Life Sciences

Soil erosion is the process of detachment, transportation and deposition of soil particles from land surface. Agencies or the energy sources involved in the process of soil erosion are mainly water, wind, sea waves, human beings and animals. Soil erosion is a growing problem in Western Ghats of Kerala and particularly in the Neyyar wild life sanctuary in southern western Ghats, with rich biodiversity. Soil erosion not only decreases biodiversity of the area, but also reduces the water availability. In the current study, an effort to predict potential annual soil loss has been conducted.

In the present study freshwater commercially cultivable catfish Clarias batrachus was used to evaluate the  combined  effect of  lambda cyhalothrin, a synthetic pyrethroid  and chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate insecticide widely used in agricultural fields. Clarias batrachus uses rice paddy slurries as its breeding and  nursery grounds, inhabit sediments as they are benthic  and are posed to greater threat from sediment associated toxic compounds such as pyrethroids and  organophosphates  mixtures which are  widely used in rice fields today to control rice pests.

The aim of this study was to test the effect of plants regulators on shoots multiplication in cassava cv TMS 92/0326 grown in liquid media with addition of 6-bezylaminopurine (BAP), and α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). Nodal segments (1.5 cm height) were used as explants and kept in vitro MS media containing also mio-inositol (100 mg l-1) and sucrose (30 g l-1). The pH of the media was adjusted to 5.8 before autoclaving. The nodal cuttings produced callus. These callus were yellowish and friable. The highest percentage of callogenesis 69.8% was obtained with 0.07 mg l-1 NAA.

Yam is a crop that is found in tropical areas. It greatly contribute to populations food in these areas, namely in Africa. In Côte d’Ivoire, yam is the first among food crops with an annual production of 5.8 million tons in 2013. In spite of the importance of this food crop, it is noticed a weak level of yield due to the lack of planting material for plantation establishment. Moreover, there is a decraese of Malgré l’importance de cette culture, il est constaté à une insuffisance de la production liée au manque de semenceaux pour l’établissement de plantations.

A microplot experiment was conducted during kharif and rabi seasons of crop years 2010-12in New Delhi, to study the effect of continuous or cyclic tillage on yield performance and nutrient uptake of wheat in soybean–wheat cropping system. The treatments consisted of conventional tillage (CT) and zero-tillage (ZT),and residue management of soybean residue (SR) and/or wheat (WR).The experiment was laid out in microplots (with the size of 4 x 1 m) in RBD with two replications.

This research on Kalmadu tank aims to analyze the horizontal and vertical profiles of selected water quality parameters. Twenty randomly selected sampling points on surface and corresponding vertical depths of 30 cm and 60 cm were measured for temperature, pH, TDS, EC and ORP using intended electronic probes. The measured values were statistically analyzed with t-test, paired t-test and Pearson correlation. Kriging interpolation technique was used to visualize the spatial distribution. Results revealed non-compliance of TDS and EC with existing permissible limits for irrigable water.

The nanotechnology industry has made a rapid progress by introducing unusual properties to the substances at nano scales. When we look at LC50 values, since prolonged to 96 h than 48 h exposure time, toxic effect  quantities of PVF+, Pd/PVF+  and K2PdCl4 suggest that the necessary amount to show the same toxic effect had diminished and its toxic effect increased quite a great deal in time.

The objectives of this study are to assess the effect of pregnancy (in the third trimester) and pregnancy complicated by hypertension on lipid profile in Sudanese pregnant women. The study was carried out utilizing 120 women, including 40 non-pregnant women and unmarried (control), 40 pregnant women at the third trimester, and 40 women with preeclampsia. Their ages ranged from 17- 38 years. Serum was analyzed for total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride.

Among orchids, Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Vanda, Phalaenopsis, Aerides, Mokara and Paphiopedilum and their related hybrids are highly valued for long lasting cut flowers. The six main techniques used for orchid propagation are division, backbulbs, serial cuttings, kiekies, micro-propagation and seed culture. Conventionally, sympodial orchids like Cattleya, Dendrobium, Paphiopedilum and Cymbidium are multiplied through divisions whereas monopodials viz. Vanda, Aerides, Arachnis, Mokara etc. through cuttings.

Repeated outbreaksof vector-borne diseases necessitateddetailed study on the diversity and abundance of mosquitoes associated withThalassery municipal area, of Kannur district, Kerala, India.Seasonal collection of mosquitoes both in adult and larval forms were carried outfrom heterogeneous habitats of the municipal area to determine the species composition, relative abundance and habitat characteristics. Mosquito larvae collected from temporary and permanent breeding sites were reared to adults in the laboratory for species level identification.