Role of Advertisements on the Promotion of Use of Bio-fertilizers in Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu, India

In recent days, Bio-Fertilizers are gaining importance as organic input in sustainable agriculture and its applications. Since the excessive application of chemical fertilizers at field affects the physical properties of soil such as infiltration, soil aeration, soil structure and bulk density, its applications are slowly replaced or it is reduced to certain extent and the farmers had the habit of applications of Bio-Fertilizers. To gain its applications, promotional measures become imperative. In order to promote Bio-Fertilizers among the farmers, the leading producers have been using many sales promotional activities.One such promotional activity is "Advertising". This paper investigates the role of advertisements in creating awareness about the use of Bio-Fertilizers

A Corn Stover Supply Logistics System

Published in Applied Engineering in Agriculture, Vol. 26(3): 455‐461, 2010. American Society of Agricultural and Biological EngineersCorn stover, Economics, GHG emission, Logistics, Roll press compaction, Tub grinding, Agribusiness, Crop Production/Industries,

Indian Meal Moth Survivability in Stored Corn With Different Levels of Broken Kernels

Survivability of Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepi-doptera: Pyralidae), larvae fed a standard laboratory diet and whole corn with 0, 5 to 7, and 100% broken corn kernels, was assessed under laboratory conditions at 28o C, 65% relative humidity, and 14:10 h (L:D) photoperiod. A conventional yellow dent corn hybrid (about 3.9% oil content, dry basis) and a high-oil corn hybrid (about 7.7% oil content, dry basis) were tested. Survivability was measured as the percentage of pre-pupae, pupae, and adults observed at the end of the rearing period. For the standard laboratory diet, a mean of 97.5% larvae survived. Percentage of larval survival increased as the percentage of broken corn increased. Mean percentages of larval survival for the conventional yellow dent corn were 6.7, 63.8, and 80.0 for 0, 7, and 100% broken kernels, respectively. The mean percentages of larval survival for the high-oil corn hybrid were 28.3, 81.3, and 100.0 for 0, 5, and 100% broken kernels, respectively. Larval growth rate for high-oil corn was faster than for conventional corn. Results indicate that cleaning corn before storage could reduce P. interpunctella problems

Single-step novel biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles: a potent and eco-friendly mosquitocides

Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, dengue, chikungunya, filariasis, and Japanese encephalitis cause thousands of deaths per year. Mosquito control is to enhance the health and quality of life of county residents and visitors through the reduction of mosquito populations. Mosquito control is of serious concern in developing countries like India due to the lack of general awareness, development of resistance, and socioeconomic reasons. Insecticides of botanical origin may serve as suitable alternative biocontrol techniques in the future. In view of the recently increased interest in developing plant origin insecticides as an alternative to chemical insecticide, In this research, we biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (Ag NP) using the Sida acuta leaf extract as reducing and stabilizing agent. The biosynthesis of Ag NP was confirmed analyzing the excitation of surface plasmon resonance using ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectrophotometry. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed the clustered and irregular shapes of Ag NP. The presence of silver was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy investigated the identity of secondary metabolites, which may also act as Ag NP capping agents. The acute toxicity of S.acuta leaf extract and biosynthesized Ag NP was evaluated against larvae of Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi, and Culex quinquefasciatus. Compared to the leaf aqueous extract, biosynthesized Ag NP showed higher toxicity against Ae. aegypti,                             An. stephensi, and Cx.quinquefasciatus with the LD50 values of 35.12, 39.53 and 41.44 µg/mL, respectively. This result suggests that the leaf extract have the potential to be used as an ideal eco-friendly approach for the control of vector mosquitoes

Evaluation of the groundwater quality index (GWQI) and the human health risk (HHR) on fluoride concentration in Namakkal district, South India

This research aims to determine the health consequences of fluoride contamination of groundwater in the Namakkal region in south India using the groundwater quality index (GWQI). Study area latitude and longitude: 11° 00' and 11° 30' in the north, and 77° 45' and 78° 15' in the east. Statewide, it is among the largest districts in the state. The study region occupies an area of 3406.37 km2. The geology of the studied area is mainly based on the Archaean crystalline and metamorphic complex. The district's major aquifer systems are composed of crystalline rocks that are weathered and fractured and of colluvial deposits.  Alluvium and colluvium are examples of porous formations in the cross-section. Only the main river channels have alluvial deposits. The phreatic properties of groundwater Depending on the topography, these aquifers may reach 5 m saturation thickness. Groundwater samples were obtained from 58 bore well sites across the study area during the North-East Monsoon (NEM) of 2015. pH concentrations in suitable drinking water regions during the seasons assist in limiting the availability of groundwater for drinking purposes. TDS are an important factor in determining water suitability for various purposes. The groundwater sample in the study area shows cation domination in ascending order of Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ due to the dissolution of aquifer minerals in rainfall in the study area. In the NEM seasons, rock dominance and anthropogenic contributions to higher Na+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+ > K+ values. Fluoride concentration differentiates into three groups such as < 0.5 indicates low risk, 0.5 to 1.5 indicates moderate risk, and > 1.5 means high risk. More than 2 fluoride implies very high risk, whereas fluoride in the range of 1.5 to 2.24 suggests a very high risk. The appraisal of non-carcinogenic risk was done to stress the health issues that succeed due to the intake and dermal contact of drinking water in the Namakkal district. The percentage of risk HQ >1 shows that 48 men groundwater samples, followed by 46 groundwater samples women and 30 groundwater samples children, constitute possible health hazards. Overall, health risk estimation results showed that all the groundwater samples have surpassed the permissible limit of HQ <1 for children

Efecto de la cúrcuma (Curcuma longa) en la extensión de la vida útil y el control de aminas biógenas en sepia (Sepia brevimana) durante su almacenamiento refrigerado

Turmeric extract (0.5%) was applied to Sepia brevimana muscle to investigate its effects on muscle sensory evaluation, biochemical parameters, microbiological proliferation, and biogenic amine (BA) formation during storage at 4°C for 18 days. Sensory evaluation determined the shelf life of S. brevimana muscle to be 12 days for the controls and 15 days for the turmeric-treated samples. The biochemical quality index differences were significant in all instances, and the values were improved in the turmeric-treated samples compared to the control samples. Most microbiological counts were higher in the control samples than in the turmeric-treated samples after day 3. Additionally, the turmeric extract showed an inhibitory effect against some potential BA-forming bacteria. In conclusion, this study revealed the ability of turmeric extract to improve the shelf life and quality of S. brevimana muscle during chilled storage.Extracto de cúrcuma (0,5%) fue aplicado a músculo de Sepia brevimana con el fin de investigar sus efectos sobre la calidad sensorial, parámetros bioquímicos, calidad microbiológica, y la formación de aminas biogénicas durante 18 días de almacenamiento a 4°C. La evaluación sensorial determinó que la vida útil del músculo de S. brevimana alcanzó 12 días en el caso de los controles y 15 días para las muestras tratadas. Los parámetros relativos a la calidad bioquímica, fueron significativamente mejores en todos los casos en las muestras tratadas. La mayor parte de los parámetros microbiológicos mostraron mayores recuentos en las muestras controles en comparación con las muestras tratadas después del día 3. Además, el extracto de cúrcuma mostró un efecto inhibidor frente al desarrollo de bacterias potencialmente productoras de aminas biógenas. En conclusión, este estudio demostró que el extracto de cúrcuma mejora la vida útil y la calidad del músculo de S. brevimana durante el almacenamiento refrigerado.The authors gratefully acknowledge the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) (Government of India, New Delhi) for their financial support [grant no. SR/FT/LS-22/2010; 2 May 2012] and to European Regional Development Funds (FEDER), grant GRC 2014/004 for covering the costs to publish in open accessS

A study of starch gelatinisation behaviour in hydrothermally-processed plant food tissues and implications for in vitro digestibility

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the plant food matrix in influencing the extent of starch gelatinisation during hydrothermal processing, and its implications for starch digestibility. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to provide a detailed examination of the gelatinisation behaviour of five distinct size fractions (diameters <0.21 to 2.58 mm) of milled chickpea and durum wheat. Gelatinisation parameters were obtained from the DSC thermograms and concomitant microscopy analyses were performed. The estimated terminal extent of gelatinisation (TEG) was compared with our previously published data for in vitro starch digestibility of the same food materials. We observed clear differences in the gelatinisation behaviour of matched size-fractions of chickpeas and durum wheat. In chickpea materials, the TEG values (34–100%) were inversely related to particle size, whereas in durum wheat, no sizedependent limitations on TEG were observed. The TEG values were completely consistent with the extent of starch amylolysis in all size fractions of both durum wheat and chickpea. Microstructural analysis following hydrothermal processing confirmed the presence of some partially gelatinised birefringent starch within intact chickpea cells. Birefringent starch granules were not present in any of the processed fractions of durum wheat. The differences in gelatinisation behaviour of these plant species seem to reflect the individual cell wall properties of these materials. These findings demonstrate the applicability of DSC to real food materials to provide insight into the mechanisms by which the food matrix (particularly the plant cell walls) influences gelatinisation, and consequently, starch amylolysis

Examining the effect of cyber twin and blockchain technologies for industrial applications using AI

In current generation the concept of cyber twin technology has been emerging as an improved platform for different applications. This paper emphasize on examining the effect of cyber twin technology for manufacturing equipment in Industry 4.0 applications by solving three different elementary objectives. For the proposed conception a new system model is identified for integrating triobjective cases with artificial intelligence algorithm. In addition, high security measures are also incorporated using blockchain technology which is one basic requirement for industrial applications for creating real twins. Both system model and algorithm have been combined for providing effective performance in real time using a physical entity. The effectiveness of the proposed model is tested with sensor prototype and simulated with four scenarios where the projected model provides better performance for more than 72% when compared with existing methodologies