<div>Background: Broomrape (Orobanche crenata Forsk.) is a major threat to faba bean and an important danger parasite. An intercropping is a necessity to curb the spread and progress of the parasite before it leads to much more economic losses. The current study was aimed to evaluate intercropping of fenugreek with faba bean under two plant densities of both crops on broomrape incidence to increase faba bean yield, land usage and economic return in heavy soil infestation of broomrape. 
 
Methods: This study was carried out at Giza Agricultural Research Station (Lat. 30&deg;00&prime;30&Prime; N, Long. 31&deg;12&prime;43&Prime; E, 26 m a.s.l), Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt. During the winter season of 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 seasons, sixteen treatments were the combinations between two ridge widths (60 &ldquo;narrow&rdquo; and 120 cm &ldquo;wide&rdquo;) and six cropping systems (50% faba bean + 50% fenugreek, 100% faba bean + 50% fenugreek, 50% faba bean + 100% fenugreek, 100% faba bean + 100% fenugreek, 50% sole faba bean and 100% sole faba bean), as well as sole plantings of fenugreek under heavy soil infestation of broomrape. A split-plot design with three replicates was used. Ridge widths were assigned in the main plots and cropping systems were arranged in sub plots.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Growing faba bean plants in wide ridges had physical barriers with stamping of the vascular system against the parasite. 50% faba bean + 100% fenugreek had higher soil total phenols in faba bean rhizosphere than the others. Growing 50% faba bean + 100% fenugreek in wide ridges had lower number of spikes per m2 and spikes dry weight per m2, meanwhile, growing 100% faba bean + 100% fenugreek in wide ridges had higher seed yields of both crops per ha, land usage and economic return. Growing two rows of faba bean (100% of sole cropping) in both sides of wide ridge (120 cm width) with four rows of fenugreek (100% of sole cropping) in middle of the ridge could be an integrated control strategy to increase faba bean productivity, land usage and economic return under heavily soil infested of broomrape.</div>

<div>Cropping Systems of Fenugreek with Faba Bean to Reduce Broomrape Infestation&nbsp;</div>

<div>Background: The low yield in groundnut which can be partly attributed to poor land preparation methods necessitated the need for alternative strategy of land preparation that will promote higher productivity in groundnut farming.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: A field experiment was carried out in two separate locations between May and August in 2016 to assess the effect of planting methods on growth and yield of groundnut cultivars. 
 
Result: The results revealed that groundnut crop sown on modified ridges and furrow with narrow furrow planting recorded significantly higher plant height, number of leaves, 50% flowering, yield attributes and yield when compared to other methods of &nbsp;planting &nbsp;All the groundnut cultivars responded positively to all planting methods except those grown on flat surface without beds. However, modified ridges and furrow with narrow furrow planting proved to be the best method. &nbsp;</div>

<div>Effect of Planting Methods on Growth and Yield of Groundnut Cultivars</div>

<div>Background: Pulse require less water than other crops. It plays a significant role in combating soil erosion and degradation. Pulses are the main sources of dietary protein in the vegetarian diet in our country. They preserve soil fertility by biological nitrogen fixation in the soil, as well as being a rich source of protein and thus play a vital role in sustainable agriculture. In Tamil Nadu, the Cauvery Delta Zone (CDZ) has a total land area of 1.45 million ha which is equivalent to 11% of the state area and this zone is the potential zone for pulse cultivation. The cultivation of blackgram faces many problems like water logging and inadequate aeration, which affect the growth and yield in flatbed conditionsadversely. Further the major causes of poor productivity and soil fertility are imbalanced application of nutrients. Hence there is a need to evaluate the appropriate land configuration and nutrient management methods. 
 
Methods: The field experiment was performed at Soil and Water Management Research Institute, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, during the summer seasons of 2018 and 2019 in split plot design with four replications. In main plot three land configuration methods viz., broadcasting seeds and forming ridges (30 cm width), broad bed (100 cm width), flatbed and in sub plot three nutrient management methods viz., control (S1), recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) (S2), RDF+biofertilizers (S3) in a plot size of 40 m2. In all the land configuration methods 30 cm row spacing is adopted. Line sowing is followed in broad bed (M2) and flat bed method (M3). In broadcasting seeds and forming ridges (M1) the seeds will be broadcasted after land preparation and ridges (30 cm) will be formed with ridge former. Uniform seed rate is adopted in all the methods. 
 
Result: Sowing of blackgram in broad beds along with 100% RDF + biofertilizers was found to be superior over flat bed and broadcasting seeds and forming ridges by producing higher grain yield and B:C ratio and achieved the higher productivity and profitability.</div>

​Effect of Land Configuration and Nutrient Management Methods on Growth and Yield of Blackgram (Vigna mungo)

Background: Weed infestation causes serious problem in the corn production and due to limiting land area different planting patterns are required to be adopted to meet the corn demand. A field trail was conducted during spring 2023 and 2024 on agricultural farm of Lovely Professional University, Punjab on &ldquo;The effect of planting patterns and weed control treatments on weed biomass, growth and yield of spring maize (Zea mays L.). 
 
Methods: The study was laid out in split plot design with 3 planting methods i.e. flat planting with single row, flat sowing with paired row and ridge planting as main plots and five weed control treatments that is atrazine + pendimethalin f. b. straw mulching (6t ha-1), pendimethalin + intercropping cowpea f. b. earthing up and straw mulching, inter. dhaincha f. b. earthing up + straw mulching, two hand weeding and unweeded (control) in sub plots with four replications. Variety PMH10 was used is recommended for the spring season under Punjab conditions. 
 
Result: The results indicated that among the planting patterns, the ridge planting produced significantly higher grain yield during both the years as compared to flat sowing with single row and paired row which was due to better growth parameters in ridge sowing. However, the weed biomass was found significantly less in the ridge planting compared to flat planting. Among subplot treatments, the higher grain yield was obtained in treatments that are pendimethalin + intercropping of cowpea f. b. earthing up + straw mulching and intercropping dhaincha f. b. earthing up + straw mulching which were statistically at par with one another during 2023 and 2024 and both treatments were found to be significantly better than all other treatments. The grain yield was significantly less in the unweeded (control) treatment as compared to other treatments. The weed density and biomass was significantly less in the treatments in which mulching was used as compared to two hand weeding and the control treatments.

Effect of Planting Patterns and Weed Control Treatments on Growth and Yield of Spring Maize

<div style="text-align: justify;">A field experiment was conducted to study effect of various land configurations on soil moisture conservation and productivity of pigeonpea at experimental farm of AICRP for dry land Agriculture, V.N.M.K.V., Parbhani during kharif season of 2015 and 2016. Soil of experimental field was medium deep black with low in organic carbon, low in available nitrogen, medium in available phosphorus and high in available potassium.The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three main plot treatments and four sub plot treatments. The gross and net plot sizes are 7.2x5.4m2 and 5.4x3.6m2 respectively. The pigeonpea variety BDN-711 was used for sowing with spacing 90 x 20 cm. The main plot treatments were three land configurations as (L1) broad bed furrow (BBF), (L2) ridges and furrow and (L3) flat bed method. Sub plot treatments were four intercropping systems i.e. (I1) pigeonpea + soybean (2:1), (I2) pigeonpea + green gram (2:1), (I3) pigeonpea + black gram (2:1) and (I4) pigeonpea + cowpea (2:1). It was observed that seed yield of pigeon pea andpigeonpea equivalent yield were significantly affected due to different land configuration and intercropping systems. The highest pigeonpea seed yield (1588 kg ha-1) and pigeonpea equivalent yield (1823 kg ha-1) were obtained with Broad bed furrows (L1) followed by ridges and furrow (L2). Among the intercropping systems, pigeonpea + greengram intercropping system (I2) recorded higher seed yield (1574 kg ha-1) and pigeonpea equivalent yield(1832 kg ha-1).Periodical soil moisture observations in different land configuration considering depth of soil, higher average soil moisture was recorded under broad bed furrow followed by ridges and furrows while lesser was recorded under flat bed sowing.</div>

Productivity and soil moisture conservation studies of pigeon pea based intercropping systems as influenced by different land configurations

Background: Weeds pose a significant biotic threat to the production of rice, hindering its growth and yield. An experimental study was carried out at Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India during the 2023 kharif season to investigate the impact of different planting patterns in relation to weed control treatments on weed dynamics and paddy yield of transplanted rice under unpuddled conditions. 
&nbsp; 
Methods: The experiment was laid out in Split Plot Design comprising of four planting patterns,&nbsp;viz. transplanting two rows/ridge, transplanting two rows/ridge + one in furrow, flat transplanting (unpuddled), flat transplanting (puddled) in main plots and four weed control treatments,&nbsp;viz. pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ha as pre-em. f.b. bispyribac 10 SC at 25 g/ha as post-em., pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ha as pre-em. f.b. penoxsulam 240 SC at 24 g/ha as post-em., pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ha as pre-em. f.b. fenoxaprop 6.7 EC at 67 g/ha, post-em., unweeded (control) in sub-plots with four replications. 
&nbsp; 
Result: The investigation&rsquo;s outcomes revealed that the highest paddy yield (67.6 q/ha) was achieved by transplanting two rows per ridge and one in the furrow, significantly outperforming other planting patterns. Conversely, the paddy yields from flat unpuddled (60.2 q/ha) and flat puddled (59 q/ha) treatments were statistically at par. Among the weed control treatments, the sequential application of pendimethalin (0.75 kg/ha) as a pre-emergence and bispyribac sodium 10 SC (25 g/ha) as a post-emergence significantly inhibited the growth and biomass accumulation of diverse weed types, such as grasses, sedges and broad-leaved weeds resulting in significantly higher paddy yield (77.9 q/ha) in comparison to all other weed control treatments. 
&nbsp;

Role of Planting Patterns and Weed Control Treatments on Growth and Yield of Unpuddled Transplanted Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Morphological studies were conducted on the skull of a hippopotamus brought to the Veterinary college for postmortem examination. &nbsp;Skull of the hippopotamus was huge and notable for its little brain case and high supra-orbital ridges. The skull had a larger splanchnocranium than the neurocranium. &nbsp;From the dorsal view, the skull had a watch glass appearance because of its narrow middle portion (at the region of maxillae) and wide caudal and rostral portions. &nbsp;Maxilla showed a large Eminenta canina and two infraorbital foramina leading to two separate infraorbital canals. The premaxilla lodged two huge incisors and just above the central incisor, there was a large rough eminence for the elevated nostrils. Three to four large rounded lacrimal bullae were seen on the floor of the bony orbit. &nbsp;Frontal bone presented a strongly convex smooth supra-orbital ridge that formed upper margin of the orbit which projected from the surface of the skull. &nbsp;The median sagittal crest was very high that diverged to accommodate the concave forehead in front. Temporal fossa was very extensive. &nbsp;Caudal surface of the skull showed a concave nuchal surface and the external occipital protuberance was in the form of a crest. The paramastoid process and external auditory process were very short. Bulla tympanica was conical with a pyramidal muscular process. &nbsp;Anatomical peculiarities of the skull and their functional significance are discussed.

Gross anatomy of the skull of hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)

<div style="text-align: justify;">A field experiment was conducted at experimental farm of AICRP for Dry Land Agriculture, V.N.M.K.V., Parbhani during kharif season of 2015-16 and 2016-17 to study yield and economics of pigeon pea based intercropping systems as influenced by different land configurations. Soil of experimental field was medium deep black with low in available nitrogen, medium in available phosphorus and high in available potassium. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three main plot treatments and four sub plot treatments. &nbsp;The main plot treatments were three land configurations as (L1) Broad bed furrow (BBF), (L2) Ridges and furrow and (L3) Flat bed method. Sub plot treatments were four intercropping systems i.e. (I1) pigeon pea + soybean (2:1), (I2) pigeon pea + greengram (2:1), (I3) &nbsp;pigeon pea + black gram (2:1) and (I4) pigeon pea + Cowpea (2:1). The highest &nbsp;pigeon pea equivalent yield and &nbsp;net returns of Rs. 67814 ha-1 were obtained with broad bed furrow (L1), which was closely followed by treatment L2 (ridges and furrow) with net returns of Rs. 64095 ha-1. Among intercropping systems the highest pigeon pea equivalent yield and net returns of Rs. 68908 ha-1were obtained in pigeonpea+greeengram (2:1) intercropping system and was followed by pigeonpea+blackgram and pigeonpea+soybean &nbsp;intercropping system.</div>

Yield and economics of pigeon pea based intercropping systems as influenced by different land configurations&nbsp;

<div style="text-align: justify;">A field experiment was conducted at Regional Research Station, Karnal, CCS Haryana Agricultural University during spring 2017 to study on different planting method and nitrogen level on growth parameter and nitrogen use efficiency of sugarcane. The experiment was conducted in split plot design with three replications. The treatments comprises of four methods of planting viz. conventional planting at 75 cm (M1), half ridge open furrow irrigation planting at 75 cm (M2), wide bed and furrow paired row planting (M3) and wider planting (M4) at 120 cm and six different nitrogen levels viz. control (N1), 75 (N2), 100 (N3), 125 (N4), 150 (N5), 175 kg N ha-1 (N6). Germination count was significantly affected by planting methods at 30 and 45 DAP, however, it was found to be non significant among nitrogen levels. Neither the planting methods nor the nitrogen levels had any significant effect on nutrient use efficiency, brix, pol, juice purity and commercial cane sugar. Significantly higher sugar yield (11.9 t/ha) was recorded in wide bed and furrow paired row planting which was 22.7, 8.2, and 6.3 per cent higher than conventional, wider planting and half ridge open furrow method, respectively. Lower sugar yield (9.7 t/ha) was recorded in conventional method. Among nitrogen levels, sugar yield increases with successive increase in nitrogen application upto recommended dose of 150 kg N/ha.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Growth, Nutrient Use Efficiency and Quality of Spring Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) under Different Planting Method and Nitrogen Level</div>

The field experiment was conducted at Students&rsquo; Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during spring 2010. The crop was sown on January 29, 2010 and harvested on May 14, 2010. The soil was loamy sand with 0.3 and 15 bar values of 33.20 and 9.59 cm respectively, in a soil profile of 0-150 cm depth. The soil was moderately alkaline in reaction, low in organic carbon and available N, medium in available P and K. The field experiment comprised 15 treatment combinations viz., five main plot treatments [Planting methods including flat sowing (Flat), sowing at the top of ridge laid down in East-West direction (TR), sowing on the southern slope of ridge laid down in East-West direction (SR), sowing at the centre of raised bed laid down in East-West direction (CB) and sowing on the southern slope of raised bed laid down in East-West direction (SB)] &nbsp;and three sub plot treatments (Irrigation at IW/CPE ratio 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2). The experiment was laid out in split plot design with four replications. The seed yield recorded with SR and SB methods was 21.6 q/ha and 21.3 q/ha, respectively, which were statistically at par with each other, but significantly higher than the seed yield observed under TR, CB and Flat methods. Among irrigation schedules, IW/CPE ratio of 1.2 produced maximum seed yield which was statistically at par with IW/CPE ratio of 1.0 and significantly higher than IW/CPE ratio of 0.8.