ID: 62425
Title: Understanding the impact of future climatic scenarios upon key environmental factors that determine piscine assemblage of a torrential upland river of Eastern Himalayas, India
Author: Soumyadip Panja, Anupam Podder and Sumit Homechaudhuri
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (9) 1471-1481 (2021)
Subject: Understanding the impact of future climatic scenarios upon key environmental factors that determine piscine assemblage of a torrential upland river of Eastern Himalayas, India
Keywords: Climate change, Eastern Himalayas, torrential river, piscine assemblage, environmental factors.
Abstract: Small-scale freshwater reaches would be affected prior to changing climatic scenarios in the coming days.
This study aims to build a profile of climate-change impact for the key environmental factors related to the fish assemblage of a small-scale upland river (Murti) in the Eastern Himalayas, India. In the coming future, climate change will lead to increased water current, acidity, pH, riparian quality and NDVI for this freshwater reach. At the same time, decreasing trend of shelter availability and substrate coarseness
are projected from the same. River width seems to be less affected, but the whole watershed will experience loss of spatial heterogeneity with regard to these factors.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Parmesan, C. and Yohe, G., A globally coherent fingerprint of climate change impacts across natural systems. Nature, 2003, 421(6918), 37
Walther, G.-R. et al., Ecological responses to recent climate change. Nature, 2002, 416(6879), 389
Literature cited 2: Crowley, T. J., The geologic record of climatic change. Rev. Genopsys., 1983, 21(4), 828–877
Firth, P. and Fisher, S. G., Global Climate Change and Freshwater Ecosystems, Springer Science & Business Media, New York, 2012
ID: 62424
Title: Regional disparity in summer monsoon precipitation in the Indian subcontinent during Northgrippian to Meghalayan transition
Author: Som Dutt, Anil K. Gupta, Rahul Devrani, Ram R. Yadav and Raj K. Singh
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (9) 1449-1457 (2021)
Subject: Regional disparity in summer monsoon precipitation in the Indian subcontinent during Northgrippian to Meghalayan transition
Keywords: Indian summer monsoon, Indus civilization, Late Holocene, 4.2 ka event, Meghalayan age
Abstract: The present study reveals distinct spatial variability of summer monsoon precipitation in Indian subcontinent
during Northgrippian to Meghalayan transition. Protracted dry phase lasting ~1000 yrs was observed ~4.2 ka BP in southern and northwestern India whereas
200–300 yrs event occurred in northeastern parts. Strong El Niño conditions beginning ~4.3 kyr BP were associated with the millennial long dryness in western
parts but its influence was limited in the eastern region. Cross-verified, high-resolution records from different geographic regions of India are still required to ascertain if regional differences occurred in span and magnitude during Northgrippian to Meghalayan transition
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Banerji, U. S., Arulbalaji, P. and Padmalal, D., Holocene climate variability and Indian Summer Monsoon: an overview. The Holocene, 2020, 30(5), 744–773.
Misra, P., Tandon, S. K. and Sinha, R., Holocene climate records from lake sediments in India: Assessment of coherence across climate zones. Earth-Sci. Rev., 2019, 190, 370–397.
Literature cited 2: Gupta, A. K., Anderson, D. M. and Overpack, J. T., Abrupt changes in the Asian southwest monsoon during the Holocene and
their links to the North Atlantic Ocean. Nature, 2003, 421, 354–357.
Dutt, S., Gupta, A. K., Clemens, S. C., Cheng, H., Singh, R. K.,Kathayat, G. and Edwards, R. L., Abrupt changes in Indian summer monsoon strength during 33,800 to 5500 years BP. Geophys. Res. Lett., 2015, 42, 5526–5532.
ID: 62423
Title: Development of an urban flood model for Bengaluru city, Karnataka, India
Author: P. P. Mujumdar, M. S. Mohan Kumar, G. S. Sreenivasa Reddy, Shubha Avinash, Ila Chawla, G. S. Kaushika, Aisha Sharma, Saimy Davis, Tom Thomas, Claris Ann Thomas, Vanishri S. Jahagirdar, H. M. Arpitha, K. Parashuram and Anjan Kumar
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (9) 1441-1448 (2021)
Subject: Development of an urban flood model for Bengaluru city, Karnataka, India
Keywords: Disaster preparedness, flash floods, rainfall forecast, urban flood model, weather monitoring
Abstract: In the recent past, a steep increase in the frequency and intensity of flash floods in urban regions has resulted in significant damage to life and property, necessitating a holistic approach to address the problem. An integrated urban flood model for Bengaluru city, Karnataka, India has been developed with a modular approach, which includes real-time rainfall and weather monitoring, and a rainfall forecast system feeding into a comprehensive hydrologic flood model. An output management and information dissemination channel for timely disaster preparedness and response is integrated in the framework, with active involvement of the government. The framework and outcomes of the system are summarized and presented here.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Ramachandra, T. V. and Mujumdar, P. P., Urban floods: case study
of Bangalore. J. Disaster Dev., 2009, 3(2), 1–99.
Hebbar, R. et al., Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Lakes of Bengaluru
(S-TALAB), 2018
Literature cited 2: Ramachandra, T. V., Vinay, S. and Bharath H. Aithal, Frequent floods in Bangalore causes and remedial measures, ENVIS Technical Report 123, Environmental Information System, CES, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 2017.
Rajulapati, C. R., Gupta, H. and Mujumdar, P. P., Diurnal variability
of hydrological variables in urban areas. Urban Climate, 2020, 33,
100669
ID: 62422
Title: Recent trends in insecticide resistance research on whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae): a bibliometric profile
Author: S. Rajna, K. V. Praveen, M. Laneesha and S. S. Kelageri
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (9) 1433-1440 (2021)
Subject: Recent trends in insecticide resistance research on whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae): a bibliometric profile
Keywords: Bibliometric analysis, emerging trends, insecticide resistance, journal impact factor, research articles, whitefly.
Abstract: This study is a bibliometric analysis of insecticide resistance research on whitefly carried out globally from 2010 to 2020. The analysis is based on 1198 research articles identified using Web of Science tool, which is processed further using VOS viewer. The results show that there is an increase in the number of articles, particularly from countries like USA and China. Denholm Ian,
Liu Shu-Sheng and Xie Wen are identified as the most influential authors, and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Science in China, and the University of Florida and the University of Arizona in USA as key organizations. A total of 198 articles published during this period are highly cited. Pest Management Science and PLOS ONE are the important journals identified. The most common area of the research focus has been on the insecticide resistance of different whitefly species, and the status of resistance against different
insecticide compounds. Our findings can act as a useful reference for researchers and provide insights for directing future research on whitefly insecticide resistance that has potential implications for farming across the world.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Sundararaj, R. and Dubey, A., Species diversity of whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Western Ghats, India. In Invertebrate Diversity and Conservation in the Western Ghats (eds Priyadarsanan, D. et al.), Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bengaluru, 2019, pp. 225–234
Anjum, H. and Ahmed, S. I., An updated and consolidated review on Indian aleyrodids fauna (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae: Insecta)
along with their host plant families and distributional records. Rec. Zool. Surv. India, 2019, 119(4), 381–417.
Literature cited 2: Martin, J. H. and Mound, L. A., An annotated check list of the world’s whiteflies (Insecta: Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Zootaxa,
2007, 1492(1), 1–84.
Taquet, A., Delatte, H., Barrès, B., Simiand, C., Grondin, M. and Jourdan‐Pineau, H., Insecticide resistance and fitness cost in
Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) invasive and resident species in La Réunion Island. Pest Manage. Sci., 2020, 76(4),
1235–1244.
ID: 62421
Title: Big questions in geoscience and challenges for the geoscience community
Author: Rasoul Sorkhabi
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (9) 1426-1432 (2021)
Subject: Big questions in geoscience and challenges for the geoscience community
Keywords: Big questions, geoscience education, geoscience workforce, research and development, survey.
Abstract: Geoscience is relatively underrated in our public education. Public perception of big questions in science is often related to cosmology and physics. However, geoscience deals with its own big questions and offers a body of knowledge that directly benefits society. Twenty areas of significant questions, challenges and opportunities in geoscience articulated in a survey of 136 geoscientists are reported here. Global warming and the petroleum industry top the list. Prediction and mitigation of natural hazards, especially big earthquakes and explosive volcanoes, tackling environmental degradation and pollution of various types, as well as exploration of rare earth metals and
energy minerals essential to everyday life are among the practical topics of study. Some of the big questions pertain to the most distant geologic past – Hadean and Eo-Archean times (4.5–3.5 Ga) – during which the primitive Earth’s internal structure, crust, atmosphere, oceans and biosphere were formed. Other questions concern those physical parts of the Earth – the mantle and the core –that are not directly accessible to us. Geoscience is far from integrating crustal phenomena and
plate tectonics with the dynamics, heterogeneities and evolution of the mantle. Causes of paleoclimate changes and mass extinctions, and the relationships between these two remain fertile fields
of research. Extraterrestrial influences such as lunar gravitational stresses and meteorite impacts should be better integrated into Earth system science. Many of the big questions in geoscience are multidisciplinary and require various methods and big data analytics.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Maddox, J., What Remains to Be Discovered? Meeting the Secrets
of the Universe, the Origins of Life, and the Future of Human Race, Simon & Schuster, New York, USA, 1998.
Rudwick, M. S., Earth’s Deep History, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA, 2014
Literature cited 2: Valdiya, K. S., The tragedy of being a geologist. Curr. Sci., 2012, 102, 581–589
IPCC, Fifth Assessment Report, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014; https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/syr/
ID: 62420
Title: Suggestions for a course on environment and social hydrology for hydrologists
Author: Sharad K. Jain and Paritosh C. Tyagi
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (8) 1423-1425 (2021)
Subject: Suggestions for a course on environment and social hydrology for hydrologists
Keywords: Environment, social hydrology, hydrologists
Abstract: Our ancient scriptures had included water among the five key elements in nature, recognizing the central role that it has in life. Leonardo da Vinci, the famous scholar, artist and engineer has stated that ‘water is the driving force of all nature’. Clearly, when we deal with water systems, we are directly or indirectly interacting with a facet of nature.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: WCD, Dams and development: a new
framework for decision-making. Report of
the World Commission on Dams, 2000.
http://www.futuredams.org/the-world-commission-on-dams-20-years-on/
Sivapalan, M. et al., Earth’s Future, 2014,
2, 225–230; doi:10.1002/2013EF000164.
Literature cited 2: Madani, K. and Shafiee-Jood, M., Water,
2020, 12, 1941; doi:10.3390/w12071941.
Ward, A. D., Trimble, S. W., Burckhard, S.
R. and Lyon, J. G., Environmental Hydrology, CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA, 2015,
3rd edn.
ID: 62419
Title: Food plasticity for mating and reproductive success in Propylea dissecta (Mulsant) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
Author: Priya Singh, Geetanjali Mishra and Omkar
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (8) 1388-1392 (2021)
Subject: Food plasticity for mating and reproductive success in Propylea dissecta (Mulsant) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
Keywords: Fecundity, food supply, ladybird, reproduction, viability
Abstract: Food supply at each life stage is of prime importance that determines the organism’s fitness and also influences individual’s reproductive performance and development. In this contest, we assessed the interactive effect of both larval and adult food regimes in Propylea dissecta (Mulsant) individuals. For this, egg batches were randomly selected and hatched larvae
(larval diet) were reared into two food regimes, abundant (A) and scarce (S) till pupation. Post-emergence (adult stage) the ladybird beetles of each food regime
were divided into two groups, abundant and scarce and at the age of 10 days adults were paired in all possible combinations. The results showed that individuals that were reared on abundant food mated for
longer and showed higher reproductive output than other individuals. The adults provided with scarce and abundant food regime both irrespective of life stages
showed similar mating durations and reproductive output. Food supply at larval and adult stages in both sexes plays important role in determining the repro
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Jervis, M. A. and Ferns, P. N., The timing of egg maturation in insects: ovigeny index and initial egg load as measures of fitness
and of resource allocation. Oikos, 2004, 107(3), 449–461.
Boggs, C. L. and Freeman, K. D., Larval food limitation in butterflies: effects on adult resource allocation and fitness. Oecologia,
2005, 144, 353–361.
Literature cited 2: Geister, T. L., Lorenz, M. W., Hoffmann, K. H. and Fischer, K., Adult nutrition and butterfly fitness: effects of diet quality on reproductive output, egg composition, and egg hatching success. Front. Zool., 2008, 5, 10.
Auer, S. K., Arendt, J. D., Chandramouli, R. and Reznick, D. N., Juvenile compensatory growth has negative consequences for reproduction in Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Ecol. Lett., 2010, 13, 998–1007
ID: 62418
Title: Insights into the petrogenesis of depleted mantle dunite from the central part of the Nagaland–Manipur Ophiolites, Northeast India
Author: A. Krishnakanta Singh, S. Khogenkumar, Santosh Kumar, L. Romendro Singh and S. S. Thakur
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (8) 1381-1388 (2021)
Subject: Insights into the petrogenesis of depleted mantle dunite from the central part of the Nagaland–Manipur Ophiolites, Northeast India
Keywords: Geochemistry, dunite, forearc, ophiolite, petrogenesis, supra-subduction.
Abstract: This communication presents results of mineral and whole-rock geochemistry of rarely occurred dunites in the central part of the Nagaland–Manipur Ophiolites (NMO), Northeast India, and discusses their genesis and tectonic evolution. These rocks are characterized by low concentration of average CaO (0.58 wt%), Al2O3 (0.42 wt%) and ΣREE (1.24 ppm), but high Mg# (0.91–0.92) and Cr# (0.61–0.73) values in chromian
spinels. They exhibit a U-shaped REE pattern depleted in MREEs, which is equivalent to dunite
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Miyashiro, A., The Troodos ophiolitic complex was probably formed in island arc. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 1973, 19, 218–224.
Pearce, J. A., Alabaster, T., Shelton, A. W. and Searle, M. P., The Oman ophiolite as a Cretaceous arc-basin complex: evidence and implications. In Extensional Tectonics Associated with Convergent Plate Boundaries: A Royal Society Discussion (eds Vine, F. J. and Smith, A. G.), Royal Society of London, UK, 1981, pp. 299–317.
Literature cited 2: Portnyagin, M. V., Danyushevsky, L. V. and Kemenetsky, V. S., Coexistence of two distinct mantle sources during formation of
ophiolites: a case study of primitive pillow-lavas from the lowest part of the volcanic section of the Troodos ophiolite, Cyprus. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., 1997, 128, 287–301.
Saccani, E., Beccaluva, L., Coltorti, M. and Siena, F., Petrogenesis and tectono-magmatic significance of the Albanide–Hellenide ophiolites. Ofioliti, 2004, 29, 77–95
ID: 62417
Title: Nutritional evaluation and storage stability of popped pearl millet bar
Author: Ritu Singh, Karuna Singh and Manjeet Singh Nain
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (8) 1374-1381 (2021)
Subject: Nutritional evaluation and storage stability of popped pearl millet bar
Keywords: Free fatty acid, nutritional analysis, peroxide value, popped pearl millet bar, sensory evaluation, storage.
Abstract: The study was aimed at making the pearl millet available in ready-to-eat form to people with some enhanced nutritional and storage properties. A bar was developed through popping processing using pearl
millet as main ingredient. It was formulated using dry raw materials (popped pearl millet, popped amaranth, puffed Bengal gram, flax seeds, sunflower seeds and
raisins), and agglutinative ingredients (sugar and carboxyl methyl cellulose). The developed bar was evaluated for proximate composition, nutritional quality,
as well as change in moisture, water activity (aw), free fatty acids and peroxide value, textural and sensory attributes, and total microbial load during storage under ambient conditions (25 ± 28.0°C and 65 ± 10% RH) after packaging in high density polyethylene and metalized-polyester polyethylene pouches for 3 months. The developed bar was found to have 10.84%
protein, 4.39% fat and 6.45% dietary fiber. The minerals and vitamins like calcium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc estimated, were: 58.70, 215.65, 3.17 and 5.13 mg/ 100 g respectively. The metallized pouch film was
found suitable for packing popped pearl millet bars with respect to its stability and acceptability, and the product remained chemically and microbiologically safe and stable during entire storage. The development of composite bar using low cost, locally available ingredients were nutri dense and a convenient snack for children and adults.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Satyavathi, C. T., Praveen, S., Mazumdar, S., Chugh, L. K. and Kawatra, A., Enhancing demand of pearl millet as super rain current status and way forward. ICAR-All India Coordinated Research Project on Pearl Millet, Jodhpur, 2017
Onyango, C. A., Ochanda, S. O., Mwasaru, M. A., Ochieng, J. K., Mathooko, F. M. and Kinyuru, J. N., Effects of malting and fermentation on anti-nutrient reduction and protein digestibility of red sorghum, white sorghum and pearl millet. J. Food Res., 2013,2(1), 41–49
Literature cited 2: Sade, F. O., Proximate, anti-nutritional factors and functional properties of processed pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum). J. Food Technol., 2009, 7(3), 92–97.
Malleshi, N. G. and Desikachar, H. S. R., Varietal difference in puffing quality of ragi (Eleusine coracana). J. Food Sci. Technol.,
1981, 18, 30–32
ID: 62416
Title: Does recently invaded fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda displace native lepidopteran pests of maize in India?
Author: J. Divya, C. M. Kalleshwaraswamy, H. B. Mallikarjuna and Sharanabasappa Deshmukh
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (8) 1358-1367 (2021)
Subject: Does recently invaded fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda displace native lepidopteran pests of maize in India?
Keywords: Fall armyworm, lepidopteran pests, intraguild competition, species displacement
Abstract: Competitions are common among interacting species for resources or space. In India, recently invaded fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) has to compete with native lepidopterans to
become successful in an exotic environment. Invasive
FAW and native pink stem borer (PSB), Sesamia inference belong to the same feeding guild, and hence they
are intraguild competitors. FAW is an aggressive pest and is known to have a cannibalism/predation habit
and hence a good model system to study the ecological interactions. The present study examined the incidence of different lepidopteran pests in maize fields
for three years after the recent invasion. Incidence of FAW increased over the years compared to other lepidopteran pests. Laboratory and field intraguild competition studies were conducted to understand the
survival and fitness of FAW and PSB larvae under different competition scenarios. Our study demonstrated that survival of FAW was reduced in intraspecific as compared to interspecific competition. However, survival of PSB was significantly reduced in interspecific competition due to intraguild predation by FAW. Fitness cost analysis of PSB pupae survived in competition with FAW larvae indicated that they were negatively affected with reduced pupal weight. Low field incidence of PSB and its lowest survival in the presence of intraguild competitor, i.e., FAW prove that PSB might get displaced from the maize ecosystem in the near future.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Gao, Y. and Reitz, S. R., Emerging themes in our understanding
of species displacements. Annu. Rev. Entomol., 2017, 62, 165–183.
Reitz, S. R. and Trumble, J. T., Competitive displacement among
insects and arachnids. Annu. Rev. Entomol., 2002, 47, 435–465
Literature cited 2: Williamson, M., Biological Invasions, Chapman and Hall, UK,
1996, p. 244.
Sakai, A. K. et al., The population biology of invasive species.
Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst., 2001, 32, 305–332
ID: 62415
Title: Measuring technical efficiency and frontier intervention for farm machinery manufacturers using slacks-based data envelopment analysis
Author: Manoj Kumar, M. B. Tamhankar, Sandip Mandal, V. Bhushana Babu and Bikram Jyoti
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (8) 1350-1357 (2021)
Subject: Measuring technical efficiency and frontier intervention for farm machinery manufacturers using slacks-based data envelopment analysis
Keywords: Data envelopment analysis, farm machinery, frontier intervention, manufacturers, technical efficiency.
Abstract: The objective of this study is to estimate technical efficiency of farm machinery manufacturers in Central India. The statistical test for the presence of technical
inefficiency has been performed using stochastic frontier production model. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) has been used to identify existing returns to scale in farm machinery manufacturing units. The slacks-based DEA has been used to estimate input excess and output shortfall in the manufacturing system.
Results indicate that out of the total variation, 69% was due to technical inefficiency in the manufacturing
system, whereas 31% was due to stochastic errors. The estimated radius of stability was varied from 0 to 1.74 and the classification (efficient and inefficient manufacturers) was found robust against data alteration within the estimated radius of stability. The results
showed that a manufacturer has to increase annual turnover by INR 40.7 million to become efficient.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Charnes, A., Cooper, W. W. and Rhodes, E., Measuring the efficiency of decision-making units. Eur. J. Oper. Res., 1978, 2(6),
429–444
Cooper, W. W., Seiford, L. M. and Zhu, J., Data envelopment analysis: history, models, and interpretations. In Handbook on Data Envelopment Analysis, Springer, Boston, MA, 2011.
Literature cited 2: Tone, K., A slacks-based measure of efficiency in data envelopment analysis. Eur. J. Oper. Res., 2001, 130(3), 498–509
Mehta, C. R., Chandel, N. S. and Senthilkumar, T., Status, challenges and strategies for farm mechanization in India. Agric.
Mech. Asia, Africa, Latin America, 2014, 45(4), 43–50
ID: 62414
Title: Quantifying carbon sequestration potential of soils in an agro-ecological region scale
Author: K. Rajan1, P. Raja, D. Dinesh, Sanjeev Kumar, B. P. Bhatt, U. Surendran, Deo Karan and B. P. Bhaskar
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (8) 1334-1341 (2021)
Subject: Quantifying carbon sequestration potential of soils in an agro-ecological region scale
Keywords: Agro-ecological region, cropping systems, organic carbon stock, recent alluvium, soil quality.
Abstract: Soil potential to store organic carbon was assessed in the hot sub-humid dry Agro-Ecological Region (AER) of the Indo-Gangetic Plains under Recent alluvium of southern Bihar, India. The study was carried out in four prevailing cropping systems, viz. Rice–Wheat–Fallow (R–W–F), Pearl millet–Wheat–Fallow (P–W–F), pigeon pea (monoculture) and vegetable cultivation. Two different recovery factors were used to estimate Total Organic Carbon (TOC), which yielded similar results. The Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) was found highest in pigeon pea-grown soils (69.2 tones ha–1) followed by R–W–F (56.2 tonnes ha–1) and vegetable cultivation (55.8 tonnes ha–1). The lowest SOC stock was found with P–W–F (19.2 tonnes ha–1). The differences in SOC stock between pigeon pea and that of rice–wheat, vegetables and pearl millet–wheat is 13.0, 13.4 and 50.0 t ha–1 respectively, that are the quantity of organic carbon can be sequestered further in these three lands uses from 47.71, 49.12 and 183.50 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere respectively. Highly significant positive correlation of soil qualities parameters such as available nitrogen (r2 = 0.25), copper (r2
= 0.45), zinc (r2 = 0.31) and dehydrogenase activity (r2 = 0.44) were found with SOC
stock under the hot, sub-humid, dry, AER of southern Bihar. Similar assessment can be done in any AER and the potential of soils can be identified to increase carbon sequestration from the atmosphere.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Hugelius, G., Strauss, J., Zubrzycki, S., Harden, J. W., Schuur, E. A. G. and Ping, C. L., Estimated stocks of circumpolar permafrost
carbon with quantified uncertainty ranges and identified data gaps. Bio geosciences, 2014, 11, 6573–6593.
Lindroth, A., Grelle, A. and Moren, A. S., Long-term measurements of boreal forest carbon balance reveal large temperature
sensitivity. Global Change Biol., 1998, 4, 443–450
Literature cited 2: Sjögersten, S. and Wookey, P. A., The impact of climate change
on ecosystem carbon dynamics at the Scandinavian mountain birch forest – Tundra Heath Ecotone. Ambio, 2009, 38, 1–1.
Jungqvist, G., Oni, S. K., Teutschbein, C. and Futter, M. N., Effects of climate change on soil temperature in Swedish boreal
forests. PLoS ONE, 2014, 9, e93957.
ID: 62413
Title: Transboundary insects of the current decade: potential of biological control in the Indian context
Author: S. Vennila, Shabistana Nisar and Puran Chandra
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (8) 1308-1314 (2021)
Subject: Transboundary insects of the current decade: potential of biological control in the Indian context
Keywords: Biological control, collaboration, conservation, transboundary insects.
Abstract: The second decade of the 21 century saw five insects, viz. cassava mealybug Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae), desert locust Schistocerca gregaria Forskål (Orthoptera: Acrididae), fall armyworm (FAW; Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), rugose spiraling whitefly, Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin (Hemiptera:
Aleyrodidae) and southern American pinworm Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) invading India having crossed international borders. While early warning system along with potential of testing Metarhizium acridum (Green Muscle™) through the Food and Agricultural Organization exists for desert locust, an early importation of parasitoid Anagyrus lopezi De-Santis (Hymenoptera:Encyrtidae) against cassava mealybug is the need of the hour. Documentation of versatile native parasitoids (9), predators (3) and pathogens (6) on FAW implies potential of
biological control through conservation and augmentative approaches in maize ecosystems. Fortuitous introduction of Encarsia guadeloupae Viggiani (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) in the late
nineties along with an invasive spiralling whitefly Aleurodicus dispersus offering successful biocontrol of rugose spiralling whitefly indicated long-term sustenance of parasitoids in perennial plantations. Nevertheless, the internally feeding invasive southern American pinworm in open fields and protected tomato cultivation need biological products as a component of integrated pest management. A quick response in terms of delimitation and eradication is anticipated for transboundary
insects and is only possible through establishment of an operational national digital reporting system with coordination and collaborations of not only all governmental and private stakeholders
of plant protection in India, but also forging cooperation at regional and international levels for timely and effective management of transboundary insects.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: NBAIR Pest Alert, Occurrence of cassava mealybug Phenacoccus
manihoti Matile-Ferrero in India. ICAR-NBAIR, Bengaluru, 2020.
https://www.nbair.res.in/index.php/node/1260.
Locust Watch, Desert locust archives, FAO, Rome, Italy, 2020.
http://www.fao.org/ag/locusts/en/archives/archive/index.html.
Literature cited 2: Kalleshwaraswamy, C. M., Asokan, R. and Mahadevaswamy, H.
M. M., First record of invasive fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on rice (Oryza sativa)
from India. J. Entomol. Zool. Stud., 2019, 7, 332–337.
Suby, S. B. et al., Invasion of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in India: nature, distribution, management and potential
impact. Curr. Sci., 2020, 119, 44–51.
ID: 62412
Title: Can crop diversification be widely adopted to solve the water crisis in Punjab?
Author: Shruti Bhogal and Kamal Vatta
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (8) 1303-1307 (2021)
Subject: Can crop diversification be widely adopted to solve the water crisis in Punjab?
Keywords: Agricultural sustainability, crop diversification, paddy, policy measures, water crisis
Abstract: The disquieting water crisis in Punjab – the food bowl of India – is threatening its agricultural sustainability, necessitating effectuation of pragmatic policy measures. Conventional agricultural practices, especially the paddy–wheat (highly water-intensive crops) cropping system, are Fuelling the growing water challenges. Large-scale crop diversification is being recommended by experts for the past four decades as one of the most potent solutions for attaining water and agricultural sustainability. Despite its merits, crop diversification in the state could not bear fruits and remains almost inconclusive. The present article collates empirical studies to ascertain handicaps associated with crop diversification in Punjab for framing an indefectible crop diversification policy. Such a policy cannot be implemented in isolation but requires multifaceted policy action with the Government playing a key role.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Baumgartner, T. and Pahl-Wostl, C., UN – Water and its role in global water governance. Ecol. Soc., 2013, 18(3), 3.
WWAP, The United Nations World Water Development Report,
Water for a sustainable world, UNESCO, Paris, 2015.
Literature cited 2: WWC, Sharing water, 8th World Water Forum, Brasilia 2018, World Water Council, Brazil, 2018.
Weigleb, V. and Bruns, A., What is driving the water-energy-food nexus? Discourses, knowledge, and politics of an emerging
resource governance concept. Front. Environ. Sci., 2018; https:// doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00128 (accessed on 19 September
2020)
ID: 62411
Title: The pathways to manage air pollution: an ontological assessment of the National Clean Air Programme 2019, India
Author: Munikrishnappa Anilkumar, Shwetmala Kashyap, Susanna G. Mitra, Devina Neogi, Arkalgud Ramaprasad, Anupama Sanjeev, Chetan Singai, S. D. Sreeganga and Nibras K. Thodika
Editor: S.K.Satheesh
Year: 2021
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES &EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 120 (8) 1295-1302 (2021)
Subject: The pathways to manage air pollution: an ontological assessment of the National Clean Air Programme 2019, India
Keywords: Air pollution, ontological assessment, National Clean Air Programme, 2019, India t
Abstract: Any system for managing air pollution is complex and calls for systematic and systemic policies. The air quality in different parts of India is changing due to the increase in population and changes in lifestyle. The consequent air pollution is affecting the health of the population, environment and economy.
Over the past five decades, significant advances in our understanding of air pollution through empirical and theoretical research on social and technical issues have
resulted in opportunities to understand and manage the complete system. Such a system should ideally manage the full lifecycle of generation, emission, propagation, filtration, absorption and elimination of air pollution. However, air pollution management has commonly focused on only a part of the problem based on the immediate requirements, thus missing the big picture. The challenge
is to address the problem systemically using a comprehensive framework of air pollution management.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Malone, D. W., Modeling air pollution control as a large scale, complex system. Socioecon. Plann. Sci., 1972, 6, 69–85.
Ganguli, A., Addressing the challenge of air pollution in India, World Health Organization, Geneva, 2015.
Literature cited 2: Ramaprasad, A. and Syn, T., Ontological meta – analysis and synthesis. Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst., 2015, 37, 138–153.
Ramaprasad, A. and Syn, T., Design thinking and evaluation using an ontology. In Design Science: Perspectives from Europe (eds
Helfert, M., Donnellan, B. and Kenneally, J.), Springer, Cham, 2014, pp. 63–74