Quantification of yield gaps in rain-fed rice, wheat, cotton and mustard in India

Rainfed farming / Crop yield / Simulation / Rice / Wheat / Cotton / Mustard / India

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Lodra Sevyadi Agada in Lootha Visha Chikitsa - A Review

There are numerous number of Agada formulations widely practised by Visha Vaidyas. Lodra Sevyadi Agada is one of the practically used medicine in the treatment of Lootha Visha (spider poisoning). This formulation is explained in two literatures namely Ashtanga Hridaya Keeta Visha Adhyaya and Prayoga Samuchayam by Kochunni Thamburan. It comprises of 10 ingredients and can be administered for Pana (internal administration), Nasya (nasal instillation) and Anjana (collirium). The internal administration of Lodra Sevyadi Agadam in Kashaya form is clinically practiced in the present era. This paper is an attempt to make a review on the formulaton Lodra Sevyadi Agada

Growth and Yield Performance of Hybrid Hot Pepper, Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) as Influenced by Fertigation and Polyethylene Mulching

A field experiment was conducted at Bengaluru during 2015 to study the effect of fertigation on performance of hybrid chilli (Capsicum annuum L.). The trial included nine treatments comprising varying rates and sources of fertilizers, tested with or without mulching. Application of recommended dose of fertilizer (180:120:180 kg NPK/ha) through fertigation using water-soluble fertilizers resulted in higher values for plant height (104.27 cm), number of branches per plant (16.71), leaf area per plant (89.44 dm2), dry matter per plant (185.49 g), number of fruits per plant (142.7), fruit length (11.13 cm), fruit girth (4.75 cm), fruit weight (1.29 g), yield per plant (184.11 g) and fruit yield (5.03 t/ha) which remained on par with same amount of fertilizer applied using conventional means along with polyethylene mulching. In general, treatments that received fertilizers through fertigation took less number of days to flowering over conventional soil-application of fertilizers. All fertigation treatments recorded higher dry-chilli fruit yield over the conventional soil-application of fertilizers, to a tune of 27.87% to 52.4% over the control

Response of coconut seedlings to elevated CO2 and high temperature in drought and high nutrient conditions

The interaction effect of climate change variables elevated CO2 and elevated temperature (ET) with drought and nutrients on growth and development of coconut seedlings was studied in an open top chamber (OTC) at Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod. Seedlings were exposed to ambient (normal CO2 and temperature), elevated CO2 (550 and 700 ppm), ET (3 °C above ambient) and ET + elevated CO2 (550 ppm CO2 + 3 °C). In each OTC, a set of seedlings were subjected to drought (50% FC) and another set was maintained at 150 per cent recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF). Seedlings in elevated CO2 treatments accumulated significantly higher biomass. It was 1.13 and 1.98 kg seedling-1 with 550 and 700 ppm CO2 respectively as against 1.10 in ambient treatment. It was the least in ET treatment (0.91). The stomatal conductance (gs) and transpiration (Tr) of plants grown under elevated CO2 was reduced without affecting the photosynthesis. As a consequence, the whole plant WUE of coconut seedlings grown under elevated CO2 was high both under control and drought condition. The WUE significantly reduced both in high temperature and drought stressed plants. Elevated CO2 to certain extent compensated for water stress and high temperature induced reduction in growth of coconut

Biological Control Production and Germination of Conidia of Trichoderma stromaticum, a Mycoparasite of Crinipellis perniciosa on Cacao

Growth characteristics of the fungus Trichoderma stromaticum, a mycoparasite on the mycelium and fruiting bodies of Crinipellis perniciosa, the causal agent of witches'-broom disease of cacao, were evaluated under controlled environmental conditions. The ability of T. stromaticum to produce conidia and germinate on dry brooms was evaluated at three constant temperatures (20, 25, and 30°C) and two constant relative humidities (75 and 100%). T. stromaticum produced abundant conidia on brooms at 100% relative humidity and incubation temperatures of 20 and 25°C, but none at 30°C. Sporulation of T. stromaticum was not observed at 75% relative humidity at any temperature. At 100% relative humidity and either at 20 or 25°C, treatment of brooms with T. stromaticum suppressed C. perniciosa within 7 days. In contrast, at 30°C, treatment with T. stromaticum had no effect on the pathogen in brooms maintained at either 75 or 100% relative humidity. Mycelium of C. perniciosa grew from brooms at all temperatures at 100% relative humidity. Conidial germination on broom tissue approximated 80% at temperatures from 20 to 30°C. Results suggest that applying T. stromaticum under high-moisture conditions when the air temperature is below 30°C may enhance the establishment of this mycoparasite in cacao plantations. Additional keyword: Theobroma cacao

Quantification of Yield Gaps in Rain-fed Rice, Wheat, Cotton and Mustard in India: Global Theme on Agroecosystems Report no. 43

In order to meet increasing demands of food due to rising population and income, food production in India and other south Asian countries need to be increased. Rain-fed agriculture in India, practiced on 94 million hectares (M ha), is considered a major source of production increase in future. This report analyses the magnitude of rain-fed potential yield gaps of rice, wheat, mustard and cotton crops, considering the spatial and temporal variation in climatic features. These yields can be interpreted as the upper limit that can be achieved by the current varieties in a rain-fed scenario with soil and weather as the only yield reducing factors. InfoCrop, a generic dynamic crop simulation model with sensitivity to variety, agronomic management, soil, weather, flooding, frost and pests and calibrated and validated in typical rain-fed and irrigated cultivating areas of these crops was used for quantification of rain-fed potential yields in different regions. Yields in technology maximization experiments (Plant Breeder’s fields) and on-farm technology demonstration plots (Front-line demonstrations) have also been used as additional measures of potential yield. Yield gaps were calculated as the difference between these yield levels and the region’s average measured yields. The results showed that irrespective of the definition of potential yield, there was considerable yield gap across all states in all crops indicating large scope for increasing rain-fed yields in future. On an average, the gap relative to simulated rain-fed potential yields was 2560 kg ha-1 for rice, 1120 kg ha-1 for cotton and 860 kg ha-1 for mustard. Such national average rain-fed yield gaps could not be estimated in wheat because of large percent of irrigated area in all states. The mean yield gap based on the average of simulated, experimental and on-farm rain-fed potential yields was 1670 kg ha-1 for rice, 770 kg ha-1 for cotton, 460 kg ha-1 for mustard and 70 kg ha-1 for wheat. It remains to be quantified if these biophysical estimates of yield gaps can be bridged economically

Human Female Genital Tract Infection by the Obligate Intracellular Bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis Elicits Robust Type 2 Immunity

While Chlamydia trachomatis infections are frequently asymptomatic, mechanisms that regulate host response to this intracellular Gram-negative bacterium remain undefined. This investigation thus used peripheral blood mononuclear cells and endometrial tissue from women with or without Chlamydia genital tract infection to better define this response. Initial genome-wide microarray analysis revealed highly elevated expression of matrix metalloproteinase 10 and other molecules characteristic of Type 2 immunity (e.g., fibrosis and wound repair) in Chlamydia-infected tissue. This result was corroborated in flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry studies that showed extant upper genital tract Chlamydia infection was associated with increased co-expression of CD200 receptor and CD206 (markers of alternative macrophage activation) by endometrial macrophages as well as increased expression of GATA-3 (the transcription factor regulating TH2 differentiation) by endometrial CD4+ T cells. Also among women with genital tract Chlamydia infection, peripheral CD3+ CD4+ and CD3+ CD4- cells that proliferated in response to ex vivo stimulation with inactivated chlamydial antigen secreted significantly more interleukin (IL)-4 than tumor necrosis factor, interferon-γ, or IL-17; findings that repeated in T cells isolated from these same women 1 and 4 months after infection had been eradicated. Our results thus newly reveal that genital infection by an obligate intracellular bacterium induces polarization towards Type 2 immunity, including Chlamydia-specific TH2 development. Based on these findings, we now speculate that Type 2 immunity was selected by evolution as the host response to C. trachomatis in the human female genital tract to control infection and minimize immunopathological damage to vital reproductive structures. © 2013 Vicetti Miguel et al

Physical properties of tender coconut

Not AvailableThe physical properties such as tender coconut size, weight, husk thickness, and husk moisture tender content play a vital role in the development of an efficient and ergonomic trimming machine. The important physical properties of tender coconuts of cultivars namely Kulasekaran Green Dwarf (KGD), Andaman Giant Tall (AGT), Ganga Bondam (GB), Malayan Orange Dwarf (MOD), and Chowghat Orange Dwarf (COD) were determined. The important properties including weight, diameter, height, husk thickness, husk moisture content, shell diameter, shell height, and shell thickness were high for nuts of AGT and low for COD nuts. The average bulk density, true density, and porosity of AGT were 332.47 kg m−3, 1,196.67 kg m−3, and 72.21%, respectively. The husk weight and volume of water of AGT were 87.77% and 12.39% high, respectively, compared with COD. In the correlation study, the coconut weight correlated positively (r = 0.791) with the diameter and vertical distance between the shell and the fruit base (r = 0.813). The principal component analysis suggested that the cultivars GB, KGD, and MOD have similar physical properties to COD and AGT. Thus, the present investigation documents crucial basic information to design an efficient and superior tender coconut trimming machine.ICA