Lead-induced modification of growth and yield of Linum usitatissimum L. and its soil remediation potential.

This study was designed to evaluate the pre-reproductive and reproductive responses of Linum usitatissimum L. (flax, linseed plant) to different levels of Pb in the soil. Flax seeds were sown in garden soil-filled earthen pots and treated with three different levels of lead as lead chloride (150, 450, and 750 mg Pb kg-1 soil) except control, and each treatment was replicated three times. Growth and reproductive parameters and photosynthetic pigments were significantly reduced (p ≤ 0.05) for all treatments. Quantitatively, Chlorophyll b content decreased more than chlorophyll a and the amount of proline content in the leaves increased in lockstep with the increase of Pb levels in the soil. Pb was found in substantial amounts in the roots, shoots, and seeds. The pattern of Pb accumulation in different organs was root > shoot > seeds. Pb levels in seeds obtained from 750 mg Pb kg-1 soil-treated plants exceeded the permissible limits. Biological concentration factor (BCF), biological accumulation coefficient (BAC) and translocation factor (TF) values showed that roots of L. usitatissimum absorbed and accumulated a substantial quantity of Pb but translocated only a fraction of that to the shoots. Therefore, L. usitatissimum L. can be used in phytostabilization rather than phytoextraction of Pb.

This manuscript evaluates the potential of flaxseeds to cause biomagnification of lead (Pb) in the human body when grown under different concentrations of Pb and assessment of the risk posed to consumer health in a food chain. This study also provides insight to evaluate the uptake and extraction efficiency of Linum usitatissimum L. to remediate the Pb-polluted soil and use of Pb contaminated plant products (stem fibers and linseed oil) in an ecofriendly manner.

Gender-based tobacco policies in Bangladesh and India: A prerequisite to counter the smokeless tobacco epidemic.

This study examined gender differences in patterns of smokeless tobacco (SLT) use among various socioeconomic and demographic segments in Bangladesh and India, which are home to 80 percent of global SLT users and share similar sociocultural milieus. The objective was to provide evidence of whether gender-focused interventions and policies might be helpful for SLT cessation programs. Data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey were used for the analysis. In Bangladesh, data were collected between July and August 2009, and 9,629 individuals were successfully interviewed. In India, data were collected from June 2009 to January 2010, and 69,296 individuals were interviewed. Tests of proportions revealed that the prevalence of SLT use was highest among women in Bangladesh (27.9 percent) and among men (32.9 percent) in India. Logistic regression models revealed that the odds of SLT use was lower among Bangladeshi females in the highest age category. However, in India, a similar observation was made only for females with rural residences. In addition, the odds of SLT use was less among those with a higher level of education and wealth, irrespective of the sex or country. The present findings suggest a need for gender-specific policies and interventions for SLT control.

Investigating asymmetric impacts of total factor energy efficiency on carbon emissions in India.

As many complex energy relations are not linear and have diminishing returns, assuming a symmetric (linear) effect of energy efficiency (ENEF) on carbon emissions (CAE) has limited our understanding of the emission-ENEF nexus. This research, therefore, initially estimates total factor energy efficiency by applying a stochastic frontier technique using sample panels for India encompassing the period from 2000 to 2014. Further, a nonlinear panel autoregressive distributed lag modelling framework is utilised in order to investigate the asymmetric (nonlinear) long- and short-run impacts of ENEF on CAE. The findings demonstrated that ENEF has asymmetric long- and short-run impacts on CAE in India. Based on the outcomes, numerous crucial implications are discussed with a particular reference to developing economies like India.

Description of a new species of Probrachista (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Trichogrammatidae) from Ladakh, India.

The present paper deals with the description of a new species Probrachista turtukensis Manhas, Anis & Khan sp. nov, from the region of Ladakh, India. A key to world species of the genus Probrachista Viggiani, is also given.

Causes of salinity and plant manifestations to salt stress: a review.

Salinity in agricultutal terms is the excess of salts above the level plant require. Most often it poses constrains in the growth hence productivity of the category of plants called glycophytes, wherein falls major crops, therefore is a serious concern. It is often recognized as excess of sodium ions (sodicity) that imparts life threatening consequences in plant due to mal-textured soil hindered porosity and aeration leads to physiological water deficit. Mingling with other edaphic/environmental factors viz. precipitation, temperature, flooding, soil profile, water table exaggerates the catastrophe synergistically. Improper irrigations system, leaching fraction added with land clearing and deforestation have been marked as the major cause. The present review underlines the different sources of salinity stress and their physiological manifestations, toxicity responses alongwith tolerance in plants and management strategies in affected landscapes.

Low-carbon energy strategies and economic growth in developed and developing economies: the case of energy efficiency and energy diversity.

There has been growing interest in studying the relationship between energy strategies (energy efficiency and energy diversity) and economic growth to achieve the low-carbon economy goals in recent years. However, the available empirical evidence is scarce and provides contradictory results, limiting the policy implications of the existing findings. Therefore, this study aims to comprehensively examine the possible nexus between low-carbon energy strategies and economic growth for developed and developing economies. The empirical approach involves exploring the Granger causal relationships using a panel Granger (non) causality test and estimating the long-run effects by employing a panel autoregressive distributed lag modeling framework. The dataset covers panels of developed (28 countries) and developing (34 countries) economies over the period 1990-2017. Estimated results from the causality test reveal that in the economic growth-energy efficiency nexus, a unidirectional Granger causality exists for developed economies (running from economic growth to energy efficiency). In contrast, a bidirectional Granger causality is evident for developing economies. In the economic growth-energy diversity nexus, only unidirectional Granger causality exists for developed (running from economic growth to energy diversity) and developing (from energy diversity to economic growth) economies. The long-run coefficient estimates show that energy efficiency promotes economic growth for both developed and developing economies, but energy diversity promotes economic growth only for developing economies. Economic growth discourages energy efficiency for developed economies but encourages energy efficiency for developing economies. However, economic growth promotes energy diversity for both developed and developing economies. The findings of this study suggest that there is an immediate need to mitigate the adverse effect of economic growth on energy efficiency by focusing more on energy-savings behavior and practices for developed economies. Moreover, energy efficiency and energy diversity can be considered an alternate strategy to achieve higher economic growth with low carbon emissions for developing economies.

The role of energy efficiency and energy diversity in reducing carbon emissions: empirical evidence on the long-run trade-off or synergy in emerging economies.

Energy efficiency is often argued as a low-cost carbon emission mitigation strategy than energy diversity for emerging economies. Thus, deviations from carbon emission reduction goals due to diminished energy diversity may partially be compensated by energy efficiency improvements. This urgently requires an empirical analysis of carbon emission reduction impact of energy efficiency and energy diversity along with an investigation of any spillover effects. This study, therefore, investigates the long-run implications of energy efficiency and energy diversity on carbon emissions for emerging economies, covering the period 1990-2017. The long-run effect of energy efficiency on energy diversity and vice-versa is also examined to uncover any trade-off or synergy. The sample panel consists of the biggest seven emerging economies including, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, and Turkey. The empirical analysis is based on an augmented environmental Kuznets curve model, estimated using the panel autoregressive distributed lag modeling technique. The results corroborate the argument that energy efficiency is an effective low-carbon strategy than energy diversity in the long run. Specifically, a 1% increase in energy efficiency and energy diversity reduces carbon emissions by 1.2% and 0.5%, respectively. Moreover, it is also revealed that the long-run impact of energy diversity on energy efficiency is negative, suggesting that a 1% increase in energy diversity reduces energy efficiency by 0.3%. This evidence uncovers a trade-off between these two strategies in the long-run. However, the long-run impact of energy efficiency on energy diversity is insignificant. These findings suggest that both low-carbon strategies must be promoted in tandem by considering the long-run trade-off between energy diversity and energy efficiency in emerging economies.

Educational and Wealth Inequalities in Smokeless Tobacco Use: An Analysis of Rural-Urban Areas of Bangladesh and India.

This study aims to investigate the educational and wealth inequalities in smokeless tobacco (SLT) use in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh and India, the 2 largest global SLT users. Using the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, both absolute and relative measures of inequality were estimated. The analysis reveals that the educational inequalities in SLT use were higher in urban areas of India and in rural areas of Bangladesh, whereas the wealth inequalities in SLT use were higher in urban areas of both the countries. Moreover, the logit model showed that the odds of SLT use declined with an increase in the level of education and wealth in rural and urban areas of India. However, no consistent pattern was observed in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh. The findings clearly delineate the subgroups which require immediate attention for SLT cessation interventions in these 2 countries.

Effect of cadmium on the growth and antioxidant enzymes in two varieties of Brassica juncea.

Increasing contamination and higher enrichment ratio of non-essential heavy metal cadmium (Cd) induce various toxic responses in plants when accumulated above the threshold level. These effects and growth responses are genotype and Cd level dependent. An experiment was conducted to analyze the effect of Cd toxicity in Brassica juncea [L] Czern and Coss by selecting its two varieties Varuna and RH-30. Cadmium (0, 25, 50 or 100 mg CdCl2 kg(-1) of soil) fed to soil decreased the values of growth characteristics, activity of nitrate reductase and leaf water potential, whereas activities of antioxidant enzymes and proline content increased with the increasing concentration of Cd, observed at 30 and 60 day stages of growth, in both the varieties. Moreover, Cd uptake by the roots was higher in RH-30 than Varuna. Also the activity of antioxidant enzymes and proline accumulation were higher in Varuna with increasing soil level of Cd. Out of the two varieties, Varuna was more tolerant than RH-30 to Cd stress.

Soil cadmium enrichment: Allocation and plant physiological manifestations.

Cadmium (Cd) in soil is enriched through several leaky management agricultural practices and natural resources. Cd enriched soil is inevitable cause of nutritional stress besides Cd induced toxicity symptoms and physiological malfunctions. Redox signals shift toward oxidative stress which accelerates cellular damage and elicits defense mechanism at the cost of growth. Plants get enriched with this toxic, abundant and undesirable element through 'mineral uptake system' non-specifically. Different components and pathways have been marked cooperating in cellular sequestration and systemic localization of Cd, escaped from avoidance and efflux. Cd induced metabolic alteration led to electron leakage as ROS, reduced photosynthesis and carbon fixation. Compromised primary metabolism negatively feedbacks the plant growth, result into loss of potential crop yield.

Salicylic acids: local, systemic or inter-systemic regulators?

Salicylic acid is well known phytohormone, emerging recently as a new paradigm of an array of manifestations of growth regulators. The area unleashed yet encompassed the applied agriculture sector to find the roles to strengthen the crops against plethora of abiotic and biotic stresses. The skipped part of integrated picture, however, was the evolutionary insight of salicylic acid to either allow or discard the microbial invasion depending upon various internal factors of two interactants under the prevailing external conditions. The metabolic status that allows the host invasion either as pathogenesis or symbiosis with possible intermediary stages in close systems has been tried to underpin here.

Comparative effect of 28 homobrassinolide and salicylic acid in the amelioration of NaCl stress in Brassica juncea L.

Among various environmental stresses, salt stress is extensively damaging to major crops all over the world. An experiment was conducted to explore the role of exogenously applied 28 homobrassinolide (HBL) and salicylic acid (SA) on growth, photosynthetic parameters, transpiration and proline content of Brassica juncea L. cultivar Varuna in presence or absence of saline conditions (4.2 dsm(-1)). The leaves of 29d old plants were sprayed with distilled water, HBL and/or SA and plant responses were studied at 30 days after sowing (24 h after spray) and 45 days after sowing. The salinity significantly reduced the plant growth, gas exchange parameters but increased proline content and electrolyte leakage in the leaves. The effects were more pronounced at 30 DAS than 45 DAS. Out of the two hormones (HBL/SA) HBL excelled in its effects at both sampling stages. Toxic effects generated by salinity stress were completely overcome by the combination of the two hormones (HBL and SA) at 45 DAS.

Physiological and biochemical changes in plants under waterlogging.

Waterlogging usually results from overuse and/or poor management of irrigation water and is a serious constraint with damaging effects. The rapidly depleting oxygen from submerged root zone is sensed and plant adjusts expressing anaerobic proteins. Plant cells shift their metabolism towards low energy yielding anaerobic fermentation pathways in the absence of oxygen. Structural modifications are also induced as aerenchyma formation and adventitious rootings, etc. Studies at molecular and biochemical levels to facilitate early perception and subsequent responses have also been worked out to produce resistant transgenic plants. This review explores the sequential changes of plant responses at different levels regarding their defense strategies and efforts made to enhance them, tailoring crucial regulators so that they can withstand waterlogging stress.