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In the present investigation, the bioefficacy of developed carbofuran formulations, with PEG-600 (7a, CP1) & PEG-900 (7b, CP2) @ 5, 10 and 20 ppm, along with commercial formulation of carbofuran 3G (CP0) were evaluated against the root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita infecting tomato (cv. Pusa Ruby) in pot and field conditions. The bioefficacy data indicated that the formulations developed by utilizing polymers having PEG - 900 (7b) as hydrophilic segment were effective even at 14 days post inoculation (dpi) as evident from shoot and root length. Also, the reduction in penetration was found to be maximum with CP2 (3.6 - 4.6 J2s) at all concentrations compared to CP1 (6.6-16.4 J2s) and CP0 (29.3-32.6 J2s). Overall, CP2 was more effective in reducing the number of nematodes up to 14 days, compared to CP1 and CP0. Both the CR formulations (CP1 and CP2) in general significantly reduced the number of galls, when compared to CP0. However, under field conditions, lower concentrations (5, and 10 ppm) of CP2, were less effective in controlling the gall formation whereas, CP2 at 20 ppm, was most effective than other treatments. The study revealed that the developed CR formulations of carbofuran have the potential for effective management of M. incognita in tomato under field conditions.

Drought is the most important environmental stress affecting agricultural productivity worldwide. Breeding of drought-tolerant crops is important in order to meet demands of food security in the face of an ever increasing world population, global warming and water shortage. Drought resistance (DR) is defined as the mechanism causing minimum loss of yield in a water deficit environment relative to the maximum yield in a water constraint free management of the crop. Plants have evolved several mechanisms to cope with water deficit stress which includes drought escape and drought tolerance. Plant breeders and physiologists have identified some important traits associated with DR in crop plants. Many of these traits relate to making appropriate use of water when it is available, often with the aim of ensuring reproductive success and grain yield. Traits associated with DR serve as important breeding tools in identifying stress-resistant genotypes and in introgressing the resistance traits into high yielding genotypes. Marker-assisted selection based around screening for desirable alleles at QTL for DR is an important approach for improving DR in crops. Dissecting these complex phenotypic traits into simpler heritable traits has led to the identification of genes associated with some QTLs for DR. Breeding for DR has met with limited success following either empirical or marker-assisted selection approach. It is essential to integrate crop physiology, functional genomics and breeding approaches to dissect complex DR traits, understand the molecular basis of DR and develop improved cultivars to adapt to the changing climate. This chapter focuses on the DR traits important for agricultural productivity in major crops, i.e. wheat and rice. The physiological and genetic basis of traits is discussed to highlight the complexity of the quantitative traits and the need to integrate this information in breeding drought-resistant crops.

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Large cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb.) is a shade loving plant grown in the Indian hill states of Sikkim and Dargeeling district of West Bengal. About 30 important tree species are used to provide shade to the cardamom plants. Alnus nepalensis, a deciduous, nitrogen fixing and fast growing tree, is the species most commonly underplanted with cardamom. In addition to providing shade, it is also used for fuelwood. The old trees are cut and young plants coming up are allowed to grow in cyclic order. The quick decomposing leaf litter of A. nepalensis also fertilises the cardamom plants. The nitrogen added to the soil in this way has been found to be as high as 249 kg/ha. Large cardamom thrives well in a moist soil, which is maintained by water diverted from seasonal springs on the upper slopes. The system is well suited to conserving soil, water and tree cover of the characteristically steep slopes of the region. Moreover, the management inputs required for growing cardamom are low but the crop gives a higher financial return than rice or maize. The shade trees used in the system are also a major source of fuel, fodder and timber, especially as access to state owned forests is restricted by legislation. However, increasing incidence of viral chirkey and foorkey disease, panicle rot and capsule borer are reducing the cardamom productivity. It has been observed that intergrating dairying and apiculture will further augment profitability from large cardamom agroforestry system.