Irrigation and tillage effects on root development,water use and yield of wheat on coarse textured soils

Summary Rapid drying of surface layers of coarse-textured soils early in the growth season increases soil strength and restricts root growth. This constraint on root growth may be countered by deep tillage and/or early irrigation. We investigated tillage and irrigation effects on root growth, water use, dry matter and grain yield of wheat on loamy sand and sandy loam soils for three years. Treatments included all combinations of two tillage systems i) conventional tillage (CT) — stirring the soil to 10 cm depth, ii) deep tillage (DT) — subsoiling with a single-tine chisel down to 35–40 cm, 40 cm apart followed by CT; and four irrigation regimes, i) I₀ — no post-seeding irrigation, ii) I₁ — 50 mm irrigation 30 days after seeding (DAS), iii) I₂ — 50 mm irrigation 30 DAS and subsequent irrigations of 75 mm each when net evaporation from USWB class A open pan (PAN-E) since previous irrigation accumulated to 82 mm, and iv) I₃ — same as in I² but irrigation applied when PAN-E accumulated to 62 mm. The crop of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. HD 2329) was fertilized with 20kg P, 10kg K and 5kg Zn ha^–1 at seeding. The rate of nitrogen fertilization was 60 kg ha^–1 in the unirrigated and 120 kg ha^–1 in the irrigated treatments. Tillage decreased soil strength and so did the early post-seeding irrigation. Both deep tillage and early irrigation shortened the time needed for the root system to reach a specified depth. Subsequent wetting through rain/irrigation reduced the rate of root penetration down the profile and also negated deep tillage effects on rooting depth. However, tillage/irrigation increased root length density in the rooted profile even in a wet year. Better rooting resulted in greater profile water depletion, more favourable plant water status and higher dry matter and grain yields. In a dry year, the wheat in the DT plots used 46 mm more water, remained 3.3 °C cooler at grain-fill and yielded 68% more grain than in CT when unirrigated and grown in the loamy sand. Early irrigation also increased profile water depletion, more so in CT than DT. Averaged over three years, grain yield in DT was 12 and 9% higher than in CT on loamy sand and sandy loam, respectively. Benefits of DT decreased with increase in rainfall and irrigation. Irrigation significantly increased grain yield on both soils, but the response was greatly influenced by soil type, tillage system and year. The study shows that soil related constraints on root growth may be alleviated through deep tillage and/or early irrigation.     

Comparative excretion of DDT analogues into milk of indian buffalo,Bubalus bubalis L. following oral administration

Four groups of Indian buffaloes were fed daily with 25 mg of p,p′-DDT p,p′-TDE p,p′-DDE or o,p′-DDT for 100 days. Milk was analysed for organochlorine residues during this period and also for 100 days after pesticide administration had been discontinued. For the period showing ‘plateau level’ residues, 17.2% of p,p′-DDE, 17% of p,p′-TDE, 14% of p,p′-DDT as p,p′-DDT (3.5%); p,p′-TDE (10.5%); 3.2% of p,p′-DDT as o,p′-DDT (1.3%) and o,p'-TDE (1.9%) of their administered amounts were excreted in the milk. Since these compounds were excreted at different rates, the residue levels in the milk expected from a given feed would depend on their concentration and proportional distribution in the feed. The maximum tolerable content of DDT analogues in feed was derived to be 0.1 mg kg^?1 (dry weight basis) by using the maximum accumulation coefficient and incorporation of the necessary safety margin. It is concluded that Indian buffaloes fed with rations contaminated with a total of DDT analogues below this limit will yield milk of acceptable quality. Following the termination of feeding with contaminated rations, the elimination of p,p′-DDE in the milk took the longest time and that of o,p′-DDT the shortest. These results suggest that the time required for the initial high residue concentration to decline to less than the legal limit would be determined by the relative amounts of DDE, TDE and DDT in the milk, after elimination of the potent source of contamination.     

In vitro studies on the binding, antioxidant, and cytotoxic actions of punicalagin

The protective bioactivity of punicalagin, a high molecular weight polyphenol isolated from pomegranate fruit pith and carpellary membrane, against oxidative damages to lipids, amino acids constituting the proteins, and guanosine as a model for DNA has been investigated. The ABTS*-, guanosine, and tryptophan radical generated pulse radiolytically were repaired by punicalagin, k = (0.9-15) x 10(7) dm3 mol-1 s-1. The results are rationalized on the basis of the scavenging activity of punicalagin against various one-electron oxidizing radicals, namely, .OH, N3., and NO2. . The formation of the transient species in these reactions and the rate constants of the scavenging reactions have been probed using a time-resolved kinetic spectrophotometric technique. The antioxidant action of punicalagin is expressed not only through its scavenging reactions but also by its ability to form metal chelates. Binding of punicalagin with bovine serum albumin and metal ions such as iron and copper revealed different binding affinities, whereas its binding with DNA was very weak and nonspecific. In vitro cytotoxic studies against three cell lines, namely, Vero (normal African green monkey kidney cell line), Hep-2 (human larynx epithelial cancer cell line), and A-549 (human small cell lung carcinoma cell line) showed that this polyphenol is toxic only at higher concentration.     

Mixed permian-triassic fauna, guryul ravine, kashmir

At Guryul Ravine near Srinagar, Kashmir, a varied fauna of productid brachiopods, including Spinomarginifera, is associated in approximately 15 feet (about 4 meters) of strata with the typical Scythian (Lower Triassic) pelecypod Claraia. These faunas are interpreted as true associations of surviving "Permian" and Lower Triassic faunal elements. Similar mixed associations have previously been identified in the lowest Triassic strata of the Salt Range and Surghar Range of West Pakistan.     

Microbial biomass dynamics during the decomposition of leaf litter of poplar and eucalyptus in a sandy loam

Soil microbiological properties during decomposition of leaf litter of poplar (Populus deltoides) and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus tereticornis) were studied under laboratory conditions. Microbial biomass C and ninhydrin-N were measured at different intervals up to 90 days following incorporation of poplar and eucalyptus leaves separately @ 20 and 100t ha^-1. In general, the net increase in total biomass C or ninhydrin N following amendment was larger in the soils which received poplar leaves than in the soils that received eucalyptus leaves. The amounts of biomass C, at day 90, in the soils which received eucalyptus leaves @ 20 and 100 t ha^-1 was about half and one-third, respectively, that of the soils that received poplar leaves at the same rates. Similarly, the field soils naturally receiving eucalyptus leaf litter contained about half the amounts of biomass C or ninhydrin N of the soils that received poplar leaf litter. In contrast, the amounts of organic C and total N were more in soils which received eucalyptus leaves both in the laboratory experiment and under field conditions than in the soils that received poplar leaves, indicating that the decomposition of eucalyptus leaves in soils was slower than that of poplar leaves. The ratio of biomass C/soil organic C in soils receiving eucalyptus leaves was about 2–4 times lower than those in soils with no admendment or soils receiving poplar leaves. These results, therefore, suggest that the allelochemicals released into soil during decomposition of eucalyptus leaves had a toxic effect on soil microorganisms and may thus affect the nutrient cycling and hence soil fertility.     

Metabolism of the methoxychlor isostere,dianisylneopentane, in mouse,insects, and a model ecosystem

Dianisylneopentane or 1,1-bis(p-methoxyphenyl)-2,2-dimethylpropane was metabolized largely by O-demethylation to form mono- and diphenol derivatives. Only a small percentage was degraded by α-hydroxylation and rearrangement. In the model ecosystem, dianisylneopentane reacted very similarly to methoxychlor, accumulating in fish to about the same extent and yielding a slightly higher ratio of polar to nonpolar metabolites. The neopentyl group proved to be approximately as stable in biological systems as the isosterically equivalent trichloromethyl group.     

Soil organic matter, microbial biomass and enzyme activities in a tropical agroforestry system

 The effects of growing trees in combination with field crops on soil organic matter, microbial biomass C, basal respiration and dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase activities were studied in soils under a 12-year-old Dalbergia sissoo (a N₂-fixing tree) plantation intercropped with a wheat (Triticum aestivum) – cowpea (Vigna sinensis) cropping sequence. The inputs of organic matter through D. sissoo leaf litter increased and crop roots decreased with the increase in tree density. Higher organic C and total N, microbial biomass C, basal soil respiration and activities of dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase were observed in treatments with tree-crop combination than in the treatment without trees. Soil organic matter, microbial biomass C and soil enzyme activities increased with the decrease in the spacing of the D. sissoo plantation. The results indicate that adoption of the agroforestry practices led to an improved organic matter status of the soil, which is also reflected in the increased nutrient pool and microbial activities necessary for long-term productivity of the soil. However, tree spacing should be properly maintained to minimize the effects of shading on the intercrops. Received: 21 February 1997