Effect of Water Hyacinth Green Manuring on Biomass Yield of Spinach and Nutrient Availability

Not AvailableDecomposition of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and its effect on spinach growth was studied in a Vertisol. It was fully decomposed within 30 days under laboratory condition and increased the available N, P and K content of the soil. No allelopathic effect due to water hyacinth decomposition was noticed on spinach in the field. Application of 120 kg N /ha through urea increased spinach yield by 106%. Application of water hyacinth increased the spinach yield by 85 and 42% when incorporated in the soil in fresh (green) and dry conditions, respectively. Initially mineral N content of the field soil was higher (34.3 mg /kg soil) when N was applied through fresh water hyacinth as compared to 24.7 mg /kg soil with farmyard manure incorporation. It was concluded that water hyacinth could be used as an ex-situ green manure and is better than farmyard manure in terms of increasing the available plant nutrients in soil and dry matter yield of spinach.Not Availabl

Removal of Cd(II) Ions from Simulated Wastewater by HCl Modified Peel: Equilibrium and Kinetic Study

This paper describes the adsorption of Cd(II) ions from aqueous solutions by modified Cucumis sativus peel (CSP) by HCl treatment. The optimum pH, adsorbent mass, contact time, and initial ion concentration were determined. The maximum removal efficiency was 84.85% for 20 mg/L Cd(II) ion at pH 5. The adsorption isotherms were obtained using concentrations of the metal ions ranging from 5 to 150 mg/L. The adsorption process follows Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order reaction kinetics. CSPs exhibit monolayer adsorption capacity of 58.14 mg/g at 298 K. The paper also discusses the thermodynamic parameters of the adsorption (the Gibbs free energy, entropy, and enthalpy). Our results establish that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic under normal conditions

Pesticide Risk and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss in Females of Subhumid Region of India

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the level of pesticides and their role in cases of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). Materials and Methods: This was designed as a case–control study. Gas chromatography was used to characterize the pesticide level in 70 cases and 70 controls. Case refers to women with RPL, whereas controls refer to women with full‑term delivery. Results: A higher level of pesticide, namely beta‑hexachlorocyclohexane, malathion, chlorpyrifos, and fenvalerate was found in the case group as compared to control group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The present study suggests that high exposure of pesticide (organochlorine and organophosphates) may increase the risk of RPL in females of the subhumid region of India