Search

The hydrological response of watersheds affected by large-scale coal mining activities is complex and difficult to simulate. The present study aims to bridge this gap by simulating the effects of land-use and topographical changes due to coal mining on surface runoff in the Jamunia basin of Jharkhand, India. The derivatives of digital elevation model (DEM) have been used to simulate the changes in topography of the study area and the runoff has been calculated using Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrological model. The study results revealed significant increase in surface runoff (mm) during the simulation period. The findings of this study established that unplanned mining activities can reduce the water holding capacity of downstream reservoirs and increase the runoff. The outcome of the study will be helpful for mine planners to design sustainable mining operations which will have less adverse impact on the hydrological regime of the watershed.

Tropical rainforests invest in their root systems to store soil moisture from water-rich periods for use in water-scarce periods. An inadequate root-zone soil moisture storage predisposes or forces these forest ecosystems to transition to a savanna-like state, devoid of their native structure and functions. Yet changes in soil moisture storage and its influence on the rainforest ecosystems under future climate change remain uncertain. Using a mass-balance-based (empirical) understanding of root zone storage capacity, we assess the future state of the rainforests and the forest-savanna transition risk in South America and Africa. For this, we analyse the hydroclimatic estimates of 33 Earth System Models under four different shared socioeconomic pathway scenarios (i.e., SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5). We find that by the end of the 21st century, nearly one-third of the total forest area will be influenced by climate change. Furthermore, beyond 1.5-2⁰C warming, ecosystem recovery reduces gradually, whereas the forest-savanna transition risk increases several folds. For Amazon, this risk can grow by about 1.5-6 times compared to its immediate lower warming scenario, whereas for Congo, this risk growth is not substantial (0.7-1.65 times). The insight from this study underscores the urgent need to limit global surface temperatures below the Paris agreement.

Performance of selected trees on municipal dumpsite at Mumbai has been studied for 30 months and results indicate that the tree survival rate was found to be 50% to 85 % respectively. Amongst the selected plant species, Rain Tree, Gulmohar, Australian Acacia and Neem were observed to be the fastest growing trees. Study shows how a dumpsite could be transformed from a highly unacceptable zone to ecological and environmentally sustainable. Study also attempts to evaluate the trees suitable for urban environment for dumpsite based on their carbon sequestration potential and conforming Sustainable Development Goals

The tropical terrestrial ecosystems naturally exist as alternative stable states, commonly referred to as forest and savanna ecosystems. However, these ecosystems, especially forests, are currently threatened by the risk of drought-induced forest-to-savanna transitions across the tropics and subtropics. Therefore, a better understanding of ecosystem dynamics and characteristics behind these alternative stable states is crucial in predicting their response to future hydroclimatic changes. Previous studies have analyzed these alternative stable states against precipitation predominantly based on space-for-time substitution. However, such a substitution provides a partial picture of ecosystem adaptation dynamics and associated ecosystem structural change over time. Here, we empirically study the transient state of tropical ecosystems and their hydroclimatic adaptations by examining remotely sensed tree cover and root zone storage capacity over the last two decades in South America and Africa. Tree cover represents the above-ground ecosystem structure's density, and is derived directly from MODIS satellite data. Whereas root zone storage capacity is the maximum amount of soil moisture that the vegetation can access for transpiration is derived using daily precipitation and evaporation data. We found that ecosystems at high (>75%) and low (

Tropical rainforests invest in their root systems to store soil moisture from water-rich periods for use in water-scarce periods. An inadequate root-zone soil moisture storage predisposes or forces these forest ecosystems to transition to a savanna-like state, devoid of their native structure and functions. Yet changes in soil moisture storage and its influence on the rainforest ecosystems under future climate change remain uncertain. Using the empirical understanding of root zone storage capacity, we assess the future state of the rainforests and the forest-savanna transition risk in South America and Africa under four different shared socioeconomic pathway scenarios. We find that by the end of the 21st century, nearly one-third of the total forest area will be influenced by climate change. Furthermore, beyond 1.5-2⁰C warming, ecosystem recovery reduces gradually, whereas the forest-savanna transition risk increases several folds. For Amazon, this risk can grow by about 1.5-6 times compared to its immediate lower warming scenario, whereas for Congo, this risk growth is not substantial (0.7-1.65 times). The insight from this study underscores the urgent need to limit global surface temperatures below the Paris agreement.

Since an average human spends most of the time indoors (ranging from 85% to 90%), the understanding about ambient environment is very important. The indoor environment is majorly polluted from the indoor air pollutants like volatile organic carbon (VOC), semi-volatile organic carbon (SVOC), particulate matter, ozone, oxides of carbon and sulphur, heavy metals, biological contaminants and many more. There has been growing awareness about the adverse health effects of poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in the last two decades; researchers across the globe are performing various studies to assess the IAQ, and the situation in developing and the under-developing country is getting worse day by day due to unplanned and rapid growth. This work is an attempt to catalogue different types of indoor air pollutants in various buildings based on their occupancy; finally, their health effects have also been touched upon. National Building Code of India (Part IV—2005) has been taken under consideration for different types of buildings. It has been observed that a number of pollutants are present in the indoor environment; hence, the determination of all the IAQ parameters consumes a lot of time and resources; a set of five to six parameters, i.e., TVOC, oxides of sulphur, carbon and nitrogen, ozone, and respirable suspended particulates, are the most effective indicators for the assessment of indoor air quality. The pollutants in indoor air are classified into three major categories, and the potential sources, health effects of these pollutants and mitigation measures to improve IAQ are listed further in the paper.

Drought one of the environmental stresses, is the most significant factor restricting plant production in majority of the agricultural fields of the world. Drought often causes serious problems in wheat production areas. An experiment was conducted to assess yield and yield responses under three different level of field capacity viz. (100% FC, 75% FC, 35% FC) with a set of two tolerant and two susceptible genotypes of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) at Department of Genetics and Plant breeding, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh during Rabi 2019-20. Four wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars were grown in Black polythene bags of 8×5-inch size. The first factor involves drought stress condition at three levels such as 100% (Well-watered), 75% (Moderate stress), 35% (Severe stress). The second factor involves four varieties namely C-306, DBW 110, DBW 136, GW 451. The experiment was setup in Factorial Completely Randomized Design with four replications and the analysis were made. Observation were measured at booting and early grain filling stage. Yield and yield components were evaluated at harvesting stage. The water stress brings out a negative impact on yield and yield attributing characters. Most of the yield parameters were decreased under water stress. T1 (100% FC) recorded significantly highest value of number of grains/spike (25.00), number of effective tillers (5.00), biological yield (17.66 g), number of spikelet’s/spike (20.31) grain yield per plant (10.45 g), test weight (42.59 g) and harvest index (37.51%). The highest yield data were observed under the genotype DBW 110.

The tropical terrestrial ecosystems naturally exist as alternative stable states, commonly referred to as forest and savanna ecosystems. However, these ecosystems, especially forests, are currently threatened by the risk of drought-induced forest-to-savanna transitions across the tropics and subtropics. Therefore, a better understanding of ecosystem dynamics and characteristics behind these alternative stable states is crucial in predicting their response to future hydroclimatic changes. Previous studies have analyzed these alternative stable states against precipitation predominantly based on space-for-time substitution. However, such a substitution provides a partial picture of ecosystem adaptation dynamics and associated ecosystem structural change over time. Here, we empirically study the transient state of tropical ecosystems and their hydroclimatic adaptations by examining remotely sensed tree cover and root zone storage capacity over the last two decades in South America and Africa. Tree cover represents the above-ground ecosystem structure's density, and is derived directly from MODIS satellite data. Whereas root zone storage capacity is the maximum amount of soil moisture that the vegetation can access for transpiration is derived using daily precipitation and evaporation data. We found that ecosystems at high (>75%) and low (

Forest and savanna ecosystems naturally exist as alternative stable states. The maximum capacity of these ecosystems to absorb perturbations without transitioning to the other alternative stable state is referred to as ‘resilience’. Previous studies have determined the resilience of terrestrial ecosystems to hydroclimatic changes predominantly based on space-for-time substitution. This substitution assumes that the contemporary spatial frequency distribution of ecosystems’ tree cover structure holds across time. However, this assumption is problematic since ecosystem adaptation over time is ignored. Here we empirically study tropical forests’ stability and hydroclimatic adaptation dynamics by examining remotely sensed tree cover change (ΔTC; aboveground ecosystem structural change) and root zone storage capacity (Sr; buffer capacity towards water-stress) over the last two decades. We find that ecosystems at high (>75%) and low (

Rainforests have been a major controller of local and global climate by maintaining carbon stocks and regulating global water cycle. However, the water cycle is increasingly impacted by climate change and ongoing deforestation, which forces rainforest ecosystems to adapt differently to increasing water-stress. To understand future rainforest dynamics towards changing hydroclimate, their resilience capacity to future changes and estimating potential tipping points, it is detrimental that we quantify moisture available to vegetation. However, due to the physical limitations in quantifying subsurface moisture availability of terrestrial ecosystems at continental scales, only rainfall is considered a primary control variable to represent the forest's ecohydrological status. In the present study, using remote-sensing derived rootzone storage capacity (Sr), we analyze the water-stress and drought coping strategies along rainforest-savanna transects in South America and Africa at different tree cover densities. We further classified the ecosystem's adaptability to water-stress into four classes: lowly, moderately, highly water-stressed forest, and savanna-grassland regime using empirical and statistical analysis. Based on these analyses, we can show that forests subsequently invest in their rooting strategy and modify their above-ground forest cover in response to the water-stress experienced by it. We observed that remote sensing-based rootzone storage capacity reveals important subsoil forest dynamics and can act as an important hydroclimatic stress indicator for vegetation. Monitoring of rootzone storage capacity helps open new paths to understanding the eco-hydrological state, ecosystem resilience, and adaptation dynamics in a rapidly changing climate. Source: Singh, C. et al. (2020). Rootzone storage capacity reveals drought coping strategies along rainforest-savanna transitions. Environmental Research Letters, 15(12), 124021. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/abc377

Green water - soil moisture, evaporation, and precipitation over land - is fundamental to safeguard Earth system functioning. Nonlinear green-water driven changes in climate, ecosystems, biogeochemistry, and hydrology are becoming increasingly evident and widespread. Yet, considerations of continental to planetary scale green-water dynamics are yet to be assessed and incorporated in management and governance. Here, we propose a green water planetary boundary (PB) - as part of the planetary boundary framework that demarcates a global “safe-operating space” for humanity - for assessing green-water related changes that can affect the capacity of the Earth system to remain in Holocene-like conditions. We consider green-water related processes associated with all scales: spatially distributed units, regions or biomes, and the Earth system as a whole. The proposed green water PB variable is selected through expert elicitation based on a set of transparent evaluation criteria that consider both scientific and governability aspects. Finally, we clarify the appropriate use of a green water PB, outline remaining challenges, and propose a research agenda for future navigation and quantitative assessments of the biophysical Earth system scale boundaries of green water changes.

The agricultural food production should be increased 70% as the global population will reach 9.1 billion people by 2050. Farmers use chemical spray to reduce the loss and for quick management of pest/disease. The availability and affordability of chemicals to marginal farmers are not possible for pest/disease and weed management. The biopesticide industry is a ray of hope among farmers who are interested in organic farming/natural farming for pest and disease management. The consumers are demanding for low-residue and safer product for consumption. Training is needed for farmers to reduce resistance and develop awareness about biopesticide use in various agroecosystems. In this chapter, we will discuss recent importance and prospect of biopesticide in agriculture and the mode of action of biopesticide against insects and diseases. Moreover, special emphasis is given on case studies of pest and disease management through various biopesticides under laboratory as well as field condition.

Change in rainfall patterns and extended drought events can cause water stress in the rainforest which can also lead to a permanent shift of the biome into a savanna state. Rainforest in response may adapt to such environmental stress conditions to sustain ecosystem functioning or reduce functioning altogether. Previous studies related to forest resilience have mostly relied on precipitation or climatological drought as a control variable, but neither is a direct measure of forest resilience. As such, forest adaptability dynamics of the forest is poorly understood. Our research defines this adaptation capacity of vegetation as a dynamic reserve which rainforest can utilize before a potential shift to an alternate stable state, as the resilience of the rainforest. Here, we introduce the Rootzone Storage Potential (RZSP) as a direct water stress metric to understand adaptive forest resilience behaviour, using the cumulative difference between precipitation and potential evaporation (radiation-based). Since the potential evaporation used for RZSP calculation is purely radiation-based, it minimizes the effect of moisture recycling (and transport) on the system. RZSP is the potential of vegetation to optimize their resources enduring the greatest dry period. In this study, we have investigated the spatio-temporal resilience loss of the South American and African rainforest. An increasing trend of resilience loss was observed in the past few decades. Using RZSP is a useful indicator for estimating resilience dynamics and water stress characteristics of the rainforest.

Plastic waste generation is an inevitable product of human activities, however its management faces challenges in many cities. Understanding the existing patterns of plastic waste generation and recycling is essential for effective management planning. The present study established a relationship between plastic waste generation rate and the identified socioeconomic groups, higher socioeconomic group (HSEG), middle socioeconomic group (MSEG), and lower socioeconomic group (LSEG) of the study area (Dhanbad, India). For identification of the socioeconomic groups, four different socioeconomic parameters were considered (total family income, education, occupation and type of houses). The information related to the identified parameters were obtained using questionnaire survey conducted in the selected households. One week plastic waste sampling was carried out in the households of all the socioeconomic groups. The plastic waste generated in the study area was 5.7% of the total municipal solid waste. In terms of total plastic waste generation rate, it was found that HSEG had maximum (51 g/c/d) and LSEG had minimum (8 g/c/d) generation rate. The present study area does not have any formal waste recycling system. Thus, the amount of plastic waste recovered and the revenue generated from recycling of plastic waste by the active informal recyclers (waste pickers, itinerant waste buyers and scrap dealers) in the study area have been evaluated. Additionally, three non-linear machine learning models i.e., artificial neural network (ANN), support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF) have been developed and compared for the prediction of plastic waste generation rate.

The human coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 is now a global pandemic. Personal hygiene such as hand-washing, the use of personal protective equipment, and social distancing via local and national lockdowns are used to reduce the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2. COVID-19 and the associated lockdowns may have significant impacts on environmental quality and ergonomics. However, limited studies exists on the impacts of COVID-19 and the associated lockdowns on environmental quality and ergonomics in low-income settings. Therefore, the present study investigated the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on socioeconomics, ergonomics and environment (water quality, air quality and noise) in Uttarakhand, India. Approximately 55% of respondents experienced headaches, and the other common health-related issue was back pain, with 45% of respondents having problems with their backs. Water and air quality significantly improved during the lockdown relative to the pre-lockdown period, but was observed to return to their previous characteristics afterwards. Lockdowns significant increased the concentration of indoor air pollutants while noise pollution levels significantly declined. In summary, lockdowns have adverse impacts on ergonomics, resulting in work-related human health risks. The impacts of lockdowns on environmental quality are mixed: temporary improvements on water and air quality, and noise reduction were observed, but indoor air quality deteriorated. Therefore, during lockdowns there is a need to minimize the adverse environmental and ergonomic impacts of lockdowns while simultaneously enhancing the beneficial impacts., Graphical Abstract ga1

The present work is aimed at investigating the antimicrobial activity of Lanthanum cobalt ferrate (LaCo 1-X Fe X O 3 ) perovskite nanoparticles against Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 1688 and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 96. A series of LaCo 1-X Fe X O 3 (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1) perovskite were synthesized by citrate precursor sol-gel method. Samples have been characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron microscope (SEM), Branauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) nitrogen adsorption technique. The average size of the nanoparticles varied from 10 to 100 nm and XRD revealed the formation of a single phase perovskite structure after annealing the precursor at 800 °C for 8 h. Surface area was found to be highest for LaCo 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3 (17.48 m 2 /g). Antibacterial activity was assessed according to the Radial Diffusion Assay (RDA). The results indicates promising antibacterial activity of LaCo 1-X Fe X O 3 on both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. MIC values for S.aureus and P.aeruginosa , were in the range of 50–200 μg/mL, the enhanced antibacterial activity has attributed to increased doping of Fe stoichiometric ratio of the perovskite nanoparticles. MBC studies showed that the growth of S.aureus and P.aeruginosa could be ceased above 100 μg/mL of LaCo 1-X Fe X O 3 . Thus the data supports the use of such nanoparticles as a potential antimicrobial agents specially with regards to water purification technology.

Biopesticides are naturally occurring substances (biochemicals), microbes and plants, and environmentally safe pesticides, and amidst its numerous types, bacterial biopesticides are used extensively and is of prodigious importance. The inclusive use of biopesticides is substantial in prospective aids to agriculture and public health programmes; hence, usage of such bacterial biopesticides can be beneficial in such programmes. Biopesticides are key components of integrated pest management (IPM) programs, which are gaining consideration by means of reduced synthetic chemical product extent used to control several plant pest, diseases, and safeguard stored crop produce. A huge number of bacterial-derived products are introduced into market among which quite a few have already played a vital role. Bacterial 24pesticides have different mechanisms to control pests, pathogens, and weeds where they might act as competitors or inducers of host resistance in plant or by inhibiting growth, feeding, development, or reproduction of a pest or pathogen. The aim of this chapter is to provide a synopsis on use of bacterial-derived biopesticides for pest management and to deliberate the current development and application of their various types. This chapter encloses thorough classification of Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus subtilis, and Bacillus sphaericus based biopesticide along with their insecticidal, mosquitocidal, nematicidal, and antimicrobial activities. This section divulges great potential for auxiliary manipulation of bacterial-derived biopesticides in fortification of plants. India has a vast potential for bacterial biopesticides but its adoption by farmers in India needs education for maximum benefit. The stress on organic farming and on residue-free commodities would certainly warrant increased adoption of bacterial biopesticides by the farmers. Being target pest specific, it is presumed to be relatively safe to non-target organism including humans.

Drought tolerance as such is often not considered to be an independent trait by plant breeders. The objective of this study was to evaluate eight drought tolerance indices, namely stress susceptibility index (SSI), yield stability index (YSI), yield reduction ratio (Yr), yield index (YI), tolerance index (TOL), mean productivity (MP), geometric mean productivity (GMP), and stress tolerance index (STI) in upland cotton (G. hirsutum L.) genotypes. For this purpose, 16 genotypes were sampled during the 2013-2014 growing seasons under both normal and drought-stress field conditions at the Main Cotton Research Station of Navsari Agricultural University, Surat, India. The drought tolerance indices were calculated based on seed cotton yield under drought stress and non-stress conditions. Mean comparison of drought tolerance indices and seed cotton yield validated the significant influences of drought stress on yield as well as significant differences among genotypes. Results of calculated correlation coefficients and multivariate analyses showed that GMP, MP and STI indices were able to discriminate drought-sensitive and tolerant genotypes. Cluster analysis using the drought-tolerance indices divided the 16 genotypes into tolerant and susceptible groups. Two genotypes, G.Cot.16 × H-1353/10 and H-1353/10 × G.Cot.16 gave good yield response under drought conditions leading to their stability during water stress conditions. Based on multivariate analyses using the indices individually or in combinations, it was possible to identify the most yield-stable genotypes across the environments. Overall, we concluded that GMP, MP and STI indices can be efficiently exploited not only for screening drought tolerance but also to identify superior genotypessuitable for both stress and non-stress field conditions.

Projected changes in the frequency and severity of climatic events are expected to negatively affect wheat yields. India being the sub-continent reflects all global climatic conditions is greatly prone to micro climatic changes. In this scenario, there is an exigency to relook into our abiotic hotspot centres for their consistency to use them for wheat germplasm screening. The present study is a first of its kind to analyze the status of drought and heat stress hotspots for wheat screening in India. We developed a unique analytical approach considering 11 years daily weather variables (indicators) like maximum and minimum temperature, maximum and minimum humidity and rainfall to re-prioritize the experimental locations according to their stress intensity index. The principal component analysis based indexing revealed that some of the locations like Dharwad, Indore, Pune and Parbhani are maintaining high stress intensity and a few centres like Kanpur, Faizabad and Malda are having lower stress intensity. Interestingly, Ranchi, a centre which was not recognized much as a hotspot earlier, but over years started to experience high drought stress in the recent decade. The study also indicates that the changes in minimum humidity have contributed significantly for the stress intensity. The outcome of the study will help researchers in prioritizing the experimental sites for screening wheat under heat and drought stress, in limited resource scenario and also to understand the micro environmental changes.

Carbon content in soils is a key parameter for soil health management and higher plant productivity sustainably. Total carbon in soil is accounted to be more than combined carbon in the vegetation and atmosphere; it contributes significantly to climate adaptation, biodiversity and nutrient recycling. These basic characteristics are essential for global food security, eco-friendly environment, and human welfare. The method of eliminating atmospheric CO2 and its accumulation in the soil carbon pool known as carbon sequestration is primarily mediated by plants through the process of photosynthesis and respiration. Ultimately, dead animal and plant residues are decomposed by microbes through their saprophytic, mutual or pathogenic activities. Thus, microbes are the chief modulators of the terrestrial carbon cycle and regulate the net carbon storage or turnover rates in soil carbon sequestration (SCS). Recent studies are shading light on the major factors involved in the mechanism of SCS and their associations with soil-plant-microbe interactions. These factors mainly include soil properties (soil depth, type, pH, pore space, bulk density, and texture), climate parameters (temperature and precipitation) and land management practices (LMPs). This chapter summarizes the basic concept of carbon sequestration, forms of carbon (organic and inorganic), factors influencing the SCS and microbial activity, microbial communities associated with SCS and their potential in enhancing the soil carbon storage.

Genetic variability of high molecular weight glutenin subunits and low molecular weight glutenin subunits composition at the Glu-1 loci in Triticum aestivum L., and T. durum L., wheat was studied using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and polymerase chain reaction based markers. The end use quality of wheat is mainly influenced by the composition of glutenin protein. Aestivum cultivar GW-273 showed highest gluten index (94.4%) and sedimentation value (61 mL). GW-273 and GW-322 showed highest Glu-1 score of 10 out of 10, indicating superior dough quality for bread making. Results from glutenin protein separation using electrophoresis revealed that selected Indian wheat cultivars were abundant in high molecular weight glutenin subunits AxNull allele, which is responsible for poor quality. Gene specific polymerase chain reaction using high molecular weight glutenin subunits and low molecular weight glutenin subunits primers showed Dx5 and Dy10 in only two cultivars GW-273 and GW-322,...

The objective of this research is to develop a tool for planning and managing the water quality of River Godavari. This is achieved by classifying the pollution levels of Godavari River into several categories using water quality index and a clustering approach that ensure simple but accurate information about the pollution levels and water characteristics at any point in Godavari River in Maharashtra. The derived water quality indices and clusters were then visualized by using a Geographical Information System to draw thematic maps of Godavari River, thus making GIS as a decision support system. The obtained maps may assist the decision makers in managing and controlling pollution in the Godavari River. This also provides an effective overview of those spots in the Godavari River where intensified monitoring activities are required. Consequently, the obtained results make a major contribution to the assessment of the State’s water quality monitoring network. Three significant groups (less polluted, moderately and highly polluted sites) were detected by Cluster Analysis method. The results of Discriminant Analysis revealed that five parameters i.e. pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Faecal Coliform (FC), Total Coliform (TC) and Ammonical Nitrogen (NH3-N) were necessary for analysis in spatial variation. Using discriminant function developed in the analysis, 100% of the original sites were correctly classified.

Maize is categorized as a salt-sensitive crop and identification of fairly salt-tolerant lines is of paramount importance for increasing its production on saline soils. Experiments were conducted in randomized block design with three replications to identify maize accessions showing response to saline water irrigation, traits imparting tolerance, and their effect on yield attributes of maize. Significant variation was present among genotypes for specific leaf area (SLA), potassium (K) content, cob characteristics, yield, biomass, and harvest index. High amount of heritability with large genetic advance indicated the presence of additive gene action for traits like leaf water potential and leaf dry weight. Association analysis revealed high correlation between key traits and direct as well as positive effect of these traits on yield. Principal component analysis resolved three principal components, and high leaf area and water potential were conferring salt tolerance and thus higher yield.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors or “GIST” are mesenchymal neoplasms expressing KIT(CD117) tyrosine kinase and showing the presence of activating mutations in KIT orPDGFRα(platelet-derived growth factor alpha). GIST of anal canal is an extremely rare tumor, accounting for only 3% of all anorectal mesenchymal tumors and 0.1–0.4% of all GIST. GIST with large tumor size and high mitotic activity are highly malignant, but the biological behavior of anorectal GIST is less clear. Abdominoperineal resection (APR) or conservative surgery is the best treatment option. Imatinib mesylate, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has shown promising results in its management. We present a case of anorectal GIST diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and colonoscopy with biopsy. The patient underwent abdominoperineal resection (APR) and was confirmed on histopathology to have anal canal GIST with tumor size more than 5 cm in maximum dimension and mitotic figures more than 5/50 high power field (HPF). The CD117—immunoreactive score—was 3+ in spindled cells. Therefore the patient was put on adjuvant imatinib mesylate 400 mg daily.

Adult intussusception is a rare entity accounting for only 5% of all intussusceptions and causes approximately 1% of all adult intestinal obstructions. Unlike paediatric intussusceptions which are usually idiopathic, there is usually a lead point pathology which might be malignant in up to 50% cases. We present an unusual case of adult intussusception which was not diagnosed on any investigation including computerized tomographic (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It was a case of ileo-ileo-cecal intussusception caused by a large lipoma 38 mm×43 mm×61 mm. It was treated by emergency laparotomy for acute intestinal obstruction. A conservative resection with ileostomy was performed with good postoperative recovery.