ABSTRACT
Background: The sustainability of paddy production systems in South Asia has recently been affected by a decline in soil health and excessive water usage. As a response to the global energy crisis, escalating costs of synthetic fertilisers, and growing environmental concerns, the utilization of organic plant-nutrient sources has gained considerable attention. Emerging adaptation technologies, including conservation tillage and innovative approaches to fertilizer management, present practical choices that can significantly contribute to the long-term preservation of soil fertility. Methods: The two year-long field experiment was completed in sandy loam soil during rainy (Kharif) seasons in 2019 and 2020 at the crop research centre farm of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agricultural & Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh to analyze the impacts of different tillage establishment of the crop and its methodologies as well as integrated nutritional management approaches on rice growth, yield, productivity of water, nutrient uptake, and fertility status of soil under a rice-wheat rotation system. The experiment was set up in a factorial randomized block design and replicated three times in a semi-arid subtropical environment. Results: The conventionally transplanted rice puddled (CT-TPR) grew substantially better taller plants, and higher dry matter buildup leads to increased yields than transplanted rice under raised wide bed (WBed-TPR). WBed-TPR plots had more tillers, LAI, CGR, RGR, and yield characteristics of the rice in two year study. CT-TPR increased grain yield by 4.39 and 4.03% over WBed-TPR in 2019 and 2020, while WBed-TPR produced the highest water productivity (0.44 kg m-3) than CT-TPR, respectively. The 100% RDF+ ZnSO4 25 kg ha-1 + FYM (5 t ha-1) + PSB (5 kg ha-1) + Azotobacter 20 kg ha-1 (N6) treatment outperformed the other fertiliser management practices in terms of crop growth parameters, yields of grain (4,903 and 5,018 kg ha-1), nutrient uptake and NPK availability, organic soil carbon. Among the fertilizer management practices, with the direct applications of the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), farm yard manure (FYM), phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB), Azatobactor and zinc worked synergistically and increased grain yields by 53.4, 51.3, 47.9 and 46.2% over their respective control treatment. Conclusions: To enhance rice productivity and promote soil health, the study suggests that adopting conservation tillage-based establishment practices and implementing effective fertilizer management techniques could serve as practical alternatives. It is concluded that the rice yield was improved by the inclusive use of inorganic fertiliser and organic manure (FYM). Additionally, the study observed that the combination of conventional puddled transplanted rice (CT-TPR) and N6 nitrogen application resulted in enhanced rice crop productivity and improved soil health.
Subject(s)
Oryza , Soil , Fertilizers/analysis , Agriculture/methods , Triticum , Manure , Crops, Agricultural , Edible Grain/chemistry , PhosphatesABSTRACT
Heat stress has been reported to affect the immunity of dairy cows. However, the mechanisms through which this occurs are not fully understood. Two breeds of dairy cow, Holstein and Jersey, have distinct characteristics, including productivity, heat resistance, and disease in high-temperature environments. The objective of this study is to understand the dynamics of the immune response of two breeds of dairy cow to environmental change. Ribonucleic acid sequencing (RNA-seq) results were analyzed to characterize the gene expression change of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in Holstein and Jersey cows between moderate temperature-humidity index (THI) and high THI environmental conditions. Many of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified are associated with critical immunological functions, particularly phagocytosis, chemokines, and cytokine response. Among the DEGs, CXCL3 and IL1A were the top down-regulated genes in both breeds of dairy cow, and many DEGs were related to antimicrobial immunity. Functional analysis revealed that cytokine and chemokine response-associated pathways in both Holstein and Jersey PBMCs were the most important pathways affected by the THI environmental condition. However, there were also breed-specific genes and pathways that altered according to THI environmental condition. Collectively, there were both common and breed-specific altered genes and pathways in Holstein and Jersey cows. The findings of this study expand our understanding of the dynamics of immunity in different breeds of dairy cow between moderate THI and high THI environmental conditions.
ABSTRACT
Scoparia dulcis Linn. (SD) is a perennial herb that has been well studied for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and hepatoprotective effects. However, scientific information on SD regarding the neuropharmacological effect is limited. This study evaluated the sedative and hypnotic effect of the ethanolic extract of whole plants of Scoparia dulcis (EESD). For this purpose, the whole plants of S. dulcis were extracted with ethanol following maceration process and tested for the presence of phytochemical constituents. The sedative and hypnotic activity were then investigated using hole cross, open field, hole-board, rota-rod, and thiopental sodium-induced sleeping time determination tests in mice at the doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg of EESD. Diazepam at the dose of 1 mg/kg was used as a reference drug in all the experiments. We found that EESD produced a significant dose-dependent inhibition of locomotor activity of mice both in hole cross and open field tests (P < 0.05). Besides, it also decreased rota-rod performances and the number of head dips in hole-board test. Furthermore, EESD significantly decreased the induction time to sleep and prolonged the duration of sleeping, induced by thiopental sodium. Taken together, our study suggests that EESD may possess sedative principles with potent hypnotic properties.
