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Lisianthus (Eustoma russellianum) is one of the emerging cut flower crops in international flower market quickly ranked in top ten cut flowers worldwide. Despite its rising popularity, studies relating to the identification and characterization of viral diseases affecting it are lacking from India. Thus, the present study was focused on identification and characterization of virus in lisianthus plants samples collected from Vensai Floritech, Narasihmanahalli village, Tubagere hobli, Doddaballapur taluk, Bengaluru rural district, Karnataka state, India exhibiting symptoms similar to begomoviruses infections. Association of the begomovirus with sample was confirmed by PCR using begomovirus specific primers which resulted in the expected amplicon (~ 1.2 kb). Further, whole-genome amplification was done by rolling circle amplification (RCA) for one representative sample (LIS-1). The amplified RCA product was cloned, sequenced and analyzed. The phylogenetic and nucleotide (nt) sequence analysis revealed that the begomovirus associated with lisianthus plants showed the maximum nt identity of 91.0% with sida yellow vein Madurai virus (SIYVMV-TN:OM141480) infecting a weed, Sida cordata, reported from Tamil Nadu, India, which is geographically close to Karnataka. Based on species demarcation criteria for begomoviruses, the collected isolate is identified as a strain of sida yellow vein Madurai virus associated with leaf curl of lisianthus from India and proposed the name "Sida yellow vein Madurai virus -[India:Karnataka:Doddaballapura:Lisianthus:2023]" and designated as SIYVMV-[IN:Kar:Dod:Lis:23]. Further, recombination analysis revealed a single intra-specific recombination event in the genomic region. Hence, this study provides a one more evidence of expanding host range for begomoviruses in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand in energy and energy crisis made way towards the development of biodiesel implementation. Since various biodiesel are made from renewable resources and has positive environmental effects, bio-diesel has recently gained in popularity as a replacement for diesel fuel in CI engines. Considering these scenarios, this research article describes the extraction of bio-oil from the processed seeds of linum usitatissimum and its conversion into biodiesel through two stage transesterification process. Linum usitatissimum is a plant which has seeds which are rich in oil content which was extracted through soxhlet extraction process and converted to bio-diesel. Compositions of linum usitatissimum fatty acid profiles employing Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry is reported in the work. Further, fourier transform infra-red analysis and Physio-chemical characterization was carried out to confirm the usage of linum usitatissimum as a biodiesel in place of commercial diesel. The objective of this research is to view the properties and characterization analysis to verify whether this linum usitatissimum biodiesel can be utilized as an alternate fuel in our conventional diesel engines. The effects of using linum usitatissimum oil biodiesel in CI engines are the subject of this study. In conclusion, conventional diesel in India can be replaced with linum usitatissimum oil biodiesel which may also give reasonable impact on vehicle fuel efficiency and performance based on the properties of the fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maize fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a highly migratory polyphagous insect pest that has posed itself as a very threatened insect invaded India since May 2018 and devastated the maize crop. This insect pest caused 62.5% damage on maize plants in Hassan district of Karnataka state, India. Surveys were undertaken in different parts of the country to assess the natural occurrences of all three categories of entomopathogens (bacteria, fungi, and viruses) associated with fall armyworm. Maximum occurrence of infection of entomopathogens (15.13%) was recorded from Chikkaballapura, Karnataka, followed by 12.23% from Hassan, Karnataka. Results: Totally 13 isolates of S. frugiperda nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpfrNPV) were collected from 13 locations of the country. Electron microscopy studies clearly showed the tetrahedral shaped occlusion bodies of SpfrNPV with the size of 1.48–1.68 µm. The identity of highly virulent SpfrNPV NBAIR1 (Chikkaballapura isolate) was confirmed using conserved polyhedrin gene-specific primers and NCBI GenBank accession number was obtained (MT422725). Bioassay studies revealed that the SpfrNPV NBAIR1 Chikkaballapura isolate was highly virulent with the highest larval mortality (95.50%) and the lowest LC50 value of 2.11 × 103 OBs/ml. SpfrNPV is exclusively host specific and did not infect any other insect species other than S. frugiperda tested in this present study. Conclusions: Among 13 isolates of SpfrNPV, SpfrNPV NBAIR1 Chikkaballapura isolate was highly virulent with respect to the larval mortality. Hence SpfrNPV NBAIR1 Chikkaballapura isolate is having a great potential to play in the management of maize fall armyworm S. frugiperda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Torrefaction enhances the properties of biomass fuels which add to their suitability as energy sources. Due to the abundance availability of mustard straw in the northern region of India and throughout the globe, raw or torrefied mustard straws were investigated in the present study. The torrefaction experiments were conducted on mustard straw using heating temperatures of 200 °C, 250 °C, and 300 °C for 60 min. The biomass characterization was carried out using proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, and high heating values (HHV). Afterward, NOx, SO2, CO2, CO, and dust emissions were evaluated from the combustion of raw/torrefied mustard straws. After the experimentation, the results were compared with the literature. It was observed that during torrefaction, the carbon content of biomass increased from 40 to 55%, while the hydrogen (6 to 5%) and oxygen content (42 to 29%) decreased with the increase in temperature. Further, the lignin content increased, while hemicellulose content decomposed with the increase in temperature. It was seen that energy yield for a torrefied mustard straw at 200 °C, 250 °C, and 300 °C was 76.24%, 88.98%, and 94.75%, respectively. The process of torrefaction increases the bulk density (139 to 244 kg/m3), decreased the mass yield (100 to 64%), and improves the ignitability index (35 to 51%) of the mustard straw. The outcomes of this research are expected to provide practical insight into how raw mustard straw can be upgraded into densified solid biofuels suitable for industrial and thermal power plant applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study analysed a total of 272 saffron (Crocus sativus L.) genotypes using multivariate analysis. We carefully observed and recorded information about the floral, morphological and corm attributes. Significant variations were observed among the genotypes for all the traits, indicating a high level of variability and suggesting a great potential for saffron improvement. The phenotypic variances were found to be greater than the estimated genotypic variances. Descriptive data on various morphological traits revealed significant differences in the frequency of phenotype classes as well as a wide distribution range. The high heritability estimates were observed in average number of daughter corms per plant (ANDCPP), initial weight of corms (IWC g), no. of buds/corm (NBPC), – no. of leaves in main sprout, (NLMS), number of sprouted buds per corm (NSBpC) and total number of leaves (TNL), whereas average weight of daughter corms per plant (AWBCPP), corm diameter (CDcm), pistal length (PL) cm, style length (STYLcm), fresh weight of pistals per plant (FWOPPPmg) and stigma length (STML cm), revealed medium sense of heritability. The traits dry weight of pistals per plants (DWOPPP mg), inner tepal width (ITW cm), leaf length (LLcm), number of flowers per corm (NFpC), outer tepal length (OTLcm), parianth length with tube (PLWT cm) and weight of stigma (WSTG mg) exhibited low broad-sense heritability. Principal component analysis (PCA) divulged that the first eight component characters had an eigenvalue greater than one with a contributory cumulative variance of 66.15% to the total variance, while as rest of the 16 components contributed 33.85% of total variation in a set of 272 genotypes of saffron. The eigenvalues for yield attributing traits for significant PCs ranged from 5.48 (PC1) to 1.03(PC8). The current study has revealed that there was a sufficient variability in a set of saffron germplasm lines which forms the basis for performance-based clonal selection. Moreover, identified elite genotypes based on saffron yield and corm attributes could be used in the saffron breeding programme for the development of saffron varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Onion (Allium cepa L.) is a prominent spice and vegetable crop farmed commercially worldwide. Variability is viewed as a key signal for any red onion enhancement effort. The current study was, therefore, carried out to learn about genetic variability and diversity among selected genotypes of 20 red onions at the C Block Farm, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, India, during the winter (rabi) season of 2021–2022, in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The characters, viz., average weight of bulbs (kg), neck thickness (cm), total soluble solids (°Brix), total sugar (%), and reducing sugar (%) demonstrated high heritability (97.38–99.97%) coupled with high genetic gain. Such traits were the least influenced by environmental effects, and additive gene action played a pivotal role in the manifestation of such characters. Traits with high heritability values (51.37–67.94%) demonstrate that the observed variability was under genetic control and provide an enormous range of possibilities for accomplishing selection depending on their phenotypic performances. For traits with moderate heritability, viz., bolting (%) and doubling (%), selection would be less effective but can still be given great importance. Based on correlation analysis, the character's neck thickness, equatorial diameter, and polar diameter unveiled highly positive genetic correlation with the average weight of bulbs (0.120, 0.112; 0.194, 0.210 and 0.120, 0.112 for phenotypic and genotypic correlation coefficient values, respectively), which indicates that the average weight of a bulb would be increased by an increase in such components. According to path coefficient analysis, the equatorial diameter exhibited the most positive direct effect on the average weight of bulbs (0.968), followed by polar diameter (0.687) and neck thickness (0.159). A wide range of variations for qualitative traits, including foliage colour, leaf width, foliage behaviour, the degree of leaf waxiness, the shape of the bulb, and bulb skin colour were observed. Based on Mahalanobish D2 analysis, the genotypes were divided into four clusters. The highest number of genotypes was found in cluster I (eleven), followed by cluster IV (six genotypes) and cluster II (two genotypes). Cluster III had a single genotype and was monogenic. The study confirmed that a wide genetic variation prevailed in the onion genotypes taken under study, which could thereby be utilized in breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astroviruses (AstV) and adenoviruses (AdV) are associated with diarrhoea in young animals. However, the epidemiology and genetic diversity of AstVs and AdVs in animals is not well studied. Hence, the present study was conducted to detect and characterize AstVs and AdVs in calves, piglets and puppies from Western Maharashtra, India. Out of the processed porcine (48), canine (80), and bovine (65) faecal samples, the porcine AstV (PAstV), bovine AstV (BAstV), canine AstV (CAstV), and porcine AdV (PAdV) were detected in 12.5%, 7.69%, 3.75% and 4.1% of samples, respectively. In the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase region-based phylogenetic analysis, the detected BAstV strains grouped with MAstV-28, MAstV-33, and MAstV-35, CAstV strains belonged to MAstV-5; PAstV strains belonged to MAstV-24, MAstV-26, and MAstV-31. However, in hexon gene-based phylogeny, both the detected PAdV were of genotype 3, exhibiting 91.9–92.5% nucleotide identity with Ivoirian and Chinese strains. The study reports first-time BAstVs from calves and PAdV-3 from piglets in India. The study revealed diversity in the circulation of AstVs in tested animals and AdVs in pigs, and suggested that they alone might be associated with other diarrhoea or in combination with other enteric pathogens, thus highlighting the necessity of extensive epidemiological investigations to develop diagnostic tools and control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) is a significant threat to global papaya cultivation, causing ringspot disease, and it belongs to the species Papaya ringspot virus, genus Potyvirus, and family Potyviridae. This study aimed to assess the occurrence and severity of papaya ringspot disease (PRSD) in major papaya-growing districts of Karnataka, India, from 2019 to 2021. The incidence of disease in the surveyed districts ranged from 50.5 to 100.0 percent, exhibiting typical PRSV symptoms. 74 PRSV infected samples were tested using specific primers in RT-PCR, confirming the presence of the virus. The complete genome sequence of a representative isolate (PRSV-BGK: OL677454) was determined, showing the highest nucleotide identity (nt) (95.8%) with the PRSV-HYD (KP743981) isolate from Telangana, India. It also shared an amino acid (aa) identity (96.5%) with the PRSV-Pune VC (MF405299) isolate from Maharashtra, India. Based on phylogenetic and species demarcation criteria, the PRSV-BGK isolate was considered a variant of the reported species and designated as PRSV-[IN:Kar:Bgk:Pap:21]. Furthermore, recombination analysis revealed four unique recombination breakpoint events in the genomic region, except for the region from HC-Pro to VPg, which is highly conserved. Interestingly, more recombination events were detected within the first 1710 nt, suggesting that the 5' UTR and P1 regions play an essential role in shaping the PRSV genome. To manage PRSD, a field experiment was conducted over two seasons, testing various treatments, including insecticides, biorationals, and a seaweed extract with micronutrients, alone or in combination. The best treatment involved eight sprays of insecticides and micronutrients at 30-day intervals, resulting in no PRSD incidence up to 180 days after transplanting (DAT). This treatment also exhibited superior growth, yield, and yield parameters, with the highest cost–benefit ratio (1:3.54) and net return. Furthermore, a module comprising 12 sprays of insecticides and micronutrients at 20-day intervals proved to be the most effective in reducing disease incidence and enhancing plant growth, flowering, and fruiting attributes, resulting in a maximized yield of 192.56 t/ha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has a huge treasure of Visual art Architecture. In recent years, more attention is done to the digitization of these Indian Visual Arts Architectures for promoting the travel and tourism of the country across the world. Digitization will create a huge repository of Visual Arts Architecture images. But there exists no methodology to explore images of these huge repositories. In this paper, two machine learning-based methods were proposed that utilize these huge, digitized repositories and try to characterize the age and sub-age of Indian architectures based on the historical ontology available in the historical books. The first method was based on classification and the second method was based on segmentation. Two different variants of convolution neural networks were combined with fuzzy logic for the proposed methods. To analyze the results of the proposed methods performance evaluation matrix classification accuracy was used. The classification accuracy of the second method was best compared to the first method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bael is an important sub-tropical fruit crop in family Rutaceae that is widely distributed throughout South-East Asia. For local communities, the nutritious composition of its fruits and leaves offers tremendous economic and social possibilities to exploit. However, its underutilized status, as well as man-made threats to its natural habitat, make it imperative to implement concrete strategies for its cultivation and conservation. To fully grasp the ability of this adaptable fruit tree for human health and environmental well-being, it is necessary to characterize the genetic diversity. The goal of this study was to use morphological (13 quantitative traits), biochemical (9 attributes) and molecular (10 SRAP primers) characterization to evaluate 24 bael genotypes from two agroecological zones of India. Fruit and pulp weight ranged from 79.0– to 1478.8 g and 15.0– to 894.3 g with mean values of 448.67 and 233.3 g, respectively. Traits such as fruit, pulp, and seed weight (g), fruit length (cm) and width (cm), number of fruits per tree, number of seeds per fruit, shell weight (g) and shell thickness (mm) recorded highly significant differences. High phenol (11.65–24.38 mg GAE/g fw) and flavonoid (12.32–74.63 mg CE/g fw) content was observed in fruit pulp indicating significant antioxidant potential of this fruit. Several morphological and biochemical characters were found to have significant positive correlations. Principal component analysis revealed that first five components contributed 96.76% to total variation. Hierarchical cluster analysis separated the populations into two distinct clusters, while analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) using SRAP markers revealed that 70% of the total marker variation was due to interpopulation variance, while 30% was attributed to intrapopulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithomargic clay is generally found below the lateritic soil along the coastal belt of Karnataka. It is rich in silt content and dispersive in nature. This type of soil is liable to erosion and landslides. The lithomargic clay is largely found in the western coast of South India. At present, coastal belt of Udupi district is witnessing a lot of developments in terms of industry, infrastructures, and other activities. Lithomargic clay is a type of problematic soil, which needs a thorough study to make it suitable to sustain any engineering structure such as buildings, pavements, railways, dams. A characterization and mineralogical study is conducted to identify the presence of minerals and compounds for the various soil samples collected along the coastal belt of Udupi regions using X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The primary minerals observed in majority of the regions are quartz, feldspar such as orthoclase, muscovite, and the secondary minerals formed by the decomposition and chemical alteration of primary minerals include sheet minerals such as kaolinite, halloysite, dickite, gibbsite, and illite in high proportions. The study also shows the presence of iron compounds such as fayalite, goethite, and siderite. The majority of the elements observed are oxygen, silicates, aluminum, potassium, and iron which confirms the presence of the compounds identified through XRD analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spilosoma (= Spilarctia) obliqua (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae), once considered as a sporadic pest, is now considered as a major and polyphagous pest widely distributed throughout India. Recent outbreaks of this pest were manifested in both jute and sunnhemp. During a survey in and around adjoining villages of I.C.A.R-C.R.I.J.A.F, Barrackpore, an epizootic was observed in the field population of S. obliqua caused by a nucleopolyhedrosis virus. Hence, an attempt was made to isolate, characterize using electron microscopy and assess the efficacy of S. obliqua nucleopolyhedrosis virus under laboratory and field conditions. Results: Electron microscopic studies revealed typical baculovirus occlusion bodies of type nucleopolyhedrosis virus with tetrahedral and triangular in shape with the size ranging from 2.55 to 2.90 µm, with an average size of about 2.72 µm. Bioassay studies showed the larval mortality at low concentration of SpobNPV, i.e., 2.42 × 104 POBs/ml. The virus-infected S. obliqua was identified through the amplification of polyhedrin, polh gene sequences with the available sequences in public database, GenBank, NCBI. The sequence data generated for the polyhedrin gene were deposited in GenBank, and accession number was obtained, MN648213. Field experiment revealed 50.52, 63.25 and 82.91% larval reductions, respectively, at 2, 4 and 7 days after spray of S. obliqua nucleopolyhedrosis virus. Conclusion: The present study revealed that foliar application of S. obliqua nucleopolyhedrosis virus was very effective in causing mortality against S. obliqua larvae and thus can be used as an effective microbial bioagent in the integrated pest management of the caterpillar, S. obliqua. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to characterize the municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in the municipality of Patna, the second-largest city in Eastern India. MSW is heterogeneous and the composition varies with seasons and within the different parts of the city. MSW samples were characterized for the three different seasons Winter (November), Summer (May), and Monsoon (August) to select feasible waste treatment methods. The physical characterization indicates that the major fractions of the MSW were biodegradable (48.83%) and inert (18.26%), which shows variations in different seasons of about ~5%. On a seasonal basis, the chemical characterization of MSW revealed that the moisture content varies between 43.21% to 51.78%, and volatile matter between 20.18% to 29.45%. ash content between 20.20% to 26.23% and fixed carbon between 4.11% to 5.91%. The C/N was found to be between 15.81 to 28.84 and the calorific value lies between 1212 to 2627 kcal.kg-1 during different seasons. The characterization of MSW highlights the virtue of waste segregation at the source and developing an efficient MSW system, including the potential for recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, and production of refuse-derived fuels (RDFs). The outcomes of the present study will be helpful for Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) in the planning for implementing suitable waste treatment technologies for integrated solid waste management systems (ISWM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenges of climate change, energy security, ever-increasing price of fossil fuels in the international market, and the detrimental effects of its uses on the environment have prompted the scientific community toward environment-friendly, sustainable, and comparable alternative sources of energy. More than a hundred million tons of rice straws are produced annually as a byproduct in India, around 60% of which are burned in situ. Rice straw is a potential feedstock for second-generation biofuel production. Biofuel generated from this biowaste can benefit the world in numerous ways. It can reduce the import bill of coal and petroleum fuels, enhance farmers' income, prevent straw burning incidences, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, thereby making the environment clean. The characterization of biomass is a prerequisite to assessing its fitness for specific conversion technology for biofuel generation. In the present study, rice straws of two prominent varieties of paddy, namely Swarna and Silky-277 grown in Asian countries, were characterized, and their biomethane yield was compared to assess the feasibility as a biofuel feedstock and to find the role of each component of rice straw vis-à-vis biomethane yield. Apart from proximate and ultimate analysis, non-structural components (extractives) and structural components like cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin were also estimated by using standard protocols. The proximate and ultimate analysis differed marginally, structural components, cellulose, and hemicelluloses were found higher in Swarna, whereas lignin and non-structural components are found higher in the Silky-277 variety of rice straw. Out of several components present in rice straw, the role of non-structural components is found to be most important for biomethane yield. The presence of 46% higher non-structural components (extractives) in the Silky-277 variety resulted in a 21% higher biomethane yield than from the Swarna variety of rice straw. These findings will provide techno-economical liberty in selecting suitable rice straws to be used for anaerobic digestion at the commercial level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ipomoea obscura, also known as "Lakshmanvel" in India, is a member of the Convolvulaceae family. Early studies were mostly concerned with early phytochemical analysis, with only a few focusing on detailed phytochemical analysis. Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the phytochemical and pharmacognostic characteristics of I. obscura leaves. Materials and Procedures: The methanolic extracts were separated into flavonoids and phytosterol by column chromatography, which were subsequently examined by spectroscopy and HPTLC methods. Results: According to this research's findings, I. obscura leaves may be a good source of phytochemicals such flavonoids (Kaempferol and quercetin), terpenids (β-sitosterol and lupeol), which were identified by HPTLC fingerprinting, FTIR NMR, and UV spectroscopy. Conclusion: The spectroscopical data and HPTLC fingerprinting profile for the plant of interest would hopefully aid herbal medicine researchers in developing additional herbal medications that require the specific ingredient or extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Resistance developed by micro-organisms against antibiotics is now a global threat. There is a need to look at alternate sources from which substances useful against various diseases can be obtained. Soil surrounding the medicinal plants possessing anti-microbial activity was screened to find soil bacteria capable of producing anti-microbial compounds and to isolate such compounds therefrom. Materials and Methods: Eleven anti-microbial medicinal plants from three regions of Saurashtra, Gujarat, India, were selected, and soil surrounding those plants was collected. Sixty-six isolates of actinomycetes were obtained from the soil samples. Cross streak, agar well, and disk diffusion methods were used for primary, secondary, and final screening, respectively, of the anti-microbial isolates. Results: Among all, the isolate from the soil surrounding Ocimum sanctum in the Gir-Somnath region was found to be most potent and subjected to thin-layer chromatography, bio-autography, bio-chemical tests, enzymatic activity, 16S rDNA sequencing, and gel electrophoresis, which was confirmed to be Streptomyces arenae, followed by optimization of various conditions. Isolation and characterization of the compound were performed by using ultra-violet, Fourier transform infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectroscopy. A novel compound was isolated and characterized, which showed potent anti-microbial activity as compared to reference standards by in vitro anti-microbial assay. Conclusion: Soil surrounding medicinal plants which themselves have well-known anti-microbial activity may be a rich source of actinomycetes, which may produce compounds having anti-microbial properties. This can be an emerging strategy for researchers and clinicians to explore soil bacteria for the isolation of biologically active compounds for the management of various diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, avocado cultivation is limited and scattered in the southern and northeastern region of India. A large number of avocado genotypes were available in Kerala, which vary widely in terms of biochemical as well as morphological attributes. In the present study, about 27 accessions (Acc.) were collected from different parts of Kerala, including high-altitude areas and plains. Wide variability in biochemical and morphological traits was observed among accessions collected from different locations. Acc. 11 had the highest vitamin C and Acc. 15 had the highest protein content. The highest fat content was reported in Acc. 7, while the highest oleic acid was recorded in Acc. 10. Acc. 25 reported the highest flavonoid and calcium content. Genotypes collected from Wayanad recorded comparatively higher values for vitamin C, phenols, potassium and crude fibre content. Protein, total fat and calcium contents were comparatively higher in genotypes collected from Idukki. Accessions 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 25 could be selected for future conservation, popularization and commercial cultivation based on their biochemical and morphological quality attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landfill mining is the prominent solution for the recovery of resources from legacy waste. The bio-earth recovered from landfill mining is being utilized for a variety of applications like application as fertilizer. The presence of microplastic in the recovered bio-earth disrupts its usefulness. This study investigated the composition and microplastic pollution in bio-earth derived from landfill mining at the Bhandewadi landfill, Nagpur, India. Results provided insights into its characterization and presence of microplastic. The average moisture content of the bio-earth was 25.2 ± 1.1% with total organic carbon of 14.3 ± 0.6%. The bio-earth exhibited a C:N ratio of 16.9 ± 5.0, volatile solid content of 24.6 ± 1.0%, and ash content of 75.4 ± 1.0%. Bulk density was 434.3 ± 37.2 kg/m 3 , pH value 6.91 ± 0.28, and electrical conductivity 4.6 ± 0.7 dS/m. Total nitrogen content was 0.9 ± 0.3%, available phosphorus 2.1 ± 0.3 g/kg, and potassium and sodium contents of 12.7 ± 0.4 g/kg and 3.9 ± 0.3 g/kg, respectively. Heavy metals detected included Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr, and Cd. Microplastics in the bio-earth samples were assessed using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The amount of microplastics averaged 100,150 ± 29,286 items per kg (dry basis). Additionally, five specific polymer types were prominent as microplastics. Further research and mitigation strategies are necessary to ensure the safe and sustainable use of bio-earth in agriculture and horticulture., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Coconut shell is a bio-waste, and its availability is high to waste in the coastal region of Karnataka, India. The present study focused on using coconut shell biochar modified with ferric chloride to enhance the sludge dewaterability, and it is evaluated experimentally (Capillary suction time, moisture content, settleability, zeta potential, heavy metals, and phosphate). Further, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction characterization were carried out to identify the structure's change. A significant reduction in capillary suction time (56 s) and the moisture content (96.5%) of the dewatered sludge cake was obtained. Sludge dewatering using coconut shell biochar modified with ferric chloride was optimized by a Box Behnken method with three main factors including dosage, rapid mixing time, and slow mixing time. Optimum capillary suction time (55.6 s) was achieved at coconut shell biochar modified with ferric chloride dosage (41% dry solids), rapid mixing time (10 min), and slow mixing time (19 min). The significant structural change in sludge particles was confirmed through characterization studies. During the dewatering process, the removal of heavy metal (cadmium, chromium, lead, and nickel) and phosphate (50.6%) was evident. Hence attempt of coconut shell biochar modified with ferric chloride as a skeleton material is an economical and promising option for sludge dewatering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation of historical buildings has socio-economic impact and in order to conserve historic structures without disturbing its aesthetics, a precise characterization of raw materials is very much essential. In the present paper, the historical structure, Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, has been investigated as it is known as remarkable masonry structures using red bricks and lime mortar systems. Different samples of mortar and bricks of the building were analysed using different techniques such as Optical microscopy, Xray Diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive (FE-SEM/EDX), X-ray spectroscopy (XRD), Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The analysis shows that bricks are made up of noncalcareous clay material and firing temperature was not exceeding above 900°C. All the brick samples analysed in this study have the water absorption, porosity and bulk density in the range of 10.9-18.5%, 15.5-32.2 % and 1.66-1.96 g/cm³, respectively, while the compressive strength of all the brick samples is found to be in the range of 7.8-14.2 MPa. Mortar samples are stiff, compact and hydraulic due to the presence of surkhi and brick aggregates. The petrological analysis revealed the presence of calcite and quartz, which is also confirmed by XRD and FE-SEM/EDX analysis. SEM micrographs shows needle-like structure of calcite mineral indicates the complete carbonation of the lime. Further, FTIR results indicating the use of organic admixtures in the buildings mortar samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This work aimed at determining the pathogenicity, molecular characterization, host range and rapid detection of Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliense (Pcb) causing soft rot disease in radish. Methods and Results: The four isolated isolates were inoculated to radish, typical soft rot symptoms were observed and Koch's postulates were proved. The most virulent strain RDKLR was morphologically and biochemically distinct. Pcb showed a positive potato soft rot test and elicited hypersensitivity response on Nicotiana tobaccum. The genes Pel2 and pmrA were used for subspecies characterization of Pcb. It has a wide host range and infection was observed on slices of carrot, tomato, radish, potato, cauliflower, cabbage, chilli, knol‐khol, bell pepper and cucumber. Infectivity was also seen in seedlings under glasshouse conditions. Pcb produced cell wall degrading enzymes in semi‐quantification assay and is a strong biofilm producer. The LAMP technique was standardized to help rapid detection and take prophylactic measures to manage the disease. Conclusion: This work reports Pcb as a new soft rot causing organism of radish in India. Pcb is highly virulent with a broad host range. The LAMP technique helps in rapid detection. Significance and impact of the study: Pcb‐induced soft rot causes significant yield loss, decreased market value, damage in transit, storage and the market. Disease characterization and early identification aid in disease management and prevention in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Physical, chemical, mechanical, and structural characterization of Raniganj Shale under a heating environment is performed from an ambient temperature to 350 °C. • No major phase change is observed in thermally treated shale specimens up to 350 °C from room temperature. • The intensities of microcrack generation and pore geometry play a significant role in shale fracture propagation. • Minor variations in the heating environment above 150 °C can significantly alter shale behavior. Shale has gained considerable significance in the realm of shale gas exploration and production. Investigating its properties is crucial for understanding how it withstands high temperatures and maintains its structural integrity. In recent decades, researchers have commonly characterized shale behavior by focusing on chemical, physical, or mechanical parameters separately. However, there appears to be a noticeable gap in attention when it comes to a holistic characterization of shale, taking into account not only its physical, chemical, and mechanical aspects but also its structural parameters. Furthermore, the existing literature lacks studies that specifically explore the influence of specimen treatment time on the characterization of shale. It is to be noted that the behavior of one shale differs significantly from another shale under thermal conditions depending on mineralogical composition and anisotropic properties. Each type of shale should be studied individually under various environmental conditions for a comprehensive understanding of hydraulic fracturing, wellbore stability, and enhanced oil/gas recovery issues. Therefore, the present investigation is an approach to solving the stated research gap. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of Raniganj Shale from India, focusing on its physical, chemical, mechanical, and structural properties. The characterization was performed within a controlled heating environment, ranging from ambient temperature to 350 °C over a specified duration. Subsequently, to simulate the thermal environment in the laboratory, the shale specimens were kept in the muffle furnace for 2, 4, and 8 h after reaching the target temperature to ensure a uniform temperature distribution throughout the specimens. The prepared specimens were tested and analyzed with the help of various tests such as ultrasonic tester, TGA analyzer, point load tester, Brazilian tester, FE-SEM analysis, and XRD in the laboratory. The results obtained indicate significant variations in the physical (body wave velocities, density, weight loss, and thermal damage), chemical (mineralogical composition), and mechanical (Brazilian tensile strength, point load index, elastic constants, Poisson's ratio, and brittleness index) properties of Raniganj Shale over time as a function of temperature. In the temperature range from room temperature to 150 °C, the rate of variation in physical and mechanical properties was observed to be low and gradual, while the rate of variation in the same properties was higher and faster at a temperature range of above 150 °C to 350 °C. In general, the impact of the specimen's treatment time on stated properties was observed to be insignificant at or below 150 °C, while it became prominent with increasing temperature above 150 °C. There is no major phase change in thermally treated shale specimens up to 350 °C from room temperature. However, the intensities of siderite mineral peaks decrease above 350 °C. The intensity of microcrack generation, crack widening, and pore geometry enlargement in shale specimens becomes noticeable above 150 °C as a function of time. The intensities of microcrack generation and pore geometry play an important role in the mode of fracture propagation in shale. Multiple central failures with a few secondary cracks were observed below 150 °C, whereas non-central + layer activation and central + layer activation become prominent in the temperature range of 150 °C to 350 °C. Based on the major findings of this investigation, minor variations in the heating environment above 150 °C can significantly change the physicomechanical properties, fracturing behavior, mode of fracture propagation, and pore geometry of shale, which poses serious safety concerns in the drilling & exploitation of shale gas, geothermal reservoir, coal mining, and deep underground structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fruits of fourteen hard, semi soft and soft Asian pear varieties (Pyrus spp.) were evaluated for physico-chemical characteristics under sub tropics of India. The values for fruit pericarp 'b*' coordinate indicating degree of yellow colour were observed > 40.0 (greenish-yellow) in 'Baggugosha', 'Punjab Nectar', 'Punjab Nakh', 'Punjab Beauty', 'Tsu Li' and 'Orient', between 35.0 to 40.0 (Green-yellow) in 'Punjab Gold', 'Kieffer', 'Packham's Triumph' and < 35.0 (Yellow-green) in soft pears cvs. 'Nijisseiki', 'Hosui', 'Kosui' and 'Shinseiki'. Fruit hue angle (h*) among semi-soft and hard Asian pear cultivars ranged from 92.71 to 105.23 and in soft pear cultivars from 71.80 to 85.99. Maximum fruit weight and volume was observed in 'Punjab Beauty' (166.04g and 167.3 cc, respectively) and minimum in 'Housi' (77.77g and 76.0 cc, respectively). However, higher fruit length and diameter was registered in 'Tsu Li' (74.27 mm) and 'Orient' (68.76 mm) respectively. Juice TSS, acidity and ascorbic acid content ranged from 11.1-14.0 %, 0.15% -- 0.28% and 7.33-9.92 mg/100g, respectively. Likewise, variability among total, reducing and non reducing sugars was also observed among different pear varieties; where, proportion of fructose concentration was the highest followed by glucose and sucrose concentrations. Phenol content was maximum (78.92 mg/g) in 'Punjab Nakh' and minimum (54.31 mg/g) in 'Kosui' pear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study compares four cultivars of betel from Tirur, Kerala, southern India, which are famous among betel chewers for their unique flavour and fragrance of leaves. Betel cultivation was popular in Tirur and the surrounding parts of Malappuram district, Chelan (Selan), Karinadan, Kootakodi and Nadan are indeed the cultivars that make-up Tirur pan. The cultivars differed significantly in leaf size, leaf apex, lamina colour, and anatomically by the presence or absence of non-glandular trichomes, number of vascular bundles, and schizogenous cavities. The green stems, coriaceous texture and flat acute lamina distinguish the Chelan cultivar from the rest. It has low essential oil content due to a few secretory cells present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The entire collection of cultivated barley germplasm accessions conserved in the Indian National Genebank (INGB) was characterized for nine qualitative and 8 quantitative traits to assess the nature and magnitude of prevailing genetic variability and to develop a core set. A wide range of variability was observed for days to spike emergence (51–139 days), days to physiological maturity (100–152 days), plant height (45.96–171.32 cm), spike length (3.44–13.73 cm), grain number/spike (10.48–82.35), and 100-grain weight (1.20–6.86 g). Initially, seven independent core sets were derived using 3 core construction tools– MSTRAT, PowerCore, and Core Hunter 3 by employing the maximization method, heuristic sampling, and optimisation of average genetic distances, respectively. The core set-3 generated by Core Hunter 3 by simultaneous optimisation of diversity and representativeness, captured maximum genetic diversity of the whole collection as evident from the desirable genetic distance, variance difference percentage (VD; 87.5%), coincidence rate of range (CR; 94.27%) and variable rate of coefficient of variance (VR; 113.8%), which were more than threshold value of VD (80%), CR (80%), and VR (100%) required for good core collection. The coefficient of variation and Shannon–Weaver diversity indices were increased in the core set as compared with the whole collection. The low value of Kullback-Leibler distance (0.024–0.071) for all traits and quantile-quantile plots revealed a negligible difference between trait distribution patterns among the core set and entire assembly. Correlogram revealed that trait associations and their magnitude were conserved for most of the traits after sampling of the core set. The extraction of the INGB barley core set and identification of promising accessions for agronomically important traits in different genetic backgrounds will pave the way for expedited access to genetically diverse and agronomically important germplasm for barley breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The genus Helicoverpa includes the Old-World species Helicoverpa armigera, Hubner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) generally considered to be the most important species within group. It has been recorded on more than 200 host species in India and is most damaging to cotton, pigeon pea, cow pea, chick pea, ground nut, sorghum, pearl millet, tomato and many other crops of economic importance. H. armigera is being polyphagous pest with high reproductive and damaging potential, its suppression became difficult over past decade due to development of resistance to several chemicals. The current study was aimed to isolate and characterize the gut proteinases of Helicoverpa armigera. Methods: During the period 2016-2018, H. armigera larvae were collected from the field and reared on an artificial diet and maintained under controlled conditions in the laboratory at Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapith, Akola, India. The laboratory conditions were maintained at temperature 28±2°C, humidity 75±5% and 14:10 hours light: dark period. The gut proteinases were isolated and were estimated by Bradford method. The total Helicoverpa gut proteinase activity, trypsin like activity, chymotrypsin like activity and electrophoretic visualisation of proteinases were done. Result: Total proteinases activity was found to be 2.10 U/gut. Trypsin like activity was found to be 1.89 U/gut and chymotryptic activity was observed as 1.81 U/gut. The trypsin like activity was slightly more than chymotryptic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological descriptors are important to breeders, researchers and sugarcane growers for practical and scientific purposes and for the protection of new varieties and maintenance of genetic purity and uniformity in a variety. The popular and released sugarcane varieties for peninsular zone from ICAR-SBI were characterized using descriptors. Morphological observations of 21 sugarcane cultivars viz., Co 86032, Co 99004, Co 94008, Co 0209, Co 0212, Co 0304, Co 0310, Co 0312, Co 0314, Co 2001-13, Co 2001-15, Co 06029, Co 10024, Co 10025, Co 10026, Co 10027, Co 12009, Co 14026, Co 15005, Co 16006 and Co 16008 was carried out on 20 growth characters viz., plant habit, leaf canopy, trashing nature, auricle, dewlap, ligule, internode and node etc., Among them, 7 were dimorphic and 13 were found to be polymorphic. The dendrogram based on UPGMA using morphological characters, grouped twenty one sugarcane cultivars into five groups. The principal component analysis of 20 characters showed that the total variation contributed to PCA simplifies twenty qualitative traits into twenty PC axes with eigen value > 1 and with cumulative variance of 65.30 %, remaining components with eigen value < 1 contributed to 35.72 % of the variability. The information about morphological variations in this study suggests that morphological characters are very important for identifying sugarcane cultivar variations and for understanding closeness of their parents. The varieties under study recorded a wide range of variation for most of the morphological traits can be utilized for further crop improvement programmes and also as a practical guide for breeders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are polyphagous plant parasites of global importance. Recently root knot nematode infection of guava trees has become serious problem in Tamil Nadu, India. Extensive surveys were carried out in nine districts (Coimbatore, Erode, Madurai, Theni, Villupuram, Thiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri and Dindigul) of Tamil Nadu, India, to confirm the presence of Meloidogyne enterolobii. Morphological and morphometrical characterization of females, males and second stage juveniles (J2) using characters viz., body length, body width, stylet length, stylet knob height, stylet knob width and perineal patterns revealed similarity with those of the type description. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Kachchhi-Sindhi horses are famous for their 'Rewal chal' (a unique style of running). These horses dominantly exist in the western-northern border of India adjoining Pakistan. The breeding tract of these horses is Surat, Navsari, Kachchh district of Gujarat and Jaisalmer-Barmer districts of Rajasthan in India. Most familiar colors in the Kachchhi-Sindhi horses are bay and chestnut. Roman nose, ears curved at tips but not touching each other, short back, short pastern length, broader hoof for better grip and docile temperament are major characteristics of these horses. Methods: The present study is an effort to phenotypically characterize Kachchhi-Sindhi horse breed based on their different biometric indices for selection and conservation of stallions and mares for breeding purposes by private breeders. Fourteen biometric indices were recorded for phenotypic characterization of each breed viz., height at wither (HW), body length (BL), heart girth (HG), neck length (NL), face length (FL), face width (FW), pole, ear length (EL), ear width (EW), foreleg length (FLL), canon, pastern, hoof length (HoL) and hoof width (HoW). On average, these horses stand 148 cm height, have a body length of ~140 cm, a heart girth of ~165 cm, an ear length of ~15 cm and a face length of ~61 cm. Result: Horse keepers sustain horses in intensive as well as an extensive system of rearing. It has also been ascertained from various sources that horse number is declining rapidly, however, breed population statistics are not available. There is, therefore, an urgent need to conserve this breed. Proper managemental practices and conservation efforts will pave the way for the multiplication of this valuable equine genetic resource of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new leaf blight disease of browntop millet (Brachiaria ramosa) was noticed during rainy season (Kharif) 2018 at small millet experimental field, University of Agricultural Sciences, Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra (GKVK), Bengaluru, India. To assess the disease severity, an intensive roving survey was conducted during the 2019 cropping season. Based on the morphological characterization, the causal agent of leaf blight disease was identified as Bipolaris spp. Further sequencing and combined gene analysis of ITS (internal transcribed spacer of rDNA), GAPDH (glyceraldehyde 3‐phosphate dehydrogenase) and LSU (large subunit) of all the nine isolates confirmed the pathogen as B. setariae. Pathogenicity study showed that all the isolates were pathogenic and caused leaf blight symptoms on browntop millet. The B. setariae isolates showed marked variability with respect to disease incidence on browntop millet (cv. Dundu korale) under artificial inoculation conditions. However, the host range was limited only to browntop millet and found non‐pathogenic to other six small millets examined. To our knowledge, this is the first completely described study on characterization of B. setariae causing leaf blight disease of browntop millet in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has recently experienced severe air quality problems and related mortality compared to other countries. Particulate matter (PM) is identified as a major health risk factor. Aerodynamic diameter of PM less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) and that of PM less than 10 µm (PM10) are the two regulatory sizes in India. Nonetheless, size-segregated PM measurements are also crucial for understanding the formation, size distribution, sources, deposition in the human respiratory tract, and health effects. Size-segregated PM is commonly referred to simultaneous measurement of PM in multiple size ranges using cascade impactors or aerosol monitors. Here, we review 106 investigations on size-segregated PM in India. We found that bimodal distribution was common among size-segregated PM and chemical components. Secondary inorganic anions were dominant in all ions analysed. Enrichment factor analysis indicated a strong contribution from anthropogenic sources. Source apportionment data from 33 fine size fractions and 26 coarse size fractions revealed that the major source was vehicular followed by crustal origin, biomass or refuse burning, industrial, coal burning, mixed, and secondary sources. Coarse and fine PM sizes were deposited mainly in the head and alveolar regions of the human respiratory tract, respectively. Bioaerosols contained more fungi than bacteria. Episodic events significantly altered the characteristics of size-segregated PM. Overall, rural areas and indoor environments were less explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brinjal is one of the most popular and important vegetable crops grown throughout the year in India and other parts of the world. Though a large number of brinjal genotypes are available in India, only a few have good quality and yield during kharif. Therefore, the current study was carried out to identify and/or superior varieties with high yield and better quality brinjal during kharif, 2017-2018 consisted of thirty brinjal genotypes obtained from different places of India. Methods: All the genotypes were evaluated for fifteen morphological and six biochemical characters viz., plant height (cm), plant spread (cm), number of primary branches per plant, leaf blade length (cm), leaf blade width (cm), number of leaf prickles, days to first flowering (days), days to 50% flowering (days), fruit pedicel length (cm), fruit length (cm), fruit circumference (cm), number of fruits per plant, fruit weight (g), fruit yield per plant (kg), fruit yield per hectare (t), moisture content (%, FW), crude fiber content (%, DW), crude protein content (%, DW), ascorbic acid (mg/100g FW), solasodine content (mg/100g DW) and total phenol content (mg GAE/g FW). Result: Mean performance of brinjal genotypes revealed significant variation for morpho-biochemical characters. This variation may be due to the effect of genotype, environment or their interaction. Morphological characters of brinjal genotypes revealed that among the thirty genotypes, eighteen genotypes viz., Kuchia, Brinjal-3, Khoruah-1, Brinjal-6, Brinjal-8, Brinjal-4, Seujia Bengena, Brinjal-1, Brinjal-9, Brinjal-2, Brinjal Long, Green Long, Boga Bengena, Kajala, Sagolishingia, Long Khoruah, Brinjal-7 and Koni Bengena were found to be the superior performers for fruits/plant, primary branches per plant, days to first flowering, days to 50% flowering and fruit yield during kharif. The mean performance for biochemical characters also revealed wide variability among the genotypes in respect to quality performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) is the most important and diverse grain legume crop grown in tropics and subtropics. Assessment of local and regional plant genotypes is important for identifying diversity among germplasm and for crop improvement. The objective of present study was to characterize cowpea accessions collected from various households of western Maharashtra, India by using morphological traits. Methods: The field experiments were conducted on cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) at BAIF-CRS Urulikanchan, during Kharif 2018 and summer 2019. The experiments were arranged in row design with minimum 10 individuals of each accessions spaced at 60 x 30 cm. Recommended package of practices were adopted throughout experimentation. Result: Traits such as semi-prostrate habit (41.9 percent), determinate growth (77.4 percent), straight pod (51.6 percent), smooth seed (71.0 percent), elliptic shape (67.7 percent) and yellowish-white seed colour (37.6 percent) were dominant in studied accessions. Time for first flowering ranged from 28 to 65 days; pod length ranged between 9.60 cm to 27.48 cm; seeds per pod observed between 7.20 to 16.40; 100-seed weight ranged between 12.00 to 36.00 g. Analysis of variance showed that all the characters were highly significant among the accessions. Results revealed that studied accessions are valuable germplasm for future breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploration missions were conducted to collect, characterize and conserve valuable landraces of desi cotton from the different States of India. Sixteen accessions of desi cotton (Gossypium herbaceum L.) collected from Gujarat and Tamil Nadu was characterized based on the morphological and also using Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) markers. Improved cultivars, such as G.Cot-25, Jayadhar and DDhc-11 were used as standard checks. Morphological characterization for 18 qualitative and 12 quantitative characters underscores the variability found in the collected germplasm accessions. Diversity studies using morphological data grouped the accessions into three major clusters. Notably, a medium range of variability was observed for fibre length (18.31-23.74 mm), uniformity ratio (51.68-58.88 %), micronaire (3.10-5.62) and fibre strength (15.42-17.89 g/tex). Molecular genetic diversity among the collected desi cotton accessions was performed using 42 SSR primer pairs. Of these, 24 (57%) SSR primer pairs exhibited polymorphism. These primers produced a total of 49 alleles across all the collected accessions. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 3 with a mean of 2.04. The polymorphism information content (PIC) values ranged between 0.09-0.45 with a mean value of 0.29.The observed heterozygosity values for the marker loci varied from 0.0 to 0.63 with a mean value of 0.16 as against the expected values (0.10 to 0.53 with the mean of 0.36). Diversity analysis using SSR markers grouped the accessions into three major clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yamuna River, a tributary of the holy Ganga, is heavily polluted in the Delhi-NCR region, India and has been gaining attention due to the excessive foaming of the river over the past few years. This can be directly or indirectly related to the overuse of surfactants and the discharge of untreated domestic and textile wastewater into the river. To determine the surfactant load and investigate potential surfactant-degrading bacteria in the region, 96 water samples from four sites in the Okhla Barrage stretch of the river were collected and analysed. The results showed that the selected sites have surfactant concentrations more than the permissible limit (1.00 mgL -1 ). Also, at most of the sites, the concentration crossed the desirable limit of BIS (0.2 mgL -1 ) during the period of analysis. The concentration of anionic surfactant reported in the region was found in the range of 0.29 mgL -1 and 2.83 mgL -1 . A total of 38 different bacteria were isolated using selective media from the same water samples, out of which 7 bacterial isolates were screened for sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) tolerance activity. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, 2 species, namely Pseudomonas koreensis YRW-02 and Pseudomonas songnenensis YRW-05 have been identified and their degradation potential was assessed at different SDS concentrations. The results showed that our strains YRW-02 and YRW-05 degraded 78.29 and 69.24% of SDS respectively. Growth optimization was also performed at different substrate concentrations, pH, and temperature to investigate optimum degradation conditions. This study plays a significant role in assessing the surfactant load and also gives a promising background for future use in in-situ bioremediation experiments., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: Acute Hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) is associated with CVA24v. Recently there was a severe outbreak of conjunctivitis in months of July and August 2023 in India. This study emphasizes the identification of the distinct mutations in the CVA24v strains, which were isolated during the AHC outbreak and could have potentially played a role in the high transmission of AHC in India during the 2023 outbreak., Methods: A total of 71 conjunctivitis patients aged 1-75 years comprising 47 males and 24 females who attended Ophthalmology department of a tertiary care hospital of easternIndia were studied.RNA was extracted from all conjunctival swab samples and converted into cDNA. Subsequently, the viral 5' UTR was amplified and the PCR positive samples were subjected to sequencing. The newly isolated viral 5' UTR sequences were aligned with other worldwide sequences using the Clustal W tool to conduct mutational analysis. A phylogenetic tree was built using the MEGA software for viral genotype identification., Results: All of the current outbreak strains belonged to genotype IV of CVA24v. The present outbreak strains formed a distinct clade in the phylogenetic tree and were different from previously reported Indian strains. Two persistent mutations, specifically in domain IV (T213C) and domain V (C475T), were exclusively detected within the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of the 5' UTR of the current strains causing the outbreak. These two alterations have previously been shown to impact the virulence of another enterovirus (CV B3), but they have not been described in CVA24v until now., Conclusion: Finding of the present study highlights the possibility and the significance of the aforementioned two mutations in enhancing the transmissibility of the newer CVA24v strains. Hence, these two distinct mutations should be investigated further for developing antiviral therapies to combat future AHC outbreaks associated with CVA24v., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Baijayantimala Mishra reports financial support was provided by DHR-ICMR. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Microorganisms produce siderophores, which are low-molecular-weight iron chelators when iron availability is limited. The present analyzed the role of LNPF1 as multifarious PGPR for improving growth parameters and nutrient content in peanut and soil nutrients. Such multifarious PGPR strains can be used as effective bioinoculants for peanut farming. In this work, rhizosphere bacteria from Zea mays and Arachis hypogaea plants in the Salem area of Tamil Nadu, India, were isolated and tested for biochemical attributes and characteristics that stimulate plant growth, such as the production of hydrogen cyanide, ammonia (6 µg/mL), indole acetic acid (76.35 µg/mL), and solubilizing phosphate (520 µg/mL). The 16S rRNA gene sequences identified the isolate LNPF1 as Pseudomonas fluorescens with a similarity percentage of 99% with Pseudomonas sp. Isolate LNPF1 was evaluated for the production of siderophore. Siderophore-rich supernatant using a Sep Pack C18 column and Amberlite-400 Resin Column (λmax 264) produced 298 mg/L and 50 mg/L of siderophore, respectively. The characterization of purified siderophore by TLC, HPLC, FTIR, and 2D-NMR analysis identified the compound as desferrioxamine, a hydroxamate siderophore. A pot culture experiment determined the potential of LNPF1 to improve iron and oil content and photosynthetic pigments in Arachis hypogaea L. and improve soil nutrient content. Inoculation of A. hypogea seeds with LNPF1 improved plant growth parameters such as leaf length (60%), shoot length (22%), root length (54.68%), fresh weight (47.28%), dry weight (37%), and number of nuts (66.66) compared to the control (untreated seeds). This inoculation also improved leaf iron content (43.42), short iron content (38.38%), seed iron (46.72%), seed oil (31.68%), carotenoid (64.40%), and total chlorophyll content (98.%) compared to control (untreated seeds). Bacterized seeds showed a substantial increase in nodulation (61.65%) and weight of individual nodules (95.97) vis-à-vis control. The results of the present study indicated that P. fluorescens might be utilized as a potential bioinoculant to improve growth, iron content, oil content, number of nuts and nodules of Arachishypogaea L., and enrich soil nutrients., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Bawri or Garri, a non-descript cattle population managed under an extensive system in Madhya Pradesh state of India, was identified and characterized both genetically and phenotypically to check whether or not it can be recognised as a breed. The cattle have white and gray colour and are medium sized with 122.5 ± 7.5 cm and 109.45 ± 0.39 cm height at withers in male and female, respectively. Double-digest restriction site associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing was employed to identify ascertainment bias free SNPs representing the entire genome cost effectively; resulting in calling 1,156,650 high quality SNPs. Observed homozygosity was 0.76, indicating Bawri as a quite unique population. However, the inbreeding coefficient was 0.025, indicating lack of selection. SNPs found here can be used in GWAS and genetic evaluation programs. Considering the uniqueness of Bawri cattle, it can be registered as a breed for its better genetic management., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

This paper presents a hybrid approach for stormwater runoff modelling and pollutant load estimation in a hilly catchment. The stormwater runoff hydrograph was simulated by developing a conceptual hybrid model (HM) using transfer function. Model parameters were estimated by non-linear optimization. The simulated runoff hydrographs showed an excellent match with the observed data. Next, a relationship was developed between runoff and pollutant load and the developed relationship was used for estimation of pollutant load. A novelty of this hybrid approach is that it could bring out a generic HM. By using the derived model, the pollutant load was successfully predicted from simulated runoff (R2 > 0.75) by considering rainfall as the only input. In addition, assessment, characterization and analysis of the first flush of urban runoff also form part of the study. The HM was tested and validated by applying it to 25 storm events monitored during two monsoon seasons in the Nainital Lake catchment (approx. 1900 m a.m.s.l.), India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosquitoes act as vectors to induce various dreadful diseases which continue to cause fatal effect on human beings. Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) is one among the vectors which causes yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya, and Culex quinquefasciatus (C. quinquefasciatus) is another which can cause lymphatic filariasis, a widely distributed tropical disease across the world. In line with the larvicidal activity of sea grasses against the disease vectors, the present contribution has been focused. Two seagrasses namely Enhalus acoroides (L.f) Royle (E. acoroides) and H. ovalis (R.Br) Hook.f. (H. ovalis) collected from the Mandapam Coast, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu located in South India were washed, shade dried, blended and made in to a fine powder. Sea grass extracts of different concentrations from 62.5 ppm to 500 ppm were prepared in the ratio 1:3 (w/v) using hexane, dichloromethane and ethanol as solvents. The results showed that the hexane extract (500 ppm) of E. acoroides exhibited the larvicidal activity of 62% against the Ae. aegypti after 24 h whereas its ethanol extracts (500 ppm) showed 50% of larvicial activity against C. quinquefasciatus. It could be inferred that the H. ovalis displayed a lesser larvicidal potentiality against Ae. aegypti than that of E. acoroides. The FT Infra-Red characterization of E. acoroides was carried out for the identification of various functional groups. The presence of about 11 organic compounds in E. acoroides was analysed using GC – MS. The significant role of solvents' polarity in enabling the bioactive compounds to combat against two different mosquito vectors has been discussed. Statistical data such as LC 50 (concentration of compound that kills 50% of larva), LC 90 (concentration of compound that kills 90% of larva), correlation coefficient (r), χ2 and p values are calculated and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, dye decolorizing bacteria were isolated from water and soil samples, collected from textile industries in Jodhpur province, India. Two bacterial species namely, Bacillus pumilis and Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus were screened and identified based on biochemical characterization. The degradation efficiency of these two microorganisms was compared through optimization of pH, incubation time, initial dye concentration and inoculum size. B. pumilis and P. thiominolyticus were able to degrade 61% and 67% Red HE3B, 81% and 75% Orange F2R, 49.7% and 44.2% Yellow ME4GL and 61.6% and 59.5% Blue RC CT dyes of 800mg/l concentration respectively. The optimum pH and time were found to be 8 within 24 hours. The FT-IR analysis confirmed that microorganisms were able to degrade toxic azo dyes into a non-toxic product as proved through structural modifications to analyze chemical functions in materials by detecting the vibrations that characterize chemical bonds. It is based on the absorption of infrared radiation by the microbial product. Therefore, Bacillus pumilis and Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus are a promising tool for decolorization of dyes due to its potential to effectively decolorize higher azo dye concentrations (10-800 mg/L) and can be exploited for bioremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jute hairy caterpillar, Spilosoma (=Spilarctia) obliqua (Walker) (Arctiidae: Lepidoptera), is an irregular and polyphagous insect pest that occurs all over India. A severe natural viral epizootic was observed in the field population of S. obliqua in jute. The virus was characterized as Spilosoma obliqua nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpobNPV NBAIR1) based on morphological, biological, and molecular characterization. Under scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), the occlusion bodies (OBs) of SpobNPV NBAIR1 appeared as both tetrahedral and triangular with the size ranged from 1.04-1.72 μm. The results on the bioassay studies revealed that the lowest LC50 value of 2.93 OBs/mm2 by leaf disc bioassay against the second instar S. obliqua showed its high virulence. The identity of SpobNPV was further confirmed by the amplification of polyhedrin gene (NCBI GenBank accession no. MK288145). Eleven species of lepidopteran insects, viz., Spodoptera litura, S. exigua, S. frugiperda, Helicoverpa armigera, Plutella xylostella, Amsacta albistriga, Maruca vitrata, Trichoplusia ni, Pieris brassicae, Agrotis ipsilon, and Bombyx mori, were not susceptible to the infection with SpobNPV NBAIR1. Field experiments on jute crop revealed 68.92, 78.59, and 93.16% reduction in larval population of S. obliqua at 3, 4, and 7 days post spray of SpobNPV NBAIR1 (1.5 × 1012 OBs/ha at 2 ml/l), respectively. The present study is a renewed effort in the management of S. obliqua by the new strain of SpobNPV NBAIR1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is essential for all living organisms. The addition of Chemicals will become a prime source for contamination of groundwaters near Agricultural activity areas. Keeping in view the hectic agricultural activity in West Godavari District of AP, India, it is proposed to assess the chemical toxicity of waters to suggest the remedial measures to protect the quality of waters to safeguard the health of the public residing in the nearby habitations of Agricultural activity areas. 16 Groundwater samples were collected and characterized for physicochemical parameters viz., pH, EC, TDS, TA, TH, DO, CO32-, HCO3-, Cl-, SO42-, PO43-, NO3-, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+ to evaluate the quality of waters to assess their potentials for application. The waters were characterized for metal ions viz., Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, As and Hg. Some waters are observed with Arsenic concentration while the concentrations of other metals are within the permissible limit. Further, the groundwaters were characterized to assess the microbial contamination and the waters were found to contain pathogenic bacterial species which can cause water-borne diseases. A health survey was carried out and the results revealed the sufferings of the people from health problems which are correlated with the presence of pathogenic bacterial species. The research results revealed that waters are with chemical and microbial contamination and proper treatment is to be done for controlling the toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance characteristic of volumetric image-guided dedicated-nozzle pencil beam-scanning proton therapy (PT) system. Materials and Methods: PT system was characterized for electromechanical, image quality, and registration accuracy. Proton beam of 70.2-226.2 MeV was characterized for short-and long-term reproducibility in integrated depth dose; spot profile characteristics at different air gap and gantry angle; positioning accuracy of single and pattern of spot; dose linearity, reproducibility and consistency. All measurements were carried out using various X-ray and proton-beam specific detectors following standard protocols. Results: All electro-mechanical, imaging, and safety parameters performed well within the specified tolerance limit. The image registration errors along three translation and three rotational axes were =0.5 mm and =0.2° for both point-based and intensity-based auto-registration. Distal range (R90) and distal dose fall-off (DDF) of 70.2-226.2 MeV proton beams were within 1 mm of calculated values based on the international commission on radiation units and measurements 49 and 0.0156× R90, respectively. The R90 and DDF were reproducible within a standard deviation of 0.05 g/cm2 during the first 8 months. Dose were linear from 18.5 (0.011 MU/spot) to 8405 (5 MU/spot) MU, reproducible within 0.5% in 5 consecutive days and consistent within 0.8% for full rotation. The cGy/MU for 70.2-226.2MeV was consistent within 0.5%. In-air X(Y) spot-sigma at isocenter varies from 2.96 (3.00) mm to 6.68 (6.52) mm for 70.2-226.2 MeV. Maximum variation of spot-sigma with air-gap of ±20 cm was ±0.36 mm (5.28%) and ±0.82 mm (±12.5%) along X-and Y-direction and 3.56% for full rotation. Relative spot positions were accurate within ±0.6 mm. The planned and delivered spot pattern of known complex geometry agreed with (%=1) for 1% @ 1 mm >98% for representative five-proton energies at four gantry angle. Conclusion: The PT-system performed well within the expected accuracy level and consistent over a period of 8 months. The methodology and data presented here may help upcoming modern PT center during their crucial phase of commissioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The removal of fluoride is essential for water contaminated with fluoride before being utilized since the unsafe concentration of fluoride with respect to the permissible limits. In the present study, there are 61 bacterial strains belonging to fluoride tolerance were isolated from the contaminated soil of Dharmapuri District, Tamil Nadu, India and they were evaluated for different characterization. Among the strains isolated, the strain PN4 showed a high tolerance to fluoride ranging from 500 to 2500 ppm under different stress conditions. The strain PN4 was selected as a possible organism for the degradation and removal of fluoride in an aqueous medium. Based on the morphology, biochemical characteristics and the 16S rRNA sequencing, the bacterium PN4 was identified as Bacillus flexus. In batch mode studies, the glucose was showed the maximum removal of fluoride (86%) followed by beef extract (82%) and a significant level of defluoridation was observed at pH 7.0 and the temperature at 35°C. In the antibiotic-resistance pattern, the strain Bacillus flexus PN4 was shown sensitive to three different antibiotics. Intracellular accumulation of fluoride by the bacterial cell was characterized by SEM- EDAX, TEM and FTIR analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted with twenty five small size potato (Solanum sp.) genotypes to characterize the different growth, yield and quality characters as well as its variability. The research work was conducted at the Instructional farm of the Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari, Cooch Behar, and West Bengal, India during the year 2017-18 and 2018-19. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with tree replications The genotypes were characterized for 37 characters namely, tuber characters, sprout and stem characters, leaf characters and growth habit. These genotypes upon sorting showed discrete variation with respect to vegetative, tuber and quality characters. Wide range of variation was also pragmatic among the genotypes for quite a few morphological, tuber and quality characters. Among the different tuber characters absence of secondary tuber colour, shallow depth of tuber, intermediate note of eyes per tuber, evenly distributed eye showed 100% frequency and other leaf and growth characters also shows higher frequency. Variability studies were bare that there was an extensive range of inconsistency for all the characters studied. High GCV and PCV were found in case of anthocyanin content of tuber and yield of tuber plant-1. High heritability along with high genetic advance (as percentage of mean) was found in tuber yield plant-1and average weight of single tuber. These characters may be painstaking as trustworthy selection indices as they are possibly governed by additive gene effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linseed or flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is one of the most ancient industrial crops domesticated for oilseed and natural fiber. India is one of the two proposed centers of origin of linseed and harbours high genetic diversity. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR) conserves one of the largest base collections of Linum with around 2800 germplasm accessions at National Genebank, of which 2576 are the unique accessions of cultivated linseed and were characterized for 10 qualitative and 26 quantitative traits and the resultant multi-environment data along with passport information was used to develop a multipurpose core collection. Initially, five different core sets were derived using the core collection assembler tool 'Core Hunter 3' by optimization of average genetic distances between each accession and nearest entry in the core (A-NE) and the average distance between each entry and nearest neighbouring entry (E-NE). These five core sets were subjected to different quality evaluation indices to select one set that best represents the maximum genetic diversity and representativeness present in the entire tested collection. The Core collection-4, developed with weightage of E-NE and A-NE in the ratio of 0.7–0.3 was chosen as the best core collection as it exhibited desirable genetic distance, variance difference percentage (VD; 85%), coincidence rate of range (CR; 91.66%) and variable rate of coefficient of variance (VR; 117.76%), which were more than threshold value of VD (80%), CR (80%), and VR (100%) required for an optimally good core collection. Several summary statistics, Kullback-Leibler distance and Shannon Weaver diversity index indicated similar trait distribution patterns among the chosen core set and the entire collection. Correlogram and principal component analysis revealed that trait associations and their magnitude were conserved for most of the traits in the chosen best core collection. The development of this multipurpose core collection is expected to cater to the needs of linseed breeders and germplasm curators to pave the way for expedited access to genetically diverse and agronomically important material for trait introgression. • Large scale characterisation of 2576 linseed accessions for agro-morphological and seed quality traits. • Development of multipurpose core collection. • Core collection represents maximum diversity and representativeness of the whole genebank collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An exopolysaccharide producing strain AK103T was isolated from Sambharlake, Rajasthan, India. Based on polyphasic taxonomy, the strain AK103T was found to be a novel species for which the name Natronotalea sambharensis sp. nov. is proposed. The strain was able to secrete (1.2 gL−1) EPS under optimum conditions. The FT-IR spectroscopy revealed that EPS had carboxyl, hydroxyl, carbonyl and sulfate ester groups. The high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and NMR revealed that the exopolysaccharide was composed of mannose, glucose and glucuronic acid with a molecular weight of 4.6 × 106 KDa. This novel EPS was designated as Nat-103. Interestingly, the EPS was found to have antioxidant activity and in vitro antioxidant studies showed that DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) activity increased in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, EPS Nat-103 was able to produce gold nanoparticles which were further characterized by FT-IR, DLS and Zeta potential (ZP). • An EPS designated as Nat-103 was isolated from Natronotalea sambharensis sp. nov. AK103T. • The primary structure of EPS Nat-103 was identified by FT-IR, HPLC, GPC and NMR. • Nat-103 comprised of high Mw containing glucose, mannose and glucuronic acid. • The Nat-103 exhibited potent antioxidant activity as well as viscosifying property. • The EPS produced by the novel species was able to produce stable AuNPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]