EFFECT OF INTEGRATED NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ON WHEAT – A REVIEW

At global level, India ranks as second largest wheat producing nation and contributing approximately 11.9% to the world wheat production from about 12% of global area (USDA, 2010). The area under wheat throughout the world as well as in India has become nearly constant around 217.9 million ha and 26.9 million ha respectively. Wheat contributes about 30% of total grain production in India (Economic Survey, 2007).Long time studies being carried out at several locations in India indicated that application of all the needy nutrients through chemical fertilizers have deterious effect on soil health leading to unsustainable yields. During 2008-09, India produced a record wheat production of 80.58 million tones. One of the major constraints in boosting up the wheat production is the deterious effect on soil health. Therefore; there is a need to improve nutrient supply system in terms of integrated nutrient management involving the use of chemical fertilizers in conjunction with organic manures coupled with input through biological processes. Balanced fertilizer is the application of essential plant nutrients in light proportion and in optimum quantity for a specific soil crop condition. Continuous imbalanced use of fertilizer led to the deterioration in the soil fertility and decrease in soil productivity. Higher yield at balanced nutrition safe guard soil fertility. Integrated plant nutrient supply system could help in meeting the goals of balanced fertilization. The research findings on various aspects of the integrated nutrient management on wheat are reviewed.           Â

Prenatal DDT Exposure in Relation to Anthropometric and Pubertal Measures in Adolescent Males

DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), a pesticide once used widely in agriculture and now limited to public health use, remains a controversial chemical because of a combination of benefits and risks. DDT or its breakdown products are ubiquitous in the environment and in humans. Compounds in the DDT family have endocrine actions and have been associated with reproductive toxicity. A previous study reported associations between prenatal exposure to p,p′-DDE [1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-ethylene] and increased height and weight in adolescent boys. We examined a group with higher exposures to see whether similar associations would occur. Our study group was 304 males born in Philadelphia in the early 1960s who had participated in a previous study. Anthropometric and pubertal measures from one to six visits during their adolescent years were available, as were stored maternal serum samples from pregnancy. We measured p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-ethane], and o,p′-DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2-(o-chlorophenyl)-2-(p-chlorophenyl)-ethane] in the maternal serum. Outcomes examined in the boys were height, ratio of sitting height to height, body mass index, triceps skinfold thickness, ratio of subscapular to the sum of triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses, skeletal age, serum testosterone, and serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. No associations between prenatal exposure to any of the DDT compounds and any outcome measure were seen

Metoclopramide protection of diazinon-induced toxicosis in chickens

The efficacy of metoclopramide for preventing organophosphate insecticide-induced (diazinon) toxicosis was evaluated in 7~14 days old chicks. Injection of metoclopramide at 25 mg/kg, s.c. 15 min before diazinon increased the oral 24 h median lethal dose of the insecticide in the chicks by 80%. Metoclopramide alone inhibited the in vitro and in vivo plasma and whole brain cholinesterase activities of the chicks. Metoclopramide pretreatment at 100 mg/kg, s.c. reduced the extent of cholinesterase inhibition that was caused by diazinon (10 mg/kg, p.o.) in the plasma and whole brain by 24% and 7%, respectively. Diazinon at 10 mg/kg, p.o. produced signs of cholinergic toxicosis in the chicks, and these signs included salivation, lacrimation, gasping and convulsions within 2 h, and the 2-h and 24-h lethalities were 88 and 100%, respectively. Metoclopramide at the dose rates of 12.5, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, s.c. given 15 min before diazinon (10 mg/kg, p.o.) variably decreased the occurrence of toxic manifestations in the chicks. The highest dose of metoclopramide (200 mg/kg, s.c.) reduced the 2-h and 24-h lethality of diazinon to 75% each and it reduced the overall toxicity score of diazinon by 32%. The data suggest that metoclopramide pretreatment only partially protected chicks against the acute toxicity of diazinon

Akutna oralna toksičnost organofosfornih insekticida i inhibicija kolinesteraza u pilića

Acute toxic effects of three commonly used insecticidal preparations of the organophosphates chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and dichlorvos were examined in mixed breed broiler chicks, and cholinesterase activity in plasma and brain were measured. The acute (24 h) oral median lethal doses (LD50) of chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and dichlorvos were 10.79 mg kg-1, 6.32 mg kg-1, and 6.30 mg kg-1, respectively, as determined by the up-and-down method in chicks. Signs of cholinergic toxicosis in the chicks appeared within two hours after dosing, and they included salivation, lacrimation, gasping, frequent defecation, drooping of wings, tremors, convulsions, and recumbency before death. Halving the oral LD50 of chlorpyrifos (5 mg kg-1), diazinon (3 mg kg-1), and dichlorvos (3 mg kg-1) caused immobility and wing drooping, but not the clinical signs of cholinergic toxicity. However, at full LD50 doses of these insecticides, chicks showed clinical signs of cholinergic toxicity similar to those seen in the LD50 experiments. Two out of six chicks died within two hours after treatment with LD50 doses of chlorpyrifos and dichlorvos, whereas LD50 dosing with diazinon caused death in three out of six chicks. Compared to control values, the insecticides reduced plasma and whole brain cholinesterase activities by 29 % to 84 % and 18 % to 77 %, respectively, depending on the dose. The decrease in plasma cholinesterase correlated well (r = 0.82) with that of the brain. These data suggest that organophosphate insecticides administered orally at LD50 doses induce clinical signs of cholinergic poisoning and concurrently reduce brain and plasma cholinesterase activities in chicks.Ispitano je akutno toksično djelovanje triju često rabljenih organofosfornih insekticida klorpirifosa, diazinona i diklorvosa u brojlera te je izmjerena aktivnost kolinesteraza u njihovoj plazmi i mozgu. Srednja letalna doza LD50 klorpirifosa iznosila je 10,79 mg kg-1, diazinona 6,32 mg kg-1 te diklorvosa 6,30 mg kg-1. Prvi su se znakovi kolinergičkoga sindroma u pilića javili unutar dva sata od oralne primjene, a obuhvaćali su slinjenje, suženje, teško disanje, učestalu defekaciju, obješena krila, drhtavicu, grčenje i nesposobnost stajanja uoči smrti. Oralna primjena polovice srednje letalne doze insekticida klorpirifosa (5 mg kg-1), diazinona (3 mg kg-1) i diklorvosa (3 mg kg-1) dovela je do nepokretnosti i obješenih krila, ali bez kliničkih znakova kolinergičke toksičnosti koji su uočeni kod pokusa radi utvrđivanja srednje letalne doze (LD50). Međutim, doze ovih insekticida koje su odgovarale LD50, dovele su do kliničkih znakova kolinergičke toksičnosti sličnih onima zamijećenim kod utvrđivanja LD50. Dva od šest pilića uginula su unutar dva sata od primjene bilo klorpirifosa bilo diklorvosa u dozama koje su odgovarale LD50, dok je diazinon u odgovarajućoj srednjoj letalnoj dozi uzrokovao smrt triju od šest pilića. U odnosu na kontrolne vrijednosti, insekticidi su doveli do smanjenja aktivnosti kolinesteraze koja je ovisila o dozi, a kretala se od 29 % do 84 % u plazmi te od 18 % do 77 % u mozgu. Pad aktivnosti kolinesteraze u plazmi dobro je korelirao s njezinim padom u mozgu (r=0,82). Ovi podaci upućuju na to da oralna primjena organofosfornih insekticida u dozama koje odgovaraju srednjoj letalnoj dozi dovode do znakova kolinergičkoga trovanja u pilića te do istodobnoga pada aktivnosti kolinesteraza u mozgu i plazmi

A Southern encounter: maternal body work and low-income mothers in South Africa

This paper explores the maternal body work practices of black low-income mothers from resource-poor urban spaces in South Africa. Using Southern Theory to open our analytical lens, we recognise that location has implications for how we understand the embodiment of gender and the lactating body in the global South. We argue that maternal body work, as one form of gendered embodiment, must be understood in a postcolonial landscape where histories of colonisation and indigenous gender orders continue to shape how women respond to work conditions and how they manage the competing demands of work and breastfeeding. Our analysis from 51 in-depth interviews conducted in Cape Town, demonstrates that maternal body work practices are interpreted through the entanglement of embodiment and work and non-work spaces. By emphasising contextual specificities relating to low-income worker’s living, working and family realities, we advance studies on maternal body work and employment from the global South

Plasma and whole brain cholinesterase activities in three wild bird species in Mosul, IRAQ: In vitro inhibition by insecticides

Plasma and brain cholinesterase activities were determined in three wild bird species to assess their exposure to organophosphate and carbamate insecticides which are used in agriculture and public health. In the present study, we used an electrometric method for measurement of cholinesterase activities in the plasma and whole brain of three indigenous wild birds commonly found in northern Iraq. The birds used were apparently healthy adults of both sexes (8 birds/species, comprising 3–5 from each sex) of quail (Coturnix coturnix), collard dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and rock dove (Columba livia gaddi), which were captured in Mosul, Iraq. The mean respective cholinesterase activities (Δ pH/30 minutes) in the plasma and whole brain of the birds were as follows: quail (0.96 and 0.29), collard dove (0.97and 0.82) and rock dove (1.44 and 1.42). We examined the potential susceptibility of the plasma or whole brain cholinesterases to inhibition by selected insecticides. The technique of in vitro cholinesterase inhibition for 10 minutes by the organophosphate insecticides dichlorvos, malathion and monocrotophos (0.5 and 1.0 µM) and the carbamate insecticide carbaryl (5 and10 µM) in the enzyme reaction mixtures showed significant inhibition of plasma and whole brain cholinesterase activities to various extents. The data further support and add to the reported cholinesterase activities determined electrometrically in wild birds in northern Iraq. The plasma and whole brain cholinesterases of the birds are highly susceptible to inhibition by organophosphate and carbamate insecticides as determined by the described electrometric method, and the results further suggest the usefulness of the method in biomonitoring wild bird cholinesterases

DDT, epigenetic harm, and transgenerational environmental justice

Although the environmentally harmful effects of widespread dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) use became well-known following Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962), its human health effects have more recently become clearer. A ban on the use of DDT has been in place for over 30 years, but recently DDT has been used for malaria control in areas such as Africa. Recent work shows that DDT has transgenerational effects in progeny and generations never directly exposed to DDT. These effects have health implications for individuals who are not able to have any voice in the decision to use the pesticide. The transgenerational effects of DDT are considered in light of some widely accepted ethical principles. We argue that this reframes the decision to use DDT, requiring us to incorporate new considerations, and new kinds of decision making, into the deliberative process that determines its ongoing use. Ethical considerations for intergenerational environmental justice are presented that include concern and respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, and justice. Here, we offer a characterization of the kinds of ethical considerations that must be taken into account in any satisfactory decisions to use DDT

Akutna toksičnost veterinarskih i poljoprivrednih formulacija organofosfata diklorvosa i diazinona u pilića

Formulation components of organophosphate insecticidal preparations might affect their toxic action in animals. The objective of this study was to examine and compare the acute toxicity and cholinesterase inhibition in seven to 14-day-old chicks dosed orally with dichlorvos and diazinon in standard veterinary and agricultural formulations. The acute (24 h) oral median lethal doses (LD50) of the formulations were determined using the up-and-down method. Respective LD50 of dichlorvos of the veterinary and agricultural formulations in chicks were 11.1 mg kg-1 and 6.51 mg kg-1 and those of diazinon 6.4 mg kg-1 and 6.7 mg kg-1. Plasma and brain cholinesterase activities were measured by electrometry after in vivo and in vitro exposure to organophosphates. The chicks showed signs of cholinergic toxicosis within one hour of dosing. Dichlorvos (8 mg kg-1) and diazinon (4 mg kg-1) in the veterinary and agricultural formulation signifi cantly reduced both plasma and brain cholinesterase activities in the chicks. The veterinary formulation of dichlorvos reduced plasma ChE by 60 % and agricultural by 40 % and brain ChE by 93 % and 87 %, respectively. In contrast, ChE inhibition by diazinon in the agricultural formulation of diazinon was stronger than by the veterinary formulation; 72 % vs. 64 % in plasma and 97 % vs. 80 % in the brain, respectively. The highest in vitro inhibitions were observed with dichlorvos in the agricultural formulation (50 %) in the brain samples and with diazinon in the agricultural formulation (52 %) in the plasma samples. While they exist, differences between formulations cannot be taken as a rule and further investigations should inventory the toxicity of standard veterinary and agricultural organophosphate formulations in addition to the known data for pure forms.Sastojci formulacija mogu djelovati na toksičnost organofosfatnih insekticidnih pripravaka u životinja. Cilj je ovog istraživanja bio ispitati i usporediti akutnu inhibiciju kolinesteraza u pilića starih 7 do 14 dana koji su na usta primili organofosfatne insekticide diklorvos i diazinon u odgovarajućim formulacijama za veterinarsku odnosno poljoprivrednu primjenu. Dvadesetčetverosatna akutna letalna doza (LD50) diklorvosa bila je 11,1 mg kg-1 u veterinarskim odnosno 6,51 mg kg-1 u poljoprivrednim formulacijama, a diazinona 6,4 mg kg-1 odnosno 6,7 mg kg-1. Do kolinergičke toksikoze u pilića došlo je jedan sat nakon primjene. Nakon izlaganja organofosfatima in vivo i in vitro izmjerena je aktivnost kolinesteraza u plazmi i mozgu s pomoću elektrometrije. Oralne doze diklorvosa (8 mg kg-1) odnosno diazinona (4 mg kg-1) putem veterinarskih odnosno poljoprivrednih formulacija značajno su smanjile aktivnost kolinesteraza u plazmi i mozgu pilića. In vitro su također oba organofosfata inhibirala aktivnost kolinesteraza, bez obzira na formulaciju. Poljoprivredna formulacija diklorvosa izazvala je najjaču inhibiciju (50 %) u mozgu pilića, dok je poljoprivredna formulacija diazinona najjače inhibirala (52 %) aktivnost u plazmi. Ovo istraživanje pokazuje da različite formulacije organofosfatnih insekticida mogu dovesti do različita otrovanja i različito djelovati na kolinesteraznu aktivnost u mozgu i plazmi

Cross-talk between cd1d-restricted nkt cells and γδ cells in t regulatory cell response

CD1d is a non-classical major histocompatibility class 1-like molecule which primarily presents either microbial or endogenous glycolipid antigens to T cells involved in innate immunity. Natural killer T (NKT) cells and a subpopulation of γδ T cells expressing the Vγ4 T cell receptor (TCR) recognize CD1d. NKT and Vγ4 T cells function in the innate immune response via rapid activation subsequent to infection and secrete large quantities of cytokines that both help control infection and modulate the developing adaptive immune response. T regulatory cells represent one cell population impacted by both NKT and Vγ4 T cells. This review discusses the evidence that NKT cells promote T regulatory cell activation both through direct interaction of NKT cell and dendritic cells and through NKT cell secretion of large amounts of TGFβ, IL-10 and IL-2. Recent studies have shown that CD1d-restricted Vγ4 T cells, in contrast to NKT cells, selectively kill T regulatory cells through a caspase-dependent mechanism. Vγ4 T cell elimination of the T regulatory cell population allows activation of autoimmune CD8+ effector cells leading to severe cardiac injury in a coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) myocarditis model in mice. CD1d-restricted immunity can therefore lead to either immunosuppression or autoimmunity depending upon the type of innate effector dominating during the infection