Performance of Rapeseed-mustard Cultivars under Various Moisture Regimes on the Gangetic Alluvial Plain of West Bengal

A Field trial was conducted during 1988–89 and 1989–90 at Water Management Research Station, Memari. Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Burdwan, to study the effect of three different irrigation regimes, namely rainfed (I₁) (No irrigation), one irrigation (I₂) at flowering and two irrigations (I₃ at flowering and at sihqua formation stages) on the grain yield and water expenses on four different rapeseed-mustard cultivars, namely Pusa Bold, Pusa Baroni, Varuna and DIR 247. The variety DIR 247 recorded maximum grain yield (12.1 qha') followed by Pusa Baroni (11.8 q ha⁻¹). The variety Varuna showed the lowest water use efficiency (48.1 kg ha⁻¹ cm⁻¹) while DIR 247 showed the maximum value of 57.0 kg ha⁻¹ cm⁻¹. The number of irrigations significantly increased the grain yield. Two irrigations, one at flowering and at siliqua formation stage increased grain yield by 28 % over the rainfed plots. During the crop growth period the actual water expenses among the cultivars in any moisture regime were more or less similar. The interaction between varieties and irrigation levels were, however, not significant.     

Patterns of Nitrogen Mineralization under Two Water Regimes in an Acidic Entisol as Influenced by Chemical Composition of Plant Residues

A 12-week laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to determine the effect of chemical composition of residues of nine plant species on their cumulative net nitrogen (N) mineralization in soil under submergence (SUB) and field capacity (FC) water conditions. The influence of residues and of water regimes on residue-N released over time was significant. Net mineralization was higher in FC than SUB especially in later periods, although differences either among soil water levels or among species were not significant in all the periods sampled. Net N release had significant correlations with initial N and ratios of carbon, lignin or polyphenol or the (lignin + polyphenol) to N concentration of residues under two water conditions. (Lignin + polyphenol):N ratio in SUB and carbon/nitrogen (C:N) ratio in FC showed highest correlations with N mineralization in all periods and explained 64.1% variation in N mineralization from residues under SUB and 64.5% under FC after 2 and 8 weeks, respectively.     

Modelling of ring yarn unevenness by soft computing approach

This paper demonstrates the application of two soft computing approaches namely artificial neural network (ANN) and neural-fuzzy system to forecast the unevenness of ring spun yarns. The cotton fiber properties measured by advanced fiber information system (AFIS) and yarn count have been used as inputs. The prediction accuracy of the ANN and neural-fuzzy models was compared with that of linear regression model. It was found that the prediction performance was very good for all the three models although ANN and neural-fuzzy models seem to have some edge over the linear regression model. The linguistic rules developed by the neural-fuzzy system unearth the role of input variables on the yarn unevenness.     

Phosphorus Enriched Organic Amendments can Increase Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Wheat

Although nitrogen (N) has the highest requirement for plant growth, N use efficiency (NUE) seldom exceeds 40%. NUE may be improved by integrated application of fertilizer N and enriched organic amendments. The present experiment aimed to test the extent of increase in NUE by integrated application of fertilizer N farmyard manure (FYM) and rock phosphate enriched compost (RPEC). Mineralization kinetics and N release from FYM and RPEC were studied by an incubation experiment. Results revealed that maximum potentially mineralizable N as well as N release (283.9, 186.7 mg kg^?1 soil, respectively) were from RPEC + fertilizer N treated soils, followed by FYM + fertilizer N. Maximum yield, N uptake, and N recovery were obtained from RPEC + fertilizer N treated soils followed by FYM + fertilizer N. Soils treated with RPEC had shown significantly higher dehydrogenase activity than FYM treated soils. Thus, RPEC might increase yield as well as NUE over FYM. N uptake by plant at maximum tillering stage and flowering stage of wheat correlated positively (R² > 0.85) with the decay rate (k and kN₀) parameter of incubation experiment suggesting their relevance as indicators of plant available N.     

Field efficacy of a biopesticide prepared from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clerodendrum viscosum</Emphasis> Vent. (Verbenaceae) against two major tea pests in the sub Himalayan tea plantation of North Bengal,India

The toxicity of four concentrations (1, 5, 10 and 20% w/v) of an aqueous extract from the weed, Clerodendrum viscosum Ventenat (Verbenaceae) was investigated under field conditions of the North Bengal University, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India for managing two major pests of tea, Camellia sinensis (L), namely the tea mosquito bug, Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse, (Heteroptera: Miridae) and the tea red spider mite, Oligonychus coffeae Nietner, (Acarina: Tetranychidae). Four field trials, two for red spider mite and two for tea mosquito bug, were conducted during April–May 2008 and October–November 2009 following a Randomized Block design. The aqueous extract of C. viscosum effectively and significantly reduced the mite population as well as infestation of tea mosquito bug by 68–95% and 73–86%, respectively, and their bioefficacy is comparable to synthetic and neem pesticides. No phytotoxic effect (score 0–5% and grade 1) was observed in the tea bushes sprayed with different doses of aqueous extract of C. viscosum in the field. Made tea samples were taint free. Organoleptic test revealed leaf-infusions and liquor strength as good, scoring 6.5–7.0 on a 10 point scale. Availability and distribution of this weed (C. viscosum) in and around tea-growing areas of sub Himalayan region, along with its processing for the feasibility of including C. visosum extracts in the current IPM programme is discussed.     

Depth dynamics of soil N contents and natural abundances of 15N after 43 years of long-term fertilization and liming in sub-tropical Alfisol

The aim of this study was to understand impacts of long-term (43 years) fertilization on soil aggregation, N accumulation rates and δ¹⁵N in surface and deep layers in an Alfisol. Soil samples from seven treatments were analysed for N stocks, aggregate-associated N in 0–30 cm and the changes in δ¹⁵N in 0–90 cm depths. The treatments were: unfertilized control (control); recommended N dose (N); recommended N and phosphorus doses (NP); recommended N, P and potassium doses (NPK); 150% of recommended N, P and K doses (150% NPK); NPK + 10 Mg FYM ha^?1 (NPK + FYM) and NPK + 0.4 Mg lime ha^?1 (NPK + L). Results revealed that plots under NPK + FYM had ~39% higher total N concentrations than NPK + L in 0–30 cm soil layers. In NPK + L, macro-aggregates had 35 and 11% and microaggregates had 20 and 9% lower δ¹⁵N values than NPK + FYM in 0–15 and 15–30 cm soil layers, respectively. However, plots receiving NPK + FYM had ~39% greater deep soil (30–90 cm) N accumulation than NPK + L. These results would help understanding N supplying capacity by long-term fertilization and assist devising N management strategies in sub-tropical acidic Alfisols.     

Serum thymidine kinase 1 activity as a prognostic biomarker in dogs with chemotherapy-treated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is frequently treated with chemotherapy incorporating cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP), which induces remission in 80% to 95% of cases. However, not all dogs derive meaningful benefit from CHOP, and prognostic factors for dogs with DLBCL are poorly defined. Serum thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) activity, a marker of tumour cell proliferation, has shown promising initial results as a prognostic biomarker in dogs with multicentric lymphomas. The purpose of this study was to determine if baseline serum TK1 activity is associated with clinical outcome in dogs with CHOP-treated DLBCL. Baseline serum TK1 activity was measured in banked sera from 98 dogs with CHOP-treated DLBCL using a commercially available ELISA kit. Data on other potential prognostic factors were abstracted retrospectively from electronic medical records. Multivariable statistical methods were used to identify associations between TK1 and other potential prognostic factors with progression-free survival (PFS) and attainment of complete remission. TK1 activity at baseline was not associated with PFS (p = .299) or attainment of complete remission (p = .910) following CHOP chemotherapy. Of the other prognostic factors analysed, only purebred (vs. mixed breed) status (HR 8.81, 95% CI 1.68–46.30, p = .010), attainment of complete (vs. partial) remission (HR 0.09, 95% CI 0.02–0.49, p = .006), and baseline serum C-reactive protein concentration (HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.07–1.32, p = .001) were independently associated with PFS. Based on these findings, baseline serum TK1 activity does not appear to be a useful prognostic biomarker in dogs with CHOP-treated DLBCL.     

Effect of phosphate status and pH on sulphate sorption and desorption

For soils from tea estates in northern India, sulphate sorption was of a similar magnitude to, and sometimes exceeded, phosphate sorption. Only a small part of this relatively large sulphate sorption was caused by the low pH of these soils. Most was caused by increased negative charge as a result of prior reaction over many decades with phosphate fertilizers. This decreased sorption of both phosphate and sulphate, but the effect on phosphate was larger. This is compatible with a model in which the mean location of the charge on the adsorbed phosphate ions is closer to the surface than for sulphate. On soils of low phosphate status, sulphate desorption curves showed hysteresis; on soils of high phosphate status, they did not. Further, on soils of high phosphate status, displacement of sulphate by phosphate solutions was faster. We interpret these observations as showing that, for low phosphate status soils, sulphate ions penetrated the surface, but for high phosphate status soils it did not because the pathways by which sulphate diffuses into the adsorbing material were blocked. We also show that, with increasing soil phosphate status, phosphate solutions were less effective in displacing sorbed sulphate. We think this also occurred because reaction with phosphate had decreased the affinity for phosphate more than it decreased the affinity for sulphate.     

Effects of different dietary lipids on growth and tissue fatty acid changes in fry of the carp Catla catla (Hamilton)

A study was conducted with fry of Catla catla (Hamilton) to investigate the effects of dietary lipid supplements on growth, feed conversion, tissue fatty acid composition and the intestinal lipase activity. Four treatment diets were prepared using purified ingredients incorporating sunflower oil (n-6 fatty acids), cod liver oil (n-3 fatty acid source) and a mixture (1:1) of sunflower and cod liver oil in three diets. The fourth diet was lipid-free and served as the control. The best growth and survival was recorded for fish given the diet having a mixture of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids (weight gain was 380% and survival was 93%), followed by the n-6 diet (320% and 88%), the n-3 diet (290% and 84%) and the lipid-free diet (239.9% and 82%). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) and per cent protein deposited (PPD) followed a similar trend. The intestinal lipase activity (expressed as μg α-naphthol liberated mg^_1 protein hr-¹) was 83.3, 74.2, 80.1 and 53.7 for n-3 and n-6, n-6, n-3 and lipid-free diet treatments respectively. The fatty acid profile of the whole body was shown to be influenced by dietary fatty acid composition. The results of this laboratory study indicated that a combination of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids is important for growth and survival of this species. The extent to which such observations will be relevant in field conditions can be stated only after results of feeding trials in ponds are available.     

Genetic analysis of total glucosinolate in crosses involving a high glucosinolate Indian variety and a low glucosinolate line of Brassica juncea

Analysis of the glucosinolate content and composition by high‐pressure liquid chromatography indicated that varieties of Brassica juncea bred and grown in India have a high glucosinolate content characterized by the presence of 2‐propenyl (allyl) and 3‐butenyl as the major and 4‐pentenyl as the minor fractions. In contrast, the B. juncea germplasm from other countries is characterized by the presence of 2‐propenyl as the major glucosinolate fraction, trace amounts of 3‐butenyl and a total lack of the 4‐pentenyl types. In order to transfer the low glucosinolate trait to Indian B. juncea, the inheritance of total glucosinolates was investigated using doubled haploid (DH) populations derived from F1 (DH₁) and BC₁ (BC₁DH) of a cross between ‘Varuna’ (the most widely cultivated high glucosinolate variety of India) and ‘Heera’ (a non‐allyl type low glucosinolate line). A total of 752 DH₁ and 1263 BC₁DH gave rise to seven and 11 low glucosinolate (containing less than 18 μmol/g seed) individuals, respectively. On the basis of the frequency of the low glucosinolate individuals, the total glucosinolate was found to be under the control of seven genes. There was presence of both allyl and non‐allyl types in DH₁ and BC₁DH low‐glucosinolate individuals and absence of 3‐butenyl glucosinolate in some of the BC1DH low glucosinolate individuals, indicating segregation for these fractions in the population. The size of the segregating DH population proved to be crucial for precise determination of the number of genes controlling the trait. Because of the large number of genes involved, incorporation of low glucosinolate trait in Indian B. juncea should be approached through doubled haploid (DH) breeding.