Studies were carried out to evaluate the response of cotton to inoculation with IAA producing diazotroph, Azotobacter chroococcum. The effect of A. chroococcum inoculation on cotton seed germination and seedling development was observed to be beneficial for both parameters. A field experiment was also conducted to ascertain the effects of dual inoculation of A. chroococcum (CBD-15, M-4, BA-l and OA-4) as seed application and AM fungi as soil inoculant on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) var. Pusa 8-6.

Limited numbers of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for predicting the soil moisture transmission parameters are available for the Indian soils. These PTFs have been developed from limited datasets and are area specific, limiting their applicability elsewhere. Secondary data from various sources often have non-systematic errors and lacking in uniformity. The present study makes an attempt to explore the possibility of developing PTFs from wide textural range of Indian soils for four points on the moisture retention curve, –33, –100, –500 and –1 500 kPa.

A field experiment was conducted during rainy (kharif) and winter (rabi) seasons of 2007–08 and 2008–09 to evaluate the feasibility and suitability of tillage and residue management practices for soil physico- chemical properties, irrigation water requirement, yield attributes and yield of maize (Zea mays L.) in maize–maize crop rotation on Mollisol. Methods comprised the tillage and residue management namely zero tillage with (ZT+r) or without maize residue (ZT-r), raised fresh bed (RFB), permanent raised bed with partial maize residue (PRB+r) and convention tillage (CT).

Micro-tuber production behaviour of six commercially important cultivars of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) was studied under standard medium and culture conditions using ten double node cuttings per flask. Significant differences were observed among the different potato genotypes for most of the characters during in vitro tuberization. Per cent micro-tuberization and number of stolons per nodal cutting were found to be maximum in Kufri Badshah and minimum in Kufri Pukhraj.