Ganga-Meghna-Bramhaputra basin is one of the major arsenic-contaminated hotspot in the world. To assess the level of severity of arsenic contamination, concentrations of arsenic in irrigation water, soil, rice, wheat, common vegetables, and pulses, intensively cultivated and consumed by the people of highly arsenic affected Nadia district, West Bengal, India, were investigated. Results revealed that the arsenic-contaminated irrigation water (0.318-0.643 mg l -1 ) and soil (5.70-9.71 mg kg -1 ) considerably influenced in the accumulation of arsenic in rice, pulses, and vegetables in the study area. Arsenic concentrations of irrigation water samples were many folds higher than the WHO recommended permissible limit for drinking water (0.01 mg l -1 ) and FAO permissible limit for irrigation water (0.10 mg l -1 ). But, the levels of arsenic in soil were lower than the reported global average of 10.0 mg kg -1 and was much below the EU recommended maximum acceptable limit for agricultural soil (20.0 mg kg -1 ). The total arsenic concentrations in the studied samples ranged from <0.0003 to 1.02 mg kg -1 . The highest and lowest mean arsenic concentrations (milligrams per kilogram) were found in potato (0.654) and in turmeric (0.003), respectively. Higher mean arsenic concentrations (milligrams per kilogram) were observed in Boro rice grain (0.451), arum (0.407), amaranth (0.372), radish (0.344), Aman rice grain (0.334), lady's finger (0.301), cauliflower (0.293), and Brinjal (0.279). Apart from a few potato samples, arsenic concentrations in the studied crop samples, including rice grain samples were found not to exceed the food hygiene concentration limit (1.0 mg kg -1 ). Thus, the present study reveals that rice, wheat, vegetables, and pulses grown in the study area are safe for consumption, for now. But, the arsenic accumulation in the crops should be monitored periodically as the level of arsenic toxicity in the study area is increasing day by day.

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In arid and semiarid regions and under rainfed conditions, water availability is one of the principal ecological constraints that hinder agriculture’s sustainability. The super absorbent polymer (agricultural) is water-absorbing and is cross-linked to absorb aqueous solutions through bonding with water molecules. It is a new approach to water management under water-stressed conditions to conserve soil moisture in the active rooting zone of crops by reducing the evaporation, deep percolation, and runoff losses. Agricultural hydrogels are water retention granules which swell their original size to numerous intervals when they come in contact with water. It can absorb and retain a huge amount of moisture under plentiful rainfall and irrigation events and release it back to the soil for mitigating crop water demand when the rhizosphere zone dries up under drought conditions. It plays multifarious roles in agriculture including soil-water retainer, nutrient and pesticide carriers, seed coating, soil erosion reducer, and food additives. It has the extraordinary ability in improving different physicochemical, hydrophysical, and biological properties of soil, simultaneously decreasing irrigation frequency, enhancing the water and nutrient use efficiencies, and increasing the yield and quality of the field, plantation, ornamental, and vegetable crops. These biodegradable materials are nontoxic to the soil, crop, and environment. Hence, the addition of the hydrogel polymer will be a promising and feasible technological tool for augmenting crop productivity under moisture stressed conditions.

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Although infantile tremor syndrome is considered a rare entity, we present a typical case of this disorder. This case reinforces the association of infantile tremor syndrome with exclusive breastfeeding in infants and the absence of proper complementary feeding. A nine-month-old, irritable, listless, exclusively breastfed female presented with grade 2 malnutrition, tremors, hyperpigmentation, scarce scalp hair, and delayed developmental milestones. Laboratory investigations revealed macrocytic anemia and a low serum vitamin B12 value of 205 pg/dL. Cerebral and mild cerebellar atrophy were noted on the MRI brain scan. Accordingly, the patient was diagnosed with infantile tremor syndrome and treated with vitamin B12 and nutrient supplementation with zinc, magnesium, folic acid, and iron. The tremors improved and the child became responsive and interested in her surroundings. It is essential to recognize this condition at the earliest and initiate treatment. Basic interventions such as the promotion of proper nutrition, timely introduction of complementary feeding, and weaning practices are key factors in decreasing the incidence of this condition.

The objective of this study was to examine the role of NADPH oxidase on superoxide radical production under waterlogging in mung bean (Vigna radiata) cvs. T 44 (tolerant) and Pusa Baisakhi (PB) (susceptible), and wild species Vigna luteola. Two days of waterlogging caused decline in superoxide radical (O 2˙⎯ ) contents in all the genotypes, however, further waterlogging up to 8 d caused significant increase in O 2˙⎯ contents. In control and revived plants O 2˙⎯ contents were higher in PB, while under waterlogging stress T 44 and V. luteola showed greater increases in the O 2˙⎯ contents. During waterlogging the increase in O 2˙⎯ content was found to be due to the diphenylene iodonium chloridesensitive NADPH oxidase (NOX). This was further confirmed by the waterlogging induced increase in NOX activity, which was higher in tolerant genotypes T 44 and V. luteola compared with PB. Gene expression studies showed enhanced expression of NOX in the roots of waterlogged V. luteola and T 44, while little expression was observed in control or treated plants of PB. PCR band products were cloned and sequenced, and partial cDNAs of NOX was obtained. Results suggest that increase in O 2˙⎯ content during waterlogging could be due to the induction of membrane linked NOX.

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