<div>Organic farming, which essentially excludes the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, is becoming popular worldwide. The covid-19 pandemic has positively impacted on the market due to growing awareness towards the healthy and nutritional diets. As a result, demand for organic fruits and vegetables has increased over the world. Organic fruits and vegetables are in higher demand than ever before, owing to lower production and rising global consumption. However, due to the high cost of production, organic fruit and vegetable supply is limited in comparison to demand. Several experiments were conducted for comparing the organic and conventional fruits and vegetables quality. The results obtained from the studies showed Vitamins like ascorbic acid and beta carotene, Total polyphenols, dry matter accumulation, fiber content and Total Soluble Solids were higher in organic fruits and vegetables than conventional farming. Other mineral nutrient contents like Ca, Mg, K, Cu, Fe, Zn, PO4, SO4 were found similar both in organic and conventional farm produce. Cooking of organic vegetables at high temperatures is not preferable because it shows higher polyphenols losses during cooking than conventional produces. Heavy metals contamination, pesticide residues, ammonium and nitrate contents were lower in organic produce than conventional crops. Organic foods are better for the environment and more nutritious. It can be concluded that organic crops have a lower amount of contaminants, but a higher quality compared to conventional crops.</div>

Quality Enhancement of Fruits and Vegetables through Organic Cultivation: A Review

Background: In recent times, some parts of Assam have emerged as excellent destinations for the cultivation of exotic fruits like dragon fruits. But whether this fruit is economically feasible in Assam condition or not, it is important to beanalyzed. With this viewpoint, a study was conducted with objectives of examining the economic feasibility of dragon fruit production and identifying the problems faced in production and marketing of dragon fruit by the farmers in Kamrup (rural), Udalguri and Dhubri districts of Assam. 
 
Methods: Respondents were selected through a stratified purposive snowball technique to collect the primary data. Todetermine the economic feasibility of dragon fruit production, discounting measures of project appraisal viz., net present value, benefit cost (B-C) ratio and Internal rate of return were used. 
 
Result: At 6 per discount rate, the benefit cost ratio and NPV were worked out to be 3.49 and Rs. 8581855 per harespectively and IRR was reported as 87.21 per cent for 15 years of project appraisal. The major problems identified were high establishment cost in the initial stage, high requirement of labour, General unawareness about dragon fruit and their nutritional importance by consumers and low purchasing power of the consumer. Dragon fruit production was found to be profitable to take as an agribusiness venture. However, proper training and awareness programs are very much needed to popularize the fruits among the farmers as well as consumers. 
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Is Dragon Fruit a Promising Fruit in Assam: An Economic Feasibility Analysis

<div>Background: Fusarium fruit rot symptoms appear at all stages of banana fruit once infection initiates and progress from the stylar end as dark brown to black small spots which eventually turns black rotten areas leading to rotten pulp which renders the fruit unmarketable. Very meagre research work has been done on Fusarium fruit rot disease of banana in India and hence the present investigation on Fusarium fruit rot diseases of banana was undertaken south Gujarat condition.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: During the period 2018-2019 tested different inoculation methods were tested on the development of banana Fusarium fruit rot disease viz., stylar end pricking, rubbing, pricking at epicarp and without injury on banana fruit. Disease severity and incidence were recorded at 4th and 8th day after inoculation. In order to find out the most vulnerable stage of fruit for initiation of infection and development of Fusarium fruit rot disease, three stages of fruits were selected i.e., unripe, semi-ripe and ripe. 
 
Result:&nbsp; Among, the different methods with fruit injury, stylar end pricking method was found best for the infection and development of Fusarium fruit rot (34.14%) after 8th days of inoculation followed by pricking at epicarp (27.79%). Further it was observed that injury of fruit surface is essential for infection and development of Fusarium fruit rot in banana. However, the severity of Fusarium fruit rot revealed that the highest severity was recorded in ripe fruits (30.21%) as compared to semi ripe (30.08%) and unripe (14.70%) fruits.</div>

<div>Impact of Inoculation Methods and Fruit Maturity on Development of Fusarium Fruit Rot (Fusarium musae) Disease in Banana</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Profuse flowering and fruiting creates high demand for a limited source of carbohydrates, which affects fruit set and development. These plenty number of flowers and fruits must be reduced to allow the trees to produce fruit that meets market expectations for size, colour and quality. The concept of source-sink relationship and the regulation of carbon partitioning in plants is useful for better understanding of crop physiology and the influence of yield limiting factors on crop production. This relationship between source leaves and the various sink organs not only affects fruit production in the current season, but also the long term performance due to perennial nature of fruit trees. Modelling early season whole-tree carbohydrate supply and demand has greatly improved the understanding of response of trees to manipulation strategies relating source-sink alliance. Various strategies has been adopted to manipulate source-sink relationship like flower bud inhibition, flower thinning, fruitlet thinning, defoliation, girdling, pruning, application of hormones and nutrients etc. Thus, balance between vegetative and reproductive growth is an important aspect for improvement in yield and quality of fruit crops.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Manipulation of Source-Sink Relationship in Pertinence to Better Fruit Quality and Yield in Fruit Crops: A Review</div>

<div>A data by UN FAO proclaims that the availability of land area for the crop cultivation will be 4% in 2050 with additional population of 2 billion to the existing global population. This context creates a strong pressure over agricultural production, where there will be more demand for food. The food production obtained from these traditional methods of cultivation which have been followed by farmers right now were not sufficient or may fail to feed this growing global population. Adaptation of new and latest technological solutions for the improvement of farming might be the only possible way to meet out the food requirement in future. While artificial intelligence (AI) proved to support all sectors of agriculture to boost the productivity and also helps to control uninvited natural condition. AI-supported solution makes the farmers to produce more with less in addition quality improvement in products. AI technology helps to achieve competitive advantage in market. In recent years AI powered systems aids the farmers in all process of fruit production such as in irrigation scheduling through smart irrigation systems, detection and diagnosis of pest and diseases, weed management, precise predictions, etc. Current review discussed the insights in artificial intelligence and its various applications in fruit production.&nbsp;</div>

Application of Artificial Intelligence in Fruit Production: A Review

Background: The present study was conducted with the objective to study the economics of pineapple cultivation in Assam and to identify the constraints limiting its production and marketing so that suitable measures can be suggested to address the existing gaps hindering its growth. 
 
Methods: A multistage sampling technique was used to select 100 pineapple growers from Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong districts of Assam. For cost estimation, the budgeting techniques and cost concepts were followed, while, Garrett ranking technique was followed for studying the constraints faced by producers. 
 
Result: The per hectare total cost of cultivation on average was worked out to be ₹ 242715.79 and was found higher in Group III (₹ 265748.21/ha) as compared to Group II (₹ 242347.12/ha) and Group I (₹ 220052.05/ha). Of the total cost incurred in pineapple cultivation, cost on labour constituted the major cost item across all farm groups and accounted about 71.11 per cent of the total cost, implying pineapple cultivation to be labour intensive. The per hectare average yield of the fruit in the study area was 19.16 tonnes and the highest net income of&nbsp;&nbsp;₹ 117459.75 per hectare was obtained by group III, followed by group II (₹ 76033.69/ha) and group I (₹ 34746.10/ha). The benefit cost ratio on average was 1.13, indicating pineapple cultivation in the state to be economically viable. The major production constraints reported were damage of fruits by rodents, lack of finance and high labour cost while low price of fruit during glut, lack of cold storage and processing unit and lack of proper connectivity linking production clusters to market were major marketing constraints reported by the producers in the study area. 
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Economics and Constraint Analysis of Pineapple Cultivation in Assam

<div>Background: Phosphorus, an essential element, plays a central role in cell metabolism and reproduction. It is a structural component of energy transferring molecules (ATP, ADP and AMP), nucleic acids, coenzymes, phosphor-proteins, phospholipids and sugar phosphates. In soils, the P does not occur abundantly as nitrogen or potassium. Despite its importance, only a proportion (~ 0.1-1.0 %) of it is available for use by plants and microorganisms because phosphorous has poor solubility and gets fixed in soil. Many studies had been done regarding nutrient management of soil in various parts of the world, but limited study was done in India and in North-East India, it is relatively unexplored. Thus, the main aim of this experiment was to find out how nutrient management influencing P fractions under protected cultivation. 
 
Methods: The investigation area from which soil samples were collected i.e., Horticultural Farm, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat-13, Assam. The study was carried out under protected poly house condition in the year 2017-18. The test crop was Capsicum (Capsicum annum var. Swarna). The design of the experiment was Split-Split plot technique. Random soil samples were collected from different treatments under protected cultivation at a depth of 0-15 cm. The soil samples were collected at two different stages of the crop viz., flowering and fruiting stages at 45 and 115 days after planting respectively. 
 
Result: The present study revealed that single factor effect of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) had a significant effect on different forms of P The readily available P forms tend to increase in the fruiting stage while the iron bound phosphates registered a decrease. This implies that iron bound phosphate form predominantly controlled available P in acid soils under protected cultivation. The study indicates that iron bound P may be considered as slowly available labile P for fertilizer scheduling under protected cultivation. The present study also revealed that single factor effect of nitrogen(N) and phosphorus(P) had a significant effect on yield of capsicum. Among the various P fractions, Pi-water and Pi-Fe contribute more towards yield of capsicum.</div>

<div>Effect of Soil Nutrient Management on P transformation under Protected Cultivation</div>

Background: The aonla-based multistoried production model is a climate-smart and profitable agro-technology that optimizes land use and mitigates climate change effects. Farmers in Bangladesh are grow dragon fruit as a single crop but only dragon fruit cultivation is not suitable for an over populated country like Bangladesh. Meanwhile both (red and white) dragon fruit genotypes are successfully grown in aonla based multistoried fruit production model without sacrificing the fruit yield comparing open field condition. But the biochemical composition of dragon fruit grown in shaded condition yet not been studied before. 
 
Methods: This study investigated the impact of shaded conditions on fruit yield and biochemical composition. Using a two-factor randomized complete block design with three replications, six treatment combinations were evaluated for quality attributes. 
 
Result: Results indicated that multistoried cultivation did not significantly alter the biochemical composition of dragon fruits. The red-fleshed genotype under sole cropping exhibited the highest values in key parameters, including calories (62.43 Kcal), vitamin C (24.8 mg), sugars (11.92%), fiber (0.58 g), protein (1.16 g), pH (4.64), total soluble solids (25%), carbohydrates (12.49 g) and ash (1.76%). The white genotype performed well under multistoried and double-storied conditions. Mineral analysis revealed a consistent ranking of K &gt; Mg &gt; Na &gt; Ca across treatments, with white genotypes containing higher K, Mg and Ca, while Na was higher in red genotypes. These findings confirm that the aonla-based multistoried model supports dragon fruit cultivation without compromising nutritional quality, promoting sustainable agriculture in land-limited and climate-sensitive regions. 
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Performance of Dragon Fruit Genotypes Grown in a Multistoried Production System

Background: Punjab has been gifted with the suitable agro climatic conditions and topography for the cultivation of horticultural crops, particularly fruits and vegetables. Due to its easy cultivation on sandy loam soils, increased profitability&nbsp;and good market value in comparison to several other crops in the state, Punjab has gained popularity among fruit growers. 
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Methods: The study was based on secondary data obtained on the basis of the largest area sown over the period of 13 years i.e., from 2010-11 to 2022-23. Statistical tools like Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), instability index and decomposition analysis were used to analyze the trends in area, production and productivity of major fruits in Punjab. 
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Result: Results revealed that growth rates of area, production and productivity had shown positive and significant in all the major fruits during the study period. The growth rate of area and production under kinnow was found to be lowest due to decline in area and production during the last three years. Cuddy-Della Valle Index indicates that fluctuations in area and production was found to be tremendously high under lemon and litchi. Decomposition analysis revealed that area under kinnow was the major contributing factor causing the change in production but it was the yield that played a major role in other fruits.

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Growth and Decomposition Analysis of Major Fruits Grown in Punjab

<div style="text-align: justify;">Background: Grape is one of the important cash crops cultivated in India. The grape bunches during growth stages are adversely affected by various biotic and abiotic factors which in turn affects the yield and quality. In addition, high usage of agrochemicals in grape cultivation increased concern over pesticide residues among consumers. Therefore, an alternative technique of fruit bagging to enhance the yield and quality as well as to minimize pest and disease infestation is emphasized. Bagging of grape bunches also aids in preventing the agrochemicals entry into the fruits.&nbsp; Methods: A field experiment was conducted to study the impact of fruit bagging on yield attributes in grape cv. Muscat Hamburg at Coimbatore during winter (August - December, 2018) and summer seasons (January - May, 2019). The grape clusters were covered with non-woven UV stabilized polypropylene bags of different colours viz., blue, white, yellow, red and green immediately after fruit set and were removed before harvest. The unbagged clusters were treated as control.&nbsp; Result: In the present study, the grape clusters covered with white colour non-woven UV stabilized polypropylene bags was found to be superior for yield attributes viz., bunch weight (255.03 g and 294.80 g), berry diameter (15.39 mm and 15.97 mm), berry weight (4.30 g and 4.85 g), pulp weight (3.88 g and 4.44 g), peel weight (0.28 g and 0.31 g) and yield per vine (7.7 kg and 8.8 kg) in both summer and winter season crops respectively. Hence, the present study emphasizes that fruit bagging improves the yield attributes in grapes.&nbsp;</div>