Decision-making is an essential skill for the entrepreneur to run the enterprise, therefore the present study empirically studies the decision making ability of rural entrepreneurs. Multistage sampling techniques were used to draw a total sample size of 100 respondents from the study area. Data were collected with the help of structured questionnaire coupled with interview schedule. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, dispersion measurement, coefficient of variance and interferential statistics such as Pearson correlation and multiple regressions etc. The decision-making ability of entrepreneurs is considered as the consequent variable for the study and the sixteen other variables were considered as antecedent variables for the study. Majority of the respondents falls under the medium level of decision-making group. The results of the correlation coefficients indicated that majority of the variables such as education, family educational status, annual income, land holding, material possession, house type, adoption leadership, management orientation, risk orientation, social participation, cosmopoliteness and mass media exposure except the variable age have positive association with decision-making ability of the entrepreneurs. Furthermore, result of the coefficient of multiple determination (R2) was 0.45, meaning that 45% variation in the decision making ability of an entrepreneur was explained by the variables included in the model. However, of all the variables included only management orientation significantly determine the decision-making ability of an entrepreneur. Therefore, proper education and training should be given to the entrepreneurs to improve their managerial skills regarding handling of their enterprises.

Rice husk is a useful by-product of rice mill and used as bio-fuel for industrial and domestic applications. Briquetted rice fuel is being used in brick kilns at several locations. Rice husk as briquetted fuels have better physico-mechanical properties and combustion properties in comparison to lignite coal. The ignition temperature of rice husk briquettes is also lower. Briquetting of rice husk without size reduction and addition of adhesive material requires tremendous load for obtaining a briquette or consolidated mass of rice husk. Rice husk mass get compressed under the load conditions and swells as soon as the load is removed. Compaction behaviour of rich husk was studied in order to work out non-consolidating load range and consolidating load range. Bulk density immediately after compaction of rice husks was obtained as 0.503, 0.820, 1.064, 1.251 and 1.395 g/cm3 and 0.156, 0.220, 0.285, 0.347 and 0.408 g/cm3 after 24 hours of swelling against non-consolidating applied loads of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 tonnes respectively. Bulk density after compaction of rice husk were obtained as 1.510, 1.586, 1.650, 1.697, 1.743, 1.774 and 1.793 g/cm3 and 0.465, 0.520, 0.575, 0.628, 0.679, 0.731 and 0.771 g/cm3 after 24 hours of swelling against consolidating loads of 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 tonnes, respectively.

Ants and hemipterans are closely associated. Kerrialacca (Kerr) being a sap feeder secrets honey dew due to which ants commonly observed in lac eco-systems. Eleven ant species belonging to 4 sub-families and 9 genera of Family Formicidae were collected in three prominent lac eco-systems of M.P. Seven ants species were observed in S. oleosa based Kusmi lac eco-system in block Bankhedi while six ants species in Z. mauritiana based Rangeeni lac eco-system in block Barghat and five species in B. monosperma based Rangeeni lac eco-system in block Barghat.

Article is retracted from publication process - because author published same article in another journal

An experiment was conducted to observe the bio-efficacy of neonicotinoids against Amrasca biguttula biguttula (Ishida), Aphis gossypii Glover of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench)" during kharif season of 2014 at the Entomological experimental field, college of agriculture JNKVV Jabalpur (M.P.). Overall lowest mean of jassid recorded in the plot treated with thiamethoxam 25% WG @ 50 g a.i./ha ( 21.88 jassid / 30 leaves) followed by thiamethoxam 25% WG @ 25 g a.i./ha (36.41 jassid / 30 leaves). However, treatment thiamethoxam 25% WG @ 50 g a.i./ha and thiamethoxam 25% WG @ 25 g a.i./the ha were observed significantly less (6.50 aphid / 30 leaves) and (13.80 aphid / 30 leaves) aphid population respectively as compared the rest of treatment. On the basis of the above result thiamethoxam 25% WG @ 50 g a.i./ha and thiamethoxam 25% WG @ 25 g a.i./ha were most effective treatment against jassid and aphid, imidacloprid 17.8% SL @ 21.36 g a.i./ha and emamectin benzoate 5% SG @ 12 g a.i./ ha were found moderately effective than other treatments in respect of less damaged okra.