Characterizing the Economic Value and Impacts of Wild Pig Damage on a Rural Economy

Wild pigs are a free-ranging invasive species capable of inflicting significant damage on rural property. Wildlife management personnel may benefit from understanding the negative societal impact of wild pigs. A statewide mail survey of randomly selected landowners was conducted in rural Tennessee counties known to have wild pigs. The economic value of damage caused by wild pigs in 2015 in these counties was estimated at $26.22 million, whereas the cost incurred in control and eradication was $2.09 million. Input-output modeling of damage in these counties on the state’s economy showed $32.8 million in lost industrial output, $4.6 million in lost labor income, and 332 jobs or job equivalents affected. Findings are useful in understanding the types of damage, and the extent of these impacts on the rural economy. They could also facilitate comparing the expected benefit with the cost of control programs in Tennessee and comparable areas facing similar invasions from wild pigs.     

海洋细菌生物膜用于生物修复陆地生态系统中土壤多环芳烃污染

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) in soil retain for a quite long period due to their hydrophobicity and aggregation properties. Biofilm-forming marine bacterial consortium(named as NCPR), composed of Stenotrophomonas acidaminiphila NCW702,Alcaligenes faecalis NCW402, Pseudomonas mendocina NR802, Pseudomonas aeruginosa N6P6, and Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes NP103, was used for the bioremediation of PAHs in a soil microcosm. Phenanthrene and pyrene were used as reference PAHs. Parameters that can affect PAH degradation, such as chemotaxis, solubility of PAHs in extracellular polymeric substances(EPS), and catechol2,3-dioxygenase(C23O) activity, were evaluated. P. aeruginosa N6P6 and P. pseudoalcaligenes NP103 showed chemotactic movement towards both the reference PAHs. The solubility of both the PAHs was increased with an increase in EPS concentration(extracted from all the 5 selected isolates). Significantly(P 0.001) high phenanthrene(70.29%) and pyrene(55.54%) degradation was observed in the bioaugmented soil microcosm. The C23O enzyme activity was significantly(P 0.05) higher in the bioaugmented soil microcosm with phenanthrene added at 173.26 ± 2.06 nmol min~(-1) mg~(-1) protein than with pyrene added at 61.80 ± 2.20 nmol min~(-1) mg~(-1) protein. The C23O activity and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer analyses indicated catechol pathway of phenanthrene metabolism. However, the metabolites obtained from the soil microcosm added with pyrene revealed both the catechol and phthalate pathways for pyrene degradation.     

Preparation nutritional value and acceptability of barleyrabadi — an indigenous fermented food of India

Rabadi fermentation of barley flour-buttermilk mixture (fresh and autoclaved) at 30, 35 and 40°C for 6, 12, 18, 24 and 48 h lowered pH, enhanced titratable acidity and did not change fat and total mineral (Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn and P) content. Protein content of fermented fresh as well as autoclaved barley flour-buttermilk mixture either decreased or remained unchanged.Rabadi prepared from both types of barley flour at different temperatures and time periods was acceptable; but that which was fermented at 40°C for 48 h was less acceptable in terms of taste.     

Biodiversity, current developments and potential biotechnological applications of phosphorus-solubilizing and -mobilizing microbes: A review

As one of the most important and essential macronutrients next to nitrogen,phosphorus(P)is important for plant development,but it is the least mobile nutrient element in plant and soil.Globally,P is mined from geological sediments and added to agricultural soils so as to meet the critical requirements of crop plants for agronomic productivity.Phosphorus exists in soil in both organic and inorganic forms.The various inorganic forms of the element in soil are salts with calcium,iron,and aluminum,whereas the organic forms come from decaying vegetation and microbial residue.There is a huge diversity of plant microbiomes(epiphytic,endophytic,and rhizospheric)and soil microbiomes that have the capability to solubilize the insoluble P and make it available to plant.The main mechanism for the solubilization of inorganic P is by the production of organic acids,which lowers soil pH,or by the production of acid and alkaline phosphatases,which causes the mineralization of organic P.The P-solubilizing and-mobilizing microorganisms belong to all three domains,comprising archaea,bacteria,and eukarya.The strains belonging to the genera Arthrobacter,Bacillus,Burkholderia,Natrinema,Pseudomonas,Rhizobium,and Serratia have been reported as efficient and potential P solubilizers.The use of P solubilizers,alone or in combination with other plant growth-promoting microbes as an eco-friendly microbial consortium,could increase the P uptake of crops,increasing their yields for agricultural and environmental sustainability.     

Status and consolidated list of threatened medicinal plants of India

A wide array of medicinal plants in India, primarily used by locals for health care, have found wide acceptance and adoption globally (either directly or processed) due to distinct advantages of good results, low or no side-effects and ease of access to general public. Indigenous and traditional systems of medicine in practice since historical times have shown potential (direct or indirect as immune-boosters) against many dreaded ailments including the recent global pandemic of COVID-19. With prediction of sixth mass extinction, there is worldwide concern as majority of these plants, collected from natural stands, are also facing threat of extinction. Since 1990s concerted efforts have been directed towards assessment of threat status, the basic requirement for prioritizing conservation activity to various species of plants and animals. In literature there is staggered information regarding list of threatened plants, including medicinal plants of India, compiled at either state level or national or international level. Analysis of these publications led to collation of a consolidated list of 84 species and the same is presented here. A brief account of conservation efforts in India at national level and supportive policy framework is also included. This compilation is aimed to serve as a comprehensive reference especially for beginners, researchers, conservationists, foresters, pharmaceutical professionals as well as policy makers.

     

Rabadi fermentation of wheat: Changes in phytic acid content andin vitro digestibility

Fermentation of raw as well as autoclaved wheat flour with buttermilk at 30, 35 and 40°C for 6, 12, 18, 24 ad 48h significantly decreased the level of phytic acid; maximum decrease was observed at 40°C for 48h. Starch as well as protein digestibility (in vitro) improved with an increase in temperature and period of fermentation. Phytic acid had a significant (P<0.05) negative correlation with digestibility (in vitro) of both starch and protein ofrabadi.     

Morpho-physiological Responses of Tomato Genotypes Under Saline Conditions

Gesunde Pflanzen - Salinity is a&nbsp;complex abiotic stress that affects physiology and biochemistry of plants and significantly reduces both crop yield and quality. Considering the global...     

Dynamics and modeling of soil water under subsurface drip irrigated onion

Subsurface drip irrigation provides water to the plants around the root zone while maintaining a dry soil surface. A problem associated with the subsurface drip irrigation is the formation of cavity at the soil surface above the water emission points. This can be resolved through matching dripper flow rates to the soil hydraulic properties. Such a matching can be obtained either by the field experiments supplemented by modeling. Simulation model (Hydrus-2D) was used and tested in onion crop (Allium cepa L.) irrigated through subsurface drip system during 2002-2003, 2003-2004 and 2004-2005. Onion was transplanted at a plant to plant and row to row spacing of 10 cm × 15 cm with 3 irrigation levels and 6 depths of placement of drip lateral. The specific objective of this study was to assess the effect of depth of placement of drip laterals on crop yield and application of Hydrus-2D model for the simulation of soil water. In sandy loam soils, it was observed that operating pressures of up to 1.0 kg cm⁻² did not lead to the formation of cavity above the subsurface dripper having drippers of 2.0 l h⁻¹ discharge at depths up to 30 cm. Wetted soil area of 60 cm wide and up to a depth of 30 cm had more than 18% soil water content, which was conducive for good growth of crop resulting in higher onion yields when drip laterals were placed either on soil surface or placed up to depths of 15 cm. In deeper placement of drip lateral (20 and 30 cm below surface), adequate soil water was found at 30, 45 and 60 cm soil depth. Maximum drainage occurred when drip lateral was placed at 30 cm depth. Maximum onion yield was recorded at 10 cm depth of drip lateral (25.7 t ha⁻¹). The application of Hydrus-2D confirmed the movement of soil water at 20 and 30 cm depth of placement of drip laterals. The model performance in simulating soil water was evaluated by comparing the measured and predicted values using three parameters namely, AE, RMSE and model efficiency. Distribution of soil water under field experiment and by model simulation at different growth stages agreed closely and the differences were statistically insignificant. The use of Hydrus-2D enabled corroborating the conclusions derived from the field experimentation made on soil water distribution at different depths of placement of drip laterals. This model helped in designing the subsurface drip system for efficient use of water with minimum drainage.     

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal （AM） Diversity in Prosopis cineraria （L.） Druce Under Arid Agroecosystems

Arbuscular mycorrhizal （AM） fungi associated with Prosopis cineraria （Khejri） were assessed for their qualitative and quantitative distribution from eight districts of Rajasthan. A total of three species of Acaulospora, one species of Entrophospora, two species of Gigaspora, twenty-one species of Glomus, seven species of Sclerocystis and three species of Scutellospora were recorded. A high diversity of AM fungi was observed and it varied at different study sites. Among these six genera, Glomus occurred most frequently. Glomus fasciculatum, Glomus aggregatum, and Glomus mosseae were found to be the most predominant AM fungi in infecting Prosopis cineraria. Acaulospora, G. fasciculatum, Sclerocystis was found in all the fields studied, while Scutellospora species were found only in few sites. A maximum of thirty-six AM fungal species were isolated and identified from Jodhpur, whereas only thirteen species were found from Jaisalmer. Spores of Glomusfasciculatum were found to be most abundant under Prosopis cineraria.