Sabyasachi Majumdar

• Ph.D in Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
• Professor (Assistant) at Central Agricultural University Imphal

Approximately 500 million people around the globe is affected by arsenic (As) contamination of ground water. The regions of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, and China that make up the South and Southeast Asian Belt are the most arsenic-polluted areas. Although the amounts are often lower in contrast to Asian countries, developed countries such as...

Silicon (Si) affects soil formation, carbon (C) cycling, nutrient dynamics, vegetation growth and plant stress resilience, all of which are critical to the general health and sustainability of forest ecosystems. Despite its abundance and diverse functions, the pivotal role of Si in forest ecology is frequently overlooked. This review aims to clarif...

A field experiment was conducted at the research farm of the College of Agriculture (CAU), Kyrdemkulai, Ri-Bhoi, Meghalaya, during the Kharif season of 2023 to study the “Comparison of Application Methods of Phosphorus and Silicon in Finger Millet ( Eleusine coracana ).” The experiment was designed in a factorial randomized block design with three...

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a key food grain crop in acid soil regions of the world. An economical and efficient nutrient application method should be developed for crops in acidic soil region. Use of Si as a source of beneficial nutrient is well known. Therefore, a pot experiment was planned with rice variety CAU-R1 to find out the effective combina...

Sugarcane is a silicon (Si) accumulative plant with Si content ranged from 1–2% and more. The level of Si absorption by sugarcane depends on the variety and soil properties. The sugarcane cultivation results in massive removal of the plant-available Si from the soil. Silicon soil amendments mostly affect soil properties. Si fertilizers provide Si n...

Understanding on the bioavailability of silicon (Si) in intensively cultivated agricultural ecosystem still remains a challenging topic which requires attention by the scientific community. Monosilicic acid (soluble Si) and polysilicic acid (insoluble Si) affect various physicochemical properties of the soil. Thus, quantification of plant available...

Indiscriminate burning of crop residues in the open fields in India has a tremendous negative consequence on human-animal-soil-plant continuum. Particulate matter released during the in-situ crop residue contributes to the environmental pollution. Management of the residues of rice, wheat and sugarcane crops, which account for more than 80% of the...

Agriculture is the backbone of developing countries like India, with major population depending on it for their livelihood. Nanotechnology considers materials, systems and processes operating at 1-100 nm scale. Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize agriculture and food industry through precision farming techniques, enhanced plant nu...

Dynamics of Sulphur in soils

Practice of silicon (Si) fertilization has been neglected in agriculture under the common notion that Si is abundant in soil. However, it is true that extensive and continuous cultivation can lead to depletion of available Si in soils, especially in tropical countries like India where there is extensive cultivation of Si accumulator crops like rice...

Silicon (Si), a beneficial element, plays an overwhelming role in not only improving the crop productivity but also provides resistance against various biotic (insects and pathogens) and abiotic (salt stress, heavy metal toxicity, nutrient toxicity, ultraviolet radiation, drought condition) stresses. It may be considered as the only element which h...

The 1% Na2CO3 method used for measuring amorphous silicon (ASi) in soils was initially developed by DeMaster (1981) for measuring biogenic silica in marine sediments. Although this method is widely used for quantifying ASi content in soil, it has a few limitations which requires specific attention in case of the digestion period. In this study, we...

Although silicon (Si) is ubiquitous in the earth’s crust, its essentiality for growth of higher plants is still under discussion. By recognising the overwhelming potential of Si in alleviating a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses, the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials and the International Plant Nutrition Institute, Georgi...

Soil-borne Salmonella is associated with a large number of food-related disease outbreaks linked to pre-harvest contamination of plants (like tomato) in agricultural fields. Controlling the spread of Salmonella at field is very important in order to prevent various food-borne illnesses. One such approach involves the utilization of antimicrobial se...

Si is one of the most abundant element on earth and an abundant literature shows its beneficial effects on plant growth and resistance. We here question the influence of termites, as key soil bioturbators, on the distribution of Si in a tropical soil. The abundance and forms of Si in termite mounds build by Odontotermes obesus (TM) or in the soil e...

The University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore instituted a national award in honour of Dr. Kalayya Krishnamurthy. This award is presented every year in recognition of best agricultural research done by an agricultural and allied scientists working in Farm Universities/Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Institutes/Public Insti...

The 7th International Conference on Silicon in Agriculture (www.silicon2017.com) was organized at University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore, India during 24th to 28th October, 2017. This was a unique event, being hosted for the first time in India, despite being the 7th in a triennial International series. More than 150 participants, nat...

The Indian Society of Soil Science (ISSS) instituted a memorial award in honour of Prof. Sant Singh in 2015. This award is presented every year in recognition of excellent Soil Science research by an Indian Scientist. The Prof. Sant Singh Memorial award for the year 2016 has been awarded to Dr. N. B. Prakash during the 81st ISSS Annual Convention h...

In many countries, blanket fertilizer recommendations for different crops have caused poor nutrient supply, low nutrient use efficiency and limited crop response. In contrast, soil and area specific, customized fertilizers may help to sustain soil health by ensuring appropriate fertilization. Hence, specific customized fertilizers should be promote...

The present study was undertaken to quantify and identify the phytoliths distribution in rice and sugarcane soils of Karnataka, South India. The quantity of phytoliths was higher in sugarcane than in rice soils at the surface. In the sub-surface soil, higher amounts of phytoliths were detected in rice soils, whereas, it decreased in sugarcane soils...

An investigation was undertaken during 2013-14 in northern transition zone of Karnataka to study the forms and distribution of phosphorus and their correlation with different soil properties under different land use systems of Singhanhalli-Bogur micro-watershed. Three land use systems [agriculture (paddy land and non paddy land), forest and horticu...

An investigation was undertaken during 2013-14 in northern transition zone of Karnataka to study the forms and distribution of sulphur of Singhanhalli-Bogur micro-watershed. Three land use systems [agriculture (paddy land and non paddy land), forest and horticulture] were selected for the study. From each land use system, fifteen surface (0-20 cm)...

An investigation was undertaken during 2013-14 in northern transition zone of Karnataka to study the forms and distribution of nitrogen under different land use systems in Singhanhalli-Bogur micro-watershed. Three land use systems [agriculture (paddy land and non paddy land), forest and horticulture] were selected for the study. From each land use...

Silicon helps in reducing heavy metals uptake in various plant species and enhances the plant growth and biomass. There is still need to better understand the function of Si in more crop species under different environmental condition to validate the Si mediated alleviation of heavy metal toxicity on large scale. In this seminar, I have tried to ex...