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The tomato represents an extensively cultivated crop within tropical and subtropical regions of the world for their fresh market and processing attribute. However, its production frequently encounters substantial setbacks due to notable losses associated with diseases such as Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TyLCV). To address this challenge, the current study aimed to assess the resistance or susceptibility of selected 25 tomato breeding lines for TyLCV under natural field screenings to mimic real-world scenarios in accordance with the disease reaction score of Banerjee and Kalloo (1987). The field screening results showed that, the check Arka Vishes line demonstrated high resistance (HR) to TLCV, with reduced PDS, PDI values and a low coefÏcient of infection (CI). Several lines, including CBE SL 101, CBE SL 105, CBE SL 108, CBE SL 110, and CBE SL 114, exhibited a resistant (R) reaction, while others, such as CBE SL 102, CBE SL 107, CBE SL 112, CBE SL 120, and Arka Rakshak, displayed moderate resistance (MR). Conversely, lines CBE SL 103, CBE SL 104, CBE SL 106, CBE SL 109, CBE SL 111, CBE SL 115, CBE SL 117, and CBE SL 123 showed moderate susceptibility (MS), and the remaining lines, namely CBE SL 113, CBE SL 116, CBE SL 118, CBE SL 119, CBE SL 121, and CBE SL 122, were deemed susceptible to TLCV. The varying disease responses observed across these lines provide valuable insights into the complex dynamics of host-pathogen interactions in tomato plants, informing strategies for disease management and breeding efforts aimed at enhancing resistance to TLCV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Snake gourd is a monoecious crop that prefers cross pollination. Snake gourd has a lot of potential for genetic improvement. A large variation can be produced when genetically diverse and geographically distant lines are combined. To examine the genetic diversity and connection between essential agronomic features in snake gourd, multivariate methods such as principal component analysis and cluster analysis were used. This study will use multivariate analysis to determine the genetic diversity and link between critical agronomic aspects of snake gourd. Methods: A total of sixteen genotypes and two varieties of snake gourd genotypes were subjected to boxplot, principal component analysis and cluster analysis based on eleven quantitative traits. Boxplot analysis, Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were performed using R version of 4.2.1. Result: Boxplot analysis depicted the frequency distribution of eleven quantitative traits among 18 snake gourd accessions. The overall variation was split into eleven principal components, out of which five major principal components contributed for variability of snake gourd genotypes by exhibiting 90.05 per cent of variability. The squared cosine variables inferred that the traits viz., days to first male flowering, days to first female flowering and days to first harvest contributed more for variability in the first component. The ward D2 method of hierarchical clustering cluster the 16 genotypes and 2 varieties in two clusters based on cluster sum of squares. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetable grafting plays a significant role in modem agricultural practices, effectively managing abiotic and biotic stresses. Additionally, it offers the advantage of enhancing the phenotypic traits of the scion. This technique has gained widespread acceptance in commercial cultivation, particularly in crops like tomato, watermelon, melon, eggplant, etc., but has not been reported in Solanum nigrum. The appeal lies in its swiftness compared to the traditional method of breeding vegetables with improved environmental stress tolerance. This study focused on identifying and studying the components present in the leaves and fruits of both grafted and ungrafted Solanum nigrum. The GC-MS analysis unveiled a multitude ofbioactive compounds, some of which are well-known antioxidants and possess anti-inflammatory properties. These beneficial attributes make them potentially valuable for promoting health and well-being. In addition, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was employed to identify functional groups in the methanolic extracts. The FTIR findings confirmed the existence of diverse functional groups, such as alkanes, alkynes, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, and nitriles, within the selected grafted Solanum nigrum samples. The research outcomes suggest that the extracts could be valuable in managing fungal infections in crops, which may contribute to the successful grafting of Solanum nigrum onto wild rootstocks. The presence of bioactive compounds with antifungal properties in the extracts might enhance disease resistance, making a successful grafting process a viable solution for improved and extended production. This underscores the critical necessity for continued research, highlighting its potential benefits to various domains, including medicine and nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cassava is one among the important tuber crop cultivated globally which requires heavy application of organic manures, fertilizers and micronutrients. Cassava is severely prone to micro nutrient deficiencies, more especially the iron induce chlorosis which is noticed invariably in all the soil types. The plants died due to acute micronutrient deficiency causing the drastic crop loss. Considering the acute need of cassava growers, this experiment was conducted over three seasons to determine the effect of combined application of micronutrients and stake dipping for improving the yield of cassava tubers and starch content. The experiment was layout in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), with eight treatments repeated three times in plot size of 4.5x4.5 m for three seasons and between 2022 and 2024, the best treatment was validated through large scale demonstrations in farmers field. The recommended dose of NPK was applied three months after planting and the micronutrients viz., borax, magnesium sulphate and zinc sulphate were applied between one and two months after planting. In addition to the above, dipping the setts (stakes) in ferrous sulphate solution for a period of fifteen minutes before planting and subsequently three to four times of foliar application with 0.5% Ferrous sulphate solution at an interval of weeks times and also on visualization of the deficiency symptoms. The experimental results revealed that the number of tubers (9.53), lengthiest tuber (35.05 cm), maximum tuber girth (19.37), tuber yield (3.42 kg plant-1), starch content of tubers (24.60%) and maximum BC ratio (3.66) were recorded in RCP + dipping the setts (stakes) in 0.5% of FeSO4 solution + combined application of micronutrients in soil: MgSO4 (20 kilograms per hectare) + ZnSO4 (12.5 kilograms per hectare) + Borax (10 kilograms per hectare) (T7). The highest tuber dry weight (0.729 kg plant-1) was recorded in the same treatment. This treatment did not produce any micronutrient deficient plants and found to be highly economical to the cassava growers. However, the differential application of micronutrients did not influenced the HCN content of tubers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]