Browsing by Author "Vijay Pratap"

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A novel nanocomposite of HAp-TiC-Ag with enhanced mechanical and biological properties for bone regrowth and anticancer applications
(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2025) Sarvesh Kumar Avinashi; Shweta; Rajat Kumar Mishra; Saurabh Kumar; Amreen Shamsad; Shama Parveen; Surajita Sahu; Savita Kumari; Zaireen Fatima; Vijay Pratap; Rupesh Kumar; Monisha Banerjee; Monalisa Mishra; Horesh Kumar; Rakesh Kumar C. Gautam; Chandkiram Gautam
Hydroxyapatite (HAp)-based composites are extensively used in various applications, including bone regeneration, bone implants, catalysis, drug delivery, and cancer treatment, owing to their unique properties such as osteogenesis, osteoconduction, and osteoinduction, as well as their ability to inhibit tumor cell growth. In this study, pure HAp and silver (Ag) nanoparticles were synthesized using microwave irradiation and green synthesis methods, while a solid-state reaction route was employed for the fabrication of HAp-TiC-Ag composites aimed at enhancing their mechanical and biological properties. A range of characterization techniques, including XRD, FTIR, Raman, XPS, DLS, SEM, TEM, and in vitro assays, were used to assess the structural, morphological, mechanical, and biological properties of the composites. The composite HTA6 exhibited excellent mechanical properties, including a high compressive strength (185 MPa), elevated fracture toughness (10.88 MPa m1/2), a moderate Young's modulus (1.08 GPa), and a Vickers hardness (339.65 HV). The cell viability tests demonstrated that HTA6 treatment did not significantly reduce osteoblast cell growth, while significantly inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells. Additionally, the composite showed good biocompatibility, displaying non-cytotoxicity in D. melanogaster and strong antibacterial activities against the tested bacteria. These findings suggest that HTA6 is a promising candidate for applications in bone regeneration and cancer treatment. © 2025 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
Co-Implementation of Tillage, Precision Nitrogen, and Water Management Enhances Water Productivity, Economic Returns, and Energy-Use Efficiency of Direct-Seeded Rice
(MDPI, 2022) Vijay Pratap; Anchal Dass; Shiva Dhar; Subhash Babu; Vinod Kumar Singh; Raj Singh; Prameela Krishnan; Susama Sudhishri; Arti Bhatia; Sarvendra Kumar; Anil Kumar Choudhary; Renu Singh; Pramod Kumar; Susheel Kumar Sarkar; Sunil Kumar Verma; Kavita Kumari; Aye Aye San
The sustainability of conventional rice (Oryza sativa L.) production systems is often questioned due to the over-mining of groundwater and environmental degradation. This has led to the development of cost-effective, resource-efficient, and environmentally clean rice production systems by optimizing water and nitrogen (N) use. Hence, a 2-year field study (2019 and 2020) was conducted at the ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, to assess the effect of precision N and water management strategies on growth, land, and water productivity, as well as energy-use efficiency in scented direct-seeded rice (DSR). Two crop establishment methods, conventional-till DSR (CT-DSR) and zero-till DSR (ZT-DSR) along with three irrigation scenarios (assured irrigation (irrigation after 72 h of the drying of surface water), irrigation at 20% depletion of available soil moisture (DASM), and 40% DASM+Si (80 kg ha−1)) were assigned to the main plots; three N management options, a 100% recommended dose of N (RDN): 150 kg ha−1; Nutrient Expert® (NE®)+leaf color chart (LCC) and NE®+soil plant analysis development (SPAD) meter-based N management were allocated to sub-plots in a three-time replicated split-plot design. The CT-DSR produced 1.4, 11.8, and 89.4, and 2.4, 18.8, and 152.8% more grain yields, net returns, and net energy in 2019 and 2020, respectively, over ZT-DSR. However, ZT-DSR recorded 8.3 and 10.7% higher water productivity (WP) than CT-DSR. Assured irrigation resulted in 10.6, 16.1 16.9, and 8.1 and 12.3, 21.8 20.6, and 6.7% higher grain yields, net returns, net energy, and WP in 2019 and 2020, respectively, over irrigation at 20% DASM. Further, NE®+SPAD meter-based N management saved 27.1% N and recorded 9.6, 18.3, 16.8, and 8.3, and 8.8, 21.7, 19.9, and 10.7% greater grain yields, net returns, net energy, and WP over RDN in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Thus, the study suggested that the NE®+SPAD-based N application is beneficial over RDN for productivity, resource-use efficiency, and N-saving (~32 kg ha−1) both in CA-based and conventionally cultivated DSR. This study also suggests irrigating DSR after 72 h of the drying of surface water; however, under obviously limited water supplies, irrigation can be delayed until 20% DASM, thus saving two irrigations, which can be diverted to additional DSR areas. © 2022 by the authors.
Effect of irrigation and nitrogen management on yield and economics of SRI-grown hybrid rice (Oryza sativa)
(Indian Council of Agricultural Research, 2021) Madane Ananda Jagannath; J.K. Singh; Vijay Pratap
A field experiment was conducted during rainy season (2014-15) at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi to standardize water saving and economical nitrogen management options for hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.) under SRI. The experiment was laid-out in a three-times replicated split-plot design involving three irrigation scheduling, viz. irrigation at 2 days after disappearance of ponded water (DADPW), 5 DADPW and 8 DADPW assigned to main-plots and five nitrogen management options, viz. 100% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN, 150 kg N/ha), 100% RDN + Sesbania aculeata, 75% RDN + Sesbania aculeata, 100% RDN + BGA (12 kg/ha) and 75% RDN + BGA (12 kg/ha) were allotted in sub-plots. Results reveal that scheduling of irrigation at 2 DADPW was recorded significantly higher dry matter accumulation (DMA), leaf area index (LAI), yield attributes and finally enhanced grain yield and net returns by 16.2, 20.3% and 11.7 and 12.6% during 2014 and 2015, respectively over 8 DADPW but statistically at par with scheduling of irrigation at 5 DADPW. Among nitrogen management options, application of 100% RDN (150 kg N/ha) + BGA (12 kg/ha) recorded higher DMA, LAI, yield attributes and finally enhanced grain yield and net returns by 14.4, 22.8% and 12.6 and 18.5%, respectively over application of 100% RDN alone. Hence, irrigation at 2 DADPW and combined application of 100% RDN + BGA (12 kg/ha) can be recommended for obtaining higher yield and profit from hybrid rice under SRI. © 2021 Indian Council of Agricultural Research. All rights reserved.
Effect of sowing and weed control methods on nutrient uptake and soil fertility in direct-seeded rice (Oryia sativa)
(Indian Council of Agricultural Research, 2021) Vijay Pratap; S.K. Verma; Anchal Dass; Deepak Kumar Yadav; A.J. Madane; Rakesh Maurva; Peeyush Kumar Jaysawal
A 2-year field experiment consisting of 3-planting methods and 5-weed control options was conducted in a three- time rcplicatcd split-plot design at Varanasi during kharif 20\ 6-17 to assess the nutrient uptake by direct-seeded rice (Oryza sativa L.) and available nutrient status of soil under different methods of establishing crop and managing weeds.Zero-till direct-seeded rice (ZT-DSR) + residue + Sesbania brown manuring (SBM) recorded lower density and dry-weight of weeds, higher organic carbon (OC), available N, P and K in soil and enhanced N, P and K uptake by 8.9,6.7,7.8% and 23.7,24.5 and 10.2% in grain and straw, respectively, over conventionally-tilled direct-seeded rice (CT-DSR) + SBM.Among weed control options, the use of pendimethalin (1000 g/ha)Jb chlorimuron + metsulftiron (4 + 4 g/ha, 25 DAS) + 1 HW (45 DAS) resulted in lower density and weeds, higher OC, available N, P and K in soil and improved N, P and K uptake in grain and straw by 23.6, 20.9 and 33.0 and 26.7, 25.5 and 26.6%, respectively over weedy check.However, higher EC andpH and lower nutrient (N, P and K) and protein content in grain and straw were found under weed-free condition.Overall, ZT-DSR + residue + SBM and application of pendimethalin (1000 g/ha)y& chlorimuron + metsulfuron (4 + 4 g/ha, 25 DAS) + 1 HW (45 DAS) proved better with respect to reduction in weed biomass, OC, available soil nutrients (N, P and K) and their uptake in DSR. © 2021 Indian Council of Agricultural Research. All rights reserved.
Humidity-Resistant CeO2/In2O3 Nanocomposite-Based Chemiresistor for Selective Detection of Formaldehyde
(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2025) Ajeet Nabachandra Singh; Brij Mohan; Vijay Pratap; Wei Sun; Armando J.l. Pombeiro; B. C. Yadav
Formaldehyde is a frequent indoor pollutant that poses a risk to human and environmental health and is suspected to be a carcinogen. However, achieving high sensitivity and selectivity for real-time applications remains challenging. In this study, a room-temperature operated formaldehyde chemiresistor is developed by cerium dioxide/indium oxide (CeO2/In2O3) nanocomposite for exclusive detection. The nanocomposite is synthesized using hydrothermal, forming CeO2 nanospheres grown on In2O3 nanocubes. This unique structure enhances the sensing capabilities of CeO2/In2O3, allowing it to detect formaldehyde in the 1–50 ppm range, and a 0.157 ppm detection limit is earned. The sensor exhibits an impressive response of 175.05 at 50 ppm at room temperature and shows responsiveness to various other substances, for instance, methanol, ethanol, aniline, benzene, toluene, acetone, and ammonia. Additionally, the CeO2/In2O3 sensor demonstrated moderate to high selectivity, sensitivity, stability, speedy response/recovery times, and resilience to humidity. This work presents a promising strategy for the detection of formaldehyde. © 2025 Wiley-VCH GmbH.
Investigation of impact of antimony (Sb) nanoparticles incorporation on structural, dielectric, and electrical properties of Se76-xGe14As10Sbx (x = 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12) glasses
(Elsevier Ltd, 2025) Vijay Pratap; Surya Pratap; Devanand Gupta; Horesh Kumar
Chalcogenide glasses of composition Se76-xGe14As10Sbx (x = 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 %) were prepared using Sb nanoparticles by traditional melt quenching procedure. Structural analysis reveals that Sb forms bonds with Se at lower atm.%, however, at higher atm.%, other heteropolar bonds are also formed. Their dielectric properties and a.c. conductivity were studied in the frequency range of 20.20 – 1010.10 kHz and the temperature range of 300 – 345 K, respectively. A temperature and frequency dependence of the dielectric constant was observed, indicating orientation polarization in the system. The dielectric constant increases with the incorporation of Sb nanoparticles. However, a slight decrease is noticed for x = 12. The variations in dielectric loss with temperature and frequency were explained by polaron hopping of charge carriers and conduction loss, as per the Elliot and Shimakawa hypothesis. The a.c. conductivity was found to be ∼ 10−4 (Ω-m)−1 for prepared alloys. The conduction mechanism shows a change from Correlated Barrier Hopping (CBH) to the Non-Overlapping Polaron Tunneling (NSPT) at a particular temperature for all the alloys. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.
Performance of various rice (Oryza sativa l.) varieties under variable nitrogen levels in the eastern uttar pradesh
(Editorial board of Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences, 2021) Rakesh Maurya; Manoj Kumar Singh; Mona Nagargade; Deepak Kumar Yadav; Vijay Pratap
A field experiment was conducted at the Indo Gangetic plain of Varanasi in 2017 during the rainy season. The study was conducted in a split-plot design with three main plots treatments viz. three rice varieties (V1-BPT-5204, V2-Rajendra Kasturi and V3-HUBR 2-1) and four subplots treatments viz. nitrogen levels (N1-100, N2-120, N3-140 and N4-160 kg ha-1). Each treatment was replicated three times. The results of the study revealed that the BPT-5204 variety had significantly higher growth attributes as compared to the other two varieties, including plant height (104.92 cm), leaf area index (5.26), tiller hill-1 (8.25), and dry matter production (46.59 g hill-1), similarly yield and yield parameters were highest in BPT-5204 rice variety viz. the number of panicles m-2 (352.50), grains panicle-1 (177.08), panicles weight (3.51g), panicle length (23.67 cm), grain yield (50.73q ha-1), biological yield (112.90 q ha-1) and harvest index (0.45) but HUBR 2-1 variety gave significantly higher straw yields (62.17q ha-1) and test weight (20.91 g). For the subplots treatments, nitrogen (N) level 160 kg ha-1 gave the significantly highest growth parameters, yield and yield parameters. © 2021, Editorial board of Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences. All rights reserved.
Productivity and profitability of direct-seeded rice under varying establishment methods and weed management practices
(Indian Council of Agricultural Research, 2021) Vijay Pratap; S.K. Verma; Anchal Dass; Deepak Kumar Yadav; Peeyush Kumar Jaysawal; A.J. Madane
A field experiment was conducted at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (2016-17) to evaluate the effect of crop establishment and weed management practices on productivity, economics and resource-use efficiency of direct-seeded rice (DSR).The treatments included three crop establishment methods, viz.Zero-tillage-DSR+Sestarma co-culture (ZT-DSR+SCC), ZT-DSR+residue+&?staw'tf co-culture (ZT-DSR+R+SCC) and Conventional till-DSR+Sestarma co- culture (CT-DSR+SCC) assigned to main-plots and five weed management practices, viz.WMPj- pendimethalin (1000 g/ha)y& bispyribac-sodium (25 g/ha) 20 days after sowing (DAS), WMP2-pendimethalin (1000 g/ha)Jb pyrazosulfuron (30 g/ha) 20 DAS+1 hand weeding (HW) 45 DAS, WMP3- pendimethalin (1000 g/ha) Jb chlorimuron+metsulftiron (4+4 g/ha) 20 DAS+1 H W 45 DAS, WMP4- Weed-free and WMP5- Weedy check assigned to sub-plots.The experiment was laid-out in a three-time replicated split-plot design.Results showed that, ZT-DSR+R+SCC recorded higher growth parameters, such as dry matter accumulation (DMA), leaf area index (LAI), yield attributes and enhanced grain yield, net return and water productivity by 16.9,61.9 and 20% and 11.0,69.7 and 10.3% during 2016 and 2017, respectively over CT-DSR+SCC.Among weed management practices, pendimethalin (1000 g/ha) Jb chlorimuron+metsulfuron (4+4 g/ha) 20 DAS+1 HW 45 DAS recorded higher DMA, LAI, yield attributes and finally enhanced grain yield, net returns and water productivity by 31.9,39.2 and 33.3% and 35.7,36.6 and 37.5% during 2016 and 2017, respectively over weedy check.Hence, ZT-DSR+R+SCC along with pendimethalin (1000 g/ha)_/Z? chlorimuron+metsulfuron (4+4 g/ha) 20 DAS+1 HW 45 DAS could be adopted for higher yield, net returns and resource-use efficiency of DSR. © 2021 Indian Council of Agricultural Research. All rights reserved.
Study on pH dependent ON/OFF fluorescent switching behaviour of hydrothermally synthesised vanadium disulphide quantum dots (VS2-QDs)
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Surya Pratap; Vijay Pratap; Sundeep Kumar; Horesh Kumar
It is fascinating to design and develop an inorganic quantum dot (QDs) which exhibit luminescence features with ion concentration, temperature, and pH sensitivity dependence. Vanadium disulphide (VS2) belongs to the family of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and is extensively studied owing to its layered characteristics features in sensing and filtrations technology, however, its fluorescence features have not been well studied so far. The current work describes a widely adopted eco-friendly hydrothermal approach for the synthesis of VS2-QDs. The average size of particles was determined to be ∼10 nm by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Zetasizer analysis. The synthetic approach adopted here facilitates in situ functionalization of QDs, which results in their high stability in aqueous medium and enhanced sensitivity towards their surroundings. As most of the QDs show the sensitivity towards pH, a thorough investigation of VS2 QDs for their pH dependent photoluminescence has been carried out. The VS2-QDs were discovered to exhibit a remarkable luminescence intensity that was found to be about 11 times higher in basic conditions (pH ∼ 13, QY = ∼4.80 %) as compared to that in acidic conditions (pH ∼ 1, QY = ∼1.10 %). The root cause of this ON/OFF florescence flipping may be related to the functional groups (such as −SO4 2−, −NH2, OH−, etc.) attached over the surface of QDs, acid etching, and protonation–deprotonation process. This paper highlights the pH dependent switching behaviour of VS2-QDs that could offer valuable information for designing a futuristic pH-based device for biomedical applications. © 2024
Weed growth, nutrient removal and yield of direct-seeded rice as influenced by establishment methods and chemical-cum-mechanical weed management practices
(Elsevier Ltd, 2023) Vijay Pratap; S.K. Verma; Anchal Dass
Direct seeding of rice (Oryza sativa L.) has since long been viewed as a potential alternative to unsustainable water-intensive transplanted rice (TPR) world-over, but heavy infestation of a variety of weed species limits the large-scale adoption of direct-seeded rice (DSR) cultivation. Hence, a 2-year field investigation was carried-out in a spilt-plot design, at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, during rainy seasons of 2016 and 2017 to assess the influence of various crop establishment methods (CEMs) and weed management options (WMs) on diverse weed-flora, nutrient removal by weeds, weed-control efficiency (WCE) and yield of DSR (cv. Rajendra Kasturi). The results revealed that zero-till DSR + residue + Sesbania brown manure (ZTDSR + R + SBM) was most effective in containing crop-weed competition, lowered density of Echinochloa colona (L.) Link, Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv., Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., Eclipta alba (L.) Hassak., Caesulia axillaris Roxb., Cyperus rotundus L., Cyperus iria L., Fimbristylis miliacea (L.) Vahl. by 63.4% and enhanced grain yield by 22.8%. Further, applying pendimethalin at 1000 g ai ha−1 as PRE. and later post-emergence (POST) spray of chlorimuron + metsulfuron at 4 g ai ha−1 each 20 days after sowing (DAS) supplemented with 1 hand-weeding (HW) 45 DAS was found to be a better weed management option as this treatment recorded the lowest density and nutrient depletion by above mentioned weeds and higher WCE, thereby improving rice yield by 3–19.5% over other studied WMs. Also, the combination of this weed management option with ZTDSR + R + SBM suppressed weeds to a greater extent, restricting weeds to deplete nutrients (N, P and K) from the soil and finally fetched the highest DSR yield. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd