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Climate change is viewed as the main obstacle to agricultural development in developing countries. The high dependence on agriculture and allied sectors makes many countries vulnerable to the climate change phenomenon. There is a gap in macro and micro-level understanding of climate change. Thoughtful farmers’ perceptions and impacts of climate change on farming are fundamental for developing various mitigation and adaptation strategies. Therefore, the main aim of the present study was to understand the pattern of climate variability, farmers’ perceptions about climate change, and farmers’ adaptation strategies based on their socio-cultural background in the villages of Goa, on the west coast of India. The results reveal that about 62% of the sampled farmers have experienced climate change in terms of meteorological indicators such as increased average temperature, decreased total rainfall, delayed onset of monsoon, and an increase in the length of the summer season. The temperature trend analysis (0.009 °C/year) validated farmers’ perceptions, while the perception of rainfall differed (−1.49 mm/year). Farmers are convinced that climate change has affected their farming (declining crop and livestock productivity, water depletion, and other related farm operations). They strive to adapt to climate change through crop diversification, an integrated crop-livestock system, contingency crop planning, and the adaptation of new crops and varieties. This study could be helpful for policymakers to establish a climate-resilient agriculture system by ensuring timely availability of farm inputs, accurate weather forecasting, and encouraging insurance products for crop and livestock enterprises, which will help farmers cope with the changing climate to enhance their income and economic wellbeing. Further, adaption of integrated farming, agroforestry, and indigenous technical knowledge is imperative to combat the ill effects of climate change.

Tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum L .) stem ash (TSA) was evaluated as an adsorbent for removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution by batch adsorption method. MB adsorption increased with increase in contact time, initial solution pH, and adsorbent dose. Contact time for adsorption equilibrium was 180 min. The MB adsorption per unit mass of adsorbent (in milligram per gram) increased with the increasing initial dye concentration. Adsorption of MB onto TSA followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model with a rate constant ( k 2 ) of 0.017 g mg −1  min −1 . The mechanism of adsorption was described with intra-particle diffusion model. It was found that the intra-particle diffusion was not a sole rate-controlling step. Equilibrium adsorption was investigated by the Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin, and Jovanoic isotherms. On the basis of coefficient of determination, the order of isotherm fit was Langmuir ( R 2  = 0.974) > Freundlich ( R 2  = 0.957) = Temkin ( R 2  = 0.957) > Jovanoic ( R 2  = 0.764) isotherm. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of TSA was 35.7 mg g −1 . The dimensionless separation factor ( R L ) was low (0.137), indicating favorable adsorption of MB onto TSA. The results clearly demonstrate the potential of TSA as a low-cost and an easily available adsorbent for sequestering MB from wastewater.

The phenomena of climate change pose multifaceted challenges to crop and livestock farming, with severe implications on smallholder farmers' income and livelihoods. Climate change has profound implications (economic, environmental, and social) predominantly on rainfed regions in developing countries like India, where agriculture constitutes the backbone of the economy. In this context, the current study analyzes how farmers perceive climate change in the rainfed ecosystem in India, farmers' adaptation strategies, and their major determinants in addressing climate change. Data were collected from 400 sample farmers in South India. Discriminant and multinomial logit models were employed to identify the adaptation strategies of the farmers. It was evident that the factors such as off-farm income, farm income, and farming experience significantly influenced the adaptation strategies for tackling climate change. Furthermore, access to climate change information and literacy level are vital determinants in different climate change adaptation strategies, including crop diversification, integrated farming system, contingency plans for farm operations, and adoption of soil and water conservation techniques. However, the study highlights the increasing role of institutions (government and private) in future to safeguard the interests of farmers by offering a wide range of policy, research, and technology interventions. In a nutshell, R&D focus on climate-resilient agriculture, application of ICTs in agro-advisory services, and creation off-farm employment opportunities for the farmers is crucial to sustaining their livelihoods as these serve as potential mitigation strategies to impart resilience to climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture in rainfed ecosystems in India or any other countries.

Presence of pesticide residues in tobacco increases health risk of both active and passive smokers, apart from the imminent potential health problems associated with it. Thus, monitoring of pesticide residue is an important issue in terms of formulating stringent policies, enabling global trade and safeguarding the consumer’s safety. In this study, a gas chromatography-single quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method based upon quantifier-qualifier ions (m/z) ratio was employed for detecting and assessing ten organochlorine pesticide residues (α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH, δ-HCH, 2,4-DDT, 4,4-DDT, endrin, α-endosulfan, β-endosulfan and endosulfan sulphate) in 152 flue-cured (FC) tobacco leave samples from two major tobacco growing states, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, of India. In the majority of samples, pesticide residue levels were below the limit of quantification (LOQ). In few samples, pesticide residues were detected and they found to comply with the guidance residue levels (GRL) specifications of the Cooperation Center for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco (CORESTA). Detection of the phase out pesticides like DDT/HCH might be due to transfer of persistent residues from the environmental components to the plant. This is the first report on these ten organochlorine pesticide residues in Indian FC tobacco.

The monsoon extremities, such as heavy rainfall, drought, and cyclones are becoming frequent across India and causing substantial damage to commercial crops. To predict/identify the trend in rainfall of Bidi tobacco growing areas were studied for variability, trend, and detection of any change in monthly rainfall over the years (1990-2020) using Mann-Kendall trend analysis and Sen’s slope tests. Monthly rainfall in three unique Bidi production zones has shown distinct trends. A positive trend was observed in March, April, August, September, November, and December while negative trends were in June and July months in Gujarat. During the crop growth period, the trend is positive except in October, the magnitude of change was negligible. However, supplemental irrigation is to be planned during water deficit periods of the nursery (June and July) and critical crop growth periods. In Karnataka, a positive trend from February to October was observed while a negative trend during November, December, and January. The magnitude was high in January (+) and September (-) and significant. The period of negative trend has coincided with the harvesting hence, the crop may not get affected. However, high rainfall during the crop growth period causes a detrimental effect. To mitigate the inundation proper drainage facility should be created through field channels to flush out excess water to avoid saturation at the root zone as this crop is especially extremely sensitive to poor aeration and anaerobic conditions. A positive trend was observed in January, February, March, June, August, and September months in Andhra Pradesh, whereas a negative trend was high in October & November which coincided with crop growth and might significantly affect Bidi tobacco. The positive trend in rainfall during June is high and the same can be utilized for nursery during July-August through proper moisture conservation measures.

In search of an efficient and no-cost adsorbent for removal of methylene blue (MB) from water, cotton stem ash (CSA) was evaluated. The effect of process variables, namely, contact time, solution pH and adsorbent dose on adsorption of MB onto CSA were investigated. The adsorption kinetics and mechanism were tested with pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order model, and with intraparticle diffusion model, respectively. Based on error analysis (chi-square and percent sum of error) the suitability order of adsorption isotherms was Langmuir>Temkin>Freundlich>Jovanoic. The maximum adsorption capacity of CSA was 20.42 mg g−1. The feasibility parameter and free energy change were also calculated. The present study demonstrated that the CSA could be used as a potential, efficient, low-cost, and easily available adsorbent for the treatment of MB containing industrial wastewater. Highlights • For the first time, this study reported CSA as a potential, efficient and no-cost adsorbent for removal of methylene blue (MB) from water. • Effects of different process variables were investigated and optimized. • The maximum MB adsorption capacity of CSA was 20.42 mg g−1.

The experiment was conducted at Central Tobacco Research Institute (CTRI), Rajahmundry, Andra Pradesh, 2013 to investigate the role of soil texture in weed seed germination and effect of depth of soil profile on emergence of weed seeds. The soil samples were collected from 3 places viz. Rajahmundry, Katheru farm under CTRI both belong to East Godavari district and Chainnaigudem village in West Godavari district with sandy, clay and sandy loam in texture respectively. Soil samples were collected from 0–10, 10–20, 20–30 and 30–40 cm depth of soil profile using core sampler. Each site represents were approximately 1300 m2 area and 32 samples from 4 depths for every site. So, total 144 samples were collected to conduct the experiment. Germinated weeds identified and counted every week and 10 weeks study was carried out. Sandy, sandy loam and clay soil texture found significant non-linear relationship between weed germination and soil depth. All three places recorded significant interaction between depth and seed germination. Soil depth upto 20 cm recorded maximum weed emergence both monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous; however, dicotyledonous weeds recorded more in number than monocotyledon in four consecutive depths. Sandy soil found highest number of germinated weeds than sandy loam and clay texture soils.

Presence of pesticide residues in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) leaf matrix increases health risk of the consumer, and hence, determination of pesticide residues in tobacco is an issue of serious concern around the world. Present study details the sample preparation and analysis of imidacloprid residues in the Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco by highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with ultra-violet (UV) detector. The extraction method involves mechanical agitation of tobacco leaf matrix with acetone (1:10) for 45 min at 200 rpm, followed by sequential liquidliquid-partitioning and clean-up with florisil. The method provided 83.7–97.5% recovery with precision relative standard deviation (RSD) less than 10%. Matrix induced signal suppression was recorded at lower level of pesticide spike (mention concentration to specify what do mean by lower level). The method provided acceptable intra-laboratory precision (HorRat ratio mostly < 0.5) and global uncertainty (11.72% at guidance residue level (GRL) of 5 μg g−1 for imidacloprid in tobacco), which complies with the international regulatory specifications. By considering efficiency of method, economics of analysis and analyst's safety, the present method can be adopted by laboratories to monitor imidacloprid residue in FCV tobacco leaf matrix for consumers’ safety.

Background & objectives: The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and the ICMR-National Institute of Medical Statistics, the nodal agency for conducting HIV estimations in India, have been generating HIV estimates regularly since 2003. The objective of this study was to describe India's biennial HIV estimation 2017 process, data inputs, tool, methodology and epidemiological assumptions used to generate the HIV estimates and trends of key indicators for 2010-2017 at national and State/Union Territory levels. Methods: Demographic Projection (DemProj) and AIDS Impact Modules (AIM) of Spectrum 5.63 software recommended by the United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS Global Reference Group on HIV Estimates, Modelling and Projections, were used for generating HIV estimations on key indicators. HIV sentinel surveillance, epidemiological and programme data were entered into Estimation Projection Package (EPP), and curve fitting was done using EPP classic model. Finally, calibration was done using the State HIV prevalence of two rounds of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) -3 and -4 and Integrated Biological and Behavioural Surveillance (IBBS), 2014-2015. Results: The national adult prevalence of HIV was estimated to be 0.22 per cent in 2017. Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland had the highest prevalence over one per cent. An estimated 2.1 million people were living with HIV in 2017, with Maharashtra estimated to have the highest number. Of the 88 thousand annual new HIV infections estimated nationally in 2017, Telangana accounted for the largest share. HIV incidence was found to be higher among key population groups, especially people who inject drugs. The annual AIDS-related deaths were estimated to be 69 thousand nationally. For all indicators, geographic variation in levels and trends between States existed. Interpretation & conclusions: With a slow decline in annual new HIV infections by only 27 per cent from 2010 to 2017 against the national target of 75 per cent by 2020, the national target to end AIDS by 2030 may be missed; although at the sub-national level some States have made better progress to reduce new HIV infection. It calls for reinforcement of HIV prevention, diagnosis and treatment efforts by geographical regions and population groups.