Search

Globally the land subsidence is a significant problem of the rapidly growing urban area. The factor responsible for the land subsidence caused by over-exploitation of the underground fluid such as water, petroleum, and gas respectively. In present study we present the result of detail investigation of active ground subsidance in New Delhi, National Capital Region (NCR). This area indicates a high rate of urban growth during the past decades. To analyze the land subsidence, we used multiple SAR sensor data and exploited the PS-InSAR technique. The data used for this study are Cosmo-skymed acquired between 08/06/2011 to 15/11/2017, Sentinel-1A-B (18-12-2014 to 27-11-2018), and ALOS PALSAR acquired between 19/01/2007 and 20/01/2011. These radar sensors operate in X, C, and L-band, which covers over ten years, from 2007 to 2018. The PSI results of Cosmo-skymed reveals that the Delhi NCR region has undergone an average deformation ± 15 mm/y, a maximum surface deformation observed from ALOS-PALSAR is 10 to 18 mm/y and the ground displacement observed from the SENTINAL-1A data is −2 to 16 mm/y. Groundwater level data also collected for the same period and a ground water level depletion compared with the subsidence. Monitoring land subsidence with ground-based conventional technology is time-consuming and can be carried out in a limited area due to the financial implication. PS-InSAR is an established method to detect the surface movement using the SAR sensor's time-series data. The result shows that a twenty centimeter of land subsidence is visible in some areas, validated with the collected ground evidence. The affected area is also showing resemblance to the groundwater depleting condition in those areas. This study also establish that multiple sensor data can be used to monitor the long term land subsidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexaploid bread wheat, being highly recalcitrant, has been difficult to regenerate in vitro which limits the use of transgenesis and genome editing for its agronomic improvement and functional genomics. We have studied the comparative in vitro regeneration in six most important wheat varieties, namely, HD-2967, PBW-343, WH-1105, PBW-550, DBW-17, and WL-711, using immature vs mature scutellum. The regeneration response of varieties PBW-550, DBW-17, and HD-2967 has not yet been reported. The mature and immature scutella cultured on MS medium containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) (2 mg l−1) or dicamba (6 mgl−1), respectively, and maltose (30 gl−1) under dark conditions developed calli which subsequently on transfer to modified MS medium with double concentration of NH4NO3, zeatin (5.0 mgl−1), dicamba (0.1 mgl−1), AgNO3 (2.0 mgl−1), CuSO4 (2.5 mgl−1), and sucrose (30 gl−1) under light conditions regenerated into shoots. Immature scutellum showed 100% callus induction irrespective of varieties and regenerated a maximum of 15 shoots per callus in 90% cultures, whereas mature scutellum showed a maximum 80% callus induction, producing maximum 5 shoots only in 67% cultures. Thus, immature scutellum has been more responsive comparative to mature scutellum for inducing callus and shoot regeneration. Among all the six varieties, HD-2967 was the most regenerative, which can be explored further for improving wheat via genetic transformation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, high-resolution SAR data is available from different satellites. These datasets have been proved to be a strong source to monitor land subsidence. This paper aims to use high-resolution Persistent Scatterers Interferometry (PSI) to estimate the urban subsidence in Delhi NCR. TerraSAR-X images in 68 numbers spread over a period of 26 months during September 2011 - September 2013 have been used to assess the land surface subsidence. The study area is covered with large infrastructure projects such as railway lines, bridges, highways, metro bridges and tunnels. The resultant surface subsidence has been compared with the groundwater table data and it appears that most of the subsidence has been induced by the over-exploitation of groundwater in the area. In some areas, we can clearly see that the rapid construction activities contributing to the surface subsidence phenomenon. Development of a new construction project required groundwater to be used in the activity which impacts the groundwater table. This deterioration of the groundwater table has led to the land subsidence. The study suggests that there is an urgent need to address the issue of groundwater exploitation in the affected areas to check the current phenomenon of subsidence. This is a distinctive work carried out over the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice is a staple food for more than 3 billion people in more than 100 countries of the world but ironically it is deficient in many bioavailable vitamins, minerals, essential amino- and fatty-acids and phytochemicals that prevent chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancers, and obesity. To enhance the nutritional and other quality aspects of rice, a better understanding of the regulation of the processes involved in the synthesis, uptake, transport, and metabolism of macro-(starch, seed storage protein and lipid) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals) is required. With the publication of high quality genomic sequence of rice, significant progress has been made in identification, isolation, and characterization of novel genes and their regulation for the nutritional and quality enhancement of rice. During the last decade, numerous efforts have been made to refine the nutritional and other quality traits either by using the traditional breeding with high through put technologies such as marker assisted selection and breeding, or by adopting the transgenic approach. A significant improvement in vitamins (A, folate, and E), mineral (iron), essential amino acid (lysine), and flavonoids levels has been achieved in the edible part of rice, i.e., endosperm (biofortification) to meet the daily dietary allowance. However, studies on bioavailability and allergenicity on biofortified rice are still required. Despite the numerous efforts, the commercialization of biofortified rice has not yet been achieved. The present review summarizes the progress and challenges of genetic engineering and/or metabolic engineering technologies to improve rice grain quality, and presents the future prospects in developing nutrient dense rice to save the everincreasing population, that depends solely on rice as the staple food, from widespread nutritional deficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The co-seismic deformation of the 28th April 2021 Assam earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 has been investigated using the Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PSInSAR). The results obtained from the PSInSAR are validated with the results of the Global Positioning System (GPS). It is observed that the co-seismic deformation of the earthquake is not visible because of the atmospheric noise. Therefore, we used the Sentinel-1 time-series data of the area to minimize the atmospheric noise effect the data using the Atmospheric Phase Screening (APS) processing of Sentinel-1 time series data. The time-series analysis shows minor changes that occurred during the earthquake. Firstly, the detection of coherence-based changes was carried out to identify the most affected areas, caused by the earthquake. The results of time series analysis suggest that the region located to the north of the Brahmaputra River is subsiding at a much faster rate (−25 to -75 mm/y) than its southern counterpart, where the southern part is subsiding with an average velocity of −0.1 to −15 mm/y. The subsided locations identified using the PSInSAR are further confirmed by the presence of liquefaction features, ground cracks, and tilted buildings related to post-liquefaction ground settlement. To see the deformation along the Bomdila Fault (BF), re-analysis of the available GPS results has been carried out and the derived results reveal a significant amount of deformation (∼4 mm/y) associated with BF and Jorhat Fault (JF); whereas the deformation associated with Kopili Fault (KF) is 3.14 mm/y. Further, our results suggest the presence of compressional strain in the BF zone, while extensional strain in the KF zone. The earthquake focal mechanism analysis suggests that the event of the April 2021 was primarily associated with the BF rather than the KF. • We investigated co-seismic deformation caused by 28th April 2021 Assam earthquake. • Time-series analysis reveals significant amount of ground subsidence in the area. • We identified higher subsidence rates towards the north of Brahmaputra River • GPS result suggests that the Bomdila fault (BF) is deforming much faster than KF. • The identified co-seismic deformation of BF is ∼4 mm/y and 3.14 mm/y along the KF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban land and its expansion have profoundly impacted the global environment, including the stress change in the earth's subsurface, even though urban land is a small fraction of the global land surface. Divulging such effects has never been more important, given the role of stress in determining the safety of the urban population against earthquakes. However, knowledge of this time-dependent non-linear effect of urbanization on the subsurface remains in the gray area. This study focuses on the area surrounding Delhi, the capital city of India, to understand the relative contribution of the building load created by rapid urbanization in exacerbating the subsurface state-of-stress. The results highlight that, since 2010, the modulation in the seismicity rate and the stability of basement thrust faults is linked not only to urbanization but also to decadal groundwater storage. Mounting evidence suggests that the rapid urbanization, and the resulting non-tectonic horizontal compression, stabilize faults in the Aravalli Delhi belt, which are destabilized due to the extensive groundwater extraction. This affects the decadal seismicity trend around the Aravalli Delhi fold belt. Nonetheless, the magnitude of this time-dependent deformation influence on the seismicity modulation remains uncertain. The findings from this study quantify the geomechanical impacts of urbanization in the Delhi area for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current geodetic investigation is based on nearly a decade of continuous Global Positioning System (GPS) data towards the western part of the Indian Plate (2009–2019). This research focused on the Kachchh Rift Basin (KRB), the seismically most active intra‐plate region of the Indian Plate, which has seen three ≥ M 7.0 earthquakes in the last two centuries. The GPS stations on the northern and southern margins show SSW and NNE directed motion, indicating that the KRB is currently under the influence of regional compressive stress on both flanks and the same is reflected in the form of earthquake activity in the center portion. Furthermore, the existence of intra‐basin stress, in addition to regional stress, increases strain accumulation and results in the creation of a Principal Deformation Zone (PDZ) in the central part of the KRB. The average annual deformation in the middle of KRB remains 1.0 ± 0.5 mm/year, while sites near the South Wagad Fault (SWF) experience 1.2 mm/year of fault parallel motion. The dominant fault normal motion along the flanks with a maximum fault parallel motion in the middle intimates the existence of strike‐slip tectonics in the central Kachchh. The geometric relationship of strike‐slip faults in a compressive margin and strain accumulation in pre‐existing faults (PDZ) is responsible for current strike‐slip and thrust motion in the Kachchh, including the 2001 Bhuj earthquake (M 7.7). Our geodetic model is well‐corroborated with the geological observations of the wrench fault model of strike‐slip faults. PS‐InSAR results in the northern part of the region between Khadir and Bela Islands show ≤6.0 mm of annual LOS displacement. GPS results indicate ≈ 1.3 to 1.4 ± 0.5 mm/year of fault parallel motion along the transverse Ekal Amrapar Fault (EAF). The non‐significant variation in GRACE‐derived TWS values (from 2009 to 2018) rules out non‐tectonic deformation in the vicinity of EAF and thus points to tectonic activity as the cause of the derived deformation in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Singhbhum shear zone in India is well known for its historical underground copper mining activity. As a consequence, today some abandoned underground mines pose a serious risk to the local people and property. Thus it is essential for a long-term wide-range monitoring technique to map the surface subsidence over the mining areas. In this study, it has been tried to establish occurrence of ground subsidence with an advanced differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar technology called persistent scatterer interferometry, which is known for its capability of high-precision monitoring. The results clearly indicate trends of surface subsidence over abandoned mining regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the Persistent Scatterer Interferometry technique to identify the developing pattern of groundwater depletion-induced land subsidence in Lucknow, northern India. The results show the development of two significant subsidence zones, one each in the north and south of Lucknow. The situation is potentially alarming as ∼9.3% (∼27.6 km²) of the total area is under the expression of a weak degree of subsidence (∼10-40 mm/yr). The detected displacement trends substantially correspond to the constant dwindling of groundwater levels in the city, further indicating that the first unconfined aquifer is under high stress and faces a continuous storage capacity loss with time. The time-series displacement trends have been later forecasted using the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average method, indicating the city might face subsidence at the rate of ∼25-40 mm/yr. The findings of this study are significant to take precise mitigation measures in the areas facing continuous groundwater depletion on a long-term basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In arid and semi-arid sub-tropical regions of India, pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.]—wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropping system is the most important system under irrigated conditions. However, it is very exhaustive cropping system and productivity of pearl millet-wheat system has become constant or marginally declined for the last three decades. The imbalanced use of fertilizers and high intensity farming activities declined the soil nutrient status and also deteriorate physical and biological properties of soil. Therefore, to maintain soil health and productivity, balanced fertilization based on soil testing is very essential. A study of balanced fertilization based on Soil Test Crop Response (STCR) approach was initiated in 2009 at Research Farm, CCSHAU, Hisar, with seven treatments viz. T1—control, T2—farm yard manure (FYM) @ 15 t ha−1, T3—recommended dose of nitrogen and phosphorus (RDN and P), T4—STCR with target yield (TY) 3.0 t ha−1, T5—STCR with TY 3.5 t ha−1, T6—integrated STCR with TY 3.0 t ha−1 + FYM and T7—integrated STCR with TY 3.5 t ha−1 + FYM. Integrated treatment (T7) recorded the highest crop grain and straw yield followed by chemical fertilizers alone (T3–T5) whereas lowest grain and straw yield was found in control (T1) after 10 cycles of pearl millet-wheat system. Application of FYM along with chemical fertilizers enhanced total N, P and K uptake by approximately 150, 192 and 150% respectively, over the control. However, soil organic carbon (SOC) and available nutrients were found maximum at early developmental stages and decreased at maturity. The long-term balanced nutrient management using STCR approach has improved soil nutrient status, SOC, pearl millet yield, nutrient uptake and use efficiency of fertilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key objective of the present study is to estimate the surface displacement and to understand/monitor the active deformation pattern in the Kachchh region post the 2001 Bhuj Earthquake by implementing the Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PSI) and Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) techniques. We employed the ENVISAT ASAR (15 images), ALOS PALSAR (6 pairs) and SENTINEL-1A (117 images) data sets acquired during the periods 2003–2005, 2007–2009, and 2016–2020 respectively. The PSI results of the Envisat dataset reveals that the Kachchh mainland region has undergone an average surface deformation of ± 22 mm/yr during 2003–2005. The maximum displacement observed from the ALOS PALSAR data sets (Window-1 to 6) during the period 2007–2009 is ∼ ± 1.2 cm. Further, the ground displacement observed from the Sentinel-1A dataset during the period 2016–2020 is ±16 mm/yr for the west-central region and 6 mm/yr uplift and 8 mm/yr subsidence in the eastern Kachchh mainland region. Surprisingly, high rate of deformation is detected towards the Pachham Island, Banni, Rann and the eastern region of the Kachchh after the 2001 Bhuj event. Correlating the results of different data sets, it is concluded that the deformation is high near the vicinity of the fault zones indicating the tectonically active nature of the faults. From the obtained results, we infer that, post the 2001 Bhuj earthquake, the surface displacement in the Kachchh mainland region is escalated till 2009 which is due to continuous aftershock activity and then started declining because of the ongoing seismic settlement. The acquired deformation rates are correlating well with the GPS derived displacement rates. Further, our results will assist in accurately demarcating the extent of the fault zones and also helps in precisely marking the areas undergoing active deformation, which will aid in micro zonation studies, mitigation planning and also for the preparation of an active tectonic map for the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active surface deformation, displacement pattern, and erosional variability is estimated using the geomorphologically sensitive morphometry along with the Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PSInSAR) technique using the Sentinel-1Adata (119 images) acquired between 07- 02-2017 and 10-02-2021. The average velocities for this dataset are estimated to be between ±11 mm/y. The Raunthi River catchment from where the flood was triggered is undergoing ~8 mm/y subsidence and ~10 mm/y uplift. Compared to this the basin wide deformation (Rishi Ganga basin) is estimated to be around ±10 mm/y with commulative ground displacement of around ±45 mm. The times series analysis suggests an increase in the ground displacement by around 5 mm/y and seems to be responsible for the expansion of pre-existing cracks in the vicinity of the Vaikrita Thrust (VT) and subsequent failure of the northern face of Nandi Peak on 7th February 2021. The Global Positioning System (GPS) derived strain distribution pattern indicate a relatively higher accumulation of strain (>0.35µ strain/y). The normalized steepness index (k sn) variation along the longitudinal section of Rishi Ganga and Raunthi River sub-basin in Central Himalayan region shows anomalous increase at the glacio-fluvial transitional processes. Moreover, the χ profiles as well as planform plots shows anomalously lower values within the Raunthi River sub-basin when compared with the Rishi Ganga basin. Based on the lower values of χ it is observed that Raunthi River sub-basin is undergoing high erosion which can be caused by the presence of sheared lithology and incision of the relict glacial and paraglacial sediments. We negate the suggestion that abrupt rise in the temperature was the major triggering mechanism for the recent disaster, instead it is the sheared lithology and pre-existing fissure developed because of differential uplift and subsidence in Raunthi River that led to the wedge failure and subsequent flash flood. Had the climate was the major driver of the recent tragedy ?, it should have impacted multiple hanging glaciers in the Rishi Ganga valley. Therefore, the study calls for detailed geomorphological, structural and glaciological investigation in regions dominated by glacial and paraglacial processes in the strategic regions of the Himalaya. Towards this, the state of art PSInSAR technique seems to provide fast and reliable detection of terrain instability/stability along with identification of potential areas of slope failures in near future in the glacial and preglacial zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsidence has been adversely affecting Jharia Coalfield (JCF) for the last few decades. This study attempts to show the feasibility of the modified Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PS-InSAR) technique with C-band SAR data to investigate the slow surface deformation caused by coal mine fire and underground mining activities in JCF. Also, a multi-temporal analysis of SAR images of ENVISAT ASAR has been carried out for monitoring and mapping of temporal land subsidence of the area under study. The modified PSI technique has proven its ability to detect land subsidence over the vegetated and rural areas. It also resolves low spatial density of permanent scatterers by considering partially correlated scatterers as permanent scatterers (PSs) and extracting information from these PSs. The study has been concentrated towards detecting continuous slow rate subsidence of five major sites of JCF. The maximum rate of slow deformation among all sites is recorded as 29 mm/year with a cumulative subsidence value of 90 mm. Field validation of subsidence results obtained through PS-InSAR is correlated with the previously published report and the master plan of JCF, showing subsidence locations. Conclusively, the adopted methodology is practically feasible for detection, monitoring and mapping of slow deformation using C-band SAR data in coal mine area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study of induced, triggered, stimulated and nuance earthquakes can provide a unique opportunity to probe into stress/frictional conditions on the subsurface fault. Although mechanism of faulting is tectonically driven phenomenon, anthropogenic crustal (un-)loading process can also drive long-term fault slip or modulate seismicity in the nearby seismogenic crust. Using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment data, surface subsidence rate captured by cGPS and 3-D hydrological stress models, we report that the 2017 November 12 M 7.3 Iran–Iraq border earthquake in the Arabia–Eurasia collision boundary region of the Zagros fold-and-thrust belt was significantly influenced by the anthropogenic groundwater unloading in the Euphrates and Tigris River plains and western Iran, a region which is probably the most intensely irrigated region in the Middle East. We find that the anthropogenic crustal unloading contributed about one tenth of the secular interseismic stress change rate due to tectonic loading. Thus, the resulting cumulative stress accumulation was significantly influenced by the extensive groundwater pumping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the rate of deformation of the Kashmir basin has been determined using the Sentinel-1A based Persistent Scatterer Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (PSInSAR). The study reveals highest rate of uplift in the Pir-Panjal range (8–13 mm/y) whereas, in the Saribal range the rate of upliftment is 5–6 mm/y. The line of sight displacement in the Kashmir basin was recorded in the range of −20 to +30 mm/y over the period of 2015 to 2021. However, the temporal displacement variation in the Kashmir valley varies in different years during the observation period and was found maximum in the year 2021. The Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) clearly show dominant uplift in the valley and surrounding hill ranges. The PSInSAR results were further validated with the GPS based deformation rates, which indicates a maximum of 10 mm/yr of deformation in the study area. The high / lows of gravity and magnetic based surveys are well corroborated with the observed positive and negative anomalies of present PSInSAR velocity results. Further, the Global Positioning System (GPS) based crustal strain results are also collectively substantiating our PSInSAR based crustal behaviour of the Kashmir basin. • Sentinel-1a based crustal deformation of the Kashmir basin. • The Persistent Scatterer Interferometry results shows show dominant uplift in the valley and surrounding hill ranges. • The seismic based high (uplift) and lows (subsidence) of gravity and magnetic are well corroborated with PSInSAR results. • GPS derived strain analysis shows average compression of −7.22 × 10−8 nano strain/year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]