Extensive use of imidacloprid in rice ecosystem may alter dynamics of microorganisms and can change soil biochemical properties. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of imidacloprid ...on growth and activities of microbes in tropical rice soil ecosystem. Four treatments, namely, recommended dose (at 25g a.i. ha−1, RD), double the recommended dose (at 50g a.i. ha−1, 2RD), five times the recommended dose (at 125g a.i. ha−1, 5RD) & ten times the recommended dose (at 250g a.i. ha−1, 10RD) along with control were imposed under controlled condition. Dissipation half lives of imidacloprid in soil were 19.25, 20.38, 21.65 and 33.00 days for RD, 2RD, 5RD and 10RD, respectively. In general bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi and phosphate solubilising bacteria population were disturbed due to imidacloprid application. Changes in diversity indices within bacterial community confirmed that imidacloprid application significantly affected distribution of bacteria. Total soil microbial biomass carbon content was reduced on imidacloprid application. Except dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase activities, all other soil enzymes namely, β-glycosidase, fluorescien diacetate hydrolase, acid phosphatase and urease responded negatively to imidacloprid application. The extent of negative effect of imidacloprid depends on dose and exposure time. This study concludes imidacloprid application had transient negative effects on soil microbes.
•Persistence of imidacloprid is dose dependent.•Transient negative effect of imidacloprid on soil microbes.•Increases in imidacloprid doses had added negative effects.•Distribution and diversity of soil microbes changes with imidacloprid application.
Site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) can be an alternative to a recommendation for uniform fertilizer use across a rice (
Oryza sativa
L.) production system within a country or region of a ...country. We developed a web-based decision support tool named Nutrient Manager for Rice (NMR), which used principles of SSNM to calculate fertilizer N, P, and K rates for individual fields based on a target yield set for each field. It also used expected growth duration of the rice variety, crop establishment method, and age of transplanted seedlings to calculate days after rice establishment for each of three applications of fertilizer N. NMR enabled P rates to match estimated removal of P with harvested grain and crop residue for the target yield set for each field. We compared field-specific fertilizer recommendations from NMR with uniform application of fertilizer provided by an existing blanket fertilizer recommendation for irrigated inbred rice (BFR) and farmer’s fertilizer practices (FFP) in on-farm trials conducted in 74 irrigated rice fields across three growing seasons in the Cauvery Delta, Tamil Nadu, India. Grain yield was 0.6–0.7 Mg ha
−1
higher (
P
≤ 0.05) with NMR than FFP in two of the three seasons, even though total fertilizer cost was comparable or less with NMR. Yield was comparable for NMR and BFR, but NMR reduced fertilizer N and P rates and total fertilizer cost compared to BFR. Use of NMR rather than BFR also had less risk of financial loss for a farmer. The likelihood of financial loss with a switch from FFP to BFR averaged 31%. It reduced to 18% with a switch from FFP to NMR. NMR facilitated the calculation of field-specific fertilizer N, P, and K management practices, which increased fertilizer use efficiency without loss in rice yield compared to a recommended uniform fertilizer management across fields.
A novel colorimetric sensing platform using the peroxidase mimicking activity of ternary MoS
-loaded ZnO-g-C
N
nanocomposites (ZnO-g-C
N
/MoS
) has been developed for the determination of Hg(ii) ions ...over co-existing metal ions. The nanocomposite was prepared using an exfoliation process, and the product was further characterized using SEM, TEM, XRD and FTIR analysis. The ZnO-g-C
N
/MoS
possesses excellent intrinsic catalytic activity to induce the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in aqueous solution in the presence of H
O
to generate deep blue coloured cation radicals (TMB
) which can be viewed with the naked eye and produce absorbance at a wavelength of 652 nm. The addition of a well known bioradical scavenger, glutathione (GSH), to the solution hinders the generation of cation radicals and turns the solution colourless. The introduction of Hg(ii) to this solution brings the blue colour back into it, due to the strong affinity of the thiol in the GSH. Based on this mechanism, we have developed a simple and rapid colorimetric sensor for the highly sensitive and selective detection of Hg(ii) ions in aqueous solution with a low detection limit of 1.9 nM. Furthermore, the prepared colorimetric sensor was effectively applied for the quantification analysis of real water samples.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infection has caused a prominent psychological and mental havoc among the patients. Till now, there is paucity in literature for the management of psychological ...problems among patients with Covid-19. So we aimed in our study to assess the effect of Yoga and Naturopathy intervention on anxiety and depression of Covid-19 patients.
This quasi experimental study was conducted among 130 Covid-19 positive patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital. Yoga and Naturopathic intervention was given for 60 min a day for two weeks. Hospital anxiety depression scale (HADS) and Corona anxiety scale (CAS) was used to assess the generalized anxiety and depression among the patients.
Average age of the patients participated was 44 with the range from 36 to 53 years. Among them 85 were male and 45 were female. Of all 130 patients, 33% had symptoms of borderline depression, 9.2% had severe depression, 40% had borderline anxiety and 12.3% had severe anxiety. In CAS, 59 patients (45.38%) reported Covid-19 related dysfunctional anxiety. All the patients showed a significant reduction in the HADS- anxiety (P < 0.01), HADS-depression (p < 0.01) and CAS (p < 0.01) score after the intervention.
The present study showed significant reduction of anxiety and depression level among the Covid-19 patients. These interventions can be added to the conventional care for better mental and physical wellbeing of the patients after validating the findings with justified study design.
•Dry seeded rice (DSR) drill and precision broadcast was tested over beushening.•Dry Drill-DSR resulted in US$ 166−550 ha−1 higher net benefit than beushening.•Net benefit gain from precision ...broadcast-DSR was US$ 188−312 ha−1 over beushening.•Effective integrated weed management options were identified for DSR.•Other benefits of DSR were reduction in seed rate, labor and production cost.
In many parts of Eastern India that have a very high prevalence of rural poverty and food insecurity, the prevailing rice establishment practice of ‘beushening’ is characterized by low yields and modest profitability, while labor and energy inputs are high. Beushening consists of broadcasting ungerminated rice seed at high rates (>100 kg ha−1) prior to the onset of monsoon rain, followed by ploughing at 4–6 weeks after crop emergence to control weeds with subsequent manual gap filling through seedling redistribution to ensure stand uniformity. Dry-direct seeding of rice (DSR), both drill-DSR and precision broadcast-DSR in combination with integrated weed management (IWM) may offer a pathway for simultaneously reducing costs and markedly increasing productivity. On-farm trials were conducted from 2016 to 2018 in four districts of Odisha (Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, Bhadrak, and Puri) to evaluate the yield and economic performance of dry-DSR (drill and precision broadcast), coupled with herbicide-based IWM strategies, in comparison with conventional beushening. Drill-DSR with IWM increased grain yield by 1.7 t ha−1 in Mayurbhanj and 1.3 t ha−1 in Cuttack, but not in Bhadrak, compared to beushening. The combination of increased yield and lower variable cost in drill-DSR increased net benefit by 550, 395, and 166 US$ ha−1 in Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, and Bhadrak, respectively. For farmers without access to seed drills, precision broadcast-DSR with IWM increased yields by 0.91, 1.22 and 0.60 t ha−1, and net benefits by 270, 312, and 188 US$ ha−1 in Mayurbhanj, Puri, and Bhadrak, respectively. Among the IWM practices evaluated in dry-DSR, application of pretilachlor + safener @ 500 g ai ha−1 as pre-emergence, followed by bispyribac-sodium @ 20 g ai ha−1 at 15–25 days after sowing as post-emergence, and then one spot hand weeding at 30–35 days after sowing was effective in controlling weeds. These results suggest that rice yield gaps in eastern India can be reduced, and farmers’ income from rice can be increased by more than 50 % by replacing beushening with drill-DSR or precision broadcast-DSR. The results could be applicable to approximately 6.4 million ha of lowland rice where beushening is currently practiced in Eastern India.
Alzheimer’s disease contributes to 60–70% of all dementia cases in the general population. Belonging to the BIN1/amphiphysin/RVS167 (BAR) superfamily, the bridging integrator (BIN1) has been ...identified to impact two major pathological hallmarks in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), i.e., amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau accumulation. Aβ accumulation is found to increase by BIN1 knockdown in cortical neurons in late-onset AD, due to BACE1 accumulation at enlarged early endosomes. Two BIN1 mutants, KR and PL, were identified to exhibit Aβ accumulation. Furthermore, BIN1 deficiency by BIN1-related polymorphisms impairs the interaction with tau, thus elevating tau phosphorylation, altering synapse structure and tau function. Even though the precise role of BIN1 in the neuronal tissue needs further investigation, the authors aim to throw light on the potential of BIN1 and unfold its implications on tau and Aβ pathology, to aid AD researchers across the globe to examine BIN1, as an appropriate target gene for disease management.
Graphical Abstract
Rice-based integrated farming system improves the productivity and profitability by recycling resources efficiently. In the sub-humid tropics, rice production without sufficient nutrient ...replenishment often leads to soil health and fertility degradation. There has been very limited research on soil health and fertility after adopting a multi-enterprising rice-based integrated farming system (IFS), notably in the rice-fish-livestock and agroforestry system, when compared to a conventional farming system (CS). Therefore, the present study analyzed the dynamics of soil properties, soil bacterial community structure and their possible interaction mechanisms, as well as their effect on regulating soil quality and production in IFS, IFSw (water stagnant area of IFS) and CS. The results indicated that soil nutrient dynamics, bacterial diversity indices (Shannon index, Simpson index, Chao 1, ACE and Fisher index) and system productivity were higher in IFSw and IFS compared to CS. Moreover, relative operational taxonomic units of dominant bacterial genera (
Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes, Cyanobacteria, Crenarchaeota
and
Gemmatimonadetes
) were also higher in IFSw and IFS compared to CS. Mean soil quality index (SQI) was highest in IFSw (0.780 ± 0.201) followed by IFS (0.770 ± 0.080) and CS (0.595 ± 0.244). Moreover, rice equivalent yields (REY) and rice yields were well correlated with the higher levels of soil biological indices (SQI
Biol
) in IFS. Overall, our results revealed that rice-based IFS improved the soil health and fertility and ensuing crop productivity through positive interaction with soil bacterial communities and nutrient stoichiometry leading to agroecosystem sustainability.
Conversion of mangrove vegetation into rice cultivation is considerably enhanced nowadays which adversely affects ecological sustainability. Soil microbial community is one of the key indicators to ...monitor soil health in mangroves. Studies on the variations in the microbial community within mangroves are plenty, whereas reports in mangrove-converted paddy soils are scarce. Therefore, Biolog
®
eco-plate-based technique was used in this study to assess soil microbial community in the Bhitarkanika (MB) and Sundarban (MS) sub-humid tropical mangroves-converted paddy soil. The results showed that significantly lower soil microbial biomass carbon and enzyme activities were recorded in MB and MS compared to the NRRI (National Rice Research Institute) paddy soil where continuous rice cultivation is being practiced conventionally since 1946 under the sub-humid tropical region. Biolog®-based average well color development (AWCD) was found significantly lower in MS and MB compared to NRRI. Shannon–Weaver and McIntosh indices followed the similar trends of AWCD. A biplot analysis indicated the positive correlation of pH, available phosphorus, actinomycetes population, and phenolic compound utilization under MS, whereas EC and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria were positively correlated under MB. Compared to MS and MB, NRRI paddy soil harbored more carbohydrate-utilizing microbes and showed a positive correlation with fluorescin-diacetate, dehydrogenase, and acid phosphatase. Overall, the present study suggested that the conversion of the Sundarban and Bhitarkanika mangroves into rice cultivation adversely affected the microbial diversity, thereby altering natural sustainability.
A novel colorimetric sensing platform using the peroxidase mimicking activity of ternary MoS2-loaded ZnO–g-C3N4 nanocomposites (ZnO–g-C3N4/MoS2) has been developed for the determination of Hg(ii) ...ions over co-existing metal ions. The nanocomposite was prepared using an exfoliation process, and the product was further characterized using SEM, TEM, XRD and FTIR analysis. The ZnO–g-C3N4/MoS2 possesses excellent intrinsic catalytic activity to induce the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in aqueous solution in the presence of H2O2 to generate deep blue coloured cation radicals (TMB+) which can be viewed with the naked eye and produce absorbance at a wavelength of 652 nm. The addition of a well known bioradical scavenger, glutathione (GSH), to the solution hinders the generation of cation radicals and turns the solution colourless. The introduction of Hg(ii) to this solution brings the blue colour back into it, due to the strong affinity of the thiol in the GSH. Based on this mechanism, we have developed a simple and rapid colorimetric sensor for the highly sensitive and selective detection of Hg(ii) ions in aqueous solution with a low detection limit of 1.9 nM. Furthermore, the prepared colorimetric sensor was effectively applied for the quantification analysis of real water samples.
A label -free DNAzyme amplified biosensor is found to be highly selective and sensitive towards fluorescent detection of Pb
2+
ions in aqueous media. The DNAzyme complex has designed by the ...hybridization of the enzyme and substrate strand. In the presence of Pb
2+
, the DNAzyme activated and cleaved the substrate strand of RNA site (rA) into two oligonucleotide fragments. Further, the free fragment was hybridized with a complementary strand on the surface of MBs. After magnetic separation, SYBER Green I was added and readily intercalate with the dsDNA to gives a bright fluorescence signal with intensity directly proportional to the concentration of Pb
2+
ions. A detection limit of 5 nM in Pb
2+
the detection range 0 to 500 nM was obtained. This label- free fluorescent biosensor has been successfully applied to the determination of environmental water samples. Then results open up the possibility for real-time quantitative detection of Pb
2+
with convenient potential applications in the biological and environmental field.
Graphical Abstract
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