Publications

A novel essential small RNA, sSp_p6 influences nitrogen fixation in Azospirillum brasilense

Research Paper
| June 14, 2023

Azospirillum brasilense Sp245, a diazotrophic plant growth-promoting bacterium influences host plants via wellknown mechanisms, gene interactions and confers abiotic and biotic stress tolerance mediated by signalling molecules. We present here, the functional characterization of a small RNA (sRNA), sSp_p6, identified from the 468 sRNAs identified in A. brasilense Sp245 and confirmed its involvement in nitrogen metabolism in the strain.

Genome-wide identification of Azospirillum brasilense Sp245 small RNAs responsive to nitrogen starvation and likely involvement in plant-microbe interactions

Research Paper
| June 14, 2023

Small RNAs (sRNAs) are non-coding RNAs known to regulate various biological functions such asstress adaptation, metabolism, virulence as well as pathogenicity across a wide range of bacteria, mainly bycontrolling mRNA stabilization or regulating translation. Identification and functional characterization of sRNAs hasbeen carried out in various plant growth-promoting bacteria and they have been shown to help the cells cope upwith environmental stress. No study has been carried out to uncover these regulatory molecules in the diazotrophic

Assessment of the pesticidal behaviour of diacyl hydrazine-based ready-to-use nanoformulations

Research Paper
| June 14, 2023

Application of nanotechnology for crop protection in the form of nanopesticide has attracted significantinterest in modern agriculture for the management of devastating polyphagous pests. In the present work,highly stable, ready-to-use water-based nanoformulations of hydrazine-based pesticides were evaluated for theirInsect Growth Regulatory potential against the polyphagous insect pest—Spodoptera litura. Also, the nanoformulationswere screened for their antifungal behaviour against plant pathogenic fungi; Colletotrichum gloeosporioides,

Factors affecting acceptance of electric two-wheelers in India: A discrete choice survey

Research Paper
| June 14, 2023

Government of India has adopted policies to grow the share of electric vehicles (EVs) to ‘de-carbonize’ India’stransport sector and reduce import dependence for oil. For the lower-middle income economy two-wheelers playa significant role in the private vehicle market. This paper focuses on the effectiveness of some of the demandincentives; roles of infrastructure, market visibility; and peer effects on acceptance of electric two-wheelers inIndia. It utilizes a discrete choice survey to collect responses from Indian residents. Respondents in six different

Monitoring the Role of Temporal Land Cover Changes on Mountain Hazard Susceptibility in Beas Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India

Research Paper
| June 14, 2023

In the last 50 years, drastic change in the spatio-temporal variation of climate patterns have beenobserved over the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) resulting increase in the frequency of ExtremeWeather Events (EWE) such as cloud burst, flash flooding, land slide etc. Change in climateparameters has direct impact and consequence on the Himalayan ecosystem, which in turnadversely affects livelihood of people living in the high altitude area. Also, alteration in Land Use

Maximising Resource Efficiency and Circularity in the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Value Chain and the E-Waste Sector

Research Paper
| June 14, 2023

Countries face various challenges in streamlining the management of e-waste, whose global volume reached an estimated 53.6 million metric tonnes (MT) in 2019. Primary of these challenges is lack of accurate data reporting. The untapped recovery of e-waste also results in huge financial losses. The Global E-Waste Monitor, 2020, calculated the valuation of materials that could be recovered from e-waste generated in 2019 alone at about US$57 billion.

From Linear to Circular: Pathways for Sustainable Lifestyles

Research Paper
| June 14, 2023

As countries around the world commit to more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to climate action, it has become increasingly important that policies deal with de-coupling economic growth and environmental degradation, and re-coupling growth with planetary and ecological sustenance. Towards this, SDG-12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) acts as the bedrock of strategies aimed at accomplishing the Sustainable Development Goals. This Policy Brief outlines pathways to nudge behaviour towards a Circular Economy approach and away from linear production and consumption.

Building the Climate Resilience of Sub-National Infrastructure

Research Paper
| June 14, 2023

Extreme weather events and climate change-induced disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity across the globe. This has devastating impacts particularly for sub-national entities such as cities and local regions that continue to record higher infrastructural damage and losses during climate change-induced extreme weather events and disasters. Building back better, post-pandemic, therefore necessitates building robust resilience systems by mainstreaming      resilient infrastructure in the planning of these countries, especially at the sub-national level.

Promoting Sustainable Lifestyles: Metrics, Instruments, and Proposals for G20

Research Paper
| June 14, 2023

The promotion of sustainable lifestyles ought to be seen from the perspective of consumption and production systems and life-cycle approaches that include resource extraction, manufacturing and processing, use by consumers, and disposal. Mainstream frameworks on sustainable consumption and production, including SDG 12, fail to capture downstream segments of resource consumption and production systems especially when it comes to lifestyle choices.

Application of fluorescent transients to indicate nutrient deficiencies in a microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica

Research Paper
| June 14, 2023

Here we studied the effects of nutrient deficiency, focusing on Ca, N, S, Mg, Fe, on photosynthetic performance of Nannochloropsis oceanica to determine the abilities of fluorescence transients to detect nutrient limitation. We conducted a two-level (replete/deplete) fully factorial experiment for each of 5 nutrients and found different responses to nutrient limitation. A potential indicator of N limitation was trapped energy per reaction center (TRO/RC), as the synthesis of photosynthetic reaction center (RC) declined under N deficiency and eventually the ratio of TRO/RC increased.