The field experiments were conducted at Agronomy Farm of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir during 2009 and 2010, to

A field experiment was conducted at Dry land Agricultural Research Station, Rangreth, Srinagar, SKUAST-K in Kharif 2020 to study the effect of Plant Growth Regulators and micronutrients on growth, yield and quality of sorghum. The objective of the study was to assess the effect of Plant Growth Regulators and micronutrients on herbage yield and quality. The treatments included; T1: Tricontanol 10 ppm at 30 DAS (foliar spray), T2: Salicylic acid 100 ppm at 30 DAS (foliar spray), T3: 5 kg Zn/ha soil application, T4: 2 kg B/ha soil application, T5: 5 kg Zn + 2 kg B/ha soil application, T6: 5 kg Zn/ha (soil application ) + Triacontanol 10 ppm at 30 DAS (foliar spray), T7: 5 kg Zn/ha (soil application) + salicylic acid 100 ppm at 30 DAS (foliar spray), T8: 2 kg B/ha (soil application) + Triacontanol 10 ppm at 30 DAS (foliar spray), T9: 2 kg B/ha (soil application )+ salicylic acid 100 ppm at 30 DAS (foliar spray), T10: 5 kg Zn + 2 kg B/ha (soil application) + Triacontanol 10 ppm at 30 DAS (foliar spray), T11: 5 kg Zn + 2 kg B/ha (soil application) + salicylic acid 100 ppm at 30 DAS (foliar spray) and T12: Water spray at the time of PGR application. Zn and B were applied at the time of sowing in the soil. The crop was raised with recommended package of practices. In treatments, where zinc was not a treatment, an amount of sulphur through gypsum equivalent to sulphate supplied with 5 kg ZnSO4 was applied to compensate. The crop was sown in 30.0 cm apart lines. The trial was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications. The results indicated that all the treatments improved the green fodder yield over control. Among different treatments, T10: 5 kg Zn + 2 kg B/ha soil application + Triacontanol 10 ppm at 30 DAS foliar spray and T11: 5 kg Zn + 2 kg B/ha soil application + salicylic acid 100 ppm at 30 DAS foliar spray produced maximum GFY (493.6 and 490.5q/ha) on locational mean basis. It was significantly superior to other treatments. These treatments improved the green fodder yields by 35.0 % and 34.2 %, respectively, over control (spray of water). In terms of dry matter, similar trend was noted and the improvement with T10 and T11 was to the tune of 36.8 % and 41.0 % over control. Tricontanol 10 ppm at 30 DAS (foliar spray) (T1) improved the green fodder yield and dry fodder yield by 13.6% and 14.3 % respectively over T12Water spray at the time of Plant Growth Regulator application. Similarly spray of T2: Salicylic acid 100 ppm at 30 DAS (foliar spray) improved the green fodder yield and dry fodder yield by 14.4% and 15.4% respectively over T12Water spray at the time of Plant Growth Regulator application. Similar trend was observed with respect to quality parameters (crude protein content and crude protein yield) of sorghum.

Intercropping provides ample scope to include two or more crops simultaneously in same piece of land thus targeting higher productivity from unit area on sustainable basis. Maize, a cereal crop of immense importance, planted in wide rows offers the possibility for adoption of intercropping. The intercropping system with maize and legume is beneficial in multiple aspects. The success of maize-legume intercropping system largely depends on choice of crops and their maturity, density, and time of planting. Advantage of maize-legume intercropping system is promoted in the form of higher yield and greater utilization of available resources, benefits in weeds control [1,2], pests and disease management [3], fixation of biological nitrogen by legumes and transfer of N to associated maize [4,5], insurance against crop failure to small holders, and control of erosion by covering a large extent of ground area [6]. Though maize-legume intercropping system exhibits limitations like less scope of farm mechanization, dependence on more human workforce, and chance of achieving less productivity from maize, the system implies more advantages for small holders in developing countries where human workforce is not a constraint.

Potassium adsorption isotherms of rainfed maize growing soils of North Kashmir were studied to visualize the adsorption behavior and factors affecting adsorption. The soils vary widely in their physico-chemical properties having lacustrine origin. Potassium adsorption isotherms were constructed by equilibrating 5 g soil samples with eight levels (0 to 200 mg K). At application rates of 1 and 200 mg of K contained in 10 ml of KCl solution per gram of soil, the adsorbed amounts of K varied from 13 to 15% and 9 to 12% of the added K with an average 13 and 11%, respectively. The adsorption data were fitted to Freundlich, Langmuir and Temkin equations. Freundlich equation explained K fixation behavior better than the either two equations as evidenced by higher coefficient of determination (0.90 to 0.99). The Freundlich parameter 'a' was significantly correlated with clay content (0.982), pH (0.919) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) (0.907) of soils.