Title: Next Gen World Reviews Frequency: Bi-annually ISSN (Online): 3139-3217 Chief Editor: Prof. (Dr.) K. Gopal Starting Year: 2025 Subject: Multidisciplinary Language: English Publication Format: Online Publishing Model: Open Access Publisher: Next Gen Academic Services
Soil Carbon Sequestration for Sustainable Soil Health and Agricultural Productivity in India
Soil carbon sequestration has become a key approach to enhance the soil health and agricultural productivity and to enhance the climate resilience in Indian farming systems. Widespread degradation of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the agro-ecological regions of India has affected soil structure, nutrient availability, water retention and biological activity, thereby affecting performance of crop and increasing the vulnerability to climate variability. This review summarizes recent information on soil carbon status and dynamics in Indian agriculture and critically analyzes the mechanisms affecting the soil health and production by SOC. Long-term field experimental and regional studies have shown that conservation agriculture, integrated nutrient management, organic amendments, crop residue retention, agro forestry, and novel carbon enhancing technologies are markedly able to increase the SOC stocks, stabilize and in many cases, enhance crop yields. The review also cites significant limitations to large-scale adoption such as measurement and monitoring issues, regional differences in sequestration potential, socioeconomic trade-offs, and smallholder barriers to adoption. Some of the major research priorities are identified to follow-up the successful scaling such as the establishment of low-cost monitoring structures, regionally specific managerial plans, and enhanced extension and policy integration. It is therefore critical to strengthen soil carbon stocks in order to attain sustainable soil health, resilient agricultural production as well as long term food security in India.
Copyright (c) 2025 Next Gen World Reviews
Smartphone Addiction Among Undergraduate Students: Roles of Coping Skills, Psychological Resilience, and Personality Traits – A Narrative Review
Smartphone addiction has become an increasing behavioural issue in undergraduate students with serious consequences for mental health, academic performance, sleep quality and social relationships. Excessive and uncontrolled smartphone use has been linked to psychological distress such as anxiety, depression, stress and impaired self-regulation. This narrative review summarizes the current literature related to the correlations of smartphone addiction, coping skills, psychological resilience, and personality characteristics among undergraduate students. Evidence has been consistent that maladaptive coping strategies such as avoidance and emotional disengagement is positively related to problematic smartphone use whereas adaptive coping mechanisms have a protective role. Psychological resilience plays a vital role as a buffer against the negative mental health impacts of smartphone addiction and being less likely to become addicted to them. Personality traits, specifically, high neuroticism and low conscientiousness have been shown to be significant predictors of smartphone addiction, and they affect both the patterns of use and susceptibility to psychological distress. Collectively, the reviewed studies point to smartphone addiction as a multifactorial phenomenon that is influenced by an individual's psychological characteristics. Understanding the interplay of coping styles, resilience, and personality traits is critical to developing successful prevention and treatment strategies that target the promotion of healthier digital behaviors in undergraduate students.
Bridging Knowledge Gaps in Climate-Smart Agriculture: Extension, Training, and Awareness
Climate change is presenting challenges to global agriculture that have not been encountered before, including unpredictable rainfall and longer periods of drought, higher temperatures and more extreme weather events. Smallholder farmers livelihoods, food security and agricultural production are all at risk because of these changes, particularly in developing nations. A comprehensive strategy to increase productivity, increase climate variability resilience, and lower greenhouse gas emissions, is provided by climate-smart agriculture, or CSA. However, owing to lack of awareness, knowledge gap and ability of farmers, extension agents and other stakeholders, CSA adoption is limited even today. Strategies to fill up these gaps are critically reviewed in this analysis with an emphasis on coordinated training, agricultural extension and awareness campaigns. Digital innovations such as mobile applications, ICT-based advisory services etc. are highlighted as useful tools, as are participatory approaches such as farmer field schools, on-farm demos, capacity building workshops etc. Geographical inequalities in access to climate information, gender inequity, socioeconomic constraints and lack of institutional support are examples of longstanding barriers. Research suggests that a combination of extension services, education and awareness campaigns enhances farmer decision-making and there is encouragement to use climate resilient techniques, and build adaptive capacity at a community level. In order to ensure the long-term and wide-scale adoption of CSA, the study concludes with recommendations for policymakers, researchers and extension specialists that put a strong emphasis on financing capacity building initiatives, digital platforms, participatory knowledge-sharing systems and inclusive policies.
Role of Agricultural Extension in Facilitating Biotechnology Adoption: A Review
Biotechnology has tremendous opportunities of improving the productivity, sustainability and resiliency in agriculture by coming up with advancements like the genetically modified crops, biofertilizers and tissue culture based planting material. Even though these biotechnological innovations have been demonstrated to have certain technical benefits, the adoption rate of these innovations in the farm level has not been evenly distributed; this is mainly because of knowledge gaps, perceptions of risks, sociocultural issues, uncertainty in the regulations and institutional laggards. Agricultural extension is an important solution to such challenges as it is a mediator between scientific innovation and the farming community. The review is a synthesis of the available literature in studying the changing role of agricultural extension in adoption of biotechnologies among farmers. The paper was composed using a narrative review approach and examines major conceptual frameworks upon which technology adoption can be based, areas of biotechnology applied in extension practise, and how informed and participatory adoption can be supported using extension approaches. It focuses on participatory extension approaches, efficient communication approaches and application of online tools to increase awareness, trust and capacity of the farmers. Major constraints restricting Biotechnology adoption are also brought out in the review, and an extension-led facilitation framework has been suggested that puts stress on knowledge mediation, farmer involvement, and feedback structures. The paper concludes that it is necessary to intensify agricultural extension systems to secure responsible, inclusive and contextual elements of biotechnology adoption to lead to sustainable agricultural growth.
A Review of Modern Approaches and Strategies for Rural Development in Agricultural Extension
Agricultural extension is the foundation of knowledge transfer, innovation spread and capacity building in the rural farming systems. Over time extension has moved away from models of traditional, linear approaches of transferring technology to more dynamic, pluralistic, participatory and ICT-driven approaches. This transformation is greatly impacted by the rapid technological advancements, increased impacts of climate variability, degradation of natural resources, increasing commercialization of agricultural activities, and increased digital literacy of rural populations. As these pressures become more acute, extension systems are needed to take more adaptive, integrated and farmer centric approaches. This review gives an overall look at the current forms of agricultural extension approaches focusing on the importance of participatory methodologies, ICT-enabled extension advisory services, agricultural innovation systems, and the promotion of sustainable farming practices. It also highlights the role of extension in livelihood diversification, rural enterprise development and youth-oriented agripreneurship which is very important in improving income opportunities and mitigating rural distress. In addition, the socio-economic factors influencing adoption behavior of the farmers such as education, income, landholding, ICT possession, and scientific orientation are also analyzed. The emerging importance of climate resilient agriculture is also discussed including the role of extension in spread of climate-smart technologies and in adaptive capacities, and in promoting eco-friendly pest and disease management practices. The importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration among research institutions, farmers, private sector actors, NGOs and government agencies is also highlighted in the review, which is gaining in relevance as the complexity of challenges and the scale of solutions increase.
Comparative Evaluation of Neem (Azadirachta Indica), Turmeric (Curcuma Longa), and Other Plant-Based Powders Against Pulse Beetles
One of the most harmful post-harvest pests of stored pulses are the pulse beetles (Callosobruchus spp.) which cause serious reduction in weight, viability and market value of the seeds. In tropical and subtropical regions, where high temperatures and humidity accelerate the life cycle of the beetles and lead to population growth, infestation is very severe. Pesticide residues in food, contamination of the environment, and damage to the resiliency of beetle populations are all the results of the over-reliance on chemical insecticides for controlling these pests. As a result of this there is a growing need for sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives, such botanicals. This study is a comparative study of the efficacy of locally available plant powders viz., neem (Azadirachta indica) and turmeric (Curcuma longa) against Callosobruchus spp. associated with the stored pulses, particularly mungbean (Vigna radiata) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum). Effects of different powder concentrations on adult mortality, oviposition, larval penetration and seed damage were investigated over a storage period of 60 days. According to the results, neem powder was the most effective and there was significant inhibition of egg laying and adult mortality up to 85%. Beetle activity was moderately rejected (65-70%) by turmeric powder, however, the efficiency of other plant powders varied according to their phytochemical composition. The findings underscore the potential of botanicals as safe, inexpensive and biodegradable alternatives to synthetic chemicals. In addition to reducing post harvest losses, their use in the protection of stored pulses promotes ecologically friendly methods of pest control. Smallholder farmers may find useful ways to preserve the quality of seed, reduce financial losses and improve food security by adding these plant-based powders to storing systems.
Adaptation Strategies for Sustainable Fruit Production Under Changing Climatic Conditions
Climate change has become a key issue in sustainable production of fruits because it affects the temperature regimes, the rainfall distribution, and the occurrence of extreme weather conditions. Fruit crops are perennial, thus highly susceptible to climatic variability in that the crops have long production cycles and are sensitive at certain critical phenological phases. Climatic stresses, including heat, moisture extremities and unpredictable weather conditions, are detrimental to physiological processes, phenology, yield stability, fruit quality and pest and disease interactions. As a reaction to these issues, various adaptation measures have been generated in order to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of the fruit production systems. This review provides a synthesis of the current information on the important adaptation strategies, genetic and varietal enhancement, orchard and crop management, effective soil water and nutrient management and combined pest and disease control in the changing climatic conditions. The focus is on the sustainable and integrated approaches that enhance the efficiency of using resources without compromising productivity and the quality of fruits. The review emphasises the need to incorporate a holistic approach of adaptation mechanism, which integrates biological, agronomic, and management-oriented interventions to enhance the resilience of the fruit production systems under the current climate change.
Soil Based Approaches for Reducing Carbon Footprint in Agriculture
Agriculture is a major source of global greenhouse gas emissions with soils being a critical component to regulate the carbon footprint of agricultural systems. Soil based approaches provide effective pathways to mitigate the emissions by increasing soil carbon sequestration and decreasing greenhouse gas fluxes. This review integrates existing knowledge on soil processes that affect emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide into the environment and discusses important soil management practices that contribute to carbon footprint reduction in agriculture. The issues of conservation tillage, residue management, organic amendments, diversified cropping systems, and better management of nutrients and water are discussed as mitigation options of major importance. The review also prescribes soil carbon sequestration as a key mitigation pathway and examines carbon footprint assessment tools and methodologies as they relate to agricultural soils. In addition, the potential that soil based approaches can play in carbon credit generation and their role in climate smart agriculture is explored. By combining both soil science and climate mitigation goals, this review highlights the importance of soil management in the development of sustainable and low carbon agricultural systems.
Information and Communication Technology for Strengthening Krishi Vigyan Kendras: A Comprehensive Review
Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) are acting as front level agricultural extension centres whose major role involves evaluating, refining, and spreading the technologies. Nevertheless, traditional extension methods generally have issues concerning the restricted coverage, promptness and reaction to the changing information demands of farmers. In this regard, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have come out as a good means of enhancing extension service delivery. The current review is a compilation of the literature to analyse the impact of ICTs to reinforce the operations of Krishi Vigyan Kendras. The review is based on the published research articles, institutional reports and extension documents on ICT applications in KVKS and governmental system of agricultural extensions in India. It is analysed with the help of an ICTKVK Strengthening Framework that connects the ICT inputs to the key KVK functions, output extensions, results, and long-term effects. The results show that the ICT tools, including mobile-based advisories, social media, web portals, and decision support systems can improve outreach, facilitate the dissemination of information in a timely and need-based manner, and improve the interactions between farmers and scientists. ICT integration assists in enhancing the knowledge and skills of farmers, the use of recommended technology, and farm level decision making. In the long term, ICT-based KVKs help to enhance agricultural productivity, livelihood security, dissemination of climate-resilient activities, and enhance the public extension system. In spite of these advantages, there are still infrastructure-related, digital literacy-related, institutional capacity-related, and sustainability-related challenges. ICTs should be strategically incorporated in the traditional methods of extension in order to achieve the full potential of ICTs in enhancing Krishi Vigyan Kendras and promoting sustainable agricultural development.
Feminisation of Poverty in Contemporary Societies: Understanding Gendered Economic Marginalisation
The feminisation of poverty has emerged as one of the major social phenomena of modern societies, due to the patriarchal and persisting gender inequalities in the economic, social and political structures. This review takes a closer look at the conceptual basis, gendered aspects, structural causes, global patterns, consequences and policy responses on women's economic marginalisation. Drawing on sociological and development literature, the article draws attention to the ways in which inequalities in the labour market, unpaid care work, educational disparities and limited access to productive resources systematically disadvantage women and increase their vulnerability to poverty. The analysis demonstrates that women are overrepresented when it comes to global poverty and are more likely to be affected by poverty in more severe and chronic forms than men. The consequences of this gendered poverty have ramifications across generations and impact on health, education, social inclusion and development outcomes in general. The review further examines the ways by which patriarchal institutions, policy frameworks and global economic transformations help to perpetuate the economic insecurity of women, whilst identifying successful policy interventions that could help to reduce gendered poverty. The findings highlight the importance of ensuring poverty elimination is put at the centre of development strategies and the implementation of development policies which are inclusive and women-centred in order to address both material deprivation and structural inequality.
Advances in Bio-Insecticides: Mechanisms, Efficacy, and Field Applications
The harmful impacts of the traditional chemical pesticides on environment, creatures that coexist, and human health have made a huge demand for sustainable farming techniques worldwide. Bio-insecticides, which offer targeted pest control from natural sources such as plants and microbes and their bioactive metabolites have emerged as eco-friendly and effective solutions in this regard. These biologically based medicines offer selective toxicity against a variety of insect pest through a variety of mechanisms, including neurotoxicity, digestive inhibition, pathogenic infection, hormone disruption, and behavioral alteration. Their physiological and biochemical means of actions are better known due to the recent research developments that have also enhanced the formulation methods and tactics of field application. Their stability, persistence and effectiveness under a variety of environmental conditions has been further improved through modern delivery techniques, such as microencapsulation, nano biopesticides and synergistic combinations with other biological or cultural practices. Despite problems with short shelf life, sensitivity to the environment, and regulatory restrictions, bio-insecticides have shown great potential in the integrated pest management (IPM) systems, which reduce the dependence on conventional pesticides and promote ecological balance and crop yield. The ways, efficiency, formulation, and applications in the field of bio-insecticides are summarized in this review together with possible future directions, such as genetic improvements, advances in technology, and sustainable deployment strategies. All of these developments make bio-insecticides an important tool for modern crop protection that reduces the use of chemicals, ensures food security, and achieves environmentally sustainable agriculture.