The World viz-a-viz Covid-19 Pandemic  Which Way Is A Way to Temple?

The contemporary world is witnessing a deadly pandemic whose outcome till date has played havoc on the world economies and has rendered businesses, industries, and societies to a grinding halt. There exists even a greater danger that devastation of economies may eventually lead to conflicts within and outside the periphery of borders. The world will continue till its very end and humans will have to live with wars, pandemics, and natural calamities. Two ‘social’ institutions so far have remained the most fundamental for a rather unbumpy time-evolution of any society, viz. (i) Institutions producing ‘manpower’ (i.e, educational institutions); and (ii) Workplaces run by ‘manpower’ (such as businesses, trade, industries, and military).

Exploring the Potential of Moringa Oleifera As Field Crop and Plant Growth Enhancer

The present research project was conducted to evaluate the growth behaviour of Moringa oleifera as affected by different cutting levels, its survival under saline conditions and the potential moringa leaf extract (MLE) was explored to improve the germination and plant vigour of rangeland grasses. It was found that moringa plants give maximum biomass when harvested at 30 cm cutting level regularly after each 30 days. Moreover, maximum nutritional quality was also recorded in rainy season (July and August). Maximum antioxidant activity was also recorded in rainy season (July and August) when the plants were harvested at 30 cm level. In second experiment, it was found that moringa seedlings can survive up to 8 dS m-1 with a slight reduction in its biomass, chlorophyll a, crude protein and mineral contents while the antioxidants’ activity increased with increasing salinity level. Plant biomass, chlorophyll a contents, SOD and POD activity and mineral contents (Ca, K and Mg) were reduced significantly but CAT, total phenolic, β- carotene and chlorophyll b, sodium and phosphorous contents increased significantly up to 12 dS m-1 as compared to control. A positive correlation was found between salinity levels and root biomass, sodium, phosphorous, chlorophyll b, TPC and anioxidants’ activity but a negative correlation was recorded between salinity levels and shoot biomass, calcium, magnesium, potassium, crude protein and chlorophyll a contents. The third experiment was conducted in two phases. In first phase, the priming strategies used were hydropriming, CaCl2, PEG-8000 (–1.1 M Pa), MLE (concentrate; 1:10, 1:20, 1:30, and 1:40 dilutions with distilled water), and matripriming using saturated jute mat for 24 h. The primed seeds were placed between 2 moist Whatman No. 1 filter papers in petri plates to evaluate germination and seedling vigor. Though all of the priming strategies excelled as compared to the control, matripriming and priming with 30× diluted MLE (1:30) were the most effective; thus, they were selected for further experimentation. In the second phase, these optimized priming strategies were used along with hydropriming and an unprimed in pot studies. Both matripriming and MLE (1:30) priming significantly increased the germination. Matripriming was more effective in increasing the number of leaves, number of tillers, and shoot vigor for Cenchrus ciliaris and Panicum antidotale, but roots were more vigorous when primed with MLE (1:30). In the case of Echinochloa crusgalli, the results were reversed: the number of leaves, number of tillers, and shoot vigor were improved when primed by MLE (1:30), whereas matripriming maximally increased the root length and weight. It can be here concluded that M. oleifera is a good alternate of fodder crops especially in dry season when no fodder is available. It can tolerate moderate saline conditions owing to better antioxidant system, activating defensive enzymes and minerals regulation mechanism. Moreover, the usage of MLE (1:30) and matripriming are effective priming strategies which are low-cost, environmentally friendly, and can easily be adapted by farmers and range managers.