Economics of Farming Systems in Uttar Pradesh

Farming systems of households in the western Uttar Pradesh have been analyzed based on the primary data collected through a sample of 197 farmers in 2004-05. The sugarcane- based farming system has been found predominant in the study area. Livestock, vegetables, cereals and sugarcane have been observed to be the main sources of farm income. The study has indicated that cross-bred breeding programme has not become popular due to low demand for milk of cross-bred cows. Credit has significant impact on farm income and credit requirement of about 86 per cent farmers is met by the institutional sources. Fragmentations and sub-divisions of landholdings, scarcity of labour, low yield of crops, less reliable markets, scarcity of owned-fund, depleting natural resources, non-availability of good quality seeds and sheds for poultry, etc. have been identified as the major constraints to promote integrated farming system in this area.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Economics of Sugarcane-based Farming System in Western Uttar Pradesh

Amongst 38 farming systems prevalent in the western Uttar Pradesh region, sugarcane–livestock– cereals–fodder has been found the major system being followed by a majority of the farmers. It has been found that sugarcane farmer keeps in general two dairy animals, largely for household milk consumption. The major income source of farmers in the area has been found sugarcane (58 per cent), followed by livestock and cereal crops. The study has revealed that marginal farmers take highest credit, while large farmers take minimum credit. It has also been observed that facility of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) is being availed by only 21 per cent farmers. Farming activity-wise analysis has revealed that sugarcane provides maximum employment, followed by livestock and wheat. In terms of income, the study has observed that a family worker earns Rs 41,270 per year in the study area, which is much lower than that in Punjab (Rs 74,080/year). The study has suggested that a combination of technology, policy and institutional innovations is needed for improvement in productivity and profitability of crops and livestock in the area.Crop Production/Industries,

Magneto-Optical Spectrum Analyzer

We present a method for the investigation of gigahertz magnetization dynamics of single magnetic nano elements. By combining a frequency domain approach with a micro focus Kerr effect detection, a high sensitivity to magnetization dynamics with submicron spatial resolution is achieved. It allows spectra of single nanostructures to be recorded. Results on the uniform precession in soft magnetic platelets are presented.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figure

Energy Assessment of Different Weed Management Practices for Rice-Wheat Cropping System in India

Rosana G. Moreira, Editor-in-Chief; Texas A&M UniversityThis is a paper from International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR, Commission Internationale du Genie Rural) E-Journal Volume 8 (2006): Energy Assessment of Different Weed Management Practices for Rice-Wheat Cropping System in India. Manuscript EE 05 008. Vol.VIII. February, 2006

Influence of balanced fertilization on productivity and nutrient use efficiency of cereal based cropping systems

Increasing the use efficiency of nitrogen in system mode was always a concern due to escalating input cost of fertilizer. The “researcher designed farmer managed trials” were conducted in farmers’ field during 2009 -10 at 27 districts covering 17 states. A total of 192 trials in rice-rice, 233 in rice (Oryza sativa L.) -wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), 48 in rice- greengram and 77 in maize-wheat system were conducted with five common treatments, viz. control, recommended quantity of N alone, NP, NK and NPK in all the locations and cropping systems. Application of recommended quantity of NPK in all the systems recorded higher yield and increase was found to be more than 50% in maize (Zea mays L.) -wheat and rice-rice systems and > 30% in rice-greengram [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] and rice-wheat systems over application of N alone. On an average additional yield of 2 794 kg rice equivalent yield (REY)/ha was realized, in cereal based systems with application of all the nutrients together instead of N alone. Among the various systems, maize-wheat was found to respond well to balanced application as it recorded 162% increase in yield over control. Partial factor productivity (PFP) of N, can be increased by >50% in rice-rice and maize-wheat system through application of recommended dose of NPK. Efficiency of applied nutrients measured in the form of agronomic efficiency was found to be >100% for all the systems under balanced application compared to N alone, or with P with K. Similarly combined application increased the P and K efficiency in all the systems with maize-wheat recording the highest efficiency of K. Relative response of treatment over control also displayed similar trend. Marginal returns due to application of NPK together was found to be 136.7, 24.5, 11.5 and 46.4% higher in rice-rice, rice-wheat, rice-greengram and maize-wheat systems respectively over application of N alone. Balanced application of N, P and K was found to increase the system productivity and nutrient use efficiency of cereal based systems

Metal Nanowire Assisted Hollow Core Fiber Sensor for an Efficient Detection of Small Refractive Index Change of Measurand Liquid

In this article, a cost-effective hollow core fiber (HCF)-based refractive index (RI) sensor using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is designed and demonstrated. The sensor consists of a metal nanowire inside an HCF along with the sensing medium of various refractive indices. SPR effect between polaritons and the guided core mode of designed HCF is exploited to enhance the sensing performance. A full vectorial finite element method (FEM) is used for the design and analyses of the sensing probes which exhibit very high sensitivities of 12,400 nm/RIU, 10560 nm/RIU, and 6400 nm/RIU for copper (Cu), gold (Au), and silver (Ag), respectively with a resolution of 1.61 × 10−6 RIU. Additionally, the influence of metal wire dimension is also investigated in this paper. The reported simple and low-cost sensor exhibits high sensitivity for liquid with refractive indices slightly higher than that of the dielectric tube, such as olive oil, turpentine, kerosene, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, glycerol, and toluene

AEROBIOLOGY OF MULBERRY FIELDS IN VELLORE DISTRICT

ABSTRACT Mulberry which forms the exclusive source of food for commercial silk producing silk worm (Bombyx mori L.) is affected by a number of diseases and pests. The aerobiology of crop field was very limited and much of the fields were to be opened for investigation. It affects the nutrition, growth and cocoon production of silkworm. Hence a detailed investigation was carried out on the aerobiology of mulberry fields in Vellore district. The Vellore district comprises of eight taluks, 14 ranges and 64 subdivisions. Much of the Vellore district land area is cultivated by Mulberry as a cottage industry. It is found that from October to January rainfall was maximum, Vaniyambadi, Tirupattur and Gudiyattam receives maximum rain. The humidity is relatively maximum during the period of October to September 1999. The temperature was maximum from March to June. This helps for the spread and growth of various microflora and airspores in Vellore district environs. From these data, the causative organisms of various diseases of Mulberry were identified. This data will be helpful for the treatment, management of the much useful plant Mulberry in Vellore district

Antioxidant Capacity and Radical Scavenging Effect of Polyphenol Rich Mallotus philippenensis

Mallotus philippinensis is an important source of molecules with strong antioxidant activity widely used medicinal plant. Previous studies have highlighted their anticestodal, antibacterial, wound healing activities, and so forth. So, present investigation was designed to evaluate the total antioxidant activity and radical scavenging effect of 50% ethanol fruit glandular hair extract (MPE) and its role on Human Erythrocytes. MPE was tested for phytochemical test followed by its HPLC analysis. Standard antioxidant assays like DPPH, ABTS, hydroxyl, superoxide radical, nitric oxide, and lipid peroxidation assay were determined along with total phenolic and flavonoids content. Results showed that MPE contains the presence of various phytochemicals, with high total phenolic and flavonoid content. HPLC analysis showed the presence of rottlerin, a polyphenolic compound in a very rich quantity. MPE exhibits significant strong scavenging activity on DPPH and ABTS assay. Reducing power showed dose dependent increase in concentration absorption compared to standard, Quercetin. Superoxide, hydroxyl radical, lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide assay showed a comparable scavenging activity compared to its standard. Our finding further provides evidence that Mallotus fruit extract is a potential natural source of antioxidants which have a protective role on human Erythrocytes exhibiting minimum hemolytic activity and this justified its uses in folklore medicines

Genetic Diversity in Selected Indian Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] Cultivars Using RAPD Markers

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to study the DNA polymorphism in Indian mungbean cultivars. A total of 60 random primers were used in the study and 33 of them generated reproducible RAPD patterns. Amplification of genomic DNA of most popular 24 Indian mungbean cultivars with these RAPD primers yielded 249 fragments that could be scored, of which 224 were polymorphic, with an average of 7.0 polymorphic fragments per primer. Number of amplified fragments with random primers ranged from 2 (OPI 9) to 17 (OPD 7). Percentage polymorphism ranged from 33% (OPX 5) to a maximum of 100% (OPX 4, OPX 6, OPX 13, OPX 15, OPX 19, OPD 5, OPD 7, OPD 20, OPI 4, OPI 6, OPI 13, OPI 14, OPI 18 and OPF 1), with an average of 90%. The Jaccard’s similarity indices based on RAPD profiles were subjected to UPGMA cluster analysis. And genotypes grouped in two major groups. Sixteen out of 24 released cultivars grouped to cluster I. This indicated the narrow genetic base in the Indian mungbean cultivars used in the study. The details of diversity analysis and possible reasons for narrow genetic base in mungbean cultivars are discussed in the present study