Information Sources Utilization among Potato Farmers in North East India

Information technology has transformed many other aspects of human endeavor and has helped create systems for responding to a wide range of societal needs. The benefits of pertinent farm related information in empowering farmer are significant and remain to be exploited. Potato is one of the most important crops grown successfully in North East India but farmers have limited access to the updated information. A research study was undertaken in four major potato growing states of NE including Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura with a sample of 480 farmers. It was found that potato farmers preferred to utilize informal information sources more than formal as well as the mass media sources with respect to using inputs and taking pertinent decisions with respect to sustainable potato cultivation. Farmers urgently require timely and reliable sources of information for taking important farm management decisions. Therefore, it is recommended to popularize the strategic use of mass media including user friendly ICT tools for better and faster outreach to the target farmers.

Studies on VLF atmospherics during the tropical cyclone “AILA” and several monsoon period thunderstorms over north-east India

bl 'kks/k i= esa vizSy 2009 ls vDrwcj 2009 dh vof/k ds nkSjku HkkSfrdh foHkkx] f=iqjk fo’ofo|ky; }kjk oh- ,y- ,Q- ok;qeaMyh; vFkok LQsfjDl dh vfHkyk{kf.kd fofo/krk dks pkj vyx & vyx vko`fr;ksa esa ntZ fd;k x;k gSA bl 'kks/k i= esa mRrj iwoZ Hkkjr ds 76 lfØ; xtZ ds lkFk rwQku okys vf/kdk¡’k fnuksa ds vk¡dMs+ iz;qDr fd, x,A buls izkIr ifj.kkeksa esa ekulwu ds nkSjku LQsfjDl ifjorZu esa dbZ izdkj dh fo’ks"krk,¡ n’kkZbZ xbZ gSaA bu Øfed fxjkoV] Øfed o`f) ¼th- ,Q- th- vkj-½] Øfed o`f) vpkud fxjkoV ¼th- vkj- ,l- ,Q-½] Øfed o`f) Øfed fxjkoV ¼th- vkj th- ,Q-½] Øfed fxjkoV vpkud o`f) ¼th- ,Q-,l- vkj-½] vkdfLed o`f) Øfed fxjkoV ¼,l- vkj- th- ,Q-½] vpkud fxjkoV vpkud o`f) ¼,l- vkj- ,l- ,Q-½ vpkud fxjkoV vpkud o`f) ¼,l- ,Q- ,l- vkj-½ vpkud fxjkoV Øfed o`f) ¼,l- ,Q- th- vkj-½ rFkk dBksj ¼Spiky½ Lo:i esa n’kkZ;k x;k gSA ekulwuh lfØ; xtZ ds lkFk rwQkuksa okys vf/kdka’k fnuksa esa lHkh izdkj ds iSVuksaZ esa ¼th- vkj th- ,Q-½ dh vko`fr vf/kdrj izdj.kksa esa ntZ gqbZ gS ¼izR;sd vko`fr esa vkSlru yxHkx 37 izfr’kr ?kVuk,¡ ntZ gqbZ gSa½ gekjh izs{k.kkRed vof/k ds nkSjku 23&26 ebZ dh vof/k esa caxky dh [kkM+h esa ‘vkbZyk’ uked ,d rhoz m".kdfVca/kh; pØokr vkj-,l-,e-lh- inuke% ch- vks- ch- vks-2] ts- Vh- MCY;w- lh- inuke% vks- Vw- ch- vk;k FkkA 25 ebZ 2009 ds m".k ds m".kdfVca/kh; pØokr ds nkSjku lHkh izdkj ds lkekU; ekulwuh vof/k dh vfHkyk{kf.kd fo’ks"krkvksa esa ,l-vkj-,l-,Q- ¼izR;sd vko`fr esa 86 izfr’kr ds vkSlru nj ls ?kfVr½ vko`fr vf/kdrj izdj.kksa esa ns[kh xbZ gSA tc pØokr caxky dh [kkM+h ds rVksa ls Vdjk;k ml fnu ds LQsfjDl ds vyx&vyx vko`fr forj.kksa ds vuqlkj o`f) vkSj fxjkoV dk xaHkhjrk ls fo’ys"k.k fd;k x;kA ekulwuh fnuksa vkSj ‘vkbyk’ pØokr lfØ; fnol ds lHkh ds lHkh izdkj ds iSVuksaZ dk rqyukRed v/;;u fd;k x;kA gekjs fu"d"kZ ds vuqlkj izpaM pØokr ‘vkbyk’ vkSj vU; xtZ Hkjs rwQku okys ekulwuh fnuksa ds nkSjku mRrj iwoZ Hkkjr esa cknyksa dh lw{e lajpuk esa dkQh varj fn[kkA pØokrh xfrfof/k ds nkSjku LQSfjDl ds ns[ks x, cnyko dh laHkkfor O;k[;k dks xtZ Hkjs rwQku okys cknyksa dh rfM+r xfrfof/k ds vk/kkj ij le>k;k x;k gSA The present work reports the characteristic variations in VLF atmospherics or sferics at four discrete frequencies recorded at the Department of Physics, Tripura University, during the period from April 2009 to October 2009. Data from 76 active thunder days over North-East India is considered for the present investigation. Results show several types of features in the variation of sferics during the monsoon period. These are termed as gradual fall gradual rise (GFGR), gradual rise sudden fall (GRSF), gradual rise gradual fall (GRGF), gradual fall sudden rise (GFSR), sudden rise gradual fall (SRGF), sudden rise sudden fall (SRSF), sudden fall sudden rise (SFSR), sudden fall gradual rise (SFGR) and spiky. During the Monsoon thunder active days, amongst all the patterns, GRGF occurred in most of the cases in all frequencies (average occurrence rate around 37% in each frequency). During our observational period, a severe tropical cyclonic storm named “AILA” (RSMC Designation BOB02, JTWC Designation 02B) occurred over the Bay of Bengal during 23-26 May 2009. Among several characteristic features during normal Monsoon period, SRSF (average occurrence rate around 86 % in each frequency) dominated the sferics on the 25 May, 2009, when the cyclone struck the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal. The sferics of that day has been analyzed critically with respect to discrete frequency distribution of rise rate and fall rate of the intensity of the sferics. A comparison is made for all the patterns for the Monsoon days and the AILA cyclone active day. Our findings show substantial difference in the microstructure of clouds producing severe cyclonic storms like AILA and other thunderstorms during Monsoon seasons over North-East India. The possible interpretation of the observed variations in sferics is explained on the basis of the electrical activity that occurs inside a thunder-cloud especially during cyclonic activity.

Phylogenetic position of Tropidophorus assamensis Annandale, 1912 with updated morphological data and distributional records

The poorly known northeastern water skink Tropidophorus assamensis is only known from the type locality (Harigaj Range, Sylhet District) in Bangladesh, and few localities in Assam and Mizoram States, north-eastern India. Little is known about the biology including the systematics of the species. In this study, we present for the first time, genetic data (16s rRNA) and inferred its phylogenetic position. In addition to this, we provide updated morphological data along with new distributional records of the species from Mizoram State of north-east India.

Competency of Faculty Members in Online Teaching of Agricultural Undergraduatesduring COVID-19 Pandemic: A study in North-East India

Quality education is crucial for growth and development of a nation. Teaching learningprocess worldwide which was disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic has found consolationthrough online remote teaching. Competency of teachers plays an important role in thesuccess of online teaching. The study was conducted in North Eastern region (NER) ofIndia to assess the faculty members’ competency in online teaching of agriculturalundergraduates. For the study, all the teachers of institutes in NER imparting undergraduatelevel degree course in Agriculture were selected. Online questionnaire was sent to all theteachers of which 75 responses were received, which formed the respondents of the study.Five online teaching competency dimensions were considered for the study. The respondentshad highest mean competency score in Teaching Ethics and lowest in Content Facilitation.Online teaching competency had significant and positive correlation with online teachingexperience; attitude towards online teaching; and organisational facilities & support. Thestudy recommends providing organizational facilities and support in the form of adequateinfrastructure and conducting trainings on awareness and usage of e-teaching resources andtools to improve the online teaching competency of the teachers.

Factors Associated with Knowledge, Attitudes, and Prevention towards HIV/AIDS among Adults 15–49 Years in Mizoram, North East India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Despite a campaign of effective educational interventions targeting knowledge, attitudes, and prevention, Human Immunodeficiency-Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) continues to be a significant public health issue in India, with Mizoram reporting the highest HIV/AIDS cases in 2018–2019. In this study, we extracted Mizoram state from the National Family Health Survey Fourth Series (NFHS-4) 2015–2016 datasets and investigated factors associated with respondents’ knowledge, attitudes, and prevention towards HIV/AIDS. The sample included 3555 adults aged 15–49 years residing in Mizoram, North-east India. Respondents who reported having ever heard of HIV/AIDS was 98%. Multivariate analysis indicated that the probability of having inadequate knowledge of HIV/AIDS was higher among those with no schooling, who were illiterate, of non-Christian faiths, belonging to backward tribes or caste, from poor households, and those who lived in rural areas, not exposed to media. The odds of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS transmission was high among females (AOR = 3.12, 95% CI 2.34–4.16), respondents aged 35–39 years (AOR = 1.74, 95% CI 1.05–2.87) and those belonging to other backward class. The HIV/AIDS knowledge of respondents was found to be encouraging as the majority (98%) were considered to have a good level of understanding of the condition. An educational intervention to reduce the number of adults 15–49 years infected with HIV/AIDS in Mizoram should target those from low socioeconomic groups, those from non-Christian religions, and those from other backward classes.