Aim: To investigate the impact of biochar as component of integrated nutrient management on nutrient uptake by tomato in acid soil of Meghalaya, North East India. Methodology: A field experiment was conducted at research farm of SNRM, College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences (CPGS-AS), Central Agricultural University (CAU-I), Umiam during rabi 2017-18 taking tomato, cv. Megha Tomato-2 as test crop. Sixteen treatment combinations of recommended closes of fertilizers, biochar and vermicompost? were tested in RBD with three replications.? Results: The experimental results revealed that combined application of biochar, fertilizers and vermicompost increased the uptake and availableof N, P, K, Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu over graded doses of biochar + fertilizers, biochar alone and control. Electrical conductivity, bulk density, exchangeable acidity, exchangeable aluminium and acid saturation followed the same trend.? Interpretation: The 100% RDF + biochar 4 t ha-1 + vermicompost @ 2.5 t ha-1 is the most appropriate combination for increasing tomato productivity and improving soil health of acidic soil in Meghalaya.

Background: Natural farming (NF) is a farming system that uses environmentally friendly pest and disease management practices. In contrast to chemical farming, it avoids use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides and hence, offers an alternative way for the eco-friendly pest management for the sustainable crop production. French bean crop is ravaged by wide array of insect pests wherein, sucking insect-pests like aphids, leaf miner and pod borer causing considerable damage. To manage these pests, farmers are spraying both recommended and non-recommended synthetic chemical pesticides having adverse effects on environment and human beings. Methods: Field experiment was conducted to evaluate the pest management strategies against sucking insect-pests and pod borer infesting French bean over a period of three years from 2019-20 to 2021-22 at College of Horticulture, Sirsi, Uttar Kannada (Hill Zone of Karnataka) during summer season. Four pest management modules viz., farmers practice, organic farming, natural farming (NF) and recommended package of practices (RPP) were evaluated to manage the pests in an eco-friendly manner. The field experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with five replications comprising of four treatments. The standard protocol was followed for recording observations. Result: Among the different modules tested, farmers practice recorded lowest population of aphids, leaf miner and pod borer and was at par with recommended package of practices. Whereas, Organic farming and natural farming recorded moderate level of pest infestation and quite safe for maintaining the predators like Coccinellids, Chrysoperla carnea and spider population for natural predation. The cost of plant protection measures was also least in these modules which indicates the socially and economically acceptable farming practices which may be adopted for safer French bean production.