The objective of this work is the evaluation of some biochemical, pharmacological and nutritional properties of flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) with a view to its application as a dairy dessert. Five dessert formulations were developed by substituting the milk powder and the carrageenan gelling agent with flaxseed powder. Biochemical analysis and the sensory quality of the different formulations were carried out.

The results of the phytochemical analysis show that flaxseed is rich in bioactive substances, namely flavonoids, carotenoids, alkaloids, tannins, quinines and mucilage. The extraction yield of the latter is of the order of 7.08%. In addition, it is rich in unsaturated fatty acids linolenic acid (52.69%), linoleic acid (15.96%) and oleic acid (20.21%). The evaluation of the antioxidant power of the aqueous extracts and mucilage of this seed carried out using the DPPH free radical scavenging method indicated that the two extracts showed considerable antioxidant activity of, respectively, 18.97±4.27% and 12.31±4.96% at a concentration of 0.025g/ml (crude extract).

The formula F1 composed of 50g of flaxseed powder without cocoa was chosen as the best formulation by tasters for its texture, smell, taste and color. It is also rich in flavonoids.

Dairy dessert based on flaxseed powder could be considered as a new functional dessert containing healthy food.

Sorghum bicolor L. Moench is a cereal producing reasonable yield in dry and semi-dry, hot and saline regions, where the production of other crops is limited. Sorghum grain is a rich source of minerals including magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn), and calcium (Ca). However, the quantity of minerals can be dependent on the different agricultural and climatic conditions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of water stress on the micronutrients (Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Zn) and geometrical features of ten sorghum genotypes. There were different patterns observed in terms of grain micronutrients produced under normal and deficit irrigation depending on the genotype. A high concentration of Ca (878.9 ppm), Fe (335.8 ppm), and Mn (22.8 ppm) under normal irrigation and a value of Mg (1435.36-1783.21 and 1410.81-1890.95 ppm) and Zn (1.65-20.34 and 4.04-15.13 ppm) in the normal and water stress condition, respectively, was observed in the genotypes. Water stress had more influence on Ca, Fe, and Zn concentrations in comparison to Mg and Mn. The discrimination models based on the selected geometrical features of the sorghum grains produced under normal and deficit irrigation indicated a relatively low classification accuracy (40-67%). Therefore, an integrated approach using geometric and textural features is suggested to improve classification accuracy.

Oregmopyga peruviana, pest of the V. vinifera, reduces the production of the grape and in strong infestations provokes the death of the plant. This research aimed to obtain information on the life cycle, biological behavior, host plants and biological control agents of the pest through laboratory and field observation, through descriptive analysis. O. peruviana was determined to have a life cycle of 22.4 ± 2.06 days, with an oviposition capacity of 12.6 ± 1.9 eggs*female^-1, incubation period of 5.5 ± 0.52 days and nymphal period of 16.8 ± 2.13 days; biological behavior, nymphs are mobile and adult females are stationary, sensitive to the alteration of its habitat and die when the bark is removed. No alternative host plants were found, and there was a presence of a parasite insect (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), a predator Sympherobius sp. (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae), and Pyroderces sp. (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae). The results show that O. peruviana is a specific V. vinifera pest and only attacks exclusively below the bark of trunks and lignified branches, the nymphs apparently being the colonizers. O. peruviana has native biological control agents.

To make rainfed agriculture an economically viable enterprise for improving livelihood and welfare of farming community contributing around 40 percent of total food production in India, it is vital to implement best management practices to keep soils healthy, conserve agronomic inputs, minimize environmental impacts, and produce adequate yields. Increase in sudden down pour of rain invites high soil loss from the agricultural field leading to erosion of uppermost soil layer. Permanent fodder grass strips can be effective at checking nutrient removal and trapping sediment visa-a- vice meet the green fodder demand of small ruminants. However, Nutrients removed by erosion create a limitation to land productivity. It was being observed that grass system is useful for the improvement of other soil properties (soil physical and biological properties for example) related to soil erosion control, slope stabilization, and food production. Hence this study brought out the impact of grass strip based cropping system on sustainability of a rainfed farming. The field with grass strip improved in their soil quality from 0.39 to 0.52 in four years of time. This concept of growing grasses on both side of the field (in a strip of one meter) in loamy fine sand to sandy loam textured soils, improves soil health and significantly reduces runoff from the cropped field. A permanent belt of Brachiaria ruziziensis, two-meter width, was established at every fifteen meters across the direction of slope. This mechanization friendly technology provides sufficient green fodder for the small ruminants. Castor- Redgram rotation with fodder grass strips on upper and lower side of the slope fetched better crop productivity thus total returns increased from 1,37,022rupees/ ha to 1,78,689 rupees/ha. Use of grass strips is low-cost measures for soil conservation especially for slowing down run-off at sudden down pour with high intensity. Quantitative data on their impact on soil quality, productivity and economic viability of such systems are very little for the rainfed cropping system in semi-arid environment. This study may help researchers and its managers to help farmers with this low cost and viable technology.

Organic farming is a system of crop production that can maintain natural biodiversity without losing the productivity of the area. Synthetic chemicals usage in the tropics increases the levels of the environmental and health risks associated with agriculture. Every piece of synthetic material used each day by man to ‘improve’ the agricultural productivity is either ‘polluting’ or ‘poisoning’ the environment. This community we live in is no longer a natural one due to the products being used for agricultural production and food being processed. Through the destruction of natural environment by man, an increase of deaths by serious illness has expanded. In this work, facts were presented and discussed on how intensive crop production causes problems and ways of ensuring less use of these toxic synthetic chemicals in crop production, especially in the tropical regions of the world. Furthermore, major benefits of organic farming in crop production as well as how organic farming ensures genetic diversity preservation were discussed. This review, reveals how organic farming can reduce adverse environmental impact associated with conventional method of synthetic chemicals usage tradition. The work concludes that the environmental benefits of organic farming represent long-term savings, not just for the organic farmer, but also for the future generations.

Intensive tillage often contributes to yield gains but there is a tradeoff with emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) challenging agricultural and environmental sustainability. Studies in the past examined the effect of tillage practices on one or two of the metrics viz., crop productivity or carbon footprint (CF) or C sequestration and a comprehensive evaluation of the three in a single study to identify cleaner and climate-smart production practice is generally lacking. No-tillage with residue retention (NTM) curtailed CF by 155% compared to conventional tillage with residue retention (CTM). Per tonne of grain production, GHG intensity for the whole cropping sequence was highest (88.4 kg CE Mg^-1) in CT without residue retention (CTM₀) and lowest (13.5 kg CE Mg^-1) in NTM plots. After 4-years of tillage and residue retention, the NTM resulted in gain of 0.15 t C ha^-1 yr^-1 while the CTM₀ resulted in loss of 0.84 t C ha^-1 yr^-1. Minimum C equivalent emissions and maximum gain in soil organic C in NTM lowered the CF resulting in highest C efficient and sustainable management. Minimal GHGI without yield penalty was achieved by adopting NT with mulching. Carbon budgeting revealed that NT coupled with mulching is the most C efficient practice and CT without residue retention is the least efficient management practice for intensively cultivated maize-wheat system in coarse-textured soils of subtropical climate.

Palm bunch ash (PBA), a waste biomass from the palm oil industry, has been widely regarded as an alternative source of fertilizer to improve soil health, plant growth and yield. Glutathione (GSH), a bioactive tripeptide with potent antioxidant properties, has been proposed as a plant growth regulator that improves stress tolerance in plants. However, the use of PBA in combination with GSH has yet to be explored and remains as new gap in the literature. Herein, we aimed to assess the individual and the combinatory effects of PBA and GSH on vegetative plant growth, whereby okra was selected as the model plant and cultivated under well-watered, outdoor conditions. Plant growth parameters such as plant height, stem girth, number of leaves and leaf surface area were measured over a period of two months. The results showed that the application of PBA and GSH significantly influenced the plant growth parameters. The GSH-treated group recorded the tallest plant height (47.19 cm) as compared to the control group, PBA-treated group, and combination group of PBA and GSH. The combination group of PBA and GSH recorded the best parameters in terms of stem girth (4.45 mm), number of leaves (6.35), leaf surface area (118.38 cm²) with improved resistance towards diseases. These results implied that the combined application of PBA and GSH may have led to a synergistic effect on okra plant growth. Our findings suggest that the combined application of PBA and GSH is indeed recommended to improve plant growth and development.

Biochar, made by pyrolysis of various organic materials such as plants, can amend soil physicochemical properties and improve the efficiency of pre-planted incorporated (PPI) herbicides. The excessive consumption of PPI herbicides results in environmental predicaments that improving PPI herbicides' efficacy by changing soil biological properties might solve this problem. Trifluralin, a PPI, is recommended against annual broadleaf weeds such as velvetleaf in soybean fields. In the present study, treatments included normal soil (NS) (sand 30% + silt 30% + clay 35%) and manipulated soil (MS) (sand 27% + silt 32% + clay 32% + biochar 9%). Two blocks of NS received recommended dose (RD) (1.7 lit/ha) (NS+RD) and a reduced dose (1.2 lit/ha) (NS+ReD) of trifluralin. Meanwhile, the block of MS was exposed to the reduced dose (MS+ReD) of trifluralin. Two days after herbicide treatments, seeds of Abutilon theophrasti were sowed. Then, seven days after sowing, the growth of weeds was monitored and weed control percentage was calculated using the arcsine model based on observed data. Results showed that the NS+RD was the most effective treatment in velvet control (100%), followed by MS+ReD (93.5%) with no significant difference. The NS+ReD treatment resulted in 81% weed control showing significant differences with the NS+RD and MS+ReD. Thus, it seems that biochar acts as a neutral buffer and decreases the necessity of PPI herbicides application in soybean fields. The biochar application can potentially reduce soil contamination, weed resistance, environmental pollution, and the adverse effects of PPI herbicides on the soil microbial population.

Pomegranate fruit rot by the fungi Penicillium spp., Aspergillus spp., Botrytis cinerea, Rhizopus spp., Nematospora spp. and Coniella spp. In present study, the antifungal effects of thymol on the growth of Aspergillus niger and Penicillium commune isolated from pomegranate fruits investigated in in vitro conditions. The experiment was performed as a factorial based on completely randomized design (CRD) with three replicates. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of thymol for both fungi were 250 and 500 µg mL^-1, respectively. The lowest diameter of Penicillium commune colony (6.66 mm) was found at concentration of 250 µg mL^-1 after 168 h, however it was not significantly (P≤ 0.01) different with the diameter of Aspergillus niger colony at the same time. Thymol at the concentration of 500 µg mL^-1 had a similar effect as a fungicidal agent compared with thiabendazole (1500 µg mL^-1).

Pomegranate fruit rot leads to lose of significant quantity of fruit worldwide. In present study, the antifungal effects of thymol on the morphology of Aspergillus niger and Penicillium commune as the main fungi causing pomegranate fruit rot investigated in in vitro conditions. Examination of cell morphology using scanning electron microscope (SEM) in Aspergillus niger colony showed that cell deformation was observed due to destruction of the cell membrane and loss of cell wall strength at concentration of 250 µg mL^-1 (FC50) after 168 h. Produced hyphae had irregular branching and no spore production was observed. Evaluation of Penicillium commune colony cell morphology using SEM showed that thymol at concentration of 250 µg mL^-1 (FC50) caused superficial wrinkles, bifurcation of hyphal apex and no spore production was observed.