In order to utilize agricultural soils as an option to offset atmospheric carbon, it is essential... more In order to utilize agricultural soils as an option to offset atmospheric carbon, it is essential to ascertain the degree of stability of the accrued carbon. A two step acid hydrolysis technique was used to separate labile and recalcitrant carbon pools in soil upto 30 cm depth to analyze their responses to different tillage managements after eight years of continuous practice in a sub-humid tropical rice-wheat system of Indo-Gangetic plains. There were four tillage practices; tillage before sowing/transplantation of every crop (RCT-WCT), tillage before transplanting of rice but no tillage before sowing the succeeding wheat crop (RCT-WNT), tillage before sowing of wheat but no tillage before sowing of rice (RNT-WCT), and no tillage before sowing of rice as well as wheat (RNT-WNT). It was observed that reduction in tillage frequency enhanced the total and recalcitrant carbon contents in soil with the maximum rate of sequestration recorded under RNT-WNT (0.59 tC ha À1 yr À1). The fraction of carbon translated into recalcitrant pool was constant under all the tillage combinations indicating that carbon stabilization was dependent predominantly on organic matter input in the rice-wheat system. Conventional tillage on the other hand caused loss of carbon from the soil as observed by reduction in total soil carbon content under RCT-WCT. Reduction in recalcitrant carbon content under RCT-WCT further indicated that acid hydrolysis might not represent long term carbon accumulation reliably. Concentration of phenolics in labile pool increased under RNT-WNT, RCT-WNT and RNT-WCT practices which also had higher total and recalcitrant carbon pools. This indicated towards contribution of phenolics in carbon stabilization in the soil. Results of the present study further suggested that adoption of no till agriculture in the region offers significant carbon sequestration opportunity under proper agricultural management. 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Abstract Application of a commercial formulation of the herbicide butachlor (N-butoxymethyl-2-chl... more Abstract Application of a commercial formulation of the herbicide butachlor (N-butoxymethyl-2-chloro-2′, 6′-diethyl acetanilide) at 1 kg ai ha1 to an alluvial soil planted with direct-seeded flooded rice (cv. Annada), significantly inhibited both crop-mediated emission and ...
World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology, 1998
Biological sources of nutrients are gaining importance over the chemical and organic sources from... more Biological sources of nutrients are gaining importance over the chemical and organic sources from the standpoint of environmental safety and quality, and sustainable agriculture. The nutrient input for a growing rice crop can largely be met by promoting the activities of physiologically diverse microorganisms in the aerobic, anaerobic and interface zones in the ecologically important flooded soils. Associative bacteria contribute
The influence of pesticides applied either singly or in combination on soil nitrogenase and nitro... more The influence of pesticides applied either singly or in combination on soil nitrogenase and nitrogen-fixing microorganisms was investigated. Carbaryl, an insecticide commonly used in rice, had almost no effect on nitrogenase under submerged conditions while activity was stimulated even at I0 pg g-l under non-flooded conditions. Application of the herbicide butachlor or the insecticide carbofuran (at 2 pg g-]) reduced the population of Azospirillum and anaerobic nitrogen fixers in a non-flooded alluvial soil. In contrast, butachlor stimulated the population of anaerobic nitrogen fixers in an acid sulphate saline Pokkali soil under a similar water regime. Further, an increased level of carbofuran (4 pg g-I) stimulated the population of Azospirillum and anaerobic nitrogen fixers in both the soils. This stimulatory effect occurred, though not to the same extent, in the presence of butachlor which, when applied alone, inhibited the population of Azospirillum and anaerobic nitrogen fixers in alluvial soil. In Pokkali soil the combination of carbofuran and butachlor inhibited the population of Azospirillum, while carbofuran alone at 4 pg g-' was stimulatory. These results suggest that under tropical conditions the effects of pesticides on nitrogen fixation and nitrogen-fixing populations depend upon pesticide concentration, water regime and soil type.
India needs to secure its energy requirement and ensure the food security of its burgeoning popul... more India needs to secure its energy requirement and ensure the food security of its burgeoning population while scaling the development ladder. For meeting these demands, fossil-fuel combustion for power generation and transportation, application of nitrogen-based fertilizers, and burning of crop residues to quickly clear the fields and begin with the next cycle of cropping are practiced. All these practices lead to emissions of reactive nitrogen (Nr) which has deleterious effects on human as well as ecosystem health and also on built structure. To contain the emissions several policies are onboard, but more needs to be done at a much faster pace. This chapter reviews the growth of various sectors that are driving the Nr emissions, preliminary estimates NO x and N 2 O emissions from the same, and reviews the mitigation strategies that are prevalent and can be potentially applied to reduce the emissions. Further, it also attempts to quantify the extent of emission reduction that is poss...
Methane leads to global warming. • Rice fields represent the major source of methane emission. • ... more Methane leads to global warming. • Rice fields represent the major source of methane emission. • Biogenic methane is produced by anaerobic methanogenic archaea. • We summarize the current knowledge on the diversity and activity of methanogens. • Review will contribute to formulating strategies for CH 4 mitigation.
Acinetobacter sp. strain YZS-X1-1 was isolated from freshwater pond sludge in China. Here, we pre... more Acinetobacter sp. strain YZS-X1-1 was isolated from freshwater pond sludge in China. Here, we present the draft genome of strain YZS-X1-1, which consists of 3,278,660 bases, with a G+C content of 42.1%.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 methodologies commonly underpin project-s... more Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 methodologies commonly underpin project-scale carbon accounting for changes in land use and management and are used in frameworks for Life Cycle Assessment and carbon footprinting of food and energy crops. These methodologies were intended for use at large spatial scales. This can introduce error in predictions at finer spatial scales. There is an urgent need for development and implementation of higher tier methodologies that can be applied at fine spatial scales (e.g. farm/project/plantation) for food and bioenergy crop greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting to facilitate decision making in the land-based sectors. Higher tier methods have been defined by IPCC and must be well evaluated and operate across a range of domains (e.g. climate region, soil type, crop type, topography), and must account for land use transitions and management changes being implemented. Furthermore, the data required to calibrate and drive the models used at higher tiers need to be available and applicable at fine spatial resolution, covering the meteorological, soil, cropping system and management domains, with quantified uncertainties. Testing the reliability of the models will require data either from sites with repeated measurements or from chronosequences. We review current global capability for estimating changes in soil carbon at fine spatial scales and present a vision for a framework capable of quantifying land use change and management impacts on soil carbon, which could be used for addressing issues such as bioenergy and biofuel sustainability, food security, forest protection, and direct/indirect impacts of land use change. The aim of this framework is to provide a globally accepted standard of carbon measurement and modelling appropriate for GHG accounting that could be applied at project to national scales (allowing outputs to be scaled up to a country level), to address the impacts of land use and land management change on soil carbon.
Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 2013
ABSTRACT Exudation of organic acids by the roots of three rice cultivars grown in three soils of ... more ABSTRACT Exudation of organic acids by the roots of three rice cultivars grown in three soils of different phosphorus (P) statuses, and their impacts on the rhizospheric P dynamics and P uptake by the rice plants, were investigated. Quantum root exudates from all the rice cultivars were significantly greater at 21 days after transplantation than at panicle initiation or flowering stages. Malic acid was the most predominant organic acid present in the rice root exudates (10.3 to 89.5 μmol plant−1 d−1), followed by tartaric, citric, and acetic acids. Greater exudation of organic acids from rice grown in P-deficient soil by all the rice cultivars suggested response of rice plant to P stress. Results indicate that the release of organic acids in the root exudates of rice plants can extract P from strongly adsorbed soil P fraction, thereby increasing native soil P utilization efficiency and ensuring adequate P nutrition for the growing rice plants.
In view of its impact on tropospheric chemistry and associated climate change, methane has assume... more In view of its impact on tropospheric chemistry and associated climate change, methane has assumed importance in recent years, especially because of its increasing ambient concentration. Rice paddy has been identi®ed as one of the important source of anthropogenic methane. Both soil type and water regime play important roles in the process of methanogenesis and methane emission from rice soils. In view of wide spatial and seasonal variability and the importance of moisture on the process of methane emission, it is pertinent to evaluate the role of soil type and moisture interaction on methane eux from soils planted to rice. In the present study, methane¯ux from two soils planted to rice was monitored in a greenhouse under non-¯ooded and¯ooded conditions.
h i g h l i g h t s < Coastal rice field which is occasionally submerged with saline sea water. <... more h i g h l i g h t s < Coastal rice field which is occasionally submerged with saline sea water. < Organic/green manure application for more than five years. < Seasonal (dry and wet) variation of methane emission from different treatments. < Study of yield attributes with methane emission. < Comparison of methane emission from coastal saline and inland non-saline rice field.
Results of national methane campaign launched in 1991 to assess methane budget from Indian paddy ... more Results of national methane campaign launched in 1991 to assess methane budget from Indian paddy fields are reported. The campaign involved a number of scientific institutions and universities with National Physical Laboratory at Delhi operating as a nodal agency and covered most of the major rice growing regions of India. Methane emission rates ranged between-0.64 and 84.1 mg m'2h "1. The methane budget from Indian paddies has been estimated to be around 4.0 TgY l with a range between 2.7 to 5.4 TgY m.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2021
This special issue provides an assessment of the contribution of soils to Nature's Contributi... more This special issue provides an assessment of the contribution of soils to Nature's Contributions to People (NCP). Here, we combine this assessment and previously published relationships between NCP and delivery on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to infer contributions of soils to the SDGs. We show that in addition to contributing positively to the delivery of all NCP, soils also have a role in underpinning all SDGs. While highlighting the great potential of soils to contribute to sustainable development, it is recognized that poorly managed, degraded or polluted soils may contribute negatively to both NCP and SDGs. The positive contribution, however, cannot be taken for granted, and soils must be managed carefully to keep them healthy and capable of playing this vital role. A priority for soil management must include: (i) for healthy soils in natural ecosystems, protect them from conversion and degradation; (ii) for managed soils, manage in a way to protect and enhan...
On behalf of the Editor-in-Chief of our journal, Journal of Paleolimnology (JOPL), we thank the f... more On behalf of the Editor-in-Chief of our journal, Journal of Paleolimnology (JOPL), we thank the following reviewers for making an outstanding contribution in 2016 towards the success of our journal. JOPL relies on the commitment, expertise and critical contributions of the reviewers to continually maintain the high standards for publishing excellent work. We owe the people on this list a debt of gratitude for their hard work and support.
Ever-growing human population, their need for food, energy, and water along with various deadly p... more Ever-growing human population, their need for food, energy, and water along with various deadly pollutants are the major threat to the mankind. Hence, there is a need to develop sustainable technologies to provide constant supply of food and energy to enable a circular economy. Wastes in developing countries, if properly managed, can be potential source of energy, recycled materials, and revenue. For waste treatment, technologies such as fermentation, anaerobic digestion (AD), pyrolysis, incineration, and gasification can be used. However, selection of the right technology and proper process will depend on the type of waste, it’s generation, and the desired economy of scale. Hence, there is a need to develop an integrated biorefinery approach so that the waste can be treated to recover energy, produce various value-added products, and reduce greenhouse gases for a sustainable environment. Global availability of freshwater is reducing alarmingly. Majority of the freshwater is used fo...
Summary A sustainable food future will require reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from agricu... more Summary A sustainable food future will require reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture even as the world produces substantially more food. The production of rice, the staple crop for the majority of the world’s population, emits large quantities of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. According to various governments, global rice production emits 500 million tons of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide equivalent) per year—or at least 10 percent of total agricultural emissions. The figure may be closer to 800 million tons when adjusted for new estimates by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the sustained warming effect of methane. Although uncertain, there is evidence that increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could also increase future rice-related emissions substantially through its effect on soil microbes. Most of the world’s rice grows in inundated conditions, and one of the most promising techniques for reducing rice-related emissions is t...
Soil microbiology deals with the diverse group of living organisms that resides in the soil. The ... more Soil microbiology deals with the diverse group of living organisms that resides in the soil. The microflora and fauna function to maintain the soil process and other ecosystem services to keep the soil healthy and functional, and thereby support plant growth. Agriculture and land-use changes including rapid urbanization irrevocably alter the soil microflora – both structurally and functionally. While plant supports microbes in their root region by transferring part of the photosynthate, microbes dwelling in the rhizosphere form the second genome for the plant and provide physiological and ecological fitness to the plant. For meeting the demand for the burgeoning population of the earth, microorganisms provide a green alternative to grow plants, especially crop plants, in a sustainable manner.
Summary The influence of the commonly used herbicides butachlor and thiobencarb on the population... more Summary The influence of the commonly used herbicides butachlor and thiobencarb on the population of 3 groups of N2- fixing microorganisms associated with three tropical rice soils incubated under non-flooded conditions was investigated. Application of thiobencarb at 2 and 4 ppm level inhibited the population of N2-fixing Azospirillum, anaerobic N2 fixers and Azotobacter in an alluvial soil; while the populations of anaerobic N2 fixers and Azotobacter were stimulated in an acid sulphate saline Pokkali soil. In a latente Sukinda soil butachlor at both levels stimulated the population of Azotobacter while thiobencarb inhibited. The extent of stimulation or inhibition, however, depended upon the concentration of the herbicide used. These results indicate that under non-flooded conditions the effect of herbicides on N2-fixing populations depended on the soil type, concentration of the herbicide and specific groups of N2-fixing bacteria associated with rice soils.
In order to utilize agricultural soils as an option to offset atmospheric carbon, it is essential... more In order to utilize agricultural soils as an option to offset atmospheric carbon, it is essential to ascertain the degree of stability of the accrued carbon. A two step acid hydrolysis technique was used to separate labile and recalcitrant carbon pools in soil upto 30 cm depth to analyze their responses to different tillage managements after eight years of continuous practice in a sub-humid tropical rice-wheat system of Indo-Gangetic plains. There were four tillage practices; tillage before sowing/transplantation of every crop (RCT-WCT), tillage before transplanting of rice but no tillage before sowing the succeeding wheat crop (RCT-WNT), tillage before sowing of wheat but no tillage before sowing of rice (RNT-WCT), and no tillage before sowing of rice as well as wheat (RNT-WNT). It was observed that reduction in tillage frequency enhanced the total and recalcitrant carbon contents in soil with the maximum rate of sequestration recorded under RNT-WNT (0.59 tC ha À1 yr À1). The fraction of carbon translated into recalcitrant pool was constant under all the tillage combinations indicating that carbon stabilization was dependent predominantly on organic matter input in the rice-wheat system. Conventional tillage on the other hand caused loss of carbon from the soil as observed by reduction in total soil carbon content under RCT-WCT. Reduction in recalcitrant carbon content under RCT-WCT further indicated that acid hydrolysis might not represent long term carbon accumulation reliably. Concentration of phenolics in labile pool increased under RNT-WNT, RCT-WNT and RNT-WCT practices which also had higher total and recalcitrant carbon pools. This indicated towards contribution of phenolics in carbon stabilization in the soil. Results of the present study further suggested that adoption of no till agriculture in the region offers significant carbon sequestration opportunity under proper agricultural management. 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Abstract Application of a commercial formulation of the herbicide butachlor (N-butoxymethyl-2-chl... more Abstract Application of a commercial formulation of the herbicide butachlor (N-butoxymethyl-2-chloro-2′, 6′-diethyl acetanilide) at 1 kg ai ha1 to an alluvial soil planted with direct-seeded flooded rice (cv. Annada), significantly inhibited both crop-mediated emission and ...
World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology, 1998
Biological sources of nutrients are gaining importance over the chemical and organic sources from... more Biological sources of nutrients are gaining importance over the chemical and organic sources from the standpoint of environmental safety and quality, and sustainable agriculture. The nutrient input for a growing rice crop can largely be met by promoting the activities of physiologically diverse microorganisms in the aerobic, anaerobic and interface zones in the ecologically important flooded soils. Associative bacteria contribute
The influence of pesticides applied either singly or in combination on soil nitrogenase and nitro... more The influence of pesticides applied either singly or in combination on soil nitrogenase and nitrogen-fixing microorganisms was investigated. Carbaryl, an insecticide commonly used in rice, had almost no effect on nitrogenase under submerged conditions while activity was stimulated even at I0 pg g-l under non-flooded conditions. Application of the herbicide butachlor or the insecticide carbofuran (at 2 pg g-]) reduced the population of Azospirillum and anaerobic nitrogen fixers in a non-flooded alluvial soil. In contrast, butachlor stimulated the population of anaerobic nitrogen fixers in an acid sulphate saline Pokkali soil under a similar water regime. Further, an increased level of carbofuran (4 pg g-I) stimulated the population of Azospirillum and anaerobic nitrogen fixers in both the soils. This stimulatory effect occurred, though not to the same extent, in the presence of butachlor which, when applied alone, inhibited the population of Azospirillum and anaerobic nitrogen fixers in alluvial soil. In Pokkali soil the combination of carbofuran and butachlor inhibited the population of Azospirillum, while carbofuran alone at 4 pg g-' was stimulatory. These results suggest that under tropical conditions the effects of pesticides on nitrogen fixation and nitrogen-fixing populations depend upon pesticide concentration, water regime and soil type.
India needs to secure its energy requirement and ensure the food security of its burgeoning popul... more India needs to secure its energy requirement and ensure the food security of its burgeoning population while scaling the development ladder. For meeting these demands, fossil-fuel combustion for power generation and transportation, application of nitrogen-based fertilizers, and burning of crop residues to quickly clear the fields and begin with the next cycle of cropping are practiced. All these practices lead to emissions of reactive nitrogen (Nr) which has deleterious effects on human as well as ecosystem health and also on built structure. To contain the emissions several policies are onboard, but more needs to be done at a much faster pace. This chapter reviews the growth of various sectors that are driving the Nr emissions, preliminary estimates NO x and N 2 O emissions from the same, and reviews the mitigation strategies that are prevalent and can be potentially applied to reduce the emissions. Further, it also attempts to quantify the extent of emission reduction that is poss...
Methane leads to global warming. • Rice fields represent the major source of methane emission. • ... more Methane leads to global warming. • Rice fields represent the major source of methane emission. • Biogenic methane is produced by anaerobic methanogenic archaea. • We summarize the current knowledge on the diversity and activity of methanogens. • Review will contribute to formulating strategies for CH 4 mitigation.
Acinetobacter sp. strain YZS-X1-1 was isolated from freshwater pond sludge in China. Here, we pre... more Acinetobacter sp. strain YZS-X1-1 was isolated from freshwater pond sludge in China. Here, we present the draft genome of strain YZS-X1-1, which consists of 3,278,660 bases, with a G+C content of 42.1%.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 methodologies commonly underpin project-s... more Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 methodologies commonly underpin project-scale carbon accounting for changes in land use and management and are used in frameworks for Life Cycle Assessment and carbon footprinting of food and energy crops. These methodologies were intended for use at large spatial scales. This can introduce error in predictions at finer spatial scales. There is an urgent need for development and implementation of higher tier methodologies that can be applied at fine spatial scales (e.g. farm/project/plantation) for food and bioenergy crop greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting to facilitate decision making in the land-based sectors. Higher tier methods have been defined by IPCC and must be well evaluated and operate across a range of domains (e.g. climate region, soil type, crop type, topography), and must account for land use transitions and management changes being implemented. Furthermore, the data required to calibrate and drive the models used at higher tiers need to be available and applicable at fine spatial resolution, covering the meteorological, soil, cropping system and management domains, with quantified uncertainties. Testing the reliability of the models will require data either from sites with repeated measurements or from chronosequences. We review current global capability for estimating changes in soil carbon at fine spatial scales and present a vision for a framework capable of quantifying land use change and management impacts on soil carbon, which could be used for addressing issues such as bioenergy and biofuel sustainability, food security, forest protection, and direct/indirect impacts of land use change. The aim of this framework is to provide a globally accepted standard of carbon measurement and modelling appropriate for GHG accounting that could be applied at project to national scales (allowing outputs to be scaled up to a country level), to address the impacts of land use and land management change on soil carbon.
Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 2013
ABSTRACT Exudation of organic acids by the roots of three rice cultivars grown in three soils of ... more ABSTRACT Exudation of organic acids by the roots of three rice cultivars grown in three soils of different phosphorus (P) statuses, and their impacts on the rhizospheric P dynamics and P uptake by the rice plants, were investigated. Quantum root exudates from all the rice cultivars were significantly greater at 21 days after transplantation than at panicle initiation or flowering stages. Malic acid was the most predominant organic acid present in the rice root exudates (10.3 to 89.5 μmol plant−1 d−1), followed by tartaric, citric, and acetic acids. Greater exudation of organic acids from rice grown in P-deficient soil by all the rice cultivars suggested response of rice plant to P stress. Results indicate that the release of organic acids in the root exudates of rice plants can extract P from strongly adsorbed soil P fraction, thereby increasing native soil P utilization efficiency and ensuring adequate P nutrition for the growing rice plants.
In view of its impact on tropospheric chemistry and associated climate change, methane has assume... more In view of its impact on tropospheric chemistry and associated climate change, methane has assumed importance in recent years, especially because of its increasing ambient concentration. Rice paddy has been identi®ed as one of the important source of anthropogenic methane. Both soil type and water regime play important roles in the process of methanogenesis and methane emission from rice soils. In view of wide spatial and seasonal variability and the importance of moisture on the process of methane emission, it is pertinent to evaluate the role of soil type and moisture interaction on methane eux from soils planted to rice. In the present study, methane¯ux from two soils planted to rice was monitored in a greenhouse under non-¯ooded and¯ooded conditions.
h i g h l i g h t s < Coastal rice field which is occasionally submerged with saline sea water. <... more h i g h l i g h t s < Coastal rice field which is occasionally submerged with saline sea water. < Organic/green manure application for more than five years. < Seasonal (dry and wet) variation of methane emission from different treatments. < Study of yield attributes with methane emission. < Comparison of methane emission from coastal saline and inland non-saline rice field.
Results of national methane campaign launched in 1991 to assess methane budget from Indian paddy ... more Results of national methane campaign launched in 1991 to assess methane budget from Indian paddy fields are reported. The campaign involved a number of scientific institutions and universities with National Physical Laboratory at Delhi operating as a nodal agency and covered most of the major rice growing regions of India. Methane emission rates ranged between-0.64 and 84.1 mg m'2h "1. The methane budget from Indian paddies has been estimated to be around 4.0 TgY l with a range between 2.7 to 5.4 TgY m.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2021
This special issue provides an assessment of the contribution of soils to Nature's Contributi... more This special issue provides an assessment of the contribution of soils to Nature's Contributions to People (NCP). Here, we combine this assessment and previously published relationships between NCP and delivery on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to infer contributions of soils to the SDGs. We show that in addition to contributing positively to the delivery of all NCP, soils also have a role in underpinning all SDGs. While highlighting the great potential of soils to contribute to sustainable development, it is recognized that poorly managed, degraded or polluted soils may contribute negatively to both NCP and SDGs. The positive contribution, however, cannot be taken for granted, and soils must be managed carefully to keep them healthy and capable of playing this vital role. A priority for soil management must include: (i) for healthy soils in natural ecosystems, protect them from conversion and degradation; (ii) for managed soils, manage in a way to protect and enhan...
On behalf of the Editor-in-Chief of our journal, Journal of Paleolimnology (JOPL), we thank the f... more On behalf of the Editor-in-Chief of our journal, Journal of Paleolimnology (JOPL), we thank the following reviewers for making an outstanding contribution in 2016 towards the success of our journal. JOPL relies on the commitment, expertise and critical contributions of the reviewers to continually maintain the high standards for publishing excellent work. We owe the people on this list a debt of gratitude for their hard work and support.
Ever-growing human population, their need for food, energy, and water along with various deadly p... more Ever-growing human population, their need for food, energy, and water along with various deadly pollutants are the major threat to the mankind. Hence, there is a need to develop sustainable technologies to provide constant supply of food and energy to enable a circular economy. Wastes in developing countries, if properly managed, can be potential source of energy, recycled materials, and revenue. For waste treatment, technologies such as fermentation, anaerobic digestion (AD), pyrolysis, incineration, and gasification can be used. However, selection of the right technology and proper process will depend on the type of waste, it’s generation, and the desired economy of scale. Hence, there is a need to develop an integrated biorefinery approach so that the waste can be treated to recover energy, produce various value-added products, and reduce greenhouse gases for a sustainable environment. Global availability of freshwater is reducing alarmingly. Majority of the freshwater is used fo...
Summary A sustainable food future will require reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from agricu... more Summary A sustainable food future will require reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture even as the world produces substantially more food. The production of rice, the staple crop for the majority of the world’s population, emits large quantities of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. According to various governments, global rice production emits 500 million tons of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide equivalent) per year—or at least 10 percent of total agricultural emissions. The figure may be closer to 800 million tons when adjusted for new estimates by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the sustained warming effect of methane. Although uncertain, there is evidence that increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could also increase future rice-related emissions substantially through its effect on soil microbes. Most of the world’s rice grows in inundated conditions, and one of the most promising techniques for reducing rice-related emissions is t...
Soil microbiology deals with the diverse group of living organisms that resides in the soil. The ... more Soil microbiology deals with the diverse group of living organisms that resides in the soil. The microflora and fauna function to maintain the soil process and other ecosystem services to keep the soil healthy and functional, and thereby support plant growth. Agriculture and land-use changes including rapid urbanization irrevocably alter the soil microflora – both structurally and functionally. While plant supports microbes in their root region by transferring part of the photosynthate, microbes dwelling in the rhizosphere form the second genome for the plant and provide physiological and ecological fitness to the plant. For meeting the demand for the burgeoning population of the earth, microorganisms provide a green alternative to grow plants, especially crop plants, in a sustainable manner.
Summary The influence of the commonly used herbicides butachlor and thiobencarb on the population... more Summary The influence of the commonly used herbicides butachlor and thiobencarb on the population of 3 groups of N2- fixing microorganisms associated with three tropical rice soils incubated under non-flooded conditions was investigated. Application of thiobencarb at 2 and 4 ppm level inhibited the population of N2-fixing Azospirillum, anaerobic N2 fixers and Azotobacter in an alluvial soil; while the populations of anaerobic N2 fixers and Azotobacter were stimulated in an acid sulphate saline Pokkali soil. In a latente Sukinda soil butachlor at both levels stimulated the population of Azotobacter while thiobencarb inhibited. The extent of stimulation or inhibition, however, depended upon the concentration of the herbicide used. These results indicate that under non-flooded conditions the effect of herbicides on N2-fixing populations depended on the soil type, concentration of the herbicide and specific groups of N2-fixing bacteria associated with rice soils.
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