Role of Biofertilizers in Plant Growth and Soil Health

Biofertilizers nowadays have been realised for shifting fortunes in agriculture. It has been proven successful technology in many developed countries while in developing countries exploitation of bioinoculants is hampered by several factors. Scientific knowledge on bioinoculants and its usage will pave way for its effective usage. At the same time overlooking the significance of ensuring and maintaining a high quality standard of the product will have negative impact. Hence a proper knowledge of bioinoculants and its functioning will pave way to tape the resources in a better way. Thus the chapter provide overview knowledge about different bacterial, fungal and algal biofertilizers, its associations with plants and transformations of nutrients in soil. Adopting a rational approach to the use and management of microbial fertilizers in sustainable agriculture thrive vast potential for the future

Immunoprotective Effect of Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) and Glucomannan on T-2 Toxin-Induced Immunodepression in Poultry

The present investigation was undertaken to study the immunoprotective effect of seabuckthorn berries and glucomannan against T-2 toxin-induced immunodepression in 15-day-old chicks. T-2 toxin was produced in the laboratory by growing Fusarium sporotrichioides MTCC 2081 on wheat. T-2 toxin was fed to birds at 1 ppm level of the diet. The powdered seabuckthorn berries were added at 400 and 800 ppm levels, and glucomannan added at 1 g/kg of feed. All the treatments were continued up to 28 days. The immunoprotective effects of seabuckthorn and glucomannan were assessed by evaluating humoral immune reaction against NCD vaccine (haemagglutination test and immunoglobulin estimation), serum immunoglobulin levels, phagocytic index, and DTH reaction against DNFB between day 25 and day 28 of experiment. There was significant (P < .05) decrease in non-specific immunity in T-2 toxin-treated group as evidenced by a reduction in phagocytic index, DTH reaction, HI titer, and total serum Ig compared to the healthy control group. A significant increase (P < .05) in HI titer and total serum Ig was seen in seabuckthorn and glucomannan fed group. A significant (P < .05) increase in DTH reaction and non-specific immune response was seen in seabuckthorn and glucomannan fed birds. The present investigation revealed that the seabuckthorn alone protected the immunosuppressant action of T-2 toxin, but seabuckthorn and glucomannan in combination provided an additive protection against T-2 toxicity

Next generation flight management system for real-time trajectory based operations

This paper presents the concept of operations, architecture and trajectory optimisation algorithms of a Next Generation Flight Management System (NG-FMS). The NG-FMS is developed for Four Dimensional (4D) Intent Based Operations (IBO) in the next generation Communications, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic Management system (CNS+A) context. The NG-FMS, primarily responsible for the aircraft navigation and guidance task, acts as a key enabler for achieving higher level of operational efficiency and mitigating environmental impacts both in manned and unmanned aircraft applications. The NG-FMS is interoperable with the future ground based 4DT Planning, Negotiation and Validation (4-PNV) systems, enabling automated Trajectory/Intent Based Operations (TBO/IBO). After the NG-FMS architecture is presented, the key mathematical models describing the trajectory generation and optimisation modes are introduced. A detailed error analysis is performed and the uncertainties affecting the nominal trajectories are studied to obtain the total NG-FMS error budgets. These are compared with the Required Navigation Performance (RNP) values for the various operational flight tasks considered

CNS+A capabilities for the integration of unmanned aircraft in controlled airspace

In this paper, the system requirements for the integration of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in controlled airspace regions are discussed. The specificities in terms of Air Traffic Management (ATM) level of service, jurisdiction for deconfliction duties and prevalent traffic characteristics are analysed to support the identification of operational and equipage requirements for RPAS developers. Communication, Navigation, Surveillance, ATM and Avionics (CNS+A) equipment play an essential role in airspace regions characteried by high levels of Air Traffic Services (ATS) and a higher probability of traffic conflicts. A denser route structure and a more frequent occurrence of traffic conflicts mandate high CNS performance, as the deconfliction by ATM crucially relies on accurate and reliable CNS information. Notwithstanding, the reduced jurisdiction of aircraft in deconfliction duties also offers an opportunity to RPAS developers, as it relieves the requirements for on-board expert processing

Real-time trajectory optimisation models for next generation air traffic management systems

This paper presents models and algorithms for real-time 4-Dimensional Flight Trajectory (4DT) operations in next generation Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) systems. In particular, the models are employed for multi-objective optimisation of 4DT intents in ground-based 4DT Planning, Negotiation and Validation (4-PNV) systems and in airborne Next Generation Flight Management Systems (NG-FMS). The assumed timeframe convention for offline and online air traffic operations is introduced and discussed. The adopted formulation of the multi-objective 4DT optimisation problem includes a number of environmental objectives and operational constraints. In particular, the paper describes a real-time multi-objective optimisation algorithm and the generalised expression of the cost function adopted for penalties associated with specific airspace volumes, accounting for weather models, condensation trails models and noise models

Subsurface Hydrogeochemical Processes in Lower Bhavani River Basin, Tamil Nadu, India

Bhavani River is one of the important tributaries of Cauvery River, and originates in the Silent Valley range of Kerala State, India. The Lower Bhavani River Basin lies between 11 15' N and 11 45' N latitudes and 77 00' E and 77 40' E longitudes with an area of 2,475 km2. Variation of groundwater quality in an area is a function of physical and chemical parameters that are greatly influenced by geological formations, recharge-discharge mechanisms of groundwater and anthropogenic activities. The correlation of groundwater chemistry with hydrologic and geologic environments gives valuable information to understand the effect of these processes and to properly manage aquifer systems. A detailed study has been carried out to understand the subsurface hydrogeochemical processes that are responsible for the quality variation of groundwater. Residence time of groundwater was also considered to be an important parameter to study groundwater evolution. The NETPATH computer code was used to model the major subsurface processes contributing to the evolution of groundwater chemistry. The occurrence of such chemical processes as silicate weathering, carbonate dissolution, ion exchange and dilution due to rain were verified by performing inverse mass balance modeling using the same code. The net geochemical mass balance reactions between initial and final water were identified and quantified based on the flow in selected well pairs. The model output shows that dilution, ion exchange and illite precipitation are the dominant processes that control the chemistry of the groundwater along the flow paths. Calcite and NaCl dissolution are also involved to a certain extent. Reverse ion exchange process is also observed in two models

The wear characteristics of cemented tungsten carbide tools in machining oil palm empty fruit bunch particleboard

A series of machining experiments on the Oil Palm Empty-Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) particle board were carried out using tungsten carbide tools, to ascertain the predominant mechanism of tool wear when machining this material. The experiments were carried out using a high speed lathe, which machined a rotating disc of the OPEFB particle board. It was found that mechanical abrasion and micro-fracture was the primary mode of tool failure when machining OPEFB particle board. The low cutting temperature recorded during the machining experiments provides compelling evidence to eliminate any significant effect of electrochemical and oxidation mechanisms on the wear of tungsten carbide tools. Therefore, the wear of cemented tungsten carbide tools when machining OPEFB particle board was predominantly by mechanical wear mechanisms. The results of this study implies that the high tool wear experienced during the machining of OPEFB particle board, may limit its use in the manufacture of value-added products, unless the boards are priced competitively in the market

Automated ATM system enabling 4DT-based operations

As part of the current initiatives aimed at enhancing safety, efficiency and environmental sustainability of aviation, a significant improvement in the efficiency of aircraft operations is currently pursued. Innovative Communication, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) technologies and operational concepts are being developed to achieve the ambitious goals for efficiency and environmental sustainability set by national and international aviation organizations. These technological and operational innovations will be ultimately enabled by the introduction of novel CNS/ATM and Avionics (CNS+A) systems, featuring higher levels of automation. A core feature of such systems consists in the real-time multi-objective optimization of flight trajectories, incorporating all the operational, economic and environmental aspects of the aircraft mission. This article describes the conceptual design of an innovative ground-based Air Traffic Management (ATM) system featuring automated 4-Dimensional Trajectory (4DT) functionalities. The 4DT planning capability is based on the multi-objective optimization of 4DT intents. After summarizing the concept of operations, the top-level system architecture and the key 4DT optimization modules, we discuss the segmentation algorithm to obtain flyable and concisely described 4DT. Simulation case studies in representative scenarios show that the adopted algorithms generate solutions consistently within the timeframe of online tactical rerouting tasks, meeting the set design requirements

A low-cost vision based navigation system for small size unmanned aerial vehicle applications

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