Comparative study of different surface decontaminants on chicken quality

(1) A comparative study on the effect of different surface decontaminants: hot water at 70 degrees C for one minute; 2% lactic acid for 30 s; 1200 p.p.m. acidified sodium chlorite (ASC) solution for 5 s and 50 p.p.m. chlorine solution for 5 min in the form of dips and sprays on the surface of dressed broilers for 0, 24 and 48 h of storage was conducted. (2) The variables studied were, total plate count (TPC), presumptive coliform count (PCC), pH and extract release volume (ERV). All treatments reduced TPC and PCC. (3) Lactic acid dip and hot water dip were the most effective for reducing TPC (1.36 and 1.28 log/cm2, respectively) with no significant difference between them. (4) ASC and hot water in dip could diminish PCC (1.37 and 1.34 log/cm2, respectively) and did not vary significantly. (5) No treatment affected muscle pH, water holding capacity (WHC), ERV, appearance, smell, tenderness and overall acceptability of treated broilers significantly. (6) Hot water treatment is the cheapest, most convenient and simplest decontamination technique for hygienic and wholesome poultry production.     

Prevalence,molecular fingerprinting and drug resistance profile of enterovirulent <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> isolates from free-ranging yaks of Tawang district,Arunachal Pradesh,India

Of 273 samples (rectal swab) collected from free-ranging yaks of Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh, 42 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), six enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and 27 enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) strains were isolated. All the STEC and EPEC strains were further investigated for respective stx variants (for STEC only) and additional putative virulence factors. The 27 ETEC strains were also screened for characteristic enterotoxin gene(s) and colonization factors. Occurrence of ETEC was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the diarrheic yaks and yaks of less than 1 year of age. Majority of enterovirulent E. coli isolates were resistant to amikacin, azithromycin, chloramphenicol, colistin, doxycycline, furazolidone, nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin, streptomycin and tetracycline. Dendrogram, constructed with molecular fingerprinting profiles obtained from RAPD (Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA) and ERIC (Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus) PCR, placed the isolates in different clusters irrespective of their serotypes, virulence gene and drug resistance pattern. Collectively, the study indicates that yaks, being a potential reservoir of multidrug resistant STEC and EPEC, may represent significant risk to public health in this region. Higher recovery of ETEC isolates from yaks with diarrhea points out that ETEC may be a major determinant for repeated occurrence of diarrhea in yaks.     

Soil degradation and mitigation in agricultural lands in the Indian Anthropocene

Current widespread and intensive soil degradation in India has been driven by unprecedented levels of population growth, large-scale industrialization, high-yield agriculture, urban sprawl and the spread of human infrastructure. The damage caused to managed and natural systems by soil degradation threatens livelihoods and local services and leads to national socio-economic disruption. Human-induced soil degradation results from land clearing and deforestation, inappropriate agricultural practices, improper management of industrial effluents and wastes, careless management of forests, surface mining, urban sprawl, and ill-planned commercial and industrial development. Of these, inappropriate agricultural practices, including excessive tillage and use of heavy machinery, over-grazing, excessive and unbalanced use of inorganic fertilizers, poor irrigation and water management techniques, pesticide overuse, inadequate crop residue and/or organic carbon inputs, and poor crop cycle planning, account for nearly 40% (121 Mha) of land degradation across India. Globally, human activities related to agriculture contribute to the transgression of four of the nine Planetary Boundaries proposed by Rockström et al. (2009): Climate Change, Biodiversity Integrity, Land-system Change, and altered Phosphorus and Nitrogen Biogeochemical Flows. This review focuses on how knowledge of soil processes in agriculture has developed in India over the past 10 years, and the potential of soil science to meet the objectives of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger (End hunger, achieve food security, improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture), using the context of the four most relevant Planetary Boundaries as a framework. Solutions to mitigate soil degradation and improve soil health in different regions using conservation agricultural approaches have been proposed. Thus, in this review we (1) summarize the outputs of recent innovative research in India that has explored the impacts of soil degradation on four Planetary Boundaries (Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, Land-system Change, and altered Biogeochemical Flows of Phosphorus and Nitrogen) and vice-versa; and (2) identify the knowledge gaps that require urgent attention to inform developing soil science research agendas in India, to advise policy makers, and to support those whose livelihoods rely on the land.     

Soil loss tolerance limits for planning of soil conservation measures in Shivalik–Himalayan region of India

Soil loss tolerance limit is defined as the threshold upper limit of soil erosion that can be allowed without degrading long term productivity of specific soils. In India a default soil loss tolerance limit (SLTL) of 11.2 Mg ha^− 1 yr^− 1 is followed for planning soil conservation activities. The objective of this investigation is to provide a methodology to estimate quantitative SLTL for the Shivalik–Himalayan region in India for suggesting suitable soil conservation measures. A quantitative model was used to integrate potential soil indicators such as infiltration rate, bulk density, water stable aggregate, organic carbon and fertility status to assess soil quality governing soil resistibility to erosion. Scaling functions were used to convert soil parameters to unit less 0 to 1 scale. Normalized values of soil parameters were then multiplied by assigned weights based on relative importance and sensitivity analysis of each indicator. Soils were grouped into 1, 2 and 3 depending on overall additive score. A general guideline developed by the USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) was followed with certain modifications in depth category for estimation of SLTLs. Soil loss tolerance limits varied from 2.5 to 12.5 Mg ha^− 1 yr ^− 1 compared to single value of 11.2 Mg ha^− 1 yr ^− 1 being followed earlier. Consideration of the newly estimated SLTLs would facilitate site specific conservation planning and prioritising areas for watershed management activities in India.     

Role of zeolites in persistence of high altitude ferruginous Alfisols of the humid tropical Western Ghats, India

The high altitude ferruginous Alfisols associated spatially with shrink–swell soils on the Deccan basalt plateau and dissected table lands in the Western Ghats of India were analysed for their morphological, chemical and mineralogical properties with a view to comprehend their formation and persistence in the tropical humid climate prevailing since the early Tertiary. The study indicates that despite their acidic pH the soils have high bases and their clay fractions are dominated by interstratified smectite-kaolin. The persistence of these non-kaolinitic and/or non-oxidic Alfisols has been possible due to the presence of base-rich zeolites of amygdoloidal basalt. It suggests that for an open system such as soil, the existence of steady state is a more meaningful concept than thermodynamic equilibrium. The knowledge gained on the role of zeolites in soils provides a check on the reasoning of models on the formation of soils in tropical humid climate. The study also indicates that the supply of bases from zeolites can prevent the soils from losing their productivity even in intense leaching environment.     

Phosphorus dynamics and solubilizing microorganisms in acid soils under different land uses of Lesser Himalayas of India

Although chemical and some soil physical properties have been studied under different land uses of the Lesser Himalayas of India, very limited information is available on soil biochemical properties. Hence we investigated phosphorus (P) fractions [total P (TP), inorganic P (P_i), organic P (P_o), available P, microbial biomass P (MBP)], enzyme activities [dehydrogenase, phosphatases, phytase], phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and fungi (PSF), and their correlations of acid soils (0–15 and 15–30 cm depths) under different land uses (viz, organic farming, maize–wheat, apple orchard, undisturbed oak forest and uncultivated land of the Indian Himalayas). All land use systems differed significantly for the P fractions, except TP. The highest values for TP, P_i, available P and MBP were found in soils under oak forest and lowest in uncultivated land. However, P_o content was highest in apple orchard. The organic farming (organic manures field under garden pea-french bean cropping system for > 10 years) maintained highest activities of dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase. The highest phytase activity and highest numbers of PSB (99 × 10³ g^?1 soil) and PSF (30 × 10³ g^?1 soil) were observed in the rhizosphere soils of oak forest. Significant relationships between soil P fractions and enzyme activities, except alkaline phosphatase, were recorded in surface soil layer. PSB and PSF population were also correlated significantly with P fractions and enzyme activities. This would lead us to understand the level of degradation of P pools due to cultivation over forest system and the suitable management practices needed for soil quality restoration.     

Tillage and nitrogen management effects with sequential and ready-mix herbicides on weed diversity and wheat productivity

In this experiment, weed management was studied in zero tillage (ZT) and conventional tillage (CT) wheat with and without crop residue and nitrogen (N). The treatment ZT with crop residue retention (R) and 75% of required N plus GreenSeeker? (GS)-aided N management (ZTRNGS) resulted in a reduction of density and dry weight of weeds compared to CT and ZT without residue. Sequential application of pendimethalin and sulfosulfuron (PMT-SSF) reduced the weed density and dry weight compared to the weedy check (WC). Importantly, the richness and diversity indices were high in ZTRNGS and in WC treatments. Greater wheat grain (5.11 t/ha) and biomass yield (13.31 t/ha) were observed in ZTRNGS than CT without residue and blanket split application of N (CTN). The treatment ZTRNGS recorded 14.1% and 16.9% higher gross and net returns, respectively, over CTN. This study demonstrates that surface retention of crop residue in ZT is more useful than residue incorporation under CT for effective weed control, improving crop yield and profitability.     

Impact of sulfur fertilization on distribution of sulfur fractions and use efficiency in blackgram in subtropical acidic soil of Assam,India

A field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of sulfur (S) fertilization on distribution of S in soil and use efficiency on blackgram in subtropical Inceptisol of acidic soil of Assam, India. Five levels of S were applied (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 kg S ha^?1) along with recommended dose of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Available S content gradually decreased with the advancement of crop growth stages and lowest value was observed at 60 DAS. Different S fractions were found to increase with increasing levels of S application and 40 kg S ha^?1 resulted the highest content for all S fractions. The grain and stover yield of blackgram increased significantly up to 20 kg S ha^?1 which was 95.69% higher over control. Agronomic efficiency, apparent S recovery and recovery efficiency of S were higher at 10 kg S ha^?1and found decreased with increase in level of S.     

Retention and release isotherm of arsenic in arsenic–humic/fulvic equilibrium study

Organic fractions from farm yard manure (FYM), vermicompost, municipal sludge, mustard cake, and surface soil of West Bengal, which was arsenic (As)-contaminated, were extracted and fractionated into fulvic and humic acid (FA and HA, respectively) fractions following standard procedures. These HA and FA samples were characterized by pH-potentiometric titrations, viscometric measurements and visible spectrophotometry. The stability constant (logK) of the complexes formed by these natural with As in aqueous phase was evaluated by the ion-exchange method. The logK values suggest that the organo-As complexes were quite stable. The release isotherm of As from the HA/FA complexes extracted from vermicompost and FYM was assayed in the presence of molybdate, nitrate, phosphate, sulfate and borate. The greatest tendency to displace As from the complexes was shown by sulfate, molybdite, and nitrate.