Browsing by Author "Dhiraj Kumar Singh"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8

Current challenges and solutions for sustainability of Farmers Producer Organisations through grassroots organisational ecosystem
(Indian Academy of Sciences, 2025) Anirban Mukherjee; Shubhadeep Roy; Kausik Pradhan; Vinod Kumar Yadav; Kumari Shubha; Dhiraj Kumar Singh; Shreya Anand; Sukanya Barua; Shantanu Rakshit; R. K. Raman; Ujjwal Kumar; Banda Sainath; Ajeet Kumar Pal; Anup Das
India’s agricultural landscape is largely dominated by marginal and small farmers, who constitute approximately 67% and 18% of the total farming community respectively. This translates to a staggering 92 million marginal farmers with less than 0.40 hectares of land and 24 million small farmers with an average landholding of 1.42 hectares. Despite their higher productivity compared to large farmers, these smallholders face significant resource constraints and market challenges. While the formation of Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs) has partially addressed these issues, newly established FPOs continue to encounter significant sustainability challenges. These include limited volumes, low capital, low member engagement and a subsidy-oriented rather than market-oriented approach. The present article identifies critical challenges such as limited capital, low member engagement and a predominant subsidy orientation. Currently, over 8875 FPOs are registered nationwide, but only 16–30% are sustainable. A significant issue is the inability of the majority of FPOs to raise more sizable amount of paid-up capital, highlighting the urgent need for a robust grassroots organisational ecosystem. This study proposes an eight-component ecosystem model for FPO sustainability, encompassing market, policy, infrastructure, services, inputs, HRD, finance and innovation. This model aims to create a comprehensive support structure for FPOs, facilitating better market access, financial resources, member participation and innovative practices. The implementation of this model, along with suggestive measures for strengthening FPOs, is crucial for their long-term viability in India’s evolving agricultural sector. © (2025), (Indian Academy of Sciences). All rights reserved.
Greening rice-fallow areas: integrating pulses and oilseeds for sustainable cropping in eastern India
(Frontiers Media SA, 2025) Rakesh Pradeep Kumar; Anup Das; S. K. Mondal; Pravin Kumar Upadhyay; Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt; Janki Sharan Mishra; Anil Kumar Singh; Jaipal Singh Choudhary; Sanjeev Kumar; Prem Kumar Sundaram; Ashish Kumar Biswas; Sanjay Singh Rathore; Rajiv Kumar Singh; Puspa Parameswari; Dhiraj Kumar Singh; Santosh Muthu Suresh Kumar; Akram Ahmad; Kirti Saurabh; Kumari Shubha; Ajay Vinod Kumar; Manibhushan; Pawan Jeet; Ved Prakash; Bal Krishna Jha; Sushant Kumar Naik; S. S. Mali; Surendra Kumar Ahirwal; Vinod Kumar Singh; Devendra Mandal; Manoj Kumar Roy; Arbind K. Choudhary; Sudhir Kumar S. Rajpoot; Suresh Kumar Chaudhari
Rice-fallow areas, widespread in rainfed rice-growing regions of South Asia, remain uncultivated during the post-rainy (winter) season due to multiple challenges, including inadequate irrigation infrastructure, cultivation of long-duration rice varieties, and soil moisture imbalances. South Asia has approximately 22.3 million hectares of rice-fallow land, with India contributing the largest share (88.3%). Eastern Indian states, which account for 82% of India’s rice-fallow area, presents significant opportunities for cropping intensification. However, several constraints—such as biotic (pest and disease), abiotic stresses (temperature extremes, drought, etc.), rapid soil moisture depletion, and disturbances from free-grazing livestock-hinder efforts to cultivate a second crop, perpetuating poverty among the small and marginal farmers. Introducing stress-tolerant rabi crops, particularly pulses (chickpea, lentil, lathyrus, field pea) and oilseeds (mustard, toria, safflower, linseed), offers a promising solution to enhance system productivity and improve the farmers’ livelihoods. Policymakers have recently increased the public investment in rice-fallows intensification, yet fragmented and ad-hoc initiatives often fail to deliver sustainable outcomes due to complex and multidimensional challenges involved. This study critically examines the key issues affecting rice-fallow lands and provides strategic recommendations to convert these underutilized areas into the productive cropping systems during winter and spring. Additionally, it reviews Central and State Government programs related to rice-fallow management, emphasizing the need for research to align with ongoing policy initiatives for maximum impact. The findings of this study offers a valuable insights for the policymakers, planners, and stakeholders, highlighting the potential of pulses and oilseeds to enhance the food security, reduce poverty, and promote sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural production systems in the region. © © 2025 Kumar, Das, Mondal, Upadhyay, Bhatt, Mishra, Singh, Choudhary, Kumar, Sundaram, Biswas, Rathore, Singh, Parameswari, Singh, Kumar, Ahmad, Saurabh, Shubha, Kumar, Manibhushan, Jeet, Prakash, Jha, Naik, Mali, Kumar, Ahirwal, Singh, Mandal, Roy, Choudhary, Rajpoot and Chaudhari.
Long-Term Impact of Aerosols and Climate Variability on Rice Yields across Agroclimatic Zones in India
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025) Dileep Kumar Gupta; Subhajit Pramanick; Abhay Kumar Singh; Vivek B. Singh; Dhiraj Kumar Singh; Aqil Tariq; Hamza A. Halwani; Yazeed H. Alsubhi; Ahmed S. Hantoush; Gurwinder Singh
The need for a robust food security framework in India requires assessing the effects of air quality and weather on crop yields, while adopting practices such as choosing suitable varieties, adjusting planting schedules, and improving irrigation to reduce adverse impacts. In this study, a long-term assessment of the impact of weather, Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR), soil moisture (SM), and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) on historical rice production was conducted across various Agroclimatic Zones in India from 1998 to 2019. A statistical model was developed for this purpose, achieving an exceptional accuracy of 94.9% for rice crop during the Kharif season in India. The findings indicate that the highest negative impacts of rainfall, FAPAR, and AOD on rice production were observed in the EPH region. However, the minimum and maximum temperatures had the most adverse effects in the MGP and GPH regions. Rainfall exhibited an almost negligible impact on rice yield during the studied period. Relative humidity (RH), FAPAR, and SM were generally favorable for rice yield across most of Agroclimatic Zones during the historical period. India experienced an average annual decline in rice yields of − 4.09%, − 1.11%, − 0.11%, and − 0.73% due to adverse fluctuations in maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall, and aerosol levels, respectively. In contrast, RH, FAPAR, and SM contributed to yield increases of 0.56%, 0.08%, and 1.17% per year, respectively. Overall, the model indicates that Indian rice production declined by an average of − 3.93% annually between 1998 and 2019, due to the combined impact of weather/FAPAR/SM/AOD fluctuations. The combined effects of these factors led to an average annual decline in rice production in the states of Odisha, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. The limitation of this study is the absence of future projections for AOD, which are essential to evaluate its potential impacts across diverse agroclimatic zones. © King Abdulaziz University and Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.
Long-Term Spatiotemporal Investigation of Various Rainfall Intensities over Central India Using EO Datasets
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2024) Nitesh Awasthi; Jayant Nath Tripathi; George P. Petropoulos; Pradeep Kumar; Abhay Kumar Singh; Kailas Kamaji Dakhore; Kripan Ghosh; Dileep Kumar Gupta; Prashant K. Srivastava; Kleomenis Kalogeropoulos; Sartajvir Singh; Dhiraj Kumar Singh
This study involved an investigation of the long-term seasonal rainfall patterns in central India at the district level during the period from 1991 to 2020, including various aspects such as the spatiotemporal seasonal trend of rainfall patterns, rainfall variability, trends of rainy days with different intensities, decadal percentage deviation in long-term rainfall patterns, and decadal percentage deviation in rainfall events along with their respective intensities. The central region of India was meticulously divided into distinct subparts, namely, Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. The experimental outcomes represented the disparities in rainfall distribution across different districts of central India with the spatial distribution of mean rainfall ranges during winter (2.08 mm over Dadra and Nagar Haveli with an average of 24.19 mm over Odisha), premonsoon (6.65 mm over Gujarat to 132.89 mm over Odisha), monsoon (845.46 mm over Gujarat to 3188.21 mm over Goa), and post-monsoon (30.35 mm over Gujarat to 213.87 mm over Goa), respectively. Almost all the districts of central India displayed an uneven pattern in the percentage deviation of seasonal rainfall in all three decades for all seasons, which indicates the seasonal rainfall variability over the last 30 years. A noticeable variation in the percentage deviation of seasonal rainfall patterns has been observed in the following districts: Rewa, Puri, Anuppur, Ahmadabad, Navsari, Chhindwara, Devbhumi Dwarka, Amreli, Panch Mahals, Kolhapur, Kandhamal, Ratnagiri, Porbandar, Bametara, and Sabar Kantha. In addition, a larger number of rainy days of various categories occurred in the monsoon season in comparison to other seasons. A higher contribution of trace rainfall events was found in the winter season. The highest contributions of very light, light rainfall, moderate, rather high, and high events were found in the monsoon season in central India. The percentage of various categories of rainfall events has decreased over the last two decades (2001–2020) in comparison to the third decade (1991–2000), according to the mean number of rainfall events in the last 30 years. This spatiotemporal analysis provides valuable insights into the rainfall trends in central India, which represent regional disparities and the potential challenges impacted by climate patterns. This study contributes to our understanding of the changing rainfall dynamics and offers crucial information for effective water resource management in the region. © 2024 by the authors.
Retrieval of optical vegetation indices from SCATSAT-1 Ku-band backscatter: A comparative analysis with MODIS and Proba-V sensors
(Elsevier, 2025) Dileep Kumar Gupta; Ayushi Gupta; Ayuchtesh Dixit; Dhiraj Kumar Singh; Singh Sartajvir; Vishakha Sood; Naveen Kumar
The extraction of vegetation indices from radar backscatter measurements offers a solution to optical remote sensing, especially in cloud-dominated areas where optical satellite observations are poor. This research explores the capability of Scatsat-1 Ku-band backscatter observations for normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) estimation from two optical satellite instruments namely Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Proba-V. Total of 60 different study sites are considered for taking the observations of Scatsat-1 backscattering coefficients and NDVI from two different sensors. A nonlinear statistical model has been developed for the retrieval of NDVI (MODIS and Proba-V) using Scatsat-1 backscattering coefficients at horizontal transmit, horizontal receive (HH) and vertical transmit, vertical receive (VV) polarisation by least square optimisation techniques. The validation results demonstrate that VV-polarised backscatter yields better NDVI retrieval accuracy than HH polarisation, with a higher correlation (R = 0.796) and lower root mean square error (RMSE) (0.058) for MODIS NDVI compared to R = 0.579 and RMSE = 0.057 for Proba-V NDVI. The bias values are near zero, showing no strong systematic overestimation or underestimation of the retrieval models. Yet, retrieval errors are more evident in low NDVI situations, where vegetation sparsity adds variability to backscatter response. The research validates that Scatsat-1 Ku-band backscatter data can be utilised to estimate NDVI effectively, offering an alternative for vegetation monitoring when optical sensors are obscured by cloud cover. Future studies need to investigate multi-temporal data fusion, machine learning methods, and other vegetation indices to further improve the accuracy and reliability of radar-based NDVI retrieval models. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved..
Spatiotemporal Vegetation Variability and Linkage with Snow-Hydroclimatic Factors in Western Himalaya Using Remote Sensing and Google Earth Engine (GEE)
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2023) Dhiraj Kumar Singh; Kamal Kant Singh; George P. Petropoulos; Priestly Shan Boaz; Prince Jain; Sartajvir Singh; Dileep Kumar Gupta; Vishakha Sood
The mountain systems of the Himalayan regions are changing rapidly due to climatic change at a local and global scale. The Indian Western Himalaya ecosystem (between the tree line and the snow line) is an underappreciated component. Yet, knowledge of vegetation distribution, rates of change, and vegetation interactions with snow-hydroclimatic elements is lacking. The purpose of this study is to investigate the linkage between the spatiotemporal variability of vegetation (i.e., greenness and forest) and related snow-hydroclimatic parameters (i.e., snow cover, land surface temperature, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), and Evapotranspiration (ET)) in Himachal Pradesh (HP) Basins (i.e., Beas, Chandra, and Bhaga). Spatiotemporal variability in forest and grassland has been estimated from MODIS land cover product (MCD12Q1) using Google Earth Engine (GEE) for the last 19 years (2001–2019). A significant inter- and intra-annual variation in the forest, grassland, and snow-hydroclimatic factors have been observed during the data period in HP basins (i.e., Beas, Chandra, and Bhaga basin). The analysis demonstrates a significant decrease in the forest cover (214 ha/yr.) at the Beas basin; however, a significant increase in grassland cover is noted at the Beas basin (459 ha/yr.), Chandra (176.9 ha/yr.), and Bhaga basin (9.1 ha/yr.) during the data period. Spatiotemporal forest cover loss and gain in the Beas basin have been observed at ~7504 ha (6.6%) and 1819 ha (1.6%), respectively, from 2001 to 2019. However, loss and gain in grassland cover were observed in 3297 ha (2.9%) and 10,688 ha (9.4%) in the Beas basin, 1453 ha (0.59%) and 3941 ha (1.6%) in the Chandra basin, and 1185 ha (0.92%) and 773 ha (0.60%) in the Bhaga basin, respectively. Further, a strong negative correlation (r = −0.65) has been observed between forest cover and evapotranspiration (ET). However, a strong positive correlation (r = 0.99) has been recorded between grassland cover and ET as compared to other factors. The main outcome of this study in terms of spatiotemporal loss and gain in forest and grassland shows that in the Bhaga basin, very little gain and loss have been observed as compared to the Chandra and Beas basins. The present study findings may provide important aid in the protection and advancement of the knowledge gap of the natural environment and the management of water resources in the HP Basin and other high-mountain regions of the Himalayas. For the first time, this study provides a thorough examination of the spatiotemporal variability of forest and grassland and their interactions with snow-hydroclimatic factors using GEE for Western Himalaya. © 2023 by the authors.
Structural, functional and evolutionary analysis of wheat WRKY45 protein: a combined bioinformatics and MD simulation approach
(Akademiai Kiado ZRt., 2024) Prashant Ranjan; Ashok Yadav; Ananta Keshari Behera; Dhiraj Kumar Singh; Premkant Singh; Ganga Prasad Singh
Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the world's as well as India’s second-most important cereal crop. It is an allohexaploid composed of three homeologous sub-genomes (AA, BB, and DD), which is a constraint in determining the complete genome sequence. Several transcription factors have been associated with both abiotic and biotic stress. WRKY transcription factors are among the best characterised in the context of pathogen defence mechanisms. Different members of the WRKY transcription factors have been shown to confer resistance to stress. But very little is known about the wheat WRKY transcription factors. In silico analysis of the TaWRKY45 protein was performed in the present study using several bioinformatics tools like motif scan, CD search, NetPhos, NGlycos, GRAVY, and the SWISS MODEL. The study revealed that TaWRKY45 belongs to the group III family and contains hydrophilic proteins with 19 potential phosphorylation sites. TaWRKY45 protein was found to be orthologous to rice OsWRKY45 by phylogenetic analysis. The catalytic domain was analysed by motif scan which showed that TaWRKY45 has one WRKY domain and a C2-HC zinc finger motif. TaWRKY45's structure was determined to be more stable, more constrained, more compact, and have greater potential to interact with other molecules than OsWRKY45, according to MD simulation analysis. Thus, the in silico analysis of transcription factors in this study highlights the protein function, interaction, and regulatory pathways. © Akadémiai Kiadó Zrt. 2023.
Xenodiagnosis to evaluate the infectiousness of humans to sandflies in an area endemic for visceral leishmaniasis in Bihar, India: a transmission-dynamics study
(Elsevier Ltd, 2021) Om Prakash Singh; Puja Tiwary; Anurag Kumar Kushwaha; Shakti Kumar Singh; Dhiraj Kumar Singh; Phillip Lawyer; Edgar Rowton; Rahul Chaubey; Abhishek Kumar Singh; Tulika Kumari Rai; Michael P Fay; Jaya Chakravarty; David Sacks; Shyam Sundar
Background: Visceral leishmaniasis, also known on the Indian subcontinent as kala-azar, is a fatal form of leishmaniasis caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani and transmitted by the bites of the vector sandfly Phlebotomus argentipes. To achieve and sustain elimination of visceral leishmaniasis, the transmission potential of individuals exposed to L donovani from across the infection spectrum needs to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative infectiousness to the sandfly vector of patients with visceral leishmaniasis or post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, before and after treatment, and individuals with asymptomatic infection. Methods: In this prospective xenodiagnosis study done in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar, India, we included patients with clinically confirmed active visceral leishmaniasis or post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis who presented to the Kala-Azar Medical Research Center. These participants received treatment for L donovani infection. We also included asymptomatic individuals identified through a serosurvey of 17 254 people living in 26 high-transmission clusters. Eligible participants were aged 12–64 years, were HIV negative, and had clinically or serologically confirmed L donovani infection. During xenodiagnosis, the forearms or lower legs of participants were exposed to 30–35 female P argentipes sandflies for 30 min. Blood-engorged flies were held in an environmental cabinet at 28°C and 85% humidity for 60–72 h, after which flies were dissected and evaluated for L donovani infection by microscopy and quantitative PCR (qPCR). The primary endpoint was the proportion of participants with visceral leishmaniasis or post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, before and after treatment, as well as asymptomatic individuals, who were infectious to sandflies, with a participant considered infectious if promastigotes were observed in one or more individual flies by microscopy, or if one or more of the pools of flies tested positive by qPCR. Findings: Between July 12, 2016, and March 19, 2019, we recruited 287 individuals, including 77 with active visceral leishmaniasis, 26 with post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, and 184 with asymptomatic infection. Of the patients with active visceral leishmaniasis, 42 (55%) were deemed infectious to sandflies by microscopy and 60 (78%) by qPCR before treatment. No patient with visceral leishmaniasis was found to be infectious by microscopy at 30 days after treatment, although six (8%) were still positive by qPCR. Before treatment, 11 (42%) of 26 patients with post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis were deemed infectious to sandflies by microscopy and 23 (88%) by qPCR. Of 23 patients who were available for xenodiagnosis after treatment, one remained infectious to flies by qPCR on the pooled flies, but none remained positive by microscopy. None of the 184 asymptomatic participants were infectious to sandflies. Interpretation: These findings confirm that patients with active visceral leishmaniasis and patients with post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis can transmit L donovani to the sandfly vector and suggest that early diagnosis and treatment could effectively remove these individuals as infection reservoirs. An important role for asymptomatic individuals in the maintenance of the transmission cycle is not supported by these data. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license