RÉSUMÉ
Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of different integrated crop management (ICM) practices on productivity, resource-use efficiency and energetics of pigeonpea crop so as to overcome various production- and climatic-vulnerabilities in Indo-Gangetic Plains Region (IGPR). Methodology: A study was conducted during Kharif 2017 in pigeonpea under pigeonpea–wheat cropping system at IARI, New Delhi, India to assess the influence of nine different ICM modules [Conventional tillage (CT) based: 04 (ICM1–ICM4); Conservation agriculture (CA) based: 04 (ICM5–ICM8); Organic agriculture based: 01 (ICM9)] on productivity, PAR interception, resource-use-efficiency and energetics in pigeonpea in randomized block design replicated thrice. Results: Pigeonpea seed yield was significantly higher in ICM7 (1.92 t ha-1) – a CA-based ICM module which was followed by ICM5, ICM8 and ICM6. In general, the CA based ICM modules showed an edge over CT based ICM modules with reference to growth, yield and PAR interception. The resource-use-efficiency indices like total water-use-efficiency (TWUE), irrigation water-use-efficiency (IWUE), economic water-productivity (WPE), partial factor productivity of applied nutrients (NPK) also exhibited same trend as that of seed yield with highest TWUE (2.96 kg ha-mm–1) and WPE (104.5 INR ha-mm–1) in ICM7 module. The energy output was highest in ICM7 (2, 23, 664 MJ ha-1) followed by ICM5, ICM8 and ICM6. The trend of energy-use-efficiency was ICM4>ICM2>ICM1>ICM3>ICM5>ICM7>ICM6>ICM8>ICM9, respectively. Interpretation: Conservation agriculture (CA) based modules like ICM7 can be recommended to the farmers for enhancing the plant growth, PAR interception, crop productivity, resource-use efficiency and energetics in pigeonpea alone or on pigeonpea-wheat cropping system basis in semi-arid Indo-Gangetic plains region (IGPR).
RÉSUMÉ
Precise evaluation of lymph node status is one of the most important factors in determining clinical outcome in treating gastro-intestinal [GI] cancer. Sentinel lymph node [SLN] mapping clearly has become highly feasible and accurate in staging GI cancer. This study aims to investigate the feasibility and accuracy of detection of SLN using methylene blue dye in patients with carcinoma of the esophagus and assess its potential role in determining the rational extent of lymphadenectomy in esophageal cancer surgery. Thirty-two patients of esophageal cancer diagnosed on endoscopic biopsy were enrolled in this prospective study. After laparotomy, patent methylene blue was injected into the subserosal layer adjacent to the tumor. SLNs were defined as blue stained nodes within a period of 5 min. Standard radical esophagogastrectomy with lymphadenectomy was performed in all the patients. All the resected nodes were examined postoperatively by routine hematoxylin and eosin stain for elucidating the presence of metastasis, and the negative SLNs were examined further with cytokeratin immunohistochemical staining. SLNs were detected in 26 [81.25%] patients out of 32 patients who were studied. The number of SLNs ranged from 1 to 4 with a mean value of 1.7 per case. The SLNs of esophageal cancer were only found in N1 area in 21 [80.77%] cases, and in N2 or N3 area in only 19.33%. The overall accuracy of the procedure was 75% in predicting nodal metastasis. SLN had a sensitivity of 85.7% in the case of squamous cell carcinoma and 92.86% in the cases of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. The accuracy of the procedure for squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma was 60% and 76.47%, respectively. SLN mapping is an accurate diagnostic procedure for detecting lymph node metastasis in patients with esophageal cancer and may indicate rational extent of lymphadenectomy in these patients. SLN mapping provides [right nodes] to the pathologists for detailed analysis and appropriate staging, thereby helping in individualizing the multi-modal treatment for esophageal cancer