Publications

On the Loess Plateau, unfavorable late-sowing conditions often arise due to late harvests from the previous season or excessive rainfall during the sowing season, which can delay seed germination, reduce tiller numbers, and decrease winter wheat yields. Few studies have explored whether plastic mulching (PM) can mitigate the adverse effects of late sowing. Consequently, we conducted a 3-year field experiment from 2017 to 2020 on the Loess Plateau combining two mulching conditions [PM and no mulching (NPM)] and three sowing times (normal, 10-day late, and 20-day late sowing). We investigated the combined influence of sowing time and mulching conditions on soil hydrothermal status, crop water productivity (WP), and yield. The results revealed that delayed sowing significantly prolonged emergence times and decreased tiller numbers, leaf area index (LAI), root biomass, and aboveground biomass (AGB). The PM increased soil temperatures, advancing wheat emergence and increasing tiller numbers. Plants under PM had higher LAI, root biomass, and AGB than those under NPM. Moreover, PM reduced ineffective transpiration by accelerating the degradation of ineffective tillers, resulting in higher yields without a corresponding increase in evapotranspiration. The beneficial effects extended to spike numbers, thousand-grain weight, and harvest index. Specifically, PM combined with 10-day late sowing increased yield by 12.8 % compared to NPM combined with normal sowing. Furthermore, under 20-day late sowing, PM mitigated yield losses, reducing them from a 28.7 % decline under NPM to a 12.8 % decline when compared to normal sowing under NPM. We conclude that PM completed compensated for the yield loss under 10-day late sowing and partially alleviated losses under 20-day late sowing. Therefore, combining 10-day late sowing (accumulated air temperature before winter > 430 °C d) with PM was the optimal approach for simultaneously improving yield and WP in winter wheat seasons with unfavorable late-sowing conditions.

The current pace of crop improvement is inadequate to feed the burgeoning human population by 2050. Higher, more stable and sustainable crop production is required against a backdrop of drought stress, which causes significant losses in crop yields. Tailoring crops for drought adaptation may hold the key to address these challenges and provide resilient production systems for future harvests. Understanding the genetic and molecular landscape of the functionality of alleles associated with adaptive traits will make designer crop breeding the prospective approach for crop improvement. Here, we highlight the potential of genomics technologies combined with crop physiology for high-throughput identification of the genetic architecture of key drought-adaptive traits and explore innovative genomic breeding strategies for designing future crops.

In an endeavor to promote agricultural innovation, the Government of India introduced two pieces of legislation: (i) the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001, which provide for the registration of traditional crop varieties as farmers’ varieties, and for the sharing of benefits when those varieties are incorporated into new commercial varieties; and (ii) the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act 1999, which provides for the registration of indications to promote the marketing of goods which derive their quality and characteristics from their geographical origin. This article tests the effectiveness of this legislation in promoting agricultural innovation, reporting on a survey of 401 farmers of traditional rice varieties in Kerala, South West India. The study revealed that farmers were either unaware of the legislation, or unaware of its functions. They have not been much involved in the registration of farmers’ varieties and have not made any benefit-sharing claims in relation to the varieties which have been registered. They have tended to confuse the registration of geographical indications with the registration of farmers’ varieties. This suggests, as a first step, the necessity for awareness raising about the purposes of both pieces of legislation with Indian farmers.

Abstract Soil acidification poses a significant challenge to soil health worldwide, and biochar emerges as a promising remedy. Nonetheless, a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of biochar on soil pH change is lacking, leaving considerable uncertainty regarding its efficacy across different environmental and management contexts. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of 232 global studies to elucidate the impact of biochar on soil pH and identify key variables influencing its effectiveness. Our findings revealed that biochar application significantly increased soil pH by an average of 5.59%, but it decreased soil pH under certain circumstances. The raw material and pyrolysis temperature of biochar determine its pH. Furthermore, the biochar pH and initial soil pH modulate the magnitude of the biochar liming effect. High soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) values attenuate the biochar liming effect. When combined with organic nitrogen (N) fertilizer (6.95%), biochar increases soil pH more than when combined with inorganic N fertilizer (4.57%). Paddy fields exhibited a more pronounced response to biochar-induced pH elevation (5.98%) than dryland fields (3.75%), attributable to higher MAP, lower initial soil pH and soil CEC, higher biochar application rates and pH, and higher N fertilizer application. Overall, our meta-analysis underscores the lime-enhancing potential of biochar and the pivotal roles of MAP, biochar pH, initial soil pH, initial soil CEC, and farmland utilization mode in shaping its effectiveness. Graphical Abstract

Oilseed Brassica species are vulnerable to heat and drought stress, especially in the early reproductive stage. We evaluated plant imaging of whole plant and flower tissue, leaf stomatal conductance, leaf and bud temperature, photochemical reflectance index, quantum yield of photosynthesis, and leaf gas exchange for their suitability to detect tolerance to heat (H) and/or drought (D) stress treatments in 12 <i>Brassica</i> genotypes (G). A replicated factorial experiment was set up with 7 d of stress treatment from the beginning of anthesis with various levels of three factors <i>H</i>, <i>D</i>, and <i>G</i>. Most phenomics tools detected plant stress as indicated by significant main effects of <i>H</i>, <i>D</i>, and <i>H×D</i>. Whole plant volume was highly correlated with fresh weight changes, suggesting that whole plant imaging may be a useful surrogate for fresh weight in future studies. Vc<i>max</i>, the maximum carboxylation rate of photosynthesis, increased rapidly on day 1 in H and H+D treatments, and there were significant interactions of <i>G×H</i> and <i>G×D</i>. Vc<i>max</i> of genotypes on day 1 in H and H+D treatments was positively correlated with their harvested seed yield. Vc<i>max</i> on day 1 and day 3 were clustered with seed yield in H and H+D treatments as shown in the heatmaps of genotypic correlations. TPU, the rate of triose phosphate use, also showed significant positive genotypic correlations with seed yield in H+D treatments. Flower volume showed significant interactions of <i>G×H</i> and <i>G×D</i> on day 7, and flower volume of genotypes on day 7 in H was positively correlated with their harvested seed yield. There were few interactions of <i>G×H</i> or <i>G×D</i> for leaf stomatal conductance, leaf and bud temperature, photochemical reflectance index, and quantum yield of photosynthesis. Vc<i>max</i>, TPU, and volume of flowers are potential nondestructive phenomic traits for heat or combined heat and drought stress tolerance screening in <i>Brassica</i> germplasm.

Traditional rice varieties (TRVs), shaped by generations of adaptation to local soils and climates, are often seen as less competitive than modern rice varieties (MRVs) due to lower yields. As a result, the spread of MRVs has contributed to a global decline in TRVs. However, TRVs offer notable advantages, particularly in terms of sustainability and health benefits. In light of their gradual disappearance, this study aimed to compare the nutritional quality and consumer preferences for selected TRVs and MRVs cultivated in Kerala, India. We evaluated sensory attributes and physicochemical properties to assess their influence on consumer preference. Sensory rankings were analyzed using Kendall’s W test, while multiple linear regression was used to examine the relationship between consumer preference and various quality parameters. The study found that TRVs had significantly higher antioxidant levels, while MRVs had substantially higher protein contents. Sensory evaluations ranked TRVs more favorably, with grain appearance and taste being key drivers of preference. Physicochemical characteristics also significantly influenced consumer choice. To understand how these preferences influenced purchasing behavior, we conducted exit surveys in supermarkets and applied cluster and discriminant function analyses. The results indicated that both younger consumers and senior residents preferred TRVs in terms of purchase and consumption patterns.