eChapters

The term growth refers to an irreversible increase in size and weight of the plant. It normally reflects an increase in protoplasm, which may occur through increase in size of the cell and number of cells. Hence, the process of cell elongation and cell division provides the basis for growth. Cell division and enlargement are complicated processes involving synthesis of many organic compounds such as protein, cellulose and nucleic acid, besides the physical force required, which results in cell enlargement. The growth of the whole plant is compartmentalized into areas called ‘meristem’ where cell division and cell elongation are localized. The meristem cells such as shoot apex, root apex, cambium and the intercalary zones undergo repeated mitosis resulting in replication of DNA and nuclear material and finally the cell mass increases. Adjacent to this area of meristematic activity is the region of cell elongation, which phases in to the region of differentiation and maturation.

The increase in protoplasm (occurring in cell division and elongation) is brought about through a series of events in which water, carbon - di-oxide and inorganic salts are transformed into living materials. These events include (a) photosynthesis (production of carbohydrates) (b) nutrient absorption and translocation (uptake of water, nitrogen and other mineral elements) and (3) anabolism (synthesis of various materials produced in plant from the carbon fragments produced by photosynthesis and from the inorganic nutrients and water absorbed from the soil). The energy required for all these processes is provided by a catabolic process viz., respiration (degradation of sugars and fats to release energy). The net balance of anabolism and catabolism results in growth of the plant.

Limited availability of additional land for crop production, along with declining yield growth for major food crops, have heightened concerns about agriculture’s ability to feed a world population expected to exceed 7.5 billion by the year 2020. Decreasing soil fertility has also raised concerns about the sustainability of agricultural production at current levels. Future strategies for increasing agricultural productivity will have to focus on using available nutrient resources more efficiently, effectively, and sustainably than in the past. Management of the nutrients needed for proper plant growth, together with effective crop, water, soil, and land management, will be critical for sustaining agriculture over the long term. Plants, like all other living things, need food for their growth and development. Growth is the function of various factors like light, carbon dioxide gas, water and mineral nutrients. Plants require 16 essential elements. Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are derived from the atmosphere and soil water. The remaining 13 essential elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, boron, molybdenum, and chlorine) are supplied either from soil minerals and soil organic matter or by organic or inorganic fertilizers. For plants to utilize these nutrients efficiently, light, heat, and water must be adequately supplied. Cultural practices and control of diseases and insects also play important roles in crop production. Each type of plant is unique and has an optimum nutrient range as well as a minimum requirement level. Below this minimum level, plants start to show nutrient deficiency symptoms. Excessive nutrient uptake can also cause poor growth because of toxicity. Therefore, the proper amount of application and the placement of nutrients are important.

1. Growth of plant pathogens

Various plant pathogens, namely fungi, bacteria, nematodes, viruses, viroids, mollicutes, fastidious bacteria, and protozoa, grow in different ways.

1.1 Fungi and parasitic higher plants

Fungal pathogens and parasitic higher plants usually invade and infect tissues by growing on or in them from the first point of inoculation.

Most of these pathogens, whether they cause small lesions or large infected areas on the plant, grow, branch, and spread to more and more plant tissues until the infection stops spreading or the plant dies.

Growth is a characteristic of life of any living being, and it continues until the end of organism. It is expressed in height, weight, volume, size, shape, number and area in every biological system. The shape and size of the plants are because of their continued cellular development and differentiation. Growth, which is quantified mathematically in terms of time, is termed as growth rate, and this gives a valuable information documenting growth as influenced by various abiotic, edaphic and biotic factors.

Principles

Various growth indices are better indicators of plant or crop performance under a specific treatment. Growth indices can be calculated from pot culture or field grown plants. Growth curve can be fitted using these values to predict productivity.

Requirements

Greenhouse or field-grown plants, scale, tags, hot air oven, electronic balance and leaf area meter are the basic requirements for recording the data on different parameters of growth.

Introduction

Rice plays a unique role in providing food to the majority of the world population. Rice is the most widely consumed food for nearly three-fourths of the population in India. Now a days scented rice is getting higher market price than normal rice varieties. Black Scented rice is commonly considered as forbidden rice. Different researches proved that black Scented rice is one of the “super food” of the world. Black Scented rice is consumed in various ways like puddings, pulao, bread, etc in different festivals and during important ceremonies. Mostly this crop is prone to lodging but resistance to infestation by insect and pest. Works done in India and abroad indicates that the particular method of establishment, adequate level of nitrogen and a particular time of application of nitrogenous fertilizer can enhance productivity. Nitrogen is the main nutrient that determines rice yield, due to its role in the photosynthesis, biomass accumulation and, spikelet formation (Hasegawa et al., 1994; Yoshida et al., 2006).

a) Large Unpenetrated Market
According to the sample registration system (SRS) baseline survey, 2014 released by the registrar general of India, 71 percent of Indians over the age of 15 are non-vegetarian.
b) Young Growing Population and Nutritional Security
India as a one of the major young population country in the world (27.4%) according to FAO, OECD 2018 data there is a huge need to address the nutritional security of the people with higher protein diet. Thus, we have high requirement of protein to feed country’s population in up- coming years.
c) Per Capita Consumption & Income
The annual per capita consumption of broiler meat and eggs for India is far below then recommended consumption of 180 eggs and 10.8 kg poultry meat per person per annum by Indian Council of Medical Research. The increase in per capita disposable income has led to an overall increase in food consumption, particularly protein in the form of meat and eggs.
(McKisney and company Report, 2013). The study conducted by Law et al. (2019) suggested that in India the consumer preference has changed and the cereals are now substitute of animal products rather than a complementary product

Regulations should make it easier to utilise creative, long-lasting solutions, allowing for the selection of the most environmentally friendly pest management method. This can be accomplished by using expedited registration, priority registration, and a combination of comparative evaluation of pest control techniques and the substitution principle, which allows a natural pest control technique to take the place of a synthetic pesticide.

Need of Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics, an emerging area offering a fundamental tool to the scientific community, to speed up the research, application and commercialization of biotechnology. In fact the best thing, which has happened towards the end of the 20^th century and in the 21^st century, is the marriage between biotechnologists and information technologists leading to the growth and development of this field. India took a lead as early as in the 1980s but more precisely from 1986 onwards by establishing a strong base of Bioinformatics with the necessary infrastructure. As a result one has seen major breakthroughs in biology and the growth of biotechnology has been phenomenal in the last decade, especially with the most outstanding technological breakthrough of the 20^th century wherein the draft human genome sequence was completed in 2000 and now the genetic code is completely sequenced. This has provided the worlds scientific community information on the vast sequence and structure of the Genomes, the crystal structures and there is an increasing dependence on computational approaches. Biotechnology has emerged as a front-line area with vital significance in unraveling secrets of life, particularly in the studies of new biology and biotechnology. The genomic revolution has underscored the central role of Bioinformatics in understanding the very basic of life processes.

The term growth as applied to higher organisms such as animals commonly is concerned with increase in protoplasmic mass and does apply to reproduction or to increase in number. In microbiology the term refers to increase in the number of organisms. Bacteria increase in number by a process of simple binary fission. Each cell increase in size and redivide into two similar cells. Each of the divide cells may in turn divide to become two cells. Each division produces what is termed as new generation of cells, theoretically there are 2,4,8,16,32,64,128,256 cells in the 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,& 9th generation, this is known as logarithmic growth – the population doubles with each successive generation. Under favourable conditions, bacteria produce generation within 15min. Under unfavourable conditions 24 hours of more may be needed for each generation. Generation time for E.coli is 17 to 20 minutes.

INTRODUCTION

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food producing sector with annual growth rate of 10.34% and it play a very important role in improving the income generation as well as nutritional security of farmers in many developing countries including India. In the fresh water system, carps are the most widely cultured species throughout the country and carp culture in India is believed to be as old as carp culture in China. Although in early years, carp culture was largely restricted to the North-Eastern States of India, during the last four to five decades, it has spread to almost all parts. The traditional carp culture practice is rapidly transforming into scientific farming in several parts of India. Generally, carp culture in India is a polyculture of 3-6 species of major carps and exotic carps (Vijay Anand, 2019), namely, catla (Catla catla), rohu (Labeo rohita), mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala), silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Among six species, common carp (Cyprinus carpio) cultured in the composite fish farming system is potential species, which plays a vital role in the Inland Fish production especially for the North Eastern Hill states of India as the species has got high adaptability and tolerance towards high range of temperature and dissolved oxygen variation. The species is introduced to India in 1937 as the Prussian strain and in 1957 as the Bangkok strain. Due to their high food value, the farmers of the state have been culturing the fish in rice fields in monoculture or along with other species particularly in Apatani Plateau of Ziro area gaining an average weight 75g to 110g (Hussain et al., 2018).

The growth pole theory was developed by French regional economist, Francois Perroux, in 1955. He was concerned with the phenomenon of economic development and with the process of structural change. Growth pole is a central location of economic activity. It is an urban location where economic activity ignites growth and better quality of life in the urban periphery.

He attempted to explain how modern process of economic growth deviated from the stationary conception of equilibrium growth. His arguments were based on Schumpeter’s theories of the role of innovations and large scale firms.

In Schumpeter’s analysis, development occurs as a result of discontinuous spurts in a dynamic world. The cause of discontinuous spurts is the innovative entrepreneur whose activities take place in large-scale firms. These firms are able to dominate their environment in the sense of exercising reversible and partially reversible influences on other economic units by reason of their dimension and negotiating strength, and by the nature of their operations.

Scale of operations, dominance and impulses have close relationship to innovate. This is the most important feature of Perroux’s theory and leads to the concepts of dynamic propulsive firm and leading propulsive industry. The dynamic propulsive firm is relatively large and belongs to a relatively fast growing sector. It has a high ability to innovate and intensity of its interrelation with other sectors of the economy is important enough for the induced effects to be transmitted to them.

11.1 INTRODUCTION

Plant growth regulators have remained an important component in horticulture from time immemorial because they were effective means of quantitative as well as qualitative improvement in growth and development of crops. Plant Growth Regulators (PGR) are diverse group of organic compounds other than nutrients, produced artificially or by plants which in low concentrations promote, inhibit or modify the physiological process in plant. The term includes both naturally occurring phytohormones as well as synthetic compounds. These are produced naturally in higher plants, controlling growth or other physiological functions at a site remote from its place of production and active in minute amounts. Plant Growth Regulators are used in different forms like liquid, powder, paste etc. “Hormone” is Greek word derived from “hormao”, which means to stimulate. Thimone (1948) suggested the use of term ‘phytohormones’ as the organic substance, which are produced naturally in plants, synthesised in one Part And usually translocated to other part wherein every small quantity affects the growth and other physiological function of the plants. To distinguish them from the animal hormones they are termed as phytohormones. Auxin was the first hormone to be discovered in plants and at one time considered to be only naturally occurring plant growth hormone. The role of plant growth regulators in various physiological processes such as seed germination, f lowering, fruiting, seed development, fruit ripening and yield etc. in different crop plants is well established (Kiran et al., 2011). There are five classical phytohormones: auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene and abscisic acid. Besides classical phytohormones a variety of other compounds that play roles in plant growth and development have also been identified, including jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, brassinosteroids and polyamines (Basra, 2000). The application of plant growth regulators in agriculture has started in 1930 in the United States. Ethylene, a naturally occurring substance, is one of the first plant growth regulators being discovered and used successfully for enhancing f lower production in pineapple (Fishel, 2006). Its toxic effects to human beings are low.

Growth and differentiation are regulated by a group of organic compounds known as growth regulators. These growth regulators regulate growth not only at the organ level but also in the plant as a whole. They can be broadly defined as organic compounds synthesized in one part of a plant transported to another where at very low concentration they cause a physiological response.

There are five major groups of growth regulators, namely, the Auxins, Gibberellins, Cytokinins, Ethylene andAbscisic acid. Endogenously synthesized growth regulators are often referred to as plant growth hormones. However, a number of synthetic compounds eliciting similar response as that of the growth hormones have been identified and extensively used. These synthetic hormones effectively substitute the endogenous hormones to understand the basic mechanisms of hormones and also for commercial use.

If frost has hit an orchard during winters, it does not always imply that permanent loss has occurred. Plants do possess natural protective mechanisms due to which they survive the stress to a variable extent depending upon their nature and organ being exposed to the stress.

•    A corn plant requires a certain number of growing degree units (GDUs) to reach maturity, regardless of the number of calendar days it takes to accumulate.
•    The relationship of GDU accumulation and corn development, along with utilizing the estimated number of days to reach a certain growth stage, can help predict when important growth stages will occur.
•    Growth stages can be used to help growers make timely applications of herbicides and fungicides. The following information is on corn growth and development from emergence to R6 growth stage.
•    Corn growth stage development can vary according to corn maturity. An early maturing product may produce fewer leaves or develop through growth stages faster than a slower paced late maturing product. This is important to remember when staging corn in relation to accumulated GDUs.

Guar [Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.], internationally known as guar, is extremely drought hardy, deep rooted, summer annual legume of great economic and adaptive significance. Virtues of guar effectively match with low and erratic rainfall pattern and high ambient temperature habitats of arid regions. The crop may thrive very well in rainfall range of 250-450 mm with 3-4 spells, temperature range of 25-40°C, RH values of 50-65%, longer days with 8-9 hr sunshine, particularly at maturity. Guar is ideally suited to light to medium textured soils, with no water logging conditions. The crop tolerates less inputs and restricted after care, matching with the arid farmers’ livelihood conditions. It is grown for grain, vegetable, fodder, cattle feed and green manure purposes, mainly in rainfed habitats of Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and to some extent in Punjab and Madhya Pradesh. This crop has recently been introduced in non-traditional regions of Annantpur, Kadappa and Chittoor dry region of Andhra Pradesh. Only duringcurrent summer season of 2012, guar has been successfully cultivated with 4-5 irrigations in parts of Chattirgarh and Vidarbha and in non traditional summer seasons of Rajasthan. The cultivation in non-traditional regions and seasons have increased possibility of two crops in rainy and summer seasons. Even though, guar is cultivated on marginal lands, with marginal inputs in these regions, yet it has occupied the status of international, export oriented cash crop. The same has been due to presence of natural polysaccharide galactomannan gum content in seed endosperm. The gum content has wide industrial uses. Almost 80-85% guar gum produced in India is exported and rest is used for inland commercial demands. Of late, increasing demands of guar gum for USA alone to the tune of 5.0 lakh tonnes annually has led to sky rocketing prices resulting in economic benefit of Rs. 1.0 lakh to 1.5 lakh/ha in 90-100 days only. Hence, guar is rated as a source for providing livelihood security to arid farmers in practical reference. Relevant information on guar have been provided in this chapter.

Introduction

Seaweed, a diverse group of marine algae, thrives in a variety of aquatic environments across the world’s oceans. Found in both shallow coastal waters and deeper offshore regions, seaweed plays a crucial ecological role in marine ecosystems. It attaches itself to rocky substrates, sandy seabed, or even other marine organisms, utilizing the rich nutrients present in seawater for growth. Seaweed populations are influenced by factors such as water temperature, light availability, and nutrient levels.

Guava is one of the most common fruits grown widely throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Guava is hardy in nature, prolific bearing and highly remunerative even without much care (Mitra and Bose, 1990). Because of its excellent adaptability and exceptional performance in the tropics, it is regarded as the ‘apple of tropics’.

In India, guava is the fifth most important fruit crop in terms of area and production. It is cultivated over 1.51 lakh ha area with a total production of 18.0 lakh tones (Chadha, 2001). It is rich in pectin and used for jelly making. It is useful as table fruit and also for processing purpose.

It is known by different names viz., madhuri (Assamese), peyara (Bengali), phanas (Gujrati), amrood (Hindi), sebe (Kannad), soh-priya (Khasi-Meghalaya), komperam (Garo-Meghalaya), pera (Malayalam), peru (Marathi), pijuli (Oriya), amrud (Punjabi), koyya (Tamil) and jama (Telugu).

Guava (Psidium guajava. L), a highly nutritious fruit very popular as poor man’s apple. Guava belongs to the family Myrtaceae. Guava is native to tropical America and is found growing wild from Mexico to Peru. Spaniards introduced guava in Phillippinnes and the Portuguese in India. Besides India, it also grown in Sri Lanka, Hawaiian Islandsm and Cuba. Guava had been introduced in India by Portuguese in 17^th century, and ever since it is an important fruit crop of India. In many countries it has been spread by birds, where it has been naturalized long back. In India it is cultivated in the plains in almost all the states but the major guava growing states are Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Punjab, Karnatak, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Chhatisgarh.

Cultivars: Allahabad Safeda, Lucknow-49, Chittidar, Nagapur Seedless, Bangalore, Dharwar, Akra Mridula, Arka Amulya, Harijha, Hafshi, Allahabad Surkha CISHG1, CISH-G2, CISH-G-3, Harija, Baruipur, etc.

Uses

Guava fruit is relished when mature or ripe and freshly plucked from the tree. Excellent salad and pudding are prepared from the shell of the ripe fruit. Ripe and unripe juicy fruits are eaten fresh. The fruits after removal of seeds, are used for preparing jam, jelly, paste, juice and nectar. It is also canned in sugars syrup and made into fruit butter. In some countries, the leaves are used for treating diarrhea and also for dyeing and tanning.

Guava (Psidium guajava L) is an important fruit crop of India. It has gained considerable prominence on account of its high nutritive value, availability at moderate prices, pleasant aroma and good flavour. It is one of the commonest fruits liked by the rich and the poor and is popularly known as the ‘apple of tropics’. It is one of the hardiest fruit trees adaptable to a variety of soil and climatic conditions. It comes up well even under neglected conditions and in fact it is even considered sometime as a weed in Fiji and Hawaii. Guava fruit is relished when mature or ripe or when freshly plucked from the tree. It is also used for many commercial products like jelly, fruit butter, juice, etc.The guava is said to have originated from tropical America (Hayes, 1953). De Candolle (1904) stated that it originated in Mexico, while Purseglove (1968) opined that it originated in Brazil. It is widely distributed all over the equatorial regions of tropical and sub-tropical climate. It was introduced to India during the 17th Century. In Spanish, the tree is known as guayabo, or guayavo, the fruit guayaba or guyava. The French call it goyave or goyavier; the Dutch, guyaba, goeajaaba; the Surinamese, guave or goejaba; and the Portuguese, goiaba or goaibeira. Hawaiians call it guava or kuawa. In Guam it is abas. In Malaya, it is generally known either as guava or jambu batu, but has also numerous dialectal names as it does in India, tropical Africa and the Philippines where the name, bayabas, is often applied. Various tribal names–pichi, posh, enandi, etc., are employed among the Indians of Mexico and Central and South America.

Material balance data

Guava pulp : 5.00 kg

Amount of sugar added : 4.50 kg

Amount of glucose added : 500 gm

Amount of SMP added : 700 gm

Guava is a highly nutritious fruit with an impressive array of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. It’s nutritional profile makes it an excellent choice for maintaining a healthy diet. The high vitamin C content, in particular, contributes to its antioxidant properties, which can help boost the immune system and protect against various diseases. The fiber content aids digestion and promotes gastrointestinal health. Incorporating guava into your regular diet can be a flavorful and nutritious way to stay healthy. The Indian population adores the tropical delicacy known as guava (Psidium guajava). It thrives in both commercial and wild orchards throughout subtropical and tropical countries, and it comes in a wide variety of sizes, colours, and forms (i.e pomiforms and pyriforms). Guava is valued for its notable therapeutic properties in addition to its delicious taste. It has shown that both the fruit itself and guava leaf extracts have anti-carcinogenic properties. As a result, it has established itself as a strong rival in the world of anti-cancer fruits. In the field of cancer treatment, diet plays a crucial part in improving the wellbeing of patients receiving chemotherapy while also reducing the risk of cancer development. This remarkable plant has been embraced for its multifaceted attributes, including its antimicrobial, emmenagogue, anti-inflammatory, astringent, antispasmodic, and gastrointestinal advantages (Jiménez-Escrig et al., 2001).
In India, guava leaves have a special place in the world of Ayurveda. These leaves are useful for treating a range of medical disorders, including as toothaches, rheumatic diseases, digestive problems, skin wounds, and specific microbiological infections. Guava is used for its ability to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) and influenza infections throughout Southeast Asian countries. The leaves of this plant are used in Malaysia to treat diarrhoea, relieve stomach aches, and aid in placenta discharge after childbirth. Guava is used as an antibacterial, anti-diarrheal, and anti-diabetic agent in China (Daswani et al., 2017).

Guava is native to tropical America, commonly known as ‘Apple of Tropics’ and it has got much greater health benefits than apple, therefore, it is also known as ‘Poor man’s Apple’. It is widely grown in the tropics, enriching the diet of million of people in the world. Guava has spread widely throughout the world because it thrives in a variety of soils, propagated easily and bears fruit relatively quickly in comparison with other fruits. At the beginning of the 16th century the Portuguese introduced it throughout the Pacific as far as the Philippines and the Spanish took it to India. 

Spiralling whitefly : Aleurodicus dispersus : Aleyrodidae

A. dispersus originated from the tropical countries in Central and South America. More recently, it has been reported from Asia and Africa. In India, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu faces its problem. A. dispersus is a highly polyphagous species. Its wide host range includes many vegetable, ornamental and fruit crops, as well as numerous trees and shrubs, including Capsicum, Citrus, Cocos nucifera (coconut), Euphorbia pulcherrima (poinsettia), Glycine max (soybean), Hibiscus, Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato), Mangifera indica (mango), Musa (banana), Persea americana (avocado), Prunus spp., Psidium guajava (guava)and  Solanum melongena (brinjal) etc.

Genus : Psidium 
Species : guajava L.
Family : Myrtaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 22, 33

Guava (Psidium guajava) for its high adaptability to varied soil and climatic conditions along with plants hardy nature, in short period of time has naturalized so much to the Indian condition effectively that today it is a common backyard fruit in almost every house. The round topped plant with wide crotched branch and light green foliage has an added advantage as landscape plant. From horticulture perspective it is one of the most common fruits grown commercially in India and is ranked next to mango, banana and citrus in respect of area and production. Guava fruit is often referred to as apple of tropics probably as it is the only tropical fruit which matches the high nutritive values of more commercially important temperate fruit apple. In the present tropical fruit culture scenario guava is considered to be the precocious, most prolific and highly paying fruit crop and the horticulturist admire this specie as it is least

Origin and history: Guava (Amrud) is one of the most common fruits in India.  It is a very hardy sub-tropical plant and prolific bearer. In India, it is commonly called as “poor man’s apple” widely naturalized in the country. Allahabad has the reputation of growing the best guava in the country as well as in the world. Area wise guava comes under 4th position after Mango, Banana, Citrus, in India. Uttar Pradesh has the largest area fallowed by Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and West Bengal, however it is generally grown all over India and also grown in South Asia that is Srilanka, Myanmar and tropical and subtropical country. Beside Psidium guajava some other important species which are commercially grown for rootstock purpose that is :

Guava (Psidium guajava L.), belonging to family Myrtaceae, is cultivated and naturalized in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It occupies fifth place in area (0.15 million ha.) and fourth place in fruit production (1.80 million tonnes) in India. It has gained considerable prominence owing to its high nutritive value, availability at moderate price, a pleasant aroma and good flavour. Its fruits are used for both, fresh eating and processing. It excels most other fruit crops in productivity, hardiness, adaptability and vitamin C content. Besides its high nutritive value, it bears heavy crop every year and gives handsome economic return involving very little inputs. This has prompted several Indian farmers to take up guava cultivation on a commercial scale (Chadha, 2003). Guava trees are not difficult to grow and can survive in a range of soil and climatic conditions. However, precise management is required to produce a highly profitable crop.

Guava is the fifth most important fruit crop of India in area and production after mango, banana, citrus and papaya and also fifth most important fruit crop of India in area after mango, banana, citrus and apple (Anonymous, 2018). It is also called apple of tropics because it is sold at moderate prices. It is widely grown in different part of the tropics and subtropics. It is quite hardy, prolific bearer and highly remunerative crop which requires less care. Guava is an important fruit crop of India and has gained considerable importance because of its high nutritive value, availability at moderate price, a pleasant aroma and good flavour. Guava is one of the most common fruit liked alike by both the rich and the poor. Guava is a rich source of vitamin C and pectin. It is very rich and cheap source of vitamin C. The fruit is relished when mature or ripe and freshly plucked from the tree. It is also used for many preparations like jelly, cheese and juice.

Origin and Distribution

The world leading producer of Guava is India. It contributes 40.4% production of guava followed by china with 10.0% production. It is cultivated in India since early the 17^th century. Its origin is Tropical America. It has been spread throughout the tropics and subtropics. Guava is also cultivated in Israel but it is not common in the Mediterranean area and United States. However, Guava is growing widely in Southern Asia. It is cultivated in Ceylon at altitude of 1500 m and it also grown throughout Myanamar. In Florida, the first commercial guava planting was established around 1912 in Palma Sola. It is common throughout all warm areas of tropical America and in the West Indies (since 1526), the Bahamas, Bermuda and southern Florida where it was reportedly introduced in 1847 and was common over more than half the State by 1886. Apparently it did not arrive in Hawaii until the early 1800’s. Now it occurs throughout the Pacific islands. Generally, it is a home fruit tree or planted in small groves, except in India where it is a major commercial resource. In 1972, Hawaii processed, for domestic use and export, more than 2,500 tons (2,274 MT) of guavas, over 90% from wild trees. During the period of high demand in World War II, the wild guava crop in Cuba was said to be 10,000 tons (9,000 MT), and over 6,500 tons (6,000 MT) of guava products were exported. Brazil’s modern guava industry is based on seeds of an Australian selection grown in the botanical garden of the Sao Paulo Railway Company at Tatu.

Guava, Psidium guajava is one of the important fruits of tropical- sub-tropical regions of the world. It is a native of American tropics and probably originated from Peru north to Mexico and the Caribbean. The major producing countries include India, Brazil and Mexico, of which, Brazil is the largest producer of guava in the world. In India, it is grown over an area of over 2, 05,000 hectares with a production of 2.46 million metric tonnes. The fruit is rich in vitamin C and A. It is used both for processing and for table purpose world over. More than 80 insect pests have been reported to inflict varying degree of damage at different stages of crop growth. The important ones of these are discussed hereunder;

Guggul (Commiphora wightii Arnott.) commonly known as guggul, is a much branched shrub yielding gum-resin generally obtained by incision of the bark. Its plant is drought hardy and can  be grown in wasteland,  gravelly, desertic soils of arid parts of the country. This resin, normally referred as guggul, has been shown to have diverse medicinal properties like lowering of lipid activity anti-inflammatory  activity , diuretic, expectorant, diaphoretic  activity, etc (Atal et al.,1975). Its description and uses is mentioned in ancient literatures Ayurvedic treatise Charak (1000 B.C.), Sushruta Samhita (600B.C.). It has  a historical use in  folk medicine and today it ‘s highly commercially important target species .In the last few decades there has been  a sharp  decline in natural population of this species. There is hardly any commercial cultivation of this species. However, at Mangliavas near Ajmer in  Guggul Herbal Farm, more than 15,000 plants have been planted on the rocky site and the material  so  established  is being used for  research purpose on tapping of guggul and other related aspects.

Guidance and counselling help individuals understand themselves, address difficulties and make informed educational, vocational and personal decisions. This chapter introduces the meaning, principles, objectives, types and processes of guidance and counselling. It examines the qualities and responsibilities of counsellors, counselling relationships, communication skills and techniques used to assist children, adolescents, adults and families. The questions consider individual and group counselling, educational and career guidance, behavioural concerns, adjustment problems, mental well-being, confidentiality and ethical practice. They also assess learners’ understanding of assessment, referral and intervention. The chapter provides a concise revision resource for applying counselling principles within educational, family and community settings.

Introduction

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a global federation of national standards bodies. Its primary goal is to promote the development of standardization and related activities worldwide, thereby facilitating the international exchange of goods and services. Additionally, ISO focuses on fostering cooperation in intellectual, scientific, technological, and economic fields. The outcomes of ISO’s technical work are published as International Standards.

ISO 9000 The

ISO 9000 family of standards represents an international consensus on good management practices, aiming to ensure that organizations consistently deliver products or services that meet clients’ quality requirements. These practices are condensed into standardized requirements for a quality management system, applicable regardless of the organization’s nature, size, or whether it operates in the private or public sector. The ISO 9000 standards family includes:

1. Introduction

Organic farming is gaining a lot of importance in recent years owing to raising awareness among the consumers of the agricultural commodities about the health concerns of the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides (Anonymous 2015; Lakhsman et al., 2024). The increasing demand for organically produced agricultural commodities and the premier prices have attracted the farmers’ interest and motivated them to switch over to organic production systems. The shifting to organic farming by the farmers needs careful consideration of several issues starting from the suitability of soils, selection of crops, adoption of package of practices, processing, storage and marketing. There are several finer aspects which the farmers have to gloss over before they decide to change their production system to organic farming. Although the broad contours are known to all the farmers, there is a need to look into the research findings in the areas of farmers’ interest for changing over to organic farming. The research evidence on the practical viability in a newer area will boost the confidence of the farming community for undertaking the organic farming. It further helps in systematic planning by the policy makers. The traditional research carried out with the modern agricultural practices may not be appropriate for organic farming. There are fundamental differences in the approaches followed in the organic farming research where the emphasis is on using all the natural resources in a complementary way so that there is hardly any need for synthetic inputs in the form of fertilizers and pesticides. It calls for systematic inventorization of resources available and additional organic inputs needed to make organic farming successful. It begins with assessing the suitability of soils, agro-climatic conditions, selection of crops, adoption of management practices, harvesting, processing, storage and marketing of organically-produced food commodities. The practical feasibility, economic viability and social acceptability of organic farming in newer areas need to be established through sound organic farming research before it is taken to the farming community.

Introduction
For setting up a fruit processing plant, the following cost and non-cost factors affecting the plant’s location are considered. Cost factors include raw material cost, transportation cost, cost of land, building and machinery, utilities cost, taxes, and insurance costs. At the same time, non-cost factors consisting of wages, salaries and incentives, market potential, community attitude, cost regulation, quality of life (school, living, recreation for workers, etc.), and environmental impact are taken into consideration. The main objective for the selection of the site for the processing unit is to minimize the sum of all costs. To minimize the cost, one should think not only the today’s costs but about long-term costs as well.
Plant Layout
The advantages of good plant layout are: -
i. Saving in floor space
ii. Increased output
iii. Fewer production delays
iv. Reduced material handling cost
v. Greater utilization of machine and manpower
vi. Easier and better supervision
vii. Less congestion and confusion
viii. Better appearance and more sanitary condition of work areas
ix. Reduced risk to the health and safety of employees

In India, the procurement and disposal of food grains are governed by several guidelines to ensure food security and fair market practices. Procurement is typically managed by government agencies like the Food Corporation of India (FCI), which purchases grains directly from farmers at minimum support prices (MSP) to stabilize market prices. Farmers are encouraged to sell their produce through designated government procurement centers, ensuring fair prices.
The quality of food grains is a key consideration in procurement. Grains are tested for moisture content, cleanliness, and pest infestation before being accepted. Once procured, the grains are stored in government warehouses, with regular inspections to prevent spoilage and pest damage. For disposal, food grains are distributed through public distribution systems (PDS) to ensure availability to consumers at subsidized rates. Any surplus grains may be sold in open markets, or occasionally exported, to maintain a balance in supply and demand. Effective management ensures food security and minimizes wastage.
PROCUREMENT POLICY OF WHEAT AND RICE
State Government agencies and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) are responsible for purchasing wheat and paddy within the designated period, ensuring that the products meet the prescribed Fair Average Quality (FAQ) specifications and are procured at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the Central Pool. This procurement supports the distribution of food under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and other welfare schemes (OWS).
The Government of India (GoI), in consultation with State Governments and FCI, finalizes procurement estimates for wheat and paddy before each marketing season. These estimates are based on anticipated production, marketable surplus, and the agricultural crop pattern. The procurement of paddy and wheat is carried out under both the Decentralized Procurement System (DCP) and the Non-DCP system.

11.1 Planning

• Upon receipt of production program verify that crop sowing dates fall into crop windows identified for the particular area and allot accordingly. Check the quality of lots produced in previous season, if available.
• Assign crop location (Open field, Green house, Insect Proof Net / Cage etc) according to crop needs, site conditions and degree to which these conditions can be manipulated efficiently to meet the crop needs. Always adhere to optimum crop conditions.
• Identify material and personnel needs based on the production program and coordinate timely arrival of both. Material and personnel must meet standards established by the production site.
• Identify material quality like A, B, D (First, Second and Dirty) based on the specs.
• Refer standard procedures or formulate some of them. Do not proceed if proper documentation does not exist.
• Plan training for laborers regarding crossing, flower morphology, anthesis, time of stigma receptivity etc.

1 Introduction

The purpose of these Guidelines on Audit Quality is to assist Supreme Audit Institutions assure the high quality of their work and the resulting products. This Section describes the background of the document, provides key definitions applicable to these guidelines, discusses the types of SAIs and audits to which the guidelines apply, lays out the form in which the guidelines are presented and identifies some other sources of useful guidance for assuring quality. Section 2 then deals with quality control as the “hot review” ofthe audit process. Subsections 2.1 — 2.6 set forth some basic premises for establishing effective quality controls, discuss the nature of the controls required to assure quality in the areas of selection and timing of audits, planning specific audits, executing audits, reporting the results of audits, and following up on audits, respectively. Section 3 describes the procedures necessary to assure that needed quality controls are in place and operating effectively, that is it presents the characteristics of post-audit quality assurance. Finally, Section 4 focuses on institutional measures to enhance quality, especially management of human resources (recruitment, training, staff development and ethical standards), institutional risks and external relations. The Annexes provide other information that was considered potentially useful, including reference material, checklists and excerpts regarding quality controls from other guidance documents. The list of reference documents is contained in Annex A.

Audit quality is obtained by a process of identifying and administering the activities needed to achieve the quality objectives of an SAI. All types of SAI need to understand the benefits that can be realised once audit quality is made a priority. Improving audit quality requires a systematic SAI- wide approach. Piecemeal efforts by individuals and individual audit teams are not enough and will not work. There are no quick fixes to be obtained where audit quality is concerned. SAIs needs to proceed methodically in an organised way to fix each quality issue and problem in turn. As new problems will always emerge, this should be a continuous process for the SAI. It is also evident that most audit quality related problems are mainly the result ofpoor management of the audit process or the SAI itself.

Introduction

The present world wide situation of food items calls for a broad range of poultry alternatives to meet increasing demand of quality protein. Besides, complication involved in managing chicken, emergence of new diseases, increase in feed cost and increasing demand of poultry meat bound us to search for alternative species of poultry. In this circumstance rearing of Guinea fowl framed for centuries to meet poultry production requirements of diversified agricultural milieu. The traditionally reared Guinea fowl could become a significant source of food and also a source for substantial supplement income.

History
 
Guinea fowl a bird of West African origin came to India during mediaeval age. Now guinea fowl are being raised in the districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh and in some parts of Tamilnadu. The birds are very popular with marginal farmers and poor classes and are being largely kept as foragers and insectivorous under semi-range and range conditions.

Introduction

Guinea fowl has been domesticated in the recent past as a meat producing birds. Guinea fowl species are found across sub Saharan Africa. Guinea fowls found fairly in large numbers in wild type. Guinea fowl is from the family Numididae in the order Galliformes. They are endemic to Africa and rank among the oldest of the gallinaceous birds. Guinea fowls are hardy, sociable in habit, move in flock and thrive well in tropical as well as in temperate climates. They survive well even under the subsistence agriculture through scavenging. Guinea fowls are resistant to some of the diseases which may fatal to chicken. Guinea fowl meat is tender but slightly darker than that of chicken. Its special gamey flavor makes it a special table delicacy. Guinea fowl meat is drier and leaner than chicken meat and has a gamy flavor. They have marginally more protein than chicken or turkey roughly half the fat of chicken and slightly fewer calories per gram. Their eggs are substantially richer than those of chicken.

Guinea fowl are the insect and seed eating, ground nesting birds with featherless head. Under natural condition, they are monogamous in nature. Wild guinea fowl are strong flyer. Their breast muscle are dark, enabling them to sustain themselves in flight for considerable distances if hard situation. Guinea fowl hens are not known for good mother, but in the wild the guinea fowl cock may help the young keets during the day by keeping them worm and finding feed. Sometime more than one cock will help to raise the young.

Gujarat grows more than half a dozen pulse crops on  7.84 lakh hectares  area with an annual production  of 6.09 lakh tonnes and a productivity of 777 kg/ha. Amongst these, pigeonpea, chickpea, greengram, blackgram, cowpea, mothbean and clusterbean are the important pulse crops grown in the state. Mothbean, greengram and clusterbean are the predominant pulse crops grown in arid region of North Gujarat, though other pulses are also grown on a sizable area. Despite this distinction of being the largest producer, the availability of pulses is far from satisfactory which is evident from the fact that per capita availability has not kept pace with the population increase and has declined to merely 28 g/capita/day as against the mandated minimum and optimum quantity of 80 and 104 g/capita/day, respectively, as per WHO standards. As a result, with 11 per cent of the world’s import, it is also the largest importer of pulses.

Gullies convey runoff and sediment from upstream catchments, but uncontrolled flow enlarges their beds and banks, removes productive land, and may ultimately create ravines. Their development depends on rainfall intensity, runoff volume, catchment size, land use, soil properties, topography, and channel characteristics. Effective treatment requires reducing runoff generation, diverting excess water where appropriate, stabilizing the gully, and restoring vegetation. This chapter presents the principles of gully control and classifies interventions into upstream and downstream measures. It discusses agronomic practices, diversion structures, check dams, drop structures, chute spillways, bank protection, revegetation, and maintenance requirements for safely controlling water velocity, erosion, and sediment transport.

The plant gums are the neutral salts and complex polysaccharide acids which contain methyl pentose, pentose, hexose and uronic acid residues joined glycosidically by linkages involving various carbon atoms within one molecule to form branched chain structure. Uronic acid is generally present in all cases. The sugars include L-fructose, D-xylose, L-arabinose, D-rhamnose, and D-galactose.

General Properties of Gums

They have high molecular weight. Some are linear while some are branched. They are generally viscous in nature. Some forms a gel also. They have tremendous commercial application in food industry. Gums may be an exudates gum produced by the plant or may be a seed gum, which is accumulated during the seed maturity. Gums of polysaccharide origin are obtained from Acacia spp. (gum Arabic), Cymopsis tetragonolobus (guar gum), Guggle gum, Ficus indica, chia gum etc (Table 7.1).

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

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

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

Introduction

Improvement of growth rate and feed efficiency through formulating effective diets are mostly considered for its effect on gut health. Several factors need to be well thought-out such as genetic makeup of the birds, feed source and quality, environmental condition and disease incidence. Apart from these factors, maintenance a good gut ecosystem or enhancement of it is essential for the welfare, optimum performances and productivity of birds. 

21.1. Origin and distribution

• Native to tropical Asia and China

• Widely growing in tropics of Africa, Asia and Malaysia.

• In India, it is grown in forests of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Bihar.

• Due to raising demand in South East Asia, plant is endangered particularly in Tamil Nadu.

21.2. Economic importance

• Madhunashini - Important medicinal climber acclaimed for its anti-diabetic properties.

• Preparations - Profound actions on the modulating taste suppressing sweet taste sensations.

Key Points

• In dairy cows, anestrus is a prevalent reproductive condition.

• In dairy farm animals, infertility, pyometra, and repeat breeder cows are the main reproductive syndromes.

Introduction

Farm animals have been raised and chosen specifically for the production of meat and dairy over the years. The livestock business suffers significant f inancial losses as a result of farm animal infertility. If the open span is extended by one estrous cycle as a result of infertility, this explains the 20–25 day loss of output in addition to the expense of treatment, missed work, etc. Farm animals can become infertile for a variety of reasons, including nutritional deficiencies, physiological disorders, and viral infections. These factors can act alone or in concert.

Introduction

Climate change and pollution are the two major concerns that retard growth in animal sector particularly in a developing country like India. Pollution is directly contributed by human beings, while the former is also an after effect of continuous abuse of nature and natural resources. Hence these two areas are to be looked into seriously for country’s growth in general and animal production in particular.

Stress Effect

Stress is nothing but inability of an animal to cope with its environment, a phenomenon that is often ends up with a failure to achieve the full genetic potential. Stress may be from any origin and can even be a disease itself. There exists a variety of endocrine regulatory points of stress which limits the efficiency of production and reproduction. A simple transport produces an immediate constant increase in arginine, vasopressin and corticotrophinreleasing hormone secretion in animals. However, adenocorticotrophic hormone reaches a maximum in the first hour, while cortisol is highest during the second hour. Contrastingly, the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal response is delayed occurring only after glucose decreases below a threshold in an insulin treated animal. Negative feedback effects appear to operate mainly at the pituitary level during transport but at the hypothalamus during hypoglycaemia.