Category Archives: Nature

Lucknow guava thriving in Arunanchal Pradesh

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All

The local guava that starts fruiting here in two years has started yielding fruit in Arunachal Pradesh in only nine months, much to the amazement of the local administration, district horticulture officer and others.

“Commercial guava cultivation is new to this state and it is not a common crop for cultivation.” (HT Photo)

Believe it or not, the local guava that starts fruiting here in two years has started yielding fruit in Arunachal Pradesh in only nine months, much to the amazement of the local administration, district horticulture officer and others.

More than one lakh guava grafts of ICAR-CISH developed varieties reached Yachuli, 80 km away from Arunachal capital Itanagar, during the rainy season this year. Flowers and fruit could be seen on these plants this month, claimed Shailendra Rajan, director, Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture.

Rajan credited this to the efforts made by progressive farmer Likha Maj by supporting tribal organizations Agro Gramin Limited (AGUN) and Green Gold, Naharlagun (Arunanchal Pradesh) in collaboration with ICAR-CISH, Lucknow for establishing guava industry in the north-eastern region for the benefit of farming communities comprising mostly of tribals.

Likha Maj took the initiative to transport grafts from Lucknow during the rainy season, when it was difficult to reach there by truck due to landslides and damaged slippery roads, he said.

A team of 10 youngsters took to planting and rearing these grafts in more than 100 hectares and made all efforts for their survival under highly difficult conditions.

“Commercial guava cultivation is new to this state and it is not a common crop for cultivation,” said Rajan.

After seeing such a huge plantation, about one hundred farmers were interested and started planting guava varieties transported from Lucknow.

“Maj has not only planted guava grafts but also motivated several farmers for starting its cultivation so that a sizable production takes place and the produce can be utilized for processing as a food park is in the process of approval,” director CISH said.

ICAR-Lalit, a variety developed from Lucknow, can play an important role in this area when the processing unit is ready, as it is a prime variety being used for making pink pulp from guava further used for different products as well as export.

Thousands of hectares under Lalit have come up in AP, Maharashtra and Karnataka and other states but for the first time this effort was made in the extreme North-East conditions.

The farmers regularly exchange views with scientists using plant photos taken in the field. Smartphone has played an important role in establishing linkage between the scientists from CISH-Lucknow and tribals in a remote area of Arunachal Pradesh.

CISH Lucknow has not only provided grafts but is also helping in establishment of a modern guava nursery in Arunanchal so that problems faced in graft transportation are eliminated and the good quality grafted material is available at a reasonable cost to be distributed to different parts of the north-eastern region.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities> Lucknow / by HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times,Lucknow / December 28th, 2017

State to put fossil park on international map

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Lucknow :

The Uttar Pradesh government is working on a plan to get international recognition for the fossil park at Sonbhadra, considered to be the oldest fossil finds in the world. This work will be carried out along with the development of Kapilavastu, Kushinagar and Sharavasti, areas closely connected with Lord Buddha.

Speaking in the Vidhan Parishad on Thursday, tourism minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi said a research team has been formed and a roadmap would be chalked out to promote the fossil park internationally. Members of Samajwadi Party had demanded that the government get UNESCO recognition for the site, as it had recently done for Varanasi.

“The fossil park at Sonebhadra is older than even the Yellowstone National Park in the US. Earlier, I could not have taken action as the area came under the environment department. However, recently an MoU has been signed between the departments of environment and tourism for the development of eco-tourism. We will take up the fossil park under this MoU and soon have a plan in place to ensure international recognition for the area as a heritage zone,” she said. The roughly 25 acre-fossil park in Salkhan is believed to be more than 1,400 million years old and is located 12 km from Robertsganj, the district headquarters of Sonbhadra.

The fossils were reportedly first discovered in the 1930s but the area was designated a fossil park only in 2002. Fossils of algae and stromatolites have been discovered in the area, adjacent to the Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary. A similar fossil park was discovered a few years later close to the one in Salkhan, in Badagaon village under Chopan Vikas Khand. This year, said Joshi, Rs 89.60 lakh has been sanctioned for various development work to be carried in and around the fossil park. She said the Centre had sanctioned Rs 99 crore for a project to develope tourism in areas closely linked with the rise of Buddhism, namely Kapilavastu, Kushinagar and Shravasti.

Outlining works that were already going on, Joshi said the area would be developed as acircuit that would promote tourism in the entire region.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News> Civic News / TNN / December 22nd, 2017

Jungle safari on vintage train in Uttar Pradesh

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Initiative to attract a large number of tourists from Nepal.

The train will run on a 15 kilometer route and will carry eco-tourists through the forest area

Lucknow:

A vintage train that stopped moving for over 30 years now will start its journey once again.

The train will soon run through the thick foliage of the lush green Sal trees in Laxmipur range of Maharajganj forest division which is famous for the Sohagi Barwa Wildlife Sanctuary that has a huge population of antelopes besides rare and endangered birds and wildlife.

The train will run on a 15 kilometer route and will carry eco-tourists through the forest area.

The initiative for this was taken by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath who wants to give a boost to tourism in eastern UP.

The railway authorities have already completed the survey of the track and found it fit for operations. The vegetation on the track, however, has to be cleared. Mr Manish Singh, divisional forest officer of the Sohagi Barwa Wildlife Sanctuary, said that while the train earlier used to run on steam engine, it will now be driven by a diesel engine between Laxmipur and Ikma. The forest official said that since the area is near Sonauli border with Nepal, it is sure to attract a large number of tourists from Nepal.

The track that runs along Taungya villages also has a parallel road alongside on which there is a heavy movement of people all day through.

The vintage train that used to run on a narrow gauge track had 56 bogies and four engines, apart from a saloon.

Incidentally, the train was started in 1922 to ferry wooden logs and its operations was stopped in 198

source: http://www.asianage.com / The Asian Age / Home> India> All India / December 10th, 2017

Miss West Bengal ’17 votes for cleanliness in her hometown

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West Bengal: Miss West Bengal ’17 votes for cleanliness in her hometown | Agra News – Times of India

Agra:

During voting for civic body elections at ward no. 74 here on Wednesday, all eyes were on Shivankita Dixit, a 23-year-old who was crowned Miss West Bengal 2017, who turned up to vote.

Dixit, a resident of Manas Nagar, has been living with her aunt in Kolkata for a year, and had participated and won the contest in that state. She then auditioned for the Miss India contest in Mumbai. She returned to her hometown to vote for the civic body elections.

Wearing tiara on her head, Dixit told TOI, “My vote was for cleanliness. I want the winning candidate to give priority to creating garbage-free localities and clean roads. A clean environment is the first step to a healthy life.”

Apart from cleanliness issue, the local businessman Sanjay Dixit daughter said, “I’m not aware of Agra city, but in my locality, the residents are conservative. They don’t allow their daughters to go out and explore the world. My vote in civic body polls is also important because the mayoral candidate which I have voted for is expected toward empowerment of girls in the city.”

Shivankita Dixit completed her graduation from Dayalbagh University and is the first beautypageant winner from Agra.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Agra News / by Arvind Chauhan / TNN / November 23rd, 2017

IIT Roorkee creates ‘low-cost’ fuel from algae

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Roorkee:

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have come up with a new method for production of biodiesel from microalgae (‘kai’ in indi), which they claim is low-cost and more effective.

Elaborating on the research, professor BR Gurjar, head of centre for transportation systems of the institute said, “Microalgae are considered to be one of the superior resources for production of biodiesel due to the species’ ability to produce higher biomass and accumulate more lipids, which are the target material for biodiesel production. To increase the rate of production and to make it cost-effective, we used heterotrophic cultivation of microalgae using low-cost organic carbon-based feedstock such as agro waste, molasses, municipal and industrial wastes. This resulted in an automotive quality in biodiesel production.”

The cost of feedstock and expense of operation are two crucial cost components in biodiesel production. The cost of feedstock alone accounts for about 60–70% of the total cost while the cost of the substrate is also a huge factor. The method employed by IIT Roorkee considerably reduces the cost of the substrate.

IIT Roorkee researchers used the algal-based crude glycerol in the production, which is a low-cost organic carbon source and the main byproduct of the biodiesel production process. Crude glycerol works as a media feedstock for cultivation of microalgae, thereby reducing the cost of the substrate to a negligible point.

Research showed that the use of crude glycerol enhanced the accumulation of the total lipid in the algal cells. Various analyses after the production of the fuel proved it was better in terms of quality and quantity. The fuel was also comparable to the existing vehicular fuel standards.

“The method used by the team is beneficial to the environment as there is no biodiversity loss attached to it. Moreover, it minimizes waste production by using materials like agro-waste and is able to produce an enhanced quantity and quality of biodiesel,” said Richa Katiyar, an associate in the research project.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bareilly News / by Tapan Susheel / TNN / November 03rd, 2017

Revered ‘Parijaat’ to have its clones

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Lucknow :

Wishes have no end and a mythical wish-granting tree should never die. More so if the tree is worshipped as a deity and believed to have roots in the Mahabharata.

Barabanki’s revered Parijaat will now have it clones grown in the same campus where the tree has existed for hundreds of years, attracting devotees from all over, in Kintoor village of the district. The objective is to keep the legacy of the tree alive after it’s dead and gone. NBRI would prepare clones of the tree through cuttings and tissue culture.

At least three clone-trees would be planted around the mother tree.

Besides, NBRI would also do a molecular study to find out the place of origin of the Barabanki tree. Parijaat (Adansonia digitata) is an exotic tree, an African specie with peculiar features. It’s a matter of study from where it reached Barabanki.

Though there is no written account of the tree’s history, it is believed the tree has existed from the days of Pandavas. It is said to have come out of the ‘samudra manthan’ (churning of ocean) and brought to earth by Arjun from the garden of Indra for his mother Kunti. It’s said after Kunti offered Parijaat’s flowers to Lord Shiva that Pandavas won the battle of Mahabharat.

Since it’s the age of the tree that has always intrigued scientists and forest officers efforts would be made to know how old the tree is through carbon dating. “We will ask BSIP (Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany) to study the age of the tree,” said senior principal scientist, NBRI, S K Tiwari.

Team of NBRI scientists including the director, Prof Sk Barik, visited the site of the tree on Friday. National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), a CSIR laboratory, has been treating the tree since February 2016 after forest department, that takes care of the tree, sought help from the laboratory.

Parijaat, said to be a wish-granting tree (kalpvriksha), draws devotees from far-off places all the year round. Due to sugary offerings made at the place, the tree was found infected with termites when NBRI visited the site in February last year. It also had fungal and bacterial infections.

NBRI had administered chemical treatment to the tree initially and recommended a microbial biopesticide (Bacillus based inoculants) to be applied on the trunk and leaves of the tree thrice in a year to keep it clean of infections. The institute also gave Bacillus packets to forest department.

“The base of the tree still seems affected and we have suggested ways to the forest department,” said the scientist. A medicated mud, mixed with fungicide and insecticide, would be put all around the tree upto one feet.

This would control degeneration from the bottom. While the aerial spray of disinfectants would continue to keep tree free of pests and fungi.

Besides, NBRI would also try to establish a link between the other age-old Parijaat trees reported in the state with that of Barabanki’ tree. “We got to know of old Parijaat trees in Basti and Sultanpur. Then these old trees are also present in NBRI campus and zoo. We will do molecular study to find out where the other trees have come from,” said the scientist.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Neha Shukla / TNN / May 05th, 2017

At flower show, Singh family springs 22-award surprise

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Travel

Lucknow:

Family of city based government employee Prashant Singh couldn’t have asked for more when they won 22 awards under various categories at the annual flower show organized at the Raj Bhavan.

The awardees included his two daughters, eight-year-old Prashasti and four-year-old Prashansa. Prashant, his wife Swati, mother Uma Singh and daughters bagged eight first prizes, three second and 11 third prizes. The daughters won eight awards for flowers decoration, dry flower decoration, petal rangoli, bouquet arrangement and plant photography.

Along with the award for best lawn, kitchen garden and window decoration, the family bagged first prize for flower rangoli, flower arrangement (imagination), bouquet decoration, dry flower arrangement and plant photography.

“We decorated the garden and developed four corners showcasing different seasons. For winters we used blue and white streamers, carved figures of children from potted plants and placed them on a swing made up of plants too. For window decoration, our theme was ‘Open window to nature’ and we used a variety of plants and flowers,” said Swati.

Talking about their love for gardening and nature, Swati said the hobby was passed on from her mother-in-law to her and now to the third generation. The family has been participating in the annual show for the past 12 years. Along with them, 902 others participated in total 45 categories and displayed their love for nature during the event.

Hundreds of citizens visited with family and friends, clicked selfies with beautiful flowers and also learned about plants that devour toxins and leave the environment cleaner to breathe.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / TNN / February 27th, 2017

Workshop on elephant management held in Agra

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Travel

Agra :

Over a hundred elephants march up and down the Amer fort in Jaipur every day carrying tourists. Many of these elephants have severe welfare issues and concerns stem mainly from lack of expert veterinary care and ignorance about elephant care and management by local elephant care takers in Jaipur. Wildlife SOS in collaboration with Rajasthan Forest Department has launched a series of training workshops for elephant owners and mahouts on elephant care and management. The training workshops have been a trumpeting success with over 75 participants attending the first workshop.

The training workshop had both theory and classroom sessions conducted by elephant veterinarians from the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Centre followed by practical sessions with elephants. To create further awareness and bring about compassion, Wildlife SOS hosted a field exposure visit for the elephant owners and mahouts at the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura where the Wildlife SOS elephant care team showed practical humane and scientific elephant management techniques practised at the centre. This was followed by participative discussions and lunch.

Assistant conservator of forests Jagdish Chand Gupta, who accompanied elephant owners from Jaipur, said, “We want to adopt modern and positive elephant management and training techniques as a step to improve the condition for the elephants. This workshop proved to be a motivation for the elephant owners who are keen on adopting these methods.”

Kartick Satyanarayan, CEO and co-founder of Wildlife SOS, said “The Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Centre has model standards for humane elephant management and functions as a training platform to create similar facilities across India. Chief Wildlife Warden of Rajasthan Dr G V Reddy has shown great foresight and vision in facilitating these workshops to train stakeholders involved in elephant care so we can work together to improve the living conditions of elephants in Jaipur.”

Geeta Seshamani, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, said, “I am very happy to see the elephant owners and mahouts see and learn new methods of managing elephants with compassion and without the need for intimidation. The visit hosted by Wildlife SOS will go a long way to helping these people change the way they are managing and caring for their elephants”

Dr. Yaduraj Khadpekar, senior veterinarian in charge of the Wildlife SOS Elephant Care Centre, said “The training workshop and subsequent exposure visit to the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre quenched the curiosity of the elephant owners about how Wildlife SOS manages the elephants in our care. It also provided insight into modern management techniques available for providing humane care to elephants.

Rhea Lopez, Elephant campaign manager of Wildlife SOS, said “The workshop covered aspects of enclosure design, positive conditioning, veterinary care, elephant behaviour, enrichment, foot care and the elephant owners and mahouts were receptive & participated in all discussions.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Agra News / Aditya Devi / February 10th, 2017

UP sets world record for planting 5cr trees in 24 hours

Agriculture, Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, World Opinion

Lucknow :

Uttar Pradesh now holds a world record for planting maximum, 5 crore, trees in a single day. On Saturday, Guinness gave the certificate to state government for planting 5core trees in 24 hours on July 11.

It was on July 11 that more than 5.3 crore trees were planted at 6,166 plantation sites, and 81,000 hectare, in 80 forest divisions of UP. The campaign started with chief minister Akhilesh Yadav planting two Verna trees at his residence.

While chief minister planted trees in Kanpur dehat, SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav planted eight saplings at Kukrail forest division.

Students and teachers, people from different communities, PAC battalion, army jawans, NCC cadets, farmers participated in the plantation drive apart from ministers and MLAs all over the state.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Neha Shukla / TNN / August 13th, 2016

World heritage tag for city scientist

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Lucknow:

Geologist from Lucknow S B Mishra’s research on fossils in an ecological park ‘Mistaken Point’ in Newfoundland, Canada has made it world heritage, the UNESCO declared in Istanbul on Sunday.

In a message to Mishra, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav stated that Mishra’s work has brought laurels to the state.

Mishra had gone to Canada as a geologist in 1967 and spotted some fossils in the Newfoundland in Canada.

He submitted a research paper highlighting the evolution of life on planet earth. On the basis of his studies, Canadian government had declared the region where fossils had been recovered an ecological park.

Speaking to TOI, Mishra said when he had started studying the single cell organism in the Newfoundland, it was totally inaccessible as the terrain on the seashore was nearly impossible to access.

But Mishra stayed there for months and completed his studies which got international acclaim.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / July 25th, 2016