002775   ALI S Y, PAUL M, BHATTACHARYYA D, SINHA D, CHAUDHURY S (Environmental Studies Dep, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, West Bengal, Email: yakubali.syed@gmail.com) : Evaluation of multiple applications of EDTA and LMWOAs on phytotoxicity and phytoextraction of Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu in soil with Tagetes sp.. Indian J Soil Conserv 2019, 47(1), 45-54.

Phytorextraction using chelating agents has been developed to enhance the accumulation of trace elements (TEs) by high biomass plants. Synthetic chelates like ethylenediaminetetra acetic acid (EDTA) is most effective to solubilize the TEs in the soil solution and inrease the accumulation in the plants. However, the excessive amount of TEssolubilized by EDTAin the soil can decrease the growth and biomass of plants and increase environmental risk. Low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs), on the otherhand are used for enhancement of phytoextraction. However, LMWOAs are less and/or not effective as these are easily biodegradable and hence there is re-precipitation and/or reabsorbtion of TEs on soil particles. In this study, we compared the performance of multiple application of EDTA with LMWOAs in enhancing phytoextraction of TEs and phytoxic effects on Tagetes sp., spiked in multimetal contaminated soils. It was observed that multiple application of LMWOAs were able to enhance the accumulation of Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu without any toxic effect on plants. Net accumulation of TEs by EDTA was higher as compared to LMWOAs, but multiple application of EDTAcould not minimised the toxic effect on plants.

2 illus, 5 tables, 79 ref

002786   KUMAR M, SINGH P K, KUMAR R, MITTAL H K, YADAV K K, GHAG K S (ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi- 110012, Email: mkumar912@rediffmail.com) : Planning of conservation measures using remote sensing and geographical information system in micro-watershed. Indian J Soil Conserv 2019, 47(1), 37-44.

The present study was conducted in the Baliya micro-watershed of Udaipur district, Rajasthan for planning of appropriate conservation measures for resource conservation using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information System (GIS). RS and GIS helped in identification of different soil and water conservation (SWC) measures by considering the factors like physiography, soils, land use (LU) capability classes, slope, and drainage pattern. Rainfall data of 30 years period (1984-2013) was analyzed for planning of different SWC measures. The probability analysis and recurrence interval study of annual and seasonal rainfall for the period 1984-2013 was determined for effective planning of resource conservation. The appropriate agricultural and engineering measures adaptable in micro-watershed were contour bund (VI - 0.78 m, HI - 43.39 m, S - 1.84 %), Purtorico terrace (VI - 2.02 m, HI - 21.49 m, S - 9.40 %), Stone wall terrace (L- 2299 m, H - 0.25 m, S - 9.40 %) for arable land whereas Contour trench 2 2 (S - 19.58 %, C/s area - 0.09 m², L - 6256 m), Staggered trench (C/s area - 0.09 m², S - 2 32.50 %, A-285.17 ha), V-ditch (C/s area - 0.09 m², S - 32.50 %, A- 601.12 ha) and Silvipasture (18.31 ha) for non-arable land. For the treatment of drainage line, loose stone check dams of different dimensions were proposed as per their available catchment area. For harvesting of excess runoff, one water harvesting structure (Anicut) having storage capacity of 1.61 ha-m was designed for supplementary irrigation to rabi crops.

7 illus, 5 tables, 42 ref

002797   SINGH G, SINGH R M, CHANDOLA V K, NEMA A K (ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Anand- 388 306, Gujarat, Email: gaurav.bhu09@gmail.com) : Rainfall analysis for crop planning under rainfed condition at Mirzapur district in Vindhya plateau of Indo-Gangetic Plain. Indian J Soil Conserv 2019, 47(1), 30-6.

The spatial and temporal inconsistency of rainfall has increased during the recent decade, particularly in rainfed regions of the country. The rainfed areas face deficit and surplus distribution of rainfall during critical stages of crop growth. Therefore, planning of different agricultural activities consistent with these changes and specific crop is envisaged as key to safe guard against crop failure. In this study, analysis of 36 years (1980-2016) rainfall data using Markov chain model is used to find initial, conditional and consecutive dry and wet week probability and rainfall at different probability levels using incomplete gamma distribution. The forward and backward accumulation of rainfall is used for assessment of onset and withdrawal of rainy season. The weekly water balance for water deficit and surplus is carried using Thornthwaite method and best fit frequency distribution is identified for annual water deficit using chi square test. The average annual rainfall of Mirzapur district is found to be 1022.17 mm with 21.6 % coefficient of variation. The onset and withdrawal of rainy season starts effectively from 24th week (11-17 June) and under delayed condition, th rainy season starts by 26 week (25 June-01 July). Under normal conditions, the rainy th th season starts by 25 week (18-24 June). The rainy season ends at earliest by 42 week th (18-24 October) and under delayed condition rainy season may end by 50 week (11- th 16 December). Under normal condition rainy season ends by 46 week (10-16 November).The Gumbel distribution is found suitable for predicting annual water deficit based on Chi-square test.

8 illus, 2 tables, 32 ref

002795   SAJEENA S, KURIEN E K (ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tavanur, Kerala, Email: sajeenahakkim@gmail.com) : Studies on groundwater resources using visual MODFLOW – A case study of Kadalundi river basin, Malappuram, Kerala. Indian J Soil Conserv 2019, 47(1), 21-9.

Groundwater models describe the ground water flow and transport processes using mathematical equations based on certain assumptions. Visual MODFLOW is a complete and user-friendly, modelling environment for three dimensional ground water flow and contaminant transport simulation. In this study, Visual MODFLOW software version 2.8.1 developed by Waterloo Hydrogeologic Inc. was used for the flow modelling of Kadalundi river basin, which covers major geographical area of Malappuram district. This river basin can be considered as a general representation of the district. Base map was prepared using Arc GIS (Arc Map10.1) and imported into the model. The conceptual model for the study area was developed using the toposheet of the area, well logs at 30 sites and the data obtained from the geophysical studies conducted in the study area. The model was developed and calibrated with four years data (2008 to 2011) and validated with two years data (2012 and 2013). The validated model was used to predict the flow head for the next 15 years assuming 5 % decrease in recharge for every year and also to predict the ground water condition by increasing the pumping rate by 10, 25 and 50 % of pumping rate of the validation period (2013). From the modelling studies, it could be noted that the Kadalundi river basin may remain safe for a short span of five years from the point of future ground water development and subsequently the water table will reach the bed rock. This necessitates artificial ground water recharge techniques in the study area to supplement the ground water recharge through rainfall.

9 illus, 3 tables, 9 ref

002780   BISWAS H, RAIZADA A , KUMAR S, MANDAL D, SRINIVAS S, HEGDE R, MISHRA P K (ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Bellary, Karnataka, Email: hritbis@yahoo.co.in) : Soil erosion risk mapping for natural resource conservation planning in Karnataka region, Southern India. Indian J Soil Conserv 2019, 47(1), 14-20.

District-wise soil erosion risk (SER) maps were prepared for the state of Karnataka with the objectives of prioritizing the districts of the state in order of the simplified weighted erosion risk index values, and to provide an estimate of the areas needing immediate attention in terms of conservation measures with the existing technology of natural resource management. The SER values for each district were computed by extracting the information on grid-wise soil erosion and soil loss tolerance limit values existing on the country-scale in a GIS environment. The results revealed that around 77 % of the state can be considered as safe, and does not call for immediate soil conservation measures. The remaining area (4.18 M ha) requires conservation planning through prioritization. Six districts, viz., Koppal, Bagalkote, Belgaum, Gubarga, Bellary and Dharwad, with one-third of their areas showing net positive values require soil loss mitigation measures through phased planning. In order to obtain a clearer picture and categorize the districts based on their extent of vulnerability, the weighted erosion risk values were computed. Belgaum, Uttara Kannada and Bijapur were identified as the worst-affected districts in terms of soil erosion and therefore need immediate attention for natural resource conservation.

3 illus, 2 tables, 26 ref

002790   PATIL M, KOTHARI M, GORANTIWAR S D, SINGH P K (Soil and Water Engineering Dep, MPUAT, Udaipur- 313 001, Email: mangalpatil43@gmail.com) : Runoff simulation using the SWAT model and SUFI-2 algorithm in Ghod catchment of upper Bhima river basin. Indian J Soil Conserv 2019, 47(1), 7-13.

In this study, the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) was used to simulate the runoff in Ghod catchment of upper Bhima river basin for the period 1997-2015. Model calibration and validation were performed for monthly time periods using sequential uncertainty fitting version 2 (SUFI-2) within the SWAT-calibration uncertainty program (SWAT-CUP) using 19 parameters which have been selected from past literature. Calibration outputs for the period 2000-2010 with 3 years warm-up period (1997-1999) showed a good correlation between observed and simulated values with the P-factor and R-factor found 0.59 and 0.56, respectively, nash sutcliff efficiency 2 (NSE) = 0.88 and correlation coefficient (R²) = 0.89. During the validation period (2011-2015), the P-factor and R-factor found 0.52 and 0.63, respectively, and the NSE 2 and R² values were found 0.72 and 0.74, respectively. Following calibration, the overall effect of each parameter used was ranked using a global sensitivity function within SWAT-CUP. From the analysis, curve number (CN2) was found to be the most sensitive parameter with absolute t-value of 18.50 and p-value of 0.00 to simulate the stream-flow of the Ghod catchment. The deep aquifer percolation fraction (RCHRG_DP) was observed as the least sensitive parameter with t-statistic and pvalue of 0.02 and 0.97, respectively. It was concluded from the study that the coupling of the SWAT and SWAT-CUP made the calibration process quicker and reliable to simulate local hydrology within the watershed.

9 illus, 4 tables, 38 ref

002794   RANI R S, REJANI R, KUMAR G M, LAKSHMI Y S, SRINIVAS D K (Agricultural Engineering Coll (PJTSAU), Sangareddy-502 285, Telangana, Email: ratnala504@gmail.com) : Impact of climate change on soil loss in mudhole watershed of Telangana using GIS and RUSLE. Indian J Dryland Agric Res Dev 2019, 34(1), 47-52.

The Mudhole watershed of Adilabad district of Telangana lies in Godavari river basin and is having a drainage area of 300 km² . The watershed is severely affected by soil erosion due to high intensity of rainfall. Changes in the distribution and frequency of rainfall, decrease in the number of rainy days, increase in rainfall intensities and intensity of cyclonic storms are projected under changing climatic scenarios. While planning interventions, the soil loss that can occur in near future (2020’s, 2050’s and 2080’s) also plays an important role. Therefore, in this study, soil loss was estimated under current scenario and in near future. During base line period, the soil loss from most of the area varied from 0 to 5 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Most of the area, soil loss under RCP 2.6 is predicted to increase by 1.5 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Under RCP 4.5, it is predicted to increase by 2.5 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, under RCP 6.0, it is predicted to increase by 5 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and under RCP 8.5, it is predicted to increase by 7.5 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. An increase in the soil loss predicted for future scenarios shows the need for more interventions for sustainability of the watershed.

9 illus, 17 ref

002791   PENDKE M S, ASEWAR B V, NARALE S H, CHARY G R, GOPINATH K A (Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani-431 402, Maharashtra, Email: mspendke1@rediffmail.com) : Evaluation of rainwater conservation practices for reducing runoff, soil loss and enhancing moisture availability under rainfed soybean. Indian J Dryland Agric Res Dev 2019, 34(1), 38-41.

Soybean is the predominant crop of Marathwada Region covering 15 lakh hectare area in kharif season. Though its potential yield reported to be very high but the farmers of the region particularly under rainfed condition is not getting higher yield due to various reasons. Accordingly, a field experiment was conducted on medium black soils during 2014 to 2018 for evaluation of various in-situ rainwater conservation practices for reducing runoff and soil loss as well as to enhance the moisture availability to cope with dryspell conditions. The various in-situ rainwater conservation practices includes opening of furrow after every 4 rows,dead furrow, tied ridging, conservation furrow, BBF and flatbed and were evaluated for its performance to enhance the productivity of rainfed soybean through soil moisture conservation. BBF recorded significantly higher crop productivity as compared to other treatments and found to be at par with opening of furrow after every 4 rows. The net returns and BC ratio were also found higher under BBF treatment. The rainwater use efficiency under BBF was found to be 2.78 as compared to 177 under flatbed treatment (farmers practice). The runoff and soil loss were also found less (46 % and 53 %, respectively) under BBF treatment as compared to flatbed treatment. Study concluded that BBF sowing technique for soybean was most suitable for enhancing production potential and soil moisture.

8 tables, 11 ref

002785   KRANTHI G S P, RAO K V, KUMARI K P (ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad- 500 059, Telangana, Email: pratyushags@yahoo.com) : Daily precipitation concentration index for krishna basin. Indian J Dryland Agric Res Dev 2019, 34(1), 9-14.

Daily precipitation concentration index (CI) was calculated for Krishna basin and concentration curves were drawn to study the contribution of heavy rainfall events to total amount of rainfall. The drought prone areas of Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Karnataka and Maharashtra showed higher values where the contribution of heavy rainfall events accounts 70 % of total rainfall. In upper reach of Krishna basin, Badami station had higher CI value (0.74) and in lower reach of Krishna basin , Pileru station showed lower CI value (0.51). Spatial trend of CI was studied by performing Mann-Kendal test. The test showed that stations with greater CI values had decreasing trend of CI and stations with lower CI values had increasing trend of CI.

6 illus, 2 tables, 11 ref

002776   ANTOUH B, ZEIN K, TALEB M, QANDIL M E L (Geology Dep, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah Univ, B.P. 1796 Fez-Atlas, 30003, Morocco) : The degradation of the water resources of the urban community of Fez: An economic and environmental Cost. Nat Environ Pollut Technol 2019, 18(2), 673-7.

The protection of water resources is based on knowledge of the causes and consequences of environmental damage. It also calls for the development of strategies and the adoption of technologies to avoid it. However, this descriptive component, which focuses on the adoption of new “clean” technologies, offers no tools to guide decisions or to inform whether the actions undertaken are or are not efficient and profitable. The Meso-economic-environmental studies take this situation by evaluating the environmental damage and inefficiencies, the costs necessary to remedy them. To do this, it is necessary firstly to collect data and statistics. Secondly, the conversion of physical units into monetary ones using the economic methods of evaluation. Finally, estimating a relationship between the benefits and costs of remediation actions and identifying the priorities for decision-making. As part of the Mesoeconomic-environmental assessment of the water resources of the urban community of Fez, the cost of degradation of the water resource and inefficiencies in the use of this precious property is estimated at 2,087% of the added value (VA) of the city of Fez. The remedial actions recommended for the improvement of the quality of life, the preservation of the natural capital and the better management of the water resources are 1.398% of the VA of this urban commune. Deployment to implement remedial actions for the preservation of water resources are beneficial in the long term. In monetary terms, for every 1 MAD spent on remediation, 1.49 MAD damage will be avoided. In short, the Mesoeconomic-environmental assessment is an integrated approach that not only allows the monetarization of impacts and the identification of the most appropriate remedial actions but also combines urban development, respect for the environment and well-being of the population.

2 tables, 8 ref

002784   KHATIK V A, INTARAK R, FOTO T G (St. Theresa International Coll, Nakhonnayok 26120, Thailand) : Development and mapping of noise risk zones in neighbourhoods along Saensaep canal: Revealing the public health burden of water transport in Bangkok. Nat Environ Pollut Technol 2019, 18(2), 645-50.

In this study noise pollution from public transport boats in the Saensaep canal was investigated and questionnaire surveys were performed to assess the impact of noise. The spatial noise measurements were conducted inside the boats and surrounding neighbourhoods. On the basis of the results, noiserisk zone map was developed. It shows the settlements located between 0 to 15 meters from canal fall under high to moderate risk zone and the settlements located from 15 to 20 meters fall under tolerable noise zone. The measurements conducted in different sections of the boats show wide noise variations ranging from 75.2 db(A) in the forward sections to 91.3 db(A) at the rearward section. These values clearly exceed all categories of permissible limits recommended by American Public Transit Association (APTA). The questionnaire surveys performed in the noise affected areas along the canal revealed the issues of sleep disturbance, conversation hampering, and annoyance attributed to the noise originating from passing boats. On the basis of this study, three major recommendations are forwarded. First, the households exposed to boat noise should install noise cancellation devices, sound barriers and insulators. Second, boat transportation authorities need to execute proper noise control approaches to reduce excessive noise from boat operations. And lastly, to avoid excessive noise exposure, passengers are recommended to prefer seats in the forward section over middle and rear sections.

6 illus, 3 tables, 6 ref

002789   NAIR V M, KUMAR R B B (Geology Dep, Kerala Univ, Kariavattom Campus, Kerala) : Assessment of heavy metal concentration in river sediments along Vamanapuram River Basin, South Kerala, India. Nat Environ Pollut Technol 2019, 18(2), 593-7.

The present study narrates the geo-environmental setting of the Vamanapuram River Basin (VRB) through the heavy metal assessment in river sediments. The granulometric distribution of trace metals in medium sand, fine sand, very fine sand, silt and clay fractions of the Vamanapuram river sediments has been determined for selected samples and the variation is compared with that of the respective bulk sediments. The order of abundance of trace elements in sand fractions is Fe> Mg> Zn> Mn> Pb> Cr> Ni> Cu> Co> Cd, and in mud fractions is Fe> Mg> Zn> Mn> Cr> Pb> Cu> Ni> Co> Cd. The sediment distribution characteristics have been brought out in a convincing manner.

1 illus, 3 tables, 8 ref

002802   ZHAO Y, YANG S, HAN F, XIANG M (Baoji Univ of Arts and Sciences, Baoji 721013, China) : Desorption behaviour of oxytetracycline onto natural sediment: A case study for the middle reaches of Weihe river in Shaanxi, China. Nat Environ Pollut Technol 2019, 18(2), 509-15.

Desorption behaviour of oxytetracycline (OTC) onto natural sediment from the middle reaches of Weihe River was described. The impact factors in the process of desorption, such as contact time, temperature (simulative range of summer and winter), ionic strength and colloidal concentration were determined by experiments. The results indicated that desorption of OTC reached equilibrium in about 40 min, and its kinetics were found to follow a pseudo-first-order model. Thermodynamic parameters such as Gibbs-free energy change (ΔG°), enthalpy change (ΔH°) and entropy change (ΔS°) were calculated, and the results demonstrated that desorption of OTC was feasible, spontaneous, exothermic in nature, and the desorption capacity decreased with increasing temperature, especially at the range of 296 to 302 K. The desorption process approached to saturation at a temperature range of 275 to 281 K. In addition, the presence of colloid and electrolytes in aqueous solution had a negative effect on OTC desorption onto sediment sample. Such results may help to provide the theoretical basis for the effective prevention of OTC pollution to the groundwater system in the Weihe River basin.

8 illus, 3 tables, 15 ref

002800   VISHWAKARMA A K, RAI R, SHRIVASTVA B K (Mining Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu Univ), Varanasi-221 005) : Distribution characteristics of micronutrients in mining induced subsided land of an underground coal mine of south eastern coalfields, India. Nat Environ Pollut Technol 2019, 18(2), 491-6.

This paper aims to study the distribution of available micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn) for plants in an underground coal mining induced subsided land of South Eastern Coalfield Limited (SECL), India. Depth-wise changes in soil texture, soil organic matter (SOM) and micronutrient components were evaluated in crack (Profile 2 or P2), slope (Profile 3 or P3) and maximum subsided zone (Profile 4 or P4) of a subsided land and a neighbouring undisturbed land (Profile 1 or P1). Contents of available Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn were in the range of (mg.kg^-1) 50.58-85.17, 40.50-64.93, 3.15-10.43 and 2.13-6.20, respectively at P1 and P4, while the contents at P2 and P3 were in the range of (mg.kg^-1) 4.10-10.25, 1.26-1.74, 0.12-0.19 and 0.31-0.52, respectively. Considering the critical levels of amounts (mg.kg^-1) of DTPA extracted micronutrients, the soils at P1 and P4 were found to have an adequate amount of Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn while P2 and P3 were having lower amounts than the critical levels except the Fe. Positive changes in the content values of the above elements were observed at P4, as demonstrated by increases of 54.90%, 12.98%, 127.02% and 38.30%, respectively. P3 and P2 had shown a negative change. The dispersion patterns of accessible Cu and Zn throughout the soil depth were very similar. By simple linear regression analysis, it was observed that mutual affinity for SOM might influence their distribution in soil. Amount of Fe and Mn displayed different but more consistent distribution within a soil layer.

4 illus, 2 tables, 28 ref

002783   KETJULAN R, IMRAN Z, BOER M, SIREGAR V P (Bogor Agricultural Univ, Jl. Raya Dramaga, West Java, Bogor, Indonesia) : Estimation of water carrying capacity for settlement activities in small islands: A case study of small islands of North Tiworo district, Muna sub district, Indonesia. Nat Environ Pollut Technol 2019, 18(2), 435-43.

This research aimed to estimate a coastal water quality change and its carrying capacity regarding the population settlement. Estimating the carrying capacity was taken using a quality standard comparison method, where the water quality was generated from field measurement with the quality of water according to the Ministerial Decree of Environment No. 51 of 2004. The principal component analysis was carried out to seek a parameter grouping of water quality in each location, while probability linear regression test was conducted to estimate the water carrying capacity. The results of this research indicated that the total population of Tiworo Archipelago has a significant correlation with ammonia concentration in the waters. The Quality Standard Ratio (QSR) value of ammonia currently was about 0.18, that is under its carrying capacity standard of 1. The number of the population according to the ammonia carrying capacity was about 39,541 people that was predicted happening on 160 years ahead, where the QSR ammonia value will reach 1, with an assumption of population growth rate of 1.36% per year. If the scenario was taken by decreasing the population growth rate as high as 1% per year, the carrying capacity of ammonia will happen 218 years later, and reversely when the population growth rate increased to be 1.5% per year, the carrying capacity of ammonia was going to occur on 146 years ahead. However, if this scenario was conducted by managing the local domestic waste, the ammonia carrying capacity limit was going to happen on 228 years ahead. Although various scenarios are able to be carried out to maintain the water quality, the water carrying capacity currently in the research location is either still high enough to support settlement activity of populations or marine aquaculture activity.

10 illus, 1 table, 32 ref

002793   RANA M, MITTAL S K, BEIG G (Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala- 147 004) : Enhanced ozone production in ambient air at Patiala semi-urban site during crop residue burning events. Mapan - J Metrol Soc India 2019, 34(2), 273–88.

The continuous in situ measurements of criteria pollutants (O₃, CO and NO_x) and meteorological variables were done at a semi-urban site (Patiala) of North-West Indo-Gangetic Plains (NW-IGP) for the years 2014 and 2015. The influence of meteorology on the levels of criteria pollutants was investigated on daily, monthly, seasonal and diurnal basis. The average rate of increase in O₃, calculated to be 1.1 ppb h⁻¹ and pollution index (daily O_{3 max}/O_{3 min} ratio), values (10.2) indicates remarkable ozone pollution. Ozone is negatively correlated (represented as r value) with its precursor gases CO (− 0.28) and NO_x (− 0.32), as they get consumed in the photochemical production of ozone. The impact of meteorology on ozone production was positively correlated with SR (0.63), AT (0.49), MT (0.59) and WS (0.23) and negatively correlated with RH (− 0.83). Pre-, during and post-biomass burning periods were determined using Terra-MODIS images over the study area. Enhanced levels of ozone were recorded as 20 ppb and 15 ppb during daytime, respectively, for rice and wheat crop seasons, and 12 ppb during nighttime for both seasons. Ozone exceedance of 24 h national standard occurred on 50% and 8% of the sampling periods during wheat and rice crop residue burning, respectively. Ozone generation with its precursor gases was analyzed quantitatively.

38 ref

002781   DESHMUKH R G, MOHOD A R, BHOPALE A A (Agricultural Economics & Statistics Dep, Dr. PDKV, Akola, Maharashtra) : Effect of weather variations on yield of paddy crop in Gondia district. Int J Multidiscip Res Dev 2019, 6(6), 123-5.

The study was undertaken in Gondia District entitled “Effect of Weather Variations on Yield of Paddy Crop in Gondia District” to examine the change on Paddy crop with the help of following objectives- To study the changes in temperature and rainfall, to study the impact of climate change on yield of selected crops and to study implication of climate change on farm level adjustment. The study was undertaken in Gondia District and Paddy crop was selected to study the effect of weather change on yield of the crop for the year 2001-2015. The data for present study was collected from the Publication of Dept. of Agriculture, Govt. of Maharashtra. The data of rainfall and temperature for these districts were taken from the Meteorological Department Dr. P.D.K.V. Akola. The following conclusions of the study were drawn like Rainfall had inconsistency within weeks over the period of 2001-2015 as revealed by C.V. in Gondia district. The consistency in minimum and maximum temperature was observed within weeks over the period 2001-2015. Gondia’s minimum and maximum temperature at flowering stage affected the crop yield of paddy during 2001-2015. In Gondia district paddy is major crop.

5 tables, 6 ref

002796   SHAILAJA G, GUPTA G, SUNEETHA N, LAXMINARAYANA M (Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, New Panvel (W), Navi Mumbai 410 218, Email: ggupta@iigs.iigm.res.in) : Assessment of aquifer zones and its protection via second-order geoelectric indices in parts of drought-prone region of Deccan Volcanic Province, Maharashtra, India. J Earth Syst Sci 2019, 128(4), 78.

Assessment of aquifer protection was studied in the drought-prone regions of Mann Ganga River basin encompassing the districts of Satara, Sangli and Solapur, in Deccan Volcanic Province of Maharashtra, India, using electrical resistivity technique. The study was also aimed at alleviating the drinking water scarcity in these regions. A total of 118 vertical electrical sounding sites were occupied using Schlumberger electrode configuration and the data analysis revealed two to five layered curve types. The modelled layer resistivity and layer thickness at every station were used to calculate the Dar–Zarrouk parameters (i.e., longitudinal conductance S and transverse resistance T). The S values showed that 67% of the area had a poor aquifer protection, whereas 16% had moderate protective capacity and 13% had weak aquifer protective capacity rating. Only 4% of the study area depicted a good protective capacity rating. This indicates that the study area has a rather poor aquifer protective capacity rating, and thereby more prone to infiltrating contaminants. The regions with good-to-moderate protective capacity are envisaged to be potential groundwater zones. The large variation in electrical anisotropy λ ranging from 1 to 2.8 in the study area suggests the anisotropic disposition of the aquifers in basaltic region. The intersection points of several lineaments in the study area are probable to be the most favourable zone for groundwater recharge. This is corroborated by the lineament density of the area, wherein high lineament density reflects high probability of groundwater infiltration. Moreover, the rainfall distribution suggests that the central and eastern parts of the study area receive maximum precipitation, which also coincides with the zones of high lineament density. Particle size analysis was determined from 92 soil samples in the study area and correlated with the longitudinal conductance in order to identify the sub-surface conditions and the aquifer vulnerability. Significant positive correlation was observed between the longitudinal conductance and percentage of clay fraction in the study area. These results could be relied upon for making preliminary estimates of protection from pollution for a sustainable groundwater development and management in future.

10 illus, 1 table, 55 ref

002799   TRIPATHI K, DUBEY A K, JAYANGONDAPERUMAL R (Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun 248 001, Email: kavitawihg@gmail.com) : Mesoscopic, magnetic and petrofabric study of the High Himalayan gneisses and leucogranite along oblique and frontal ramps of the Vaikrita Thrust in Satluj and Bhagirathi valleys: Thrust locking and superposed folding. J Earth Syst Sci 2019, 128(4), 77.

Field, microstructural and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) studies were performed along the oblique thrust ramp of the Satluj river valley and frontal thrust ramp of the Bhagirathi river valley. The presence of asymmetric and sheath folds indicates intense shearing near the thrust. The simple shear gradually decreases with an increase in distance from the thrust and pure shear with upright folds becomes prominent. The AMS studies suggest slightly higher pure shear in the frontal ramp region as compared to the oblique ramp region where oblique slip was predominant. The sense of shear criteria and orientation of superposed folds indicate locking of the thrust. Normal faults are the youngest structure.

13 illus, 2 tables, 67 ref

002801   ZAREE M, JAVADI S, NESHAT A (Irrigation and Drainage Engineering Dep, Tehran Univ, Tehran, Iran, Email: Javadis@ut.ac.ir) : Potential detection of water resources in karst formations using APLIS model and modification with AHP and TOPSIS. J Earth Syst Sci 2019, 128(4), 76.

Population growth and water shortage in Iran have highlighted the importance of studies on karst. However, in developing countries such as Iran, studies on the karst region including the construction of piezometric wells, exploratory boreholes, qualitative sampling and tracing tests are performed infrequently due to the huge costs. Hence, it is necessary to conduct karst studies in regions with a high potential of recharge using the map of groundwater recharge potential. In addition, determining and estimating the potential of these resources for management planning is vital in water shortage conditions. In this study, the potential detection of water resources in karst formations using ranking methods is investigated. First, APLIS weighting model was used in Javanroud, Kermanshah region, as the main method of and the basis of this research. Then, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and TOPSIS techniques were used to modify the weight of the APLIS model and lastly, the three final maps of APLIS, AHP and TOPSIS were matched and compared with maps of spring and fault. Thus, the TOPSIS method, despite five springs with discharge of 38 m³/s and four faults with length of 8869 m in a region with very high recharge, was selected as the best method. The results obtained enable us to select the best region for geophysical operation that requires the least amount of time along with the lowest cost.

6 illus, 4 tables, 22 ref

002779   BASKAR V D C, MANI K, NANDHINI S U (Padannakkad Kerala Agricultural Univ, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu) : Input use pattern of water users’ association in Periayr-Vaigai river basin. J Pharmacogn Phytochem 2019, 8(3), 915-7.

Given the existing water supply scenarios, the demand management strategies will be considered more relevant for the efficient management of the available supplies. Therefore, what is needed is the clear understanding of the value of water in alternate uses as well as the incentive to allocate the water among competing crops and uses in different river basins. This will also help to work out the performance of both irrigation and agriculture sectors at basin level. Accordingly, the following objectives are set forth: to discuss the characteristics of WUAs and the impact of such characteristics on the water use efficiency of the selected farms to examine the participation of farmers under WUAs in the selected area The deliverables will be a boost for water user association and find a way possible ways for the water use in a economic prospects.

5 tables, 5 ref

002787   LENINRAJA D, MUTHUMANICKAM D, BALAMURUGAN D (Tamil Nadu Agricultural Univ, Killikulam, Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu) : Reassessment of soil available DTPA-iron status in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu using GIS and GPS techniques. J Pharmacogn Phytochem 2019, 8(3), 881-4.

A study was undertaken in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu with a view to assess the DTPA-Fe status of soils at block level. A sum of 1,798 geo-referenced surface soil samples from nineteen blocks of Tirunelveli district representing different soil units as per the soil map prepared on 1:50,000 scales were collected randomly at 0-15 cm depth using Global Positioning System. The soil samples were analysed for available DTPA-Fe. The content of DTPA- Fe differed from 0.05 to 72.31 mg kg^-1 soil. Analytical results and the GPS data were used for the preparation of thematic maps showing spatial distribution of micronutrients status block wise in the district. Locations of soil sampling sites of Tirunelveli district were marked on base map on 1: 50,000 scales prepared from State Revenue Maps and digitized using Arc-info GIS. The delineation study thus clearly indicates that, DTPA-Fe was found to be deficient in 49.9 per cent of soils of Tirunelveli district respectively.

2 illus, 1 table, 8 ref

002782   DHARANIPRIYA A, KARTHIKEYAN C, PANNEERSELVAM S (Social Sciences Dep, Tamil Nadu Agricultural Univ, Killikulam, Tamil Nadu) : Understanding the farmers’ preference for designing weather based agro advisory services. J Pharmacogn Phytochem 2019, 8(3), 870-3.

Weather is considered crucial for agriculture as it determines the productivity of the crops. It is evident that farmers incur crop losses for being unaware of the aberrant weather events. Hence provision of weather based agricultural advices to farmer’s gains paramount importance in this situation. However, farmer’s acceptance of the advice heavily depends upon their preference of varied aspects of the service. In this regard, the present study was undertaken to understand the different aspects of the service which is appropriate to the farmers needs to increase the adoption of advisories. Five key aspects of the service viz., frequency of messages, timing of the message, source of message, mode of feedback and the response time (time taken to respond to farmer’s queries) were identified to seek farmers’ opinion. Conjoint analysis was performed to estimate the utility and relative importance values for each aspect of the service. The results revealed that the farmers prefer to receive weather based agro advisory services once in a week from agricultural scientists of TNAU during afternoon hours. Regarding the mode of feedback & response time, text message given either instantly or within a day was most preferred by farmers. The high relative importance values for frequency of message and source of information signify the value contained by the farmers for these two aspects.

1 table, 12 ref

002798   SINGH P, JAVEED O, MIR I A, MEHRAJ K, MAGRYAL P, KUMAR S (SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir) : Water quality assessment of the chporian village, Uttarakhand: India using multivariate statistical approach. J Pharmacogn Phytochem 2019, 8(3), 429-33.

In this study water samples were collected and analyzed for physico-chemical parameters like pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Turbidity (Turb), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Calcium (Ca²⁺), Magnesium (Mg²⁺), Chloride (Cl^- ), Total Alkalinity (TA) and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) etc, using a statistical method. There is a relationship between variables that shows that one variable causes changes in another variable. In this paper, a statistical regression analysis method for different sources at four field’s sites was calculated. This technique was studied and calculated the correlation coefficients between different physicochemical parameters of water samples. The results were also compared with the WHO water quality standards and it was concluded that most water samples do not seem to be drinking. The results have been shown to be a useful means of rapid observation of water quality through systematic calculations of parametric statistics between water parameters and multivariate analysis.

2 illus, 6 tables, 12 ref

002788   MIR S A, QADRI H, BEIGH B A, DAR Z A, BASHIR I (Barkatullah Univ, Madhya Pradesh) : Assessment of nutrient status and water quality index of Rambiara stream, Kashmir Himalaya, India. J Pharmacogn Phytochem 2019, 8(3), 172-80.

The present study was conducted with an aim to assess the nutrient status and water quality index (WQI) of a Himalayan freshwater stream Rambiara which is one of the principal tributary of River Jhelum. The stream serves the citizens of south Kashmir as the main source of water. WQI values varied from a minimum of 43.47 to 48.74. Among the study sites, Site III (Hirpora village) revealed higher values of WQI while as lowest values was obtained at Site I (Sokh Sarai). Standard methodology (APHA 1998) was employed to examine physico-chemical parameters involving water temperature, pH, CO₂, total alkalinity, DO, total hardness, calcium, magnesium, PO₄^3- , total phosphorus, NH₄⁺ , NO₂, NO₃, dissolved silica and SO₄^2- . Pearson matrix revealed that significant positive correlation existed between total alkalinity and DO (r = 0.958, p < 0.05), total hardness and DO (r= 0.775, p < 0.05), PO₄^3- and water temperature (r= 0.991, p < 0.05), NH₄⁺ and water temperature (r= 0.973, p < 0.05) dissolved silica and sulphate (r= 0.947, p < 0.05). While inverse relationship existed between water temperature and DO (r = -980, p < 0.05). Our results support that all the hydrological parameters are desirable and the water quality of the Rambiara stream falls under excellent category based on water quality index values. It is concluded that immediate attention is needed to limit anthropogenic activities in its riparian zone from where sediments and nutrients are brought into the stream. Riparian tree planting should be encouraged to prevent soil erosion. In addition, public awareness programs should be raised about these precious natural resources.

2 illus, 9 tables, 72 ref

002792   PRAKASH K L, RAVIKUMAR P, SHIVARAJ K M N, SANTHOSH K T M, SOMASHEKAR R K (Environmental Sciences Dep, Bangalore Univ, Bangalore- 560 056, Email: klpenvi@gmail.com) : Appraisal of ground water quality in and around Kolar and Malur taluks of south-eastern Karnataka, India. Adv Appl Res 2019, 11(1), 1-8.

A total of 16 bore well samples were collected from Kolar and Malur taluks and analyzed for physico-chemical and irrigation water quality parameters. Electrical conductivity values indicated that 37.5 % of the analyzed water samples were under permissible and doubtful categories and were unsuitable for drinking and irrigation purpose. Total hardness values classified 37.5 % of the samples as very hard waters while 81.25 % of the samples were non-saline (< 1000 mg L^-1 ) in nature based on total dissolved solids (TDS) levels. Among cations, concentration of alkaline earth metals (Ca+Mg) was dominant over alkali metals (Na+K). Among anions, weak acidic anion (HCO₂) concentration was dominant over strong acidic anion concentration (Cl+SO₄) in 81.25 % of the samples. Majority of the samples were suitable for irrigation purpose based on SAR (Sodium Absorption Ratio) and percent sodium values. WQI (Water Quality Index) values ranged from 7.56 to 24.69 (mean: 14.8) in the study area, which demonstrated their suitability -1 for domestic and other utilitarian purposes. Fluoride content was above the BIS standard limit of 1.5 mg L^-1 at Dhanamatanahally, Challahally, Garudnahally, Kolar West and Mangasandra places, which is a matter of concern in view of the health hazards of fluoride.

1 illus, 2 tables, 20 ref

001492   BHATT B, JOSHI J P (Geography Dep, The Maharaja Sayajirao Univ of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat, Email: bindoobhatt@gmail.com) : A Spatio-temporal mapping of malaria risk zones integrating Annual Parasite Index and Geographic Information System in Vadodara District, Gujarat (India). Natl J Physiol Pharm Pharmacol 2019, 9(3), 221-6.

Risk maps have proven to be important tools for public health decision-making and priority setting for vector-borne diseases because they assist with the targeting of prevention and control efforts. The spatial information obtained from mapping malaria hazard and risk will provide a guideline for control programs and preparing health facilities based on the requirement of each area. Geographic information system (GIS) has been continuously used for the analysis of spatial health-related data. It can be a useful tool for analyzing the spread of diseases. This study attempts to identify malaria risk zones at macrolevel based on annual parasite index (API). Spatiotemporal API data (2006–2011) are integrated into GIS and weighted overlay analysis is performed to delineate risk zones in Vadodara district. On the basis of API as recorded during 2006–2011 from the villages of the Vadodara district, it was figured out that 50 % region of Chhota Udaipur Taluka has recorded continuously very high incidence of malaria and followed by part of Sankheda and then Dabhoi Taluka. API has declined, but still a considerable region is more than above the desirable limit of the API and several vulnerable regions are there with low API and there is the prospect of elimination of this disease in this region.

3 illus, 1 table, 22 ref

001496   RAVIKUMAR D, GOVINDARAJU (Applied Geology Dep, Kuvempu Univ, Shivamogga, Karnataka) : Assessment of land suitability potentials for agriculture in Koranahalli subwatershed using remote sensing & GIS. J Pharmacogn Phytochem 2019, 8(2), 2128-37.

A study of land resource assessment using remote sensing and GIS techniques was taken up in Koranahalli subwatershed of Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka for sustainable agriculture. 14 series were identified after detailed soil survey based on the soil characteristics. About 150 soil mapping units were grouped into good and moderate and fairly good cultivable land. Soil site suitability evaluation for different crops revealed that, about 32.95 per cent of area is highly suitable for field bean, followed by 55.94, 35.20, 34.89, 33.74 and 33.60 per cent of area is moderately suitable for groundnut, chickpea, ragi, soybean and pomegranate respectively. About 37.44, 36.52, 30.24, 30.07 and 29.76 per cent of area is suitable for cultivating tomato or brinjal, banana, soybean, ragi and sorghum or chickpea. However, 5.89 per cent of the area is not suitable for cultivating pomegranate or banana due to the limitation of soil depth and gravelliness or stoniness.

12 illus, 2 tables, 6 ref

001494   GURJAR G N, SWAMI S (Central Agricultural Univ, Umiam, Meghalaya) : Sustainable management of soils under climate change: Mitigation approach. J Pharmacogn Phytochem 2019, 8(2), 1937-41.

Climate change also impacts two among principal processes of desertification–erosion and salinization. Soil erosion hazard depends on climatic erosivity, soil erodibility, and land and crop management practices. Climate change can impact all of these parameters and greatly accentuate the erosion hazard. Increase in frequency and intensity of extreme events would enhance rainfall intensity and its kinetic energy, wind velocity and its erosivity, and run-off velocity and its shearing and sediment carrying capacity. Furthermore, erosivity of wind-driven rain and that of shallow overland flow impacted by raindrops is more than that of a rain without wind and of a laminar overland flow. Soil erodibility increases with decrease in aggregation and reduction in aggregate strength caused by increase in slaking due to reduction in SOC concentration. Progressive desertification of the dryland tropics may reduce already low amount of SOC stored in these soils. Furthermore, desertification may also alter the emission of GHGs from these ecologically sensitive and fragile ecosystems. Thus, warming induced decline in SOC pool and aggregation, combined with increase in land conversion to meet the growing human demands, may severely accelerate soil erosion and desertification hazard. Wind erosion hazard, one of the major degradation processes in drylands.

43 ref

001497   TURKAR R K, DESHMUKH G (Soil and Water Engineering Dep, JNKVV, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh) : Management of water resources through participatory approach. J Pharmacogn Phytochem 2019, 8(2), 1670-74.

Considering the importance of irrigation management and water user’s participation in increasing water productivity and development of existing irrigation command area, a study were carried out to assess the present irrigation system and management of water resources for possible improvement in command area of Ghatera Babaji tank canal situated in Betwa River basin. The command area has 101 land holdings ranging from 0.23 ha to 6.32 ha belonging to 87 farmers. Cropping intensity and irrigation intensity was found to be 83.4 % and 81 % respectively. Productivity of wheat crop varied from 4.5 to 35.1 q ha^-1 which converted to water productivity ranged from 0.33 to 1.55 kg m^-3 . Water productivity for chickpea varied from 0.97 kg m^-3 to 1.86 kg m^-3 . More than 50 per cent farmers were agreed on conjunctive use, sprinkler irrigation, improving crops and field bunding. Out of the total 5 groups of farmers surveyed to know about adaptive behaviour it was found that the suggestions were acceptable to four group’s categorized based on age, education, income and land holding in Ghatera Babaji WUA's. Depending on the soil, crop, water resources, water users and climatic conditions improvements were suggested to change irrigation method, replacement of crop varieties, better working of water user association, irrigation scheduling, drainage planning, maintenance of canal, operation of canal, and adopting full package of practices for crops.

1 illus, 5 tables, 20 ref

001493   GUPTA S K, SINGH A K, SINGH A K, RANJAN A, SHUKLA N K (Agricultural Chemistry & Soil Science Dep, SMM Town PG Coll, Ballia, Uttar Pradesh) : Physico-chemical characterization of soils of Bairia block of district Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. J Pharmacogn Phytochem 2019, 8(2), 1445-8.

An investigation was carried out for characterization of soils of Bairia block of Ballia district, (UP) India. Depth wise soil samples were collected from two pedons selected in two villages. For this purpose, a soil profile was opened in each village. Soil samples were collected from various soil depth viz. 0-15, 15-30, 30-45, 45-60, 60-75, 75-90, 90-105, 105-120, 120-135 and 135-160 cm. Standard analytical methods and procedures were followed for analysis of physico-chemical parameters of soils. Results revealed that pH of soil found to be neutral to slightly alkaline whereas EC was recorded in normal range. Organic carbon content in soil varied from 1.62 to 0.12 %. The soil of study area was slightly to moderately calcareous in nature with 1.85 to 3.12 % calcium carbonate. Available nitrogen, phosphorus, potash and sulphur content in soil varied from 360.60 to15.70 kg ha^-1 , 14.50 to 5.30 kg ha^-1 , 393.40 to 212.80 kg ha^-1 and 12.00 to 5.80 kg ha^-1 , respectively. The texture of soil was found to be loamy sand to silty loam.

1 illus, 2 tables, 19 ref

001498   YADAV P P S, SINGH J, SINGH S P, CHANDRA S, KUMAR A, UPADHYAYA R K (Remote Sensing Applications Centre, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh) : Development of Uttar Pradesh cold storage information system using remote sensing and GIS technology. J Pharmacogn Phytochem 2019, 8(2), 1255-9.

The study presents the GIS based Uttar Pradesh Cold Storage Information System for optimally utilizing GIS, web and mobile technology by the growers of Uttar Pradesh which has been developed using android mobile application. Cold Storage Information System has been generated to facilitate the proper allocation of cold storages, whereas the android mobile app facilitates the citizens with authentic & correct Geo information about the cold storages along with relevant details. This user-friendly application has been named as “Sheetgrah” by which user can get the information about all the Cold Storages, located in various districts of Uttar Pradesh state. Sheetgrah application is free of cost for every user and it can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. This study has proven that the techniques of Remote sensing, Geographical Information System (GIS) & Global Positing System (GPS)can provide amicable solution up to the grass root level and the developed App can be used as a valuable & helping tool for viewing, analyzing, characterizing and making decisions about the cold storages by decision makers, planner and scientific communities as well.

5 illus, 5 ref

001495   KUMAR P, JAIN S (Chemistry Dep, Government Dungar Coll, Bikaner, Rajasthan) : Evaluation of water quality index and assessment of suitability of groundwater for drinking in Ellenabad city of Haryana, India. J Pharmacogn Phytochem 2019, 8(2), 861-3.

The present research work deals with the calculation of water quality index (WQI) and the statistical analysis to assess the ground water quality of the Ellenabad city of Haryana state. For this purpose, seven ground water samples were collected from the different locations of the city during pre-monsoon period of 2016 and analyzed for various physico chemical properties. The results were compared with the standard to check the suitability for drinking. The WQI was calculated to assess the overall ground water quality. Pearson’s correlation matrix was used to find the relationship between various parameters. The correlation matrix clearly showed the permanent hardness of groundwater in the study area.

1 illus, 5 tables, 14 ref

000377   REJU J, THAMPIRAJ, PRAKASH J W (ERRC, Trivandrum, Kerala, Email: jwprakash@gmail.com) : Water quality of ponds in Venganoor Town in Trivandrum District, Kerala, India. Int J Pharm Biol Sci 2019, 9(1), 113-6.

The present investigation assesses the water uniqueness of four ponds in the region of Venganoor town in Trivandrum district of Kerala, India where ponds have been conventionally used for harvesting rainwater for drinking and irrigation purposes. Ponds exist in this area is in most of the state of utter neglect and abandonment. Agricultural and urbanization activities take place all round the year in this city of ponds influencing the water quality. The physicochemical characteristics like temperature, pH, transparency, turbidity, DO, nitrate, and total iron content are discussed in this paper over a period of one year. Water temperature broadly varied from 25.5 to 33 ºC. Transparency fluctuated between 0.5 to 1.5 m, the lowest in monsoon and the highest in pre-monsoon season with likewise turbidity between nil to 15NTU. Dissolved oxygen varied from 3.0 to 10 mg/l. Nitrate concentration ranged from 3.1 to 9.6 mg/l the highest in pre-monsoon seasons. The results indicate that there was much deterioration in water quality of these ponds. It is possibly due to bank erosion and surface run off.

1 illus, 1 table, 15 ref

000359   GOUROUZA M, HAROUNA M, ZANGUINA A, NATATOU I, BOOS A (Abdou Moumouni Univ, BP: 10662 Niamey, Niger, Email: gourouza.marou@yahoo.fr) : Mineralogy and characterization of new bentonite from Tahoua Region of Central Niger. Asian J Chem 2019, 31(2), 472-6.

Niger imports a huge quantity of bentonite, which it uses in mining and oil exploration, but also in village hydraulics. The objective of this study is the search for a bentonite-type clay deposit on the Nigerian territory. The clay fraction of a material collected on a clay deposit of the Paleocene Garadaoua Formation in the Ullemmeden basin (central Niger) was the subject of a series of analyzes: DRX; ICP-AES; ICP-MS; ATD-ATG; IR; Adsorption/desorption of N₂ at 77 K; cation exchange capacity, granulometry. DRX results corroborated by those of IR and ATD-ATG indicate that the clay minerals constituting the collected material are: montmorillonite, kaolinite and illite, with a strong predominance of montmorillonite. The mineralogical and chemical composition, the specific surface and the cation exchange capacity obtained indicate that the analyzed material is similar to that of Maghnia bentonite in Algeria.

7 illus, 1 table, 53 ref

000386   WAHAB S U K A, YUNUS K, SAMAH M A A, ARIS M S M, SABUTI A A (International Islamic Univ Malaysia, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia, Email: kama@iium.edu.my) : Study of relationship between water quality parameters, selective heavy metals and radioactive elements content in rivers at Gebeng, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. Asian J Chem 2019, 31(2), 433-7.

This study was focused on the correlation between water quality parameters with the level of radioactive elements and heavy metals at six different sampling points of rivers. For achieving these objectives, collected data was done for Balok river and Tunggak river in dry seasons. Both of the rivers selected were located in Gebeng industrial area, Pahang, Malaysia. The physical parameters such as temperature, specific conductivity, pH, turbidity and dissolved oxygen were measured by using hydrolab. The water samples were then collected for tracing the radioactive elements and heavy metals by using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The readings obtained from both in situ and ex situ analysis was analyzed by using SPSS to know the correlation between water quality parameter, radioactive elements and heavy metals. There were significant relationships found between all water quality parameters and most heavy metals selected (lead and cadmium), except for arsenic. While, for radioactive elements, in the year 2015, there were significant relationships found between most water quality parameters and thorium, exception for uranium. However, for year 2014, there is no significant relationship observed. The findings of the study showed some of the presence of pollutants such as heavy metals and radioactive elements concentrations were reflected some of the water quality parameters at all the sampling locations.

2 illus, 3 tables, 23 ref

006520   CHAKRABORTY A (Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore – 560 012, Email: arch@iisc.ac.in) : Zonally symmetric vs asymmetric North Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature influence on Indian summer monsoon through modulation of upper tropospheric circulation. MAUSAM 2019, 70(4), 753-66.

This study asks the following question: what role the zonal distribution of sea surface temperature (SST) of North Pacific Ocean (NPAC) plays in the general circulation and vertical stability of the atmosphere during boreal summer season. Results here show that while zonally symmetric SST warming of NPAC shifts the upper tropospheric jet northward, zonally asymmetric warming and cooling alter the phase of mid latitude Rossby waves in east-west direction. These changes in circulation modify the vertical static stability of the atmosphere and precipitation, particularly in the Indian region. In particular, warmer SSTs in the western NPAC reduce the stability over Indian region leading to an enhanced monsoon precipitation even when El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is not in favorable phase. In conjunction with an ENSO forcing, however, this phenomenon can augment or suppress its impact on Indian summer monsoon. This result is used to derive an index that explains more than 80% of the interannual variance of Indian summer monsoon (ISM) precipitation in June-July. Since June-July contributes about 50% to the total June–September precipitation in this region, this discovery increases the potential predictability of ISM. Finally, using historical simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5), we show that SST anomalies over NPAC strongly influence the strength of the relationship between ENSO and Indian summer monsoon. The mechanism proposed in this study can be used to diagnose the skill of general circulation models.

10 illus, 1 table, 58 ref

000383   THAKUR A, LIANSANGPUII, CHOUDHARY S, POONAM (Farm Engg Dep, Banaras Hindu Univ, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh) : Temporal analysis of drought using standardized precipitation index for Wainganga sub-basin, India. J Pharmacogn Phytochem 2019, 8(1), 268-72.

Drought monitoring is a key component of drought preparedness and SPI is a very flexible tool to analyze drought at different time scales accurately. The present study aims to identify drought using Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) for Wainganga sub-basin using rainfall data from India Meteorological Data (IMD) Pune, Maharashtra. Result from the analysis shows that the year 1972 was the year of severe and extreme drought for different time scales.

6 illus, 1 table, 10 ref

000380   SEKHAR C C, NAIDU M V S, RAMPRAKASH T, BALAGURAVAIAH D (ICAR- Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, Telangana) : Genesis, characterization and classification of soils from selected parts of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh, India. J Pharmacogn Phytochem 2019, 8(1), 51-8.

Seven typical pedons from Chimakurthi, Marrichetlapalem, Iapavaluru, Rudravaram, Taragudipadu, Chellapalem and Mainampadu villages representing major land forms in the selected parts of Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh viz., uplands and plains, developed from granite-gneiss parent material under varying land use were selected for the present study. These pedons were studied in detail for their morphological characteristics, soil genesis, physical and physico-chemical properties and nutrient status. Soils in the area were moderately deep to very deep, slightly alkaline to alkali (pH 7.24 to 10.35) in reaction, non-saline. They had ustic soil moisture regime and iso-hyperthermic temperature regime. Texture, organic carbon, CEC and base saturation in the profiles ranged from loamy sand to clay, 0.18 to 0.70 per cent, 8.65 to 51.48 cmol (p⁺) kg^-1 and 62.87 to 90.92 per cent, respectively. These soils were found to be low in available nitrogen, low to high in available phosphorus, medium to high in available potassium and sufficient in available sulphur (except in lower layers of pedon 2). They were found to be deficient in DTPA-extractable Zn (except in the surface horizons of pedons 3 and 4). However, they were sufficient in DTPA-extractable Fe (except in the Bw1 horizon of pedon 1), Cu (except in the 3A3 horizon of pedon 7) and Mn. The pedons 2 and 7 were grouped under Entisols due to absence of sub-surface diagnostic horizon and were classified as Typic Ustorthents at sub-group level; pedons 1, 3, 5 and 6 were placed under Inceptisols due to presence of cambic (BW) sub-surface diagnostic horizon and classified as Typic Haplustepts at sub-group level. The pedon 4 was grouped under Vertisols due to the presence of vertic features like slickensides, pressure faces, cracks and presence of more than 30 % clay in all the horizons and was classified as Typic Haplusterts at sub-group level. Location specific recommendations were made based on the physical, physico-chemical characteristics and fertility status of these soils for better and sustainable crop production besides conserving and improving the soil health.

5 tables, 35 ref

000387   YIN L, LI X, ZHENG W, YIN Z, SONG L, GE L, ZENG Q (Southwest Univ, Chongqing- 400 715, P. R. China, Email: xiaoluli.ruth@gmail.com) : Fractal dimension analysis for seismicity spatial and temporal distribution in the circum-Pacific seismic belt. J Earth Syst Sci 2019, 128(1), 22.

In this study, we present the fractal characteristics of the spatio-temporal sequence for seismic activity in the circum-Pacific seismic belt and vicinity regions, which is one of the most active seismic zones worldwide. We select the seismic dataset with magnitude M ≥ 4.4 in the circum-Pacific seismic belt region and its vicinity from 1900–2015 as the objects. Based on the methods of capacity dimension and information dimension, using ln(1/δ)–ln N(δ) of the relationship to evaluate and explain, the results show that (1) in the circum-Pacific seismic belt and the surrounding areas, for the seismic activity with magnitude M ≥ 4.4, the time series dimension is 0.63, the spatial distribution dimension is 0.52 and they have fractal structure. (2) For the earthquakes with M ≥ 7.0, the time series dimension increases greatly, which indicates that the cluster characteristics in time is greatly reduced. And the earthquakes with magnitude 7.0 ≥ M ≥ 4.4 have significant impact on the characterized by clustering in time in the study region. (3) There is significant fractal structure at spatio-temporal distribution of earthquakes in the circum-Pacific seismic belt. It reveals the tectonic movements keep continuous, obvious anisotropism characteristic of geological structure and the distribution of surface stress field is spatio-temporal heterogeneity in the study area.

5 illus, 18 ref

000375   PRERNA S, CHATTERJEE A, MUKHERJEE A, RAVICHANDRAN M, SHENOI S S C (Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad - 500 090, Email: prerna.s@incois.gov.in) : Wyrtki Jets: Role of intraseasonal forcing. J Earth Syst Sci 2019, 128(1), 21.

Direct current measurements observed from the acoustic Doppler current profilers in the equatorial Indian Ocean (EIO) and solutions from an ocean general circulation model are investigated to understand the dynamics of the Wyrtki jet. These jets are usually described as semiannual direct wind forced zonal currents along the central and eastern EIO. We show that both, spring and fall, Wyrtki jets show predominant semiannual spectral peaks, but significant intraseasonal energy is evident during spring in the central and eastern EIO. We find that for the semiannual band, there is a strong spectral coherence between the overlying winds and the currents in the central EIO, but no coherency is observed in the eastern part of the EIO. Moreover, for the intraseasonal band, strong coherency between the winds and currents is evident. During spring, intraseasonal currents induced by the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) superimpose constructively with semiannual currents and thus intensify the strength of the spring Wyrtki jet. Also, the atmospheric intraseasonal variability accounts for the interannual variabilities observed in spring Wyrtki jets.

13 illus, 2 tables, 51 ref

000379   SARKAR K, APARNA S G, DORA S, SHANKAR D (CSIR–National Institute of Oceanography, Goa - 403 004, Email: aparna@nio.org) : Seasonal variability of sea-surface temperature fronts associated with large marine ecosystems in the north Indian Ocean. J Earth Syst Sci 2019, 128(1), 20.

We use 14 years of satellite-derived sea-surface temperature (SST) data to compute a monthly frontal probability index (FPI) to determine the existence of a front in a pixel. A persistent SST front is deemed to exist if the FPI in a narrow region exceeds that in the surrounding ocean. We describe the seasonal variability of 17 persistent SST fronts (eight associated with the shelf-slope boundary and five with the mixing between different water masses) in the north Indian Ocean. Only weak fronts exist during a few months in the strong upwelling regimes off Somalia and Oman.

2 illus, 1 table, 16 ref

000382   SIVASUBRAMANIAM R, ANAND S V, PANDIAN M S, BALAKRISHNAN S (Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research, Shillong - 793 019, Email: sivasubramaniamr@gmail.com) : Geological, geochemical and Rb–Sr isotopic studies on tungsten mineralised Sewariya–Govindgarh granites of Delhi fold belt, Rajasthan, NW India. J Earth Syst Sci 2019, 128(1), 19.

Neoproterozoic granites are widespread in the Delhi Fold Belt of the Aravalli craton, some of which are associated with tungsten mineralisation. In one such instance, the volcano-sedimentary sequence of Barotiya Group in the South Delhi Fold Belt is intruded by a pluton of biotite granite gneiss known as Sewariya Granite (SG) and later by stocks and dyke swarm of tourmaline leucogranite known as Govindgarh Granite (GG). GG magmatism was associated with wolframite mineralisation in hydrothermal quartz veins occurring along the sheared contact between SG pluton and Barotiya mica schist. SG pluton shows the evidence of ductile and brittle deformations, whereas GG is by and large undeformed. Apart from quartz and feldspars, SG contains biotite and muscovite, and GG contains muscovite, tourmaline and garnet. Although both SG and GG are peraluminous, SG has a wide range of SiO₂ and narrow range of alkalis, and GG has a narrow range of SiO₂ and a wide range of alkalis. REE (rare Earth elements) modelling shows that the parent magma of SG and GG was derived from partial melting at different crustal levels. Rb–Sr isotope data of GG yield a mineral isochron age of 860 ± 7.4 Ma which represent the time of igneous crystallisation and cooling of the granite to less than 400^◦C.

12 illus, 6 tables, 42 ref

000370   MAZUMDAR A, DEWANGAN P, PEKETI A, GULLAPALLI S, KALPANA M S, NAIK G P, SHETTY D, PUJARI S, PILLUTLA S P K, GAIKWAD V V, NAZARETH D, SANGODKAR N S, DAKARA G, KUMAR A, MISHRA C K, SINGHA P, REDDY R (CSIR–National Institute of Oceanography, Goa - 403 004, Email: maninda@nio.org) : The first record of active methane (cold) seep ecosystem associated with shallow methane hydrate from the Indian EEZ. J Earth Syst Sci 2019, 128(1), 18.

Here we report the discovery of cold-seep ecosystem and shallow methane hydrates (2–3 mbsf) associated with methane gas flares in the water column from the Indian EEZ for the first time. The seep-sites are located in the Krishna–Godavari (K–G) basin at water depths of 900–1800 m and are characterized by gas flares in the water-column images. The occurrence of methane gas hydrates at very shallow depths (2–3 mbsf) at some of the seep-sites is attributed to high methane flux and conducive P–T conditions, necessary for the stability of methane hydrate. Chemosymbiont bearing Bivalves (Vesicomidae, Mytilidae, Thyasiridae and Solemyidae families); Polychaetes (Siboglinidae family) and Gastropods (Provannidae family) are also identified from seep-sites.

4 illus, 1 table, 34 ref

000357   ABDULLAHI M, SINGH U K, ROSHAN R (Science Laboratory Technology Dep, Modibbo Adama Univ of Technology, Yola, Nigeria, Email: mikaildaddy1@gmail.com) : Mapping magnetic lineaments and subsurface basement beneath parts of lower benue trough (LBT), Nigeria: Insights from integrating gravity, magnetic and geologic data. J Earth Syst Sci 2019, 128(1), 17.

In this study, we present the analysis of the aeromagnetic data of parts of the Lower Benue Trough. Lineament analysis of the aeromagnetic data demonstrated four tectonic trends of the basement terrain. The lineaments are in the northeast to southwest (NE–SW), east, northeast to west, southwest (ENE– WSW), north to south (N–S), and east, southeast to west, northwest (ESE–WNW) directions. The NE–SW and ENE–WSW are the most dominant whereas the N–S and ESE–WNW are the minor trends. The estimated magnetic basement using spectral analysis vary between 3.5 and 5 km and the shallow magnetic sources (depth to top of intrusions) vary between 0.24 and 1.2 km. The result of the basement estimation from the magnetic data is comparable with the previous results from other studies as well as with the basement depth estimated from the gravity data of part of the present study area are incorporated in the study. From the gravity data, we identified sub-basin around Makurdi and basement of the sedimentary basin (5 km) is estimated using GPSO algorithm and Oasis Montaj (Geosoft).

15 illus, 1 table, 71 ref

000378   SAHEED P P, MITRA A K, MOMIN I M, RAJAGOPAL E N, HEWITT H T, KEEN A B, MILTON S F (National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, Noida, UP, Email: saheed@ncmrwf.gov.in) : Arctic summer sea-ice seasonal simulation with a coupled model: Evaluation of mean features and biases. J Earth Syst Sci 2019, 128(1), 16.

Current state of the art weather/climate models are representation of the fully coupled aspects of the components of the earth system. Sea-ice is one of the most important components of these models. Simulation of sea-ice in these models is a challenging problem. In this study, evaluation of the hindcast data of 14 boreal summer seasons with global coupled model HadGEM3 in its seasonal set-up has been performed over the Arctic region from 9th May start dates. Along with the biases of the sea-ice variables, related atmosphere and oceanic variables have also been examined. The model evaluation is focused on seasonal mean of sea-ice concentration, sea-ice thickness, ocean surface current, SST, icedrift velocity and sea-ice extent. To diagnose the sea-ice biases, atmospheric variables like, 10 m wind, 2 m air temperature, sea-level pressure and ocean sub-surface temperatures were also examined. The sea-ice variables were compared with GIOMAS dataset. The atmospheric and the oceanic variables were compared with the ERA Interim and the ECMWF Ocean re-analysis (ORAP5) datasets, respectively. The model could simulate the sea-ice concentration and thickness patterns reasonably well in the Arctic Circle. However, both sea-ice concentration and thickness in the model are underestimated compared to observations. A positive (warm) bias is seen both in 2 m air temperature and SST, which are consistent with the negative sea-ice bias. Biases in ocean current and related ice drift are not related to biases in the atmospheric winds. The magnitude of the oceanic subsurface warm biases is seen to be gradually decreasing with depth, but consistent with sea-ice biases. These analyses indicate a possibility of deeper warm subsurface water in the western Arctic Ocean sector (Pacific and Atlantic exchanges) affecting the negative biases in the sea-ice at the surface. The model is able to simulate reasonably well the summer sea-ice melting process and its inter-annual variability, and has useable skill for application purpose.

12 illus, 47 ref

000384   TUE N T, QUAN D M, NGUYEN P T, DUNG L V, QUY T D, NHUAN M T (VNU Key Laboratory of Geoenvironment and Climate Change Response, Hanoi, Vietnam, Email: tuenguyentai@vnu.edu.vn) : Holocene environmental changes in red river delta, Vietnam as inferred from the stable carbon isotopes and C/N ratios. J Earth Syst Sci 2019, 128(1), 15.

The present study applied stable carbon isotopes, C/N ratios, and sedimentological indicators to reconstruct environmental changes during Holocene and to test the hypothesis that δ¹³ C and C/N ratios are accurate proxies of sea level change in the Red River delta (RRD), Vietnam. A 36 m long sediment core was mechanically drilled in the wave-dominated region of the RRD. The covariation of lithological characteristics, sediment grain-size distribution and geochemical proxies (LOI, TOC, C/N, δ¹³ C) suggested that the sediment core could be divided into six depositional environments, consisting of sub- and inter-tidal flats (formed before 8860 cal. year BP), shelf-prodelta, delta front slope (formed from 8860 to 2290 cal. year BP), delta front platform, tidal flat, and flood plain (from 2290 to 0 cal. year BP). Covariation of δ¹³ C and C/N ratios in the sediment core allowed for tracing the origin of sedimentary organic carbon, which shifted from the dominance of mangroves and C3 plants at the suband inter-tidal flats to marine phytoplankton at the shelf-prodelta and delta front slope. The sedimentary sources of the delta front platform, tidal flat and flood plain were a mixture of phytoplankton and C3 plants, with the later source being dominant.

6 illus, 46 ref

000362   JAGTAP R S, GEDAM V K, KALE M M (Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune- 411 024, Email: rsj.wadi@gmail.com) : Generalised extreme value model with cyclic covariate structure for analysis of non-stationary hydrometeorological extremes. J Earth Syst Sci 2019, 128(1), 14.

Studies carried out recently on hydrometeorological extremes report the evidence of non-stationarity induced by potential long-term climatic fluctuations and anthropogenic factors. A critical examination of the stationarity assumption has been carried out and a non-stationary generalised extreme value model with cyclic covariate structure for modelling magnitude and variation of data series with some degrees of correlation for real-world applications is proposed. Interestingly, the sinusoidal function with periodicity around 30 yr has been derived as a suitable covariate structure to deal with the ambiguous nature of temporal trends and this could possibly be linked to ‘Sun cycles’. It has adequately explained the cyclic patterns recognised in the annual rainfall which are helpful for realistic estimation of quantiles. Various diagnostic plots and statistics support the usefulness of the proposed covariate structure to tackle potential non-stationarities in the data characterising extreme events in various fields such as hydrology, environment, finance, etc.

8 illus, 7 tables, 45 ref

000360   HARIDAS M K M, GHARAI B, JOSE S, PRAJESH T (National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad, Telangana - 500 037, Email: madhavharidas@gmail.com) : Multi-year satellite observations of tropospheric NO₂ concentrations over the Indian region. J Earth Syst Sci 2019, 128(1), 13.

An assessment of satellite-derived long-term tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) data is performed over the Indian region and their implications on the regional air quality are discussed. The Indo-Gangetic plain (IGP) shows an increasing trend in NO₂ of the order of 3 × 10¹³ mol/cm² /yr. The pixel-wise (0.25 km) trend for the period 2005–2014 reveals various regions having increased rates of pollution over the study period. Further, the mean seasonal concentrations of NO₂ are segregated for different parts of the country including oceanic regions and the trends are brought out. The highest rate of increase of tropospheric NO₂ (2 × 10¹⁴ mol/cm²/yr) is seen around coal mining areas and certain industrial areas such as ports and thermal power stations. Using the data spanning 10 years, the wavelet analysis is carried out to study the influence of semi-annual oscillations (SAO) on trace gas concentrations in different parts of the country. The study reveals that the SAO are stronger in the northern parts of India, including IGP and western India, whereas South India and oceanic regions are having very low SAO component and strong annual oscillation component.

7 illus, 1 table, 18 ref

000388   ZHANG J, ZHANG C, LI Q, PAN X (Beijing Normal Univ, Beijing- 100875, People’s Republic of China, Email: clzhang@bnu.edu.cn) : Grain-size distribution of surface sediments of climbing and falling dunes in the Zedang valley of the Yarlung Zangbo River, southern Tibetan Plateau. J Earth Syst Sci 2019, 128(1), 11.

Climbing and falling dunes are widespread in the wide valleys of the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River. Along a sampling transect running from northeast to southwest through 10 climbing dunes and two falling dunes in the Langsailing area, the surface sediments were sampled to analyse the grain-size characteristics, to clarify the transport pattern of particles with different grain sizes, and to discuss the effects of terrain factors including dune slope, mountain slope, elevation and transport distance to sand transport. Sand dunes on both sides of the ridge are mainly transverse dunes. Fine and medium sands were the main particles, with few very fine and coarse particles in the surface sediments. Particles >4.00Φ were blown upslope by suspension, particles 1.00−4.00Φ were mainly transported upslope by saltation with opposite change tendency, and particles <1.00Φ mainly moved by creep were found almost exclusively at the bottom of the slopes. As terrain factors, elevation and transport distance were more important factors influencing the distribution of grain size and particle fraction on dunes. Local winds observation might be helpful for the transport mechanism study of particles on climbing and falling dunes, while the wind data from nearby weather station was hardly helpful.

6 illus, 6 tables, 39 ref