Curcuma zanthorrhiza Roxb, a member of the Zingiberaceae family, is a medicinal plant utilized in traditional Asian and European therapeutic systems and also contributes to ecosystem stability by enhancing plant diversity and supporting soil and microfaunal communities. The study aimed to assess phytochemicals, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity of Curcuma zanthorrhiza. The experiments were conducted in polar and non-polar solvents. The extraction of phytochemical constituents was done with powdered rhizomes using ultrasonic-assisted extraction techniques. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was evaluated by the agar well diffusion method, while anti-inflammatory effects were assessed through the in vitro sheep red blood cell (SRBC) membrane stabilization assay involving both heat-induced and hypotonicity-induced hemolysis. Preliminary phytochemical screening in Ethanolic and Hexane extracts revealed the presence of Flavonoids, Tannin, Steroids, Terpenoids, and Carbohydrates. The antimicrobial assay conducted against four bacterial strains (both Gram-positive and Gram-negative) and two fungal strains demonstrated notable zones of inhibition for Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. The extracts also exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity by stabilizing erythrocyte membranes and inhibiting hemolysis under both heat and hypotonic stress conditions. Based on the results, it can be inferred that Curcuma zanthorrhiza will provide valuable insights into its medicinal properties, thereby contributing to the advancement of natural products in research and drug discovery.
Rabindra Sarobar is an important urban lake ecosystem in south Kolkata, which is used for recreational, cultural and institutional purposes. This case study aims to explore the episodic pollution pressure of Chhath Puja in terms of the relationship between ritual activities, solid waste, organic offerings, plastics, noise, crowd pressure, and lake-governance issues. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed regulations on ritual access and designated areas, waste disposal and water quality monitoring, which offer an important governance framework. However, the non-compliance reported shows that there is a difference between regulation and implementation. The study suggests a management framework for lakes for the festival that includes carrying capacity assessment, source segregation, real-time lake monitoring, community participation, and post-festival ecological assessment, among others.
Moxclav is a prescription penicillin-type antibiotic combination containing amoxicillin and clavulanic acid used to treat various bacterial infections. It is used for ear, urinary tract, skin, soft tissue, bone, joint, and dental infections. Restriction of utilization of mild steel in 1N hydrochloric destructive by expired drug Moxclav (EMC system) has been analyzed by weight loss method. It is seen that as the intermingling of the inhibitor constructs the obstruction efficiency increases. The careless pieces of disintegration deterrent have been concentrated by potentiodynamic polarization technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Potentiodynamic polarization system uncovers that the inhibitor structure capacities as a cathodic kind of inhibitor, controlling cathodic reactions. It is seen that in presence of inhibitor, straight polarization resistance regard augmentations, and utilization current decays. Electrochemical impedance studies uncover that a cautious film is outlined on the metal surface, since inside seeing inhibitor structure the charge move resistance regard increases and twofold layer capacitance regard reduces. This is a direct result of adsorption of the molecules of the unique components of the Moxclav (EMC system) on the mild steel surface. The restriction efficiency constructs owing to the adsorption of inhibitor particles present in Moxclav (EMC system) on the gentle steel surface. FTIR spectra reveal that the protective film consists of Fe 2+-Methylprednisolone complex.
Two major and challenging abiotic stressors-drought and high temperature- damage field crops by negatively impacting their growth and development. In most cases these two stresses are typically observed to occur in combination, thereby making the effects more severe for crops. These stresses affect plants at various levels, including the cellular, tissue, and organ level, thus overall decreasing their growth and productivity. When a plant experiences drought and high-temperature stress, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increases. Proteolytic activity and starch hydrolysis are also increased. Long-term exposure to high-temperature stress alters membrane lipid composition, which causes leakage of plant cell membranes due to increased fluidity. Drought can also cause a reduction in cell division, enlargement, and differentiation, which affect stem elongation, root nodule formation, leaf expansion and fruit development.
A field experiment was conducted during rabi 2025-26 at Research Farm, GD Goenka University, Gurugram, Haryana to study the effect of different doses of nitrogen and phosphorus on growth, yield and yield attributes of barley (Hordium vulgare L.) cv. BH-959. The experiment consisted of 10 nutrient treatments in a randomized block design with three replications Among the treatments, T4 (75 kg N + 37 kg P 2O5 ha-¹) gave highest plant population (46.80 m -¹ row length), plant height (64.51 cm), leaf area index (2.24), dry matter accumulation (236.00 g m-¹ row length), crop growth rate (6.26 g m-¹ day-¹) and relative growth rate (0.0476). T4 recorded highest effective tillers m-1 row length (116.10), spike length (11.32 cm), grains spike-1 (51.56), grain yield (4578.68 kg ha -1), straw yield (6242.51 kg ha -1) and biological yield (10821.19 kg ha -1). Control treatment showed the lowest growth and yield performances. Overall, application of 75 kg N + 37 kg P2O5 ha-¹ was found most effective in improving growth, yield attributes and productivity of barley under the agro-climatic conditions of Gurugram, Haryana.
