India is endowed with a rich genetic diversity of fruits. The Hindustani center represents 344 species of fruits. Northeast India, meeting ground of Indo-Malayan and Indo-Chinese bio-geographical areas is one of the 18 mega-biodiversity centers of the World, has contributed the fruit genera like Citrus, Musa, Mangifera, Docynia, Elaeocarpus, Myrica, Morus, Artocarpus, etc. There are a quite large number of indigenous and underutilized fruit crops, which are being used by the local inhabitants in rural areas. These underutilized fruits are fairly rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidant properties and are serving as protective food. Because of their curative properties, different parts of these fruits and plants have been used in ethnomedicine. Apart from their nutritive and medicinal values, quite a few of these underutilized fruits have good flavor, color and juice content and can be used for value additions. Several underutilized fruit species which have the potential for commercial exploitation are yet to be utilized to their potential. These fruit crops have not undergone any conscious phase of domestication and selection. Their cultivation is very restricted, and they grow in wild and semi-wild condition and adapt to local climatic conditions. Hence they can thrive even under the most adverse situation. Their adoption on a commercial scale, with crop improvement, standardization of cultural practices and popularization in diverse farming systems and value additions are warranted to achieve stability in farm production and food security. Many underutilized species, well adapted to marginal lands and with low-cost inputs, may thus be of great benefit for the survival of poor communities, employment generation and sustainability of agricultural ecosystems.

A robust process technology for the manufacture of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) amodiaquine dihydrochloride dihydrate (ADQ, 3), an important antimalarial, is reported. The process consists of a three-step synthetic route that involves a Mannich reaction, condensation with 4,7-dichloroquinoline (DCQ, 5) and rehydration. Additionally, a cost-competitive process for the production of DCQ (5) is also reported wherein DCQ (5) was prepared in four steps from meta-chloroaniline (7). 4-Amido-2-(diethylaminomethyl)phenol (14), DCQ (5), and ADQ (3) were obtained in yields of 92, 89 and 90% respectively.

No abstract

Groundwater is an essential resource for sustainable development all over the world. To understand the use of water resources, the fundamental characteristics and recharge of the groundwater need to be analyzed. GIS is considered as an effective and powerful tool for collecting, storing, transforming the spatial information for the need-based site-specific decision-making process. Thus, GIS tools have opened new paths in land and water resource studies. In the present study, GIS-based mapping of the groundwater in the central Brahmaputra Valley Zone is done with a view to observing the various quality characters. The results of this investigation could be used by decision-makers for the sustainable management of groundwater resources. The groundwater pH of the district was found to be within the desirable limit as recommended by WHO but 67.30% sample covering 79% of the total geographical area of the district was slightly alkaline in nature. Groundwater quality parameters that surpassed the desirable limit recommended by WHO, were electrical conductivity and nitrate which accounted for 41.22% and 0.79% of the total samples. Total Dissolved Solids, calcium, magnesium, carbonate, bicarbonate and nitrate in groundwater were recorded within the desirable limit of WHO and thus could be considered as safe. Spatial autocorrelation run for all the quality parameters with respect to their positions and values over the entire district envisaged the possibilities of forming different pattern namely CLUSTER for pH, EC, As, F, Fe, Al, Mn,HCO3, RANDOM for Mg, Ca, CO3, NO3, SO4 and DISPERSED for TDS. GIS-aided mapping of groundwater quality parameters embracing their category wise spatial distribution, area, maximum and minimum values, surface autocorrelation of observed values could give a better idea to opt for suitable need-based management strategy for the entire district.

No abstract