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ID: 62932
Title: Imprints of vehicular pollution in roadside dust from Kolkata, India: insights from magnetic susceptibility, geo-statistical and SEM studies
Author: Supriya Mondal, Saurodeep Chatterjee, Rimjhim Maity, Debesh Gain and Dipanjan Mazumdar
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2023
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 124 (1) 56-62 (2023)
Subject: Imprints of vehicular pollution in roadside dust from Kolkata, India: insights from magnetic susceptibility, geo-statistical and SEM studies
Keywords: Anthropogenic activities, magnetic susceptibility, morphological study, roadside dust, vehicular pollution
Abstract: The present study aimed to determine the magnetic susceptibility of roadside dust collected from different parts of Kolkata city, West Bengal, India. The average value of susceptibility was 4.96 × 10–6 m3 /kg, the highest being 19.6 × 10–6 m3 /kg and the lowest being 1.2 × 10–6 m3 /kg. The frequency-dependent susceptibility value (average =2.19) indicated the dominance of stable-single domain grains with a low concentration of superparamagnetic grains at a few locations. SEM analysis showed morphological diversity of road dust – irregular, aggregate, angular and cloudy. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis of the dust particles revealed that Ca-rich, Narich and Fe-rich particles were abundant. Compositions were variable with the morphology. The mapping of magnetic susceptibility indicated that the susceptibility values were higher in areas with heavy vehicular traffic and other polluting sources. However, some areas with high pollution had open spaces, indicating the dispersion of magnetic pollutants. The study indicated the degradation of the environment due to anthropogenic activities.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Goddu, S. R., Appel, E., Jordanova, D. and Wehland, R., Magnetic properties of road dust from Visakhapatnam (India) – relationship to industrial pollution and road traffic. Phys. Chem. Earth, 2004, 29(13,14), 985–995. Hoffmann, V., Knab, M. and Appel, E., Magnetic susceptibility mapping of roadside pollution. J. Geochem. Explor., 1999, 66, 313–326.
Literature cited 2: Gautam, P., Blaha, U. and Appel, E., Magnetic susceptibility of dust loaded leaves as a proxy of traffic-related heavy metal pollution in Kathmandu city, Nepal. Atmos. Environ., 2005, 39, 2201–2211. Petrovsky, E. and Ellwood, B. B., Magnetic monitoring of pollution of air, land and waters. In Quaternary Climates, Environments and Magnetism (eds Maher, B. A. and Thompson, R.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1999, pp. 279–3

ID: 62931
Title: Association between hypertension and obesity: an empirical study of Lahaul valley, Himachal Pradesh, India
Author: Mandeep Kaur and Kuldip Kaur
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2023
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 124 (1) 50-55 (2023)
Subject: Association between hypertension and obesity: an empirical study of Lahaul valley, Himachal Pradesh, India
Keywords: Body mass index, hypertension, non-communicable diseases, obesity, odds ratio.
Abstract: Obesity and overweight have emerged as potential risk factors for hypertension, coronary heart diseases and diabetes. These non-communicable diseases are increasing due to the high consumption of processed food and the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle. The present study aims to explore the prevalence of overweight, obesity, hypertension and behavioural factors among women in Lahaul valley, Himachal Pradesh, India. A group of 230 women from five villages of Lahaul valley was surveyed through interview method. First, descriptive statistics on anthropometric variables was done, followed by a binary logistic regression technique in order to calculate the odds ratio. Out of 230 sample participants, 31.7% were in the category of overweight and obesity, 51.7% were under systolic hypertension and 46.5% suffered from diastolic hypertension. The binary logistic regression method provided significant odds ratio, which revealed an association among body mass index, intake of excessive salt, tobacco products, physical inactivity and hypertension. The study concludes that being overweight, intake of extra sodium and physical inactivity are major risk factors for hypertension among women in Lahaul valley.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: WHO, Non-communicable diseases country profiles. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2015. WHO, Monitoring Health for the SDGs, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2021; https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/ handle/10665/342703/9789240027053-eng.pdf (accessed on 27 March 2022).
Literature cited 2: IIPS, National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), Himachal Pradesh. State fact sheet, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, 2019–2020; http://rchiips.org/nfhs/NFHS-5_FCTS/Himachal_Pradesh.pdf (accessed on 1 April 2022). Yamane, T., Statistics: An Introductory Analysis, Harper & Row, New York, USA, 1967.

ID: 62930
Title: Mammalian diversity, distribution and potential key conservation areas in the Western Ghats
Author: Honnavalli N. Kumara , Santanu Mahato , Mewa Singh, Sanjay Molur and Avadhoot D. Velankar
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2023
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 124 (1) 38-49 (2023)
Subject: Mammalian diversity, distribution and potential key conservation areas in the Western Ghats
Keywords: Conservation, distribution range, mammals, threatened species
Abstract: An updated list confirms the presence of 134 species of wild mammals in the Western Ghats, India. The superimposed distribution range of all and threatened species of mammals depicts the potential mammalian key diversity areas for the Western Ghats, which can be prioritized for long-term conservation. These mammalian key diversity areas are confined to the central and the southern Western Ghats. The most crucial key diversity areas for both threatened and all mammalian species occur in Pushpagiri–Talakaveri, the Nilgiri Biosphere, the Anamalai Hills, the Periyar landscape and the Agastyamalai Hills.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Myers, N., Mittermeier, R. A., Mittermeier, C. G., da Fonesca, G. A. B. and Kent, J., Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature, 2000, 403, 853–858. Ceballos, G. and Ehrlich, P. R., Global mammal distribution, biodiversity hotspots, and conservation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2006, 103, 19374–19379
Literature cited 2: Cincotta, P. R., Wisnewski, J. and Engelman, R., Human population in the biodiversity hotspots. Nature, 2000, 404, 990–992. Das, A., Krishnaswamy, J., Bawa, K. S., Kiran, M. C., Srinivas, V., Kumar, N. S. and Karanth, K. U., Prioritisation of conservation areas in the Western Ghats, India. Biol. Conserv., 2006, 133, 16–31.

ID: 62929
Title: A need to integrate metagenomics and metabolomics in geosciences and develop the deep-time digital earth-biome database of India.
Author: Pradeep Srivastava, Prasanta Sanyal, Sharmila Bhattacharya, Praveen K. Mishra, Suryendu Dutta, Rajarshi Chakravarti, Niraj Rai, Naveen Navani, Anoop Ambili, K. P. Karanth, Jahanavi Joshi, Sushmita Singh and Senthil Kumar Sadasivam
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2023
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 124 (1) 26-37 (2023)
Subject: A need to integrate metagenomics and metabolomics in geosciences and develop the deep-time digital earth-biome database of India.
Keywords: Geosciences, metagenomics, metabolomics, metallogeny, palaeoclimatology.
Abstract: This article presents applications of metagenomics and metabolomics in geosciences. It emphasizes the significance of biomolecular proxies in palaeoclimatology, the evolution of life, the genesis of hydrocarbons and the role of biological processes in metallogeny. Several examples of breakthroughs with respect using these methods in earth sciences exist, such as the estimating resilience time of landscapes against invasive species. It is unfortunate that scientific programmes using bioproxies have not yet taken root in Indian institutions. Now is the appropriate time to delineate the critical role of biology in geology and establish it as a thrust area of research in India. A molecular geobiology programme would deal with the understanding of varied issues such as microbial heat production and its role in soil processes, the role of biology in mineralization, the use of biomarkers (metabolites) and ancient DNA studies in understanding feedbacks in climate change, evolution of life, etc. This article focuses on the use of metagenomics and metabolomics in palaeo-sciences and the potential intellectual dividends they could provide.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: . Ficetola, G. F. et al., DNA from lake sediments reveals long-term ecosystem changes after a biological invasion. Sci. Adv., 2018, 4(5), 4292. National Research Council, Landscapes on the Edge: New Horizons for Research on Earth’s Surface, The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, USA, 2010
Literature cited 2: Corenblit, D. et al., Feedbacks between geomorphology and biota controlling Earth surface processes and landforms: a review of foundation concepts and current understandings. Earth-Sci. Rev., 2011, 106(3–4), 307–331. Eglinton, T. I. and Eglinton, G., Molecular proxies for paleoclimatology. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 2008, 275, 1–16.

ID: 62928
Title: Magmatic-hydrothermal origin of granite-hosted Cu–Ba mineralization from southern Bundelkhand, Tikamgarh district, Madhya Pradesh, India
Author: Abhinav Kumar Geeta Bind Dipak Hazra
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2023
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 124 (1) 13-17 (2023)
Subject: Magmatic-hydrothermal origin of granite-hosted Cu–Ba mineralization from southern Bundelkhand, Tikamgarh district, Madhya Pradesh, India
Keywords: Magmatic-hydrothermal, granite, Cu–Ba mineralization, southern Bundelkhand, Tikamgarh district, Madhya Pradesh, India
Abstract: The Archaean to Palaeoproterozoic Bundelkhand Craton comprises older metamorphic rocks (metabasalt, metapelites, tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite gneisses and BIF), granitoids and late intrusive rocks into the granitoids, such as quartz reefs and mafic– ultramafic rocks. Among these, granitoids cover >90% area in the craton, in which older metamorphic rocks are present as enclaves, while quartz reefs and basalt dikes intruded the granitoids. Sporadic occurrences of sulphide mineralization in Bundelkhand Granitoid Complex (BGC) have been reported which are mostly of Cu and Mo2,3. The presence of barite veins in the granitoids of Bundelkhand was first reported by Dubey.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Basu, A. K., Rec. Geol. Surv. India, 1986, 117(II), 61–124. Pati, J. K., Panigrahi, M. K. and Chakraborty, M., J. Earth Syst. Sci., 2014, 123, 943–958.
Literature cited 2: Gautam, N. and Deepu, T. R., Rep. Geol. Surv. India, 2016, Item No. 008/STM/CR/ MP/2015/006. Dubey, V. S., Trans. Indian Ceram. Soc., 1942, 1, 108–111; doi:10.1080/0371750X. 1942.11011943.

ID: 62927
Title: Technical sessions on climate change initiatives by DST @ CoP-27, 2022
Author: Susheela Negi and Nisha Mendiratta
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2023
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 124 (1) 9-9 (2023)
Subject: Technical sessions on climate change initiatives by DST @ CoP-27, 2022
Keywords: Technical sessions,climate change initiatives,DST @ CoP-27, 2022
Abstract: The Conference of the Parties (CoP) is organized every year by the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to discuss and negotiate global climate change policies involving all the parties (countries) that are part of the UN. This year the 27th Conference of the Parties (CoP-27) was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, from 6 to 18 November 2022.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
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ID: 62926
Title: Indoor air pollution and human health
Author: H. Paramesh Joshitha Sankam
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2023
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 124 (1) 7-8 (2023)
Subject: Indoor air pollution and human health
Keywords: Indoor air pollution, Human health
Abstract: Indoor air pollution (IAP) arising from chemical, biological and physical contaminants in air is one of the leading health risks very relevant to India. Concern over the negative health impacts of poor indoor air quality is growing. According to WHO, in 2020, household air pollution caused roughly 3.2 million deaths. Although the vast majority of houses and buildings appear to have no issues, non-industrial IAP accounts for a variety of symptoms and illnesses (Redlich, C. A. et al., Lancet, 1997, 349, 1013–1016). Pollutants in indoor air emanate from a variety of sources like aero-biologicals and irritants. Biological contaminants include dust mites, pet dander and saliva, mould, pollen, infectious agents due to stagnant water, mattresses, carpets and humidifiers (Paramesh, H., Indian J. Pediatr., 2002, 69, 309–312).
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
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ID: 62925
Title: Modern Environmental Analysis Techniques for Pollutants
Author: Chaudhery Mustansar Hussain and Rüstem Keçili (reviewed by Cheran Radhakrishanan Balasubramanian Karthick)
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 123 (12) 1518-1518 (2022)
Subject: Modern Environmental Analysis Techniques for Pollutants
Keywords: Modern Environmental Analysis, Techniques, Pollutants
Abstract: One of the major problems we face today is environmental pollution, which is causing grave and irreparable damage to the natural world and human society. Air, soil and water pollution are the most significant threats to living organisms. Concomitant with the whole world competing for a better economy, industrial development led to contamination of the environment by discharges from the burgeoning industries. To deal with these increasing levels of pollutants, most countries established environmental pollution control agencies to monitor, control and mitigate pollution levels. The first and foremost step to controlling pollution is to monitor the entry of pollutants from various point and non-point sources.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
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Literature cited 2:

ID: 62924
Title: Evaluation and calibration of bedload equation for the mountain ephemeral stream of Gujarat, India
Author: V. K. Yadav, S. M. Yadav and N. S. Kachhawa
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 123 (12) 1499-1507 (2022)
Subject: Evaluation and calibration of bedload equation for the mountain ephemeral stream of Gujarat, India
Keywords: Bedload, hydraulic parameters, mountain stream, sediment transport, suspended load.
Abstract: Bedload is rarely measured in Indian rivers. It is recommended that 5% of suspended load can be taken as bedload in the absence of measured bedload. The present study validates this by direct physical measurement of bedload using the Helley–Smith sampler in an ephemeral mountain stream of Gujarat, India. It was observed that, on an average, the bedload formed 3.97% of the suspended load. The measured bedload flux was 1.02 tonnes/ day. To overcome the need and dependability on actual physical bedload measurement, a bedload rating curve against specific discharge was developed to predict the bedload rate in the study reach. Few prominent existing bedload equations selected from the literature were tested against the measured bedload, which overpredicted the bedload transport rate with a discrepancy ratio greater than 2 and RMSE 2.4–48. A calibration coefficient ξ = 0.00167 was introduced in the widely used Reckling (2013) equation for the study reach resulting in an improvement of the coefficient of variation as 1.92 and RMSE as 1.35.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Walling, D. E. and Fang, D., Recent trends in the suspended sediment loads of the world’s rivers. Global Planet. Change, 2003, 39(1–2), 111–126; https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8181(03)00020-1. Tundu, C., Tumbare, M. J. and Onema, J. M. K., Sedimentation and its impacts/effects on river system and reservoir water quality: case study of Mazowe catchment, imbabwe. Proc. Int. Assoc.Hydrolog. Sci., 2018, 377, 57; doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs377-57-2018.
Literature cited 2: Yadav, S. M. and Samtani, B. K., Bedload equation evaluation based on alluvial river data, India. KSCE J. Civ. Eng., 2008, 12(6), 427–433; doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-008-0427-z. Yang, C. T., The movement of sediment in rivers. Geophys.Surv., 1977, 3(1), 39–68; doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01449182.

ID: 62923
Title: Reverse osmosis units in groundwater based public water supply system in rural eastern Karnataka, India: an analysis
Author: R. Srinivasan, S. A. Pandit , Ganesh Khatei , N. Karunakara, K. Sudeep Kumara , Jean Riotte, Hemant Moger , P. Amala David , Manoj Jindal , G. Gowrisankar and Kavitha Devi Ramkumar
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 123 (12) 1493-1498 (2022)
Subject: Reverse osmosis units in groundwater based public water supply system in rural eastern Karnataka, India: an analysis.
Keywords: Contaminants, environmental friendliness, groundwater, reverse osmosis, sustainable rural water supply.
Abstract: Adequacy, eco-friendliness and desirability of continuation of reverse osmosis (RO) purification of groundwater for providing safe drinking water to villages in the groundwater resource-deficient eastern Karnataka, India, have been studied in 15 villages in 4 districts of the state, where high fluoride and uranium contamination has been observed. The results indicate that: (i) except in Chitra Durga district, there are an inadequate number of RO. facilities: (ii) RO water consumption is far less than the minimum amount recommended for drinking by WHO; (iii) while the benchmark of the best performance for RO membranes is >99%, the RO units in use show an average fluoride and uranium rejection percentage of 92.6 and 95.1 respectively; and (iv) similar to almost all RO units, the installed ones are also wasting water in the water-deficient eastern Karnataka and discharging concentrate with a higher percentage of contaminants into the environment. Better management of RO units and RO concentrate is required.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: CGWB, Groundwater Yearbook of Karnataka, Central Ground Water Board, Bengaluru, 2020–21, pp. 1–190. GoI, Uranium occurrence in shallow aquifers in India. Central Ground Water Board, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Jal Sakthi, Government of India, 2020, pp. 1–58.
Literature cited 2: Coyte, R. M., Jain, R. C., Srivastava, S. K., Sharma, K. C., Khalil, A., Ma, L. and Vengosh, A., Large-scale uranium contamination of groundwater resources in India. Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett., 2018, 5, 341–347; https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.8b00215. Sahoo, S., Jha, S., Jha, V., Patra, A. and Kulkarni, M., Survey of uranium in drinking water sources in India: interim observations. Curr. Sci., 2021, 120(9), 1482–1490; http://dx.doi.org/10.18520/cs/v120/i9/1482-1490.

ID: 62922
Title: TiO2 nanoparticle-encapsulated polyacrylonitrile nanofibres as transparent air filters for indoor air quality
Author: Vikas Goel, Sumit Kumar Mishra, Ashish Gupta, Jai S. Tawale , Sanjay R. Dhakate and Puneet Misra
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 123 (12) 1486-1492 (2022)
Subject: TiO2 nanoparticle-encapsulated polyacrylonitrile nanofibres as transparent air filters for indoor air quality
Keywords: Air pollution, antimicrobial properties, electrospinning technique, nanofibrous filters, nanoparticl
Abstract: Rapid industrialization and urbanization have increased air pollution, which poses a serious threat to human life. In megacities, the number of patients suffering from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases have increased rapidly. Face mask can be used for protection from outdoor air pollution, but indoor air quality can only be maintained through expensive, energy-inefficient air filtration devices. In the present study, nanofibrous polyacrylonitrile (PAN) filters encapsulated with titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were developed using the electrospinning technique. The filters are porous and nearly transparent and therefore do not resist sunlight and airflow. Field testing of the PAN : TiO2 filters was done against the real aerosol particles and laboratory testing was done against ammonium sulphate particles. The field test results showed efficiency of about ~81% against total suspended aerosol particles (TSPM) and ~75% against laboratory generated particles. The TiO2 nanoparticles have been reported to kill the influenza virus and may help minimize an individual’s exposure to many harmful microbes due to their antimicrobial properties.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Goel, V. et al., A non-destructive FTIR method for the determination of ammonium and sulfate in urban PM2.5 samples. MAPAN,2018, 33, 209–215. Lelieveld, J., Evans, J. S., Fnais, M., Giannadaki, D. and Pozzer,A., The contribution of outdoor air pollution sources to premature mortality on a global scale. Nature, 2015, 525, 367–371.
Literature cited 2: Nel, A., Air pollution-related illness: effects of particles. Science, 2005, 308, 804–806. Watson, J. G., Visibility: science and regulation. J. Air Waste Manage. Assoc., 2002, 52, 628–713.

ID: 62921
Title: Ectomycorrhizal and plant interaction on bioremediation of degraded land
Author: S. Arenla , J. Seb and Talijungla
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 123 (12) 1481-1485 (2022)
Subject: Ectomycorrhizal and plant interaction on bioremediation of degraded land
Keywords: Bioremediation, degraded land, extracellular enzymes, ectomycorrhizal fungi.
Abstract: Extracellular enzymes degrade complex organic compounds into soluble substances and make them available for plants. These are important for nutrient cycling in the soil and ectomycorrhizal fungi (ECM) are an important source of these enzymes. In the present study, Dipterocarpus retusus seedlings native to Nagaland and Eastern Himalaya, India, were inoculated with Scleroderma citrinum and Russula rosea ECM. Soil enzymes like urease, dehydrogenase and nitrogen content were analysed in the rhizosphere region of the seedlings. S. citrinum-inoculated seedlings showed higher urease and dehydrogenase activity in rhizospheric soil and root surfaces and higher nitrogen content. Higher carbohydrate content was observed in S. citrinum-inoculated seedlings. Significant relation was found between ectomycorrhizal colonization and carbohydrate content. S. citrinum fungus was found to be a more effective symbiont with D. retusus seedlings during nursery practices for nutrient uptake in wasteland soil.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Smith, S. E. and Read, D. J., Mycorrhizal Symbiosis, Academic, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2008, 3rd edn. Siddiqui, Z. A. and Pichtel, J., Mycorrhizae: an overview. In Mycorrhizae: Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry (eds Siddiqui, Z. A., Akhtar, M. S. and Futai, K.), Springer Science, 2008, pp. 1–35
Literature cited 2: Taylor, J. H. and Peterson, C. A., Morphometric analysis of Pinus banksiana Lamb. Root anatomy during a 3-month field study. Trees, 2000, 14, 239–247. Botton, B. and Dell, B., Glutamate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase expression in eucalypt ectomycorrhizas. New Phytol., 1994, 126, 249–257

ID: 62920
Title: Spatial prediction of leaf chlorophyll content in cotton crop using drone-derived spectral indices
Author: P. Shanmugapriya, K. R. Latha, S. Pazhanivelan , R. Kumaraperumal , G. Karthikeyan and N. S. Sudarmanian
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 123 (12) 1473-1480 (2022)
Subject: Spatial prediction of leaf chlorophyll content in cotton crop using drone-derived spectral indices
Keywords: Chlorophyll content, cotton crop, drone, multispectral images, spectral indices
Abstract: Crop health monitoring and assessment have become more successful with the advent of remote sensing technology in agriculture. Using this technology, retrieving information about crop biophysical parameters on a non-destructive basis at spatial and temporal scales has been made possible. Several drone-derived spectral vegetation indices (VIs) have assessed crop growth status in a larger farming area. In this study, we generated VI maps for a cotton field area in the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India. The ground-truth chlorophyll data (SPAD-502 Minolta meter) were collected from the field on the same day of drone image acquisition. Pearson correlation analysis and regression analysis were done for validation and accuracy of the ground-truth chlorophyll data and VIs. The study reveals that obtaining near real-time chlorophyll content using high spatial resolution drone images is quick and reliable.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Rani, A., Chaudhary, A., Nishant Sinha, K., Mohanty, M. and Chaudhary, R. S., Drone: the green technology for future agriculture. Harit Dhara, January–June 2019, 2(1). Tahir, M. N., Naqvi, S. Z. A., Lan, Y., Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., Afzal, M. and Amir, S., Real time estimation of chlorophyll content based on vegetation indices derived from multispectral UAV in the kinnow orchard. Int. J. Precis. Agric. Aviat., 2018, 1(1).
Literature cited 2: Boiarskii, B. and Hasegawa, H., Technologies of cartography and field monitoring using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Actual problems of Agroindustrial complex: a view of young researchers. Smolensk State Agricultural Academy, 2017, pp. 213–216. Maddikunta, P. K. R., Hakak, S., Alazab, M., Bhattacharya, S.,Gadekallu, T. R., Khan, W. Z. and Pham, Q. V., Unmanned aerial vehicles in smart agriculture: applications, requirements, and challenges. IEEE Sensing J., 2021, 21(16), 17608–17619.

ID: 62919
Title: New records, rare and noteworthy species of the genus Nowakowskiella (Nowakowskiellaceae, Chytridiomycota) from India
Author: Manish Kumar Dubey, Milind H. Gajbhiye and Ram S. Upadhyay
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 123 (12) 1462-1472 (2022)
Subject: New records, rare and noteworthy species of the genus Nowakowskiella (Nowakowskiellaceae, Chytridiomycota) from India
Keywords: Gene sequences, molecular phylogeny, Nowakowskiella species, systematics, taxonomy.
Abstract: Six species of the genus Nowakowskiella (Nowakowskiellaceae, Chytridiomycota), specifically Nowakowskiella elegans, N. hemisphaerospora, N. profusa, N. multispora,N. ramosa and N. macrospora as well as one variety N. multispora var. longa are described herein from India. N. hemisphaerospora and N. macrospora are reported as new records for the country. This increases the number of Nowakowskiella species known from India to seven. N. multispora var. longa is a rare species that has previously only been found in Poland and India. All these species along, with the variety, are illustrated with the help of light photomicrographs and compared with other similar species. Morphological descriptions, illustrations, distribution and comments of the species examined are presented. Besides, we analysed nu-rRNA gene sequences (partial large subunit) of six Nowakowskiella isolates from Indian aquatic and soil samples. In addition, a summary of unique traits based on the morphological features of all these species are provided in this study to differentiate them.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Powell, M. J., Chytridiomycota. In Handbook of the Protists (eds Archibald, J., Simpson, A. and Slamovits, C.), Springer, Cham, Switzerland, 2017, pp. 1523–1558. Seto, K., Van den Wyngaert, S., Degawa, Y. and Kagami, M., Taxonomic revision of the genus Zygorhizidium: Zygorhizidiales and Zygophlyctidales ord. nov. (Chytridiomycetes, Chytridiomycota). Fungal Syst. Evol., 2020, 5, 17–38.
Literature cited 2: Mozley-Standridge, S. E., Pletcher, P. M., Longcore, J. E., Porter, D. and Simmons, D. R., Cladochytriales – a new order in Chytridiomycota. Mycol. Res., 2009, 113, 498–507 Sparrow, F. K. (ed.), Aquatic Phycomycetes, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, 1960, 2nd revised edn, pp. 580–590

ID: 62918
Title: Processing induced trans fatty acid quantification analysis of selected edible oils and their probable outcome
Author: Prashasti Tripathi, Ena Gupta, Shalini Purwar and Aprajita Tiwari Pandey
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2022
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 123 (12) 1455-1461 (2022)
Subject: Processing induced trans fatty acid quantification analysis of selected edible oils and their probable outcome.
Keywords: Cooking oil, frying, isomerization, microwave treatment, thermal processing, trans fatty acids.
Abstract: The repeated processing and over-cooking of food may adversely affect the oil quality, causing various physiological and chemical changes in it. Isomerization of the double bond is one such process which may generate trans fatty acids (TFAs) in food. In the present study, we analysed the effect of thermal processing (frying, heating and microwave treatment) on trans-fat formation in selected oils/fats with reference to their fatty acids bond length and double-bond position. It was observed that frying and microwave treatment significantly affected the TFA content in oils/fats.
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