Kaliyaperumal Anbukkarasi

Efficient irrigation management is essential for enhancing maize productivity under water-limited conditions, particularly in semi-arid regions where resource constraints and suboptimal agronomic practices restrict yield potential. In view of the above, a field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2025-26 at the SRM College of Agricultural Sciences, Baburayanpettai, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India, to evaluate the influence of row spacing and emitter discharge rate under subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) on the growth and yield performance of hybrid maize. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with three replications, comprising eight treatments involving combinations of row spacing (30, 45, and 60 cm) and emitter discharge rates (2 and 4 LPH) under SDI, along with surface drip irrigation and conventional irrigation. The results revealed significant variation among treatments. Invariably, treatment 45/75 cm spacing with 2 LPH under SDI (T2) consistently registered higher leaf area index, stem girth and dry matter production, which translated into enhanced yield attributes such as cob length, cob girth, cob weight and kernel number. Consequently, T2 produced the highest grain yield (7256 kg/ha) and stover yield (12797 kg/ha). This is followed closely by the treatment 45/75 cm crop row spacing with 4 LPH under SDI (T5). The improved performance under these treatments can be attributed to optimal plant geometry coupled with efficient and continuous moisture and nutrient supply to the root zone, resulting in better physiological activity and assimilate partitioning. Overall, the study highlights that subsurface drip irrigation with 45/75 cm row spacing and 2 LPH emitter discharge is an effective strategy for maximizing growth and yield of hybrid maize under water-scarce conditions.

Background: Container design plays a vital role in nursery production as it influences overall plant quality and field establishment. Conventional containers often induce root circling and deformation, while air root pruning containers increase the number of descending roots. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare root pruning container and traditional container production systems on the growth and root architecture of Tabernaemontana divaricata (Dwarf). Methods: The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with six treatments and three replications. Six 10-inch height containers were tested in this experiment: Brown plastic pot, black plastic pot, airpot, growbag, black polybag and white polybag. Two-month-old plants were grown in a medium of red soil, vermicompost and cocopeat enriched with biofertilizers. Growth, biomass and root parameters were recorded at 120 days after planting and root architecture was analyzed using RhizoVision Explorer software. Result: Airpot (T3) recorded superior shoot growth with maximum plant height (28.95 cm), stem diameter (10.54 mm), inflorescence per plant (6.66), number of branches/plant (58.00), number of leaves/branch (16.30), leaf area (2.49 cm2), chlorophyll content (52.13), shoot fresh weight (49.4 3 g), shoot dry weight (11.15 g) and shoot dry matter content (22.55 %). Root phenotyping revealed greater root spread, total root length, root tips and branching points in growbag, while the black plastic pot recorded higher root volume and root biomass. Airpot containers minimized root circling and produced better quality nursery plants of Tabernaemontana divaricata.

Biomineralization processes in terrestrial ecosystems facilitate durable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) by transforming atmospheric CO₂ into stable inorganic phases via interconnected biogeochemical pathways. This review elucidates the oxalate–carbonate pathway (OCP), wherein oxalogenic angiosperms biosynthesize calcium oxalate (CaC₂O₄) crystals, metabolized by rhizospheric oxalotrophs through oxalyl-CoA decarboxylase (oxc/frc)-mediated decarboxylation, generating alkalinity and bicarbonate for pedogenic CaCO₃ precipitation. Complementary mechanisms include microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) via ureolysis (ureC), denitrification, sulfate reduction, and cyanobacterial photosynthetic CO₂ drawdown, nucleating calcite polymorphs with extracellular carbonic anhydrase catalysis; phytolith-occluded organic carbon (PhytOC) encapsulation in amorphous SiO₂ matrices exhibiting millennial recalcitrance; and enhanced rock weathering (ERW) accelerating silicate (e.g., basalt) dissolution to liberate Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺ for secondary carbonates. Empirical δ¹³C, radiocarbon, and clumped isotope (∆₄₇) analyses from iroko and basaltic fig systems quantify sequestration rates of 0.5–5 t CO₂ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, with permanence spanning 10³–10⁶ years. Proposed monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) frameworks integrate mineralogical speciation, functional metagenomics, and biomarkers to ensure additionality and mitigate risks. Translational strategies—agroforestry, microbial augmentation, ERW integration—harness co-benefits for edaphic fertility and biodiversity, positioning biomineralization as a gigaton-scale CDR paradigm bridging biogenic transience with geological stability.

Background: A field trial was carried out during the Navarai season (Jan - Apr) of 2025 at the wetland Farm of SRM College of Agricultural Sciences, located in Baburayanpettai, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India to assess the effect of integrated weed management strategies in drum-seeded rice. Methods: The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) consisting of ten treatments with three replications. The treatments comprised combinations of Bensulfuron methyl + Pretilachlor (PE), Trifamone + Ethoxysulfuron (EPoE), Florpyrauxifen-benzyl + Cyhalofop-butyl (POE), in combination of hand weeding and power weeding. Result: Findings indicated that applying PE Bensulfuron methyl + Pretilachlor (660 g/ha) followed by POE Florpyrauxifen-benzyl + Cyhalofop-butyl (150 g/ha) significantly reduced weed density, enhancing weed control efficiency and growth parameters like plant height, tiller count and panicle characteristics and also resulted in the highest straw yield (7215 kg/ha) and grain yield (5,550 kg/ha). The research concludes that employing combination of pre and post emergence herbicides represents a viable approach for effective weed control and enhanced productivity in drum-seeded rice.