Northern Karnataka Research Articles

Temporal Analysis of Trends in Groundwater Level in Northern Karnataka

The present study was conducted in three districts of northern Karnataka viz., Belagavi, Vijayapur and Uttar Kannada based on the highest number of observation wells and secondary data collected for the year 1999 to 2018 from various sources like Central Groundwater Department and district Groundwater department. Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) tool was used to analyze the trends in depth of groundwater level which revealed that, in Belagavi district, during 1999 with a ground water level of 4 MBGL has increased to 20.22 MBGL (Meter Below Ground Level) in 2018 at a rate of (2.72%) per year. Among 10 taluks of Belagavi district, Belagavi taluk recorded highest rate of increase in depth of groundwater level (4.82%) While, Ramdurg taluk recorded lowest growth in depth of groundwater level (0.43%). In Vijayapur district, during 1999 the depth of groundwater level was 7.37 MBGL and has increased to 19.09 MBGL in 2018 at a rate of 1.62 per cent per year. Among five taluks of Vijayapur district, Sindagi taluk recorded highest rate of increase in depth of groundwater level (2.79%). Whereas, Vijayapur taluk recorded lowest growth in depth of groundwater level (0.10%). While, Uttar Kannada district, with a the depth of groundwater level 6.94 MBGL during 1999 had increased to 17.41 MBGL in 2018 at a rate of 2.38 per cent per year. Among 11 taluks of Uttar Kannada district, Sirsi taluk recorded the highest rate of increase in depth of groundwater level (4.51%). However, Supa taluk recorded the lowest growth in depth of groundwater level (0.36%). The study indicated that over the years depth of groundwater level has increased significantly. The decline in groundwater availability might be due to over exploitation of groundwater over its recharge rate and inadequacy of rainfall over the period of time.

Investigation on the Severity of Alternaria Blight of Pigeonpea and its Characterisation in Northern Karnataka

Background: The Alternaria blight of pigeonpea is considered as an important foliar disease and poses threat to the pigeonpea cultivation due to change in the climatic condition, cultivation practices and variation in pathogenic character. Though the disease is noticed in an alarming proportion after the post rainy season and causing economic yield, little is known about the severity of disease and its impact on crop production. The current study is aimed to study the disease severity and variability of the pathogen and which would helps us to understand the biology of the pathogen to develop suitable management strategies. Methods: In the field and laboratory investigations during 2015 and 2017, different localities of Northern Karnataka were surveyed. Twenty sampling localities were selected based on geographical situation. In the laboratory, collected diseased samples were isolated and determined morphologically and culturally based on taxonomic and molecular characters. Result: Our investigations revealed the varied disease severity in surveyed districts, Vijayapura district recorded the maximum disease severity with a range of 38.67 to 49.33 and this might be due to variation in pathogenic character, rainfall pattern and climatic conditions and also disease severity varied with varieties indicating the source of resistance. The present study contributed for identification of geographical distribution of the disease and its severity in different varieties and places of Northern Karnataka and their genetic and morphological variations.

Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) Norms for Identifying Yield Limiting Nutrients in Byadgi Chilli Fruits Grown in Northern Transitional Zone and Dry Zones of Karnataka (India)

Fruit samples collected from different part of northern Karnataka districts of Dharwad, Gadag and Haveri, when peak fruit harvesting stage were collected the samples, were processed and analysed for various nutrients and thus, the data bank was established. By using Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS), nutrient expressions, which have shown higher variance and lower coefficient of variation, were selected as norms viz, N/P(4.98), N/K (0.73), N/Ca (1.17), N/Mg (4.65), S/N(0.10), N/Fe(0.02), N/Zn(0.08) etc. In addition, five nutrient ranges have been derived using mean and standard deviation as low, deficient, optimum, high and excess for each nutrient to serve as a guide for diagnostic purpose. The optimum N ranged from 2.30 to 2.84%, P from 0.48 to 0.56%, K from 3.16 to 3.44%, Ca from 2.08 to 2.74%, Mg from 0.60 to 0.88% and S from 0.24 to 0.27%. Among the micronutrients, the optimum Zn ranged from 28.71 to 29.78 ppm, Fe from 113.60 to 150.03 ppm for byadgi chilli crop.

Epidemiological Evaluation of Breast Cancer Awareness among Medical, Paramedical and General Population – A Hospital Based Questionnaire Survey

To investigate the knowledge of breast cancer among medical, paramedical and general population of women participants. A prospective observational questionnaire survey was carried out in a tertiary care teaching hospital in northern Karnataka for a period of six months with220 participants. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used. Data obtained was analysed using descriptive statistics. Out of 220 women, 31.36% were medical, 20.92% paramedical and 47.72% general. Almost, 94.20% of medical participants believed breast cancer as inherited. Notably, general group considered trauma(74.28%) and diet (73.33%) as major risk factors. Majority of medical and paramedical women thought lump in the breast as the initial sign of Breast Cancer. Awareness regarding mammography and biopsy in general population was 64.76% and 52.38% respectively. Moreover, 95.5% of medical women and all of the paramedical women thought that chemical / radiotherapy was the best treatment. Breast cancer knowledge and awareness was less among the general women. There is a need of developing effective interventional programs to educate women about breast cancer. Keywords: Awareness, Breast Cancer, Knowledge, Risk factors.

Meteorological sub-divisions of India : Assessment of coherence, homogeneity and recommended redelineation

The data on mean rainfall and mean rainfall anomaly of the meteorological sub-divisions of India, on different time-scales, is extensively used for monitoring the progress of the monsoon as well as applications and research. As such, it is important to ensure that the sub-divisional means are meaningful representations of the rainfall and the rainfall anomaly at districts/stations within the sub-division. Hence, the criteria to be satisfied for an appropriate delineation of a meteorological sub-division are high levels of coherence and homogeneity. In this paper we present an assessment of the coherence and homogeneity of the current meteorological sub-divisions, for rainfall on the seasonal scale, by analysis of monthly district average rainfall for the period 1901-2015 during the summer monsoon for all the states, except Tamil Nadu for which June-December data are considered.
 
 Since, earlier studies have shown that some of the sub-divisions of Karnataka and Maharashtra are neither coherent nor homogeneous, the problem of redelineation of the sub-divisions of these states is first addressed. We have assumed that the number of coherent zones in a state is the same as the number of current sub-divisions. Identification of coherent zones is achieved by successive application of the K-means (KM) clustering method to the seasonal rainfall of the districts, considering correlation of seasonal rainfall between districts as a measure of similarity. For these two states we find that some of the districts are not coherent and homogeneous. So we have repeated the exercise with analysis of a dense station network. The coherent zones identified from analysis of district data as well as station data, are found to be homogeneous as well and we have recommended that they become the new sub-divisions of the states. The new sub-divisions suggested for Karnataka, which are coherent and homogeneous, are: (i) Karnataka Western coast and Ghats (which includes districts/stations in the current sub-division of Coastal Karnataka as well as some from the sub-divisions of interior Karnataka) (ii) Karnataka northern plateau and (iii) Karnataka southern plateau. Of the current sub-divisions of Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha satisfy the criteria of coherence and homogeneity and can be retained as such. The current Madhya Maharashtra sub-division does not satisfy the criteria of coherence and homogeneity. We have derived a modified version of Madhya Maharashtra by allocation of some districts/stations of Western Ghats from the existing sub-division of Madhya Maharashtra to the existing sub-division of Konkan and Goa to generate a modified version of Konkan and Goa. These modified versions are coherent and homogeneous. Thus the suggested sub-divisions of Maharashtra are (i) modified version of Konkan and Goa (which could have been renamed as Konkan, Ghats and Goa but we have retained the old name) and (ii) modified version of Madhya Maharashtra, along with the current sub-divisions of (iii) Marathwada and (iv) Vidarbha. We have shown that the sub-divisions of all the other states of mainland India, are homogeneous and reasonably coherent and recommend that they should be retained as such.

Land Resource Inventory (LRI) for Sustainable Watershed Development-A Case Study of Bisarahalli-1 Microwatershed of Semiarid Region of Koppal District, Karnataka, India

A land resource inventory (LRI) of Bisarahalli-1 microwatershed was located in the central part of northern Karnataka in semiarid region of Koppal taluk and district. A case study was taken under Sujala III project sponsored by the Watershed Development Department of Karnataka and funded by the World Bank. The analysis and interpretation of the spatial and non-spatial database generated has revealed that most of the areas suffer from major problems. In most of the areas, very gently sloping and alkalinity affected even up to 80% of the microwatershed area followed by gravelly and low available water capacity, thus reducing the production potential and crop choices. The soils are either moderately or marginally suited for growing most of the agricultural and horticultural crops. By interfacing land resource data with Remote Sensing, GIS and GPS, different management scenarios were analysed to arrive at the best management alternatives (optimum land use plans) that would be most suitable. This data handling system will be useful for making land use decisions and providing proactive advice to farmers on a real time basis protecting the health of natural resources.

A Study on Psychiatric Morbidity and It’s Correletes Among Mothers of Children with Intellectual Disability Disorder in Northern Karnataka

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, the prevalence of intellectual disability disorder (IDD) is as high as 2.3%. IDD produces psychological, social and financial distress to the whole family, particularly parents, as they are usually the constant caretakers. Mothers of these children, being the primary caregivers undergo more psychological distress than other members in their families. OBJECTIVES: To study the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and it’s correlates among mothers of children with IDD. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A cross- sectional study was conducted among 133 mothers of children with IDD consulting tertiary care psychiatry unit in northern Karnataka. Mothers, who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study were interviewed. Socio- demographic data was collected using semi structured pro forma and psychiatric morbidity was assessed using M.I.N.I. Plus 5.0.0 scale. RESULTS: Mean age of mothers is found to be 33.48 years and majority of them have completed their primary education (45.11%), (71.4%) hail from rural background (67.67%). Majority of children were diagnosed with mild mental retardation (46.62%). Study results showed that 52 ( 39.1%) of them had psychiatric morbidity. The most common morbidity being somatization disorder 22(16.54%) followed by Dysthymia 10.53% (14), MDD 11(8.27%), GAD 5(3.76%). Majority of psychiatric morbidity was seen among mothers of children with mild IDD. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: The study shows high psychiatric morbidity in mothers of children with intellectual disability, and psychiatric screening should be considered among mothers of children with intellectual disability and help them to develop effective coping strategies to handle the burden of care giving and improve their quality of life.

Investigating violence against Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs): a mixed methods study from rural North Karnataka, India

# Background Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) are female community health workers who primarily work to improve local reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health across India. As ASHAs often hail from patriarchal environments and are positioned at the bottom of the healthcare hierarchy, they are vulnerable to experiencing different forms of violence from the various individuals that they interact with. There is a gap in knowledge about the violence ASHAs experience. The purpose of this study was to assess the working condition of ASHAs, the extent and types of violence they experienced, and the corresponding perpetrators of this violence in two districts of Northern Karnataka. # Methods Using a mixed methods approach, we first surveyed 396 ASHAs to characterize their experiences of violence. We then conducted in-depth interviews with 16 ASHAs to elaborate on survey findings. Data was analyzed using quantitative prevalence statistics and qualitative thematic analysis. # Results The majority of ASHAs reported economic (88%) or emotional violence (73%), while many ASHAs reported sexual (32%) or physical violence (26%). ASHAs reported high levels of economic violence from their beneficiaries and their beneficiaries’ families (64%), emotional violence from their co-workers (44%), and physical and sexual violence from their husbands (17% and 12% respectively). Mixed methods findings revealed that violence was often rooted from their low positioning on the healthcare hierarchy, a lack of respect from community members, and limited autonomy at home. # Conclusions Evidence from this study suggests that violence perpetrated against ASHAs is highly prevalent, diverse in forms, and often arises from the ASHA’s immediate circles. Interventions aiming to decrease violence against ASHA workers requires multi-level approach, with collaborative components empowering ASHAs, sensitizing ASHA families and co-workers, implementing regulations at the health facility level, and increasing community-wide respect for ASHAs and their role in the health care.

Molecular detection and characterization of Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. causing wheat foot rot isolated from northern Karnataka, India

Molecular detection and characterization of Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. causing wheat foot rot isolated from northern Karnataka, India

Early water management in South Asia: Geochronology and micromorphology of rock pools and small‐scale water catchment features in Karnataka, India

AbstractArchaeologists and historians of South Asia have long emphasized the significance of large‐scale irrigation reservoirs to historical developments and precolonial land use. However, comparatively little attention has been directed at an extensive corpus of small‐scale water‐retention features, such as culturally modified weathering pans and rock pools. In this contribution, we provide the first geoarchaeological evidence from such features in southern India. Geochronological assessments, depositional models, and sediment and micromorphological analyses from two sites in northern Karnataka indicate that inhabitants used and modified these features in at least the first millennium BCE. Throughout later historical periods, even after the development of large‐scale, primarily elite‐sponsored, irrigation reservoirs, inhabitants continued to rely on small, dispersed water‐retention features. Our findings have implications for current debates concerning the introduction of water‐management practices in southern India, which appear to begin in association with dispersed land‐use practices rather than intensive irrigated agriculture, and also corroborate the importance of decentralized water management to historical processes more globally.

English

BACKGROUND Poisoning is a major healthcare issue in our country. There is a recent increase in trend of non-OP compound usage. We wanted to study the socio-demographic, and clinical profile in terms of outcome with different poisons. METHODS A total of 100 patients were included in this retrospective study conducted in tertiary care hospital in Northern Karnataka. Data was collected and analysed using pre-structured questionnaire regarding demographic details, mode of poisoning, precipitating factors, duration of hospitalization, and final outcome. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were done to find the association between the two attributes. Odds ratio was also calculated. P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS Mean age of the study population was 31.48 years. Majority of the study population was females (63 %, N = 63), homemakers or students (32 % each), illiterates (68 %) and married (62 %). Mode of poisoning was suicidal in 78 % of the patients. Among the compounds used for poisoning, non-OP compoundespecially pharmaceutical drugs accounted for 40 % of the cases. Mean duration of hospital stay was 5 days and 16 % had prolonged hospitalisation. Family fight, depression, and consumption of ethanol at the time of poisoning were the common precipitating factors. Mortality was 3 %. Homemakers and students (χ2 = 4.33, df = 1, OR = 3.33, 95 % CI = 1.02-10.7, P < 0.05), unmarried individuals (χ2 = 5.31, df = 1, OR = 3.75, 95 % CI = 1.16 - 12.1, P < 0.05) and teetotallers (χ2 = 18.94, df =1, OR=11, 95 % CI = 3.26 - 37, P < 0.05) had higher proportion of non-OP compound consumption and this was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Educational awareness and regulation of drug availability over the counter, to prevent such emergencies, is essential. Awareness of good mental health and support systems has to be publicised to prevent the precipitating factors. KEYWORDS Poisoning, Drug Overdose, OP Compound, India

Defining fertility management units and land suitability analysis using digital soil mapping approach

Classification of fields into management units based on soil variability and fertility is important for spatial crop planning. The present study was conducted in Chukanagallu subwatershed (97 km2), Koppal district of Northern Karnataka Plateau, India to map the soil fertility management units and to analyse the suitability of soil for different crops. Random forest regression and classification algorithms were used to map the differentiating characteristics of soil series (soil depth, coarse fragments and soil colour), physicochemical properties (pH, EC and OC) and fertility parameters (P2O5, K2O, S, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B). Random forest model performed well for the prediction of fertility parameters (R 2 = 44–73%) and physicochemical properties (R 2 = 39–83%) compared to soil depth and coarse fragments (R 2 = 17–18%). Predicted soil fertility parameters and physicochemical properties were used for the delineation of different homogenous fertility management units. Soil series characteristics and fertility parameters were also evaluated using a multi-criteria approach for suitability of soil for cotton, groundnut and rice cultivation and the results showed that major area of subwatershed is moderately suitable for the cultivation of cotton, rice and groundnut. The management units derived from DSM approach were symmetrical in production potential and requires similar management aspects which are useful for appropriate planning of management strategies such as crop selections and nutrient management to achieve sustainable production.

Matter of Time: Ceramics and Historicity in Medieval South India

This article examines how people formed and negotiated relations to time in routine engagements with materials and places in medieval South India. Questions of history and memory, which have become central to our understanding of precolonial Indian social and political practices, are frequently considered in relation to courtly epigraphical and textual production or monumental building projects. Positing that experiences of time are formed in everyday acts of production, consumption and maintenance, this article problematises the term ‘social memory’ to propose an alternative framework for exploring temporal relations: the concept of historicity. Historicity provides a robust analytical vocabulary for discussing how historical actors inhabited their own present, how they oriented themselves towards pasts and futures, and the kinds of timescales that both framed their actions and were formed in action. Operationalising this framework, I build on an analysis of excavated ceramics from a twelfth- to thirteenth-century settlement at Maski (northern Karnataka) to foreground the diverse ways in which individuals and communities drew upon available pasts and acted with initiative within an intersubjective present world of tasks and activities.

Legumes (Angiosperms: Fabaceae) of Bagalkot District, Karnataka, India

Fabaceae Lindl. or Leguminosae is one of the largest families of Angiosperms. Due to adaptability in various climatic conditions, members of the family Fabaceae are worldwide in their distribution. Globally, Fabaceae is represented by 770 genera and 19,500 taxa. Bagalkot is one of the largest districts of northern Karnataka and falls under the Deccan Peninsular region of India. The study area (Bagalkot District) is a rain shadow region and remains dry and hot throughout year. During floristic analysis of the District the authors recorded 157 species of legumes, which is communicated here in relation to habitat, life forms, distribution, classification and their importance.

Reading the Entanglements of Nature-culture Conservation and Development in Contemporary India

In this article we argue for greater attention to the practice of (nature-culture) conservation as a specific form of intervention with implications for development. Outlining the dominant frameworks through which the often vexed relationship between conservation and development has been understood, the article offers an alternative analytical framework that is grounded in ethnographic attention to everyday practice. Applying this framework, the three papers in this special section examine conservation-development dilemmas at diverse conservation sites in India—Rushikulya, Orissa, a globally significant site for the conservation of marine turtles; Nagarahole, in southern Karnataka, one of India’s most successful tiger reserves; and the Hampi region, northern Karnataka, where the archaeological remains of the medieval Vijayanagara Empire have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS). The papers reveal a relationship between conservation and development that is paradoxically both more structurally imbricated and more contingent and variable than a focus on official frameworks, discourses and plans would suggest. They lead us to argue that, rather than focusing on the stated objectives of the formal conservation plan alone, attention to its ambivalent adoptions and unintended outcomes, as well as to negotiations between diverse actors and forms of knowledge, can contribute to both a more balanced theorization of conservation’s relation to development as well as to more effective conservation practices.

Predicting and Mapping of Soil Hydraulic Properties in Karnataka

Field capacity (FC) and permanent wilting point (PWP) are the two vital hydraulic properties that determine the availability and retention of the water for plant growth. In the present study, profile FC and PWP were mapped in Karnataka using 5352 soil profile datasets. Class pedotransfer function was developed based on soil texture classes, and the total profile FC and PWP were computed for 1 m soil depth. Primary and secondary terrain attributes, vegetation indices, lithology and climatic datasets were used as environmental covariates for the prediction of hydraulic properties. Random forest regression kriging model was calibrated using 80% of total datasets and validated using 20% of datasets. Root mean square error (RMSE), mean error (ME) and the coefficient of determination (R2) were calculated to assess the performance of models. The model recorded RMSE of 127 mm for total profile field capacity (TFC) and RMSE of 87 mm for total profile permanent wilting point (TPWP). The predicted TFC and TPWP in Karnataka are ranged from 58 to 521 mm and 35 to 342 mm, respectively. Available water content (AWC) was calculated as the difference between TFC and TPWP, and the results showed that northern Karnataka has lower AWC (< 50 mm) compared to the south and western part of Karnataka. The present high-resolution (250 m) maps of TFC and TPWP are useful for irrigation scheduling, land use planning and different crop modeling studies.

Integrated management of fusarium wilt of chickpea

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the most important pulse crop grown all over India. Chickpea wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri is one of the major disease on chickpea in Northern Karnataka, which is soil and seed borne. Heavy inoculum in the soil and favorable environment condition results in the death of infected plant and therefore total yield loss. In this study, integrated management was conducted in both pot culture and in field with two antagonists, one botanical and one fungicide were studied against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri causing chickpea wilt. Pot culture studies found that seed treatment with Carbendazim 12% + Mancozeb 63% @ 2 g/kg of seeds + Trichoderma harzianum 4 g/kg of seeds + Curcuma longa rhizome extract (Turmeric) @ 150 ml/ kg of seeds gave minimum wilt incidence (1.46%), maximum wilt incidence was noticed in untreated control with 100 per cent wilted plants. Field studies found that seed treatment with Carbendazim 12% + Mancozeb 63% @ 2 g/kg of seeds + Trichoderma harzianum 4 g/kg of seeds + Curcuma longa rhizome extract (Turmeric) @ 150 ml/ kg of seeds gave minimum wilt incidence (1.46%) and maximum yield (10.34 q/ha) followed by seed treatment with Carbendazim 12% + Mancozeb 63% @ 2 g/kg of seeds. Bio agents Trichoderma harzianum and Bacillus sp. @ 4 g/ kg of seeds and aqueous plant extract of Curcuma longa (Turmeric) rhizome extract @ 150 ml/ kg of seeds were also significant in reducing wilt incidence and more yield as compared to control.

Association of causative agents of root rot complex of soybean in northern Karnataka

Examination of pure culture of the pathogens collected from the root samples of soybean plants showing typical wilting symptoms revealed that the major pathogens involved in causing root rot complex are Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. Rhizoctonia bataticola and Fusarium sp. in northern Karnataka. The pathogenicity studies on susceptible cultivar JS 335 inoculated with all the pathogens revealed maximum percent disease incidence in case of dual inoculation of S. rolfsii + R. bataticola (83.33%) and mixed inoculation of S. rolfsii + R. bataticola + Fusarium sp. (88.50%) followed by dual inoculation of Fusarium sp. + R. bataticola (75%) and S. rolfsii + Fusarium sp. (72.34%).

In vitro evaluation of fungicides against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the most important pulse crop grown all over India. Chickpea wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri is one of the major disease on chickpea in Northern Karnataka, which is soil and seed borne. Heavy inoculum in the soil and favorable environment condition results in the death of infected plant and therefore total yield loss. Experiment was conducted for selection of superior fungicides for the management of chickpea wilt disease, three combi product fungicides, three systemic fungicides and three non-systemic fungicides were evaluated against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri in in-vitro condition with two concentrations each. Among the non-systemic fungicides copper oxychloride was effective in inhibiting the mycelial growth with 82.97% and 86.02% at 2000 and 3000 ppm concentration. Among the systemic fungicides carbendazim exhibited 79.81% and 82.03% inhibition of mycelial growth at 1000 and 2000 ppm concentration. Among the combi product fungicides Carbendazim12%+ Mancozeb 63% exhibited 100% inhibition of mycelial growth at 1000 and 2000 ppm concentration.

Assessment of Incidence, Causes and Types of Removable Denture Fractures: A Cross-sectional Clinical Survey from Northern Karnataka, India

Assessment of Incidence, Causes and Types of Removable Denture Fractures: A Cross-sectional Clinical Survey from Northern Karnataka, India