September 2010

Delonix elata and Prospis cineraria are used in the treatment of various diseases by local folks. Since, these plants possess many medicinal properties; the present study was designed to evaluate the phytochemicals and the antimicrobial activity of leaf extracts from of Delonix elata and Prospis cineraria. The invitro antimicrobial activity was performed by agar disc diffusion method against bacterial viz. Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtillus, Klebsiella, E.coli, Proteus sp. and Pseudomonas sp. and fungi viz. Aspergillus Niger, Pencillium sp., Candida albicans. The organic extracts especially alcoholic extract, showed maximum against the micro organism. This shows that these plants can be used for medicinal purposes. Both Delonix elata and Prospis cineraria were deserved to have antimicrobial activity and can be used for medicinal purposes.

The isolation and characterization of microorganisms involved in the degradation of refined petroleum products polluted sites in Elele was carried out. The total aerobic mean plate count for petrol, diesel and kerosene ranged from 6.16 + 0.10 to 0.50 +0.7Log10cfu/g, 5.03 + 0.17-8.01 + 0.18 Log10cfu/g, 4.11 + 0.17 to 5.65 +0.33Log10cfu/g respectively. The fungal mean count for petrol, diesel, and kerosene ranged from 5.89 + 0.28 - 6.40 + 0.23Log10cfu/g, 5.29 + 0.07-6.59 + 0.06Log10cfu/g, 4.01 + 0.10 -5.78 + 0.19Log10cfu/g respectively. The hydrocarbon-utilizing bacterial mean count for the petrol, diesel and kerosene ranged from 5.03 + 0.03 - 6.25 +0.02Log10cfu/g, 4.01 + 0.11 – 5.33 + 0.01Log10cfu/g and 4.01 + 0.44 – 5.05 +0.02Log10cfu/g respectively. The hydrocarbon-utilizing fungal mean count for the petrol, diesel and kerosene ranged from 3.97 + 0.06 – 5.77 + 0.33Log10cfu/g, 5.01 +0.09 – 6.01 + 0.11Log10cfu/g and 4.95 + 0.01 – 5.25 + 0.03Log10cfu/g respectively. The bacteria isolated from the petrol polluted suites their percentage occurrence were Bacillus (34.2%), Pseudomonas species (28.9%) Klebsiela species (21.1%) and Acinetobactero (15.8%) while the fungi were Aspergillus species (33.3%), Penicillin species (44.4%) and Saccharomyces soeciesn(22.2%). Diesel polluted site were Bacillus (38.5%), Citrobacter species (34.6%), Acinetobacter species (26.9%), Candida species (37.8%),Aspergilllus species (31.1%) and Penicillin (31.1%). Kerosene polluted sites were Pseudomonas species (36.8%); Klebsiella species (34.2%), Citrobacter species (28.9%), Candida albicans (48.1%) and Saccharomyces species (51.9%). The work showed that these microorganisms can be used in the degradation of these petroleum products if they contaminate the environment.

Microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of fish pond water obtained from various locations in Ughelli-South Local Government Area of Delta State were carried out. The mean total aerobic plate count ranged from 5.09 + 0.03 to 5.16 +0.01Log10cfu/ml. The mean fungal ranged from 4.65 ± 0.02 to 4.72 ± 0.02 Log10cfu/mL. The mean coliform count ranged from 3.63 + 0.01 to 3.71 +0.01Log10cfu/mL. There was no count for Escherichia coli, Salmonella-Shigella and Vibrio cholera. Bacteria genera isolated included Micrococcus species (29.8%); Bacillus species (20.8%); Proteus species (16.4%); Pseudomonas species (17.1%) and Klebsiella species (15.6%). Fungal genera were Penicillum species (55.8%) and Aspergillus species (44.1%). The mean values ranges of the physicochemical parameters were pH, 5.85 to 6.26; temperature, 30.02 to 30.100C; conductivity, 30.35 to 51.70µS/cm; total dissolved solid, 16.08.to 27.41mg/L; turbidity, 6.80 to 5.71mg/L; biological oxygen demand, 4.85 to 5.30mg/L; chemical oxygen demand, 7.04 to 7.63mgL; salinity, 4.99 to 7.80ppt; alkalinity, 2.22 to 3.78mg/L; phosphate, 1.88 to 1.02mg/L; sulphate, 1.50 to 3.02mg/L; nitrite, <0.01 mg/L; nitrate, 0.17 to 0.55mg/L and ammonia, 0.54 to 1.00mg/L. This shows that the ponds contain microorganisms and chemicals that can cause disease to the fish and eventually to man when consumed.

Six different isolates of Dunaliella were isolated along the salt pans of Andhra Pradesh coast, India were focused by classical and molecular taxonomy which effectively reported the significance of molecular tools and identified the strange green forms of Dunaliella bardawil and Dunaliella parva. Among the six isolates five were identified with present genus and species specific primers used in the study where as the remaining one isolate was partially sequenced and submitted in the Gen bank.

Angular leaf spot (Pseudomonas syringae pv. lachrymans) is more or less prevalent in almost every cucumber growing area of the world causing heavy losses not only to cucumber but to other cucurbits as well. Under natural conditions, the disease initially appears as minute water-soaked spots on leaves, which became and turn light tan in colour. With the passage of time, spots turn necrotic and many of these slough-off giving leaves a tattered appearance. The spots on infected fruits lead to rot or misshapening of fruit in case of severe infection. Both naturally infected as well as the artificially inoculated seed can harbour the pathogen beyond two sowing seasons. Pathogen survives on diseased crop debris buried or kept on soil surface from harvesting to next sowing time. The disease is controlled by hot water treatment, chemical seed treatment, foliar sprays and use of systemic resistance inducers.

Plant taxonomy, the science of classifying and naming the plants antedate recorded history. Even in the early civilization of India, China and Egypt practiced a sort of plant taxonomy as a new a few good number of plants particularly those of food and medicinal value. We find that this branch is originated only since 200-250 b.c. and and always credit is given to Theopastrus and Aristotle as the beginner in this branch. one of the earliest Indian works dealing with plants in a scientific manner is ‘Vrikshyurveda’. It was compiled by Parashar. This was based on study of comparativemorphology of plants. With this origin we find that the taxonomy was changing its concepts and the basis and hence classification was also changing its concepts. It traveled from herbs, shrubs, and trees to oil yielding fiber. Then it came on artificial system from that the natural system and today its base is phylogenetic, which is only imaginary, unpractical and no utility Much more voluminous works are being done to the westerns and modern science and the use of it to the Mankind is very less. But for each subject. We must also refer to the eastern and Ancient Indian Science. In the ancient India much more literature was available on various Sciences. But because of the colonization of the western people much more is destroyed very few are available and in that we can get knowledge more advance and useful than today.

Finite capacity queueing system with correlated arrival and service processes is considered with provision for additional server along with controllable arrival rate. The additional service channel is introduced according to (r1, R1) control policy. In this policy if the system size reaches R1 additional server is introduced and the introduced server is withdrawn if the system size becomes less than r1 (< R1). In a similar manner the arrival rate is controlled according to (r2, R2) policy, where r1 < R1 < r2 < R2. The steady state probabilities and the performance measures are derived. Numerical results are presented.

The diversity, abundance, biomass of phytoplankton and primary productivity in the shelf waters of four stations along the southwest coast of India were studied for the first time during May - June 2005. In order to study the vertical distribution, five sampling depths starting from (5 to 35 m) were elected within the euphotic zone. Nutrients (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate and silicate) showed an increasing trend from 5 m to deeper waters with a significant positive relationship with salinity (r > 0.83, p < 0.01). Result indicates that Primary Productivity (PP) and phytoplankton standing crop were direct tune with chlorophyll a and nutrient concentrations. Further, a significant positive correlation was observed between PP and phytoplankton standing crop (r > 0.87, p < 0.01) in most of the stations and also with chlorophyll a and phytoplankton standing crop (p < 0.01, r > 0.96). Among stations, 35 m depth at Kodungallur station recorded the least phytoplankton standing crop (0.87 × 103 cells L–1) and 10 m depth at Mangalore recorded the maximum (31.53 × 103 cells L–1). Phytoplankton community composition revealed 67 species of phytoplankton belonging to different taxonomic groups, in which bacillariophyceae constituted 49, pyrrophyceae 17 and cyanophyceae 1. Chaetoceros lorenzianus invariably constituted maximum abundance throughout the water column in all stations except Mangalore 10 m depth. Depth integrated (5 to 35 m) primary productivity of Mangalore (1284.7 mg C m-2 d-1) was nearly three times as high at Kodungallur (431.8 mg C m-2 d-1). The maximum depth integrated chlorophyll a (49.70 mg m-2) was recorded at Mangalore and minimum of 13.25 mg m-2 were recorded at Kodungallur. Vertical accretion of phytoplankton species was remarkable and the species diversity was predominant at 10 – 15 m water column depth, which is in concord with maximum biomass (chlorophyll a) and pycnocline layer. In general, increased phytoplankton diversity, Margalef richness d’ (5.53 ± 0.23), Shannon-Wiener H’ (2.56 ± 0.37), Pielou’s evenness J’ (0.61 ± 0.44) in the northern shelf waters Karwar and Mangalore (12 - 14oN) relative to southern shelf waters Calicut and Kodungallur (10 - 11oN) with concomitant increase both in abundance and biomass. In this study an attempt was also made to distinguish the phytoplankton community in to its different assemblages according to their locations (e.g., depth and station-ways). Mangalore recorded the maximum species diversity (52) followed by Karwar (49), Calicut (42) and Kodungallur (19). Southwest coast of India, Phytoplankton abundance and biomass could be affected by its spatial variability in community structure with species specific association (e.g., depth ways) and largely with respect to differences in the hydrographical conditions. The study suggests that phytoplankton community structure was varied with depth and plays a crucial role on PP and quantity of phytoplankton biomass available to the marine food web.