exposed to four irrigation regimes (I1: 7 irrigations at 15 days interval from sowing to 105 DAS as control, I2: withdrawal of one irrigation between 45 - 60 DAS i.e., pegging stage, I3: withdrawal of two irrigations between 45-75 DAS i.e., at pegging and pod filling stage, I4: withdrawal of four irrigations from 45-105 DAS i.e., at pegging, pod filling and kernel development stage) was carried out from December to April of 2016-17 on black cotton soils at AICRP on Groundnut UAS, Dharwad. 
 
Result: Among the genotypes tested, Dh-86 recorded significantly higher pod yield (2,376 kg ha-1) followed by Dh-101 (2,215 kg ha-1) and K-9 (2,048 kg ha-1), whereas G2-52 gave the lowest yield (1,880kg ha-1) and all of them performed well at I1 and I2 irrigation regimes. Among different water regimes, I1 (i.e., control) recorded significantly taller plants, higher LAI, more branches and higher dry matter at harvest as compared to other irrigation regimes, hence it also recorded significantly higher pod yield and haulm yield (2,870 and 4,691 kg ha-1, respectively), but was found at par with I2, i.e., crop stressed only at pegging stage (2,858 and 4,648 kg ha-1, respectively). This suggests that, at the most, one irrigation can be skipped at pegging stage without compromising on yield.</div>

<div>Effect of Water Regimes on the Growth of and Yield of Rabi / Summer Groundnut Genotypes in Northern Transition Zone of Karnataka</div>

<div>Background: Potassium fertilization shows beneficial effect on formation of tomato vegetative biomass and productivity. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which split potassium application and seedling temperature regime affects the growth parameters (leaf number, leaf area, fresh leaf weight and LAI) and yield of various tomato cultivars. 
 
Methods: A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of single dose and split potassium fertilization treatments, cultivar specifics and seedling temperature regime on growth parameters and yield of tomato. Ten high yielding classic round shape tomato cultivars with determinate growth habitat were planted on Fluvisol. Single and split potassium fertilization treatments were tested.&nbsp; 
 
Result:&nbsp;The seedlings growth temperature regime and splitting the potassium fertilization treatment did not have a significant effect on the development of leaf biomass in tomato plants. Results revealed that leaf number, leaf area, fresh leaf weight and LAI of tomato plants was significantly affected by the cultivar genetic factor. Tomato yield were significantly affected by cultivars and split potassium fertilization treatments. Cultivars that measured the highest leaf area, fresh leaf weight and LAI and were also the highest yielding ones. A positive correlation between LAI and tomato fruit yield was observed.</div>

Effects of Potassium Fertilization, Cultivar Specifics and Seedling Temperature Regime on Growth Parameters and Yield of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

<div>Background: Livestock plays a significant role in Indian economy. Cattle population in India is higher (192.6 million), whereas the productivity is not. Quality fodder has to be supplied rather than costly concentrate feeds to reduce cost of production. Water being the important input of agriculture, its per capita availability (1829 m3) is reducing gradually. To improve the use efficiency drip irrigation is preferable rather than flood irrigation. Fertigation improves nutrient delivery and uptake in plants. Bajra Napier hybrid is a multicut perennial fodder grass grown in arid and semiarid region with high biomass yield. 
 
Methods: Experiment was conducted at college farm of Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai to study the growth and yield response of Bajra Napier under different irrigation regimes and fertigation levels. The treatments were laid out in split plot design, with three irrigation regimes in main plot and six fertigation treatments in sub plot.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The combination of 100% ETc with 100% RDF of NPK applied as water soluble fertilizer recorded higher morpho-physiological characters such as plant height, number of tillers and leaves per clump, leaf area index and green fodder yield, during the first two harvests. This might be due to more water availability at 100% ETc which lead to more water and nutrient uptake from the soil, In addition to that water soluble fertilizer at 100% RDF has more nutrient ratio and solubility. Positive correlation was observed between the growth parameters and green fodder yield, As the source and sink are the same in fodder crops.</div>

Growth and Yield Response of Bajra Napier Hybrid under Different Irrigation Regimes with Fertigation Levels and Sources

<div>Background: Growth and yield characteristics of genotypes depend on genetic and environmental factors. Among the different production factors, varietal selection at any location plays an important role. Proper crop management depends on the growth characteristics of various varieties to get maximum benefit from new genetic material. Among the different water- saving irrigation methods in rice, the most widely adopted is alternate wetting and drying (AWD). Many of the rice cultivars vary in their performance under different systems of cultivation. 
 
Methods: A field experiment was conducted on a clay loam soil at Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Telangana during the kharif seasons of 2017 and 2018. to study the &ldquo;productivity and water use efficiency of rice cultivars under different irrigation regimes and systems of cultivation&rdquo; The treatments consisted of two irrigation regimes Alternate wetting and drying and Saturation as main plot treatments, three establishment methods System of Rice Intensification (SRI), Drum Seeding (DS) and Normal transplanting (NTP) as sub plot treatments and four Cultivars namely DRR Dhan 42, DRR Dhan 43, MTU-1010 and NLR-34449 as sub-sub plot treatments summing up to 24 treatment combinations laid out in split-split plot design with three replications. 
 
Result: At 60, 90 DAS/DAT and harvest significantly dry matter production (DMP) was recorded with DRR Dhan 43 cultivar (607, 4320 and 11548 kg ha-1 respectively in pooled means of both 2017 and 2018) than other cultivars. Whereas MTU-1010 and NLR-34449 recorded on par dry matter production values at all the crop growth stages during both the years of study. However, DRR Dhan 42 produced the lowest dry matter production compared to other genotypes. DRR Dhan 43 recorded higher dry matter accumulation (g m-2) in root, stem and leaves at all the crop growth stages, during both the years of the study over other cultivars. Alternative wetting and drying method of irrigation recorded significantly higher DMP at all the growth stages of rice (60, 90 DAS/DAT and at harvest) except at 30 DAS/DAT during both 2017 and 2018 as compared to saturation. SRI recorded significantly higher DMP as compared to normal transplanting; however, it was comparably at par with drum seeding at all the growth stages.</div>

<div>Dry Matter Production and Partitioning in Different Plant Parts of Rice Cultivars under Irrigation Regimes and Systems of Cultivation</div>

<div>Background: Soil compaction adversely affects mechanical and water transmission characteristics, thus hampering crop growth and productivity. However, under coarse-textured soils, compaction to a certain extent is beneficial concerning restricting water transmission, increasing water retention and improving productivity. The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of compaction and irrigation on soil physical characteristics and productivity of summer moongbean. 
 
Methods: A field study was conducted on summer moongbean for two years in loamy sand soil at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India. The treatments comprised three compaction levels i.e. no roller pass (C0), one roller pass (C1) and three roller pass (C3) in main plots and in subplots three irrigation regimes (I0.4, I0.6 and I0.8) with three replicates. Observations included soil bulk density and infiltration rate; seed emergence count, growth traits, yield and yield attributes. 
&nbsp; 
Result: Soil bulk density of 5-10 cm depth increased from 1.53 at C0 to 1.62 Mg m-3 at C3. However, infiltration rate of water in soil decreased to 38% with an increase in compaction level from C0 to C3. Seed emergence count was deleteriously affected with increasing compaction level but at 15 DAS, it increased by 33 and 42% at C1 and C3 levels under I0.8 regime as compared to I0.4. Plant height was also minimal at C3 irrespective of irrigation regimes. Compaction reduced the root length density in the surface layers but it increased in the sub-surface layers. Grain and straw yield increased by 15 and 13%, respectively in C1 over C3. An increase in irrigation regimes from I0.4 to I0.8, increased the mean straw and grain yield from 5.10 to 6.10 t ha-1 and 1.13 to 1.32 t ha-1 respectively. However, the irrigation water productivity decreased with an increase in irrigation frequency. These result suggest that compaction up to one roller pass with I0.8 irrigation regime can be beneficial for enhancing grain yield of summer moongbean in loamy sand soil.&nbsp;</div>

<div>Effect of Compaction and Irrigation Regimes on Soil Physical Characteristics, Emergence, Growth and Productivity of Summer Moongbean</div>

<div>Background: Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) ranks fourth in terms of worldwide production. The states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Gujarat accounted for more than 80 per cent share in total production; India ranks second, next to China in global production of potato. Potato crop is extremely sensitive to the deficit or surplus moisture and requires an optimum amount of irrigation at frequent intervals for its proper growth. Phosphorus (P) is an element that is potatoes require in large amounts following Nitrogen and Potassium, P application rates influence on the P efficiency for tuber yield and P uptake. 
 
Methods: In field study, total 36 treatment combinations consisting of three moisture regimes as main plot treatment and 12 combinations of two levels of FYM, three levels of P, carriers as sub-plot treatments evaluated in split plot design with three replications using potato variety Kufri pukhraj as test crop.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Among different moisture regimes tested, the treatment receiving maintenance of moisture between 100 and 75 per cent availability at 0-30 cm soil depth (W1) gave significantly higher plant height (52.24 cm), number of tubers per plant (6.74), total tuber yield (335.74 q/ha) and haulm yield (16.64 q/ha) during pooled results. Combinations of FYM and levels of P carriers tested, the treatment combinations FYM and application of P @ 180 kg P2O5/ha in the form of MAP(P3S1M1) showed significantly higher plant height (50.04 cm), tuber per plant (6.87), total tuber yield (323.98 q/ha) and haulm yield (17.16 q/ha) gave during pooled results.</div>

​Effect of Moisture Regimes, FYM and Levels of Phosphorus Carriers on Growth, Yield Attributes and Yield by Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

<div>Background: Elevated temperature and water stress are the key limiting factors affecting the kidney bean yield. Climate change is projected to enhance these risks for successful crop production. However quantified information, which is limited, on temperatures stress at various growth phases in combination with water regimes, becomes important for optimizing management decisions for higher productivity of kidney bean. The current study is aimed to fill this gap. 
&nbsp; 
Methods: A field experiment was conducted during January-April 2020, to investigate the effect of irrigation and temperature regimes on growth parameters and yield of kidney bean. Temperature treatments imposed were elevated temperature for entire crop period i) ~4.6&deg;C ii) ~3.1&deg;C iii) ~2.8&deg;C above mean ambient (19.6&deg;C), iv) ambient temperature Tmax and Tmin regime of 25.9/13.4&deg;C (mean 19.6&deg;C), v) elevated temperature during pre-flowering phase (~3.7&deg;C above mean ambient during that period, 19.6&deg;C), vi) flowering phase (~5.3&deg;C above mean ambient during that period, 23.1&deg;C) and pod-filling phase (~5.2&deg;C above mean ambient during that period, 28.9&deg;C). These were combined with i) two irrigations (applied at sowing and seedling phase) and ii) three irrigations (additional irrigation at pod-filling phase). 
 
Result: Elevated temperature regimes led to shortening of the crop duration. LAI, NDVI, net photosynthesis and seed yield were higher in plants exposed to continuous elevated temperature. Heat shock during pre-flowering and flowering led to reduction in yield. Despite exposure to elevated temperature, supplemental irrigation led to higher yield. Seed yield loss was greater when temperature stress coincided with water stress. The negative effects of high temperature were significantly curtailed by provision of supplemental irrigation.</div>