Biological activity of Citrus paradisi peel

Citrus paradisi (Grapefruit) peel oil has medicinal properties which shows beneficial effects against plant pathogenic fungi Objective: The aim of this research was to investigate the antifungal potential of Citrus paradisi peel oil against different plant pathogenic fungal strainsMethods: The essential oil of Grapefruit peel was provided in different concentrations 0.25 to 0.75ml per 100 ml of media to 3 different plant pathogenic fungal strains i.e, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani and Dreschlera tetramera and its effect on the growth of fungi was recorded Results: The studies provided the results compared with the controlled media, which showed the fungal growth was almost completely inhibited at 0.75ml concentration of oil, even the lower concentration was sufficient to retard the growth Conclusions: The study provided the blue print for fungicidal spray to cure serious diseases in plants, such as, rice blast, papaya fruit rot, seedling collar rot and wilt diseases.

The Withdrawn Children and Their Classroom Participation: An Exploratory Case Study

Child-centred teaching and learning approach is a progressive approach that demands for active participation of all children in the classroom process. Educationists and Professional Educational Institutions like IED are advocating for this approach. As a result, more and more teachers are being exposed to this progressive approach of teaching and learning. As teachers embrace this approach, one may wonder whether they are able to enhance the participation of all children, including the withdrawn ones in the classroom process. Therefore, apart from creating awareness about withdrawn children who may be forgotten, ignored and isolated in the classroom, this exploratory case study was also carried out to find out the opportunities that exist in the classroom that could enable and/or enhance the participation of the withdrawn children. This study describes the experiences of withdrawn/unresponsive children in and outside the classroom through detailed classroom observations, interviewing some of the teachers, the two case withdrawn children and parents to one of the case children, and through analysis of relevant documents. The study found out that, though the teacher I observed had been exposed to child-centered teaching and learning strategies, like group work, pair work, the use of role plays, drama, discussions etc., through professional development courses and through the H.A.S programme being propagated in the school by the H.A.S.-IED team, that could have been used to enhance classroom participation of all children including the withdrawn ones, she was unable to maximize the use of these strategies in the classroom. However, the findings suggest that the warm friendly relationship the teacher had with all children including the withdrawn ones in the classroom, which was shown in the way she related to them, indicated that the teacher valued, loved and respected all the children. This relationship may have enhanced the children's self-esteem, thus, leading to occasional interaction between the teacher and the children, hence, enabling the two withdrawn case children to participate.