Area Of Tamil Nadu Research Articles

Population dynamics, weather parameters interaction of insect pests on Indian bean, Lablab purpureus and prediction analysis using ARIMAX model

Aim: The present study was conducted to find out the dynamics of insect pests in Indian bean, Lablab purpureus during different season at Lower Pulney hills in Tamil Nadu and to predict the occurrence of insects/pests for management practices. Methodology: Field trial was conducted in the rain fed Hill Avarai, Lablab purpureus (Linn.) at Thandikudi village of Lower Pulney hills to study the population dynamics and weather factors interaction with sucking pests, leaf, flower eating insects and pod borers. Forecast modeling of major pests of hill avarai were done with ARIMAX analysis. Results: Around 21 insect species belonging to four major insect orders viz., Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Orthoptera with division of three categories namely sucking insects, leaf, flower eating insects and pod borers. Among them the occurrence of sucking pests was maximum and damage followed by leaf, flower eating insects and pod borers. All sucking pests, leaf, flower-eating insects and pod borers showed positive correlation with maximum and minimum temperature, while relative humidity, rain fall and wind speed had negative correlation with sucking pests, however, positive correlation was observed with leaf, flower-eating insects and pod borers. Interpretation: Under temperate conditions biotic factors such as maximum and minimum temperatures have an important impact in Indian bean pest population fluctuation. ARIMAX model created in this work could be used to forecast the appearance of significant major pests of bean such as A. craccivora, L. trifolii, and M. vitrata in the subtropical areas of Tamil Nadu, India.

Flood susceptibility mapping of Northeast coastal districts of Tamil Nadu India using Multi-source Geospatial data and Machine Learning techniques

Flooding is one of the most challenging and important natural disasters to predict, it is becoming more frequent and more intense. The study area is badly damaged by devastating flood in 2015. We assessed the flood susceptibility to northern coastal area of Tamil Nadu using various machine learning algorithms such as Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), XGBoost (XGB), Rotation Forest (RTF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Naive Bayes (NB). Google Earth Engine (GEE) is used to demarcate flooded areas using Sentinel-l and other multi-source geospatial data to generate influential factors. Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) removes weak factors in this study. The flood susceptibility resultant map is classified into five classes: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high. The GBM algorithm attained high classification accuracy with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 92%. The study area is urbanized and vulnerable identifying flood inundation useful for effective planning and implementation.

Effectiveness of Health Education in Improving Menstrual Hygiene Knowledge and Practices among Adolescent Girls of Rural India

Introduction : Menstruation is still surrounded by many myths, misconceptions and taboos. Adolescent girls in India, seems to have inadequate and inaccurate knowledge on menstruation and its hygiene. Improper menstrual hygiene can lead to reproductive tract infections which can adversely affect a woman's reproductive health. This study was aimed at assessing the effectiveness of health education in improving the knowledge on menstruation and menstrual hygiene practice among rural adolescent girls of India. Method:An interventional study was done among 82 college girls selected by convenient sampling in a rural area of Tamilnadu, India. Intervention done was health education on menstrual physiology and hygiene practice using animated video and interactive session in local language. Questionnaire on knowledge about menstruation and menstrual hygiene practice was administered to the participants before health education session. Improvement in knowledge and practice was assessed after one month of the session. Results: Baseline knowledge about menstruation was adequate only for 57.5 percent of participants. Baseline menstrual hygiene practice was good only among 8.8 percent of participants. Following health education, knowledge about menstruation significantly improved to 90%. Menstrual hygiene practice also showed a significant improvement from 8.8% to 30 percent%. Conclusion: This study showed that providing a comprehensive health education on menstrual physiology and hygiene would greatly improve the menstrual hygiene practice of adolescent girls.

Growth and Instability in Area, Production and Productivity of Banana in Tamil Nadu

The study shows that, analysis of trend, growth and stability of banana in decade’s periods of India and Tamil Nadu. Since, the study attempt to analyse and used the instability index Viz., Cuddy-Della Valle Index and Coppock Index. Whereas analyse trend and decomposition used the secondary data collected from various sources. The past decades area and production of banana was significant but the last 5 years it was decline due to the some socio economic factors (educational status, household size, fertilizer application and experience) of fruits growers and some of the climatic eradications. The area under banana in Tamil Nadu was decreased (The Compound Growth Rate was -4.06 per cent) but India was increased (one per cent) in the current year (2018-19), over the base year (2009-10). The growth rate for production and productivity were negative in Tamil Nadu and that were positive in India except productivity. The area and its interaction effect with area were found to be responsible for decrease in the production of banana in India. In Tamil Nadu area and yield were identified as major influencing factors for decrease in the production of banana. The change in production of banana is high compared to area and productivity. Hence the study recommends Government also used to formulate the policy to support fruit growers by announcing minimum support price and by providing cold storage facilities at minimum cost and subsidies for exporting fruits to other countries. It was indirectly support of the fruits growers to ensure the large scale production.

Agricultural Diversification in Tamil Nadu – An Economic analysis

In comparison to other Indian states, Tamil Nadu has unique agro-climatic and cropping patterns, which have caused a lot of concern, both environmentally and in terms of food security. From 2001 to 2020, the study examines changes in land use and cropping patterns in Tamil Nadu. Secondary data on area under major crops was gathered from various sources. To assess the expansion of area under major crops over time, the compound growth rate was calculated (2001-2020). In cropping pattern, direction of changes was investigated using Markov chain analysis and for each year, crop diversification index was calculated. The results indicated that land classified as land put to non-agricultural uses and fallow land recorded positive expansion in area. The area under paddy, bajra, sugarcane, groundnut, and gingelly are growing at a negative rate, but maize, pulses, fruits, vegetables, coconut, and cotton are growing at a positive rate. It can be stated that net sown area in Tamil Nadu is declining, with shift in food crops being hurt worse than non-food crops. Based on Crop Diversification Index score, crop intensification has increased in the state over time, helping to reduce failure of crop and income loss while also creating jobs for rural people.

Spatio-Temporal Analysis of the Impact of Landscape Changes on Vegetation and Land Surface Temperature over Tamil Nadu

Land-use changes adversely may impact ecological entities and humans by affecting the water cycle, environmental changes, and energy balance at global and regional scales. Like many megaregions in fast emerging countries, Tamil Nadu, one of the largest states and most urbanized (49%) and industrial hubs in India, has experienced extensive landuse and landcover change (LULC). However, the extent and level of landscape changes associated with vegetation health, surface permeability, and Land Surface Temperature (LST) has not yet been quantified. In this study, we employed Random Forest (RF) classification on Landsat imageries from 2000 and 2020. We also computed vegetation health, soil moisture, and LST metrics for two decades from Landsat imageries to delineate the impact of landscape changes in Tamil Nadu using Google Earth Engine (GEE). The level of vegetation health and drought for 2020 was more accurately assessed by combining the Temperature Condition Index (TCI) and Vegetation Condition Index (VCI). A Soil moisture index was subsequently used to identify surface permeability. A 75% expansion in urban areas of Tamil Nadu was detected mainly towards the suburban periphery of major cities between 2000 and 2020. We observed an overall increase in the coverage of urban areas (built-up), while a decrease for vegetated (cropland and forest) areas was observed in Tamil Nadu between 2000 and 2020. The Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) values showed an extensive decline in surface permeability and the LST values showed an overall increase (from a maximum of 41 °C to 43 °C) of surface temperature in Tamil Nadu’s major cities with the highest upsurge for urban built-up areas between 2000 and 2020. Major cities built-up and non-vegetation areas in Tamil Nadu were depicted as potential drought hotspots. Our results deliver significant metrics for surface permeability, vegetation condition, surface temperature, and drought monitoring and urges the regional planning authorities to address the current status and social-ecological impact of landscape changes and to preserve ecosystem services.

Assessing the Nutrient Status of Soil and Water Bodies in Palayapatti Areas, Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu (India)

Background: Thanjavur is a cauvery delta zone for paddy growing area of Tamil Nadu. The current study aiming with understanding about chemical properties and nutrient status of soils of selected area and assessing quality of water bodies. Methods: The study was conducted during 2018-19 at Palayappatti and its surrounding villages in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu to find out the nutrient status of soil and water. Fifty representative soil samples and ten water samples collected with the objectives of analyzing chemical properties of soil and assessing water quality in Palayapatti and its surrounding villages of Thanjavur district. Result: The collected soil and water samples varied with different chemical and physical properties. Soils were slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, normal EC and low organic carbon, low to medium content of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, low to medium content of calcium, magnesium and sulphur. Water samples were slightly acidic to moderately alkaline pH, medium to high salt content, moderate amount of carbonate and bicarbonate content. The soil and water bodies of this land having medium range of nutrients and also improvement is need in water quality.

Association of comorbidities with Activity of Daily Living (ADL) in a community-based sample of older adults in Tamil Nadu, India

BackgroundAgeing is a normal, natural, unavoidable and a widespread phenomenon. As an outcome of ageing, there are physical, functional, and structural changes taking place in various parts of the human body, hence an aged person is found to be more vulnerable.This study was conducted to assess the activities of daily living and the association between the socio-demographic variables, and co-morbidities among the elderly from the selected areas of Tamil Nadu. Materials and methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among the homebound aged category in Tamil Nadu. A list of rural block details were obtained from the selected districts, and by using the lottery method, one rural block was selected from each district and a complete enumeration sampling strategy was employed to obtain the study subjects from the selected study area. Through extensive literature reviews, the study tool was structured. ResultAbout seven thousand two hundred participants over the age of 60 years from the households were interviewed. About 71.36% of the subjects belonged to the 60–69 age group. The majority of the study population was conducted among the females (61.76%) and the rest of the 38.24% constituted the males. A significant statistical association was noted between age, good sleep, and activity limitation. An individual who is aged 70 and above had 4.1 times higher risk of activity limitation than an elder person under 70. The elders who had sufficient good sleep were found to be a protective factor for activity limitation. There is no significant association between gender, smoking, tobacco, alcohol consumption, good sleep, with activity limitation. ConclusionThis study shows that the prevalence of activity limitation is 4.1% among the rural elderly of Tamil Nadu. Disability is one of the major factors among the elderly to result in an activity of daily living dependence; Activity of Daily Living (ADL), and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) is becoming a big challenge for the community residing elderly, irrespective of whether their needs are met or unmet. As the elderly population continues to grow, the challenges involved in addressing disability and unmet needs also tend to grow.

Recognition of Solid Inorganic Substances and Crop Recommendation

Profound learning strategies are significantly respected in the exploration field of agribusiness. The farming variables climate, downpour, soil, pesticides, and manures are the really mindful angles to raise the creation of yields. The central fundamental key part of farming is Soil for crop developing. Assessment of soil is an imperative piece of soil resource the executives in cultivation. The fundamental objective of this work is to explore soil supplements using profound learning order strategies.Toanalyse the soil nutrients, the former need to go to the branch of Agriculture or Cooperation and Farmers Welfare. This work takes an areaofTamil Nadu in India to dissect the dirt supplements.Particular sort's dirt has an assorted assortment of enhancements. The dirt examination is particularly helpful for cultivators to find which kind of harvests to be created in a particular soil condition. This framework picks Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulphur, Iron, Zinc, etc, supplements for examining the dirt enhancements using the CRA approach of the Neural organization. The fundamental objective of this work is to examine soil supplements using profound learning order methods.

Prevalence of anxiety and depression among students appearing for NEET examination in a rural and urban area of Tamil Nadu: a cross sectional analytical study

Background: Mental health problems can reduce the quality of student’s life by affecting their academic achievement and physical health. Higher education being a prerequisite for a successful future, the NEET exams have been the source of stress and anxiety for several students. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression among students facing NEET exams and their associated factors.Methods: This was a cross-sectional analytical study design. The sample size is 150 (75 each in rural and urban area). Results are presented as proportion and Chi-square test was done to assess the association of the factors to adherence.Results: Among the 150 students, the prevalence of anxiety among urban students was 40% whereas the prevalence of anxiety among rural students was 60% and the prevalence of depression among urban students was 45.3% whereas the prevalence of depression among rural students was 56%. There was statistical association between gender, school issues, family issues, socio-economic status, and anxiety and depression.Conclusions: More than one-third of the students had anxiety and more than half of the participants had depression. The mental health status of the students should be taken into consideration by the teachers, students, and the government while the students appear for the NEET examination.

Determination of natural radioactivity in beach sands collected along the coastal area of Tamilnadu, India using gamma ray spectrometry

Determination of natural radioactivity in beach sands collected along the coastal area of Tamilnadu, India using gamma ray spectrometry

Prevalence of depression and its determinants among women of the reproductive age group in a rural area of Tamil Nadu - A community-based cross-sectional study

Prevalence of depression and its determinants among women of the reproductive age group in a rural area of Tamil Nadu - A community-based cross-sectional study

A cross-sectional study on determinants of indoor air pollution and its perceived impact among the residents of urban field practice area of AMCH, Salem, Tamil Nadu.

Background:Over the past 20 years, indoor air pollution (IAP) has received much attention as the quality of the indoor air is affected a lot. IAP means the presence of substances which are redundant in the indoor air at concentrations toxic to health. Very few studies have addressed the determinants of indoor air pollutants in places like urban slum areas in Tamil Nadu. To reduce this research gap, this study has been undertaken.Aim:To study the determinants of IAP and its perceived impact on health.Settings and Design:This was a community-based cross-sectional study. Complete information from 440 households consisting of 1606 individuals was collected through a semi-structured questionnaire.Materials and Methods:Residents of an urban field practice area of Annapoorana Medical College and Hospitals (AMCH) were the study participants. The study period was from April 19 to March 2020. The study area was an urban field practice area around Department of Community Medicine, Karungalpatty, AMCH. Frequency, proportions, and Spearman test were used to find out the significance between various household environmental conditions and the respiratory diseases using Epi Info software.Results:Results showed that 52.3% of the participants were using incense sticks at home in the evening during pooja and 17.7% of the houses were using mosquito coil in the evening and at night. Also, 29.5% houses reported overcrowding and 66.4% of the houses were not having chimney or exhaust. Results also showed that 71.4% households were practicing opening their windows while cooking. One hundred and fifty-two (34.5%) female respondents had perceived the symptoms like dizziness (12.3%), eye irritation (10.2%), difficulty in breathing (4.5%), dry cough (3.06%), running nose (1.4%), and nasal congestion (1.1%) due to IAP. Among under-five respondents, 1.6% reported having acute respiratory infections in the last 15 days and 10.5% reported the same in the last 1 year 10.5%.

Role of domestic migration stress in adapting precarious behaviours among interstate migrant workers in a semi-urban area of Tamil Nadu.

Migration is a process in which a person moves from one cultural setting to another for a long period of time or permanently, which induces increased adaptation of risky behaviors due to migration stress. This study aimed to identify domestic migration stress and to determine its role in practising precarious behaviours among interstate migrant workers. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 313 migrant workers in the Kanchipuram district using a simple random sampling method for recruitment. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data with details on socio-demographic characteristics and precarious behavior profiles, and the 'domestic migration stress scale' was validated. For analysis, variables were described using frequencies, proportions and mean ± standard deviation, appropriately. Inferential statistics like the 'Chi-square test and multiple logistic regressions' were performed to establish the relationship between migration stress and high-risk behavior. Among respondents, 286 (91.37%) were males. The majority were chronic alcoholics [151 (48.56%)], followed by tobacco chewers [106 (33.86%)], chronic smokers [83 (26.51%)], had illicit sexual activity [59 (18.84%)] and drug abusers [4 (1.27%)]. About 247 (78.93%) were under domestic migration stress. Smokers, tobacco chewers and those involved in illicit sexual activity were significant predictor factors. Stress management is paramount, and having the knowledge about their precarious behavior and stress among workers will help in the further development of health promotion strategies for migrant workers.

People’s Participation in Farm Pond Programmes in Dry Land Areas of Tamil Nadu

People’s participation in planning, implementation and maintenance stage is important for making any programmes successful. Realizing it, Government of India (2011), issued a Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects, Revised Edition, 2011 in which participation of beneficiary farmers was made as mandatory. Hence, here an attempt has been made to study the extent of participation of beneficiaries in involvement of farm pond programmes under three stages such as planning, implementation and maintenance were studied. The study was conducted during 2020 in dry land areas of Tamil Nadu to measure the extent of people’s participation in farm pond development programme. The results revealed that overall participation Index score was 64.75 per cent. It means that moderate level of participation was observed among the farmers in farm pond development programmes. Further it is noted that high level of participation was exhibited by farmers in planning stage (72.12%) and moderate level was exhibited by farmers in implementation stage (63.78%) as well as maintenance stage (58.36%) of farmers in farm pond programmes. It means farmers were participated and contributed more during planning followed by implementation and maintenance stages of programme.

Mental health of hypertensive patients and its association with their blood pressure in a rural area of Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu.

ABSTRACTIntroduction:Chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension, are often associated with psychiatric comorbidities such as anxiety, depression, and somatization. Approximately, one-fourth of the adults were diagnosed with hypertension, and the proportion will reach about one-third by 2025. The prevalence of hypertension throughout India is 29.8% and the burden of hypertension in a rural area of Tamil Nadu is 25.2%. The compliance of drug intake depends on the mental health of the patient and this study intends to take care of patients with chronic illnesses. This study is designed to assess the mental health of hypertensive patients and its association with their blood pressure.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among hypertensive patients in the field practice of a tertiary care medical college in the Kancheepuram district for a period of 3 months using a semi-structured validated schedule after obtaining the informed consent. The depression anxiety stress scale (DASS) scale was used to assess the mental health of hypertensive patients. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0.Results:Most hypertensive patients were found in the age group of 40 to 60 years. About 53.4% of hypertensive patients with normal blood pressure were suffering from depression. In addition, about 44.6% of pre-hypertensive patients and 44.6% of stage II hypertensive patients were found to have severe depression.Conclusion:Overall, pre-hypertensive patients were suffering from depression when compared to other hypertensive patients. Family history and tobacco and alcohol intake were other factors associated with depression in hypertensive patients.

Visual impairment in Type 2 Diabetes mellitus in comparison with non diabetic population in a suburban area of Tamilnadu, India

Visual impairment in Type 2 Diabetes mellitus in comparison with non diabetic population in a suburban area of Tamilnadu, India

Assessment of maternal birth satisfaction and intra-partum experiences among the women of rural areas of Tamil Nadu- a cross sectional study

Background: Childbirth, though a physiological process, has been associated with multiple risks and stress on the women, even before the time of conception till the post-partum. Every woman around the world has a right to receive respectful maternity care. Birth satisfaction and respectful maternal care has direct impact on percentage of institutional deliveries. There is paucity of studies conducted among the women of rural Tamil Nadu regarding birth satisfaction and intrapartum experiences.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in primary health center area, red hills among the post-partum women attending the immunization OPD at 6, 10 and 14th week after delivery during the months of March to June 2018. By simple random sampling technique 195 subjects were included. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to collect the data. Ethical clearance was obtained from our Institutional Ethics Committee. Data was entered in MS Excel and analysis was done using SPSS Software version 23.Results: The study shows the importance of maternal satisfaction and intrapartum experiences of women in rural areas. It concluded that the overall satisfaction was 85.5%. The transport facility available at the health care set up which satisfied the mothers was around 91.4%. The interaction of health care providers with mothers during delivery was around 64.5%. Cleanliness and comfort of the delivery area was around 64%. Equality of care provided at the health care set up was around 83%.Conclusions: Reasons for delivery visit, duration of labour, and mode of delivery are independent predictors of maternal satisfaction.

A Study of Tomato Growers' Marketing Behaviour in The Dindigul Area of Tamil Nadu, India

The present study was carried out in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu, India by using random sampling method with 120 respondents and data collected by well structured interview schedule. There are 8 blocks of Dindigul district (Tamil Nadu, India) out of which 4 blocks were selected on the basis of maximum area (1568 ha) and production (18002 MT). Objective of this research is to study the Marketing behaviour of tomato growers. Consumers' marketing behaviour when looking for, buying, selling, using, evaluating, and discarding products and services that they believe will meet their requirements. According to the findings, the majority of respondents (64.16 per cent) had a medium level of overall marketing behaviour, followed by 23.34 per cent of them having high and only 12.5 percent of them having low level of marketing behaviour.

Distribution status and molecular characterisation of the invasive giant African land snail Lissachatina fulica in agricultural ecosystems of Tamil Nadu, India

The tropical invasive species Giant African Land Snail Lissachatina fulica is one of the worst of hundred invasive species in the world listed by IUCN. The snail severely affects agricultural and horticultural crops and home gardens throughout the tropics. The snail has reached India in 1847 and later it has spread into South India around the 1920s. An extensive survey was conducted in Tamil Nadu from 2016 to 2020 to detect the current distribution and assess the extent of damage caused to agriculture and horticulture crops by this snail. The Giant African Snail populations are found to be present in 29 localities spanning nine districts of Tamil Nadu. Fifteen snail samples were subjected to molecular characterization using the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Three distinct haplotypes were identified by comparing the sequences with already available sequences from published research. The haplotype and nucleotide diversities were calculated and are found to be low when compared to other geographical regions. In urban inhabitations, the snail is found to be a menace in human settlements and the pest status of the snail is prominent in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu. The study has recorded that L. fulica now is an established pest in paddy, mulberry, banana, coconut, vegetable crops, tapioca, tuberose and several other important agriculture crops in several regions of Tamil Nadu.