The Kaas lake is one of the unique sedimentary basins in the Northern region of the Western Ghats escarpment of India and preserves paleoclimate signals of the Holocene in its cover sequence over the lateritic basement. The signatures preserved in the lacustrine deposits, such as pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, diatoms, and geochemistry of the sediments, were decoded and used to reconstruct the Holocene environmental changes of the Kaas Plateau in the Western Ghats. The main stages in the lake's evolution indicate the following: (1) low nutrient level and strongly changeable water levels in the early Holocene, (2) persistence of the oligotrophic state of the lake up to the last 2000 yr, and (3) strong cultural eutrophication of the lake in the recent period (c. 1000 years). The localized depression or a seasonal-lake favoured freshwater accumulation since 8.0 kyr BP and was probably dried sometimes after 2.0 kyr BP. A late Holocene peak of planktonic diatom and high organic recovery at the top level in the recent past (c. 1000 years) represents an event of eutrophication, possibly due to human impact. Being a seasonal lake, the plateau surface allowed clay accumulation with an extremely slow rate of 2.5 cm/10 kyr. Diatoms, pollen, and non-pollen palynomorphs together showed periodic fluctuations in lake hydrology, which was probably in response to climate-controlled vegetation on the Kaas Plateau. The diatom and sediment anomalies point to an ecological shift towards the mid–Holocene, supporting the hypothesis of increased Southwest Monsoons during the early Holocene around 8.0 kyr BP and the relative weakening of Northeast Monsoon after 2.5 kyr BP.
The pruning experiment was carried out in 12 year old Azadirachta indica (Neem) plantation at Pathamadai village, Seranmadevi Taluk, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu.The Neem trees were imposed with three pruning intensities (15 % pruning, 25 % pruning and 45 % pruning) and control for enhancing the flowering and fruiting in neem.The total nitrogen (2.351 %), total phosphorus (0.349 %), total potassium (0.214 %), chlorophyll 'a' (0.437 mg g -1 ), chlorophyll 'b' (0.677 mg g -1 ) and total chlorophyll (1.108 mg g -1 ) were found superior in T2 (25 % pruning) and the lowest leaf nutrient status in control.The maximum neem seed yield was exhibited in 25 per cent pruning with the seed yield of 3.80 kg. and the minimum was recorded in control (1.58 kg).To conclude the study, the moderate pruning in Neem tree enhanced the nutrient status in leaf and fruit yield.
Ten genotypes of ginger (Zingiber officinale) were subjected to stability analysis based on their evaluation for 6 years at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Ambalavayal (Kerala, India). All the genotypes differed significantly for tiller number, leaf number and yield. Stability analysis revealed the superiority. of Ernadan and Kuruppampady as they expressed high mean yield, non significant S2di values and a regression nearing unity.
‘Deepthi’, a pure line rice selection from ‘Edavaka’, was released in May 1998 for both kharif and rabi cultivation in the high ranges of Kerala (Wayanad and Idukki districts). It is a semi-tall, high-yielding, medium duration, red-kernelled variety with good cooking quality. The highest grain and straw yields recorded by this variety were 6875 and 7200 kg ha-1 respectively. The plant is green throughout with an average of 7.85 productive tillers per hill and having long exserted panicles. The mean panicle length is 21 cm with 112 grains per panicle. ‘Deepthi’ matures in 155 to 160 days, and has a milling outturn of 66% with head rice recovery of 60%.
Studies made with Jatropha curcas on seed priming with different growth regulators, temperatures and durations with the constant seed to solution ratio of 3:2 revealed that priming with IBA 200 ppm at ambient temperature for a duration of 12 to 24 h enhanced the quality characters of Jatropha seedling raised at nursery to evaluate its performance in production of quality seedlings.
Pre-sowing seed treatments study was designed to evaluate impact of soaking hours and role of GA3 on quality seedling production in Bixa orellana. In the present study seeds soaked in cold water for 18 hours soaking which took 15 days for quick seed vigour in seed germination Accordingly it indicated that 18 hours seed soaking duration treatment has enhanced seed softening, quick seed germination and seedling quality traits than other treatments. Among the treatments, the seeds soaked in GA3 200 ppm for 18 hours recorded the highest values for seedling per cent and other seed vigour parameters and it was followed by GA3 150 ppm. Among the treatments studied,T4 (200 ppm) and T5 (250 ppm) recorded early germination, took 9 days to initiate germination, whereas control (T6 )) took maximum (23.8) days to germinate. Maximum germination registered with GA3 200ppm (T4 - 64.74 %) while minimum was recorded with control (T6 - 13.67 %). It enhance seedling vigour parameters at nursery studied through like root length, shoot length, collar diameter, dry matter production and vigour index of seed fortified with GA3 200 ppm escalated over control. Hence, seed fortification with GA3 200 ppm for 18 hours duration is highly useful and easily adoptable for enhanced quick and high quality seedling production especially by commercial nursery growers on Bixa orellana.
The term "annatto" in industrialized countries is commonly referred to Bixaorellana seed extract containing carotenoid-type pigments.In India, it is well distributed in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and also reported to be cultivated commercially.The GC-MS results of bixa genotype TNBi -13 and KLBi -3 confirms the presence of 18 compounds and 22 compounds each, respectively.Apart from these compounds some new compounds like Himachol (1.17%) and Synaptogenin (1.13%) were found in bixa genotype TNBi -13 whereas compounds like -Terpinene (1.06%) and -bulnesene(0.76%) were found to be present in bixa genotype KLBi -3.These results suggest that there are chances of variation among the secondary metabolites not only at a quantitative level but also at a qualitative level.Hence profiling of each and every screened genotype is required in order to attain the best selection.
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