eChapters

Abstract

Camelids across the world are reared for milk, meat, draught, race and tourism. Camelids are also the source of world’s finest natural fibre. They are distributed in the South American, African, Arabian and Asian countries. Apart from this a feral population exists in Australia and recent reports indicate that a few animals of the species are also being reared in Europe. Camel (Camelus dromedarius) is the predominant species of the camelids. The world camel population shows an increasing trend with 12.92 m in 1961 to 26.63 m in 2011 producing 0.42 m tonnes of meat and 2.11 m tonnes of milk per annum. The top 20 camel rearing countries produce both milk and meat with the exception of India and Pakistan as per FAO data. There are about 83 populations of the dromedary camels in the world spread mainly across African and Asian countries. There are about 3.04 m Alpacas in world with Huacaya and Suri as the two main populations and 3.24 m Llamas with Chaku and Kara as the two main populations. The Guanaco population in the world is about 0.5 m and that of Vicuna is 0.35 m. The wild Bactrian camels are around a thousand but the domesticated Bactrian camels are about 0.6 m. The Alpaca and Bactrian camel genome has been sequenced whereas the expressed sequence tags of the Dromedary are available in the public domain. A brief account of evolution, present status and conservation of camelids is discussed.

Abstract

The Arabian camels are well known for their existence and adaptation to the desert geo-climatic situations. Their service to mankind in the difficult terrains of the earth for transport and baggage is also well documented in the literature and has clear reflection in society through art and culture. The existence and adaptation of single humped camels in hilly terrains of India is not very much known, but there exists a population of camel in the hills of erstwhile Mewar state of southern Rajasthan and adjoining area. Based on the locality these camels are known as Mewari camels and are well adapted to travel and carry loads across hills. Phenotypically the Mewari camels are stouter and off-white to light brown in colour. Molecular characterization also distinguishes it from other major breeds of camel. The Mewari camels are mainly reared for milk production. In recent study, it was found that of the total camel population with camel milk producers, about 31% are in-milk female camels. On an average about 2.8 litres of milk per milking female is being sold in the market everyday. Assuming that the camel population in the tract has gone down by 25% of its level of the year 2007 and the current survey figures are utilized for extrapolation, the population of camels in the breeding tract comes to 10408 with 4335 breedable females and 3226 female camels in milk. Accordingly, thousand lactating camels are producing 2800 litres of milk per day or 1022 tonnes per annum and are exclusively meeting the milk requirement of 10,000 persons at present level of per capita availability of milk in the country i.e. 276 gm per day. If the production potential of superior animals of the breed is utilized, the per day production from a female camel can be gradually increased to 6 litres or even more as the the best animals produce an average yield of 10 litres of milk per day during a lactation period of 16 months. Thus with 1000 she camels presently meeting the milk requirement of 10,000 people, may meet the milk requirement of 20,000 people by selecive breeeding. With proper policy support, if more she camels can be covered, the population covered can be increased proportionately. The increase in milk production is expected to increase per capita milk availability in the deficient districts and thus may assist us in ensuring nutritional security of the people of the region. Consequently, the increased milk production may further ensure better returns to the camel owners and thus strengthening the livelihood and conserving the camel populations in situ.

Abstract

In the present study, the village chicken rearing practices were documented in Kannur and Kozhikode districts of Kerala. A total of 128 native chicken farming households were surveyed. The system of management is extensive backyard type with the provision of shelter at night. Around 90% of the farmers had more than five years of continuous experience in village chicken farming. Majority (73.4%) of chicken present in this region was either reproduced within the household from earlier generations or added from the neighbourhoods of the same Panchayat. Most of the farmers (68.8%) consider that chickens are reared for both egg and meat; while, others (31.3%) deem that they are meant for eggs alone. As many as 87 % of the farmers cull the surplus males before one and half years of age. In contrast, majority of farmers (78.1%) do not cull female birds and usually maintain them till their death.

Abstract

Local breeds of livestock represent embodiment of evolutionary wisdom fully in tune with ecosystem and able to produce and reproduce in spite of the prevalent hardships and shortages. Indigenous breeds survive and produce where others fail. Each of the recognized 144 indigenous breeds of livestock (covering cattle, sheep, yak etc.) has its unique qualities - some known and some yet unknown - but central to all features is ‘efficiency of production’ by local breeds. A breed in its own habitat makes the most efficient production system; under the same prevalent input system, any other breed from outside would not perform as efficiently. Another valuable common feature of the local breeds is their sustainability of survival and production. Production level may be medium as the animal has to spend energy in order to gain adaptability to high ambient heat, tolerance to drought, resistance to the prevalent diseases and be able to retain capability to digest low quality feed fodder which itself is not sufficiently available. In spite of such hardships, the local breed continues to survive and successfully procreates to sustainably maintain the production system over generations and thereby providing livelihoods to marginal people leading to inclusive growth. Innate features of sustainability of the local breeds provide sustainability to local livelihoods as well. It is noted that the livestock in its entirety, but especially the indigenous breeds proper, have the multifarious capability to provide livelihoods to our rural masses, infuse sustainability to animal-agriculture, and facilitate inclusive development by targeting and supporting the marginal people in the country.

Abstract

India is a country of villages (640930 villages) and 68.84% population of India is living in villages as per the All India Census, 2011. Dairy farming has been complementing the Indian agriculture since ancient times and rearing of livestock for milk/milk products and draft power has been the tradition of ancient India. Majority of the stake holders are from local communities, particularly pastoralists, have been using their traditional knowledge system for rearing the native breeds. The systematic breeding of cows over the centuries has led to the development of as many as 37 cattle breeds in India. Breeds like Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Gir, Kankrej, Tharparkar and Rathi are mostly reared for milk production. The number of the animals of majority of indigenous breeds has declined over the years attributed to crossbreeding. Further, their number is very low and majority of cattle population (80%) in India is non-descript. However, considering the importance of indigenous cattle, some of the breed improvement programs have been initiated to conserve and multiply these breeds.

Abstract

Crop diversity play important role of sustainable development. A study on crop diversity in Andhra Pradesh was conducted during 2010-2011. In Andhra Pradesh, cultivated crop plant species resulted in augmentation of 140 species belonging to 132 genera and 46 families. The maximum species strength was observed in the Rayalaseema region (127 species belonging to 120 genera and 43 families), followed by Telangana region (125 species belonging to 114 genera and 43 families) and parts of Coastal Andhra region (118 species belonging to 103 genera and 46 families). Species richness was predominant in cultivated crops like vegetable crops (31 species belonging 25 genera and 12 families), Fruit crops (25 species belonging 18 genera and 14 families), commercial crops (23 species belonging 23 genera and 15 families) and Leafy vegetables (12 species belonging 12 genera and 8 families). The maximum species richness in families was found in Fabaceae (16 genera and 19 species), followed by Poaceae (14 genera and 16 species), Cucurbitaceae (11 genera and 14 species), Asteraceae (7 genera and 7 species) and Apiaceae (5 genera and 5 species). The present and the past similar studies observed that many more native species remain in agriculture than previously thought, under the right conditions. There is a need to establish mechanisms of control on introduction of exotic species in natural habitats. We also need to strengthen the legislation on the use of biodiversity and to establish a research programme of the economic potential of local flora and fauna as an alternative to introduction of exotic species to safeguard our traditional crop diversity.

Abstract

The genetic divergence among 249 germplasm lines of maize was assessed by D2statistics based on nine parameters at Agricultural Research Station, Karimnagar. The germplasm lines were grouped into eleven clusters. Clusters I and II were the largest clusters with 73 and 79 genotypes, respectively. The highest inter cluster distance was observed between cluster X and XI followed by cluster V and XI indicating more variability in the genetic makeup of inbreds included in these clusters. Cluster V showed highest mean values for grain yield/plant and ear length. Cluster XI had the lowest mean values for plant height and ear height and these two characters showed maximum contribution towards total divergence among different characters. Based on inter cluster distances, inter crossing among the genotypes belonging to cluster V, IX, X and XI has the chance of getting high yielding hybrids with higher heterosis.

Abstract

The present investigation on “Agro bio-diversity and genetics of fibre characters, yield and its components in intra and inter specific hybrids of allo-tetraploid cottons (Gossypiumspp. Linn.)” was carried out at College Farm, College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, to study the combining ability and heterosis for quality and yield characters. Further, an attempt was made to trace out best parents and crosses for future breeding programmes and also to know the gene action controlling the traits through generation mean analysis for designing appropriate breeding strategy. In this direction, seven lines and four testers were crossed in L x T design to generate 28 hybrids and evaluated with check NHH 44 to know the combining ability of parents and crosses. Since L x T design does not provide comprehensive picture on gene action governing the traits, the generation mean analysis through joint scaling test was done in four crosses for eleven characters. High PCV and GCV were recorded for number of monopodia per plant and seed cotton yield per plant and moderate estimates were observed for number of bolls per plant, boll weight. High heritability estimates coupled with high genetic advance were observed for number of bolls per plant, boll weight and seed cotton yield per plant. Estimates of components of variance and their ratios (?2 gca/?2 sca) indicated the preponderance of non-additive gene action for days to 50 % flowering, number of monopodia per plant, number of sympodia per plant, number of bolls per plant, boll weight and seed cotton yield per plant, whereas additive gene action was observed for the fiber quality traits viz., 2.5 % span length, uniformity ratio, micronaire value and bundle strength.

Abstract

Rice is the staple and principle food of about half the human race and is often the main source of calories. Navara is a unique rice cultivar indigenous to Kerala, gifted with extra short growth duration. It is mainly used for the preparation of Navara kizhi, which is an effective remedy for rheumatic complaints, neuro muscular disorders and body rejuvenation. It is traditionally given as a supplementary diet to the under-weight and also consumed as a replenishing drink called ‘Karkadaka kanji’ during the monsoon season along with certain other herbal medicines.Despite the Navara is known for its special medicinal attributes to the producers, consumers and other actors of the value chain, there is a declining trend of Navara rice cultivation noticed (2000 acres to less than 50 acres) in the state (The Hindu, November 28, 2010), which entails the loss of biological and cultural diversity associated with this unique rice.The study attempted to identify and analyze the actors involved in the value chain of Navaraon the conservation perspective. The primary data required to analyze actors in the value chain were collected from the farmers, input suppliers, processors, retailers and consumers of Palakkad, through key informant method, focused group discussion, and structured interview schedules and analysed through Value chain mapping tool and SWOT analysis. The secondary data regarding the rice and its properties were collected from websites and publications. The study revealed that the cultivation of Navarashould be purely organic to preserve its medicinal value. The cultural practices except ploughing, such as weeding, manuring, harvesting etc. are done manually. Application of chemical fertilizers will increase the vegetative growth of Navaraand subject to lodging of plants and at the same it also affects the quality of rice.

Abstract

Many people’s food and livelihood security depend on the sustained management of various biological resources that are important for food and agriculture. Agro biodiversity is the result of the interaction between the environment, genetic resources and management systems and practices used by culturally diverse peoples. The management of agro biodiversity by the indigenous communities is for a variety of reasons. The land use types, land use stages, aspect, soil fertility, availability of water and quality seed of crops etc. are essential variables which an indigenous farmer considers while cultivating a diversity of traditional landraces in the farm for food security. India is the largest producer of many kinds of millets, which are often referred as coarse cereals. However, realizing the nutrient richness of these grains they are now considered as nutria-cereals. Small millets, as a group includes several grain crops namely finger millet (ragi), proso millet, barnyard millet, italian millet, kodo millet and little millet. In the four decades since 1961, the area under millets declined by nearly 50% from about 18 million hectares to about 9 million hectares. During this time, production of millets declined from about 8.8 million tons to about 7.2 million tons; a decline of 18%. Tremendous decrease in area and production is directly or indirectly resulted in the loss of agro biodiversity of these crops as these crops are grown on marginal or rainfed areas without any fertilizers. Therefore, more emphasis should be given for maintaining bio diversity of these highly rich crops by increasing area under these minor millets and developing proper agro techniques for increasing its productivity.

Abstract

A profile study of organic pigeonpea growers was conducted during 2007-08 in Gulbarga district of Karnataka state. Two taluks namely, Gulbarga and Jewargi were selected based on highest area under organic pigeonpea cultivation. One hundred twenty respondents were selected with simple random sampling procedure, to know (1) the practices followed by farmers in organic pigeonpea cultivation and (2) the forward linkage activities followed by organic pigeonpea growers. The study revealed that majority of respondents (63.33 %) had medium level knowledge about organic pigeonpea farming practices, with regard to individual organic farming practices, majority of respondents had knowledge about the practices like recommended seed rate (81.60%), recommended sowing time (98.33 %), application of FYM (100%), crop rotation (96.67%), pheromone traps (98.33%), NPV (100%) and NSKE (100%). With regard to post harvest operations, cent percent of respondents graded the produce manually and jute bags used to store the produce, whereas, 71.67% of the respondents sold later when price was suitable in regulated market (90.00%) through commission agents (77.50%) and got price information by personnel visit/phone call to regulated market (81.67%) and others who visited the market (68.33%). But no farmer certified the produce and sold at premium price. With regards to personal characteristics, majority of respondents (31.62 %) were illiterate, 59.17 per cent were had joint family, 61.17 per cent were having low farming experience, 60.83 per cent of respondents were big land holders and 69.17 per cent of respondents possessed medium level of scientific orientation.

Abstract

While harnessing the benefits of genetically modified (GM) crops, in terms of increased yield, better nutritional quality and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, it is important to undertake biosafety and risk assessment studies in a systematic manner to allay the concerns of their impact on the environment and especially on the genetic diversity. Since Bt cotton is the only commercialized GM crop in India, this paper reports on the monitoring of unintentional introgression of transgene(s)/ regulatory elements of four commercialized Bt cotton events, covering 99.5% of the area under cultivation, in 180 ex situ cotton accessions conserved in the National Gene Bank at National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays. Based on the real-time event-specific and conventional transgene-specific PCR assays, no amplification signals specific to two major Bt cotton events MON531, MON15985; transgenes/markers/ regulatory elements of 4 widely cultivated commercialized Bt cotton events, i.e., cry1Ac, cry2Ab, marker genes, i.e., nptII (neomycin phosphotransferase), aadA (aminoglycoside-3’-adenyltransferase) and uidA (?-D-glucuronidase) marker genes, CaMV35S, nos (nopaline synthase) promoters and nos terminator were detected in any of the cotton accessions. The study shows that the cotton accessions conserved in National Gene Bank are GM free and the study can be used as a model for monitoring the adventitious presence of unintended mixing of cotton seed during seed production or harvesting in Bt cotton growing states of India. On similar lines, adventitious presence of transgenes can be checked in ex situ collections of different crops conserved in the genebanks.

Abstract

The Directorate of Sorghum Research has explored 9 states for sorghum germplasm during 2000 – 2011. The sorghum landrace collections are mostly named with the village name prefixed to the landrace (ex. tongraligaon maldandi, sultanpur maldandi etc), landraces are also named based on the grain colour (ex. tella jonna, bili jola etc.) and size (ex. moti rabi jowar), ear head compactness (ex. mudda jola), use of the stem, ear head or grain (ex. dagdi, gundu, allur, broom etc.) for varieties utilities. The landraces are being grown by farmers over the years for many reasons. The moli jowar grains are attractive and fetch higher price in the market compared to other released varieties in Madhya Pradesh. Some are used for specific food preparations. The irungu cholam flour is boiled with water to prepare food. The mathappu cholam is used to prepare a jelly like food known as khali in Tamil Nadu. The beed maldandi and bidri from Maharashtra are used to make quality jowar roti. Karnataka’s kodumurugu jola and allina jola are used to make laddu’s and pappads respectively. Broomcorn jowar from Uttarakhand are used for roti, cattle and poultry feed making. The allur jola from Karnataka is used to prepare allu dish during the nagapanchami (festival of snake god). The pachcha jonna from Andhra Pradesh, barmuda local, deshi chari and gudli local from Rajasthan and bendri dagdi and khondya from Maharashtra are very good fodder types. Valsangh maldandi local, Vadgaon dagdi maldandi, tongraligaon maldandi, tongraligaon dagdi, sultanpur local dagdi, sultanpur maldandi, harni jogdi (dagdi), harni jogdi, chungi maldandi, musti local (Maldandi), chungi kuch-kachi, baddi jowar, chakur maldandi from Maharashtra, and sai jonna from Andhra Pradesh are considered by the farmers as drought tolerant landraces. In Andhra Pradesh, Koya’s (tribe) grow konda jonna. Lambada’s used to grow the maghi sorghum landraces extensively in the state. The tribal community mainly uses the accessions as food and some are used for both food & fodder. The accessions collected from the higher elevation and remote forest area is source material for pest & disease resistance. The accession IC 347574 is used as the tribal food. The accession IC 347583 is a guinea race and IC 347585 is a durra-guinea race sorghum collected at an elevation of 500 feet from the tribal village. In Gujarat,Gomati (tribe) grow deshi jonna landraces. In Madhya Pradesh, Rewa district is the maximum deshi jowar cultivation region. This area is commonly called “Junariwala Shetra”. Mehran, Swarguor, and Kushwaha are the main tribes cultivating the jowar in these regions. In Maharashtra, Korukoo’s tribe grows somgi and deshi jonna landraces. They cultivate sorghum with lablab, chillies, cotton, redgram, and tomato at the height of 650 – 870 m from MSL. Maximum diversity of the sorghum still exists in the disturbed forests. Due to extend of its natural variability, India exists as the secondary origin of sorghum.

Abstract

Genetic diversity of thirty two rice genotypes from different states of India was evaluated through Mahalanobis’s D2statistic under integrated fertilizer management for fourteen yield and quality characters. The genotypes were grouped in to seven different clusters. Cluster I had nine genotypes. Three genotypes each were included in cluster II, cluster IV and cluster VII, whereas six and seven genotypes in cluster III and cluster V, respectively while the cluster VI had only one genotype. The results revealed that the geographic diversity might not always be related to genetic diversity. Kernel length after cooking, days to maturity and kernel breadth contributed maximum towards divergence indicating their importance in choice of parents for the hybridization programme.

Abstract

Agricultural practices prior to the eighteenth century were completely dependent on crop landraces and their mixtures. The knowledge of plant genetics and its application to crop improvement programmes led to increase the production potential of agriculture. Contrary to this, the wonders of crop improvement have resulted in the erosion of genetic diversity of many crops in farmers’ fields, including wheat, due to the replacement of landraces and farmers’ old cultivars with modern high-yielding cultivars.

Wheat is cultivated over an area of 216.6 million hectare globally and the production is 674.9 million tons. The seven largest producers of wheat are China, India, the Russian Federation, the USA, France, Turkey and Canada. During 2012-13, India produced 92.46 million tons of wheat from 29.65m ha area with productivity of 31.19q/ha (4th Advance Estimates, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of India). Three wheat species namely, T. aestivum L., T. durumDesf. and T. dicoccumSchubl are grown in India as commercial crops covering 95, 4 and 1 percent area, respectively. The cultivation of T. dicoccumis confined largely to the regions of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in two replications with seventy germplasm lines during kharif 2012 at College of Agriculture, UAS, Raichur. The germplasm included 30 local varieties from different parts of Karnataka and 40 lines collected from AICRP, Jabalpur. Each entry was sown in three lines of 4 m length with 30 cm x10 cm spacing. Out of seventy lines sixty two entries were germinated. These lines were evaluated for seed yield and other ancillary characteristics viz., days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, number of primary branches, number of capitula, number of seeds per capitulum and seed yield. Among them, six entries performed better than check variety No. 71 and 12 entries performed better than another check variety RCR 18. Among all the entries N-84 (238.89 kg/ha) and SD-33 (215.28 kg/ha) produced high yield. Hadagali local and No. 71 (51.5 days) were found earliest in flowering and maturing varieties and SP 141 was late in flowering (71 days) and late in maturing. Tavaregere local (66.5 cm) and SP134 had less plant height (67.5 cm) and BMD 127 had highest (113.5 cm) plant height. The number of primary branches was more in the genotype Humnabad local (12.5). Number of capsules per plant was more in Humnabad local and ICP 76 (53.0) and number of seeds per capsule were more in BMD 115 (77.0).

Abstract

In recent years the quest for improving the quality of life has ventured into many aspects of utilizing plants for the aesthetic sense. One such is an increased utilization of flowers /flowering plants for beautification of homes, offices, gardens etc. The increased interest in use of cut flowers has brought challenge of bringing in varieties of natural flowers from different sources. India’s rich biodiversity also contributes addition of lot of new species to the cut flower industry. Banana and Plantains have been revered only for their utility as dessert fruit or staple food. But aesthetic dimension has never been much explored. Musa comprises more than 50 species and sub species traversed across the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Musa Ornata is one such plant, native to north eastern regions of India, belongs to the family Musaceae and section Rhodochlamys. It draws its attention by virtue of its bright inflorescence and its long lasting nature. It is a medium statured plant, hence suitable for gardens also. It is a fertile wild species, multiplies mainly through suckers and through seeds to some extent.

Abstract

Advances in genome sequencing technologies have made it possible to uncover the whole genome sequences of numerous organisms from microbes to higher eukaryotes. Haemophilus influenza, a free living bacterium, was the first complete genome to be sequenced in 1995 by a team headed by J. Craig Venter and Hamilton Smith at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). Immediately after this, Mycoplasma genitalium, a bacterium responsible for reproductive-tract infections and well-known for having the shortest genome of all free-living organisms was sequenced. Subsequently, TIGR unearthed the genome sequences of many microbes like Methanococcus jannaschii, Archaeoglobus fulgidus, Helicobacter pylori, Borrelia burgdorferi etc. During the years 1996-2000, the complete genome sequences of several model organisms such as bacterium Escherichia coli K-12, baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster etc were published. Since then the complete genome sequences of many other eukaryotes have been released by the genome sequencing community.

Abstract

There has been consistent narrowing down of gap in our knowledge about various ‘omics’ as the omics’ based disciplines are filled with valuable information emerging from research. During the last two decades, the practice of genetics has not only changed the broad horizons of medicine but also found its niche through “high-dimensional biology” there by allowing geneticists to reframe the good-old definition of gene from a locatable region of genome sequence involved in heritability to a locatable region of genome sequence associated with a functional region or a functor. Various other scientists viewed genetics ‘‘as the study of single genes and their effects’’ and genomics as ‘‘the study not just of single genes, but of the functions and interactions of all the genes in the genome.’’ We will cover the qualitative difference that bridges various disciplines casing Omics.

Abstract

Our biological heritage, from genes to ecosystems, is threatened on a global scale. Biological species, the prime focus on biodiversity, provide all our basic requirements such as food, medicine, fuel and things for well being, make nature’s sustainability through purifying air and water, pollinating crops, etc. and motivate us at a deep emotional level. During the course of human civilization and consequent urbanization process biological species and environment have been degraded. It is estimated that about 20% of all species are expected to be lost within 30 years and 50% or more by the end of the 21^st century [36]. The current rates of species extinction are 1000–10,000 times higher than the background rate of 10-7 species per year inferred from fossil record. Today, we seem to be losing two to five species per hour from tropical forests alone. This amounts to a loss of 16 m population per year or 1800 populations per hour. This led to biodiversity crisis in the global level [23,26,35] and generated an outpouring of research on biodiversity for the last 25 years. As a result we could have a general understanding about the distribution of biodiversity, the proximate causes (habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, habitat degradation, invasive species, pollution, resource exploitation) contributing to its loss, sketches of the root causes of biodiversity loss, and the outlines of better management policies. Since the establishment of the convention on biological diversity in 1992, conservation of biodiversity has become a priority concern on the international agenda.