Volume 44 (4) 2026
Kaushlendra Srivastava, R. R. Kushwaha, Anurooddha Pratap Singh Yadav
Environment and Ecology 44 (4) : 909—918, October—December 2026
Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.60151/envec/RQGX7796
How to cite this paper:
Srivastava, K., Kushwaha, R. R., & Yadav, A. P. S. (2026). Economic Viability and Adoption Constraints of Stand-Alone Solar Irrigation Pumps under PM-KUSUM: Evidence from Uttar Pradesh, India. Environment and Ecology, 44(4), 909–918. https://doi.org/10.60151/envec/RQGX7796
This study assesses the economic viability of stand-alone solar pumps (2 HP, 3 HP, 5 HP, and 7.5 HP) under Component B of India’s PM-KUSUM scheme, using primary survey data from 84 adopters in diesel-reliant Bahraich district, Uttar Pradesh, an aspirational district with high tube-well dependency (58.1% irrigated area). Replacing 6.5-8 HP diesel pumps, which incur annual fuel costs of ₹48,169.95, the analysis reveals superior performance for smaller capacities: 2 HP offers the shortest payback period (1.69 years), highest NPW (₹4,87,898.87 at 7% discount), IRR (36.41%), and Benefit-Cost Ratio (7.64), while 7.5 HP lags with 5.61 years payback, ₹3,60,232.38 NPW, 31.43% IRR, and 2.79 BCR due to elevated upfront costs (₹69,205–₹1,77,638 farmer share). Friedman tests on constraints (Chi-square 315.587 pre-installation, p<0.001; 180.873 post-installation, p<0.001) highlight significant disparities, with top pre-installation barriers as inconvenient repayment methods, installation delays, and lengthy applications; post-installation issues prioritize theft risks, slow complaint resolution, and filing difficulties. Findings advocate policy enhancements like Gramya Urja Nari training for women, Solar Sakhi peer education, Panchayat Green Energy Desks, and BIS quality standards to boost adoption among smallholders, curb diesel reliance, and foster sustainable agriculture.
Internal rate of return, Net present worth, Payback period, PM KUSUM scheme, Solar irrigation pump.
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY – Interdisciplinary International Science Journal by MKK Publication is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International 
Study of Genetic Diversity for Selection of Promising Lines in Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.)
A. K. Jha, A. Ranjan, A. K. Choudhary, A. Bhardwaj, Abhishek Kumar, R. B. Verma
Environment and Ecology 44 (4) : 919—925, October—December 2026
Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.60151/envec/CBFI3548
How to cite this paper:
Jha, A. K., Ranjan, A., Choudhary, A. K., Bhardwaj, A., Kumar, A., & Verma, R. B. (2026). Study of Genetic Diversity for Selection of Promising Lines in Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.). Environment and Ecology, 44(4), 919–925. https://doi.org/10.60151/envec/CBFI3548
This study was conducted to investigate the morphological and agronomical variations among eight faba bean (Vicia faba L.) populations and analyze their traits including: Days to flowering, days to pod picking, plant height, number of branches per plant, node of first flower, intermodal length, pod length, pod diameter, number of fruit clusters per plant, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, harvesting span, pod yield per plant were studied. Wide range of variability was observed among genotypes for all the traits. Positive skewness with leptokurtic distribution was exhibited mainly by days to first flowering and number of seeds per pod at edible stage, whereas positive skewness with platykurtic distribution was observed for the traits viz., pod length and pod diameter respectively. The eight faba bean populations were clustered into four groups based on thirteen morphological and agronomic traits. Bak-1 × Bak-11and Bak-2 × Bak-5 is in cluster I, whereas Bak-1 × Bak-20 and Bak-16 × Bak-20 in cluster II, Bak-2 × Bak-20, and Bak-12 × Bak-5 reside in cluster III. The dissimilarity analysis reveals the highest inter-cluster distance between clusters II and IV (36.501), followed by cluster I and III (34.919) and lowest between clusters II and III (15.649). PC1, PC2, PC3 and PC4 contributed the maximum variability for the traits viz., days to first pod picking and days to first flowering.
Faba bean, Characterization, Principal component analysis, Dendrogram, Skewness and kurtosis
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY – Interdisciplinary International Science Journal by MKK Publication is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
Habitat-Associated Variations of Scarab Beetles in Semi-Arid Eastern Plain of Rajasthan, India
Manisha Yadav, Mohit Singh, Asif Khan, Shashi Meena
Environment and Ecology 44 (4) : 926—941, October—December 2026
Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.60151/envec/TCNJ7244
How to cite this paper:
Yadav, M., Singh, M., Khan, A., & Meena, S. (2026). Habitat-Associated Variations of Scarab Beetles in Semi-Arid Eastern Plain of Rajasthan, India. Environment and Ecology, 44(4), 926–941. https://doi.org/10.60151/envec/TCNJ7244
The present study provides a habitat-specific assessment of the diversity and distribution of scarab beetle species in four different habitat types in semi-arid region of Rajasthan. Scarab beetle specimens were collected from four representative habitat types viz. agricultural lands, grasslands, open forests, and rocky terrains using systematically placed sampling plots with various standardized collection methods. A total of 1044 individuals of scarab beetles, representing 25 species and 18 genera belonging to the family Scarabaeidae, were collected. Scarabaeinae was recorded as the largest subfamily with 12 species, followed by Melolonthinae (5), Dynastinae (2), Cetoniinae (3), Aphodiinae (2), and Rutelinae (1). Across the all habitats, the species composition of scarab beetles in agricultural ecosystems exhibited the highest richness, comprising 40.61% of the total population with 25 species, followed by grasslands (34.20%, 23 species), open forest (18.8%, 19 species), and rocky habitat with the lowest species richness (6.61%, 10 species). Based on presence-absence of scarab beetles across different habitats, 7 species (38.54%) were reported very common, 6 species (37.5%) common, 9 species (16.67%) moderate, and 3 species (2.08%) were found least common. D. gazella, C. molossus, E. pallipes, O. taurus, O. philemon, A. crenatus, H. serrata and O. rhinoceros, were widely distributed species over surveyed habitat types. Alpha diversity of scarab beetles varied significantly across the habitats, with ranges of diversity index viz., Shannon (H’= 2.077-3.11), dominance (D= 0.04889-0.1397), and evenness (E= 0.7978-0.8972). This study was a magnificent record of scarab beetles abundance and diversity in various habitats throughout the semi-arid region of Rajasthan.
Abundance, Diversity, Habitats, Scarabaeidae, Scarab beetle.
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY – Interdisciplinary International Science Journal by MKK Publication is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International