039595   DEOTALE R D, JADHAV N D, PATIL S, BAVISKAR S, MADKE V S, KALAMKAR V (Agriculture Coll, Nagpur) : Efficasy of putrescine and IBA on biochemical and yield contributing parameters of black gram. J Soil Crop 2020, 29(2), 262-67.

In order to examine effects of different concentrations of growth regulators(putrescine and IBA) on biochemical and yield contributing parameters on black gram afield experiment was carried out in the Botany farm, College of Agriculture, Nagpur during2017-18. Foliar application of putrescine and IBA 25, 50, 75 and 100 ppm each was given at vegetative stage (25 and 40 DAS) and the data were taken at 25, 40 and 55 DAS coinciding with vegetative stage, flowering stage and before harvest stage. Application of putrescine and IBA enhanced biochemical parameters (viz.,) chlorophyll content, NPK content in leaves and protein content in grains, yield contributing charactersviz.,number of seeds pod-1,weight of 100 seeds, seed yield plant-1, plot-1 and ha-1. Analysis of data revealed that 100 ppm IBAconsidered as a most effective concentration in enhancing all biochemical and yield contributing parameters. But considering the B : C ratio two foliar sprays of 25 ppm IBAat25 and 40 DAS was found more effective and economical treatment with increased yield of30.47% having B:C ratio of 2.97 as compared to 2.54 in control.

2 tables, ref

039594   PRAVIN I A, SRIVIGNESH S, DURGADEVI D, SUBRAMANIAN K S, KRISHNAMOORTHY A S (Plant Pathology Dep, Centre for Plant Protection Studies, Coimbatore) : Respodip treatment with nano emulsion of hexanal to reduce the anthracnose disease of banana and extend its shelf-life. J Soil Crop 2020, 29(2), 256-61.

TBanana is an important crop that meets the economy and food security of many countries. Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichummusae(Berk & M.A. Curtis) an important post-harvest disease in banana causing huge economic drain. To manage this disease, several chemical fungicides are used so far and indiscrimate use had resulted in health and environmental concern which warrants an alternate method of biological control. Hexanal,a natural plant volatile compound was shown to extend the shelf life fruits by inhibiting the phospholipase enzyme D (PLD). In this study the antifungal activity of the hexanal was studied. Fresh bunches of GrandNaine banana fruits were harvested at 80 per cent maturity and then treated with two percent Nano emulsion of hexanal as Enhanced FreshnessFormulation (EFF) in the form of dip treatment. Dip treatment with EFF for 5 minutes effectively controlled the germination of the conidia and prevented the germ tube formation of the pathogen. The dip treated fruits remained green up to 12 days after treatment, while the control fruits (without EFF dip treatment) rot on 7th day. In addition, we observed that theEFF dip treated fruits showed enhanced lignification, which prevented the invasion of the pathogen. Moreover, the defense enzymes like poly phenol oxidase, phenylammonialyaseand catalase accumulation was higher up to 7^th day and gradually decreased. Thus, the hexanal in the form of EFF dip treatment for 5 minutes reduced the post-harvest disease anthracnose and extended the shelf life of banana variety Grand Naine up to 12 days by increased accumulation of defense enzymes.

4 tables, ref

039593   KUMAR M M, HEMALATHA M, JOSEPH M, NANDHINI R, RAJ M A (Agronomy Dep, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Killikulam) : Effect of enhanced N, P, K and Zn fertilizer levels on yield attributes, yield and economics of wet seeded rice under tamirabarani command area. J Soil Crop 2020, 29(2), 251-55.

A field experiment was conducted at Agricultural College and Research Institute,Killikulam, Tamilnadu, during Late Pishanam (December - March) of 2016-2017, to study the effect of enhanced N, P, K and Zn fertilizer levels on yield attributes, yield and economics of wet seeded rice under Tamirabarani command area. Among different treatments,application of 150 % recommended dose of N, P, K and Zn coupled with concurrent growing of green manure and its incorporation at 30 DAS (T9) resulted in higher yield attributesviz., number of productive tillers m-2, panicle length (cm), panicle weight (g), number of filled grains panicle-1, number of ill filled grains panicle-1, test grain weight (g), grain yield(kg ha-1), straw yield (kg ha-1) and net return, it was comparable with the application of 125%recommended dose of N, P, K and Zn coupled with concurrent growing of green manure and its in-situ incorporation at 30 DAS (T8). Highest B:C ratio was recorded with the treatmentT8 (Wet seeding with paddy cum dhaincha seeder + 125 % Recommended dose of N, P, K andZn).

3 tables, ref

039592   BANDOPADHYAY A, BHATTACHARYA S K, DAS N (Botany Dep, Barasat Govt. Coll, Kolkata - 700 124) : Biocontrol and growth promoting potential of eight pgpfs on jute and sunnhemp. J Soil Crop 2020, 29(2), 243-50.

Jute and sunn hemp, two important bast fibre crops in India suffer from diseases like stem and root rot caused by Macrophomina phaseolina and wilt caused by Fusariumudum, respectively which are economically imperative. Eight native fungal bioagents were screened for disease management and plant growth promoting ability in jute and sunn hemp.The fungal bioagents were assayed for antagonistic and growth promoting traits by standard protocols and finally evaluated for disease control and plant growth promotion in vivo under field condition. Biochemical characterization revealed that the bioagents were efficient in production of cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDE), siderophore, plant growth hormone and phosphorus solubilization. Five fungal isolates produced siderophores in varied amount differing in chemical nature. Aspergillus isolates didn’t produce IAA except AN27. Field evaluation of PGPFs for three years (2009-2012) on jute exposed that stem and root rot disease incidence in jute was significantly reduced (p=0.05) by A26 and increased plant biomass. Highest fibre yield was envisaged by JPG4. In sunn hemp, A. niger AN27 co-inoculated with Rhizobium Rjc2 significantly (p=0.05) controlled Fusarium wilt incidence, increased root nodulation, plant biomass and fibre yield. Therefore, the selected PGPFs can be utilized for pathogen suppression and growth promotion in jute and sunn hemp as well as their siderophore producing traits can be exploited in soil bioremediation for removal of toxic metals like arsenic in the affected adjoining areas of North 24 Parganas in West Bengal.

4 tables, ref

039591   EZUNG N K, JAMIR T (ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Nagaland - 797 106) : Study on growth, yield and economics in maize as influenced by different levels of nitrogen applied through vermicompost and spacing in hill areas of north east india. J Soil Crop 2020, 29(2), 236-242.

The experiment was carried out in the experimental farm of KVK, Kiphire, ICARfor NEH Region, Nagaland Centre during the kharif season of the year 2018. The experiment was laid out in “Factorial Randomised Block Design” with three replications. The treatments for the experiment consisted of four levels of nitrogen which were applied through vermicompost viz., Control (N₀), 50 % RD of N through vermicompost (N₁), 75 % RD of Nthrough vermicompost (N₂) and 100 % RD of N through vermicompost (N₃) and two spacing which were 75cm x 15 cm (S₁) and 75 cm x 25 cm (S₂). The results showed that application of100 % RD through vermicompost had significant effect on the growth and yield parameters as compared to rest of the treatments. The effect of spacing was also observed to be significant where it was found that 75 cm x 25 cm outperformed 75 cm x 15 cm spacing both in growth as well as in yield aspects. The economic analysis, however, revealed that though the combinationof 100 % RD of N through vermicompost and 75 cm x 25 cm obtained highest yield and net return, the combination of 75 % RD of N through vermicompost and 75cm x 25 cm showed better B:C ratio. Therefore, it can be concluded that application of 75 % RD of N through vermicompost and 75 cm x 25 cm spacing which resulted in highest B:C ratio may be considered for adoption by the farmers of Kiphire District.

4 tables, ref

039590   ZOHRY A A, OUDA S A (Crop Intensification Research Dep, Field Crops Research Institute, Giza, Egypt) : Intercropping systems for sugar beet to improve its land and water productivity. J Soil Crop 2020, 29(2), 218-226.

Intercropping is a technique of land utilization for maximizing production. Two field experiments were conducted in 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons to investigate the effect of intercropping onion, faba bean or chickpea on sugar beet yield under ridge widths of 0.6, 0.8and 1.20 m (raised beds), as well as on land and water equivalent ratios. The experimental design was split plots with four replicates, where ridge widths and intercropping systems were assigned to main and sub plots, respectively. The results indicated that there were significant differences between the yield of sole sugar beet and intercropped with any of the three crops. There was significant difference between 0.60, 0.80 m and raised beds on sugarbeet yield. The results also showed that sugar beet yield was reduced under the three intercropping systems, compared to sole yield. The highest sugar beet yield was obtained under onion intercropped with sugar beet system on raised beds, where the highest values of land and water equivalent ratios were obtained. In conclusion, onion intercropping with sugar beet on raised beds can attain the highest yields for both the crops. Furthermore, this system required the lowest applied irrigation amount and attained the highest land and water equivalent ratios.

11 tables, ref

039589   TAHA A M, SALEM A K, MEKHAILE N E G (Water Requirement and Field Irrigation Research Dep, Water and Environment Research Institute, Egypt, Email: ahmedtaha362@yahoo.com) : Maximizing land and water productivity of sudan-grass under sprinkler irrigation in sandy soil. J Soil Crop 2020, 29(2), 207-2017.

A field experiment was conducted at Ismailia Research Station (30^o 35' N latitude,30^o 26' E longitude, 20.0m above mean sea level), Egypt during the 2016 and 2017 growing seasons to study the effect of three irrigation treatments (125, 100 and 75%ETo) on forage yield and its attributes of Sudan-grass crop. The effects of irrigation levels on the amounts of applied irrigation water, water consumptive use, water productivity on forage yield and its components, as well as its yield quality were studied. Results indicated that distribution uniformity values were 76 and 78% in 1^st and 2^nd seasons, respectively. Average amounts of applied irrigation water under 125, 100, and 75% ETo irrigation levels treatment were 4450,3710 and 2980 m³ ha^-1, respectively. While the average water consumption were 3675, 2879and 2140 m3 ha-1, respectively. The percentages of saved water were 20 and 50% for the 100and 75 ETo, respectively as compared with the 125% ETo treatment. Average water use efficiency under 125, 100, and 75% ETo irrigation levels treatment values were 8.48, 7.76and 7.62 and water productivity values were 7.0, 6.02 and 5.48 respectively. Moreover, there was a significant effect of the tested irrigation levels on forage yield and quality, plant height, number of tillers plant^-1, number of leaves plant^-1, dry leave stem ratio and green yield, as well as yield quality (dry yield, protein, ash and fiber). The results also revealed that there was a highly significant positive correlation between green forage yield and each of leaves number, dry leaf stem ratio, plant height, tillers number and protein. Thus, in case of water shortage, irrigating Sudan-grass in sandy soils with 100% ETo will save 20% of applied irrigation water used for irrigation, gives the water use efficiency of 7.76 green yield/m3 water consumed and water productivity of 6.02 kg green yield/m3 under sprinkler irrigation system and fertigation practice.

13 tables, ref

039525   AKHTER S, BRRAICH O S (Zoology and Environmental Science Dep, Punjabi Univ, Patiala-147 002, Email: saimaakhter.87@gmail.com) : Physico?chemical analysis of fresh water of ropar wetland (ramsar site), India. Curr Wld Envir 2020, 15(1), 117-26.

Through anthropogenic activities such as dam building, river management works, indirectly through developments and disturbances in the landscape of the watersheds in particular effluent discharges and deforestation increasingly threatened the environmental integrity of freshwaters systems, world wide. In order to access the monthly and seasonally variations of “Ropar Weland”, study on various physio-chemical parameters was carried out from October 2015 to September 2017 at four representative sites (S1, S2, S3 and S4). The seasons were generally divided into winter (December to February), summer (March to May), monsoon (June to August) and autumn (September to November). Maximum amount of all the parameters except DO and free CO₂ were observed in summer and monsoon season and minimum in winter season. Minimum value of DO and free CO₂ during summer season is due to the higher temperature because temperature is inversely proportional to DO. Rest of the parameters such as phosphate, sulphate, magnesium, calcium were widely fluctuated according to seasons and are under permissible limits.

1 illus, 4 tables, 22 ref

039524   WELDEMARIAM A K (Environmental Sciences Dep, Adigrat Univ, Adigrat- 50, Ethiopia, Email: abrishkw2011@gmail.com) : Assessment of lowest chromium bioaccumulation vegetables irrigated by sheba leather industry contaminated water in Wukro, Tigray - Ethiopia. Curr Wld Envir 2020, 15(1), 110-6.

High chromium concentration is threatening to the environment, since it is persistent and non-biodegradable pollutant while introduced once to our planet. Bioaccumulation capacity of chromium has carcinogenic potential to human beings. To minimize the risk of chromium bioaccumulation, the study was conducted in Wukro irrigation fields. 54 plants, 24 water and 18 soil samples were collected in triplication from the selected points of upstream, treatment plant and downstream of leather industry. Samples were transported to advanced laboratory for chromium analysis and results were analysed by R-software. Downstream vegetable samples were measured higher chromium bioaccumulation compared to the upstream sites. Highest chromium concentration was recorded in root edible vegetables, and the lowest was measured in fruit edible vegetables. Chromium concentration was significantly different between the upstream and downstream vegetables, water and soil samples at p<0.01, p<0.05 and p < 0.001 respectively. The chromium bioaccumulation order were root edible > leaf edible > fruit edible vegetables. Environmental laws have to be strictly enforced and further researches are recommended.

2 illus, 19 ref

039523   IMAM T S, TSAGERO M H, ARI H A, AMINU S B, UGYA A Y (Environmental Management Dep, Kaduna State Univ, Kano, Nigeria, Email: Ugya88@kasu.edu.ng) : Emerging approach to uncover cyanotoxins in aquatic environment: A concise review. Curr Wld Envir 2020, 15(1), 100-9.

The detection of cyanotoxins in aquatic environment is paramount due to its negative impact on aquatic biota. Various types of analytical techniques have been employed to qualify and quantify the presences of cyanotoxins in aquatic environment but most of these methods are not easily accessible. This mini-review concisely summarized the emerging approaches used to uncover cyanotoxins in aquatic environment. The methods of quantifying cyanotoxins in aquatic environment including bio-analytical methods, molecular methods and bioassay methods was compare with the efficiency of the use of analytical methods in the quantification of cyanotoxins from aquatic environment. The mini-review shows that although, analytical methods are highly effective in the determination of cyanotoxins in aquatic environment, these require a high-level laboratory skills and expertise whereas bio-analytical methods, molecular methods and bioassay method are highly sensitive, easily accessible and effective in the quantification of cyanotoxins in aquatic environment. These emerging techniques are important tools that can be used to prevent the toxicity associated with algae blooms because these methods have the capacity to detect the presences of micro quantity.

1 illus, 57 ref

039522   JOSHI A, JOSHI N (M.B.Govt. P.G.Coll, Nainital, Uttarakhand, Email: dranita.tc.mbgpg@gmail.com) : Sanitation park nathuwawala, Dehradun: A study of solid waste management in Uttarakhand. Curr Wld Envir 2020, 15(1), 87-99.

Uttarakhand is a hilly state which consists of 90 urban local bodies, facing the problem of Solid Waste Management. There are only two solid waste plants in the state. Solid Waste Management process in decentralised method has recently been started at Nathuawala ward in Dehradun, having a population of 13000. The solid waste processing area has been named “Sanitation Park”. The researchers have found that the waste is disposed systematically in a scientific manner in this area, as per Solid Waste Rules 2016. There is no eyesore in this area. All the community members participating in this project have appreciated the work of the leading NGO “Feedback Foundation”. It is a combined effort of Nagar Nigam, Feedback Foundation and Community of Nathuawala ward. It may be concluded that decentralized method is economically sustainable and can be adopted by Urban Local Bodies of Uttarakhand for Solid Waste Management process. This project can turn out to be a role model for other Urban Local Bodies all over India.

7 tables, 15 ref

039521   CHALABI A S A (Environmental and Pollution Eng Dep, Southern Technical Univ, Iraq, Email: ahmed.sadiq@stu.edu.iq) : Evaluation of the efficiency and quality of the water of the Al-hartha water treatment plant in basra city. Curr Wld Envir 2020, 15(1), 75-86.

This study was conducted on the Al-Hartha Water Treatment Plant (HWTP), the largest water treatment plant in the city of Basra, during the period from December 2017 to March 2018. This study gives a description of the units and components of the HWTP, and aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the plant by calculating the efficiency of its sedimentation, filtration and sterilisation basins. Additionally, it aimed to examine its water quality by examining the physical and chemical characteristics of the raw water and treated water at this plant and then comparing the findings with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Iraqi standard limitations. The results of this study showed that the efficiency of the sedimentation basins is 57 %, while the efficiency of the filtration basins is 13.3 %, and the sterilisation efficiency ranges from 27 to 50 %. The laboratory results for the treated water quality have shown that the turbidity is equal to 12.8 NTU, electrical conductivity (EC) is equal to 7750 μs/cm, the total salt concentration of the total dissolved solids (TDS) is equal to 5200 mg/l, and the concentration of the total suspended solids (TSS) is equal to 65 mg/l of the water outside from the HWTP. All these water quality results are higher than the WHO and Iraqi standard limitations, except the pH value of 6.95, which is within the permissible limits.

12 illus, 3 tables, 22 ref

039520   MANZOOR J, KHAN M (Environmental Sciences Dep, Government Degree Mendhar Coll, Jammu Kashmir, Email: javedevs@gmail.com) : Environmental perspective of stone crushing and quarrying: A case study from poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Curr Wld Envir 2020, 15(1), 68-74.

Stone crushing and quarrying activities have considerable effects on environmental quality and human health. Present study was conducted to assess environmental perspectives of various stone crushing and quarrying units functioning in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Present study was based on field work, general observations, questionnaire and laboratory experimentation. Serious consequences in term of huge dust, noise and water pollution, decrease in agricultural productivity, loss of local biodiversity, land degradation, generation of unproductive wastelands, deterioration in water quality, accidents, socio-economic conflicts and severe health hazards to the people residing near these units are observed. No effort is made by the local management of these units functioning in the area to minimize negative impacts on environment and human health. Present study imitates that regulatory measures are urgently required to protect the environment and human health against different types of pollutions caused by these units.

4 tables, 13 ref

039518   BRAR G S, CHANDEL V B S, BRAR K K (Geography Dep, Panjab Univ, Chandigarh, Email: brargur85@gmail.com) : Assessing land use and land cover change in river beas loodplain, Punjab. Curr Wld Envir 2020, 15(1), 52-8.

Floodplains are the most fragile ecosystems of the world which attracted the humans since the dawn of civilizations. Due to their resource enrichment, these remained center of attraction to fulfill the socio-economic needs of people. As a result, the natural land cover of these floodplains are under the influence of human induced activities. River Beas Floodplain of Punjab has also witnessed such changes. Human intervention in these landscapes has depleted natural wealth and has altered its land use. Construction of upstream dam and artificial embankments and diversion of water through canals further paved the ways for intensification of land use changes. The outcome of these human actions is that wetlands, barren land, and river channels has reduced. On the other hand, agriculture and settlements recorded a sharp increase in recent decades. The growth of agricultural area and human settlements are putting pressure on the natural resources and depleting the human environment relationship in the floodplain. This study utilized multi-temporal satellite data from Landsat for the classification of land use and land cover.

2 illus, 1 table, 25 ref

039516   SINGH Y, KULSHRESTHA U (Jawaharlal Nehru Univ, New Delhi, Email: umeshkulshrestha@gmail.com) : An analysis of grap task force directions for improved aqi in Delhi during 2018. Curr Wld Envir 2020, 15(1), 29-41.

Air quality has been a matter of public concern in Delhi. The concentration of Particulate Matters (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) often surpasses the Indian National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). This study is focused upon the evaluation of actions of Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) through the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) during 2018, in terms of PM_2.5 and NO₂. In order to control air pollution sources in National Capital Region (NCR), the EPCA directed GRAP task force to advise the local industries and other sources of pollution to close their operations on particular dates whenever Air Quality Index (AQI) showed severe level. In this study, we have analyzed 24 hourly averaged Air Quality Index (AQI) data for the period September 2017 - January 2018 and September 2018 - January 2019 at two sites i.e. Delhi Technical University (DTU) and Income Tax Office (ITO) respectively. The GRAP results showed a significant decrease in AQI values of both PM_2.5 and NO₂ after every order passed by GRAP task force. In general, the PM_2.5 AQI values were always higher during year 2017-18 as compared to 2018-19 at both the sites. 

8 illus, 4 tables, 31 ref

039514   SUKANYA S, JOSEPH S (Environmental Sciences Dep, Kerala Univ, Kerala - 695 581, Email: jsabu2000@gmail.com) : Water quality assessment using environmetrics and pollution indices in a tropical river, Kerala, sw coast of India. Curr Wld Envir 2020, 15(1), 11-23.

Envirometrics and pollution indices are proxies to assess water quality of a wetland ecosystem. Hence, the present study is focused on establishing water quality and elucidating the pollution status of Karamana River (KR) in Kerala, SW coast of India. The Karamana River Basin – KRB (n=6th;
L= 68 km, A=695 km2), is the main source of water for domestic and drinking purpose in Thiruvananthapuram city. The Killi River (n= 5th; L= 24 km,
A= 102 km2), the largest tributary of KR, carry heavy load of pollutants mainly from city and joins KR towards its downstream side.
For this study, about 12 sampling stations were selected along the KR from upstream to downstream (interval= ~3km), and water samples
(n=12x2= 24) were collected during non-monsoon (NON) and monsoon (MON) of 2015 to assess the variability and sourcing of key hydrochemical variables. Environmetric methods, viz., Pearson Correlation and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were applied for apportionment of pollution sources significantly responsible for the surface water quality. It was found that sewage effluents and seawater intrusion were the primary factors deteriorating water quality in downstream. Further, the results of water quality analyses and Pollution Indices, viz., Organic Pollution Index (OPI), Eutrophication Index (EI) and Comprehensive Pollution Index (CPI) indicate that lower reaches (L= ~4 km) of KR is seriously polluted. A distinct Zone of Pollution Influence (ZPI) has been delineated based on the indices and this attempt is first of its kind in KR. The present study provides several noteworthy contributions to the existing knowledge on the factors influencing surface water quality and serves as a baseline data for watershed managers and administrators.

3 illus, 7 tables, 52 ref

039388   GAWANDE S, TIWARI R R, NARAYANAN P, BHADRI A (ICMR-National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, Madhya Pradesh- 462 001, Email: rajtiwari2810@yahoo.co.in) : Indoor air quality and sick building syndrome: Are green buildings better than conventional buildings?. Indian J Occup Environ Med 2020, 24(1), 30-2.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) influences human health, productivity and wellness. Green buildings are believed to have better IAQ. The ‘sickbuilding syndrome’ (SBS) describes a set of nonspecific symptoms experienced by occupants due to time spent in a building with poor IAQ.Thus this study was undertaken to assess the IAQ in green buildings and compare it with that of conventional buildings. The prevalence of SBS in both types of buildings is also studied. In five pairs of green and conventional buildings measurements of comfort parameters (temperature & relative humidity) and indoor air pollutants using monitors was done. 148 employees which included 84 from green buildings and 64 from conventional buildings were surveyed for SBS using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The analysis was done using SPSS16 and included Mann Whitney for IAQ pollutant concentrations and Chi-square for the SBS prevalence. Similar indoor air quality was found in both types of buildings. The mean of temperature, CO2 and formaldehyde was statistically lower in green buildings. The SBS prevalence was found to be 38.1 % in green buildings and 53.1 % in conventional buildings. Thus to conclude the poorly maintained green building does not have any added advantage for occurrence of SBS.

2 tables, 14 ref

039194   FENG M, LI X, FU W (Development Research Center, Beijing, China, Email: fuwb@samrdrc.org.cn) : Evaluation method and empirical study of regional collaborative sustainable development under environmental regulation. J Sci Ind Res 2020, 79(01), 16-20.

According to the “pollution haven hypothesis”, polluting industries may shift from developed areas to underdeveloped areas, which may lead to an unbalanced environmental regulation effect in a region consisting of several provinces. This means that the environmental regulation in various provinces will have on impact on regional collaborative sustainable development (RCSD). Therefore, this paper adds environmental regulation to the RCSD evaluation system, adopts a combination of TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution) and grey relational analysis, establishes a distance collaborative model, and uses the empirical data of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region (BTH region) from 2007 to 2016, evaluate the RCSD under environmental regulation. The evaluation results show that the development levels in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei are quite different and that there is a feature of unbalanced development; From 2007 to 2016, the level of comprehensive synergy development in the BTH region is at a steady rising stage, but the upward trend is not obvious and there is little change.

1 illus, 3 tables, 8 ref

039174   JAYASHREE B, ARAM I A (Media Sciences Dep, Anna Univ, Chennai- 600 025, Email: jayashree.author@gmail.com) : Conservation of millets: The role of community leaders in Kolli Hills, South India. Indian J Tradit Know 2020, 19, 101-10.

Traditional knowledge is based on vast experiences gained over centuries that is communicated from one generation to another. With growing concerns of malnutrition and dietary diversity, traditional food and cultivation practices are gaining attention of scientific and development communities. Efforts to extract this knowledge apart, there is also a need to understand how this has been transmitted. A shift from focus on knowledge to focus on practice may provide pathways to understand how communities adopt and sustain certain practices over generations. This study is on the role of community influencers – known as ‘Oor Goundars’ (village leaders) among the tribal communities of Kolli Hills in Tamil Nadu, South India – in conserving millet landraces. Using the Social Practice Theory, the existing role and importance of these community leaders is analyzed. The study finds that conservation of rich knowledge of social, cultural and agricultural practices reposed with traditional community influencers such as Oor Goundars is diminishing. It probes whether it may be possible to preserve or enhance traditional knowledge within its setting by increasing focus and attention on these influencers and the cultural practices that they impact.

1 illus, 1 tables, 20 ref

039049   BHARTI V, JAYASANKAR J, SHUKLA S P, GEORGE G, AMBROSE T V, AUGUSTINE S K, SATHIANANDAN T V, SHAFEEQUE M (Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kerala, Email: vivekanandbharti15@gmail.com) : Study on sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration along the south-west coast of India. Indian J Geo-Mar Sci 2020, 49(1), 51-6.

Global climate change affects the oceanographic features and distribution of marine fishes as they are poikilothermic animals. Study of oceanographic variables in a localized region is more relevant in the context of ecological responses rather than global or continental variations. In this study, time series analysis of chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) in sea water and sea surface temperature (SST) was performed separately for southern, middle and northern stratum along south-west coast of India using various statistical tools. The SST showed an increasing trend along the entire south-west coast of India after the year 1995. The northern and southern stratum of south-west coast were highly influenced by rising SST, whereas middle stratum in present scenario showed stable conditions in terms of Chl-a concentration. The study provides a baseline information about changing patterns of oceanographic features along the south-west coast of India giving a better understanding of changing global climatic conditions in coastal ecosystems.

3 illus, 2 tables, 42 ref

006330   SALIM S S, MONOLISHA S (Socio-Economic Evaluation and Technology Transfer Div, ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Ernakulam, Kerala, Email: shyam.icar@gmail.com) : Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge of Tamil Nadu fisher folks: To combat the impact of climate and weather variability. Indian J Tradit Know 2019, 18(4), 781-92.

This study explores the significant role of indigenous traditional ecological knowledge (ITEK) in weather forecast prediction and fishing related activities in the coastal villages of Tamil Nadu. In total, 33 rural coastal villages were studied for different uses of ecological indicators in seasonal predictions based on oceanographic parameters, hydro-geological, astrophysical, meteorological and biological conditions. We focused on oral dialects from traditional fishing practitioners, local community leaders and fishers as efficient respondents to carry out the study. In addition, we also attempted to develop a template of seasonal ecological calendar based on ecological indicators of Tamil Nadu coastline. This conceptualisation can also be absorbed on a synoptic scale as an integration framework of ITEK and scientific innovations. On the other perspective, it is so factual that adaptation of ITEKs in the current decades is in verge of extinction due to several factors such as modernization, technological advancements and waning intergenerational knowledge transmissions. In the face of losing ITEKs, it is crucial to integrate ITEKs in the scientific seasonal forecasting of environmental changes and climatic events to facilitate better decision making policies on adaptation and mitigation strategies. It is highly essential to build the concept of conservation and documentation of ITEK to solve the climate crisis and effective decision making. In the recent years, the approach of integrating biophysical and social sciences on understanding earth science is an emerging concept to enhance climate knowledge. Application and integration of ITEKs with scientific ecological modelling systems possess tremendous potential to develop accurate scientific forecasts and reliable future predictions.

4 illus, 2 tables, 39 ref

006332   SINGH G, SINGH R M, SINGH S, KUMAR A R S, JAISWAL R K, CHANDOLA V K, NEMA A K (ICAR- Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Anand- 388 306, Email: gaurav.bhu09@gmail.com) : Multi-criteria analytical hierarchical process based decision support system for critical watershed prioritization of andhiyarkhore catchment. Indian J Soil Conserv 2019, 47(3), 263-72.

This study presents the application of analytical hierarchical process based multicriteria decision support tool for prioritization of critical areas of Andhiyarkhore catchment for soil and water conservation (SWC) and management works. Fourteen different soil and water management parameters were calculated for each of the fiftyone delineated watersheds in Andhiyarkhore catchment. The normalized values of these parameters were arranged in a comparison matrix to assess corresponding weights to prioritize the watersheds. The average annual soil loss had highest weight of 0.23 and elongation ratio the minimum weight of 0.01 at 9.66 % consistency ratio (within 10 % limit).The highest priority forthe SWCmeasures was obtained for SW-7 watershed and lowest for SW-47 watershed. The average annual groundwater recharge estimated in the Andhiyarkhore catchment was only 4.13 % of average annual rainfall, which envisages need for SWC works in Andhiyarkhore catchment. Nine watersheds having 2 325.7 km of the catchment have very high priority for undertaking SWC works.

2 illus, 8 tables, 33 ref

006323   KALAISELVI B, LALITHA M, DHARUMARAJAN S, SRINIVASAN R, HEGDE R, KUMAR K S A, SINGH S K (ICAR- National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Bangalore- 560 024, Email: kalaimitra15@gmail.com) : Fertility capability classification of semi-arid upland soils of Palani block, Tamil Nadu for sustainable soil management. Indian J Soil Conserv 2019, 47(3), 255-62.

Fertility capability classification (FCC) is a technical soil classification system that focuses quantitatively on the physical and chemical properties of soils that are important towards soil fertility management. The present study is an attempt to classify soils of Palani block located leeward down of Palani hill ranges representing semi-arid region of Tamil Nadu uplands. Fifteen soils were identified at 1:10000 scale, out of which typifying pedons were analyzed and taxonomically classified. FCC classification was applied for these identified major soils. Condition modifiers in FCC system illustrate the soil fertility related constraints. The major limitations are dry soil moisture (d), gravelliness (r+), basic reaction (b), vertic clay (v), low soil organic matter (m), low nutrient retention (k), and low cation exchange capacity (e). The condition modifier d (100 %) dominates in most of the soils followed by m (71 %), k (50 %), b (50 %), r+ (43 %), and e (33 %). Among the soils identified, Kk Fine Typic Haplustalfs (KkFTH), Kvp Coarse loamy Typic Rhodustalfs (KvpCTR), Ayk Fine Vertic Haplusterts(AykFVHrt) andAnPCoarse Loamy Typic Haplustepts(AnPCLTHt) soils have high soil constraints or conditional modifiers like low cation exchange capacity (e), low nutrient reserve (k), low organic carbon content (m) and gravelliness (r). Thus, FCC helps in rectifying the limitations of these different soil types by adopting appropriate management options considering the extent and severity of each limitation to achieve better soil and crop productivity of upland system.

1 illus, 5 tables, 31 ref

006331   SINGH A K, KUMAR S, NAITHANI S, J GEORGE K (Agriculture and Soil Dep, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun– 248 001, Email: justin@iirs.gov.in) : Soil erosion and sediment yield estimation using remote sensing data and GIS in a sitlarao watershed of north-western Himalayan region. Indian J Soil Conserv 2019, 47(3), 244-54.

Soil erosion (SE) is the primary reason of land degradation and responsible for declining soil quality and crop yield in the Himalayan region. Spatial SE risk assessment and sediment loss are necessitated to prioritize sub-watershed and implementing soil and water conservation planning of the watershed. In this study, revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) model with sediment delivery ratio (SDR) was integrated with geographic information system (GIS) to estimate SE and sediment loss in a watershed located in north-western Himalayan region of Uttarakhand state, India. Land use/land cover (LU/LC) was generated using high resolution remote sensing (RS) IRS LISS IV data, and vegetation cover (C), management practices (P) and soil erodibility (K) factor maps were generated using physiographic-soil map at large scale. The watershed is dominantly covered by cropland (46.78 %) followed by forest (32.93 %) and scrub / barren land (13.71 %). Soil erodibility (K) factor varied from 0.033 to 0.061 in the watershed. Terrain slope length (L) and steepness (S) values were obtained from Carto-DEM (10 m) with the help of GIS. SE risk map based on RUSLE model revealed 36.4 % area under high to very high risk of SE in the watershed.Average annual SE in croplands varies from 10.61 t ha^-1 yr^-1 to 16.08 t ha^-1 yr^-1, whereas dense forest and open scrub cover were predicted to be 4.14 t ha^-1 yr^-1 and 26.04 t ha^-1 yr^-1 , respectively. Estimation of SDR based on soil and sediment clay ratio serves as most appropriate method to estimate SDR for small watershed and to estimate sediment loss for sub-watershed prioritization. SDR of the sub-watershed ranged from 0.32 to 0.71 with an average of 0.48. Topography and LU/LC appear to be major factors in governing SE in the watershed.

9 illus, 7 tables, 69 ref

006329   PANDEY R K, GUPTA R, THOMAS A (ICAR- Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow- 226 002, Email: ravikantpandey58@gmail.com) : Runoff estimation using SCS-CN method for Bhadokhar watershed, Jhansi district, Uttar Pradesh. Indian J Soil Conserv 2019, 47(3), 239-43.

This study was conducted to determine runoff depth using USDA soil conservation service curve number (SCS-CN) method in Bhadokhar watershed, located in Gursarain block of Jhansi district, Uttar Pradesh. A total of 55 single storm events were selected between the years 1993 and 2012 for estimation. Antecedent moisture content (AMC) of the watershed during the selected period was calculated by taking preceding five days rainfall for three conditions viz., AMC-І, AMC-П and AMC-Ш. Based on the soil cover complex, the hydrological soil group of the watershed falls under group 'B'. It was observed that during the period, 33 rain storms were falling under AMC-I category. Weighted curve number (CN) for entire watershed was calculated based on the watershed information and found to be 83.62 for AMC-II. The CN values corresponding to AMC-І and AMC-III were 69.12 and 92.28, respectively. The runoff for each storm events was estimated and it was found that among the selected storm th events, the maximum rainfall was 109.5 mm on 11 September, 1993 at AMC-Ш. The 3 runoff volume of the watershed for this storm event was calculated as 853117.96 m³. This value will be useful for designing the soil and water conservation and also rainwater harvesting structures in the watershed.

2 illus, 1 table, 7 ref

006326   KORADIA A K, BHALALA A D, TIWARI M K (Anand Agricultural Univ, Godhra- 389 001, Email: tiwari.iitkgp@gmail.com) : Rainfall-runoff simulation modelling using artificial neural networks in semi-arid middle Gujarat region. Indian J Soil Conserv 2019, 47(3), 231-8.

Rainfall-runoff modelling is important for water resources planning, development and management. Water resource managers require information about runoff from a hydrologic catchment area in order to assess runoff potential, reservoir and canal operation, flood and drought management, etc. The present work involves the development of artificial neural network (ANN), principal component analysis (PCA) based ANN (PCA-ANN) and multiple linear regression (MLR) models for establishing rainfall-runoff relationship. In this study, 10 years (2007-2016) of rainfall and runoff data were applied. Arobust ANN model was developed by considering different types of training algorithms such as LM, GDX, BFG, CGF, SCG, BR, CGPand RP. The performance of ANN models was also compared with PCA-ANN and MLR models by using statistical indices. It was found in this study that ANN (ANN-1) model with only one lag data at outlet (Santrod gauging station) is suitable to effectively and precisely predict runoff at one day lead time. It was also observed in this study that performance of ANN model is better than PCA-ANN and MLR models for prediction of one day lead discharge at Santrod. Hence, it is recommended to use ANN-1 model to predict runoff for Santrod gauging station of Panam watershed. It will help the water resource managers and field engineers to take suitable decisions related to reservoir and canal operation, flood and discharge management.

7 illus, 5 tables, 15 ref

006327   KUMAR S, THOMAS T, SINGH R M, GANGWAR A, BAHADUR R (Farm Engineering Dep, Banaras Hindu Univ, Varanasi– 221 005, Email: anshu.knight@hotmail.com) : Comprehensive water balance based water budget for contingent planning in UR river basin of Bundelkhand region. Indian J Soil Conserv 2019, 47(3), 222-30.

This study employed field measurements and established techniques to estimate various water budget components in Ur river basin. The spatial information pertaining to the topography, land use and soil type were extracted using the Arc 9.3 GIS software which helped to quantify many of the water balance components. The water budgeting of the Ur river basin was done on a seasonal time scale for two seasons namely i.e. monsoon season (June to October) and non-monsoon season (November-May). The result showed the accuracy of un-accounted water during the estimation of the water budget components, and seemed to be satisfactory as it was limited to 6.94% of the seasonal rainfall, considering the complexities in estimation of all the major water balance components. The water budgeting study indicates that about 69.85 MCM of water flows down the stream (storage in tanks included in this value) in monsoon season. This study will help to gain a better understanding of the hydrologic processes occurring in the river basin for contingent planning of available water resources to different sectors.

10 illus, 9 tables, 19 ref

006320   DAHIPHALE P, SINGH P K, YADAV K K (Lovely Professional Univ, Phagwara- 144 411, Email: pravin.dahiphale59@gmail.com) : Assessment of groundwater quality for irrigation and drinking purpose in Jaisamand catchment using geographical information system. Indian J Soil Conserv 2019, 47(3), 213-21.

In order to evaluate quality of groundwater in selected study area for its suitability for irrigation and drinking purpose, 109 groundwater samples were collected during premonsoon and post monsoon period. Different physicochemical parameters such as pH, + electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), calcium (Ca ), magnesium  (Mg⁺ ), sodium (Na⁺), potassium (K⁺), bicarbonate (HCO₃), carbonate (CO₃), chloride (Cl), and sulphate (SO₄) present in pre and post monsoon samples of the study area 4 were determined using standard methods. Spatio-temporal variations of water quality parameters in the study area were analyzed by using GIS techniques. The suitability of groundwater quality for irrigation purpose was determined on the basis of sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), Kelly's ratio (KR), soluble sodium percentage (SSP), permeability index (PI) and EC. As per analysis, the SAR values were less than 10 for all the samples during both pre and post-monsoon, and therefore it is graded as excellent for irrigation use. On the basis of permeability index it was observed that about 84.65 % of Jaisamand lake catchment area has good quality water for irrigation purposes in pre-monsoon period, and 96.17 % area in post monsoon period. The drinking water quality was also determined by estimating water quality index. The results showed that in the pre-monsoon period, the 22.40 % area has good quality water for drinking purpose, 61.62 % area has poor quality, and 15.98 % area has very poor quality groundwater for drinking purpose. The 40.30 % catchment area has good quality groundwater and 59.70 % area has poor quality groundwater for drinking purpose in post-monsoon. The good quality water is mainly available in east and middle portions of catchment area.

11 illus, 7 tables, 34 ref

006328   LIANSANGPUII F, PANIGRAHI B, PAUL J C (Farm Engineering Dep, Banaras Hindu Univ, Banaras, Uttar Pradesh, Email: kajal_bp@yahoo.co.in) : Assessment of meteorological drought by standardized precipitation index for coastal agro-climatic zones of Odisha, India. Indian J Soil Conserv 2019, 47(3), 205-12.

Drought is a recurring phenomenon in Indian agriculture. Every year, vast amount of crop areas are affected by drought in most parts of India causing heavy economic loss to the country. Drought forecasting and its mitigation measures are very important for boosting agricultural production, especially in rainfed areas. In this paper standardized precipitation index (SPI) was used to assess meteorological drought for 8 coastal districts coming under two coastal agro-climatic zones (CACZs) of Odisha. Monthly rainfall data of 115 years (1901-2015) for all 8 districts of Odisha were analyzed using SPI on 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12-month time scale. Results indicate that mild drought events have the highest frequencies of occurrence followed by moderate drought events for all time scales under analysis for different CACZs. Severe and extreme drought frequencies are comparatively lesser than mild and moderate drought frequencies. SPI analysis considering all the time scales shows that the frequency of occurrence of mild, moderate, severe and extreme droughts varies from 32.0 % to 42.5 %, 6.16 % to 11.2 %, 1.88 % to 5.22 % and 1.08 % to 3.50 %, respectively across all the districts in CACZs of Odisha. It was observed that 7 out of 8 districts (except Puri) had more number of drought years varying from 59 to 63 years (out of 115 years) in June, whereas all the 8 districts had more number of wet years in August varying from 59 to 67 years. The excess rainwater in August should be harvested for use in crops in subsequent months.

25 illus, 4 tables, 18 ref

006319   ALRABADI N, AL-RABADI G J, ALZOUBI K H (Pharmacology Dep, Jordan Univ of Science and Technology, Irbid- 22110, Jordan, Email: nnalrabadi@just.edu.jo) : Ions composition of waste water after reverse osmosis filtration of drinking water: Risk analysis and contribution to mineral nutrition. J Appl Anim Res 2019, 47(1), 582–5.

This work aimed to investigate the ions composition of wastewater produced after reverse osmosis and the suitability of using wastewater as a drinking source for different farm animals, especially in poultry, the most sensitive/intolerant farm animals. Ten samples of wastewater (three replicates) were obtained from different water filtration stations in Jordan and were analysed for their cations: sodium (Na), potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) and anions; fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), nitrite (NO₂), nitrate (NO₃), phosphate (PO₄) and sulfate (SO₄) concentrations. The highest variation was found in both K (CV% = 99.7) and F (CV% = 90.78). With mineral concentration in extreme/highest cases, analysed wastewater samples can provide a negligible contribution to poultry (broilers) requirements, as the case in K (0.27%) or can supply excessive amounts as in Na (150.0%). In all wastewater samples, Cl and F levels were above the safety guidelines recommended for poultry drinking water. In some of the selected samples, presence of Na (9 out of 10 samples) and sulfate (5 out of 10 samples) was higher than the recommended limits for broilers. Other analysed minerals were found tolerable by poultry. Results suggest the feasibility of re-using wastewater directly or indirectly after mixing it with public water as a source of drinking water for farm animals.

5 tables, 33 ref

006321   GUPTA S (Zoology and Environmental Science Dep, Gurukula Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Hardwar- 249 404, Email: sandeesan@gmail.com) : Influence of prolonged disposal of municipal solid waste on soil productivity factors. J Appl Nat Sci 2019, 11(4), 816-22.

The prolonged disposal of municipal waste influences the soil productivity factors. Therefore, the present study was carried out at dumping site near Chandi bridge Hardwar (Uttarakhand) to determine the effect of physico-chemical parameters of the solid waste on soil productivity factors of soil at different sites-Site-A: It was near to slump area. Site-B (500 meter far from site-A: It was used for dumping and partially submerged with water and had a swampy condition, Site-C (500 meter far from site-B): It was near to Chandi Devi ropeway and contained fresh as well as partially decomposed waste. Site-D and Site-E (500 meter far from site-C): It was used for dumping and had putrefied odour due to decomposition of fresh waste. The control site-X (Bilkeshwar mountain region): 10 Km far from experimental sites in N-W direction of Chandi bridge municipal waste dumping area at Hardwar (Uttarakhand), India during the year 2006-2009 at present these sites have been closed for dumping of waste. The soil productivity factors viz. available nitro-gen (0.32 ppm), organic matter (0.89 %) were found maximum at site-A, temperature (24.61⁰ C) at site-C and electrical conductivity (1.05 dSM^-1) available phosphorus (33.16 ppm), available potash (260.17 ppm) at site-E of dumping area in comparison to the soil of control site-X (Bilkeshwar mountain range). At control site, bulk density (1.37 g/cc) and pH (7.65) were maximum while the bulk density (1.08 ± 0.22) g/cc at site-D and pH (7.02) at site-E were observed minimum. The results were statistically analyzed to indicate that the dumping of municipal waste influenced the pH and bulk density of soil and increased the acidity and porosity of soil through which pollutants leach to groundwater. But higher amount of organic matter, N, P, K makes it fit for the raw material that may be used in fertilizing industries by using appropriate technologies. The study would be helpful for utilization of municipal wastes in compost formation and to indicate the influence of municipal waste on soil quality of the dumping sites of other places.

2 illus, 4 tables, 32 ref

006318   ADITYA, SHARMA N, SHEHRAWAT P S (Extension Education Dep, CCS Haryana Agricultural Univ, Hisar-125 004, Email: nidhisharma1260@gmail.com) : Judging causes of soil degradation and remedial measures for reclamation in Kaithal district of Haryana state. J Appl Nat Sci 2019, 11(4), 802-5.

Soil degradation is a point of evolution which leads to a reduction of resource potential. About 7.40 m ha of arable lands globally turn to degraded lands as a result of climate change and deforestation. The problem of soil degradation has been ever since cultivation of soils started because of increasing population of India at the rate of about 1.8% requiring marginal areas to be brought under the plough to meet the growing food demand. The present study was conducted in Kaithal district in the year 2018-19. The study revealed that „Excessive use of chemical fertilizers‟ (88.33%) followed by „non-judicious use of insecticides/pesticides‟ (85.83%), „less application of organic manure‟ (85.00%), „deforestation (78.33%), and „over uplifting of groundwater‟ (75.83%) were found as most important causes of soil degradation. The most important remedial action for problematic soil were found as „land for equal distribution of resources/irrigation‟ (90.83%) followed by „application of Gypsum for sodic and saline soil‟ (85.83%), „introduction of legumes in cropping system‟ (80.00%), „recharge of groundwater during rainy season‟ (78.33%), „crop residue incorporation by happy seeder‟ (77.50%), „application of green manuring/ organic manure‟ (75.00%) and „leaching of salts in saline soil‟ (72.50%). Soil conservation is important for the future use and future generation. The study would be helpful in soils conservation which may otherwise cause damage to plant growth which in turn may adversely affect yield and thereby food security also.

2 tables, 11 ref

006322   INIYALAKSHIMI B R, SHANMUGASUNDARAM R, AVUDAINAYAGAM S, JAGADEESWARAN R, SEBASTIAN S P, THANGAVEL P (Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry Dep, Tamil Nadu Agricultural Univ, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Email: iniya.agri@gmail.com) : Assessment of land cover changes on long-term treated industrial effluent irrigation using remote sensing and GIS techniques. J Appl Nat Sci 2019, 11(4), 791-5.

A study was under taken to identify and map the changes in land use and land cover over a period of (1992 to 2017) 25 years in an area irrigating with treated industrial wastewater using remote sensing and GIS technologies. Four LANDSAT TM and ETM+ images of 1992, 1999, 2006 and 2017 with a spatial resolution of 30 m x 30 m were used to determine the temporal land cover changes. Consequently, ground truth confirmation was done in the study area. Supervised classification was carried out in ArcGIS to identify the LULC classes. The study area was classified into four major classes; Water bodies, Settlements, Vegetation and Fallow lands. The study revealed that fallow lands was decreased by 99.8%, vegetation was found to be increased by 90.2 % and settlement area was found to increase by 65.7 % over the period of 15 years. Livelihood increased with increased socioeconomic status of the people.

5 illus, 4 tables, 13 ref

006324   KANNADASAN N, DHARSHINI, EABINEZER S, NATARAJAN N, KRISHNAMOORTHY R, PRIYADARSHINI R S S (Zoology Dep, Karur Velalar Coll of Arts and Science for Women, Karur, Tamil Nadu, Email: drkannadasan87@gmail.com) : Potential of distillery effluents for safe water through vermifiltration. J Appl Nat Sci 2019, 11(4), 768-77.

Vermifiltration of wastewater using waste eater earthworms is a newly conceived novel technology. The present study evaluated BOD, COD and TS showing significant varia-tion in decrease by 95%, 90% and 80% respectively through vermifiltration of distillery effluents. The nutrient contents (TN, TP, TK, TCa and TMg) in the vermicasts had in-crease (1.82 % in TN, 0.24% in TP, 2.15% in TK, 2.07% in TCa and 2.86 % in TMg) in the range of fold than the control level. The morphology of the control and experimental vermicast samples were analyzed with SEM and the image showed significant variation. The FT-IR spectrum analysis showed reduction of aliphatic/aromatic (C=C and OH) com-pounds in the vermicompost. Thus, the present study significantly highlights the vermi-filtration technology in treating distillery effluent. 

7 illus, 4 tables, 52 ref

006325   KARMAKAR S, MUKHERJEE J, MUKHERJEE S (Civil Engineering Dep, Jadavpur Univ, West Bengal- 700 032, Email: sukalpa17@gmail.com) : Fluoride removal from ground water sample by Pistia stratiotes. Bull Pure Appl Sci-Sect B 2019, 38B(2), 63-7.

Fluoride in ground water is a well recognized problem in different parts of the earth including India. Various physiochemical separation processes are available which are to be considered as environmental friendly. Phytoremediation technology reported in the literature as a sustainable and cost effective green technology and its availability is ubiquitous in India. An investigation was undertaken in Environmental Engineering laboratory, Jadavpur University Kolkata to examine the potential of Pistia stratiotes (Water lettuce) for removal of fluoride from a real life groundwater samples collected from fluoride affected tubewell. The initial concentration of fluoride in ground water sample was found to be 8.12 ± 1.26 mg/l. The experimental result showed that for a biomass (Pistia stratiotes) of 80 g/L, 29.37% fluoride was removed after an10 days of exposure time following the pseudo first order reaction kinetics.

3 illus, 1 table, 16 ref

006333   SINGH M, YADAV M, SINGH R, KUMAR V, SEHRAWAT N, UPADHYAY S K (Biotechnology Dep, Maharishi Markandeshwar Univ, Mullana, Ambala, Email: sushil.upadhyay@mmumullana.org) : Development of water quality criteria for Fenneropenaeus indicus against arsenic by flow-through system in the Central West Coast of India at Goa. Bull Pure Appl Sci-Sect A 2019, 38A(2), 144-9.

Toxicants as chemical hazard are very common to the surroundings that cause adverse effects on health and environment. The outbreak of toxicity can easily be identified in the aquatic environment and necessary methodology can be applied for water quality criteria development by reducing common sources of toxic elements in the environment. The concern over the use of toxicants causing environmental threat in form of pollution and toxicity risk to non-target organisms has been reported worldwide. Thus, the study has been conducted to estimate the toxic effect of arsenic through acute assay with white prawn. Individuals of larval stage (0.25 ± 0.10g) were acclimated under test conditions (salinity 31.0 ± 1.0%, temperature 29 ± 1.0 ºC, dissolved oxygen 5.25 ± 0.2mg.l^-1, pH 8.2 ± 0.5) and exposed to arsenic at 0.15, 0.30, 0.60, 1.20 and 2.40mg.l^-1 with seawater as control. Tests were run in Flow through system with the above five concentrations in duplicate. Mortality was observed for different time intervals of 24h for next four days, lethal dose concentration (LC₅₀) and 95% of confidence limit was calculated using statistical software such as Probit analysis method. Mean LC₅₀ value after 96h of exposure duration was estimated as 0.08mg.l^-1. The results of the study were highly helpful in developing water quality criteria for this region.

3 tables, 29 ref

005076   GRODZINSKAYA A A, NEBESNYI V B, SAMCHUK A I, HONCHAR H Y (Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Ukraine, Europe) : Content of trace elements, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁴⁰K in bioindicators and soils from Kyiv (Ukraine). J Med Plants Stud 2019, 7(5)-B, 115-25.

In leaves of Tilia cordata Mill., and soils from Kyiv localities with different levels of anthropogenic impact, total concentrations of Ni, Cr, Cu, Pb, Cd, and Hg were determined using mass-spectrometry with inductively cupled plasma, and activities of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁴⁰K were measured with gammaspectrometry. Also in bodies of Apis mellifera Linnaeus 23 mineral elements (including toxic and heavy metals) were determined with mass-spectrometry. Even taking into account only six heavy metals, it can be concluded that all urboecotopes undergo a complex technogenic load. The total hazard ratios in soils (reflecting the multiplicity of exceedance of the maximum permissible levels) were in the intervals: in parks - 21.24 to 83.91; in areas adjacent to residential – from 45.11 to 63.22; along roads with middle traffic from 34.59 to 54.32; along highways with intensive traffic - from 48.39 to 94.34; at industrial zone – 120.12.

1 illus, 7 tables, 50 ref

005086   PRINGLE E G, SANTOS T F D, GONCALVES M S, HAWES J E, PERES C A, BACCARO F B (Biology Dep, Nevada Univ, Nevada, USA, Email: epringle@unr.edu) : Arboreal ant abundance tracks primary productivity in an Amazonian whitewater river system. Ecosphere 2019, 10(10), 1-16.

Little is known about consumer productivity in the tropics despite the key feedbacks that animals impose on primary productivity. In the Amazon basin, seasonally flooded and unflooded forests exist side by side, and ants (Formicidae) dominate animal biomass. Although flooding has a direct negative effect on soil-dwelling ants, it is less clear whether flooding has indirect effects on arboreal ants via associated changes in tree communities. To test whether seasonal inundation by whitewater affects arboreal ants, we investigated ant communities in adjacent flooded and unflooded forests along a major whitewater river in central-western Amazonia. Whitewater-flooded forest exhibits higher primary productivity than unflooded forest. We thus hypothesized that forest type would affect the productivity and the foraging traits of arboreal ants and that these changes would be mediated by increases in plant-derived food for ants in flooded forest. We compared ant and plant communities between flooded- and unflooded-forest transects along the Jurua River in Amazonas, Brazil. We collected, identified, and counted terrestrial and arboreal ants, and we measured ant traits with putative relationships to foraging strategy. We also identified plant stems to characterize the abundance of ant food rewards. Flooding negatively affected the diversity and abundance of terrestrial ants but did not change the diversity of arboreal ants. Arboreal ants were more abundant and exhibited higher biomass in flooded forest than in unflooded forest. Arboreal ant traits also suggested that ants may rely more heavily on plant-derived food in flooded forest than in unflooded forest. These differences were associated with a higher abundance of plant stems predicted to contain ant food rewards in flooded forest than in unflooded forest. Our results indicate that the productivity of arboreal ants is affected by that of the underlying forest. Such effects may be mediated by the predominantly herbivorous foraging strategy of canopy ants, which would link ant populations closely to primary production and stoichiometry. Given ants’ important functional roles, these differences in ant productivity between forest types may have consequences for other arthropods and feedbacks to plants throughout the Amazon basin. 

4 illus, 1 table, 86 ref

005079   HAJARE R, NAGARNAIK P, KHADSE G, LABHASETWAR P (CSIR- National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur- 440 020) : Development and implementation of water safety plan at peri-urban village in India: A case study. J Indian Assoc Environ Manag 2019, 39 (1-4), 14-7.

Water Safety Plan is a risk based approach to reliably deliver safe drinking water to end-client. The approach emphasizes on system assessment, identification of hazards, use of simple indicators to monitor control points and periodic verification. A WSP was developed for a peri-urban village Bhendala. This study discusses the step-by-step tasks undertaken to promote improvement in water quality, quantity and awareness among community and suggest appropriate actions required to safeguard public health from contaminated waterrelated risks. Be the risks identified, this study suggests there is need to give continuous assistance to the local water management team for the maintainability of the WSP.

4 tables, 11 ref

005084   KIRAN D A, RAMARAJU H K (Civil Engineering Dep, Dayananda Sagar Coll of Engineering, Bangalore- 560 078, Email: dakiran07@gmail.com) : Assessment of surface water and soil quality along the coastal region of Mangaluru. J Indian Assoc Environ Manag 2019, 39(1-4), 9-13.

Majority of the industries located in the Mangaluru Coastal region, discharge their waste directly or indirectly into the Arabian Sea through the west flowing rivers of the region and also, due to the addition of municipal and sewage wastes, the surface water quality and soil quality were affected and causing the Physicochemical characteristics to alter. 10 Surface water samples and six soil samples were collected from selected locations of the study area and analyzed for various parameters by adopting standard methods. High values of Hardness, BOD and COD were found in the surface waters near Baikampady industrial area. With respect to soil samples, most of samples were acidic in nature and not met the sufficient range for agricultural activities.

9 illus, 5 tables, 26 ref

005089   SONWANE D G, TOMAR B S (Tata Consulting Engineers, Mumbai- 400 013) : International benchmarking for water infrastructure. J Indian Assoc Environ Manag 2019, 39(1-4), 1-3.

The population rise, increase in per capital consumption, industrialization and change in life style is impacting the water demand for Indian cities which is showing increasing trend every decade. The potable water sources are finite. The cities are looking for more water sources which are at longer distances to meet increasing water demand. A long term planning is required for the judicious use of natural resources and sustenance of infrastructure needs. The planning of infrastructure requires the use of available standards, guidelines and existing practices. The available standards for urban utilities include IS Codes, CPHEEO Manual, MoUD guidelines for Smart Cities. The Urban population has also exposure at international level thereby increasing their expectations for global standards and better service delivery. Some of the international cities having better and smart infrastructure at international level includes Singapore, Song Do, Barcelona, Yokohama, Canary Wharf etc. The available norms for these cities have been studied and compared with Indian guidelines. The better guidelines have been adopted while planning the green field development like Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC) Dadri project. 

1 table, 2 ref

005083   KARANTH K P, GAUTAM S, AREKAR K, DIVYA B (Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru- 560 012, Email: karanth@iisc.ac.in) : Phylogenetic diversity as a measure of biodiversity: Pros and cons. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 2019, 116, 53-61.

Species richness is predominantly used as one of the fundamental measures of biodiversity for prioritization of areas for conservation. However, species richness often underestimates true diversity, as it does not take into account the evolutionary histories of the species in an area. In this regard, phylogenetic diversity, which incorporates information regarding species relationships in calculating diversity, has been proposed as an alternative. Here we compare species richness and phylogenetic diversity of mammals in nine sanctuaries to explore the importance and use of evolutionary relationships in characterizing diversity. Our analyses suggest that even though species richness and phylogenetic diversity are correlated, they are often decoupled. Importantly, areas with low species richness might harbour high phylogenetic diversity and vice-versa. We recommend the use of both the diversity measures for a holistic understanding of biodiversity and for prioritization of areas for conservation.

35 ref

005078   GUPTA S (Chemistry and Environmental Sciences Dep, Ajay Kumar Garg Engineering Coll, Ghaziabad- 201 009, Email: sandeesan@gmail.com) : Influence of prolonged disposal of municipal solid waste on soil productivity factors. J Appl Nat Sci 2019, 11(4), 816-22.

The prolonged disposal of municipal waste influences the soil productivity factors. There-fore,  the  present  study  was  carried  out  at  dumping  site  near  Chandi  bridge  Hardwar (Uttarakhand) to determine the effect of physico-chemical parameters of the solid waste on soil productivity factors of soil at different sites-Site-A: It was near to slump area. Site-B (500 meter far from site-A: It was used for dumping and partially submerged with water and had a swampy condition, Site-C (500 meter far from site-B): It was near to Chandi devi ropeway and contained fresh as well as partially decomposed waste. Site-D and Site-E (500 meter far from site-C): It was used for dumping and had putrefied odour due to decomposition of fresh waste. The control site-X (Bilkeshwar mountain region): 10 Km far from experimental sites in N-W direction of Chandi bridge municipal waste dumping area at Hardwar (Uttarakhand), India during the year 2006-2009 at present these sites have been closed for dumping of waste. The soil productivity factors viz. available nitrogen  (0.32  ppm),  organic  matter  (0.89 %)  were  found  maximum  at  site-A,  temperature (24.61⁰C)  at  site-C  and  electrical  conductivity  (1.05  dSM^-1)  available  phosphorus (33.16 ppm), available potash (260.17 ppm) at site-E of dumping area in comparison to the soil of control site-X (Bilkeshwar mountain range). At control site, bulk density (1.37 g/cc) and pH (7.65) were maximum while the bulk density (1.08 ± 0.22) g/cc at site-D and pH (7.02) at site-E were observed minimum. The results were statistically analyzed to indicate that the dumping of municipal waste influenced the pH and bulk density of soil and increased the acidity and porosity of soil through which pollutants leach to ground water. But higher amount of organic matter, N, P, K makes it fit for the raw material that may be used in fertilizing industries by using appropriate technologies. The study would be helpful for utilization of  municipal wastes   in compost formation and to indicate the influence of municipal waste on soil quality of the dumping sites of other places. 

2 illus, 4 tables, 32 ref

005081   INIYALAKSHIMI B R, SHANMUGASUNDARAM R, AVUDAINAYAGAM S, JAGADEESWARAN R, SEBASTIAN S P, THANGAVEL P (Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry Dep, Tamil Nadu Agricultural Univ, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Email: iniya.agri@gmail.com) : Assessment of land cover changes on long term treated industrial effluent irrigation using remote sensing and GIS techniques. J Appl Nat Sci 2019, 11(4), 791-5.

A study was under taken to identify and map the changes in land use and land cover over a period of (1992 to 2017) 25 years in an area irrigating with treated industrial waste water using remote sensing and GIS technologies. Four LANDSAT TM and ETM+ images of 1992, 1999, 2006 and 2017 with a spatial resolution 30 m x 30 m were used to determine the temporal land cover changes. Consequently, ground truth confirmation was done in the study area. Supervised classification was carried out in ArcGIS to identify the LULC classes. The study area was classified into four major classes; Water bodies, Settlements, Vegetation and Fallow lands.  The study revealed that fallow lands was decreased by 99.8%, vegetation was found to be increased by 90.2 %  and settlement area was found to increase by 65.7 % over the period of 15 years.Livelihood increased with increased socio-economic status of the people. 

5 illus, 4 tables, 13 ref

005072   AHMAD A M, UGYA A Y, ISAH H A, IMAM T S (Environmental Management Dep, Kaduna State Univ, Kaduna, Nigeria, Email: ugya88@kasu.edu.ng) : Mineralization and mobilization of biosolids phosphorus in soil: A concise review. J Appl Biol Biotechnol 2019, 7(5), 98-106.

Biosolids are the product of wastewater or municipal solid waste collected through sewerage treatment; the processes of obtaining the biosolids involve various treatment processes, which include digestion, thermal stabilization, thickening, dewatering, and drying, in order to obtain free pathogen granules. These processes undergone by wastewater in the treatment plant ultimately clean the wastewater and remove the solids which are further treated to an acceptable standard for beneficial soil amendments. The application of biosolids are considered to improve soil organic matter, moisture content, and provided essential nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus in arable land as potential plant nutrients supplements for crop optimum yield. Incubation studies on the biosolids-amended soils have shown significant increases in soil phosphorus content being released as plant available P in the soil, and therefore could be a good source of phosphorus in deficient native phosphorus soil. Field-scale experiments on wheat are grown with sewage sludge have also shown yield production comparable to mineral fertilizer-treated soils. This review is thereby aimed at explaining the concept behind the mineralization and mobilization of biosolids phosphorus in soil. In this review paper, an overview of the method of preparations, origin, and sources, its application in agriculture and the environment, chemical composition, the environmental risk, soil amendments potentials of the biosolid sand regulatory, and global perspective of sewage sludge disposal all are reviewed. From the review, it was concluded that mineralization and mobilization of biosolids phosphorus in soil have beneficial input to both environment and soil nutrient amendment. It is thereby recommended that more research studies should be carried out on the mineralization and mobilization of another essential element, such as nitrogen and biochar although more research should be done with respect to mineralization and mobilization of biosolids phosphorus in soil.

3 illus, 2 tables, 104 ref

005088   SHARMA H, DAS D, SARMAH P, ROUT J (Ecology and Environmental Science Dep, Assam Univ, Silchar- 788 011) : A study on freshwater algal communities of pond ecosystems from southern Assam. Vegetos 2019, 32(1), 19-32.

A short term study was carried out on algal communities in four pond ecosystems from southern Assam, North East India. A total of 74 algal species both filamentous and non-filamentous belonging to Cyanophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Bacillariophyceae and Euglenophyceae were recorded. Overall, the diatom species were observed to be the highest. The occurrence of algal communities was correlated with physico-chemical properties of water and sediment. Pearson’s correlation coefficients among various physico-chemical properties of water and algae revealed a positive correlation of Cyanophyceae species with nitrate and phosphate. The pH showed a positive correlation with Chlorophyceae and Bacillariopheceae species. Dissolved oxygen exhibited a positive correlation with the Cyanophyceae and Chlorophyceae species. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) of different algal groups versus environmental variables suggested the growth of algal communities in these freshwater habitats to be governed by different water and sediment parameters.

38 ref

005091   TRIEPKE F J, MULDAVIN E H, WAHLBERG M M (USDA Forest Service, New Mexico- 871 02, Email: jtriepke@fs.fed.us) : Using climate projections to assess ecosystem vulnerability at scales relevant to managers. Ecosphere 2019, 10(9), e02854.

Land managers require information about the ongoing and potential effects of future climate to coordinate responses for ecosystems, species, and human communities at scales that are operationally meaningful. Our study focused on the vulnerability for all upland ecosystem types of Arizona and New Mexico in the southwestern United States. Local vulnerability across the two-state area was represented by the level of departure for late 21st-century climate from the characteristic pre-1990 climate envelope of the ecosystem type at each given location, resulting in a probability surface of climate impacts for the two-state area and an uncertainty assessment based on agreement in results among multiple global climate models.Though the results varied from one ecosystem type to the next, the majority of lands were forecast as high vulnerability and low uncertainty, reflecting significant agreement among climate model projections forthe southwestern United States. We then tested our results in relation to ongoing ecological processes that have both regional and global change implications and discovered significant relationships with wildfire severity, upward tree species recruitment, and the encroachment of scrub into semi desert grassland. The testing helped determine the efficacy of the vulnerability surface, as a product of relatively high spatia land thematic resolution, in supporting local planning and management decisions. Most important, thisstudy links climate and changes in vegetation by ecosystem processes that are already ongoing. The results affirm the value of climate model downscaling and show that this portable approach to correlative modeling has value in determining the location and magnitude of potential climate-related impacts.

5 illus, 6 tables, 106 ref

005080   HOLGERSON M A, DUARTE A, HAYES M P, ADAMS M J, TYSON J A, DOUVILLE K A, STRECKER A L (Environmental Science and Management Dep, Portland State Univ, Oregon- 97201, Email: holger1@stolaf.edu) : Floodplains provide important amphibian habitat despite multiple ecological threats. Ecosphere 2019, 10(9), e02853.

Floodplain ponds and wetlands are productive and biodiverse ecosystems, yet they face multiple threats including altered hydrology, land use change, and non-native species. Protecting and restoring important foodplain ecosystems requires understanding how organisms use these habitats and respond to altered environmental conditions. We developed Bayesian models to evaluate occupancy of six amphibian species across 103 off-channel aquatic habitats in the Chehalis River foodplain, Washington State, USA. The basin has been altered by changes in land use, reduced river–wetland connections, and the establishment of non-native American bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana = Lithobates catesbeianus) and centrarchid fishes, all of which we hypothesized could infuence native amphibian occupancy. Despite potential threats, the food plain habitats had relatively high rates of native amphibian occupancy, particularly when compared to studies from non-foodplain habitats within the species’ native ranges. The biggest challenge for native amphibians appears to be non-native centrarchid fishes, which strongly reduced occupancy of two native amphibians: the northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora) and the northwestern salamander (Ambystoma gracile). Emergent vegetative cover increased occupancy probability for all five native amphibian species, indicating that plant management may offer a strategy to counter the negative effect of centrarchids by providing refuge from predation. We found that temporary and permanent hydroperiod sites supported different species; hence, both should be conserved on the landscape. Lastly, human-created and natural ponds had similar amphibianoccupancy patterns, suggesting that pond construction offers a viable strategy for adding habitats to the foodplain landscape. Overall, foodplain ponds and wetlands provide important amphibian habitat, and weoffer management strategies that will bolster amphibian occupancy in an altered foodplain landscape.

3 illus, 4 tables, 84 ref

005071   ADEDOJA O, KEHINDE T, SAMWAYS M J (Conservation Ecology and Entomology Dep, Stellenbosch Univ, Stellenbosch, South Africa, Email: adedojaopeyemiadebayo@gmail.com) : Time since fire strongly and variously influences anthophilous insects in a fire-prone landscape. Ecosphere 2019, 10(9), e02849.

Drivers of species productivity and ecosystem function are of great ecological significance. Infire-prone ecosystems, dispersion patterns of important pollinator species are driven by the various fire events over space and time. However, different species have varying responses to fire intensity and frequency. Here, we assess how time since last fire influences abundance, composition, and dispersion patterns of flowering plants and anthophiles in a highly fire-prone landscape. We classified study area into age since last fire, which were<1 yr (short-term burned), 2–3 yr (medium-term burned), and 9–10 yr (long-term burned). We collected insect anthophiles using yellow, blue, and white pan traps at sites established in each post-fire class. We also estimated flower abundance at each study site. Overall, anthophile abundance was highest in medium-term burned, while lowest in short-term burned sites. Also, flower abundance was highest at medium-term burned and lowest in long-term burned sites. Species composition of flowering plants and anthophiles, especially bees and flies, differed significantly across post-fire class. Overall, flower abundance had a significant positive effect on bee abundance. Of all the taxa, bees were the only group that showed dispersion patterns reflecting those of flower abundance. Other factors, especially requirements for other resources such as logs, drive the distribution of other anthophile taxa, especially flies. We conclude that fire drives the distribution patterns of bees through its direct effect on flower abundance and composition in a fire-prone landscape. While high frequency of short-termfire may reduceflower abundance,flower-rich areas with moderate time sincefire may increase diversity of anthophiles inthisfire-prone landscape.

5 illus, 53 ref

005074   BORST A C W, ANGELINI C, BERGE A T, LAMERS L, DERKSEN-HOOIJBERG M, HEIDE T V D (Radboud Univ, Heyendaalseweg- 135, Email: anniekeborst@outlook.com) : Food or furniture: Separating trophic and non-trophic effects of Spanish moss to explain its high invertebrate diversity. Ecosphere 2019, 10(9), e02846.

Foundation species are typically suggested to enhance community diversity non-trophically by increasing habitat structure and mitigating physical stress, while their trophic role is considered of minor importance. Yet, there is little experimental evidence on the relative importance of trophic and non-trophic effects and the interaction with patch size. Here, we transplanted different festoon sizes ofliving Tillandsia usneoides (Spanish moss) and structural mimics assessing the trophic and non-trophic rolesof this habitat-forming epiphyte in mediating the invertebrate community. Compared to bare branches, mimics enhanced species and feeding guild richness and abundances, but living festoons even more so, demonstrating that trophic and non-trophic effects jointly stimulated the community. Specifically, our results show that, independent of patch size, 40 % of the total species richness and 46 % of total guild rich-ness increase could be contributed to habitat structure alone, while Spanish moss trophically stimulated these metrics by another 60 % and 54 %. As detritivores were particularly enhanced in living festoons, our findings suggest that trophic stimulation occurred primarily through the provisioning of Spanish mossdetritus. Our results highlight that foundation species can facilitate their associated communities through both trophic and non-trophic pathways, calling for studies addressing their indirect trophic role via the brown food web.

4 illus, 45 ref