A century ago, when the world was fighting it’s Great war, which they didn’t know was going to be either the greatest or the first, a flu was spreading. Millions of lives were lost in that decade. Arguably, it was the decade which saw most deaths due to anthropogenic and natural reasons combined. The virus killed 50 million people, while the war killed 38 million. On one frontier, masks were being used to protect self from Mustard gas and on the other, masks were used to prevent infection. The world, specially Europe was in a turmoil. The origin of the flu is still debated but it certainly did not originate in Spain.

Kamvari river was once a huge commercial navigation port, is now a diminishing perennial river of total 34 Km length flowing pol-luted through the Bhiwandi city, Kalyan Taluka, Maharashtra. Researcher being a Jalnayak recognized by Government of Maharashtra has taken initiative to revive and rejuvenate the river Kamvari along with other water bodies to restore its historic glory. The aim is to make all water bodies pollution free. Thus, origin to confluence of river course was located with Google Earth app and remote sensing images and documented for first time the origin in Depoli and Lamaj village and confluence in Thane creek, ultimately drain-ing in Arabian sea. The investigation of point and non-point sources of pollution, showed the establishment of most of the Textile Units, Slaughter houses and Tabelas in blue line area of river and direct release of untreated effluents from these sources along with untreated sewage water in the river. Water samples of river and other water bodies across Bhiwandi city was collected from multiple sites with intercept method, were subjected to Physico-chemical parameters tests. Almost status of all parameters in every sample was against the permissible limits and indicated percolation and mixing of creak water in ground water, among other factors. Re-spondents response during social assessment was very crucial to understand the rising pollution issues and risk to human health.Low capacity Sewage Treatment Plants (28%), no or non- functional Effluents Treatment Plants (ETP) in textile units, solid waste disposal in water bodies, power-looms without toilets need immediate action. An integrated approach working model has been rec-ommended to the administrative authorities in Bhiwandi region and District Collector office to work in tandem for revival of water bodies with appropriate restoration plans.

My lockdown days were boring like everyone’s. Since I travelled from UAE to Kerala, I was asked to stay in quarantine for 14 days initially, then later on more 14 days, a total of 28 days. I seriously didn’t want to waste those days. So, I thought gardening would be a better option and started planting my favorite table roses. The print media and broadcast media these days discuss how the whole economy is suffering from COVID-19. During these days the green leafy veggies, which are inevitable in our daily diet may not be easily available, as most of the markets are closed. I myself re-discovered those ingredients, which are far better than those veg-gies we buy from markets. Which can been grown in our kitchen, that neither require land nor fertilizers.

A two year study was conducted at Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Kafr EL-Sheikh Governorate during 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 seasons. The objective of this study was to evaluate productivity of fifteen faba bean genotypes under natural infections with chocolate spot and rust diseases. Faba bean genotypes (Giza 40, Atona, Giza 3, Sakha 1, Misr 1, Santamora, Misr 3, Giza 843, Sakha 3, Sakha 4, Nubaria 1, L 1, L 2, L 3 and L 4) were randomly distributed in a randomized complete block design with three rep-licates. The results showed that faba bean genotypes Santamora, L2, Giza 843, Sakha 4, and Sakha 3 showed higher resistance to rust and chocolate spot diseases. This was positively reflected on seed yield in both seasons. However, the reverse was true for Giza 40 and Atona genotypes. A significant positive correlation was obtained between flowering or maturity date and each of rust and chocolate spot diseases. There is a highly negative correlation between days to 50% flowering or maturity date and each of number of pods per plant, seed weight per plant and seed yield per ha. There is a negative correlation between rust or chocolate spot disease and each of number of pods per plant, seed weight per plant and seed yield per ha. Conversely, there is a positive correlation between number of pods per plant and each of seed weight per plant and seed yield per ha. This study indicated that Santamora, L2, Giza 843, Sakha 4, and Sakha 3 genotypes could be grown to tolerate rust and chocolate spot diseases coincided with high productivity under Sakha region conditions.

A two-year study was carried out at El-Kassaseen Agricultural Research Station, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Ismailia government, Egypt, during 2018 and 2019 summer seasons to evaluate the optimum interplanting system of soybean with orange, mandarin and mango for achieving high productivity of crops, land usage, and profitability under sandy soil conditions. Ten treat-ments were the combinations of three orchards trees (mango, orange and mandarin) and two soybean plant distributions with the same plant density (one row/ridge and two rows/ridge) in a strip plot design with three replications were taken. The rhizosphere of mandarin trees had higher soil CO2 and organic carbon (OC), meanwhile the reverse was true for mango trees under interplanting conditions. Wide soybean plant distribution increased fruit yield per ha by 10.23 and 10.06% for orange trees and by 7.49 and 6.29% for mandarin trees in the first and second seasons, respectively than the narrow one as a result of increased soil CO2 and OC, mean-while, all the studied traits of mango trees were not affected. On the other hand, interplanting soybean with mandarin trees recorded higher light intensity at the middle of soybean plant, the number of branches and pods per plant, as well as seed yields per plant and per ha than the other interplanting systems soybean + orange and soybean + mango in both seasons. Also, wide soybean plant dis-tribution gave higher all the studied soybean traits (except plant height) than the narrow one in both seasons. Moreover, soybean of wide plant distribution in soybean + mandarin system gave higher all the studied soybean traits (except plant height) compared with the other treatments in both seasons. Land equivalent ratio (LER) and land equivalent coefficient (LEC) values for intercrops were much greater than 1.00 and 0.25, respectively, indicating the advantage of the interplanting system than solid culture of the studied orchards. Growing four ridges of soybean variety Giza 22 (one row per ridge at distance 25 cm between hills) between mango trees cultivar Naomy is more profitable for Egyptian farmers followed by growing four ridges of the same soybean variety (two soybean rows per ridge at distance 50 cm between hills) with mandarin trees (Fremont cultivar)

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the major staple crop of Nepal. Various insect pests cause high yield loss in field and storage condition. The study was carried in September-October 2018 to assess farmer’s knowledge and perception on major insect pests of rice and their integrated management in Gorkha, Nepal. Respondents were selected randomly from among the study area. 120 samples were taken from 750 sampling population. Household survey was used to collect information by using a semi-structured questionnaire. The collected data were processed and analyzed by using MS-Excel and SPSS. The study revealed that rice gundhi bug, yellow stem borer and grasshopper were the major rice field pest while rice weevil and rice Angoumois moth was the major storage pest of rice in the study area. Biological practices were the least adopted practice. Use of resistant variety, use of well decomposed fertilizer, crop rotation, adjustment of planting date were the least adopted cultural practices while use of traps, rouging and clipping were the least adopted mechanical practice. All of the respondents were found to use chemical method without using all the protective wearing and safety measures. Only, few respondents had the knowledge of IPM and attended training on IPM.

The study analysed effect of socio-economic characteristics of cooperative farmers’ on their food intake in Yewa North Local Gov-ernment Area, Ogun State with a view to providing policy information toward enhancing the nutritional status of Nigeria. Hunger and malnutrition in developing countries like Nigeria requires the improvement of goals to lower the rate of frequently malnourished individual. There is problem of food and nutrition security in the world today. The data was collected through multistage sampling to obtain useful data from 112 households. It was revealed that 76.8% of the household farmers had average income below N30,000 per month. The household farmer’s expenditure was N4,961.24 and per capital average expenditure was N925.605. This showed that poverty level is very critical and needs urgent attention in the study area. On this note, it was recommended that appropriate, attainable and practicable programme should be done to alleviate poverty and enhance income among rural farmers and that there should be a redistribution of income to favour low income earner so as to benefit the identified poor and likewise be extended to all Nigerians most especially food insecure and vulnerable individual.

The purpose of this research was to assess the effects of Gamma Radiation as well as Electron Beam on samples of Brazil nuts that are contaminated with Aspergillus flavus under temperatures of 30uC and a humidity of 93%. The process taked place in fifteen days of incubation where aflatoxins and mycobation are analyzed. The samples was further grouped into three groups namely, control, group 1 and group 2 which receive radiation of 0, 5 and 10 kGy dosage of electron beam (EB) and gamma radiation (GR). Some sam-ples of not inoculated were illuminated with a similar dosage to evaluate the sensors. The results indicated that 0.80 of the samples had an average water capacity. Illumination or irradiation of gamma radiation and electron beam at a dosage of 5 and 10 kGy were able to eliminate the A. flavus fungi in the samples of Brazil nuts. Analyzes of aflatoxin indicated that electron beam doses of 5 and 10 kGy lowers aflatoxins levels by 53.32 and 65.66%, respectively. Moreover, this same dosage of gamma radiation lowered the levels of toxins by 70.61 and 84.15%, respectively, as compared to the control group. Sensory assessment showed that texture and smell or the illuminated samples of Brazil nuts were acceptable.

The study sought to find and measure climate change impacts on livestock production in Chiredzi district. Purposive sampling was done on 6 selected wards. Primary data on perceived climate change impacts was collected using a pretested questionnaire and 150 households were sampled. Secondary data on climatic records were collected from meteorological department. Climate data was used to establish climatic patterns. Empirical Ricardian regression model and descriptive statistics were used to measure climate change impacts on livestock. Increase in temperatures and decrease in rainfall events were highlighted by 98% and 84% of the farmers, respectively. In relation to forage and water availability 92% and 93% perceived a decrease respectively. Respondents perceived an increase in incidence of climate influenced diseases to include Heart water in goats, Foot and Mouth disease in cattle and Newcastle disease in poultry. Ricardian model concluded that climate change has an economic impact on livestock production at P < 0.05. In conclusion, climate change had an impact on livestock production in Chiredzi district as perceived by farmers. Proper livestock adaptation and mitigation strategies to reduce climate change vulnerability are required.

A study was undertaken to assess the microbial diversity and enzyme activities and their relationship with soil properties in the soils adjacent to chromium, iron and coal mining areas of Jajpur, Keonjhar and Jharsuguda districts and adjacent to industrial areas as well as ash ponds of thermal power plant and aluminium refinery of Angul, Koraput, Rayagada, Jagatsinghpur, Sundargarh, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, and Ganjam districts of Odisha, India. The effluents from the mines are discharged to nearby arable lands and water bodies causing acid mine drainage. The soils of the study area are strongly acidic to slightly alkaline in reaction (pH 4.23 - 7.85), non saline, and having very low to high organic carbon (0.15 - 1.88%), low to medium in available ni-trogen (N), low to high in available phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). The soils contain toxic levels of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and relatively higher status of available zinc (Zn). Highest available Fe (240.8 mg kg-1) was observed in the soils adjacent to sugar factory of Ganjam district, Mn in the soils of coal mining areas of Jharsuguda (146.0 mg kg-1), highest Cr (178.4 mg kg-1) and Ni (12.4 mg kg-1) in the soils of chromium mining areas of Jajpur and highest Pb (18.9 mg kg-1) in the bauxite mining areas of Koraput district of Odisha. However, highest available Cu (9.02 mg kg-1) and Zn (6.36 mg kg-1) contents were recorded adjacent to Rourkela steel plant areas of Sundargarh district. Toxicity of heavy metals in the soils of Jagatsinghpur district led to very low biological activities in terms of dehydrogenase (0.186 µg TPF hr-1g-1), fluorescein diacetate (0.152 µg g-1 hr-1) and alkaline phosphatase (9.68 µg PNP g-1 hr-1). The study emphasized that toxic levels of heavy metals in these mining and industrial areas and consequently their uptake in to the plant system is very much harmful to the livestock and human beings and there is an urgent need to advocate the people in these areas to adopt proper remedial measures so as to minimize the levels of these elements in the soil-plant-animal-human chain

Agricultural crop production, Food and energy security need not be competing objectives. In fact, taking a holistic, integrated approach to food-energy-water decision making can increase resil-iency of both food, water harvesting and energy methods

Different types of nutrients are necessary for the growth of plants. These nutrients are the source of food for plants and play an essential role in their development. Furthermore, macronutrients and micronutrients are the two groups in which these nutrients are classified. Macro means “large”, so macronutrients deal with those nutrients that are needed in large amounts. Similarly, Micro means “small”, so micronutrients deal with those nutrients that are required in small quantities. Potassium is fall in the category of macronutrients. It is highly mobile in plants from the individual cell to xylem and phloem tissues. It plays an essential role in fruit crops. Potassium is the most significant nutrient which regulates the value of fruits through its influence on the size of fruit, ap-pearance of the fruit, fruit color, and vitamin contents. Other hands, Citrus fruits are those fruits that comprise enough amount of citric acid. The main Citrus fruits are oranges, lemons, beets, tomatoes, and they all are categorized as acid fruits. The applications of potassium fertilizers are vital for the better production of Citrus plants. This review article focuses on potassium (K), its role, its applications for Citrus plant.