A number of perennial springs such as Thakurani, Khandadhar, Gudguda, Gonasika and Bolani are present in the hilly tract of Joda-Badbil-Koira area of Keonjhar-Sundargarh District, Orissa. The area is densely forested with rich deposits of Fe and Mn, which are mined using the opencast method of mining.  (Correspondence)

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Need for identification and value assessment of agro-biodiversity heritage sites in the context of recent Acts has been highlighted to facilitate conservation and evolution of sustainable agriculture.

RAPD analysis of DNA isolated from soils under Ker and associated open areas of Bikaner, Kodamdesar and Nagaur regions of western Rajasthan was carried out using six primers to find out the effect of Ker (Capparis deciduas) plants on microbial diversity.

The aim of this study was to find out the impact of climate change, if any, on the phenophases of 11 multipurpose tree species, growing as block plantation at one site, during eight years (1999

Decline in national wheat productivity, and stagnation of yield in the national Advanced Varietal Trials in the past decade are partly attributed to high temperature stress during the period of grain-filling. In view of the predicted global warming, terminal heat stress is likely to increase.

The sea-ice cover in the polar regions is one of the most expansive and seasonal geophysical parameters on the earth's surface. The presence or absence of sea-ice affects the atmosphere and the ocean, and therefore the climate in many ways. In this study we have used the Multi-frequency Scanning Microwave Radiometer (MSMR) brightness temperature data over the Antarctic/Southern Ocean region to calculate the weekly sea-ice extents, during the melting phase from August 1999 to March 2000 to quantitatively estimate the melting rates of sea-ice on a hemispheric scale.

Extreme rainfall events today pose a serious threat to many populated and urbanized areas worldwide. An accurate estimate of frequency and distribution of these events can significantly aid in policy planning and observation system design. We report here a highresolution (10 km) analysis of heavy rainfall episodes (defined as 24-h rainfall exceeding 250 mm) over the Indian region.

Environmental isotope techniques have been employed to identify the recharge areas of springs in India, in order to construct artificial recharge structures for rainwater harvesting and groundwater augmentation for their rejuvenation. A model project was taken up in the mountainous region of Gaucher

In India, the criteria and indicators approach for sustainable forest management is being implemented on a pilot basis since 2000. The initiative, known as the Bhopal-India process, has over the years endeavoured to formulate a working framework for the achievement of the goals of sustainability specific to the national forestry conditions.

The habitat loss, increasing air pollution, changes in the microclimatic conditions and uncontrolled harvest have become the major detrimental factors for lichen diversity in India. Propagation of lichens by means of tissue culture method proved to be uneconomical and their re-introduction into the field has been unsuccessful. Hence declaring lichen-rich areas as

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