The Effective Role of Microbes in Sustainable Soil Health

Microorganisms are omnipresent they are everywhere; The microorganisms are minute and invisible with naked eyes But helping mankind in many ways. Not all micro-organisms causing diseases or causing contaminations they are also helping us in many ways. The microbes helping in our fields and farms worldwide. How they are helping us in improving soil health and structure .The integrated approach towards using microbes along with organic growth enhancers can bring the revolution. Agricultural inputs from fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and other fossil fuels have increased agricultural production. However, growing awareness and concern about adverse effects on soil and the environment cannot be ignored. So the world is shifting towards organic approach in farming for sustainable soil health and human health benefits. Microbes causing nitrogen fixing, Soil bioremediation, Mineral absorption, Hormonal absorption. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2022.v09i05.00

A Review on Homa Farming – A Vedic Touch to Modern Agriculture

Homa farming is a Vedic discipline which denotes the method of annihilating harmful circumstances of environmental elements and refines the atmosphere by action of flame, outfitted with copper pyramid. Agnihotra is essential flame in Homa farming. It religiously associates living beings on this earth to control energy from space. It is practiced when all hope is gone and has proved to be beneficial in increasing yield of crop , reducing microbial pathogenicity , decontaminating soil and water, against pest and disease infestation. Homa farming is comprehensive method of healing of agriculture and can be used in conjunction with any good organic farming system as it is extremely inexpensive and can be performed by anybody but requires discipline and consistency. In course of time this knowledge has lost because the farming is becoming more modernized with invention of new technologies like GI , GPS , satellite imaging, moisture sensors. Farmers are approaching new methods and practices of farming and they completely relies on chemicals like pesticides, rodenticides, Fertilizers, herbicides to enhance his production. Then it becomes difficult for them to believe in traditional and Vedic type of agriculture as it purely organic in nature and only depends on healing effects of agnihotra. Nowadays this knowledge is being revived by many scientists to give individuals the  guidance about how to address  polluted conditions  of planet. Many scientists have demonstrated the scientific validation of Homa farming methodologies and have conducted experiments to prove the beneficial effect of Homafarming. A famous Scientist named Abhang Pathade, has conducted many experiments to prove that this technique actually works and can be very effective in getting rid of major problems like environmental pollution , disease and pest attack on plants , less crop yield and soil infertility. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2022.v09i05.00

Effect of process parameters on the antioxidant activities of bioactive compounds from Harad (Terminalia chebula retz.) Shilpa Soni, H.K. Sharma*, Pragati Kaushal and C. Singh Food Engineering & Technology Department, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineeri

Terminalia chebula retz (T.Chebula) is a herb known as king of medicinal plants in ayurvedic world. Presence of large number of phytoconstituents makes T.Chebula a potential source of nutraceuticals and can become cynosure of modern nutraceutical world. The objective of this study was to optimize the extraction conditions for bioactive constituents from T.Chebula fruits using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). A central composite face centered design (CCD) was employed. The extraction conditions for bioactive constituents from T. Chebula fruits were optimized by using three independent process variables i.e. methanol concentration, 50-90%, extraction temperature, 50-70°C and extraction time, 30-60 min. Effect of extraction parameters was found to be significant. The optimum extraction conditions were identified as 90% methanol concentration, 70°C temperature and 59.94 minutes for maximum total phenolic content(TPC), 3.87 GAE mg/g, total flavonoid content (TFC), 361.37 CE mg/g, total antioxidant activity(TAA), 0.158 AAE mM/g and α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity (DSA), 86.28 %. Experimental values for response variables under the optimum conditions were found reasonably close to the predicted value. GC–MS analysis of methanol extract of T.Chebula fruits under the optimum conditions led to the identification of 7 major bioactive compounds. Keywords: T.Chebula, Extraction, Total Phenolic compound (TPC), Total flavonoid compound (TFC), Total antioxidant activity (TAA), α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity (DSA), Response surface methodology (RSM), GC-MS

Alveolar soft part sarcoma of extremity

Alveolar soft-part sarcoma (ASPS) is an extremely rare connective tissue tumor, predominantly seen in adolescents and young adults, with a female preponderance. Alveolar soft-part sarcoma (ASPS) is a slow growing tumor, but with high likelihood of metastasis, leading to high mortality. A classical histopathological feature of an alveolar pattern from the biopsy of the lesion favors the diagnosis. We report a case of 14 years old male patient who presented with a history of single painless swelling over thigh for which surgical excision was done. Histopathology was suggestive of Alveolar soft-part sarcoma (ASPS). There was no evidence of distant metastases. He was treated with external beam radiotherapy in view of vascular invasion

Overview of Hydroponics towards High Quality Production of Vegetable Crops

Now a days, people are becoming more concerned about their diet, health and lifestyle. Clean eating and nutrition rich food is the key towards healthy life. In order to avoid or minimize the effect of leftover residues of fertilizer on crops, adoption of hydroponic systems could be an excellent approach, which is to be practiced in controlled conditions. Numerous crops with no pest infestation and without any pathogenic disease can be grown with an efficient utilization of resources under hydroponics-based systems. Labor cost can be minimized as no intercultural operations like weeding, ploughing, tillage etc. need to be practiced. Hydroponic system is a high-grade access towards physically and economically safe and nutritious food. For the healthy production of green leafy and other vegetables hydroponics system is being adopted in many countries like Netherlands, Australia, France, England, Canada and USA clinching around 70-90 % savings on water

Effectiveness of Soil-amended Biochar in Improving Crop Production, Soil Health and Environmental Aspects

Sustainable agriculture has assumed greater importance in today’s world. Biochar has the potential to increase crop yield and soil fertility in agriculture while reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the same time. Biochar production technology and biomass type has great influence on its quality and yield which in turn is responsible for altering soil fertility status and enhancing other soil properties. Biochar is produced via thermochemical conversion of biomasses by the process of pyrolysis with different pyrolysis conditions which include heating rate, temperature or residence time that affect the product distribution and yield for biochar produced from same biomass. Biochar is produced sustainably from eco-friendly sources under manageable conditions such as agricultural woody and non-woody wastes or crop residues or animal wastes. Biochar’s acknowledgement in removing heavy toxic metals, organic solvents and pesticide residues from soil as well as in waste water management aids in environmental protection. Yield response of biochar produced from various feedstock sources on vegetable crop production is discussed to compare their relative effectiveness. Biochar is a carbonaceous substance produced that sequester carbon and remain in soil for thousands of years and thus offers stability in soil. Biochar as Negative Emissions Technology (NET) in removing CO2 from atmosphere and other greenhouse gases such as N2O and CH4 is a prominent methodology in mitigating serious concern of climate change. The objective of this review paper is to extensively justify the role and importance of biochar in agriculture and sustainable growth

Soil Quality Indicators: A Comprehensive Review

Soil health is a critical determinant of ecosystem sustainability and agricultural productivity.  This review article examines the significance of soil indicators, microbial community dynamics, soil enzymes, and their relationship with essential soil properties, including organic carbon content, bulk density, soil penetration resistance, water holding capacity, temperature, and pH. Traditional agricultural practices, such as conventional tillage, have been shown to significantly alter soil structure and physical properties. Bulk density, a key parameter, is used to gauge the compaction and porosity of soil, which directly influences water and nutrient transfer, as well as aeration. Conservation tillage practices, including the incorporation of crop residues into the soil, play a pivotal role in reducing bulk density. Soil temperature is a significant factor influencing the physical, chemical, and biological processes in soil, ultimately impacting plant growth. Soil pH, often referred to as the 'master soil variable,' has a far-reaching impact on various biological, chemical, and physical characteristics within the soil. It significantly influences biogeochemical processes and the activity of enzymes involved in the degradation of organic materials. Alterations in soil pH can directly affect microbial activity, microbial diversity, and the efficiency of enzyme-driven processes. This comprehensive review synthesizes the current knowledge of these biological indicators, emphasizing their interconnections and implications for soil health and sustainable land management practices. Understanding the multifaceted relationships between these indicators is crucial for the development of effective strategies to enhance soil health and ecosystem resilience

Nutrient Dynamics for Hydroponic Production System

As our world has become more populated and cities have grown, the amount of land available for farming per person has gone down a lot. Back in 1960, when there were 3 billion people, each person had about half a hectare of land for farming. But now, with 6 billion people, it's down to just a quarter of a hectare, and it's expected to shrink even more to just a tiny 0.16 hectares by 2050. Several things are making this problem worse. Cities and industries are expanding, and climate change is causing icebergs to melt, which can flood and ruin farmland. Also, the soil that we grow crops in has reached a point where it can't get much more fertile, even if we use more and more fertilizers. Some areas have really poor soil, and the natural process of soil getting better with time is getting disrupted because we keep farming the same land over and over. On top of that, there are more droughts, unpredictable weather, higher temperatures, pollution in rivers, and wasteful water use. All these challenges are making it harder to grow enough food using traditional farming with soil. That's why soil-less farming, where plants grow without soil, is becoming more important. It's a way to produce food that uses less space and water, and it's showing some good results around the world

Soil Carbon Sequestration: A Step towards Sustainability

Nowadays, sustainable agriculture is a major concern of the whole world, all leading agricultural countries like China, USA and India etc. are working together in several organizations such as FAO, World Food Organisation to overcome the problem of environmental health and food security in upcoming years to meet the food demand goal in 2050 in sustainable manner. Carbon present in soil naturally is termed as soil carbon which is directly related to organic matter present in soil, higher the soil carbon more will be the crop yield. Most of the soil carbon has been released in the atmosphere due to conversion of uncultivated land into cultivated agricultural land. Bringing back that released carbon back to the soil with several methods is known as soil carbon sequestration. In this paper, relation of soil carbon sequestration has been discussed with respect to organic farming, natural farming respectively. Changes carried out in traditional agronomical practices have potential in enhancement of soil carbon sequestration. Practices such as conservation tillage, growing cover crop, proper nutrient management, residue management etc. have significant capacity to sequester carbon in the soil, along with that various challenges which are being faced during carbon sequestration are also considered in this paper. Soil carbon sequestration is a temporary solution to Carbon dioxide enrichment, but it is challenging to operationalize due to obstacles such as measuring the soil's carbon stock, permanence, carbon pools, separation, and the soil's propensity to approach saturation levels. This chapter aims to raise knowledge of the capability of soils to absorb and store atmospheric carbon dioxide in long-lasting pools, reducing climate change