Tillage Options for Productivity and Profitability of Food Forage Based Production System in Indo Gangetic Plains of India

Food – Forage based systems are the pre-requisite for sustainable rural development mainly as they provide support to small and marginal farmers by adjusting a substantial part of their land exclusively for forage production in grain crop based rotations (Kumar and Faruqui, 2009). In addition, the high cost of cultivation of intensive cropping systems is a major bottleneck in sustainable and profitable crop production. Presently, new innovations in tillage has revolutionized agriculture worldwide mainly due to reducing cost of cultivation, bulk density of soil and trafficabiltiy and also improving soil organic carbon resulting into high soil fertility. In addition, zero tillage provides extra benefit of time saving so that one short duration crop may be included in the crop rotation and increase cropping intensity. Therefore, the reduced tillage and zero tillage both have special attention among farming communities. Considering the increasing popularity about reduced and zero tillage, the present study was undertaken to assess the impact of tillage options in quality forage production in Indo-Gangetic plains of India Will the objectives. 1. To find out the suitable tillage options for forage production, 2. To study the effect of tillage options on productivity and profitability of forage production, and 3. To assess the impact of tillage options on soil fertility

Challenges of Stray Cattle on Integrated Crop-Forage Resources in India

Field survey was conducted covering 1000 residents of district Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand states of India in January 2022 including farmers, school teachers, students and residents of town and cities to study the ‘challenges and threats of stray animals on crop-forage resources in India. The survey indicated that 97.5, 75.6, 60.0, 77.8%, and 68.9 respondents had strong opinion that stray cattle were the serious threat to crops-forage resources, biodiversity, road accidents, transmitting harmful diseases and human-wildlife conflict, respectively, while 85.5, 67.7, 62.7,76.2 and 70.5% respondents gave their consent to solve stray cattle by opening of cowsheds, strict government policies, mass awareness, renewal of grassland/forage resources and penalty to dairymen for abandoning dry cows and male heifer, respectively. It is also pertinent to evolve new policies and strategies to make waste to wealth for efficient management of stray cattle in future

Optimizing Production Technology for Sustainable Organic Fodder Production and Soil Health in Indo-Gangetic Plains of India

Field experiment was carried at Instructional Dairy Farm, G B Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar (India) during 2020-21 and 2021-22 to optimize the production technology for sustainable organic fodder production and soil health in Indo-Gangetic plains of India. Among the organic production systems, application of vermicompost @ 5 t/ha gave the highest fodder yield, gross return and net return but the B:C ratio was derived highest from zero budget natural farming. Among the Kharif crops grown in different cropping systems, BN hybrid intercropped with cowpea gave the significant higher green and dry fodder yield, gross return, net return as well as B:C ratio. Therefore the BN hybrid intercropped with cowpea may be grown under zero budget natural farming for higher fodder productivity and B:C ratio in whole Indo Gangetic plains of India and may be replicated in similar ecologies

Transfer of Development Rights (TDRs) as a Tool in Conservation of Heritage Structures in the Precincts of Amritsar city

  Heritage structures play an important role in defining the essence of a city, possessing immense historical value that necessitates conservation. These heritage structures in the historic precincts are at risk of being demolished in developing countries undergoing rapid urbanization. Current legislative measures appear insufficient to prevent the destruction of such structures in the precincts. This vulnerability can be attributed to a general lack of understanding of their significance to the stakeholders, the absence of conservation incentives, and the limited development options available to heritage property owners. This paper examines into the concept of Transfer of Development Rights (TDRs), a potential incentive mechanism that could aid in the preservation of these architectural structures and precincts. The TDRs initiative is proposed as a viable option for heritage property owners, striking a balance between economic interests and preservation

Effect on serum potassium level in patients of diabetic nephropathy on spironolactone and ramipril over follow up period

Background: The study was conducted to evaluate the change in serum potassium level over follow up period in patients of diabetic nephropathy on spironolactone (25 mg) and ramipril (5 mg) and compare the results with diabetic nephropathy patients on Spironolactone (25 mg) alone.Methods: A comparative, prospective, non-randomized, non-blinded experimental study was conducted on 56 patients (30-70 yr.) of diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus showing proteinuria. Total duration of study was about one year from October 2017 to October 2018. Inclusion criteria followed in study were Age 30-70 years, diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus, serum potassium level <5 meq/l, estimated GFR >30 ml/min/1.73m2 and HbA1c <10%. Exclusion criteria were type 1 diabetes mellitus, impaired glucose tolerance secondary to endocrine disease, exocrine pancreatic disease, SBP >180 mmHg DBP >110 mmHg, UTI, hematuria, acute febrile illness, vigorous exercise, short-term pronounced hyperglycemia, obstructive uropathy, confirmed or suspected renal artery disease by USG doppler study, Serum potassium level >5.5 meq/l. Patients were divided in two groups, group A (n= 28, spironolactone 25 mg and ramipril 5 mg) and group B (n=27, spironolactone 25 mg). Subjects were followed over 12 weeks and baseline and 12-week serum potassium being compared. Other baseline base line laboratory investigation such as serum lipid profile, HbA1c, eGFR, fundus examination, ultrasonography (KUB), serum urea, serum creatinine, hemoglobin, were taken at the starting point.Results: Both the group after receiving respective drug were followed for 3-month duration and serum potassium level measured at end of 3 months. Mean values of baseline and follow up serum potassium for group A and group B were 4.24±0.59, 4.07±0.61 and 4.35±0.55, 4.16±0.61 respectively, p value found to be >0.05 at 95% CI.Conclusions: In the study it was concluded that p value found to be >0.05 at 95% C.I denoting that there is no significant difference between mean value of base line and follow up serum potassium value in both group. None of patients in either group had experienced hyperkalaemia over follow up period though serum potassium level were slightly higher in group A, but this difference was statistically not significant. Follow up period of study should be long enough to comment on safety profile of combining spironolactone and ACE inhibitors in diabetic nephropathy patients

An Overview : Natural Bio-enhancer’s in Formulation Development

Bioenhancers are chemical entities that are obtained from synthetic as well as natural sources. They are mainly used in formulation development to enhance the bioavailability of poorly solubilized drug molecule. The ideal characteristic of bioenhancers includes inertness, nontoxic, cost effective and decrease the dose of active constituents. There are lots of natural bioenhancers available such as piperine quercetin niaziridin, genistein, glycrrhyzin, curcumin. The review focus on plant based bioenhancers and their active principle that produces those effects. There is a need of extensive study on natural bioenhancers which can be utilized in formulation development. Keywords: bioenhancer, bioavailability, piperine, curcumi

Humans from Wuchereria bancrofti endemic area elicit substantial immune response to proteins of the filarial parasite Brugia malayi and its endosymbiont Wolbachia

Detailed information of the individuals of bancroftian filariasis endemic area participated in the current study. (PDF 54 kb

Strong impact of TGF-β1 gene polymorphisms on breast cancer risk in Indian women: a case-control and population-based study

Introduction: TGF-β1 is a multi-functional cytokine that plays an important role in breast carcinogenesis. Critical role of TGF-β1 signaling in breast cancer progression is well documented. Some TGF-β1 polymorphisms influence its expression; however, their impact on breast cancer risk is not clear. Methods: We analyzed 1222 samples in a candidate gene-based genetic association study on two distantly located and ethnically divergent case-control groups of Indian women, followed by a population-based genetic epidemiology study analyzing these polymorphisms in other Indian populations. The c.29C>T (Pro10Leu, rs1982073 or rs1800470) and c.74G>C (Arg25Pro, rs1800471) polymorphisms in the TGF-β1 gene were analyzed using direct DNA sequencing, and peripheral level of TGF-β1 were measured by ELISA. Results: c.29C>T substitution increased breast cancer risk, irrespective of ethnicity and menopausal status. On the other hand, c.74G>C substitution reduced breast cancer risk significantly in the north Indian group (p  =  0.0005) and only in the pre-menopausal women. The protective effect of c.74G>C polymorphism may be ethnicity-specific, as no association was seen in south Indian group. The polymorphic status of c.29C>T was comparable among Indo-Europeans, Dravidians and Tibeto-Burmans. Interestingly, we found that Tibeto-Burmans lack polymorphism at c.74G>C locus as true for the Chinese populations. However, the Brahmins of Nepal (Indo-Europeans) showed polymorphism in 2.08% of alleles. Mean TGF-β1 was significantly elevated in patients in comparison to controls (p<0.001). Conclusion: c.29C>T and c.74G>C polymorphisms in the TGF-β1 gene significantly affect breast cancer risk, which correlates with elevated TGF-β1 level in the patients. The c.29C>T locus is polymorphic across ethnically different populations, but c.74G>C locus is monomorphic in Tibeto-Burmans and polymorphic in other Indian populations

High Fat Diet Prevents Over-Crowding Induced Decrease of Sex Ratio in Mice

Adaptive theory predicts that mothers would be advantaged by adjusting the sex ratio of their offspring in relation to their offspring's future reproductive success. In the present study, we tested the effect of housing mice under crowded condition on the sex ratio and whether the fat content of the diet has any influence on the outcome of pregnancies. Three-week-old mice were placed on the control diet (NFD) for 3 weeks. Thereafter the mice were allotted randomly to two groups of 7 cages each with 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 mice in every cage to create increasing crowding gradient and fed either NFD or high fat diet (HFD). After 4 weeks, dams were bred and outcomes of pregnancy were analyzed. The average dam body weight (DBW) at conception, litter size (LS) and SR were significantly higher in HFD fed dams. Further, male biased litters declined with increasing crowding in NFD group but not in HFD. The LS and SR in NFD declined significantly with increasing crowding, whereas only LS was reduced in HFD group. We conclude that female mice housed under overcrowding conditions shift offspring SR in favor of daughters in consistent with the TW hypothesis and high fat diet reduces this influence of overcrowding