Send Message

Home / Article Archive

Select Volume
Select Issue

DATE OF POSTING ARTICLE TITLE SUMMARY AUTHOR'S NAME DOWNLOAD
2/4/2025 12:00:00 AM Challenges of Growing Staple Crops in Vertical Farms

Vertical farming an innovative agricultural technique, involves cultivating crops in vertically stacked layers under a controlled environment, optimizing parameters like temperatures, light, humidity, and nutrients. This method ensures year-round high-quality produce, addressing challenges posed by limited arable land, urbanization, and environmental changes. In India, where staple crops like rice, wheat, and millet are essential for food security, economic stability, and livelihoods, vertical farming offers potential as a supplementary approach to traditional agriculture. Vertical farming has promising potential due to its efficient resource utilization, reduced reliance on pesticides, and adaptability to the urban environment. Advances in climate?resilient crops, efficient technologies, and supportive policies are critical to scaling up vertical farming for staples.

Sneha Thomas Varghese and Tadiboina Lavanya View More
2/4/2025 12:00:00 AM Beyond Photosynthesis: The Rise of Dark Oxygen in the Ocean Abyss

Scientists have recently identified an unexpected process producing oxygen in the deep ocean, termed 'dark oxygen.' This discovery is significant as it provides a new understanding of marine ecosystems and potential oxygen sources in areas where photosynthesis cannot occur. The phenomenon was observed in the abyssal zone, particularly in the Clarion- Clipperton Zone, a region noted for its high concentration of polymetallic nodules. One hypothesis suggests that these nodules may generate oxygen by splitting water molecules through electric charge transport. However, the exact mechanism remains unclear. This finding has implications for deep-sea mining, as the removal of polymetallic nodules could harm ecosystems that depend on dark oxygen. India is among the countries pursuing deepsea mining opportunities, highlighting the importance of balancing resource extraction with environmental conservation.

Kumar Anshuman et al. View More
2/4/2025 12:00:00 AM Precision Agriculture: Paving the Path to Sustainable Farming

Precision agriculture is an advanced farming approach that integrates technology to optimize agricultural productivity and sustainability. It utilizes tools such as GPS, sensors, drones, and data analytics to collect and analyze real-time data about soil health, crop conditions, and environmental factors. This data-driven approach enables farmers to manage resources like water, fertilizers, and pesticides with precision, reducing waste, lowering costs, and minimizing environmental impact. By tailoring inputs to specific field needs, precision agriculture enhances crop yields, improves efficiency, and supports sustainable practices. It addresses challenges such as resource scarcity, climate change, and increasing global food demand. With its ability to combine innovation and conservation, precision agriculture is shaping the future of farming, ensuring food security and environmental resilience.

Abhishek Mishra et al. View More
2/4/2025 12:00:00 AM Integrating Smart Technologies in Fish Farming

Pre-stocking management plays a crucial role in the success of aquaculture and fisheries by ensuring the proper health, growth, and survival of aquatic species. This process involves several important elements such as pond preparation, managing water quality, and implementing biosecurity protocols. These measures are essential in minimizing risks associated with disease outbreaks, stunted growth, and low survival rates of stocked species. Properly preparing the environment before stocking can significantly enhance the well-being of the aquatic organisms and improve the overall productivity of the system. By focusing on best practices during pre-stocking, aquaculture operations can achieve higher yields, ensure better quality products, and contribute to the long-term sustainability and resilience of aquatic farming systems. Such proactive management not only benefits the immediate output but also helps maintain the ecological balance, reduce environmental impacts, and enhance the economic viability of fisheries and aquaculture industries in the long run.

Md Shadab Alam et al. View More
2/3/2025 12:00:00 AM The Role of Digital Platforms in Connecting Farmers to Markets

Digital platforms are transforming agriculture by addressing challenges such as limited market access, price volatility, and middle-men exploitation. These tools enable farmers to connect directly with buyers, access real-time market insights, and leverage digital payment systems for financial inclusion. Platforms like e-NAM, DeHaat, and Ninjacart streamline supply chains, reduce post-harvest losses, and offer end-to-end solutions. Despite barriers like limited internet access and digital literacy, collaborative efforts among governments, private enterprises, and NGOs can drive adoption. By empowering farmers with actionable insights, fair prices, and broader opportunities, digital platforms are paving the way for a sustainable, equitable, and resilient agricultural sector.

Himanshu Balhara and Sucheta Dahiya View More
2/3/2025 12:00:00 AM Farm Diversification as a Risk Mitigation Strategy

Farm diversification is a vital strategy for mitigating the inherent risks in agriculture. By incorporating various agricultural and non-agricultural activities, it helps farmers cope with challenges such as unpredictable weather, market fluctuations, and pest outbreaks. Diversified farms are more resilient, utilizing integrated systems to enhance resource efficiency, stabilize income, and promote environmental sustainability. While challenges like limited resources and technical knowledge exist, successful examples globally underscore its potential. With adequate support and policies, farm diversification not only secures livelihoods but also fosters a sustainable and stable agricultural sector.

Himanshu Balhara and Sucheta Dahiya View More
2/3/2025 12:00:00 AM Benefits and Challenges in Adoption of Nano Urea Liquid, an Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture: A Review

Nanotechnology has gained much attention in the field of agriculture for its potential to revolutionize traditional farming practices. It is the science of exploring nano particles to deliver the inputs to the crop resulting in increased efficiency. One remarkable development in this area is nanoscale urea, which is often referred to as "Nano Urea" or ?Nano Urea Liquid.? This review article explores the introduction of the nano urea in modern agriculture, also shedding light on possible benefits and the challenges it faces in realizing its full potential. The main aim of the article is to deliver quality information about nano urea so that the students, scholars and farmers get the related content and use it for the better and efficient ecosystem.

Jitesh Singh Bisht et al. View More
2/3/2025 12:00:00 AM Overview of MicroRNA Biogenesis, Mechanism, and their Role in Crop Improvement

Crop improvement mainly relied upon either existing variation or by creating new variation by altering DNA sequence. However, gene expression changes are also being considered to be important for improvement of various traits in crops. MicroRNAs are one such regulators of gene expression at post transcriptional level. MicroRNAs are small 20-24 nucleotide RNA molecules that cleave corresponding mRNA or inhibit its translation. In view of this, we will discuss biogenesis of miRNAs, techniques to determine their function, their role in controlling various traits, strategies to use miRNAs for crop improvement, challenges associated with miRNA based crop improvement and prospects for using miRNAs in crop improvement.

Navjot Singh Sidhu et al. View More
2/2/2025 12:00:00 AM Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture

The increase in world's population and respective food demand has brought the global concern. The climate change alone has put a tremendous burden on the farming communities, and has become the major challenge to feed the burgeoning population. The traditional method of agricultural practices are not sufficient enough to meet the rising food demand. Thus, new automated/ AI systems have been introduced into the agriculture sector to ensure precision farming. These systems are quick in action, and satisfying the requirements along with generation of billions of employment worldwide. It has proven emerging technology in smart agriculture that increases the gain from soil precisely and strengthens the soil fertility also.

SMS Ramya et al. View More
2/2/2025 12:00:00 AM Biotechnology in Watermelon

Water melon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.)] belongs to family Cucurbitaceae and origin Africa. The fruits contain 95% water, 0.2% protein, 0.3% minerals and 3.3% CHO per 100g fresh weight. It is also a rich source of iron. The seed kernels are also used in various sweets and other delicious. The unripe fruits are also cooked as a vegetable in some parts of India. The sweet, juicy pulp of the ripe fruit is eaten fresh throughout the tropics and subtropical regions. The fruit has cooling effect and is used as an expectorant, diuretic and stomachic and is allaying thirst. It is a common man?s fruit relished by both rich and poor alike.

Bambhaniya Kinjal K. et al. View More
2/2/2025 12:00:00 AM Biotechnology in Muskmelon

Musk Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is crop of Cucurbitaceae family. It is also known as Kharbuza. Musk melon is valued as a summer fruit. The chromosome no. of musk melon is 2n=24 and origin is Tropical Africa. It is stated to have a cooling effect on the body system. Further, it is a demulscent, diuretic and aphrodisiac. It is applied as a lotion in several skin conditions. The roots have emetic and purgative properties. Mature fruits of muskmelon are round in shape and 8-16 cm in diameter. Nevertheless some oblong, flat and oval fruit shaped varieties are also available. Immature fruits are used as vegetable and seeds are edible. The fruits of C. angaria (West Indian gherkin) is mostly used in pickles and also as a cooked vegetable. There is another form called snap melon (Cucumis melo var. momordica) found throughout India. It is consumed at full ripened stage.

Parmar Bhumika M. et al. View More
2/1/2025 12:00:00 AM IPM Strategies for Controlling Brown Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stal.) in Rice

Rice is a vital food crop in our country, grown in various seasons and climates. However, it is susceptible to many pests, with the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) being one of the most damaging. Farmers often use pesticides indiscriminately to control these pests, which leads to problems like air pollution, harm to beneficial insects, pest resistance, and pest resurgence. To address these issues, comprehensive pest management practices are essential. These practices focus on reducing pesticide use and promoting sustainable farming. This guide provides key information on identifying the brown planthopper and effective management methods to help farmers protect their crops while minimizing environmental impact.

Kokkula Akhilesh et al. View More
2/1/2025 12:00:00 AM The Linseed Bud Fly: A Growing Threat and How to Combat It

Linseed (Linum usitatissimum) faces significant yield losses due to the linseed bud fly (Dasyneura lini), which damages buds, flowers, and pods, leading to poor seed quality and reduced productivity. Conventional pesticide use raises environmental and health concerns. Eco-friendly Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies, including field sanitation, crop rotation, timely sowing, and resistant varieties, offer sustainable alternatives. Additional methods like light traps, neem-based treatments, and natural predators help manage pest populations effectively. These practices ensure sustainable linseed production while minimizing environmental impact.

Ambika Netam and Kokkula Akhilesh View More
2/1/2025 12:00:00 AM CRISPR: Redefining Agriculture, One Gene at a Time

CRISPR/Cas9 has emerged as a breakthrough site-specific genome-editing technique due to its ease of use, simplicity, and high efficiency that has revolutionized the field of genome editing. It allows scientists to create transgene-free genome-edited plants by allowing them to target and modify specific DNA sequences. The foremost step designing this system in plants is to identify the target gene followed by designing the construct which includes identification of appropriate Cas proteins, design and selection gRNAs, and selection of regulatory elements to express gRNAs and Cas proteins. It complexes with sgRNA for DNA targeting and requires PAM site downstream of its target sequence for DNA recognition. Once Cas9 recognizes its PAM sequence, the Cas9-sgRNA complex binds to the target sequence and generates a DSB at the target site. DNA cleavage activity of Cas9 is achieved by the combined effort of two parts of the protein (RuvC and HNH). In most genome editing experiments, the gRNA as well as the Cas9 and selectable marker genes, have been delivered into plant cells using either T-DNA (Agrobacterium infection) or plasmid DNA (particle bombardment). For most purposes, validation and characterization of edits on both the molecular and phenotypic level, will be required to assess their biological relevance. The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been successfully applied in various plant species. These include not only model plants, such as Arabidopsis, but also crops, such as rice, tobacco, sorghum, wheat, maize, soybean, tomato, potato, poplar, apple and banana.

Akshita Awasthi View More