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Indigenous breeds of cattle play a significant role in the livelihood of resource poor farmers in rural areas of India. Nattukuttai cattle are short and stout cattle reared under zero input system in North Eastern agro-climatic zone of Tamil Nadu. A qualitative tool consisting of four projective techniques, viz. Sentence completion test, Verbal projection test, Story completion test and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) to measure the attitude of the farmers towards the conservation of Nattukuttai cattle was developed and standardized as per the standard protocol. The study was carried out for a period of one year 2021-22 in the selected districts of North Eastern agro-climatic zone of Tamil Nadu. Nearly two third of the respondents had favourable to most favourable attitude towards the conservation of Nattukuttai cattle breed. This study discusses the methodology of developing projective tools and their importance in measuring the attitude of farmers towards conservation of Nattukuttai cattle.

Twenty species of Pestolotiopsis were isolated from different hosts and screened for the production of an anticancer drug taxol. Taxol production was confirmed in all the 20 fungi by ultra violet (UV) spectroscopic analysis, and Infra-red Spectrum analysis (IR). The taxol produced by the fungi was compared with that of standard taxol. The taxol from the selected fungi were identical with authentic taxol.

This study reports in vitro cytotoxicity effect of biogenic synthesized silver nanoparticles against HT-29 colon cancer cell line. The formation of silver nanoparticles was observed at 449nm, further the various characterization techniques such as UV, SEM, IR studies were conformed the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The plant extract derived nanoparticle sample was exhibited significant cytotoxicity effects against HT-29 colon cancer cell line. Thus, the results shows the present study indicates the biogenic synthesized silver nanoparticles might be used to treat colon cancer cell line and it’s followed to their potential as anticancer agents.

Plants have served humankind as source of fuel, food, clothing, shelter and medicine since the beginning of life. Many new modern techniques, methods, strategies and plant associations have been put into use to improve the quantity and quality of plant resources. Among the microbial populations in plants, endophytes play a key role in almost every aspects right from the production of bioactive compounds, and its role in medicinal applications. In the present study, the following are the list of plants from which the leaf samples have been collected Mangifera indica (L), Psidium guajava (L), Catharanthus roseus (L) G.don, Citrus limon (L). Burm.f., Murraya koenigii (L), Hibiscus rosasinensis (L). The inoculated leaf sample harboured a total of 50 isolate comprised of Zygomycotina (5), Ascomycotina (3), Hypomycetes (35) and Coelomycetes (7). Hymomycetes and Coelomycetes were the common fungus grown in all the leaf samples. Among the Hypomycetes and Coelomycetes fungi, two genera from Coelomycetes Botryodiplodia theobromae and Pestalotiopsis breviseta were frequently reccuring in all the months considered for the study.

Milk fever, a metabolic disease, affects dairy animals usually within one or two days after calving, resulting in a huge reduction in milk production and thus becomes economically most important. This study, conducted in five milkshed districts of Tamil Nadu, has estimated the economic losses arising from milk fever, based on the data collected from a random sample of 557 milk fever affected bovines (516 cows and 41 she buffaloes) during 2005-08. For assessing economic losses caused by milk fever, cost of medicines, veterinarian’s fee, cost of additional labour utilized, loss due to reduction in milk output, cost of animals dead and culled have been considered. The prevalence of milk fever has been found 13.67 per cent in cows and 11.99 per cent in buffaloes across the study districts. The total loss has been found as Rs 1,068 per affected cow and Rs 665 per buffalo. Taking into account the observed prevalence of milk fever, the population of milch cows and buffaloes and the per animal loss due to milk fever has been estimated to be of Rs 40.62 crore in the state, which is a substantial damage to the dairy farming community. Some suggestions for prevention and management of milk fever have been given in the study.

Partially purified methanolic extract of Cissus quadrangularis (belonging to Vitaceae member, South Indian medicinal plant) have been explored for antiviral activity and their phytochemical characterisation. In vitro antiviral activity against HSV type1 and 2, and Vero cells at non-cytotoxic concentration were determined. HSV1 and HSV2 showed more sensitivity against the partially purified compound. Phytochemical analysis showed the presence of the Steroids and Terpenoids.