22nd June 2021
Bt. Cotton
News: A study named as ‘Long-term impact of Bt cotton: An empirical evidence from North India’ was launched.
About the Report:
The report was funded by the Agricultural Extension Division of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
The study was carried out by Punjab Agricultural University at Ludhiana, the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology in Jammu (SKUAST) and the Noida-based Amity University.
Findings of the Report:
The report says adoption of Bt-cotton in Punjab for over a decade has resulted in net economic and environmental benefits.
The reduction in insecticide use was witnessed since the application of Bt-Cotton.
Decline in environmental and human health impact associated with insecticide use was witnessed. Further leading to a decline in expenses associated with the insecticide use.
Bt cotton stands for Bacillus thuringiensis and has been commercially grown in India.
Negative impacts:
A decline in pesticide use was gradually increased in Bt hybrids and reduced in non-Bt varieties, primarily by the use of fungicide.
The complete reliance on Bt Cotton without incorporating it into the Integrated Pest Management system led to the outbreak of Whitefly in northern India and pink bollworm in western India like Maharashtra.
Light Utility Helico-pter
News: the first batch of indegineous LUH will be delivered to Indian army by the end of next year i.e. December 2022.
About Light Utility Helicopter:
The new batch of LUH will replace the Cheetah and Chetak helicopters and Russian Ka-226T helicopters.
They will be designed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL)
It is a new-generation rotorcraft.
Gharials
News: Odisha has witnessed first natural hatching of the Gharials, in Mahanadi in Baladamara area near Satkosia range.
About Gharials:
They are a critically endangered species.
They have long, thin jaws which it uses to catch fish and males have a large, bulbous growth, known as a ‘ghara’, on the tip of their snout.
The ‘ghara’ is named after Indian traditional pot, and it forms the basis for the name of the species, ‘gharial’.
Gharials are the only crocodiles which have an obvious difference between males and females.
These large crocodiles were at one time widespread across the Indian subcontinent but they are now restricted to as few as five severely fragmented and depleted populations across India and Nepal.
Introduction of Gharials in Odisha:
They were introduced in 1975 in odisha.
All the introduced gharials god died. However, in last three years more gharials were introduced in the state waters.
Significance:
Odisha became the first state to have all the three species of the reptile —freshwater gharials, muggers and saltwater crocodiles.
Gharials
News: Odisha has witnessed first natural hatching of the Gharials, in Mahanadi in Baladamara area near Satkosia range.
About Gharials:
They are a critically endangered species.
They have long, thin jaws which it uses to catch fish and males have a large, bulbous growth, known as a ‘ghara’, on the tip of their snout.
The ‘ghara’ is named after Indian traditional pot, and it forms the basis for the name of the species, ‘gharial’.
Gharials are the only crocodiles which have an obvious difference between males and females.
These large crocodiles were at one time widespread across the Indian subcontinent but they are now restricted to as few as five severely fragmented and depleted populations across India and Nepal.
Introduction of Gharials in Odisha:
They were introduced in 1975 in odisha.
All the introduced gharials god died. However, in last three years more gharials were introduced in the state waters.
Significance:
Odisha became the first state to have all the three species of the reptile —freshwater gharials, muggers and saltwater crocodiles.