Nalbari College is in Nalbari, Assam, India. It was founded in 1945. The college is affiliated to Gauhati University and recognized by University Grants Commission (UGC).Since its inception, the institution imparts higher education to the economically backward people of this locality, especially those belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities.
There is a consistent increase in persistent organic pollutants and co-contaminants across diverse ecosystems. The polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organochlorine pesticides along with heavy metals pose serious threats to our ecosystem and environment. Use of conventional physical and chemical decontamination technologies of persistent organic pollutant removal is often discouraged due to their operational complexities and potential environmental hazards. The pollutant removing potential of certain plants has been attributed to the assemblance of putative microbial populations residing in their inner tissues, popularly known as the endophytes. The current review addresses the potential of endophyte microbial mutualists as significant contributors in phytoremediation. The intrinsic metabolic machineries of the endophytic fungal cell factories accelerate the host plant’s mechanism in pollutant decontamination. Notwithstanding significant progress in the field, a comprehensive understanding of host-endophyte interaction during pollutant removal is still challenging. In this context, the current review has been designed to study the mechanistic interactions of endophyte fungi-mediated phytoremediation of persistent organic pollutants and co-contaminants. The review delineates the characteristics of various persistent organic pollutants, provides a concise overview of endophytic and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and elucidates their essential mechanisms in augmenting the phytoremediation of persistent organic pollutants and associated contaminants. The recent update discusses technological interventions in host-fungal endophyte interactions that enhance phytoremediation efficiency and highlights potential in future research approaches.
The Golden Langur Trachypithecus geei is an endangered colobine primate endemic to a narrow transboundary belt of western Assam, India, and southern Bhutan, bounded by the Manas and Sankosh rivers and the Brahmaputra. Between 8 August 2025 and 18 January 2026, a solitary adult male was recorded during 12 observations across four locations-Dahudi, Tihu, Gamarimuri (Kaithalkuchi), and Nalbari Town-all urban and peri-urban settlements in Nalbari District that lie well outside the species’ known distribution, before reportedly continuing its movement further east. The animal used isolated Peepal Ficus religiosa trees, Atha Dimoru Ficus auriculata, Rain Tree Samanea saman, bamboo clumps, and other roadside and homestead vegetation as isolated patches while traversing the human-dominated matrix. We document these observations as an unusual extralimital excursion by a single dispersing individual, not as evidence of a new or expanding distribution range, and discuss probable causes, welfare risks (electrocution, vehicular traffic, and free-ranging dogs), and implications for conservation in human-dominated landscapes of the Brahmaputra floodplain.
Wetlands sustain diverse avian assemblages and provide indispensable habitats for resident and migratory waterbirds; however, many wetlands in northeastern India remain inadequately documented. This study presents the first preliminary checklist and diversity assessment of wetland-associated birds from selected wetlands in Bajali District, Assam, northeastern India, based on systematic point-count surveys conducted across five sites between April 2024 and March 2025. Seasonal variations in species composition, abundance, migratory status, feeding guilds, conservation status, and community diversity were comprehensively evaluated. A total of 44 wetland-associated bird species representing 14 families were recorded. Ardeidae was the most species-rich family (10 species; relative diversity index = 22.72%), followed by Scolopacidae (7 species). Bird abundance exhibited pronounced seasonal fluctuations, peaking during winter (2,835 individuals), followed by monsoon (2,601), autumn (2,064), and summer (2,009). Species richness attained its maximum during autumn and winter (44 species each) but declined markedly during the monsoon (29 species). Diversity metrics consistently revealed greater species richness, diversity, evenness, and community stability during the post-monsoon and winter seasons, whereas monsoon assemblages were characterized by reduced diversity and elevated species dominance. Resident species constituted 65.91% of the recorded avifauna, while 34.09% were winter visitors. Most species (95.46%) were classified as ‘Least Concern’, whereas the Lesser Adjutant and Asian Woollyneck were categorized as ‘Near Threatened’, underscoring the conservation significance of the study area. This study provides the first comprehensive documentation of wetland-associated birds in Bajali District and highlights the ecological importance of its wetlands in sustaining diverse resident and migratory bird assemblages. The findings establish a valuable reference for long-term biodiversity monitoring, conservation planning, and sustainable wetland management in the lower Brahmaputra floodplain.
Rice improvement in rain-fed agroecosystems requires a reliable assessment of drought tolerance in locally adapted germplasm. The present investigation was designed to evaluate the genetic diversity in drought-tolerant Ahu rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars of Assam, India, with SSR (simple sequence repeat) genotyping. Fifty drought-tolerant lines were screened out among 325 germplasm lines collected. A genetic variation study using 40 SSR markers revealed distinct genetic variation among the rice landraces, with two drought-tolerant lines, Nagina22 (N22) and APO, serving as references. The allelic count per locus throughout the twelve chromosomes varied from 2 to 6. The allelic mean per locus was 3.30, with an average PIC (Polymorphic Information Content) of 0.6938. The UPGMA algorithm-based dendrogram segregated the genotypes into six distinct clusters with a high degree of genetic variation. Five rice cultivars (Dumai, Tarabali, Payjihari4, Baismuthi, and Gerem dhan1) with robust drought tolerance tendency were further characterized by means of elevated production of ROS scavenging enzymes, cellular osmolytes. The present study will help the breeders in parental screening for the upcoming breeding programs of drought-tolerance.
Thin film coating by magnetron sputtering has wide range of applications from protective, decorative coating to other electrical and mechanical uses. In search of different materials for producing more efficient coatings, functional gradient coating has been discovered. Though functional gradient material exists in nature in teeth, bone etc. it has been a new research topic in the PVD coating process by magnetron sputtering. Functional gradient coating implies a spatial variation of thickness of different composition of material. This variation is expected to lead to improved properties of material like corrosiveness, adherence, optical properties as well as hardness. The beauty of this kind of coating is that without changing the materials required, this kind of coating can be achieved only by changing plasma or sputtering parameters such as power, pressure etc. In this article, we discuss about the basics of functional gradient coating and mechanism of production, its advantages and a review of current work done in this field.
