In News:

A mechanically stable, biodegradable, hydrophobic nanocoating material can enhance the nutrient use efficiency of chemical fertilizers by tuning them for slow release, thereby limiting their interaction with the rhizosphere soil, water and microbes.

Development of Slow-Release Fertilizers:

• A biodegradable, hydrophobic nanocoating has been developed to enhance the nutrient use efficiency of chemical fertilizers.
• The nanocoating allows for slow release of nutrients, thus limiting excessive interaction with soil, water, and microbes, and optimizing fertilizer usage.

Coating Composition:

• The coating is made from nanoclay-reinforced binary carbohydrates, primarily chitosan (a biopolymer from chitin) and lignin (a plant-based polymer).
• These materials are low-cost, naturally derived, and eco-friendly, ensuring sustainability and reducing the environmental impact of fertilizer use.

Technological Innovation:

• The coating process involves using a drum rotor method to uniformly coat fertilizers, improving their efficiency.
• The tuning of hydrophobicity in the nanocoating alters the release kinetics of fertilizers, ensuring that nutrients are released in accordance with the crop’s nutrient uptake needs.

Sustainability and Biodegradability:

• The nanocoating is biodegradable, which ensures that it does not harm the environment post-application, unlike conventional chemical fertilizers that may lead to soil degradation and water pollution.
• Life cycle assessment confirms the product's long-term sustainability compared to traditional fertilizers.

Enhanced Crop Productivity:

• The slow-release coating enables a reduced fertilizer dose, while maintaining or even increasing crop yields, particularly for staple crops like rice and wheat.
• This technology facilitates higher agricultural output with fewer inputs, contributing to food security.

Industrial Viability:

• The mechanical stability of the coated fertilizers ensures they can withstand transportation and handling, making them suitable for large-scale industrial application.
• The rotary drum system used for coating ensures uniform application and superior mechanical performance, ensuring that the fertilizers are not damaged during the supply chain process.

Economic Benefits:

• The use of slow-release fertilizers can reduce overall fertilizer costs for farmers while enhancing yields, leading to improved socio-economic conditions for farmers.
• The technology holds potential for economic growth by boosting agricultural productivity and reducing the financial burden on farmers for chemical fertilizer inputs.

Global Relevance:

• The research is significant in the context of global sustainable development goals, aiming to reduce the over-reliance on conventional chemical fertilizers that contribute to soil degradation, water contamination, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Research Collaboration:

• This breakthrough was achieved by scientists from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science: Nano, highlighting its scientific validation.

In News:

• The 3rd Indian Space Conclave, held in New Delhi, was a significant event for India's growing role in global space exploration and strategic partnerships.
• Organized by the Indian Space Association (ISPA), the conclave brought together key stakeholders from the government, industry, academia, and space agencies to discuss India’s space ambitions and the transformative role of space technologies.

Key Highlights:

Satcom as a Transformative Force for Digital India

• Emphasis on Satellite Communication (Satcom) is more than a mere tool—it's a transformative force driving Digital India by connecting every household, village, and remote area of the country.
• Satcom has a wide array of applications that extend across essential sectors such as telecommunications, disaster management, healthcare, education, and agriculture, particularly in underserved regions.

Indo-EU Space Collaboration

• The event also showcased India’s growing space partnerships, particularly with the European Union (EU). The EU Ambassador recognized India as a dynamic space power and highlighted shared goals in Earth observation, space security, and human spaceflight.
• Proposed joint initiatives include training programs, collaborative research, and satellite missions, such as the Proba-3 satellite launch by ISRO, focusing on observing the Sun.
• India’s trustworthiness as a partner in space was underscored by its role in the successful launch of the Proba-1 and Proba-2 missions for the EU, with Proba-3 marking India’s third contribution to EU space exploration.

Space Startups and Innovation

• The rise of space-focused startups in India, spurred by the 2020 space sector reforms, was another key highlight. India now has over 300 space startups, contributing to both economic growth and innovation in the space industry.
• These reforms have helped curb brain drain, with many talented Indian professionals returning from global agencies like NASA to join the expanding Indian space ecosystem.

India’s Long-Term Space Goals

• The Indian space program has ambitious long-term goals, including:
  • Gaganyaan, India’s human spaceflight mission.
  • A crewed lunar landing by 2040.
  • The establishment of an Indian space station by 2035.
  • Plans for space tourism by 2040.
• These initiatives demonstrate India’s commitment to becoming a global leader in space exploration and technological innovation.

Space Sector Reforms (2020)

• The Space Sector Reforms 2020 were designed to increase the participation of private players in India’s space activities. The creation of agencies like the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe) and the strengthening of New Space India Limited (NSIL) have been pivotal in boosting India’s global space market share.
• IN-SPACe serves as an autonomous body fostering industry, academia, and startups, while NSIL handles commercial activities and promotes high-tech space-related ventures.

India's First Mars and Moon Analog Mission

• ISRO's First Mars and Moon Analog Mission was inaugurated in Leh, Ladakh. This mission simulates the conditions of space habitats, specifically focusing on Mars and Moon environments.
• Ladakh's unique climate—high altitude, low oxygen levels, and extreme temperature fluctuations—makes it an ideal location for testing life support systems, space habitat technologies, and sustainable resource utilization.

Key Aspects of the Analog Mission:

• Life support systems like hydroponics (space farming) and standalone solar power systems to support sustainable food production and renewable energy in space habitats.
• Circadian lighting to simulate daylight cycles, maintaining astronaut health and well-being.
• The mission’s goal is to understand the psychological and operational challenges of living in isolation and extreme conditions, preparing India for future interplanetary exploration.

In News:

• India's annual hidden costs from agrifood systems total $1.3 trillion, the third-largest globally, after China ($1.8 trillion) and the US ($1.4 trillion).
• These costs are mainly driven by unhealthy dietary patterns leading to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Major Contributors to Hidden Costs:

• Unhealthy Diets: Over 73% of India’s hidden costs stem from unhealthy dietary habits, including:
  • Excessive consumption of processed foods and additives ($128 billion).
  • Low intake of plant-based foods, fruits, and beneficial fatty acids ($846 billion).
• These dietary risks contribute to a significant health burden, increasing the prevalence of NCDs and reducing labor productivity.

Global Context:

• Global hidden costs of agrifood systems amount to $12 trillion annually.
• 70% of these costs (~$8.1 trillion) arise from unhealthy dietary patterns, which include high intakes of sugar, salt, and processed foods, contributing to diseases and economic losses.

Health Impacts:

• The report identifies 13 dietary risk factors that contribute to NCDs, including insufficient intake of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and excessive sodium, with varying effects across different agrifood systems.

Environmental and Social Costs:

• Environmental Costs: High costs from unsustainable agricultural practices, including greenhouse gas emissions and nitrogen runoff. In some agrifood systems, environmental costs can reach up to 20% of GDP.
• Social Costs: High poverty rates among agrifood workers and undernourishment in systems like protracted crises and traditional agrifood systems contribute significantly to the hidden costs.

India’s Agrifood System Profile:

• India’s agrifood system faces significant challenges related to low wages, poor productivity, and poverty among agrifood workers, driven by distributional failures.
• Climate Change and Environmental Degradation: Issues like droughts, floods, and soil degradation threaten food security and agricultural sustainability in India.

Recommendations for Transformative Change:

• True Cost Accounting: Implementing this method can help better capture hidden costs and enable more informed decision-making for a sustainable agrifood system.
• Healthier Diets: Policies to make nutritious food more affordable and accessible to reduce health-related hidden costs.
• Sustainability Incentives: Encouraging practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, harmful land-use changes, and biodiversity loss, using labelling, certification, and industry standards.
• Consumer Empowerment: Providing accessible information about the environmental, social, and health impacts of food choices, ensuring even vulnerable households benefit from healthier options.

India’s Path Forward:

• India has several ongoing initiatives for sustainable agriculture, including:
  • National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA).
  • Eat Right Initiative.
  • Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM).
• However, challenges like climate change, soil degradation, and low productivity among smallholder farmers hinder progress toward sustainable food systems.

Key Focus Areas for India’s Agrifood Systems:

• Support for Smallholder Farmers: Enhancing access to technology, markets, and financial services for marginalized farmers.
• Sustainable Practices: Adoption of water-efficient practices, soil health restoration, and environmentally friendly farming methods.
• Collaboration with International Agencies: Cooperation with FAO, WFP, and others to strengthen agricultural reforms and support smallholder farmers.

In News:

A new species of Dicliptera, named Diclipterapolymorpha, has been discovered in the Northern Western Ghats of India.

Habitat and Location:

• Diclipterapolymorpha was found in the grasslands of Talegaon-Dabhade, a region known for its grasslands and fodder markets.
• The species thrives in the harsh climatic conditions of the Northern Western Ghats, an area vulnerable to summer droughts and frequent human-induced fires.

Unique Characteristics:

• The species is fire-resilient (pyrophytic), exhibiting a rare dual-blooming pattern:
  • First Blooming: Occurs post-monsoon, typically from November to March/April.
  • Second Blooming: Triggered by grassland fires in May and June, during which the plant produces dwarf flowering shoots.
• The inflorescence structure is unique in India, with its cymules developing into spicate inflorescences, a feature more commonly found in African species.

Taxonomy:

• The species is named Diclipterapolymorpha to reflect its diverse morphological traits.
• It is taxonomically distinct within the Dicliptera genus, with no known Indian species exhibiting similar characteristics.

Conservation Implications:

• The discovery highlights the need to carefully manage grassland ecosystems, as the species is adapted to fire but still vulnerable to habitat degradation.
• Human-induced fires are essential for the species' blooming cycle but must be managed to avoid overuse and degradation of habitat.
• The species' limited habitat range underscores the need for conservation efforts to protect the delicate ecosystems of the Western Ghats.

Publication:

• A research paper detailing the discovery of Diclipterapolymorpha has been published in the prestigious Kew Bulletin.

In News:

• ‘AntarikshaAbhyas – 2024’ is a three-day space exercise held from November 11-13, 2024, hosted by the Defence Space Agency (DSA), Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff.
• The exercise is the first of its kind and focuses on war-gaming the growing threats to space-based assets and services.

Objective of the Exercise:

• Enhance understanding of space-based assets and their operational dependencies.
• Identify vulnerabilities in military operations in case of denial or disruption of space services.
• Integrate India's space capabilities in military operations to secure national strategic objectives.

Participants:

• Defence Space Agency (DSA) and its allied units.
• Personnel from the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
• Specialist agencies under Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, including:
  • Defence Cyber Agency (DCA)
  • Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA)
  • Strategic Forces Command (SFC)
• Representatives from ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) and DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation).

Focus Areas:

• Space-based asset and service operational dependency.
• Securing national interests in space through technological innovation and development.
• Assessing space service vulnerabilities and impacts on military operations.