eChapters

The lives of farmers are intricately woven with the rhythms of nature, with weather playing a pivotal role in determining the success or failure of their crops. In an era where climate variability and extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common, the importance of accurate and reliable weather forecasts cannot be overstated. Farmers rely heavily on weather forecasts to make critical decisions that impact their agricultural practices, from planting and harvesting to irrigation and pest management. However, the process of using weather forecasts is not as straightforward as it may seem.
6.1. The Multifaceted Nature of Decision-Making
Farmers operate within a complex web of factors that influence their decisionmaking processes. Some of these factors include:
• Economic Considerations: Market fluctuations, input costs, and profit margins all play a role in shaping a farmer’s decisions. Weather forecasts must be considered in the context of these economic factors to ensure that decisions are financially viable.
• Social and Cultural Factors: Local traditions, community norms, and personal values can influence a farmer’s choices. For example, some farmers may prioritize environmental sustainability over profit maximization.
• Environmental Concerns: Soil health, water conservation, and biodiversity are all critical considerations for farmers. Weather forecasts must be integrated with these environmental concerns to ensure sustainable agricultural practices.
• Technological Advancements: The increasing use of precision agriculture, drones, and other technologies is changing the way farmers’ access and utilize weather information.
6.2. Challenges in Interpreting and Applying Weather Forecasts
The intricacies of interpreting and applying weather forecast data pose significant challenges for farmers. Some of these challenges include:
• Forecast Reliability: The accuracy and reliability of weather forecasts can vary significantly, making it difficult for farmers to trust and act upon the information.

Introduction

Fermentation is the process in which edible microorganisms invade food substrates and convert them into fermented foods including beverages, using their enzymatic and metabolic processes. These end products will have nontoxic flavors, aroma and texture which enhance the palatability. The word “fermentation” is originated from a Latin word fermentare, defined as “to leaven” (Frias et al., 2016). It is one of the oldest food processing technologies used by humans to preserve perishable food materials for long time, dated back to ancient human civilization (Hutkins, 2008). Globally, more than 5000 varieties of fermented foods are currently in use which includes traditionally fermented dairy products such as Dahi in India to industrial production of wines from fruits (Tamang, 2010) (Table 1 and Figure 1). Biochemically, fermentation is a metabolic process in which energy is derived from organic compounds without the involvement of an exogenous oxidizing agent. Fermentation may result in the production of many by-products such as carbon dioxide, alcohol, organic acids (lactic acid, acetic acid), vitamins, enzymes etc. which are now having more importance in food industries (Caplice and Fitzgerald 1999).

Intra-operative complications

Although the phacoemulsification technique costs higher, it provides shorter surgical time and less complication than extracapsular lens extraction (49).

The most important intraoperative complications are anterior capsular fibrosis, radial tear of anterior capsule, posterior capsular rupture, vitreous prolapse and post-operative complications like uveitis and corneal oedema (50).

The production of ultrasound energy in phacoemulsification is associated with heat generation that can result in damage to ocular tissue, in particular the corneoscleral wound site. Thermal damage to the corneo-scleral wound site may result in difficulty with wound closure and consequent risk of wound leakage, as well as damage to the adjacent corneal stroma and endothelium, fistula formation, and the induction of high degrees of post-operative astigmatism. The loss of adequate flow of irrigation fluid around the phacoemulsification tip is the key factor in the development of phacoemulsification-induced thermal injury. 

INTRODUCTION
The engine is the core of a tractor, providing the essential power required for all its functions. Typically, a tractor engine is a four-stroke internal combustion engine that operates on diesel, although some models may use gasoline. The engine consists of several integral components that work together to generate power and ensure smooth operation. These parts include the cylinder block, which houses the cylinders where fuel combustion occurs; the pistons, which move within the cylinders to convert the energy from combustion into mechanical motion; and the crankshaft, which transfers the piston’s motion to the transmission. The valve system regulates the intake of air and fuel, as well as the exhaust of gases, ensuring efficient combustion. The fuel system, made up of the fuel tank, pump, and injectors, supplies fuel to the engine, while the cooling system, typically water-based, prevents the engine from overheating. Furthermore, the lubrication system ensures proper lubrication of all moving components to reduce friction and wear. The starter motor and battery are responsible for initiating the engine’s operation, and the exhaust system directs exhaust gases away from the engine. Together, these components enable the tractor to generate the power needed for a wide range of agricultural and industrial tasks.
A tractor engine is designed to deliver high torque at low speeds. It is an internal combustion engine that primarily operates on diesel, compressing and burning the fuel to generate mechanical motion. Due to the engine’s complex structure, it is composed of several key components. The following list outlines the major parts that make up a tractor engine:

Farming systems or farming-based livelihood systems consist of various components that work together to produce food and generate income for farming households. Understanding crops and cropping systems is a
fundamental aspect of this broader framework. A farming system or farmingbased livelihood system is a complex and dynamic arrangement of various interrelated components that work together to support agricultural productivity, sustainability, and livelihood security. The components of such systems are selected and managed based on ecological conditions, socio-economic status, resource availability, and cultural practices. These components not only serve individual purposes but also integrate with one another to enhance overall system efficiency and sustainability.
The core component of any farming system is crop production, which includes cereals, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits, and other field crops. The choice of crops is influenced by soil type, rainfall, climate, and market access. Cropping systems such as mono-cropping, mixed cropping, intercropping, crop rotation, and sequential cropping are employed to optimize land use, reduce pest and disease risks, and improve soil fertility.
Livestock is another crucial component that supports the farming system through the provision of milk, meat, manure, and draft power. Cattle, buffaloes, goats, sheep, and poultry are commonly reared. Integration of livestock with crops ensures recycling of nutrients and diversification of income sources. Fisheries, particularly in water-abundant or coastal regions, form an important msupplementary activity. In inland areas, fish farming is integrated with rice cultivation (e.g., rice-fish farming) or practiced in farm ponds, contributing to dietary protein and income.

Integration of Enterprises

In agriculture, crop husbandry is the main activity. The income obtained from cropping is hardily sufficient to sustain the farm family throughout year. Activities such as dairying, poultry, fish- culture, sericulture, biogas production, edible mushroom cultivation, agro- forestry, agri- horticulture etc. assume critical importance in supplementing their farm income. Assumed regular cash flow is possible when cropping is combined with other enterprises. Judicious combination of enterprises keeping in view of the environment condition of a locality will pay grater dividends. At the same time it will promote effective recycling of residues/ wastes.

Integrated farming system seems to be the answer to the problems of increasing food production. For increasing income and for improving nutrition of the small scale farmers with limited resources without any adverse effect on environment and agro- eco-system. In a cropping system the amount of by products can be as high as or higher than marketable produce. This may go to waste if not utilized in an animal waste component and to reduce the cost of production of the economic produce of component two and finally to entrance the net income of the farm is whole.

Livestock is the best complementary enterprises with cropping, especially during the adverse years. Installation of a biogas plant in crop- livestock system will make use of the wastes, at the same time provides valuable manure and gas for cooking and lighting.

Definition and Significance

Garden Components are the garden features that form the expressions of garden, adding charm to the basic garden landscape and constitute its style, contributing strongly to its texture and structure. Thus, garden features are important as they provide face lift to the garden skeleton, giving it a filling effect with charismatic appeal. Garden features include garden wall, fencing, arches, pergolas, hedge-edge, topiary, etc. Creating sudden and unexpected change of scenery sometimes reveal good contrasts. Thoughtful planning of garden features make an invaluable contribution to garden design. It is possible to design a garden with a large number of man-made artistic items. However, indiscriminate and haphazard use of these items results in clutter. Further, new and strange features in the garden always attract visitors and give unbounded pleasure. During ancient time, because of the traditional style of architecture and high craftsmanship, garden features and adornments have played a big role in many famous gardens of the world. Selection of features and positioning of ornaments in a garden are the visible evidence of the owner’s taste of nature and aesthetic sense. Whatever features are chosen, they must add charm, create an atmosphere of naturalistic design and improve the quality of landscape design. Garden features and ornaments are many, but they must be utilized in the design with restraints. Some important garden features are described below.

Cell culture medium : To grow cells in in vitro, environment should be as close as possible to in vivo condition. But a number of factors are important to grow cells in vitro namely substrate, temperature and medium. There is a number of ready made medium available commercially and made the cell culture work easier. Any successful medium consists of isotonic buffer solution containing inorganic salts, amino acids, vitamins, a energy source and various supplements. Usually serum or serum replacement is used as supplement.

The amount of variation is measured and expressed as the variance. When values are expressed as deviations from the population mean the variance is simple the mean of the squared values. For example, the genotypic variance is the variance of genotypic values and the environmental variance is the variance of environmental deviations. The total variance is the phenotypic variance of the variance of phenotypic values, and is the sum of the separate components.
Components of Variance
The components of variance and the values whose variance they measure are listed as follows:
The total variance is the phenotypic variance, or the variance of phenotypic values, and is the sum of the separate components. Thus
But if genotypic values and environmental deviations are correlated, VP will be increased by twice the covariance of G with E because if P = G + E, VP = V (G + E) = VG + VE + 2 CovGE. d. The term 2 CovGE is zero when G and E are uncorrelated. Also when there is an interaction between genotypes and environments, there will be an additional component of variance due to the interaction i.e.

It is emphasizing the systematic approach required for the successful planning and funding of projects:
Components of Project Formulation
1. Needs Analysis: Identifying and defining the needs that the project intends to address, typically involving stakeholder consultation and market analysis. This process involves systematically gathering and analyzing data about a community, a group, or a market to identify both the current conditions and the gaps between these conditions and desired outcomes. Effective needs assessment aids in designing projects that are relevant, targeted, and likely to produce significant impact. Here’s a more detailed exploration of how needs assessment is integral to project formulation:
Key Steps in Conducting a Needs Assessment
• Stakeholder Identification: Early in the project formulation, identify all relevant stakeholders, including direct beneficiaries, community leaders, funders, and other affected parties. Understanding who will be impacted by the project helps in targeting the needs assessment process more effectively.
• Data Collection: Utilize various methods such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, and field observations to gather comprehensive data about the current state and deficiencies experienced by stakeholders. This might involve looking at socioeconomic data, environmental conditions, or specific community challenges.
• Gap Analysis: Analyze the data to identify gaps between the current state and the desired outcomes. This analysis helps pinpoint the specific areas where interventions are needed.formulation: 

Composites defined as advanced generation populations maintained by random mating in the material constituted through mixing of equal quantity of seeds of crosses showing less inbreeding depression in F2 over F1. The components of composites inbreds, open-pollinated populations, locally available open-pollinated cultivars, hybrids, advanced generation lines, improved populations. Mixing the seeds of several phenotypically outstanding lines produces a composite variety and encouraging open pollination to produce crosses in all combinations among, the mixed lines. The lines used to produce a composite variety are rarely or not tested for combining ability with each other like as done in case of synthetics where the combining ability of the component lines is invariably tested for GCA. Composite are commercial varieties and are maintained by open - pollination in isolation. While mixing the seeds of various genotypes, care should be taken that the component lines are similar in maturity height, seed size, colour, etc. so that the composite maintained through random mating in isolation manifests a reasonable degree of phenotypic uniformity. The variety is maintained by open pollination. Farmers can use their own seed for 3 to 4 years.

In order to obtain maximum yield of fish from a lake or reservoir, it is essential to culture fast growing compatible species of different feeding habits is called as composite fish culture.

Any one kind of species cannot utilize the variety of food available in the pond. For a complete utilization of cheap natural food, pond fishes of different age groups or of different species may be selected for stocking. A combination of several compatible species with complementary food habits would make better use of the food resources of the pond as well as ecological potentials of the pond.

When fishes of different age groups and different species are cultured in same pond called as composite fish farming or mixed farming or polyculture. This is based on the principle that compatible species do not harm each other instead they utilize in the most efficient manner, all available food supply of the pond for maximum production of fish yield. There is no competition between different species on the other land they may be beneficial effect on the growth of others.

Combination Fungicides

Composite or combination fungicides are made up of two or more active ingredients. The active ingredients of combination fungicides often come from two distinct chemical groups. Combination fungicide products offer an optimized combination of two or more active ingredients and the convenience of one product. Combination fungicides boost each treatment’s efficacy and extend its range of action. Combination products significantly lower pathogen populations by targeting numerous pathogens with a single treatment. Longer periods of control are achieved by further reducing pathogen populations with increased potency. Combinations of fungicides can decrease the selection of pathogen strains resistant to specific fungicides and restrict exposure to each active component.

3.1 Introduction
The mammary glands of mammals produce milk, an opaque milky liquid. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are capable of digesting other forms of food. The immunoglobulins are transported to the young ones by the early secretion of udder immediately following parturition, which is referred to as colostrum. It has the potential to mitigate the risk of numerous maladies in newborns. The precise composition of fresh milk varies depending on the species, but it contains substantial quantities of calcium, protein, and fat. The mammary glands of mammals produce the opaque white liquid known as milk. Up until they are capable of digesting other types of food, it is the primary source of nutrition for juvenile mammals. Milk serum is defined as milk plasma minus casein micelles, a composition that is similar to that of whey.

The major constituents of milk are
Water is the medium through which the other milk constituents are dissolved or suspended. The majority of the fat in milk is present in the form of small globules, with an average size of 2 to 5 microns (with a range of 0.1 to 22 microns). This is known as milk fat (lipid). Fat is present in an oil-in-water emulsion. Milk fat is composed of numerous fatty acid glyceride esters; when it undergoes hydrolysis, it produces a mixture of glycerol and fatty acids. Proteins from milk: Proteins present in milk: Protein is one of the most intricate organic substances. Proteins are composed of numerous amino acids; some amino acids are essential, while others are not. In order for the body to synthesise proteins, the diet must include the essential amino acids. The preponderance of the proteins in milk are composed of whey proteins, beta-lactoglobulin, and alpha-lactalbumin. Milk is the primary source of casein, a calcium caseinate phosphate compound.

Nutrition involves various bio – chemical and physiological activities which transform feed elements into body elements. These feed elements are nutrients which are digested, absorbed, utilized to build and renew the components of the animal body. As a result, animal grows and produce – milk, eggs, wool with the help of energy so produced in the body. After weaning, most of our farm animals obtain all of their feed supply from plants. Barring carnivores, the plant kingdom is the original and essential source of all animal life, because plants are able to utilize the energy of the sun to build substances which nourish
the animal. Plants make use of carbon dioxide, water and mineral salts to form carbohydrates, fats and proteins, which are utilized in the life processes of animal body. Thus, plants store and animals dissipate energy.

Soil is one of the major platforms on which life sustains. Soil, the product of weathering, covers the earth’s surface. Soil is the medium of plant growth and thus it requires proper attention for better crop yield. The land is the constituent of soil, vegetation, physico-chemical and biological attributes affecting its usages. The soil may act as a sink or source for the elements and other materials. Hence, it requires to understand the various components to facilitate management options for improving the fertility status of soil.

2.0 Soil

The soil is a natural dynamic body on which plant grows. It is a complex mixtures of minerals, water, air, organic matter and microorganisms. Besides, there exist an unconsolidated mineral or organic material on the surface of the earth and thus becomes a natural medium for the growth and nutrition of the plants.

Soils vary greatly in their organic matter content. For all practical purposes the organic matter content of the soil parallels the soil N content. The C/N ratio of soil organic matter generally falls in the range of 10 to 12. Because of the ease with which Kjeldahl determination can be made, N is often used as an index of soil organic matter content.

3.1. Composition of Organic Matter in Soil

Organic matter constitutes 1 to 6% of the topsoil weight of most upland soils. In a typical grassland soil, 5 to 6% of organic matter may be present in the top 15 cm. Top soils with less than 1% organic matter are mostly limited to desert regions. On the contrary, the organic matter content of soils in low, wet areas may be as high as 90% or even more. Soils with more than 12 - 18% organic carbon (approximately 20 - 30% organic matter) are called organic soils.

Proper soil management without impairing soil health is the prerequisite for achieving higher productivity from agriculture land. The arable soils of tropics and subtopics are poor in organic matter due to high temperature and intense microbial activity. The importance of organic matter in improving soil fertility through maintenance of optimum levels of soil organic matter as well as plants nutrients is well recognized. There is need to encourage more ecofriendly and productive farming system.

A growing number of farmers, ecologists and scientists are coming to conclusion that conventional farming can not be sustained because in the end it does more harm than good and it is high time to think of sounder ways of farming which are healthy for the soil, environment, plants, animals and human beings.

The practices of economically sound, viable and culturally appropriate agriculture is termed as sustainable agriculture. The excessive and imbalanced use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides on soil and plant in not only harmful to soil microflora and fauna but also reduces the productivity potential of the land. The conventional intensive agriculture has depleted the soil organic matter content and plant nutrients besides the susceptibility of crops to pest and disease. Nitrates the ultimate product of N- fertilizers pollute the ground of water and food, has higher levels of non-protein nitrogen (NPN). Increasing levels of NPN in human bodies have been reported. Soil is a dynamic living system and if it is not manured to feed soil biota, soil health gets deteriorated which is essential for cycling of plants nutrients.

Abstract

Modern agriculture largely depends on use of high cost inputs and energy intensive farm machinery. Worlds increasing population and continuously deteriorating soil fertility has alarmed agriculture system to look for some safe alternatives. Organic manures are rich source ofnutrients and humans, therefore crop residue recycling by composting is a best alternate of modern high cost input based agriculture. Compost is an aerobically decomposed organic matter .Bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes algae and protozoa are involved in the process of composting and are found throughout the natural environment. The composting material warms up due to microbial activity and it’s temperature becomes up to 160 ⁰F active stage of microbial activity . There are four types of compositing i.e. Windrow composting, Aerated static pile composting, In-Vessel composting and Vermi-composting. The C: N ratio, aeration, temperature and moisture are major factors affecting composting process. Major advantages of composting are: Aggregate formation, Reduction in bulk density, Increase in hydraulic conductivity, Reduction in loss of soil moisture, Increase in organic carbon content and pH of soil.

Composting explains the biological decomposition of organic materials and its importance for soil fertility, nutrient recycling, and sustainable farm management. The chapter introduces stages and types of composting, including anaerobic, aerobic, and vermicomposting systems, and discusses physical, chemical, biological, economic, and social benefits. Major methods such as Indore, Coimbatore, Bangalore, NADEP, sugarcane trash composting, fermented mixed compost, and crop-residue composting are presented. Factors affecting decomposition, including carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, shredding, moisture, and temperature, are examined. The chapter concludes with vermicomposting, earthworm roles, materials, preparation, developmental phases, and essential conditions required for effective vermicompost production. with emphasis on practical farm-level management practice systems.

Compounding in Hospitals
Compounding in hospitals is an essential pharmaceutical practice that involves the preparation of customized medications to meet the specific needs of individual patients. This process, which includes mixing, altering, or assembling drug ingredients, addresses scenarios where commercially available drugs may not be suitable. It requires significant expertise and compliance with regulatory standards to ensure patient safety and the efficacy of compounded medications.
Importance of Compounding in Hospitals
The role of compounding in hospitals cannot be overstated, as it enables healthcare providers to:
• Personalize Treatment: Patients may have unique requirements that standard medications cannot meet. For example, children and elderly patients often need doses that are not commercially available, and compounding allows for the creation of appropriate, smaller dosages.
• Formulate Alternative Dosage Forms: For patients who have difficulty swallowing pills, hospital compounding can provide alternative forms such as liquids, creams, or gels.
• Omit Allergens: Many commercially available drugs contain dyes, preservatives, or other additives that some patients cannot tolerate. Compounded medications can be formulated without these substances to meet the needs of sensitive patients.
• Create Specialized Medications: In cases where patients require treatments not available in mass production, such as certain cancer drugs or emergency antidotes, hospital compounding offers a practical solution.
• Address Drug Shortages: Hospitals often rely on compounding to prepare medications during periods when commercially manufactured drugs are unavailable due to supply chain disruptions.

Since the wide introduction of organochlorines and other synthetics in early 50’s farmers have heavily relied on the chemical pesticides for pest control. Over emphasis on chemical control has caused serious imbalances in the agro-ecosystem. The enormous quantities of chemicals, poisonous to microbial life, that fall on earth gets mixed up well with soil. Some problems like non-target effects of chemicals as well as latrogenic diseases are being experienced. Coupled with these, the increasing awareness of impeding pollution, health hazards and development of resistance have intensified the search for alternative strategies.

In the present investigation, the attempts have been made to test the stability and pest management efficacy of the plant extracts of some Indian medicinal plants, namely, Datura stramonium, Ricinus communis, Vitex trifolia and Nerium indicum. In the earlier chapters detailed methodologies and the results have been elaborated. This chapter embodes the comprehensive inter- and intra-comparative results and discussion on the basis of selected plants, extraction media, pest species and bioassay followed by conclusions.

The hot sterilized water extracts of R. communis were found to be more stable (i.e. 20 days to start the fermentation). In overall study the plant extracts were stable or viable means active for three to four weeks only. In most cases, the activity of cold and hot water extracts was found to be increasing with fermentation however the decrease in the activity of some extract was also observed.

The highest mean anti-fungal activity was reported for R. communis extracts followed by D. stramonium and N. indicum aqueous extracts, whereas no any anti-fungal potency was reflected by V. trifolia against test fungi species. R. communis and N. indicum extracts, the cold water method extraction showed greater positive effects in terms of mean anti-fungal potency as compared to the hot water extracts. The water extraction of D. stramonium was found to be more effective in anti-fungal activity study.

COMPOSITION OF DIET

Objectives

• To study the general considerations on feeding aspects of laboratory animals.
• To get acquainted with the specific nutritional requirements of laboratory manures.
• To familiarize with the watering system.
• To know the daily feed schedule of different species of laboratory animal.

Materials Required

Laboratory animals, feed ingredients, water, green vegetables.

For having good growth and production, proper balanced diet should be fed, thus nutrients can be classified into 6 classes:

Theory

Area computation is an important part of surveying. The term ‘Area’ is meant the projected area on a horizontal plane. The area is computed from the following methods: (i) Graphical method (ii) Instrumental method and (iii) Use of formulae. In graphical method, the area can be computed by dividing the whole area either into triangles or squares. The area of individual triangle is computed from base and the altitude and summation of individual area gives the total area. A tracing paper is divided into number of small squares is placed over the plan. The number of complete squares within the boundary is counted. The squares more than half are counted as full squares and those less than half are neglected. The total number of squares multiplied by the area of each square gives the total area of the field. In instrumental method, the planimeter is used to measure the area of a plotted plan. In use of formulae, computation of area by formulae depends on the shape of the field.

Heat units also called growing degree-days (GDD), effective heat units, or growing degree units, are a heuristic tool in phenology. GDD is a simple means of relating plant growth, development and maturity to air temperature. The concept is widely accepted as a basis for building phenology and population dynamic models. Degree day units are often used in Agrometeorology, Agronomy, Entomology and Pathology essentially to estimate or predict the lengths of the different phases of development in crop plants, insects, pathogens etc.

As an engine requires fuel to run, similarly the animal body requires food to run its vital activities. Food, after its digestion, absorption and oxidation, provides energy to the body. The energy thus obtained is utilized by the animal for maintenance, growth, reproduction and production. Hence, a good quality of food should be provided to the animal so that it may fulfil all the requirements of the animal. Food contains water, carbohydrates fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals which are essential constituents of the body and indispensable for life. Water being an essential constituent of protoplasm carries out many other important and inevitable functions in the body. Water helps the body absorb nutrients from the food and throw out wastes from body in the form of sweat and urine. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins provide energy to the body. Fat provides 2.25 times more energy than carbohydrate and proteins. Besides providing energy, proteins are also essential for body building, growth and repair of wear and tear of the body tissues. Vitamins protect the body against diseases and help in keeping eyes, gums, skin, teeth and bones healthy. Vitamins are required by the body in small quantities. Vitamins are essential for normal growth, health and reproduction. Prolonged deficiency of vitamins causes characteristic diseases. Minerals required in small quantities are essential for normal growth of body and maintaining good health. Skeleton system of the body contains principally Calcium and Phosphorus with small amount of Magnesium.

4.1 Ration and balanced ration

A ration is the feed allowed for a given animal during a day of 24 hrs. The feed may be given at a time or in portions at intervals. Balanced ration may be defined as the ration that provides all essential nutrients to the animal in such a proportion and amounts that are required for the nourishment of the particular animal for 24 hrs.

Introduction

In recent decades, severe weather and climatic occurrences have become more frequent, affecting human populations across the globe. These changes are caused, in part, by anthropogenic climate change. Vulnerable communities are particularly affected by these rapidly changing patterns, which can have catastrophic consequences. To mitigate the impact of climate change, communities must have access to accurate and up-to-date climate information. Weather predictions, from short-term forecasts to long-term scenarios based on data from previous decades and centuries, can provide valuable information to socioeconomic sectors that are vulnerable to climate change. Climate services offer scientifically-based data and forecasts that can assist decision-makers in managing the risks of climate variability and change. Globally accepted indices generated from daily temperature and precipitation data can indicate the more severe features of climate change. These indices are developed and analyzed by the CCI/WCRP/JCOMM Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI) and have made a significant contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Reports.

Introduction

Until the 20thcentury, bacterial infections were the number one cause of human death. In the 1940s, antibiotics became the lifelines for treating serious infections that saved millions of lives. Despite the advantages derived from the use of antibiotics, resistance to these drugs emerged. Unfortunately, resistance to most antibiotics emerged in time-course even for the most powerful antibiotics developed.Resistance to antibiotics is a challenge to the scientific community in keeping up the pace of antibiotic discovery.World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Reporthas listed antibiotic resistance as one of the greatest threats (WEF, 2020).United Nations (UN) has warned that drug-resistant diseases could account for 10 million deaths each year by 2050. By 2030, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could likelylead up to 24 million people into extreme poverty(IACG,2019). Currently, at least 7,00,000 people die each year due to drug-resistant diseases (IACG,2019). The emergence and widespread of antibiotic-resistant organisms is a global challenge and needs a multi-dimensional approach to address the fundamental issues to minimize drug-resistance.The Antibiotic Resistance Genes Database (ARDB) contains a repository of around 23,000 antibiotic resistance gene or protein sequences conferring resistance against over 240 antibiotics (ARDB). Computational Biology (Bioinformatics) has become one of the important tools in studying antimicrobial resistance. It employs a range of computation techniques to make predictions about the biological phenomenon.

INTRODUCTION

The role for economic theory is no longer simply to explain how the existing system works, but also to explore how the economic system can be changed to become more adaptive and resilient in the face of the challenges of the 21st century, and how it can be more directly designed to support human well-being, in the present and the future. Simultaneous changes are needed, in both the actual economy and also in theoretical approaches of economics. The economic theory that was accepted as standard in the non-communist world during the second half of the twentieth century erects serious impediments to meeting the challenges of the twenty-first century. In order to redirect economics to be more useful, and more truly reflect the world we now face, a good starting point is to go back to the goals that are embedded in economic thinking. Here it is useful to make the distinction between intermediate and final goals. Final goals are ends that are worth achieving in themselves, while intermediate goals are pursued because they are expected to contribute to the final goals. As final goals for any economy are ‘well-being and equity in the present’ and second is ‘productive capital for the future’. Productive capital needed to maintain well-being also necessarily includes natural resources, as well as human health and education, and cohesive social systems. Increasing production and consumption are important intermediate goals for humankind in some times and places. Other obviously critical intermediate goals include climate mitigation, and promoting resilience and adaptation within both human society and ecological systems. Responding to global inequity as well as global climate change requires coordinated public policy to fundamentally redirect existing economic systems. In addition to a much greater emphasis on equity, economic theory that is appropriate to the needs of the twenty-first century will need to be more concerned with the meta-externalities of the economic system. The business sphere is currently creating meta-externalities of culture and politics that place great burdens on the core sphere, and that tie the hands of governments. This does not necessarily imply that the for-profit sphere is “bad” and the others “good”—rather that institutional changes must be made to bring the purposes and functions of all three spheres into better harmony. To address such a complex issues, economic theories and models that developed in the past should embedded with new advent in computational technologies. In venturing a vision of technological possibilities rather than simply projecting linear or exponential changes in performance, it is crucial to think not only of how technical improvements lead to the substitution of a new generation of tools for existing ones, but also of how entirely new uses, and indeed new needs, might emerge.

Abstract

In order to fill the gap between the protein sequences and their 3D structures available in the public databases, the computational prediction of protein structure has become the need of the hour. Therefore, the present chapter aims to highlight various methods and strategies for computational protein structure prediction by established ab initio, threading and homology modeling methods. Ab initio, threading and homology modeling methods are mainly based on the low sequence similarity, similarity between 25-30% and similarity more than 30% with the template structure respectively. Hybrid methods are preferred which club together a number of features such as structural alignments, solvent accessibility and secondary structure informations.

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

Food dehydration is an oldest method to increase the shelf life of food by reducing the water activity. A dried food product provides advantages of increased shelf life and reduced cost due to decreased weight as well as transportation. However, there is a decrease in product quality due to inadequate control on drying process parameters such as drying temperature and moisture removal together with change in thermo-physical properties of food. Computational modeling and simulations can provide a unique insight on the drying parameters that influences the product quality, and optimize the process conditions which are difficult by experimental analysis. Moreover, the computational techniques are advantageous over experimental optimization methods by minimizing the time and cost. This chapter reviews different computational modeling techniques such as, finite element modeling, finite volume and finite difference methods for modeling of food dehydration process. Also, this chapter describes the application of modeling techniques for determining the influence of shrinkage and porosity during dehydration.

I. General Information

Use of computers into the design process has benefited landscaping industry in several ways. There are several advantages in using computers for design. The most important factor is that the computer can store and handle large amount of engineering data, which can be used in various stages of design, development and manufacturer, like conceptual design, analysis, component design, documentation, process planning and manufacturing. The product development approach using the computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) results in better and consistently good quality products invariably at a lower cost, with the attendant benefits of faster development of different variants of the product or model. The following table highlights the relative advantage of human designers and computers.

Introduction

The concept of Computer Aided Design (CAD) for landscape gardening is comparatively new. It can be defined as design and drafting of a landscape garden with the aid of computer. It can also be defined as use of information technology in garden designing. The core of the CAD system is software, which makes use of graphics for product representation. Computer aided designing is an important industrial art, extensively used in industry and landscape architecture designing and for many more purposes. For landscape designs, it represents a practical solution for the imperative needs of helping to visualise the future. Now-a-days, CAD is used to create 2D or 3D computer models. CAD assists the designer

Introduction

The major potential areas for inland aquaculture have already been explored in India. Additional production can only be achieved through successful manipulation of available resources that influence the productivity of various aquaculture systems. This can be achieved through maintenance of adequate levels of nutrients in the pond environment. Pond management in fish culture is mainly concerned with fertilization requirements and strategies with better management practices (BMP) of pond soil and water quality. BMP could be achieved through adoption of advanced technology, computer based diognostic/decision tools, software packages for quick, accurate, authetic data management.

Computer-based instructional teaching and learning platforms, commonly known as Learning Management Systems (LMS) or educational technology (EdTech) platforms, are designed to enhance the educational experience by integrating technology into the learning process. These platforms offer a range of tools and features that support both instructors and students in various educational activities. Here are some key platforms and their features:

Key Platforms

Moodle

Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is a widely used open-source Learning Management System (LMS) designed to provide educators, administrators, and learners with a robust, secure, and integrated system to create personalized learning environments. Here's an in depth look at Moodle, its features, and its use cases:

Key Features of Moodle

1. Course Management

• Customizable Course Creation: Instructors can design courses with f lexible layouts, multimedia content, and varied activities.

• Modular Plugins: Extensive library of plugins for activities, resources, and user management

14.1 Computer

Computer is an electronic device designed to accept and store data, process them and produce meaningful results under the direction of detailed step by instructions.

In 1822, Charles Babbage, a professor of Cambridge University designed a machine called an “Analytical Engine”, which could store data and perform arithmetic operations and printing out results. He is known as “Father of Computer”.

14.1.1 Basic anatomy of computer

The word Anatomy of a computer means inner structure of the computer. The study of anatomy of computer is necessary to acquire the knowledge and functioning of its inner components. Thus, essentially a computer consists of the following three main units

VIVEK M. PATIL & M.D. SURANAGI

A computer is an electronic device that has the ability to store, retrieve, and process data, and can be programmed with instructions that it remembers. Simply put, it is a very obedient servant which does whatever task it is commanded to do, in the manner in which it is trained/ programmed to carry out that task. Some of the terms commonly referred to while using computers are:

• Hardware : The physical parts that make up a computer eg. input devices, the central processing unit (CPU), memory and output devices.
• Software : A set of instructions that tell the computer what to do and how to perform a particular task is called a program, software program, or software. eg. Microsoft Word document management software enables us to type out a letter.
• Peripherals : Hardware devices connected to a computer i.e. any part of the computer outside the CPU and working memory. eg. keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer, scanner, disk and tape drives, microphone, speakers, joystick, plotter, and camera.
• Input : Whatever is typed, submitted or entered into a computer system. eg. typing a list of names.
• Data : The symbols that represent facts, objects and ideas on a computer. eg. representation of a list of names in binary language.
• Processing : Manipulation of data by the CPU of the computer or a microprocessor. eg. sorting of the list of names in alphabetic order.
• Output : The result produced by a computer after manipulating data. eg. printing out the list of names in alphabetic order.
• Memory : An area of the computer that temporarily holds data waiting to be processed or stored. eg. random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM)

15.1 Computer Network

It is a group of computers and peripherals which are interconnected to share information and resources. A communication system that supports many users can be called a Network or we can say network is a communication system which interconnects many users who have something in common, either with respect to the type of data being sent or to the geographic areas that the users cover. There are three types of computer networks:

15.1.1 Local area network (LAN)

It is a small network (2 to 100 nodes) usually located within a single building or group of buildings belonging to an organization or an institute.

Computer vision provides an important foundation for automated plant analysis, monitoring and precision agriculture. This chapter explores computer vision approaches for plant phenotyping, disease detection, growth monitoring and yield prediction. Traditional image-processing methods are considered alongside machine learning and modern deep learning techniques, including convolutional neural networks and vision transformers. Image segmentation, object detection and classification are used to extract meaningful information from plant images and video data. The chapter also examines multispectral and hyperspectral imaging, IoT integration and real-time monitoring. Environmental variability, dataset quality, computational complexity and model generalization are discussed, together with transfer learning, data augmentation, edge computing and future directions

Introduction

Agriculture has played an important role in the global economy in recent years. The further growth of the population is leading to a gradual decrease in the area of the agricultural land and further growing stresses on the farm system. Agricultural food production methods are rising in demand for successful and healthy. Innovative sensoring and motive technologies and advanced information and communications systems and Artificial Intelligence must supplement conventional agricultural management methods to speed up farm productivity growth more accurately, thereby promoting the production of high-quality and high-performance agriculture. Computer vision monitoring systems have become valuable tools in farm operations over the past decades, and their use has increased significantly.

What is Computer Vision?

Computer vision can be characterized as a field of AI for extracting information from digital images. The type of data obtained from an image may be different from recognition, navigational space measurements or applications of increased reality.

The applications of computer vision can also be described. Computer vision builds algorithms that recognize and use the quality of pictures for other purposes.

Milk may be concentrated as a necessary initial step in drying operation or as concentrating step in the manufacture of sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk or the preparation of infant formulae. In order to preserve the milk constituents in a concentrated form, condensed milk/concentrated milk is manufactured from whole skim milk by removing or evaporating part of the water under vacuum. But this form of milk still has limited shelf life. Attempts to prolong the shelf life of this product have been made through the addition of bacterial growth inhibitor like sugar (sweetened condensed milk) or by heat processing (evaporated milk) to destroy the microorganisms.

Concentrated milk industry is an important segment of dairy industry. It plays an important role in the economy of industry. It serves as a balanced economy. It utilizes surplus milk in the flush season. It utilizes abundant milk production in certain localized area. It makes use of surplus milk below excellent grade. By either concentrating or drying less space is needed to store and it becomes less bulky and therefore it can be transported to any part of the world. The keeping quality of milk is increased. The concentrated products give considerable saving in the cost of packaging, storage and transportation. Milk concentrates can be easily reconstituted with required amount of water corresponding to that removed by evaporation to yield a product having normal consistency of milk. It is estimated that nearly two per cent of the world’s milk production is converted into different types of condensed or concentrated milks.

Brief history and developments: The present day concept of preservation of milk by concentration and by application of heat had the beginning with the pioneering work of French man Nicholas Appert around 1793. Gail Bordon of USA was first to commercially exploit the method of concentration of milk under vacuum. He was awarded U.S. Patent in the year 1856 for processing milk in a semi-fluid state after evaporating under vacuum. Commercial production of sweetened condensed milk by Gail Bordon started in 1856.

Introduction

A solar collector, the special energy exchanger, converts solar irradiation energy either to the thermal energy of the working fluid in solar thermal applications, or to the electric energy directly in Photovoltaic (PV) applications. For solar thermal applications, solar irradiation is absorbed by a solar collector as heat which is then transferred to its working fluid (air, water or oil). The heat carried by the working fluid can be used to either provide domestic hot water/heating, or to charge a thermal energy storage tank from which the heat can be drawn for use later (at night or cloudy days). Solar collectors are usually classified into two categories according to concentration ratios: non-concentrating collectors and concentrating collectors. A non-concentrating collector has the same intercepting area as its absorbing area, whilst a sun-tracking concentrating solar collector usually has concave reflecting surfaces to intercept and focus the solar irradiation to a much smaller receiving area, resulting in an increased heat flux so that the thermodynamic cycle can achieve higher Carnot efficiency when working under higher temperatures.

1. INTRODUCTION

Juices and pulps are produced from a wide variety of fruits and vegetables around the world, while some medicinal plants and herbs are also used for preparation of extract of beneficial bioactive compounds. These juices and extracts contain very high proportions (upto 75-90%) of water. Due to their seasonal nature, these products can not be produced round the year in various parts of the world. Preservation, storage, transportation and marketing of single strength juices, pulps and extracts is not at all economical due to the presence of large quantities of water. Under these circumstances, the technology of concentration offers many advantages.

In chemistry, concentration, as a state, may be defined as “the abundance of a constituent divided by the total volume of a mixture” and can be mathematically explained in four types i.e. mass concentration, volume concentration, molar concentration and number concentration. Generally, the term concentration can be applied to any mixture (solid or liquid) but most frequently it refers to the presence of solutes in solvents. Mass concentration is defined as mass/volume (m/V) of mixture and represented in kg/m³, volume concentration as volume of a constituent divided by the volume of all constituents of the mixture (v/V) and represented in m³/m³, molar concentration as moles of a constituent divided by the volume of all constituents of the mixture (n/V) and represented in mol/m³, while, number concentration is defined as the number of entities of a constituent in a mixture divided by the volume of the mixture (N/V) represented in 1/m³.

In food technology or fruit juice industry in particular, concentration refers to a process of separation of water (or any other solvent) from the solids of the pulp, juice, extract by making use of any of the three basic methods i.e. evaporation, freezing and membrane technology. Pulps, juices and extracts are the basic material used for preparation of various types of processed products. But due to their bulk and presence of large quantities of water they are difficult to store and transport. Concentration of juices, not only provides microbial stability, but also reduces the costs of packaging, transportation and storage by reducing the bulk of the material. Concentrated juice, contains far less water than normal, or “not-from-concentrate” forms of juice.

Plant genetic resources represent both the basis for agricultural development and a reservoir of genetic adaptability that acts as a buffer against environmental changes. The erosion of these resources threatens world food security. From an agricultural utilitarian standpoint, plant genetic resources can be considered limited and perishable natural resources. PGR forms a distinct group and include all plant species, which contribute to people livelihoods by providing food, medicine, feed for domestic animals, fibres, clothing, shelter, energy and other uses and are subject to cultivation by man as well as the wild relatives of these species. Genetic diversity simply means all the variety of genes that exist in a particular variety or species. They provide the raw material (genes) which, when used and combined in the right way, produce new and better plant varieties, and are an irreplaceable source of such characteristics as resistance to disease, local adaptation, and productivity. Plant genetic resources are now, and will continue to be in the future, of inestimable value independently of whether scientists use them by means of conventional plant breeding or modern genetic engineering. These genes are dispersed throughout local cultivars and natural plant populations that have been selected over thousands of years by farmers and nature for their characteristics of adaptation, resistance and/or productivity. The road to a continuous increase in the production and quality of food lies through the protection and efficient utilization of plant genetic resources; this requires their conservation, evaluation, documentation and exchange.

Introduction

National Gene Banks are now entering into an era of increased activity and responsibility, particularly for managing their own indigenous germplasm activities extending from collection to actual use of the genetic variation in crop improvement programmes. However, these tasks must be achieved with limited resources in best possible time frame. The core collection offers a potential opportunity to meet these challenges. Recognising that the sheer size of a germplasm collection could deter its use, Frankel (1984) proposed that it could be pruned to a ‘core collection’, which would represent, “with minimum repetitiveness, the genetic diversity of a crop species and its relatives”. The core collection consist of a limited set of accessions derived from a germplasm collection, chosen to represent the genetic spectrum in the whole collection, and including as much as possible of its genetic diversity (Brown, 1995). The remaining accessions would not necessarily be discarded but would be managed as a ‘reserve collection’. The proposal, the rationale, purposes and general principles of core collections have been critically examined (Brown, 1989 a and b). As to the size of a core collection, sampling theory of selective neutral alleles in finite populations indicate that about 10 % drawn randomly from the whole collection was relatively efficient in retaining its allelic variation (about 70 % retained). The core collection concept has attracted considerable discussion and debate in the past and has met criticism in many areas. Most of these concerns appear to arise from misuse or misunderstanding of the core approach and a number of core collections have been established during the past decade.

SUMMARY

Organic farming is not new to Indian farming community. Several forms of organic farming are being successfully practiced in diverse climate, particularly in rainfed, tribal, mountains and hill areas of the country. Among all farming systems, organic farming is gaining wide attention among farmers, entrepreneurs, policy makers and agricultural scientists for varied reasons such as it minimizes the dependence on chemical inputs (fertilizers; pesticides; herbicides and other agro-chemicals) thus safeguards/improves quality of resources, and it is labour intensive and provides an opportunity to increase rural employment and achieve long term improvements in the quality of resource base. The popularity of organic farming is gradually increasing and now organic agriculture is practiced in almost all countries of the world, and its share of agricultural land and farms is growing.

India’s economic security continues to be predicated upon the agriculture sector, and the situation is not likely to change in the foreseeable future. Even now, agriculture supports 58% of the Indian population, as against about 75% at the time of independence. In the identical period, the contribution of agriculture and allied sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has fallen from 61 to 13%. As of today, India supports 16.8% of world’s population on 4.2% of world’s water resources and 2.3% of global land resources. Also per caput availability of resources is about 4 to 6 times less than that of world average. This will further decrease due to increasing demographic pressure and consequent diversion of the land for non-agricultural uses. Around 51% of India’s geographical area is already under cultivation as compared to 11% of the world average. The present cropping intensity is 136% and it has been registered an increase of only 25% since independence. Further, rainfed and dry-lands area constitute approximately 65% of the total net sown area. There is also an unprecedented degradation of land (107 million ha) and groundwater resource, and also fall in the rate of growth of total factor productivity. This deceleration needs to be arrested and agricultural productivity has to be doubled to meet growing demands of the population by 2050. Efficiency-mediated improvement in productivity is the most viable option to raise production of various commodities including horticulture.

Abstract

Tremendous changes in lifestyle, eating habits and shifting rural habitations are causing an irreversible change that is leading to manifold multiplication of health problems and these health issues have attracted the attention of every segment of the society in the recent past. Today foods are not intended to only satisfy hunger and to provide necessary nutrients for humans but also to prevent nutrition-related diseases and improve physical and mental well-being of the consumers. Due to increasing control over nutrition and health, consumers are becoming more proactive towards their health. In this regard, functional foods play an outstanding role and they are gaining public acceptance and there is great scope for value-added as well as health promoting food products in developing countries. Various terms have used for functional foods throughout the world such as designer foods, medicinal foods, nutraceuticals, therapeutic foods, superfoods, foodiceuticals, and medifoods. People are interested in foods which boost immune system, reduce the risk of diseases and improve health. The increasing demand of such foods can be explained by the increasing cost of healthcare, the steady increase in life expectancy, and the desire of older people for improved quality of their later years. Typically, a food marketed as functional contains added, technologically developed ingredients with a specific health benefit. These range of products cannot be truly classified as ‘food’ and a new hybrid term between nutrients and pharmaceuticals, ‘nutraceuticals’, has been coined to designate them. The development of functional foods involves the application of various food processing techniques such as microencapsulation of functional ingredients for controlled release, nanotechnology for the development of nanostructured (or nanotextured) food ingredients and delivery systems for nutrients and supplements etc. Inclusion of probiotic bacteria and probiotic supplements in various food systems has also become very popular and this is becoming a very vital sector in functional food market. Systematic RandD efforts are, therefore, required to develop health promoting foods for all segments of the society at affordable cost. Prior to promoting the developed health foods, it is of utmost importance to conduct clinical trials to ascertain safety and efficacy, and also establish appropriate regulatory framework for their distribution to masses. All these issues have been discussed in this paper and recommendations were drawn to formulate future research.