Sustainable Irrigation Management for Higher Yield

Sustainable irrigation is sensible application of watering to plants in agriculture, landscapes that aids in meeting current survival and welfare needs. Sustainable irrigation management can help with climate change adaptation, labor, energy savings, and the production of higher-value and yield of crops to achieve zero hunger in water-scarce world. To ensure equal access to water and environmental sustainability, investments in expanded and enhanced irrigation must be matched by improvements in water governance. Sustainable irrigation must be able to cope with water scarcity, and be resilient to other resource scarcities throughout time in context of energy and finance. The themes and SDGs related to clean water, water resources sustainability, sustainable water usage, agricultural and rural development are all intertwined in the concept of “sustainable irrigation for higher yield.” Sustainable irrigation management refers to the capability of using water in optimum quantity and quality on a local, regional, national, and global scale to meet the needs of humans and agro-ecosystems at present and in the future to sustain life, protect humans and biodiversity from natural and human-caused disasters which threaten life to exist. Resultantly higher yields will ensure food security

Design and Application of Fuzzy Logic Based Fire Monitoring and Warning Systems for Smart Buildings

Typical fire monitoring and warning systems use a single smoke detector that is connected to a fire management system to give early warnings before the fire spreads out up to a damaging level. However, it is found that only smoke detector-based fire monitoring systems are not efficient and intelligent since they generate false warnings in case of a person is smoking, etc. There is need of a multi-sensor based intelligent and smart fire monitoring system that employs various parameters, such as presence of flame, temperature of the room, smoke, etc. To achieve such a smart solution, a multi-sensor solution is required that can intelligently use the data of sensors and generate true warnings for further fire control and management. This paper presents an intelligent Fire Monitoring and Warning System (FMWS) that is based on Fuzzy Logic to identify the true existence of dangerous fire and send alert to Fire Management System (FMS). This paper discusses design and application of a Fuzzy Logic Fire Monitoring and Warning System that also sends an alert message using Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) technology. The system is based on tiny, low cost, and very small in size sensors to ensure that the solution is reproduceable. Simulation work is done in MATLAB ver. 7.1 (The MathWorks, Natick, MA, USA) and the results of the experiments are satisfactory

Prevalence of type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes in Sri Lanka: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective The purpose of this research was to determine the prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes in Sri Lanka.Design Systematic review and meta-analysis.Data sources MEDLINE (via PubMed), Web of Science, Sri Lankan Journals online and Google Scholar were searched for relevant articles published between January 1990 and June 2022 investigating the prevalence of pre-diabetes and diabetes in Sri Lanka.Methods Random effect meta-analyses were conducted to derive the pooled prevalence of pre-diabetes and diabetes and their 95% CIs. Heterogeneity was explored by subgroup and meta-regression analyses. Sensitivity analyses were used to evaluate the impact of any single study on the pooled estimates. Two authors screened articles, extracted data and evaluated the quality of selected studies.Results A total of 479 articles were reviewed, and 15 studies (n=30 137 participants) were selected in the final analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of diabetes was 12.07% (95% CI, 8.71% to 15.89%; prediction interval: 1.28–31.35). The pooled pre-diabetes prevalence was 15.57% (95% CI, 9.45% to 22.88%; prediction interval: 0.02–49.87). The pooled type 2 diabetes prevalence was the highest in the latest period of 2011–2021 (17.25%) than in the period of 2000s (11.84%) and 1990s (5.62%).Conclusions The growing trend of diabetes and pre-diabetes over the last 30 years is alarming in Sri Lanka. The government of Sri Lanka needs to take steps to improve diabetes education, screening, diagnosis and treatment.PROSPERO registration number CRD42021288591

Assessment of bioremediation potential of Calotropis procera and Nerium oleander for sustainable management of vehicular released metals in roadside soils

Abstract Land transportation is a major source of heavy metal contamination along the roadside, posing significant risks to human health through inhalation, oral ingestion, and dermal contact. Therefore, this study has been designed to determine the concentrations of vehicular released heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Ni, and Cu) in roadside soil and leaves of two commonly growing native plant species (Calotropis procera and Nerium oleander).Two busy roads i.e., Lahore-Okara road (N-5) and Okara-Faisalabad roads (OFR) in Punjab, Pakistan, were selected for the study. The data were collected from five sites along each road during four seasons. Control samples were collected ~ 50 m away from road. The metal content i.e. lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) were determined in the plant leaves and soil by using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Significantly high amount of all studied heavy metals were observed in soil and plant leaves along both roads in contrast to control ones. The mean concentration of metals in soil ranged as Cd (2.20–6.83 mg/kg), Pb (4.53–15.29 mg/kg), Ni (29.78–101.26 mg/kg), and Cu (61.68–138.46 mg/kg) and in plant leaves Cd (0.093–0.53 mg/kg), Pb (4.31–16.34 mg/kg), Ni (4.13–16.34 mg/kg) and Cu (2.98–32.74 mg/kg). Among roads, higher metal contamination was noted along N-5 road. Significant temporal variations were also noted in metal contamination along both roads. The order of metal contamination in soil and plant leaves in different seasons was summer > autumn > spring > winter. Furthermore, the metal accumulation potential of Calotropis procera was higher than that of Nerium oleander. Therefore, for sustainable management of metal contamination, the plantation of Calotropis procera is recommended along roadsides

Assessment of sustainable and biodegradable agricultural substrates for eminence production of cucumber for kitchen gardening

Abstract Purpose Different agricultural substrates were evaluated for growth and productivity of cucumber under pot culture for kitchen gardening. Methods Several agricultural substrates such as leaf compost, compost, perlite, and coconut compost were used in with silt in several combinations. Seeds were sown in plastic pots of 9-L capacity and filled with growing substrates in various combinations. The study consisted of eight treatments; each treatment had four replicates. Results Use of different growing media alone or in combination significantly enhanced plant growth and productivity, compared to control. Results showed that maximum germination, plant growth, emergence percentage, gas exchange attributes, shoot/root length, shoot fresh and dry biomass, root fresh and dry biomass, no. of leaves, leaf mineral contents, and chlorophyll concentration and yield was noted in the plants grown in leaf compost + perlite + silt (1:1:1) media combination. In case of proline contents, all treatment combinations showed non-significant; but, NPK status varied because of the presence of organic matter in substrates that ultimately enhanced the nutrient uptake of cucumber plants. Conclusions Although all media either alone or in combination positively influenced different studied parameters of cucumber, but, leaf compost + perlite + silt (1:1:1) combination was the best. Therefore, leaf compost + perlite + silt (1:1:1) media combination could be considered suitable for the cucumber cultivation in the form of kitchen gardening

Thermotolerant PGPR consortium B3P modulates physio-biochemical and molecular machinery for enhanced heat tolerance in maize during early vegetative growth

Abstract Background Global warming and irregular changes in temperature are a serious threat to plant growth with a significant negative impact on yield. Global maize productivity has decreased significantly due to sudden temperature fluctuations and heat waves especially in the regions severely hit by climate change. Results The current study demonstrates the potential of beneficial bacteria for inducing heat tolerance in maize during early growth. Three Bacillus spp. AH-08, AH-67, SH-16, and one Pseudomonas spp. SH-29 showed the ability to grow and exhibited multiple plant-beneficial traits up to 45 ± 2 °C. At temperatures of 45 and 50 °C, Bacillus sp. SH-16 exhibited upregulation of two small heat shock proteins (HSP) of 15 and 30 kDa, while SH-16 and AH-67 showed upregulation of two large HSP of 65 and 100 kDa. Plant-inoculation with the consortium B3P (3 Bacillus + 1 Pseudomonas spp.) was carried out on six hybrid maize varieties pre-grown at 25 ± 2 ºC. Heat shock was applied to 10-day-old seedlings as: 3 h at 38ºC, 48 h recovery period, and then 48 h at 42ºC. The B3P treatment showed significant improvement in the overall plant growth (plant height, root & shoot fresh & dry weight, root and leaf area) with a higher level of CAT, POD, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids, while low concentration of MDA. A non-significant difference was observed in case of total cell protein and amino acids after B3P-treatment under stress. The expression of HSP1 and HSP18 in Malka and YH-5427 while HSP70 and HSP101 were higher in FH-1046 and Gohar as compared to non-inoculated treatment. Conclusions These findings indicate that heat-tolerant plant-growth promoting rhizobacteria (Ht-PGPR) exert versatile, multiphasic and differential response to improve plant growth and heat-tolerance in different maize varieties during seedling/ early vegetative growth. Subsequent research will be focused on the field evaluation of these PGPR to see the field and yield response of this consortium under natural temperature fluctuations in field