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Aim: The present research aims to develop sustainable agriculture strategies that enhance fodder sorghum yield while ensuring soil health and environmental safety. Methodology: Field experiment was conducted during kharif seasons of 2023 and 2024 at Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, using a split plot design with three replications. Sewage sludge (SS) (2.5 and 5 t ha-1) and FYM (2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 t ha-1) as the main factors. In subplots, four nitrogen levels (control, 50%, 75% and 100% recommended dose of nitrogen) were applied. Results: Chlorophyll content, relative water content and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was significantly higher with application of 5 t ha-1 sewage sludge, 7.5 t ha-1 FYM and 100% RDN during both the years. Canopy temperature was significantly lower with 5 t ha-1 SS-sewage sludge and 7.5 t ha-1 FYM, while 100% RDN treatment further reduced canopy temperature at all stages. Crop growth rate (CGR) and relative growth rate (RGR) were significantly higher with at 5 t ha-1 SS-sewage sludge, 7.5 t ha-1 FYM and 100% RDN, particularly at early growth stages. Interpretation: Combined application of sewage sludge, FYM and nitrogen significantly enhanced the crop performance and physiological traits. Key words: FYM, Growth, Nitrogen, Physiological traits, Sewage sludge, Sorghum

Regenerative agriculture (RA) is heralded as a transformative solution to combat climate change, enhance biodiversity, and improve soil health. However, its effectiveness across diverse agroclimatic contexts remains underexplored. This meta-analysis synthesizes results from 147 peer-reviewed studies across India's major agro-ecological and agro-climatic regions. Using a random-effects model, we estimate the soil organic carbon (SOC) change attributable to a suite of RA practices, including organic amendments (farmyard manure, green manure, compost, and biochar), conservation tillage, crop residue retention, and fertilizer management. Biochar application resulted in the highest SOC gain, followed by farmyard manure, green manure, compost, and fertilizer management. Conservation tillage and crop residue retention demonstrated moderate, yet consistent, carbon benefits across time scales. The SOC gains were most significant over durations exceeding five years and varied across agro-ecological regions, with semi-arid and sub-humid regions showing particularly strong responses. The findings affirm that RA practices effectively sequester carbon, particularly when applied over longer durations and in regionally adapted combinations.

The experiment was conducted during the winter season of 2022–2023 at the Horticultural Research Centre, SVPUA&T, Meerut, to evaluate the impact of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) on Dahlia variabilis L. cv. Zail Singh using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 19 treatments and three replications. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed among treatments for vegetative growth, flowering, and soil parameters. Treatment T12 (50% RDF + poultry manure + Azotobacter + VAM) recorded the maximum number of primary branches (9.75), leaf area (97.75 cm²), leaf area index (0.048), chlorophyll index 55.45 mg/m²), and nitrogen index (26.62 mg/m²), showing approximately 81% improvement over the control (100% RDF). T17 (25% RDF + vermicompost + Azospirillium + VAM) produced the largest stem diameter (14.30 mm), stalk diameter (10.30 mm), and flower diameter (18.00 cm). T5 enabled early color break (6.58 days), T10 extended vase life (7.10 days), while T6 and T7 significantly enhanced soil nutrient availability, and T14–T15 improved soil organic carbon, EC, and pH. In contrast, the control (T1) consistently recorded the lowest values across traits. These findings demonstrated that integrating organic manures and bio-inoculants with reduced levels of chemical fertilizers significantly enhanced crop performance and soil health, offering a sustainable strategy for ornamental horticulture.

Oat is versatile and highly nutritious crop and it can be effectively utilized as dual-purpose for fodder and seed production. Generally, farmers are growing oat in very limited and poor in quality in Manipur state of India. Growing fodder oat with correct nutrient management results in increased productivity as well as quality fodder production of oat. Therefore productivity of livestock in study area can be increased with full amount of fodder supplied to livestock. A two-year study was conducted to examine the effect of different cutting management and nutrient management on performance of fodder oat and economics of the system using factorial randomized block design (FRBD). The results revealed that among the different cutting scheduling, three cuts at 60, 90 and 120 days after sowing gave significantly higher green fodder production. However, the maximum gross return, net return, benefit: cost (BCR) and crude protein (CP) percentage was observed under single cut at 60 days after sowing (DAS) + seed. Among the different level of nutrient management, 50% NPK of RDF + 7.5 t FYM ha −1 significantly increased the green fodder yield, dry matter production, seed yield, crude protein content and economics of oat in Eastern Himalayan region of India The study inference that combination of cutting scheduling of fodder at 60 DAS with the application of 50% NPK of RDF + 7.5 t FYM ha −1 can be recommended for higher productivity of quality fodder of dual purpose of oat in Eastern Himalayan region of Manipur state of India.

Mango sudden death (MSD) or quick decline (QD) is the most destructive disease found in mango orchards of Pakistan and is characterized by collapse of the vascular system by Ceratocystis fimbriata and Lasiodiplodia theobromae. Cultural practices, chemicals, and biological control are the most valuable tools for the management of MSD, but the role of micronutrient deficiencies has remained an area that is heavily ignored by the farming community. To study the impact of micronutrients, four mango orchards were selected at different locations where different combinations of micronutrients, i.e., Zinc (Zn), Boran (B), and Copper (Cu) in the form of Zinc sulphate (ZnSO4), Borax/Boric acid (H3BO3), and Copper Sulphate (CuSO4), were applied both foliar and in drench along with the recommended doses of Nitrogen: Phosphorous: Potassium (NPK), and Farmyard manure (FYM), respectively. The quantities of micronutrients were determined from the soil and leaves before and after application of the treatments. The impact of micronutrients was measured in terms of reduction in disease severity and increase in fruit yield. The results revealed that the application of all three micronutrients both in soil drench and in foliar form significantly decreased the disease severity at three locations and increased the yield in all four mango orchards. Application of ZnSO4 (0.8%), +H3BO3 (0.8%), +CuSO4 (0.5%) and as soil drench ZnSO4 (400 g) + Borax (200 g) + CuSO4 200 g plant−1 proved to be the best treatments, with an average of 12.88 and 14.03% reduction in disease severity and with an average yield of 128 and 119 kg, respectively. The application of micronutrients would be a promising solution in an integrated disease management program used to tackle MSD.

PurposeSoil-borne bacterial wilt disease caused by the bacterial plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum is a serious concern worldwide, resulting in huge economic losses in solanaceous vegetables. This study confirms the field efficacy of microbe-enriched organic fertilizer application in successful management of eggplant bacterial wilt disease.MethodsFour potential Bacillus strains isolated from diverse soils of Andaman Islands were evaluated using the microbe-enriched farmyard manure (MFYM) approach for bacterial wilt suppression and yield increase in both the greenhouse and field conditions. Also, changes in the bacterial wilt pathogen and putative Bacillus counts on MFYM applications were studied.ResultsBacillus strains used in this study were confirmed for their indole acetic acid (IAA) production, phosphate solubilization, and siderophore production traits in vitro. In addition, species identity was confirmed through rpoB gene sequences analysis. In both greenhouse and field experiments, MFYM treatments showed better biological control potential and increase in yield compared to farmyard manure (FYM) alone and unamended control treatments. In comparison to control and other treatments, the MIC-Consortia demonstrated the highest biocontrol potential across all treatments in pot culture (90.6%), first field (78.8% and 72.1%), and second field (61.5% and 75%) studies, respectively. Similarly, the MIC-Consortia showed highest yield in the first field (61.5% and 75%) and second field (60% and 48.1%), respectively, when compared to other treatments. Further, the studies of microbial counts in treated soils revealed that the pathogen population increased throughout the cropping season, but the rate of increase was found slower in MFYM treatments.ConclusionThis study showed that the MIC-Consortia when applied along with FYM could effectively suppress eggplant bacterial wilt disease incidence and enhance yield performance in two different field conditions over two successive years. The results could be used in devising efficient eco-friendly management strategies for bacterial wilt disease in organic farming practices.

Declining soil quality is among the factors leading to low crop yields in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, a 2 year on farm field experiment was carried out in Ethiopia to test whether integration of organic and inorganic fertilizer inputs increases soil quality, the nutrient balance and maize yields. Treatment combinations included 2 and 4 t ha−1 of compost (Com) and farm yard manure (FYM), and 50 and 100% of the recommended inorganic fertilizer (RIF). The treatments were laid out on 11 farmer fields where each farm served as a replicate. About 40% yield increase was recorded due to the combined use of 4 t ha−1 of Com along with 50% RIF compared to the 100% RIF. Soil quality was significantly improved in the top 20 cm of the soil due to application of FYM or Com combined with 50% RIF. Carbon and Nitrogen stocks were respectively 86 and 175% higher in the 4 t Com + 50% RIF compared to the control with no significant variation between farms. Further, the N and P partial balances were between 12.2 and 41.6 kg ha−1 year−1 and 10.2 and 17.4 kg ha−1 year−1 for N and P, respectively implying that the sites showed N and P-accumulations over the study period. Results suggest that nutrient depletion can be mitigated in smallholder systems through the use of locally available organic inputs, hence longer-term productivity of smallholders can be sustained.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), being an energy-rich crop, is sensitive to nutrient deficiencies and a scavenger of nutrients from the soil. Optimum and integrated nutrient management (INM) improves productivity and the quality of seeds. The objective of this study was to identify suitable system-based INM (S-INM) options for peanut–wheat cropping sequence in the Saurashtra region of India. Results showed that peanut growth, yield attributing parameters, pod, and haulm yield, and NPK uptake were higher when 100% recommended fertilizer doses (RDFs) + farmyard manure (FYM) @5 t/ha + plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) were applied. However, application of 75% RDFs + FYM @5 t/ha + PGPR in peanut and 100% RDF in wheat was most effective to improve growth and yield attributes, yields and nutrient uptake by wheat. Further, this FYM- and PGPR-amended treatment was found to increase system productivity by 15.3 and 17.1%, system profitability by 17.0 and 22.6%, and net energy gain by 10.0 and 17.9% over the reference treatment and over farmers’ practice (FF), respectively. This sustainable system approach will be helpful for agronomists and farmers in identifying and practicing suitable field practices with further study on the residual effect of organic manures on the peanut–wheat based cropping system in the western region of India with light black soils.

A long-term field experiment was conducted to study the effects of different combinations of integrated nutrient management (INM) on carbon sequestration and wheat yield in a rice-wheat cropping system. The experiment consisted of 11 treatments that were replicated three times. The organic manures used in the study included farmyard manure (FYM), wheat straw (WS), and green manure (GM) with Sesbania aculeata . The results of the experiment revealed that the application of 50% of the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) along with 50% nitrogen (N) through FYM during rice cultivation, and RDF during wheat cultivation, led to a significant increase in soil organic carbon (SOC). Specifically, the SOC content was enhanced by 46.4% (18.29 Mg ha -1 ) compared to RDF in rice and wheat, resulting in a C sequestration rate of 0.22 Mg ha -1 year -1 . These increases were higher in treatments that combined organic and inorganic inputs. Additionally, the application of 50% RDF and substituting 50% of the nitrogen with FYM during wheat cultivation resulted in a 24.7% increase in grain yield compared to RDF in rice and wheat. The INM treatments, showed significantly ( p ≤ 0.05) higher agronomic efficiency (AE) of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), partial factor productivity (PFP) of N, P and K, and carbon pool index (CPI) compared to the application of inorganic fertilizers at the recommended dose. Moreover, the INM treatments also exhibited lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity. Application of neither chemical fertilizers nor organic manure (T 1 ) resulted in maximum GHG emission intensity (328.1 kg CO 2 eq Mg −1 yield). Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the combined use of inorganic fertilizers and organic manures significantly increased crop yield and soil organic carbon sequestration while reducing GHG emissions in a rice-wheat cropping system in the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (EIGP) of India.

In India, particularly in Manipur, the cultivation of fodder crops is given the least attention as most of the agricultural land is devoted to food crops to meet the food demand of our enormous population. As a result, livestock productivity of the state is suffering. In addition, cultivation of single crops repeatedly over years using inorganic sources of nutrients as inputs for the growth and development of the crops in the same field leads to low production at the cost of soil quality deterioration and environmental issues. Therefore, an experiment was carried out to evaluate the productivity of the oat–chickpea intercropping system to assess the effect of mineral and organic fertilizer management using factorial randomized block design with three replications comprising four levels of the cropping system (CS1-sole oat, CS2-sole chickpea, CS3-intercropping of oat with chickpea in a 3:2 row ratio and CS4-intercropping of oat with chickpea in a 3:3 row ratio) in the main plot and three levels of nutrient management (F1—Full RDF(recommended dose of fertilizer)through inorganic source, F2—50% N of RDF + 50% N through FYM(farm yard manure)and F3—50% N of RDF + 50%N through vermicompost) in the sub plot to study their productivity and economic feasibility. Three years of pooled results revealed that the maximum green fodder yield (50.88 t/ha), dry matter yield (11.84 t/ha) and plant height (120.69 cm) of oat was recorded in CS1, which is among the intercropping systems with the highest green fodder yield (40.11 t/ha) and has a plant height of 115.06 cm; this was recorded in CS3 and the highest dry matter yield (8.44 t/ha) was recorded in CS4. Application of F3 to oats gave the highest green fodder yield, dry matter yield and maximum plant height in all three years of the growing period. The maximum seed yield (1.86 t/ha), harvest index (46.05%), stover yield (2.15 t/ha/ha) and plant height (53.55 cm) of chickpea was obtained in CS2, but among the intercropping system, CS4 was statistically significant at a 5% probability level and was superior in seed yield and stover yield, as compared to the CS3cropping system. The application of F2 showed a higher seed yield and stover yield of chickpea. The green forage equivalent yield (85.37 t/ha), land equivalent ratio (LER) (1.63), gross return ( $1902/ha), net returns ($ 1436/ha) and benefit cost ratio (4.19) were recorded to be the highest in the CS4 cropping system of oat and chickpea. This study concludes that CS4, in combination with the application of F3, can be recommended as it provides a higher green forage equivalent yield, LER and other economic benefits, as compared to other cropping systems and nutrient management practices.