Journal of Applied and Natural Science
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Response of growth, yield and quality of small onion (Allium cepa L. var. aggregatum don.) to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University-Water Soluble Fertilizers (TNAU-WSF)
Get PDFEnhancing the food production for the growing world population has needed application of highly sustainable and efficient inputs to produce more food per unit of land. Hence, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu has produced Water soluble fertilizers (WSF) in its maiden attempt and it is necessary to optimize on different crops. Small onion is one of the most important vegetables in the Indian diet and it has high demand but low productivity. To enhance crop productivity and quality of small onions, the application of TNAU-WSF was taken up. A field experiment was laid out in a Randomized block design (RBD) incorporating 8 treatments comprising of application of RDF at100% NPK as TNAU WSF, soil test based application of 75%, 100%, 125% NPK ha-1 as TNAU-WSF with soil application of sulphur (S) and foliar spray of TNAU Liquid multi micronutrient (LMM) and without S and TNAU LMM and absolute control. Each treatment was replicated thrice with onion (CO 4). Soil test based application of 125% NPK ha-1 as TNAU-WSF with sulphur (S) and TNAU LMM recorded significantly higher in plant height (54.01 cm), the number of leaves per bulb (8.56), leaf greenness (67.5 SPAD), root length (5.42 cm), polar bulb diameter (4.38 cm), equatorial bulb diameter (2.72 cm) fresh bulb weight (74.21 g), bulb yield (1751 t ha-1) and quality attributes like total soluble solids (TSS) (14.78 °Brix), ascorbic acid content (15.34 mg 100 g-1), pyruvic acid content (2.27 µmol g-1). However, soil test based application of 100% NPK ha-1 as TNAU-WSF was found to be an ideal rate to attain the economic target yield of the onion crop
Comparison of branded and non-branded food samples widely consumed in north India with reference to Trans fatty acid content
Get PDFTrans fatty acids (TFA) are the geometrical isomers of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids that affect the functional and physicochemical properties of these fatty acids, which in turn affect their metabolism in humans. Since the database available for trans fatty acids in food from India is scarce, the research report generates data about trans fatty acid content in selected foods popular in north India. In this report, various food samples like cookies, chocolates, biscuits, pizza, fries, indigenous snacks like samosa, pakora and indigenous sweets like jalebi, gulab jamun, and laddoo were analyzed for the Trans Fatty Acid (TFA) content by gas chromatography. A large variation was found in trans fatty acid content among these food samples. The results also showed that only 4.5% of the samples were found to contain TFA less than 0.5% while approximately 8% of samples having more than 5% TFA (1 branded and 6 non-branded samples). Also, a large variation was found in the trans fatty acid content of branded and non-branded food samples with the mean value of TFA in branded and non-branded food groups as 1.781 and 6.125 respectively and the t-value of 0.852 between the two groups. When regulations are emphasizing on labelling the TFA content on the product, there are arrays of unlabelled products which are not governed under any regulations. Hence there is a need for strong food regulations to bring levels of trans fats in processed foods to negligible levels
Assessment of monthly variation in heavy metal characteristics of Electroplating industrial untreated wastewater at selected sites of Chandigarh
Get PDFWith the contest of urbanization and industrial development, electroplating industries have grown rapidly. The different chemicals, metal salts and discharge of large volume of wastewater with inefficient treatment facilities had created the pollution load on water bodies. The present study was carried out to investigate the assessment of the monthly variation of pH and heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Zn, Fe) of electroplating untreated industrial wastewater from the selected study sites viz. SS-1: Atul Industries, SS-2: Suresh Fasteners, SS-3: Bajrang Industrial Company, SS-4: Stylex Industries, SS-5: Karan Industries, SS-6: Avon Industries, SS-7: Geetika Enterprises, SS-8: Atop Fasteners, SS-9: Accufit Fasteners and SS-10: Ashoka Furniture Udyog at industrial area phase I and phase II of Chandigarh. The untreated electroplating wastewater samples were collected from ten study sites (SS-1 to SS-10) and were analyzed following the standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. The results of the present study revealed that the maximum concentration of heavy metals such as Zn (122.20 mg/l)during the month of August 2019 at the SS-8, Ni (156.37 mg/l) during the month of August 2019 at the SS-4, Cr (467.01 mg/l) during the month of October 2019 at the SS-5 and Fe (13.22 mg/l)during the month of December 2019 at the SS-2. The load of metallic ions discharge from the electroplating industries before any treatment from the selected study sites (SS-1 to SS-10) was found in the following order as Cr>Ni>Zn>Fe. Thus the present study would provide baseline data for the development of treatment strategies for wastewater discharge from electroplating industries and also in minimizing the effects of heavy metal contamination of receiving water bodies
Responses of Populus deltoides’ stem cuttings under treatment of different growth hormones in planting seasons
Get PDFThe farmers have widely used vegetative propagation of plants due to the low germination percentage of seeds of various plant species. So to study the asexual propagation technique of Populus deltoides, the present study was conducted where a number of stem cuttings of Poplar were treated with growth hormones: IBA (Indole-3-butyric acid), NAA (1-Naphthaleneacetic acid) and GA3 (Gibberellic acid) at different concentrations (100 ppm, 200 ppm and 300 ppm). Some cuttings, which were not treated with hormones, considered as control. A completely randomized design was used to conduct the experiment. The responses were recorded for the cuttings, which were collected and planted in on-season (February) and off-season (July) for 30, 60 and 90 Day after planting (DAP). The results showed that the cuttings collected and planted in February month responded with the better growth rate in shoot and root parameters. The untreated cuttings showed relatively lower values for all growth parameters than the cuttings treated with hormones. Tukey HSD test of multiple comparisons revealed that IBA, at higher concentration, had significantly (P<0.05) higher values for most of the growth parameters, followed by GA3. Pearson product-moment correlation showed a very strong correlation (P>0.70) recorded for underground biomass and other parameters. These findings can allow the farmers to select the best treatment to enhance the growth and yield of P. deltoides
Synthesis, characterization and applications of chitosan based metallic nanoparticles: A review
Get PDFChitosan as a natural biopolymer has been produced to be the important host for the preparation of metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) because of its excellent characteristics like:- good stabilizing and capping ability, biocompatibility, biodegradability, eco-friendly and non-toxicity properties. Chitosan can play a very important role for synthesis of metallic nanoparticles, as chitosan is a cationic polymer. It attracts metal ions and reduces them and also Capps and stabilizes. So basically chitosan can be responsible for the controlled synthesis of metallic nanoparticle. Chitosan has a very good chelating property. This property is due to its –NH2 and –OH functional groups. Size and shape of metallic nanoparticles are much affected by chitosan concentration, molecular weight, time of reaction, degree of acetylation of chitosan, pH of the medium, method of synthesis and type of derivative of chitosan etc. Metallic nanoparticles`s properties and applications are much associated with their size and shape. Optimization of the metallic nanoparticle size and shape has been the subject of curiosity for nanotechnology scientist. Chitosan can solve this problem by applying the optimization conditions. But a very little work is reported about: - how chitosan can affect the size and shape of metallic nanoparticles and how can it reduce metal salts to prepare metallic nanoparticle, stablilized in chitosan metrics. This is very first report as a review article highlighting the effect of chitosan on synthesis of metallic nanoparticles and optimization conditions. This review will also be beneficial for scientist working on food sensing application of nanoparticles. Various synthesis methods and applications of chitosan based metallic nanoparticles have also been reported in details
The Evaluation of Trichoderma consortia against Fusarium udum causing wilt of Pigeonpea
No full textPigeonpea is one of the important pulse crop of Madhya Pradesh, a State of India. The plant gets infected by the pathogen Fusarium udum causing wilt disease, which is one of the major constraints in the production and productivity of pigeonpea. The present study aimed to carry out in vitro condition to assess the possible use of biocontrol consortia in field conditions. Six Trichoderma consortia viz., T1- T. viride + T. harzianum (JC-I), T2- T. viride + T. virens (JC-2), T3:- T. harzianum +T. virens (JC-3), T4- T. hamatum +T. viride (JC-4), T5- T. hamatum + T. harzianum (JC-5), T6- T. hamatum + T. virens (JC-6) and T0- Control were evaluated for their antagonistic activity against F. udumunder in vitro conditions. The consortia of T4- T. hamatum +T. viride (JC-4) was found most effective(58.82 %) in inhibiting the radial growth of Fusarium udum. The volatile compound from consortium of T5-T. hamatum + T. harzianum (JC-5) exhibited maximum growth inhibition (81.84%) and sporulation of Fusarium udum followed by T1-T. viride + T. harzianum (JC-I) (55.49% inhibition) . The culture filtrate of consortia of T4- T. hamatum +T. viride (JC-4) showed 100% inhibition of test pathogen followed by T5-T. hamatum + T. harzianum (JC-5) (82.89%) at 5 % concentration. It was also observed that with an increase in the concentration of culture filtrates of all the Trichoderma species, the radial mycelial growth of the test pathogen was proportionally decreased. The Trichodema consortium viz., T4- T. hamatum +T. viride (JC-4) may be tried in the field to manage wilt of pigeonpea because they worked synergistically and gave the high impact of their use
Polyphenolic characterization of pollen grains of some medicinal plant species using Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC)
Get PDFPolyphenols, the secondary metabolites distributed in different parts of a plant, have major role in protecting the plants from deleterious effects of ultraviolet radiations and various diseases caused by pathogens. Considering the fact that these metabolites possess tremendous medicinal properties, extensive research has been carried out during the past few decades to explore their potential health benefits. Further, polyphenols are documented to possess different activities such as antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antiulcer. The present study pertained to analyze different polyphenolic compounds in pollen grains of 9 medicinally important plant species viz., Bauhinia variegata, B.purpurea, Cassia biflora, C. fistula, C. glauca, C. saimea and Delonix regia belonging to Fabaceae family, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis belonging to Malvaceae family and Melia azadirach belonging toMeliaceaefamily using Ultra high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). Various polyphenolic compounds likecaffeic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, coumaric acid, ellagic acid, epicatechin, gallic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, rutin, tert-butyl hydroquinone andumbelliferonewere found to be present in the pollen grains of these plant species. The order of plant species in terms of maximum number of polyphenolic compounds was observed as Cassia saimea (10) > B. purpurea (9) = C. fistula (9) = Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (9) > Delonix regia (8) > B. variegata (6) > C. glauca (4) = Melia Azadirach (4) > C. biflora (3). The plants such as C. saimea, B. purpurea, C. fistula and H. rosa-sinensis with different polyphenolic compounds indicated their potential forthe treatment of ailments
Use of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model for research in toxicological studies
Get PDFDanio rerio, commonly known as zebrafish, is a freshwater aquarium fish and is native to parts of South Asia. It is considered an important organism for analyzing the noxious effects of toxicants and pollutants of the environment. In terms of the molecular signaling pathway, molecular properties, organ functions and structures, and neurogenesis, zebrafish are similar to certain other higher-order vertebrates. The 3Rs, refinement,reduction, and replacement in researchhavegradually evolved with time. The accumulation of toxicants in the environment and the human health conditions from exposure to toxicants present in the environment is a serious concern, and zebrafish serves as an excellent model to research such effects. The three Rs are met by zebrafish, larvae can also be used to discover harmful medication compounds, permitting safer compounds to be explored in model organisms and it could also be used to substitute certain toxicological testing.Also, because embryos are fertilized outside and are visible during the initial days of life, the early larval model of zebrafish enables flexibility to animal research study, subsequently reducing the number of animals employed in experiments.For various experimentation studies, the larva of the zebrafish is proved to be a useful model for the system.Thus, being a good test system, zebrafish are used in environmental health and safety studies.This review focuses on the toxicological studiesin zebrafish and outlines the toxicological studies done on zebrafish with arsenic and 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) as well as microplastic toxicity
Changes in soil exchangeable nutrients across different land uses in steep slopes of Mizoram, North-east India
Get PDFLand use change resulting from anthropogenic pressure on land has led to degraded soil quality, especially in the hilly tropical regions where ecosystems are generally fragile and susceptible to soil degradation from cultivation. Hence, sustainable land uses and management practices are crucial for agricultural production and ecological balance, particularly in these regions. The present study investigates the impact of various hill land uses (Natural forest-NAF, Jhum fallow-JF, Home garden-HG, Acacia pennata plantation-AP and Current Jhum-CJ) on soil exchangeable nutrients in steeply sloping agro-ecosystems of Mizoram, North-east India. Soil samples were collected from three different depths (0-10, 10-20 & 20-30 cm) and analyzed for pH, Pavail, Na, K, Mg, Mn and Ca. Our results indicated that land use and soil depths had a significant impact on soil pH, Pavail and soil exchangeable cations (p<0.05). Conversion of native forests for cultivation negatively affected soil properties as indicated by the reduced soil exchangeable cations in cultivated lands (AP & CJ) in relation to the natural forest (NAF) and Jhum fallow (JF). Soils under longer periods of fallow (>12 years) led to increases in soil available nutrients indicating the role of vegetation cover in conserving and enhancing soil available nutrients and vice-versa. In addition, Home garden (HG) showed moderately higher available soil nutrients signifying the role of sustainable management practices such as the addition of organic amendments and mixed cropping, leading to increased soil available nutrient content
Determination of active ingredients in commercial insecticides using spectral characteristics of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)
Get PDFPesticides have become a basic necessity for yield development. This might be credited to the quickly expanding population, which has presented weight on the food creation industry.Fourier Transform Infra-red Spectroscopy utilizes sample with less course of action, less time consuming, simple, fast, non-destructive and environmental friendly infrared-based method. It makes use of Smart iTR window and pellets use on omnic transmission window. In FTIR the peaks formed for the representative sample are from 800 cm-1 to 4000 cm-1 of wavenumbers against the % transmittance. The FTIR spectra obtained for pesticide formulations were on par with the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) spectra library. Comparing the commercial-grade spectra with the Spectrabase, NIST library and Bio-rad software showed the peak ranges for different functional groups of the compound and can be examined with KnowItAll software’s ProcessItIR and AnalyseItIR. We can obtain the active principle of the peak, peak intensities. This method can be viewed as genuine choices to long and tedious chromatographic strategies as a rule suggested for quality control of commercially accessible pesticide formulations and check for adultered formulations that harm agricultural produce.