Improvement of nutrient use efficiency in cereal crops is highly essential not only to reduce the cost of cultivation but also to save the environmental pollution, reduce energy consumption for production of these chemical fertilizers, improve soil health, and ultimately help in mitigating climate change. In the present investigation, we have studied the morphological (with special emphasis on root system architecture) and biochemical responses (in terms of assay of the key enzymes involved in N assimilation) of two N-responsive wheat genotypes, at the seedling stage, under nitrate-optimum and nitrate-starved conditions grown in hydroponics. Expression profile of a few known wheat micro RNAs (miRNAs) was also studied in the root tissue. Total root size, primary root length, and first- and second-order lateral root numbers responded significantly under nitrate-starved condition. Morphological parameters in terms of root and shoot length and fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots have also been observed to be significant between N-optimum and N-starved condition for each genotypes. Nitrate reductase (NR), glutamine synthatase (GS), and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activity significantly decreased under N-starved condition. Glutamine oxoglutarate amino transferase (GOGAT) and pyruvate kinase (PK) activity was found to be genotype dependent. Most of the selected miRNAs were expressed in root tissues, and some of them showed their differential N-responsive expression. Our studies indicate that one of the N-responsive genotype (NP-890) did not get affected significantly under nitrogen starvation at seedling stage.

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Mushroom cultivation is one of the most economical ways of upgrading income of the farmers other than field crops, which ultimately increase human resource directly or indirectly. Mushroom cultivation as a self-employment venture is now being promoted by various Government Department, State Agricultural Universities, and National Research Centre of Mushroom (NRCM) and NGOs. But, in this venture various risk are also involved which must be considered. This paper observes the major constraints faced by mushroom growers during various stages of mushroom cultivation such as awareness regarding procurement of raw material, lack of physical facilities like cold storage and infrastructure, financial constraints like difficulty in borrowing loans and lack of proper marketing channels etc.

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The study involved characterization of Jackfruit accessions with obloid (round) versus ellipsoid fruit shape. The morphological characterization was based on tree, fruit and seed descriptors. The Jackfruit accessions exhibited wide range of differences. The dominant tree growth habit was erect type, with medium to low branching density and branching pattern was irregular in most of the trees. With respect to fruit rind weight, it was more than fifty to sixty per cent in accessions with obloid fruit, than ellipsoid fruits. The rind weight ranged from thirty to forty per cent of the total fruit weight. Based on fruit and flake quality characters, the accessions such as Allilugatta 5, Kumaraswamy, Manipur Parmesh and Swarna in obloid fruits and Ashoka Red, Ashoka Yellow, Byrachandra, Janagere and NSP in ellipsoid fruits have been identified for commercial purpose. Among ten RAPD primers screened, two primers showed higher PIC value (0.24) viz., OPA 4 and OPAH 4. Similarly among ten ISSR markers screened, ISSR - 868 (0.31) showed higher PIC value. These can be used effectively to probe the genetic variations among the Jackfruit accessions.