Emergent Life Sciences Research

1-5

Authors: Arvind Kumar, Manas Denre, Ruplal Prasad, D. K. Shahi, B. K. Agarwal

Experiments were conducted to see the effect of fly ash on growth, yield and quality of two tuber crops cropping sequence Colocasia and potato in red and lateritic soil of Chotanagpur Plateau. Result revealed a positive and significant effect of 4, 8 and 16 percent fly ash (w/w) incorporation in acidic soil (pH 5.9) on crop yield and on all growth attributes of both the tested vegetable crops. Tuber yield of Colocasia was recorded as 4.96, 5.66 and 6.95 t ha-1, respectively due to application of 4, 8 and 16% fly ash alone. Yield of Colocasia drastically increased over control and found higher (11.92 t ha-1) at 16% FA+NPK followed by 10.25 t ha-1 yield of Colocasia with 8% FA+NPK. Potato yield (22.39 t ha-1) was higher in 16% FA+NPK treatment followed by yield 20.63 t ha-1 at 8% FA+NPK applied treatment when grown on residual fly ash application. In control plot Pb, Co and Ni content were found 13.9, 15.2 and 5.0 mg kg-1, while at 16% fly ash application level, Pb, Co and Ni content were found 28.7, 35.6 and 15.7 mg kg-1, respectively in edible part of Colocasia (cormel). Fe (310 mg kg-1), Mn (28 mg kg-1), Zn (46.7 mg kg-1), Cu (35.8 mg kg-1), Pb (22.0 mg kg-1), Ni (20.9 mg kg-1) and Co (27.0 mg kg-1) content were higher in potato tuber, when grown on 16% residual fly ash in Colocasia-potato cropping sequence.

16-22

Authors: Sonika, Rachna Gulati, Monika Jangra

The incidence of Tetranychus urticae Koch, a two-spotted spider mite, was studied in brinjal ecosystem (Solanum melongena L.). Brinjal seeds (var. BR112) were raised in the Research Farm area, Department of Vegetable Science, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar during June 2014 and seedlings were transplanted during mid-July, 2014 in the field. In screen house, the crop was raised during mid-June, 2014. In field and screen house, two-spotted spider mite was recorded to study the population fluctuation on brinjal during the first week of September and continued until the first week of November 2014 at Hisar region. Different stages of T. urticae viz., eggs, larvae, nymphs and adults from ten randomly selected plants were recorded weekly on both ventral and dorsal surface of tender, grown up and older leaves of brinjal. The results revealed that the mite population showed a gradual increase until attainment of the peak in the last week of September 2014. The results clearly showed that 5.19 and 5.85 mites/sq cm leaf T. urticae population peak in the last week of September 2014 on brinjal plant under field and screen house conditions, respectively. Afterwards, a gradual decline in mite population was recorded until November. Mites showed a preference for grown-up leaves of brinjal as compared to tender and older leaves under field and screen house condition.

26-31

Authors: Monika Jangra, Rachna Gulati, Sonika

Fourteen chilli hybrids were raised to study the effect of phytophagous chilli mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks) on fruit parameters of chilli at Research Farm Area, Department of Vegetable Sciences, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar (Haryana). Chilli mites are one of the major pests of vegetable, ornamental and fruit crops, causing considerable loss in yield. Correlation coefficient (r = -0.98) calculated between mite incidence and fruit length suggested an increase in mite population led to corresponding significant decrease in fruit length in fourteen chilli hybrids. Maximum average fruit length (6.50 cm) was recorded in hybrid 9/CHIhyb-10 with corresponding lowest mite count (2.53mites/leaf). In contrast, decreased fruit length was recorded in hybrids 10/CHIhyb-7 (2.50 cm) and 10/CHIhyb-6 (2.83 cm) with highest mite count of 6.28 and 5.70 mites/ leaf, respectively. Likewise, negative and highly significant correlation was recorded between mite incidence and fruit number (r = -0.98) and fruit yield/plant (r = -0.96).

37-41

Authors: Kenneth A. Agu

Uremic frost the powdery whitish substance, comprising urea and uric acid salts, on the skin of some patients with end stage kidney disease could be an attempt by the sweat glands to take over the function of the failing kidneys. Currently end stage kidney disease is managed mainly by hemodialysis and eventually kidney transplantation. Kidneys are primarily the organs for excretion of metabolic wastes. A normal kidney contains 800,000 to 1.5 million nephrons. This excretory function, which is essential for life, consists of filtration and selective reabsorption / secretion to produce urine. The major nitrogenous waste in urine is urea. The sweat glands are basically organs of thermoregulation. However, they are also involved in excretion of metabolic wastes. The total number of sweat glands lies between 1.6 and 4.5 million. There are anatomical and physiological similarities between the nephron the functional unit of the kidney and the sweat gland. This article proposes a functional similarity between the two. Anatomically, the sweat gland bears some resemblance to the nephron. A nephron has 2 basic components, the glomerulus and the tubules. Similarly, the sweat gland has a secretory unit consisting of a base rolled into a glomerulus, and a duct that carries the sweat away. Both the kidneys and the sweat glands excrete nitrogenous wastes, water and electrolytes. They are also involved in maintaining acid-base balance. The hypothesis is that the skin, via the sweat glands, constitutes an alternative excretory organ to the kidneys, though probably minor, and thus could act as temporary or permanent replacement for the kidneys.

50-53

Authors: S. B. Choudhari, S. D. Naikwade, H. K. Kausadikar, V. G. Takankhar

This Study was carried out on soil nutrient index and soil fertility of six tehsil of Beed district. The soils were alkaline in reaction and within the safer limits of electrical conductivity. These soils were calcareous in nature, low to medium in organic content and low in available N, P and DTPA-Zn. However, available K and DTPA-Fe, Mn and Cu content was respectively, high and medium to high in the soil.

1-10

Authors: Anongnart Wannapokin, Rameshprabu Ramaraj, Yuwalee Unpaprom

The fallen teak leaves (Tectona grandis), represents an interesting substrate for biogas production. The chemical composition of leaves showed the C, H, N, S, and O content of 48.88, 5.83, 0.55, 0.18, and 30.04 %, respectively. In addition, the leaves contain 2.83% moisture, 11.33 % ash, 83.44% volatile matter and 2.4% fixed carbon, through dry weight determination. The content of total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the leaves was measured and the results average were 982,151.93 mg/kg, 819,412.60 mg/kg and 21,333.33 mg/L, respectively. The biogas composition of carbon dioxide (43.57 %) and methane (55.47%) were estimated. Total biogas yield was 1.074 m3/kg achieved through theoretical estimation; and total methane yield reached 0.5964 m3. Based on COD estimation, our study showed that the fallen teak leaves biomass is a potentially valuable fermentation substrate, and produce 7.467 L (0.007 m3) of methane gas. Consequently, the study results confirmed that fallen teak leaves are suitable substrate for biogas production.

18-31

Authors: Elen Fernanda Nodari, Gislaine Cristina Roma, Karim Christina Scopinho Furquim, Patricia Rosa de Oliveira, Gervasio Henrique Bechara, Maria Izabel Camargo-Mathias

Ticks are arthropods of great medical-veterinary importance, and several methods have been developed to control them. The synthetic acaricide permethrin is one of the most widely used substances to control this pest. The present study brings cytochemical and ultrastructural data on the alterations in the salivary gland cells of Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato semi-engorged females subjected to 206, 1031, and 2062 ppm of permethrin, showing that this chemical acts on the glandular acini, affecting the morpho-physiology of their cells, making them irregular, causing intense cytoplasmic vacuolation, altering the mitochondria and causing the emergence of lysosomes, myelin figures and spherocrystals. In addition, the results demonstrated that the chemical affected the nuclei and nucleoli of the cells, causing alterations in size, disorganizing and fragmenting them. Such alterations were mainly observed when processes of apoptotic death occurred, and indicated the occurrence of precocious degeneration of the glandular tissue caused by the exposure to the product, even in lower concentrations than the ones recommended by the manufacturer. Under normal conditions, this process would only occur in the end of the engorgement period. Therefore, these findings confirmed and demonstrated that, even at low concentrations, this acaricide would be able to accelerate the process of glandular tissue degeneration through atypical cell death, where the cell death by apoptosis (fragmentation) and autophagy (vacuolation) occur simultaneously.

38-47

Authors: V. Togaru, R. K. Venisetty, V. Bakshi, R. K. Jadi

The purpose of this investigation is to develop extended release matrix tablets of propranolol hydrochloride (PPH), which were designed to improve the patient compliance and prolong the drug release after oral administration. Different viscosity grades of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) polymers such as HPMC K4 M, HPMC K15 M and HPMC K100 M were used. The prepared formulations were characterized and all formulations exhibited satisfactory physical parameters such as thickness (mm), weight variation (mg), friability (%) and hardness (kg/cm2). After evaluation of physical properties, the in vitro release study was performed in 0.1 N Hydrochloric Acid (HCl), pH 1.2 for 2 hours followed by release in phosphate buffer pH 6.8 up to 12 hours. The effects of polymer concentration and polymer blend concentration were studied. Among all the formulations, formulation F3 which contains 40% HPMC K4M followed zero order kinetics via, swelling, diffusion and erosion. This study gives the preliminary idea about the development of extended release drug delivery systems of PPH. The in-vitro drug release exponent of the peppas equation suggests the drug release mechanism was super case II transport mechanism. Based on compatibility studies such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FT-IR), there was no interaction between the drug and excipients.

57-62

Authors: Vasudhevan I., Rama Devi P., Asokan K.

The effect of optimum level of vitamin E (300 mg kg¹ diet) and various levels vitamin C (50, 100, 200 and 300 mg kg¹ diet) on growth, reproduction and leucocytes count were studied in blue gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus) for 120 days. Test fish fed with the optimum vitamin E + 200 mg vitamin C kg¹ diet enhanced the chosen feeding and growth parameters, reproduction and disease resisting leucocytes count (lymphocyte and monocyte) than those fed with other diets. The control fish spawned only once with less number of eggs spawn¹, while other groups spawned two times with more number of eggs spawn¹ during the experiment. The female blue gourami fed with the optimum vitamin E laid 450 eggs in two spawning and it significantly (P < 0.01) enhanced to 570 eggs in two spawning fish fed with the optimum vitamin E and 200 mg vitamin C kg¹ diet respectively. However, the fish treated with other combinations laid less number of eggs than the above combinations. Lymphocyte and monocyte counts revealed that the fish fed with combination of optimum vitamin E and vitamin C diet produced more or less equal effects. The experiment revealed that vitamin C and vitamin E are the growth and reproduction promoting factors respectively and they interact with one another when these two nutrients are available simultaneously.