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Indian agriculture faces increasing threats from climate change, including droughts, heat, salinity, floods, and pests, which reduce crop productivity and threaten livelihoods. Climateresilient seeds, developed through advanced breeding, genomic selection, and gene editing, provide tolerance to multiple stresses while maintaining yield and seed vigor. Farmer-centric approaches and robust seed systems ensure effective adoption. Integrating innovation with local knowledge strengthens resilience, sustains food production, and secures national food security.

Beekeeping is an eco-friendly, income-generating activity that also plays a vital role in crop pollination and the sustainability of ecosystems. During dearth periods, scarcity of natural nectar and pollen poses serious challenges to honey bee colony maintenance. The present study evaluated different artificial feeding strategies for Apis cerana colonies. Colonies were supplied with nectar substitutes in the form of sugar syrup and honey syrup (1:1) using cups and perforated bottles. Bees showed a higher preference for honey syrup, though sugar syrup proved to be a more economical and practical alternative. Feeding through cups was more efficient than bottle feeding. Three pollen substitute formulations were tested to supplement protein requirements. Among them, the mixture containing soya flour, protein powder, and honey showed the highest acceptance and consumption, while the soya flour and sugar syrup mixture was least accepted due to hardening. Colonies receiving artificial supplements showed improved activity and brood development. The study highlights the importance of sugar syrup and suitable pollen substitutes for sustaining bee colonies during dearth periods and emphasizes the need for further research to standardize artificial feeding practices for sustainable apiculture.

Parthenocarpy refers to the development of seedless fruits without pollination and fertilization and is an important trait for improving fruit quality, yield stability, and consumer acceptance in vegetable crops. In many vegetables, seeds negatively affect texture, taste, shelf life, and processing quality, making seedless fruits highly desirable. Parthenocarpy occurs naturally or can be artificially induced through phytohormones, environmental factors, hybridization, mutation, polyploidy, and biotechnological approaches. This trait is particularly valuable under unfavorable environmental conditions such as temperature extremes, low light, water stress, and limited pollinator activity, which restrict normal fertilization. Auxins and gibberellins play a central role in initiating and regulating parthenocarpic fruit development by substituting hormonal signals normally supplied by developing seeds. Genetic studies have revealed diverse inheritance patterns of parthenocarpy in crops such as tomato, eggplant, cucumber, and capsicum. Overall, exploitation of parthenocarpy through breeding and biotechnology offers a promising strategy for enhancing fruit quality, productivity, and sustainability in modern horticultural systems.

Termites are highly efficient lignocellulose degraders due to their symbiotic gut microbiota, which includes bacteria, archaea, and protists. This review explores the diversity, enzymatic capabilities, and ecological interactions of termite gut microbes and examines their potential applications in agriculture. Current knowledge on cellulose-degrading pathways, microbial community organization, and host?symbiont co-evolution is synthesized. A case study highlights the application of termite-derived microbes in sustainable crop residue management and soil fertility enhancement. Challenges, future directions, and biotechnological opportunities are discussed.

Broken rice, comprising small and fractured kernels generated during rice milling, is a major byproduct of the rice processing industry. Owing to its lower commercial value compared to whole rice grains, broken rice is often diverted from the human food chain to low-value applications such as animal feed and bioenergy production. However, its compositional similarity to whole rice and favorable functional properties offer significant potential for value addition. This article reviews recent advances in the composition, food applications, protein recovery, fermentation-based valorization, and sustainability aspects of broken rice, while highlighting key challenges and future research directions for its efficient utilization.

Pig behaviour is the key indicator of health, welfare and productivity but continuous manual observation is often difficult especially in large or intensive farming systems. Recent advances in technologies have introduced smart monitoring system that act as ?smart eyes? in the pigsty, enabling continuous monitoring of pigs. This system uses cameras, environmental sensors and artificial intelligence techniques to monitor key behaviours such as movement, posture, feeding, aggression, heat stress and farrowing-related activities. By analysing behaviour patterns in real time, smart technologies can provide early warnings of disease, stress, management issues allowing timely interventions by farmers. The adoption of smart monitoring system offers several advantages such as enhanced animal welfare, reduced labour dependency, better feed efficiency and increased productivity.

The rhizosphere microbiome, a complex assembly of microorganisms inhabiting the root-soil interface, functions as a critical gatekeeper of plant health and soil fertility. This review synthesizes evidence that plants actively shape this community through root exudates, fostering beneficial interactions. The microbiome performs indispensable gatekeeping functions, including enhancing nutrient acquisition via phosphorus solubilization, nitrogen fixation, and siderophore-mediated iron uptake; conferring stress tolerance through induced systemic resistance and improved water dynamics; and promoting soil aggregation via fungal hyphae and bacterial exopolysaccharides. These processes underscore the microbiome's role as an extended plant phenotype, governing resource flow and pathogen defense. We argue that leveraging this knowledge is paramount for sustainable agriculture. Moving beyond conventional inputs to manage this biological system?through microbial consortia and regenerative practices?offers a transformative approach to enhance crop resilience, productivity, and long-term soil health.

Endosperm balance number is a ratio between maternal and paternal genetic contributions necessary for proper seed development. Deviation from this ratio results in seed abortion, a phenomenon termed the triploid block. This post-zygotic barrier limits polyploid breeding. Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon which is related to parent-of-originspecific gene expression. It ensures and maintains the endosperm balance number. Deviation from this ratio is commonly observed in interspecific or interploidy crosses, resulting in abnormal endosperm development leading to triploid block. It often acts as a hybridization barrier in breeding to transfer the useful traits between species with different ploidy level. On the other hand, it contributes to reproductive isolation mechanisms, influencing plant evolution and diversification. The triploid block can be circumvented by different methods like chemical treatment, embryo rescue techniques, hormonal treatments, genetic and epigenetic modifications.

Land degradation has emerged as one of the most pressing global environmental challenges, threatening soil fertility, ecosystem services, biodiversity, and agricultural productivity. In India, a significant proportion of land is affected by water and wind erosion, salinization, and nutrient depletion, resulting in declining land productivity and increased vulnerability to climate extremes. The concept of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), promoted under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, aims to balance land degradation with restoration and sustainable land management practices. Among the various approaches proposed to achieve LDN, agroforestry has gained considerable attention due to its ecological, economic, and social benefits. Agroforestry integrates trees with crops and/or livestock, creating multifunctional land-use systems that enhance soil health, conserve water, reduce erosion and improve biodiversity. Scientific evidence indicates that agroforestry systems significantly increase soil organic carbon, improve soil structure, and enhance water infiltration while simultaneously sequestering atmospheric carbon and mitigating climate change. Tree-based farming systems such as alley cropping, silvopastoral systems, windbreaks, shelterbelts and homegardens have shown promising results in restoring degraded agricultural lands, saline soils, shifting cultivation areas, and reclaimed mining sites. Despite its proven benefits, the adoption of agroforestry faces challenges including policy constraints, land tenure issues, limited technical knowledge and market barriers. This article highlights the role of agroforestry as a holistic and sustainable strategy for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality by restoring degraded lands, strengthening climate resilience, and supporting rural livelihoods. Strengthened policy support, extension services and stakeholder participation are essential to scale up agroforestry interventions for long-term land restoration and sustainable development.

Gene drives are emerging as a powerful tool in the field of genetic engineering, offering the potential to rapidly alter the genetic makeup of wild insect populations. This technology leverages the principles of CRISPR-Cas9 and other gene-editing techniques to propagate specific genetic traits throughout a population at a rate far exceeding traditional inheritance. The ability to engineer gene drives holds promise for addressing critical challenges such as controlling vector-borne diseases, managing agricultural pests, and conserving endangered species. This paper explores the scientific principles behind gene drives, their potential applications, and the complex balance between their benefits and risks.

The global fishing industry generates over 20 million tonnes of nutrient-rich waste each year, much of which remains unused despite its high potential in organic farming. Fish waste, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, minerals, and amino acids, can be converted into effective fertilizers through processes such as emulsion, enzymatic or acid hydrolysis, and composting. These products improve soil fertility, enhance plant growth, and support sustainable crop production while promoting circular resource use. Key challenges including odour, pathogen risks, and nutrient imbalance?can be mitigated through proper processing and regulated application. Fish waste serves as a valuable, eco-friendly substitute for synthetic fertilizers, providing strong potential to enhance sustainable and organic farming.

Probit analysis is commonly used in concentration dose response bioassays to study mortality or survival. Bioassay data usually show a curved relationship between dose and response, which is difficult to analyze directly. Probit analysis simplifies this by converting response percentages into probit values and relating them to log-transformed doses, resulting in an almost straight-line relationship. This helps in estimating concentrations or doses that produce specific levels of biological effect with good accuracy. The method also provides information on the rate of increase in mortality, variability in responses and how well the data fit the model. These outputs allow reliable comparison of toxicity among different treatments and populations. Because of its simplicity and reliability, probit analysis remains a standard method for analyzing dose?mortality relationships in toxicological and entomological studies.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a cornerstone of food security in many countries, yet its productivity is increasingly threatened by climate variability, particularly rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, terminal heat stress, and declining soil moisture. These stresses adversely affect wheat establishment, phenology, grain filling, and final yield. Climate-resilient wheat production technology focuses on integrating stress-tolerant varieties with precise agronomic practices such as optimized sowing time, conservation tillage, efficient irrigation, and balanced nutrient management. This article highlights key climate-resilient wheat production technologies that enhance yield stability, improve resource-use efficiency, and reduce climate-induced production risks in wheat-growing regions.

Sericulture generates large volumes of valuable by-products, particularly silkworm pupae, litter, reeling effluents and plant waste, collectively termed seri-waste. These by-products possess immense nutritional, medicinal and industrial potential, making sericulture a sustainable, zero-waste enterprise. Silkworm pupae are rich in high-quality proteins, essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals and bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer and metabolic health benefits. Their oils contain beneficial unsaturated fatty acids, while larvae and excreta support biogas production, organic farming and compost enrichment. With the rising global demand for eco-friendly food and agricultural resources, the efficient utilisation of seri-waste offers a promising avenue for enhancing food security, environmental sustainability and rural livelihoods.

Chrysanthemum, a time-honoured flower, is admired not only for its vibrant beauty as an ornamental plant but also for its therapeutic, edible and industrial applications, particularly in East Asian traditional medicine. Its delicate blooms are rich in health-promoting compounds, extending its relevance from ancient remedies to modern wellness products. In Eastern cultures, the chrysanthemum is also a cherished symbol of wealth, good fortune, longevity, and happiness.

The integration of mechanical innovation and digital sensor systems has transformed agricultural productivity and operational efficiency. This review synthesizes contemporary research focusing on three major domains: performance optimization of agricultural machinery, development of digital tachometers for RPM measurement, and comparative evaluations of sensor technologies. Studies indicate significant improvements in fuel economy, reduced crop damage, and accurate, non-contact RPM detection through sensormicrocontroller integration. The review highlights future directions such as IoT-based sensor networks and enhanced digital monitoring for sustainable agricultural mechanization.

Amidst the rapid growth of technology, digital marketing has become a revolutionary tool for improving the marketing efficiency of India's agriculture sector. Traditional marketing which has limited reach and multiple intermediaries, restrict price realization and market access by farmers. The use of smartphones and increased internet access has sped up the adoption of digital platforms, allowing for more direct, transparent, and extensive market connections. By decreasing information asymmetry and increasing efficiency, government programs like e-NAM and Agmarknet, as well as commercial platforms like Marketmirchi and Ninjacart, are changing agricultural trading. Digital marketing has the ability to significantly improve agricultural value chains and empower farmers through improved price discovery, lower transaction costs, and increased market options, despite obstacles including poor digital literacy and inadequate infrastructure.

Agricultural stubble burning in rice-wheat growing regions generates 7,300 kg CO? emissions per hectare while severely degrading air quality and soil health. This article examines wheat and rice straw utilization for oyster mushroom (Pleurotus species) cultivation as a sustainable alternative. Evidence demonstrates biological efficiencies of 60-85% when substrates are supplemented with nitrogen-rich materials, generating gross revenues of 120,000-250,000 Indian Rupees per 100 m? annually for smallholder farmers. Spent mushroom substrate application enhances soil health through nutrient recycling and organic matter addition. This integrated approach simultaneously addresses environmental degradation, food security, farmer income, and climate change mitigation across major cereal-producing regions.