eChapters

7.1 Introduction
The preceding chapters have detailed the myriad ways in which meteorological data is collected, from direct in situ observations to various ground-based and space-borne remote sensing platforms. We have also explored the crucial aspects of data formatting, storage, and retrieval, recognizing the immense volume and diversity of atmospheric information. However, the journey from raw measurement to actionable insight is not complete without a critical intermediate step: data quality control (QC) and preprocessing. No observational system, regardless of its sophistication, is entirely free from errors, biases, or inconsistencies. Sensors can drift, communication links can suffer interference, environmental factors can contaminate readings, and automated systems can malfunction. Consequently, raw meteorological data often contains spurious values, missing records, or systematic biases that, if left unaddressed, can severely compromise the accuracy of weather forecasts, the reliability of climate analyses, and the validity of scientific research.
This chapter will delve into the essential processes of quality control, which involves rigorously identifying, flagging, and, where appropriate, correcting or removing erroneous data points. We will explore various automated and manual techniques employed to ensure the integrity and reliability of meteorological observations. Furthermore, we will examine preprocessing steps, which prepare the quality-controlled data for its intended use, including tasks such as unit conversions, interpolation to common grids, and handling of missing values. By understanding the meticulous procedures involved in data
quality control and preprocessing, we gain a profound appreciation for how raw atmospheric signals are transformed into the trustworthy information that underpins all of modern meteorology.

Meteorology is not merely the study of weather patterns; it is a critical science that intersects agriculture and allied sectors in numerous ways. In a world where food security is intimately tied to climatic variability, understanding the basic principles of meteorology is essential for both traditional farming practices and modern integrated food production systems. This chapter explores the foundational concepts of weather and climate, examines the atmospheric dynamics that directly impact agricultural systems, and contrasts historical meteorological practices with modern forecasting approaches. By delving into these topics, we can better appreciate how the environment influences agricultural productivity and how innovative meteorological tools can improve decision-making in the food production chain. Weather describes the state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place. It is the sum of short-term atmospheric conditions such as temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind, and visibility. In contrast, climate refers to the long-term average of weather patterns over a period of decades or more. Understanding this distinction is crucial for agriculture, as farmers and allied sector professionals must respond to immediate weather events (such as sudden frost or heavy rainfall) while also adapting to long-term climatic trends (like gradual temperature increases or shifting precipitation patterns).

Meteorological hazards are severe and extreme weather and climate events that occur in all parts of the world, although some regions are more vulnerable to certain hazards than others. Meteorological hazards include cyclones, droughts, floods, hurricanes, hailstorms, heat waves and tornadoes. The hazard is distinguished from an extreme event and a disaster. An extreme event is simply an unusual event; it does not necessarily cause harm. A disaster is an event that does cause harm in significant amounts. Meteorological hazards are often called as natural hazards. The natural hazards become natural disasters when people’s lives and livelihoods are destroyed.

Hydrological hazards are the result of either excess or a severe lack of water, i.e., flood or drought. Hydrometeorological hazard is a process or phenomenon of atmospheric, hydrological or oceanographic nature that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage. Human and material losses caused by natural disasters are a major obstacle to sustainable development. By issuing accurate forecasts and warnings in a form that is readily understood and by educating people about how to prepare against such hazards, before they become disasters, lives and property can be protected.

According to “Artha-sastra”, first book on Governance, Agriculture, cattle breeding and trade, world?s first meteorological Instrument, a “Rain Gauge”, apparently a circular vessel with 20 fingers equivalent width and 8 fingers equivalent depth were installed by Kautilya (Chanakya) during 350-281BC throughout the Mauryan empire (Rainfall measurement:: 1 adhaka = 12mm, I drona = 40 to 50 mm). He is the first person to identify country?s economy depends on Rainfall. Good yield of rain-fed crop requires rainfall of 16 dronas was essential and 4 dronas rainfall is sufficient, also identified rainy season July to December wherein 2/3 annual rainfall receives during Mid-August to October end, now as per IMD norms Southwest monsoon season. He also identified his empire consists of FOUR CLIMATIC zones Tundra/Tropical Rain forest/Semiarid and Arid zones. With the modern seafarers, Columbus (1451-1506) Americus Vespucius (1454-1512) Italian Explorers, James Cook (1728-1779), British Explorer, Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1529), Vasco-de-gama (14601524) Portuguese Explorer and other Navigators of 15th to 18th Century faced severe cyclonic storm and rough weather over high sea felt the need of Meteorological and Navigational equipments. Inventions of modern day instruments started. For Navigators, Quadrant, Mariners Campus (dry), Sand glasses for time measurement (800-900AD) and accurate mechanical Watch (1759) were invented. From the term “NAVAGATHI”, modern term of “NAVIGATION” born. With the introduction of Hot air balloon flight in 18th Century, Air flights (after 1903) our knowledge of weather of upper levels of the atmosphere – knowledge of heights of standard pressure altitudes, Upper Air Temperature, Humidity, Wind direction and speed upto Troposphere. Radio-sonde ascents were commenced in 1936. Radars and Satellite images further increased knowledge about weather and assisting for the preparation of weather inferences useful for Seafarers, flight operators and General Public, Agriculturists, Live-stock managements, national level planners, trade and economists.

2.1. Rainfall

Rainfall is one of the prime natural resource that decide the economy of a country. Inadequate and improper distribution of rainfall during cropping period will have serious threat to crop production resulted in food insecurity of growing population. So each and every action must be focused to conserve every drop of rainfall in an effective way and the conserved rainfall should be utilized in an efficient manner for crop production.

Atmosphere serves as the medium through which pollutants are transported and dispersed. While being transported, the pollutants undergo chemical reactions, which may be lethal or scavenged by chemical or physical process/method. But it all exclusively depends upon the meteorological conditions (Lee et .al, 1994). Historic air pollution episodes reveal that atmospheric conditions influence the pollutant concentrations as well as their toxicity (Goldsmith & Friberg, 1976; Wichmann et.al, 1989 and Pope et.al, 1992). However, the location, duration of release, height as well as the pollutant concentrations are also important, which effect the secondary pollutant transformation under the influence of meteorological conditions, but the atmospheric behavior is independent of their sources (Holzworth, 1974).

Meteorology is defined as the branch of science concerned with the processes and phenomena of the atmosphere. It is also defined as the climate and weather of a region. The word meteorology is derived from two Greek words: Meteor and logus. Meteor means event occurring above the earth surface and logus means to study. Meteorology is science deals with the physics, chemistry and dynamics of atmosphere and also their direct and indirect effects upon the earth surface, oceans and thereby life in general.

Climatology: Climatology is scientifically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time. Different regions of the world have different characteristic climates which determine the crops of any region. Climatology is derived from Greek word ‘klima’ – place/zone or slope of the earth and logs is study. It discovers, describes and interprets the climate on the basis of causes and long term effects on variation in regional and global climate. Climatology is the science which studies average condition of weather or the state behavior of the atmosphere over a place or region for a long period of time.

Agrometeorology: Agrometeorology is the study of weather and use of weather and climate information to enhance crop production. Agrometeorology is defined as the branch of meteorology that deals with relationship between weather and climate on crop, livestock production and soil management.

Introduction

There is growing worldwide interest in reducing methane emissions from domestic ruminants. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and its release into the atmosphere is directly linked with animal agriculture, particularly ruminant production. Methane emitted from ruminant livestock is regarded as a loss of feed energy and also a contributor to global warming. Methane is synthesized in the rumen as one of the hydrogen sink products that are unavoidable for efficient succession of anaerobic microbial fermentation. Various attempts have been made to reduce methane emission, mainly through rumen microbial manipulation, by the use of agents including chemicals, antibiotics and natural products such as oils, fatty acids and plant extracts. A newer approach is the development of vaccines against methanogenic bacteria. While ionophore antibiotics have been widely used due to their efficacy and affordable prices, the use of alternative natural materials is becoming more attractive due to health concerns regarding antibiotics. An important feature of a natural material that constitutes a possible alternative methane inhibitor is that the material does not reduce feed intake or digestibility but does enhance propionate that is the major hydrogen sink alternative to methane. Since methane contains energy, its emission during rumen fermentation is considered to be a loss of feed energy that is equivalent to 2-12% of the gross energy of animal feed (Johnson and Johnson, 1995). Some implications of these approaches, as well as an introduction to antibiotic-alternative natural materials and novel approaches, are provided.

Abstract

Microorganisms that produce methane as their metabolic end product are known as methanogens. Methanogens are prokaryotic, unicellular, obligate anaerobes having fastidious growth requirements making them difficult to isolate and preserve. They catalyse the terminal step in anaerobic breakdown of organic substances. Even though methanogenic archaea or methanogens show very limited metabolic diversity, they are one of the most phylogenetically and ecologically diverse group of Archaea. Methanogenic community varies greatly with respect to temperature. Methanogens have been reported from permanently frozen habitats like permafrost to hyperthermophilic environments such as hydrothermal vents. However, the metabolic and phylogenetic diversity of methanogens in these habitats vary greatly. Methanogens are the biocatalysts, having the ability to provide a solution to help solve energy crisis by producing methane as storable energy carrier. Methane being a flammable gas, can act as a clean and renewable source of energy. The biogenic methane gas thus produced may serve as an efficient alternative for fossil fuels in the future.

Poor quality roughages includes the wheat straw, commonly fed to ruminants but unable to provide any DCP. Urea ammoniation method, not only improves the nutritive value of straw in terms of DCP and TDN, but it also improves the dry matter intake of animal by improving its palatability. In this method of urea ammoniation, one quintal of wheat straw is treated with 4 kg fertilizer grade urea (4%) by dissolving in 40 litre of water (moisture 40%). The dissolved urea is sprayed over several layers of wheat straw and mixed properly and then kept under airtight condition by covering it with polythene sheet for a period of 4 weeks. With the presence of enzyme urease the urea get broken down in to ammonia and carbon di oxide. This ammonia on one hand improves the nitrogen content of the straw and on another hand alkalinity (by ammonia and by ammonium hydroxide) reacts on the lingo-cellulosic bonds to loosen their strength. So by increasing the nitrogen content of the straw it increase the nutritive value of the straw in terms of increasing the DCP value of the straw and on another hand by reducing the bonds of lingo-cellulose it increase the digestibility of crude fiber and hence it also increase the energy (TDN) content of the straw.

Bacterial biofertilizers are supplied as carrier based inoculants. Peat or lignite is used as carrier material. Carrier based bacterial inoculants are applied by the following methods.

1. Seed treatment or seed inoculation.
2. Seedling root dip and
3. Main field application

Seed Treatment

One packet of the inoculant (200 g) 7is mixed with 200 ml of rice kanji to make a slurry. The seeds required for an acre are mixed in the slurry so as to have a uniform coating of the inoculant over the seeds and then shade dried for 30 minutes. The shade dried seeds should be sown within 24 hours. One packet of the inoculant (200 g) is sufficient to treat 10 kg of seeds.

Aim

Study about method of apposing muscle, fascia, skin over amputed stump.

Indication

Proper healing of amputed stump, avoiding infections.

Description

Limb is amputed generally through diaphysis or by disarticulation method. Whatever is the amputation,the surgeon should always keep as much soft tissue as possible to cover the bone extrimities. It is difficult to achieve in large animal, when amputation is immediately below carpus or tarsus.

The amount of feed or nutrient intake by an animal which is not excreted in the faeces is considered to be digested by the animals. The depiction of digested feed/nutrient as percentage of intake is known as digestibility coefficient. However, this does not represent the true value of digestibility of a feed or nutrient because during the period of recording some part of digested material is returned to the digestive tract after absorption in the body and excreted in the faeces. In addition to this some secretions of the digestive system and debris of epithelial cells are also eliminated in the faeces. These errors are quite large and highly variable for the nitrogenous constituents and minerals in the feeds. Due to these factors the determined digestibility coefficient is known as apparent digestibility coefficient. For the determination of digestion coefficient, only daily intake of feed or nutrients and faecal void values are recorded.

The availability of nitrogenous nutrients and minerals is more accurately determined by their retention (balance) in the body. Therefore, for the determination of the retention of nitrogen and minerals,metabolism trials are conducted. The routes of elimination of these constituents from the body are faeces, urine, expired air, skin secretions and milk (in case of lactating mammalian species). In a conventional balance study the loss of nutrient (s) through skin, being quantitatively little, is ignored. However, in case of some very specific study, collection of skin secretions and materials like shed hair and scurf are collected. For the collection of skin secretion (sweat) a special absorbant suit is used. In all routine balance studies, on male animals quantity of intake and void in faeces and urine are only taken into account.

Purpose:- To know the method of fitting the immobilised fractured hind limb in Thomas splint.

Description

The fractured site is immobilised properly covering the area joint below and joint above from the fractured site.

The immobilised limb is kept within the prepared Thomas splint.

The immobilised limb is kept straight and come close with the front extension bamboo of the Thomas splint.

The foot is fixed to the distal end of the Thomas splint with bandage roll.

In the first attempt the immobilised limb is secured with the front bamboo splint with bandage roll at several places to avoid posterior movement of the immobilised limb.

At the time of fixing the immobilised limb with anterior extension bamboo of Thomas splint, the limb is fixed with the netting of Thomas splint to avoid medial movement of immobilised limb.

Finally the immobilised limb is covered with bandage roll wrapping around both the anterior and posterior extension bamboo of the Thomas splint to avoid outer movement of the immobilised limb.

The method of immobilisation of the hind limb with Thomas splint has been shown in the figure.

Aim: To secure the foot on the distal end of Thomas splint.

Procedure

1. Foot is placed upon the distal end of Thomas splint.
2. The foot of the animal is wrapped V’- two round with bandage cloth.(Fig.1)
3. 2^nd round of bandage cloth is wrapped around the distal end of Thomas splint.(Fig.2)
4. In 3^rd attempt, the bandage roll is taken from the ground level of the foot & including the distal end of foot.(Fig.3)
5. The bandage roll is taken through the gap between anterior end of Thomas splint.(Fig.3)
6. In 4th attempt, the bandage roll is taken from the volar or plantar aspect of the limb and passed upon the ground level of foot as well as the distal end of Thomas splint.(Fig.4)
7. Final 2 rounds of bandage cloth is wrapped through entire surface of foot.

Reference: Tyagi R.P.S. and Singh J, (2013), Ruminant Surgery, CBS Publishers, New Delhi, pp-353,354

In the words of Leonardo the vinci, “water is the driver of life”. It is said to be the liquid of life or elixir of life. Water availability is essential to consider as commercial orchards must have reliability of supply and cannot produce optimum yields without irrigation. Water management is one of the largest and most important inputs into an orchard. The single environmental component which determines the type of fruit plants to be selected for a specific ecological situation is the moisture status of the region. Different fruit plants preferring diverse moisture status have wide peculiarity in their anatomical and morphological structures as well as various modifications in their water absorbing organs. They are also seen to have varied capabilities to acquire and utilize water efficiently. In the plant system, the rate of dry matter production has a definite relation with the rate of transpirational loss of water and this transpiration ration is calculated on the basis of unit of water required to produce unit of drymatter. However, while calculating the water requirement of fruit plants, a number of factors, in addition to water use efficiency, are taken in to consideration. Naturally water requirement of a particular fruit plants varies with the agro-ecological condition of different places. Moreover the same cannot be equal in an established orchard and a newly planted one. In established orchard, the trees are grown in community where improved water use efficiency lower down the water requirement of the trees.

Definition : These are the splints made out of light metal rods or bamboo for correction and immobilization of middle and higher level fracture in animals.

I. FILL UPS

1. The beheaded portion of cabbage is called _____.
2. _____ method is followed for cauliflower seed production in India.
3. In carrot, _____ method is followed among seed companies for large commercial seed production.
4. Knob to seed method is followed in _____.
5. Bulb to seed method is followed in _____.

Purpose

Method of tying with bamboo splint with ring is very important because of the following points.

A string fitting with the bamboo splint is required as with loose fitting with it may come up at any stage before actual bone healing.

Introduction

The word cooperation is of Latin origin and it means to work together (Filley, 1929).Cooperatives are founded on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. Based on the founding principles of co-operatives, members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others (Canadian Business Service Centre, 2004). A fishery co-operative society can be defined as “An autonomous association of people united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically controlled fishery enterprise or fishery activities.”

Attitude implies that the individual is no longer neutral toward the referent psychological objects. The person would be positively inclined or negatively disposed in some degree towards the referents (Campbell, 1963; Allport, 1966; Newcomb, 1966; Zanden, 1977; Burr, 2000). The response in this connection is a lasting one, as long as the attitude in question is operative. Attitude refers to a psychological individual’s stands about objects, issues, persons, groups, or Institutions. The definition of attitude proposed by Triandis (1971) suggests that attitude has three components: (a) a cognitive component (the idea), (b) an affective component (the emotions), and (c) a behavioural component (the action).

Introduction

Plant protection in India is mainly based on use of pesticidal chemicals. Chemical control is one of the effective and quicker methods in reducing pest population where farmer gets spectacular results within a short time. However, indiscriminate use of pesticides results in a series of problems in the agricultural ecosystem mainly the development of resistance in insects to insecticides, resurgence of treated population, environmental contamination and residue hazards. Destruction of natural enemies of insect-pests, expenses on pesticides etc. contributed to a new way of thinking concerning pest control practices i.e. integrated approach of pest control. IPM was first proposed by Stern and his collegues for integration of biological and chemical control measures. This is not altogether a new concept; it was practiced before the advent of modern chemicals. The date of sowing the crop were carefully studied to ensure that crop was not being planted when it would encounter severe pest problems, cultural practices such as ploughing after harvest, timely weed control, well timed irrigation and reduced use of fertilizers all contributed to reduce pest population. Most of these methods were curtailed when modern pesticides become available it was thought that these chemicals alone could control pests, but now we know that this is not possible and a single method of approach in pest control is not feasible. An integrated approach of pest management (IPM) was devised on the principles of managing the pest rather than eradicating them. IPM is a broad ecological approach for managing pest problem encompassing available methods and techniques such as cultural, biological, mechanical and chemical in a compatible manner to reduce and maintain the pest problem below the economic injury level.

Introduction

Economists consider a producer as an income or profit maximiser. In our context, it may mean enhancement of fisheries contribution to the GDP, increased fish production, Nutritional security of those who need it most, not just those who can afford to pay for it improvement in the livelihood conditions of the stakeholders, augmenting exports to net more foreign exchange, growth with social equity or inclusive growth, etc. Realisation of a goal or target depends on development and enforcement of necessary policy strategies for which a reliable data base is inevitable. Analytical trends of the past data could help to project future trend which could indicate feasibility of the envisioned goal. Here, an outline of some of the Methodological issues in Fisheries data collection is provided.

The Resource Endowments

Fisheries is a sunrise sector in India, in terms of food and nutritional security, employment and income generation. India is the 3rd largest fish producer and the 2nd in aquaculture production, globally. It contributes about 1% of national GDP and 5 % of agriculture GDP. The exports of marine products account for about 5% of total Indian exports in 2018-19. The estimated fish production during 2017-18 was 12-59 million tones (mt). It was 10.14% increase over 11.43 million t in 2016-17. Inland fisheries grew at 14.05% while marine fisheries rose at 1.73% in 2017-18. Fisheries sub-sector provides livelihood support and gainful employment to 14 million people. Many more may be employed now as available data is yet to be updated.

Introduction

The term ‘Fish Marketing’ is composed of two broad meaning term ‘Fish’ and ‘Marketing’. Before discussing the methodological issues of fish marketing data analysis, we must understand the broader meaning of it as both words are being used frequently with a précised meaning. Google dictionary explains fish as ‘A limbless cold-blooded vertebrate animal with gills and fins living wholly in water’. But ‘fish’ as a component of fish marketing or social science study, means a product and a variety of product, which has different time, space and form utilities for consumers.

The word ‘marketing’ is not merely buying and selling of fish, rather it connotes a series of activities involved in moving goods or services from point of production to the point of consumption. So ‘fish marketing’ is defined as physical and institutional set up to perform all activities involved in the flow of fish, fish products and services from the point of initial fish production until they are in the hands of ultimate customers.

It includes assembling, handling, storage, transport, processing, wholesaling, retailing and export of fish and fishery products as well as accompanying supporting services such as market information, establishment of grades and standards, community trade, financing and price risk management and the institutions involved in performing the above functions.

It is desired to have an efficient and well planned distribution networkso that fish and fishery products move from the place of landing or production to the place of consumption at cheapest cost with quality –intact, ensuring the maximum price realization to the farmers or fish producers. It is really challenging to the public agencies involved to meet the requirements of all three major players, viz., fishermen or fish farmers, consumers and traders.

It includes all activities involved in creation of time, place, form and possession utility. Philip Kotler explained marketing as the science and art of exploring, creating, and delivering value to satisfy the needs of a target market at a profit. ‘Fish marketing’ is different from marketing of other goods and services and even differs a bit from marketing of variousagricultural goods and services.

Key Facts

• Global fish production peaked at about 171 million tonnes (MT) in 2016, with aquaculture representing 47 perc ent of the total and 53 per cent of non-food uses (Global capture fisheries production was 90.9 MT in 2016)

• World fish production is projected to increase by 15% in the next 10 years, reaching around 200 MT per year

• The total first sale value of fisheries and aquaculture production in 2016 was estimated at USD 362 billion, of which USD 232 billion was from aquaculture production

• Fish (including shellfish) provides essential nutrition for 3 billion people and at least 50% of animal protein and minerals to 400 million people from the poorest countries

• 10-12% people, i.e. over 870 million people, depend on fisheries and aquaculture

• Aquaculture is the world’s fastest growing food production system, growing at 7% annually

• Women account for 19% of all people directly engaged in the fisheries and aquaculture sector, and over 50% when including the post-harvest sector

Climate Change: A global externality

Climate Change (CC) is a result of the externality associated with greenhouse gas emissions. It entails costs that are not paid for by those who create the emissions.

Distinguished Features from Other Externalities

• Climate change is global in its causes and consequences;

• The impacts of climate change are long-term and persistent;

• Uncertainties and risks in the economic impact are pervasive;

• There is a serious risk of major, irreversible change with non- marginal economic effects

Definition of Climate Change

Climate change refers to a statistically significant variation in either the mean state of the climate or in its variability, persisting for an extended period (typically decades or longer).

Introduction

Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system (Rogers, 1962, 1983, 1995, 2003). It is a broader term, which encompasses unplanned as well as planned and directed spread of an innovation. Dissemination is planned and directed diffusion of an innovation. In case of Integrated pest management which is a complex sort of decision making process, many technology transfer approaches were/are tried for dissemination of IPM technologies to farmers. These include radio, television, print media, training and visit, field days, demonstrations, extension field visits and participatory learning approaches like participatory technology development (PTD) and farmers field school (FFS). While Training and Visit (T&V) system failed, Farmers Field School (FFS) approach of educating farmers followed by ‘Community IPM’ activities and ‘Farmers to Farmer’ approach registered success in IPM implementation in developing countries (Matteson, 2000).

At country level, there is major paradiam shift from cropping systems towards farming system research in XI Plan period. The mandate of Project Directorate for Cropping Systems Research, Modipuram stands changed with focus on Farming Systems and re-named as Project Directorate for Farming Systems Research. w.e.f. 1.4.2009. The All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Cropping Systems with its 69 on-station and on-farm centres representing different agro-climatic zones of the country also stands re-named as AICRP on Integrated Farming Systems. As such, the much needed methodologies and procedures for planning, monitoring and interpretation of farming systems related data are not readily available. Therefore, some methodologies and procedures which can be adopted to execute Farming Systems Research for drawing meaningful conclusions are discussed here.

Introduction

The present study was conducted among the regular Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals working in the eight-state universities in Kerala. Studies conducted on similar topics were collected after that the research design for the present study was developed. The researcher has visited all the selected universities in Kerala and met almost all the LIS professionals to collect the relevant primary data for the study.

The chapter elucidates research methods and techniques employed in the present study to answer the research problem. Research design, selection of variables, research methodology, and data analysis employed in the study are described in this chapter. The methodology adopted in the present investigation to answer the research problem designed for the study is included. 

Abstract

Agroforestry is an integrated self-sustainable land use management system that is not only capable of producing food from marginal agricultural land but also capable of maintaining and improving the quality of environment. It plays a vital role in achieving integrated rural and urban development. But reliable data on number of trees and area under agroforestry is not available as methodology for estimation of even area under agroforestry is not yet standardized. In this paper, a methodology for estimation of number of trees under agroforestry using high resolution satellite data has been proposed and estimation of number of trees as well as area under agroforestry in Ludhiana district of Punjab State has been done using the proposed methodology. Land use/land cover map of the district has also been generated using ERDAS IMAGINE software. It has been observed from the accuracy assessment that the estimates of number of trees as well as area under agroforestry obtained using the proposed methodology under this study are very reliable. Therefore, the proposed methodology may be replicated for estimating number of trees as well as area under agroforestry in other parts of the country.

Keywords: Agroforestry; Estimation of number of trees, Area estimation; Remote Sensing; GIS

The term DNA sequencing refers to methods for determining the order of the nucleotide bases, adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine, in a molecule of DNA. In molecular terms ,the definitive understanding of a DNA molecule comes from determining its nucleotide sequence.The function of a gene can be deduced from its nucleotide sequence,for example by comparing the sequences of genes with known functions.

The first DNA sequences were obtained by academic researchers, using laborious methods based on 2 – dimensional chromatography in the early 1970s.  Following the development of dye-based sequencing methods with automated analysis, DNA sequencing has become easier and orders of magnitude faster.  Knowledge of DNA sequences of genes and other parts of the genome of organisms have become indispensable for basic research studying biological processes, as well as in applied field like diagnostic or forensic research.  The advent of DNA sequencing has significantly accelerated biological research and discovery.

1. Preparation of diluents 

The diluent is prepared one hour before semen collection so that it is stabilized. The diluent is prepared by mixing the ingredients and kept ready in water bath at 30oC. One of the diluents is detailed below

Participatory curriculum reorientation awareness-raising workshop for key stakeholders: In the present study focus group discussion and workshops were conducted to know the effectiveness of present curriculum of extension education with different stakeholders (Students UG, PG and Ph.D, Extension teachers, Field extension workers and farmers). Data were collected by using schedules regarding the important contents of present curriculum and most important for extension workers in the present situation to be included in curriculum

The study entitled “SHG in Techno Economic Empowerment of Tribal Women” was conducted on the following specific objectives.

Empowerment of women in relation to SHG (ii) Profile of SHG

Structure and functions of SHG

SWOT analysis of SHG

Constraints of SHG and suggestion

Case studies

Collection trips were organized in a planned manner so as to cover every locality in all three seasons. Rural and remote areas which were thus far practically unexplored were surveyed more intensively. Frequency of collection trips was twice a week during first year; once a fortnight in third and once a month in the last and forth years. During the field work, observations on the habit and habitat; flower colour; fragrance; fruiting, colour of the bark and blaze in case of trees and shrubs; dominance and sociability of the collected plants were entered into rough field book. In the mean time information regarding medicinal or other uses, if any, were gathered from local inhabitants, vaidyas and haquims. Plants of small size were uprooted carefully and pressed as such. In case of larger plants, care was taken so that specimens should have flowers, fruits, leaves and stems of young and old stages. At least four specimens, for making herbarium sheets, were pressed at spot after tagging; and a tagged bundle of a few plants was taken in a polythene bag for study in laboratory.

Research methodology is a detailed plan of investigation and the blue print of procedure for carrying out the research. In this chapter, discussion on the methodology has been made to understand the concepts, methods and techniques, which are utilized to design the study, collect information, analyzing data and interpreting the findings for revelation of truth and formulation of theories. The entire chapter has been broken up under following sub-heads for easy understanding:

1. Locale of research
2. Sampling design
3. Pilot study
4. Variables and their measurements
5. Methods of data collection
6. Statistical tools used for analysis of data

1. Introduction

The study of systematics and genetic diversity between or within different species, populations, and individuals is a central task for many disciplines of biological sciences. Systematic studies can indicate which genomes in the plant kingdom to search, sample, and study for the answers to questions relating to the evolution of chemical and physical structures and their synthesis or ontogeny as well as questions about the kinship of the individuals. Such studies would help find new and useful genes and provide information about the phylogenetic relationships among crop species and their wild relatives. The application of molecular markers has been the most active area of research in both animal and plant systematics. The analysis of the genetic variability within and among populations of the species is crucial for understanding their future maintenance and developing improvement as well as conservation programs.

Classical phenotypic characters, such as morphological traits, are still extremely useful but they can sometimes be influenced by environmental conditions. Therefore, during the past decade, classical strategies of evaluating genetic variability such as comparative anatomy, morphology, embryology and physiology have been increasingly complemented by molecular techniques. These include the analysis of chemical constituents (e.g., plant secondary metabolites) and, most importantly, the characterization of macromolecules. The development of molecular markers, which are based on polymorphisms found in proteins or DNA, has greatly facilitated research in a variety of disciplines such as taxonomy, phylogeny, ecology, genetics, and plant breeding (Weising et al. 1995). The greater utility of molecular markers derives from following five inherent properties that distinguish them from morphological markers.

1. Introduction

The objective of algal taxonomic collections is to represent the natural population, flora and diversity in size and form. Therefore, it is important to collect the representative samples seasonally from various habitats. Collection of information about the habitats and other details are also very important. For algal sampling the first thing to consider is how to collect the specimens. The freshwater algae show an ability to tolerate a wide range of environmental condition. Under natural conditions, they usually grow in mixed communities which may include many species and genera. Field study provides information about the site, environment, season and size and shape of the living algal thallus in its natural surroundings. Many algae can be tentatively identified by their appearance, shape and colour of thallus in a particular habitat. Algal population can be sampled in a number of different ways, depending on the nature of the habitat and the location of the algae within the water body. The specimens must be prepared carefully so that important morphological characters are displayed as fully and completely for further researches.

The methodology has been carefully considered in order to comprehend the idea, procedures, and approaches used in the design of the study, information gathering, data analysis, and finding interpretation for the identification of relevant truths and the development of hypotheses. The methodology and a process employed in the study are covered in this chapter.

5.1 Locale of the Research

The rural areas of Darjeeling-Pulbazar CD block, Jorebunglow-SukhiaPokhri CD block in Darjeeling district in West Bengal was selected for the study. The area had been selected for the study because of the availability of appropriate respondents, people as well as the local language.

5.2 Pilot Study

Prior to beginning the actual research, a pilot study was carried out to better understand the regions, its inhabitants, institutions, and programmes activities associated to the migration process in the research area. During the pilot study period, the respondents’ situational and historical data were gathered.

1. Introduction

The word ‘lichen’ has a Greek origin, which was referred to the superficial growth of fungus like organism on the bark of olive trees. Theophrastus, the Father of Botany coined the term ‘lichen’ during 300 BC and introduced this group of plants to the scientific world.

Lichen is a combination of two organisms, an alga and a fungus, living together in symbiotic association. Sometimes instead of an alga a cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) may be present in the lichen thallus. The algal component in the lichen is generally called as ‘photobiont’ as it contains photosynthetic pigment. The fungal part is called as ‘mycobiont’ (myco = fungus). The photobiont and the mycobiont loose their original identity in symbiotic association and the resulting organism is the lichen which behaves as a single organism, both morphologically and physiologically. Hence, the lichen is called as a composite organism. The lichen thallus is made 90% of mycobiont which provides shape, structure and colour to the lichen. In a lichen thallus whatever visible from outside is fungal part, which holds algae inside its body (Fig. 1) and therefore, the lichens are placed within the Kingdom - Fungi. The fungi present in lichens are called as ‘lichenized fungi’. Among the 20,000 lichen species present in the world, 98.9% of them belongs to Ascomycetes group while Bacidiomycetes and Deuteriomycetes groups are represented by only 0.1% and 1%, respectively.

Introduction

Age determination, a fundamental discipline within fisheries biology and ecology, is a critical tool for unraveling the life histories and population dynamics of aquatic species. The ability to accurately estimate the age of individual fish holds immense value in various scientific, management, and conservation contexts.

Seed Production

Systemized crop production is known as seed production. In seed production adequate care is given from the purchase of seeds upto harvest adopting proper seed and crop management techniques. The benefits of seed production are

• Higher income
• Higher quality seed for next sowing

Before carry out any ethnobotanical work, first define the goal of the assignment or study before selecting the approach, which best suits the interests, budget and schedule. Most of the methods used in ethnobotanical studies are time taking and costly because several field trips are required in several seasons for covering different ritual occasions and seasonal farming activities which are continue for a number of years for completion of an assignment. In this way, an assignment may be very long or short as per selection approach of an ethnobotanist. Long-term assignment or projects may be continue for several years and they require sufficient financial input. When sufficient financial add and time does not available to accomplished long term assignments, in that case a Rapid Ethnobotanical Appraisal (REA) can be done.

1. Introduction

Microbial diversity is becoming increasingly essential with the requirement to preserve the integrity, function and long-term sustainability of natural and managed ecosystems. However, our knowledge of the diversity of microbes remains obscure due to lack of appropriate approaches to evaluate the contribution of different components of the soil microbes to ecosystem. This lack of approaches together with the complex and heterogeneous matrix that soil microbes are embedded in, poses great challenges to understand the dynamics of microbial communities in soils (Nautiyal et al. 2010; Chauhan et al. 2013).

In classical terms, diversity is described as the total number of species present, i.e. species richness or species abundance, and the distribution of individuals among those species i.e. species evenness or species equitability. However, the incorporation of these two components into diversity indices has led to much controversy among ecologists (Atlas 1984). The Shannon-Weaver index (Shannon and Weaver 1949) is probably the most widely used index for measuring diversity of a microbial community. But this index, as many others that have been proposed, has its own limitations. A major difficulty is that both richness and evenness play a role in determining the value of the index. Therefore, any diversity index is a single value and thus cannot indicate the total make-up of a community. It is recommended that evenness, richness and diversity values should be calculated in order to obtain an objective assessment of community structure (Atlas 1984). From molecular point of view, diversity often refers to the number of different sequence type present in a habitat e.g. a soil (Ogram 2000). Measuring this type of diversity does not give information about the frequency of individual species, but it can give valuable information about changes in the community structure and species richness in response to changes in the physico-chemical properties of the soil and soil management practices (Nautiyal et al. 2010).

Solid formulations such as dust, wettable powder or granules, the active ingredient is mixed with inert material. The concentration is expressed as:

Active ingredient (%) in the total weight of commercial product.

I. Detection of Castor Husk in Oil Cakes and Oil Seed Meals (Method of ISI, (BIS), IS: 10165-1982)
Principle

The method is based on the fact that castor husk is not bleached under the conditions which cause the bleaching of almost all other materials of vegetable origin likely to be present in an oilcake. The method consists of the treatment of the material with dilute alkali and acid solutions followed by treatment with bleaching powder solution and the isolation of the unbleached castor husk.

Introduction

The main objective in analysing fertilizers is to assess their quality. The analysis examines both their physical and chemical composition. The quality of fertilizers is stated by the manufacturers and, in most countries, it is statutorily notified. Hence, analysis is carried out to determine whether the stated quality meets the statutorily notified standards or not. Together with the statutory notified composition of the fertilizers, the testing methods are specified. In situations where the testing methods are not notified, the prevalent standard methods are followed. Generally, the term fertilizer refers to mineral fertilizers, which are manufactured chemical products of standard composition, while the term manures refers to organic manures, compost, agro-industrial wastes, etc. The compositions of organic fertilizers, unlike mineral fertilizers, are quite variable and, thus, difficult to regulate precisely.

Fertilizer quality is notified in terms of physical and chemical characteristics. The physical parameters include moisture content and particle size. The chemical parameters refer to the amount and form of nutrients, and to various impurities that may be toxic to plants above a critical limit, e.g. biuret in urea. The efficiency of a fertilizer depends on its form of nutrient content. A phosphatic fertilizer may have water-soluble, citrate-soluble, water-insoluble or citrate-insoluble forms of phosphate. A nitrogenous fertilizer may contain ammoniacal, nitrate and amide forms of N in various proportions.

Straw represents a category of low-density feed characterized by a high concentration of structural carbohydrates, specifically cellulose and hemicellulose, while exhibiting low levels of carbohydrates, nitrogen and minerals, along with variable lignin content. Lignin serves as a physical barrier, inhibiting the microbial degradation of these materials. Straw is having low digestibility due to following reasons:
• Reduced voluntary intake due to unappealing taste.
• Low digestibility and nutritional value.
• Nutritional deficiencies, particularly in crude proteins, essential minerals, and vitamins.
• The presence of anti-nutritional components such as lignin, silica, tannins, and oxalates.
The primary aim of treating low-quality roughage includes:
• Enhancing voluntary intake by improving palatability.
• Increasing digestibility to boost the intake of digestible energy.
• Minimizing losses during digestive processes.
• Breaking down cellulose and hemicellulose from lignin and silica to enhance digestibility.
• Expanding the surface area available for microbial action and enzyme activity, thereby improving digestibility.
• Reducing bulkiness through densification.
The processing of low-quality roughages can be achieved through various methods.

Lipids are naturally occurring fat like substances insoluble in water but are soluble in organic solvents like alcohol, ether, and chloroform etc. Some of the phospholipids are even soluble in water. All the lipids do not resemble fats.
Lipids are an important component of living cells. Together with carbohydrates and proteins, lipids are the main constituents of animal cells. Lipids include fatty acids, neutral fats, waxes and steroids (like cortisone). Compound lipids (lipids complexed with another type of chemical compound) comprise the lipoproteins, glycolipids and phospholipids.
Properties of lipids
Lipids are non-polar molecules a family of organic compounds, composed of fats and oils yield high energy and are responsible for different functions within the body. It is stored in the adipose tissue of the body. Lipids are a heterogeneous group of compounds, mainly composed of hydrocarbon chains. Lipids are energy-rich organic molecules, which provide energy for different life processes. Lipids are a class of compounds distinguished by their insolubility in water and solubility in nonpolar solvents. It is important constituent of cell membrane in biological systems, a mechanical barrier that divides a cell from the external environment.
Most of the lipids or fats are demonstrated by using fat soluble dyes. The lipid soluble dyes have greater affinity for fats, lipids, lipoproteins and triglycerides. The fat soluble dyes are: