Mukesh Kumar’s research while affiliated with Indira Gandhi National Open University and other places

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Publications (24)


Effect of radiations of horticultural fruits.
Role of Cutting-Edge Technology in Horticulture Crops for Shaping the Future Smart Farming Ecosystem: A Comprehensive Review
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December 2024

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48 Reads

Environment and Ecology

Mukesh Kumar

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Sajjan Kumar

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Agricultural automation is rapidly advancing worldwide, with crop management systems optimizing cultivation across diverse conditions. In India, where horticultural crops are economically vital despite limited land, innovative technologies like AI, blockchain, IoT, remote sensing, and hydroponics are key to meeting growing demand. Advances in AI, robotics, and machine learning now enable effective monitoring of plants, pests, and diseases. This review examines the global impact of these technologies on horticulture, including their effects on food production, associated challenges, and future prospects, along with digital tools for farm management.

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Diversity and distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with vegetable crops in Haryana, India

October 2024

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26 Reads

EURASIAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE (EJSS)

The optimal growth and development of many vegetable crops hinge significantly upon their reliance on Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF). Understanding the AMF status of vegetable crops can assist researchers in selecting suitable strains for future experiments. Therefore, a field work was carried out to determine the species diversity and composition of AMF with fifty vegetable crops from seventeen different districts of Haryana. AMF spores were isolated and identified to evaluate AMF density, diversity, and host preference in terms of AMF species richness, abundance and frequency of occurrence. Soil conditions, land use type and its physico–chemical properties played a crucial role in regulating the uneven distribution and composition of AMF. Mycotrophic structures such as linear infection (Arum–type) to coils (Paris–type) arbuscules and vesicles were seen. Interestingly, no correlation was found between spore number and root colonization. Maximum AMF spore density, spore richness and abundance were witnessed in Zea mays and Trigonella foenum–graecum. Five plants exhibited 100% AMF colonized roots, 15 plants showed above 75% and 12 plants above 50% colonization. Soil pH 6.10 to 7.40 supported the maximal abundance and frequency of occurrence of Glomus and Acaulospora with 53 species and 18 species followed by Acaulospora (18), Sclerocystis (10), Gigaspora (5), Entrophospora (4) and Sclerocystis (4). G. mosseae was the most preferred species among vegetable crops. Members of non–mycorrhizal families lack root colonization except for Brassica campestris, B. oleracea var. botrytis and B. Rapa where 2–11% root colonization was detected. Noticing the abundant AMF diversity of vegetable crops , this investigation expands the scope of detection, selection and inoculation of vegetable crops with suitable AMF species for improving their quality and quantity.


Fig. 1. Factors that lead to biodiversity loss
Fig. 2. Biodiversity Index of twenty countries (Brazil:512.34 , Indonesia: 418.78, Colombia: 369.76, China: 365.84, Mexico:342.47, Australia:337.18, Peru:330.12, India:301.12, Ecuador:291.58, United States:280.13, Venezuela:273.39, Papua New Guinea:226.57, Myanmar:221.77, Vietnam:216.97, Malaysia:214.71, Democratic Republic of Congo:214.43, Tanzania:213.1, Bolivia:209.55, South Africa: 207.94 and Thailand:200.77) across the globe (10).
Fig. 3. Number of Amphibian, Bird, Fish, Mammal, Reptilian and Plant species in top five most biodiverse countries of the globe (11).
Figure 4. Different drivers of Land Degradation
Balancing conservation and development for achieving land degradation neutrality

October 2024

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83 Reads

The loss of biodiversity has risen dramatically in the face of a global emergency and worsened by human activities which involves habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. Biodiversity is essential for sustainable development, supporting ecosystem services crucial for agriculture, forestry and climate regulation. These services are threatened by biodiversity loss, which also has an impact on world cultural heritage, economic stability and human well-being. Moreover, a decline in biodiversity exacerbates the effects of climate change, undermining ecosystem resilience and making food poverty worse. Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), a global goal to stop and reverse land degradation through sustainable land management techniques, depends on effective biodiversity protection. LDN projects aim to balance restoration efforts against deterioration in order to preserve or improve land-based natural capital. This chapter highlights the biophysical and socioeconomic factors driving land degradation, including unsustainable agricultural practices, urbanization and climate change impacts. It underscores the importance of integrated approaches that consider ecological, social and economic dimensions in achieving LDN. Principles such as respecting human rights, promoting good governance, and engaging stakeholders are critical for successful LDN implementation. This chapter emphasizes the need for global cooperation and policy reforms to mitigate biodiversity loss, combat land degradation and ensure sustainable land use practices for future generations.


Balancing conservation and development for achieving land degradation neutrality

October 2024

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122 Reads

The loss of biodiversity has risen dramatically in the face of a global emergency and worsened by human activities which involves habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. Biodiversity is essential for sustainable development, supporting ecosystem services crucial for agriculture, forestry and climate regulation. These services are threatened by biodiversity loss, which also has an impact on world cultural heritage, economic stability and human well-being. Moreover, a decline in biodiversity exacerbates the effects of climate change, undermining ecosystem resilience and making food poverty worse. Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), a global goal to stop and reverse land degradation through sustainable land management techniques, depends on effective biodiversity protection. LDN projects aim to balance restoration efforts against deterioration in order to preserve or improve land-based natural capital. This chapter highlights the biophysical and socioeconomic factors driving land degradation, including unsustainable agricultural practices, urbanization and climate change impacts. It underscores the importance of integrated approaches that consider ecological, social and economic dimensions in achieving LDN. Principles such as respecting human rights, promoting good governance, and engaging stakeholders are critical for successful LDN implementation. This chapter emphasizes the need for global cooperation and policy reforms to mitigate biodiversity loss, combat land degradation and ensure sustainable land use practices for future generations.


Drip Irrigation: Concept, Design, and IoT-Based Automation

August 2024

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26 Reads

Agriculture sector plays a vital role in Indian economy as it provides employment opportunities for more than 50% of Indian population there by boosts gross domestic product. The total arable land in India is almost half of the total geographical area which should be properly managed to meet the country’s food demand. Demand in crop production increases over the period due to increase in population and rapid urbanization. Uneven distribution of rain fall in India is one of the biggest challenges for agricultural production and consequences water crisis, ultimately larger area is left under drought. The area receives higher rainfall tend to practice surface irrigation method. The surface irrigation practices has many disadvantages like uneven distribution of water, weeds spread, minimum water application efficiency and minimum water use efficiency. Drip irrigation, fertigation and micro-irrigation are methods of watering crops that delivers water directly to the roots of plants through a network of tubes, pipes, and emitters. This precise delivery system conserves water by minimizing evaporation and runoff. It promotes healthier plants by maintaining consistent moisture levels in the soil, which can enhance crop yield and quality.


An overview of crop residue management challenges, opportunities, and the way forward for sustainable food-energy security in India

January 2024

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45 Reads

Ecology Environment and Conservation

Crop residue plays an essential role in preserving vital agro-environmental services. High-yielding cultivars employed in current agricultural agriculture have significantly increased crop residue and the challenges connected with its management. In developing countries like India, burning crop remnants was commonly encouraged, especially during critical periods between two crops, such as when wheat follows rice and sugarcane harvests, due to the unsuitability of various crop residues for animal feed. Long-term residue burning provides considerable challenges to maintaining the quality of natural resources and a sustainable crop production system, particularly considering climate change. When agricultural residue is burned, its essential components are lost and converted into dangerous air pollutants, which would otherwise be able to power and locate the soil-plant system. The current study overview critically explores the potential of agricultural residue to produce soil ameliorants using thermal decomposition and composting processes. A brief description of residue-derived energy generation (liquid and gaseous fuels) is also given via thermal and thermochemical breakdown processes. This may mitigate the detrimental consequences of fossil fuels on the nation’s ecosystem and economy. The review study also discusses modern industrial uses of crop leftovers and current challenges and areas for future development in sustainable agricultural residue management.


Assessing Meteorological and Anthropogenic Factors on Streamflow Trends in the Ramganga River Basin in North India

July 2023

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74 Reads

International Journal of Environment and Climate Change

The analysis of stream flow trends of hydro-climatic variables such as stream flow, rainfall, and temperature provides useful information for effective water resource planning, design, and management. Trends in observed stream flow at seven gauging stations in the Ramganga river basin of North India were examined from 1981 to 2012 using the Mann-Kendall and Sen's slope. Lag 1 autocorrelation analyses were used to investigate the relationships between trends in stream Original Research Article Kumar et al.; Int. 1988 flow and rainfall. Annual, monsoonal, and winter seasonal stream flow (p0.05) decreased gradually from upstream to downstream of the river, as did crop seasonal and decadal moving averaged standardized anomalies of streamflow for the entire basin. The streamflow's declining trend was partly attributed to higher water withdrawal, higher air temperature, and higher population, and partly to a significantly declining post-monsoon rainfall trend, particularly upstream and downstream. The changing monsoon rainfall pattern and the growing population both contributed significantly to the development of this trend. The significant decreasing trend in stream flow at the upstream gauging station (-0.39 m3/s/year) was attributed to the significant decreasing trend in catchment rainfall (-8.40 mm/year). This study shows a strong positive correlation between stream flow and catchment rainfall (r=0.60). The Ramganga River basin is showing signs of drying up, as evidenced by the declining stream flow, post-monsoon rainfall, especially in the downstream area, and concurrently rising temperature trends. The Ramganga River basin's sustainable water management planning will be aided and made possible by the study's findings and recommendations, which will help stakeholders design strategies for stream flow restoration. This study thus highlights the urgent need for comprehensive water management planning in this basin by implementing procedures at various spatial scales that may be able to halt the trend of drying by improving river water use efficiency in a variety of sectors.



Salinity effects on growth, biomass production and transpiration rate of selected tree species in a semi- arid region of southern Haryana, India

July 2021

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167 Reads

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1 Citation

This study was carried out to compare the effect of salinity on tree species at Puthi (located in Hisar district 76 14 E and 29 04 N). The plants were grown at three salinity levels (low, < 5.0 dS m-1 ; moderate, 10-20 dS m-1 ; and high, > 30 dS m-1 ), to analyze the survival rate and its effect on growth, biomass production and transpiration rate was analyzed. There were significant differences among the tree species in growth performance and transpiration rate in response to salinity. The total biomass of tree species at different salinity levels (kg tree-1 ) was < 5.0 dS m-1 115.5 to 65.4; 30 dS m-1 (67.6 to 57.4 kg tree-1 ). The plant biomass was high in clonal Eucalyptus tereticornis, Terminalia arjuna, Tamarix articulata. The results of this study indicated that clonal Eucalyptus, Terminalia arjuna, Tamarix articulata, Dalbergia sissoo and Acacia ampliceps were tolerant to both salinity and waterlogging. The tree species clonal Eucalyptus, Acacia ampliceps and Tamarix articulata, Terminalia arjuna and Casuarina equisetifolia of moderate to high salinity under waterlogged situation, and these tree species suitable for reclamation of salt -affected lands.


Carbon Sequestration and Microbial Biodiversity in Saline Water Irrigated Agroforestry Systems of Semiarid Hyperthermic Camborthids Regions of North-West India

July 2021

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118 Reads

The main objective of this study was to analyze carbon sequestration, soil aggregate stability and soil carbon storage, and the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in silvopastoral and fruit-based agrihorticultural systems on degraded saline areas irrigated with saline water. The study site is located on a highly calcareous sandy loam soil irrigated with saline water at Hisar (29º11' N and 75º44' E, 220 m above mean sea level) in northwest India. The silvopastoral agroforestry systems are characterized by tree species of Acacia nilotica and Salvodora persica along with native grasses of Cenchrus ciliaris and Panicum miliare and agrihorticulture system of fruit tree Carissa carandas with barley (Hordeum vulgare). Total carbon stock (Mg ha-1) in the silvopastoral systems was: 102.81 to 138.23 in Acacia nilotica + Cenchrus ciliaris system and 112.53 to 181.51 in Salvadora persica + mixed-grass system. For the silvopastoral systems, organic carbon up to 0-30 cm soil depth was 20.50 to 19.48 Mg C ha-1 ; the increase in organic carbon being 64 to 66% as compared to native grassland system. The microaggregates (250-53 µm) and clay and silt associated microaggregates (<53 µm) formed a large fraction of soil aggregates and protected most of the soil organic carbon. Aggregate-associated C made an important contribution to soil organic carbon accumulation and enrichment. The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) root colonization in various grass species varied from 47.8% to 71.2%. In the agrihorticultural system of Carissa carandas along with Hordeum vulgare, some 23 species of mycorrhizal fungi belonging to Glomus, Acaulospora and Gigaspora were recorded. The AM spore density in the rhizoshere soils varied from 57.6 to 203.2 spores per10 g soil; the value being greatest in the case of Hordeum vulgare. The AM fungal root colonization in the different grass species varied from 47.8% to 71.2%. Thus, agroforestry on calcareous soil has the potential to enhance microbial diversity and improve carbon sequestration.


Citations (13)


... Reduce the admixture of polluted water to groundwater -Dump yards and landfill around the cities, the low laying area Ram et al. (2008) or in combination with microbial inoculation (Sharma and Prasad, 2003) are the best example of the use of mineral matter in soil health management. At present, several biodynamic formulations are referred for their capacity to enhance plant growth and produce quality as well as their capacity to manage biotic and abiotic stresses. ...

Reference:

Soil Health Management in Organic Production System – A Review
BIODRAINAGE ECO-FRIENDLY TECHNIQUE FOR COMBATING WATERLOGGING & SALINITY

... This disruption in photosynthesis reduces the production of carbohydrates, which are essential for growth and biomass accumulation. In addition, the accumulation of toxic ions in the cells inhibits the photosynthetic activity and supply of carbohydrates or growth hormones to meristematic regions, thereby inhibiting production of specific metabolites that directly inhibits the plant growth (Munns, 1993;Mazher et al., 2007;Odjegba and Chukwunwike, 2012;Menezes et al., 2017; and Oba, 2020a; Kumar et al., 2012). Salinity reduces shoot growth by suppressing leaf initiation and expansion as well as internodal growth and by accelerating leaf abscission (e.g., Ziska et al., 1990;Zekri, 1991). ...

Salinity effects on growth, biomass production and transpiration rate of selected tree species in a semi- arid region of southern Haryana, India

... In developing countries like India, since farmers have small holdings and cannot afford to put their whole chunk of land under tree plantations, Agroforestry can be a viable and remunerative option, which provides an additional income as tree biomass (timber, fuel wood etc), in addition to regular income from agricultural crop produce. Many workers have recommended rehabilitation of such salt-affected, waterlogged lands through tree plantations having biodrainage quality (Dash et al. 2005, Dash et al. 2008, Dhyani 2007, Ram et al. 2008, Angrish et al. 2009, Bala et al. 2009, Ram et al. 2011, Roy Chowdhury et al. 2011. ...

BIODRAINAGE ECO-FRIENDLY TECHNIQUE FOR COMBATING WATERLOGGING & SALINITY

... Various fruit trees based agroforestry systems were developed and are commonly practiced by the farming communities at large in normal soils and sporadically in salt affected soils. Dagar et al. (2016) developed low-water intensive, salt-tolerant fruit trees based agroforestry systems with saline irrigation in semi-arid regions of the country. Fruit trees (Carissa carandas-(karonda), Emblica officinalis (Aonla) and Aegle marmelos (Bael)) and the intercrops (Hordeum vulgare (barley), Brassica juncea (mustard), Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (cluster bean) and Pennisetum typhoides (Pearl millet)) were grown in the interspaces. ...

Eucalyptus geometry in agroforestry on waterlogged saline soils influences plant and soil traits in North-West India
  • Citing Article
  • July 2021

Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment

... To increase water-use proficiency in farming and other fundamental administrations to people and animals, horticultural water executives should adopt a coordinated approach by embracing innovations such as water reaping, miniature water systems, and asset preservation cultivation. (Patle, Kumar, & Khanna, 2019). Usage of accessible water assets in agribusiness, given the due worry for water capacity, movement and dispersion, should be anticipated the maintainability of horticulture all through the water-scant nations. ...

Climate-smart water technologies for sustainable agriculture: A review

Journal of Water and Climate Change

... On a highly calcareous sandy loam soil at Hisar, Northwest India, the native grassland vegetation was composed of Capparis decidua, Calotropis procera, Ziziphus nummularia, Salvadora oleoides, Abutilon indicum, Achyranthes aspera, Brachiaria reptans, Cenchrus ciliaris, C. setigerus, Tribulus terrestris, Chenopodium album, Cynodon dactylon, Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Panicum miliare, Peristrophe bicalyculata, Erigeron linifolius, Phyllanthus niruri, Rhynchosia minima, Setaria glauca, Desmostachya bipinnata, Bothriochloa pertusa, and Dichanthium annulatum (Kumari et al. 2018). Some predominant plants of saline calcareous soils at Hisar are presented in Fig. 2 ...

Carbon Sequestration and Microbial Biodiversity in Saline Water Irrigated Agroforestry Systems of Semiarid Hyperthermic Camborthids Regions of North-West India

... Direct seeded rice (DSR) has revolutionized the industry by eliminating the problems associated with traditional transplanting methods. It offers several benefits, such as a 40-45% reduction in labour requirements (Kumar, Ladha, 2011), 30-40% water saving (Ladha et al., 2016), 60-70% energy saving (Mohammad et al., 2018), 20% saving of irrigation water (Bhullar et al., 2018), faster and convenient planting with 7-10 days earlier maturity of rice crop (Sidhu et al., 2014), and higher economic returns with substantially higher benefit cost ratio (Soriano et al., 2018). Hence, direct seeding of rice is gaining popularity among the farmers in the country. ...

Water balance in direct-seeded rice under conservation agriculture in North-western Indo-Gangetic Plains of India

Irrigation Science

... On the other hand, there have been regional changes in the intensity of drought over India as Naresh Kumar et al. (2012) show that the area under moderate drought has increased over recent decades with 1987 as the severe most drought in India, and also the years 1985, 1990, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, and 2010 were quantified as the drought years in recent decades (X. Zhang et al. 2017), and apart from this, the intensity and the area affected by the regional drought also vary as Khanna and Pathak (2018) have pointed towards the hydrological drought over Indo Gangetic plains and concluded that from hydrological drought analysis, 40-60% of the area over the study region is affected by mild hydrological drought, whereas 2-7% of the area is affected by extreme hydrological drought which in turn had bad effects on groundwater storage as it leads to decline in level. ...

Spatio-temporal Variation of Hydrological Drought in the Indo-Gangetic Plains

Journal of Agricultural Engineering

... The utilization of plants, such as trees and grasses, in phytoremediation, has demonstrated its efficacy in addressing soil contamination, particularly in salt-affected soils and can also provide additional benefits such as fodder, timber, and fuel (Reeves 2003;Lone et al. 2008;Singh et al. 2022a, b;Dagar et al. 2022b). Agroforestry systems that incorporate salt-tolerant trees, grasses, and/ or crop varieties provide a practical approach to utilizing marginal saline and sodic soils (Dagar 2014;Dagar et al. 2016c;Dagar and Gupta 2020a, b;Gupta et al. 2020). Halophytes possess the capacity to thrive in diverse saline habitats, including arid and semiarid regions, coastal areas, wetlands, and similar environments . ...

Eucalyptus geometry in agroforestry on waterlogged saline soils influences plant and soil traits in North-West India
  • Citing Article
  • September 2016

Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment

... In coastal areas, excessive groundwater extraction can lead to subsidence, resulting in seawater backflow or intrusion, and high groundwater levels may also elevate soil salinity to the surface, with the additional influence of salt spray further limiting plant growth and consequently leading to vegetation degradation and a loss of ecological function (Du and Hesp, 2020;El Shinawi et al., 2022;Li and Zhang, 2021). Afforestation or reforestation of lands degraded by salinity is increasingly recognized as vital for ecological protection, biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration, and climate change mitigation (Gupta et al., 2016;Shan et al., 2018;Zhang, 2020). However, a wide range of salt tolerance exists among different plant species: most crops, known as glycophytes, are sensitive to salinity; in contrast, halophytes, which include species such as mangroves, are naturally adapted woody plants capable of thriving in saline environments. ...

Tree Plantations in Saline Environments: Ecosystem Services, Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change Mitigation
  • Citing Chapter
  • February 2016