In the present study the authors have attempted to analyse the condition of food security in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh at district level. Bundelkhand region has been chosen as a unit of study because it is one of the poorest regions in comparison with western, central and eastern regions of the state and even after being in close proximity to heartland of green revolution (Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh) the region is still backward in agricultural development in India in general. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy and mostly dependent on monsoonal rainfall. The Bundelkhand is continuously facing drought since last few years and people are migrating for employment. Thus, there is an urgent need to look after the conditions of food security of the people living in this region. The standard statistical techniques have been used for the analysis of data. The study concludes that the condition of food security is unfavourable. Only one district of Jalaun has shown high food security. Majority of the districts are moderate and low food secure because of low food grain availability, low purchasing power of the people, etc. The irrigation facilities are also not well developed leading to low consumption of fertilizer and low productivity of crops. Employment rate, rate of urbanization, storage capacity and number of fair prices shops are also not satisfactory leading to pitiable food security condition in the study area.

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Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are sedentary endoparasites that cause severe economic losses to agricultural crops globally. Due to the regulations of the European Union on the application of nematicides, it is crucial now to discover eco-friendly control strategies for nematode management. Biocontrol is one such safe and reliable method for managing these polyphagous nematodes. Biocontrol agents not only control these parasitic nematodes but also improve plant growth and induce systemic resistance in plants against a variety of biotic stresses. A wide range of organisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoans live in their natural mode as nematode antagonists. Various review articles have discussed the role of biocontrol in nematode management in general, but a specific review on biocontrol of root-knot nematodes is not available in detail. This review, therefore, focuses on the biocontrol of root-knot nematodes by discussing their important known antagonists, modes of action, and interactions.

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The disposal of fly ash from thermal power plants causes significant economic and environmental problems. Although the fly ash contains several essential minerals, its application in agricultural practices is uncommon in India. The present study was undertaken to elucidate the possibility of fly ash application to agricultural soils to improve growth and yield in Indian mustard. This work was conducted to evaluate the effect of fly ash on growth, yield and chlorophyll content of the Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.cv. Varuna). For that, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to observe the effect of various fly ash concentrations (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% w/w) with normal field soil on plant growth, yield and photosynthetic pigments. The plant growth (length, fresh weight and dry weight of shoot and root; number of leaves and branches per plant), yield (number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod and weight of 100 seeds per plant) and pigment content (chlorophyll 'a' , chlorophyll 'b' and total chlorophyll) parameters were found to be significantly increased from 10 to 30% fly ash levels being maximum at 30%. However, at higher levels 40% to 50% of fly ash, growth, yield and pigment content parameters were reduced significantly. The perusal of the data revealed that 30% level of fly ash amendment in soil was found to be ideal for better growth, yield and pigment content of Indian mustard.