Subtropical India Research Articles

Seasonal Prevalence of Major Mastitis Pathogens Isolated from Crossbred Cow Milk Samples in Sub-tropical India

The dairy industry suffers significant financial losses due to mastitis. In order to control and prevent mastitis, it is imperative to continuously monitor the bacteriology, prevalence, and incidence of major mastitis pathogens. Thus, the objective of this research was to find out how often mastitis causing bacteria were isolated from milk samples of crossbred cows over various seasons in India's sub-tropical environment. 240 milk samples from 80 different cows were collected over the course of three seasons [Hot Dry (April to June), Hot Humid (July to September), and Autumn (October to November)] in order to correlate the prevalence of four main mastitis pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, and Escherichia coli) with the season. The most prevalent isolate during all seasons was Staphylococcus aureus. Our findings demonstrated a discernible relationship between seasonal change and the isolation rate of the bacterium associated with bovine mastitis, with the hot-humid season having the greatest pathogen isolation rate.

Influence of drip irrigation and straw mulching on economic feasibility and soil fertility of rice-potato system in subtropical India

Influence of drip irrigation and straw mulching on economic feasibility and soil fertility of rice-potato system in subtropical India

Integrated Use of 2,4-D, Metribuzin, and Pyrazosulfuron-Ethyl (UPH 114b) for Managing Weeds and Improving Sugarcane Yield in Subtropical India

Integrated Use of 2,4-D, Metribuzin, and Pyrazosulfuron-Ethyl (UPH 114b) for Managing Weeds and Improving Sugarcane Yield in Subtropical India

On-farm energy input-output and economic analysis of important essential oil-bearing Mint species in subtropical India

Mint species are grown worldwide and known for their medicinal and aromatic properties however, studies on its energy assessment are very scarce. This study quantifies the energy input–output relationship of herbs and essential oil production of different mint species (M. arvensis, M. piperita, M. spicata, M. cardiaca and M. citrata) which were commercially grown in subtropical India. This study proposes for life cycle assessment and their effects on environment. The energy inputs and outputs were significantly varied with mints species. Results showed that mints essential oil production used more energy than herbs, and M. citrata utilizes the highest energy in both cases. Fire wood requirements for essential oil extraction accounts maximum (59.16 %) energy input. Mint herbs and essential oil yields were recorded higher in M. citrata (23.14 t ha−1), and M. arvensis (143.2 kg ha−1), respectively. Energy yields were estimated highest in M. cardiaca (herbs), and M. arvensis (essential oils), and required net calorific values were tested by automated advanced oxygen bomb calorimeter. Overall, M. arvensis showed the best results in energy production (0.07 kg MJ−1), profitability (0.27), net return (17156.40 MJ ha−1), and energy use efficacy (1.27) for mint herbs production. However, for essential oil production M. cardiaca performed well. This study revealed that mint herbs production was more energy efficient than essential oils extraction although essential oil production is fiscally secure.

Responses of foliar application of low molecular weight derivatives gamma radiated chitosan (Bio stimulator) in sugarcane under irrigated condition in Subtropical India

Responses of foliar application of low molecular weight derivatives gamma radiated chitosan (Bio stimulator) in sugarcane under irrigated condition in Subtropical India

A Brief Review on Phytochemical Constituent and Pharmacological Activities of Anisomeles malabarica (L.)

Anisomeles malabarica L., also known as ‘Malabar catmint’ and ‘Peiyamuritti’ in local Tamil, is a genus of herbaceous herb in the Lamiaceae family. This Malabar catmint is native to tropical and subtropical India and Sri Lanka. Catmint is regarded as a medicinally significant plant because of its anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-anaphylactic and anti-bacterial properties. It is well-known for its ability to treat a variety of health problems such as dyspepsia, rheumatism, amentia, anorexia, wound healing and swelling, and teething problems in children. Its leaf extract is effective against epilepsy, intestinal worms, halitosis and gout. It is used as astringent, carminative and febrifuge. Because of the presence of various acids such as anisomelic acid, 2 acetoxymalabaric acid, betulinic acid, ovatodiolide, -sitosterol, anisomelyl acetate anisomelin, malabaric acid, triterpenebetulinic acid, geranial acid, and others, this medicinal herb is used not only for medicinal purposes but also as folkloric medicine and in the production of several cosmetics and aromatics. Because the cultivation practices of the medicinally important plant are time consuming, we can use advanced plant cultivation techniques such as tissue culture to produce a large number of plants in a short period of time and in a small area. The purpose of this review paper is to describe the various aspects of A. malabarica botanical description, medicinal values, phytochemistry, pharmacological properties, and cultural practices.

Heritability and Principal Component Analysis of Phytochemical Traits in Guava Under Indian Subtropics

Heritability and Principal Component Analysis of Phytochemical Traits in Guava Under Indian Subtropics

A Review of the Magical Indian Shrub Asparagus Racemosus

Asparagus racemosus a climbing Ayurvedic plant which is most an important medicinal plant of tropical and subtropical India. The name “Shatavari” means “a woman who possess 100 children”, referring to the shatavari rejuvenation effect in female reproductive organs.. Aromatic and medicinal plants have played significant role in the lives of humans by providing products for both food and medicine. Shatavari has been described to use as antioxidant, immune stimulant, and anti tussive effects. It is also very useful and effective in the treatment of cancer, kidney disorder, chronic fevers, ulcers, chronic fevers etc. Main use of this drug is in female disorders and several menstrual disorders. The present article explores the taxonomy, morphology, cultivation, harvesting and biological properties of A. racemosus.

Optimizing Sugarcane and Water Productivity Through Surface and Subsurface Drip Fertigation in Subtropical India

Optimizing Sugarcane and Water Productivity Through Surface and Subsurface Drip Fertigation in Subtropical India

Socio-Economic Profile of Poultry Farmers in Subtropical India

Socio-Economic Profile of Poultry Farmers in Subtropical India

Novel Strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus cereus and their Integrated use with Inorganic Fertilizers Enhancing P Availability, Crop Growth Parameters, and Sugarcane Yield in Subtropical India

Novel Strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus cereus and their Integrated use with Inorganic Fertilizers Enhancing P Availability, Crop Growth Parameters, and Sugarcane Yield in Subtropical India

Long-term effect of manuring-fertilization on nutrients availability and yield under rice (Oryza sativa)-lentil (Lens culinaris) system

Soil health degradation is a major threat in agricultural sustainability specially under rainfed agriculture. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of long-term fertilization and manuring on soil organic carbon, nutrient status, uptake and yield trends under a rainfed rice (Oryza sativa L.)-lentil (Lens culinaris L.) cropping system situated at Agriculture Research Farm of Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Soil samples were collected in 2019 and 2021 after harvesting of rainy (kharif) season rice from 34 years old long-term experiment with rice-lentil cropping system of dry sub-humid region of India and analysed for various pools of SOC, nutrients availability, uptake and yield attributes. Results showed that 50% NPK+FYM treatment significantly influenced soil organic carbon pools and improved macronutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium), microbial biomass carbon and dehydrogenase activity in soil as compared to the control. In addition, the integrated application of farmyard manure and inorganic fertilizers significantly enhanced the nutrient uptake, productivity of rice and lentil, and maintained the nutrient balance in the soil. Therefore, the balanced use of inorganic fertilizer along with organic manure may be recommended for maintaining soil health and crop productivity under subtropical India.

Severe Red Rot Epidemics in Sugarcane in Sub-tropical India: Role of Aerial Spread of the Pathogen

Severe Red Rot Epidemics in Sugarcane in Sub-tropical India: Role of Aerial Spread of the Pathogen

Response of autumn sown black gram as influenced by cobalt, potassium and boron nutrition under Indian subtropics

Black gram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper] is a widely grown pulse crop assuming considerable importance of food and nutritional security in India. A two-year experiment was conducted to find out the effect of cobalt (Co), potassium (K), and boron (B) on growth, yield, quality, and production economics of autumn sown black gram (variety: Pant Urd 31) under Gangetic alluvium soil (order: Inceptisol) in a split plot design with two different combinations of soil incorporation of Co as main plot and five foliar nutrition levels of K and B either single or in combination as subplot treatments during autumn seasons of 2020 and 2021. Pooled estimation revealed that crop growth rate, leaf area index, net assimilation rate, pods per plant, seeds per pod, seed yield, and benefit-cost ratio were significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) with 4 kg ha−1 soil Co and foliar 1.25% K + 0.2% B applications as compared to no cobalt application and no spray respectively. This particular combination of soil application of Co along with foliar K + B spray also stimulated symbiotic efficiency, chlorophyll biosynthesis, and nitrate reductase activity along with improving the nutrients and protein contents in harvested seeds. Fluctuations in yield attributes explained about more than 85% variations in seed yield of both years through linear regressions. Thus, this unique combination of soil Co application along with foliar K + B spray has immense potential as an economically profitable strategy to facilitate substantial growth and physiological efficiency of an autumn-grown rainfed black gram to upgrade its production potential and quality.

Economic losses due to Newcastle disease in layers in subtropical India

Newcastle disease (ND) is a highly contagious viral disease of birds causing immense direct and indirect losses to the poultry industry. Various studies conducted across the world suggested that ND has been creating havoc in the poultry industry. Over the past decade, India has been reporting cases of ND outbreaks every year. Therefore, a retrospective study was conducted to estimate the losses due to ND and identify the factors influencing those losses. The primary data was obtained directly from farmers employing multistage purposive random sampling. A modified methodology was employed to provide an aggregate figure accounting for the approximate losses due to ND over the period of 72 weeks of the commercial layers’ life cycle. The results of the study indicated that the losses due to morbidity were much higher compared to those due to mortality in ND-infected birds. The major factors influencing ND losses on the farms were drop in egg production, mortality of birds due to ND, duration of ND infection, reduction in feed intake, age at which birds get infected with ND, and experience of poultry farmers in the poultry business.

Soil quality and crop productivity under 34 years old long-term rainfed rice based cropping system in an Inceptisol of sub-tropical India

IntroductionSoil quality deterioration with the introduction of modern agriculture is a major threat to agricultural sustainability and food security and the problem is more aggravated specially under rainfed agriculture. Asessment of soil quality is a tortuous task as it can not be measured directly. The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the effect of long-term fertilization and manuring on soil quality and identify the most sensitive indicators of assessing soil quality under rainfed rice based system.MethodsSoil samples were collected from selected six treatments viz. control, 100%NPK, 50%NPK, 50%FYM, 100%FYM and 50%NPK+FYM of 34 years old long-term fertilizer experiment with rainfed rice-lentil cropping system situated at BHU Varanasi, India.Results and discussionResult revealed that continuous organic manure application along with inorganic fertilizer increased soil organic carbon by 54.1% over control treatment.Principal component analysis (PCA) was done to screen out key indicators and mean weight diameter, available Fe, available N, potentially mineralizable N, available Zn, FDA hydrolase activity and Clay were selected as key indicators of soil quality. The highest soil quality index (SQI) of 0.95 was found in 50% NPK+FYM treatment. Regression analysis showed better agreement of equivalent rice yield and SQI (0.87). Therefore, the balanced fertilization with organic and inorganic fertilizers is important for sustainability of the rainfed rice-lentil cropping system and this practice may be recommended for rainfed rice based system of Indian Inceptisol.

Evaluation of biochemical composition of hulled and hull-less genotypes of pumpkin seeds grown in subtropical India

Pumpkin seeds are one of the functional foods with most potential having myriad of uses, and functioning as both edible seeds and oilseeds. Nevertheless, their utilization is restricted to the presence of a thick seed coat (hull) which subjects them to the process of decortication, increasing the farmers’ expense as well as limiting their utilization as oilseeds. Therefore, in the present study, characterization of the biochemical composition of the hulled (Punjab Chappan Kadoo-1 abbreviated as PCK-1) and hull-less (PAU Magaz Kadoo-1 abbreviated as PMK-1) genotype of pumpkin seeds was undertaken to assess the nutritional differences and their efficient application; PMK-1 is a new cultivar of pumpkin released by Punjab Agricultural University in 2018. Based on the characterization, the hulled genotype of pumpkin seeds was observed to possess higher content of total soluble proteins (79.62 mg/100 g), total free amino acids (3.48 g/100 g), moisture (6.74%), fibre content (21.1 g/100 g), antioxidant potential (26.15%), polyamines (19.2 mg/100 g), sterols (387.1 mg/100 g), and specific enzymatic activity whereas the hull-less genotype was observed to possess a higher amount of minerals (4.57 g/100 g), tocopherols (15.76 mg/100 g), and oil content (36%) respectively; most of the biochemical parameters do not differ from each other at a greater fold difference except for total free amino acids and fibre, which are nearly four times and three times higher in hulled seeds in comparison to the naked seeds respectively. The two genotypes of seeds do not compete, rather do complement each other in biochemical and nutritional composition.

Nutraceutical and bioactive properties of mulberry (Morus spp.) growing under Indian subtropics

Nutraceutical and bioactive properties of mulberry (Morus spp.) growing under Indian subtropics

Long-Term Effects of Organic Amendments on Carbon Stability in Clay–Organic Complex and Its Role in Soil Aggregation

Clay–organic complexes (COC) impart chemical and physical protection to soil carbon (C). In the present study, the aim was to assess the long-term effects of different organic amendments on C stability in COC, distribution of the aggregates, C concentration in the aggregates and labile organic C fractions in the inceptisols located at the research farm situated in the semi-arid sub-tropical climate of India. The results showed that the COC, the percentage of large macroaggregates (LMA) (>2 mm) and the C associated with the aggregates decreased through the soil depths, whereas the other size fractions of soil aggregates (<2 mm) showed an increasing trend. The COC was significantly higher (4.4 times) in soil treatments where farmyard manures (FYM), green manure (GM) and biofertilizers (BF) were applied together (FYM + GM + BF). The organic amendments increased the proportion of LMA over control (no application of organic amendments) to a magnitude of 83 to 101% and the C associated with LMA to a magnitude of 0.48 to 9.8% over control in surface soil. On average, the combined application of FYM, GM and BF exhibited higher C accumulation in almost all soil aggregate fractions, except microaggregates (mA), i.e., (0.25–0.053 mm) size fractions, where application of FYM alone recorded the highest value. Averaged over soil depths, the particulate organic C (POC), dissolved organic C (DOC) and potassium permanganate oxidizable C (POXC) were significantly higher under integrated organic treatments than individual amendments. The significantly higher correlation between COC and the percentage of LMA and aggregate-associated C implied their direct role in soil aggregate formation and their stability. The carbon stability, i.e., retention time of humus in soil, was significantly correlated with soil organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, particulate organic carbon, potassium permanganate oxidizable C, C mineralization (Cmin), glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP), macroaggregate (MA)-associated C and rice equivalent yield (REY). Overall, the data suggest that the combined application of FYM + GM + BF promotes soil quality under rice–wheat rotation in inceptisols in semi-arid sub-tropical India.

Trash management and Trichoderma harzianum influencing photosynthesis, soil carbon sequestration, and growth and yield of sugarcane ratoon in subtropical India

Soil organic carbon management is a key component for crop growth and provides sustainability in the cropping system. In subtropical India, soil organic carbon in agricultural soils continuously decreases, and most soils have very low organic carbon content. Trash management in the sugarcane ratoon crop improves soil quality parameters and supports crop growth favourably. Further inoculation of Trichoderma has also shown a synergistic response with trash application on nutrient availability in the ratoon crop. Improving soil quality also influences physiological activity, net photosynthesis, and crop yield. The present investigation aimed to determine the effect of trash management and Trichoderma application on changes in soil chemical and biological properties besides net photosynthetic rate, dry matter accumulation, and nutrient uptake by sugarcane ratoon crop to assess the sustainability of the system. Thus a field experiment was conducted with four treatments viz., (i) sugarcane trash mulching without Trichoderma harzianum, (ii) trash removal without Trichoderma, (iii) trash mulching + Trichoderma and (iv) trash incorporation + Trichoderma in a randomized block design (RBD) and five replications. Trash incorporation and inoculation of Trichoderma influenced net photosynthetic rate (NPR) positively. The lowest NPR (19.14 µmol/m2/s) was recorded under trash removal without Trichoderma. An increment of 16.15 % in total dry matter accumulation was recorded under trash incorporation + Trichoderma compared to trash removal without Trichoderma. Trash incorporation and Trichoderma accumulated the highest N in leaf, cane, and roots. Thus NPK uptake could be improved by the application of trash and Trichoderma application. The mean available K content in soil was significantly improved by 12.48 % compared to the initial level. An improvement of 33.6 kg K/ha was recorded after the harvest of the ratoon crop. The highest soil organic carbon (15.28 Mg/ha) was recorded with mulching of sugarcane trash under Trichoderma inoculation. The highest bacterial population was recorded under trash incorporation with Trichoderma. Soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) could be improved by 1.82 times under trash mulching + Trichoderma as compared to the initial status. Trash incorporation and Trichoderma application recorded the highest mean cane weight (1053 g) in ratoon crop. Trash incorporation+ Trichoderma registered an increase of 16.19 % increase in sugarcane yield as compared to trash removal without Trichoderma. However, sugar yield in a similar treatment was improved by 27.8 %. Thus trash application along with Trichoderma harzianum holds great promise in sustaining soil health and sugarcane and sugar yields in subtropical India.