Sacred groves – an ancient tradition of nature conservation of sthalavrikshas in coimbatore, tamil nadu, india

In India sthalavrikshas worship in temples was a religrous practice. In Tamil Nadu almost every temple is associated with a plant or tree connected to the history and mythology of the temple and or deity. The worshipper who comes to the temple attains a healty spiritua; enlighten. Sthalavrikshas is a natural tree found in the temple site brfore construction of the temple. The present investigation was carried out in coimbatore district to enumerate the sthalavrikshas associate with temple by field observation method. During the field visit temples were frequently visited and surveyed for the sthalavrikshas from the month of December 2019 - February 2020. The survey was conduced at 46 ancient temples of the coimbatore district and revelated the occurrence of 19 sthalavrikshas species were observed in different area of coimbatore district. These sacred plants are worshiped by the local people for getting the blessing of health and wealth by positive powers of nature. Sthalavrikshas are germplasm reservers and an indicator of socio-cultural conservation strategy. It is concluded that the Sthalavriksha worship is an age old practice, myths, beliefs and floklore play a major role in the exsistance of Sthalavrikshas worship and this customms help in plant conservation.

Sulphur fertilization on biochemical constituents of cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata. L) in non-calcareous soil of Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu

Sulphur is the fourth most important plant nutrient after nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and it is becoming increasingly crucial in high-quality crop production (Bhoyar., 2019). Since limited work has been carried out regarding different sulphur sources on cabbage production in the Coimbatore district, the present study was undertaken to investigate the sulphur sources and levels on various biochemical constituents of cabbage. Hence a field experiment was conducted in the farmer’s field at Viraliyur village, Thondamuthur block of Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu to assess the effect of sulphur fertilization on improving the biochemical constituents of cabbage hybrid Saint. There were four different S sources (Elemental sulphur, Potassium sulphate, Gypsum, Single super phosphate) applied at five levels (0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 kg ha-1) and replicated thrice in a factorial randomized block design. The crop was fertilized with a Soil Test Crop Response-prescribed dose of NPK (200:125:25 kg ha-1). The crop was harvested on 90th day and cabbage heads were analysed for various biochemical constituents like ascorbic acid, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), chlorophyll content, glucosinolates (GLs), total phenol content (TPC), sulphur containing amino acid (methionine) and antioxidant enzyme activity (peroxidase). The influence of S fertilizers on biochemical constituents increased significantly with increasing levels of sulphur fertilization up to 80 kg S ha-1 excluding ascorbic acid content. The pooled data showed that gypsum applied at 80 kg ha-1 registered the maximum GLs (69.0 µmol g-1), TPC (31.9 mM 100g-1), methionine (32.3%), peroxidase activity (0.70 units min-1mg-1), TSS (7.64 0Brix), TA (0.64%), ascorbic acid (61.4 mg 100g-1) and total chlorophyll (1.21 mg g-1) in cabbage head. The lowest content of biochemical constituents viz., GLs (34.1 µmol g-1), TPC (8.10 mM 100g-1), methionine (17.6%) and peroxidase (0.31 units min-1mg-1) were observed in control applied NPK alone. There were positive and significant changes in the biochemical constituents of cabbage due to S application which confirms the improvement in the quality of cabbage head. The study concluded that gypsum was the better sulphur source for improving the quality of cabbage.

Incidence of Groundnut Leafminer (GLM), Aproaerema modicella (Deventer) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) and its Parasitic Fauna on Alternate Leguminous Hosts in Tamil Nadu, India

Background: The groundnut leafminer (GLM), Aproaerema modicella is an important pest of several legume crops which causes 50 to 100 per cent yield loss in India. The exploration of indigenous natural enemies is crucial to the success of every biological control strategy. Besides, alternative host plants act as a source of both herbivorous pests and their natural enemies. In this view, occurrence of GLM and their parasitic fauna on groundnut, alternate leguminous hosts viz., redgram and babchi were recorded. Methods: Survey on damage potential of GLM and their parasitic fauna were recorded on groundnut at Sivagangai and Coimbatore districts of Tamil Nadu, India during 2016 to 2018. Survey was also conducted to find the damage potential of A. modicella on alternate leguminous hosts viz., redgram, babchi and their parasitic fauna at Coimbatore district. The damage potential of A. modicella, per cent parasitization and parasitoid emergence were assessed from A. modicella infested groundnut, redgram and babchi leaves. Result: Severe incidence of A. modicella was recorded as 98.10% (2016 to 2017) and 98.45% (2017 to 2018) at Sivagangai district. The parasitization of GLM was also found higher at Sivagangai recording 46.67% in both the years which was positively related with the pest population. 13 hymenopteran parasitoids belonging to eight families were recorded. Among them, Avga choaspes Nixon recorded high per cent parasitoid emergence (20.00%). Furthermore, GLM incidence on redgram and babchi indicated the highest damage potential of 38.20 and 34.50 per cent and parasitization of 33.33 and 20.00 per cent, respectively during 2017 to 2018.

Bioethanol production from pineapple peels waste by heat treatment and enzyme hydrolysis: An eco-friendly and economical method

Bioethanol is a renewable energy source with reduced CO2 emission and a better alternate for fossil fuels. The production of bioethanol using low cost agricultural wastes such as fruits waste always remains a better solution for the present environmental and energy problems. The present study focusses on the production of bioethanol from pineapple peel wastes by simultaneous scarification and fermentation process in a completely eco-friendly manner and economical manner. The fruit wastes are rich sources of sugars and can be utilized for the production of second generation fuel. Initially, cellulase producing potent bacterial isolate was isolated from soil sample collected from fruit market (Uzhavar Santhai), R.S. Puram, Coimbatore district, Tamilnadu, India. Further, the bacterial isolate was identified by 16S rDNA sequencing and the sequence was submitted in GenBank with the accession number MW227436. The phylogenetic tree was constructed and the bacterial isolate was identified as Bacillus cereus strain JK79. Pineapple peel waste was processed, heat pretreated and was utilized for enzymatic saccharification with crude cellulase enzyme to hydrolyze cellulose into simple sugars. The enzyme hydrolyzed content was allowed to undergo fermentation simultaneously (Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation) utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce bioethanol. The yield of bioethanol was determined by potassium dichromate method. About 10.07 g/l of bioethanol was obtained by fermenting the enzymatically hydrolyzed pineapple peel waste using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The production of bioethanol was confirmed by GC-MS.

Perception Level of Small Medium Enterprises Employees and Their Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility Practices

Purpose: The current study examines the perception level of environmental-oriented CSR practices among the employees of small-medium enterprises in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India. Approach/Methodology/Design: It is a cross-sectional field study of environment CSR practices among SMEs employees of Coimbatore district, the western part of Tamil Nadu, India. A multistage random sampling technique is adopted. Sixty-one firms were approached to study the employees’ perception of CSR and environmental impact on CSR. The sample included 369 participants out of the total population of 9027 employees. This study follows the research methodology based on the Eco-labeling principles, designed by the European Commission 2005 Descriptive analysis, Chi-square test, Bartlett sphericity statistical tests, and Structural Equation Modeling in AMOS version 23 were used.. Findings: The results indicate the significance of SMEs employees’ perception level according to their age, gender and experience. The results reveal that CSR practices towards environments are related to employee perception level. CSR practices play a very predominant role in changing the mindset of the employees working in small-medium enterprises. Practical Implications: This study also paves a way to diverse thoughts in the exploration of the multimodal dimensions of the internal aspects and external CSR practices. Originality/value: The analysis presents the main directions of pro-environmental initiatives undertaken by enterprises and the perception of employees to understand environmental CSR. The results also indicate the differences in the most frequent pro-environmental activities of enterprises operating in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India.

Impact of COVID-19 on Food and Non-Food Consumption Behaviour of People in the Western Zone of Tamil Nadu

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the global pandemic COVID-19 on household income, expenditure, and consumption behaviour of farmers in the western zone of Tamil Nadu during the year 2020. The Annur block in the Coimbatore district was purposively chosen for this study since majority of the farmers cultivating horticultural crops were affected significantly due to COVID-19 situation. A total of 210 farmers were selected using a proportionate sampling technique by covering the vegetable (Tomato, Brinjal, and Bhendi) and flower crops (Jasmine, Mullai, and Rose). The study helped in analyzing the changes noticed in the livelihoods of the farmers as a consequence of the emergence of this global pandemic situation. The findings of the study indicated that the average annual income of farmers has been lowered about 17 per cent due to COVID-19 along with subsequent effects on household consumption expenditure and savings being reduced about 16 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively. Further, the expenses on food items had increased about 8 per cent, while non-food group expenses had plummeted about 46 per cent. On the other hand, medical expenses significantly enhanced to an extent of about 38 per cent among the sampled households.

A study on Economic Analysis of Organic Coconut Cultivation in Coimbatore District

The study analyses the economics of coconut production under organic farming in Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu. Participatory Guarantee Scheme (PGS) was studied in accordance to how farmers get their organic farming certification under PKVY scheme in Tamil Nadu. The estimated variable cost was Rs. 43,025/ha. The total cost of cultivation was Rs.82,216/ha. The net income over operational cost was Rs.2,95,888/ha and net income over total cost was Rs.2,56,697/ha. Total yield was increasingly responsive with higher application of farm yard manure and bio- fertilizers. Results of scale efficiency shows majority of the farms were operating in optimum return to scale. Inadequate supply of labour and inadequate market for organic products poses as major constraints to organic coconut farming in the area of study. Aim: The purpose of the study was to find out the profitability level and responsiveness of yield with input application of organic farming through Participatory Guarantee Scheme (PGS) and how farmers actively involved in organic farming to conserve natural resources. Design of Study and Methodology: The study was conducted in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu (2020) with 60 sample respondents. Purposive sampling was adopted for the study and two blocks were selected based on the leading operator of PGS scheme. The data were collected through well-structured interview schedule which was prepared through pre-tested survey. The analytical methods followed in the study included cost and returns estimation, resource use efficiency and data envelopment analysis to reveal the exact scenario of organic farming practices. Findings of the study: The study showed about Organic coconut is found to be one of the most important and sustainable crop options. Estimates of Resource Use Efficiency show that coconut yield was relatively higher with use of farm yard manure and bio- fertilizers, compared to all other organic inputs Nearly, 32.5 per cent of the farms considered under study were found to be operating in constant returns to scale. The major marketing constraint faced by the sample farmers through organic farming was inadequate supply of labour and price fluctuations of coconut.