Management of acid and alkaline phosphatase, dehydrogenase activities by sugarcane industry waste under lead contamination- A case study of Indian Vertisol.

Soil fertility management and crop productivity both are inter-related need extensive attention for sustainability. Industries are being built, which over time produces a lot of effluents containing heavy metal(s), which is then dumped on healthy soils and water bodies. Long-term discharge of lead (Pb)-containing wastewater resulted in significant Pb buildup as well as a decrease in soil biological activity. In this experiment, graded dose of Pb, i.e. 0, 100, 150 and 300 mg/kg and pressmud (PM) (0, 2.5, 5, 10 g/kg) were applied to monitor the Pb toxic effect on soil acid and alkaline phosphatase, dehydrogenase activity. Different treatment combinations were formulated and the experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. In this experiment, spinach crop was used as a test crop. According to the findings, increased Pb levels in the soil lowered dehydrogenase activity (DHA), acid and alkaline phosphatase. The addition of PM enhanced enzymatic activities by decreasing the labile fraction of Pb in the soil. Incorporation of PM improved the soil enzymatic activities as alkaline phosphatase activity > DHA > acid phosphatase activity in the study. This study suggested that the addition of 10 g/kg PM reduced Pb toxicity (contamination level 300 mg/kg) and improved the soil microbial properties in black soil. These findings are very useful for the remediation of Pb contaminated soil with the help of PM, particularly in peri-urban Pb effluent irrigated areas.

Can Application of Pressmud Mediated Plant Nutrient Dynamics Under Lead Contaminated Soils of Indian Vertisol?

Long- term application of marginal quality water accumulated significant amount of pollutant into the soil. It reduces soil health parameters, and crop yield and their quality. In this regards, graded application of pressmud (PM), i.e. 0, 2.5, 5 and 10 g/kg was applied on lead (Pb) contamination level (0, 100, 150, 300 mg/kg) and evaluated interaction effect on plant nutrients uptake by spinach. Analytical data showed that increasing the PM levels enhanced the macro (phosphorus, potassium, sulphur) and micro-nutrient (zinc, copper, manganese, iron) concentration into the soil. Whereas, increasing the level of Pb significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced the P, K and S nutrient concentration and uptake pattern by spinach crop. Increasing PM levels (control to 10 g/kg soil) improved P, K and S by 46.99, 98.96 and 76.79%, respectively in soil. This study is useful to formulate management strategies for minimizing Pb contamination in the food chain by the application of PM mostly in peri-urban areas.

Pressmud overcome lead toxicity by improving spinach biomass in lead-contaminated soils.

Lead (Pb) pollution is a severe problem that primarily affects food chain in developing countries. Continuous use of Pb containing effluent for growing food crops builds up measurable concentration of Pb in soils; and adversely affects the soil properties and crop produce quality. To reduce the Pb metal toxicity in contaminated soil, a pot experiment was conducted with graded doses of pressmud (PM) (0, 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 g/kg) and Pb (0, 100, 150, and 300 mg/kg soil). Various metal dynamics parameters were computed after spinach crop was harvested. Result showed that higher doses of Pb (300 mg/kg) diminished the spinach root and shoot biomass during the study; whereas, application of PM improved the spinach biomass. However, increasing the pressmud reduced the Pb concentration in shoot from 6.16, 5.99, 4.94, and 3.39 µg/g. Maximum reduction was measured in highest PM applied treatment in shoot (44.92%) and root (57.33%). In this experiment, increasing level of Pb significantly uptake was recorded with higher application rate of Pb (150 and 300 mg/kg). However, elevated doses of PM from control initially enhanced the small chunk of Pb and drastically reduced the shoot Pb uptake (0.060 to 0.049 mg/pot) in maximum level of PM applied treatment. This study is very useful to improve the soil health by immobilizing the labile fraction of Pb by addition of PM in Pb-contaminated soils.

Immobilization of chromium bioavailability through application of organic waste to Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) under chromium-contaminated Indian soils.

Industrialization results in production of large volume of wastewaters, and disposing of them become a serious problem. The wastewaters may have range of heavy metals, which have an impact on soil and plant health. The objective was to evaluate the influence of farm yard manure (FYM) and pressmud (PM) applications on Indian mustard growth and chromium (Cr) uptake in tannery effluent irrigated Cr-contaminated soil. Soil was collected from the tannery effluent irrigated fields (chromium contaminated) of Shekhpura village of Kanpur, India. A pot culture experiment was carried out by growing Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) var. RH 749 on the Cr-contaminated soil with application of different levels and combinations of FYM and PM (at 0, 2.5, and 5 g kg-1 each). Biomass yield, Cr uptake, bioconcentration factor (BCF), transfer factor (TF), transfer efficiency (TE), and Cr removal indices were examined. Higher doses of FYM and PM resulted in reduction of Cr concentrations in shoot (6.60 to 2.50 µg g-1) and root (27.27 to 9.43 µg g-1); and absorption in plant tissues and had improved total dry matter yield (14.56 to 30.94 g pot-1). The use of FYM and PM had a substantial (p ≤ 0.05) impact on phytoremediation parameters like BCF (0.128 to 0.045), TE (59.61 to 64.51%), and Cr removal (0.65 to 0.51%). Combined application of FYM (5 g kg-1) and PM (5 g kg-1) had enhanced the dry matter yield of shoot (12.51 to 26.40 g pot-1) and root (2.05 to 4.54 g pot-1) and reduced the Cr uptake (138.54 to 108.79 mg pot-1) than the individual amendment addition of FYM (138.52 to 135.89 mg pot-1) and PM (126.02 to 130.52 mg pot-1). Combined application of FYM (5 g kg-1) and PM (5 g kg-1) could be beneficial for remediation of Cr-contaminated areas for cultivation of crops.

Antibodies Against Unusual Forms of Sialylated Glycans.

Previous studies have shown that in the blood of healthy donors (1) there are no natural antibodies against sialylated glycoproteins, which contain Neu5Acα (N-acetylneuraminic acid) as the most widespread form of human sialic acid, and (2) there is a moderate level of antibodies capable of binding unnatural oligosaccharides, where Neu5Ac is beta-linked to a typical mammalian glycan core. In the present study, we investigated antibodies against ßNeu5Ac in more detail and verified the presence of Kdn (2-keto-3-deoxy- D-glycero-D-galacto-nonulosonic acid) as a possible cause behind their appearance in humans, taking into account the expected cross-reactivity to Kdn glycans, which are found in bacterial glycoconjugates in both the α- and ß-forms. We observed the binding of peripheral blood immunoglobulins to sialyllactosamines (where "sialyl" is Kdn or neuraminic acid) in only a very limited number of donors, while the binding to monosaccharide Kdn occurred in all samples, regardless of the configuration of the glycosidic bond of the Kdn moiety. In some individuals, the binding level of some of the immunoglobulins was high. This means that bacterial Kdn glycoconjugates are very unlikely to induce antibodies to ßNeu5Ac glycans in humans. To determine the reason for the presence of these antibodies, we focused on noninfectious pathologies, as well as on a normal state in which a significant change in the immune system occurs: namely, pregnancy. As a result, we found that 2/3 of pregnant women have IgM in the blood against Neu5Acß2-3Galß1-4GlcNAcß. Moreover, IgG class antibodies against Neu5Acß2-3Galß1-4GlcNAcß and Neu5Acß2-6Galß1-4GlcNAcß were also detected in eluates from the placenta. Presumably, these antibodies block fetal antigens.

Reuse of poor-quality water for sustainable crop production in the changing scenario of climate.

The availability of freshwater is limited for agriculture systems across the globe. A fast-growing population demands need to enhance the food grain production from a limited natural resources. Therefore, researchers and policymakers have been emphasized on the production potential of agricultural crops in a sustainable manner. On the challenging side, freshwater bodies are shrinking with the pace of time further limiting crop production. Poor-quality water may be a good alternative for fresh water in water scarce areas. It should not contain toxic pollutants beyond certain critical levels. Unfortunately, such critical limits for different pollutants as well as permissible quality parameters for different wastewater types are lacking or poorly addressed. Marginal quality water and industrial effluent used in crop production should be treated prior to application in crop field. Hence, safe reuse of wastewater for cultivation of food material is necessary to fulfil the demands of growing population across the globe in the changing scenario of climate.

Reducing chromium uptake through application of calcium and sodium in spinach.

In peri-urban areas, the use of wastewater for crop production is a common practice due to water scarcity. Moreover, in the recent years, large quantity of wastewater generation and discharge as industrial effluent in water resources is another issue for reduction of water quality. The leather industries are significantly contributing chromium (Cr) in effluent, whereas, other industries may have salt and cationic load in their discharges are mixed up. Therefore, it is mandatory to study the interactive effect of different effluent constituents on crop plants. In this connection, a pot culture experiment was conducted at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal to compute the effect of application of calcium (Ca) and sodium (Na) ions on Cr uptake by spinach crop in Vertisol of central India. Three levels of Cr (0, 50, 100 mg kg-1), calcium (0, 2, 4 mM), and sodium (0, 40, 80 mM) were applied in combinations. The spinach variety All Green was used as a test crop and harvested at full maturity. Results showed that application of Ca and Na reduced the Cr uptake in spinach crop. The reduction of Cr uptake was more in the root than shoot. Applied calcium acted as an essential plant nutrient and enhanced the crop biomass. Sole applications of Na adversely affected the crop biomass and Cr uptake in both root and shoot of spinach. In conclusion, application of Ca fertilizers reduced the Cr toxicity in spinach and could be used as a strategy for the safe utilization of tannery industrial effluents for crop production.

Chromium toxicity mediated by application of chloride and sulfate ions in Vertisol of Central India.

Chromium (Cr) is one of the toxic metals adversely affecting organisms including humans in the ecosystems, and it is present in considerable concentration in the tannery industrial effluent. Toxicity expression of Cr is suspected to be influenced considerably by other accompanying ions present in the effluent used for irrigation. In a screen house experiment, interactive effects of chloride and sulfate ions in a Vertisol on uptake of Cr by spinach crop were investigated and treatments imposed were three levels each of Cr (0, 50, 100 mg kg-1), chloride (Cl-) (0, 25, 50 mM kg-1), and sulfur (S) (0, 4, 8 mM kg-1) in possible combinations. Plant growth parameters and leaf Cr concentrations were recorded to find out the effect of anions on Cr dynamics in the plant. Increasing the concentration of Cl- ions in soil reduced the Cr concentration in both root and shoot. Similarly, increasing the concentration of S from 4 to 8 mM kg-1 also reduced the concentration and uptake of Cr. Application of sulfate ions augmented the plant growth and counters the negative effect of Cl- ions and Cr. Thus, the study revealed that the addition of S fertilizers could minimize the Cr toxicity in high Cr contaminated soils.

Impact of Long-Term Application of Sewage on Soil and Crop Quality in Vertisols of Central India.

Shortfall of rain and the decreased groundwater level force farmers to use poor quality water for crop production in developing countries. In this study, the quality of agricultural produce and soil health affected by sewage water (Patranala) irrigation was evaluated. Sewage sediment, soil and crop samples were analyzed for physico-chemical properties. Sewage water found to contain trace concentration of heavy metals. However, long-term application of this water for crop production could build up a significant amount of trace metals in both soil and sediments. The DTPA extractable heavy metals ranged Cu 2.7-7.59, Cd 0.04-0.06, Pb 1.29-2.05, Cr 0.01-0.04, Ni 0.24-1.03 and Zn 0.63-2.59 mg kg-1 soil. The heavy metal risk assessment (hazard quotient, HQ) was calculated and found that HQ for these metals in the crops under study was in safe limits. From the study, it is concluded that growing vegetables using sewage water of Patranala is safe, but periodic monitoring to be carried out to avoid food chain contamination.

Skills-Building Programs to Reduce Child Marriage in Bangladesh: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: Child marriage is the norm in Bangladesh, leading to lifelong negative consequences. Evidence on sustainable child marriage programs is scant. Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of three community-based skills-building programs to delay child marriage among adolescent girls in rural Bangladesh. METHODS: The study used a cluster randomized controlled trial design with four arms-ARM1 offered educational support, ARM2 promoted gender rights awareness, ARM3 offered livelihoods training, and ARM4 was a control area. All adolescent girls were offered 144 hours of skills training in village centers over 18 months. Among 11,609 baseline survey respondents, 91% were successfully included in the endline analysis. Program impact was assessed using discrete time hazard models. RESULTS: The program reduced child marriages (<18) significantly in all arms relative to control-(adjusted hazard ratio [AHR]: .75; 95% confidence interval [CI]: .60-.92) for the education arm, (AHR: .72; 95% CI: .59-.88) for the gender arm, and (AHR: .70; 95% CI: .56-.87) for the livelihoods arm. Program participants were younger and more likely to be in school and faced lower risk of marriage relative to nonparticipants. In the gender and livelihoods arm, nonparticipants had lower risk of child marriage relative to the control group significant at the 10% level. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates it is possible to reduce the prevalence of child marriage in a relatively short period of time by working with communities to implement holistic programs to build skills among girls. The program had similarly large impact and did not depend on the type of skills offered.

Fatty acid synthase as a potential therapeutic target in feline oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is an aggressive and treatment-resistant malignancy in both feline and human patients. Recent work has demonstrated aberrant expression of fatty acid synthase (FASN) and an increased capacity for lipogenesis in human OSCC and other cancers. In human OSCC, inhibition of FASN decreased cell viability and growth in vitro, and diminished tumour growth and metastasis in murine preclinical models. This study aimed to characterize FASN as a therapeutic target in feline OSCC. Immunohistochemistry revealed high FASN expression in primary feline OSCC tumours, and FASN expression was detected in OSCC cell lines (3 feline and 3 human) by immunoblotting and quantitative real-time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Orlistat, a FASN inhibitor, substantially reduced cell viability in both feline and human OSCC lines, although feline cell lines consistently displayed higher sensitivity to the drug. FASN mRNA expression among cell lines mirrored sensitivity to orlistat, with feline cell lines expressing higher levels of FASN. Consistent with this observation, diminished sensitivity to orlistat treatment and decreased FASN mRNA expression were observed in feline OSCC cells following incubation under hypoxic conditions. Treatment with orlistat did not potentiate sensitivity to carboplatin in the cell lines investigated; instead, combinations of the 2 drugs resulted in additive to antagonistic effects. Our results suggest that FASN inhibition is a viable therapeutic target for feline OSCC. Furthermore, cats may serve as a spontaneous large animal model for human oral cancer, although differences in the regulation of lipogenesis between these 2 species require further investigation.

Patterns and predictors of undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension: observations from a poor-resource setting.

Early detection is the cornerstone of hypertension management; still majority remains undetected until complications arise, especially in poor-resource settings. Paucity of information regarding undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension in eastern India thus called for a detailed investigation involving a representative sample of adults in Malda, one of the poorest districts in the region. In a cross-sectional study, between October 2013 and July 2014, using multistage random sampling with probability-proportional-to-size, 18 028 consenting adults were interviewed. Diagnosed cases were defined as uncontrolled if they still had hypertensive level of blood pressure (according to JNC-VIII criteria) while those detected during this study were defined as undiagnosed. Descriptive and regression analyses were performed using SAS version 9.3.2. Among 18 028 participants, 4695 (26.04% (95% confidence intervals: 95% CI=25.40-26.68)) had hypertension, of which 3937 (83.86% (82.80-84.91)) were undiagnosed and 548 (72.30 (69.10-75.49)) had uncontrolled hypertension. Relatively older subjects (adjusted Odds ratio (aOR)41-60 years=0.34 (95% CI=0.26-0.43) and aOR>60 years=0.29 (0.21-0.38)), who were divorced/separated/widowed/widower (aOR=0.76 (0.61-0.95)), had higher education (aOR=0.61 (0.43-0.88)), better socio-economic status (SES) (aORMiddle=0.77 (0.60-0.99) and aORUpper=0.64 (0.48-0.85)) and urban residence (aOR=0.44 (0.36-0.55)) were less likely while subjects who belonged to backward castes (aOR=1.37 (1.15-1.64)) were more likely to have undiagnosed hypertension. Odds of having uncontrolled hypertension were higher among participants aged >60 years (aOR=2.25 (1.27-3.99)). Burden of hypertension (diagnosed and undiagnosed) was high in Malda district of West Bengal. Significant predictors of undiagnosed hypertension were young age, backward caste, poor education and lower SES, while older subjects had poor control. Thus, appropriate surveillance targeting these at-risk groups might be effective in controlling hypertension in similar poor-resource settings.

Geo-Accumulation Indices of Heavy Metals in Soil and Groundwater of Kanpur, India Under Long Term Irrigation of Tannery Effluent.

Soil and groundwater from long-term (>50 years) tannery effluent irrigated areas of Kanpur were analyzed and significant buildup of heavy metals such as Cr, Ni, Cd, Pb, Zn, and As in the range of 252-972, 23-30, 2.3-14.1, 23.7-58.8, 138-338 and 6.8-11 mg kg-1, respectively in soil was found. Few groundwater samples in the effluent irrigated areas also exhibited high Cr concentration above the permissible limit of United States Environmental Protection Agency. The tannery effluents contained 1.53-57.3 ppm Cr, 0-0.12 ppm Ni, 0-0.02 ppm Cd, 0-0.07 ppm Pb, 0-0.48 ppm Zn and 0-0.03 ppm As. The Geo-accumulation index (Igeo) revealed that soil samples were unpolluted to moderately polluted with Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb and As; moderately polluted in case of Cd; and heavily to extremely polluted by Cr.

Comparison of Success of Clomiphene citrate and Letrozole in Ovulation Induction.

The study was carried out to evaluate which drug is better in ovulation induction between clomiphene citrate and letrozole. The study was carried out in the infertility unit of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka and Centre for Assisted Reproduction (CARE) at Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders (BIRDEM), Dhaka from January 2007 to December 2007. One hundred and sixty five cases were taken for the study. It was a prospective interventional comparative study of clomiphene citrate and letrozole in infertile cases. The patients were divided into three groups. Group I--newly detected cases of sub fertility studied with clomiphene citrate. Group II--clomiphene citrate resistant cases studied with letrozole, Group III--newly detected cases of sub fertility studied with letrozole. The cases were followed up for outcome; (ovulation). The TVS was done on 12th or 13th day of menstruation and level of serum progesterone on 21st day of menstrual cycle to see the evidence of ovulation. Endometrial thickness was also measured. The data was collected on a predesigned questionnaire. The variables that influenced the study were-age, occupation, socioeconomic status, menstrual cycle, marital age, parity, history of MR, history of abortion, past medical and surgical history. In the current study it was observed that the signs of ovulation were significantly (p<0.05) higher in Group I treated with clomiphene citrate in comparison to Group II clomiphene citrate resistant cases treated with letrozole. The rate of ovulation was higher in Group I than that of Group III treated with letrozole, but the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The signs of ovulation were present in 45(81.8%) cases in Group I, 33(60.0%) cases in Group II and 37(67.3%) cases in Group III. This findings of the study suggested that clomiphene citrate is higher successful than letrozole though not statistically significant. Letrozole can be preferred in clomiphene citrate resistant cases before starting other expensive therapies.

Impact of pigeon pea biochar on cadmium mobility in soil and transfer rate to leafy vegetable spinach.

Introduction of heavy metals in the environment by various anthropogenic activities has become a potential treat to life. Among the heavy metals, cadmium (Cd) shows relatively high soil mobility and has high phyto-mammalian toxicity. Integration of soil remediation and ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration in soils through organic amendments, may provide an attractive land management option for contaminated sites. The application of biochar in agriculture has recently received much attention globally due to its associated multiple benefits, particularly, long-term carbon storage in soil. However, the application of biochar from softwood crop residue for heavy metal immobilization, as an alternative to direct field application, has not received much attention. Hence, a pot experiment was conducted to study the effect of pigeon pea biochar on cadmium mobility in a soil-plant system in cadmium-spiked sandy loam soil. The biochar was prepared from pigeon pea stalk through a slow pyrolysis method at 300 °C. The experiment was designed with three levels of Cd (0, 5, and 10 mg Cd kg(-1) soil) and three levels of biochar (0, 2.5, and 5 g kg(-1) soil) using spinach as a test crop. The results indicate that with increasing levels of applied cadmium at 5 and 10 mg kg(-1) soil, the dry matter yield (DMY) of spinach leaf decreased by 9.84 and 18.29 %, respectively. However, application of biochar (at 2.5 and 5 g kg(-1) soil) significantly increased the dry matter yield of spinach leaf by 5.07 and 15.02 %, respectively, and root by 14.0 and 24.0 %, respectively, over the control. Organic carbon content in the post-harvest soil increased to 34.9 and 60.5 % due to the application of biochar 2.5 and 5 g kg(-1) soil, respectively. Further, there was a reduction in the diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable cadmium in the soil and in transfer coefficient values (soil to plant), as well as its concentrations in spinach leaf and root, indicating that cadmium mobility was decreased due to biochar application. This study shows that pigeon pea biochar has the potential to increase spinach yield and reduce cadmium mobility in contaminated sandy soil.

Tumour, Oxidative Stress and Host T Cell Response: Cementing the Dominance.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals are produced intrinsically during normal cellular metabolic processes or extrinsically due to ionizing radiations, UV rays, xenobiotic insult, etc. ROS are important signal mediators and are used by the immune system to destroy pathogens, but as these are highly reactive, they also have the capacity to cause DNA damage and alter protein and lipid components of a cell. As a result, cells have evolved a tight regulation of internal redox environment that involves a balanced interplay between free radicals produced and quenched by cellular antioxidants and enzyme systems. Any deregulation of this subtle balance can result in oxidative stress that can lead to various pathological conditions including cancer. Oxidative stress can be a cause of neoplasia, or it can be induced by a growing tumour itself. The link existing between oxidative stress and inflammation is also very strong. Suppressed cellular immune system, especially effector T cell system, is a characteristic of tumour-bearing host. Both the direct oxidative stress caused by tumour cell(s) and oxidative stress mediators present in tumour microenvironment play a significant role in the suppression of effector T cell function and induction of T cell death. This review discusses in detail the complex interplay between tumour-stroma-immune system in the light of oxidative stress that dominates every phase of cancer including initiation, progression and establishment. This review also addresses in detail the mechanisms of oxidative stress-induced T cell dysfunction in tumour-bearing host and also briefly points out the possible therapeutic interventions.

Understanding cancer development processes after HZE-particle exposure: roles of ROS, DNA damage repair and inflammation.

During space travel astronauts are exposed to a variety of radiations, including galactic cosmic rays composed of high-energy protons and high-energy charged (HZE) nuclei, and solar particle events containing low- to medium-energy protons. Risks from these exposures include carcinogenesis, central nervous system damage and degenerative tissue effects. Currently, career radiation limits are based on estimates of fatal cancer risks calculated using a model that incorporates human epidemiological data from exposed populations, estimates of relative biological effectiveness and dose-response data from relevant mammalian experimental models. A major goal of space radiation risk assessment is to link mechanistic data from biological studies at NASA Space Radiation Laboratory and other particle accelerators with risk models. Early phenotypes of HZE exposure, such as the induction of reactive oxygen species, DNA damage signaling and inflammation, are sensitive to HZE damage complexity. This review summarizes our current understanding of critical areas within the DNA damage and oxidative stress arena and provides insight into their mechanistic interdependence and their usefulness in accurately modeling cancer and other risks in astronauts exposed to space radiation. Our ultimate goals are to examine potential links and crosstalk between early response modules activated by charged particle exposure, to identify critical areas that require further research and to use these data to reduced uncertainties in modeling cancer risk for astronauts. A clearer understanding of the links between early mechanistic aspects of high-LET response and later surrogate cancer end points could reveal key nodes that can be therapeutically targeted to mitigate the health effects from charged particle exposures.

Value addition of Palmyra palm and studies on the storage life.

Palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer L.) belonging to the family Palmae is referred to as tree of life with several uses including food, beverage, fibre, medicinal and timber. Unfortunately, the nutritionally enriched pulp of ripened palm has limited commercial use. Extraction of pulp has been accomplished by using water and heat to ensure maximum pulp recovery. Different recipes were tried for the preparation of two uncommon value added products like palm spread and palm toffee. On the basis of biochemical composition, organoleptic scores, microbial estimation and storage study both under ambient and refrigerated conditions; the suitable recipe was selected with the maximum acceptability. Gradual increase in total soluble solid (TSS), total sugar and reducing sugar while decrease in ascorbic acid, pH, ß-carotene and protein content of processed products have been observed irrespective of storage condition. The results obtained from sensory evaluation and microbial status revealed that palm spread and toffee remained acceptable up to 9 months and 8 months, respectively at ambient temperature. The income per rupee investment for these two products was found to be remunerative.

Impact of different types of polluted irrigation water on soil fertility and wheat grain yield in clayey black soils of central India.

This study was carried out in three different cities of western Madhya Pradesh (India) to investigate the effects of long-term irrigation with industrial waste water (IWW), contaminated groundwater (CGW), and untreated municipal sewage water (USW) on soil fertility as well as on wheat crop yield. Irrigation with these three types of polluted water increased organic matter content as well as contents of available P (with IWW and USW only), available K, available S, available Zn, available Cu (IWW only), and available Mn (IWW and CGW only). The magnitude of improvement in soil fertility status was the highest in the case of USW, followed by IWW and finally, by CGW. Concentrations of Na in wheat leaf tissue increased by 198 and 58% whereas concentrations of Ca decreased significantly by 16 and 13% due to the use of IWW and CGW, respectively, resulting in poor Ca nutrition to the crop. Although wheat grain yield increased considerably due to USW, the same recorded significant decreases with IWW and CGW. In spite of the enhancement in the available nutrient status, decrease in wheat grain yield with the use of IWW and CGW could be due to the build-up of salts in the soil and an imbalance in the Na/Ca ratio in wheat crops irrigated with IWW and CGW. The adverse effect on wheat productivity was more pronounced with IWW as compared to CGW.

Effect of methods of preparation on distribution of heavy metals in different size fractions of municipal solid waste composts.

The present study compares the distribution and nature of heavy metals in composts from 12 cities of India, prepared from different types of processed urban solid wastes, namely mixed wastes (MWC), partially segregated wastes (PSWC), and segregated bio-wastes (BWC). Compost samples were physically fractionated by wet sieving, followed by extraction of heavy metals by dilute HCl and NaOH. Bigger particles (>0.5 mm) constituted the major fraction in all three types of composts and had a relatively lower concentration of organic matter and heavy metals, the effect being more pronounced in MWC and PSWC in which a significant portion of the heavy metals was distributed in finer size fractions. Cd, Ni, Pb, and Zn were extracted to a greater extent by acid than by alkali, the difference being greater in MWC, which contained a higher amount of mineral matter. In contrast, Cu and Cr were extracted to a greater extent by dilute alkali, particularly from BWC containing a higher amount of organic matter. Water-soluble heavy metals were generally related to the water-soluble C or total C content as well as to pH, rather than to their total contents. This study concludes that wet sieving with dilute acid can effectively reduce heavy metal load in MWC and PSWC.