Dokaz gena za toksine i antibiogram izolata bakterije Escherichia coli iz ovčjeg mesa na indijskom tržištu

Isolates (49) of Escherichia coli were isolated from 100 samples of mutton collected from dressed sheep carcasses by excision method. The isolates were typed into 12 different ‘O’ serogroups. The most frequent serovar isolated was O101, followed by O152, O76, O23, O139, O88, O110, O126, O8, O9, O15 and O133; two isolates were untypable while one was rough. All the isolates of Escherichia coli were screened for the presence of VT1, VT2, LT and ST genes by PCR and in vitro antibiotic resistance pattern. Nine (60.0%) and six (40.0%) isolates were found positive for VT1 and VT2 genes, respectively. Five (33.33%) were found positive for both the VT1 and VT2 genes. Four (26.67%) isolates were positive for LT gene, whereas only one (6.67%) isolate was found positive for ST gene. The percentage of isolates resistant to antibacterial agents was recorded as follows: sulphadiazine (93.33%), cephaloridine (80.00%), cephalexin (33.33%), penicillin G, ceftiofur and norfloxacin, carbenicillin and enrofloxacin (26.67% each), and oxytetracycline and amoxycillin (20.00% each).Ukupno je 49 izolata bakterije Escherichia coli bilo izdvojeno iz 100 uzoraka mesa uzetih ekscizijom iz obrađenih ovčjih trupova. Izolati su bili tipizirani i svrstani u 12 različitih seroloških skupina O. Najčešće je bio izdvojen serovar O101, a zatim serovarovi O152, O76, O23, O139, O88, O110, O126, O8, O9, O15 i O133. Dva izolata ostala su netipizirana, a jedan je bio s hrapavim kolonijama. Svi su izolati bili pretraženi lančanom reakcijom polimerazom na prisutnost gena VT1, VT2, LT i ST te im je in vitro određena osjetljivost prema antimikrobnim tvarima. Devet (60,0%) izolata bilo je pozitivno za gen VT1, a šest (40,0%) za VT2. Pet (33,33%) ih je bilo pozitivnih za oba gena, VT1 i VT2. Četiri izolata (26,67%) bila su pozitivna za gen LT, dok je samo jedan (6,67%) bio pozitivan za gen ST. Na sulfadiazin je bilo otporno 93,33% izolata, na cefaloridin 80,00%, na cefaleksin 33,33%, na penicilin G, ceftiofur, norfloksacin, karbenicilin i enrofloksacin 26,67% te na oksitetraciklin i amoksicilin 20,00% izolat

Dokaz gena za toksine i antibiogram izolata bakterije Escherichia coli iz ovčjeg mesa na indijskom tržištu

Isolates (49) of Escherichia coli were isolated from 100 samples of mutton collected from dressed sheep carcasses by excision method. The isolates were typed into 12 different ‘O’ serogroups. The most frequent serovar isolated was O101, followed by O152, O76, O23, O139, O88, O110, O126, O8, O9, O15 and O133; two isolates were untypable while one was rough. All the isolates of Escherichia coli were screened for the presence of VT1, VT2, LT and ST genes by PCR and in vitro antibiotic resistance pattern. Nine (60.0%) and six (40.0%) isolates were found positive for VT1 and VT2 genes, respectively. Five (33.33%) were found positive for both the VT1 and VT2 genes. Four (26.67%) isolates were positive for LT gene, whereas only one (6.67%) isolate was found positive for ST gene. The percentage of isolates resistant to antibacterial agents was recorded as follows: sulphadiazine (93.33%), cephaloridine (80.00%), cephalexin (33.33%), penicillin G, ceftiofur and norfloxacin, carbenicillin and enrofloxacin (26.67% each), and oxytetracycline and amoxycillin (20.00% each).Ukupno je 49 izolata bakterije Escherichia coli bilo izdvojeno iz 100 uzoraka mesa uzetih ekscizijom iz obrađenih ovčjih trupova. Izolati su bili tipizirani i svrstani u 12 različitih seroloških skupina O. Najčešće je bio izdvojen serovar O101, a zatim serovarovi O152, O76, O23, O139, O88, O110, O126, O8, O9, O15 i O133. Dva izolata ostala su netipizirana, a jedan je bio s hrapavim kolonijama. Svi su izolati bili pretraženi lančanom reakcijom polimerazom na prisutnost gena VT1, VT2, LT i ST te im je in vitro određena osjetljivost prema antimikrobnim tvarima. Devet (60,0%) izolata bilo je pozitivno za gen VT1, a šest (40,0%) za VT2. Pet (33,33%) ih je bilo pozitivnih za oba gena, VT1 i VT2. Četiri izolata (26,67%) bila su pozitivna za gen LT, dok je samo jedan (6,67%) bio pozitivan za gen ST. Na sulfadiazin je bilo otporno 93,33% izolata, na cefaloridin 80,00%, na cefaleksin 33,33%, na penicilin G, ceftiofur, norfloksacin, karbenicilin i enrofloksacin 26,67% te na oksitetraciklin i amoksicilin 20,00% izolat

Growth, yield and nutrient uptake of guava (Psidium Guavaja L.) affected by soil matric potential, fertigation and mulching under drip irrigation

Our objective was to examine the effect of plastic mulching, three soil matric potentials (SMP) treatments    {I1(-20 kPa), I2(-40 kPa), and I3(-60 kPa)} and three fertigation levels {F1(100%), F2(80%), and F3(60%) recommended dose of fertilizer} under drip irrigation conditions for nutrient uptake, growth parameters and yield in guava plants.  The experiments were set up in factorial randomized block design with eighteen treatment combinations.  The experiments were conducted during the year 2012-13.  The investigation indicated that the plant canopy spread in (N/S and E/W) directions was greatly affected by different treatments.  However, non-significant effects of interaction parameters were found on plant height, crop volume and plant girth.  The maximum yield was obtained in MI2F2 (68.66 kg per plant and 22.86 t ha-1) followed by NMI2F2 (66.50 kg per plant and 22.14 t ha-1) treatments.  The maximum percentage of high quality (fruit levels A and B) were 48.2% and 50.1% in -40 kPa  irrigation treatment for mulch and no mulch conditions under 100% application of recommended dose of fertilizers.  The varying range of leaf nutrients observed for different treatments of irrigation, fertigation and mulch is  1.26-1.74% N, 0.14-0.26% P, 0.44-0.88% K, 36.33-74.23 ppm Zn, 11.33-32.76 ppm Cu, 415.6- 557.3 ppm Fe, 26.80- 39.06 ppm Mn, 0.533-0.762 % Mg and 3.42-5.06% Ca.  Based on the results above, it is recommended that controlling SMP between -40 kPa to -45 kPa at 0.2 m depth immediately under the drip emitter and fertilizer dose of 80% recommended dose of fertilizer can be used as an indicator for drip irrigation scheduling in semi-arid region of northwest India.   Keywords: fertilizer application, irrigation strategies, pressure head, tensiometer, leaf uptak

Comparative effects of saline water on yield and quality of potato under drip and furrow irrigation

A field experiment was conducted at the Research Farm of the Precision Farming Development Centre, PAU, Ludhiana in the Rabi season of the year 2015–2016. The potato variety Kufri Pukhraj, was sown by following drip and furrow methods of irrigation. Five irrigation treatments with good quality water (electrical conductivity, EC-0) and four with saline water treatments of 2,000 mmho/cm (EC-2), 4,000 mmho/cm (EC-4), 6,000 mmho/cm (EC-6) and 8,000 mmho/cm (EC-8) under split plot design along with three replications was followed. The results revealed that, plant height decreased with increasing salinity. Nevertheless, plant height under drip irrigation was greater than plant height under furrow irrigation at all levels of salinity. Number of tubers per plant, weight of tubers and tuber yield decreased with increasing salinity of irrigation water. However, the values of these parameters were more under drip irrigation than furrow irrigation and effects were pronounced at higher level of water salinities. Regarding tuber quality, there was a significant decrease in dry matter and starch content and increase in sugar content with increasing salinity of irrigation water. These quality parameters were observed to be better under drip irrigation over furrow irrigation method. Number of Grade A and B tubers were found to be higher in drip irrigation at levels of water salinity. On the contrary, Grade D tubers were predominant under furrow irrigation. It is concluded that, drip irrigation is superior over furrow method producing higher tuber yield with better quality having more proportion of marketable tubers even at high salinity

Response of red hot pepper (Capsicum annum L.) to water and nitrogen under drip and check basin method of irrigation

The present investigation was undertaken for the period of two years (2004 and 2005) to evaluate the effect of various levels of water and N application through drip irrigation on red hot pepper yield, Water Use Efficiency (WUE) and Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE). In this experiment various combination of three irrigation treatments (Drip irrigation at 0.5 and 1.0xEpan, check basin method of irrigation at 1.0xEpan) and three nitrogen levels (50, 75 and 100% of recommended nitrogen) were compared in split plot design having three replications. The results revealed that when the same quantity of water and nitrogen (100% of recommended) was supplied through drip irrigation system, it increased the red hot pepper yield to 277.4 q ha (an increase of 28.4%) under check basin method of irrigation. In check basin method of irrigation, the highest red hot pepper yield (216.1 q ha) obtained at 100% of recommended N, while in drip irrigation at 1.0xEpan, the yield was highest at 75% of recommended N. When water and nitrogen was supplied through drip at 0.5xEpan, the yield remained statistically same at all the levels of nitrogen, however proved superior over drip irrigation at 1.0xEpan at all the levels of N. When half the recommended amount of N was supplied through drip at 0.5xEpan., WUE and NUE increased by 232.1 and 38.7% over check basin method of irrigation. At lower level of drip irrigation 0.5xEpan, Root length increased significantly with drip irrigation treatments as compared to check basin method of irrigation and found maximum (36.3 m) at lower level of drip irrigation 0.5xEpan. Thus drip irrigation at 0.5x Epan is beneficial for red hot pepper in term of yield, better morphological characters, viz, plant height, number of branches, root length, size and weight of fruits along with 58.6% saving of irrigation water over check basin method of irrigation

Insertion of i-gel™ by the reversed technique improves the success rate and reduces the time taken for its placement: A prospective, randomized, controlled, interventional trial

Background and Aims: We hypothesized that the i-gel™ supra-glottic airway can be inserted with relative ease in a reversed manner just like a Guedel's airway. Material and Methods: A prospective, randomized, controlled interventional trial was conducted on 100 patients to compare reversed insertion of the i-gel™ (Group R) with the conventional insertion (Group C). In Group C, i-gel™ was introduced in a conventional manner, whereas in the Group R, i-gel™ was introduced into the oral cavity with the concavity facing the hard palate. On reaching the oropharynx, the device was rotated 180° and advanced further until it fitted over the larynx. The time of insertion, ease, and placement appropriateness were compared. Results: All patients completed the study. Better success rate of the first attempt insertion was achieved using the reversed technique (96% vs. 86%), but it was not statistically significant. Mean time required for i-gel™ insertion in Group R was 17.5 ± 6.9 s as compared to 20.8 ± 5.9 s in Group C, which was statistically significant. In Group R, it could be inserted within 20 s in 84% of cases, but only in 62% in Group C. The seal of the i-gel™ was similar in both the groups with the leak volumes (inspired – expired tidal volumes) being similar. Conclusion: Reversed insertion technique for the placement of i-gel™ resulted in appropriate placement with easier insertion and lower placement time than that with the conventional technique

Performance of drip-irrigated dry-seeded rice (Oryza sativa L.) in South Asia

Drip irrigation in dry-seeded rice (DSR) is a new water-saving cultivation technology; however, very little is known of its productivity and water-saving capacities. The study was conducted for 2 years (2013 and 2014) in a split-plot design in three replicates with treatment combinations of four irrigation regimes [drip irrigation at 1.5, 2.25, and 3.0×\ua0pan evaporation (Epan) and flood irrigation at 3.0× Epan] and three nitrogen (N) levels (120, 150, and 180\ua0kg\ua0ha). Drip irrigation in DSR resulted in higher grain yield (7.34–8.01 t ha) than flood irrigation (6.63–7.60 t ha) , with water savings of more than 40\ua0%. Water-use efficiency with drip irrigation was higher (0.81–0.88\ua0kg\ua0m) than flood irrigation (0.42–0.52\ua0kg\ua0m) , being highest with drip irrigation at 1.5× Epan. Root density at soil depths of 15–30\ua0cm was also higher in drip (0.86–1.05\ua0mg\ua0cm) as compared to the flood (0.76–0.80\ua0kg\ua0m)-irrigated crop. This study implicated that under water-scarce scenario, drip-irrigated DSR is a profitable, and water- and energy-saving technology. This study also suggested that policy focus in future must be tilted towards the promotion of solar-operated drip irrigation in those regions, where DSR is being promoted in the face of water and energy crisis

Development of machine learning-based reference evapotranspiration model for the semi-arid region of Punjab, India

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a critical element of the hydrological cycle, and its proper assessment is essential for irrigation scheduling, agricultural and hydro-meteorological studies, and water budget estimation. It is computed for most applications as a product of reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0) and crop coefficient, notably using the well-known two-step method. Accurate predictions of reference evapotranspiration (ET0) using limited meteorological inputs are critical in data-constrained circumstances. Due to the unavailability and heterogeneity of broad parameters of the FAO PM method, it becomes a major constraint for accurately estimating ET0. To overcome the complexity of calculation, the present study was focused on developing a Random Forest-based (RF) ET0 model to estimate the crop ET for the semi-arid region of northwest India. The RF-based model was developed by focusing on the easily available data at the farm level. For comparative study existing models like Hargreaves–Samani, Modified Penman and modified Hargreaves–Samani were used to estimate the ET0. The models' calibration and validation were done using meteorological data collected from the weather station of Punjab Agricultural University for 21 years (1990–2010) and nine years (2011–2019), respectively, and the FAO PM model was taken as a standard. The mean absolute error (MAE) and root-mean-square error (RMSE) were found to be least as 0.95 mm/d and 1.32 mm/d, respectively for the developed RF model, with an r2 value of 0.92. The seasonal ET0 estimated by modified Hargreaves–Samani (MHS) and RF were found as 498.3, 482.1 mm in rabi season and 755, 744.8 mm in kharif season respectively, whereas the annual ET0 was 1380.2 and 1355.7 mm respectively. The predicted ET0 values by RF-based model were used for irrigation scheduling of two growing seasons (2020–2021) of maize and wheat crops. The outcome of the field trial also demonstrates that there was no appreciable yield drop in the crop when compared to irrigation scheduling by the FAO PM model, demonstrating the applicability of the developed model for irrigation in the semiarid region of the Punjab in India

Prioritization of erosion susceptible watersheds using morphometric analysis and PCA approach: A case study of lower Sutlej River basin of Indian Punjab

Morphometry helps in understanding the behaviour of drainage characteristics with respect to various hydrological processes including infiltration, runoff, erosion and sediment transport. Morphometric analysis of river basins is an essential technique to the study the response of drainage basin in response to topological characteristics. The river basins' morphometric analysis is an important technique to prioritize the watersheds for implementation of soil and water management strategies. In this study, the morphometric characteristics of the lower Sutlej River have been determined using the geo-spatial techniques. The river basin, having area of 8577 km2, was delineated into the fourteen sub-watersheds (WS-1 to WS-14) in the GIS environment. The ALOS PALSAR DEM and ArcGIS were utilized to evaluate the morphometric parameters of the delineated watersheds. The calculated morphometric parameters were used to rank the watersheds in terms of soil erosion potential. The priority ranks to the watersheds were assigned as per compound parameter, which was calculated by averaging the ranks designated to each morphometric parameter. Watersheds with the lowest compound parameter values were given the highest priority rating, and vice versa. Based on the results WS-7 was assigned the first rank whereas WS-13 was assigned the 13th rank. The principal component analysis was performed to determine the highly correlated morphometric parameters. Out of the 18 parameters, 13 were found be highly correlated. The compound parameter obtained based on these highly correlated parameters also prioritized WS-7 as the most vulnerable watershed. Therefore, WS-7 should be selected for the implementation of soil and water conservation strategies. It can be concluded that morphometric analysis along with PCA in combination with GIS can be helpful in prioritizing the watersheds in terms of soil erosion vulnerability and water management