<div>Background: Infestation of aquatic weeds indicates surface water pollution, thus questioning its potential use. The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of water hyacinth infestation in surface water in terms of surface cover and morphological characteristics.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: Surface water samples at a depth of less than 30 cm were collected from water hyacinth covered and uncovered sites and analyzed for water quality parameters such pH, TSS, DO, turbidity and EC. Water hyacinth plants were also collected using a 1 m2 quadrate to investigate the relationship between water quality and weed morphological characters. 
 
Result: The water quality was comparatively low at water hyacinth covered sites than uncovered sites for pH (7.09-7.89), TSS (0.5-1.86), DO (4.15-6.08), turbidity (5.57-25.9) and EC (91-748). Amongst, TSS (p&lt;0.05) only showed a significant difference. Hence, morphological characters, leaf length and width were significantly and positively (0.956) correlated to each other. Further turbidity and EC respectively showed positive and negative correlation to leaf length (r=0.219, r=-0.290) and leaf width (r=0.194, r=-0.257). Though water hyacinth infestation lowered the water quality, the values were within the tolerance limits for standard surface water. Therefore, the present study concluded that water hyacinth infestation did not degrade the surface water quality intensively and the surface water could be utilized for aquaculture, agriculture or recreational purposes with or without minimal treatment.</div>

Effect of Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) Infestation on Selected Surface Water Quality Parameters

Background: This study aimed at assessing the physicochemical and bacteriological parameters of the water at the softener outlet and the steam boiler water condensate of a dairy unit located in Bechar province (South-West of Algeria). 
 
Methods: Some physicochemical and bacteriological parameters were analyzed based on standard methods given by the American Public Health Association (APHA). 
 
Result: The obtained results showed that the parameters: pH, EC, salinity, TA, TAC, sulfate, nitrate, and fluoride ions of most analyzed water samples at the softener outlet (SW) were in agreement with national regulations. However, the steam boiler water condensate samples (BW) were out of specification except for TA, TAC, nitrate, and fluoride ions. The SW and BW samples were qualified as very hard exceeding the standard set at 15&deg;f and 10,5 to 11,5&deg;f, respectively, with high salinity and TDS values. The bacteriological analysis showed that most of the steam boiler water condensate samples complied with national regulations with the absence of fecal coliforms, knowing that the BW5 and BW8 samples were contaminated with spores of sulfite-reducing Clostridia at a load of 3 and 1 spore/50 mL, respectively. However, an average of 6/10 (i.e. 60%) of the softened water samples were contaminated with the opportunistic species &lsquo;Pseudomonas aeruginosa&rsquo;, while the SW5, SW8 and SW10 samples were contaminated with spores of sulfite-reducing Clostridia (1 to 11 spores/50 mL). All samples were free from Salmonella spp. A high TH of the water at the softener outlet reveals a malfunction of the external treatment (softening). On the one hand, boiler scaling that may occur can reduce the steam flow (low efficiency of the heat treatment), which contributes to poor pasteurization of the milk, especially in the presence of bacterial contaminants, and on the other hand, increase the energy expenditure.

Softened Water and Steam Boiler Water Condensate Quality used in the Milk Production Line of a Private Dairy Unit Located in Bechar Province (South-West of Algeria): Physicochemical and Bacteriological Analysis

<div>Background: Assessment and mapping of quality of irrigated groundwater may help the farmers in selection of suitable crops and other agronomic management practices for getting profitable yields without affecting the soil health. The spatial maps of different parameters, prepared using GIS could be valuable for policy makers. 
 
Methods: A survey was undertaken during the year 2021 to assess the quality of groundwater for irrigation in various mandals of Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh. A total of 492 samples were collected and GPS locations of sampling points were recorded. The water samples were analyzed for various chemical properties viz., pH, EC, Ca+2, Mg+2, Na+ and K+; CO3-2, HCO3-, Cl- and SO4-2.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The pH, EC, SAR and RSC in groundwater ranged from 6.7-8.4, 0.4-10.7 (dSm-1), 0.43-36.4 (mmol l-1)1/2, -66.8-15.4 (me l-1). The concentration of cations viz., Ca+2, Mg+2, Na+ and K+ varied from 0.8-28.4, 0-43.2, 0.73-70.1 and 0.001-51.76 me l-1 with mean values of 4.23, 3.86, 5.29 and 0.22 me l-1 respectively. Concentration of anions viz., CO3-2, HCO3-, Cl- and SO4-2 varied from 0-1.8, 0.88-15.4, 0.4-59.6 and 0.21-17.08 me l-1 with an average values of 0.22, 6.42, 5.33 and 2.29 me l-1 respectively.&nbsp;</div>

Groundwater Quality Assessment for Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh for Irrigation Purpose

<div>Background: Water quality monitoring is vital for the sustainable conservation of water resources. Benthic macro invertebrates have been documented as the best indicators of water quality serving as a vital link in the aquatic food web. The present work was carried out at Dikhu River, Mokokchung, Nagaland. 
 
Methods: The analysis of water samples was done by adopting standard methods and compared against the W.H.O. 1995 drinking quality standards of water. The macroinvertebrates were collected with the help of the Surber and preserved in 5% formalin and examined using inverted microscope. Pearson&rsquo;s correlation analysis were performed by IBM SPSS package 16.0. 
 
Result: All water parameters were within the permissible limit of drinking quality standards except for alkalinity. A total of 646 individual benthic macro invertebrates belonging to three taxa (Annelida, Arthropoda and Mollusca) were recorded during the study. The study depicts the present status of macrobenthic structure of Dikhu River of Nagaland and aims to lay the foundation for further effective work as future prospect.</div>

Effect of Water Quality on Benthic Macro Invertebrates in Dikhu River, Nagaland, India

<div>Background: Humic acid is a natural bio-stimulant, which has a major influence on growth and crop quality. Also, Magnetic water treatment enhances both crop productivity and quality, which leads to the efficient use of cultivated land by using water resources available for crop production. This study aims to determine the effects of magnetized water irrigation and application of humic acid with different concentrations as a bio-stimulation on tomato plants, Solanum Lycopersicon cv. Hybrid &ldquo;86&rdquo;. 
 
Methods: The experiment was conducted during the tow growing seasons of 2018 and 2019 at the Agricultural Experimental Station Farm at Abies region, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Egypt. The experiment design was split-plot with three replications. Two irrigation water treatments (magnetized and non-magnetic water) were arranged in the main plots and four concentrations of humic acid (0, 1, 2 and 3 g L-1) were distributed over sub-plots. 
 
Result: The results showed that irrigation with magnetized water had a positive effect on the vegetative growth traits, yield and its components and the quality of tomato fruits parameters. There was also a clear desirable effect of humic acid addition with different concentrations, as the results indicated that the use of the highest concentration of humic acid (3 g L-1) reflected the highest values for all the studied traits. The results of the interaction between irrigation with magnetized water and application of humic acid showed that the best results and the highest values for all studied characters were recorded when using magnetic water (MW) combined with 3 g L-1 of humic acid (HA), without significant differences from the interaction treatment MW combined with 2 g L-1 HA for most traits. However, the two treatments combinations MW with 2 g L-1 HA and Non-MW with 3 g L-1 HA didn&rsquo;t significant differ from each other for all studied characters at the two growing seasons. These results indicated that using the magnetic water with humic acid led to the possibility of reducing the amount of humic acid by one-third and enhances both crop productivity and quality of tomato plants. Generally, we can recommend using magnetized water irrigation with humic acid addition at concentration of 3.g L-1 or 2.g L-1 to enhance the productivity and quality of the tomato plant.&nbsp;</div>

<div>Enhancing the Productivity and Quality of Tomato using Magnetized Water and Humic Acid as Bio-stimulant Agents</div>

<div>Background: Seed quality of fenugreek is determined by its primary metabolites and an alkaloid diosgenin. Apart from these fenugreek seeds contains total oil, saponins, carbohydrates, protein and major nutrients. Seeds are bitter in taste due to presence of an alkaloid &ldquo;trigonelline&rdquo;. In India, major cultivated area of fenugreek is still dependent on conserved moisture and moisture stress conditions reduces its productivity. 
 
Methods: A field experiment was carried out in randomized block design (RBD) with three replications during Rabi 2016-2017. &nbsp;Performance of ten fenugreek genotypes was evaluated on the basis of seed quality parameters under normal and water stress condition. Seed samples from both normal and water stressed plant were used for quality analysis in laboratory. Analysis of different quality parameters was done by using standard methods and protocol. 
 
Result: Water stress was found to increase seed total oil, saponins and diosgenine content in all the genotypes. Genotypes RMt-1, RMt-305 and RMt-143 were able to accumulate significantly higher total oil and diosgenine content in normal as well as water stress conditions. Water stress condition induced more saponins synthesis in genotype RMt-361 and RMt-351 while crude protein and total carbohydrate declined in all the genotypes. The minimum decrease in crude protein and carbohydrate due to water stress was recorded in genotype RMt-351 and genotypes Hisar Sonali respectively. Moisture was found to decrease in all the genotypes under influence of water stress conditions, minimum (13.75%) being observed in genotype RMt-305. Maximum seed yield was recorded in genotype RMt-361 both under normal as well as water stress conditions. Genotype RMt-1 had least reduction in yield under water stress condition (3.54%). Results suggested that a significant genotypic variation in seed quality parameters of fenugreek genotypes induced through stress may be utilize to introduce novelty of different purpose for developing new cultivars.</div>

<div>Water Stress Induced Changes in Seed quality of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum- graecum L.) Genotypes</div>

Background: Variations in climatic conditions, irrigation facility and insect/pest management have brought about a massive impact on tea production. Among these the quality of the irrigation water and atmosphere related uncertainties were minimizing the tea production in right quantity and quality. The water utilized for irrigation systems can vary in quality depending on the nature and amount of dissolved salts. Minerals get dissolved into the irrigation water from various sources. They start from the disintegration of the stones and soil, including the decay of lime, gypsum and others broken up soil minerals. Salts go along with the water to the place wherever it is to being utilized. On account of the evaporation and filtration by sand particles, the salts present in the irrigation water get concentrated when the crop consumes water.&nbsp; 
Methods: Quality of the irrigation water was checked by assessing the pH, electrical conductivity,&nbsp; cations (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+) and anions (Cl-, HCO3-, CO32-). For evaluating the irrigation water quality and there are seven irrigation water samples collected from seven tea planting districts (Valparai- Tamil Nadu, Coonoor - Tamil Nadu, Gudalur - Tamil Nadu, Wayanad - Kerala, Munnar - Kerala, Vandiperiyar - Kerala, Koppa - Karnataka) in the southern states of India.&nbsp; 
Result: After evaluations of water quality from various techniques indicated that the water in tea growing locations of the southern states of India is chemically sufficient for agricultural applications.

A Short Verification of the Quality of Irrigation Water in the Tea-growing Districts of South India

<div>Kolleru lake is one of Asia&rsquo;s largest freshwater lakes, which has undergone tremendous changes in the water quality due to the sewage, pollution and development of aquaculture in its surrounding area. This study is undertaken to evaluate the present water quality scenario existing in Kolleru lake, which has been affected seriously due to the anthropogenic disturbances since long. &nbsp;Water samples were collected from ten sampling locations within the lake during pre and post-monsoon seasons of 2017-18. A total of 11 water quality parameters were analysed such as pH, temperature, EC, TDS, TSS, total alkalinity, total hardness, dissolved oxygen, salinity, COD, and nitrates. Parameters were estimated by using a standard protocol of APHA 2012. The spatial distribution maps of water quality were generated from pre and post monsoon data using Arc GIS software. Spatio-temporal variation of all parameters indicated that the water quality found was unsatisfactory within the Kolleru lake. The present study shows the better water quality in the post-monsoon season. The Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation spatial mapping was also used for water quality mapping to observe the environmental variation for protecting the important freshwater ecosystem-Kolleru lake. The outcome of GIS analysis demonstrated the spatial visualization of the lodging evolution and geographical distribution trends of water quality parameters within the study area.&nbsp;</div>

<div>Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Water Quality Parameters in Ramsar Site-Kolleru Lake</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Background: Protein deficiency and micronutrient deficiencies lead to growth problems, mental and physical development. To tackle these deficiencies issue, fortification is the best tool which improves public health and best suited for present lifestyle. So, aim of this research paper is to develop soy and water chestnut flour fortified cookies and to examined influence of soy and water chestnut flour on physical, chemical and sensory properties of &nbsp;cookies. Methods: To develop cookies with improved nutrition, flat cookies were prepared using soy and water chestnut flour blends replacing wheat flour at different proportions i.e. 20%, 25%, 30%, 35% and 40%. Physical, chemical and sensory evaluation was done to analyze the acceptability of cookies. Cookies were prepared with these blends and analyzed for physical properties such as diameter, thickness and spread ratio. To study the nutritional improvement in fortified cookies, chemical analysis was performed for protein content, fat content, ash and moisture values. Furthermore, sensory evaluation was done for crispiness, taste, colour and overall acceptability. Result: In this research work, it was found that increasing percentage of soy and water chestnut blends in wheat flour, improved the nutritional quality. Cookies baked with soy and water chestnut flour blends were higher in protein and micro nutrients. Cookies prepared with 30% blend of soy and water chestnut flour were observed the most acceptable with improved nutritional quality and better taste.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Effects of Soy and Water Chestnut Flour on the Quality of Cookies</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">The experiment was performed to investigate the effect of humic acid to drinking water on the laying performance and quality of eggs in Japanese quails. Hundred and forty, 9-weeks old female Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japanica) were randomly designated to four treatment groups forming 5 replicates each containing seven birds. Group I was the control group. Group II, III, IV were administered 250 ml/ton, 350 ml/ton, 450 ml/ton humic acid into drinking water, respectively. The egg characteristics were determined after 8th and 10th weeks of experiment. Addition of humic acid had a positive effect on the live weight change (p &lt; 0.05) and yolk weight (p &lt; 0.01). Egg shell thickness, albumen weight and yolk color were significantly (p &lt; 0.01) lower in the experimental groups than that of control group. However humic acid had no effect on egg production, feed consumption, feed efficiency and other egg quality.&nbsp; In conclusion, data of our study demonstrated that liquid humate applied in drinking water has significantly improved live weight change and yolk weight. The positive effects of liquid humates, possibly related to improved nutrient utilization through various metabolic activities in the body are yet to be further investigated.</div>