Battala Sheshagiri

Soil organic matter (SOM) is central to soil functioning, yet its significance cannot be inferred reliably from bulk carbon concentration alone. The processes that generate, transform, redistribute and protect organic compounds operate across interacting biological, mineralogical, hydrological and management gradients. This critical narrative review evaluates how contemporary understanding of particulate organic matter, mineral-associated organic matter and microbial transformation changes interpretations of soil health and agricultural carbon management. Peer-reviewed experimental studies, long-term field investigations, meta-analyses and conceptual papers were selected through topic-specific scholarly searching and citation tracing, with particular attention to contrasting results and measurement limitations. Evidence supports substantial roles for organic matter in aggregation, nutrient cycling, biological habitat and, in particular settings, hydrological regulation. The magnitude and direction of these functions nevertheless depend on soil texture, mineralogy, climate, depth and the composition and spatial distribution of carbon pools. Microbial-derived material contributes importantly to mineral-associated organic matter, but mineral association is neither a guarantee of permanence nor a direct measure of biological usefulness. Meta-analyses indicate that cover crops and organic amendments can increase soil carbon, while benefits differ among fractions, soil layers and management histories. The assumption that no-tillage necessarily sequesters carbon is weakened when whole-profile stocks and equivalent soil mass are considered. Likewise, observed carbon–yield and carbon–water relationships should not be interpreted as invariant causal responses. The review argues for a function-oriented framework that assesses organic carbon stocks alongside accessibility, turnover, aggregation, nutrient supply and context-specific biological indicators. Its priorities include long-term depth-resolved experiments, transparent fractionation, source tracing, whole-system greenhouse-gas accounting and locally calibrated soil-health benchmarks. SOM management is most defensible when it seeks multiple measurable soil functions rather than treating a single carbon indicator as a universal proxy for resilience or climate benefit.

Agricultural pest surveillance is shifting from periodic manual inspection towards digitally mediated observation, combining automated traps, computer vision, environmental sensors and statistical or machine-learning forecasts. The technological literature reports increasingly sophisticated species recognition, remote counting and near-real-time data transmission. Whether these capabilities generate reliable estimates of pest pressure or improve integrated pest management, however, depends on ecological sampling, field validation and decisions taken after an alert. This critical narrative review evaluates the measurement-to-decision pathway rather than treating classification accuracy as evidence of agronomic benefit. Peer-reviewed research and relevant methodological literature were identified through accessible scholarly sources, with thematic emphasis on camera-equipped pheromone, light and adhesive traps; image-recognition architectures; optical, acoustic and environmental sensing; predictive modelling; and operational evaluation. The synthesis indicates that instrumented traps and image-processing methods can reduce some observation burdens and produce useful within-system temporal information. Their reported performance is nevertheless strongly conditioned by trap selectivity, target species, illumination, specimen overlap, annotation quality, seasonal distribution shifts and the choice of validation dataset. Forecasting approaches can exploit temperature, phenology and historical trap catches, but retrospective fit does not establish transferable warning value. Ecological inference also requires distinguishing insect activity, trap catches, abundance, crop injury and economic risk. The most consequential weaknesses are limited independent multi-site prospective testing, incomplete uncertainty reporting, insufficient comparison with manual scouting, and few controlled evaluations of management consequences. A deployment-oriented framework is proposed in which measurement validity, calibration, forecast skill, decision thresholds, costs and non-target effects are appraised as connected requirements. Progress will depend less on marginal improvements in benchmark detection scores than on prospective, locally calibrated studies that measure timeliness, intervention quality, labour, pesticide use, yield and biodiversity outcomes.

Rice improvement now operates at the intersection of three objectives that were historically treated more independently: raising yield, maintaining or improving grain quality, and stabilising performance under abiotic stress. This critical narrative review evaluates the genetic architecture, breeding evidence and translational maturity of these objectives in Asian rice (Oryza sativa L.), while drawing selectively on African rice and wild Oryza germplasm where they illuminate useful alleles or mechanisms. Literature published from 2000 to 5 August 2026 was prioritised, with earlier or foundational work retained when necessary. The synthesis distinguishes large-effect loci that have translated effectively into breeding, such as SUB1A, from traits whose expression is strongly background- or environment-dependent. Yield improvement has benefited from genes controlling stature, panicle architecture, grain number, grain size and heading date, but the same loci can alter maturity, lodging risk, source–sink relations and market-preferred grain dimensions. Grain quality is similarly modular rather than unitary: appearance, milling, cooking, eating, aroma and nutritional attributes arise from partially distinct pathways, with Wx, ALK, BADH2, Chalk5 and grain-size regulators illustrating both tractability and pleiotropic constraint. For abiotic stress tolerance, major loci affecting sodium transport, submergence quiescence, root architecture, anaerobic germination, phosphorus acquisition, heat tolerance and chilling adaptation provide strong mechanistic anchors, yet combined-stress and grain-filling environments remain underrepresented. Genomics, genomic selection, pangenomics and genome editing broaden the accessible allele space, but prediction and editing do not remove the need for rigorous multi-environment phenotyping. The central conclusion is that future genetic gain will depend less on stacking nominally favourable alleles than on designing compatible haplotype combinations whose effects remain stable across target production environments and consumer quality requirements.

Semiochemicals occupy a distinctive position in agricultural entomology because they can convert species- and context-specific chemical communication into tools for surveillance, behavioural manipulation and population suppression. This critical narrative review evaluates the evidence for semiochemical use in pest monitoring, mass trapping, attract-and-kill, mating disruption and integrated pest management, with particular attention to the transition from chemical discovery to reliable field performance. The literature was selected from agricultural, biological and multidisciplinary scholarly sources for the period 1 January 1990 to 19 June 2026, while retaining seminal studies needed to interpret current practice. The evidence is strongest for sex-pheromone monitoring and for mating disruption in well-characterised lepidopteran systems. Monitoring benefits from high sensitivity and taxonomic selectivity, but trap catch is not a direct measure of population density or crop injury unless lure performance, trap design, crop phenology, weather and management context are calibrated. Mass trapping and attract-and-kill can suppress pests, yet their success is more conditional because it depends on population density, immigration, target sex, lure competitiveness, trap retention, spatial deployment and persistence of the killing or release system. Plant volatiles, aggregation pheromones, repellents and herbivore-induced cues broaden the behavioural repertoire available for integrated pest management, although context dependence is greater and field validation is less mature. Digital camera traps, machine vision, receptor-guided discovery and biodegradable controlled-release matrices are important advances, but each introduces new validation requirements rather than eliminating ecological uncertainty. Across applications, the central translational weakness is a tendency to infer crop protection from behavioural response or trap capture without demonstrating injury, yield, economic or area-wide outcomes. Future progress requires standardised reporting of release rates and trap performance, multi-site field validation, explicit spatial design, integration with economic thresholds and biological control, and independent assessment of non-target and adoption consequences. Semiochemicals are therefore best understood not as stand-alone replacements for pesticides, but as information-rich components of ecologically designed pest management systems.

Plant-parasitic nematodes are persistent constraints on crop productivity because their behaviour, protected habitats and intimate relationships with host roots complicate both diagnosis and control. RNA interference offers sequence-guided suppression of nematode gene expression without requiring a conventional toxicant to act on a broad physiological target. Yet molecular specificity should not be conflated with biological control, and promising experiments have produced uneven results across species, life stages, delivery systems and scales. This critical narrative review examines research on double-stranded RNA exposure, target validation, host-induced gene silencing, artificial microRNAs, non-transgenic formulations, nanocarriers and translation to field use. Peer-reviewed experimental and methodological studies published through 14 August 2026 were considered, with seminal earlier work included to establish the mechanism. The strongest evidence concerns gene knockdown and reduced infection or reproduction in controlled plant systems, particularly root-knot and cyst nematodes. More recent soil-directed formulations for potato cyst nematodes and trunk-injected complexes for pine wood nematodes indicate that deployment beyond transgenic plants is technically possible, but do not establish general efficacy across agricultural soils. Critical barriers include uptake across nematode feeding structures, RNA degradation, stage-dependent susceptibility, inconsistent phenotypic reporting, poorly quantified exposure, limited off-target testing and the scarcity of replicated yield and durability data. A central distinction emerging from the synthesis is between sequence selectivity, delivery selectivity, life-stage accessibility and agronomic performance. These requirements are related but are not interchangeable. Future progress depends on experimentally linking confirmed target engagement with biologically meaningful crop protection, testing formulations under realistic soils and plant growth conditions, assessing non-target organisms and specifying manufacturing and resistance-management pathways. RNA interference is a credible complement to integrated nematode management, but its precision and readiness must be demonstrated for each pest–crop–delivery combination.

Digital marketing has moved from a peripheral communication activity to an increasingly consequential component of market access, customer relationship management and channel strategy in agribusiness. Yet the evidence is fragmented across agribusiness, agricultural economics, information systems and small-business research, and positive accounts of market reach often sit beside evidence of weak organisational readiness, logistics constraints and platform dependence. This critical narrative review synthesises literature on the role of websites, social media, social commerce, e-commerce marketplaces, online reputation mechanisms and live-streaming in agribusiness enterprises, with particular attention to small and medium-sized enterprises, farmer-entrepreneurs, cooperatives and agro-processors. Literature published from 2000 to 9 June 2026 was identified through accessible scholarly indexes, repositories, DOI and journal records, supplemented by authoritative institutional sources and citation searching. The evidence indicates that digital marketing can reduce information and search frictions, expand geographic reach, enable direct selling, intensify customer interaction and strengthen reputation signalling. Its contribution to sales, prices and enterprise growth is nevertheless conditional rather than automatic. Benefits depend on managerial digital capability, strategic integration of channels, credible product information, fulfilment and cold-chain performance, customer trust, social connections and supportive digital ecosystems. Much of the firm-level literature remains cross-sectional and geographically concentrated, while stronger quasi-experimental evidence concerns e-commerce penetration more broadly rather than marketing capability itself. Platform-mediated marketing also creates new forms of intermediation through visibility algorithms, traffic acquisition costs, certification systems and dependence on dominant platforms. The review therefore reframes digital marketing in agribusiness as an organisational and ecosystem capability rather than a collection of promotional tools. Research should move towards longitudinal and causal designs, channel-level profitability measures, comparative work beyond China and Europe, and explicit analysis of platform governance, inclusion, logistics and resilience.

Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) have emerged as important institutional mechanisms for strengthening agribusiness value chains and improving the socio-economic conditions of small and marginal farmers in developing economies. This review critically examines the role of FPOs in enhancing market participation, collective bargaining, value addition, and sustainable agricultural development. The study is based on a comprehensive review of secondary literature, including academic journals, institutional reports, and policy documents related to agricultural commercialization, collective action, and rural development. The findings indicate that FPOs contribute significantly to reducing transaction costs, improving access to quality inputs, strengthening market linkages, and facilitating financial inclusion for farmers. FPOs also encourage value addition, rural entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, and climate-resilient agricultural practices. However, the review identifies several challenges affecting their long-term sustainability, including weak governance, inadequate managerial capacity, limited infrastructure, insufficient institutional finance, and policy implementation gaps. Comparative evidence from India and other developing countries further highlights the importance of professional management, digital integration, and strong institutional support in ensuring successful FPO performance. The study concludes that well-supported and efficiently managed FPOs can play a transformative role in building inclusive, competitive, and sustainable agribusiness value chains.

Soil pH is a fundamental determinant of soil fertility, nutrient availability, and crop productivity. It influences chemical equilibria, microbial processes, and plant nutrient uptake, making it a key factor in sustainable agricultural management. Conventional soil pH measurement techniques, such as laboratory-based glass electrode methods, although accurate, are often labor-intensive, time-consuming, and inadequate for capturing spatial variability within fields. With the advancement of precision agriculture, modern soil pH monitoring technologies have emerged, offering real-time, high-resolution, and site-specific data. This review comprehensively examines recent developments in soil pH monitoring techniques, including electrochemical sensors, optical and spectroscopic approaches, proximal and remote sensing, and IoT-based systems integrated with machine learning algorithms. These technologies have significantly improved the efficiency of soil monitoring, enabling farmers to optimize nutrient management and enhance crop yield. The integration of artificial intelligence and wireless sensor networks has further facilitated predictive modeling and automated decision-making. The relationship between soil pH and crop yield is critically analyzed through multiple case studies, demonstrating how precise pH management can enhance nutrient use efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and increase productivity. Despite these advancements, challenges such as sensor calibration, cost constraints, and environmental variability persist. Future prospects include the development of low-cost sensors, AI-driven decision support systems, and fully automated smart farming solutions. This review highlights the transformative role of modern soil pH monitoring in achieving sustainable agriculture and global food security.

Agriculture has long relied on chemical inputs such as pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers to maintain crop productivity, often leading to environmental degradation and health concerns. This review aims to evaluate the potential of transgenic crops to reduce dependence on such inputs while supporting sustainable agriculture. Transgenic plants, developed through genetic engineering, incorporate desirable traits such as insect resistance, herbicide tolerance, and disease resistance, enabling crops to better withstand biotic stresses. Evidence from multiple studies indicates that insect-resistant crops, particularly Bt cotton and Bt maize, have contributed to notable reductions in insecticide use and improved crop yields in several regions. In some cases, these crops have also enhanced ecological balance by supporting beneficial organisms. However, the widespread adoption of herbicide-tolerant crops has raised concerns regarding increased herbicide application and the emergence of resistant weed species. This review synthesizes findings from existing literature to examine the extent to which transgenic crops reduce chemical inputs, their environmental and socio-economic impacts, and their role in modern agricultural systems. It also highlights key challenges, including resistance development, regulatory issues, and public acceptance. Overall, transgenic crops present a promising approach to minimizing chemical dependency, but their long-term sustainability depends on responsible management practices and integrated agricultural strategies.