Feature Article

The impact of thermal power plant emissions on foliar elemental concentration was assessed in this study. In addition to direct effects of deposition of air pollutants, soil mediated processes can also bring deterioration in plant growth due to altered soil characteristics.

Understanding the underlying dynamics of the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) extremes such as severe droughts is key to improving seasonal prediction of the ISM rainfall. A large number of ISM droughts over the past century occurred unrelated to
external forcing like the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In this study, we challenge the perception that the 2009 ISM drought was driven by ENSO and show that it was caused by internally driven processes.

This study aims to identify the perceptions of the people with their travel characteristics/trip generation in the city of Mysore.

The paper analyses the financial distress in State Road Transport Undertakings (SRTUs). Financial distress is a multidimensional generic term, which is a symptom of fading financial conditions of a business concern. The financial distress in SRTUs is analysed on various aspects and dimensions and discussed through the application of one of the multivariate analysis techniques.

We examined the patterns of tree species richness, density and basal area in the Eastern Himalayan elevation gradient, and evaluated the roles of geometric constraints and environmental factors for the observed pattern. We followed the quadrat sampling method for this study at 23 different locations along a 300e4700 m elevation gradient in Sikkim.

Mechanization in agriculture through modern power sources along with matching implements brings in added operational capacity, reduced dependence on labour, timeliness in field operations. This would lead to increased productivity and conservation of inputs, besides increase in profitability and sustainability of agriculture.

In India, the horticulture sector with a production of over 230 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables over an area of 20 million hectares is currently a significant contributor to agricultural GDP of the country. But its contribution to farmer's income, livelihood, nutrition, export earnings, ecology and equity does not get the prominence it deserves because our political discourse and economic commentary are geared to 'meta narrative' of food security, minimum support price and PSS for wheat, rice, pulses and oilseeds.

Forests are vital for ensuring stability of water cycle and its benefits to agriculture and households, carbon cycle and its role in climate mitigation, soil fertility and its value to crop production, local microclimate for safe habitats, medicinal plants for health, biodiversity for survival, and so on; which are all crucial elements of green economy for reducing poverty and hunger.

There is a need to break yield barriers through multidimensional approch to achieve food security on a sustainable basis for the people of this country. Cooperatives can play an important role in this direction due to their proximity to farmers. The Indian Farmers' Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), since over the last four decades, is providing services to farmers and cooperatives through various programmes, besides ensuring fertilizers availability.