North Indian Plains Research Articles

Method for annual cropping of Pelargonium graveolens for rose scented geranium essential oil in subtropical agroclimates

SummaryA method is described for the multiplication of planting material of rose scented geranium Pelargonium graveolens ‘Bipuli’, which yields Reunion Island quality essential oil, under the agroclimatic conditions of the north Indian plains. The plantlets generated from stem cuttings were planted in the field blocks using crop densities varying from 17,000 to 125,000 plants per hectare in February. The top shoots were harvested in May and the ratoon crop was fully harvested at the end of June. Two harvests from treatments in which there were 71,000 plants per hectare gave about 95.kg essential oil per hectare in the ratio of 1.7:1 in the first and second harvests. The quality of essential oil produced had a rhodinol content of 70% in which the citronellol to geraniol ratio is 1.7. These results demonstrate that the adoption of geranium cultivation will allow crop rotations such as rice/pigeon pea-potato-geranium for large economic gains per hectare, in subtropical agroclimates.

Variation in Quality of Essential Oil Distilled from Vegetative and Reproductive Stages of Tagetes minuta Crop Grown in North Indian Plains

The essential oil yield and quality of Tagetes minuta was field tested in north Indian plain conditions of Lucknow, India in winter (rabi) season of November 1997 to April 1998. The shoot oil distilled from the crop of Banuri land race at full flowering stage was rich in dihydrotagetone (32.0%), (Z)-tagetone (16.7%) and (Z)-β-ocimene (133%). In comparison to the oils distilled from flower bearing plants, the oil from plants at vegetative stage(s) of growth contained (E)- and (Z)-tagetenones and (E)- and (Z)-tagetones at higher levels (27.1% and 31.2%, respectively) and dihydrotagetone and (Z)-β-ocimene at lower levels (13.6% and 6.1%, respectively). The oils obtained from the leaves of plants bearing flowers (capitula) at different stages of development were pre-eminent in dihydrotagetone, present in 50-60% concentration. The capitula oils were somewhat similar to leaf oils of reproductively mature plants in their monoterpenoid composition.

Identification of the Volatile Constituents in the Capitula Oil of Tagetes patula L. Grown in the North Indian Plains

The hydrodistilled oil of the capitula of Tagetes patula L. grown in Lucknow, India, was analyzed by using GC, GC/MS and chemical methods. Of the 22 constituents identified, 9 were monoterpene hydrocarbons (49.4%), 3 sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (8.5%) and 10 oxygenated monoterpenes (32.0%). The main constituents of the oil were limonene (24.5%), terpinolene (12.1%), (Z)-β-ocimene (10.4%) and (E)- and (Z)-tagetone (9.3%).

Variation in the rhizome essential oil and curcumin contents and oil quality in the land races of turmeric Curcuma longa of North Indian plains

Variation in the rhizome essential oil and curcumin contents and oil quality in the land races of turmeric Curcuma longa of North Indian plains

Variation in the rhizome essential oil and curcumin contents and oil quality in the land races of turmericCurcuma longa of North Indian plains

Twenty-seven accessions of Curcuma longa were grown in the climatic conditions of North Indian plains at Lucknow. Rhizomes harvested from each accession were hydrodistilled for their essential oil. The oil content of rhizomes varied between 0.16% and 1.94% on a fresh weight basis. The essential oil of each accession was evaluated for its major terpenes: β-pinene, p-cymene, α-curcumene, β-curcumene, ar-turmerone, α-turmerone and β-turmerone. The accessions could be classified into two types: (a) those in whose essential oils the sum of the seven major terpenes was in the range 58-79%; (b) those in whose oils this sum was 10-22%. The rhizomes of all the accessions were also evaluated for their curcumin content, which was found to vary from 0.61% to 1.45% on a dry weight basis.

Characteristics of medium range rainfall forecasts of the Asian summer monsoon

Mean characteristics of the rainfall forecasts produced by the global data analysis–forecast system of India are examined for the summer monsoons of 1993–1996. Further, daily rainfall forecasts (accumulated for 24 h) extending from day 1 to day 5 are utilised to compute monthly/seasonal mean forecast fields to study their consistency and reliability. Global patterns of rainfall forecasts are also compared with the large scale rainfall climatological fields. In addition, observed rainfall distributions over India are used for regional verification of the medium range rainfall forecasts. The forecasts appear to reproduce most of the large scale features of rainfall, except the sharp gradients over the Deccan plateau (leeside of the Western Ghats—west coast mountains over the south of Peninsular India) and the Gangetic plains over the north of India. Further, it is found that the forecast model has a characteristic tendency to reduce the quantum of rainfall over northwest India and the north Indian plains to the south of the Himalayas. In addition, in this study, certain aspects of the year-to-year variability of the predicted rainfall fields and their associated characteristics are examined along with the other systematic errors of the model. It is found that in this case, the sources of systematic errors could at least partially be eliminated, the rainfall forecasts up to day 3 or so can become a very useful product of interest. Copyright © 1999 Royal Meteorological Society

Yield and Resource Use Optimization in Late Transplanted Mint (Mentha arvensis) under Subtropical Conditions

AbstractA field experiment was conducted during 1994 and 1995 at Lucknow (26.5°N, 80.5°E, 120 m above mean sea level) to optimize planting density and fertilizer‐N application for high essential oil yield of late transplanted mint (Mentha arvensis). The treatments studied were 2.5, 2.0 and 1.66 × 105 mint seedlings ha−1 and 0, 80, 160 and 240 kg N ha−1. Under 3 months delayed planting conditions using 2‐month‐old seedlings, the high planting density of 2.5 × 105 plants ha−1combined with 160 kg N ha−1 gave significantly higher herb and essential oil yields compared with those of lower planting densities (2 and 1.66 × 105 plants ha−1) and all other rates of N application. It is demonstrated that a transplanted mini crop, yielding essential oil at a level of 164 kg ha−1, is feasible after the harvest of rabi cereal, oil seed or legume crops in the north Indian plains.

Wide spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activities in the seeds of some coprophilous plants of north Indian plains

In a survey at Lucknow, India, the seedlings of plant species which are prescribed in the Indian traditional system of medicine for a variety of infectious diseases were found to predominate on fresh or decomposing cattle dung, a harsh medium for plant growth due to high microbial load and other abiotic factors. Plants of most of the common species did not occur on the cattle dung heaps. It was hypothesized that plant species which are able to grow on cattle dung may have antimicrobial compounds in their seeds to protect them from microbial attack. In confirmation, the seeds of 15 of the coprophilous (kopros—dung, philein—to love) plant species, identified as occurring most frequently on fresh/decomposing cattle dung were directly tested against eight bacterial and three fungal strains. Interestingly, seeds of all the examined species exhibited antimicrobial activity. The seeds of the species found more frequently on the cattle dung heaps possessed higher levels of antimicrobial activities.

Effect of Plant Density on the Yields of Artemisinin and Essential Oil inArtemisia annuaCropped under Low Input Cost Management in North-Central India

A field experiment was conducted on Artemisia annua L. during the winter-summer season of 1995-96 at Lucknow, located at 26.5 degrees N, 80.5 degrees E and 120 m above mean sea level, representing a semiarid-subtropical climate with hot summer and fairly cool winters to study the effect of varying plant densities on the yields of essential oil and artemisinin under the conditions of no interculture and fertilizer applications. Results showed that A. annua at the population density of 2.22 x 10(5) plants ha(-1) yielded 7.4 kg of artemisinin and 91 kg of essential oil. It was also observed that at the same oil yield level, the yield of artemisinin increased by 1.5-, 2-, and 2.5-fold when the plant densities increased by about 2-, 4-, and 8-fold. Correspondingly, the suppression of weeds occurred by about 33, 133, and 333%, respectively. The plant architecture and canopy structure produced in high density A. annua plots presumably favoured the synthesis and accumulation of artemisinin resulting in artemisinin-rich, mature plants. It is recommended that, under subtropical agroclimatic conditions of north Indian plains, the A. annua should be cultivated at very high plant densities such as 2.22 x 10(5) plants ha(-1) forgetting high artemisinin yields.

Effect of planting time on the yield and quality of essential oil in geraniumPelargonium graveolens

SummaryAn experiment during 1994–95 in Lucknow located in the north central Indian plains evaluated the performance of three cultivars of geranium under different planting times for the optimization of the yield and quality of essential oil. The planting of cv. Algerian in October-November allowed the maximum production of essential oil of 33.9 kg ha−1, while ‘Bourbon’ gave 66 kg oil ha−1 when the crop was planted in October. The optimum planting time for ‘Kelkar’ was December, which permitted the high amount of essential oil of 36 kg ha−1. At the optimum yield level, the essential oils had citronellol and geraniol at 52% and 3.92% in ‘Algerian’, 25% and 20% in ‘Bourbon’, and 20% and 37% in ‘Kelkar’. It was concluded that to obtain the maximum essential oil yield (66 kg ha−1) of a superior quality (25% citronellol and 20% geraniol), cv. Bourbon should be planted in the third week of October and harvested in May in the north Indian plains.

97/00478 Effect of coppicing height on the regeneration and productivity of certain firewood shrubs in alkaline soils of North Indian plains

97/00478 Effect of coppicing height on the regeneration and productivity of certain firewood shrubs in alkaline soils of North Indian plains

Effect of coppicing height on the regeneration and productivity of certain firewood shrubs in alkaline soils of North Indian plains

Four shrubs, viz. Hibiscus tiliaceus, Leucaena leucocephala, Vitex negundo and Sesbania sesban, were evaluated for their performance as firewood crops in coppiced stands of varying cutting heights (15, 30 and 45 cm) in repeated annual harvests (4) on alkaline soils of the North Indian plains. The dry wood yield of Leucaena and Sesbania ranged between 22.9–42.6 and 9.9–18.0 tonnes ha −1 year −1, respectively. Leucaena showed progressive increases in yield from coppiced stumps up to the 4th harvest while Sesbania showed a reduction after the third harvest mainly due to the high degeneration (60%) of coppiced stumps. Degeneration was low (<10%) in Leucaena and Vitex. The coppicing heights generally did not show any significant effect on the growth and productivity. The number of coppice shoots per stump increased with stump height and production of coppice shoots was maximum in Vitex and minimum in Leucaena. The average diameter of coppice shoots tended to decrease with increasing coppicing height of the stumps.

Optimization of decentralized hybrid electrical energy systems (with photovoltaics) for typical villages in the North Indian plains

AbstractThis paper presents an analysis of an optimal decentralized mix of photovoltaics, biogas generation and biomass gasifier generation, to meet the electrical energy demand of typical villages in the North Indian plains. the optimal mix preserves existing patterns of fertilizer application and cooking and also corresponds to minimum cost. Survey data for four villages have been used for a numerical appreciation of the results. It is seen that the optimal energy strategy consists of meeting as much demand as possible by biogas generators using dung and meeting the rest of the demand by an optimal combination of biomius gasifier generation and photovoltaics. the cost of electrical energy with such decentralized systems lies between Rs. 2.2 per k Wh and Rs. 8.9 per k Wh for different villages (US $1 = Rs. 30). It is seen that locally availble fuel (dung and agricultural waste) is insufficient for electrical generation and the balance has to be met by photovoltaics. Rising electrical demand in coming years means that pliotovoltaics will be an increasingly important component of such optimal systems.

Maximum one-day point rainfall estimation for North Indian plains using district average rainfall ratios

A quick and simple procedure has been developed for evaluating maximum point rainfall for different return periods for any location in the plains of north India. According to this procedure, 2-year one-day rainfall of a location is estimated from the 2-year generalized chart of the region. Average district rainfall ratios for higher return periods of 5, 10, 25 and 50 years to 2-year return period are obtained with the help of (i) district average ratio map of 100/2 and (ii) frequency interpolation nomogram. The magnitudes of 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100-year rainfall are then obtained by multiplying the 2-year value by the corresponding district average ratios pertaining to different return periods. The estimates of point rainfall obtained by this procedure are quite comparable with those obtained directly by the Gumbel method. By using the procedure given in this study, a design engineer or a hydrologist can estimate point rainfall of different return periods for any station in north Indian plains without undertaking elaborate statistical calculations.

Himalayan transverse faults and folds and their parallelism with subsurface structures of north indian plains—discussion

Himalayan transverse faults and folds and their parallelism with subsurface structures of north indian plains—discussion

Himalayan transverse faults and folds and their parallelism with subsurface structures of north indian plains—reply to K.S. Misra

Himalayan transverse faults and folds and their parallelism with subsurface structures of north indian plains—reply to K.S. Misra

Himalayan transverse faults and folds and their parallelism with subsurface structures of north indian plains—reply to S. Sinha Roy

Himalayan transverse faults and folds and their parallelism with subsurface structures of north indian plains—reply to S. Sinha Roy

Himalyan transverse faults and folds and their parallelism with subsurface structures of North Indian plains: Discussion

Himalyan transverse faults and folds and their parallelism with subsurface structures of North Indian plains: Discussion

Himalayan transverse faults and folds and their parallelism with subsurface structures of North Indian plains

A large number of fractures, faults and folds trending normal and oblique to the Himalayan tectonic trend have been recognized in recent years. The tear faults of Kumaun and Nepal have caused predominant right-lateral shear movements. There are eloquent indications of tectonic and seismic activities along some of these faults. In Kumaun, some of the NNW—SSE oriented tear faults coincide with the great thrusts that have brought older Precambrian crystallines over the sedimentary rock. This phenomenon has led many workers to interpret the thrusts as high-angled faults. Significantly, these transverse and oblique faults and fractures are parallel to the great faults discovered in the basement of the Ganga Basin and in the South Indian block, implying a certain genetic connection between the two sets. Likewise, the transverse folds of mesoscopic and macroscopic dimensions superposed on earlier folds of normal Himalayan trend are parallel to the great hidden ridges in the base ment of the Ganga Basin, representing undersurface extension of the Peninsular orogenic trends such as the Satpura, Bundelkhand and Aravali. The presence in the Lesser Himalaya of transverse structures having striking parallelism with those of Peninsular India, coupled with the strong lithostratigraphic similarities between the Purana (Riphean) sedimentary formations of the Lesser Himalaya and the greater Vindhyan Basin and the occurrence in many parts of the Himalaya of coalbearing continental Gondwana and marine Permian formations, reminiscent of similar horizons of the Bihar-Madhya Pradesh borders, is a pointer to the tectonic unity of the two provinces and suggests involvement of Peninsular India in the tectonic framework of the Himalaya.

Origin and genetic improvement of indian cauliflower

Among the cole crops, cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis L. subvar. cauliflora DC.) follows cabbage in importance with regard to area and production in the world. However, in India cauliflower is more widely grown than cabbage. This crop grows at latitudes 110 N to 60? N with average temperature ranging from 5?-8?C to 25 ?-28 0C. In its vegetative growth period it may stand temperatures as low as -100C and as high as 40?C for a few days. The total area under cauliflower in the world is 164, 594 hectares. Italy and India have the largest areas, each covering about 25 percent of the total acreage (2, 3). In India, cauliflower is grown both in the hills and in the plains and from 110 N to 350 N. Some of the most important cauliflower growing states in India are Uttar Pradesh, Mysore, West Bengal, Punjab, and Bihar. It is also grown commonly in the northern Himalayas and in the Nilgiri Hills in the south. Cauliflower is harvested from late August or early September to late February or early March in the north Indian plains and from March to November in the hills. Cauliflowers cultivated in the Indian plains can be broadly classed into four maturity groups depending upon time of curd availability: I, September to early November; II, mid-November to early December; III, mid-December to mid-January; and IV, mid-January to early March. Of these groups, the first three are typically Indian cauliflowers while the fourth is of Snowball, Erfurt,