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Background: In this study, we wanted to evaluate the diagnostic utility of the Haematological Scoring System of Rodwell et al in correlation with C-Reactive protein and blood culture and assessing its prognostic value, estimate the Haematological Scoring System of Rodwell et al, compare its correlation with C- reactive protein and blood culture in Neonatal Sepsis, and assess its prognostic value in reflecting the patient's outcome. Methods: This was a hospital based cross-sectional study conducted among 300 blood samples from clinically suspected cases of neonatal sepsis in the Department of Pathology at Niloufer Hospital, a Tertiary Care Centre in Hyderabad for a period of 2 years, from 2020 to 2022 after obtaining clearance from institutional ethics committee and written informed consent from the study participants. Results: The sensitivity and specificity of deranged Total Leucocyte count were 58.92% and 84.35% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of deranged Absolute Neutrophil Count were 86.49% and 46.09% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of increased Immature Neutrophil Count were 79.46% and 80.87% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of increased I:T ratio were 80.54% and 83.48% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of increased I:M ratio were 63.24% and 96.52% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of Degenerative neutrophil changes were 31.89% and 97.39% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of reduced platelet count were 65.95% and 55.65% respectively. When correlated with blood culture, * The sensitivity and specificity of blood samples with HSS≥3 were 96.55% and 59.23% respectively. * The sensitivity and specificity of blood samples with HSS≥4 were 92.24% and 71.73% respectively. * The sensitivity and specificity of blood samples with HSS≥5 were 74.13% and 82.6% respectively. When correlated with CRP, * The sensitivity and specificity of blood samples with HSS>3 were 89.18% and 80.86% respectively. * The sensitivity and specificity of blood samples with HSS>4 were 77.3 and 86.08 respectively. * The sensitivity and specificity of blood samples with HSS>5 were 62.16 and 97.39 respectively. As the HSS scores increased, the specificity increased with a reduction of sensitivity. Thus overall, an HSS score of 4 and above was considered the most reliable indicator for the early diagnosis of Neonatal Sepsis. There is prolonged duration of hospitalisation with increase in HSS, ranging from 1-3 days in score 0 to 11-32 days in score 7. The scoring system has come down to <3 with appropriate response to treatment. Conclusion: HSS not only helps in diagnosis but also helps in predicting the severity and outcome of neonatal sepsis, reflected by prolonged duration of hospitalisation of the patients and reduction in the score with appropriate response to therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted on maize (Zea mays L.) during rabi (November to February), 2018-19 to study the effect of drip fertigation of Nitrogen (N), Potassium (K) and microbial consortium (MC) on growth, yield, water productivity and economics at Water Technology Centre, PJTSAU, Hyderabad, Telangana state, India. The experiment was laid out in randomised block design and replicated thrice. The treatments, comprising of two fertility levels viz., 75% and 100% recommended dose (RD) of N and K as first factor and biofertigation of Microbial Consortium (MC) as second factor. The interaction effect between RD of N and K and biofertigation of MC was not significant. Significantly higher LAI, DMP, grain yield and water productivity was recorded with fertigation of 100% RD N and K compared to 75% RD N and K. Biofertigation of MC 5 times and 3 times recorded significantly higher LAI, DMP, grain yield and water productivity. Net returns recorded with fertigation of 75% and 100% RD of N and K were not significantly different. Among biofertigation of MC, significantly higher net returns were observed in biofertigation of MC five times and was on par with biofertigation of MC three times. 75% RD of N and K recorded higher B:C ratio and was on par with 100% RD N and K in fertigation levels. Among biofertigation of MC, there was no significant difference in B:C ratio was observed between biofertigation of MC five times and three times and were significantly superior over soil application of MC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work aims to determine the effect of land configurations and Pongamia pinnata mulch on soil moisture content and yield of yellow sorghum during kharif, 2018-19 on sandy clay loam soils of Hyderabad. The experiment was conducted at the College of Agriculture, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. The treatments included land configurations (Flatbed, Ridge and furrow, Broad bed and furrow, Flatbed + Mulch, Ridge and Furrow + Mulch, Broad bed and furrow + Mulch) and yellow sorghum genotypes (PYPS 101, PYPS 102, PYPS 103 and PYPS 104). Mulch used in this investigation was Pongamia leaf mulch applied @ 6 tha-1 uniformly at 20 DAS. Soil moisture played a vital role in increasing crop yields in the rainfed regions of the semi-arid tropics. During most crop growth stages, the availability of soil water was increased by Broad bed and furrow + mulch, resulting in increased grain yield by 37 % (1701 kg ha-1) of yellow sorghum over flatbed. Ridge and furrow + mulch were found to be the next best treatment, with a grain yield of 1590 kg ha-1. Mulched treatments of flatbed, ridge and furrow and broad bed and furrow increased the grain yield by 20%, 28% and 37%, respectively, compared to flatbed without mulch. The present study will help in recognizing profitable moisture conservation practices and the role of Pongamia mulch in soil moisture conservation and yield maximization of yellow sorghum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]