Edible bamboo resources of Manipur: consumption pattern of young shoots, processing techniques and their commercial status in the local market

73-82Manipur constitutes one of the major hubs of bamboo resource in the country. Apart from its household and industrial uses, bamboo is also revered in the state for its dietary usefulness through consumption of its tender shoots. To quantify the magnitude of usage patterns of bamboo shoots for food in the state, a detailed survey was undertaken covering all the 16 districts and 21 main markets of Manipur. Of the 53 reported species, 15 species belonging to genera Bambusa, Cephalostachyum, Chimonobambusa, Dendrocalamus and Melocanna were recorded as major edible bamboo species consumed as food in different areas of Manipur. Dendrocalamus latiflorus emerged as the most popular edible bamboo species in the state, being consumed in all the 16 districts. Along with fresh shoots, boiled, fermented, pickled and dried forms are also consumed. Different traditional processing and preservation methods of bamboo shoots are also practised in the state of which fermentation is the most popular one. In market places, fresh shoots are sold during the monsoon season whereas fermented shoots are available throughout the year while the sales of other bamboo shoot products in local markets are in a very nascent state

Edible bamboo resources of Manipur: consumption pattern of young shoots, processing techniques and their commercial status in the local market

Manipur constitutes one of the major hubs of bamboo resource in the country. Apart from its household and industrial uses, bamboo is also revered in the state for its dietary usefulness through consumption of its tender shoots. To quantify the magnitude of usage patterns of bamboo shoots for food in the state, a detailed survey was undertaken covering all the 16 districts and 21 main markets of Manipur. Of the 53 reported species, 15 species belonging to genera Bambusa, Cephalostachyum, Chimonobambusa, Dendrocalamus and Melocanna were recorded as major edible bamboo species consumed as food in different areas of Manipur. Dendrocalamus latiflorus emerged as the most popular edible bamboo species in the state, being consumed in all the 16 districts. Along with fresh shoots, boiled, fermented, pickled and dried forms are also consumed. Different traditional processing and preservation methods of bamboo shoots are also practised in the state of which fermentation is the most popular one. In market places, fresh shoots are sold during the monsoon season whereas fermented shoots are available throughout the year while the sales of other bamboo shoot products in local markets are in a very nascent state

Novel thermoresponsive assemblies of co-grafted natural and synthetic polymers for water purification

Water contamination and its purification are a global problem. The current approach to purify water is reduction of impurities to acceptable levels. One of the ways to achieve this is by use of water-soluble polymers that extract organic and metallic contaminants, from water. This paper presents a blend of composite polymers that eliminates both the contaminants simultaneously by the principle of adsorption at lower critical solution temperature. These composite polymers have been synthesized by grafting poly(N,N-diethylacrylamide), poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) on-to the natural polymer chitosan or its derivatives, giving smart graft polymeric assemblies (GPAs). One of the graft polymers, GPA-2, exhibits excellent adsorption properties able to remove metal ions like cadmium, cobalt, copper, lead, iron and also organic impurities like chlorophenol and phthalic anhydride. Studies reveal that 6 mg/ml GPA-2 is able to effect a 100% removal of organic impurities – chlorophenol (50 ppm) and phthalic anhydride (70 ppm) – from water, while complete removal of the heavy metal ions (Cu+2, Co+2 and Cd+2) together at 30 ppm concentration has been achieved with 7.5 mg/ml GPA-2. The reduction in level of impurities along with recyclability and reproducibility in the elimination spectrum makes these assemblies promising materials in water treatment.</jats:p

Comparative assessment of fetomaternal outcome in twin pregnancy with singleton pregnancy at tertiary care centre

Background: Multiple pregnancy remains one of the highest risk situations for the mother, foetus and neonate despite recent advances in obstetrics, perinatal and neonatal care. Twin pregnancies have increased rates of obstetric and perinatal complications compared to singletons Objective of present study was comparative assessment of fetomaternal outcome in twin pregnancy with singleton pregnancy in Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of S.M.S. Medical College, Jaipur.Methods: This was a hospital based, prospective observational study done in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. S.M.S. Medical College, Jaipur from April 2015 to March 2016. 150 women with twin pregnancy and 150 women with singleton pregnancies at gestation age of 28 weeks and above coming for delivery and consented for the study were included in the study. Women with chronic medical disorder or chronic hypertension were excluded from the study. Maternal and neonatal outcome recorded and analysed.Results: Occurrence of twin in our study was 2.82%. Risk of preterm labour was about nine times higher in twin pregnancies than the singleton (OR: 2.74, 95% CI; 1.4494-5.1884, P value 0.001). The risk of premature rupture of membrane was increased by 2.74 times in twin pregnancies (OR:2.74; 95% CI: 1.4494-5.1884, p value .001). There was 3-time increased risk of malpresentation (OR 3.14; CI:1.7184-5.7480, p value .00002) and 2.28 times increase in hypertensive disorder (OR 2.28; 95% CI: 1.0727-4.8823, p value .03) in twin pregnancies. The risk of asphyxia and septicaemia was 2.5 times more in twins.Conclusions: Twin pregnancy is a high-risk pregnancy with more complications in mother and foetus and is a great challenge for obstetrician. So, it should be managed carefully at tertiary care centre to reduce the maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity

Developing linkages for agricultural technology transfer: A case study of research institution and voluntary organization partnership

A paradigm shift to the private and voluntary organizations led extension is being witnessed as the public agricultural extension system has been adversely affected by various constraints. ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) a premier agricultural research institution took lead to develop linkages with voluntary organizations (VOs) of repute for speedy transfer of agricultural technologies to the ultimate users. The present study was conducted on randomly selected 120 farmers of Patiala district to analyze the effectiveness of IARI linkage with VO namely Young Farmers' Association (YFA) of Punjab state. The advisory services through IARI-YFA linkage, higher yield of IARI released varieties, social participation of farmers and their education were the major determinants for the adoption of IARI varieties. In case of both rice and wheat, IARI varieties were sown in more than 60% area of the total land holdings of the farmers. Although, the linkage was perceived highly effective in terms of the delivery of farm technologies, advisory services, farm literature supplied, farmers' fair, front line demonstrations, impact on yield and income of farmers and satisfaction of farmers but non-availability of seeds in desired quantity, higher seed cost and less land for seed multiplication were major inhibiting factors. The functional efficacy of linkage may be enhanced through close collaboration of state level government and private agencies for broad based, inclusive and sustainable agricultural development

Farmer-led innovations: Best practices and lessons learnt in livestock rearing

The livestock sector contributes 4.11% in overall GDP, however, its full potential has not been utilized, necessitating need of innovations and the use of best practices for sustainable and profitable production. Farmers are a rich source of indigenous knowledge and they innovate, experiment and adapt continuously. Documentation of these success stories may serve as a lightening conductor for other farmers. The study was carried out with 35 progressive farmers from 10 agro-climatic regions of Karnataka. The study found that stall feeding for sheep, silage preparation and storage in bunkers, low cost dairy shed and locally made milking machine were innovations made by farmers. New technology adopted by the farmers included improved crossbreeds of sheep, emu farming, high tech dairy unit and fast growing breeds of pig. Farmers frequently used literature and KVK personnel as a source of information. Development of marketing linkages, direct marketing and contract farming were important aspects in post production operations. Farmers used some of the best practices like integrated farming system; clean and hygienic methods of milking, regular vaccinations, daily chart of feed, silage and bunker storage, rotation period, use of high jet water spray for washing of animal etc. Study concluded that qualities and traits like ability to select and integrate enterprise wisely; knowing and judging market demand correctly; developing market linkages; constant seeking of information and practical intelligence to use locally available resources were the key to success of dairy farmers. Dairy extension should play a pivotal role in imparting training to farmers about these aspects and spreading the success of these innovative farmers through literature in other parts of the country for its replication on large scale

A cross-sectional study to evaluate sonographic foetal humerus length for estimation of gestational age in normal singleton pregnancies at a tertiary care centre

Background: Accurate knowledge of gestational age of the foetus is essential for planning a timely and uneventful outcome. Biparietal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference and femur length reliably predict gestational age. The humerus length is not widely used as biometric parameter for determining the GA so the present study was done to estimate foetal gestational age by measuring humerus length between 18 to 36 weeks of normal singleton pregnancies and to compare humerus length with routine parameters.Methods: This was a hospital based descriptive cross-sectional study, 200 women with viable singleton pregnancy, with known LMP, between 18 weeks to 36 weeks of gestation were included. Various foetal measurements such as biparietal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference, femur length and humerus length were measured using electronic calipers on ultrasound. Data were statistically analyzed.Results: The mean humerus length at 18 weeks was 25.27±1.16 mm and at 36 weeks of gestation was 57.11±1.58 mm. Simple linear regression analysis shows a strongly significant linear relationship between humerus length and gestational age. Where, gestational age (weeks) Y= 0.5213 x humerus length (X) + 4.905; with high degree of correlation coefficient (R2 =0.9785 and P≤0.0001). When Compared with BPD, HC, AC and FL, humerus length also shows a linear correlation.Conclusions: The measurement of the humerus length can be an important additional parameter for estimating gestational age along with other parameters and can be used to predict the gestational age of fetuses in special circumstances

Green Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Mediated by Garcinia Fruits andTheir Biological Applications

Background: Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using medicinal plant extract is an emerging area of research due to their applicability in nanomedicines. Methods: In this study, aqueous extracts prepared from fruit-pericarps of two Garcinia species, G. indica (GI) and G. cambogia (GC) fruits which are important medicinally and commercially have been utilized for the synthesis of AuNPs. Various analytical techniques were utilized to characterize the synthesized AuNPs. The synthesized AuNPs were investigated for their biological properties such as antioxidant activity using the (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) DPPH model, cytotoxicity against MCF-7 (breast) cancer cell line, and antibacterial activity against two bacterial strains viz. B. subtilis and E. coli. Results: The absorption peak of the AuNPs is observed at 541 nm using UV–Visible spectroscopy. The high resolution – scanning electron microscopy images showed spherical with a triangular shape AuNPs and their average sizes were ranging from 2 – 10 nm and it was found to be in good agreement with the particle size of 8 – 11 nm determined using X-ray diffraction analysis. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that water-soluble biomolecules from the aqueous extracts of the Garcinia species played a crucial role in the formation of AuNPs. The synthesized AuNPs exhibited considerable cytotoxicity with IC50 values 34.55 µg/ml (GI) and 35.69 µg/ml (GC) against the MCF-7 cancer cell line. Furthermore, synthesized AuNPs also demonstrated significant antioxidant and antibacterial properties comparable to the standards used. Conclusion: AuNPs have been synthesized using a simple green approach. The synthesized AuNPs demonstrated promising cytotoxicity, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties

A note on indigenous technical knowledge in Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh

Over the years, Indian farmers have leveraged their ancestral know-how and experimented to cultivate different crops in difficult environmental conditions. Of late, however, traditional knowledge and practices have suffered massive erosion, mainly due to the impact of globalization and modernization. In this regard, the objective of the present paper was to document and validate the ITKs in the tribal farming system in Himachal Pradesh. Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh were purposively selected for the study owing to their special status of Schedule Tribal Area. Further, three villages from each district were selected randomly covering a sample of 120 farmers. In addition, 5 key informants experienced in particular ITKs were selected from each village for its validation through Quantification of Indigenous Knowledge. The major documented ITKs were classified into appropriate categories such as soil and water management, cropping system, farm implements, post-harvest technology, storage, horticultural crops, food product development, agro-animal based yarns and leaves, medicinal, veterinary science, animal husbandry, and some myths. Further, Kothar, Graat, Suttar, tying of branches of trees, and chicha were revealed as the most useful ITKs in the tribal areas of Kinnaur. In Lahaul-Spiti, Khudh, Sumbhu, Sem, and shaving off of yak’s hair in summer were the most popular ITKs