Present experiment comprised four diverse parents viz., KM-22-24, GM-6, HUM-27 and GM-8 and their F2 populations of the crosses viz., cross-I (KM-22-24 X GM-6) and cross-II (HUM-27 X GM-8) to elucidate information on variation, correlation as well as direct and indirect effects of different characters contributing towards seed yield of segregating populations of green gram. The experiment was carried out in summer-2023 (crossing), kharif-2023 (selfing) and summer-2024 (evaluation) at the Pulses and Castor Research Station, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari. The segregating populations manifested increased mean values over the parental means in the cross-I (KM-22-24 X GM-6) for days to maturity, plant height, branches per plant and pod length, while in cross-II (HUM-27 X GM-8), for the traits viz., branches per plant and pods per plant. The phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) and genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) exhibited wide variation for most of the characters in all the segregating populations of both the crosses. In cross-I, the traits viz., branches per plant, seeds per pod and seed yield per plant showed moderate value of GCV and higher value of PCV while in the cross-II, the traits like branches per plant and seeds per pod showed higher value of GCV and PCV. This higher value indicated the greater scope of improving these characters by applying the selection in an appropriate direction. Higher heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent mean was observed for days to flowering and plant height in both the crosses. While in cross-I, days to flowering, days to maturity, plant height and pod length showed high heritability coupled with high genetic advance per cent mean. Similarly, in cross-II days to flowering, plant height, branches per plant, seeds per pod and seed yield per plant showed the same results. Hence, priority should

be given to these traits in formulating selection strategies to obtain desirable genetic gain by selection.

An experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station, Sriganganagar to evaluate the genetic potential of32 pearl millet hybrids/varieties for agro-economic traits under the canal irrigated situations of Agro-Climatic zone 1b of Rajasthan during Kharif-2025. Analysis of Variance revealed highly significant differences among genotypes for grain yield and its attributing traits. Genetic parameters assessment indicated that stover yield and panicle length possessed high heritability coupled with high genetic advance, suggesting these traits were governed by additive gene action. Correlation analysis highlighted a significant positive association between grain yield and productive tillers, while principal component analysis identified three major components that cumulatively explained 81.59% of the total geneticvariability among the genotypes. Pearl millet hybrids 86M94 (4,665 kg/ha) and 86M84 (4,543 kg/ha) were found most productive for grain yield maximization, while PB-1852 (12,481 kg/ha) was identified as the most suitable hybrid for high biomass production (12481.32 kg/ha) along with good grain yield (4086.11 kg/ha). For cropping systems requiring short-duration varieties, HHB-67 Improved, offered the distinct advantage of earliness (<80 days to maturity). However, other pearl millet hybrids/varieties namely GHB-1305, GHB-1294, MPMH-42, MPMH-35, HHB-234, 86M01, GHB- 905, PB-1705, 86M80, 86M86, RHB-233, RHB-234, AHB-1269, JBV-2, Raj-171 also performed well and provided higher grain yield over the mean value. Therefore, these hybrids/varieties seemed to be suitable for cultivation under canal irrigated situation of Agro-Climatic Zone-1b of Rajasthan.

Availability of high yielding varieties and quality seed are pivotal for enhancing and sustaining food production. Seed production chain, which commences with the indenting of varieties for breeder seed production is a continuous process to make quality seed available to the famers and dynamic as crop improvement programmes provides high yielding varieties for seed production. The present paper reviews the seed chain in the first five years of the current decade. Varietal replacement during the first five years of the current decade increased almost in all the food crops studied with increased contribution of recently released varieties to the breeder seed indent except rice. Cereals and pulses were the major contributors accounted for 33.9%-38.8% and 16.4%-21.4% of the total breeder seed indent, respectively, during 2019-20 to 2024-25. Availability of breeder seed was always higher than requirement across the years by 48.0%-68.2% for cereals and 17.3%-67.5% for pulses. Wheat (75.6%-80.9%) and chickpea (68.4%-81.9%) were the largest contributors among the cereals and pulses, respectively, to the total crop indent during 2020-21 to 2024-25. Availability of foundation seed peaked during 2020-21 (23.61 lakh q) from 21.83 lakh q during 2019-20 and surpassed the requirement for cereals by 37.2%-82.4% and pulses by 13.7%-28.7% during 2020-21 to 2024-25. Quality/ certified seed of the field crops requirement increased from 2019-20 (31.73 lakh tons) by 8.1%-26.2% and reached 40.04 lakh tons during 2024-25. Contribution of cereals and pulses to total seed requirement was 69.0%-72.4% and 10.2%- 11.8%, respectively. Quality /certified seed of pulses was consistently higher over the requirements by 3.9%-10.2% and cereals by 12.1%-22.5% during the period of analysis. Both requirement (3.17-4.0 million tons [ m t]) and the availability of seed (3.62-4.49 m t ) of field crops increased consistently over the last six years and enhanced by 26.2% and 24.0%, respectively, during 2024-25 over that of 2019-20. Share of public sector in total seed availability has been consistently decreasing from 42.1% during 2019-20 to 30.2% during 2024-25. Some issues like, irrational indenting for breeder seed, induction of minor pulses, cereals, potential crop and bio-fortified crops in the seed chain, heavy dependence on private sector for seed, varietal mismatches in requirement and availability of breeder seed, research on storage of breeder seed for longevity, high contribution of older varieties (>15 years) in pulses especially in greengram and unusual, surge in indent for some older varieties in chickpea, reduced SRR abruptly for chickpea in recent years and very high SRR for finger millet, blackgram and lentil, needs critical analysis.

Rice blast is recognized worldwide as one of the most significant fungal diseases affecting rice. In Southerneastern Rajasthan, blast represents the most dangerous of the disease. During the Kharif seasons of 2022 and 2023, nine fungicides were assessed under field conditions: Tebuconazole 250 EC, Difenconazole 25%, Propiconazole 25% EC, Hexaconazole 5 SC, Azoxystrobin 23% SC, Azoxystrobin 11% + Tebuconazole 18.3% SC, Azoxystrobin 8.3% + Mancozeb 66.7% WG, Tebuconazole 50 WG + Trifloxystrobin 25%, and Tricyclazole 75%. The results indicated that Tebuconazole 50 WG + Trifloxystrobin 25% @ 0.4g/lit recorded the lowest disease intensity (4.2%) and the highest disease control (72.7%), and also a maximum yield of 4273.05 kg/ha, which was comparable to Propiconazole 25% EC @ 1ml/lit PDI 5.3%, PDC 65.6% and grain yield of 4138.3 kg/ha. The highest B:C ratio (2.11) was fetched under the foliar application of Tebuconazole 50 WG + Trifloxystrobin 25% at 0.4g/lit. This identified fungicides could be effectively utilized for the management of leaf blast disease under field conditions.

Knowledge of the interactions between the yield and its different attributes and their direct and indirect effects on the yield is crucial for the development of elite genotypes. This experiment was carried out with 42 genotypes of groundnut along with 4 replications for studying of character association and path coefficient analysis. Pod yield per plant showed highly significant, moderately strong to very strong and positive correlation with primary branches per plant and the matured pods per plant both at phenotypic and genotypic level, while negative and significant correlation with shelling percent at phenotypic level. The path coefficient analysis revealed that matured pods per plant, primary branches per plant, days to maturity and 100-kernel weight displayed positive and negligible to very high direct effect on pod yield per plant. Hence, it would be rewarding to give due importance on the selection of these characters for rapid improvement in pod yield of groundnut.

Millets contain dietary fiber, minerals (like iron, calcium, zinc), vitamins, and quality proteins, contributing to food and nutritional security. Highly tolerant to drought, heat, and low fertility soils, requiring less water and fewer external inputs (fertilizers/pesticides) than rice or wheat. Their fibrous root systems help improve soil structure, reduce erosion, and increase biodiversity below ground. Excellent companions in mixed cropping systems because they use resources differently and can grow well with other crops. They support sustainable and resilient food systems, especially in dryland and marginal areas. They enhance agricultural diversity, reducing reliance on monocultures and improving ecological stability. Likewise, fruit crops are valuable because they provide high-value nutrition with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and dietary fiber essential for human health. Fruits often fetch higher market prices than staple grains contributing to increased income for farmers. Fruit trees (perennial crops) maintain permanent soil cover, reduce runoff, and act as windbreaks, improving the farm microclimate. Orchards and tree-based systems support diverse flora and fauna compared to annual monocultures. Intercropping — growing two or more crops together on the same land — creates win-win outcomes. Intercropping millets with fruit trees provides dual income streams: millets offer quick seasonal yield and staple food. Fruit crops add long-term value through fruit harvests and can improve farm profitability. Intercropping millets with fruit crops forms a nutrition-dense, sustainable cropping system that harnesses the nutritional strengths of millets and the dietary richness of fruit crops. This system improves land productivity, soil health, resilience against climate risk and economic returns while contributing to food and nutrition security. The success of such systems depends on careful crop selection, planning for complementary growth habits, and managing resources effectively. In this paper, we have reviewed the important factors affecting sustainable millets intercropping with fruit crops.

The identification of stable genotypes across environments has gained significance in crops like guar, where yield instability or fluctuation has been seen regularly. The current review is a discussion on different stability models used in guar to determine stable genotypes, environment discrimination, and genotype by environment crossovers by conducting multi-location trials. Classical approaches such as Finlay–Wilkinson regression and Eberhart–Russell analysis evaluate linear responses to environmental indices, offering insights into adaptability and predictability. Multivariate techniques like AMMI and GGE biplot analysis integrate additive and multiplicative components to visualize genotype performance patterns and mega‑environment structures. Collectively, these models support breeders in selecting high‑yielding, widely adapted, and resilient cultivars, thereby strengthening crop improvement programs under increasing climatic variability especially in arid and semi-arid regions where crops like guar are generally cultivated.

Indigenous Technical Knowledge(ITK) are part and parcel for day to day living and livestock rearing in the study area. ITKs were followed for increasing milk production, retention of placenta, livestock breeding, livestock health management and care of new born. The present study was undertaken with the objective of collection and documenting the ITKs of farmers regarding livestock management which is being practiced generation after generation. Here in this paper an effort has been made to collect the ITKs as a part of ICAR sponsored NASF ad-hoc research project entitled “Developing Climate Resilient Adaptive Strategies for Empowerment of Farmers” which has been implemented in University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad from 2019 to 2022. Various indigenous technical knowledge are collected by analyzing the journals and newsletters, deep interaction with the farmers of study area, contacting the local resource persons and documenting oral histories without scientific validation. Indigenous technical knowledge is succor for people to solve most of their problems by using their logic and innovative mind. The shift towards the modern scientific drugs in livestock rearing has decreased the use of ITKs but they are still in use as a first aid to treat various animal diseases. There is need for further documentation and scientific validation of ITKs from the every part of the country

Cumin is one of the most economically important seed spice, valued for its culinary and medicinal uses. Cumin wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cumini is a serious disease that drastically reduces yield. The response of sixty-five cumin genotypes to cumin wilt were assessed under field conditions for two consecutive years. Pooled analysis of variance exhibited significant genotypic differences for studied traits. Seven genotypes namely MCU 105, MCU 300, MCU 504, MCU 505, MCU 508, MCU 510 and MCU 513 had lower (21-30%) disease incidence. Total fortyone genotypes were categorized as susceptible, with a disease incidence ranging from 31-50%, whereas the remaining seventeen genotypes had >50% disease incidence and were classed as highly susceptible. Per cent disease index (PDI) was negatively associated with seed yield per plant and 1000-seed weight, indicating the adverse effect of wilt on yield. MCU 105 and MCU 300 showed high seed yield and harvest index, along with relatively lower disease incidences, highlighting their potential as promising source of resistance for use in future cumin breeding program.

Guar gum, a galactomannan polysaccharide obtained from the endosperm of Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (cluster bean), has progressed from a conventional food hydrocolloid to a high-value functional and nutraceutical ingredient. Its physicochemical versatility, physiological functionality as a soluble dietary fiber, and compatibility with modern health-oriented food systems have positioned guar gum as a key biopolymer in functional food development. This review critically examines the chemistry, structure–function relationships, processing and modification strategies, and recent advances in the application of guar gum in functional foods and nutraceuticals. Particular emphasis is placed on metabolic health, glycemic control, cholesterol reduction, gut microbiota modulation, and formulation strategies that enhance consumer acceptability. Emerging trends, challenges, and future research directions are also discussed to support innovation and value addition in guar gum-based health products.

A field experiment on “Genetic Performance of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) under Foothills of Nagaland” was conducted on 72 genotypes including 3 checks during kharif 2024. The results revealed highly significant genotypic differences for most of the characters and existence of substantial genetic variability. Seed yield and oil content exhibited high GCV and PCV estimates. Broad-sense heritability was high across the traits, with substantial genetic advance for capsules per plant, primary branches, 1000-seed weight, oil content, and seed yield, indicating additive gene action. Seed yield positively correlated with capsules per plant, days to 50% flowering, and primary branches, but negatively with seed weight. Pathanalysis indicated directpositive effects of number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per capsule, number of primary branches per plant and 1000-seed weight on grain yield. The yield was also indirectly affected by plant height, capsule length, days to maturity. Genotypes ‘Chuchuyimlang’ and ‘NempoKarjung’ excelled in yield and key components, demonstrating superior adaptation under Nagaland’s foothill conditions and identified the same as the promising parents for region-specific sesame improvement programs.