Long-term conservation agriculture and intensified cropping systems: Effects on growth, yield, water, and energy-use efficiency of maize in northwestern India

Conservation agriculture(CA)-based best-bet crop management practices may increase crop and water productivity, while conserving and sustaining natural resources. We evaluated the performance of rainy season maize during 2014 under an ongoing long-term trial(established in 2008) with three tillage practices, i.e., permanent bed(PB), zero tillage(ZT), and conventional tillage(CT) as main plots, and four intensified maize-based cropping systems, i.e., maize-wheat-mungbean, maize-chickpea-Sesbania(MCS), maizemustard-mungbean, and maize-maize-Sesbania) as subplot treatments. In the seventh rainy season of the experiment, maize growth parameters, yield attributes, yield, and water-and energy-use efficiency were highest at fixed plots under ZT. Maize growth parameters were significantly(P 0.05) superior under ZT and PB compared with CT. Maize yield attributes, including cobs per m~2(7.8), cob length(0.183 m), grain rows per cob(13.8), and grains per row(35.6), were significantly higher under ZT than CT; however, no significant effect of cropping systems was found on maize growth and yield attributes. Zero tillage exhibited the highest maize productivity(4 589 kg ha~(-1)). However, among the cropping systems, MCS exhibited the highest maize productivity(4 582 kg ha~(-1)). In maize, water use was reduced by 80.2–120.9 mm ha-1under ZT and PB compared with CT, which ultimately enhanced the economic water-use efficiency by 42.0% and 36.6%, respectively. The ZT and PB showed a 3.5%–31.8% increase in soil organic carbon(SOC) at different soil depths(0–0.45 m), and a 32.3%–39.9% increase in energy productivity compared with CT. Overall, our results showed that CA-based ZT and PB practices coupled with diversified maize-based cropping systems effectively enhanced maize yield and SOC,as well as water-and energy-use efficiency, in northwestern India.     

Nano zinc vis‐à‐vis inorganic Zinc as feed additives: Effects on growth,activity of hepatic enzymes and non‐specific immunity in rohu,Labeo rohita (Hamilton) fingerlings

The effects of dietary administration of inorganic zinc (zinc sulphate, ZnSO₄) and nano zinc (zinc oxide nanoparticles, ZnO‐NP) were evaluated in rohu, Labeo rohita fingerlings. Fish were fed with a basal diet (Control) supplemented with ZnSO₄ (T1, T2 and T3) and ZnO‐NP (T4, T5 and T6) at 10, 20 and 30 mg/kg, respectively, for a duration of 45 days. The results revealed that fish fed diet containing 20 mg ZnO‐NP per kg (T5) had the highest weight gain and specific growth rate (SGR, % per day), which was significantly different (p < .05) from the other experimental diets. Significantly (p < .05), higher activities of the digestive and metabolic enzymes were recorded in the fish fed ZnO‐NP containing diets as compared to the diets containing inorganic Zn or control diet. The maximum serum glucose and protein levels were noted in fish reared on diet T5. Both SGOT and SGPT activities were significantly increased in fish fed Zn‐supplemented diets (T1 to T6), as compared to the control group. Similarly, innate immune parameters were improved with feeding Zn incorporated diets. The highest phagocytic (40.74 ± 0.65%) and respiratory burst (0.33 ± 0.001, OD 630nm) activities were recorded in the fish fed diet containing ZnO‐NPs at 20 mg/kg (T5). The maximum superoxide production and serum peroxidase activity were detected in the fish fed T5 and T6 diets. Overall, results indicated that short‐duration feeding (≤45 days) of dietary ZnO‐NP (20 mg/kg) improved growth, enzyme activity, serum biochemical parameters and immune function in rohu fingerlings.     

Alkaloids: Future prospective to combat leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis, a vector-borne parasitic disease resulting from infection of macrophages by obligate intracellular parasites of genus Leishmania, has been considered a major tropical disease by the World Health Organization. Generic pentavalent antimonials have been the mainstay for therapy in the endemic regions because of its efficacy and cost effectiveness. However, the growing incidence of resistance for the pentavalent antimony complex in endemic and non-endemic regions has seriously hampered their use in these regions. The second line drugs such as amphotericin B, paromomycin and miltefosine are the other alternatives, but they merely fulfill the desired requirements of a safe drug. The recent researches focused on plants have shown a wise way to get a true and potentially rich source of drug candidates against leishmaniasis, where alkaloids have been found more effective. The present review initially highlights the current status of leishmaniasis, synergy of the disease with HIV, therapeutic options available and in later sections summarizes all alkaloids, which have shown significant antileishmanial activities.     

Performance of drip-irrigated dry-seeded rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> L.) in South Asia

Drip irrigation in dry-seeded rice (DSR) is a new water-saving cultivation technology; however, very little is known of its productivity and water-saving capacities. The study was conducted for 2 years (2013 and 2014) in a split-plot design in three replicates with treatment combinations of four irrigation regimes [drip irrigation at 1.5, 2.25, and 3.0× pan evaporation (Epan) and flood irrigation at 3.0× Epan] and three nitrogen (N) levels (120, 150, and 180 kg ha^?1). Drip irrigation in DSR resulted in higher grain yield (7.34–8.01 t ha^?1) than flood irrigation (6.63–7.60 t ha^?1) , with water savings of more than 40 %. Water-use efficiency with drip irrigation was higher (0.81–0.88 kg m^?3) than flood irrigation (0.42–0.52 kg m^?3) , being highest with drip irrigation at 1.5× Epan. Root density at soil depths of 15–30 cm was also higher in drip (0.86–1.05 mg cm^?3) as compared to the flood (0.76–0.80 kg m^?3)-irrigated crop. This study implicated that under water-scarce scenario, drip-irrigated DSR is a profitable, and water- and energy-saving technology. This study also suggested that policy focus in future must be tilted towards the promotion of solar-operated drip irrigation in those regions, where DSR is being promoted in the face of water and energy crisis.     

Biochemical Composition of Pulp and Seed of Wild Jack (Artocarpus hirsutus Lam.) Fruit

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Wild jack (Artocarpus hirsutus Lam.) is an endemic perennial tree of Western Ghats of India. Wild jack, a timber purpose tree, is distributed in several Kaan...     

Characterization of Spatial Variability of Soil Parameters in Apple Orchards of Himalayan Region Using Geostatistical Analysis

ABSTRACT

Knowledge of spatial variability in soil properties is critical for effective nutrient management plan in crop production. Poor productivity of apple orchards in Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is due to lack of information on the variability of soil properties important for enhancing productivity in the region. The study was conducted in apple orchards with the hypothesis that spatial variability of soil properties is high due to adoption of varied management and passive soil factors. The major objectives of the study were to assess the spatial variability of soil parameters, viz. soil pH, electrical conductivity, soil organic carbon along with plant available soil nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), exchangeable calcium (Ca), and exchangeable magnesium (Mg) at a regional scale through geostatistical methods. Coefficient of variation (CV) indicated that the fertility parameters varied from medium to high in heterogeneity (CV > 20%). Available N was found critical/medium in 69.6% of soil samples and might be one of the limiting nutrients for crop growth, P and K were in high, and OC in very high range. Significant correlation was found between OC with N; pH with K, Ca and Mg and EC with OC, P and K. The semivariogram parameters indicated that the spatial distribution of soil fertility parameters were inconsistent and showed strong to weak degree of spatial dependence for all parameters. The study highlighted the importance of delineation of soil fertility management zones in the apple growing region as a guide for precise and site-specific nutrient.     

Dynamics of zinc under long-term application of chemical fertilizers and amendments by maize–wheat cropping sequence in Typic Hapludalfs

This present investigation took place on a continuing long-term fertilizer experiment, initiated in 1972 at the experimental farm of the College of Agriculture CSK HPKV, Palampur, aimed at studying nutrient dynamics of micronutrients, especially Zn, after continuous use of chemical fertilizers and amendments over the previous 36 years in an acid Alfisol under a maize–wheat system. Treatments investigated were as follows: T₁: Control; 100% N; 100% NP; 100% NPK (optimal application - 120:26:33(maize)/25(wheat)); 100% NPK + FYM (10 t ha⁻¹ to the maize crop); T₆: 100% NPK + lime (900 kg ha⁻¹); T₇: 100% NPK + Zn (25 kg ha⁻¹ as ZnSO₄); T₈: 100% NPK + Hand weeding; T₉: 100% NPK (-S); T₁₀: 150% NPK (super-optimal application); and T₁₁: 50% NPK (sub-optimal application). Different forms of zinc in soil were determined through a sequential extraction method. Results revealed that previous applications of high-analysis fertilizers and amendments caused a marked depletion in the pools of Zn as compared to buffer plots. All pools of Zn as well as crop productivity and Zn uptake were noticeably greater in farmyard manure (FYM)-amended plots compared with plots not receiving fertilizer. The residual fraction was the dominant form but organically bound and exchangeable forms were found to play major role in nutrient supply, crop productivity and nutrient uptake. Correlation and regression analysis studies showed that organic forms constituted the most important pool contributing towards variation in yield and uptake by maize and wheat crops. Exchangeable and organically bound forms contributed significantly towards the availability of DTPA-extractable Zn in soil.     

Chemical constituents of Kigelia pinnata twigs and their GLUT4 translocation modulatory effect in skeletal muscle cells

Phytochemical investigation of the ethanolic extract of twigs of Kigelia pinnata DC. afforded one new iridoid 7-hydroxy eucommiol (1), and nine known compounds (2-10). The structure of compounds was elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods, including 1D, 2D NMR experiments and MS analysis. All these compounds were evaluated for GLUT4 translocation modulatory effect in skeletal muscle cells. Four of the tested compounds 1, 5, 6 and 7 showed significant stimulation of GLUT4 translocation to cell surface in skeletal muscle cells without any adverse effect on cell viability. Effect of these four compounds was concentration-dependent and comparable to standard drug rosiglitazone. These findings indicate that constituents of K. pinnata may provide leads for the therapeutics for insulin resistance and diabetes.     

Clustering mutational spectra via classification likelihood and markov chain monte carlo algorithms

We have analyzed a set of 39 mutational spectra of the supF gene that were generated by different mutagenicagents and under different experimental conditions. The clusteranalyses was performed using a newly developed clustering procedure. The clustering criterion used in the procedure was developed by applying the classification likelihood approach to multinomial observations. We also developed a Gibbs sampling-based optimization procedure that outperformed previously developed methods in a comparative simulation study The results of the cluster analysis showed that our clustering procedure was able to recreate natural grouping of the mutational spectra with respect to the characteristics of mutagenic agents used to generate them and with respect to experimental conditions applied in the process of generating spectra. These results are an important confirmation of the relevance of mutational spectra in characterizing mutagenic mechanisms of different carcinogens.     

Assessment of genetic diversity and genetic relationships among 29 populations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Azadirachta indica</Emphasis> A. Juss. using RAPD markers

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was employed to assess genetic divergence among 29 neem accessions collected from two agro-ecological regions of India (11 agro-climatic sub-zones), which cover three states, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Out of 24, 10-mer random primers used for studying genetic divergence, 14 were polymorphic, generating a total of 73 amplification products with an average of 5.21 products per polymorphic primer and estimated gene diversity of 0.49. Genetic relationships among accessions were evaluated by generating a similarity matrix based on Jaccard’s coefficient, ranging from 0.70 to 0.96. The phenetic dendrogram generated by UPGMA analysis grouped accessions into five clusters. RAPD performed within accessions (individual seedlings collected from the same mother plant) showed no variation indicating homogeneous population within accessions. Primers OPA-18, OPC-08 and OPI-03 were found most informative based on their resolving power. The degree of genetic variation detected among the 29 accessions with RAPD analysis suggests that RAPD can be used for studying genetic diversity in neem. The study also demonstrated that neem germplasm collected from northwestern plains of India shows no eco-geographical isolation based on sub-zones because accessions collected from different sub-regions are grouping together in the genetic tree.