Feature Article

Sudden global warming 55 million years ago provides evidence for high climate sensitivity to atmospheric CO2, but the source of the carbon remains enigmatic.

There is a continuous increase in expenditure for running municipal water supply systems in India. Many water treatment plants of various capacities are being constructed to cope with the increasing water demand. Now the most efficient and cost effective way to supply water to a locality with maximum production cost is to be found out to maximize the benefit from the fund spent.

Mango is a widely spaced fruit tree comprising a good number of commercial varieties. Mango fruit crop provides opportunities of utilizing the land spaces to its maximum, particularly during the initial years of establishment. Thus, an attempt was made to study the effect of mango varieties on the yield of wheat sown in its inter spaces. Dec 2006

A study was conducted to work out the effects of leguminous crops with mulberry in Doon Valley under irrigated conditions. The work was conducted for three consecutive years (2001-2003) in S-146 variety of mulberry plantation. Dec 2006

Studies conducted on Ardu (Ailanthus excelsa) based agrisilvi system of agroforestry during 1999-00 to 2001-02 have indicated beneficial effect of Ardu on environment and soil health. Dec 2006

Women constitute about half of the total population of Bangladesh. Rural women live in poverty deprivation and they are discriminated at every stage of life. The present status, activities and constraints of women in Social Forestry activities and their empowerment through Social Forestry programs are identified. Dec 2006

Emphasis on resource conservation and their efficient utilization, availability of high yielding crop varieties of varying duration and growth rhythms, integrated approach for plant protection measures, availability and use of fertilizer nutrients, non availability of additional urea for agriculture, decline in input use efficiency over the years and decrease in per capita land holding, has changed the concepts of intercropping. Dec 2006

Against a backdrop of rising global surface temperature, the stability of the Indian monsoon rainfall over the past century has been a puzzle.

As energy demand increase and fossil fuels reserves are limited, research is increasingly directed towards alternative renewable fuels that are environmentally benign. Among the different possible resources, biodiesel derived from different vegetable oils and animal fats has become more attractive recently because of its environmental benefits and the fact that is made from renewable resources. Dec 2006

There is limited information on the ecological effects of anthropogenic disturbance caused by extractive activities such as grazing and firewood collection. A study was carried out in Sariska Tiger Reserve in India, to investigate the effects of disturbance on forest bird communities.