<div style="text-align:justify">Background: Sheep farm data is often biased by extreme values which are generally introduced due to errors in manual measurement. These values interfere with the accuracy of estimations especially in state-of-the-art techniques like Machine Learning.&nbsp; 
Methods: Therefore, winsorization technique was attempted for the removal of outliers from sheep farm data data for 11 years (2011-2021) for body weights at different ages. Some outliers were deliberately introduced into the data to check the efficiency of the technique. This study was conducted during the year 2021. 
Result: Our results indicate that outlier values of 15.3, 42, 44, 60, 90 for birth weight, weaning weight, 6-month, 9 month and 12-month body weight which were far from the normal range were removed using this technique. The mean and standard deviation values were altered after winsorization. Winsorization technique works well for sheep farm data to remove the bias introduced by outliers and also removes, to a large extent, the need for manual outlier removal in data.</div>

Outlier Removal in Sheep Farm Datasets Using Winsorization

Background: An engine operated jamun harvester to shake the limb with adjustable shaking frequency and amplitude was developed. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of the jamun harvester and determine the suitable shaking frequency and amplitude to obtain maximum harvesting efficiency.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: A 4&times;3 factorial experiment with completely randomized design was conducted to investigate the effects of shaking amplitude (10, 20, 30 and 40 mm) and frequency (2, 4 and 6 Hz) on percentage matured jamun harvested, fruit removal percentage and harvesting efficiency.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Analysis of variance and mean comparison showed that the shaking amplitude and shaking frequency both had significant effect on percentage matured jamun harvested, fruit removal percentage and harvesting efficiency. The fruit removal percentage increased at higher levels of shaking amplitude and frequency. Complete fruit removal (100%) was achieved at 6 Hz shaking frequency and 40 mm amplitude, however shattering of leaves and immature fruits were observed. Therefore, shaking amplitude of 30 mm and shaking frequency of 6 Hz was recommended for Jamun harvesting with 93.15% fruit removal and 64.33% harvesting efficiency. The fruit detachment force to fruit weight ratio (FDF/W) of Jamun varied from 1.46 to 0.23. The cost of harvesting of jamun by the developed harvester was found to be approx. Rs. 9/- as compared to Rs. 15/- per kg fruit for manual harvesting.

Comparative Evaluation of Manual and Mechanical Jamun Fruit Harvesting

<div>Background: Rice is the major crop in India in terms of area, production and consumption. Rice occupies about 23% of the gross cropped area and 35% of the total area under food grains in the country. Rice is of one key importance to the economy as well as a staple food for Telangana people, requiring about 50 lakh tons annually to feed the state population. In recent times the area under rice cultivation has been increased and is expected to hit the one crore acre mark by rabi season 2022. In any type of crop production&nbsp; system an accountability of inputs, energy spent, yield and costs must be monitored, by that one can modify it or substitute it for obtaining the better results.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: Due to decline in the share of agriculture workers in the country, there is a need to adopt new technologies in rice cultivation. Dry direct seeding of rice refers to direct sowing of rice seeds in the dry field rather than by transplanting seedlings from the nursery. A study was conducted to compute the inputs and energy consumptions in manual transplanted rice production (MTR) and dry direct seeding rice production (DDSR) methods of paddy cultivation in the combined Nalgonda district of Telangana State, during 2020-21. Firstly, the different operations performed in these two methods were listed out, then by using suitable energy equivalents total energy consumed in two methods of operations were calculated. 
 
Result: The human energy spent in the manual transplanted rice production and dry direct seeded rice productions were 506 and 92.84 MJ/ha respectively. Specific energy noted for dry direct seeded rice production and manual transplanted rice productions were 2.10 and 2.28 MJ/kg respectively. A total saving of Rs. 16,000/- ha-1 was recorded by practicing the dry direct seeded rice production method over the manual transplanted rice production method. On comparing both the methods for overall energy consumption, manual energy consumption and cost of cultivation DDSR method was found to be more efficient than MTR method in the district.</div>

Energy Assessment of Manual Transplanting Rice and Dry Direct Seeding Rice Production Systems in Combined Nalgonda District, Telangana

Background: The aim of this study is the removal of three trace elements (Nickle Ni, Cadmium Cd and Lead Pb) by an environmentally friendly method from Batteries and compact discs. This study aimed to rapidly remove trace elements from E-waste (batteries) by filamentous fungi pellets.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Methods: Aspergillus was the best heavy metal tolerated isolate under the following incubation parameters: pH (5), temperature (25&deg;C), ground electronic waste powder doses (0.5, 1 and 1.5 g/L) absorbed by fungal pellets biomass 10 gm/L of wet weight. 
 
Result: The results showed the best removal percentage R% of Ni, Cd and Pb removal were (89,91and 96) observed at pH 5. Images from SEM showed accumulations of metal particles on the surface of the fungal hyphae and Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used to determine the effective groups in the fungal cell wall responsible of biosorption of trace elements and This study indicates that an application may be possible Aspergillus&nbsp;terreus as a promising candidate for biological sorption and recycling of trace elements and as an ecologically friendly and effective process in terms of time and cost.

Effect of pH on Trace Elements Removal from Batteries and Compact Disks by Aspergillus terreus Pellets

<div>Background: Sun drying is a popular post-harvest operation to maintain rice quality during the storage period. Farmers use different pads and thicknesses for sun drying of paddy in Ampara district, Sri Lanka. A study was conducted to evaluate the suitability and effectiveness of the drying pad and thickness as practiced by local paddy farmers during the sun drying process. 
 
Methods: The grain with an initial moisture content of 28% (dry basis) was sun dried with four types of drying pads and five levels of thickness of grain. This experiment was conducted between 8.30 am and 4.30 pm at the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka in August 2020. The moisture contents of the grain were measured at regular time intervals. 
 
Result: It was found that the duration of drying of paddy from 28% to 13% moisture content on a dry basis was 300 to 540 minutes depending upon the drying pad and thickness. The tarpaulin is reasonable at shallow thickness with less time to reach the necessary moisture level than other drying pads. Black polythene and fertilizer bag can be utilized for sun drying of paddy at 4 cm thickness with 130 minutes. It was found that with an increase in the thickness of paddy from 0.5 cm to 4 cm, the drying time increases. A statistically significant interaction was obtained between drying pads and thickness level on moisture removal of paddy. Therefore, the moisture removal rate differs with the drying pad and thickness of the paddy under open sun drying.</div>

Effect of Pads and Thickness of Paddy on Moisture Removal under Sun Drying

Background: Pea (Pisum sativum L.) an important rabi season legume crop from the fabaceae family is cultivated in over 95 countries for both fresh and processed forms. It contains about 20-25% protein and ranks as the fourth most significant grain legume and is considered as one of the major green vegetables globally. Pea is native to the Mediterranean region of Southern Europe and Western Asia. Peas are a versatile and resilient crop that thrives in various agricultural systems, adapting to different soil types and temperatures. Peas offer a sustainable solution for farmers aiming to balance environmental care with productivity. 
 
Methods: An experiment entitled &ldquo;Effect of surface soil removal and organic amendments on growth, yield and nutrient content and uptake of pea (Pisum sativum L.)&rdquo; was conducted during the rabi season of 2023 at the experimental field of the Department of Soil and Water Conservation, School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University, Medziphema campus. The study was conducted using a split-plot design. Surface soil removal was applied at the depths of 0, 5 and 10 cm designated as D0, D1&nbsp;and D2, respectively and various organic amendments were added including control (O0), FYM @ 5 t ha-1 (O1), vermicompost @ 2 t ha-1 (O2) and poultry litter @ 2.5 t ha-1 (O3). 
 
Result: The results of the experiment showed that the surface soil removal of 5 cm (D1) and 10 cm (D3) underperformed considerably as compared to 0 cm (D1) in all aspects of growth, yield and N, P and K content and uptake. Additionally, the interaction between surface soil removal and organic amendments revealed that D0O1&nbsp;i.e. 0 cm soil removal combined with FYM @ 5 t ha-1&nbsp;performed significantly better than most of the interaction. 
&nbsp;

Effect of Surface Soil Removal and Organic Amendments on Growth, Yield and Nutrient Content and Uptake of&nbsp; Pea (Pisum sativum L.)

<div>Background: Fodder cutter is one of the agricultural equipment used to chop all kinds of green and dry fodder into small pieces to feed animals. Due to less cost and ease of operation, it is available in every household owning cattle. It is most common and widely available machines used twice a day to chopped the fodder. The previous study suggested that operation on existing fodder cutters is physically demanding because of the high energy requirement and continuous adoption of awkward work postures. The power required to cut the fodder by traditionally used fodder cutter was very high than power applied by the operator for cutting leads to high physiological demand and more energy expenditures throughout the degree of rotation flywheel.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: The ergonomic assessment of traditional fodder cutter was done and compared with the fodder cutter having different number of blades. Fodder cutter with number of blades for cutting i.e. single, double, three and four blade and reduction in throat area by A, A/2, A/3 and A/4 from the existing fodder cutter, were taken for the study. The ergonomic evaluation of the manual fodder cutters in terms physiological parameters (oxygen consumption, heart rate and energy expenditure) during the chopping operation was measured.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Fodder cutter with three blades and reduce throat area by A/3 from existing fodder cutter has minimum energy consumption while operating fodder cutter. From the study it was observed that the power required to chopped the fodder was less for three blade fodder cutter and it was ergonomically compatible for the operation.</div>

Ergonomically Evaluating Manual Fodder Cutter for Drudgery Reduction in Animal Husbandry

Background: This study aimed to determine removal capacity and bioaccumulation levels of the cadmium and chromium contaminate from water samples using Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb. ex Lindl. and Echinodosus cordifolius (L.) Griseb, compared with the control groups. 
&nbsp; 
Methods: Technically, the concentrations of Cd and Cr in water and plants were measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. 
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Result: In our study, the concentrations of Cd and Cr in water after removal duration 7 days, different between the control and the experimental groups was statistically significant at p &lt; 0.05. Interestingly, removal capacity experiment, P. amaryllifolius demonstrated the highest removal capacity for Cd and Cr, achieving 92.87% and 51.07% removal, respectively. Combined use of P. amaryllifolius and E. cordifolius showed slightly lower capacity, while E. cordifolius alone achieved the lowest removal capacity. The bioaccumulations of Cd and Cr in the E. cordifolius and P. amaryllifolius were tested. After 7 days of absorption, in the experiment accumulated the highest amount of Cd and Cr in the root more than the stem and leaf, respectively. The outcome of this study provides low cost, providing good efficiency in getting rid of HMs and being environmentally friendly.

Cadmium and Chromium Removal Capacity of Pandan Leaves (Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb. Ex Lindl.) and Texas Mud Baby [Echinodosus cordifolius (L.) Griseb.]

Background: The field experiment was conducted at the Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu during rabi, 2022-2023 to study the influence of spacing and weed management practices on growth characters, nutrient removal by weeds and nutrient uptake of direct seeded rice (DSR).&nbsp; 
 
Methods: The field experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications. The main plots were spacing of 20 &times; 15 cm, 20 &times; 20 cm and 25 &times; 25 cm. Sub plots were assigned with weed management practices viz., pyrazosulfuron ethyl 10% WP at 20 g a.i ha-1 on 3 DAS as PE + bispyribac sodium 10% SC at 25 g a.i ha-1 on 20 DAS as PoE, Pyrazosulfuron ethyl 10% WP at 20 g&nbsp; a.i ha-1 on&nbsp; 3 DAS as PE + Cono weeding on 20 DAS + hand weeding (HW) on 40 DAS, Pyrazosulfuron ethyl 10% WP at 20 g a.i ha-1 on 3 DAS as PE + Cono weeding on 20 DAS and 40 DAS, Pyrazosulfuron ethyl 10% WP at 20 g a.i ha-1 on 3 DAS as PE + Bispyribac sodium 10% SC at 25 g a.i ha-1 on 20 DAS as PoE + Cono weeding on 40 DAS, Pyrazosulfuron ethyl 10% WP at 20 g a.i ha-1 on 3 DAS as PE + Bispyribac sodium 10% SC at 25 g a.i ha-1 on 20 DAS as PoE + Hand weeding on 40 DAS, Hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAS and unweeded control.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The results indicated that the highest growth attributes, higher nutrient uptake of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium under DSR and were significantly improved by spacing 20 &times; 20 cm along with pyrazosulfuron ethyl 10% WP at 20 g a.i&nbsp; ha-1 on 3 DAS as PE + Bispyribac sodium 10% SC at 25 g a.i ha-1 on 20 DAS as PoE + Cono weeding on 40 DAS. This was on par with pyrazosulfuron ethyl 10% WP at 20 g a.i ha-1 on 3 DAS as PE + Bispyribac sodium 10% SC at 25 g&nbsp; a.i ha-1 on 20 DAS as PoE + Hand weeding on 40 DAS and hand weeding on 20 and 40 DAS. Similarly lower nutrient removal by weeds were registered under 20 &times; 15 cm spacing along with pyrazosulfuron ethyl 10% WP at 20 g a.i ha-1 on 3 DAS as PE + Bispyribac sodium 10% SC at 25 g a.i ha-1 on 20 DAS as PoE + cono weeding on 40 DAS. The interaction of spacing 20 &times; 20 cm and pyrazosulfuron ethyl 10% WP at 20 g a.i ha-1 on 3 DAS&nbsp; as PE + Bispyribac sodium 10% SC at 25 g a.i ha-1 on 20 DAS as PoE + Cono weeding on 40 DAS significantly increased the growth attributes such as plant height, dry matter production and total numbers of tillers and significantly lowered the nutrient removal by weeds.&nbsp;

Influence of Spacing and Weed Management Practices on the Growth Characters, Nutrient Removal of Weeds and Nutrient Uptake of Direct Seeded Rice

Background: This research examines the removal efficiency of bacteria using titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles-based photocatalyst by Photocatalytic for water treatment. 
&nbsp; 
Methods: A nanoparticle of nTiO2-type anatase sol-gel was prepared and coated with a thin glass film to use as the&nbsp;cathode pole of an electrochemical cell connected with the&nbsp;anode pole of platinum. This electrochemical cell was used for treating and disinfecting polluted synthetic water from E-coli bacteria with different concentrations from 1*10&sup3; to 1*107&nbsp; cfu/ml. These samples were&nbsp;treated by electrochemical cells and the results showed a significant level of removal efficiency of E-coli bacteria, reaching 95%. 
&nbsp; 
Result: In comparison, the results were&nbsp;reduced to 50% efficiency when the treatment was conducted using direct sunlight as the natural source of ultraviolet light. This occurred because the sunlight was not concentrated enough on the nanoparticle film, which means there was not enough power for the&nbsp;reaction. The results were generally very good for laboratory experiments and need more modification to get high removal efficiency for perfect drinking water disinfection. This result was confirmed using a regression analysis,&nbsp;R&sup2; was 97.37, 99.80, 98.98, 94.72 for WDE1, WDE2, WDE3 and WDE4, respectively.