This chapter discusses the current status of lentil breeding for short season environments. Also discussed are: the production base; production constraints; timing of flowering; history of improvement; breeding objectives; breeding strategy; creation of variability; breeding methods; and future concepts.

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to investigate the long-run and short-run dynamic relationship between crude oil prices and the movement of Sensex for the period of 2000–2018.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses the augmented Dickey–Fuller test for the presence of unit root, Johansen cointegration test for estimating the cointegration among the variables. Further, in the case of no cointegration found, the study employed the vector autoregression (VAR) model to estimate the long-run relationship and the Granger causality/Wald test for short-run relationship. The study also conducted tests for the prerequisites of the model: serial correlation, heteroskedasticity and normality of data.FindingsThe study found that both the variables, crude oil prices and Sensex are integrated of order 1, that is, I (1), and there is no cointegration between them. Further, the results proliferated from the VAR model unfold the marked effect of previous month crude oil prices (lag 1) on the movement of Indian stock market represented by Sensex considered as the benchmark index. Furthermore, VAR–Granger causality/block exogeneity Wald tests results indicated that there is a causal relationship between the crude oil prices and Sensex under the VAR environment. The model does not have any serial correlation and heteroskedasticity indicating toward the unbiased and robust estimates.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is conducted till the year 2018, and data for the present period (post-2018) is excluded due to ongoing trade issues between the USA and oil-exporting countries such as Iran. The current COVID-19 outbreak has also put serious issues. Due to limited time and availability of standardized data, researchers have considered Sensex as equity index only, but for more generalized research outcome few other equity indexes could have been taken for study.Originality/valueThe study is completely original in nature and is an extensive study of the relationship between the crude oil price and Indian stock market with reference to causality between the variables.

Studies were conducted at Agricultural Research Farm, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi during Kharif 2010 and 2011 to know the efficacy of some new molecule insecticides (azadirachtin, Bt, endosulfan 35% EC, thiodicarb 75% WP, spinosad 45% SC, lambda cyhalothrin 5% EC, indoxacarb 14.5% SC, profenophos 50% EC and acetamiprid 20% SP) against spotted pod borer, Maruca vitrata (Geyer) on mungbean. The spinosad 45% SC and indoxacarb 14.5 % SC were the most effective treatments and significantly superior to other treatments with 80.7 and 79.2 per cent larval reduction over control. The least effective treatment was acetamiprid 20%SP, followed by azadirachtin with 38.8 and 44.9 per cent reduction in larval population over control. The maximum yield was recorded in treatment indoxacarb 14.5%SC (11.8q/ha) followed by spinosad 45%SC (11.1q/ha) which were at par with each other. While lowest yield was recorded in azadirachtin (9.7q/ha). Highlights• The spotted pod borer, Maruca vitrata (Geyer) is serious pest of grain legume crops including mungbean, urdbean, pigeonpea and common beans. • The spinosad 45% SC and indoxacarb 14.5 % SC were the most effective treatments and significantly superior to other treatments with 80.7 and 79.2 per cent larval reduction over control.• The least effective treatment was acetamiprid 20% SP, followed by azadirachtin with 38.8 and 44.9 per cent reduction in larval population over control.• The maximum yield was recorded in treatment indoxacarb 14.5% SC (11.8q/ha) followed by spinosad 45%SC (11.1q/ha) which were at par with each other.

This paper addresses the new control algorithm, by designing the asymptotically stable nonlinear sliding surface with investigation of the states. This proposed algorithm leads to solve the problem of unstable systems, by proving the asymptotic stability of a class of uncertain discrete-time systems. A particular linear transformation is being defined to transform the discrete-time system and asymptotic stability is proved for designed nonlinear sliding surface, which leads to show stability of the system. The states of the plant's will be brought down on a proven asymptotic stable nonlinear sliding surface by the proposed control law and they will be remained on stable nonlinear sliding surface for all future times. This proposed technique will be more useful for enhancing the stability of the real world nonlinear systems. The application of proposed algorithm in magnetic tape drive-servo motors and avionic systems, where the parametric uncertainties are occurring frequently.

The objective of this paper is to design nonlinear sliding surface with investigation of the state delays. A particular linear transformation is defined to transform the time-delay and stability is proven for nonlinear sliding surface, which leads to show the asymptotic stability of the system.