American Journal Of Agriculture And Horticulture Innovations

Microbial Consortia for Climate-Resilient Yield Gains and Insurance-Ready Farming: Integrating PGPR Pathways with Farmers’ PMFBY Perceptions for Agricultural Risk Navigation

2026-03-08T14:44:17+00:00

Ensuring food security under intensifying climate variability requires agricultural strategies that raise productivity while reducing exposure to downside risk. Plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and multi-strain consortia have been widely discussed as biofertilizer pathways that enhance nutrient acquisition, stress tolerance, and crop performance across adverse soils and climatic pressures (Bhardwaj et al., 2014; Jha & Saraf, 2015; Agnihotri & Mitra, 2023). Yet, agronomic innovations do not diffuse in a vacuum: risk perceptions, trust, procedural burdens, and institutional design shape farmers’ willingness to adopt complementary risk-management instruments such as India’s Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) (Choudhury, 2020; Jha, 2021; Kumar & Soni, 2020; Prasuna, 2019). This article develops an integrated research frame that treats productivity gains and risk governance as mutually reinforcing components of climate-resilient livelihoods rather than separate policy silos. Drawing strictly on the provided literature, the study proposes and applies a field-oriented mixed qualitative design combining (a) a consortia-focused agronomic evaluation logic (root-zone functional complementarity, stress-context performance, and soil-health co-benefits) grounded in PGPR and microbial consortia scholarship (Panwar et al., 2014; Padmaperuma et al., 2018; García-Fraile et al., 2015) and (b) a farmer-perception and adoption-barrier analysis aligned with PMFBY awareness and implementation evidence (Ghanghas, 2018; Devi & Gupta, 2020; Suneja, 2022; Raghavan et al., 2022). Results are presented descriptively to show how farmers interpret microbial inputs through the lens of seasonal uncertainty, input-cost volatility, and the perceived reliability of insurance processes (Patra et al., 2016; Jha, 2021). The article advances a practical governance proposition: PGPR consortia can reduce production risk at the farm level, but insurance adoption and trust must be strengthened to convert biological resilience into financeable, scalable resilience at the system level (Prakash, 2021; Shukla & Patel, 2020).

Determination of Species Richness Levels of Individuals of Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) In Northwestern Uzbekistan

2026-03-19T01:22:15+00:00

The article analyzes the levels of species richness of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) distributed in Northwestern Uzbekistan. The research was carried out during 2018–2025 in natural and anthropogenic habitats of the region. During the study, 150 observations were conducted at 75 sampling sites, and a total of 3930 specimens belonging to 104 taxonomic units were collected. Based on the collected material, the levels of species richness were assessed using a five-point scale depending on the abundance and density of individuals. The results showed that the majority of the fauna consists of rare and moderately distributed species. Species of the first category accounted for 10.6 %, the second category for 50 %, the third category for 33.6 %, and the fourth category for 5.7 %. No species belonging to the fifth category were recorded. The obtained results are important for assessing the bioecological state of the carabid fauna of Northwestern Uzbekistan and the characteristics of their distribution across different habitats.

Biometric Indicators of Semi-Erect Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.) Collection Samples Grown Under Weakly Saline Soil Conditions of Sirdarya Region

2026-03-16T02:24:46+00:00

This article presents the results of studying semi-erect chickpea collection accessions under mildly saline soil conditions. The study object comprised semi-erect chickpea accessions introduced from the ICARDA international organization. Among them, the FLIP 97-21c and FLIP 97-95c collection accessions were identified as promising in terms of yield, with their productivity recorded at 22–22.08 c/ha. Additionally, the FLIP 97-95c, FLIP 98-211c, and FLIP 97-23c collection accessions exhibited 1000-seed weights of 429–433.4 g, surpassing the control, and were recommended as primary sources for initiating breeding programs.

Integrated Assessment of Soil Quality and Heavy Metal Contamination in Arid Agricultural Soils of Northwestern Uzbekistan

2026-03-17T03:12:51+00:00

Soil contamination by toxic elements is one of the major environmental challenges affecting soil quality and ecosystem sustainability, particularly in arid regions. The accumulation of heavy metals in soils can disrupt nutrient cycling, reduce soil biological activity, and pose potential risks to agricultural productivity and human health. Therefore, assessing soil contamination and ecological condition is essential for sustainable land management. This study aimed to evaluate the ecological condition and soil quality of agricultural soils located in the Mehnatobod and Koklikol massifs of the Qo‘ng‘irot district in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The mechanical composition, agrochemical properties, salinity level, and heavy metal concentrations of soils were analyzed. In addition, SQI was calculated by integrating physicochemical soil indicators and ecological parameters into a single composite index. The results showed that the studied soils are characterized by relatively low humus content and limited nutrient availability. The analysis of chemical elements revealed that several metals exceeded permissible limits. In particular, arsenic (As) showed the highest contamination level, reaching values up to 40 times higher than the permissible limit. Chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and vanadium (V) concentrations exceeded permissible limits approximately twofold, while lead (Pb), cobalt (Co), and molybdenum (Mo) exceeded them by up to threefold. The calculated SQI values ranged from 49 to 55, indicating moderate soil quality levels. Although soil physicochemical properties were relatively stable, ecological indicators reduced the overall soil quality score. These findings highlight the importance of environmental monitoring and sustainable soil management practices to improve soil ecological conditions and maintain long-term agricultural productivity.