Aims: The study aimed to assess soybean response to organic manures and superabsorbent polymers along with recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF: 25-60-25 kg N-P2O5-K2O ha-1). Study Design: The experiment was tested with a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Place and Duration of Study: The field experiment was carried out during 2017-2018 at Zonal Agricultural Research Station (ZARS), All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on soybean, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), GKVK, Bengaluru-560065, Karnataka, India. Methodology: The field experiment was having eight treatments with three replications. The treatments comprised RDF in combination with farmyard manure (FYM) at the rate of 3.0 t ha-1, potassium polyacrylate at the rate of 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 kg ha-1, pusa hydrogel, humic acid and vermicompost at the rate of 7.5 kg ha-1, 3.0 kg ha-1 and 3.0 t ha-1, respectively. Results: The results revealed that RDF with potassium polyacrylate at the rate of 7.5 kg ha-1 recorded significantly higher with respect to growth parameters viz., plant height (74.6 cm), number of branches plant-1 (14.2), leaf area (2394 cm2 plant-1) and total dry matter (57.3 g plant-1) and yield attributes like number of pods plant-1 (58.4), seed weight plant-1 (28.62 g), seed yield (2707 kg ha-1), stalk yield (4370 kg ha-1) and harvest index (0.38). The net returns (Rs. 68255 ha-1) and B:C ratio (3.58) were also recorded higher in the treatment having potassium polyacrylate at the rate of 7.5 kg ha-1 and RDF.

This study was conducted on the pine nuts industry in the southeast of Afghanistan. This is a baseline study, which has conducted between May 2019 and December 2020. This study aims to provide essential information about the pine nuts industry, especially focused on the supply chain of pine nuts. A structured questionnaire has been used for the data collection to collect demographic information, and information regarding the pine nuts supply chain, pine nuts processing, challenges and opportunities, trade, and marketing, Due to the small size of the population, the census method was used. I interviewed directly the stakeholder and entrepreneurs who are working in the pine nuts industries; the interview has been conducted on local language (Pashto). Chilgoza plays an important role in the socio-economic development of rural societies existing nearby Chilgoza forests. Chilgoza pine forests not only provide pine nuts as a cash crop product but also provide fuelwood, medicinal plants, pasture, and shelter for livestock as well as environment habitat and other ecological services. Nuts of Chilgoza pine are highly valued, collected, and sold by local villagers is a good source of income for them. After extracting nuts from the cones, the owner, sells the empty cones to the people of Khost province of Afghanistan, usually used as fuelwood.