Browsing by Author "Singh, A.K."
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Publication A new universal model for friction factor in smooth pipes(American Institute of Physics Inc., 2021) Dixit, Shivsai Ajit; Gupta, Abhishek; Choudhary, Harish; Singh, A.K.; Prabhakaran, TharaFriction factor models for turbulent flow in smooth pipes express friction factor ? as a function of the bulk Reynolds number ReD and may be broadly grouped into two categories: power-law models and log-law models. While the former stem from the spectral scaling arguments applied to eddy momentum transfer close to the wall, the latter are derived from the mean velocity log law and are known to be consistent with the attached eddy model of wall turbulence structure. Interestingly, none of these models individually describes the entire range of Reynolds numbers (Re) accessed to date, without requiring adjustment of coefficients and/or exponents, i.e., these models are not universal. In this work, we present a new semi-empirical universal model that combines, without introducing any additional empirical coefficients, the essence of both power-law and log-law models. Due to this, our model successfully describes the variation of friction factor over the entire range of Reynolds numbers (more than four decades in ReD) at once. The physical basis for our model is the observation that at finite Reynolds numbers, the flow appears to be a small perturbation of the so-called ultimate regime of smooth-pipe turbulence, as far as friction is concerned; in the ultimate regime, ? ? 0 asymptotically as R e D ? ?. The new model has significant potential toward accurate estimation of friction factor or flow rate in smooth pipe flows. � 2021 Author(s).Publication A study of knowledge and traditional wisdom of makhana cultivation in bihar(National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources, 2021) Kumar, A.; Singh, A.K.; Kumar, B.; Kumari, S.Makhana (Euryale ferox) is an aquatic crop from the family Nymphaeace and is commonly grown in stagnant water bodies like ponds, swamps and ditches with shallow water. Euryale is a self-pollinated plant, in which pollination takes place at the early stage of flower development. Bihar is the largest producer of makhana throughout the country with an area of approx 15,000 ha. In spite of several uses and immense market potential in India and abroad, makhana is still cultivated through traditional system, area of which is declining in recent years. Therefore, an attempt was made to understand traditional wisdom of makhana production practices with special reference to its post harvest management. For this purpose, 100 makhana growers were identified from Madhubani district of Bihar which occupies more than 30% of the total area and production. They were personally interviewed with the help of a structured schedule consisting of different components such as, suitable soils in terms of type, quality and its strength, the type, slope and depth of ponds of makhana, the preparation and management of pond for makhana cultivation, seeds with respect to source and quality, fertilizer and disease management, harvesting process of makhana with respect to its the time and process of maturity along with the grading and marketing of makhana. The results indicated that makhana production practices are primarily governed with the traditional knowledge system which the growers obtained through their forefathers. � 2021, National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources. All rights reserved.Publication A study on TEC reduction during the tail phase of the 21st June 2020 annular solar eclipse(Elsevier Ltd, 2021) Rao, S.S.; Chakraborty, Monti; Singh, A.K.Ionospheric response during the annular solar eclipse of June 21, 2020, has been examined in terms of the Total Electron Content (TEC) obtained from six Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers positioned in the Chinese-Taiwanese region. We have shown TEC variation from satellites designated by PRNs (Pseudo-Random Noise code) 2, 6, and 19. PRN wise TEC trend was observed to depend upon satellite-pass trajectory to the receiver's location during the eclipse period. A time lag of ~15�30 min is also observed in maximum TEC decrement after the phase of maximum eclipse. Instead of the percentage of eclipse magnitude, a reduction in TEC is seen more for the station for which the orbital track of respective satellites was in closer view relative to receivers for more hours of eclipse window. Additionally, the eclipse day diurnal variations are compared with the pre-eclipse day TEC trend, and observed results show a clear decrease in TEC values at all chosen stations after the eclipse onset then reached the lowest value a few minutes afterward the maximum eclipse phase. � 2021 COSPARPublication Assessing the Adoption of Climate Resilient Agricultural Technologies by the Farmers of Telangana State(Indian Society of Extension Education, 2023) Naik, Boda Mahesh; Singh, A.K.; Roy, Himadri; Maji, SaikatIn agriculture sector, the effect of climate change seems to have become inevitable during the last few decades. Hence, the technologies for climate-resilient agriculture (CRA) are probably the best adaptation solutions currently available to improve the resilience of agriculture. The study to access the extent of adoption of CRA technologies by the farmers in the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project implemented villages of Suryapet and Khammam districts in Telangana state was conducted during 2021-22. Total 200 farmers from these two districts were selected randomly to evaluate the adoption status of recommended CRA technologies and its association with the respondents� profile characteristics. The respondents had adopted CRA technologies at medium to high levels with the majority of beneficiaries adopting technologies like deep ploughing, in-situ moisture conservation technologies in cotton and red gram, crop diversification from paddy to jowar and vegetables as a contingent crop, improved variety of paddy Siddhi WGL-44 and improved backyard poultry breeds. The profile characteristics viz., education, annual income, land holding, individual and mass media exposure, economic motivation, risk-taking ability, and innovative proneness had a positive and significant association with the extent of adoption of CRA technologies. � 2023, Indian Society of Extension Education. All rights reserved.Publication Assessment of spot blotch disease and terminal heat stress on the performance of spring wheat genotypes in eastern Indo-Gangetic plains of India(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023) Chaubey, R.K.; Bhutia, D.D.; Navathe, S.; Mishra, V.K.; Singh, A.K.; Chand, R.Spot blotch and terminal heat stress are the two major constraints of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (EGP) of South Asia, causing severe yield losses. The present study has assessed various morphological traits with spot blotch and terminal heat stress on wheat. A total of 55 wheat genotypes were evaluated in two sets of growing conditions (GC); GC-1 (timely sown + protected from spot blotch) and GC-2 (late sown + inoculated with spot blotch). Differential responses of high temperature and spot blotch have been realized as significantly reducing the mean performance of traits under GC-2. The present study observed a yield loss of 57%, on a mean basis, from GC-1 to GC-2. This study also emphasized that area under SPAD (Soil Plant Analysis Development) decline curve, i.e., AUSDC and areas under NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) decline curve, i.e., AUNDC becomes more responsive in deciding the performance of a crop and positively influence most of the yield contributing traits under stress conditions. Regression analysis revealed that AUSDC and days to maturity (DM) were major predictor variables when plants faced high temperature and spot blotch disease stress (GC-2). The present study identified six wheat genotypes CRPW-16, CRPW-53, CRPW-11, CRPW-35, CRPW-9 and CRPW-40 as resistant to spot blotch, tolerant to terminal heat with high yield potential. These promising genotypes would serve as breeding material to develop stress-tolerant wheat varieties more especifically for EGP of India. � 2022, The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Societ� Italiana di Patologia Vegetale (S.I.Pa.V.).Publication Atmospheric aerosols properties over Indo-Gangetic Plain: A trend analysis using ground � Truth AERONET data for the year 2009�2017(Elsevier Ltd, 2022) Kumar, Akhilesh; Pratap, Vineet; Kumar, Sarvan; Singh, A.K.The aerosols play an important role in the modification of the regional radiation budget. Long-term trend analysis of properties of atmospheric aerosols is important for policymakers and also for the study of the climatic implications. The Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) provides continuous ground-truth aerosol data during cloud-free days since two decades in India. Long-term atmospheric aerosol properties have been studied over four different sites of Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP): Gandhi College rural background, Kanpur, urban and highly industrial area, Jaipur urban and desert dust influenced region, and Lahore urban and agriculture rich region respectively using AERONET data. The yearly variation of aerosol optical depth (AOD) along with angstrom exponent (AE), single scattering albedo (SSA), size distribution parameters (volume concentration and effective radius), and aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) have been analyzed for nine years from 2009 to 2017. A positive trend of AOD over Kanpur (0.0074/year), a negative trend over Lahore (?0.0054/year), Jaipur � 0.0027/year) and Gandhi college (?0.0008/year) was found. Volume concentration shows the increasing trend of fine mode particles which may be due to increased anthropogenic activities in comparison to natural aerosols over Kanpur, Lahore, Gandhi College, and Jaipur respectively. SSA values over Kanpur and Jaipur show dominancy of scattering while absorbing nature of particles over Lahore and Gandhi College were found. The trend of total atmospheric radiative forcing (ARFATM) over Kanpur and Jaipur locations was found to be decreased slightly but not so significantly while over Lahore and Gandhi College trend was found to increase in a significant way. The yearly trend of ARFATM over Kanpur, Lahore, Jaipur, and Gandhi College was found to be ?0.76 Wm?2 /year, 2.22 Wm?2 /year, ?0.08 Wm?2 /year, and 3.09 Wm?2 /year respectively. � 2022 COSPARPublication Changes in atmospheric parameters due to annular solar eclipse of June 21, 2020, over India(Springer, 2022) Patel, Kalpana; Singh, A.K.In the present study, various solar and atmospheric parameters, namely solar radiation, surface ozone, relative humidity, air temperature, and wind speed, have been studied first time for the annular solar eclipse of June 21, 2020, at seven Indian stations simultaneously. All the seven different stations are selected along the solar eclipse path having the maximum eclipse magnitude of 92% and above. The various atmospheric parameters have shown the change in behavior during the solar eclipse duration. The incoming solar radiation has a maximum 95.97% decrease at Ludhiana at the time of maximum obscuration compared to the previous day. The surface ozone concentration has shown a decrease for all the seven stations during the maximum obscuration period. A maximum of 9.25% decrease in surface temperature has been observed nearly after 30�min of the time of maximum obscuration of the eclipse. Relative humidity started increasing at all the stations and showed an inverse trend from temperature. The wind speed was found to suppress during the maximum solar eclipse which may be attributed to stabilization of atmospheric boundary layer due to cooling. � 2021, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science.Publication COMBINED EFFECT of INTERNAL HEATING and G-JITTER on WALTER-B VISCOELASTIC FLUID in HIGHLY PERMEABLE POROUS MEDIUM(Begell House Inc., 2021) Kumar, A.; Hashim, I.; Singh, A.K.; Gupta, Vinod K.; Saini, NeeshaThis investigation sketches the simultaneous action of g-jitter and internal heat source on Walter-B viscoelastic fluid in highly permeable porous media. The porous medium is considered highly permeable to resist the effect of Darcian force, which opposes the fluid flow. A series solution method is used to quantify the heat transport in the convective system. The system of governing equations has been simplified into an ordinary differential equation with time-dependent coefficients, known as the Ginzburg�Landau equation. The effect of dimensionless parameters Prandtl number, Darcy number, thermal Rayleigh number, and internal Rayleigh number on thermal instability is discussed through figures. We also observe that an increase in the elastic parameter increases the rate of heat transport for a short time period. � 2021 by Begell House, Inc.Publication Effect of 21 June 2020 solar eclipse on the ionosphere using VLF and GPS observations and modeling(Elsevier Ltd, 2022) Tripathi, Gaurish; Singh, S.B.; Kumar, Sanjay; Singh, Ashutosh K.; Singh, Rajesh; Singh, A.K.A solar eclipse event provides a great opportunity to examine the behavioral concept of the ionospheric electron density (Ne) variability in the low latitude region. The current work presents our outcomes from the simultaneous assessment of Tweeks (radio atmospherics) and radio signals (fixed frequency of the transmitter's signal) from multifarious VLF transmitters observed at Varanasi (Geog. Lat. 25.270N, Geog. Long. 82.980 E, Geomag. Lat. 140 55?N). To find the presence of disturbances in the ionosphere Global Positioning System (GPS) data at Hyderabad (geog. lat. 170 20/ N, long. 780 30/ E) and Bangalore (geog. lat. 120 58/ N, long. 770 33/ E) is also analyzed during the period of the solar eclipse on 21 June 2020. As the Sun was eclipsed, the nighttime phenomenon of �Tweeks' was also observed in the daytime through the annular solar eclipse due to nighttime conditions as the solar disc was dusked. Tweek analysis shows the variation in the ionospheric reflection heights (?8�11 km) and electron density (?3�2 cm?3) in the D-region during the eclipse. The reflection height of the D-region ionosphere increases from ?84 km and goes to ?95 km and then decreases to ?87 km. Electron concentration (electron density) decreased throughout the eclipse from 24 cm?3 to 21 cm?3 and then increases to 23 cm?3. Eclipse-imposed modifications in VLF transmitter's (HWU and NWC) signals displays an average change (decrease) of 2.8 dB and 0.8 dB in the signal strength of 18.3 kHz (HWU) and 19.8 kHz (NWC) transmitters respectively and a rise in virtual reference height (H?) and sharpness factor (?), as compared with normal days. The de-trended value of total electron content (DTEC) variations at both stations clearly shows the presence of travelling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) having wave-like features. The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis shows that periodicity at both the station lies in two regimes one belongs to a period between 20 and 50 min and the other belongs to 50�90 min indicating such oscillation observed in the ionosphere are induced by atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs) generated during the period of the solar eclipse. � 2021 COSPARPublication Effect of intense geomagnetic storms on low-latitude TEC during the ascending phase of the solar cycle 24(Springer, 2021) Singh, Abha; Rathore, Vishnu S.; Kumar, Sanjay; Rao, S.S.; Singh, Sudesh K.; Singh, A.K.The results presented in this paper are obtained from low-latitude ionospheric total electron content (TEC) variation during the chosen geomagnetic storm events happening during the solar cycle 24. We include the four intense geomagnetic storms that occurred on 26 September 2011, 15 July 2012, 19 February 2014 and 20 December 2015, depending upon the availability of TEC data. For this, we have used the TEC data from low-latitude station Varanasi (geographic latitude 25�, 16?N, geographic longitude 82�, 59?E and geomagnetic latitude 16�, 24?N) and an equatorial station Bengaluru (geographic latitude 13�, 02?N, geographic longitude 77�, 34?E and geomagnetic latitude 04�, 68?N). The storm-induced TEC changes at chosen stations have been discussed in terms of local time, storm wind effect, neutral wind, composition changes and variation in the dawn�dusk component of the interplanetary electric field (IEF Ey). � 2021, Indian Academy of Sciences.Publication Effect of Newtonian heating/cooling on free convection in an annular permeable region in the presence of heat source/sink(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2021) Anurag; Singh, A.K.; Chandran, P.; Sacheti, N.C.The influence of Newtonian heating/cooling in the presence of heat source/sink has been investigated on laminar free convective flow in a vertical annular permeable region. The mathematical model for the problem has been considered as a boundary value problem consisting of two simultaneous ordinary differential equations. The boundary value problem has been transformed to nondimensional form. This has given rise to a number of parameters representing both geometrical and physical features of the problem. Closed-form analytical solutions of the governing equations have been obtained for two different cases of internal heat generation/absorption. To assess the effects of governing parameters on the fluid velocity and temperature, a number of profiles of these field variables have been presented. The efficacy of the distinct processes on the field variables has been discussed extensively. The main outcome obtained in this study is that the velocity as well as temperature is enhanced in the case of the Newtonian heating while the opposite behavior occurs in the Newtonian cooling for both cases of source and sink. Furthermore, the influence of the governing parameters has been shown on the skin friction, volume flow rate, and the Nusselt number. � 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLCPublication Effect of Temperature Dependent Sink on Peristaltic Transport in a Differentially Heated Vertical Annulus Filled with a Porous Material(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2022) Tiwari, A.K.; Singh, A.K.In this article, we have presented a mathematical analysis to study the peristaltic flow through vertical annulus filled with a porous material bounded by two concentric uniform tubes. This analysis can serve as a model which may help in understanding the mechanism of physiological flows and heat transfer in a vertical annulus subject to differentially heating in the presence of a temperature dependent sink. The inner tube is uniform and rigid, while the outer tube has a sinusoidal wave traveling down its wall. It is analyzed in a wave frame of reference moving with velocity of the wave under a zero Reynolds number and long wavelength approximation in the presence of a temperature dependent sink. The analytical solutions are obtained for temperature, axial velocity, stream function and axial pressure-gradient. We also present numerical integration in order to analyze the pressure rise and frictional forces on the inner and outer tubes. In order to have an estimate of the quantitative effects of various emerging physical parameters on flow characteristics which are involved in the solutions of the considered analysis, we have used the MATLAB software for plotting the contour graphs and discussed in details. We have observed that the intensity of heat sink increases when amplitude ratio is increased. The trapped bolus appears when Darcy number is small but the important observation is that for the large values of Darcy number, the trapped bolus disappears and fluid moves like a block, which shows some sort of rigidity. � 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Publication Effects of Hall current on MHD natural convection in between two vertical flat walls with induced magnetic field and heat source/sink(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2022) Kumar, Dileep; Singh, A.K.; Bhattacharyya, Krishnendu; Banerjee, AstickThe effects of Hall current and heat source/sink are considered on MHD natural convective flow of an electrically conducting viscous fluid in between two vertical flat walls with an induced magnetic field. The exact analytical solutions for converted flow equations from governing equations after using suitable non-dimensional variables are obtained. The effects of Hall current, heat source/sink, and magnetic field on the velocity components, induced magnetic field in flow dynamics, and the induced current density are presented through some figures and tables. The impact of the Hall current is massive on both components of velocity and those increases with Hall current. Whereas, both the components of the induced magnetic field and induced current density decrease due to Hall current. Whereas due to heat source(sink), the primary velocity enhances(reduces) and the effect is opposite for the secondary velocity. For increasing heat source parameter both primary and secondary induced magnetic field and induced current density increase, while temperature-dependent heat sink shows contrary effects. In two flat vertical walls, the variations in the skin-friction components, i.e. surface drag force components for the presence of magnetic field are opposite to each other. In addition, mass flow rate components enhance for Hall current and reduce for a stronger magnetic field. With increasing heat source parameter, the primary skin-friction component rises and secondary skin-friction component decreases at the left wall with higher temperature, while at the right wall with lower temperature both skin-friction components have increasing nature, and reverse impacts are observed for the heat sink. Due to the presence of heat source, primary (secondary) mass flow rate component enhances (reduces) and opposite effects have found for the heat sink. � 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.Publication EXACT SOLUTION FOR TRANSIENT NATURAL CONVECTIVE FLOW THROUGH A VERTICAL CONCENTRIC CYLINDER FILLED WITH POROUS MEDIUM(Begell House Inc., 2022) Anurag; Kumar, Anand; Singh, A.K.An analytical scenario is presented on transient, fully developed, free convection flow in a vertical concentric cylinder occupied with a porous medium. For this, an efficacious model is considered, and the governing equations with appropriate boundary conditions have been solved by finite Hankel transform technique (FHTT). The Bessel functions have accomplished a closed-form solution. Moreover, we have explored the obtained results through the sketches and tables to demonstrate the impression of emerging parameters on the fluid velocity and the temperature profiles. Also, the numerical values of skin friction, mass flux, and Nusselt number are mentioned in tabular form. The main result has found that the time and Darcy number accelerated the skin friction and mass flux while decelerating with Pr and M . � 2022 by Begell House, Inc.Publication Exogenous spermine treatment modulates senescence and maintains postharvest quality of guava fruit(Indian Academy of Horticultural Sciences, 2022) Sahu, S.K.; Barman, Kalyan; Singh, A.K.Guava is one of the widely demanded commercial fruits due to its pleasing flavour and rich nutritional value. The fruit has short postharvest life due to rapid ripening, softening and susceptibility to spoilage. In this study, the guava fruits after harvest were treated with spermine (0.5 mM, 1.0 mM and 1.5 mM) and stored at room temperature for 12 days. The spermine 1.5 mM treatment was noted most effective in retaining desirable physico-chemical and functional quality of stored fruit. Fruit under this treatment showed about 44% lower weight loss, ~57% lower decay loss, and higher retention of chlorophyll (~59%), ascorbic acid (~25%), phenolics (~18%) and flavonoids (~28%) compared to control. Lower accumulation of carotenoids (~22%) and malondialdehyde (~41%) was also recorded in 1.5 mM spermine-treated fruits. The treated fruits also showed 14% higher antioxidant capacity and 37% higher radical scavenging activity over control. The study indicated that shelf-life of guava fruit can be extended up to 12 days, at ambient condition with desirable physico-chemical and functional quality attributes by postharvest treatment of 1.5mM spermine. � 2022, Indian Academy of Horticultural Sciences. All rights reserved.Publication Exploring the Relationship between Socio-economic Factors and ICT Adoption among Farmers(Indian Society of Extension Education, 2023) Chandra, Saurabh; Singh, A.K.; Ghadei, Kalyan; Pradhan, SabyasachiThe study was conducted in Uttar Pradesh, India to assess the relationship between ICT tools and socio-economic variables of farmers. The ex-post-facto research design and multi-stage random sample technique were used. The data was collected through personal interviews with farmers. The total sample size of the study was 120 farmers. The study data were analyzed with correlation, multiple regression, and path analysis. The coefficient of determination (R2) revealed that 79.90 per cent of the total variation in the utilization of ICT tools by the farmers was explained by the selected independent variables. The path analysis was used to assess the total effect, which was decomposed into direct, indirect, and residual effects. The variable education (0.358) exerted the highest direct effect, while the total indirect effect of extension contact (0.493) was on the utilization of ICT tools by the farmers. The residual effect was 0.201, which means that 20.10 per cent of the variance could not be explained due to exogenous variables. Overall, the study suggests that education and extension contact are crucial factors that affect the utilization of ICT tools by farmers in Uttar Pradesh for agricultural purposes. � Indian Journal of Extension Education (http://www.iseeiari.org).Publication Genome-wide association mapping in maize: status and prospects(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2021) Shikha, Kumari; Shahi, J.P.; Vinayan, M.T.; Zaidi, P.H.; Singh, A.K.; Sinha, B.Genome-wide association study (GWAS) provides a robust and potent tool to retrieve complex phenotypic traits back to their underlying genetics. Maize is an excellent crop for performing GWAS due to diverse genetic variability, rapid decay of linkage disequilibrium, availability of distinct sub-populations and abundant SNP information. The application of GWAS in maize has resulted in successful identification of thousands of genomic regions associated with many abiotic and biotic stresses. Many agronomic and quality traits of maize are severely affected by such stresses and, significantly affecting its growth and productivity. To improve productivity of maize crop in countries like India which contribute only 2% to the world�s total production in 2019�2020, it is essential to understand genetic complexity of underlying traits. Various DNA markers and trait associations have been revealed using conventional linkage mapping methods. However, it has achieved limited success in improving polygenic complex traits due to lower resolution of trait mapping. The present review explores the prospects of GWAS in improving yield, quality and stress tolerance in maize besides, strengths and challenges of using GWAS for molecular breeding and genomic selection. The information gathered will facilitate elucidation of genetic mechanisms of complex traits and improve efficiency of marker-assisted selection in maize breeding. � 2021, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.Publication Human ENPP1 gene polymorphism in DKD patients: a hospital-based case control study(Springer, 2021) Chandra, S.; Singh, A.K.; Singh, M.; Pandey, P.; Azad, C.S.; Singh, S.; Das, P.; Singh, R.G.Aim: The aim of present study was to investigate the association of the ENPP1 (K121Q) gene polymorphism with DKD in eastern Uttar Pradesh population. Methods: A total of 162 DKD and 155 apparently healthy controls were enrolled and K121Q polymorphism was determined by PCR-RFLP followed by sequencing. Results: It was observed that genotype KQ was more frequent in patients than controls and allelic frequencies of Q allele were higher in DKD (Q 21.3%) than control (Q 15.81%). It depicted that Q allele may be associated with DKD patient and has more risk in eastern UP population. Conclusion: The study indicated a significant association of KQ polymorphism of the ENPP1 gene with DKD in the eastern Uttar Pradesh population. � 2020, Research Society for Study of Diabetes in India.Publication Impact of cropping systems on pedogenic distribution and transformations of micronutrients, plant accumulation and microbial community composition in soils: a review(Springer, 2023) Dhaliwal, S.S.; Gupta, Raj; Singh, A.K.; Naresh, R.K.; Mandal, Agniva; Singh, U.P.; Kumar, Yogesh; Tomar, S.K.; Mahajan, N.C.Different types of agricultural cropping systems involving wheat coupled with rice, maize and cotton are adapted by most of the farmers around the world. In order to increase the production of food grains with the adaptation of these cropping systems, intensive cultivation is required which eventually needs more quantity of macro as well as micronutrients. The availability of micronutrients to plants is majorly affected by cropping patterns and their profile distribution and the chemical pools. For instance, rice�wheat (R-W) cropping system depletes the available micronutrients status in soil. Many crops have a deep root system that allows them to fulfill their micronutrients requirement from deeper soil layers. In pedon, the surface layer of soil is richer in micronutrients than sub-surface soils. Thus, the knowledge of all the forms or fractions of micronutrient in soil and conditions that help in converting them to their available forms is essential. Excessive use of macronutrient fertilizers in soil with alkaline pH, results in an upsurge accumulation of micronutrients under R-W system. Consequently, it is essential to understand the relationship between accumulation of micronutrients by plants and different chemical pools of micronutrients and their distribution in the pedon. Also, the incorporation of different crops in various cropping systems has a marked influence on microbial communities in soil which play a crucial role in nutrient cycling, gaseous exchanges, aggregation and soil biochemical processes that ultimately influences crop productivity and soil health. Thus, imaging the extent of micronutrient availability to plants, various fractions of micronutrients and microbial community in soil under different cropping systems is necessary. � 2022, International Society for Tropical Ecology.Publication Impacts of black carbon on environment and health(Elsevier, 2021) Tiwari, Shani; Chen, Bing; Singh, Sachchidanand; Singh, A.K.; Srivastava, Atul K.During the last few decades, black carbon (BC) has attracted significant attention among scientific communities due to its observable hostile effects on air quality, agriculture, forests, human health, the economy, and environment. BC is a light-absorbing particle in the atmosphere that is emitted mainly from fossil fuels, biomass burning, and vehicular emissions. Although ample studies on BC aerosol characteristics have been carried out worldwide, significant uncertainties remain due to the different emission sources and their interactions with complex atmospheric processes. Thus, an in-depth understanding of BC and its potential impacts is greatly needed. This chapter presents a brief overview of the characteristics, sources, and transport mechanisms of BC and its impacts on the environment as well as human health. In addition, the chapter also highlights instructions to the public, policymakers, and local environmental bodies to control BC emissions. � 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
