Letters - May 1-15, 2013

Dubious Distinction This is with reference to the editorial, “A green facade” (April 1-15, 2013). I am doing an investigative project about green buildings and rating systems in India as part of my journalism studies. I have been digging for opposing views on LEED rating in India but there has been none. It was a delight to find an article criticising these ratings.

Green monster nailed

HUANGLONGBING (HLB) or greening disease in citrus plants has been known for over 100 years. It does not have a cure and its symptoms emerge over time. First seen in Asia, the disease has spread across the world, threatening the fruit industry. In absence of effective control methods, the infected trees are culled.

Veggies delight

Ram Oraon blames his grandfather for his frail health and for much of his life spent battling poverty. He has watched his two brothers die young. “They always had poor health,” says the 60-year-old marginal farmer from Malhan Bhuiyadih village near Ranchi.

Protectors dubbed criminals

Orange tumbles

A beaming Uday Wath hugs the trunk of his sturdy, disease-free Nagpur orange tree. All around him are trees drooping with the fruit, large and healthy. The tree trunks are singularly free of both telltale gummosis wounds and bluish white bordeaux paste, the chemical meant to prevent them.

Science and Technology - Briefs

ASTROPHYSICS Moon’s magnetic puzzle

Science and Technology - Briefs

Zoology Tweets in burbs

Science and Technology - Briefs

Technology Mr Gum gets it right too A popular rapid oral test for detecting HIV is as accurate as traditional blood tests, according to a Canadian research. Although previous studies have shown that OraQuick HIV 1/2 has great promise, this is the first study to evaluate its potential at a global level.

Fabled Fruits!

Dwindling diversity India holds the distinction of being the world's second largest producer of fruits, both major and minor. But many of the fruits native to India are being less and less savoured

Don't bite that apple!

WHEN GOD forbade Adam and Eve from eating the apples from the Tree of Knowledgehe probably had environmental interests in mind. But Eve couldn't resist the temptationand neither could Adam. Too bad. The price for their folly is still being paid.