Fertigation for efficient water and nutrient management in high density cashew plantation

An experiment was conducted to study the efficacy of fertigation for increasing the productivity of cashew under high density planting system (625 plants/ha). The optimal rate of fertilizer application was found as 125 g N, 31.25 g P2O5 and 31.25 g K2O/tree/ year through fertigation and 2 kg castor cake/tree through soil application (M3). The highest mean cashew nut yield of 2 t/ha/year and 1.96 t/ha/year was in treatments with 50% of recommended doses of fertilizers (RDF) through fertigation and 4 kg castor cake/ tree through soil application (M6) and the treatment with half the aforesaid dose (M3). The protein content was high in fertigation treatment with 50 % RDF and 4 kg neem cake/tree( M5) (42.6 %), followed by M6 and M3 (40.7 and 40.2 %,respectively). In soil application with drip irrigation separately, the nut yield ranged from 1.45 to 1.73 t/ha/year and protein content from 35.9 to 38.9 %, respectively. The lowest nut yield of 1.12 t/ha/year was in absolute control and the lowest protein content of 35.9 and 36.2 % were in M9 and absolute control, respectively. Fertigation increased the nut weight to 7.0 g, apple weight to 76.9 g and the shelling percentage to 30.06 compared to soil application with a nut weight of 6.8 g, apple weight of 70.8 g and a shelling percentage of 29.5 and absolute control with a nut weight of 6.7 g, apple weight of 69.4 g and a shelling percentage of 28.8, respectively. The highest net profits of Rs. 49,367/ha/year and Rs. 47,393/ha/year were also from fertigation plots M4 (RDF through fertigation) and M3. The net profit from absolute control (M13) was Rs.32,425/ha/year. In soil application treatments with drip irrigation separately (M7 to M12), the net profit ranged from Rs.32,235 to Rs.40,417/ha/year. Soil and water conservation measures with mulching conserved soil moisture and reduced the optimal irrigation requirement to 20% Cumulative Pan Evaporation (CPE). Hence, increased irrigation rates (40 and 60 % CPE) did not have any significant effect on growth of cashew plants, nut weight, shelling percentage, yield etc. The levels of minor and micronutrients of the soil and defatted cashew kernel flour in fertigation treatments were on par with soil application with separate drip irrigation and were high compared to absolute control (except Zn). Different irrigation rates did not have significant effect on kernel N, P, K, Ca and Mg content but increased irrigation (20 to 40% CPE) increased the concentration of most of the major and micro nutrients present in leaf

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria - an overview.

There have been sporadic reports of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) causing disease in the early part of this century. isolation of NTM from patients with pulmonary disease became more common after sputum culture for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis had become routine by the 1950s1. Since then important strides have been made in the taxonomy and identification of non-tuberculous mycobacteria, as well as clarifying their role as human pathogens and importance in human pulmonary disease. It is now well established that mycobacteria other than mammalian tubercle bacilli and M.leprae. are important human pathogens.2,3 Various names have been suggested for this group of organisms such as para-tubercle bacilli, pseudotubercle bacilli, unclassified mycobacteria, anonymous mycobacteria, atypical mycobacteria, opportunistic mycobacteria, tuberculoid mycobacteria and mycobacteria other than tubercle bacilli (MOTT). The name non - tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), now used by the International Working Group on Mycobacterial Taxonomy (IWGMT) is gradually gaining acceptance among mycobacteriologists

In vitro activity of rifampicin, rifapentine and rifabutin against South Indian isolates of M. tuberculosis

M. tuberculosis isolates from 51 resistant and 52 susceptible to Rifampicin patients were concurrently tested for in vitro susceptibility to Rifampicin, Rifapentine and Rifabutin. All the 52 Rifampicin susceptible strains were susceptible to Rifapentine, the geometric mean MICs being 13.3 m g/ml for Rifampicin and 6.0 m g/ml for Rifapentine. However, the geometric mean MIC for Rifabautin was as low as 13 m g/ml. All 51 Rifampicin resistant strains were also resistant to Rifapentine, indicating a complete cross-resistance between the two compounds. However, 11 (22%) of the Rifampicin resistant strains were found to be susceptible to Rifabutin. The geometric mean; MICs of the 40 resistant strains were 22 m g/ml for Rifampicin and113 m g/ml for Rifabutin. Thus, even among Rifampicin resistant strains, Rifabutin showed a 1.97 fold higher activity; the difference in the means attained statistical significance

In vitro activity of ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin against South Indian isolates of M. tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from 104 south Indian patients, including 52 sensitive to Streptomycin (S), Isoniazid, (H) and Rifampicin (R), and 52 resistant to SHR/HR were tested for their in vitro susceptibility to Ciprofloxacin and Ofloxacin on Lowenstein-Jensen medium. The geometric mean for minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Ciprofloxacin was 2.00 mcg/ml for sensitive strains and 2.17 mcg/ml for resistant strains, the overall mean being 2.08 mcg/ml. Considering Ofloxacin, the MICs for the different categories of strains were again similar, there being no difference between sensitive and resistant strains, the geometric means being 2.00 and 2.05 mcg/ml, respectively

In vitro activity of capreomycin and ciprofloxacin against South Indian isolates of M. tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from 107 South Indian patients, including 53 isolates sensitive to Streptomycin (S), Isoniazid (H) and Rifampicin (R) and 54 resistant to SHR/HR were tested for their in vitro susceptibility to Capreomycin and Ciprofloxacin. Of these, 3 (6%) SHR sensitive strains and 8 (15%) SHR/HR resistant strains were probably resistant to Capreomycin. However, the difference did not attain statistical significance. Considering Ciprofloxacin, the percentage distributions of the MIC with the different categories of strains were similar, there being no difference between sensitive and resistant strains, the geometric means being 3.7 and 3.8 mcg/ml, respectively

BCG: Do we have an alternative?

Vaccination is generally used as a form of immunoprophylaxis, so that administration of the vaccine even a long. time before exposure to the wild-type infectious organism should afford protection. Since effector T and B cells are short-lived, a prime requisite for a vaccine is to generate immunological memory.1 In the case organisms such as mycobacteria which are obligate intracellular pathogens and which elicit granulomatous tissue reactions, artificial immunisation with live bacteria is required to induce protection.2,3 The only existing vaccine against tuberculosis is the BCG (Bacille Calmette - Guerin), an attenuated strain of M.bovis and it is mandatory or officially recommended in 182 countries or territories. Under the Expanded Programme on Immuisation (EPT) started by the Government of India in 1978, BCG is recommended to be given to all infants 3-9 months after birth.

Cerebrospinal fluid lysozyme in the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis

Pretreatment lysozyme levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were estimated in 37 patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM), 16 with non-tuberculous meningitis (non-TBM) and 13 with non-inflammatory conditions of the central nervous system (controls) in an attempt to assess the role of CSF lysozyme in the diagnosis of TBM. Lysozyme content in the CSF was found to be elevated in all patients with bacteriologically confirmed TBM and in a large proportion of patients in whom the disease was clinically diagnosed but bacteriologically not confirmed. The enzyme was not detected in all but one of the control subjects and in most (69%) of the non-TBM patients

Bactericidal action of pulsed exposure to rifampicin, ethambutol, isoniazid & pyrazinamide on Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro

The bactericidal action of pulsed exposure to rifampicin (R), ethambutol (Emb), isoniazid (I) and pyrazinamide (Z) togcthcr on alternate days (REmbIZ) and as REmb and IZ separately on alternate days (REmb/IZ) on M.tuberculosis H37Rv, two isolates of M.tuberculosis sensitive to these drugs, as well as four isolates resistant to one or more drugs, was studied using an in vitro method. The experimental duration was 6 days. REmbIZ and REmb/IZ appeared to have equally good bactericidal action on M.tuberculosis strains in the in vitro system. The results suggest that splitting REmbIZ into REmb and IZ on alternate days in short course chemotherapy regimens for tuberculosis may not affect the bactericidal action of the regimens

Protective response in guineapigs exposed to Mycobacterium avium intracellulare/ M. scrofulaceum, BCG & south Indian isolates of M. tuberculosis

The protective immunity resulting from exposure to nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), BCG and virulent mycobacteria in different sequences was studied in the guineapig model employing strains prevalent in the south Indian BCG trial area and time kinetics to observe the immuno-modulation. The findings suggest that during the early course of challenge infection in guineapigs there was no interference with the immunity due to BCG, by prior exposure to NTM. In the animals sensitised with M. avium intracellulare before immunisation, the challenge infection was localised and confined to the site of inoculation, and only a few organisms reached the spleen.. However, at the later stages of the infection, as seen by the spleen viable counts at 12 wk, it appeared that the barrier at the localised site of infection may not be intact in the animals with prior exposure to NTM, and a few organisms disseminate to the spleen