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Wednesday, 12 February 2014

Tagged under:

Indian Matchbox Lebels

Lavanaya with Matchbox album
This matchbox photo album is one of the biggest collection with more than 1900 Indian matchbox labels. These were collected during 1983-1994 from different cities of India. The area focused were streets, railway and bus stations, public places and garbage cans. All the matchbox labels are different from each other in respect of pictures/printed text matter. My father Dr. R.S. Kanaujia is the key person who is behind this collection. Me, my younger brother Sankalp Verma and my sis Ruchira Singh have played a supportive role for making this album fabulous. This album is dedicated to my brother Sankalp Verma who is missing since June 2004.  



































































Saturday, 18 January 2014

Tagged under:

प्रयोगशाला







न्यूटन और आर्किमिडीज की
प्रयोगशालायें
क्रमशः
और विकसित हो
एक रोज इंसान को
चाँद तक ले जाती हैं,
धरती पर पिंकी को
स्माइल पिंकी बनाती हैं,
इन सबके बीच
वैज्ञानिक ईश्वर को
पछाड़ने की होड़ रखते हैं,
कपाटों में बंद ईश्वर
विज्ञानिओं की
हद तय करते हैं,
भीड़ भक्तिभाव से
ईश्वर का ध्यान करती है,
सहसा नेपथ्य से
आवाज आती है
प्रयोगशालाओं से आगे
दुनियाँ और भी है.……
पर्दा गिर जाता है ॥

                     - सिद्धांत
                       जनवरी १८, २०१४
                       रात्रि ११. ३ ०  पी. एम. 

Thursday, 14 November 2013

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Conversion of crop waste in to pink oyster mushroom Pleurotus eous


Ten locally available crop wastes, viz., banana pseudostem (Musa spp.), mustard husk (Brassica campestris), mustard stem (Brassica campestris), dry fruit of Ridge gourd (Luffa aegyptiaca), groundnut shell (Arachis hypogaea), maize cob (Zea mays), paddy Straw (Oryza sativa), pea straw (Pisum sativum), rice husk (Oryza sativa) and tobacco stem (Nicotiana tabacum)were evaluated for various parameters of mushroom production. The substrates had variable effect on duration of spawn running, primordial development and maturation of fruit bodies. As compared to control (15, 18, 22 days) the paddy straw substrate (10, 13, 17 days) had shortest time recorded for those stages. Yield data also proved that paddy straw was the most competent substrate for the production of pink oyster mushroom Pleurotus eous.(PDF Copy

Cite this as: 

Siddhant, Swapnil Yadav and C.S. Singh (2013):Conversion of crop waste into pink oyster mushroom Pleurotus eous. Trends in Biosciences.6(4): 418-420.

Saturday, 9 November 2013

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Cereal and millet wastes management through mushroom cultivation

Cereal and millet wastes are the discarded agricultural biomass, left after the harvesting of crop. These wastes contain certain complex polymers such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Their accumulation on land causes environmental pollution. The fungi are reported to degrade these polymers into simple forms by producing variety of extracellular enzymes, thereforte, four Pleurotus species viz., P. sajor-caju, P. florida Strain-P1, P. flabellatus and P. eous were evaluated for the post harvest management of cereal and millet wastes. Nine locally available wastes such as wheat straw, paddy straw, maize straw, hulled maize cobs, sorghum straw, oat straw, barley straw, Italian and little millet straw were selected for this study. Different growth parameters like time lapsed in spawn run, primordial development, maturity of fruit bodies, yield and biological efficiency of each mushroom were recorded against every individual substrate, separately. The crop of mushroom was harvested in three flushes. Results indicated that every Pleurotus species had utilized all the substrates for their mycelial growth and fruit body development although their magnitude varied among themselves thus these can be utilized as as tool for waste management. Among the mushroom species, P. florida Strain-P1 gave highest yield and biological efficiency from different substrate followed by P. flabellatus, P. sajor-caju and P. eous while among the cereal and millets wastes, paddy straw was found most productive substrate next to wheat straw for the cultivation of Pleurotus species. 
The substrate left after mushroom harvest is called spent mushroom substrate (SMS)which can be utilized in different ways to give additional benefit to the farmers.

Cited this as: Siddhant, Ruchira Singh, Jyoti Rastogi and R.S. Kanaujia (2013):Cereal and millet wastes management through mushroom cultivation. 3rd National Conference on "Environment and Biodiversity of India" organized by North East Center for Environmental Education and Research (NECEER), Imphal in association with PE Society's Modern College, Shivajinagar, Pune, Maharashtra. Oct 06, 2013. p.71. (Abstract) 

Wednesday, 9 October 2013

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Diversity of Genus Volvariella in Faizabad district

Faizabad is located at 260 470 N to 260 780 N latitude and 82.080 E to 82.130 E longitude having an average elevation of 97 meters above the sea level. It is situated on the bank of river Ghaghra formally known as Saryu. It lies in transitional zone between central and the tarai region of Eastern Uttar Pradesh which enjoys a climate congenial for the growth of fungi in general and mushrooms in particular. Genus Volvariella belongs to family Pluteaceae of order Agaricales, have been reported from tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions of both the eastern and the western hemispheres. Few surveys were made to explore its biodiversity from different parts of district Faizabad during June-September, 2006-12. Three Volvariella spp. viz., V. volvacea, V. indica and V. bombycina were collected and identified during the study. Among them, V. volvacea was found in abundance in rice fields and exposed paddy straw stocks. Few specimens were also gathered from mango and jamun orchard while few were obtained from decaying wood of Phoenix sylvestris and decomposed saw dust. These were collected in full bloom in sultry weather of late June- mid September. However their existence was also noticed during the later part of September. 
Volvariella volvacea on paddy straw
Photo © Dr. Siddhant Oys

Volvariella indica was also found in plenty from mango orchards, grass land and in association with bamboo trees. These were collected in full bloom in sultry weather of late June- August. Their existence was occasionally noticed during the first half of September. 
Volvariella indica
Photo © Dr. Siddhant Oys
V. bombycina was a rare species which found only on decaying log of Ficus religiosa and F. lacor. These were collected in the month of July-August. (Link)
Volvariella bombycina
Photo © Dr. R.S. Kanaujia

Cited this as: Ruchira Singh, Siddhant and R.S. Kanaujia (2013):Diversity of Genus Volvariella in Faizabad district. 3rd National Conference on "Environment and Biodiversity of India" organized by North East Center for Environmental Education and Research (NECEER), Imphal in association with PE Society's Modern College, Shivajinagar, Pune, Maharashtra. Oct 06, 2013. p.51-52. (Abstract)  

Friday, 20 September 2013

Tagged under:

अक्स







घड़ी से गिरते
एक वक्त में
मैंने कैद कर लिया
तुम्हारा अक्स,
ठीक उसी रोज़
जब अमीबा ने किया था
पहला द्विगुणन
और विकास क्रम में बनी थी
पहली पादप कोशिका ..............
उसी रोज़
मैंने टांग दिया था
तुम्हारा अक्स
मेरी खिड़की से झाँकते
क्षितिज पर,
अब जब भी रात होती है
तुम्हारा अक्स चमक उठता है,
तुम्हारे प्रकाश से प्रकाशित
मेरे कक्ष के एक कोने में
मैं अब भी तुम पर
कहानियां गढ़ता  हूँ,
सुनो कि तुम अब भी
मेरी कहानियो में जिन्दा हो ।।

                                                  - सिद्धान्त
                                                सितम्बर 15, 2013
                                                   रात्रि 11:30        

Thursday, 22 August 2013

Tagged under:

Trust in your mushrooms

Pleurotus sajor-caju, an edible mushroom belonging to order Agaricales of class Basidiomycetes is most promising mushroom, coming next to button mushroom in respect of its production at global level, although it is not valid oyster species even then it is as nutritious as other valid taxa which makes it an ideal food for human consumption.  In India, it is admired in especially due to its flavour, taste and above all easy method of growing without using any sophisticated infrastructure as compared to button mushroom. The Pleurotus spp. can be cultivated on a wide range of agro-industrial waste which is attacked by several competitor of fungal and bacterial origin. The antagonistic relationship between these micro-flora and desired fungus contribute a low productivity of mushrooms. In severe cases, complete failure of mushroom crop may take place. To eliminate weed, proper disinfection of substrate is recommended which is achieved by various means such as autoclaving, hot water application, radiation treatment, chemical applications etc. At commercial level it is done by steam sterilization method. Disinfection of substrate at home is probably a big goal for mushroom lovers. Sometimes, due to unproper pasteurization, wild microflora get a chance to compete with mushroom mycelium for space and nutrients. Generally, in such circumstances, contaminated bags are discarded. 

Photo © Dr. Siddhant Oys

I recommend to keep a trust in your mushrooms, they never hurt you. Give a long incubation period for contaminated bags so that mushroom mycelium may overcome the substrate. Once it happen, you can get healthy mushroom crop (Plate1 &2). 

Photo © Dr. Siddhant Oys


Monday, 12 August 2013

Tagged under:

EFFECT OF OXYTOCIN ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF OYSTER MUSHROOM: A RESEARCH NOTE

Oxytocin is a peptide of nine amino acids (a nonapeptide). Its systematic name is cysteine-tyrosineisoleucine-glutamine-asparagine-cysteine-proline-leucine-glycine-amine (cys – tyr – ile – gln – asn – cys – pro – leu – gly - NH2, or (CYIQNCPLG-NH2). Recent news reports indicate increased misuse of  Oxytocin injection in fruits, vegetable farming sectors. Oxytocin injections are  injected in mainly Cucurbitaceae vegetables such as bottle gourds, bitter gourds, sponge gourd, pumpkins etc. This drug injection is administered in the roots of the plants or directly in fruits, vegetables to produce bigger and more quantity of fruits and vegetables. This treatment makes their appearance fresh and fluffy. Keeping this in mind, we have designed several experiments on oxytocin to visualized their effect on mushroom growth. 
Wheat straw (WS) was used as a growing medium for the cultivation of Pleurotus sajor-caju. It was filled in 42×30 cm sized polypropylene bags. These were then washed throughly in fresh water, and pasteurized in a solution of formaldehyde (500 ppm ) and Bavistin (75 ppm ) for 18 hUnder aseptic conditions, these were inoculated with mushroom spawn @ 10% w/w on dry weight basis and incubated at 25-30°C for mycelial growth. Once mycelium has completely colonized the substrate, The polythene covering were trun off and humidity of room is maintained 80-95% with the help of humidifier
Oxytocin treatment: Pure oxytocin and their dilutions (0.1, 0.2 0.3 and 0.5 % v/v) were used in following ways:
T1- The aforesaid dilutions of oxytocin were sprayed separately on wheat straw substrate at the time of spawning.
T2- These were also sprayed on mushroom beds after the date of bag opening. 
T3- Pure oxytocin and its dilutions were directly injected to mushroom sporocarp.

The results indicated that oxytocin treatments neither minimized the production cycle nor it enhanced mushroom yield especially in relation to the size of fruit bodies.

Note: This was just a experimental trial. We do not recommend the use of Oxytocin for mushrooms as well as vegetable cultivation because of its health hazards.

Monday, 29 July 2013

Tagged under:

वेश्याएं







यहोवा ने यद्यपि
आदम और ईव ही रचे थे,
पर एक रोज आँख बचाकर
आदम ने वेश्याएं गढ़ दीं,
क्रोधित यहोवा कुछ न कर सके
आदम ने रोजी के सवाल जो रख दिए
बेफिक्र आदम
मोल -भाव करता रहा.…….
वेश्याएं बेचता रहा।
यूँ तो, कस्बों की औरतों को
पता था सब कुछ,
पर ज्यादातर समय वे चुप ही रहीं,
स्वार्थी औरतें जानती थीं
कि वेश्याओं की माँघ नहीं होती,
इसलिए उनके कस्बाई घर
सलामत रहे।
एक रोज़ वेश्याओं के बाल 
सिन्दूरी हो गए,
एक रोज़ उनके भारी पैर
लोगों को चुभ गए,
एक रोज़ वो जानने लगीं आदम का सच
उस  रोज़  यहोवा ग्लानि से भर गए ।।
                                     
                                                    - सिद्धान्त
                                                  जुलाई 29, 2013
                                                    रात्रि 10:35 

Friday, 19 July 2013

Tagged under:

नमक (भाग-2)








बोलीविया के
आगे का सच
बस इतना ही था,
कि तुम बादल बन
बरसते रहे.........
और मेरा नमक
तुममे घुलता रहा।
मेरी बहुत खारी
झील में,
हमारे प्रेम के सिवा,
फिर कुछ न पनपा॥
                                         - सिद्धांत
                                       जुलाई 19, 2013
                                       रात्रि 11:07 

Saturday, 29 June 2013

Tagged under:

नमक (भाग-1)







मैं
बोलीविया की
एक झील था,
झील में घुला
नमक
मेरे शब्द थे,
तुम पानी थे
जो उड़ गया.......
अब मेरे अंदर का
नमक
मीलों तक
पसरा है,
मेरी कवितायें
मेरे नमक का
हक़ अदा कर
रही हैं॥


                               - सिद्धान्त
                               

Friday, 21 June 2013

Tagged under:

अनबन






एक रोज़
जो तुमने कहा था
कि फबते नहीं
रंग तुम पर,
बस उसी रोज से
रंगों से मेरी
अनबन है। 
अब एक मैं हूँ
तुम हो और
स्याह सब कुछ,
रात
मेरी कविताओं के
जंगल से  
डरावनी आवाज़े 
आती हैं॥

                         - सिद्धांत 
                       जून 20, 2013  

Friday, 7 June 2013

Tagged under:

अलविदा







तुम्हारी
यादों के पुलिंदे
और एक ख़त
मेरी टाँण  पर
रखे हैं,
उसी टाँण पर
दाहिनी तरफ
तुम्हारे
कुछ मुट्ठी भर
गीत पड़े हैं,
आज जब
पानी बरसेगा
तो तुम्हारे
ख़त की नाव में
मैं वो पुलिंदे
तुम्हें भेज दूंगा।
सुनो.......
देर रात
अपनी खिड़की से
जब मैं
तुम्हारे गीत
गुनगुनाऊँ............
अपनी मुडेर पर आकर
तुम वो गीत भी
ले लेना।।

                                   - सिद्धांत
                                   जून ६ , २ ० १ ३
                                    रात्रि १ .३ ०