India hosted the XIX Common Wealth Games (CWG) 2010, in New Delhi, for the first time. It is only the second time that these games have been organized in Asia. A distinctive feature of the CWG 2010 was the emphasis of the organizers on environment; they wanted these games to be remembered not only as a sporting spectacle but also as the first-ever.
Piper betle L. is one of the important plants in the Asiatic region which ranks second to coffee and tea in terms of daily consumption. Though the plant is known for abuse, in recent years several reports have been pub-
lished on the effects of the plant extract and chemical constituents on different biological activities in vitro and in vivo.
The global economy is driven by competitive pressures. A recent editorial in Science, that addresses the issue of ‘Nurturing Young Scientists’ in the United States, proclaims: ‘It is imperative to grow our economy through global leadership in science’.
The air-breathing freshwater fish Clarias is represented by three species in the aquatic ecosystems of Kerala: Clarias batrachus Hamilton (the walking catfish), Clarias dayi Hora (Malabar catfish) and Clarias dussumieri Valenciennes (Valenciennes clariid). However, the populations of these species are declining sharply in Kerala and Clarias has became rare now. (Correspondence)
Land degradation is a serious menace to food security. Salinity-related land degradation is becoming a serious challenge to food and nutritional security in developing countries. Order vertisols has problem of salinity throughout the country. The vertisols and their associates cover nearly 257 m ha of the earth
Polymetallic nodules found on the deep seafloor (>4000 m water depth) have been recognized as an alternative source for certain metals, when land deposits get exhausted.
The fossil diatoms and geochemistry of the lake water and sediments of Ambazari Lake, Nagpur were studied. The diatoms assemblages with the characteristics of different salinity regimes and pH have been identified
and grouped from the bottom (unit I) to the top (unit III) of the core. Units I
Degradation due to erosion, salinity, waterlogging, contamination, etc. reduces the quality of land. Soil and water resources are affected initially then the bioresources. Uncontrolled degradation processes lead to
desertification of land and the ecosystem functions are disturbed.
