Journal of Applied and Natural Science
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Plant species composition and product utility pattern of Garo homegardens in Meghalaya, India
Get PDFHome garden is a traditional landuse system practiced by many rural households in the tropical region. The composition and management practices within homegardens are largely driven by cultural setup and ecological conditions. The present study characterized the plant species composition, utility patterns and management of Garo homegardens in Dadenggre block, West Garo Hill district of Meghalaya, India. Fifty households from 5 villages were randomly selected and interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The homegardens size ranged between 0.07 and 1.29ha, harbouring 132 plant species, out of which 74 species were trees, 19 shrubs and 39 herbs. Among the perennials, Areca catechu (areca nut) was the most common contributor to household earnings. When species were grouped into 9 utility classes (timber, medicinal, fruit, fuelwood, fodder, vegetables, ornamental, spice, and others), highest number was for fuelwood, followed by vegetables and fruits. The average household income was Rs. 318/100m2, the highest contribution from the sale of vegetables. Various home garden management activities were conducted, engaging family members and generating employment for others. Animal rearing is common in many households and the application of animal manure and household waste has helped maintain soil fertility of homegardens’ soils. Homegardens are integral to the Garo society, contributing significantly to household needs and activities.
Comparison of membrane immobilized zero-valent iron nanoparticles for RED ME4BL azodye degradation
Get PDFTextile industries are hailed as one of the major environmental polluters in the world, owing to their release of undesirable dye effluents. Synthetic dyes do not adhere to fabric firmly and are released into the aquatic ecosystem as effluent. Consequently, the consistent release of wastewater from numerous textile industries without previous treatment has detrimental effects on the ecosystem and human health. Treatment methods currently being used fail to degrade the dye effluents and have their own shortcomings. Immobilized nanoparticles have been extensively studied for dye remediation because of their many advantages over conventional methods. The present study aimed to compare the efficiency of two different carrier matrices [namely Poly(vinylidene fluoride) and Polyurethane] for iron nanoparticle and their decolorization activity on an azo dye (RED ME4BL). Scanning Electron Microscopy was carried out to show the deposition of iron nanoparticles on the membrane. The reaction kinetics of the bare nanoparticles were compared with that of the immobilized nanoparticles, and all were found to follow pseudo-second-order kinetics. Polyurethane immobilized iron nanoparticles showed a significant degradation of RED ME4bl than the Poly(vinylidene fluoride) immobilized iron and bare nanoparticles. This paper also demonstrates a relatively newer method for nanoparticle immobilisation using the synthetic polyurethane form.
Newly engineered nanoparticles as potential therapeutic agents for plants to ameliorate abiotic and biotic stress
Get PDFFood scarcity is a global concern that is growing every year. Biotic stress factors like pathogenic fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematode pests aggravate the situation by imparting detrimental effects on crops by unfavourably affecting their growth and yield. Abiotic stress factors include extreme heat and cold, drought, high salinity, floods, and heavy metal toxicity. Annually, millions of hectares of agricultural land worldwide are lost to these stress elicitors. To combat these stress factors, plants have developed strong defense mechanisms, including protective physical barriers, the overexpression of certain genes, and the production of secondary metabolites. Nanotechnology offers numerous novel and sustainable substitutes for conventional agriculture due to its potential uses in this field. Newly engineered nanoparticles (NENPs) are synthesized nanoparticles that are 1-100 nm in size and possess unique properties that help plants combat abiotic and biotic stress factors efficiently. NENPs are designed to ameliorate stress, alleviate nutrient inadequacy in soil, improve plant nutritional value, and overall boost crop productivity. This review illustrates the applications of various NENPs, which help plants cope with biotic and abiotic stresses. It highlights the effective induced changes that develop in the morphology, physiology, and biochemistry of different plants under stress and the role of NENPs. This review also highlights the toxic and deleterious effects of NENPs on the soil when used in higher doses and concludes with the prospects of NENPs in agriculture
A comparative study on GC-MS analysis and antimicrobial activity of bioactive compounds present in aerial parts (leaf and fruit) of Ficus benghalensis L.
Get PDFPlants are being looked upon for medications derived mainly from different plant parts. The majority of the population worldwide, especially in underdeveloped nations, relies on herbal formulations for basic medical requirements. Ficus benghalensis L., member of moraceae family is renowned for its ethano-medicinal applications. In this study, polar (aqueous, methanolic, and acetone) and non polar (petroleum ether) extracts of leaves and fruits of F. benghalensis L. were investigated for their antimicrobial activity and phytochemical constituency. Antimicrobial activity was estimated by investigating Zone of Inhibition (ZOI) and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) against gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Salmonella typhi and Escherichia coli) bacteria; and fungal strains (Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum, and Rhizopus oryzae). The diameter of ZOI ranged from 18.8 ± 1.2mm to 6.2 ± .88mm for various bacterial strains, whereas from 10.2 ± 1.3mm to 6.2 ± 1.6mm for fungal strains. Aqueous and petroleum ether extracts exhibited comparatively lesser or no activity in some cases whereas methanol and acetone extracts exhibited moderate to good activity. MIC values ranged between 50μg/μl to 0.024μg/μl against both bacterial and fungal strains. Methanolic extracts were further analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) for their phytochemical profile since they showed higher antimicrobial activity. The major compounds detected in leaf extracts were Lup-20(29)-en-3-one (20.45%), Lupeol (17.40%), Beta amyrone (9.07%), Squalene (5.17), Stigmasta-5-en-3-ol (5.62%), Vitamin-E (3.89%), and n-Hexadecanoic acid (1.32%); and in fruit extract were Octadecatrienoic acid (15.24%), 4H-Pyran-4-one, 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl (14.89%), 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (15.32%), 24-Norursa-3,12-diene (2.79%), and 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (z, z)-2-hydroxy-1- (hydroxymethyl) ethyl (2.07%). This study supports using F. benghalensis L. in microbial infection therapy
Quality analysis of groundwater and surface water bodies around the selected brick kilns in Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar Districts in Punjab, India
Get PDFBrick production is a business that benefits many people, such as providing building materials, employment, and interest to the business owners. However, it has been associated with many adverse impacts various components of ecosystem.Thepresent studyaimed to determine the impact of isolated brick kilns onthe pollution levelof water bodies in Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar Districts of Punjab, India. Physicochemical and microbiological parameters of water were evaluated. The results revealed that the isolated brick kilns partially impacted the water bodies, as the concentration of heavy metals waspresent in surface water near the study area. Parameters such as electrical conductivity (EC), Turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), Chloride (Cl), alkalinity and chemical oxygen demand (COD) estimated for surface water samples showed high contamination levels, except for pH, which was acidic (6.2) for surface water. The groundwater was alkaline with pH estimated to be 7.6. The alkalinity and COD levels of groundwater were 693.3 mg/l and 12.4,respectively, as the peak values, and both values were beyond the permissible limits for drinking water. Total coliforms were present in all samples at low health risk (13/15), except two surface water ponds, which showed a health risk. One-third of groundwater was highly contaminated by Escherichia coli, whereas only one of the twelve samples was contaminated withE.coli. The changes of all estimated water parameters in groundwater with distance did not follow any spatial pattern. They could partially be attributed to the lithology of the soil and prominent agricultural activities in the region. The WQI was highly influenced by heavy metals, notably arsenic (As) from both lithologic and brick kilns\u27 origins and lead (Pb) from burning fuels in the brick kilns.
Detection of antibiotics resistance andefflux pumps production in clinical Acinetobacter baumannii isolates
Get PDFAcinetobacter baumannii is considered one of the important pathogenic bacteria and responsible for several nosocomial and community infections in humans, such as the lungs (pneumonia), the bloodstream of ICU patients, burns, surgical wounds and meningitis. During the period from September to the end of December 2022, a total of 210 blood specimens were collected inDiyala governorate Baqubah Teaching Hospital, Iraq.To investigate the prevalence of bacterial isolates among ICU patients by identifying bacteria depending on suitable media under suitable environmental conditions for growth, morphological characteristics, biochemical tests, and confirmation of identification isolates by molecular detection of blaOXA- 51gene, antibiotic resistance, phenotypic and molecular detection of efflux pumps adeF gene, and activity of ciprofloxacin andresveratrol on gene expression. The percentage positive growth of A. baumannii isolates from blood specimens among ICU patients was 12 %, and the highest resistance of 25 isolates against fourteen types of antibiotics was equal to cefotaxime (100 % ), ticarcillin-clavulanate, and ceftriaxone ( 96 %), and ( 92 % )for each of Cefepime and Tobramycin, the lowest percentage was for doxycycline (64 % ).MIC value for ciprofloxacin and doxycycline between (8- 512 mg/ml) and ( 4 - 128 mg/ml) respectively. Molecular studies indicate the presence of blaOXA- 51gene and adeF in all isolates under study ( 100 % ). The treatment of resistance isolates with ciprofloxacin, resveratrol and their combination resulted in reduction of adeF gene. The resveratrol effect on efflux pumps gene adeF gene expression occurred for the first time in Iraq and even at the level of the Arab world.
Evaluation of Boerhavia diffusa and Eichhornia crassipes plant extracts in vitro as potential antifungal agents against human pathogenic fungi Candida albician and Candida tropicalis : A comparative study
Get PDFPlant extracts are used to make herbal remedies with no side effects and little expense. During the COVID-19 pandemic, fungal species responsible for mucormycosis were found resistant to a variety of antifungals, including flucytosine, ketoconazole, fluconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole and echinocandins, due to their variable susceptibility. Amphotericin B is widely used as an antifungal agent due to its high inhibition capacity against various fungi. The present study aimed to compare the antifungal potential of Amphotericin B and herbal extract in vitro. The experiment was designed to measure zones of inhibition with the help of well-diffusion method. Four solvents, viz. methanol, chloroform, hexane and distilled water, were used to extract plant extract. The efficiency of plant extracts was found to be low compared to Amphotericin B (1.4mm). Chloroform extract of Boerhavia diffusa was found antifungal against Candida albician and C. tropicalis (0.45mm). Methanol and hexane extract of Eichhornia crassipes showed higher antifungal activity (1.35mm) and (1.75mm), respectively. The plant extracts also showed significant antifungal activity against C. tropicalis, revealing its potential to be used as a natural antifungal agent (1.1mm). Additionally, the findings showed that the chloroform and methanol extracts of B. diffusa and E. crassipes were also efficient against C. albician and C. tropicalis. The findings provide important insights about using plant extracts as a potential alternative to conventional antifungal agents.
Selecting the accurate hydrological method for estimating peak discharge in the Lesti River Catchment Area, Malang Regency, East Java Province, Indonesia
Get PDFEstimating peak discharge in the catchment poses a challenge for hydrologists due to the potential overflow risks. The present study examined various methods, including Synthetic unit hydrograph, Melchior, and Rational, to determine the peak discharge value in the Lesti River Catchment Area. Accurate hydrological input data is essential for effectively estimating peak discharge and mitigating potential damage or failure. Optimized physical parameters using geographic information systems are critical in generating peak discharge values, emphasizing their importance in the estimation process. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and mean average error (MAE) were used to determine the accurate method for estimating peak discharge. Analysis results showed varied peak discharge values across different methods, and it found that the MAPE values ranged from 15.15% to 7.48% and the MAE values ranged from 1.47% to 0.63%, respectively. The Nakayasu synthetic unit hydrograph obtained the minimum error measure value compared to other methods by 7.48% in MAPE and 0.63% in MAE. Therefore, the MAPE and MAE performance considered that the Nakayasu was closely approximating the observed peak discharge and a relatively accurate method for estimating peak discharge in the Lesti River catchment area.
Phenology, phyllochron and productivity of sorghum in response to varying growing environments and nitrogen levels in the semiarid irrigated condition
Get PDFClimate change is likely to affect agricultural production in many parts of the world. Sorghum is the stable food crop in semiarid areas, and climate change has significant adverse effects on sorghum yields. The optimum time of sowing is one of the important technologies that allow the crop to better utilise natural resources by the crop to maximise productivity. For optimizing the sowing time, the field investigation was carried out in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, under summer irrigated conditions in 2022. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with three replications. The main plot consists of five dates of sowing and the subplot includes different nitrogen levels. The results revealed that advanced sowing (first fortnight of April) reduced the yield by 13.73% and delayed sowing (second fortnight of May) recorded the maximum yield (4230.3kg ha-1) with higher phyllochron values. GDD manifested a significant negative relationship with a high correlation coefficient (r) value of -0.98** (p = 0.01) for days to anthesis, -0.98** (p = 0.01) for days to physiological maturity and -0.88* (p = 0.05) for phyllochron. Average temperature exhibited a significant negative correlation with days to anthesis (-0.75*), physiological maturity (-0.97**) and phyllochron (-0.89*). The best-fit regression model showed that a GDD-based model could better predict the phenology of sorghum compared to an average temperature-based model. The study indicated that understanding sorghum\u27s phenological response and productivity level under varied dates of sowing and the nitrogen levels in semiarid environments can help determine the appropriate sowing time and optimum nitrogen level for achieving better yield in summer-irrigated sorghum.
Qualitative characterization and clustering in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) germplasm accessions
Get PDFMost of the tomato genotypes are inbred in nature, indicating the need to assess and characterize germplasm accessions as they are the reserve for genotypes with desired traits. Documentation on morphological traits is quite informative in tomato breeding programs since higher levels of diversity on morphological traits are associated with genotypes with lower genetic diversity when assessed using molecular markers. The present investigation aimed to evaluate morphological diversity in tomato germplasm accessions. Morphological characterization was performed in 104 genotypes acquired from various sources. Thirty-three morphological traits, such as seedling, plant, inflorescence and fruit, were scored based on the tomato descriptors. Out of 33 characters studied, 26 traits exhibited diverse modalities, 4 traits exhibited varied classes in genotypes and 3 traits did not show any variants. Qualitative characterization highlighted greater variability among genotypes, as witnessed by their diverse modalities for each trait. The collected data was subjected to Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering following Ward’s method. Cluster analysis and dendrogram construction displayed genetic diversity\u27s richness in the germplasm accessions. Cluster analysis placed these 104 genotypes in six clusters. The largest cluster comprised 55 genotypes, whereas the smallest cluster had three. Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering helped to find similarities between genotypes. This efficiently assigned genotypes into groups and thus provided guidelines for parental selection in tomato hybridization and breeding programmes.