Variation in physico-chemical properties of soil under different agri-horti system in Vindhyan region

Adoption of unsuitable production system may lead to deterioration of soil physico-chemical properties. Hence, it becomes important to assess the impact of various production systems. For this purpose, a study was carried out to find out variation in physico-chemical properties of soil in agri-horti system based four orchards of Rajiv Gandhi South Campus, Banaras Hindu University, Mirzapur, India. Soil samples were collected from the orchards of custard apple (Annona reticulate), guava (Psidium guajava), bael (Aegle marmelos) and crane berry (Carissa carandas) from two depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm) separately within canopy and out of canopy of different plants. The results of the study revealed that all the agri-horti systems were effective in bringing gradual improvement in the physico-chemical properties of the soil. Among different orchards tried, the custard apple system resulted in the highest improvement in temperature (27.16 oC), moisture (24.53 %) and water-holding capacity (41.80 %), whereas crane berry based system recorded better result in case of bulk density, porosity, electrical conductivity, pH, organic carbon, available N (187.55 kg ha-1) and K (193.46 kg ha-1). Custard apple based system recorded highest DTPA extractable micronutrients (Zn 0.54, Fe 17.23, Cu 0.88 and Mn14.72 mg ka-1)

Forage Production Potential and Nitrate Nitrogen in Napier Bajra Hybrid as Influenced by Nitrogen Dose under Shaded and Un-Shaded Environments

Dairy farming is an important and prevalent subsidiary occupation along with agriculture in the state of Punjab. But because of declining land holding, the pressure on land is so high that there is little scope of expanding the area under forage crops. Crop intensification either in space (intercropping) or in time (sequential cropping) or both is the feasible option left to the farmers for enhancing the fodder production. The green fodder is deficit by about 25% in the state and there is around 65,000 ha area under Agroforestry. There is a need to explore possibility of growing fodder crops under shade of trees, as light intensity is one of the major growth resources that determine the productivity of a particular crop (Dodd et al., 2005). Data are also lacking about how fodder crops will respond to different amounts of N fertilization under shade conditions. Napier Bajra is an inter-specific hybrid between bajra (Pennisetum glaucum) and napier grass (P. purpureum) and combines high quality and faster growth of bajra with the deep root system of napier grass. It is photosensitive and flowers only in winter. Due to this characteristic, it remains in the vegetative stage throughout the year, except in winter, when it is dormant. With these points in mind, the present study was planned to find out the influence of shading in comparison with normal conditions on forage productivity and quality under varying nitrogen levels

Intra- and Inter-specific variation of four Acetess species (Crustacea: Decapoda: Sergestidae) sampled along the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia

The intra- and inter-specific variation of Acetes shrimps were evaluated based on samples collected from in-shore catches and off-shore trawling around the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Species captured were identified as Acetes indicus, A. serrulatus, A. japonicus and A. sibogae. A region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene comprising 552 base pairs (bp) was amplified from 159 Acetes specimens. The sequence alignment analysis generated phylogenetic trees which depicted the four major clades that were consistent with the species identified morphologically. These four species varied considerably for haplotype and nucleotide diversity, with A. indicus and A. serrulatus showing different demographic histories. Furthermore, the observation of two clades in the A. indicus and A. sibogae lineages, with relatively high levels of intraspecific divergence, suggests that cryptic diversity is possibly present in these two taxa. This study has contributed to the knowledge of the distribution patterns and molecular phylogenetics of four Acetes spp. in the Straits of Malacca

Narrow genetic base of Indian litchi (Litchi chinensis) cultivars based on molecular markers

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is an introduced crop in India and has limited genetic variability characterized by differences in flushing pattern, leaf, panicle and fruit traits. Molecular markers were employed to expose the genetic diversity of 20 litchi cultivars from the Indian peninsula and facilitate documentation of the native germplasm diversity. Efficiency of individual primers was evaluated on the basis of average band informativeness and resolving power, where random oligonucleotide markers OPA-5 and OPA-3 scored best. Among tested microsatellite markers, ISSR 01 and 13 had high values for primer efficiency and these were found to supplement simple sequence repeats for generation of cultivar barcode and clustering analyses. Efficiency of microsatellites (Simple Sequence Repeats and Inter Simple Sequence Repeats) was established by high values for polymorphism (0.691), diversity index (0.264), effective multiplex ratio (48.8470) and marker index (12.896), thus reiterating its potential as for developing barcodes for cultivar identification and conservation. Phylogenetic analysis based on RAPD and microsatellites revealed clustering of the cultivars into four major groups, although within a very narrow range (0.63 - 0.90) of similarity, viz. Seedless (i.e. Bedana), Mandarji, Shahi and China groups. The clustering followed grouping based on fruit morphology, leaf and panicle attributes disagreeing with earlier views regarding incongruity of clustering pattern with morphological, ecological and climatic adaptations. Discrimination of cultivars like Dehrarose and Dehradun, being often labeled as synonyms, was also done. Interestingly high polymorphism and low gene diversity have been exposed by molecular markers, commenting on narrow genetic background of litchi cultivars from India

Analysis of stock market reaction in Malaysia during Covid-19 pandemic via ARIMA

Investment has become a major money-making business in this world through investment in financial markets, stock markets, and forex. There is uncertainty about which stocks to buy during a pandemic like Covid-19. Poor investment choices will affect the profitability of the investors, shifting their risk appetite to be more defensive. Thus, this research is carried out to study the movement of stocks for the year 2020 in Malaysia based on the data obtained from Yahoo Finance. The objective is to provide investors with a guide to investing efficiently during a pandemic. This study investigates how Covid-19 impacts the rate of growth or reduction of stocks so that the performance of the stocks can be forecasted in the future. The moving average method is used to analyze the trend of the stock by comparing the top gainers against the top losers during the periods of pre Covid-19 and Covid-19. The Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model studies the autocorrelation function (ACF) graph of selected stocks to further understand the movement of the stocks and compare it to the closing prices of the selected stocks. Based on the findings, it was demonstrated that the quantitative method used could be used to study the effects of a pandemic, as well as the severity of the losses incurred, and profits earned by the industries. The industries that are essential to the country, like pharmaceuticals and rubber manufacturing, are able to maintain their businesses. Moreover, these sectors have profited from the pandemic. The tourism and aviation industries have been hit the hardest by the pandemic, as evidenced by falling stock prices. Thus, it would be wise for investors to invest in an essential sector company during the Covid-19 pandemic

Global assessment of production benefits and risk reduction in agroforestry during extreme weather events under climate change scenarios

Climate change and extreme weather events are threatening agricultural production worldwide. The anticipated increase in atmospheric temperature may reduce the potential yield of cultivated crops. Agroforestry is regarded as a climate-resilient system that is profitable, sustainable, and adaptable, and has strong potential to sequester atmospheric carbon. Agroforestry practices enhance agroecosystems’ resilience against adverse weather conditions via moderating extreme temperature fluctuations, provisioning buffers during heavy rainfall events, mitigating drought periods, and safeguarding land resources from cyclones and tsunamis-type events. Therefore, it was essential to comprehensively analyze and discuss the role of agroforestry in providing resilience during extreme weather situations. We hypothesized that integrating trees in to the agro-ecosystems could increase the resilience of crops against extreme weather events. The available literature showed that the over-story tree shade moderates the severe temperature (2–4°C) effects on understory crops, particularly in the wheat and coffee-based agroforestry as well as in the forage and livestock-based silvipasture systems. Studies have shown that intense rainstorms can harm agricultural production (40–70%) and cause waterlogging. The farmlands with agroforestry have been reported to be more resilient to heavy rainfall because of the decrease in runoff (20–50%) and increase in soil water infiltration. Studies have also suggested that drought-induced low rainfall damages many crops, but integrating trees can improve microclimate and maintain crop yield by providing shade, windshield, and prolonged soil moisture retention. The meta-analysis revealed that tree shelterbelts could mitigate the effects of high water and wind speeds associated with cyclones and tsunamis by creating a vegetation bio-shield along the coastlines. In general, existing literature indicates that implementing and designing agroforestry practices increases resilience of agronomic crops to extreme weather conditions increasing crop yield by 5–15%. Moreover, despite its widely recognized advantages in terms of resilience to extreme weather, the systematic documentation of agroforestry advantages is currently insufficient on a global scale. Consequently, we provide a synthesis of the existing data and its analysis to draw reasonable conclusions that can aid in the development of suitable strategies to achieve the worldwide goal of adapting to and mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change

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Not AvailableThis paper evaluates the comparative residual effect of four types of biochar as well as their feedstocks (biomass material) in presence of 50% recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) on growth and yield of green gram in acid soils. Soil was treated with four types of biochar and their feedstocks at different doses viz. 0, 2.25, and 4.50 g kg-1 of soil before filling the pots. The mustard was grown as a direct crop (data is not given) and green gram taken as residual crop after harvesting of mustard in same pots with recommended agronomic practices. Biochar application significantly increased the growth and yield of green gram compared with only 50% RDF. Biochar application at the rate of 4.50 g kg-1 along with 50% RDF showed similar results compared with only 75% RDF treatment, but lower than 100% RDF treatments. Lantana biochar (LB) and Parthenium biochar (PB) treatments showed significantly higher growth and yield compared with sugarcane bagasse biochar (SBB) and rice husk biochar (RHB) at both application rates. In general, residual effect of biochar on growth and yield of green gram was at par when compared with their feedstocks at similar application rates. However, growth and yield were obtained with Parthenium biochar, were significantly superior over their feedstock at similar rate of application.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableApplication of biochar to soil has increased considerably during recent years because of its effectiveness as a soil amendment causing beneficial effects on soil health. However, the effects have been reported to vary and depend upon types of feedstock and pyrolysis conditions during biochar production. Therefore, characterization of biochar is extremely important for its efficient utilization as a soil amendment. In the present study, biochar was prepared from agro-industrial by-products (rice husk and sugarcane bagasse) and weeds (Parthenium and Lantana) under similar pyrolysis conditions. Lantana biochar (LBC) showed the highest pH (10.4) while the lowest value (8.5) being recorded in rice husk biochar (RHBC). The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis indicated that LBC and Parthenium biochar (PBC) were superior with respect to potassium (K) content than sugarcane bagasse biochar (SBBC) and RHBC. The Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) study exhibited the existence of different functional groups in biochar. All the biochar treated soils showed significantly higher microbial activities with different degrees. Application of LBC and PBC at 4.50 g kg−1 soil significantly increased K availability in soil. Lantana biochar and PBC amended the soil at 9 g kg−1 significantly increased the soil pH thus makes these biochar as potential liming materials.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableA pot experiment was conducted in the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Institute of Agricultural Sciences B.H.U., Varanasi, India during kharif season of 2012 to investigate the efficacy in enhancing uptake of nutrients and yield of rice crop grown in an alluvial soil. The treatments comprised of four levels of rice husk biochar (RHB) (i.e. 0, 1.8, 3.6 and 7.2 g kg-1 soil), two levels of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) (uninoculated and inoculated) and two levels of N, P, K and Zn fertilizers (100% and 75% of RDF). One of the important findings of the investigation pointed beneficial effects of RHB could be exploited if it was applied along with PGPR. Combined application of RHB (3.6 g kg-1 soil) along with PGPR was produced significantly higher rice yield and uptake of nutrients in rice. Inoculation with PGPR also resulted in significantly higher rice yield, nutrients uptake and their availability in soil over uninoculated conditions.Not Availabl

EXTERNAL MALE GENITALIA OF TWO SPECIES OF GENUS PARAGUS LATREILLE (DIPTERA : SYRPHIDAE)

A study of the external male genitalia of two species of the genus Paragus Latreille. viz. P. serratus Fabricius and P. rufiventris Brunetti has been made