H. K. OBEROI* AND G. KAUR
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141 004 (Punjab), India
Department of Biochemistry, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141 004 (Punjab), India
*(e-mail: harpreetoberoi@pau.edu)
(Received : 08 February 2025; Accepted : 27 March 2025)

SUMMARY

Plant growth and productivity are significantly impacted by a variety of biotic and abiotic stress factors. Among these, water deficit stress-whether temporary or permanent-has a greater impact on the growth and performance of cultivated plants than most other environmental factors. Water stress is a major issue in agriculture, and the ability of crops to endure such stress is of immense economic value. Drought, as a complex physical-chemical process, adversely affects nearly every aspect of plant metabolism. As a result, it is crucial to understand how crops adapt at morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels under water deficit conditions. This review aims to provide an overview of research on the mechanisms of drought tolerance in plants.

Key words: Drought stress, antioxidants, enzymes, molecular changes

337-345

GULAB PANDOVE*, NIRMAL SINGH, NEERAJ RANI AND SOHAN SINGH WALIA
School of Organic Farming, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141 004 (Punjab), India
Department of Microbiology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141 004 (Punjab), India
*(e-mail: gpandove@pau.edu)
(Received : 4 March 2025; Accepted 28 March 2025)

SUMMARY

Vermicompost is one of the most popular organic fertilizers that is produced by the activity of Earthworms. Vermicompost is a nutrient-rich (Macronutrients) and microbiota enriched product, making it an excellent soil amendment. It enhances soil fertility, promotes crop productivity and supports sustainable agricultural practices. It also helps to enhances soil structure via soil aeration, water retention and root penetration. Vermicomposting occurs in the presence of oxygen. This reduces odour and pathogen. Earthworms ingest organic matter, break it down and excrete a nutrientrich. microbe-dense vermicompost. The entire process of vermicomposting involves a complex inter play of earthworms, microorganisms and decomposing organic matter. The microbial communities within earthworm gut and cast are found to be highly efficient and capable of digesting wide range of organic material and polysaccharides (cellulose, sugars, chitin, lignin, starch). In addition of macro and micronutrients, the vermicompost found to be rich in phosphate solubilizers, nitrogenfixer fixing bacteria, enzyme producers and plant growth promoting bacteria. Likewise, enzymes like urease, -glucosidase, phosphatase have been reported in vermicompost. Thus, the present review will feature, various methodology for the preparation of vermicompost, microbiome of vermicompast, physical properties of vermicompost, impact of vermicompost on plant health, antifungal features impact of vermicompost on soil health, its role in disease resistance, application methods enzymatic profiling, conventional compost vs Vermicompost and its application in forage, crops. The realization attained from the literature assessed herein will further help to understand the role of vermicompost in forage crop.

Key words: Disease resistance, Earthworms, Enzymes (Urease, -glucosidase, Phosphatase), Soil fertility, Microorganisms, Vermicompost

346-353

GAYATRI KUMARI, SARITA DEVI, CHARAN SINGH, SATPAL*, MONIKA AND PANKAJ
Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, CCSHAU, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Rice Research Station, Kaul,
Kaithal-136 021 (Haryana), India
Forage Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS HAU, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
*(e-mail: satpal.fpj@gmail.com)
(Received : 14 March 2025; Accepted 30 March 2025)

SUMMARY

Livestock sector directly supports the livelihoods and food security of many people, globally. A 65% shortage in green fodder and a 25% deficit in dry fodder are predicted to exist by 2025. Sorghum being a hardy crop can be used for forage purpose. It can tolerate abiotic stress like soil salinity. To cope up this green and dry fodder deficit, sorghum production for forage purpose from saline soils is needed. Therefore, the bibliometric analysis evaluated the general state, research trends, updates and hotspots of fodder sorghum production under saline soils. Scopus database was used to select journal publications from 2000 to 2023 and the analysis was carried out using VOSviewer and Bibliometrix software. The results demonstrated that 569 documents (542 original research and 27 reviews) studied the fodder sorghum production from saline soils over the last 23 years. Increasing number of publications can be associated with the demand of fodder production from salty areas. Author’s keywords analysis suggested that the studies focused on sorghum, salt stress, salt tolerance, physiological changes, gene expression regulation and plant proteins with aim to increase the sorghum production from saline soils. Asian countries (China and India) are more focused on the alternative for pasture lands. This in-depth analysis offers future prospects for using sorghum as a fodder crop grown in saline conditions for sustainable fodder management.

Key words: Fodder sorghum, salinity, salt stress, salt tolerance and bibliometric analysis

354-363

NEHA ROHILA, SATYAWAN ARYA, DILBAGH, RAVISH PANCHTA*, PUMMY KUMARI,
NEERAJ KHAROR AND SONU LANGAYA
Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding,
CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
*(e-mail: rpanchta@gmail.com)
(Received: 11 January 2025; Accepted: 20 March 2025)

SUMMARY

The goal of the present study was to evaluate, categories, and classify 200 stem borer (SB) lines of the cross HJ 513 x IS 2205 for traits related to fodder yield during the Kharif 2017 and 2018 at the research area of the forage section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS Haryana Agricultural University. Data on 11 morphological characters, were observed. The results of a correlation analysis showed that characters like dry fodder yield had a highly significant positive association with the amount of green fodder produced on each plot, whereas traits like plant height had a significant correlation with the amount of green fodder produced on each plot. Estimates of path coefficients in F₃ and F₄ population revealed direct positive effects on green fodder yield exhibited by dry fodder yield per plot and leaf breadth.

Key words: Sorghum, selection, correlation and path coefficient

364-368

KIRAN*, M. C. KAMBOJ, PREETI SHARMA AND KULDEEP JANGID
CCS HAU Regional Research Station, Karnal-132 001 (Haryana), India
*(e-mail: mehrakiran.0331@gmail.com)
(Received: 12 February 2025; Accepted: 3 March 2025)

SUMMARY

The field experiment was conducted at CCS HAU, RRS Karnal during spring 2024 in RBD Design using fourteen maize hybrids and one check HM 4 to evaluate the performance of hybrids for baby corn and fodder yield. The findings revealed considerable differences among hybrids for the studied traits. Among the fourteen maize hybrids evaluated in baby corn trial, four hybrids viz. HKH 423 (2756 and 22987 kg/ha), HKH 433 (2552 and 22456 kg/ha), HKH 388 (2575 and 21965 kg/ha) and IMH 225 (2367 and 21954 kg/ha) were recorded more than 10 percent superiority for the baby corn and fodder yield respectively over the check HM 4 (2060 and 19525 kg/ha for baby corn and fodder yield respectively). First three principal components explain the 95% of the total variance.

Key words: Baby corn, fodder, superiority and PCA

369-372

SAKSHI KUMARI, AXAY BHUKER*, V. S. MOR, DAVENDER SINGH AND PUNEETH RAJ M. S.
Department of Seed Science & Technology
CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
*(e-mail: bhuker.axay@gmail.com)
(Received : 01 March 2025; Accepted : 15 March 2025)

SUMMARY

The study was conducted to analyze the effect of biostimulants treatment on the seed quality parameters of biofortified pearl millet hybrid HHB 299 and its parental lines (A line ICMA04888, B line ICMB04888 and R line H13/0001) at CCS HAU Hisar during 2024. The results revealed that seed treatment with different biostimulants viz., Seaweed extract @ 100ml/kg, Gelatin @ 1%, Chitosan @ 5g/kg and Biomix @ 100ml/kg significantly influenced the germination, seedling length, radicle emergence, seedling dry weight, and vigour indices of HHB 299 and its parental lines over untreated seeds. However, seaweed extract @100 ml/kg resulted in maximum increase in germination percentage along with other seed quality parameters. Priming with Seaweed extract @ 100 ml/kg seeds for 6 hours with one and a half volume of solution at 36° improved the germination of A line by 11.54 %, B line by 7.94%, R line by 10.56% and HHB 299 by 10.00% over unprimed seeds. Hence, seaweed extract @ 100ml/kg is very effective for seed priming in saline-affected areas to ensure better germination and seedling establishment of pearl millet.

Key words: biostimulants, biofortified, pearl millet, priming, seaweed extract, vigour index

373-381

ARYA S. NAIR, GAYATHRI G.*, BEENA R., USHA C. THOMAS, PRATHEESH P.GOPINATH, SEEJA G.6 AND AMARESH CHANDEL
Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Vellayani (Kerala), India
Department of Plant Physiology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani (Kerala), India
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Vellayani (Kerala), India
Department of Agricultural Statistics, College of Agriculture, Vellayani (Kerala), India
Breeding Partnerships Lead at Bayer Bioscience Private Ltd, Hyderabad, India
*(e-mail: gayathri.g@kau.in)
(Received : 3 March 2025; Accepted 30 March 2025)

SUMMARY

The livestock sector plays a critical role in poverty alleviation and food security through provision of nutritional products and farm inputs. While cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) serves as a valuable nutritional resource for both human consumption and livestock feed, its sensitivity to waterlogging presents challenges for sustainable production. Though drought-tolerant, waterlogging induces metabolic, physiological, and morphological alterations in legumes. This investigation evaluated ten cowpea genotypes under controlled and waterlogged conditions. Analysis of biochemical parameters revealed superior antioxidant defense mechanisms and photosynthetic pigment maintenance in genotypes EC240630, IC372130, and PFC-50. Waterlogging significantly affected all measured yield attributes except plant height, with green fodder yield reductions ranging from 23-75% with a mean reduction of 57%. Results demonstrate that waterlogging stress significantly compromises fodder cowpea growth and productivity, with implications for livestock nutrition systems dependent on this protein-rich fodder crop.

Key words: Biochemical, Evaluation, Fodder cowpea, Fodder yield, Waterlogging

382-389

AKSHAY KUMAR, SATYAJEET*, JITENDER KUMAR, KANNOJ AKSHAY PAREEK5 AND MANJU YADAV
CCS HAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal -123501 (Haryana), India
Department of Agronomy, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125004, India
Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India, Mohali-160062, India
*(e-mail: sjeet.hau@gmail.com)
(Received : 08 January 2025; Accepted : 21 March 2025)

SUMMARY

The field experiment was conducted during Rabi season of 2021-22 at Research Farm of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Regional Research Station, Bawal, Rewari (Haryana) to find out the effect of different date of sowing and integrated nutrient management on growth, yield attributes and yield of wheat crop. Sowing of wheat on 31st October resulted in significantly higher yield attributes as compared to 21st November sown crop. Significantly higher grain yield (5017 kg/ha) and straw yield (7361 kg/ha) were recorded under the crop sown on 31st October as compared to 21st November, which were statistically at par with 7th and 14th November sown crop. Among nutrient management, significantly higher yield (5144 kg/ha) was fetched under 100% RDF through chemical fertilizer as compared to control (3511 kg/ha), whereas, it was statistically at par with 75% RDF + 25% N (FYM) + Azotobacter +PSB and 75% RDF + 25% N (FYM).

Key words: Wheat, integrated nutrient management, date of sowing, yield attributes and yield

390-393

B. B. TANDEL, R. M. PANKHANIYA*, S. K. PARMAR, V. G. BAVALGAVE AND H. M. VIRDIA
Department of Agronomy,
N. M. College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari (Gujarat), India
*(e-mail: rameshpankhania@nau.in)
(Received : 22 February 2025; Accepted : 21 March 2025)

SUMMARY

A field trial was conducted during the rabi season of 2017-18 to 2019-20 at Instructional Farm, Department of Agronomy, N. M. College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat to study the weed dynamic and fodder yield of oat as affected by sowing technique and weed management practices. The experiment consists of two sowing methods, S1: Line sowing and S2: Cross sowing, five weed management treatments, W1: Unweeded control, W2: Weed-free (Two HW at 20 & 40 DAS), W3: Pendimethalin @ 1 kg/ha PE, W4: 2,4-D amine salt @ 0. 5 kg/ha as PoE at 30 DAS and W5: Metsulfuron methyl @ 4 g/ha as PoE30 DAS. A total of ten treatment combinations were laid out in factorial randomized block design (FRBD) with three replications. A Significant reduction in weed density and weed biomass was observed with cross sowing method. Among the herbicide treatments, Metsulfuron methyl @ 4 g/ha as PoE30 DAS resulted in significantly lower density and dry weight of weeds. This treatment recorded maximum weed control efficiency (WCE) (80.18 %), while a lower weed competition index was recorded with Pendimethalin @ 1 kg/ha PE, followed by Metsulfuron methyl (WCI) (2.23).

Key words: Sowing technique, weed dynamic, weed count and weed dry weight

394-399

MEKAPOTHULA SHANKAR REDDY, NEERAJ KHAROR*, SATPAL, SUSHIL NAGAR,
PUMMY KUMARI, BAJRANG LAL SHARMA, RAVISH PANCHTA, VISHAL CHUGH, VINOD KUMAR AND DALVINDER PAL SINGH
Department of Biochemistry, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
Forage Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS Haryana Agricultural University,
Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
Department of Basic and Social Sciences, College of Horticulture, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology,
Banda -210 001 (Uttar Pradesh), India
Division of Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Sher-e Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and
Technology of Jammu, Main Campus, Chatha, Jammu-180 009, India
*(e-mail: neerajkharor@hau.ac.in)
(Received : 3 March 2025; Accepted : 28 March 2025)

SUMMARY

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], a drought-tolerant crop, holds promise for addressing these feed challenges due to its high yield potential and adaptability to arid conditions. This study examines the effect of varying fertilizer treatments on the growth parameters of two single-cut sorghum varieties, HJ 541 and Duggi, under the semi-arid conditions of Hisar, India, during the 2022 Kharif season. A factorial randomized block design (RBD) was employed with seven fertilizer levels, including a 150% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), and analyzed across parameters such as plant height, leaf count, fresh and dry biomass, and days to 50% flowering. Results demonstrated that HJ 541 consistently outperformed Duggi in all growth parameters, with optimal results observed at 150% RDF, which was statistically equivalent to 100% RDF for specific traits. The findings underscore the importance of tailored fertilizer application in maximizing sorghum’s growth potential, providing critical insights into addressing India’s forage deficit and enhancing
livestock productivity.

Key words: Sorghum, forage crops, fertilizer management, growth parameters, RDF, animal feed

400-406

SUNIL, VINOD KUMAR*, PUNESH SANGWAN, VISHAL CHUGH, SUSHIL NAGAR ANDNEERAJ KHAROR
Department of Biochemistry, College of Basic Sciences & Humanities, CCS Haryana Agricultural University,
Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
Division of Biochemistry, FBSc, SKUAST-Jammu, Main Campus Chatha-180 009 (J&K), India
Department of Basic and Social Sciences, College of Horticulture, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology,
Banda-210 001 (Uttar Pradesh), India
*(e-mail: sangwan.vinod@yahoo.com)
(Received: 15 March 2025; Accepted: 30 March 2025)

SUMMARY

Iron (Fe) is crucial for various biological functions, including plants. The deficiency of Fe is a vital problem in calcareous soils due to poor Fe3+ solubility, which limits plant growth and yield. In India, 13% of soils are affected by Fe deficiency. The present study was conducted under hydroponic conditions on contrasting Fe-containing Pearl millet hybrids to evaluate their performance under Fe deficiency and the effect of Sulphur (S) supplementation on its growth characteristics under such treatments. Significant changes in the shoot length, root length, leaf area, and chlorophyll content were observed in both genotypes. The shoot length, root length, leaf area, and chlorophyll were highest in treatment with Fe and S (+Fe+S), whereas the lowest values were obtained in the absence of Fe and S (-Fe-S) in both genotypes. Compared to both Fe and S absence, the application of S decreased chlorosis in the absence of Fe, which reveals mimicking of Fe deficiency symptoms by S application. Comparatively, leaf area was significantly higher in Fe-biofortified hybrid HHB-299 over non-biofortified hybrid HHB-67 (Improved). Overall, Fe-biofortified hybrid HHB-299 performed better over non-biofortified hybrid HHB-67 (Improved) under Fe deficient conditions and exhibited better tolerance to deficiency of Fe.

Key words: Hydroponic, Fe deficiency, sulphur application, pearl millet, biofortification

407-411

KANIKA*, SURESH KUMAR, SATPAL, V. S. HOODA, NITISH BALHARA, MONIKA, AARZOO AND AJAY
Department of Agronomy, Directorate of Research,
Department of G&PB (Forage Section)
CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
*(e-mail: kanikarana.369@gmail.com)
(Received: 10 February 2025; Accepted: 24 March 2025)

SUMMARY

A field experiment was conducted during summer season of 2023 at Hisar, Haryana to assess the effect of fodder sorghum varieties under different fertility levels. Four varieties (CSV 53F, HJ 541, HJ 513 and HC 308) were tested at four fertility levels (control, 75, 100 and 125% recommended dose of fertiliser) in factorial RBD with three replications. Among varieties, CSV 53F performed best in terms of growth parameters as well as in yield. The highest plant height, LAI, chlorophyll content, green fodder and dry fodder yield (52.44 t/ha and 13.46 t/ha, respectively) was recorded in CSV 53F which was statistically at par with HJ 541. The highest crude protein yield and digestible dry matter yield (DDMY) was also recorded in variety CSV 53F. Among fertility levels, application of 125% RDF gave significantly higher green fodder and dry fodder yield (56.41 t/ha and 14.69 t/ha, respectively) among lower fertiliser levels but was found statistically at par with 100% RDF (75 kg N + 30 kg P₂O₅ + 30 kg K₂O per ha). In nutshell, use of CSV 53F or HJ 541 performed better and application of 100% RDF was the most suitable fertilization practice to achieve maximum yield under semi-arid conditions of Haryana.

Key words: Sorghum, fertility levels, green and dry fodder yield, LAI, DDMY

412-416

ARJUN LAL BIJARNIA, GHARSIRAM* AND DHARMENDRA MEENA
Assistant Professor Agrostology, Agricultural Research Station, Keshwana, Jalore (Rajasthan), India
Senior Research Fellow, Agricultural Research Station, Keshwana, Jalore (Rajasthan), India
Assistant Professor Agronomy, Agricultural Research Station, Keshwana, Jalore (Rajasthan), India
*(e-mail: loona161@gmail.com)
(Received: 14 March 2025; Accepted: 30 March 2025)

SUMMARY

Micronutrients like iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) play a crucial role in the growth and development of sorghum. This study, conducted at ARS Keshwana, Jalore, Rajasthan, aimed to evaluate the impact of foliar applications of Fe and Zn on sorghum growth and fodder yield. The experiment followed a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with nine treatments and three replications. Results indicated that foliar application of Zn and Fe significantly enhanced plant height, leaf area, stem diameter, and fodder yield, with the combined application of RDF + 0.5% ZnSO₄ at 25 DAS + 0.5% FeSO₄ at 35 DAS yielding the highest green and dry fodder output. The findings suggest that integrating Fe and Zn foliar applications can improve the productivity and nutritional value of sorghum, making it a viable strategy for farmers in semi-arid regions.

Key words: Fodder Sorghum. Foliar application, Iron & Zinc, Growth and Fodder yield

417-421

BHAWNA, ANIL KUMAR, SUSHIL*, SATPAL AND M. L. KHICHAR
Department of Agricultural Meteorology, CCS HAU, Hisar 125 004, (Haryana), India
Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding (Forage Section), CCS HAU, Hisar 125 004, (Haryana), India
*(e-mail: 2015a60bvi@gmail.com)
(Received : 08 March 2025; Accepted : 24 March 2025)

SUMMARY

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) is a crucial cereal crop, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, serving as a staple food source and livestock forage. This study investigates the quantitative relationship between spectral reflectance indices and LAI under NS and EW row orientations. The field experiment was carried out at the Research Farm of CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana during kharif season, 2022 with three cultivars, namely HHB 299, HC 20 Composite, and HHB 67 Improved sown in NS and EW row orientations. The results suggested that all three spectral reflectance indices, SR, NDVI and TVI can be used to predict LAI in pearl millet crop both under NS as well as EW row orientations with 95 percent confidence level as is evident from the r² values; highlighting the potential of remote sensing for crop health assessment.

Key words: Pearl millet, spectral reflectance indices, LAI, row orientations

422-426

ANIL KUMAR, CHANDER SHEKHAR, ANURAG AND SATPAL
Department of Agricultural Meteorology
CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding (Forage Section)
CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
*(e-mail: anilmeteo@gmail.com)
(Received : 04 February 2025; Accepted : 27 March 2025)

SUMMARY

The main aim of this research work was to assess-profile micrometeorological conditions in rainfed Pearl millet under varying growing environments in semi-arid region of Hisar, Micrometeorological observation was measured at three phenophases (Tillering, Flag leaf and 50% flowering) at hourly interval when attained the particular phenophases (decided on the basis of visual observation) by used of Point quantum sensor, pyranometer with digital multivolmeter, radiometer, soil heat flux plat and Asman Psychrometer. The upward and radiation fluxes are measure of energy available at the crop canopy. The energy balance components namely net radiation (Rn), latent heat flux/vaporization (LE), Sensible heat flux (A), and soil heat flux (G) reached the peak value at sun overhead or noon and important of these were fundamental quantity of energy available to drive the crop physiological process. Day time the energy flow results in the warming of pearmillet leaf and within canopy air and crop surface quite cooling as outside soil surface. The percentage of net energy utilized to the various components varies from pearmillet tillering to 50% growth stage
growth stages. Radiation use efficiency among the cultivars sown during 2nd fortnight of June appeared to be at par with national check variety i.e. GHB 558 exhibiting surface remittance and varietal characteristics. Absorption of radiation was increase from tillering to 50% flowering under different growing environments. Decreased the utilization of LE in-advancement growth upto 50 % flowering but in late sown D2 followed the D3 crop will utilized higher. An average transmission higher at 50% flowering might be due to panicle erected vertically and leaves are bending toward the stem with the minimized angle. The vertical PAR for favorable microclimatic profile patterns in pearl millet crop was observed in 2nd fortnight of June sown. Thus, the higher grain yield was attained with efficient utilization of micrometeorological variables during the course of the experiment year.

Key words: Weather relations, PAR, Energy balance, Latent heat flux, radiation component, microclimate

427-435