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Background: Organic production of cluster bean is to contribute to the enhancement of production sustainability along with ecology. Sustainability in organic farming must therefore be seen in a holistic sense, which includes ecological, economic and social aspects. A synergistic effectof bio fertilizer with crop increases the crop productivity and sustainability also. Bio fertilizers are low cost, effective and renewable sources of plant nutrients to supplement chemical fertilizers. Therfore to overcome the ill effect of chemical based farming, organic system is becoming the emerging need of the society. Methods: A field experiment was carried out in Pusa Navbahar variety of clusterbean during summer season (February to May) of 2019 at College farm, College of Horticulture, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Jagudan, Dist. Mehsana, Gujarat, India. Sixteen treatments having various combinations of organic sources of nutrients (FYM, vermicompost and neem cake), bio fertilizers (Rhizobium + PSB + KSM) along with RDF (20/40/0 kg/ha) as a control. They were replicated thrice in a randomized block design having a plot size of 3.0 m × 2.0 m with a spacing of 60 cm × 20 cm. Standard practices were followed during the entire course of the investigation. Result: It showed highly significant differences among different treatments for majority of the growth and yield attributing traits, but treatment T6 (75% N through FYM + Rhizobium + PSB + KSM) was rated as the best treatment for characters like days taken for germination, number of root nodules per plant, plant height at 60 DAS (cm), number of pod per cluster, number of cluster per plant, green pod yield per plant (g), green pod yield per plot (kg) and green pod yield per hectare (kg) as compared to other treatment. It can be concluded that the organic nutrient management in cluster bean with the application of 75% N through FYM + Rhizobium + PSB + KSM is beneficial for obtaining a higher yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jute is an important crop that contributes a pivotal role in the economy and supports the livelihoods of the farmers of the Northern part of West Bengal. However, farmers in the region are gradually shifting away from traditional jute cultivation to adopting maize as their preference and the study investigated the factors influencing transformation. Responses were collected from 60 farmers of Chopra Block using a structured interview schedule during the peak season of maize cultivation in 2019. Principal Component Analysis was used to extract significant factors explaining the motives behind farmers' preference for maize over jute crops. The study envisages that the factors including lack of capital, remunerative market price, high labor costs, poor soil quality and inadequate irrigation water, unavailability of improved seed varieties, high input costs, and inadequate market facilities are the key factors for discouragement of cultivation of jute. The government should develop some supportive infrastructure like providing high-quality maize seeds, conducting awareness programs to educate the farmers about the benefits and byproducts of maize, and offering knowledge about export and import markets. Capacity building and extension approaches can aid the transition and foster positive contributions to the agricultural sector of the locality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmers are the primary producers of food and other agricultural goods play a crucial part in the agricultural sector. Farmers need fast and accurate information on a variety of farming-related issues including weather, markets, pests and diseases, farming techniques, and agricultural inputs, to make informed decisions. Farmers' information-seeking behaviour, however, differs based on several conditions. The proficiency in information-receiving behavior and its interpretation merit humongous importance for the triumph of entrepreneurial success far beyond subsistence farming. The study was conducted in the Nayagarh district of Odisha by selecting one hundred FPO member farmers following multistage and snowballing sampling techniques. A structured interview schedule was prepared and data were collected using the personal interview method. The study envisages that variables viz. age, crop yield, no. of male workers, marketed surplus, and materials possessed and training exposure have significant contributions to the functional contribution of information receiving behaviour of the farmers. The study suggests that improvement of farmers' network and extension agent farmers' relationship may be helpful for quick technology dissemination and overall improvement of the farming community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]