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For centuries, in the eastern Indian subcontinent, areas now in Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Odisha, and Bihar, temporary polychrome terracruda (air-dried clay) figural images have been created for periodic pujas (rituals of worship) and immersed in nearby rivers or ponds at the event's close. This essay explores how the perennial re-creation of terracruda ritual images supported the rise of goddess worship, stimulated the expansion of the annual cycle of religious festivals, and contributed to a modernizing cosmopolitan public culture. Drawing on recent reconsiderations of materiality that recognize the active roles of inanimate objects and substances, terracruda sacred sculpture is approached through the medium to consider the distinctive contributions that clay makes in interactions with artists, patrons, devotees, and the public. This essay focuses on how the transformational character of air-dried clay enables practices of making, worshipping, and disposing that evoke cosmic cycles, harness potencies that inhere in earth, and realign religious practices in changing times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flashflood in rainfed lowlands seriously affect rice crop establishment and cause severe yield losses. Survival of new flood tolerant rice varieties (Swarna- Sub1, Samba Mahsuri-Sub1, IR64-Sub1, etc.) developed through introgressing the submergence tolerance gene SUB1into mega rice varieties of South Asia is substantially higher than that of non-Sub1 varieties under flooding stress. This has been consistently reflected in a yield advantage of 1 to 3 t ha-1. Submergence tolerance and productivity of these Sub1 varieties can be further enhanced through adoption of appropriate crop and nutrient management practices. Postflood nitrogen application plays an important role in helping rice plants to resume quick growth after flood water recession. On station experiments conducted during the wet seasons (Kharif) of 2011 and 2012 at the college of agriculture, Chiplima, Sambalpur, Odisha, to study the effect of 3 post-flood nitrogen doses (N3: 10 kg ha-1; N2: 20 kg ha-1; N3: 30 kg ha-1) and 3 application times (% plants started showing at least one green leaf after de-submergence) viz. T1: 10-15%; T2: 30-35% and T3: 65-70% on survival, growth and yield performance of the rice variety Swarna-Sub1. Treatments N3 (91.4%) and T2 (96.3%) produced significantly higher survival than other treatments. Additional N increased the yield attributes and finally grain yield. Mean maximum grain yield was recorded with N3 (3485 kg ha-1) and T2 (3623 kg ha-1). When the additional N dose was applied earlier (T1) or late (T3), the average yield reduction was 19 and 12%, respectively, compared to T2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an urgent need for identification of the eco-friendly/cleaner production system that is more productive and profitable; efficient user of energy, water, and carbon-based inputs, and also environmentally safer. The four years study was conducted from 2016 to 2019, where the dominant rice-wheat cropping system is practiced extensively after 'Green Revolution'. The objectives of the experiment were to evaluate: (1) energy budgeting, (2) carbon auditing, (3) production and economic efficiency of diverse cropping systems for upland rainfed as well as irrigated ecosystems of eastern India. Tillage and cropping system treatments were laid out according to a completely randomized block design and replicated thrice. Ten cropping sequences were comprised of: T1) a farmers' practice of transplanted rice-wheat-mungbean, T2) conventional till-direct seeded rice (CTDSR)-wheat-mungbean, T3) soybean-maize, T4) CTDSR-mustard-urdbean, T5) foxtail millet-lentil-fallow, T6) pearl millet-chickpea-fallow, T7) finger millet- toria -fallow, T8) sorghum (grain)-chickpea-fallow, T9) maize cob–pigeon pea, and T10) sorghum (fodder)-mustard-urdbean. Energy contributions of different inputs were 42–55, 12–21, 8–18, and 4–12% for fertilizers, diesel, labour, and electricity, respectively. The amount of indirect (fertilizer, chemicals, and machinery) and direct (diesel and electricity) non-renewable energy inputs were 40–60 and 18–26%, respectively. Indirect renewable energy input (seed and crop residues) was 1–7% as compared to 15–24% of direct-renewable energy (human labour and irrigation water). The maximum energy input was recorded for T1 (53511 MJ ha−1). The maximum biomass production (40.2 Mg ha−1) was recorded with T9, while the maximum benefit: cost ratio (3.64) was noted for T10 and T8. The highest specific energy (33.5 MJ kg−1) and energy productivity (0.92 kg MJ−1) were recorded in T8 treatment. Irrespective of cropping systems, retention of crop residues accounted for 28.6–58.5% of total carbon input. The carbon sustainability index was 5–7 times higher for the millet-based production system [T6 (9.32) and T8 (10.27)] compared to cereal-based systems [T1 (1.66) and T2 (1.21)]. Diversification of the rice-wheat system through climate-resilient millets-based production system reduced 84% energy consumption and 87% carbon footprint. The millet-based production system also helps in reducing the carbon input by 172% and improves the energy use efficiency by 61% compared to the cereal-based cropping system. Therefore, the study has an innovative idea to support the crop modelling, policymakers, government planners, researchers, and producers to achieve the sustainable development goals in Indo-Gangetic Plains and similar agro-climatic conditions of South Asia. Image 1 • Carbon-cum-energy efficient production system for the diverse agro-ecosystem of South Asia. • The millet-based system reduced 84% energy use & 87% carbon-footprint than the rice-wheat system. • Energy ratio in millet-based system increase 61% output and reduction 172% carbon -input. • The millet-based had 56 & 58% more nutrient & non-renewable energy efficiency. • The millet-based emerged as a viable alternative to the rice-wheat system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]