Spectral response of two diverse pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) cultivars

Spectral-plant parametric functional relations of two widely cultivated and diverse pigeonpea cultivars (GT-100 and BDN-2) revealed a decline in red radiance values from 10 weeks after sowing (WAS) onwards in both the cultivars and an increase in red radiance at 16 WAS associated with leaf senescence. Increased IR radiance was noticed at peak leaf area indices. IR/R ratio attained peak values by 16 WAS and higher IR/R ratio in GT-100 was associated with high LAI. ND attained a value of 0.87 in GT-100 and 0.84 in BDN-2 during first flowering stage. IR/R ratio and ND values were positively and red radiance values negatively correlated with LAI and dry matter. Based on coefficient of determination values, the regression models between plant parameters and ND for GT-100 and IR/R ratio for BDN-2 were suggested for estimating pigeonpea development.     

District wise yield models of rice in Bihar based on water requirement and meteorological data

Pre-harvest crop production forecast has been successfully provided by remote sensing technique. However, the probability to get cloud-free optical remote sensing data during kharif season is poor. Microwave data having the capability to penetrate cloud is used in the absence of cloud free optical remote sensing data. Yield models in broad band frequency range are in development stage. Meteorological yield models are developed and predicted yield is combined with area estimated by remote sensing data to provide rice production forecast. This paper describes the methodology adopted for improving the predictability of rice yield before harvest of the crop in Bihar province by taking into consideration meteorological parameters during its growth cycle upto October. Models developed using fortnightly meteorological data have been found to give reasonably fair indications of expected yield of rice in advance of harvest. The yield predictions have been made based on meteorological data and effective rainfall based on water requirement calculations representing a group of districts under similar agro-climatic zones, which could be further improved by incorporating meteorological data of individual districts within each group.     

Kharif rice acreage estimation in Orissa using NOAA-AVHRR data

Rice-acreage estimation of Orissa state was carried out using single-date NOAA-AVHRR data. Selection of optimum date of data acquisition for this purpose was studied using data of six acquisition dates viz. October, 3, 12, 21, 29, November 7 and 26, 1989. Comparative performance of MXL classification of two NOAA bands (Band-1: 0.58–0.68 μm and Band-2: 0.73–1.10 μm) and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from these two-band data was examined. Acreage thus estimated was compared against Bureau of Economics and Statistics (BES) estimate of the same year. The acreage estimation obtained by two band classification was closer to BES estimate than that based on NDVI. Data acquired in the month of October have given better estimate for state level rice acreage than that acquired in the month of November.     

A massive, dusty toroid with large grains in the pre-planetary nebula IRAS22036+5306

Using the Submillimeter Array (SMA), we have obtained high angular-resolution (∼1″) interferometric maps of the submillimeter (0.88 mm) continuum and CO J=3–2 line from IRAS 22036+5306 (I 22036), a bipolar pre-planetary nebula (PPN) with knotty jets discovered in our HST SNAPshot survey of young PPNe. In addition, we have obtained supporting lower-resolution (∼10″) 2.6 mm continuum and CO, ¹³CO J=1–0 observations with the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) interferometer. We find an unresolved source of submillimeter (and millimeter-wave) continuum emission in I 22036, implying a very substantial mass (0.02–0.04M _⊙) of large (i.e., radius ≳1 mm), cold (≲50 K) dust grains associated with I 22036’s toroidal waist. The CO J=3–2 observations show the presence of a very fast (∼220 km s⁻¹), highly collimated, massive (0.03M _⊙) bipolar outflow with a very large scalar momentum (about 10³⁹ g cm s⁻¹), and the characteristic spatio-kinematic structure of bow-shocks at the tips of this outflow. The fast outflow in I 22036, as in most PPNe, cannot be driven by radiation pressure. The large mass of the torus suggests that it has most likely resulted from common-envelope evolution in a binary, however it remains to be seen whether or not the time-scales required for the growth of grains to millimeter sizes in the torus are commensurate with such a formation scenario. The presence of the torus should facilitate the formation of the accretion disk needed to launch the jet. We also find that the ¹³C/¹²C ratio in I 22036 is very high (0.16), close to the maximum value achieved in equilibrium CNO-nucleosynthesis (0.33). The combination of the high circumstellar mass (i.e., in the torus and an extended dust shell inferred from ISO far-infrared spectra) and the high ¹³C/¹²C ratio in I 22036 provides strong support for this object having evolved from a massive (≳4M _⊙) progenitor in which hot-bottom-burning has occurred.     

Magnetic field variations of the SI in the magnetosphere and correlated effects in interplanetary space

Explorer 26 magnetic field data in the magnetospheric region of L=3?6 and LT 1100–1500 hr with geomagnetic latitude range ?6° to 27° have been analyzed for studying nineteen SI and SC events. Most of the SI events observed in the magnetosphere at less than 15° geomagnetic latitude are compressional with magnetic perturbations along the ambient field. Elliptic polarizations with magnetic field variations in all three components have been observed between 10° and 27° geomagnetic latitude. Polarization directions have been shown to have similar patterns to those observed in the surface magnetic field data. Afternoon LT zone data in the magnetosphere indicate polarization patterns in general agreement with the results of Wilson and Sugiura (1961) obtained earlier from surface observations. The SI/SC perturbations are also qualitatively shown to be related to changes in the interplanetary magnetic field observed beyond 1 a.u.     

Boundary-layer development on circular cylinders

Mean-velocity measurements were made in the boundary layer on a smooth circular cylinder fitted with trip wires to model supercritical flow. The data are compared with the predictions of a boundary-layer calculation method to study the relative influence of surface curvature and low-Reynolds-number effects, and to assess the accuracy with which the location of separation can be determined. It is shown that the effects of surface curvature are most important close to separation while those of low Reynolds numbers are significant everywhere except near separation.     

Novel Algorithm for RS Image Classification

In the present era of modern technology, the efficacy and accuracy of output is demanding. Based on rigorous survey, Bharatkar and Patel (International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science 3(7):218–223, 2012) concluded that the incorporation of Block Truncation Coding (BTC) approach in the existing image classification algorithm can be used to improve the classification accuracy. Therefore, in the present study, an effort has been made to explore the Content Based Remote Sensing Image (CBRSI) classification algorithm to enhance classification accuracy with BTC approach. It is revealed from the study that BTC based maximum likelihood classifier gives better overall accuracy and kappa statistics.     

Mapping a Specific Crop—A Temporal Approach for Sugarcane Ratoon

Mapping a specific crop using single date multi-spectral imagery remains a challenging task because vegetation spectral responses are considerably similar. The use of multi-temporal images helps to discriminate specific crops as the classifier can make use of the uniqueness in the temporal evolution of the spectral responses of the different vegetated classes. However, one major concern in multi-temporal studies is the selection of optimum dates for the discrimination of crops as the use of all available temporal dates can be counterproductive. In this study this concern was addressed by selecting the best 2, 3, 4… combinations dates. This was done by conducting a separability analysis between the spectral response of the class of interest (here, sugarcane-ratoon) and non-interest classes. For this analysis, we used time series LISS-III and AWiFS sensors data that were classified using Possibilistic c-Means (PCM). This fuzzy classifier can extract single class sub-pixel information. The end result of this study was the detection of best (optimum) temporal dates for discriminating a specific crop, sugarcane-ratoon. An accuracy of 92.8 % was achieved for extracting ratoon crop using AWiFS data whereas the optimum temporal LISS-III data provided a least entropy of 0.437. Such information can be used by agricultural department in selecting an optimum number of strategically placed temporal images in the crop growing season for discriminating the specific crop accurately.     

Ichnology of the Goradongar Formation,Goradongar hill range,Patcham island,Kachchh, Western India

The middle Jurassic Goradongar Formation exposed in Goradongar hill represents a mixed siliciclasticcarbonate succession with shales and limestones. They contain a large number of well preserved trace fossils. Total 44 ichnospecies of 31 ichnogenera; representing diverse ethology, were grouped in five ichnoassemblages (Planolites, Palaeophycus, Gyrochorte, Rhizocorallium and Arenicolites assemblage). These recurring ichnoassemblages represent the Cruziana ichnofacies and occasionally a mixed Skolithos-Cruziana ichnofacies. Patterns of diversity and density of the trace fossils reveal changes in bathymetry, oxygen level, trophic level and the sub-strate conditions at the time of deposition. These paleoenvironment and palaeo-oceanography changes are co-relatable to world-wide Bathonian-Callovian (middle Jurassic) deposits.