Sheath blight is a major disease that cause enormous economic losses in rice depending on severity. Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) regulates the physiological phases of rice plant and might influence disease development. A pot experiment was conducted inside open top chamber (OTC) during aman 2017 to quantify the effect of elevated CO₂ (eCO₂) on incidence and severity of rice sheath blight disease under various times of nitrogen (N) applications. Rice plants were grown under four growing conditionsOTC with eCO₂ (500 ppm), OTC with intermediate CO₂ (450 ppm, iCO₂), OTC with ambient CO2 (aCO₂) and open field. Nitrogen as urea was applied 1/3^rd at early tillering (ET) + 1/3^rd at active tillering (AT) + 1/3^rd before panicle initiation stage (PI), 1/3^rd at ET + 1/3rd before PI + 1/3^rd at booting stage, and 1/3^rd at ET + 1/3^rd before PI + 1/3^rd at flowering stage. A randomized complete block design with eight replications was used for the experimentation. The incidence of sheath blight was 39.40% with eCO₂, which was 17.36% lower than open field. The incidence of sheath blight disease was similar with iCO₂, aCO₂ and open field conditions. Further, the severity of sheath blight was half in iCO₂ and one third in open field condition as compared to that of eCO₂ condition. Maximum disease severity was increased @ 500 ppm CO₂ condition over control treatment. Application of N up to flowering stage reduced disease occurrence considerably with higher CO₂ condition. Therefore, this study suggested that the N application up to flowering stage might be helpful in future as adaptation of rising atmospheric CO₂ levels.

The status of smallholder cocoa farms in Liberia's cocoa belt is investigated in the present study (Bong, Lofa, and Nimba Counties). Furthermore, the first part of the study focused on a household survey among cocoa farmers, with the results published in a separate report in 2016, and the second part of the study focused on road rehabilitation, cocoa marketing, and the state of cocoa farms. Farmers reported that the quality of their cocoa farms had improved slightly. Farm management practices remain at a basic level, resulting in low productivity (e.g., everyday input use and the predominance of local cocoa varieties). On cocoa farms, pests and diseases such as rodents and black pod disease are common.

Garden cress is an annual, herbaceous, edible plant. It belongs to the Brassicaceae family and the Kingdom Plantae. According to scientific evidence, it is thought to have originated in Ethiopia. Garden cress can thrive in any climate and soil type. In India, garden cress is cultivated as a culinary vegetable. The seeds, leaves, and roots of garden cress are nutritious and have medicinal properties. This review is mainly focusing on the physical and functional properties of garden cress seeds as seed used in many food products as gelling agent, a water retention agent, a thickening agent, an emulsifying agent, and a binding agent.

Induction of off-season bearing under different planting densities in mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv.Neelum were conducted at the Horticultural College and Research Institute, Periyakulam. Soil application of paclobutrazol @ 0.75 a.i per tree and pruning immediately after the emergence of new growth were imposed on mango trees planted at four different spacings viz. 5m x 5m, 5m x 4m, 5m x 3m and 5m x 2m. This experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design with three replications and twenty-four treatments. The field observations on yield, total Soluble Solids and nut weevil incidence for the main season and off-season crops were recorded. The results of this study revealed that treatment with heading back of 10cm terminal growth after the emergence of new growth (vegetative and floral growth) during December to January with soil application of paclobutrazol @ 0.75 g a.i per tree as soil application during March and April for the trees planted at the widest spacing of 5m x 5m was the best treatment combination for the production of off-season bearing in the mango cv. Neelum. It was interesting to observe that there was no incidence of nut weevil in the off-season crop where as the main season crop registered 23.33 to 56.66 per cent damage. The proportion of yield in the off-season due to this treatment was higher than the main season crop. The total soluble solids content was also higher in the off-season crop than the main season crop.

This paper reviewed the importance of organic farming with the objective to produce healthy and environmentally friendly food by closing the nutrient cycle and low external inputs like fertilizer application, prohibits use of herbicides and pesticides. Organic farming promotes on biodiversity, maintain soil fertility and agronomic practices in their ecological farming system. Organic farmers need a robust variety that adapted to organic and low input conditions. Breeding for the organic sector requires the desired traits such as stable yield, good quality, seed health, better root system as well ability to interact with beneficial soil micro-organisms, and suppress weeds. Still further strengthening is required on organic farming with integration of scientific research and improvement of the networking between all stakeholders like organic producers and policy makers at the regional and international level, because organic farming contribute to food security and the goal of sustainability in agriculture. Moreover, organic farming and its breeding techniques should be supported by biotechnological tools to enhance breeding efficiency.

Observations in natural conditions have shown earlier that the blue or silver color of the leaves appeared to be due to the presence of blue pigments azulenes in some species. This event hypothethically may be applicated to pharmacy that made similar objects as potential resources of new medicinal drugs. In this case, it was needed to estimate perspectives of the species to synthesized and accumulate azulenes in a dependence on the season. Seasonal appearance and accumulation of azulenes, thirteen plant species of the dry subtropics of the Crimea as introduced Acca sellowiana (O.Berg) Burret or Feijoa sellowiana (O.Berg), Cedrus atlantica (Engl.) G.Vanetti ex Carrieri, Nerium oleander L., Bupleurum fruticosum L., Olea europea L. and wild species Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb., Pinus brutia var. pityusa (Steven) Silba., Ruscus aculeatus L., Rhus coriaria L., Hedera helix L., Euphorbia rigida M. Bieb. The presence of azulenes was studied by spectral methods such as microspectrophotometry and usual spectrophotometry based on the appearance of a characteristic blue color and the appearance of characteristic maxima of 580-640 nm in the absorption spectra and 405-430 nm in the fluorescence spectra. This was confirmed in spectral experiments with extracts of these hydrophobic pigments with acetone or ethanol solvents, respectively, from the surface of the leaves and from the inside (after prolonged infusion). The scientific way of screening of the species with blue or silver colored leaves and the spectral search of the characteristics absorbance maxima for azulenes led to the results of interesting both for cellular monitoring of azulene-containing herbaceous plants and the search for species useful in the future for pharmacology.