Environmental Science Archives

  Mustard is an essential oilseed crop belonging to family Brassicaceae (Cruciferae). In the present study, out of a total of 50 actinobacterial isolates (30 from rhizospheric soil and 20 from endophytic tissues) obtained from mustard plant, two promising isolates (rhizospheric MRS-15 and endophytic MER-33) were evaluated for the plant growth promoting potential and endophytic occurrence in in-vitro assay. The MRS-15 isolate was observed to form biofilm-like structure on root epidermis while MER-33 reached inside the root outer cortex on seed inoculation in mustard seedlings. In the field study, Azotobacter was applied as a reference culture along with the two best isolates (MRS-15 and MER-33). The results revealed significant enhancement of various growth parameters (plant height, fresh and dry shoot and root weight, chlorophyll content) and yield attributes by the two actinobacterial cultures. Whereas seed weight/plant and seed yield were enhanced by all three inoculants over the...

  Coral reefs are crucial ecosystems that support marine biodiversity and provide invaluable services to human communities. The Indo-Pacific region boasts the greatest coral reef diversity worldwide, with over 600 species of reef-building corals and 2,000 species of reef fishes. In India, the four primary coral reef regions include the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, the Gulf of Kachchh, the Lakshadweep Archipelago, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Despite their importance, these reefs face significant threats from climate change, ocean acidification, pollution, and overfishing, leading to a decline in coral cover and diversity, which undermines the productivity and resilience of these ecosystems. Information on coral coverage in Andhra Pradesh, however, remains limited. A recent study conducted from 2019 to 2023 surveyed four sites (15 subsites) along the Visakhapatnam coast using SCUBA diving and digital photography to document coral diversity. The findings revealed that Chintap...

  Insects, often overlooked due to their small size and ubiquity, are the unsung heroes of global ecosystems. Playing pivotal roles as pollinators, decomposers, nutrient cyclers, and food sources for countless animals, insects underpin the stability of both natural and agricultural systems. However, recent decades have seen an alarming decline in insect populations worldwide; a phenomenon that has far-reaching implications for biodiversity, ecosystem function, and human well-being. This editorial explores the current state of global insect populations, the environmental factors contributing to their decline, and the potential consequences if these trends continue. It has been tried to present an overview how environmental changes, including habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change and pollution are driving this silent crisis. READ MORE: https://www.envsciarch.com/volume4issue2/alarming-decline-in-insect-population-a-reflection-of-changing-world-environment

  In recent years, the mismanaged disposal of waste into water resources has increased, leading to the generation of an estimated 360–380 billion cubic meters (BCM) of wastewater annually across the globe. This wastewater contains a range of harmful and persistent contaminants from agricultural, industrial, and domestic activities, posing significant risks to public health, the environment, and ecosystems. This review highlights the policies implemented by various nations for wastewater disposal and reuse, with a focus on bioremediation technologies adopted by urban regions to address water stress and inconsistencies in water management and discharge practices. The application of newer technologies along with statistical computer systems for predictive modeling and analytics are crucial in achieving sustainable wastewater treatment and reuse. These advancements are critical for mitigating water crises and enabling the safe use of treated wastewater for irrigation, aquaculture, agro...

  Papaya is highly perishable due to the higher moisture content and water activity present in it. The postharvest losses are higher because of this reason. These losses can be reduced by converting them into intermediate moisture fruits by osmosis, followed by other dehydration methods. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of microwave energy, immersion duration, and osmotic solution on the intermediate moisture papaya var. Red Lady is prepared by osmotic dehydration followed by vacuum drying. Papaya fruits of mature and firm ripe stage were collected, and the juice of the fruits was concentrated to 50 °brix in microwave oven at power levels 180, 300 and 450 W. Mature and firm ripe papaya fruits were sliced and immersed in the osmotic solutions for 6, 12 and 24 hrs and then dried in vacuum oven at 40 °C. The physical characteristics were determined, and results were expressed as the mean of the triplicates. The results revealed that the intermediate moisture (IM)...

  Fresh produce is considered as highly beneficial for human health. Post harvest losses and improper storage cause quality related issues. Factors like dehydration, browning, microbial growth, firmness loss, etc contribute to quality loss of fresh-cut fruit. Hence, there are technologies developed to reduce like modified atmospheric packaging, disinfectant washing, and edible coatings have been used to prevent post-harvest losses for quality loss prevention. The use of edible coatings is an area of focus in food industries. Edible coatings have gained considerable attention due to their ability to extend fruit and vegetables shelf life. These coatings are a novel type of primary packaging made up of polysaccharides, proteins, lipids or mixture of these types. They are known to improve quality and appearance of fresh products by decreasing aroma loss and by maintaining its structural integrity. Active coatings can carry supplementary ingredients like antimicrobials, antioxidants, a...

  Plastic pollution can have negative effects on human health as well as serious effects on marine ecosystems. The widespread production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) single-use plastics poses a significant threat to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in terms of plastic waste. PET is a strong, clear and light plastic that is typically used for food and beverage packaging, as well as for other single-use applications. As a result, removing plastic from the environment is not only difficult but also ineffective financially. Numerous strains of bacteria are capable of biodegrading a variety of plastics. Utilizing beneficial micro-organisms that are capable of breaking down plastic could be an effective and long-term solution to all of the problems. Ideonella sakaeinsis 201-F6 is the most well-known heterotrophic bacteria that can use PET as its primary source of energy and carbon to degrade plastic in the environment. It has a place with the sort of Ideonella and the family Com...

  Nilufar Yasmin Liza and Md. Habibur Rahman Coccolithophores, a special group of calcifying phytoplankton in the Indian Ocean, their distribution and productivity are strongly mediated by monsoonal dynamics, and they are a key player in the oceanic biogeochemical cycles. Our study explores the multifaceted dynamics between monsoon-driven environmental variability and coccolithophores, examining the influences of upwelling, nutrient accessibility and stratification. Normally, the Southwest (SW) monsoon is characterized by strong winds and substantial upwelling of nutrients and promotes coccolithophore blooms. In contrast, the population density is often lower with reduced upwelling of the northeast (NE) monsoon. This driving force is also noted in the analysis as different responses across regions of the Indian Ocean highlight the local environmental conditions. In addition, it highlights the importance of detailed long-term monitoring and innovative methods, including remote sensi...

Electronic waste (e-waste) has become a major environmental issue due to its hazardous contents, such as toxic substances like Mercury, Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs), and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), which pose significant risks to human health and ecosystems. The rapid pace of technological advancement and the increasing consumption of electronic devices have caused a substantial surge in e-waste generation. In 2019, global e-waste production reached 53.6 million metric tons, with projections suggesting it will double by 2050. High-income countries have made strides in developing policies and infrastructure for e-waste recycling; however, a significant portion of this waste is exported to low-income countries, where improper processing methods lead to serious environmental and health hazards. Although recycling e-waste has substantial economic value, with raw material recovery potentially worth $57 billion, only 17.4% of global e-waste was properly recycled in 2019, emphasi...

Arsenic has mutagenic, teratogenic and epigenetic effects Puri et al., 2024 Heavy metals can be described as those naturally occurring metals or metalloids which have considerably high atomic weight. Generally, Arsenic (As), Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Cadmium (Cd) and Chromium (Cr) are regarded as heavy metals in matters concerning public health due to their significant ill effects on the environment. Heavy metals including arsenic result in biomagnification involving a significant increase in their concentration as we move from lower to higher trophic levels across the food chain up to humans. The toxic effects depend upon many factors like the chemical nature, route, duration and dose of exposure along with the age, gender, genetic makeup and nutritional status of the exposed animals. Arsenic exists both in organic and inorganic forms and is considered to be one of the systemic toxicants known to cause damage to multiple organs even at minuscule levels of exposure. Arsenic is a necessa...

A Study on Microbial Carriage on Door Handles Odo JI et al., 2024 As people come in contact with surfaces like keyboards, office furniture, toilet doors, buses and keke door handles, there is a probability of picking up microbes deposited on them. This study is aimed at evaluating the antibiogram and microbial carriage of campus buses and keke napep door handles. Thirty swab samples were obtained from buses and keke napep door handles. The samples were taken to the laboratory where they were serially diluted and inoculated. Identification, characterization and biochemical analysis were done using standard microbiological methods. Fungal colonies were macroscopically and microscopically examined for morphology and appearance. Bacterial isolated were identified to be Staphylococcus spp., Proteus spp., Escherichia coli and Shigella spp. Fungi isolated were identified to be Aspergillus niger, Mucor spp., Aspergillus fumigates, Rhizopus spp. and Yeast spp. This study has shown that for both...

  Determination of Permethrin Samples using Leuco Crystal Violet Reagent A new sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of permethrin insecticide in environmental and agricultural samples has been developed. The reaction mechanism is based on complexation followed by coupling of permethrin with leuco crystal violet (LCV). This method is based on the measurement of red shift of absorbance band of LCV in the UV-Visible region of 200-800 nm. The resulting complex absorption spectra was observed at λmax = 580 nm. The color of permethrin was changed from colorless to violet by the addition of LCV. The effects of various pesticides and metal ions on the selective determination of permethrin were also studied. The analytical parameters were improved and effectively employed for permethrin assessment in a variety of environmental samples including water, soil and vegetables. The purpose of the present research was to design a method for the color complexation determination...

  Microplastic Pollution and Human Health Tayal P et al. (2023) Besides visible plastic pollution, there is also a microplastic threat. Microplastics are ultrasmall plastic items, smaller than 5 mm in size. The presence of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems is increasing at an exponential rate posing a direct or indirect threat to all biodiversity on the planet This paper highlights the Indian scenario of microplastic pollution in comparison with developed regions of the globe while primarily focusing on impacts on human health. Microplastic particles are not metabolised by living organisms and thus they keep bioaccumulating. These tiny plastics also sorb a wide plethora of chemical substances that may have severe effects on life forms. Pathogenic bacteria may also adhere to microplastics affecting health. Exposure to microplastics has become impossible to avoid as these tiny plastics can enter through food, cosmetics and even via air. Besides bioaccumulating microplastics have be...

  Biochar: A Beneficial Soil Amendment Singh and Puri, 2023 Biochar is a promising and viable fertilizer carrier for microbial fertilizers due to its porosity (Wang et al., 2023). Biochar is a type of charcoal produced in the slow pyrolysis of organic materials, such as agricultural waste (Aziz et al., 2023). Pyrolysis, the method used to create biochar, is the conversion of organic materials into a stable form of carbon that can survive in soil for a very long time (hundreds to thousands of years). Recently, a co-pyrolysis technique for improving sewage sludge biochar's performance and immobilizing heavy metals was presented (Fan et al., 2023; He et al., 2023). When organic matter is heated in the absence of oxygen, it can break down into its constituent components without catching fire, resulting in the development of biochar. In order to create biochar, which may be used as a soil amendment to enhance soil health and fertility, a variety of organic waste products, including agri...

  Impact of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on the Growth, Vermicomposting Efficiency and Nutritional Status of Vermicompost through Eisenia fetida Goyal A et al. (2023) The advent of nanotechnology has led to the presence of an enormous amount of nanoparticles (NPs) in the environment, especially in the soil where earthworms, the major megafaunal species, are continuously exposed to these NPs. The present study focuses on the impact of iron oxide NPs on the vermicomposting efficiency of Eisenia fetida. The worms were exposed to iron oxide NPs of sizes 30 nm and 100 nm at different concentrations (250, 500, 750, and 1000 mg kg-1 of soil) spiked in artificial soil. The maximum increase in earthworm’s weight of 4.10% was observed at a concentration of 250 mg kg-1 of soil for the iron oxide NPs of 30 nm size and the highest increase in weight of 11.50% was observed in the case of 100 nm size at a concentration of 750 mg kg-1 of soil. In the treatment containing a combination of iron oxide NP...