**Acknowledgements**

The authors express profound gratitude to the Hon'ble Vice Chancellor, AAU, Jorhat, Director of Research (Agri), AAU, Jorhat for their valuable guidance, and professional and administrative support during the implementation of the technical programs. The team is equally grateful to the Director, ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, and Project Coordinator (Dryland Research) for financial support and their valuable guidance during the implementation of the project.
