<div>Background: Redgram is an important food legume which is largely cultivated under rainfed condition. In India rainfed agriculture contributes 80% of the total pulses production and the projected requirement will be 39 million tons by 2050 which necessitates an annual growth rate of 2.2%. The productivity has to be increased from the present level of 834 kg ha-1 to 1200 kg ha-1. With adoption of suitable agronomic management strategies the productivity could be increased to meet our demand and achieve self sufficiency in production. Hence the current study was carried out to increase the productivity of redgram under rainfed condition. 
 
Methods: Field experiment was conducted in farmer&rsquo;s field in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu during North East Monsoon season of 2019 to study the effect of improved agronomic manipulations on growth and yield of redgram under rainfed ecosystem. Agronomic management approaches viz., nipping of primary branches at 45 and 60 days after receipt of soaking rain, high density planting at 30 cm &times; 30 cm in addition to recommended spacing of 60 cm &times; 30 cm and foliar application of 1% PPFM spray were compared with farmer&rsquo;s practice in the redgram variety Co (RG) 7. Pre monsoon sowing has been taken up and the rainfall received during the cropping period was 521.7 mm received in 31 rainy days. 
 
Result: The field experimental results revealed that adoption of agronomic manipulation at the appropriate stage of the crop has increased the productivity of redgram. Nipping of primary branches at 45th day of the crop significantly increased the total number of productive branches, number of pods plant-1 and recorded the maximum seed yield of 1512 kg ha-1 (72 per cent increase over farmer&rsquo;s practice) under rainfed condition.</div>

<div>Effect of Improved Agronomic Approaches on Growth and Yield of Redgram [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] under Rainfed Ecosystem</div>

Background: Groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.) is one of the most important oilseed crops in India, playing a crucial role in the country&rsquo;s economy. This crop is vulnerable to various insect pests starting from vegetative to maturity phase, of which, the leaf miner Aproaerema modicella (Deventer) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) cause substantial yield loss especially in rainfed groundnut cultivation. Most of the farmers were reluctant to adopt integrated management strategies and prefer to take up only chemical pesticides. Biological control is one of the effective management options since the groundnut ecosystem harbours several biological agents. Natural biocontrol agents including hymenopteran parasitoids like Bracon gelechiae, Goniozus sp., Apanteles sp., Stenomesius japonicus etc. plays a vital role in managing the pest under irrigated ecosystem. Only limited studies were available on the effectiveness of these natural bio-control agents in rainfed ecosystem and hence, present study was focused on the natural parasitization of A. modicella in rainfed groundnut ecosystem. 
&nbsp; 
Methods: The field survey was conducted during Summer and Kharif, 2023 in Nambiyur block, Erode District, Tamil Nadu, India to record the natural parasitization percentage on 10 randomly selected plants at weekly interval. The parasitized larva and pupa of A. modicella were collected and reared under laboratory conditions to record the emergence of parasitoids The natural parasitization was correlated with the weather parameters prevailed during the cropping season. 
&nbsp; 
Result: Bracon sp. has been identified as the major natural enemy of A. modicella under rainfed ecosystem. During Summer 2023, minimum parasitization level of 8.0 per cent was observed in the 12th&nbsp;Standard Mean Week (SMW) i.e., second fortnight of March. Subsequently, the parasitization levels were increased during Kharif, 2023 with the moderate (18.00%) during 23rd to 30th SMW i.e., June-July and peaked (26.00 %) during 31st&nbsp;to 33rd&nbsp;SMW i.e., July-August months. The correlation analysis results revealed that the maximum temperature (0.768), minimum temperature (0.533), rainfall (0.015) and Sunshine hours (0.483) were positively correlated and Relative humidity (-0.146) was negatively correlated with the per cent parasitization.&nbsp;

Natural Field Parasitization of Groundnut Leaf Miner, Aproaerema modicella (Deventer) and Influence by Weather Parameters in Rainfed Groundnut Ecosystem

<div style="text-align: justify;">Exploring ecosystem services for environment sustainability is the trending area of research in the field of natural resource management (NRM). Water is an important entity of agro-ecosystem, dryland agriculture greatly suffers due to want of moisture. Bi-cropping is one practice where different crops are grown in proximity to realize various benefits under uncertainties of dryland agriculture. Literacy among multifarious benefits of bi-cropping over monoculture is fairly rich among the researchers as well as growers. However, bio-irrigation is one such co-benefits which address about drought alleviating strategies under bi-cropping practice. In this technique, deep rooted plants suck up water from deep moist sub-soil and deposit part of that sucked water in the upper dry soil layers due to water potential gradient, during this hydraulic lift and redistribution shallow rooted neighboring crops in close proximity gets due benefits of this lifted water in alleviating drought. This is high time to device cropping systems of water limited environment to unlock the potentiality of dryland production units. Based on the published studies Piliostigma reticulatum, Guiera senegalensis, Panicum maximum, Festuca arundinacea and Cajanus cajan were identified as potential bio-irrigator arid agro-ecosystem.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Bio-irrigation: A Drought Alleviation Strategy through Induced Hydro-parasitization under Bi-cropping Practices of Rainfed Agro-ecosystem: A Review</div>

<div style="text-align:justify">Background: Land configuration decides the effectiveness of crop management practices and major land configuration practice includes raised bed preparation, ridges and furrows, broad bed furrows etc. The farmers&rsquo; practice of sowing in flatbed without proper land configuration, leads to poor growth and development of crops. A large portion of crop residues is burnt by the farmers in the fields to clear the left-over straw and stubbles. Conservation agriculture involving crop residue management can give new direction for sustaining productivity. The development issue of rainfed agriculture assumes critical importance in India due to slow growth and its impact on livelihood security of rural poor in India. Changes in crop establishment method in rice have significant implications in performing farm operations like tillage, seedbed preparations, transplanting, weeding and other intercultural operations including water management. The current study aimed to study the BF methods as land configuration including crop residue management in rainfed eco system in direct seeded rice based cropping system. 
 
Methods:&nbsp;In the field experiment during 2016-17 and 2017-18, different size of bed of Broad bed Furrow (BBF) including Flatbed was made manually consisting four replication. After final land preparation the experimental field was divided into four blocks and each block was divided in to six main plots to allocate the six soil moisture conservation practices randomly, for growing summer (direct seeded ahu rice), kharif (green gram) crops. The main plots were again divided in to four sub-plots to allocate the rabi crops randomly following a split-plot design. Incorporation of crop residues was done in the plots as per treatments. 
 
Result: The investigation resulted better performance of both the size of BBF beds as compared to flatbed method in respect of yield attributes and yield of the crops studied. Among the BBF, 60-30 cm size bed showed better than the BBF 120-30 cm size beds. The residue incorporation plots were shown comparatively better result than no residue incorporation treatments. The present study will be a contribution to the study of BBF particularly in pulse crops due to heavy rainfall received during kharif season in Assam.</div>

Influence of Different Moisture Conservation Practices and Crop Sequence on Direct Seeded Rice based Cropping System in Rainfed Ecosystem of Assam, India

<div>An investigation was conducted at Advance Centre for Rainfed Agriculture, Rakh Dhiansar, SKUAST-Jammu during kharif season of 2015. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications. The nine treatments viz. sole blackgram, sole sesame, blackgram + sesame (1 row of sesame in 2 rows of blackgram) additive series, blackgram + sesame (1:1) replacement series, black + sesame (3:1) replacement series, blackgram + sesame (5:1) replacement series, blackgram + sesame (1:3) replacement series, blackgram + sesame (1:5) replacement series and blackgram + sesame (seed mix) were taken for study. The soil of experimental field was sandy loam in texture, slightly acidic in reaction, low in organic carbon and available nitrogen and medium in available phosphorus and potassium. The experimental results revealed that among the different intercropping systems blackgram + sesame (5:1) replacement series recorded highest blackgram equivalent yield (BEY) 7.01 q ha-1 which was statistically at par with blackgram + sesame (3:1) replacement series, blackgram + sesame (1:1) replacement series and blackgram + sesame (1:1) additive series and significantly higher than other intercropping systems. Also blackgram + sesamum (5:1) row ratio gave highest value of land equivalent ratio, aggressivity, area time equivalent ratio, net returns, B:C ratio, energy output, energy use efficiency, net energy return, energy productivity and energy intensity followed by blackgram + sesame (3:1) replacement series.&nbsp;</div>

<div>Production potential and economic feasibility of blackgram (Vigna mungo L.) + sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) intercropping under rainfed ecosystems of Jammu</div>

Background: Adoption of SSNM is directly affected by cost of fertilizer. Soil test crop response (STCR) concept attribute to contribution of soil and targeted yield level for fertilizer recommendation for a selected crop. This approach is also known as prescription based fertilizer recommendations. It is specific type of soil, climatic condition and specific location. Nutrient requirement is differ for different crops. The available soil nutrients efficient used and added to those available soil nutrients through fertilizers is different for different type of soil geography under a particular set of climatic conditions. 
 
Methods: A research experiment was carried out during rabi 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 at Research Farm of Agronomy, Dr. P.D.K.V, Akola (Maharashtra). Fertilizers were applied based on uptake pattern of crop, target yield levels and soil test values. The experiment was laid out in FRBD-Factorial randomized block design with two factors. Total 15 treatment combinations were formed which replication 4 times. 
 
Result: Significantly greater uptake of nitrogen (62.76, 74.67 and 81.89 kg ha-1), phosphorus (19.15, 24.32 and 29.38 kg ha-1), potassium (80.32, 92.14 and 99.18 kg ha-1), sulphur (18.46, 24.10 and 26.03 kg ha-1) and zinc (493.97, 571.01 and 620.91 g ha-1) recorded in treatment where crop supplied with farm yard manure @ 5 t ha-1 than rest of treatments during 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, respectively. A similar trend was observed in respect of soil nutrient status such as available N, P2O5, K2O, S and Zn. Application of fertilizers through soil test crop response equation with zinc sulphate @ 25 kg ha-1 and Sulphur @ 10 kg ha-1 registered maximum total uptake of nitrogen (66.89, 78.99 and 90.06 kg ha-1), phosphorus (20.78, 25.31 and 31.96 kg ha-1), potassium (86.05, 97.99 and 109.09 kg ha-1), sulphur (20.27, 26.39 and 29.80 kg ha-1) and zinc (537.78, 618.06 and 696.21 g ha-1) than rest of nutrient management treatments during three years of field experiment, respectively. The same trend was observed with respect to available N, P2O5, K2O, S and Zn under respective treatment during three years of experimentation.

Estimation of Nutrient Uptake and Available Nutrient Status of Rabi Safflower Through Soil Test Crop Response in Rainfed Ecosystem

<div>Performance of 27 improved groundnut cultivars were assessed for agronomic and physiological traits associated to improve the &nbsp;productivity in degraded acid soils under rainfed hilly ecosystem. The cultivars ICGS- 76 and ICGV-86590 produced significantly (p&lt;0.05) higher pod yield with more than 39% improvement over JL-24. The study also identified five more promising cultivars viz. ICGS-5, TKG-19 A, TG-37-A, GG-11 and GG-21 with 19-38% higher yield over the check. The low productivity of cereals in the acidic and moisture stressed Jhum degraded upland soils of rainfed hilly ecosystem of Eastern Himalayan Region is a major concern for socio-economic improvement of resource poor farmers. Adoption of these cultivars is expected to increase the productivity and net income to a tune of 93.2% without incurring any additional costs to the prevailing production system.&nbsp;</div>

<div>Evaluation of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) Cultivars for Destabilized Ecosystem of North Eastern Hill Region</div>

<div>Ecotoxicology is a relatively new science that helps to protect the existing ecosystem from toxic environmental pollutants. The scientists are working towards prediction, observation, monitoring, risk assessment and prevention from these toxicants and their harmful effects on population, community and ecosystem. It is a multidisciplinary field, which integrates toxicology, chemistry and ecology. Presently the human interventions and chemical production without proper disposal are one of the most responsible factors for presence of harmful pollutants in the biosphere. The toxic chemical may cause detrimental effects like change in behavior pattern of population, reduced growth, physiological and molecular changes and developmental changes ultimately may change the whole exposed ecosystem.&nbsp; Although, ecotoxicologists are facing a lot of problems to predict the effect of a chemical on an individual living population, they are doing a great job to protect our ecosystem.</div>

​Ecotoxicology and Its Impact on Ecosystem: A Review

Background: Wetlands are productive ecosystem with immense potentiality of providing various goods and services. But they are fast depleting due to various natural and anthropogenic causes. Kapla beel is a freshwater wetland located in Barpeta district in the lower Brahmaputra valley of Assam. Area of the Kapla beel has been decreasing over the years. This study shall make an attempt to analyse the causes of land use and land cover changes of Kapla beel of Assam and assess its ecosystem services value changes during the period 1990 to 2022.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: To assess the changes, two Landsat images for the year 1990 and 2022 of Kapla beel were taken from the United State Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Explorer. Land-use change analysis was assessed by comparing the areas occupied by each land use in each period using the ArcGIS software. The dynamicity index is used to calculate the rate of change in land cover. In order to assess the changes in the wetland ecosystem service value due to wetland changes, Benefit Transfer Method is used which involves transferring monetary values of ecosystem services from previous studies. 
 
Result: The valuation of ecosystem services underlines the fact that wetlands are highly productive and economically viable ecosystems. Accounting of ecosystem services provides information about the need for optimal decision -making towards judicious use of wetland resources for their sustenance.

Wetland Changes and Ecosystem Services Valuation of Kapla Beel in Assam

Background: Moth bean is an important dry land crop, requires less water and external input for their cultivation. Even though it has great importance, moth bean cultivation is ignored as minimum attention by the farmers. The major reasons for the low productivity of moth bean was the lack of adoption of improved production technologies and non-availability of high yielding variety seeds, timely guidance from village extension workers. Hence, it is imperative to improve the productivity of moth bean through demonstrations under rain-fed conditions. 
 
Methods: With the aims to improve the livelihood of farmers and crop diversification, the field demonstrations of the moth bean variety TMV 1 with integrated crop management practices were conducted by ICAR- Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Villupuram. To improve the productivity of moth bean and farmers income through field demonstrations with improved production technologies compared to groundnut cultivation as farmers practice under rainfed condition. 
 
Result: Results on package-wise cost (ha-1) for three years average incurred for land preparation Rs. 9300, Seed cost Rs. 2400, weed management Rs. 9000, plant protection Rs. 8500 and harvesting cost was Rs.15000. The cost of plant protection and harvesting costs are same for moth bean and groundnut and remaining costs are varied for both crops. The yield was 1595 kgs.h-1, gross income Rs. 130000, Cost of cultivation Rs. 46,400, net income Rs. 83,700 and benefit-cost ratio Rs. 2.80. The average cost of cultivation for groundnut cultivation (farmers practice) for the three years is Rs. 76,300; gross income Rs. 1,43,000 and net income Rs. 66,700. Hence, moth bean cultivation proved to be better economically than groundnut cultivation in the rainfed ecosystem of Tamil Nadu, contributing to crop diversification and improved livelihood of farming communities.

Moth bean [Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal] as an Alternative Crop to Groundnut in the Rainfed Areas of Northern Parts of Tamil Nadu, India