Life Sciences

In this study the effect of cyanobacteria as a biofertilizer on growth and yield attributes of rice (ADT38) were evaluated. The experiments were designed with three replications. The growth parameters such as shoot and root length and yield attributes of rice like plant height, number of tillers, number of panicle and   grain weight  were observed. The present results suggest that the application of cyanobacteria enhances growth and yield attributes of rice when compared to control.

The standard soil invertebrate toxicity tests developed by OECD (Organization of Economical Cooperation and Development) and ISO (International Organization of Standardization) use an artificial soil as the test substrate, which contains sphagnum peat as a component. This type of peat is not widely available in tropical country like India. Investigation of possible alternative substrates using locally available materials therefore is vital for performing such ecotoxicity tests, particularly in the tropics.

An experiment was conducted to study the “Influence of organic substances on quality attributes of grapes cv. Muscat”. The various organic inputs were given as foliar application in the form of seaweed extract, humic acid, panchakavya, vermiwash at the rate of 0.1% and 0.5% at pea and marble stage. The vermiwash application @0.5% showed the best result by recordingthe maximum reducing sugars(%), titrableacidity(%), juice content(%), total soluble solids( °Brix) than other treatments and also enhanced the shelf life by retaining grape berry in stalk for about 7 days from harvest.

Diseases are serious constraints affecting dairy cattle production and these diseases affect livestock production in various ways, such as reduced growth rate, milk production, fertility and value of hides and mortality, thus cause considerable economic losses to livestock keepers. Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease of many wild and domestic cloven-footed mammals and many other animals. Hence, this study was planned to estimate the incidence of Foot and Mouth Disease among dairy cows in the Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu.

The effect of crude seaweed extracts from the green seaweed Ulva lactuca and the brown seaweed Sargassum wightii was studied on germination and protein profile of five different crops viz., Amaranthus roxburghinus (sirukeerai), A. tricolor (mulakeerai), Arachis hypogea (ground nut), Capsicum annum (chilli) and Tagetes erecta (marigold) seedling. The seeds of five different test plants were treated with 1.0% SLF of both seaweeds for 6h durations and allowed to grow under laboratory conditions. Five day old seedlings of Amaranthus roxburghinus, A.

To study the influence of foliar spraying of different organic compounds namely panchagavya, humic acid and kunapanjola on the yield of maize and their impacts on soil microbes after the harvest of the crop a field experiment was conducted at experimental farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University, Chidambaram. It was laid out in Randomized Block Design with eleven treatments and replicated thrice.

The present study is aimed to analyse the physico-chemical parameters in two stations of Pichavaram mangroves. In the present study the physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen and total dissolved solids were analysed during 2009. The station was selected for the present study (Station-1: Agricultural land and Station-2: Mud flats). The temperature, pH and salinity were increased during summer season and dissolved oxygen and total dissolved solids were lowered in summer season.

Contamination of soils with toxic metals has often resulted from human activities, especially those related to mining, industrial emissions, disposal or leakage of industrial wastes, application of sewage sludge to agricultural soils, manure, fertilizer and pesticide use. Phytoremediation is the term applied to a group of technologies that use of plants to reduce, remove, degrade, or immobilize environmental toxins, primarily those of anthropogenic origin with the aim of restoring area sites to conditions usable for private or public applications.

The supplementary effect of breakfast bar on nutritional and academic performance was studied among adolescent under the age group of 13-15 years. About 500 adolescents were assessed for their demographic, dietary pattern, breakfast skipping patterns, nutritional status (weight, BMI and body fat percentage) and academic performance (scales such as arithmetic, concept and processes scale, reading and writing scales). About 120g of the developed breakfast bar contributing 1/3rd of the adolescent nutrient requirements was formulated and selected for supplementation.

Climate plays a vital role in the development of any region. Rainfall and temperature are the two important climatic parameters which determine the climatic situation of any place. Pudukkottai is a semi arid District situated in the central part of Tamil Nadu. The study deals with the seasonal and annual variation in rainfall using GIS. Temperature conditions are studied using a simple line graph and the relation between rainfall and temperature are analysised by using ombrothermic diagram.