Category Archives: Green Products

ANU botany professor pens a treatise on flora of Guntur

February 25, 2015Education, Green Productsmpositiveone@gmail.com

Senior Professor of Botony P. R. Mohana Rao shares excerpts from his book ``Flora of Guntur City Andhra Pradesh," in Guntur. Photo: T. Vijaya Kumar / The Hindu — Senior Professor of Botony P. R. Mohana Rao shares excerpts from his book “Flora of Guntur City Andhra Pradesh,” in Guntur. Photo: T. Vijaya Kumar / The Hindu

A former professor of Botany from Acharya Nagarjuna University has brought out an exhaustive treatise on the wealth of flora in Guntur City. The book, “Flora of Guntur City Andhra Pradesh,’’ a brain child of P.R. Mohana Rao, Professor Emeritus and former HoD, Department of Botony, Acharya Nagarjuna University, is considered the only available and authentic work throwing light on the numerous species of plants and trees in the city.

Dr. Rao was assisted by Assistant Professor of Botony, ANU, S.K. Khasim and former research student Bibi Aasiya, who are the co-authors of the book published by Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh from Dehra Dun.

Dr. Rao had a rich global experience working in University of Cambridge, Delhi University, Himachal Pradesh University before settling at the ANU. He founded the Bio Technology Centre and started M.Sc (Biotechnology) course.

His association with the renowned systematic Botanist Professor late Olov Hedberg at Uppasala University, Sweden, during 1982-83 inspired him to take up the seminal work.

“The book has up-to-date information on flora which will help students, naturalists, tourists and town planners in identifying plants,’’ Professor Rammohana Rao told The Hindu on Tuesday.

The book listed 431 flowering plants, shrubs and trees belonging to 76 families of angiosperms. The families were arranged systematically following Bentham and Hooker System of Classification. The authors besides giving current nomenclature to families, genera and species, also gave original citation and a brief description of species, local names, flowering and dispersal mechanisms. A city map is also incorporated in the book.

It was late Rev.Dr.Uhl, former principal of Lutheran Mission College, Guntur who attempted a book on Flora of Guntur in 1930 but it could not be considered a complete work as Dr.Uhl had not followed any system of classification.

Dr. Rao’s work is based on three years of intensive research during 1990-1993. Leading a team consisting of Dr. Khasim, Aasiya and other students, Dr. Rao began an arduous task of collection of plants from fields, road margins, railway tracks, parks, gardens etc. Field observations included studying habit, habitat, time of flowering and fruiting.

Dr. Rao had also penned a note on the selection of plants for road margins, public parks useful to town planners. Some of the recommended trees included, Adansonia digitata (Baobab tree), Albizia lebbeck and Delonix regia (Gold Mohur) for gardens and parks etc.

“Most of the roads in the city are devoid of tree cover. Unfortunately, the city is lacking in public parks and green spaces. With the town gaining importance due to proximity to capital region, town planners could take a cue from the book on tree planting,’’ Dr. Rao added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by P. Samuel Jonathan / Guntur – February 24th, 2015

Two Brothers Wanting Power For Their Farms Invented A Bamboo Windmill That Is 10 Times Cheaper!

January 17, 2015Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Science & Technologympositiveone@gmail.com

Brothers Mohammad Methar Hussain and Mushtaq Ahmad wanted power for irrigation and they developed a low cost windmill made out of bamboo, which is more than 10 times cheaper than the regular ones available in the market. Now, there are more than 25 such windmills running in Gujarat. Read to know more about their journey and how they did it.

Mohammad Methar Hussain and his brother Mushtaq Ahmad from Darrang district in Assam grew paddy in the winter season (also known as bodo paddy). Irrigation involved a lot of manual effort and using diesel sets for pumping water was a huge drain on the resources. To tackle this issue, Mehtra thought that if they could run a large wheel on wind power, and connect the wheel to the hand pump, that would serve their purpose quite efficiently.

So, both of them started working on making a windmill unit from locally sourced materials such as bamboo wood, strips of old tyres, pieces of iron, etc. With the help of a carpenter, the first prototype was ready in four days. Since the supporting framework was composed of bamboo, the final product costed Rs. 4500, vis-a-vis the commercially available wind mills which cost over Rs. 60,000.

Innovation Diffusion : Assam —> Gujarat

India is the third largest salt producing country in the world with an average annual production of about 157 lakh tonnes. The Little Rann of Kutch (LRK) supplies 21% of the total salt production of India.

Salt workers, known as Agarias, are some of the poorest people in the state. Agarias mostly used counterpoise, a method that requires two people, one for lowering the counterpoise and other for straining the water. Some of them started using diesel pumps, but the exorbitant machine and fuel costs made a huge dent in their already diminishing returns from salt farming.

With the mission to improve lives of salt farmers, Gujarat Grassroots Innovation Augmentation Network – West (GIAN W) along with National Innovation Foundation (NIF-India) took the lead in diffusing the innovation in salt farming areas.

Based on the feedback received from salt farmers, GIAN W improved the design and developed a multi-dimensional model which was installed at LRK in 2008. Understanding the diverse needs of farmers to increase the efficiency of windmills, GIAN W joined hands with Alstom foundation for design modification and improvement.

As of 2012, 25 of these windmills have been installed in Kathivadar and Kadiali villages in Amreli district.

Low cost windmill has solved irrigation problems for the village

Benefits of the Windmill Pump

Thanks to the windmill pump, now salt farmers don’t have to slog for hours with the water pump. The windmill pump saves about Rs.50,000 worth of diesel in six months. It has decreased salt farmers’ reliance on manual labour resulting in savings of about Rs. 28,000 per season per person. Farmers can now easily recover their investments within the harvesting season.

The innovation would also result in the reduction of five tonnes of carbon emissions for every 100 tonnes of salt produced. As per NIF, on an average, every windmill-powered hand pump should generate five Carbon Emission Reductions (CERs) certificates worth Rs.3750.

Every rupee saved and milligram of carbon emission reduced is a glaring testimony of how rural innovations impact the community, society and the world at large.

In the next phase, GIAN W plans to erect more windmills in other parts of Gujarat. The salt farmers of Gujarat are indebted to Mehtar and Mustaq for making their lives more efficient and their occupation, profitable.

For any enquiries related to the machine, please get in touch with NIF-India at bd@nifindia.org.

source: http://www.thebetterindia.com / The Better India / Home> Innovation> Gujarat / by Rahul Anand / July 24th, 2014

Counting sheep, literally

December 14, 2014Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Green Products, Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

A farmer tending to the ‘Nari-Suvarna’ breed of sheep at Veerapura in Tumakuru district of Karnataka.

Sheep farmers in Tumakuru have agri-scientists in Maharashtra to thank for a breed that has, quite literally, doubled their profits.

The new breed, developed by scientists at Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute, Phaltan, called ‘Nari-Suvarna’ has turned out to be a boon for farmers. While the local breed of sheep gives birth to one lamb at a time, the new breed gives birth to two or three.

Cost of the sheep

The State government is trying to promote the Nari-Suvarna breed. It plans to offer subsidy to purchase the sheep, which costs Rs. 8,000 each, in the future. The local breed in Tumakuru —both Hassan and Bellary breeds — cost Rs. 6,000 per sheep.

With the guidance of the Karnataka Sheep and Wool Development Corporation (KSWDC), a farmer in Sira taluk in Tumakuru district has bought 10 sheep and they have given birth to 23 lambs. Farmers at Sidlaghatta in Chickballapur district and Chitradurga district are now eager to follow suit.

The new breed, according to the Agriculture Department, is a combination of three Indian breeds – Deccani and Madgyal breeds of Karnataka and Garole of West Bengal.

Doddaraju of Veerapura in Sira taluk, who bought the 10 sheep, told The Hindu that people in his village were making advance payments for Nari-Suvarna sheep. He said the sheep had adjusted to the climate and environment of his village and could be reared along with the local breed.

Mirza Basheer, Assistant Director, KSWDC, Tumakuru, said the new breed would help meet the demand for meat and would be beneficial to farmers. Nagaraja G.M., Assistant Director, Special Livestock Breeding Programme, Tumakuru, said the government would identify farmers in Belagavi, Vijayapura and Kolar districts and would introduce them to the new breed.

Scientists have developed a new breed of sheep, Nari-Suvarna, that gives birth to two or three lambs at a time

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by S. Bhuvaneshwari / Tumakuru – December 14th, 2014

Karanji Park gets Orchidarium

December 10, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Leaders, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

Wildlife photo expo inaugurated; Great Indian Rhinos released for public viewing at Zoo

Mysuru, Karnataka :

Adding to the existing attractions at Karanji Lake Nature Park, an Orchidarium with 98 Orchid plants of various varieties was inaugurated by Rehana Banu, Chairperson, Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK), at the Park premises on Lalitha Mahal Road in city this morning.

Orchidarium is an indoor enclosure for keeping and cultivating plants and observing them under natural conditions, especially for the cultivation of various types of Orchids.

Orchidarium is an area that provides the desired environmental conditions for different varieties of Orchids grown abundantly for cultivation and conservation of Orchids both endangered and otherwise.

It is provided with optimum lighting conditions for the plants while protecting them from direct and harsh sunlight. The structure is covered with mesh with a roof to protect the plants from direct sunlight.

Prior to the inauguration of the Orchidarium, the Wildlife Photography exhibition was inaugurated at the Zoo Library by MLA M.K. Somashekar.

The expo, which is being held in two categories like Zoo Animals and Wildlife Photography has a total of 220 pictures clicked by both amateur and professional photographers.

In the Zoo Animals category, pictures of Hippo and its baby, playful bear cubs, tiger and its cubs playing and other pictures of Zoo animals are on display.

In the Wildlife Photography category, prize winning photos of World Wildlife Day contest clicked by photographers S.R. Madhusudhan, G.S. Ravishankar, M.K. Sapthagirish and others has been put on display.

A pair of Great Indian Rhinos, three-year-old Virat and one-year-old Bablee, brought to Mysuru Zoo from Patna’s Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park about two months ago, were released for public viewing by Mayor R. Lingappa and MLA M.K. Somashekar at an enclosure made for them at the Zoo premises.

Zoo Executive Director B.P. Ravi, Manager Shivanna, Zoo Veterinarian Dr. Suresh, RFO Girish and others were present.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Thursday , December 04th, 2014

International honour for Rose Society president

November 21, 2014Business & Economy, Green Products, Leaders, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

President of Hyderabad Rose Society Ahmed Alam Khan has been elected vice-president (Central Asia) of the World Federation of Rose Societies, at 16th World Rose Convention held at Sandton City, South Africa, a press release informed on Wednesday.

In yet another achievement, five members of the Society have been elected to the Indian Rose Federation. They include Vijay Kant, A. Veerbhadra Rao, Khader Alam Khan, and Mohd. Minhajul Hussain, apart from Mr. Khan, the press release informed.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Hyderabad – February 07th, 2013

Treat for Rosarians

November 21, 2014Business & Economy, Green Products, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Hyderabad :

Rose lovers have another reason to celebrate as the The Indian Rose Federation and Hyderabad Rose Society together are organising 3rd World Federation of Rose Societies Regional Convention in the city. During the event, around 800 varieties of roses will be displayed. The purpose of the convention is to inform people about the wide varieties of roses available in the country, informs Ahmed Alam Khan, President of Indian Rose Federation. “This is the first time such convention will be held in India,” he adds.

Rosarians from around the country will be presenting the flowers they grow in their convention. “A competition will be held where they will be judged on the quality of their flowers. Apart from the competition, technical sessions will be held at the convention where they will be informed about how to good quality roses, increase their shelf life, etc,” he says. Ikebana, Japanese pattern of arranging flowers will also be taught during the convention.

The theme of the convention is ‘New Light on the Old World of Roses’. “Around 98 per cent of roses exported in the world is by Israel. But India also has the potential to have good market in exporting roses. Through this convention, we aim to encourage the rosarians to develop good quality of roses. People from the city are encouraged to visit the show to gain more knowledge about roses at the event.

The event will be held from November 29 to December 2 at HICC between 11 am to 5 pm.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express Features / November 14th, 2014

Tender coconut, fair and lovely

November 19, 2014Business & Economy, Green Products, Science & Technology, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Kaja Mohideen. PHOTO: GNANAVEL MURUGAN / The Hindu

The strong pith is removed using a machine and weight is reduced to 800 gm.

Innovation in marketing tender coconut has been his watchword. He has designed special machinery for peeling off the strong pith before despatching them to market.

The new shape of the tender coconut appears white all around – a value-addition with a new look. Its weight gets reduced from about 2 kg to less than 800 grams or so.

“The value addition mainly aims at attracting the consumers besides ensuring environment-friendly ambience at the retail sales outlets,” says Kaja Mohideen (50), referring to the growing demand for the produce in the city in the last one week since he introduced his sales.

With lightweight, it could be stocked at commercial complexes and medical shops. Using his experience of three decades in the trade, he had devised the plan of using a machinery for ‘clean coconut’.

Mr. Mohideen procures about 6,000 coconuts a week from Pollachi and a group of six workers work on the machinery peeling off the pith. Explaining the functioning of the machinery designed at Pollachi, he says adequate training had been imparted to all the workers on the task.

At the retail outlets on the pavements, the pavement vendors would be spared of the problem of collecting and disposing the waste pith.

White tender coconuts kept ready for sale. PHOTO: GNANAVEL MURUGAN / The Hindu

Export-oriented

Apart from local market, he has explored the possibility of exporting it the tender coconut to Australia. “There has been a growing demand for coconut in Australia. The container with a capacity for 6,000 tender coconuts would reach Australia by sea within 20 days from Chennai,” he says.

To attract customers, he has fixed the price per coconut at Rs. 20. “My investment on the machinery is Rs. 90,000 and I have to incur a huge expenditure for purchasing the coconut from Pollachi,” Mr. Mohideen added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Special Correspondent / Tiruchi – November 10th, 2014

Birding session marks birth anniversary of Salim Ali

November 14, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

Bird watchers at the Government Botanical Garden in Udhagamandalam on Wednesday. - PHOTO: M. SATHYAMOORTHY / The Hindu — Bird watchers at the Government Botanical Garden in Udhagamandalam on Wednesday. – PHOTO: M. SATHYAMOORTHY / The Hindu

As many as 25 species spotted at Government Botanical Garden

Spread over 55 acres and dotted with hundreds of trees and flower beds apart from many ponds, the Government Botanical Garden here played host to a birding session organised by the Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association on Wednesday to commemorate the 118th birth anniversary of Salim Ali, the father of ornithology.

With the undulating venue and the occasion complementing each other, members of the association and students of Wildlife Biology in the Government Arts College returned with the satisfaction of having spotted birds belonging to about 25 species.

Pointing out that the most prized sighting of the day was a Kashmir Fly Catcher, the association’s executive committee member K.Vijay told The Hindu that the migratory bird from the Himalayas, which has been classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, could not be seen here last year.

Pointing out that its presence now signifies the commencement of the migratory season, he said that among the other birds spotted were the Grey Wag Tail, the Black and Grey Fly Catcher, the Common Hawk-Cuckoo, Pond Heron, Great Pit and the Nilgiri Blue Robbin.

Responding to a query, Mr.Vijay said that the botanical garden with its wild fruits and flowers is an ideal bird habitat.

Birding destination

Expressing the view that it can be promoted as a responsible birding destination, he said that the authorities concerned should regulate the activity and restrict it to one or two days a week. Stating that birding is a very effective stress buster, he said that it also encourages people to walk. Volunteers including students of Wildlife Biology should be engaged to create awareness among tourists about the role of birds in protecting the ecology.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by D. RadhaKrishnan / Udhagamandalam – November 13th, 2014

National Bird Watching Day attracts large crowds in Ramnagar

November 11, 2014Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Leaders, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

Ramnagar (Uttrakhand) :

Nature enthusiasts and students gathered at a barrage on the river Kosi in north India, observing migratory birds on the occasion of National Bird Watching Day, celebrated to mark the 116th birth anniversary of renowned biologist Salim Ali.

Armed with binoculars, notebooks, field guides and cameras, they stood at the edge of the reservoir, making a note of the resident and migratory species present at the site.

The bird watchers said that it was important to educate people about the importance of conserving the country’s diverse fauna.

“We brought a few children who study in a local school, so that they can make themselves aware of bird life. The message for the people of the country and people in the world is that we must keep (these birds) alive, so that we learn about them and protect them,” said a birder, Rohit Sati.

The waters of the reservoir had large numbers of Ruddy Shelducks and cormorants swimming, feeding and sunning themselves.

The reservoir at Ramnagar is close to India’s iconic Jim Corbett National Park, which is home to over 500 species of birds, a sizeable chunk of more than 1200 species found all over the country.

Winter sees many species of birds migrate from north and central Asia and other, colder parts of the world, as the birds breed and live in the more temperate climate of the Indian subcontinent.

The Director of the Rainbow Wildlife Awareness organisation, Rajesh Bhatt said that the reservoir itself played host to over 200 species of resident and migratory birds.

“The important birds here are the Ruddy Shelduck, the Ibisbill, wallcreeper, cormorant, garganey, pintail, Bar-headed Goose, which can be seen easily,” Bhatt said.

Born in 1896, Salim Ali, known as ‘the Bird Man of India’, made his name as one of the first Indian naturalists to conduct systematic surveys on birds. His field guides are used by many birdwatchers when they set out in pursuit of the hobby.

Ali, who died in 1987, is also credited with the creation and recognition of such biodiversity hubs as the Keoladeo National park in Rajasthan and the Silent Valley National park in Kerala. (ANI)

source: http://www.aninews.in / ANI News / Home> National / November 12th, 2014