No abstract

SARS-CoV-2, the viral particle, is responsible for triggering the 2019 Coronavirus disease outbreak (COVID-19). To tackle this situation, a number of strategies are being devised to either create an antidote, a vaccine, or agents capable of preventing its infection. To enable research on these strategies, numerous target proteins are identified where Spike (S) protein is presumed to be of immense potential. S-protein interacts with human angiotensin-converting-enzyme-2 (ACE2) for cell entry. The key region of S-protein that interacts with ACE2 is a portion of it designated as a receptor-binding domain (RBD), following whereby the viral membrane fuses with the alveolar membrane to enter the human cell. The proposition is to recognise molecules from the bundle of phytochemicals of medicinal plants known to possess antiviral potentials as a lead that could interact and mask RBD, rendering them unavailable to form ACE2 interactions. Such a molecule is called the 'S-protein blocker’. A total of 110 phytochemicals from Withania somnifera , Asparagus racemosus, Zinziber officinalis , Allium sativum , Curcuma longa and Adhatoda vasica were used in the study, of which Racemoside A, Ashwagandhanolide, Withanoside VI, Withanoside IV and Racemoside C were identified as top five hits using molecular docking. Further, essential Pharmacophore features and their ADMET profiles of these compounds were studied following to which the best three hits were analyzed for their interaction with RBD using Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation. Binding free energy calculations were performed using MM/GBSA, proving these phytochemicals can serve as S-protein blocker.

Globally more than half of the pesticides are utilized in Asia. India stands 12th in pesticide use globally and 3rd in Asia after China and Turkey. In present study, the data of different types of pesticides, pesticide use pattern and detailed pesticide consumption of the India and world were collected, organized and summarized. Agriculture is the most important sector of the Indian economy providing employment and livelihood to nearly 70% of the total population. And pesticides are an integral part of modern agriculture. Insecticides, fungicides and herbicides are commonly used for pest control in agriculture. However, insecticides form the highest share in total pesticide use in India. India share only1% of the global pesticide use. India has utilized around 58160 tonnes of pesticide in 2018. Per hectare application rate of pesticide was 0.31 kg in 2017. Despite a low per hectare use of pesticides in India, their injudicious use has led to the presence of residues in both biotic and abiotic sections of the environment. The advance research and development in the field of bio-pesticides applications greatly reduce the environmental pollution caused by the chemical synthetic insecticides residues and promotes sustainable development of agriculture. In India numerous bio-pesticides presently being developed may be exceptional replacements to chemical pesticides. There are many eco-friendly plant based and microbial bio-pesticides available in the market. Bio-pesticides consumption is only 8% in India. For sustainable agricultural development and to protect environment from adverse effect of chemical pesticides, formulation and utilization of bio-pesticides should be prompted.

Mangroves are coastal wetland forests established in the intertidal zones of estuaries, backwaters, deltas, creeks, lagoons, marshes and mudflats of tropical and subtropical latitudes. World-wide mangroves are disappearing at an alarming rate. Mangroves form one of the most important ecosystems of coastal areas. In real sense, mangrove is the Kalpvriksh (divine tree which fulfills all the desires) for the coastal communities. It nurtures and safeguards the local ecology of the coastal areas and provides livelihood options to the fishermen and pastoral families. Amongst the maritime States of India, Gujarat has the second highest mangrove cover after West Bengal. Additionally, during last three decades Gujarat has more than doubled its mangrove cover. In Gujarat State, mangroves are well developed in Lakhpat taluka (block) situated in Kachchh district. In recent past, Gulf of Kachchh experienced both natural and anthropogenic changes which made it a distinctive site to analyze how natural processes and anthropogenic activities determine the changes in mangrove vegetation density and health of mangroves in coastal areas.Multi-temporal Landsat TM data covering Lakhpat taluka (block) of February-1995 Sentinel-2 multi-spectral data (spatial resolution 10 m) of April-2017 was analysed. The mangrove vegetation around the coastal areas was identified and classified into dense and sparse density classes based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) thresholding approach. The health assessment of mangroves in Lakhpat taluka was attempted using Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach including various parameters like mangrove density based on NDVI, Distance of mangroves from human settlement, Distance of mangrove from Industries and Ports which have direct impact of growth and health of mangroves, Erosion/ Accretion over the period of last 22 years and availability of Saline water flow during the high tide for good mangrove growth. The buffers layers of various distances for example, 0 to 10 km, 10 to 20 km and 20 to 35 km were generated from the existing mangroves using Sentinel-2 multi-spectral image in GIS environment.The results indicate that the NDVI which is single parameter indicating the mangrove stand / vigour, growth condition and resulting health of mangroves in the area. This factor has been given highest weightage as compared to other parameters. The major anthropogenic factors like human Pressure and presence of Industries and Ports have negative impact on the mangrove health. Therefore, it was observed that presence of human settlements and Industries and Ports with the buffer region of 0 to 10 km distances from mangroves are unhealthy or prone to degradation in this region. The results of health assessment are very useful for sustainable planning and management of mangroves in the coastal areas of Lakhpat Taluka. The mangrove restoration and regeneration activity needs to be carried out as suggested by Upadhyay et al., 2015 with active participation of Community Based Organizations (...