Impact of phosphorous on biochemical changes in Hordeum vulgare L. in mixed cropping with chickpea

Multiple cropping (i.e. intercropping or mixed cropping) plays an important role in agriculture because of the effective utilization of resources, significantly enhancing crop productivity compared with that of monocultured crops. The study was planed to assess the effect of various concentrations (00, 30, 60, 90 kg ha(-1)) of phosphorous on the biochemical composition of grains of Hordeum vulgare L. (NDB-1050) in mixed cropping system with Chickpea. Phosphorous is an essential ingredient for plants to convert atmospheric N (N2) into an ammonium (NH4) as a useable form. The available nitrogen content was found more in the year 2006 (131 kg ha(-1)) than year 2005 (105 kg ha(-1)). The results of available nitrogen content were showed that the mixed cropping system enhances N fixation process because phosphorous also influences nodule development through its basic functions in plants as an energy source. Reducing, non reducing and total sugar content of H. vulgare L. were influenced by changes in the phosphorous doses. Maximum protein (13.43%) was obtained at 60 kg P2O5 ha(-1) during the year 2006. Lysine, tryptophan and methionine content were found maximum in year 2006, respectively. Total mineral content of grains of plant (0.99 g 100g(-1)) was found maximum by the application of 60 kg P2O5 ha(-1). It is possible that there was an increase in the soil N made available by the leguminous chickpea species, and this could be another reason why there was an increase in Hordeum vulgare L. shoot mass per plant with intercropping with chickpea.     

Accumulation and translocation of heavy metals in soil and plants from fly ash contaminated area

The present investigation deals with the accumulation of heavy metals in fields contaminated with fly ash from a thermal power plant and subsequent uptake in different parts of naturally grown plants. Results revealed that in the contaminated site, the mean level of all the metals (Cd, Zn, Cr, Pb, Cu, Ni, Mn and Fe) in soil and different parts (root and shoots) of plant species were found to be significantly (p<0.01) higher than the uncontaminated site. The enrichment factor (EF) of these metals in contaminated soil was found to be in the sequence of Cd (2.33) > Fe (1.88) > Ni (1.58) > Pb (1.42) > Zn (1.31) > Mn (1.27) > Cr (1.11) > Cu (1.10). Whereas, enrichment factor of metals in root and shoot parts, were found to be in the order of Cd (7.56) > Fe (4.75) > Zn (2.79) > Ni (2.22) > Cu (1.69) > Mn (1.53) > Pb (1.31) > Cr (1.02) and Cd (6.06) approximately equal Fe (6.06) > Zn (2.65) > Ni (2.57) > Mn (2.19) > Cu (1.58) > Pb (1.37) > Cr (1.01) respectively. In contaminated site, translocation factor (TF) of metals from root to shoot was found to be in the order of Mn (1.38) > Fe (1.27) > Pb (1.03) > Ni (0.94) > Zn (0.85) > Cd (0.82) > Cr (0.73) and that of the metals Cd with Cr, Cu, Mn, Fe; Cr with Pb, Mn, Fe and Pb with Fe were found to be significantly correlated. The present findings provide us a clue for the selection of plant species, which show natural resistance against toxic metals and are efficient metal accumulators.     

Seed maturity indices in Aisandra butyracea--a multipurpose tree species of lower Himalaya

Fruits of Aisandra butyracea (Roxb.) Lamb. were collected from two sites located at different altitudes in Kumaun Himalaya for analyzing the seed maturity in relation to various fruit and seed characters. The mean seed size (length x width) across the collection dates varied between 186.44 +/- 0.05 and 238.17 +/- 0.5 mm2 across both the elevations. The fruit colour changed from dark green in the beginning to pale yellow on the maturity. The range of seed moisture content (62.83 +/- 1.33 to 63.46 +/- 0.89%) coincided with maximum germination. The colour change and seed moisture content appear to be the major indicators of seed maturation in A. butyracea.     

Artificially roughened solar air heater: A comparative study

Artificially roughened solar air heater has been topic in research for the last 30 years. Prediction of heat transfer and fluid flow processes of an artificially roughened solar air heater can be obtained by three approaches: theoretical, experimental, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). This article provides a comprehensive review of the published literature on the investigations of artificially roughened solar air heater. In the present article, an attempt has been made to present holistic view of various roughness geometries used for creating artificial roughness in solar air heater for heat transfer enhancement. This extensive review reveals that quite a lot of work has been reported on design of artificially roughened solar air heater by experimental approach but only a few studies have been done by theoretical and CFD approaches. Finally this article presents a comparative study of thermo-hydraulic performance of 21 different types of artificial roughness geometries attached on the absorber plate of solar air heater in terms of thermo-hydraulic performance parameter. Heat transfer and friction factor correlations developed by various investigators for different types of artificially roughened solar air heaters have also been reported in this article.     

Pollinating efficiency of native bee pollinators of pigeonpea (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cajanus cajan</Emphasis>) in Nagaland

Present study was carried out to determine pollinators’ diversity and their efficiency with modular approach; foraging behaviour, number of loose pollen adhered on their body and number of pollen deposited on the stigma. The observations explicitly indicate that Megachile spp., Xylocopa tenuiscopa, Amegilla zonata and Nomia sp. were true pollinators and out of these, Megachile spp. were key pollinators of pigeonpea. Among megachilids, Megachile lanata was the most efficient pollinator. Sufficient pollination meticulously accomplished in pigeonpea by true pollinators under this agro-ecological region.     

Analysis of different nutrient status of liquid bio-fertilizer of different combinations of buffalo dung with gram bran and water hyacinth through vermicomposting by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eisenia fetida</Emphasis>

The animal, agro-wastes and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) are a serious problem for the society and ecosystem. The present study carried out the management of water hyacinth and observation of nutritional status like pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total organic carbon (TOC), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), C/N ratio, total phosphorus and total calcium (TCa) of liquid bio-fertilizer (vermiwash) before and after vermicomposting of feed materials of different combinations of buffalo dung (BD) with water hyacinth (WH) and gram bran (GB). After vermicomposting of different combinations of BD with WH and agro-wastes, significant decrease in level of pH, EC, TOC and C/N ratio was observed, whereas significant increase in TKN, TK, TAP and TCa level in vermiwash of final vermicompost with respect to initial feed material was observed. The pH of initial mixture in all combinations has tended to basic in nature, while in final vermicompost, it becomes neutral/basic. The significant increase was observed in the level of TKN, TK, TAP in BD + GB + WH (1:2:1) and TCa in BD + GB + WH (1:1:2) vermiwash of final vermicompost of combination, whereas decrease was observed in TOC, C/N ratio, pH and EC in BD + WH (1:1), BD + GB + WH (1:1:1), BD + GB + WH (1:2:1) and BD + GB (1:1), respectively.     

Human health risk assessment due to dietary intake of heavy metals through rice in the mining areas of Singhbhum Copper Belt,India

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The study was intended to investigate heavy metal contamination levels in the rice grown in the vicinity of the mining areas of Singhbhum Copper Belt,...     

Effect of Varying Filler Concentration on Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle Embedded Chitosan Films as Potential Food Packaging Material

Prevailing scenario of non-biodegradable food packaging materials worldwide was the motivation for this research. More than half of the packaging materials used today are non-biodegradable and lack one or the other feature that keeps it from being an ideal food packaging material. Based on the current need of food grade packaging materials, the present study illustrates the amelioration of the properties of biodegradable chitosan films with the incorporation of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles in varying concentration. The ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs) used as fillers in the chitosan films were synthesized by supersaturation method. They were characterized using UV–visible spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The particles were observed to be around 100–200 nm in size. The chitosan films with varying concentration of ZnONPs were synthesized and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and FE-SEM. The films were studied for their thermal stability, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) and mechanical properties. The thermal stability, as determined by Thermo Gravimetric Analysis and Differential Scanning Calorimetry increased slightly with increasing percentage of embedded ZnONPs while a substantial decrease in WVTR was observed. Mechanical properties also showed improvements with 77% increment in tensile modulus and 67% increment in tensile strength. The antimicrobial activity of the films was also studied on gram positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) and gram negative bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) by serial dilution method. A twofold and 1.5-fold increment in the antimicrobial activity was observed for B. subtilis and E. coli, respectively, with increased ZnONPs concentration in the films from 0(w/w) to 2%(w/w). Films thus prepared can prove to be of immense potential in the near future for antimicrobial food packaging applications.