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A. K. Patra , P. K. Pande , T. R. Sahu

Abstract

Vegetation was analyzed quantitatively in miscellaneous open, miscellaneous closed, sal open and sal closed forests of West Chhindwara Forest Division (Madhya Pradesh). Total density for tree layer ranged between tree ha^-1 1,650 (miscellaneous open) to 3,030 t ha^-1 (sal closed); 4,960.23 (miscellaneous open) to 10,840 (sal closed) for shrubs and 3,180 (miscellaneous closed) to 3,18,000 (miscellaneous closed) plant ha^-1 for herb layer, whereas the range for dominance (cm² ha^-1) was 1,65,855 (miscellaneous closed) to 16,38,325 (sal closed) for trees; 5428 (miscellaneous open) to 16,100 (sal closed) for shrubs and 14,778 (miscellaneous open) to 11,28,020 (sal open) for herbs. It is very interesting to note that density and dominance of trees are invariably higher in closed forests, whereas, shrubs and herbs are higher in open forests except shrubs for miscellaneous closed forest. Miscellaneous open forest showed highest species richness followed by miscellaneous closed, sal closed and sal open for tree species. Diversity index values were highest for miscellaneous open followed by miscellaneous closed, sal open and sal closed. Miscellaneous open also showed highest species richness values, while sal open and closed miscellaneous showed lowest values, respectively, for shrub and herb species. Sal open and sal closed showed lowest values, respectively, for shrub and herb species for diversity index. Invariably, concentration of dominance followed the reverse trend to species diversity. Miscellaneous open and miscellaneous closed were more similar sites for tree and shrub species, whereas sal open and closed showed more similarity while considering herbs as the measure. Miscellaneous closed and sal open were most dissimilar sites for trees and shrubs and miscellaneous and sal closed for herb species. Examination of disturbance magnitude indicated that openness of the stand does not disturb the regeneration and stand development in terms of total tree composition in miscellaneous forest, whereas, it disturb the composition of Shorea robusta in case of open sal stand in ecotone.

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A. K. Pandey , A. K. Patra , P. K. Shukla

Abstract

Satpura Plateau of Madhya Pradesh with diverse agro-climatic conditions, Jarge biodiversity and strategic geographical location is likely to emerge as a leading producer and supplier of medicinal plants. The paper gives a resume of activities undertaken in recent years by Centre for Forestry Research and Human Resource development, Chhindwara as a part of eudeavour towards conserving the medicinal plant wealth and promoting the cultivation of medicinal plant. Training programmes on conservation and cultivation of medicinal plants have also been carried out as apart of Human Resource Development activity. Agrotechniques have been developed for the cultivation of Abelmoschus moschatus, Acorus calamus, Andrographis paniculata, Rauvolfia serpentina, Withania somnifera, Cymbopogon flexuosus, Cymbopogon martinii and Mentha arvensis.

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D. L. Nandeshwar , K. S. Negi , A. K. Patra

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No abstract

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C. K. Tiwari , N. S. K. Harsh , A. K. Patra

Abstract

The cellulolytic activity of some wood decaying fungi using filter paper cellulose was screened. All the species tested decomposed cellulose. Oxyporus ravidus and Funalia leonina exhibited maximum cellulolytic activity. While Pyrofomes tricolor was slow decomposer. The decomposition rate varied considerably with all the tested fungi. It was found that the initial pH value of the medium changed considerably after incubation period.

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C. K. Tiwari , N. S. K. Harsh , A. K. Patra

Abstract

The cellulolytic activity of some wood decaying fungi using filter paper cellulose was screened. All the species tested decomposed cellulose. Oxyporus ravidus and Funalia leonina exhibited maximum cellulolytic activity. While Pyrofomes tricolor was slow decomposer. The decomposition rate varied considerably with all the tested fungi. It was found that the initial pH value of the medium changed considerably after incubation period.

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C. K. Tiwari , P. B. Meshram , A. K. Patra

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Ganoderma lucidum is used in different hosts viz. Albizia lebbek , Boswellia serrata , Delonix regia , Populus deltoides , Leucaena leucocephala and Lannea coromandelica for artifical cultivation in control condition. The better performance was observed in Delonix regia for the production of G.lucidum.

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P. B. Meshram , A. K. Patra

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P. B. Meshram , A. K. Patra , V. K. Garg

Abstract

Studies on the detailed seasonal history and chemical control of twig gall forming black caterpillar Betousa stylophora Swinh. revealed that the moth laid the eggs on leaves of Emblica officinalis in the month of June. The pest commenced its activity from the month of June and completed one generation in a year in Satpura Plateau of Madhya Pradesh. Phorate (Thimet) 10 G followed by Carbofuran (Furadon) 3 G @ 10 gm per plant (3 years old) was found to be most effective by using both prophylactic and curative measures against this pest for tbe protection of E. officinalis plants in agroforestry models.

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U. M. Farooqui , R. K. Dixit , A. K. Patra , S. P. Rayal. , A. Khan , S. K. Tiwari

Abstract

Cones of radiata pine or Pinus radiata are serotinous. The cone scales are stuck together by resin making natural seed release impossible for many years. In the present study cones were subjected to various heat treatments viz. Heated in a kiln at 65°C for 8 hours, heated in a microwave oven set at high poser for 60 seconds or submerged in boiling water of 120 seconds. Subsequent rate and extent of seed release was observed on day 1,3,6 and 7. Maximum and quickest seed release was observed following the kiln treatment. Seed viability assessed by Tetrazolium Test (TZ) and relative seed vigour assessed by Accelerated Aging (AA) test both showed that seed extracted by the kiln method was superior to that obtained by either of the other two methods. The effectiveness of suitable methods of extraction of seeds from cones of P. radiata in the light of economic importance is discussed.

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A. K. Patra

Abstract

No abstract

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A. K. Patra , P. K. Pande

Abstract

The paper presents a comparative account of litter fall, litter nutrient concentration, return and release in open miscellaneous forest (CMF, site-I), closed miscellaneous forest (CMF, site-II), open sal (OSF, site-III) and closed sal (CSF, site-IV) and also between miscellaneous (MF) and sal forests (SF) of tropical dry deciduous mixed and tropical dry sal forests of Satpura plateau, Madhya Pradesh (India). Leaf and litter fall was erratic in miscellaneous forest (sites I, II) and peak period was in December while peak leaf fall period in sal forest was March-June. However, fall was unimodal in sal forest (sites III, IV). The magnitude of annual leaf fall (kg ha^-1) followed the order: 20958.40 (site-III) > 18708.60 (site-IV) > 3381.71 (site-II) > 2897.60 (site-I). The higher leaf and litter fall in OSF than of CSF is related to the higher dominance of the deciduous species Tectona grandis in the stand and also higher age of the stand. Litter decomposition rate (k) was higher for sal forest (SF) than the miscellaneous forest (SF). Generally, Ca and N were higher than K, Mg and P in all litter fractions, irrespective of sites. Variance ratio (F) test showed that SF showed higher values of nutrient concentration and their lower variations as compared to MF. Open forests showed lower concentrations of nutrient than closed forests.

Keywords

Ecotone, Litter Decomposition, Litter Fall, Nutrient Return, Nutrient Release

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R. K. Dixit , M. B. Thomas , U. M. Farooqui , A. K. Patra , M. L. Spurway

Abstract

Three species of Acacia were grown using a range of P rates in a peat/sand (1:1) media. Seedlings were grown in 1 litre pots in a greenhouse. Severe P toxicity occurred in A. baileyana and A. cardiophylla when P rates supplied from 5-6 month, Osmocote 0-18-0 fertilizer exceeded 20g P/m³/month. Toxicity was indicated by severe stunting and often iron chlorosis of the tip growth. The third species was A. pravissima which was tolerant of P levels approximately double (and even higher) those tolerated by the former species. All three species showed increases in the growth parameters measured of stem diameter, height and foliar dry matter when the P application was increased from nil to 10g P/m³/month.

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A. K. Patra ¹, N. Pendkar ², G. J. Chakrapani ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Earth Sciences, Indian lnstitute of Technology, Roorkee - 247 667, IN
2 Oil and Natural Gas Commission, Dehra Dun, IN

Abstract

The major objective of the present study has been to determine the mineralogy and chemical composition of sediments of Nainita lake, a major tounst destination situated In the Kumaun Himalayas In the present study, we have determined the mineral content In the sediments of the lake and analysed the associations of toxic metals In various chemical fractions such as, metals which are easily released to water from sediments, and metals bound to carbonates, manganese oxide, iron oxides, organic matter and residual matter Although detrital minerals quartz and feldspar are dominant, calcite, aragonite, illite and gypsum are also present in appreciable quantities Quartz and illlte are the domnant minerals in the coarse fractions of sediments, whereas calcite, aragonite and gypsum are mostly present in finer sediments Among the varrous chemical fractions, most of the metal concentrations are associated with the residual fraction, whereas, organic matter fraction is a major sink for Mn,Z n and Cu Hence, under conditions where organic matter gets oxidized, the metals may be released into the water column, thus resulting In high pollution levels in the lake waters.

Keywords

Heavy metals, Mineralogy, Nainital.

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A. K. Patra ¹, T. Rajendra Prasad ¹

Affiliations
1 National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Gadanki 517 112, IN

Abstract

In this article we describe the first results from the Moon echo experiment conducted using the 53 MHz MST radar located at Gadanki, India. Observations show that echoes are as strong as 20 dB above noise and these are related to radar returns at normal incidence from places close to the sub-terrestrial point on the Moon. Spectral features of these echoes are narrow, indicating the dominance of quasi-specular scattering process. At higher range, which is also related to higher incidence angle, echo power is found to remarkably decrease. These echoes are characterized with multiple spectral peaks and broader spectral features. Higher-order spectral analysis suggests that multiple spectral peaks are due to discrete multiple scattering centres. Initial results are found to be in agreement with those reported earlier at similar frequencies and are promising. Implications of these results along with the potential and future prospect of the Gadanki MST radar for Earth-based planetary research are discussed.

Keywords

Echo, Moon, MST Radar, Spectral Features.

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Narendra K. Lenka ¹, Sangeeta Lenka ¹, J. K. Thakur ¹, R. Elanchezhian ¹, S. B. Aher ¹, Vidya Simaiya ¹, D. S. Yashona ¹, A. K. Biswas ¹, P. K. Agrawal ², A. K. Patra ¹

Affiliations
1 Indian Institute of Soil Science, Nabibagh, Bhopal 462 038, IN
2 Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Pusa, KAB-1, New Delhi 110 012, IN

Abstract

A field experiment was undertaken in the kharif season of 2016 in open-top chambers to study the individual and combined effects of elevated carbon dioxide and temperature on growth and yield parameters in soybean crop. The soybean (var. JS 20–29) crop was grown under two levels of CO₂ (ambient, 550 ppmv) in combination with two levels of air temperature (ambient, +2.0°C). The five different climate treatments were: open field (OF), ambient chamber (AC), elevated temperature (eT), elevated CO₂ (eC) and elevation of both temperature and CO₂ (eCeT). At the time of sowing, vermicompost @ 2.0 tonnes ha^–1 was applied along with 30 kg N ha^–1 (in the form of urea), 60 kg P₂O₅ ha^–1 (through single super phosphate) and 40 kg K₂O ha^–1 (through muriate of potash) to the soybean crop. Impact of the climate variables was studied in terms of selected plant attributes, viz. plant height, leaf area, biomass, number of pods, number of grains per pod, grain yield and seed index (100 seed weight). Results indicated significant positive effect of elevated CO₂ and temperature on plant growth parameters, pod attributes and grain yield. Compared to AC, leaf area at 50 days after sowing was higher by 143%, 281% and 259% and above-ground biomass at harvest was higher by 47%, 31% and 47% under eC, eT and eCeT treatments respectively. The difference in biomass under OF and AC was not significant. The increase in grain yield over ambient varied from 30% under eT to 51% and 65% under eC and eCeT treatments respectively. The seed index as measured through weight of 100 numbers of seeds, was significantly higher under elevated CO₂ and/or elevated temperature treatments than the ambient chamber and open field treatments.

Keywords

Carbon Dioxide Fertilization, Climate Change, Elevated Temperature, Seed Index, Soybean Biomass.

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Priya P. Gurav ¹, S. K. Ray ², P. L. Choudhari ³, A. O. Shirale ¹, B. P. Meena ¹, A. K. Biswas ¹, A. K. Patra ¹

Affiliations
1 Division of Soil Chemistry and Fertility, ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science, Nabibagh, Bhopal 462 038, IN
2 Regional Centre, ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Jorhat 785 004, IN
3 CRAL-International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Development Centre, Asia Program, Patancheru, Hyderabad 502 324, IN

Abstract

This article reviews the information regarding potassium (K) status of Indian soils based on research conducted since 1929. The patterns and lacunae regarding potassium consumption in India are also mentioned. The role of minerals in potassium availability vis-à-vis forms of potassium is discussed and elucidated with suitable clay mineralogical evidences. The article also highlights the problems of potassium availability to plants in Indian shrink–swell soils. We have pointed out the inefficacy of the universal method used for assessing plant-available K (1N NH4OAc) in Indian shrink–swell soils, as observed from extensive K response studies. The current practices of assessing only plant-available K is not adequate to detect native changes in soil potassium. This paradoxical situation necessitates revision and revalidation of the existing potassium fertilizer recommendations, which are being adopted since four decades. A holistic research envisaging soil test crop response and mineralogical studies will help in revising potassium evaluation methods in India, leading to judicious fertilizer application by the farmers.

Keywords

Clay Mineralogy, Fertilizers, Mineralogy, Potassium Availability, Swell–shrink Soils.

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Sudeshna Bhattacharjya ¹, Asha Sahu ¹, M. C. Manna ¹, A. K. Patra ¹

Affiliations
1 ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science, Nabibagh, Berasia Road, Bhopal 462 038, IN

Abstract

In the recent past, yield stagnation in major cropping systems of India along with declined soil fertility and soil health have emerged as a prime threat to sustainable food security. Moreover, with the rising population, there is increase in food demand from the limited land resources. This situation has led to a huge gap between the availability of nutrients and demands to sustain food security. It has thus become the need of the hour to recover and recycle nutrients that have been mined from the soil. Hence, recycling of surplus crop and horticultural residues, and animal excreta seems to be a viable option to minimize the nutrient gap. However, cumulative estimated data on the availability of unutilized crop and horticultural residues, and animal excreta are scare in Indian context. The present article gives an estimate of recyclable biowaste in the states of central and western India, that could be utilized as baseline information by future policymakers.

Keywords

Animal Excreta, Crop Residue, Horticultural Waste, Waste.

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