Namakkal District Research Articles

Socio-Economic Impact of Hybrid Castor - (YRCH 1) among Salem and Namakkal Castor Farmers

India has the largest area (11.48 lakh ha) and the highest productivity (1666 kg ha-1) of castor in the world. Castor is one of the crucial non-edible oilseed crops grown in arid and semi-arid regions. Castor farming is currently besieged by a slew of issues, including fluctuating rainfall patterns, biotic and abiotic stress. Castor productivity can be boosted by using the latest improved castor hybrids, changing the planting pattern, using automation methods, and adopting new production technologies. So, introducing hybrid castors like YRCH 1 will boost castor productivity. The Hybrid castor-YRCH 1 was released in the year 2009 and more extension activities was undertaken to popularise this hybrid in the major castor growing districts of Tamil Nadu, by the Tapioca and Castor Research Station (TCRS), Yethapur, and the Krishi Vigyan Kendras of respective districts. The present study was undertaken with the objective of analysing the socioeconomic impact of Hybrid castor-YRCH 1 among castor farmers. This study was conducted in the Namakkal and Salem districts of Tamil Nadu, which has the maximum area under Hybrid castor (YRCH 1) cultivation. In this study, four villages have been selected, from which 120 farmers were selected by simple random sampling technique. Using a well structured interview schedule, the required data were collected and percentage analysis was done. From the findings, it is revealed that most farmers have increased material possession (62.92%) due to the adoption of Hybrid castor (YRCH 1) and its production technologies.

Impact of interventions for sustainable small ruminants production under drought in Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu

Impact of interventions for sustainable small ruminants production under drought in Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu

Invitro and insilico studies on antibacterial potentials of phytochemical extracts

Devitalized cellular structure replacement, tissue remodeling is a complex process in wound healing. To search the new antibiotics for the rapidly emerging multidrug-resistant bacteria and other nosocomial infectious diseases since it is a bit challenging to the upcoming scientists. A bestowed and prestigious position in the field of herbal medicine was given to Boswellia serrata resin or Salai guggal. The resin powder of B. serrata was extracted consecutively with ethanol and aqueous by microwave-assisted extraction method, which was the novel, potential, cost-effective, natural medicament towards the sore curing on the wound bed. Ten samples were collected in sterile polypropylene bottles after swabbing from the skin and wound sores of patients of hospitals in and around the Namakkal district to examine the antibacterial activity in vitro. Phenotypic screening of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria is done via gram staining and biochemical test. In disk diffusion assay, the average zone of inhibition of gram -ve and gram + ve are 12–15 mm and 14–28 mm respectively. Bioactive compounds identified structurally and qualitatively by GCMS in the resin extract of B. serrata. In the case of antibacterial activity, different concentrations of the extract against nosocomial pathogens range from 20 µg to 60 µg were done in which Klebsiella Pneumoniae showed the lowest MIC (0.7) values against the ethanolic extract of B. serrata. In ligand–protein interaction, the target beta-lactamase protein binding with methyl diacetyl chenodesoxy cholate bioactive compound (C29H46O6) by docking software AutoDock 4 shows low binding affinity (-8kcal/mol) from K. pneumoniae with reference antibiotic tetracycline with a binding affinity (-7kcal/mol). This paper proves that the antibacterial activity of Boswellia serrata resins induces a rapid, infection-less, steady wound healing process for both excision and incision wounds.

Comparative assessment of obsessive compulsive smoking scale – A cross-sectional study among private bus drivers of Namakkal District, Tamil Nadu

Background: Assessment of tobacco-induced preoccupation and compulsive drive may help us to better diagnose addictive behavior, enhance cessation treatment, and predict smokers at the greatest risk of relapse. Objective: This study attempted to make a comparative assessment of the Obsessive Compulsive Smoking Scale (OCSS), which measures compulsive smoking with the Modified Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) Scale. Methodology: The cross-sectional study included 250 private bus drivers of Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu, who were current smokers. OCSS and Modified FTND Scale were used to collect the data on nicotine dependence. Ordinal regression analysis was used to compare OCSS and FTND scales with smoking dependence predictor variables. Results: About 79% of the drivers exhibited high OCSS scores. The OCSS scores were significantly associated with variables such as duration of smoking, the number of cigarettes/bidis consumed, time of consumption of first cigarette, age when first smoked, age of daily smoking, and the number of quit attempts. Ordinal regression analysis revealed a higher statistically significant proportional odds ratio associated with the OCSS scale compared to the FTND scale (P

Assessment of predisposing effect of Chicken Anaemia Virus (CAV) in Gangrenous Dermatitis (GD) outbreaks in commercial layer chicken

Gangrenous dermatitis (GD) is an economically important disease in commercial layer chicken and its severity have increased for the past few years despite effective farm management system and suitable antibiotic treatments. This study was designed to explore the immunosuppressive role of Chicken Anaemia Virus (CAV) in gangrenous dermatitis outbreaks in Namakkal region of Tamil Nadu, India. Thirty commercial white leghorn layer flocks were investigated in and around Namakkal District of Tamil Nadu State, India. Detailed farm history was collected. Serum and blood samples were collected to screen the antibody titer and haemogram, respectively. Heart blood, liver samples from dead birds and cutaneous swabs from ailing and dead carcasses were taken to identify the bacterial etiology. Detailed necropsy was conducted and the gross lesions were recorded. Thymus, bone marrow, liver and muscle were collected for screening of CAV by Polymerase chain reaction and histopathological studies. The sera samples showed 100 per cent positivity for CAV and the blood profile showed anaemic picture. The GD affected birds showed anaemia, severe serosanguinous, haemorrhagic and gangrenous lesions in wings, suncutaneous tissue and interdigital space of toes. Necropsy revealed severe gangrene, extravasation of serosanguinous fluid from the skin, hypoplasia of thymus and paleness of bone marrow. Microscopic examination showed hypoplasia / atrophy of thymus and replacement of erythropoietic tissue of bone marrow with fat cells. Cultural examination exhibited the presence of Closrtidium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli. The significance of the study was that CAV is the major culprit in GD outbreaks in poultry which invites the diverse etiological agents by its immunosuppressive action.

Socio Economic Status of Scheduled Tribes in Kolli Hills of Tamil Nadu

Social and economic justice, equal status and opportunities and the assurance of the dignity of the individual are guaranteed by the Indian Constitution for all citizens among other things. Economic and social marginalization, primitive life, geographical isolation, and educational backwardness define the Scheduled Tribes communities in India. India's constitution is filled with several provisions for scheduling castes and scheduling tribes to protect and endorse them by improvising their socio- economic interests to bring them into the nation's mainstream. Two stage sampling method was used for this study. The majority of the people in the field of study are illiterate. The main occupation is agriculture and income from this helps the individuals in the field of research in their everyday expenses. More significance and emphasis needs to be given to the educational aspects to enhance their social standing in the future. In this study the researcher tries to understand the current socio-economic status of the Scheduled tribes in Kolli Hills Namakkal district Tamil Nadu.

Trends and effects of rainfall on groundwater recharge in Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu: analysis using the Mann–Kendall test and transfer function model

Trends and effects of rainfall on groundwater recharge in Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu: analysis using the Mann–Kendall test and transfer function model

Rapid response and epidemic preparedness led to control of dengue outbreak in rural areas of Namakkal district, Tamilnadu, India, 2017 and 2018.

Background: Tamilnadu state, India reported 11,744 dengue cases in 2017. Dengue cases started increasing in rural parts of Namakkal district, Tamilnadu in 2017. Following the epidemic, public health department took control measures. We analysed the dengue epidemic to measure the impact of control measures. Methods and materials: We did a quasi-experimental study. We included rural residents of Namakkal district in the study. We defined a confirmed case of dengue as any patient with fever for more than 2 days and positive for IgM antibody or NS1 antigen by ELISA method. Rapid response team (RRT) did active surveillance, collected clinical samples and sent to district public health laboratory. RRT conducted special medical camps, chlorinated all sources of stored water and did mass cleaning of affected areas. RRT conducted anti-larval works and fogging activities in affected areas. They also created awareness among community through meetings. We collected line list of confirmed dengue cases from district public health laboratory and identified private laboratories for the year 2017. We included cases which were cross notified from other districts. We collected dengue linelist for 2018 for comparing with baseline. We calculated proportions for attack rate per 1 million population in all rural health blocks of Namakkal. We calculated paired t test for comparing mean dengue cases reported in each health blocks in 2017 and 2018 to measure the effect of control measures. Results: There were 15 rural health blocks in Namakkal district. There were 982 cases(Attack rate = 696/million) in 2017. Median age of cases were 17 years (Range: 4 months to 80 years). Attack rate among females was 685/million (471/686718) and among males was 706/ million(511/723313) in 2017. Dengue cases decreased to 78 cases (Attack rate = 55/million) in 2018. Attack rate was 48/million among females (n = 33) and 62/million among males (n = 45). Outbreak was controlled with decreased incidence of cases in all 15 blocks in 2018. (Mean difference was 60, with standard deviation of 28). Paired t test was significant at p < 0.05 (t = 8.3). Conclusion: Dengue epidemic was effectively controlled in rural areas of Namakkal by rapid response team. We recommend to implement similar control measures in other areas with dengue epidemic.

Drought vulnerability assessment and mapping using Multi-Criteria decision making (MCDM) and application of Analytic Hierarchy process (AHP) for Namakkal District, Tamilnadu, India

Abstract Droughts are increasingly impacting our societies due to its slow and steady development over a period of several years. Droughts affect agriculture and lead to devastating results. Droughts are highly dependent on a wide variety of parameters ranging from climatic conditions such as rainfall, temperature, to economic conditions such as population density, irrigated land condition per person, etc. Hence, remote sensing-based studies have the fullest potential to monitor and map drought in comparison to conventional methods. Namakkal district in Tamilnadu, primarily an agrarian region, is one of the several drought-prone regions due to scarcity in rainfall and high temperatures. This study presents the importance of Geographical Information System (GIS) in assessing drought vulnerability in combination with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). In this study, GIS is used for the spatial analysis of drought for Namakkal district, Tamilnadu, India. Eight parameters such as annual rainfall, monthly rainfall, Landuse/Landcover (LULC), slope, soil type, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and population were chosen and considered for the study. AHP is used to calculate weightage factors of each criterion based on the pairwise comparison matrices. The thematic maps of all the parameters were analyzed and Drought Vulnerability Assessment (DVA) map was generated using GIS. The results of the combined multi-criteria decision making and GIS revealed that 62% of the total area of Namakkal district came under mild drought conditions. The output DVA map will provide ample information on drought severity in the region and vulnerability related to agricultural importance. This study therefore, proposes to map the drought regions using a combination of AHP and GIS. The use of nanotechnology to crop helps in the alleviation of drought-related stress and enhances the growth pattern and therefore, increases crop production and yield.

Impact of climate change on farming community and adaptation measures in semi-arid region of Tamil Nadu

Climate change is one of the most serious threats for sustainable agriculture development, with adverse impacts expected on the environment, human health, food security, economic activity, natural resource's management, and physical infrastructure. The aim of the study is to identify the impact of climate change on the farmers and adaptation measures. The study is carried out in the Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu which is a semi-arid region. Data is collected by primary field survey and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods. The rainfall and temperature data for the past three decades is analysed to assess the seasonal and annual rainfall pattern. The statistical methods such as correlation and regression were used to analyse and assess the impact of climate change on the farming community. A sum of 500 small and marginal farmers were selected randomly from different panchayats in districts to collect the data. According to farmers, this problem is linked with the reduction in the number of rainy days for all seasons. It is identified there is a decreasing trend in the rainfall for the past eight years and temperature is increasing at a faster rate. The climate variability and the trends observed in the study area has direct and indirect impacts on the farming community in the region, effective adaptation measures are suggested to address the impacts of climate change.

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Molecular typing of fowl adenovirus associated with gizzard erosion in commercial layer grower chicken in Tamil Nadu

The present study was undertaken to characterize fowl adenovirus associated with commercial layer grower chicken showed gizzard erosion. Ninety four commercial layer grower chicken flocks from Namakkal districts of Tamil Nadu had shown reduced feed intake, reduced weight gain, uneven growth and mortality of 0.3 to 7.7%. On postmortem examination of affected birds showed mild to severe gizzard erosion, blackish discoloration of gizzard contents, pale liver and no major lesions were seen in other organs. Total DNA was extracted and 897 bp fowl adenovirus specific hexon gene was amplified by PCR. Out of 94 flocks screened seven flocks were found positive of fowl adenovirus. Chicken embryo liver cell culture was prepared to isolate field fowl adenovirus from suspected flocks. Concurrent infection of chicken anaemia virus (CAV) was also screened by PCR for 419 bp VP2 gene of CAV and found that all the seven flocks which were PCR positive for FAdV also found positive for CAV. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of 897 bp FAdV hexon gene revealed that, it was belonged to FAdV serotypes 2 and 3 of species D.

Leptospirosis Outbreak in a Hill Due to Water From an Unprotected Well, Keerakadu Village, Kollihills, Namakkal, Tamilnadu, India

Background: Annually, an estimated 1.03 million leptospirosis cases lead to 2.9 million disability adjusted life years. A cluster of fever cases was reported in Keerakadu village, Kollihills block in Namakkal district of Tamilnadu state, India, on April 28, 2017. We investigated to control the outbreak. Methods: We did a cross-sectional survey between April 29 and May 1. We defined a case of fever as any resident of Keerakadu village with fever for &gt;2 days, with or without headache or myalgia, between April 15 and May 1, 2017. We conducted active surveillance. We reviewed medical records. We collected the line list from nearby health centers. We computed proportions to calculate the attack rate. We collected 11 serum samples and tested for dengue, scrub typhus, hepatitis A and leptospirosis by IgM ELISA method. We did a Widal slide agglutination test. We conducted an environmental survey to identify water sources. We performed a dengue larval survey. We collected 5 water samples: 1 from unprotected well, 1 from overhead tank and 3 from the houses of residents. We tested for fecal coliforms in the district public health laboratory. Results: The population of Keeradu village was 540. We identified 11 cases, for an attack rate of 2% (11 of 540). The hospitalization rate of cases was 81% (9 of 11). Median age was 45 years (range, 23–65). Of 11 samples, 3 were positive for leptospirosis; all were negative for dengue, scrub typhus, hepatitis A, and typhoid. The single water source for the whole village was an open, unprotected well. This well supplied water every day to the community, both for drinking purpose and domestic use. No breeding of dengue larva was observed. All the 5 water samples tested positive for fecal coliforms. Water was not chlorinated regularly. All patients were isolated and treated in the primary health center. Prophylactic antibiotics were given to the whole community. Conclusions: There was a leptospirosis outbreak in Keerakadu village, probably due to contaminated water from unprotected well. There were no cases after May 1, 2017. We recommended that the community chlorinate the water regularly and protect the well. We also recommend continued surveillance and a rodent survey.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

Interventions to sustain dairy production and productivity in changing climate of Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu

Dairy animals play a major role in livelihood of farming community in Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu. But continuous reduction in average rainfall of 854.95 mm between 1995-2005, 777.47mm between 2006-2014 and 708.04mm between 2015-2019 due to climate change causes severe drought and drought results in scarcity of available pasture and fodder and decline in dairy animal population from 2.85lakhs in 18th livestock census, 2009 to 2.49 in 19th livestock census, 2014 in Namakkal district. Also, dairy animals become susceptible for heat stress, prone to vector borne diseases and affect the reproductive performances. Hence, suitable interventions to improve the performance of dairy animals in summer and hot humid seasons were introduced. It was found that though the temperature humidity index persisted almost similar over the years (2012 – 2018) and induced moderate heat stress ranged between 80 – 83, the productivity of animal increased from 4.1lt to 6.15lt in summer and 4.15lt to 6.59lt in hot humid season by adopting the climate resilient interventions. The productive and reproductive performance of the dairy animals indicated that housing, feeding and health management interventions improved the lactation yield from 945 lts to 2103 lts with 7.41 to 9.85 months lactation length though the average maximum temperature in summer from 2012 – 2018 was 39.170c. Even in drought and crop failure times, farmers could get stable income of Rs.2270/month/animal through milk and manure of cow by adopting scientific dairy housing and feeding management practices like thatched roof sheds, trees around the sheds for good ventilation, green fodder cultivation and feeding (15-20kg/day/animal), balanced low cost concentrate feed, mineral mixture (40gms/day/animal) along with Sodium bicarbonate (50gms/day/animal) feeding and adlibitum good quality drinking water (70lt – 90lt/day/animal).

Motivating Factors for Women to Become Agripreneurs

Women entrepreneurship has tremendous potential in accelerating theeconomic growth of our nation. Not only for economic growth but also forsocial upliftment and women empowerment, women entrepreneurshipbecomes inevitable. To increase the proportion of women entrepreneurs,they need to be motivated. This paper highlights the motivating factors forwomen agripreneurs. The study was carried out in Namakkal district ofTamil Nadu during December 2019. The top five agro-based industries oftwo taluks, namely Namakkal and Paramathi Velur, were selected. All the 60women agripreneurs of these industries in the two taluks were selected asrespondents. The secondary data were collected from the District IndustriesCentre (DIC), and the primary data were collected through a structuredpre-tested interview schedule. Using the Henry Garret ranking technique,the motivational factors were ranked. The study results revealed thatfamily support was the prime and most vitalmotivating factor for womenentrepreneurs for their successful entrepreneurial behavior.

Infectious Laryngotracheitis in Layer Birds from Tamil Nadu, India

Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT), caused by Gallid herpesvirus1, is one among the respiratory diseases of poultry gradually spreading worldwide, including Indian subcontinent. Present study was carried out to identify the pathogen from the suspected cases of the disease. The tracheal tissue samples (pooled) were collected from the birds suspected to have died of ILT from 26 commercial poultry farms located in and around Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu state of India. On post-mortem examination, haemorrhagic caseous exudate and fibrinous pseudo-membrane adhered to tracheal mucosa were noticed. A total of 22 farms were found positive through PCRs targeted against ICP4 gene and the thymidine kinase (TK) gene followed by confirmation through sequencing. Histopathology examination revealed decilliation, hyperplasia, degeneration and/or loss of tracheal epithelium with severe submucosal edema. There was infiltration with numerous lymphocytes, macrophages and plasma cells in milder infections, whereas presence of fibrinous exudates admixed with numerous erythrocytes and inflammatory cells like heterophils and lymphocytes were seen indicating the severe acute form of the disease. A fibrinous pseudomembrane was seen firmly attached to the inflamed and necrotic mucosa in subacute cases. Further, virus was isolated from randomly selected 5 PCR positive tracheal tissue samples in embryonated chicken eggs through chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) route. The typical pock lesions were observed on CAM along with engorged blood vessels and thickening of the membrane. Present study has reported the disease ILT among poultry flocks in the Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu and raises the concern for thorough investigation of the nature of prevailing pathogen in the region.

Mapping and Classification of upland soils Formed from Peninsular Gneiss in Rasipuram Block, Namakkal District of Tamil Nadu

A detailed soil survey was carried out in Rasipuram block of Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu, India consists of 24 villages spread over 10614 hectares. Based on variation in physiography and landform, eight soil series and 30 soil mapping units were identified. Eight typifying pedons were analysed for physical and physico-chemical properties and thus used for soil mapping at 1:10000 scale. Soils are shallow to very deep, well drained to somewhat poorly drained, light to dark reddish colour at moist condition, light (sandy loam) to heavy (clay) texture. The pH, EC, organic carbon and cation exchange capacity ranged from 7.4 to 9.4, 0.05 to 0.60 dS m−1, 0.2 to 0.7%, 0.11 to 0.60% and 10 to 45 c mol (p+) kg−1, respectively. The detailed classification of the soils from study area was Inceptisols and Alfisols soil order. The land capability classification grouping study in the study area indicates that marginally cultivable soils (IVs) covered 7.05% area was affected with severe limitations of erosion, whereas extent of moderate limitations of slight erosion and calcareousness (IIIc) was 77.34%. The erosion and calcareousness land covering 65.6% (IIIs) of the area were moderately suitable for sustained use under irrigation, provided proper soil and water conservation measures to be adopted.

First dental visit of children-A mixed-method approach.

First dental visit (FDV), the essence of preventive paediatric dentistry, has a significant impact on the child's oral health. Mixed-method research provides meaningful insight into the multiple facets of FDV. To evaluate the average age and most common reason for FDV of children in Namakkal district and to explore the individual perceptions of parent's view on their child's FDV. Sequential mixed-method approach was employed. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey on FDV was conducted among 4543 parents of children <6years. The second phase included a semi-structured face-to-face qualitative interview for 10 parents. Out of 4543 children, only 31.0% had FDV. Majority of children (49.0%) had FDV after 5years of age. Dental caries was the most common reason for FDV (75.0%). Three themes were derived from the interviews, namely FDV experiences, barriers to child dental care, and solutions for an early dental visit. Children in Namakkal district had delayed FDV (>5years). The most common reason for FDV was dental caries. Lack of knowledge, lack of interdisciplinary practices, and social and financial barriers seem to have influenced the FDV of lack of knowledge these children.

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