Inspite of soil mapping being carried out by using satellite data for over last two decades several problems are encountered in delineation of sandy, saline, gypsiferous and gravelly soils because of similarity in their image characteristics. Intensive ground truth is required for mapping these soils. Therefore, present study has been carried out to determine the spectral reflectance characteristics of sandy soils with varying intensity of wind erosion and for associated gypsiferous soils. The study has been carried out in Bhikampur-Nachna area of Jaisalmer district where the area is highly dune complex with sandy soils and gypsum bearing inter dunes. The Hindivac Spectro Radiometer 101 was used for recording the spectral reflectance of soil in the field. The spectral reflectance characteristics of sandy soils showed range between 17.5 to 25 % with a mean value of 21.4% at wave length 450 nm. Between wave length range of 800 to l000 nm the reflectance was not in increasing trend.. Waterlogged soils have low reflectance than the normal sandy soils.

Treatment of chilli seeds with raw cow milk (RCM) and T.richoderma viride and T. viride in nursery soil followed by root — dipping of nursery-raised saplings in RCM (15%) for 10 minutes before transplantation and RCM spray after twenty days of transplanting was superior to farmer’s practices i.e. inorganic chemical sprays without seed treatment (FP) ensuring up to 65.4% (mean 50.4%) leaf curl disease control and increase in yield by 24.4% with 29.1% reduction in cost of cultivation. It was inferred that the improved technology contributed to 22% while the complementary inputs were about 3.1%.

The present study was carried out to analyze the growth and instability in area, production and productivity of sesamum and acreage response to sesamum crop in arid zone of Rajasthan. The study was confined to six districts of arid zone having more than 10,000 ha area under sesamum cultivation during last decade. The data were collected for the period 1960-2003 and analyzed by using exponential production function and instability index. The results revealed that area and production have increased in the arid zone of Rajasthan but with high instability. The productivity registered lower but relatively more stable growth compared to area under production. The allocation of area to sesamum crop guided by rainfall during crop growing season, yield lagged by one year and also have positive response to lagged price in Bikaner and Jodhpur districts only.

A field experiment was conducted at Horticulture Farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Udaipur (Raj.) in the year 2001 to study the effect of levels and methods of inoculation of biofertilizers on growth and yield of chilli. The experiment was laid in a randomized block design-factorial. The two biofertilizers namely Azotobacter chrococum and Bacillus megaterium var. phosphaticum were applied in three doses viz.500 g/ha, 1000 g/ha and 1500 g/ha. Three methods were used viz. nursery application, dipping of seedling at transplanting for 60 minutes and nursery application + dipping of seedling for 60 minutes. The application of biofertilizers significantly increased the plant height, dry matter, plant spread and yield of chilli over the control. The maximum plant height, dry matter and plant spread of chilli was recorded with the application of culture @1500 g per ha. Nursery + dipping method was the best method and recorded maximum plant height, plant spread, dry matter and yield of chilli