Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

I am Manu S. M., from the Mysore District of Karnataka, India presently working as a Senior Research Fellow in a Consortia Research Platform on Conservation Agriculture Project, Division of Agronomy, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, and I have recently completed my PhD degree in Agronomy from the same institute (IARI, New Delhi), focusing on the research topic entitled "Microbial-mediated in-situ rice residue management and its effects on soil health and productivity of the rice-wheat system.” My PhD work aimed to identify sustainable management options for rice straw by integrating microbial consortia into rice-wheat cropping systems (RWCS). This involved conducting extensive field experiments, analyzing soil physical, chemical, and microbiological properties, studying straw-degradation through the litter bag technique, estimating greenhouse gas emissions, and quantifying nutrient and water use efficiency, etc., in the RWCS. My motivation lies in evaluating the impacts of agronomic management practices on crop productivity and soil health to promote sustainable agriculture and protect the environment. During my master's degree at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, I focused on researching the effects of nutrient levels and the exogenous application of plant growth regulators such as salicylic acid, cycocel, and ethrel on enhancing soybean productivity under assured moisture conditions. I am happy join here as a member of Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum).