Annamalai University

About: Annamalai University is a education organization based out in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Lipid peroxidation & Antioxidant. The organization has 8098 authors who have published 10758 publications receiving 203872 citations.

European digital archive on soil maps (EuDASM): preserving important soil data for public free access

Abstract: Historical soil survey paper maps are valuable resources that underpin strategies to support soil protection and promote sustainable land use practices, especially in developing countries where digital soil information is often missing. However, many of the soil maps, in particular those for developing countries, are held in traditional archives that are not easily accessible to potential users. Additionally, many of these documents are over 50 years old and are beginning to deteriorate. Realising the need to conserve this information, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the ISRIC-World Soil Information foundation have created the European Digital Archive of Soil Maps (EuDASM), through which all archived paper maps of ISRIC has been made accessible to the public through the Internet. The immediate objective is to transfer paper-based soil maps into a digital format with the maximum possible resolution and to ensure their preservation and easy disclosure. More than 6,000 maps from 135 countries ha...

Contamination by persistent organic pollutants in dumping sites of Asian developing countries: implication of emerging pollution sources.

Abstract: In Asian developing countries, large amounts of municipal wastes are dumped daily in open dumping sites without proper management. This practice may cause several adverse environmental consequences and increased health risk to local communities. To elucidate contamination by persistent organic pollutants (POPs)—including dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), chlordanes, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)—in such dumping sites, soil samples were collected from open dumping sites and respective control sites in Cambodia, India, and Vietnam from 1999 through 2001. Our results demonstrated that DDTs, PCBs, and HCHs were dominant contaminants in the dumping sites. However, the contamination pattern was not consistent, showing higher HCHs in India than in Cambodia and Vietnam. Interestingly, in all of the countries, extremely higher levels of POPs were observed in the dumping sites compared with those in the respective control sites, suggesting significant amplification of POP contamination in the dumping sites of Asian developing countries. Mean concentrations of DDTs and PCBs were 350 and 140 ng/g dry weight, respectively, in the dumping sites of Cambodia and 26 and 210 ng/g, respectively, in India. These residue levels were hundreds to thousands times higher than those in general soils, implying possible risk to human health of the local communities, especially to the rag pickers, including children who work in these sites to collect recyclable materials. Composition of DDT compounds suggested their recent use in populated areas, which in turn might have caused increased levels of DDTs in the open dumping sites. In addition, composition of HCH isomers revealed their different use pattern in different countries.

Antioxidant effect of Phaseolus vulgaris in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Abstract: The antioxidant effect of an aqueous extract of Phaseolus vulgaris pods, an indigenous plant used in Ayurvedic medicine in India, was studied in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Oral administration of Phaseolus vulgaris pod extract (PPEt; 200 mg/kg body weight) for 45 days resulted in a significant reduction in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and hydroperoxides. The extract also causes a significant increase in reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase in the liver and kidneys of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. These results clearly show the antioxidant property of PPEt. The effect of PPEt at 200 mg/kg body weight was more effective than glibenclamide.

Effect of vermicompost on soil fertility and crop productivity - beans (Phaseolus vulgaris).

Abstract: Field experiments were conducted at Sivapuri, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu to evaluate the efficacy of vermicompost, in comparison to inorganic fertilizers-NPK, on the physio-chemical and biological characteristics of the soils--clay loam soil (CLS) and sandy loam soil (SLS) and on the growth, yield and nutrient content of beans--Phaseolus vulgaris. Results showed that the application of vermicompost @ 5 tonnes ha(-1) had enhanced significantly the pore space (1.09 and 1.02 times), water holding capacity (1.1 and 1.3 times), cation exchange capacity (1.2 and 1.2 times). It reduced particles (1.2 and 1.2 times), and bulk density (1.2 and 1.2 times), pH (1 and 1.02 times) and electrical conductivity (1.4 and 1.2 times) and increased organic carbon (37 and 47 times), micro (Ca 3.07 and 1.9 times, Mg 1.6 and 1.6 times, Na 2.4 and 3.8 times, Fe 7 and 7.6 times, Mn 8.2 and 10.6 times, Zn 50 and 52 times and Cu 14 and 22 times) and macro (N 1.6 and 1.7 times, P 1.5 and 1.7 times, K 1.5 and 1.4 times) nutrients and microbial activity (1.4 and 1.5 times) in both soil types, particularly more in CLS. The growth, yield (1.6 times) and quality (protein (1.05 times) and sugar (1.01 times) content in seed) of bean were enhanced in CLS than SLS. On the other hand, the application of inorganic fertilizers @ 20:80:40 kg ha(-1) has resulted in reduced porosity (1.03 and 1.01 times), organic carbon (1.04 and 9.5 times) and microbial activity (1.02 and 1.03 times) in both soil types.