Impact of integrated nutrient management on vegetative growth and flowering quality of gladiolus (Gladiolus hybridus Hort.) cv. American Beauty

A field study on ‘effects of integrated nutrient management on vegetative growth and flowering quality of gladiolus (Gladiolus hybridus Hort.) cv. American Beauty’ was carried out at College of Horticulture and Forestry, Jhalawar during 2016-17. It was found that cv. American Beauty with treatment the tallest plants (121.50 cm), maximum number of leaves per plant (9.03), the maximum  leaf length (38.20 cm), earliest spike emergence (59.22 days), minimum number of days to floret opening (12.50 days), maximum number of florets per spike (17.53), maximum spike length (108.50 cm), maximum floret diameter (9.01 cm), maximum rachis length (39.03 cm) was found in T12 (RDF 75% + Azotobacter + PSB + Mycorrhiza). The maximum stem diameter (1.52 cm) and maximum spike girth (0.97 cm) was recorded in T10 (RDF 75% + PSB + Mycorrhiza). On the basis of foregoing summary, the results may be concluded as follow: The different bio-fertilizer treatments had significant influence on the vegetative growth, flowering and post-harvest of gladiolus in the present study. Application of bio fertilizer singly and in different combinations has significant effect on all the vegetative, floral and corms parameters. Therefore, among various bio fertilizers and their combinations, Azotobacter, PSB and Myccorhiza were found the best, followed by un-inoculated treatment show least value for these parameters during the seasons of experiment

The morphological and phenological performance of different cotton genotypes under different plant density

The field experiment conducted with different plant density and different Genotypes showed significant differences in their morphological characters and phenological characters. Among the genotypes, AKA-7 possessed higher plant height (116.4 cm), No. of sympodia (19.27 plant-1) and leaf area index (3.628) compared to other geno-types but leaf area (33.02 dm-2) and dry matter weight (103.21g/plant) were recorded higher with genotype Balwan. However, Normal plant density (100%) was registered higher plant height (102.6 cm), no of sympodia (17.33 plant-1), leaf area (27.02 dm2) and dry matter weight (58.13 g/plant) but higher leaf area index (3.430) was recorded with higher plant density (200%). Among the genotypes, AKH-081 was comparatively earlier in phenological characters i.e. first square (47.9 days), first flower (67.9 days), first boll burst (116.1 days), first picking (128.7 days) and final picking (178 days). However, Higher planting density (200%) was recorded earlier in first square (49.3 day), first flower (67.8 days), first boll burst (116.9 days), first picking (130.6 day) and final picking (179.7 days). On the basis of this experiment, genotype Balwan and normal planting density level (100%) recorded higher morphological development wherever phenological development recorded earlier with the each respective phenophase in the Gen-otype AKH-081 and highest planting density level (200%)

Atypical presentation of intra-articular osteochondroma of knee in adolescent- case report

Osteochondroma is most common benign bone tumor around knee joint. They occur during the period of growth, grows away from joint line and rarely responsible for mechanical symptoms. This paper reports a rare presentation of intra-articular osteochondroma in knee with mechanical instability symptoms, mild to moderate pain and swelling of knee joint. Patient was 20 years old male and misdiagnosed as chronic nonspecific synovitis, tubercular arthritis and anterior cruciate ligament tear of knee. We assessed him clinically and radiologically and diagnosis was established based on MRI and arthroscopy. He was treated by open excision of tumor, and patients recover uneventfully. Instability of knee joint in this case can be attributed due to rough surface of osteochondroma just beneath lower attachment of patellar tendon

In vitro screening of white Jute (Corchorus capsularis L) against salinity stress

The environmental stress such as salinity of soil or water is serious threat for field crops in the world, especially in arid and semiarid regions. To study salinity stress on jute (Corchorus capsularis), an experiment was laid out in factorial randomized block design keeping nine capsularis varieties (JRC-698, JRC-321, JRC-517, JRC-7447, JBC-5, JRC-212, JRC-80, JRC-532 and UPC-94) as one factor and four levels of salt concentrations i.e. control (Distilled H2O), 100, 160, 240 and 300 mM NaCl with three replications. Adverse effect of salinity increased with increasing concentration of sodium chloride. Among nine jute varieties the highest germination percentage (89.5%), root length (0.6 cm), shoot length (1.2 cm), fresh weight (93 mg) and dry weight (9.5 mg) of seedling were observed in ‘JRC-698’ at salt concentration at 160 mM NaCl as compared with other salt concentration. All growth parameters were recorded higher in control than other treatments. All growth parameters were decreased up to 240 mM NaCl concentration and it was completely inhibited at 300 mM NaCl. Variety ‘UPC-94’ was the most susceptible to salinity stress. Hence, white jute varieties, JRC-698 and JRC-517 can be grown at 160 mM NaCl concentration

Optimal planning of hybrid energy conversion systems for annual energy cost minimization in Indian residential buildings

The increasing interest in renewables has encouraged power system planners to include the concept of hybrid energy systems in modern power industry. Besides, the modern power consumers are becoming more concerned about their energy bills which has led to the concept of hybrid energy management systems (HEMSs) for buildings to monitor, control and optimally manage energy consumptions without any waste. In this study, an optimal planning framework is proposed to determine optimal capacities and sharing of hybrid energy conversion systems (HECS) such as wind turbine, solar photovoltaic, battery energy storage and the utility grid. The objective is to maximize the net present value of the project/system which includes the cost of annual investment, operation and maintenance costs of HEMS expected to have incurred in the planning period. All the costs and parameters are considered in the Indian context, and Genetic Algorithm (GA) is adopted to solve this proposed planning framework. The simulation results obtained are compared with same obtained for conventional houses in India. The comparison shows that the proposed framework effectively reduces the electricity bills while improving its reliability

Controlling structural distortion in the geometrically frustrated layered cobaltate YBaCo4O7+{\delta} by Fe substitution and its role on magnetic correlations

Effects of Fe-substitution on the crystal structure and magnetic correlations of the geometrically frustrated antiferromagnets YBaCo4-xFexO7+{\delta} (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, and 0.8) have been studied by neutron diffraction, M\"ossbauer spectroscopy, and ac susceptibility. The compounds YBaCo4-xFexO7+{\delta} have a special layered-type crystal structure with an alternating Kagom\'e (6c site) and triangular (2a site) layers along the c axis. Fe3+ ions are found to be substituted at both the crystallographic 2a and 6c sites of Co ions. M\"ossbauer results show a high spin state of Fe3+ ions in a tetrahedral coordination. A reduction in the distortion of the Kagom\'e lattice has been observed with the Fe-substitution. The correlation length of the short-range antiferromagnetic ordering decreases with the Fe-substitution. The sharpness of the magnetic transition also decreases with the Fe-substitution.Comment: 26 pages, 8 figures, 3 table

Pregabalin for Postoperative pain in patients undergoing spinal surgery: A Dose ranging randomized clinical study

Background: The efficacy of pregabalin in acute post-surgical pain management is well demonstrated. As, the use of pregabalin is officially not approved and hence, there is no dosing guideline as well. Aim: To determine whether single preoperative administration of different doses of pregabalin (150 mg to 300mg) could decrease postoperative pain intensity following spinal surgery. Materials and Method: In this prospective, randomized double-blinded study, a total 60 patients undergoing spinal surgery were selected and randomly assigned any of these four groups of 15 each; group A (received placebo drug), group B (received pregabalin 150mg), group C (received pregabalin 200mg) and group D (received pregabalin 300mg). All the groups received the said drugs (coded as it was double-blinded study) in the same manner and two hours prior to operation. The patients were followed for pain scores on visual analogue scale (VAS), time to rescue analgesia and side effects as secondary outcomes. Results: Patients in pregabalin dose ranging group had lower pain in the initial hour of recovery. However, the pain scores subsequently decreased and became similar in all groups. Time for the requirement for analgesic was longer in pregabalin 300mg group when compared with other study groups. Conclusion: A single dose of 300 mg pregabalin given 1–2 hours prior to surgery is superior to placebo after spinal surgery

Interference of Phosphate in Adsorption of Arsenate and Arsenite over Confined Metastable Two-Line Ferrihydrite and Magnetite

Contamination of groundwater by arsenic (As(III/V)) is a serious global issue, and phosphate (P(V)) is known to be the biggest interference in adsorption-based remediation methods. The present study is focused on understanding the interaction between phosphate and iron oxides/oxy-hydroxides with two well-known classes of potential adsorbents in the important pH range of 5–9 and the effect of such interactions on the uptake of arsenite and arsenate. Spectroscopic studies such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to understand the binding of various oxyanions of phosphorous and arsenic with the iron oxides/oxy-hydroxides, exploring the core levels of P 2p and Fe 2p. Materials used for adsorption experiments were magnetite (MAG) and a nanocomposite, confined metastable two-line ferrihydrite (CM2LF); CM2LF is used for arsenic remediation in the affected states in India. Further, we studied the interference of P(V) in As(III/V) adsorption. The kinetics of adsorption was quantified using ion chromatography (IC), where P(V) alone followed a pseudo-second-order model. In the case of mixed solutions, namely, APmix1 (P(V) + As(III)) and APmix2 (P(V) + As(V)), kinetics data suggested that P(V) or As(III/V) oxyanions partially follow the pseudo-second-order model. Results also confirmed that CM2LF performed better than magnetite (MAG) for As(III/V) uptake in the presence of P(V). As(III) and As(V) species are more competitive than P(V) at neutral pH. A model for the adsorption of P(V) species in water on ferrihydrite particles was developed using density functional theory (DFT). This accounted for phosphate complexation at various pH values. The study is highly useful in developing an affordable solution for sustainable arsenic remediation. Various aspects of sustainability are discussed.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Sequential herbicide application coupled with mulch enhances the productivity and quality of winter onion (Allium cepa L.) while effectively controlling the mixed weed flora

Weed control poses substantial difficulties for winter season onion (Allium cepa L.) cultivation in the north-western Indo-Gangetic Plains, primarily due to the constrained efficacy of the existing herbicides. To address this issue, a 2-year field study was conducted to assess the efficacy of pre- and post-emergence herbicides (pendimethalin, ethoxysulfuron, imazethapyr, and quizalofop-p-ethyl) individually and in combination with crop residue mulch for weed control in winter onion. The results revealed that using herbicides or mulches in isolation did not provide satisfactory weed control. However, the integration of natural mulch with pendimethalin followed by quizalofop-p-ethyl application proved to be the most effective weed control strategy, resulting in the least reduction in bulb yield (10.3%) compared to other treatments. On the contrary, combinations of pendimethalin with ethoxysulfuron or imazethapyr showed adverse effects on the onion crop and inflicted the highest yield losses among all treatments (78.6 and 83.4%, respectively). However, the combination of pendimethalin with quizalofop-p-ethyl coupled with crop mulch resulted in season-long weed control and over 80% bulb yield (36.58 t/ha) gains compared to the weed-free condition. These findings emphasize the efficacy of combining herbicides and mulches as an integrated weed management strategy for onions. By adopting such integrated approaches, farmers could improve weed control while maintaining bulb yield and quality, reducing the risks associated with herbicide resistance, and promoting sustainable onion production in the north-western Indo-Gangetic Plains