Effect of drought on gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence of groundnut genotypes

Drought is one of the major threats to groundnut productivity, causing a greater loss than any other abiotic factor. Water stress conditions alter plant photosynthetic activity, impacting future growth and assimilating mobilization towards sink tissues. The purpose of this study was to investigate how drought impacts the photosynthesis of plants and its links to drought tolerance. The influence of reproductive stage drought on photosynthetic activity and chlorophyll fluorescence of groundnut is well studied. The experiment was conducted in Kharif 2019 (Jul-Sep), where recent series in groundnut genotypes (60 nos) sown under rainfed conditions and water stress was created by withholding irrigation for 20 days between 35-55 days after sowing in the field to simulate drought conditions. Imposition of water deficit stress reduced PS II efficiency, which significantly altered the photosynthetic rate in the leaf. Observation of gas exchange parameters viz., photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate after 20 days of stress imposition revealed that of all 60 genotypes, 20 genotypes (VG 17008, VG 17046VG 18005, VG 18102, VG 18077, VG 19572, VG 19709, VG 18111, VG19561, VG19576, VG 19620, VG 19681, VG 19688, etc.,) had better Photosynthetic rate, Stomatal conductance. Similarly, PS II efficiency analyzed through fluorescence meter revealed that among the 60 and all the genotypes given above recorded higher value in Fv/Fm. Results obtained from Cluster analysis and PCA confirmed that photosynthetic rate and Fv/Fm is useful parameter in screening adapted cultivars under drought stress. These findings lay the groundwork for a future study to decipher the molecular pathways underpinning groundnut drought resistance

Geospatial analysis to identify promising car parks for installing electric vehicle charge points : an Oxford case study

Historically in the UK, uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) has been dominated by those with off-street parking. In fact, a recent report by Deloitte found that nearly 90% of EV drivers currently charge privately. However, if we wish to meet the UK Government's targets of net zero by 2050 and no further sales of fully internal combustion engine vehicles after 2030, EV charging will need to be made accessible to those without driveways. Local Authorities and the companies they work with have a significant role to play in infrastructure planning to get ahead of the curve of accelerating EV uptake. This Visualising Transport Geography article investigates whether it is possible to identify locations for public EV chargers which may be more valuable to residents

Second-life battery systems for affordable energy access in Kenyan primary schools

As the world transitions to net zero, energy storage is becoming increasingly important for applications such as electric vehicles, mini-grids, and utility-scale grid stability. The growing demand for storage will constrain raw battery materials, reduce the availability of new batteries, and increase the rate of battery retirement. As retired batteries are difficult to recycle into components, to avoid huge amounts of battery waste, reuse and repurposing options are needed. In this research, we explore the feasibility of using second-life batteries (which have been retired from their first intended life) and solar photovoltaics to provide affordable energy access to primary schools in Kenya. Based on interviews with 12 East African schools, realistic system sizes were determined with varying solar photovoltaic sizes (5–10 kW in 2.5 kW increments) and lithium-ion battery capacities (5–20 kWh in 5 kWh increments). Each combination was simulated under four scenarios as a sensitivity analysis of battery transportation costs (i.e., whether they are sourced locally or imported). A techno-economic analysis is undertaken to compare new and second-life batteries in the resulting 48 system scenarios in terms of cost and performance. We find that second-life batteries decrease the levelized cost of electricity by 5.6–35.3% in 97.2% of scenarios compared to similar systems with new batteries, and by 41.9–64.5% compared to the cost of the same energy service provided by the utility grid. The systems with the smallest levelized cost of electricity (i.e., 0.11 USD/kWh) use either 7.5 kW or 10 kW of solar with 20 kWh of storage. Across all cases, the payback period is decreased by 8.2–42.9% using second-life batteries compared to new batteries; the system with the smallest payback period (i.e., 2.9 years) uses 5 kW solar and 5 kWh storage. These results show second-life batteries to be viable and cost-competitive compared to new batteries for school electrification in Kenya, providing the same benefits while reducing waste

Potential for domestic thermal storage to absorb excess renewable energy in a low carbon future

Transition to low carbon electricity generation is key to meet the global emission targets. This requires a drastic shift from the current energy mix dominated by coal and gas to renewables especially wind and solar. Due to the intermittent nature of renewable generation, the probability of generation-demand mismatch is high. This mandates the need for storage of the excess generation in order to prevent curtailment. Utilisation of domestic hot water tanks to absorb this excess provides us with an economical option at a nominal incremental cost. This paper develops a method to quantify the capacity of hot water tanks required and the potential savings in a low carbon future. The results are explained with the UK as a case study. The results indicate that between one and ten Terra Watt hours of curtailment can be expected in the UK in the year 2040. Eighty percent of this energy can be captured if one-fifth of all houses in the UK are equipped with smart hot water tanks

Stability analysis of foliar disease resistant groundnut genotypes (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Fifteen foliar disease resistant groundnut genotypes and one local variety (VRI 4) were evaluated over four seasons in asingle location to identify the stable high yielding genotypes. Significant G X E interaction showed the differentialperformance of genotypes over different environments / seasons. Stability analysis revealed that only one genotype(ICGV 92093) had near unity regression coefficient coupled with non-significant deviation from regression and highmean kernel yield. Hence, the genotype may be recommended over wide range of environments / seasons

Magnitude and direction of association for yield and yield attributes in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Correlation analysis among kernel yield and its component characters was carried out to identify the selection indices in BC1F1 populations of two crosses viz., CO 7 × GPBD 4 and CO 7 × COG 0437. Kernel yield per plant and pod yield per plant expressed significant and positive correlation with plant height, number of primary branches, number of pods per plant, 100-pod weight and shell weight, in both crosses. Hence these characters may be considered as selection indices. These characters may be given due emphasis in breeding for high kernel yield in groundnut. The association of kernel yield per plant with 100-kernel weight, sound mature kernel, late leaf spot score and rust score varies with the crosses. Hence these characters may also be considered as selection indices with caution

Drug Utilization of Antimicrobials in Pediatrics Population at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kancheepuram District of Tamilnadu, India

ABSTRACT Drug utilization is an essential part of Pharmacoepidmology and it describes the extent nature and determinants of drug exposure. The aim of the study was to evaluate drug utilization of antimicrobials in pediatrics at SRM medical college. A prospective cross sectional study was carried out for seven months, totally 109 prescription with antibiotics was collected the most commonly prescribed drugs were third generation cephalosporin's like ceftriaxone(27.9%), cefataxim(20.1%), followed by penicillin's ampicillin(12.9%),amoxicillin(12.9%), and there combinations and the highest reported diseases in pediatrics are broncholitis(24.9%), and acute gastro enteritis(22.0%)

Evaluation of gafchromic EBT film for intensity modulated radiation therapy dose distribution verification

This work was undertaken with the intention of investigating the possibility of clinical use of commercially available self-developing radiochromic film – Gafchromic EBT film – for IMRT dose verification. The dose response curves were generated for the films using VXR-16 film scanner. The results obtained with EBT films were compared with the results of Kodak EDR2 films. It was found that the EBT film has a linear response between the dose ranges of 0 and 600 cGy. The dose-related characteristics of the EBT film, like post-irradiation color growth with time, film uniformity and effect of scanning orientation, were studied. There is up to 8.6% increase in the color density between 2 and 40 h after irradiation. There was a considerable variation, up to 8.5%, in the film uniformity over its sensitive region. The quantitative difference between calculated and measured dose distributions was analyzed using Gamma index with the tolerance of 3% dose difference and 3 mm distance agreement. EDR2 films showed good and consistent results with the calculated dose distribution, whereas the results obtained using EBT were inconsistent. The variation in the film uniformity limits the use of EBT film for conventional large field IMRT verification. For IMRT of smaller field size (4.5 × 4.5 cm), the results obtained with EBT were comparable with results of EDR2 films

VRIGn 7 – A high yielding Virginia Bunch variety

The semi spreading groundnut culture VG 9902 is a hybrid derivative of TMV 1 x JL 24. It is a high yielding semispreading genotype with rose testa. It matures in 120-125 days. This culture has recorded an overall mean dry pod yield of1865 kg/ha, with an increase pod yield of 19.0 and 23.3 per cent over TMV 1 and TMV 10, respectively under rainfedcondition. The pod and kernel characteristics of this culture are most acceptable to the farmers. The shelling out turn and oilcontent are 72.0 and 48.0 per cent, respectively. The culture possessed seed dormancy for a period of 45 days