<div style="text-align: justify;">Background: Zinc plays an important role in different plant metabolism processes like development of cell wall, respiration, photosynthesis, chlorophyll formation, enzyme activity and other biochemical functions etc. In spite of these various metabolic functions, no extensive field study was taken up in Manipur, India. Therefore, this study was aimed to find out the critical stages of Zn in soil and pea plant for Zn nutrition.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Methods: In a pot culture experiment during 2017, the response of pea (Pisum sativum L.), cv. Rachna to Zn was studied on 20 acidic soils of Imphal West district, Manipur. In our investigation, physico-chemical properties of the various soil samples collected from different fields were analysed and various plant parameters were recorded grown in the pots.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Result: Addition of Zn in the soils significantly increased the dry matter production and Zn uptake by the crop. &nbsp;DTPA extractable Zn was significantly correlated with dry matter yield of the plant (r=0.443*), Zn content (r=0.446*), Zn uptake (r=0.535*), Bray&rsquo;s per cent yield (r=0.519*) and Bray&rsquo;s per cent uptake (r=0.458*). The critical levels of Zn in soils and 50 days old pea plants below which response of pea to Zn fertilization may be expected are 0.69 mg kg-1 and 0.21 per cent Zn, respectively.&nbsp;</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Critical Limits of Zinc in Relation to the Growth of Pea (Pisum sativum L.) in Acid Soils of Imphal West District, Manipur (India)</div>

Background: The functional efficacy of probiotic microorganisms depends critically on their ability to survive gastrointestinal transit, where exposure to gastric acidity, bile salts and food matrices can severely limit viability. Lactobacillus paracasei is widely employed in probiotic formulations; however, strain-specific survival under simulated gastrointestinal conditions and in non-dairy food carriers remains inadequately characterized. 
&nbsp; 
Methods: In the present study, the gastrointestinal survival of Lactobacillus paracasei HU1 was evaluated using standardized in vitro models of simulated gastric juice (SGJ) and simulated intestinal juice (SIJ). Acid-fast staining was performed to assess structural acid resistance. Viability was quantified at 0, 1 and 3 h by plate count methods under gastric and intestinal conditions, with and without food matrices (apple juice and mouth freshener). Bile salt tolerance was assessed at concentrations ranging from 0 to 2.0% (w/v) and results were expressed as log CFU &plusmn; SD and percentage viability. 
&nbsp; 
Result: L. paracasei HU1 was confirmed to be acid-fast negative. Exposure to SGJ resulted in a pronounced reduction in viability, with an approximate 51% decline after 3 h, identifying gastric acidity as the primary survival barrier. In contrast, survival under SIJ was comparatively higher, with only a ~25% reduction over the same period. Apple juice and mouth freshener matrices failed to protect L. paracasei during gastric exposure, resulting in &gt;90% loss of viability, while modestly improved survival was observed under intestinal conditions. Bile tolerance assays demonstrated good survival at physiological bile concentrations (0.3%), moderate tolerance at 0.5% and severe inhibition at &ge;1.0% bile salts, confirming concentration- and time-dependent effects. The findings demonstrate that gastric acidity represents the most critical bottleneck for L. paracasei survival, while intestinal conditions are comparatively permissive. Acidic, non-dairy food matrices alone are insufficient to confer meaningful gastric protection. These results underscore the necessity of targeted formulation strategies, such as buffering or encapsulation, to enhance probiotic delivery and functional efficacy. 
&nbsp;

Gastrointestinal Stress Severely Limits the Viability of Lactobacillus paracasei HU1: Limited Protective Role of Acidic Food Matrices

<div style="text-align: justify;">When water supplies are restricted, so that full evapotranspiration demands cannot be met, limited irrigation is practised. Management strategy of limited irrigation is to optimise production per unit of applied water rather than to maximise yield per unit of land. Principles that help to facilitate limited irrigation strategies can be broadly grouped into three: agricultural water management, crop considerations and agronomic options. When anticipating low water year, choose crops which maximise production with limited water. In decreasing order of efficiency, short season indeterminate and long season indeterminate crops should be chosen judiciously. Deficit irrigation practices, localised irrigation methods, reducing water losses,conjunctive use of water resources etc can help minimise yield losses due to soil moisture stress. &nbsp;Additional agronomic management options that can maximise production include conservation tillage, advancing or delaying planting dates in order to coincide the crop&rsquo;s critical period with water availability, decreasing plant competition byreducing seeding density and controlling weeds. Available options to address the challenge of limited irrigation have been briefly presented.</div>

Crop production with limited irrigation: A review

<div>Background: Ultisols are characterized by low pH, low cation exchange capacity and low base saturation due to dominance of kaolinite and oxides and hydrous oxides of iron and aluminium. Among the basic cations, magnesium has smaller ionic size and larger hydrated radius which limits binding of Mg to soil exchange sites. As a result the deficiency of magnesium is a common nutritional disorder in these soils due to leaching of bases under humid tropical conditions. The determination of critical level of magnesium in soil and plant helps to manage the nutrient deficiency and will help to avoid crop loss. 
 
Methods: A pot culture experiment was conducted to determine the critical level of magnesium for cowpea in Ultisols of Kerala during January 2019. Graded doses of magnesium were applied @ 5 mg kg-1 to 80 mg kg-1 of soil as magnesium carbonate along with recommended dose of fertilizers to evaluate the effect of applied magnesium on soil pH, available magnesium in soil, magnesium content in plant, crop uptake and yield. 
 
Result: Soil pH and available magnesium in soil recorded at flowering and harvest was highest where magnesium was applied @ 80 mg kg-1 of soil. Magnesium content in stem and leaves was found to increase with the levels of magnesium added. No significant variation in the content of magnesium in pods was recorded. Crop uptake (66.62 mg g-1) of magnesium and yield per plant (79.33 g plant-1) was highest in the treatment (T5) where magnesium was applied @ 10 mg kg-1 of soil. The critical level of magnesium determined by Cate and Nelson graphical method was found to be 75 mg kg-1 of available magnesium in soil and 0.38% in leaves of cowpea during flowering.</div>

<div>Critical Level of Magnesium for Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] in Ultisols of Kerala</div>

<div>Background: Weed populations reduce crop yields by influencing the pattern of crop growth and development throughout the season and by directly competing with the crop for limiting precious resources, like light, water or nutrients. A number of the factors that influence magnitude of crop yield losses from weed interference include the timing of weed emergence relative to the crop, weed density, pattern of weed growth and development. Weed management is one among the foremost critical factors influencing crop yield. By providing a window of weed-free growth early within the season, the size advantage that crop seedlings have over weeds can be utilized to reduce the intensity of direct competition for resources at the stages of crop development when yield is being determined. Weeds are identified as a significance drawback since they create biotic stress in realizing the genetic yield potential of this valuable crop. 
 
Methods: A field experiment was carried out during the rabi season of 2010-11 to 2014-15 at ICAR- National Research Centre on Seed Spices, Ajmer, Rajasthan to estimate the yield losses because of weed infestation and to work out the critical period for weed control (CPWC) in fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.). There were 14 treatments comprising of initial weedy periods of 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 days after sowing (DAS) and weed free period upto 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 DAS along with weedy till harvest (un-weeded check) and weed free till harvest (weed free check). The treatments were replicated three times in a randomized block design. 
 
Result: Maximum pod length (cm), number of pods/plant, number of seed/pod, test weight (g), seed yield (kg/ha), straw yield (kg/ha) and harvesting index (%) to the tune of 9.47, 41.2, 16.67, 12.60, 2297, 4954 and 31.73 were recorded at weed free throughout growth period. Weed infestation up to 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 DAS and weedy throughout growth period reduced the seed yield significantly to the magnitude of 567.3, 801.7, 913.3, 1253.3, 1393.7 and 1736.3 kg/ha. Yield losses in fenugreek increase from 2.95 kg/ha/day at 15 days weed infestation to 12.31 kg/ha/day at 135 days weed infestation. Maximum gross return (`104248/ha), net return (`67018/ha) were obtained at weed free throughout growth period with the B:C ratio 2.80 among the weed free treatments. The employment of response curves with weed free or weed competition period showed that seed yield of fenugreek&nbsp;were&nbsp;the highest with the field&nbsp;free&nbsp;from weeds throughout the growth period and the critical period of weed/fenugreek competition was 32 days after sowing and lies between 30-45 days after sowing. In regression approach for fenugreek seed yield and weed free or weed competition period the quadratic function was fitted to estimate the expected yields which had the high significant with the data recorded and have the highest values of R2. If we predict the seed yield losses based on the quadratic model for weed free period model, it declined from 42.04 at 0 DAS to 0.0% at 135 days. Similarly, weed infestation period model predicted the seed yield losses increased from 0.00 at 0 days weed infestation to 73.42% at 135 days. Critical period for weed competition in fenugreek was found to be 32 days after sowing. The CPWC is helpful for making decisions on the necessity for and timing of weed control.</div>

<div>Yield Losses Due to Weeds, Critical Period for Weed-crop Competition in Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.)&nbsp;</div>

Rice and wheat are two major staple food crops in India and worldwide. Over the years the yield potential of the crops has been affected by abiotic factors, which is further projected to increase due to climate change induced environmental adversities. Typically these two crops have different growing conditions, rice requiring high water for cultivation unlike wheat which is water demanding and sensitive to larger variability in temperature regimes. In the recent past drought and disease stress, besides several other stresses, are considered to be critical factors affecting the growth and yield of crops, which is evident in the recent decades. Admittedly, drought stress coupled with biotic stress will further contribute for declining performance of crop varieties and difficult to alleviate even with innovative technological innovations. Few of the technological innovations like high yielding varieties, genetically modified cultivars, integrated nutrient management, integrated pest management, water conservation strategies and prophylactic measures to avoid the disease/pest outbreak, though with potential to augment the yield losses is affected by the stresses. Attempts have also been made to utilize transgenic technologies to build intrinsic tolerance mechanisms by the plants through alteration to functional genes. However, sustainable technologies like classical breeding approaches and integrated farming principles are also being considered to develop crops adaptation and/or enhance the adaptive mechanisms by aligning with technological interventions. Though, several technologies show promise but constrained by the limitations to achieve &lsquo;one-fits-all&rsquo; model to overcome the interactive effects of abiotic stressors. Visibly, the crop growth and yield enhancement through technological innovations is call of the day as climate change induced aggravation of these stressors on crop production is imminent. Skilful integration of technological innovations to suit the local and regional scale crop husbandry systems may have promise to address the abiotic stress to realize economic yield of crops like rice and wheat. The review will argumentatively analyse few critical stressors that limit the successful implementation of technological innovations to sustain the rice/wheat crop production and resilience building in the millennia.

Critical abiotic factors affecting implementation of technological&nbsp;innovations in rice and wheat production: A review

<div>Background: The Tribal Sub-Plan (1974-79) targets tribal welfare through focused planning and resource use. Despite Odisha&rsquo;s 22.85% tribal population, outcomes remain poor. This paper highlights key implementation gaps-weak coordination, fund mismanagement, low participation and poor monitoring-and suggests reforms to enhance TSP effectiveness. 
 
Methods: This study used an ex-post facto design to assess Tribal Sub-plan (TSP) implementation challenges in Odisha, focusing on agricultural constraints among tribal farmers. Kendujhar and Rayagada were purposively selected for their high tribal populations. Stratified random sampling ensured representation of diverse tribal subgroups. Primary data were collected through structured interviews and FGDs with selected beneficiaries, while secondary data from official reports supplemented field findings. Constraints were ranked by respondents and converted into percent positions using the formula: Per cent Position = 100 (Rij -0.5)/Nj, then into scores via Garrett&rsquo;s Ranking Table. Average scores determined the severity of each constraint, enabling objective prioritization and informed recommendations to strengthen TSP in tribal agriculture. 
 
Result: The study identified key constraints across eight dimensions of rural development using Garrett&rsquo;s ranking technique. Among planning-related issues, improper situational analysis (mean score: 71.84) was a major challenge. In the economic domain, untimely release of sanctioned funds (74.05) and insufficient self-employment opportunities (68.13) ranked highest. In extension services, immediate field-level support (67.86) and incorrect field diagnostics (77.99) were key limitations. The most critical socio-psychological limitation was entrenched traditional value systems (78.17), a measure of resistance to change in behavior. Other limitations were poor technological adaptation, poor monitoring mechanisms and weak infrastructure. The results highlight the importance of participatory planning, timely finance, responsive extension systems and situation-specific technologies in reinforcing rural development outcomes.</div>

Unveiling the Bottlenecks: A Critical Study of Tribal Sub-plan Implementation in Odisha

Absorption of glucose, sucrose, glutamic acid and methionine was studied using the intestinal everted sac technique. Rats were fed with potato tubers of Kufri Ashoka, Kufri Chipsona-1 and Kufri Chipsona-2 in combination with casein in 1:1 ratio and casein as a control at eight per cent, protein level. Absorption of sucrose, glucose, glutamic acid and methionine was monitored spectrophotometrically and of glucose, sucrose and glutamic acid by 14C radio assay using scintillation counting. In general, glutamic acid showed higher absorption values than glucose, sucrose and methionine by both the techniques. Rats fed on casein diet exhibited maximum absorption of glutamic acid and methionine. Incorporation of 10 ?mole of lithium decreased considerably the absorption of glucose, sucrose, glutamic acid and methionine. Absorption of nutrients differed between casein and casein-potato tubers diets.

Studies on absorption of nutrients using intestinal sacs of rats fed on different diets

<div>Background: In pursuit of exploring gamma irradiation as a technology-intervention for de-husking of Kodo and Kutki millets grown widely, authors of this paper observed that irradiation leads to easy de-husking of hardest Kodo grains. Calibration for appropriate dose of irradiation is needed and hence, this study was planned. This technology, if established, may check millet farmers shifting to other crops. 
 
Methods: Kodo and Kutki millets were irradiated by gamma radiations for doses of 0 kGy to 10 kGy. Water absorption capacity and germination potential of irradiated grains were measured to determine the dose for desired results. 
 
Result: Water absorption and germination potential of Kodo and Kutki grains improved on irradiation; dose of 2.5 kGy and above resulted in an increase in the quantity of water absorbed and rate of water absorption. The germination also increased but registering maxima at 7.5 kGy for Kodo and 5.0 kGy for Kutki. Irradiation at doses higher than maxima caused decline. Thus, appropriate dose of irradiation was found to be 7.5 kGy for Kodo and 5 kGy for Kutki.</div>

<div>Effect of Radiation Processing on Water Absorption and Germination of Kodo and Kutki Millets</div>

<div style="text-align:justify">Background: Soil degradation is the factor causing crops yield decline in the Southern region of Vietnam. Since the recommendations for limitation of soil constraints will consult the proper problem soil management.&nbsp; Methods: The soil limitation identified based on soil chemistry, physics and morphology properties, suggested by Sanchez et al (1998 and 2003). Soil data of 28 field experiments were analysed.&nbsp; Result: There were 25 rice soil fertility classes, among those, CC (clay in top and subsoil) and CCs (clay in top and subsoil, saline affected) types occupied in large areas. The major soil limitation for rice cultivation including soils low in % organic carbon (o); high in P fixation and high Fe toxicity potential (i); potential salinity (s-); low available P (p); low pH and high Al (a); actual acid sulphate soils (c, c-) potential acid sulphate soils (f, f-). The leaching soil toxicity, application of N, P, K fertilizers and organic matter were recommended.</div>

Critical Limits of Zinc in Relation to the Growth of Pea (Pisum sativum L.) in Acid Soils of Imphal West District, Manipur (India)

Gastrointestinal Stress Severely Limits the Viability of Lactobacillus paracasei HU1: Limited Protective Role of Acidic Food Matrices

Crop production with limited irrigation: A review

Critical Level of Magnesium for Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] in Ultisols of Kerala

Yield Losses Due to Weeds, Critical Period for Weed-crop Competition in Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.)

Critical abiotic factors affecting implementation of technological innovations in rice and wheat production: A review

Unveiling the Bottlenecks: A Critical Study of Tribal Sub-plan Implementation in Odisha

Studies on absorption of nutrients using intestinal sacs of rats fed on different diets

Effect of Radiation Processing on Water Absorption and Germination of Kodo and Kutki Millets

Limitation and Recommendation for Rice Cultivation on the Problem Soils in the Southern Region of Vietnam