Madras State Research Articles

India: A Case Study of the Madras Vasectomy Program

The results and the general impact of the use of commissioned door-to-door field workers to promote vasectomies in Madras State in India are discussed in this article. The vasectomy incentive program in Madras showed that a stable group of self-selected successful canvassers were able to earn through performance alone more than they could in other occupations that were open to them were able to reach remote areas and were able to use satisfied customers as informants and agents. In short the program resulted in a large body of people using the clinical facilities. The criticisms directed to this and other programs for using significant monetary incentives for individual promoters is discussed. In roughly 50% of the cases some aspect of official policy was violated such as not getting the signature of the patients wife etc.

Sattish Ashok Balsubrammian, M.Sc. Zoology

U Annamalai is a coeducational university set amid rural surroundings in Madras State, South India. Annamalai? It's across from the railroad tracks near the temple in Chidambaram, Madrasies would direct, and thus locate the university by its proximity to a well known landmark and national monument, the Chidambaram Hindu temple. I lived and studied at Annamalai, sharing hostel space, mess hall food, and the idle conversation of students on heat soaked afternoons. Not small by Indian standards, the university is comprised of about forty-five hundred students. It is unique among Indian universities in having all its colleges located on one campus rather than dispersed through several of the cities in Madras State. The centralized campus, students remark, coalesces the community so that like Sattish Ashok Balsubrammian they feel everyone at the university knows about everyone else, perhaps too much, as the public nature of all activities is often inhibiting. Bal is not a single living person I knew, but a portrait drawn from many students at the university. I believe he bears as well a significant resemblance to students at other universities in Madras State and throughout all of India who, like himself, comprise the generation of young, educated Indians, living the transition from a traditional, village-based, agrarian nation to a secular, urbanized, industrialized one.

Irrigation Trend in Madras State

Irrigation may be defined as an artificial means for supply- ing water in the cultivation of crops. Certain crops such as millet, oilseed and cotton are cultivated in Madras State without provision for irrigation, though, however, these may produce better yields under conditions of irrigation. The need to assess irrigation potential, therefore, is of considerable importance. There are four main types of irrigation in Madras State viz., (i) Canals (ii) Tanks (iii) Wells and (iv) Springs.

Control of the Castor Shoot and Capsule Borer. Dichocrocis punctiferalis Guen

Custor (Ricinus communis Linn.) is one of the important oilseed crops grown in Madras State. The crop is subject to the attack of a number of insect pests and among them the castor shoot and capsule borer, Dichocrocis punctiferalis Guen is the most important one as it reduces the yield of beans considerably by boring into the capsules and tender shoots. Investigations were in progress since 1961 at the Agricultural College and Research Institute, Coimbatore to find out the efficacy of the recent synthetic insecticides in controlling the pest on castor. The results of the observations made during 1961 to 1966 are discussed in this paper.

Salt Tolerance of Rice

In order to cater to the needs of nearly two lakhs acres cropped with rice under either saline or alkaline soil conditions in Madras State, rice breeding work was started at the Research Centre, Peravurani in 1960. Apart from field scale tests, pot culture studies were also undertaken during 1963 to 1966 for assessment of the salt tolerance capacity of some of the reputed salt resistant varieties and hybrid progenies of crosses effected between saline resistant types and high yielding strains.

Influence of Pod Maturity on the Productivity of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus Moenth)

Okra or gumbo or bhindi (Abelmoschus esculentus Moenth) is being extensively cultivated in South India on account of its (1) short duration (ii) heavy yield (iii) easy cultivation and (iv) wide range of adaptability. After the introduction of the bhindi variety Pusa Sawani, with long, smooth and slender fruits and tolerance to "mosaic" disease, the cultivation of bhindi is becoming more and more popular. To cope up with the increasing demand for seeds, special agencies are functioning in Madras State and elsewhere to produce and supply the required seeds. A study was undertaken to find out the response on the productivity of the bhindi crop when grown purely for vegetable or for seed.

Optimum Requirements of Nitrogen, Method and Time of Application for Paddy Crop Under Manimutha Project Area in Tirunelveli District

The completion of the Manimuthar Project in Tirunelveli District has raised the importance of rice crop in the taluks of Nanguneri, Tiruchendur and portions of Ambasamudram Taluk. Areas which have been erstwhile dependent on rain or tanks have now come under assured irrigation and with the main change, the fertilizer application practice has gained importance. Innumerable trials conducted throughout India and elsewhere have clearly brought out the need for fertiliser application in rice fields. Ramiah et al (1952) stated that in India on an average, an increased yield of 334 to 556 kg of grain was obtained from one hectare when 22 to 35 kg. of N was added as top dressing. Fertiliser trials on paddy conducted by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (1953-'56) have shown that the response in Madras State has been of the order of 150 kg. grain per hectare at a level of 9 kg. N per hectare and 200 kg. grain per hectare at 18 kg. N per hectare. Ghose et al (1956) found that the rate of response varied considerably from place to place and at different levels of nitrogen. Ghose et al (1956) at Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack reported that both surface application at planting and pellet deep placement 3 to 4 weeks after planting have given higher yield responses than the customary surface application. An experiment was conducted at the Model Agronomic Centre, Melaseval in Tirunelveli district to find out the optimum requirements of nitrogen, methods of application and time of application, The results obtained during four seasons (Samba seasons 1962-63 and 1963-64 and summer seasons 1963-64 and 1964-'65) are presented in this article.

Effect of Phosphate Carriers and Doses on Progressive Changes on the Available Phosphorus Status of Major Soil Groups of South India: Soil Incubation Study

A detailed knowledge of the pattern of fixation existing over a period of time will enable one to decide upon the type of phosphate fertilizer to be applied to bring about the minimum waste of fertilizer through fixation. Soils are known to differ considerably with reference to their capacity to fix applied soluble phosphates. Variation in soil reaction, clay minerals, lime and free sesquioxides have been demonstrated to bring about appreciable differences in the capacity of soils in the matter of fixation or availabilisation of phosphates. In Madras State a number of dissimilar groups of soils occur and detailed information regarding phosphate availability changes with time in these soils is not available. The present work was taken up to obtain such detailed information.

Correlation of Soil Tests for Nitrogen with Response to Added Nitrogen in Madras Soils

Detailed correlation studies are in progress in our State to improve, if possible, the soil test recommendations adopted at present in our State. With phosphorus as the nutrient, Venkatachalam, Subramaniam and Kamalam (1963) had indicated the need to study the soils of Madras State grouped according to probable clay mineral type in order to get reliable correlations. This paper deals with correlation with reference to nitrogen in the soils of Madras State.

Kariamanikkam Srinivasa Krishnan, 1898-1961

India lost a distinguished physicist and philosopher in the death, after a third heart attack, of Kariamanikkam Srinivasa Krishnan. His contributions to science and his achievements especially in physics won international recognition for India. Krishnan was born on 4 December 1898, in the village of Watrap, in the Tirunelveli (now Ramnad) District of Tamilnad (Madras State). His father was a Brahmin farmer-scholar of the old school, deeply versed in Tamil and Sanskrit religious literature, who spent a good part of his time in pilgrimages to South Indian temples, particularly to Srirangam and Tirupathi. From him Krishnan inherited an abiding love of religion and philosophy and a thorough knowledge of the Tamil language and literature, and of Sanskrit. His mother was very intelligent and an excellent organizer.

A newTylophora R. Br. (Asclepiadaceae) from south India

Tylophora subramanii Henry, sp. nov. (Asclepiadaceae) collected from Tirunelveli district, Madras State, is described with illustrations.

A study of some symplektites from madurai district, madras state

A detailed micropetrological study of symplektites from some selected rock types of Madurai District, Madras State, has been made by the author. It is suggested that the symplektites, observed in the garnetiferous cordierite biotite schist of Ganguvarpatti, are due to the effects of stresses and the ionic diffusions caused by them, while those in the anorthosites and norites of Oddanchatram area are attributed to replacement and recrystallization respectively.

Streamlining Soil Test Recommendations in Madras State - Correlation Studies Suggest the Way

Soil test crop response correlation studies is recognised as the best way to select soil tests for a region in the estimation of available nutrients. In Madras State, Olsen's method is used for the estimation of available P as a result of correlation studies conducted at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, on an All-India basis. However, region- wise detailed correlation studies need be conducted in large States like Madras with widely varying soils, such as alluvial, red, black and laterite.

A Report on the Natural Occurrence of Root-knot Nematodes (Meloidogyne Spp.,) on Some Plants in Madras State

The root-knot nematodes are well known for their world wide occurrence and broad spectrum of host-range. Though specially designed surveys have been undertaken in other countries to assess the distribution and damage caused by Meloidogyne spp., only limited work has been done in India in this direction. Nadakal (1963) and Nadakal and Thomas (1964) surveyed plants attacked by root-knot nematodes in Kerala and similar work was carried out by Seshadri and Kumaraswami (1963) in Madras State. Sethi et al, (1964) conducted a survey to find out the prevalence of Meloidogyne spp., around New Delhi. In the present study, a survey for the occurrence of root-knot nematodes were made in and around Annamalai- nagar and the adjoining villages of South Aroot district, Madras State during different cropping seasons of 1962-1964. Of the thirty five plant species examined, twentysix species showed the presence of galls.

The causal agents of superficial mycoses isolated in rural areas of South India.

Between July 1964 and March 1966 522 superficial fungal pathogens have been isolated from man, animals and soil in rural areas around Vellore, Madras State. Most of the isolates have been recovered from man: tinea corporis (334) tinea capitis (149), tinea unguium (27), interdigital clefts (7). The following species have been found: T. rubrum (163), T. violaceum (153), T. mentagrophytes (56), T. tonsurans (48), C. albicans (46), E. floccosum (44).The only zoophilic species found in man were T. mentagrophytes var. mentagrophytes (3) and T. simii (4). Three of the latter were typed as strains of Arthroderma simii. T. verrucosum (3) has been isolated from cattle and M. gypseum (2) from soil.The results indicate that tinea capitis is more frequent in India than hitherto supposed and that zoophilic fungi are less commonly found in man in rural areas than has been previously suggested.

Growth of Population as related to area under crops in Coimbatore District (Madras State)

The tendency of power of every species including the human one is to increase at a geometric rate, while under the most favourable circumstances usually to be found, its subsistence increases at an arithematic rate", said Malthus (1792). One of the darkest spots on the face of the earth but which was systematically hidden or covered over by the dominant groups is the existence of the great demographic areas of starving population, which dominate enormous regions. Food is the nation's biggest problem. According to a recent United Nation's Survey, 80 per cent of the people of the world have never had and will not have in the foreseeable future what an American or European family takes for granted as a good square meal. Till now the countries have concentrated on agricultural development on modern scientific lines and large scale industrialisation with foreign technical aid. But experience during the last decade and half has shown that in the desparate race between population growth and economic development, the latter has been losing. The addition to national income generated by both these approaches have been more than swallowed up by the increasing number of new mouths. Thus the biggest barrier in the path of rapid economic development is the existing large population. The country cannot lower her standard on living any further. Nor can any one suggest raising the death rate. So the way out appears to be rapid economic development and a drastic reduction in the birth rate.

Intensive Agricultural Area Programme and High Yielding Varieties Programme (A Study with reference to Coimbatore District (Madras State)

To achieve the targetted goal of 120 million tonnes of foodgrains in the Fourth Plan, Intensive Agricultural District Programme was first launched in selected districts of the country. Encouraged by the results obtained, the Central Government initiated the Intensive Agricultural Area Programme in different districts of the States where favourable conditions exist for stepping-up food production. The Intensive Agricultural Area Programme launched in four districts of Madras State envisages intensive cultivation methods not only on food crops but also on crops that come in rotation in relatively larger areas where assured irrigation exists.

Soils of the Sugarcane Development Centres in Coimbatore District (Madras)

Coimbatore district is the third largest sugarcane growing tract in the Madras State, with 45,846 acres under sugarcane, the major portion of which extends over the taluks of Coimbatore and Udumalpet. The soil survey of sugarcane tracts was undertaken during the year 1961-62 and was confined to the sugarcane soils of these two taluks alone the results of which are presented. The object of the survey was to classify the soils of the cane areas of the district into major broad soil divisions.

Changing Pattern of Cropping in the Lower Bhavani Ayacul

India has the longest mileage of irrigation canals in the world with the second largest acreage under irrigation (Anon 1962). In Madras State, the Lower Bhavani Project commanding 2,07,000 acres in the Gobi, Erode, Bhavani and Dharapuram Taluks of Coimbatore district and Karur Taluk in Tiruchirapalli district is an important irrigation scheme. The construction of this 105 crore project was started late in 1948 and completed in 1956 and the entire system thrown open for irrigation by September 1956. The evolution of Cropping Pattern in this Lower Bhavani Project Ayacut in the last decade is discussed in this article.

The Effect of Micro-Nutrients on the Growth and Yield of Paddy (TKM. 6) with and without Green Leaf Manure

In Madras State the rice crop is found to respond well with green manures and also with the application of major nutrient fertilizers. Recent studies on micronutrients in crop production have thrown conflicting results (Harrison et al, 1917; Joshi et al, 1952; Nagarajan et al, 1963; Lal et al, 1954; Narayanan el al, 1955; Raheja et al, 1959; Pillai, 1966) and in many cases no response to added micro- nutrient fertilizers was recorded (Datta et al, 1960). A study was therefore undertaken to assess the response of paddy TKM. 6 to micronutrient salts.