Multi-criteria assessment to screen climate smart rice establishment techniques in coastal rice production system of India

Introduction: Conventional rice production techniques are less economical and more vulnerable to sustainable utilization of farm resources as well as significantly contributed GHGs to atmosphere. Methods: In order to assess the best rice production system for coastal areas, six rice production techniques were evaluated, including SRI-AWD (system of rice intensification with alternate wetting and drying (AWD)), DSR-CF (direct seeded rice with continuous flooding (CF)), DSR-AWD (direct seeded rice with AWD), TPR-CF (transplanted rice with CF), TPR-AWD (transplanted rice with AWD), and FPR-CF (farmer practice with CF). The performance of these technologies was assessed using indicators such as rice productivity, energy balance, GWP (global warming potential), soil health indicators, and profitability. Finally, using these indicators, a climate smartness index (CSI) was calculated. Results and discussion: Rice grown with SRI-AWD method had 54.8 % higher CSI over FPR-CF, and also give 24.5 to 28.3% higher CSI for DSR and TPR as well. There evaluations based on the climate smartness index can provide cleaner and more sustainable rice production and can be used as guiding principle for policy makers.publishedVersio

Synthesis and temperature-dependent evolution of the phase composition in palladium-containing silicon oxycarbide ceramics

Palladium-containing silicon oxycarbide (SiPdOC) ceramics were synthesized using polymethylsilsesquioxane modified with palladium acetate as a single-source precursor. Thus, pyrolysis in argon at 1100 ? led to nano composites consisting of Pd2Si nanocrystallites dispersed in an amorphous SiOC matrix. Exposure of SiPdOC to higher temperatures resulted in the precipitation of PdSi in addition to Pd2Si. The temperature-dependent evolution of the phase composition and microstructure in SiPdOC were analyzed using XRD and TEM respectively and rationalized by a ThermoCalc-based thermodynamic assessment showing the feasibility of the possible reactions. The formation of PdSi was perceived because of the shift in the Pd-Si atomic composition towards the higher Si side, caused by the diffusion of Si present in the matrix into the Pd-Si melt, formed upon the heat treatment above the melting point (1390 C) of Pd2Si. Further, Raman spectroscopic investigation indicated that Pd catalytically enhanced the graphitization of the free carbon in SiPdOC ceramics

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