Background: The demand for sustainable protein-based ingredients in dairy-free cream analogs is growing. Silk fibroin protein (SFP) from Bombyx mori presents potential due to its modifiable structure and ability to improve functional properties in plant-based emulsions. However, native SFP exhibits limitations in solubility and whipping performance. 
&nbsp; 
Methods: Raw and enzymatically modified SFP were extracted and incorporated into plant-based cream analogs at varying concentrations. Samples were analyzed for whipping overrun, foam stability, viscosity, compositional attributes and color using standardized physical and chemical assays. Rheological measurements and colorimetry were performed to assess structure and appearance. Statistical analysis (ANOVA and Tukey&rsquo;s test) determined significant differences among formulations. 
&nbsp; 
Result: Enzymatic modification enhanced SFP solubility and improved air incorporation, resulting in higher whipping overrun and foam stability compared to raw protein. Modified SFP formulations showed increased protein content, viscosity and viscoelastic strength without altering fat or moisture levels. Color analysis indicated minor decreases in lightness but maintained an acceptable appearance. Overall, modified SFP enabled the development of cream analogs with superior whipping and rheological qualities, reinforcing its suitability as a high-performance protein ingredient for dairy-free products. 
&nbsp;

Silk Fibroin Proteins as Novel Ingredients in Dairy-free Cream Analogs

Background: Markets of cocoon silk suffer the price instability and farmers have high levels of economic uncertainty. The traditional forecasting methods do not reflect the seasonality, the environment and market driven interactions that affect price changes. The unpredictability of demand due to fluctuation of demand, climatic conditions and variation in production cycles makes the task of income planning extremely burdensome since the production of cocoons sustains millions of small farmers. The paper will look into the possibility of a more data-driven machine-learning model to capture these complicated market dynamics. 
 
Methods: This study presents a leakage-free machine learning framework for early forecasting of cocoon silk prices using a Random Forest regression model. To maintain realistic forecasting conditions, contemporaneous price variables were excluded and predictions were generated solely through lagged historical modal prices together with pre-available environmental and management indicators. The dataset was properly preprocessed and temporally ordered and model evaluation was done using a chronological train-test split. Performance was assessed using error-based metrics and explained variance, showing the non-stationary nature of agricultural price series. 
 
Result: The revised model achieved a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 2965.14, a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 5985.60 and an explained variance (R2) of 0.0903. While the explained variance is modest, this behavior is appropriate for early forecasting in volatile agricultural markets when data leakage is eliminated. Feature contribution analysis reveals that short-term historical prices have the strongest influence, with environmental and management aspects providing secondary but meaningful effects. A simulation-based assessment indicates a potential 12-18% revenue improvement, resulting from informed selling decisions enabled by short-horizon price forecasts. This gain shows lower exposure to post-harvest price troughs and improved market selection rather than precise peak-price prediction. 
&nbsp;

A Machine-learning Model for Early Forecasting of Cocoon Silk Prices: Toward Economic Stability in Sericulture

<div>Background: Maize is the most sensitive crop to zinc deficiency and enhancement of grain yield due to zinc application was well-known in the diverse agroclimatic conditions of the globe. 
 
Methods: A field experiment was conducted at Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal, during the Rabi seasons of 2018 and 2019 to study the effects of different zinc application methods on maize phenology and productivity. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with three replications and eight treatments, including control, soil applications (@ 5 and 10 kg Zn ha-1), seed priming (SP) with 2% Zn solution, SP of 1% Zn solution along with foliar applications (FA) of 0.5% Zn at tasseling&nbsp; and silking stage and FA of 1% Zn solely at silking and 0.5% each at tasseling and silking. 
 
Result: Results indicated that zinc application significantly advanced tassel initiation and silking, particularly with a soil application of 10 kg Zn ha-1. On average, the maize variety Kaveri-2018 took 5 to 6 days to transition from tasseling to silking. Maize matured earlier with zinc treatments, especially with soil-applied zinc (10 kg ha-1), took 111 and 116 days in 2018 and 2019 respectively as compared to control treatment, which took 115 and 119 days to mature in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Grain yield was highest with soil-applied zinc @10 kg ha-1&nbsp;(10.03 and 11.25 t ha-1&nbsp;in 2018 and 2019, respectively), followed by 5 kg Zn ha-1&nbsp;and seed priming with a 2% zinc solution. Foliar applications of 0.5% Zn both at tasseling and silking stages and 1% Zn at silking stage increased yield by 15.45% and 13.62%, respectively, over the control. Among the growth stages, uptake of nitrogen (221.37 kg ha-1), phosphorus (6.91 kg ha-1) and potassium (84.90 kg ha-1) was found highest at silking stage with the soil application of zinc @5-10 kg ha-1.</div>

Phenology and Productivity of Maize (Zea mays L.) as Influenced by Different Methods of Zinc Application

Mulberry leaf is a sole food of silkworm Bombyx mori on which it feeds and produces silk called mulberry or mori silk. Due to its quality, mori silk has huge demand in national and international market and earns a valuable foreign exchange for the country. Weeds are of great menace as they interfere with production and quality of mulberry leaf and also add significant amount to the cost of cultivation. The factors which are congenial for heavy weed growth in mulberry are continuous mono-cropping, wider spacing coupled with regular application of manures and fertilizers after each crop harvest for maintenance of plantation. The reduction in production and quality of leaf has direct correlation with production of cocoons and quality silk. If losses due to weeds can be reduced by half from present level of 30-40%, leaf yield of mulberry will increase by 9-12 MT ha-1 year-1 which can be utilized to produce 55-73.5 kg ha-1 year-1 more raw silk to enhance the silk production of country. The effective weed control involves identification of weed flora, method of weed control and judicious combination of effective weed control methods. Depending upon soil type, agro climatic and ecological conditions, the nature and intensity of weed flora, their competitiveness varies. A total of 57-141 weed species belongs to 28-44 families have been reported in mulberry field across the country. Manual weeding in mulberry is an age old practice in India, but it is a tedious, expensive and time consuming. Black polyethylene mulching alone has been found economically advantageous over manual weeding in mulberry plantation. However no single method viz., manual weeding, cover crop intercropping, herbicide and mulching found effective in weed control as compared to integrated method of weed control. Spraying of pre-emergence and early post emergence herbicides keeps the mulberry plantation in weed free conditions during the early stages. At later stage, when second flush of weeds attains peak after 30 days of pruning, spraying of herbicide is not possible due to chance of residual toxicity to the silkworm. Integration of pre herbicide followed by manual weeding at later stage or integration of hand weeding after pruning followed by either cover crop intercropping or mulching may helps to reduce damage due to weed, prevent silkworm from residual toxicity of herbicide and reduces manual weeding cost to some extent. Hence a brief review was presented to find out the influence of different weed management method in mulberry.

Weed Management in Mulberry (Morus alba): A Review

Background: Sericulture, the practice of rearing silkworms for silk production, has been carried out in India for centuries and represents a sustainable and environmentally friendly livelihood option. Owing to the country&rsquo;s rich diversity of host plants and the presence of economically important silk species across different regions, sericulture holds significant potential, particularly for poor and forest-dependent communities, by offering income diversification and reducing reliance on conventional agriculture. 
 
Methods: The study analyzed production trends of major silk varieties in India using compound growth rate models and identified the leading silk-producing states. Export and import trends were examined to locate major shifts and understand the underlying factors influencing trade dynamics. Instability in export and import time series data was assessed using the Cuddy-Della Valle Instability Index (CDVI). Additionally, a SWOT analysis was conducted to evaluate the internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as the external opportunities and threats, of the Indian sericulture sector. 
 
Result: The results indicate that sericulture exhibits favorable production trends in key silk varieties and provides a relatively stable source of income. Trade analysis revealed identifiable patterns and variability in exports and imports, while instability measures highlighted moderate fluctuations over time. The SWOT analysis further underscored the sector&rsquo;s strong potential for livelihood diversification, especially for smallholders and forest dwellers, confirming sericulture as a viable and sustainable alternative to traditional agricultural livelihoods. 
&nbsp;

A Study of the Statistical Trends and Trade Dynamics of Sericulture in India

Background: The objective of this study was to analyze the chemical composition of Eri silk cocoons that were reared on various combinations of host plants. The primary host plant castor and secondary host plants such as kesseru, tapioca, gulancha and papaya were utilized in various combinations for different instars. 
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Methods: The present analysis was conducted in lab at Department of Entomology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Siksha &lsquo;O&rsquo; Anusandhan, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India during spring season of the year 2022-23. SEM/EDX was used to investigate the cocoons metal elements. Each sample was examined separately to evaluate metal content. Conductive carbon tape attached specimens to stubs. The metal elemental analysis of the scaffold was performed by EDX attached to the scanning electron microscope. 
&nbsp; 
Result: For silk cocoon inner surfaces, the metal elements were ordered as follows: C&gt;O&gt;Mo&gt;K&gt;Cl&gt;Ca&gt;Si&gt;Na&gt;Mg&gt;Al. Some Eri cocoons were produced on different host plants and had somewhat different exteriors, but all had evenly distributed components. C and O were abundant on all silk cocoons&rsquo; inner and outer surfaces. Cocoons produced on many host plants have higher chemical metal element levels on their exterior and interior surfaces than those raised on a single host plant. The study suggests that chemical factors have a role in silk cocooning, encouraging the creation of &beta;-sheet structure. 
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Exploring the Metal Composition of Eri Silkworm Cocoons Reared on Diverse Host Plant Combinations

Background: Muga is an exclusive golden-colored silk produced by the Antheraea Assamensis silkworm species in North-east India. In the silk processing stage, drying of Muga silkworm cocoon is essential to prevent the pupa from emerging from the shell and to preserve the cocoons for a longer period (3-6 months). It is necessary to reduce the potentially harmful high moisture level in the cocoon shell and pupa body to an optimum or safe level of moisture content (6-12%). In India, the natural sun drying method is the most common method to preserve Muga cocoons for a longer period. Considerably losses may occur using the sun-drying method due to various effects such as rodents, insects, rain, microorganisms, excessive temperature, etc. To address this issue the study was conducted to improve the quality of Muga silk yield using a comparative study between Convection and IR heating methods for cocoon drying.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: In this study, Muga cocoons were dried properly at optimum temperature (50-100&deg;C) to obtain a safe moisture level for getting quality Muga silk. The drying of the Muga cocoon is processed using convection (1 kw) and Infrared (650 watts) modes of heating for the same duration of time. Muga cocoons were placed in a drying chamber initially at a high temperature (100&plusmn;5&deg;C) using both convection and Infrared heating methods separately to maintain the moisture content to an optimum level. It took approximately 75 minutes to obtain the temperature 100 from room temperature and every 15 minutes temperature measure was recorded for both methods and compared. The parameters studied were temperature, time, cocoon weight, shell weight, shell ratio and moisture content. These parameters were examined, evaluated and compared for both the Convection and IR heating methods.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The comparative study results indicated that the performance of the studied cocoon parameters namely temperature, cocoon weight, shell weight, shell ratio and moisture content are approximately similar for both convection and IR heating methods. Moisture content was maintained at the optimum range (6-12%) for both the convection and IR methods. The study provided a better performance using the IR heating method as compared to convection heating concerning energy consumption and safety for the same duration of time. Energy consumed by a 1 kW convection heater is 1.25 kWh, whereas energy consumption in a 650-watt IR heater is 0.8125 kWh.&nbsp;

A Comparative Study of Drying of Muga Cocoons using Convection and Infra-red Heating Method

<div>Background: Though modern high yielding and synthetics developed through maize heterosis are replacing low-yielding maize populations worldwide, it has shown little impact in Kashmir due to poor adaptability and expensive seed cost. Nevertheless, retaining popularity due to adaptability, more resistance to natural factors, early maturity, good grain quality, great food and fodder value and ability to thrive best under low input conditions, landraces are going out of farmer&rsquo;s domain and becoming extinct owing to low yielding potential, low resilience to some biotic stresses and lower sensitivity to inputs. For developing high yielding, climate-resilient cultivars and broadening of the genetic base, efficient and rapid identification and introgression of novel and favourable alleles dispersed among the landraces are necessary.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: Seventy maize landraces from different parts of Kashmir valley designated as K-L1 to K-L70 were subjected to genetic analysis for thirteen important agronomic traits viz. days to 50% tasselling, days to 50% silking, anthesis-silking interval, plant height, ear height, days to maturity, ear diameter, kernel rows per ear, kernels per row, prolificacy, shelling percentage, yield per hectare and 100-grain weight. The least significance increase was calculated to evaluate best performing landraces and clustering of landraces was done using Mahalanobis D2 analysis through Tocher&rsquo;s method. The experimentation was carried out at Dryland Agriculture Research Station Budgam during the years 2019 and 2020. 
 
Result: Significant differences for all agronomic traits except anthesis-silking interval and prolificacy depicted the presence of significant genetic variability. The least significant increase calculations allowed the evaluation of best-performing landraces for specific traits and&nbsp; Mahalanobis D2 analysis through Tocher&rsquo;s method led to clustering landraces into 14 clusters with cluster I having the highest 23, followed by cluster VI with 14, cluster II and cluster III each with 9, cluster VIII with 6 genotypes and rest 9 clusters being mono-genotypic. Intra and inter-clustering distance and cluster means suggest utilizing genotypes belonging to clusters with wider statistical distances for crossing in hybridization programme to produce segregates with extensive variation resulting in higher heterosis.</div>

Genetic Diversity Analysis in Maize Landraces under Temperate Ecology

Application of eight irrigations (seedling, 6 leaf, knee-high, before tasseling, 50% tasseling, 50% silking, grain formation and grain filling stages) where no stress was occurred significantly increased dry matter distribution. Data related to dry matter partitioning in stem, leaves and cobs at 25, 50, 75 and at harvest stage of crop. In general, irrespective of the treatments, crop attained maximum leaf dry weight at flowering stage. This decreased progressively up to harvest stage. While, stem dry weight showed increasing trend up to tasseling and silking stage and than declined slightly towards harvest stage of the crop. Obviously, cobs dry weight increased linearly from flowering up to harvest stage.

Effect of irrigation levels and agrochemicals on dry matter partitioning &nbsp;in summer maize (Zea maize L.)

Background:&nbsp;Terminalia tomentosa is a primary food plant of Antheraea mylitta Drury a polyphagous insect of Saturniidae family which is exploited commercially for the production of silk. Good quality of silk production depend on the nutrient of leaf. So, to optimize the nutrient of leaf integrated nutrient management practices has been used to increase soil fertility and to supply plant nutrient at an optimum. 
 
Methods: In order to evaluate the effect of INM practices on the leaves parameters of Terminalia tomentosa food plant of Antheraea mylitta Drury. An experiment based on randomised complete block design with 21 treatments and three replication was conducted at Central Tasar Research and Training Institute, Nagri, Ranchi in the year 2019-20. 
 
Result: Results revealed that the application of INM treatments are significant on various leaf parameters. Highest single leaf length and breadth mean was observed in T19 (23.29 cm; 11.96 cm) was applied with 75% RDF through fertilizer+25% through vermicompost+ Azotobacter + PSB, weight of single leaf was found to be highest in T13 (5.19 g). The number of leaf was recorded highest in T19 (1892). The fresh leave yield ranged from 1617.317-5208.224 g with average mean of 4085.72 g, T19 (5032.1 g) recorded the highest fresh leaf yield. The dry matter content was found highest in T19 (340.56 g). The moisture content was recorded higher in T4 (71%) followed by T15 (69%).