Enter records

ID: 64265
Title: Climate finance for clean and efficient cookstoves
Author: Hilda Galt, Szymon Mikolajczyk
Editor: Grant Ballard-Tremeer, Raffaella Bellanca, Karabi Dutta, Ben Garside, Luc Severi
Year: 2017
Publisher: HEDON
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: BOILING POINT Issue. 69 20-23 (2017)
Subject: Climate finance for clean and efficient cookstoves
Keywords: Carbon markets, Clean Development Mechanism, Climate finance, Cookstoves, Green Climate Fund, Greenhouse gases, Mitigation
Abstract: Depressed carbon processes have let many climate change mitigation initiatives stranded. We make the case for using the architecture of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to facilitate the transfer of international climate finance to clean and efficient cookstove projects and programmes, allowing for the rapid scale-up of registered activities and replication of efforts in new regions. The CDM offers a credible and transparent framework that enables the linking of invested funds to verified greenhouse gas mitigation impacts. Issued and subsequently cancelled carbon credits could serve to trigger results-based payments, rather than be used to compensate emissions occurring elsewhere. By targeting initiatives capable of reaching financial sustainability over time, multilateral and bilateral climate financiers can encourage the creation of mature, private sector driven cook stove markets. Such financial support could enable the scale-up of activities in line with country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), more than a quarter of which refer to cookstoves as a priority area of intervention.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Grenier, S., Kolmetz, S., Betzenbichler, W., Houshyani,B.,Galt,H.2016.Ci-Dev CDM MRV Study: Facilitating credit issuance by improving the monitoring , reporting and verification procedures and issuance rules of the CDM, The World Bank Mikolajczyk, S., Brescia, D., Galt, H., Le Sache, F., Hunzai, T., Greiner, S., Hoch, S., Mayr, S. 2016. Linking the Clean Development Mechanism with the Green Climate Fund: Models for scaling up mitigation action, German Ministry for the Environment (BMUB).
Literature cited 2: Mikolajczyk, S., Brescia, D., Galt, H., Le Sache, F., Hunzai, T., Greiner, S., Hoch, S., Mayr, S., 2016.Linking the Clean Development Mechanism with the Green Climate Fund: Models for scaling up mitigation action, German Ministry for the Environment (BMUB) Spalding–Fecher, R., Sammut, F., Greiner, S., Korthuis, A. 2016. Innovative Standardized Crediting Framework for Scaling up Energy Access Programs, Carbon Limits and Climate Focus.

ID: 64264
Title: Enablers for the value chain of improved cooking stoves through the financial mechanism of Uniones de Credito y Ahorro in Peru
Author: Judith IbanezSanchez , Silvia Franciosco
Editor: Grant Ballard-Tremeer, Raffaella Bellanca, Karabi Dutta, Ben Garside, Luc Severi
Year: 2017
Publisher: HEDON
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: BOILING POINT Issue. 69 16-19 (2017)
Subject: Enablers for the value chain of improved cooking stoves through the financial mechanism of Uniones de Credito y Ahorro in Peru
Keywords: Credit and savings unions; Enablers; Entrepreneurship; Peru, Rural Communities, Supply chain, Trainings
Abstract: This article summarises a joint initiative between MicroEnergy International and COFIDE implemented in 2015 to stimulate the market for improved cooks stoves in rural areas of Peru through financial mechanisms established within the community Savings and Credit Unions (Uniones de Credito y Ahorro, UNICAs).The article presents results achieved through the initiative, highlights the barriers encountered and lessons learned related to the key enablers for the successful adoption and distribution of such technologies.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Masera, O.and Navia J.1997.Fuel switching or multiple cooking fuels? Understanding inter-fuel substitution patterns in rural Mexican households, Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol.12: 347-361, https:doi.org/10.1016/SO961-9534 (96)00075-X.Ruz-Mercardo
Literature cited 2: I, et al.2013.Quantitative metrics of stove adoption using Stove Use Monitors (SUMS) www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4170739.

ID: 64263
Title: Development of clean cooking technology for rural communities in India
Author: Ram Chandra Pal, Vivek Jha and Manjushree Banerjee
Editor: Grant Ballard-Tremeer, Raffaella Bellanca, Karabi Dutta, Ben Garside, Luc Severi
Year: 2017
Publisher: HEDON
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: BOILING POINT Issue. 69 12-15 (2017)
Subject: Development of clean cooking technology for rural communities in India
Keywords: Improved forced draft cook stoves; TERI model SPT 0610; Traditional cook stoves; Thermal efficiency; Specific fuel consumption; Biomass fuels
Abstract: The penetration of clean fuels for cooking in rural areas in India continues to be love; with just 6.5 percent using Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG).Rural households continue to use locally available biomass fuels for cooking. In response, TERI developed an improved cook stove model, TERI SPT 0610.Compared to a traditional mudstove, the combustion efficiency of the new model was found to be 37 percent, with 80 per cent less carbon monoxide emissions and 72 percent less particulate matters (PM 2.5) (TERI,2015) .The specific fuel consumption for the new stove model was reported as 186.2 g/kg of a cooked metal, which is about 73 per cent lower than the traditional mud stove used in the areas where the new product was introduced. Given the technical performance improvements offered by the improved cook stove model, its dissemination was supported across 17 states in India.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Amethi 2015.http://amethi.nic.in/as, accessed on November 2015. Census of India.2001.http://www.censusindia.gov.in/
Literature cited 2: IITD/CRDT/RP/CS/1005 Stove Test Report.2012.Improved biomass Cook stove model SPT 0610.Indian Institute of Technology. December 2012.IIT Delhi. National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) 2009-10 – (Energy Statistics, 2013)

ID: 64262
Title: Enablers of strong cookstove sales through a purchase offer approach in rural Senegal-An explorative analysis
Author: Gunther Bensch, Jorg Peters
Editor: Grant Ballard-Tremeer, Raffaella Bellanca, Karabi Dutta, Ben Garside, Luc Severi
Year: 2017
Publisher: HEDON
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: BOILING POINT Issue. 69 6-9 (2017)
Subject: Enablers of strong cookstove sales through a purchase offer approach in rural Senegal-An explorative analysis
Keywords: Cookstove purchase, Design intervention, Household decision, Sales, Senegal, Willingness to pay
Abstract: This article outlines the main results of a study in rural Sengal where households were invited to purchase simple improved biomass cookstoves in their villages. Households’ stove purchase and willingness to pay levels turned out to be unexpect3edly high considering that the stoves are generally available in the area and at least part of the study sample households were already exposed to the specific stove type before. We therefore conducted an explorative analysis of potential factors that may have triggered the high degree of sales. In particular, aspects of the applied mode of stove delivery and the specific interview situation are assessed. This serves to derive insights into potential intervention design and communication approaches for entry-level improved stoves, which are likely transferable to higher –tier modern energy access technologies as well.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Becker, G.M., M.H. DeGroot, and J.Marschak.1964.Measuring utility by a single-response sequential method. Behavioural Science 9: 226-232. Beltramo, T.G. Blalock, D.I. Levine, and A.M.Simons.2015.The effect of marketing messages and payment over time on willingness to pay for fuel-efficient cookstoves. Journal of Economic Behaviour & Organization 118:333-345.
Literature cited 2: Bensch, G. And J.Peters.2017a What drives technology adoption of the rural poor? Willingness to pay for improved cooking stoves in rural Senegal. Mimeo. Bensch, G. And J.Peters.2017b.Short-run subsides and long-run adoption-Experimental evidence on improved cooking stoves in Senegal. mimeo.

ID: 64261
Title: From Barriers to Enablers: Where next for improved Cookstoves?
Author: Charlotte Ray, Temilade Sesan, Mike Clifford, Sarah Jewitt
Editor: Grant Ballard-Tremeer, Raffaella Bellanca, Karabi Dutta, Ben Garside, Luc Severi
Year: 2017
Publisher: HEDON
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: BOILING POINT Issue. 69 2-5 (2017)
Subject: From Barriers to Enablers
Keywords: Improved cookstoves, Barriers, Enablers
Abstract: Despite growing support in the sector, ICS policy should not underestimate the intractability of biomass use (Especially for cooking).Even when there is a general increase in access to higher-tier fuels, biomass reliance, especially in rural areas, is much more entrenched than in urban areas (Pauchauri and Jiang- 2008; Barnes et al.2011).
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1:
Literature cited 2:

ID: 64260
Title: Learning GIS using Open Source Software: An Applied Guide for Geo-spatial Analysis
Author: Kakoli Saha and Yngve K. Frøyen. Francis Group reviewed by Koshy Varghese
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 (6) 763-763 (2023)
Subject: Learning GIS using Open Source Software: An Applied Guide for Geo-spatial Analysis
Keywords: GIS, Opejn Source software, Geospatial Analysis
Abstract: Open-source GIS platforms such as quantum GIS (QGIS) are widely used nowadays. As open-source platforms offer most of the functionality of the pricy commercial packages, academic programmes teaching GIS concepts and usage have benefitted from such open-source packages in the classrooms and laboratories. In addition to academia, several Government organizations and non-governmental organizations have deployed their spatial databases and planning platforms using resources from open sources, and the number of organizations adopting open-source solutions is steadily increasing.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1:
Literature cited 2:

ID: 64259
Title: Chemical constituents of essential oil from leaves of an invasive weed Ageratina adenophora in Central Nepal
Author: Khadka Bahadur Pal , Seeta Pathak , Tayer Mohamad Miya , Tej Bahadur Darji, Gunanand Pant , Ramesh Raj Pant, Lok Ranjan Bhatt and Lal B. Thapa
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 (6) 757-761 (2023)
Subject: Chemical constituents of essential oil from leaves of an invasive weed Ageratina adenophora in Central Nepal
Keywords: Ageratina adenophora, chemical constituents, essential oil, gas chromatography, mass spectrometry.
Abstract: This study aims to identify volatile chemical components in the essential oil of an invasive plant, Ageratina adenophora, from Central Nepal. Leaf samples of A. Adenophora were collected, and the chemical composition of essential oil was analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). A total of 27 components in the oil were identified. The major compounds were cadinol, bisabolol and bornyl acetate. The amount of valencene, elemol and 2(1H)-naphthalenone, 4a,5,6,7,8,8a-hexahydro-6-[1-(hydroxymethyl)ethenyl]- 4,8a-dimethyl-, [4ar(4a.alpha.,6.alpha.,8a.beta.]- varied with samples collected from different elevations. Five compounds, viz. cloven, β-gurjuene, β-cubebene, verbenone and cis-β-farnesene were rarely reported previously from A. adenophora. Being an invasive and medicinal plant, A. adenophora is found in varied ecological conditions. Further studies on the variation in amount and composition, phytotoxicity and benefits of such compounds are recommended.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Muniappan, R., Raman, A. and Redd, G. V. (eds), Ageratina adenophora (Sprengel) King and Robinson (Asteraceae). In Biological Control of Tropical Weeds using Arthropods, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2009, pp. 1–16. Yang, G. Q., Qiu, W. R., Jin, Y. N. and Wan, F. H., Potential allelochemicals from root exudates of invasive Ageratina adenophora. Allelopathy J., 2013, 32, 233.
Literature cited 2: Tiwari, S., Siwakoti, M., Adhikari, B. and Subedi, K., An inventory and assessment of invasive alien plant species of Nepal. IUCN – The World Conservation Union, Nepal, 2005, p. 114. Thapa, L. B., Thapa, H. and Magar, B. G., Perception, trends and impacts of climate change in Kailali District, Far West Nepal. Int. J. Environ., 2015, 4, 62–76.

ID: 64258
Title: Ex situ evaluation on genetic diversity of indigenous taro landraces in North East India
Author: A. Thirugnanavel, Bidyut C. Deka , Tasvina R. Borah , G. Rajesha , Lily Rangnamei and Naksungla Walling
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 (6) 748-753 (2023)
Subject: Ex situ evaluation on genetic diversity of indigenous taro landraces in North East India
Keywords: Colocasia esculenta, correlation, descriptive statistics, genetic diversity, landraces.
Abstract: In this study, 110 taro landraces were characterized using 19 quantitative traits. Statistical tools like descriptive statistics, Shannon–Wiener diversity index, principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were used to evaluate diversity. Descriptive statistics showed significant variation among the landraces for the 19 quantitative traits studied. The highest coefficient of variation was found in the yield, number of suckers, leaf width and total oxalate. The corm length (H′ – 1.06) and starch content (H′ – 1.20) had the highest Shannon–Wiener diversity index. PCA resulted in seven principal components (PCs), which explain 70.65% of the total variation. PC1 was mainly associated with plant height, leaf length, leaf width, petiole length and plant spread. PC2 was associated with yield, moisture content, corm length and total oxalate. PC3 was associated with dry matter content and disease index. The cluster analysis using the weighted neighbor-joining method resulted in five major clusters based on geographical location. Cluster IV had a maximum of 54 landraces, and cluster III had a minimum of five landraces. The present study, which identified high genetic diversity and plant height, number of suckers, leaf length, leaf width, corm length, yield, total oxalate content and disease index, can be useful in taro varietal improvement programmes.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Revill, P. A. et al., Incidence and distribution of viruses of taro (Colocasia esculenta) in Pacific Island countries. Australas. Plant Pathol., 2005, 34, 327–331. Matthews, P. J., A possible tropical wild type taro (Colocasia esculenta var. aquatilis). Indo Pac. Prehist. Assoc. Bull., 1991, 11, 69–81.
Literature cited 2: Balagopalan, C., Nayar, T. V. R., Sundaresan, S., Premkumar, T. and Lakshmi, K. R., Tropical Tuber Crops in Food Security and Nutrition, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, 1999. Singh, S., Singh, D. R., Faseela, F., Kumar, N., Damodaran, V. and Srivastava, R. C., Diversity of 21 taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) accessions of Andaman Islands. Genet. Resour. Crop Evol., 2012, 59(5), 821–829.

ID: 64257
Title: Application of micro-computed tomography to decipher deposition and flocking patterns of clogging material on cylindrical drip emitters
Author: Venkata Ramamohan Ramachandrula, and Ramamohan Reddy Kasa
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 (6) 738-747 (2023)
Subject: Application of micro-computed tomography to decipher deposition and flocking patterns of clogging material on cylindrical drip emitters
Keywords: Anti-clogging performance, drip emitter, flocking patterns, geometry optimization, micro-computed tomography
Abstract: Five sets of cylindrical drip emitters used for up to five years in the farmlands were scanned using micro-computed tomography. Around 54.46–94.52% of the total clogging material on the emitters was found on the active outlet areas that facilitate delivery of water by the emitters. Also, larger flocks of the clogging material were found on the outlet areas. Emitter geometric features, viz. width of flow path, dent angle and boundary curvature were observed to influence the extent of physical and chemical clogging. Any attempt to design an anti-clogging emitter may necessarily include optimization of active outlets
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Kirnak, H., Dogan, E., Demir, S. and Yalcin, S., Determination of hydraulic performance of trickle irrigation emitters used in irrigation systems in the Harran plain. Turk. J. Agric. For., 2004, 28, 223– 230. Patil, S. S., Nimbalkar, P. T. and Joshi, A., Hydraulic study, design and analysis of different geometries of drip irrigation emitter labyrinth. Int. J. Eng. A
Literature cited 2: Kusre, B. C. and Liansangpuii, F., Assessment of hydraulic performance of drip emitters for adoption in hilly terrain of north-eastern region of India. Irrig. Drain., 2016, 65(4), 469–479. Mostafa, H. and Sultan, W., Hydraulic evaluation of locally modified emitter under laboratory conditions. J. Water Supply: Res. Technol.-Aqua., 2018, 67(3), 291–296.

ID: 64256
Title: Mathematical modelling and standardization of technology for the production of bael fruit powder
Author: S. V. Anadani, S. H. Akbari, Navneet Kumar , Amee Ravani and Jignesh Gondaliya
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 (6) 730-737 (2023)
Subject: Mathematical modelling and standardization of technology for the production of bael fruit powder
Keywords: Antioxidant activity, bael pulp, mathematical modelling, thin layer drying, total phenol content.
Abstract: In this study, pulp from ripe bael fruits was dried in the open sun, solar, greenhouse and hot air (50°C, 60°C, 70°C and 80°C) at three levels of thickness (2, 4 and 6 mm). Maximum antioxidant activity of 107.62 and 108.09 mg/ 100 g, total phenol content of 41.95 and 43.79 mg/100 g and overall acceptability scores (8.33 and 8.11) were found in bael powder dried using natural (greenhouse) and mechanical (50°C) drying methods respectively, with 2 mm of pulp thickness. The Page model was found to be the best fitted for drying bael pulp.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Neeraj, Bisht, V. and Johar, V., Bael (Aegle marmelos), extraordinary species of India: a review. Int. J. Curr. Microbiol. Appl. Sci., 2017, 6, 1870–1887. Patkar, A., Desai, N., Ranage, A. and Kalekar, K., A review on Aegle marmelos: a potential medicinal tree. Int. Res. J. Pharm., 2012, 3, 86–91.
Literature cited 2: Sharma, P. C., Bhatia, V., Bansal, N. and Sharma, A., A review on bael tree. Nat. Prod. Radiance, 2007, 6, 171–178. Roy, S. K. and Singh, R. N., Studies on utilization of bael fruit for processing-II: Extraction of bael fruit pulp. Indian Food Packer, 1979, 33, 5–9.

ID: 64255
Title: Performance of advanced machine learning models in the prediction of amylose content in rice using internet of things-based colorimetric sensor
Author: Shrinivas Deshpande, Udaykumar Nidoni , Sharanagouda Hiregoudar , K. T. Ramappa , Devanand Maski and Nagaraj Naik
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 (6) 722-730 (2023)
Subject: Performance of advanced machine learning models in the prediction of amylose content in rice using internet of things-based colorimetric sensor
Keywords: Amylose content, artificial intelligence, machine learning, mathematical modelling, rice.
Abstract: Rice ageing is a complicated process that is difficult to examine methodically. Several physicochemical properties of rice change with age as a function of moisture content and storage temperature. Among these qualities, amylose content is the most important and numerous metrics depend on it. Several sensors, Internet of Things, Information and Communication Technology, artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) approaches are being used in technological interventions to tackle this problem. In the present study, seven advanced ML models were evaluated to classify the different concentrations of amylose using light-intensity data obtained by the novel colorimetric amylose sensor. From the performance of the evaluated ML models, it was observed that for the light intensity dataset obtained from the sensor, higher and similar model parameters and an accuracy value of 0.77 were observed for both artificial neural network (ANN) and k-nearest neighbour (KNN) algorithms, followed by accuracy values of 0.75, 0.74, 0.65, 0.61 and 0.61 respectively, for the decision tree, random forest, AdaBoost, logistic regression and support vector machine algorithms. Thus ANN and KNN are promising in predicting the different classes of amylose in rice.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Perez, C. M. and Juliano, B. O., Texture changes and storage of rice. J. Texture Stud., 1981, 12(1), 321–333. Faruq, G., Prodhan, Z. H. and Nezhadahmadi, A., Effects of ageing on selected cooking quality parameters of rice. Int. J. Food Prop., 2015, 18(4), 922–933.
Literature cited 2: Zhou, Z., Robards, K., Helliwell, S. and Blanchard, C., Ageing of stored rice: changes in chemical and physical attributes. J. Cereal Sci., 2001, 35(1), 65–78. Devraj, L., Natarajan, V., Ramachandran, S. V., Manicakam, L. and Saravanan, S., Accelerated aging by microwave heating and methods to distinguish aging of rice. J. Food Process Eng., 2020, 43(6), 13405–13415.

ID: 64254
Title: Effect of interannual rainfall variability and distribution on growth and yield of kharif onion cultivars in India
Author: A. Thangasamy, Pranjali A. Gedam, P. S. Soumia, Sourav Ghosh, V. Karuppaiah, Vijay Mahajan and Major Singh
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 (6) 713-721 (2023)
Subject: Effect of interannual rainfall variability and distribution on growth and yield of kharif onion cultivars in India
Keywords: Bulb yield, kharif onion cultivars, leaf area index, plant growth period, rainfall intensity.
Abstract: Four-year field experiments were conducted to assess the effect of interannual rainfall variability and distribution on the plant growth parameters and yield five kharif onion cultivars, viz. Bhima Super, Bhima Dark Red, Agrifound Dark Red, Arka Kalyan and Phule Samarth. Each cultivar was replicated six times. The plant growth parameters and yield were recorded during the plant growth period. The results showed that rainfall received 30–60 days after transplanting substantially and negatively affected the plant growth parameters and bulb yield of all the cultivars during the high-rainfall years while increasing onion bulb rotting losses. Bhima Super and Bhima Dark Red produced significantly higher marketable bulb yields throughout the experimental period. Hence these two cultivars can be successfully cultivated during the kharif season. However, they produced 44.5–63.6% lower yield during the high-rainfall than the low-rainfall years. This indicates that the yield of kharif onion cultivars could be further increased through improved management practices.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC (accessed on 1 November 2022). Thangasamy, A. and Singh, M., Kharif onion production technology: for uninterrupted supply of onion and price stabilization. Technical Folder Number 33, ICAR-Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research, Pune, 2020, pp. 1–5.
Literature cited 2: Mohanta, S., Mandal, J. and Dhakre, D. S., Growth of kharif onion (Allium cepa L.) in response to planting dates and cultivars. HortFlora Res. Spectr., 2017, 6(4), 262–267. Abewoy, D., Review on impacts of climate change on vegetable production and its management practices. Adv. Crop Sci. Technol., 2018, 6(1), 330; doi:10.4172/2329-8863.1000330.

ID: 64253
Title: Deciphering tropical tree communities using earth observation data and machine learning
Author: Rahul Bodh, Hitendra Padalia, Divesh Pangtey , Ishwari Datt Rai, Subrata Nandy and C. Sudhakar Reddy
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 (6) 704-712 (2023)
Subject: Deciphering tropical tree communities using earth observation data and machine learning
Keywords: Biodiversity, canopy height, machine learning, remote sensing, tropical forest
Abstract: Publicly available EO datasets offer new possibilities to generate biodiversity information at the community composition level, an essential biodiversity variable, beyond forest type. We demonstrated the potential of Sentinel-2, GEDI LiDAR canopy height and ALOSDEM in discriminating and classifying tropical tree communities in the Western Himalayas, India. For this, tree communities were first identified based on the ordination of field data and subsequently classified using satellite data applying machine learning, i.e. random forest (RF). From the three forest types in the study area, eight distinct tree communities were identified for which classification accuracy increased from single date (75.17%) to multi-date images (85.33%) and further by applying feature selection (88.17%). Whereas the best classification accuracy of 94.66% was achieved when canopy height and topographic variables were also considered. The findings suggest that RF is suitable for mapping tree communities by combining Sentinel-2 with GEDI and DEM parameters.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Giam, X., Global biodiversity loss from tropical deforestation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2017, 114, 5775–5777. Barlow, J. et al., Anthropogenic disturbance in tropical forests can double biodiversity loss from deforestation. Nature, 2016, 535, 144–147.
Literature cited 2: Imai, N. et al., Tree community composition as an indicator in biodiversity monitoring of REDD+. For. Ecol. Manage., 2014, 313, 169–179. Ferrier, S., Mapping spatial pattern in biodiversity for regional conservation planning: where to from here? Syst. Biol., 2002, 51, 331–363.

ID: 64252
Title: Hybrid assimilation on a parameter-calibrated model to improve the prediction of heavy rainfall events during the Indian summer monsoon.
Author: Sandeep Chinta, V. S. Prasad and C. Balaji
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 (6) 693-703 (2023)
Subject: Hybrid assimilation on a parameter-calibrated model to improve the prediction of heavy rainfall events during the Indian summer monsoon.
Keywords: Heavy rainfall events, hybrid assimilation, numerical weather model, parameter calibration, summer monsoon
Abstract: Heavy rainfall events during the Indian summer monsoon cause landslides and flash floods resulting in a significant loss of life and property every year. The exactness of the model physics representation and initial conditions is critical for accurately predicting these events using a numerical weather model. The values of parameters in the physics schemes influence the accuracy of model prediction; hence, these parameters are calibrated with respect to observation data. The present study examines the influence of hybrid data assimilation on a parameter-calibrated WRF model. Twelve events during the period 2018–2020 were simulated in this study. Hybrid assimilation on the WRF model significantly reduced the model prediction error of the variables: rainfall (18.04%), surface air temperature (7.91%), surface air pressure (5.90%) and wind speed at 10 m (27.65%) compared to simulations with default parameters without assimilation.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Singh, D., Ghosh, S., Roxy, M. K. and McDermid, S., Indian summer monsoon: extreme events, historical changes, and role of anthropogenic forcings. Wiley Interdiscip. Rev.: Climate Change, 2019, 10(2), e571. Dash, S. K., Kulkarni, M. A., Mohanty, U. C. and Prasad, K., Changes in the characteristics of rain events in India. J. Geophys. Res.: Atmosp., 2009, 114(D10)
Literature cited 2: Pattanaik, D. R. and Rajeevan, M., Variability of extreme rainfall events over India during southwest monsoon season. Meteorol. Appl., 2010, 17(1), 88–104. Bjerknes, V., Hesselberg, T. and Devik, O., Dynamic Meteorology and Hydrography2. Kinematics. Number v. 2 in Publication, Carnegie Inst., 1911.

ID: 64251
Title: Climate change impacts on crop–weed interaction and herbicide efficacy
Author: D. Sreekanth, D. V. Pawar, J. S. Mishra and V. S. G. R. Naidu
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 (6) 686-692 (2023)
Subject: Climate change impacts on crop–weed interaction and herbicide efficacy
Keywords: Carbon dioxide concentration, climate change, crop–weed interaction, elevated temperature, herbicide efficacy, weed flora shift.
Abstract: Weeds are likely to show more resilience and adaptation to rising carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and temperature than crops because of their diverse gene pool and greater physiological plasticity. In agroecosystems, C3 and C4 plants exhibit varied responses to elevated CO2 (eCO2) and temperature (eTem), which can impact the crop–weed competition and efficacy of herbicides. Most C3 plants respond positively to eCO2 by increasing their photosynthetic rate and biomass production. Weeds compete with crops for nutrients, water and light, and considerably reduce yield and quality of the produce. Hence more attention is needed on crop–weed interaction and management under changing climate to ensure sustainable agricultural production. This study emphasizes on the impacts of climate change on crop–weed interaction, herbicide efficacy and weed flora shift, and also highlights the research gaps for further studies.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Patterson, D. T., Weeds in a changing climate. Weed Sci., 1995, 43(4), 685–700. https://www.co2.earth/daily-co2 (accessed on 6 November 2022).
Literature cited 2: Schellnhuber, H. J., Global warming: stop worrying, start panicking? Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2008, 105(38), 14239–14240. IPCC, Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Secretariat, Geneva, Switzerland, 2007, p. 986.