Landfills are the most common method for the disposal of municipal solid waste the world over, as well as in India due to their low technical and economic requirements. The selection of an appropriate site for the establishment of a landfill is a complex process because it must combine social, environmental and technical parameters. The scientific selection of landfill site is based on several diverse criteria (Land Use and Land Cover, ground water table depth, soil permeability, surface water, roads distance, slop etc) and regulations. The study presents the selection of a site for the establishment of a landfill based on several criteria using geographic information system (GIS) based site suitability modeling and analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Site suitability modeling was implemented using Boolean and Index overlay models. Each criterion and sub criteria was evaluated with the aid of AHP to assign a relative weightage in the index overlay model. Rules and criteria's set by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO) were implemented through Boolean model. The combination of the results of the two models generated a map with several suitable sites. Further selection was done on basis of the size requirement of the site, to handle Municipal solid waste (MSW) for next ten years. Two sites having the maximum suitability and also fulfilling the size requirement were shortlisted. Final selection from the two sites was done by a field survey of the sites. Finally the site B was selected on the basis of field survey which revealed it being better on account of certain factors discussed and social acceptability.

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The Carbonaceous Aerosol Emissions, Source Apportionment and Climate Impacts (COALESCE) is a multi-institutional Indian network project to better understand carbonaceous aerosol induced air quality and climate effects. This study presents time synchronized measurements of surface PM 2.5 concentrations made during 2019 at 11 COALESCE sites across India. The network median PM 2.5 concentration was 42 μg m −3 with the highest median value at Rohtak (99 μg m −3 ) and the lowest median value at Mysuru (26 μg m −3 ). The influence of six meteorological parameters on PM 2.5 were evaluated. Causality analysis suggested that temperature, surface pressure, and relative humidity were the most important factors influencing fine PM mass, on an annual as well as seasonal scale. Further, a multivariable linear regression model showed that, on an annual basis, meteorology could explain 16%-41% of PM 2.5 variability across the network. Concentration Weighted Trajectories (CWT) together with the results of causality analysis revealed common regional sources affecting PM 2.5 concentrations at multiple regional sites. Further, CWT source locations for all sites across the network correlated with the SMoG-India emissions inventory at the 95th percentile confidence. Finally, CWT maps in conjunction with emissions inventory were used to obtain quantitative estimates of anthropogenic primary PM 2.5 sectoral shares from a mass-meteorology-emissions reconciliation, for all 11 pan-India network sites. These estimates can help guide immediate source reduction and mitigation actions at the national level.Plain Language Summary Surface PM 2.5 mass causal associations with annual and seasonal meteorology during 2019 across 11 pan-India COALESCE network locations were examined. Temperature, surface pressure and relative humidity were the most influential factors on fine PM mass concentrations. However, across the country only 16%-41% of fine PM variability was explained by meteorology on an annual basis. A fusion of trajectory ensemble methods with national emissions inventory was used for apportioning anthropogenic primary PM 2.5 at all 11 locations. Mass-meteorology-emissions associations helped identify priority sectors for source control across the country.

Simmondsia chinensis (Link) Schneider is a perennial, dioecious, drought resistant and multipurpose seed oil crop grown in arid and semi-arid conditions throughout the world. A reproducible and more efficient method for indirect shoot organogenesis from female leaf explants has been standardized. The leaf explants cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 1.0 mg l(-1) 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) alone produced the highest frequency of callus compared with 1.5 mg l(-1) IBA. Maximum proliferation of callus was observed on MS medium containing a combination of 1.0 mg l(-1) 2,4-D with 0.5 mg l(-1) BAP. For shoot differentiation, the proliferated callus was subcultured on MS medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) (1.0-4.0 mg l(-1)) along with 40 mg l(-1) adenine sulphate as additive or in combination with α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) or Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Optimum shoots differentiated from callus was obtained on MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg l(-1) BAP and 0.2 mg l(-1) NAA. On this medium, 100 % cultures were responded with an average number of 14.44 shoots per explant with their mean length of 4.78 cm. In vitro rooting (6.22 roots per explant) was achieved on half strength MS medium containing 2 % sucrose with 3.0 mg l(-1) IBA and 300 mg l(-1) activated charcoal (AC). Rooted plantlets were successfully hardened under control conditions and acclimatized under field conditions with 90 % success rate. The present protocol is highly efficient, reproducible and economically viable for large scale production of female plants.

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Uranium(U) is one of the highly toxic heavy metals and radionuclides that has become a major threat to soil health. There are two types of sources of Uranium in the soil system, natural and anthropogenic. Natural sources of uranium include rock systems and volcanic eruptions while anthropogenic sources include mining activities, disposal of radioactive waste, application of phosphate fertilizers, etc. Uranium accumulation impacts germination, early seedling growth, photosynthesis, metabolic and physiological processes of the plants. Through its accumulation in the aerial parts of the plants, Uranium finds its way to the human body, where it has deleterious health impacts. Different studies have identified the various sources of Uranium, explored, and explained the geochemistry of Uranium in soil, assessed the Uranium uptake and toxicity to the plants, and further studied the impact on human health. Most studies focused on two stages, either soil-plant or plant-human system. However, few studies have critically reviewed and summarized the U in the soil-plant-human system. Thus, the review has been designed to focus on the sources, geochemical behaviour, uptake, and translocation, plant toxicity, food chain entry, and finally, impact on human health. The relationship between the bioavailability of Uranium in the soil-plant system with soil properties like pH, Organic matter, and microorganisms have also been included. The study is further intensified by analyzing the accumulation of Uranium in various parts of the plants.

Medicinal plants are rich in bioactive components that are utilized to treat various human ailments. They are crucial to healing as well. Phytochemical constituents are responsible for the medicinal activity of plant species. Phytochemical screening is an important step in identifying bioactive compounds present in particular medicinal plants. Hence, in this present work, phytochemical screening of leaf extract of some traditional medicinal plants, namely Cannabis sativa, Ricinus communis, and Bryophyllum pinnatum was carried out. The solvent extracts of the leaves of respective plants were prepared using the Soxhlet apparatus with acetone, chloroform, petroleum ether, and aqueous solvents. Qualitative phytochemical analysis of plants included tests for reducing sugars, flavonoids, steroids, glycosides, polyphenols, tannins, terpenoids, and coumarins. All eight tested phytoconstituents were found present in all three plants in any solvent extracts. Aqueous extract confirmed the presence of a maximum number of phytoconstituents in C. sativa in comparison to other solvents. Acetone confirmed the maximum and chloroform confirmed the minimum number of phytoconstituents in R. communis, while chloroform confirmed the maximum and aqueous extract confirmed the minimum number of phytoconstituents in B. pinnatum. These phytochemicals may be a source of innovative plant-based medications because their existence is connected with the therapeutic potential of these plants.

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