Dr. Shikha Thakur’s Blog on Microbiology & Forest Pathology

Recent study carried out in the field of botany suggests that soon plants will be capable to generate their own fertilizers without using artificial fertilizers.  A team of Indian-origin researchers from Washington University has engineered a new fertilizer. Here the researchers claim that we may soon be able to engineer plants that create their own fertilizer. They’ll do so using nitrogen from the Earth’s atmosphere. Then, they’ll create chlorophyll in the process of photosynthesis. The bacterium, named Cyanothece, utilizes photosynthesis for producing oxygen in the daytime and uses nitrogen to produce chlorophyll for photosynthesis at night. Journal mBio published this discovery, which may put an end to some or maybe, all human-made fertilizers. It will put a positive effect on agriculture and the health of our planet earth. Problem with Man-Made Commercial Fertilisers Creating fertilizers require intensive energy. Also, they generate greenhouse gases, causing climate chang...

Stone quarrying and mushrooming doubled with illegal forestry and land acquisition are some of the reasons for floods in different parts of the world. Madhav Gadgil, an ecologist who also is the founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, stated that the kerela floods and devastation were not due to nature. In fact, he said that it was a disaster made by humans. He said, "Irresponsible environmental policy is to be blamed for the recent floods and landslides in Kerela. Extensive stone quarrying and mushrooming of high-rises as part of tourism, and illegal forest land acquisition by private parties are the major reasons for the recent floods in the state." In the report, the need for the stone quarrying to be stopped was specifically pointed, stating that it might eventually lead to natural calamities "like the one happening in the state today." Gadgill stated, "The government should at least now stop all the...

Hello Everyone, Its been a while that i have not posted any article.Today i would like to make you all aware about the importance and environment friendly approach i.e. paper based biodegradable batteries. As we all know that e-waste has been a major concern lately owing to the increase in pollution level across the world. Conventional lithium-ion batteries used to juice up our electronics is a major component of e-waste. Not only its highly poisonous and lethal but also non-biodegradable. Binghamton University researchers are here with a solution. thy have a created an eco-friendly, biodegradable battery made from paper and its claimed to be much more efficient than other proposed designs. Seokheun " Saen" Choi, Associate professor from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and Professor Omowunmi Sadik from the Chemistry department have simultaneously worked on this project making sure the design is full-proof and the biobattery is self-sustainable. As ...

Great institutions are evolved on the shoulders of towering personalities.Forestry in India has been founded by great visionaries.  Sir Dietrich Brandis, Brandis was an eminent German forester and the first Inspector-General of forests to the Government of India, spawned scientific forestry in the country in 1864.   Brandis was ably supported by two other German colleagues Sir Wilhelm Schlich and Berthhold Ribbentrop. The former started the reputed journal The Indian Forester in 1875 and authored the book Manual of Indian Timbers in 1881 while the latter made remarkable administrative improvements in the forest departments besides writing the book Forestry in British India. Botanical research was one of the earliest initiatives of foresters. it took Hooker and associates twenty years to complete seven volumes of Flora of India. After 1880's officers trained in other parts of Europe too joined the forest department, notable among them were Hill, J. Skyes Gamble, W.R. Fi...

The other sector which is in blooming phase is Hydroponics  which is actually is a subset of hydroculture, the method of growing plants without soil, using mineral nutrient solution in a water solvent. There are two main variations for each medium, sub-irrigation and top irrigation. Nowadays, most hydroponic reservoirs are built of plastic, but other materials have also been used including concrete, glass, metal, vegetable solids, and wood. Static solution culture, plants are grown in containers of nutrient solution, such as plastic buckets, tubs, or tanks. The solution is usually gently aerated. If un-aerated, the solution level is kept low enough that enough roots are above the solution so they get adequate oxygen. A hole is cut in the lid of the reservoir for each plant. The nutrient solution is changed either on a schedule, such as once per week, or when the concentration drops is determined with an electrical conductivity meter. Whenev...

India is considered to be “Krishi Pradhan” desh. Agriculture is a major sector which helps in generating economy of the country. ICAR is the major governing body which actively and constantly works in this sector in improving quality of cereal crops. “Organic Farming” It is a branch of farming everyone is talking about. It’s not that recent but got lost somewhere because of the application of chemicals in growth and protection of crops from pests and fungicides. But the rapid and excessive use of chemicals proved hazardous in the long run for humans and animals too. Organic farming is a method of crop and livestock production that involves not choosing to use pesticides, fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, antibiotics and growth hormones. As organic production is a holistic system designed to optimize the productivity and fitness of diverse communities within the agro-ecosystem which includes soil organisms, plants, livestock and people. The principal...