<div>Background: Belonging to the Boraginacae family, Ehretia asperula Zoll. et Mor., called &ldquo;Xa den&rdquo;, &nbsp;is a precious medicinal plant also known as the &ldquo;cancer tree&rdquo; by the Muong ethnic group in Hoa Binh Province, Vietnam. Xa den has been demonstrated to inhibit the development of malignant tumors, reduce oxidation and enhance the human immune system. This research focused on examining friable callus induction from young stems of Ehretia asperula Zoll. et Mor.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: Samples of Xa den were less than two years old. Young stems with 2 to 6 leaves served as explants for callus induction. Explants placed on autoclaved B5 nutrients incubated at 25oC, in the dark. The testing factors were concentrations of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and Benzyl adenine (BA), types and concentrations of sugars. 
 
Result: Friable callus was induced on B5 medium with 0.4 mg/L of 2,4-D, 0.1 mg/L of BA and 30 g/L of glucose at the highest rate (100%). Additionally, callus grew best after 5 weeks of culture weighing 0.194 g. Friable callus was used as material for cell suspension cultures. After two weeks, the Xa den cell suspension cultures contained single cells and small cell clumps. The liquid medium had changed from dark yellow to light brown.</div>

<div>Effects of Plant Growth Regulators and Sugars on Ehretia asperula Zoll. et Mor. Cell Cultures</div>

Background: Ehretia asperula Zollinger et Moritzi is a medicinal tree abundant in rosmarinic acid, the primary phenolic component, with numerous beneficial biological properties, including antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-allergy, anti-arthritis, asthma and anti-cancer. 
 
Methods: The cell suspension cultures of E. asperula Zollinger et Moritzi derived from the leaf in vitro callus were established in liquid B5 medium added with 0.4 mg/L NAA, 0.1 mg/L BA and 45 g/L glucose. After four weeks, 50 mg/L of chitosan was given to the cell suspension cultures to stimulate rosmarinic acid (RA) production after a 48-hour treatment period. RA content was analyzed using the HPLC and spectrophotometry method after four weeks and 48 hours of chitosan treatment. In addition, the antioxidant capacity of the extracts from E. asperula Zollinger et Moritzi was also tested using DPPH free radical scavenging assay. 
 
Result: The RA content and antioxidant capacity of E. asperula Zollinger et Moritzi&rsquo; extracts from the leaf in vitro &gt; callus derived from the leaf in vitro &gt; field-grown leaf &gt; biomass of cell suspension cultures. These results suggested a strong correlation between RA concentration and antioxidant capacity. The use of E. asperula Zollinger et Moritzi cell suspension cultures with chitosan as an elicitor for RA production and evaluation of antioxidant activity is presented in this study for the first time. Our results suggest that cell suspension cultures and others may be a good source of RA, an antioxidant compound.

Rosmarinic Acid Content and Antioxidant Activity in Ehretia asperula Zollinger et Moritzi Cell Suspension Cultures

<div style="text-align: justify;">Evapotranspiration (ET), an important component of hydrologic cycle, represents energy interaction between hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. As the term indicates, it combines two processes-evaporation and transpiration. Evaporation is a diffusive process which transfers moisture in the form of vapour from the earth surfaces such as wetted soil mass, plant canopy, open water surface and other moist or wet natural surfaces. The transpiration converts liquid water into vapour form from the tissues of various plant parts such as leaf, stem, flowers, and or roots. The ET process serves as significant contributor of moisture back in to the atmosphere. Sun is the ultimate driving force for this process, exposure of the evaporating surface determines the rate of ET. The major sector of water use in the global as well as local scale, the agriculture sector is highly dependent on the concept of ET for irrigation scheduling. ET based irrigation scheduling is getting wider applications as a means to improve water productivity due to rising concern on water conservation. The environmental demand for water regulates the water requirement of the crops. The process is controlled by other factors like amount of ground coverage by the crops and its geometry, growth stage of the plant, nature and characteristics of the ground surface etc., apart from the meteorological parameters. The concept of reference ET gained importance in agricultural water requirement estimation. The present chapter focuses on the basic concepts and developments of ET and reference ET and their applications in the agriculture sector.&nbsp;</div>

Evapotranspiration and agriculture-A review

Background: Integrated management of soil, water and nutrient resources is critical in improving animal feed production sustainably as it is highly resource demanding. Barley is considered as an excellent choice for animal feed owing to its rich nutritional composition, energy content, palatability, versatility and economic feasibility. Implementing sustainable crop management practices that improve soil health as well as enhance water and nitrogen availability is critical for improving crop productivity and ensuring improved animal feed production in these challenging environments. In arid regions with scarce water resources and less fertile soil, an interplay between water availability and nitrogen fertilization plays a significant role in enhancing barley production. Thus adoption of conservation agricultural practices coupled with optimized irrigation and fertilization regime is crucial in establishing sustainable animal feed production in the region. However, much insight is not delivered in the area of interactive effects of irrigation and fertilization with conservational agricultural practices on sustainable intensification of animal feed production in arid and semi-arid lands. The study investigated the interactive effect of tillage, mulching, irrigation and nitrogen application rates on growth and yield performance of barley under Kuwait&rsquo;s environmental conditions. 
 
Methods: The study was conducted at KISR Station for Research and Innovation-KSRI (29.3156&deg;N, 47.8403&deg;E), Kuwait. The effect of tillage and mulching on the growth and yield performance of barley was evaluated under combinations of three different irrigation (100% ETc, 75% ETc&nbsp;and 50% ETc) and fertilization application rates (0 kg/ha, 50 kg/ha and 100 kg/ha). Split-split plot experimental design was employed with three replications to study the effect of different treatments on plant height, number of plants per square meter, spike length, number of spikes per square meter, biomass yield, grain weight, harvest index and residue yield. 
 
Result: Tillage, mulching, irrigation and fertilization application rates imposed a significant interaction effect on barley biomass and grain yield. Minimum tilled plots with mulching under 100% ETc&nbsp;irrigation and 100 kgN/ha recorded the highest biomass and residue yield. For grain yield, minimum as well as conventional tillage with mulching produced the highest value under 100% ETc&nbsp;irrigation and 50 kgN/ha. Highest plant height and number of spikes per square meter was noted in plots with minimum tillage and mulching under 100% ETc&nbsp;irrigation.

Effect of Tillage and Mulching on Growth and Yield Performance of Barley under Different Nitrogen and Irrigation Application Rates

Background: Nitrogen and water are two major limiting factors that affects the growth and yield of barley. Optimization of nitrogen application is crucial in enhancing barley yield and nitrogen use efficiency while minimizing the negative effects of its intense application on human health and the environment. However, the crop yield response to nitrogen application rates differ under different irrigation conditions owing to the complementary relationship between nitrogen and water. Therefore, it is vital to study the impact of different nitrogen application rates on improving barley growth and yield under full as well as deficit irrigation to select the best field management option, thereby enhancing sustainable agriculture. 
 
Methods: The present study investigated the impact of three nitrogen application rates [0 (control), 50 and 100 kgN/ha)] at two irrigation rates corresponding to 100% and 75% crop evapotranspiration (ETc) on the growth, yield and nitrogen use efficiency of barley. Stable isotopic technique was used to determine the nitrogen use efficiency. 
 
Result: The nitrogen application rate enacted a significant impact on plant height, number of plants/m2, number of spikes/m2, biomass yield and nitrogen use efficiency; whereas irrigation rates significantly affected the plant height, number of plants/m2, spike length, number of spikes/m2, biomass yield, grain and straw yield. In addition, a significant interaction between irrigation and nitrogen was observed for all the studied parameters except plant height, spike length, straw yield and total nitrogen uptake. The deficit irrigation 75% ETc with 50 kgN/ha presented the highest nitrogen use efficiency (37.56%), but the total biomass yield was reduced by 37% in comparison to 100% ETc irrigation. Thus irrigation and fertilization combination of 100% ETc with 50 kgN/ha was identified as the best irrigation and fertilization practice producing highest biomass yield, grain yield and straw yield in barley with a nitrogen use efficiency of 20.48%.

Optimizing Nitrogen Fertilization for Barley Crop at Full and Deficit Irrigation in the Arid Region

<div>A field experiment was conducted for three consecutive years 2015-17 during the summer season at the experiment farm of ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur to determine the actual evapotranspiration of clusterbean [Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.] using mini-lysimeter by imposing different levels of irrigation based on cumulative pan evaporation (CPE) 50 mm irrigation at 100, 80, 60 and 40% of CPE. Three year averaged actual crop ET was observed 686, 554, 454 and 340 mm under 100, 80, 60 and 40 % irrigation levels, respectively. The highest crop ET was recorded under 100% followed by 80, 60 and 40 % irrigation levels. However, maximum water productivity (0.35 kg m-3) at 80% irrigation level, while the lowest (0.21 kg m-3) was observed at 40% irrigation level.The results also indicated that to achieve maximum water productivity, crop ET would need to be at least 554 mm and the crop can save 19.2% (132 mm) of water with a compromise in yield reduction by 10.4% (225 kg).</div>

<div>Determination of actual evapotranspiration for summer clusterbean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) using mini-lysimeters in hot arid zone of India</div>

<div>Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of storage time and temperature on the stability of the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of animal meal derived from fish waste collected in the northern central region of Algeria (fisheries of Algiers and Boumerdes). 
&nbsp; 
Methods&nbsp;: The obtained meal sample was stored in the refrigerator, at room temperature and in an oven at 55oC for 7, 15 and 21 days. The analyses were performed at the Laboratoire National de Contr&ocirc;le et Analyse des Produits de la P&ecirc;che et d&rsquo;Aquaculture et de la Salubrit&eacute; des Milieux&nbsp;(L.N.C.A.P.P.A.S.M) in Algiers. 
&nbsp; 
Result: The results on the fresh meal reveal a satisfactory physicochemical composition, with a pH close to neutrality and low humidity, but high levels of ash and fat. After the storage period, it was observed that keeping the flour at low temperatures helped preserve its quality better. However, refrigeration allowed for the stabilization of humidity and lipids, while limiting microbial proliferation. Conversely, high temperatures (55oC) promoted the degradation of nutrients, especially in the case of prolonged storage, thus increasing the risks of lipid oxidation and protein degradation. The microbiological results indicate significant contamination from the outset, particularly from the total aerobic mesophilic flora as well as yeasts and molds. These results underscore the importance of strict control of technological processes to ensure the nutritional and hygienic properties of flour made from fish waste. 
&nbsp;</div>

Impact of Storage Conditions on the Stability of the Physicochemical and Microbiological Characteristics of Animal Feed Made from Fish Waste

Background: This study aimed to determine the direct and indirect effects of various agronomic traits on seed yield in common bean under contrasting conventional and organic cultivation systems using path coefficient analysis. Field experiments were conducted in 2021 at the research and trial area of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University. 
 
Methods: Common bean genotypes were grown under conventional and organic management systems using, a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Seed yield (SY) and ten related traits-emergence time (ET), plant height (PH), stem diameter (SD), first pod height (FPH), pod length (PL), pod width (PW), pods per plant (PPP), seeds per pod (SPP), 100-seed weight (HSW) and biomass yield (BY)-were measured. 
 
Result: Correlation coefficients were calculated and path analysis was performed separately for each system to partition correlations into direct and indirect effects on seed yield. Correlation analysis revealed differing significant associations between traits under the two systems. Path analysis identified distinct pathways influencing seed yield. In the conventional system, Emergence Time (ET) exhibited the largest positive direct effect (P=1.143) on seed yield, indicating the importance of rapid establishment. However, Pods per Plant (PPP) showed a strong negative direct effect (P=-1.359), while 100-Seed Weight (HSW) also had a notable negative direct effect (P=-0.337). In contrast, under the organic system, Pods per Plant (PPP) exerted the strongest positive direct effect (P=0.567) on seed yield, followed by biomass yield (BY) (P=0.428) and emergence time (ET) (P=0.473). First pod height (FPH) showed the most substantial negative direct effect (P=-0.487) in the organic system. The influence of PPP on seed yield was notably contrasting, shifting from strongly negative under conventional management to strongly positive under organic conditions. The study highlights that the mechanisms determining seed yield in common bean differ significantly between conventional and organic systems. While rapid emergence was paramount in the conventional system, maximizing pods per plant was the key driver under organic conditions, alongside biomass accumulation. These system-specific yield determination pathways suggest that breeding programs and agronomic management strategies should be tailored to the target cultivation environment (conventional or organic) to optimize common bean seed yield.

System-specific Determinants of Seed Yield in Common Bean: Insights from Conventional and Organic Path Analyses

<div>Background: The goal of this study was to forecast pulse production in six countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan (2020-2027). In this study, time series forecasting was used.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: The data series were divided into training set from 1961 to 2015 for model building, testing set from 2016 to 2019 for validation and finally, after selecting the best model, forecast was used from 2020 to 2027, the models were compared. The best-fit model was chosen based on the minimum ME, RMSE, MAE, MPE, MAPE, MASE, ACF1 values on the training data set and the minimum MAPE values on the testing data set.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The best fitted model for India was NNAR (1,1). Similar to Afghanistan, the best fit model for forecasting was NNAR (3,2). The best fit model for forecasting in China was ARIMA (0,1,1). The best fit model for forecasting in Nepal was ARIMA (1,1,0). The best fit model for forecasting in Pakistan was ETS (A, N, N) (M, N, N). With a 15.73 per cent growth rate from 2020 to 2027, the best models predict that the production of pulses in (Afghanistan, China, India) will increase until 2027. India will continue to be the largest producer of pulses among the six countries, with production expected to reach 1088.778 thousand tons in 2027. Afghanistan and China have extreme growth rates of 25.19% and 11.95%, respectively, while the rest of the countries have relatively stable production volumes. These results may be crucial for developing an effective agriculture production policy, whether by providing forecasted production values or evaluating such policies.</div>

​Modelling and Forecasting of Pulses Production in South Asian Countries and its Role in Nutritional Security

<div style="text-align: justify;">An experiment entitled &ldquo;Evaluation of CropSyst model for yield and water productivity of chickpea&rdquo; was conducted on farmers field during rabi2012-13 at village Mainawali in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan. The soils of the area are alluvial and calcareous in nature formed under arid and semi arid climate. The soils of site are brown to grayish brown and dark gray in colour, besides being calcareous and slightly alkaline in reaction having 67.7, 11.1 and 21.0 % of sand, clay and silt, respectively in 0-15 cm soil depth with pH 8.09 and low soil organic matter content. The simulated and observed green area index differs with field measurements at all stages. The simulate yield of chickpea were closer to the observed yield. The total water applied in chickpea was 415 mm out of this 356.5 mm consumed in ET. Thus, ET constituted 86% of total water applied and deep drainage constituted 12% and rest 2% stored as residual soil moisture.</div>