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Introduction Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) belongs to the family Cruciferae or Brassicaceae having chromosome number 2n=18. ‘Cole wart,’ a wild non-heading variety of Brassica oleracea var. sylvestris, is the ancestor of cabbage. The majority of the 100 species that make up the genus Brassica are indigenous to the Mediterranean region. It is also believed that Germany is where the true-headed cabbage originated. Currently, mostly cabbage is grown in the country like Caribbean, Indonesia, Malaysia, Central Asia, and Western and Eastern America.The third-largest producer of cabbage worldwide is India. The majority of the nation’s states where it is grown include UP, Orissa, Bihar, Assam, WB, MH, and Karnataka. Annually in India, cabbage was produced around in the area of 418 thousand hectares and production of 9.72 million metric tons with the productivity of 22.7MT/hectares (NHB, 2021-22). The other main producers in the globe, in addition to India, are China, Russia, Japan, Korea, the USA, Indonesia, and Ukraine.

Vegetables belonging to the family Brassicaceae (Syn: Cruciferae) are known as Cole crops. These are the most widely grown vegetables in temperate and sub-tropical zones. The word ‘Cole’ comes from abbreviation of word ‘caulis’ meaning stem. Cole crops are a group of highly differentiated plants originated from a wild plant Brassica oleracea var. oleracea (=B. sylvestris L.) commonly known as “Wild cliff cabbage” or “colewort”, through mutation, human selection or adaptation. Cole crops include cabbage, cauliflower, knol khol, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, sprouting broccoli, kale etc. of which cabbage and cauliflower are the most popular and widely grown.

Mediterranean region is the centre of origin of Cole crops. From there, it spread to Europe and other temperate and sub-tropical regions. Cabbage, knol khol and curly kale were the first known cultivated types. Cauliflower became widely known in the 18^th century and Brussels sprouts in 19^th century. In the thirties of 20^th century, sprouting broccoli started cultivation particularly in the USA.

Linnaeus in 1753 included all forms of Cole crops in one species, Brassica oleracea. Later the works of many, including Neuwhof (1969) resulted in putting them into different forms as given below:

B. oleracea var. capitata L. - Cabbage

Vegetables belonging to the family Brassicaceae (Syn: Cruciferae) are known as Cole crops.  These are the most widely grown vegetables in temperate and sub-tropical zones.  The word ‘Cole’ comes from abbreviation of word ‘caulis’ meaning stem.  Cole crops are a group of highly differentiated plants originated from a wild plant Brassica oleracea var. oleracea (=B. sylvestris L.) commonly known as “Wild cliff cabbage” or “colewort”, through mutation, human selection or adaptation. Cole crops include cabbage, cauliflower, knol khol, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, sprouting broccoli, kale etc. of which cabbage and cauliflower are the most popular and widely grown.

Improved Varieties of Cole Crops

A. CAULIFLOWER

Cole crops refers to vegetable crops originated from a common ancestor, colewort or wild cliff cabbage (B. oleraceae var oleraceae or Brassica sylvestris L.) and they belong to family Brassicaceae. They prefer low temperature for growth and development hence mainly grown as temperate vegetables in temperate and subtropical climatic zones. This group of vegetable includes cabbage, cauliflower, knol khol, brussels sprout, sprouting broccoli, kale, Chinese cabbage etc. They are Mediterranean vegetables since its centre of origin is considered to be Mediterranean region. Later on, it spread into different parts of the temperate and subtropical countries. In India, cultivation of cole crops was started in the hills where temperate climate prevails and in states like Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Karnataka as cool season crop. But with the introduction of tropical types which are more tolerant to high temperature cultivation, cole crops are taking new pace in the cropping system of nontraditional areas. Cabbage and cauliflower became the most widely grown cole crops though cabbage, knol khol and curly kale were the first cultivated types and cauliflower came in the mid-way followed by brussels sprout and sprouting broccoli. The genetic designation of different vegetables under cole crops were described by several workers of which Linnaeus (1753) designated all the cole crops under one species, Brassica oleraceae and in 1969, Neuwhof classified them into different forms as B oleracea var capitata L. (cabbage); B oleracea var botrytis L. (cauliflower); B oleracea var gemmifera DC. (Brussels sprout); B oleracea var italica L. (sprouting broccoli); B oleracea var gongyloides L. (knol khol) and B oleracea var acephala DC. (kale).

Cole crops are usually biennial herbs with tap root system and erect stem. They are highly cross-pollinated and temperature sensitive for the production of head and curd. They are classified as early, mid and late varieties based on the temperature requirement and duration. Among this, early varieties are found to be high temperature tolerant and late varieties are low temperature tolerant. The flowering in cole crops requires a chilling temperature of 4-70C for about 6 8 weeks which transforms the juvenile phase into reproductive stage with exceptions of some early varieties of cauliflower and sprouting broccoli. Upon receiving the chilling temperature, the central stalk will develop into reproductive shoot or multiple reproductive shoots will be formed from the curd. The earlier is seen in cabbage, brussels sprout and kale whereas, the latter in cauliflower and sprouting broccoli. The seed production of cole crops belonging to temperate groups are mostly undertaken in temperate hills especially in the hills of Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh whereas, seeds of tropical types are produced in plains and lower hills of India.

Cole crops are a group of vegetables belonging to the family Brassicaceae (Syn: Cruciferae) and include cabbage, cauliflower, knoll khol, kale, Brussel sprouts, sprouting broccoli, etc. Cole crops are found spread all over Europe from the Mediterranean region, which is supposed to be the centre of origin. In the ancient Egyptian and Asian civilization, there was mention of cole crops and also by Aristotle in his writings on ‘Enquiry into plants’ there was mention about three types of coles. It is believed that it was first collected for food at the beginning of Neolithic times before being cultivated, and the cultivated forms of cabbage group like, cabbage, savoy, kales, collard, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kohlrabi gradually originated from wild species through mutation, human selection and adaptation.

Among the cole crops in India cauliflower and cabbage are the two most important crops while Kohlrabi is grown very less. In India it is cultivated in states of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Punjab and Haryana. It is also grown in milder climates in southern India like Ooty, Bangalore, etc.

3.1. Cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.f. alba)

Cabbage, Brassica oleracea Linne (Capitata Group) is a popular vegetable belonging to the family Brassicaceae (or Cruciferae) and is used as a leafy green vegetable. It is in the same genus as the turnip – Brassica rapa. Cabbage leaves often have a delicate, powdery, waxy coating called bloom. The occasionally sharp or bitter taste of cabbage is due to glucosinolate(s). Cabbages are also a good source of riboflavin.

In India cabbage is widely grown in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Cultivars/Varieties: Cabbage cultivars are classified on the basis of colour of head and maturity. In India white cabbage is important and these are available in pointed, round and flat shapes. Of these round cabbages are preferred. Common cabbage varieties grown are Golden Acre, Pride of India, Copenhagen Market, Red Acre, Pusa Drum Head, Pride of India, Pusa Agethi, Pusa Muktha, KGMR-1, Kateri, Hardam and Nakshatra.

Cabbage

Genetic Resources

Historical evidences indicates that modern hard-headed cabbage cultivars are descended from wild non-heading Brassica originating in the Eastern Mediterranean and in Asia Minor. The ancient Greeks held these early forms of cabbage in high regard and believed that they were a gift from the God. The Clelts and, the Romans disseminated cabbage throughout Europe. In fact, the Latin name Brassica is derived from the Celtic word bresi meaning cabbage. Over a period of centuries, hard-headed cabbage types evolved in northern Europe, while loose-heading, heat resistant types developed further in South. Cabbage was first introduced USA when the French explorer Jacques Cartier planted seed in Canada on his voyage in 1541. Cabbage is grown for the thickened main bud called head. The Portuguese introduced cabbage much earlier than cauliflower. There are reports that it was also grown during the Mughal period. In India, much varieties of cabbage are not available. However, genetic resources of cabbage for high yield and resistance to biotic stress are given in Table1.

ABSTRACT

Drug discovery is the process to identify the active ingredients from traditional remedies as new candidate for medications. It involves the sources, identification of screening hits, medicinal chemistry and optimization of those hits to increase the affinity, potency, reduce the potential of side effects, increase the half life and oral bioavailability followed by clinical trials. While studying and screening the plant resourses of Himalaya, Colebrookea oppositifolia Sm. is identified as an important Heptoprotective Phytopharma plant. This is an important Indian medicinal plant of the family lamiaceae endemic to the Southeast Asia. The active ingredients of this species possess antimicrobial, antifungal and antioxidant properties as evident from experimentation which may be due to the high content of flavonoids and polyphenols as a major chemical constituents. In Ayurvedic traditional system of medicine, leaves of C. oppositifolia is used for the treatment of wounds and fractures, where as roots helps in curing epilepsy. Chemical investigations on the petroleum ether extract of the leavesof C.oppositifolia, some active molecules suchasn-triacontane, acetyl alcohol, 32-hydroxydotriacontyl ferulate, β-sitosterol and 5,6,7,42 -tetramethoxy flavones have been identified which has hepatoprotective properties as evident from biological investigation. Structures of these compounds were interpreted on the basis of spectral (IR, NMR, MS) data. While studying acute toxicity of these bioactive ingredients, the species can be classified as category V as per GHS of OECD test guidelines and principles of GLP. In the present communication, an attempt has been made to provide scientific data on biology, natural products, constituents of volatile oils, salient markers, medicinal chemistry, results showing hepatoprotective activity and future direction for research to be carried out on this plant species. It also provide data on lyophilized extract or at least one bioactive fraction obtained from leaves of C. oppositifolia and treatment of liver toxicity caused by the conditions hepatoprotective against alcohol induced and tetrachloride (CCl₄) models. The presented data will be helpful in future for drug discovery.

Coleus, commonly known as Chinese potato, is a minor tuber crop of the tropical regions of India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Africa. It is considered as a native of India , where its cultivation is mostly confined to the southern states. In Kerala, it is commonly known as koorka or cheevakizhangu. In Malaysia it is called ubi kemili, kentang kechil, kembili and kumbili java. It is also known as hausa potato, Sudan-potato, country potato, fra-fra potato, fra-fra-salanga, ratala, pomme de terre du Soudan, hausakartoffel, innala, saluga, tumuku and fabirama. 

Nutritive status
The nutritive status of this crop compares favourably with many of the major tuber crops.  Coleus tuber, with its characteristic  flavour has a special preference among consumers. Compared to other tuber crops, it fetches premium price in the market, although it is known as poor man’s potato. The tubers are used for the preparation of various delicious side dishes. Reliable data on area and production of this crop are not available. Despite the high market price and consumer preference, it is not available throughout the year.

Lace wing bug: Monantha globulifera : Tingidae

Eggs are inserted slantingly into leaves and other tender foliage.  Black spiny nymphs and lace winged adults suck the sap from leaves. Attacked leaves develop yellow patches become brown, shrivel and dry up in severe cases.

Leaf feeder : Helicoverpa armigera : Noctuidae

The female moth lays eggs on tender foliage. Young larva feeds on tender foliage and starts infesting the older ones in later instars. A single caterpillar can destroy many leaves

Varieties: No named variety

Soil: Red sandy soil and sandy loam soil are highly suitable. Soil drainage is essential and hard pan and water logged soils should be avoided.

Climate: Suitable for plain and lower hills. Requires 70 cm annual rain fall

Propagation: Terminal three to four nodal cuttings measuring 10 cm length is used

Land Preparation: Apply 15 t FYM/ha. Ridges are formed at a spacing of 60 cm. Cuttings have to be planted at a spacing of 45 cm.

Nutrient management: Nutrients Quantity (kg / ha) N 30 P 60 K 50 The above nutrients can be applied in two split doses viz., 30 and 45 days after planting. In micronutrient deficient soils, ZnSO4 can be applied as basal fertilizer.

3.1. Origin and distribution

• Native of South East Asia

• Distributed all over tropical and sub-tropical regions of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, tropical east Africa, Brazil.

• In India, sub-tropical Himalayan regions from Kumaon to Nepal.

• Cultivated in parts of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

3.2. Economic importance

• Dried roots - rich source of forskholin (Coleonol) (0.10 to 0.80%)

• Used for treating hypertension, glaucoma, asthma, congestive heart failures and certain types of cancer.

• Tuberous roots, resembles carrot in shape and brown in colour - commercial part.

• Useful against cholesterol and activating the cardio vascular system

Coleus (Solenostemon spp), commonly known ‘Painted Nettles’ / ‘Flame Nettles’ is a genus native to tropical Africa and Asia. They are best known for their stunning foliage in various colours, patterns and texture. Flowers though available in different colours, are unable to create substantial effect being inconspicuous. The group includes herbaceous, semi-herbaceous annuals and perennials. They are grown in beds, pots, hanging baskets and many other ways as per season and climate. In tropical and sub-tropical climate, Coleus is grown during mild period (October to March). However, there are perennial species also which are grown round the year.

The ornamental effects exhibited by Coleus particularly in tropical climate are no way less than other flowering plants grown during that season. The popularity of coleus, therefore, is huge and exclusively used in Indian gardens.

Introduction

Escherichia coli (E. coli) infections are responsible for significant economic losses to the poultry industry, worldwide. Disease conditions caused purely or partly by E. coli are as under:

Synonyms: Calf scour, white diarrhea, septicaemia of calves

Colibacillosis is one of the important diseases in new born calves, piglets, lambs and foals caused by E. coli and characterized by marked postration, profuse diarrhea and septicaemia.

Etiology: Colibacillosis is associated with pathogenic serotypes of E. coli. Certain serotypes cause diarrhea and others cause septicaemia.

(a)  Enterotoxigenic E. coli: is the most common enteropathogen that causes diarrhea in new born farm animals. It causes bacteria by adhering to, colonizing and producing enterotoxins in the small intestine. They are not invasive. The enterotoxins produced by E. coli are of two types: heat stable (ST) and heat labile (LT).

(b)  Enteropathogenic E. coli: they attach tightly to the epithelial cells of the villus of small intestine. They do not produce toxins and seldom invade the intestine.

(c)  Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli: They are Shiga toxin or verotoxin producing strains of E. coli. They are not an important cause of diarrhea in farm animals but some produce diarrhea in calves. E. coli O157:H7, one of the important enterohaemorrhagic E. coli strains cause a broad range of clinical disease in humans including diarrhea in humans and haemorrhagic colitis and highly fatal haemolytic-uremic syndrome in children. 195

Colic is a general term that implies abdominal pain and is one of the major causes of death in animals including elephants, camelids etc.

Q.1.    Enumerate the etiological agents responsible for Coliform mastitis.
    Ans.    Different serotypes of E. coli, Klebsiella sp. and Enterobacter aerogens.

Q.2.    What is the primary reservoir of Coliform mastitis?
    Ans.    Primary reservoir of Coliform is the dairy cow’s environment as it is an environmental pathogen, however, infected mammary gland acts as reservoir of Coliform mastitis

Q.3.    What is the important factors of E. coli that affect the normal bactericidal activity of leukocytes?
    Ans.    Lipopolysaccharide-endotoxin, somatic and capsular factors. Similarly, fibronectin binding property of E. coli is also an important virulence factor which help to adhere to ductular epithelium.

Introduction
Sustainability, in its truest sense, requires a multifaceted approach where various sectorsgovernment, private industry, civil society, academia, and individualswork together to address complex and interconnected global challenges. Collaboration across sectors is desirable and essential to meet the diverse and far-reaching objectives outlined in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The global challenges of climate change, resource depletion, biodiversity loss, and social inequalities cannot be addressed by isolated efforts from any single entity; they require concerted action across multiple domains. This collaboration hinges on a collective recognition of sustainability as a shared responsibility that transcends traditional boundaries, promoting the integration of diverse perspectives and expertise to develop more holistic and effective solutions.

1. Prelude

Indian agriculture has experienced spectacular changes in the recent period, manifesting large-scale commercialization and diversification. They broadly include cultivation of new crops and varieties, increase in the share of area under cash crops, large scale spread of livestock activities and fisheries, pursuance of high tech in the areas of aquaculture, bio-technology, horticulture, processing etc. India currently is the second largest food producer. If we look critically the resources available with the country we can say it has the potential to be the world’s number one producing over 600 million tons of food products.

Biometric observations

The phenological stages i.e. germination, tasseling, silking, and physiological maturity were recorded from fixed mid three rows of each plot. A particular stage was supposed to be completed while 90% of the observed plant showed the characteristics of that phase and number of days was counted from date of sowing.

Days to emergence (DOE)
 
When the plant shoot pokes through the soil surface. Count the 75% seedlings emerged from at least 50% of the total rows starting from the centre. If 75% of the total expected seedlings emerged, then can be considered as 75% emergence. How the growth stages of maize are distinguished can be observed from the chart below.