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Potassium fertilization is often ignored by assuming alluvial soils have sufficient K reserves in the North West Plain Zone of India under cereal-based cropping systems. There is scanty information on the impact of integrated K fertilization on soil enzymes, nutrients availability, microbial population, and wheat yield cultivated in the corn–wheat cropping system. The current study exhibits that treatment (T7) applied with a dose of 90 kg K ha−1 [30 kg K by farmyard manure (FYM) and 60 kg K by muriate of potash (MOP)] significantly enhances the various microbial populations from 48.00 to 123.10% and 39.00 to 124.00%, soil enzymatic activities from 70.31 to 180.00% and 102.42 to 175.68%, and available nutrients from 2.43 to 8.44% and 14.79 to 22.87% for the first and second years of wheat cultivation, respectively. It also improved various yield parameters (12.39–41.71% and 18.24–41.14%) during both the consecutive years of cultivation. Statistical analyses revealed that the treatments (T4, T5, and T7) applied with integrated fertilization of wheat cultivation through FYM and MOP were more promising for improving soil enzymatic activities (11.59–57.22%), microbial populations (5.14–15.70%), available nutrients in soil (7.60–16.54%), and crop yield (1.06–5.85%) during the second year of cultivation as compared to the first year of cultivation. This study might be helpful to reclaim soil health and reduce chemical fertilizers used in agricultural lands.

The present study was carried out to assess the effect of different farming systems on productive performance, body condition score and carcass characteristics of Deccani lambs. Thirty-six weaned lambs having 3 months of age were divided into three groups with twelve lambs in each group in under intensive (T 1 ), semi-intensive (T 2 ) and extensive (T 3 ) farming systems. The comparative mean dry matter intake (kg/day) and (kg/100kg BW) was significantly (p<0.05) higher in T 1 group when compared to other groups. T 2 group had significantly (p<0.05) higher DM intake (kg/day) than T 3 group. The mean values of Average daily gains in Deccani lambs were significantly (p<0.05) higher in T 1 group compared to T 2 and T 3 groups. The feed efficiency was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in T 1 compared to T 2 , T 3 groups. Statistically significant difference was found in BCS at six months of age (p<0.05) between T 1 and T 3 groups. BCS at 9, 12 months and overall BCS, there was a significant (p<0.05) difference between T 1 and T 3 groups. T 1 group had higher pre-slaughter weight, hot carcass weight, meat %, fat% and meat: bone ratio thanT 2 and T 3 . The dressing yields were comparable. The weights of other offals (heart, kidney, spleen, testicles, blood, head and lung and trachea) were comparable. The findings of this study indicated that the intensive and semi-intensive system of rearing could be useful for mutton production. In extensive system, which is predominant in India should change its facet by enriching the grazing land resources as well by the supplementation of required plane of nutrition during growth and special life stages viz., gestation, puberty, post lambing and finisher stages for achieving optimum productivity.

The marketing of paddy covers a vast spectrum of activities including all the functions and processes involved in the movement of the produce from the point of production to the point of consumption. The district Etah, Uttar Pradesh was selected purposively for the research work. Four market channels were selected for the study of marketing channels, marketing costs, margins and producer's share in consumer's rupee with the help of available data and information. In Channel-I, the producer had paid ` 16 per quintal in the form of transportation, weighing, loading and unloading etc. In channel-II, III and IV, the charges born by village traders, wholesalers and retailers were ` 178.00, 169.10 and 143.10 per quintal in respective channels. The marketing margins obtained by different agencies were ` 158.00, 133.00 and 113.00 in case of channel-II, III and IV respectively. The consumer's price was ` 871.50, ` 852.60 and 846.80 per quintal in case of respective channels. The marketing charges, margins and the consumers had purchased price were highest in channel-II followed by channel-III and channel-IV. It was because of the fact that higher number of intermediaries were involved in channel-II. The marketing efficiency index of channel-IV was highest as compared to the channel-III and channel-II. It showed that the channel-IV most efficient. The producer's share was found highest in case of channel-IV, where the number of intermediaries were lesser. The channel-IV had been found to be the most efficient and suitable to the farmers.

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