Journal of Applied and Natural Science
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Assessment of tree diversity in tropical moist deciduous forest of Mizoram University, Northeast India
Get PDFForests are the main repository of biodiversity and play an important role in maintaining the ecological balance of nature. The status of species diversity reflects the health of the ecosystem. Therefore, the information on variation in the flora, for example, species composition, diversity and the basal area within any ecosystem like the forest of Mizoram University campus, Tanhril village, Aizawl would be important in understanding the forest wealth of the campus. Keeping in view, the study was analyzed the composition and diversity of Mizoram University campus by laying 16 (10 m ×10 m) quadrats at random locations during 2015-2016. A total of 35 tree species belonging to 30 genera and 22 families were recorded in the forest communities of University Campus. Aporusa octandra was the most dominant tree species with maximum 31.50 importance value index (IVI), 3.29 Shannon diversity index (H0) and 6972 Simpson’s index (D) followed by Castanopsis tribuloides (28 IVI, 0.22 H0 and 5256 D) and least dominant species recorded were: Albizia odoratissima, Anogeissus acuminate, Lithocarpus elegans, Oroxylum indicum. This study suggests that the forest patches are recovering after the establishment of the University because of adequate protection which was degraded in the past by the villager for collecting the trees for firewood, edible wild food and selecting the mature trees for felling. Therefore, further studies on regeneration potential of tree species would be crucial for the conservation of ecologically important species and to assess rates of their recovery following the disturbance
Evaluation of safe alternative wetting & drying and its influence on growth, yield and water use of the efficiency of rice (Orzya sativa l.)
Get PDFDue to the increase in scarcity of freshwater resources available for irrigated agriculture and escalating demand for food around the world, in the future, it will be necessary to produce more food with less water. Due to inadequate or unevenly-distributed rainfall, irrigation is essential to high rice yields. A field experiment of Alternative Wetting and Drying Irrigation (AWDI) was conducted during kharif season 2014 & 2015 at Soil & Water Management Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. The treatments ranged from delayed irrigations of T1 to T6 (10, 15, 20 cm depletion of water level below the ground level, 15cm depletion of water up to maximum tillering, up to panicle initiation & up to 10 days prior to harvest) and continuous submergence (T7) of field irrigation water denoting the application of 5 cm flooded water condition, when the water level in the perforated PVC pipe fell at 10, 15 and 20 cm below ground level respectively. There was a significant (5% level) consequence of plant height, productive tillers, filled grains, yield and Water Use Efficiency (WUE) due to the influence of AWDI. The highest yield (5981 kg/ha) and WUE (7.56 kg/ha/mm) was recorded in treatment T1. Longer water stress resulted in the loss of grain yield to the tune of 500 to 1000 kg/ha. This study found that in sandy loam soil at 10cm depletion of ponded water produced maximum yield (5809 kg/ha, besides the highest B.C ratio of 2.02) and WUE (7.56 kg/ha mm)
Integrated management of Ramularia blight (Ramularia foeniculi ) in fennel
Get PDFRamularia blight, caused by Ramularia foeniculi Sybille’s a highly destructive fennel disease and may cause complete failure of the crop. The use of chemicals especially mancozeb to manage Ramularia blight increases the load of residues in seed and reduces the export and market price. Removal of lower yellow leaves would not only help in reducing the load of Ramularia pathogen but, also increase the aeration in fennel crop. To manage this disease, field trial was conducted for three consecutive kharif seasons (2017-18, 2018-19 & 2019-20) with agronomical practices i.e. removal of lower yellow leaves at different stages and different spraying schedules of chlorothalonil 75WP. Removal of lower yellow leaves at 50 % flowering stage and grain filling stage with two sprays of chlorothalonil 75WP @ 0.15% (20 g/ 10 lit. water) first spray at just appearance of disease and second spray at15 days after first spray was found effective not only in terms of management of disease (10.91 % disease incidence), yield (2078 kg/ha) and quality aspects but also reduced the load of fungicide on seed which promote the export. Thus, limited use (2 sprays) of chlorothalonil with the removal of lower yellow leaves helps to meet out the quality standards for export promotion with respect to residual limits in the said commodity
Development of sugar free cookies with novel biodegradable packaging film
Get PDFThe use of alternative sweeteners can help manage weight and normal blood glucose levels of diabetics. Development and standardization of sugar free, low glycemic index and high fibre cookies using wheat flour, oats, trans free bakery shortening, and almonds. Physiochemical analysis of the raw materials used for cookie preparation and the finished product was conducted. Cookies were analysed for diameter, height, spread ratio, texture, and water activity. Sensory analysis using semi-trained panellists was done to establish the acceptability of the product. The formulated cookies were well accepted by the semi-trained panellists as well as the people with diabetes who were randomly selected for the study. The overall appearance, texture and flavour of the cookies were moderately liked by the panellists as indicated in the qualitative descriptive analysis. The product did not change much with the storage of 90 days. The cookies were high in dietary fibre (2.5g per serving), out of which ?- glucan, a soluble fibre was found to be 0.8g per serving which offers a healthy alternative for consumers. The biodegradable polymer used for packaging the cookies was prepared using terpolymer. The chemical and physical properties of the polymer were determined using acid value which was between 0.0195 and 0.0200, hydroxyl value; 0.0260 and 0.023 and the molecular weight was in the range of 10,256 ? and 10,000 ? of the terpolymer A and B, respectively. The polymer demonstrated good mechanical strength as well as and water vapours barrier properties to be used as a primary package for cookies
Deacidification of Camelina sativa L. seed oil by Physisorption method and characterization of produced biodiesel
Get PDFAccording to India\u27s National Biofuel Policy, only non-edible oilseed crops can be used for the biofuel feedstock. In this context, Camelina sativa is one such plant that fulfils all the criteria defined by the Biofuel policies of India. So, the present investigation was aimed to examine C. sativa seed oil capabilities as a biodiesel feedstock. Oil was deacidified via adsorption method applying Silica Gel as an adsorbent. The highest efficacy was obtained when 1:9 (Silica gel: oil) ratio was applied and the acid value was reduced from 6.45 to 2.78 mg KOH/g. Furthermore, oil was transesterified using methanol in the ratio of 1:6 (oil: methanol molar ratio) and 0.8 % (w/w of oil) of KOH as a catalyst at 70 ?C. The produced biodiesel was analyzed in terms of fuel-specific parameters and results were compared with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The results were very much satisfactory and under the limits specified by the ASTM standards. The results revealed that oil to biodiesel conversion was 92.28 % with an acid value of 0.37 mg KOH/g. The measured Iodine value was 152 gI2/100g indicated the high unsaturation. Still, Camelina biodiesel showed oxidation stability of 6 h., which was a decent value compared to this much unsaturation. The sulphur content was also higher (24 ppm) than the specified limit (15 ppm). Besides, the fuel-specific parameters like sulphur content and iodine value were under the ASTM limits
Synthesis and characterization of carbon dots from coconut shell by optimizing the hydrothermal carbonization process
Get PDFCoconut shell is one of the major agro-by products vis-a-vis agro-waste generated by coconut processing units. At present, Coconut shells are largely utilized as feed material for thermal power conversion by various allied industrial sectors, which is a highly energy inefficient and ecologically unfriendly process. The present study aimed to generate activated carbon dots/ carbon nanomaterials with a wide range of potential applications through a relatively less energy dependant hydrothermal carbonization process. Hydrothermal carbonization is a one-step, simple, low cost and environmental friendly approach to obtain carbon dots. The findings demonstrate that coconut shells when subjected to hydrothermal carbonization process at 250ᵒC for 6 h produced uniform-sized, stable, negatively charged and amorphous forms of carbon dots. Characterization of carbon dots using High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED), X- ray Diffractometer (XRD), UV- Visible Spectroscopy, Particle Size Analyzer (PSA), Brunauer–Emmett-Teller (BET) Analyzer, Elemental Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyzer and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) had conclusively confirmed the versatility of the carbon dots generation process and were able to achieve stable 2 nm-sized, spherical shaped carbon dots with numerous downstream applications. The study will help the conversion of agro-waste coconut shells into useful bio-based fluorescent carbon dots
Extrapolation of post-harvest soil test values in barnyard millet-based cropping sequence through multivariate analysis
Get PDFThe soil test value is based on the soil test-based fertilizer prescription/ recommendation equation. Each crop harvesting after the next crop is necessary to analyze the soil. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an alternative technique to predict postharvest soil tests after the harvest of every crop. For that a study was conducted in mixed black calcareous soils at Tamil Nadu agricultural University, Coimbatore to develop the post-harvest prediction equations for available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in barnyard millet cropping sequence based on a multiple regression model by considering post-harvest soil test value as the dependent variable and initial available nutrients, fertilizer doses and crop yield or crop nutrient uptake as an independent variables. The developed model was validated by computing R2 value, RMSE (root means square error), RE (relative error), and the ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) and the developed model was found to be valid. Using the validated model, post-harvest soil test values were predicted. A fertilizer recommendation was made for blackgram based on predicted post-harvest soil test values in the barnyard millet-blackgram cropping sequence. The predicted soil test values were compared with actual soil test values and it revealed that the developed model is fairly accurate and best-fitted with more precision. The predicted post-harvest soil test values of barnyard millet could be used in order to prescribe fertilizer for desired yield targets for subsequent crops
Paddy cum fish culture: Growth performance of Channa punctatus, paddy yield and economics
Get PDFIntegrating fish and paddy culture may enhance the production with maintaining equitable use of the available land and human resources to ensure global food security. Hence the present study has been carried out to explore the possibility of culture of fish, Channa punctatus in paddy fields with/without supplementary feed. Four treatments (T1: No fish, no pesticide in paddy fields; T2: Fish in paddy fields without pesticide exposure; T3: Fish in paddy fields with are commended dose of pesticide and T4: Fish in paddy fields with pesticide dose as per farmers) were maintained in both experiments (with/without supplementary feed) in 120 m2 paddy plots. Farmers’ treatment without fish was also considered (T5). Fingerlings (15.50±0.40 g) were stocked with 1 fishper 3m2. Water quality, growth performance, carcass composition, paddy yield and economics were studied. Water quality remained in the optimum range for fish culture (D.O. 4.-7.1 mg l-1, pH 7.5-8.8).Growth performance and carcass composition revealed significantly (P<0.05) higher valuesin T2(SGR: 52.03, 129.73; crude protein: 14.8%, 15.0%). The values for paddy productions and economics increased from T1(24±0.326 q ha-1 and INR 32,850.00) to T3(55±0.475 q ha-1and INR 111,672.00), decreased thereafter. Results of supplementary food experiments clearly revealed that although fish growth/yield was higher in T2 (659±0.514 kg ha-1), rice production per hectare (57±0.891 q ha-1) and net revenue gain (INR 237,457.00) was high in T3 with recommended pesticides use. Thus, fish-cum paddy culture can yield economic benefits contributing significantly towards sustainable food security
Integrated nutrient management - promising way to reduce carbon dioxide and methane emission in flooded rice ecosystem: A review
Get PDFClimate change is an inevitable ruling issue caused by the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG’s) in the atmosphere worldwide. It will have a considerable impact on agriculture and its related fields like live stocks and fisheries. In India, the main sectors contributing to these emissions are industry, agriculture and waste, with a total emission of 334 MT CO2 eq. Besides, the major sources in agriculture are enteric fermentation (63.4%), rice cultivation (20.9%), agricultural soils (13.0%), manure management (2.4%) and on-field burning is the crop residue (2.0%). Thus, the crop productivity sector (rice cultivation, soil and field burning of crop residues) contributes 35.9% to the total emission from agriculture. Therefore, reducing GHG emissions and enhancing the C sequestration in soil and biomass has become challenging. However, the total GHG’s emission from all sectors of the country has decreased from 33% in 1970 to 18% in 2010. Cutting off GHGs emission from agriculture can be achieved by sequestering C and reducing methane emissions(CH4) and carbon dioxide(CO2) through various soil and crop management strategies. Integrated nutrient management (INM) practice ensures the Soil –plant –atmospheric continuum (SPAC) in a promising way, reducing the GHGs emission by sequestering more carbon to soil than emissions. A studious prominent INM solution can be identified to develop a mitigation strategy that helps in climate change adaptation and sustains soil health through soil carbon sequestration
Quality assessment of compost from Centralized windrow composter (CWC) and Source segregate automatic vessel composter (AVC) at Hyderabad city in India
Get PDF Out of the millions of tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generated annually in India, only about 75-80% of the waste gets collected and out of this, only 22- 28% is processed and treated, and the remaining is deposited indiscriminately at dump yards. Hyderabad city generates around 5500MT of waste every day. And only 20% of the waste is used for composting using the windrow composting process. MSW composting is a rapidly growing method of solid waste management in Hyderabad and In-Vessel composting is the recent initiative by the Govt. of India to reduce the organic solid waste generated at the source. The present study was aimed to assess the degree of accumulation and contamination of the heavy metals in composts from Centralised Windrow Composter (CWC) and Source Segregated Accelerated Vessel Composter (AVC). Compost Samples from CWC and AVC were analysed for metals concentration using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometers (ED-XRF). CWC samples were found with slightly high concentrations of heavy metals like Zinc (0.51 – 0.66%), Copper (0.36 – 0.45%), Nickel 0.03 – 0.05%), Iron (11.46 – 13.27%), and chromium (0.06 – 0.14%) compared to AVC. AVC samples contained high concentrations of Calcium (14.99 – 64.19%), Potassium (9.13 – 29.59%) and Phosphorous (1.55 – 3.43%) when compared to CWC. The current study does a comparative analysis on the process and nutrients available to assess the quality of the compost from both sources. Considering the above findings source segregated AVC seems to be a better composter than centralised CWC, as the concentrations of Ca, K, and P required by the plant were abundant in AVC. Also, considering the process aspect, there is always scope for cross-contamination if the waste is separated after treatment which is the case in CWC