According to the World Health Organization, corneal diseases are a major cause of vision loss and blindness. Corneal ulcers are mostly caused by fungi species of Fusarium, Aspergillus, Curvularia, and Candida, resulting in keratisis. Fungal keratitis is a major blinding eye disease in Asia. Fusarium keratitis is a devastating ocular disease and an important cause of morbidity and blindness. Fusarium keratitis is a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to the ophthalmologist. Ocular trauma and corneal ulceration result in 1.5 to 2 million new cases of corneal blindness annually.

In the above context, the paper, “A Study on the Cultural Characteristics of Fusarium spp., Causing Mycotic Keratitis in South India”, by C S Shobana, K Panneerselvam, P Manikandan, M Brinda, I Anitha, P Amsaveni, A K Lakkumi Venmal, L Galgóczy and R Rajendran, isolates and characterizes Fusarium spp. from corneal infections to evaluate the various parameters related to fungi. The incidence of fungal keratitis is on the rise in the densely populated continents of Asia and Africa. The paper provides extensive data to study the microorganism. Fungal keratitis is responsible for a significant burden of blinding disease in the developing world. Early detection of the disease is required to restore vision in patients suffering from fungal keratitis.

The second paper, “Solid State Fermentation and Characterization of Alkalophilic and Thermophilic Mannanase from Streptomyces sp. PG-08-03”, by Preeti Bhoria, Gursharan Singh, Joginder Ram Sharma and Gurinder Singh Hoondal, describes the production, partial purification and characterization of mannanase from a Streptomyces sp. PG-08-03. Mannanases are useful in food industries for clarification of fruit juices and production of Konjac. They are also useful in several industrial processes, such as the extraction of vegetable oils from leguminous seeds and the reduction of the viscosity of coffee extracts during manufacture of instant coffee. In the pulp and paper industry, mannanases can act synergistically with xylanases as biological prebleaching agents for soft-woodpulp, allowing a significant reduction of environmental pollution. In spite of these potential applications, the use of mannanases in industry is limited, essentially because of low yields and high production costs. Streptomyces species are the most industrially important actinomycetes due to their capacity to produce numerous secondary metabolites, particularly antibiotics. The authors have explored these microorganisms to obtain an important enzyme for industrial application.

The third paper, “Quantifying the Health of Shrimp Culture Ponds in Indian Sundarbans”, by Banani Mandal and Arunava Mukherjee, deals with water quality that was monitored in 10 shrimp ponds distributed in 10 different zones using the Aquatic Health Index (AHI). India has great potential in utilizing marine and estuarine resources for economic benefit. The quality of prawns from the study area has deteriorated in terms of microbial load and heavy metal load and suffered burst in the late 1990s due to several negative reasons related to environment and is banned by the European Union on the export quality criteria. A preventive step in scaling the water quality of the marine and estuarine compartment through consideration of relevant parameters, which are functions of space and time, is required. The global annual production of freshwater prawns by India is approximately 35,000 tons and such studies will be a good index for further investments in this sector.

In the fourth paper, “Regulatory Role of Adrenaline on G6PDH Activity in Liver Tissue of Common Indian Toad, Bufo melanostictus”, the authors, S Behera, P K Dixit, G K Panigrahy and H N Behera, have aimed at studying the effect of the hormone adrenaline on the activity of the enzyme Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogense (G6PDH) in the liver of common Indian toad, Bufo melanostictus. The above enzyme is required in the maintenance of cellular integrity. G6PDH and the pentose phosphate pathway play a key role in reductive biosynthesis and antioxidant defense, while diverting glucose from other cellular functions. The authors have extensively studied the hormonal regulation in G6PDH activity in the tissues of poikilothermic animals. The effect of the hormone adrenaline on the activity of the above enzyme in the liver of common Indian toad, Bufo melanostictus, plays a significant adaptive feature in this species.

In the fifth paper, “Changes in Chlorophyll, Specific Leaf Mass and Nitrogen Content of Wheat Flag Leaf During Post-Anthesis Growth Stages Under Heat-Stressed Environment”, the authors, M Mohi-Ud-Din, J U Ahmed and T Hossain report a field study of two wheat cultivars, viz., a relatively heat tolerant, Kanchan and a heat sensitive, Sonora, to compare heat stress tolerance in terms of flag leaf senescence and mobilization of flag leaf nitrogen to develop kernel. The paper is of considerable importance in the field of agriculture for improved crop production in relation to climate.

The sixth paper, “A Study on Soil Enzymes from Fly Ash Treated Fields”, by J Shanthi and V Devika, reports the addition of fly ash to red lateritic soil. There is some increase in the nutrient uptake growth and yield of crop. Fly ash is a coal combustion residue of thermal power plants and has been regarded as a problematic solid waste all over the world. Disposal of high amount of fly ash from thermal power plants absorbs huge amount of water, energy and land area by ash ponds. Therefore, fly ash management remains a great concern of the century. There are reports that fly ash can be used as a soil ameliorate that may improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of the degraded soils and is a source of readily available plant micro and macro-nutrients. Fly ash has great potentiality in agriculture due to its efficacy in the modification of soil health and crop performance. The paper is a demonstration of the applied value of fly ash which increased soil enzyme activity and fertility.

The last paper, “Bioremediation Potential of Five Distinctive Microorganisms to Municipality Waste Effluent”, by Ashok Kumar, B S Bisht and V D Joshi, reports studies carried out to compare the potential of E. coli, Bacillus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Xanthomonas spp. and Streptomyces spp. by observing different water quality parameters. Intense agriculture and manufacturing industries have resulted in increased release of a wide range of xenobiotic compounds into the environment. Excess loading of hazardous waste has led to the scarcity of clean water and disturbances of soil condition, thus limiting crop production. Bioremediation uses biological agents, mainly microorganisms, i.e., yeast, fungi or bacteria, to clean up contaminated soil and water. The waste released into the environment from industry is massive. Many organic contaminants tend to accumulate in the environment, posing significant health hazards to living organisms. Microorganisms are used in a number of ways to decontaminate polluted areas. In the current perspective, the paper has significant value in cleaning up the environment by applying bioremediation.

-- S B Mukherjee
Consulting Editor