Ludhiana District Of Punjab Research Articles

Satellite-based Spectral Indices for Extracting Village Water Bodies in Ludhiana District of Punjab, India

Ensuring water security is the foremost priority of every nation, and water bodies are the most precious life-sustaining resources on the earth. Availability of reliable and updated information of water bodies including knowledge about their locations is necessary for the sustainable planning and management of water resources at a regional scale. Remote sensing technique has revolutionized extraction of village water bodies as it provides fine spatial resolution, gives rapid and precise results and covers large areas, and hence, it has been widely used in the recent studies. In this study, three remote sensing-based spectral indices, i.e., normalized difference water index (NDWI), modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI), and normalized difference pond index (NDPI) were employed to demarcate the area of ponds in each village of Ludhiana district in Punjab. Accuracy of the spectral indices was evaluated by comparing the area of the ponds delineated by the indices with that of digitized manually. The results indicated that NDWI, MNDWI and NDPI could identify 370, 1263 and 1410 number of village ponds, respectively. On the other hand, a total of 1513 village ponds could be demarcated through manual digitization. Thus, the efficiency of NDWI in identification of correct number of village ponds was 24.5%, while the efficiency of MNDWI and NDPI was 83.5% and 93.2%, respectively. Furthermore, NDPI demonstrated an efficiency of 60-65% in demarcating the area of village ponds.

Deficiency of Iron in Eucalyptus Plantations of Variable Age in Punjab and its Amelioration

The experiment was conducted during March, 2018 to March, 2020 at Research Farm of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana and a few villages in Ludhiana district of Punjab, India to standardize the application of iron (Fe) in eucalyptus plantations varying from one to five years of age to eradicate Fe deficiency in these plantations. The treatments (g plant-1) consisted of plants without Fe application, 100 g S+100 g FeSO4.7H2O, 200 g S+200 g FeSO4.7H2O, 300 g S+300 g FeSO4.7H2O, 50 g Fe EDTA (iron chelate), 100 g Fe EDTA, 200 g Fe EDTA, 300 g Fe EDTA and 400 g Fe EDTA. The diameter at breast height (DBH) and height of plants were measured at the time of fertilizer application and one year after application. The DBH and height one year after application improved over increase in control by 6.86 and 7.13% respectively in first year plants with 50 g plant-1, 8.58 and 10.16% respectively in second year plants and 9.41 and 10.2% respectively in third year plants with 100 g plant-1, and 10.85 and 11.21% respectively in fourth year plants and 10.27 and 11.87% respectively in fifth year plants with 200 g plant-1 Fe EDTA alongwith correction of Fe deficiency completely. Therefore, the deficiency of Fe can be corrected by application of 50 g plant-1 Fe EDTA to first year plantations, 100 g plant-1 Fe EDTA to second and third year plantations and 200 g plant-1 Fe EDTA to fourth and fifth year plantations of eucalyptus.

Assessing the Impact of Heatwaves on Wheat Crop Health in Ludhiana District Using Remote Sensing Technologies

Climate change is becoming one of the major constraints for agricultural production. Impact on the crop yield due to unseasonal rain, hailstorms, and sudden temperature rise is becoming more frequent. The study assesses the damage done by the heat wave in the Ludhiana district of Punjab in the year 2021-22. Satellite datasets have been used named Sentinel-2 and MODIS datasets. By using the Sentinel-2 Images crop discrimination was performed and wheat crop mask was generated for the year 2018-19 to 2021-22. A comparison of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was performed for the study period. MODIS dataset was used to calculate the Temperature Condition Index (TCI) and Temperature Stress Index, which reflects the effect of the heat wave that happened in March 2022. APY (Area, Production, Yield) and data on the procurement of wheat for the year 2021-22 and normal years were compared to visualize the impact of heat wave on the various market dynamics such as production, productivity, etc.

“Passion drives progress”: A success case study of a woman leading an SHG Enterprise in Ludhiana district of Punjab

“Passion drives progress”: A success case study of a woman leading an SHG Enterprise in Ludhiana district of Punjab

Is Brucella excreted in cattle faeces? – Evidence from Punjab, India

Brucellosis is a neglected zoonosis that affects animals and people in much of the underdeveloped world. The disease is endemic in cattle in Punjab, India and controlling it is a public health challenge. Dairy farmers and farm labour commonly handle cattle faeces with bare hands and personal protective equipments are not used. No studies have been conducted about the shedding of Brucella species in faeces of sero positive cattle in the state. This study aimed to isolate and identify the Brucella species from faeces of sero positive cattle in Punjab, India. Faecal samples were collected from 350 Brucella sero positive cattle in Ludhiana district of Punjab, India. Isolation was performed using a pre-enriched Brucella selective broth medium as well as Brucella selective medium agar plates containing horse serum and Brucella selective supplements. Isolates were identified using Gram staining technique and rapid slide agglutination test, and then confirmed by using bcsp31 and 16s rRNA genus specific PCR. Isolates were further identified up to species level by using Bruce-Ladder multiplex PCR. Fourteen Brucella species were isolated, all of which showed coccobacilli on gram staining, positive rapid slide agglutination test and amplification of bcsp31 and 16s rRNA genes. Of the 14 isolates, 11 were identified as Brucella abortus and 3 were identified as Brucella melitensis. The study demonstrates that animal faeces could pose a potential risk for animal and human health and faeces of seropositive cattle must be handled with care.

Prevalence of Exposure to Brucella Species in Lactating Cattle in the Ludhiana District of Punjab, India

Prevalence of Exposure to Brucella Species in Lactating Cattle in the Ludhiana District of Punjab, India

Comparative Study of Effect of Cultural Asana on Physiological Variables of College Students

Purpose of the study was to compare the effect of some selected cultural asana on physiological variables of college going students . 60 students were selected from the colleges affiliated to Punjab university Chandigarh in Ludhiana district of Punjab. 30 male and 30 female students were selected six week training schedule was constructed with the help of in respected field and was implemented on students at yoga centre of GHG Khalsa College Gurusar Sadhar . training was given to students six days a week. Pre test was taken before starting the training and mid and post test was taken after 4th weel and 6th week respectively. Data was collected in sports medicine laboratory of GHG Khalsa College and data wad further put for analysis. Mean SD , 2*3 way analysis of variance ANCOVA and post hoc test was used for the analysis of data . results of study shown significant effect of cultural asanas on physiological variables of students.

WELFARE IMPACT ANALYSIS OF MENSTRUAL HYGIENE POLICY THROUGH EMPIRICAL STUDY IN PUNJAB

This paper outlays a study of 144 women, done in Ludhiana district of Punjab, wherein information has been obtained through objective as well as open-ended questions. These women belong to low income families and menstrual hygiene is not a priority for them due to their lack of awareness of the consequences of poor menstrual hygiene and prevalent taboos preventing them from openly discussing their problems. A large proportion of women still use old rags and unhygienic cloth during menstruation. None of the women interviewed was aware of any ongoing government scheme for menstruating women, which implies that government needs to strongly advertise these schemes. The pads supplied in such schemes are regular-sized and do not cover the needs of all women, thereby leading to leakages and discouraging them from using pads altogether. Schools only teach the girls about menstruation which perpetuates a culture of hiding it from the male population and fails to teach boys that it being a biological phenomenon needs to be respected and not ridiculed. Female attendants at government pharmacies are therefore necessary to encourage women to buy pads and also, these pharmacies can be used for spreading salubrious information. This paper further deploys three different methods to conduct an economic analysis as to why the government scheme is not efficient enough, and what steps can be taken to address this problem.

​Avian Diversity in Agricultural Mosaics in District Ludhiana, Punjab, India

Background: The birds constitute one of the most popular and easily recognizable groups of animals. They constitute the largest class of terrestrial chordates. The present paper deals with the documentation of number of avian species from agricultural mosaics in Ludhiana district of Punjab along with their residential and IUCN status 2020. Methods: During the present study, periodic monthly as well as random surveys were conducted to document various bird species occurring in the study area from May 2016 to April 2019. The study area was categorized into agricultural, aquatic and forest habitats. Result: A total of 173 species of birds referable to 17 orders and 56 families have been documented from the study area and identified on the basis of various morphological features and calls. During this study, maximum number of species have been recorded from agricultural habitat (118 species), followed by aquatic habitat (114 species) and the area covering the forest habitat and roadside plantations (71 species). However, some species have been found as common in these habitats.

Impact of Big-five Personality Traits on Investor's Risk Attitude

The financial personality of an individual plays a crucial role in the investment decision-making process, considering the expected level of risk and return. This study investigated the impact of personality traits on the risk-taking attitude of potential investors in the Ludhiana district of Punjab, North India. Hence, the study adopted the descriptive research design with a snowball sampling technique. The study modified the big five personality traits instrument according to the need and a structured questionnaire administered to over fifty investors. Statistical techniques like descriptive statistics, KMO, and Bartlett test of Sphericity and Exploratory Factor Analysis were used to process the collected information. The findings revealed that extrovert personalities were more prone to high-risk investments, whereas conscientious investors avoid risky investments. This study also disclosed the significant relationship between personality traits and attitudes to risk. The study could be further extended to larger sample size and to other geographical areas to solicit the results effectively.

Dosimetry of indoor alpha flux belonging to seasonal radon, thoron and their EECs.

Radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn) are ubiquitous radioactive noble gases present in the earth's crust. The source term for these gases includes soil and building materials as well. The radiological impact of radon/thoron gases and their decay products on human life is a matter of concern and has been given due attention in research and policy. The present study aims to measure and quantify residential radon/thoron gas and the decay product's concentration and to discuss the associated interpretations for Ludhiana district of Punjab, India. Passive measurement techniques employing a single-entry pinhole dosimeter for gases and direct progeny sensors for the decay product's concentration have been used in this work. The obtained data from these measurements have been analysed using appropriate statistical techniques. The variations have been linked with the changes in the ventilation conditions, building material, room type and altitude. A higher concentration of radon and thoron gas was observed in the winter season for the study region. It was estimated that the contribution of radon and thoron decay products towards the annual average inhalation dose is 75% and 25%, respectively.

Simulation and analysis of maize (Zea mays L.) yield trend under different emission scenarios in Ludhiana district of Punjab

The study helps us to understand the future scenario of maize yield under current farming practices. The maximum, minimum temperature and rainfall as projected by the four selected global circulation models (GCMs) (CSIRO-Mk3.6.0, FIO-ESM, IPSL-CM5A-MR and Ensemble of seventeen GCMs) were used for yield simulation of maize cultivars (PMH1 and PMH2) in Ludhiana region of Punjab using CERES-Maize. Yield decline was observed under experimental dates of sowing (28th May, 6th June, 15th June and 24th June) for all the GCMs except FIO-ESM which predicted increase in yield for both the cultivars PMH1 (+22.13)) and PMH2 (+14.28) on 24th June. The projections revealed that the region can experience large decrement in maize yield under RCP 8.5 (high emission scenario) and small under RCP 2.6 (low emission scenario). Though the second fortnight of June could be considered as a better sowing date but a single model prediction is not reliable. Thus, further analysis of sowing window is required.

​​Effect of Environmental Heavy Metal Pollution on Metabolic Profile of Buffaloes in Ludhiana

Background: The industrial hub of Punjab, Ludhiana is polluted with heavy metals. The dairy animals experience stress due to pollution of heavy metals as well as the hot summer season. The stressors lead to disturbance in metabolic profile and affect milk production. The present study aimed at evaluation of detrimental effect of environmental heavy metal pollution on the metabolic profile of buffaloes during summer and winter seasons in Ludhiana district of Punjab, India. A total of 100 buffaloes were randomly selected from heavy metal exposed (n=60) and control area (n=40) during summer and winter seasons. Methods: The location of the experimental area surveyed on the basis of levels of heavy metals. The dairy farms are located in and around Ludhiana, Punjab were identified with levels of heavy metal above the permissible limits (FSSAI, 2010) viz. Chromium-0.05 µg /ml; Nickel-0.02 µg /ml; Arsenic-0.05 µg /ml and Lead -0.05µg /ml. The plasma samples were analyzed for metabolic profile. The water levels of heavy metals were below the permissible limits; therefore, it was taken as uncontaminated or control area. Result: Buffaloes of heavy metal exposed areas exhibited significantly (P less than 0.05) higher levels of glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, BUN, creatinine, AST, ALT, GGT, ALP and CK levels as compared to control area. A significant (P less than 0.05) decrease was observed in plasma total protein, albumin, A:G ratio, BUN: creatinine ratio in the buffaloes of exposed area as compared to the control area. However, significantly (P less than 0.05) higher levels of plasma glucose, BUN, creatinine, AST, ALT, GGT, ALP and CK levels were observed during summer as compared to winter season in both exposed and control areas. Significantly (P less than 0.05) decreased levels of plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides, total protein, albumin and BUN: Creatinine ratio were observed in the buffaloes during summer as compared to winter in both exposed and control areas. The Cr, Ni, As and Pb levels showed highly significant (P less than 0.01) positive correlation with plasma levels of glucose, total cholesterol, creatinine, ALT, AST, CK and GGT. Highly significant positive relationship (P less than 0.01) was observed among plasma levels of glucose, total cholesterol, creatinine, BUN, ALT, AST, ALP, CK and GGT whereas, plasma BUN had highly significant (P less than 0.01) negative correlation with plasma total protein and A:G ratio considering both the areas together. Plasma levels of total protein showed significant (P less than 0.01) negative correlation with all other metabolic profile constituents of both control and heavy metal exposed areas. Thus it may be concluded that the metabolic disturbance in heavy metal exposed buffaloes may have been mediated by heavy metal pollution.

Analysis of hybrid solar biomass power plant for generation of electric power

The need of world electricity production is growing at an increasing rate and because of its limited supply, it cannot completely be met by ordinary energy framework. The use of hybrid systems by renewable electricity sources for energy generation has also created considerations in general. There is no one source of renewables ready to continuously load electricity, and hybrid systems are thus a key solution. Renewable energy is produced by inexhaustible reserves, usually refilled on a human scale, such as sun, wind, hydro, mainstay, biomass, etc. In four core areas, renewable energy often provides energy: electricity, air and water heating/cooling, transport, and rural (stand-alone and network) energy services. In comparison with other sources, renewable power sources have reserves in large geographical regions amassed in a small number of countries. Rapid organization of renewable energy sources and energy conservation brings enormous energy stability, ecological change relief and financial benefits. Hybrid systems (PV-Biomass) are used in different regions to provide electricity to overcome discontinuity and transition in solar and wind power. This paper discusses the techno-economic feasibility analysis of solar biomass system in the Ludhiana district of Punjab.

Comparative Analysis of Beneficiaries and Non-beneficiaries about Scientific Livestock Farming Practices

Background: Punjab being a productive state in agriculture and livestock farming, various institutions are actively involved in Self Help Group formation for socio- economic development of low-income group. Rural women are engaged in small-scale entrepreneurship programme with the help of Self Help Groups. The present study was conducted to assess the impact of livestock based Self Help Groups on knowledge level regarding the scientific livestock farming practices among the beneficiaries of Self Help Groups and non-beneficiaries. Methods: The study was undertaken in Ludhiana district of Punjab. A multistage random sampling procedure was applied to draw the sample for the study. For meeting the objective; 120 beneficiaries and 60 non-beneficiaries were subjected to structured interview schedule. Result: The study revealed that majority of the beneficiaries (50.00%) and non-beneficiaries (55.00%) had medium level of knowledge regarding overall scientific livestock farming practices. Knowledge Index was higher in case of beneficiaries (61.46) than that of non-beneficiaries (56.68). Self Help Groups had made a significant positive impact on knowledge level of the beneficiaries and thus helped in improving overall socio-economic conditions of the rural women.

An ICT driven intervention for transforming waste to wealth: methodic development and assessment of IVRI-Waste Management Guide App

Global waste production is pegging at unforeseen heights and alarming for its sustainable management. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can play an unequivocal role and warrants better information dissemination to larger masses in a short span of time. Therefore, for developing a need-based and effective mobile app, a study was conducted in Ludhiana district of Punjab on a randomly selected sample of 80 dairy farmers. The need was assessed and content was prioritized through the gap in knowledge, practices and opinion among the respondents for management of organic waste. Based on results, ‘IVRI-Waste Management Guide’ (WMG) App was designed and developed by ICAR-IVRI and ICAR-IASRI, to impart information and knowledge to various stakeholders about organic waste management. The assessment of the app was done in terms of knowledge enhancement regarding organic waste management, perceived utility of the app and problems in accessing the app and results showed excellent utility with a significant increase in knowledge of respondents and very less difficulty in accessibility. After 1 year, again the impact was assessed from the active users of the app and results with remarkable utilization pattern was observed. The study proved mobile apps to be highly efficient media for information dissemination.

Exposure assessment and risk characterization of aflatoxin M1 through consumption of market milk and milk products in Ludhiana, Punjab

The present study was conducted with the objectives to evaluate the prevalence of AFM1 in market milk and milk products from Ludhiana district of Punjab. A total of 408 samples comprising of milk (n = 109), butter (n = 97), cheese (n = 99) and curd (n = 103) were collected from seven tehsils of Ludhiana. The samples were tested for the estimation of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) using ELISA technique; of which, 10% of the positive samples were confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Further, the estimation of exposure and risk characterization of the consumer population of Ludhiana district to AFM1 from milk and milk products was done using deterministic and probabilistic methods. Overall, the mean levels (ppb) of AFM1 in milk, butter, cheese and curd were 0.314 ± 0.35, 0.100 ± 0.15, 0.321 ± 0.41 and 0.162 ± 0.22, respectively. The estimated daily intake (EDI: ng/kg body weight/day) of AFM1 among the consumers due to consumption of milk, butter, cheese and curd was 2.303, 0.020, 0.068 and 0.3287, respectively. Among the different income groups of consumers, the quantities of AFM1 consumed per day through milk and milk products were significantly higher in ‘high income group’. The risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases/year/105 individuals of different age groups showed that the value of HCC using deterministic approach was maximum (0.0106) in the age group ‘1–9 years’ and least (0.0020) in age group ‘21–60 years’. The Hazard Index (HI) value was found high for milk (11.54) and curd (1.64) as compared to butter (0.10) and cheese (0.34). The health risk assessment indicated that consumers, especially children, in the study area are at comparatively higher health risk to AFM1 owing to their low body weight and higher milk intake. The present study revealed the urgent need to control the occurrence of aflatoxins in milk through continuous monitoring and regular inspection to reduce the exposure among the consumer population.

Impact of recent weather variability on rice yield in Ludhiana district of Punjab

Rice is one of the chief food grains and is staple food of about 50 percent of world's population. Rice crop is highly weather dependent and any change in weather parameters like temperature, rainfall can infuence its productivity. Rice is a predominant crop of north-west India including Punjab. In Punjab, during recent two years, i.e. 2018 and 2019 there has been a drop in its productivity as compared to 2017 though the crop management conditions were same. So the analysis of effect of weather variables on rice crop at Ludhiana was conducted for three years viz. 2017, 2018 and 2019. Rice productivity showed variability during these years as in 2017 rice yield was 48.15q/ha as compared to 2018 with yield of 47.43 q/ha and 2019 with further lower yield of 44.53 q/ha. One of the major reason for fall in rice yield during 2018 and 2019 was occurrence of above normal (+42%) rainfall especially at the ripening stage of rice in the month of September (above normal by +146% in 2018 and +160% in 2019). This rainfall resulted in sudden lowering of maximum temperature (3rd week September to 2nd week October) by 3.0 to 9.0oC which was not favourable for ripening of rice grains. There was reduction in bright sunshine hours (BSS) by 12.3% in 2018 and by 11.0% in 2019 as compared to actual BSS of 988.4 hour in 2017 which is detrimental for photosynthetic activity in rice. During 2019 the yield was reduced from that of 2017 and 2018 as the maximum temperature was consistently higher by >3–4oC during transplanting and tillering stage and the minimum temperature was higher by >3–4oC during fowering stage of rice crop. So all these weather conditions resulted in decrease in rice yield during 2018 and 2019 as compared to 2017 though the crop management practices (cultivars, fertilizers, biotic stress management) during these three consecutive years were similar.

Gender Differences in Meta-Cognitive Skillfulness among Adolescents of Moga and Ludhiana

The present study was conducted in urban and rural areas of Moga and Ludhiana district of Punjab in order to investigate the gender wise differences related to meta cognitive awareness among adolescents. A self-designed personal information sheet was used to document the socio-personal characteristics of the selected subjects for the study. Meta cognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) developed by Schraw and Dennison (1994) was used to investigate various aspects of meta cognition indepth and to obtain scores for individual components/sub-components of meta cognition The results indicated that significantly more number of females were found at high level of ‘declarative knowledge’ as well as ‘evaluation’ sub-components of meta cognition. Significant gender-wise differences were observed in the mean scores of meta cognition as females scored better than male respondents. Further, across two components and eight sub-components and of meta cognition females exhibited better knowledge in both the components of meta cognition as well as ‘declarative knowledge’, information management strategies’, and ‘debugging strategies’ sub-components of meta cognition.

Assessing intake and consumption level of spices among urban and rural households of Ludhiana district of Punjab, India

BackgroundSpices are the esoteric food adjuncts that are used for enhancing the sensory quality of the food in Punjabi diets and add many health benefits. Estimating the intake of spices at the individual level is a challenging task as they are consumed in very small quantities as compared to other foods. The present study aimed to assess the intake and spices consumption level of spices among urban and rural households.MethodsA study was carried out among 100 households each from urban and rural areas from Ludhiana district of Punjab, India to collect the information regarding frequency of spice usage and portion sizes using a questionnaire. The information pertaining to sociodemographic characteristics of female respondents from urban and rural households were also collected. The commonly used 25 spices in Punjabi diets were selected to assess their dietary intake at the individual level among households.ResultsSpice consumption frequency was more in urban households in comparison to rural households. The maximum mean consumption frequency score among urban and rural households was observed for red chilli powder (5.00) and turmeric powder (5.00). Maximum percentage (76 and 72%) of urban and rural households preferred to use the unroasted form of spices, respectively. The highest mean intake and range was observed for red chilli powder (3.19 g with range 0.35–5.23 g) among urban women and (2.41 g with range 0.25–3.75 g) for rural women. Spice intake from individual dishes showed the maximum number of portion sizes for red chilli powder that were from vegetable>dhal > curry preparations among urban and dhal > vegetable>curry preparation among rural households. Average amount of spices consumed by urban adult women was 10.04 g per day which was higher as compared to spices consumed by rural adult women per day (7.68 g).ConclusionsThe study concluded that the urban households showed higher consumption of spices as compared to rural households thus assessing the quantifying intake of spices. Urban adult women consumed more spices per day as compared to rural women. Therefore, more encouragement for increased use of spices is required to reap various health benefits of spices in combating metabolic disorders.