A field experiment was conducted during the kharif 2022 and rabi 2022–2023 seasons at the Research Farm of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India, to evaluate the effects of different nutrient-management strategies on crop productivity, system productivity, production efficiency, land-use efficiency, and economics of a maize (Zea mays L.)–mustard (Brassica juncea L.) cropping system under semi-arid conditions. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with seven nutrient-management treatments comprising 100% of the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF), organic farming, natural farming, integrated nutrient management (INM), site-specific nutrient management (SSNM), farmers’ practice, and 75% RDF integrated with green manuring, with three replications. Site-specific nutrient management (SSNM), comprising 100% of the recommended nutrients supplemented with Zn @ 5 kg ha⁻¹, B @ 1 kg ha⁻¹, S @ 60 kg ha⁻¹, and Fe @ 1 kg ha⁻¹, recorded the highest growth and yield attributes in both crops. In maize, SSNM produced the maximum plant height (205.46 cm), grain yield (4660 kg ha⁻¹), straw yield (9735 kg ha⁻¹), and biological yield (14396 kg ha⁻¹). Similarly, in mustard, it recorded the highest plant height (248.77 cm), siliquae plant⁻¹ (353.33), seed yield (2026 kg ha⁻¹), stover yield (4968 kg ha⁻¹), and biological yield (6994 kg ha⁻¹). The same treatment also resulted in the highest mustard equivalent yield (3702 kg ha⁻¹), production efficiency (14.76 kg ha⁻¹ day⁻¹), and land-use efficiency (68.68%). Economic analysis revealed that SSNM generated the maximum gross and net returns from both maize (₹128,441 and ₹77,051 ha⁻¹, respectively) and mustard (₹127,829 and ₹83,417 ha⁻¹, respectively), whereas the highest benefit:cost ratio in mustard (1.96) was recorded under 75% RDF integrated with green manuring. The findings demonstrate that site-specific nutrient management integrating balanced macro- and micronutrient application substantially enhanced crop productivity, system efficiency, and profitability of the maize–mustard cropping system and can be recommended as a sustainable nutrient management strategy for the semi-arid Bundelkhand region.
Artika Singh, Shivank Prajapati, R. Choudhary et al.· International Journal of Pla...· 0 citations
A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2020–21 at the Research Farm of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India, to evaluate the effects of integrated nutrient management practices on the growth, yield attributes, productivity, and economic returns of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea). The experiment was laid out in a randomised block design with three replications and nine nutrient management treatments, namely T₁: RDF, T₂: 50% RDF, T₃: 75% RDF + vermicompost (VC), T₄: RDF + B, T₅: RDF + Zn, T₆: RDF + Fe, T₇: RDF + Zn + B + Fe + Mn, T₈: RDF + bioregulator (BR), and T₉: RDF + Mn + BR. The recommended fertiliser dose (RDF) comprised 80 kg N, 40 kg P₂O₅, 40 kg K₂O, and 20 kg S ha⁻¹. The results showed that the nutrient management treatments significantly influenced the growth, yield attributes, and yield of Indian mustard. Treatment T₃ (75% RDF + VC at 5 t ha⁻¹) recorded the greatest plant height (201.0 cm), numbers of primary branches (7.0 plant⁻¹) and secondary branches (16.0 plant⁻¹), number of siliquae (213 plant⁻¹), and number of seeds per siliqua (18.43). The same treatment also produced the maximum seed yield (1877 kg ha⁻¹), stover yield (5130 kg ha⁻¹), and biological yield (7007 kg ha⁻¹), which were significantly higher than those of most other treatments. The harvest index did not differ significantly among the treatments. The economic analysis indicated that T₃ generated the highest gross return (₹102,670.5 ha⁻¹), net return (₹72,988.5 ha⁻¹), and benefit–cost ratio (2.46). By contrast, the lowest seed yield and economic returns were recorded under T₈ (RDF + BR) and T₉ (RDF + Mn + BR). The improved performance of T₃ may be associated with the combined effects of vermicompost and inorganic fertilisers on nutrient availability, soil biological activity, and nutrient-use efficiency. Under the conditions of this experiment, the integrated application of 75% RDF with vermicompost at 5 t ha⁻¹ was the most effective nutrient management treatment for improving the growth, yield attributes, seed yield, and profitability of Indian mustard in the semi-arid Bundelkhand region.
Artika Singh, Shivank Prajapati, R. Choudhary et al.· Journal of Advances in Biolo...· 0 citations
Algal-bacterial biofilms function as stratified microecosystems in which photosynthetic oxygen production and heterotrophic respiration are coupled through counter-diffusive \(\:{\text{O}}_{2}-{\text{C}\text{O}}_{2}\:\) transport. Quantifying this internal carbon loop is critical for designing carbon-neutral and energy-efficient wastewater treatment systems. This study develops a mechanistic two-layer diffusion–reaction model representing an outer phototrophic layer, where CO 2 is assimilated and O 2 is produced, and an inner heterotrophic layer, where O 2 is consumed, and CO 2 is released. Steady-state mass balances with interfacial flux continuity are solved to obtain coupled O 2 and CO 2 profiles across the biofilm. A new dimensionless Carbon Loop Efficiency Index (CLEI) is introduced to quantify the degree of photosynthetic–respiratory coupling based on interfacial gas fluxes. By definition, CLEI = 0 represents a carbon-positive regime with no internal CO 2 recycling, CLEI = 1 denotes complete loop closure and carbon-neutral operation, and CLEI > 1 indicates a potentially carbon-negative regime in which CO 2 assimilation exceeds internally generated CO 2 under the modeled conditions. Model results suggest that, within the validated parameter ranges considered in this study, CLEI approaches unity only within a constrained design window characterized by intermediate total biofilm thickness (approximately 300–500 μm), where oxygen and carbon dioxide transport are balanced through coupled diffusion–reaction processes. Thinner biofilms are carbon-limited (CLEI > 1), whereas thicker biofilms develop oxygen diffusion limitation (CLEI < 1), preventing complete loop closure. Thinner biofilms are carbon-limited (CLEI > 1), whereas thicker biofilms develop oxygen diffusion limitation (CLEI < 1), preventing full loop closure. The framework demonstrates how stratified algal–bacterial biofilms can achieve self-oxygenation and intrinsic CO₂ mitigation through transport-controlled coupling, and provides a mechanistic basis for the rational design of carbon-neutral or potentially carbon-negative wastewater treatment and photobioreactor systems.
Deepak Sharma, Rakesh Choudhary, Y. Duraisamy et al.· Scientific Reports· 0 citations
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