Mulching: A diversified and multipurpose input in agriculture

The ever-growing demand for food has led to the depletion of natural resources. Water scarcity, land degradation, and climate change are the main factors contributing to declining crop productivity. To address this issue, there is a need to adopt suitable agronomic strategies. Mulching is one way this practice addresses this issue. Since time immemorial, people have been using organic residues as mulching material. Nowadays, people find it cumbersome to utilise crop residues. The development of plastic mulching material overcame this issue due to its easy and plentiful availability. Plastic mulch has its own advantages and disadvantages. In today’s world, the haphazard use of this material has led to the threat of micro plastics. Micro plastics are small in size and escape waste management practices. They contaminate ecosystems, clog the soil pores, enter the food chain, and take a very long time to degrade. So, balanced use of both organic and inorganic materials is the need of the day. This article reviews the benefits of mulching as an agronomic strategy to boost present-day agriculture

Clinico-etiological study of 30 erythroderma cases from tertiary center in South India

Background: Erythroderma is a morphological reaction pattern of skin having many underlying causes and finding the etiology helps in the proper management of erythroderma cases. Aim: To evaluate the clinical profile, etiology of erythroderma and to correlate clinical diagnosis with histopathology. Materials and Methods: This study was performed at the department of dermatology, Father Muller Medical College and Hospital, Mangalore, South India. We studied 30 consecutive cases of erythroderma with respect to the epidemiological, clinical and histological data. Clinico-histological correlation was analyzed for etiology of erythroderma. Results: The mean age of onset was 52.3 years with a male to female ratio of 14:1. In addition to erythroderma, other co-existent features included pruritus, fever, lymphadenopathy, and edema. Of the pre-existing dermatoses, psoriasis was the most common (33.3%) disease followed by eczema (20%), atopic dermatitis (6.6%), pityriasis rubra pilaris (3.3%) and drug-induced erythroderma (16.6%). In 16.6% of cases, etiology could not be ascertained. Clinico-histopathological correlation could be established in 73.3% of cases. Conclusion: Clinical features were identical irrespective of etiology. Detailed clinico-histopathological examination helps to establish the etiology of erythroderma