eChapters

Q. 1 Toe-in and toe-out are related with
(A) Front axle of tractor     (B) Rear axle of tractor
(C) Tractor steering           (D) Transmission system

Q. 1 A device which is used to store energy in hydraulic system is known as
(A) Motor             (B) Cylinder
(C) Accumulator  (D) Pump

Q. 1 In agricultural tractors, the vibration level is in the range of .......... Hz.
(A) 0 – 2         (B) 2 - 8
(C) 8 – 20       (D) More than 20

Q. 1 Weight of a manually operated chaff cutter’s fly wheel should not be
below than
(A) 24 kg      (B) 30 kg
(C) 32 kg      (D) 35 kg
(E) 27 kg

Electrical conductivity of the soil is the quantity of electricity in coulombs that passes per second per cm3 of the soil solution under an applied potential difference of 1 volt. It is written as EC in abbreviated form and is expressed in millimohs cm-1 or dS m-1 (deciSiemen m-1). Current flows in the soil solution due to presence of soluble salts like Cl- , SO2- 4 and NO3 - of Na+, K+ Ca++ and Mg++. These salts fully dissociate in water to their constituent cations and anions and the current is carried by those cations anions in the soil solution.

Nandina domestica Thunb. (Berberidaceae): Eng.- Chinese Sacred Bamboo [NI]. An evergreen or semi-evergreen ornamental shrub with upright shoots. Leaves mostly bi-to tripinnate, rich green purple on fall. Flowers star shaped, white with large yellow anthers, in erect panicles followed by long lasting, spherical bright red fruit.

Introduction

Gastro-intestinal parasites are considered as the 'silent killers' and remain hidden or undiagnosed by the livestock owners or veterinarians as the infected animals manifest meagre clinical signs. These parasites often have detrimental effects on the growth and development of animals where they can potentiate mortality especially among young, weak or nutritionally compromised animals. They negatively impact animal health in terms of reduced weight gain, anorexia, digestive disturbance, impaired reproductive performance, condemnation of affected organs, mortality in infected animals and ultimately affect animal production, contributing to huge economic losses to the livestock owners. At present, chemotherapy is the most practical and widely practiced approach to curb these infestations. But frequent and indiscriminate use of anthelmintics imposes a threat on the sustainability of current control measures. Thus, there is an urgent need for incorporation of alternate control approaches while designing our worm control programs, so that we can reduce the usage of anthelmintics and prolong their effectiveness. The effectiveness or success of any worm control strategy is evaluated based on integrated parameters like the ultimate goal of increasing production, minimizing risks regarding drug resistance and considering consumer's concerns about health and environment-associated problems. In general, gastro-intestinal nematode control strategies can target either the parasite population inside the host or the free-living stages of parasites in the environment. Here, we are discussing some of the components of sustainable control measures for these parasites in detail.

2.1 Operators

Operators are those who perform some specific operation. Python has a wide variety of operators. The various python operators are categorized into:

1. Arithmetic operators

2. Comparison/relational operators

3. Assignment operators

4. Logical operators

5. Identity operators

6. Membership operators

7. Bitwise operator

5.1 String Statement

String in python is stored as individual characters i.e. indexed wise. The index by default starts with 0.

So, here P will be represented by str[0] or str[-6], y will be represented by str[1] or str[-5]

Note: strings are immutable and hence you cannot change the individual letters of string using assignment operator.

Example:

name=“shyam”

Name[0]=“A”

Result error

7.1 Tuple Introduction

A tuple is a collection which is order and unchangeable. In python tuples are written with round brackets. Tuples in python are very similar to list which contains different types of elements with the following major differences.

It is declared as

tuple1=(1,2,3,“ram”,“shyam”)

Program implementation import timeit

listtime=timeit.timeit(stmt=“[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]”,number=1000000)

tupletime=timeit.timeit(stmt=“(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9)”,number=1000000)

print(?List takes time:”, listtime)

print(?Tuple takes time:”, tupletime)

8.1 Introduction to Dictionary in Python

A dictionary is a collection which is unordered changeable and index. In python dictionaries are written within curly brackets, and they have keys and values. Means the dictionary contains two things first is the key and the second is the value.

8.1.1 Create and Print a Dictionary

Example

dict1={‘brand’:‘Suzuki’,‘model’:‘dzire’,‘year’:2020}

print(dict1)

Accessing items: you can access the items of a dictionary by referring to its key name, inside square brackets.

Example

Accessing items: there is also a method called get() for the same task.

dict1={‘brand’:‘Suzuki’,‘model’:‘dzire’,‘year’:2020}

print(dict1)

y=dict1.get(?model”)

print(y)

Objective

1. To classify the various spices and condiments.

Types of classification: spices and condiments are classified on the following basis:

1. Classification on the basis of economic importance
2. Classification on the basis of parts used
3. Classification on the basis of climatic requirements
4. Classification on the basis of life cycle
5. Classification on the basis of taxonomy
6. Botanical classification

Objectives

1. To know the botanical and other names of spices and condiments.
2. To identify the family, plant habit and plant part used of spices and condiments.

Objectives

1. To know about the seed treatment of spices and condiments.
2. To know the sowing method and time of spices and condiments.

Seed treatments or seed dressing: Seed treatment refers to the application of fungicide, insecticide, or a combination of both, to seeds so as to disinfect and disinfect them from seed-borne or soil-borne pathogenic organisms and storage insects. It also refers to the subjecting of seeds to solar energy exposure, immersion in conditioned water, etc. The seed treatment is done to achieve the following benefits.

Advantages of seed treatment

1. Protects germinating seeds and seedlings against soil and seed borne pathogens/insects.
2. Seed germination enhancement.
3. Early and uniform establishment and growth
4. Enhances nodulation in legume crop.
5. Better than soil and foliar application.
6. Uniform crop stand, even in adverse conditions (less/high moisture)

Objectives

1. To know the layout methods.
2. To know the planting techniques of various spices and condiments.

Layout: Systematic arrangements of plants

Some spices and condiments just like clove, cardamom is perennial in nature. Being perennial in nature any mistake committed during initial year, on the part of planning, is hard to rectify. Hence, all the factors having bearing on growth, production and overall performance of the plant should be given top priority.

Systems of planting

1. Square system: In this system row to row distance and plant to plant distance is kept similar.

Objectives

1. To study the weeds and its control.
2. To study the herbicides, their types, timing and methods of application.

Weed: A wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants.

Or

Weed is such undesirable plant grown in association with crop which snatches major parts of nutrients, water, light, place and CO₂ available to the crop.

Due to tough competition crop suffers adversely and the production is reduced.

Objectives

1. To study the objectives and principles of training and pruning.
2. To study the methods of training and pruning.

Training: It refers to judicious removal of part to develop a proper shape of plant capable of bearing heavy crop load.

Objectives of Training

1. To admit more light and air to the centre of the tree to expose maximum leaf surface to the sun
2. To direct the growth of the tree so that various cultural operations such as spraying, ploughing, harvesting can be performed easily and at lower cost.
3. To protect the tree from sun burn and wind damage.
4. To secure a balanced distribution of fruit bearing parts of the tree.

Objectives

1. To know the methods of essential oil extraction of spices and condiments.
2. To know the various chemicals present in the essential oil of different spices and condiments.

Essential oil: Essential oils are the liquids that are isolated from plants when introduced to solvents. They are liquefied versions of the plants.

Extraction methods of essential oil

1. Steam Distillation
2. Solvent Extraction
   1. CO₂ Extraction
   2. Maceration
   3. Enfleurage
3. Water Distillation
4. Water and Steam Distillation

German Prof. Peter Laurenberg conceived first the word horticulture. The term “Horticulture” is known in written form first in seventeenth century in a book entitled “New World of Words” by Phillips.

Etymologically the word “Horticulture” is derived from two Latin words viz. ‘Hortus’ [garden or enclosure] and ‘Cultura’ [cultivation]. So, literally horticulture means ‘garden or enclosure culture’ or ‘cultivation of garden crops within protected enclosures’.

Garden: Garden is a broad term derived from the Latin word Gyrdan meaning “to enclose”.

DIVISIONS AND DEFINITION OF HORTICULTURE

Pomology: (pomum = fruits, logy = science) It is a branch of horticulture which deals with study or cultivation of fruit crops starting from raising of saplings and intercultural to harvesting operations. The ‘pomology’ term is derived from latin word pomum (means fruits) and greek word logy (means science).

Layout of an orchard

Layout means the way by which something is arranged or laid out. The purpose of designing a layout for an rchard is to assign the actual position for trees/ plantations, roads, water channels, buildings etc. The layout should be planned very carefully and implemented properly to facilitate proper care and maintenance of an orchard. The plan should provide optimum number of trees per unit area as well as sufficient space to each of the tree for proper development and ease in various cultural operations of the orchard.

Materials required for layout

Measuring tape, rope, pegs, poles and planting board.

Based on agro-climatic conditions, the following system of planting are generally followed for planting of fruit trees:

1. Square
2. Rectangular

The high density planting (HDP) in fruit crops is one of the new concepts of increasing the productivity without affecting the quality of fruits. The concept of high density planting was pioneered in temperate fruits in Europe at the end of 1960, since then there is rise in establishment of commercial high density orchards throughout the world. Initially HDP was followed mostly in temperate fruits e.g., apple. HDP is defined as a method of planting wherein more numbers of plants are planted per unit area as compared to conventional planting density or it is a modern method of fruit cultivation involving planting of fruit trees densely, allowing small or dwarf trees with modified canopy for better light interception and distribution and ease of mechanised field operations. It is one of the important methods to achieve high productivity per unit area both in short duration and perennial fruit crops.

Now-a-days, new orchards of fruits are planted in this system with a view to produce higher fruit yield and increased profitably. In addition, there is also a need to feed the growing population and provide them nutritional security and land resources are shrinking simultaneously due to the industrialization, urbanization etc., hence it is required to develop the modern facilities to compete with the developed nation. The success of this technology in most of the fruit crops is dependent on the use of methods to control shoot growth so as to maximize light interception. The main aim of HDP is to obtain the twin prerequisites of productivity by maintaining a balance between vegetative and reproductive growth without sacrificing plant health and fruit quality.

Morphological characteristics

A. balfourii Stapf is an erect, glabrous shrub that grows upto 1.5 m in height. The plant has branched stems which are dull purplish brown in colur that reach about 1.2 m high. Lower leaves are long stalked while the upper ones are short. The plant has long heavy tubers with 7 to 12 cm in length. Roots are tuberous and fusiform.

Floral characteristics

The plants bears about 29 cm long inflorescence with numerous flowered racemes along with the yellow tomentum. The flowers are hermaphrodite and the mode of pollination is by bees. Sepals are helmet shaped, pubescent and blue in colur. The upper two petals are hooded and enveloped in the helmet, and the below two are glabrous. The stamens are many, the filaments are hispidulous, and the pollen is three-colpate. Carpals are yellowish, 3 to 5 in number and tomentose. Follicles range in size from 2 to 5, are sessile, and silky pubescent. Along the raphe, the seeds have a broad winged appearance. The months of September to November are ideal for flowering and fruiting in A. balfourii.

Morphological characteristics

The plant is a monoecious undershrub that grows up to 3.5 metres tall and has serrated leaves and stiff branches that emerge from the root. Lower branches feature big, typically broad, elliptical, three- to five-lobed leaves with rounded bases, while above branches have small, lanceolate leaves. Petioles range in length from 5 to 15 cm.

Floral characteristics

The flowers are unisexual. The calyx of male flowers is globose, 2.5 mm long, four to five partite, glabrous or slightly pubescent, membranous, finely mottled with a disc of six glands, and glabrous or slightly pubescent. There are approximately 20 stamens in each flower. Sepals are ovate-lanceolate and glabrous, and the disc is roughly 2.5 mm in diameter in female flowers. Fruit is a three-lobed capsule that is around 8–13 mm long and hairy. Seeds contain an oily endosperm and are speckled and smooth. Flowers bloom in January–February, followed by fruit that mature a month later.

Distribution

The species grows in tropical and subtropical places with rainfall of around 1000 mm, such as the Himalayan foothills, Kashmir to the Khasi hills, and especially in the Vindhyas southward. In North and East Bengal, Chhota Nagpur, and peninsular India, it is fairly frequent.

Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) known under the names camphor tree, camphorwood or camphor laurel of the family Lauraceae is obtained from the bark of camphor tree that is a principle source of camphor. It has its use throughout the globe and along the centuries as an ailment for various remedies that help in treating issues like irritations, pains, inflammation, congestion, etc. In addition to this Cinnamomum camphora also owns suppressive and anti mutagenic effect that is useful in treatment of deadly disease like human cancer cells retaining the healthy cells. Indian religious system is well versed with the utilization of Camphor in rituals, however the camphor used here is made synthetically.

The botanical name Cinnamomum camphora is derived from Greek language from the word ‘kinnamomon’ which refers to spice. This herb has its earliest record that is used by Egyptians for embalming purposes. Along with this it also finds its use in Sanskrit literature also. Camphor tree is a fragrant evergreen tree that is native to China, India, Mongolia, Japan and Taiwan and a variety of it is grown in Southern United States; especially in Florida. The species Camphora, referred to as camphor or karpura, is an important chemical ingredient present in the oil that found in the tissues of tree.

Morphological characteristics

It is a tall tree that grows up to 100 feet. The trunk is 8 m long and 2 m wide and bark is yellowish brown colored rough on the outside and smoother inside with vertical fissures. All parts of the tree have peculiar fragrance of camphor. Leaves are fragrant, leathery and are yellowish light to dark green with glossy veins with varied shape.

Synonyms

Menispermum fenestratum Gaertn., Coscinium peltatum Merr., C. wallichianum Miers, C. maingayi Pierre, C. usitatum Pierre, C. blumeanum Miers var. epeltatum Boerl., C.wightianum Miers, C.miosepalum Diels, C.fenestratum var. macrophyllum Yamamoto, C. fenestratum var. ovalifolium Yamamoto, Pereiria medica.

In India, vernacularly it is known as Haldigach (Bengali), Tree turmeric, False calumba, Columbo weed (English), Jhar-I-haldi (Hindi), Maradashina, Maramanjali (Kannada), Maramanjal, Manjavalli (Malayalam), Jhade-halade, Venivel (Marathi), Darvi, daruharidra, Pitadaru (Sanskrit), Venivel, Bangwellgetta (Sinhalese), Maramanjal, Manjalkodi, Atturam, Kadari, Udaravi, Pasamantram, Imalam (Tamil), Manu pasupu (Telugu).

Morphological characteristics

It is a huge dioecious tree that can reach a height of 10 metres and has yellow wood and sap. The slices of stem and root are stiff and woody. The colour of the wood is yellowish-brown on the outside and yellow on the inside. The substance is found in huge woody, cylindrical, straight sections with a diameter of up to 10 cm; branchlets are terete, brown tomentose, and subsequently glabrescent with disciform petiole-scars. Leaves simple, alternate, exstipulate, broadly ovate, rounded, truncate or shallowly cordate at base, acuminate at apex, 10-32x8-22 cm, glabrescent above, hoary yellowish-white tomentellous beneath, thinly coriaceous; main nerves 5-7, palmate, with 2 pairs of distal lateral nerves; midrib and other main nerves sunken, whitish tomentose beneath above basal margin on the lamina of leaf; stipules absent.

Some species of turmeric have been documented from China, Australia, and the South Pacific, despite the fact that turmeric has been farmed all throughout the tropics. Turmeric along with the 110 species is found growing in Tropical Asia, with India, Myanmar, and Thailand having the most diversity. Black turmeric (Curcuma caesia), along with Curcuma aromatica, Curcuma amada, Curcuma aeruginosa, Curcuma longa, and Curcuma zanthorrizha, is one of the economically important species native to India. Curcuma caesia (black turmeric/ black zedoary) is a critically endangered perennial herb in the Zingiberaceae family native to India. Traditional healers employ the Curcuma genus to treat a variety of diseases in ethno medical traditions, but Curcuma caesia Roxb. is a relatively unknown and unexplored medication. In the Indian subcontinent, black turmeric is frequently used as a spice, food preservative, and colouring ingredient. Black turmeric is the most recent spice to be chemically studied, with a few papers describing 100 or more secondary metabolites from this plant, and it will continue to be a source of new bioactive chemicals.

Distribution

Black turmeric is a native of Northeastern and Central India, where it has long been used in traditional rituals and medicinal treatments. Within an altitudinal range of 200–1000 m, the species is found in moist deciduous woods, primarily in Bengal, North East, and Central India. It develops as a woodland ground cover in subtropical to temperate climates.

Morphological characteristics

It is a moderately deciduous tree with straight trunk and numerous spreading branches, which form large shady crown with whitish grey corky lenticellate bark, exfoliating in thin flakes. It has a clear bole of 6.0-9.0 meter, and a girth 1.5-2.5m. Branchlets and young parts are clothed with fine white mealy pubescence. Leaves are simple, opposite, broadly ovate, cordate, glandular, glabrous above when mature and fulvous-tomentose beneath. It attains its largest dimension in the mixed forests of moist region as in the eastern sub Himalayan track, Assam and elsewhere in south India.

Floral characteristics

Flowers are 2.5-5.0 cm in diameter, brownish yellow that ends in terminal panicle. Calyx is campanulate, pubescent outside and with 5 lobes. Corolla is showy, brownish yellow with short tube and oblique limbs. Stamens are 4 in number and didynamous. Ovary is 4 chambered with one ovule each; style slender ending in a bifid stigma. Fruits are drupe and obovoid in shape, 1.8-2.5 cm long, pericarp leathery, shining yellow outside when dry; endocarp bony, embedded in an aromatic sweetish pulp. Seeds are 1 or 2, hard and oblong ex-albuminous. The panicles of flowers appear from February to April.

Distribution

Though it is a native of Asia, it has extensively been planted in tropical areas of Africa, Asia, Australia, America, West Indies, and on several islands in Pacific Ocean. In India, it is naturally distributed in Eastern SubHimalayan tract, Aravali Hills, Western Peninsula, Indo-Gangetic plains, Western Himalaya and Central India. It occurs naturally from 5° to 30°N longitude and between 50 to 1300 m elevations.

Diabetes mellitus is a severe endocrine illness that affects almost 10% of the world’s population and is a serious public health concern. In its most severe form, the disease affects major body systems, resulting in multiorgan problems. Oral hypoglycemic medicines such as sulphonylureas and biguanides are the most commonly used treatments, although their negative side effects are a significant drawback. Herbal medications are gaining popularity as a result of their superior outcomes and safety when compared to commercially available drugs, as well as their ability to address health problems more effectively.

Plants with anti-diabetic qualities are of particular interest to the ethnobotanical community since they are known to contain useful medicinal properties in various parts of the world, and a number of them have demonstrated variable degrees of hypoglycemic and antihyperglycemic action. Several plant species that are high in terpenoids, flavonoids, phenolics, coumarins, and other bioactive compounds have been found to lower blood sugar levels.

Gudmar (Gymnema sylvestre Retz) is a valuable medicinal woody climber from the Asclepiadaceae family. The medicinal climber is well-known for its antidiabetic qualities. Its formulations have potent taste modifying properties, reducing sweet taste sensations in particular. Gymnema sylvestre is known in Hindi as gurmar, which means “sugar destroyer.” The plant has become vulnerable as a result of increased demand and destructive harvesting. The genus is classified into 40 species, some of which like G. sylvestre, G. montanum, G. yunnanense, and G. inodorum have medicinal properties. The leaf extracts contain gymnemic acids, the major bioactive constituents that interact with taste receptors on the tongue to temporarily suppress the taste of sweetness.

Juniperus communis, the common juniper, is a species of small tree or shrub in the cypress family Cupressaceae. This evergreen conifer has the largest geographical range of any woody plant, with a circumpolar distribution throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere from theArctic south in mountains to around 30°N latitude in North America, Europe and Asia. Relict populations can be found in the Atlas Mountains of Africa.

As to be expected from the wide range, J. communis is very variable, with several infraspecific taxa; delimitation between the taxa is still uncertain, with genetic data not matching morphological data well.

• Subsp. communis – Common juniper. Usually an erect shrub or small tree; leaves long, 8–20(–27) mm; cones small, 5–8 mm, usually shorter than the leaves; found at low to moderate altitude in temperate climates.
• Subsp. communis var. communis – Europe, most of northern Asia
• Subsp. communis var. depressa Pursh – North America, Sierra Nevada in California
• Subsp. communis var. hemisphaerica (J.Presl & C.Presl) Parl. – Mediterranean mountains
• Subsp. communis var. nipponica (Maxim.) E.H.Wilson – Japan (status uncertain, often treated as J. rigida var. nipponica)

Morphological characteristics

Nardostachys species is a perennial rooted herb with a strong woody main root that grows 10-60 cm tall. The rootstock is strong and lengthy, with petioles of withered leaves clinging to it. The stems are pubescent above and glabrate below. Leaves are both Cauline and radical. Cauline leaves are sessile, occur in two to three pairs, are 2.0 cm 0.6 cm in size, decrease in size from base to top, and are oblong or sub-ovate in shape. Radical leaves are large (15-22 cm 1.5-2.5 cm), six to eight in number, longitudinally nerved, slightly pubescent, and narrow down into the petiole, whereas cauline leaves are sessile, occur in two to three pairs, are longitudinally nerved, The jatamansi rhizome is dark brown, tapered, and densely coated with the remains of old leaf bases, giving it the appearance of a heavy beard, and hence the name jatamansi. The fibrous rhizome may be 6-9 cm long with about 20-30 cm-long yellowish taproot. A single root may bear 30-50 rhizomes.

Floral characteristics

Flowering shoots are 30–40 cm tall and produce 40–50 blooms in three to seven condensed cymes at the summit. Flowers are campanulate and range in colour from pinkish red to bluish white. The hairy corolla tube is 6 mm long. The 4-mm-long hairs on the fruit are capped by the sharp, often dentate, calyx teeth. Flowering takes place between June and August, depending on elevation, while fruits takes place between September and October. Seeds are gathered in October when they turn pale brown in colour.

Oroxylum indicum (L.) Vent. (family Bignoniaceae Juss.) also known as Broken bones tree, Indian trumpet flower, Midnight horror, Shivnak, Sonapatha and Shyonaka. O. indicum is being used as medicinal herb for thousands of years without any known adverse effects. The tree is named as ^”Tree of Damocles^” after an incident depicted in an ancient story by Cicero. O. indicum Vent is a small or medium sized deciduous tree growing throughout Asia continent. It has been used traditionally for a wide diversity of ailments such as cancer, diarrhea, fever, ulcer, jaundice and arthritis. Destructive and non-sustainable collection methods coupled with low regeneration and habitat destruction have posed serious threats to the survival and availability of this highly useful tree. The existence of O. indicum in natural population is highly threatened and it has been categorized as endangered and vulnerable by the Government of India. There have been number of scientific studies conducted to evaluate the toxic effects of the plant. Almost all the studies have shown that O. indicum is not toxic to humans even up to high doses.

Morphological characteristics

O. indicum is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree with soft light brown or greyish brown bark and corky lenticels that grows up to 12 metres tall. The leaves are big, 90-180 cm long, 2-3 pinnate with 5 or more pairs of primary pinnae, rachis is fast, cylindrical, swelling at branch junctions, leaflets are 2-4 pairs, oblong or elliptic, acuminate, glabrous. The enormous leaf stalks wither and fall off the tree, accumulating towards the trunk’s base and resembling a jumble of broken limb bones.

Plants containing lignans have been utilised as folk medicines in traditional medicine of many different cultures for over 1000 years. Plants high in lignin, such as Kadsura coccinea (Schizandraceae), Fraxinus sp., and Olea europaea, have long been employed in Chinese, Japanese, and Eastern world folk medicine. Lignans are an important family of starting products for the development of new therapeutic agents based on structural modifications of such compounds due to their widespread use in traditional medicine. Podophyllum hexandrum, a plant with a high lignin concentration, has been employed throughout history and in modern times. It has been used extensively in ancient Ayurvedic medicine to treat a variety of disorders such as Condyloma acuminate, Taenia capitis, monocytoid leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, cancer of brain, lung, bladder and venereal warts.

The Himalayan locals have long used Indian Podophyllum, with an aqueous extract of the roots being a frequent cathartic. It has also been used as an ophthalmia treatment. Thomson tested the resin from the Indian plant in 1890 and found 56 percent podophyllotoxin concentration. Podwyssotzki discovered podophyllotoxin as the active principle of podophyllin in 1880 and obtained it in a pure state. Several lignans have been found in the rhizomes of Podophyllum hexandrum, which are dimerization products of phenylpropanoid pathway intermediates linked by the central carbons of their side chains.

Morphological characteristics

Strychnos nux-vomica is a medium sized deciduous tree. The trunk is tall, thick, straight and cylindrical covered with yellowish-grey to dark grey, smooth and thin barks. Wood is dense, hard white and close grained. Branches are irregular and covered with smooth ash colored bark and shiny dark green young shoots. Leaves are broad, opposite, simple and entire, smooth, short-stalked, blade orbicular to broadly elliptical or ovate, base rounded to cordate, apex shortly acuminate or acute, glabrous and shiny above, minutely hairy especially on veins beneath, 3–5-veined from the base.

Floral characteristics

Inflorescence is terminal cymes, many-flowered and appears with young leaves at the end of branchlets or on axillary shoots. Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, homogamous, greenish-white colored, small in size, nectariferous, funnel-shaped and emits unpleasant odour. Flower are pentamerous; calyx lobes ovate, outside densely hairy. Corolla bears a slender tube of 1 cm long, abruptly widening at the throat, outside glabrous, having pubescence at base, lobes narrowly ovate, of 3 mm long, margin thickened and minutely hairy, greenish white to white; stamens inserted at the mouth of the corolla tube, exserted altering with corolla lobes. Anthers pale cream in color, dithecous, introrse and dehisce longitudinally. Ovary is superior, ovoid, glabrous, bicarpellary with axile placentation. The style is filiform, glabrous and as long as the corolla tube, stigma capitates (head-shaped).

Tinospora cordifolia (Thunb.) Miers (family: Menispermaceae) commonly known as “Amrita” or” Guduchi” of “Giloy” is a climbing shrub found throughout India. T. cordifolia has high medicinal value in the world and is also the number one recommended natural herb for the Indian system of medicine (ISM) which has been used over centuries to treat various diseases. The roots and stems contain several secondary metabolites having curative properties. The species is endemic to India and is common throughout tropical and subtropical zones at an altitude of 600 m.

Species

• Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers ex Hook. F & Thoms
• Cocculus cordifolius DC.
• Menispermum cardifolium Willd
• T. glabra (N. Burm.) Merr.

Morphological characteristics

It is a big climber that grows over the highest trees in the forest and produces aerial roots up to 10 metres long. It’s a sprawling climbing shrub with a slew of elongated twining branches. Giloy leaves are simple, exstipulate, alternating, with long petioles up to 15 cm long, pulvinate, and roundish at the base and apex, with the basal one being longer and twisted partially and halfway around. Oval-cordate or roughly oval lamina, 15-20 cm long and 10-15 cm wide, 7 nerved and deeply cordate at base, glabrous above, membranous, whitish yellow with a conspicuous reticulum beneath.

Morphological characteristics

A large elegant evergreen tree, grows up to 30 m. high, with a clean, cylindrical bole of 15 m. and a girth of 4.5 m. Bark is rough, whitish to grey, peeling off in thick round flakes. Leaves are coriaceous, Ovate to Oblong, entire (Leaf falls in March, new foliage appears in April-May, the second flush of foliage starts after rains, in October to December.) Fruit is a Capsule, ovoid, pale brown, fleshy, 8 to 11cm long, and 3.5 to 6 cm in Diameter. 1 seeded, reddish white, filled with fat. Ripens during June to July.

Floral characteristics

Flowers are bisexual, about 2 cm across, white, slightly fragrant, arranged in panicles. Panicle is robust, multi-branched, up to 15 cm long and drooping. Fruit is capsules, 4-6 cm X 2-4 cm in size, pale brown, fleshy, hard when dry, splitting by 3 valves when ripe.

Distribution

A slow-growing species, Endemic & found primarily in the South west coast evergreen forests, upto an altitude of 750 m, and also occasionally in secondary evergreen dipterocarp forest in the states of Karnataka, Kerala & Tamil Nadu.

German Prof. Peter Laurenberg conceived first the word horticulture. The term “Horticulture” is known in written form first in seventeenth century in a book entitled “New World of Words” by Phillips.

Layout means the way by which something is arranged or laid out. The purpose of designing a layout for an rchard is to assign the actual position for trees/ plantations, roads, water channels, buildings etc. The layout should be planned very carefully and implemented properly to facilitate proper care and maintenance of an orchard.

The high density planting (HDP) in fruit crops is one of the new concepts of increasing the productivity without affecting the quality of fruits. The concept of high density planting was pioneered in temperate fruits in Europe at the end of 1960, since then there is rise in establishment of commercial high density orchards throughout the world. Initially HDP was followed mostly in temperate fruits e.g., apple.

The different qualitative chemical tests can be performed for establishing profile of given extract for its chemical composition. The following tests may be performed on extracts to detect various phytoconstituents present in them.

Anthocyanins are members of the flavonoid group of phytochemicals, a group predominant in teas, honey, wines, fruits, vegetables, nuts, olive oil, cocoa and cereals. The primary players in this group include the anthocyanins (eg, cyanidin, pelargonidin, petunidin), flavonols (quercetin, kaempferol), flavones (luteolin, apigenin), flavanones (myricetin, naringin, hesperetin, naringenin), flavan-3-ols (catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin), and although sometimes classified separately, the isoflavones (genistein, daidzein) (Skibola and Smith, 2000).

Overview of Soil Erosion Conservation Measures

Technical Term       Definition

Groundwater         Water present in the zone of saturation (below water table) is called groundwater

Technical Term           Definition

Fluid Mechanics         Fluid Mechanics is a study of physical behavior of fluids and fluid systems, and laws governing their behavior. It incorporates action of forces

                                   on fluids and the resulting flow pattern

Technical Term              Definition

Land Use Capability     Capability is the inherent capacity of land to perform given at a level for a general use

Technical Term                                 Definition

Geographical Information System

Base Map                                          Basic representation of a region of the earth as it would appear if viewed from above. That is a map containing geographic

                                                          features that is used for reference. Roads, for example, are commonly found on base maps

Entrepreneur - Derived from French verb enterprendre meaning “to undertake”.

The entrepreneur as a person brings in overall change through, innovation- for the maximum social good. Human values remain sacred and inspire him to serve society. He has firm belief in social betterment and he carries out this responsibility with conviction. In this process, he accelerates personal, economic as well as human- development.

The entrepreneur is a visionary and an integrated man with outstanding leadership qualities. With a desire to excel, he gives top priority to Research and Development. He always works for the well being of the society. More importantly entrepreneurial activities encompass all fields / sectors and foster a spirit of enterprise for the welfare of mankind. Urges of an Entrepreneur

An urge to exercise powers over things and objects persists among all human beings. The urge may vary in degree from person to person. This urge is an intrinsic quality of an entrepreneur. Sociologists consider him as a sensitive energizer in the modernization of societies.

The entrepreneur is a critical factor in the socio-economic change. He is the key person who envisages new opportunities, new techniques, new lines of production, new products and coordinates all other activities. The true entrepreneur is one who is endowed with more than average capacities in the task of organizing and coordinating the various other factors of production. He should be a pioneer, a captain of industry. The supply of such entrepreneurship is however quite limited and enterprise in general consists of several grades of organizational skill and capability. The more efficient entrepreneurs receive a surplus reward over and above the managerial wages and this sum constitutes true profit ascribable to superior talent.

• A project is a specific plan or design presented for consideration.

• It is a location specific activity with specific objectives, time and cost limitations and of non-repetitive nature.

• In banking, projects refers to an activity in which financial resources are expended to create capital assets that produce benefits over an extended period of time and which logically lends itself to planning, financing and implementing as a unit. Whereas, UNIDO defines a project as a proposal for an investment to create and or develop certain facilities in order to increase the production of goods/services in a community over a certain period of time.

• Projects are common term used by many to denote specific action plans.

• Project can be long term or short term, limited or comprehensive, single sector concentrated or multi sector concentrated.

A Eco/green job, also called a green-collar job is, according to the United Nations Environment Program “work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development (R&D), administrative, and service activities that contribute(s) substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality. Specifically, but not exclusively, this includes jobs that help to protect ecosystems and biodiversity; reduce energy, materials, and water consumption through high efficiency strategies; de-carbonize the economy; and minimize or altogether avoid generation of all forms of waste and pollution.

• Livestock play a vital role in rural economy. The combination of livestock and crop farming enables complementarity through productive utilisation of farm by-products and conservation of soil fertility, thus increasing rural farm income. Apart from providing food products like milk, egg and meat, livestock sector generates productive employment and valuable supplementary income to the vast majority of rural households, majority of whom are small and marginal farmers and landless labourers. Growing human population, increasing urbanisation, rising domestic incomes and changing lifestyles in the country have led to increasing demand for livestock products. Livestock like cattle (bulls and cows), buffaloes, sheep and goat are an integral part of India’s socio economic life. Animal husbandry is a part of agricultural economy. It directly supports about five per cent (20 million) of our population. India has two per cent of the geographical area and accounts for 15 per cent of livestock population (400 million). Cows and buffaloes comprise 56.5 per cent of world population.India ranks first, second, third and f ifth in buffalo, cattle and goat, sheep and poultry population in the world, respectively. (Economic Survey, 2008-09). The total livestock population of Tamil Nadu stood at 249.42 lakhs which comprises 4.94, 1.69, 9.10, 6.58 and17.7 per cent of the cattle, buffalos, sheep, goat and poultry population of the country (17th livestock census All India Summary Report, 2004).