eChapters

Anthracnose
Diagnostic Symptoms
• Pathogen infects the seedlings and produces small reddish circular spots on the cotyledons and primary leaves.
• Lesions develop on the collar region, stem may be girdled, causing seedling to wilt and die.
• In mature plants, the fungus attacks the stem, leading to stem splitting and shredding of bark.
• Most common symptom is boll spotting. Small water soaked, circular, reddish brown depressed spots appear on the bolls.
• The lint is stained to yellow or brown, becomes a solid brittle mass of fiber.The infected bolls cease to grow and burst and dry up prematurely(Fig-2).
Etiology
Scientific Classification
Kingdom : Fungi
Division : Eumycota

I. FILL UPS

1. _____ is called as ‘king of fibres’ and ‘white gold’.
2. _____in the cotton meal is toxic to monogastric animals.
3. A purple spot is found in the claw of the petals is called _____
4. The isolation distance adopted for cotton is _____ for foundation seed.

The disease i s seen at all crop growing stages. The fi rst symptoms appear at the time of emergence of seedlings, when the cotyledons are attacked. They become yellow and turn brown followed by wilting and drying of the affected seedlings. In the fi eld, the wilting symptoms appear in patches. First of all, the older leaves become yellow, loose their turgidity, wilt, turn brown and droop.

This is the commonest symptom of nearly all respiratory diseases and is indicative of an effort to expel a foreign substance causing irritation on any place in the cough reflex path.

The center is in the medulla close to the respiratory centers. This is activated reflexly by the afferent impulses traveling up mostly along the vagus and to a less extent, the vagus and the phrenic (to bronchi and diaphragm), the spinal accessory, intercostals and other nerves supplying the accessory muscles of respiration. The peripheral fibres of the vagus and the phrenic are also sometimes directly affected causing cough reflex.

The medullary center itself may also be excited or restrained by impulses from superior cerebella centers, so that cough may be induced or controlled by voluntary efforts.

Counselling represents a purposeful, collaborative relationship between a trained professional and an individual seeking assistance with personal, emotional, psychological, or behavioral concerns. This helping relationship is founded on principles of trust, confidentiality, and mutual respect, creating a safe environment where individuals can explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences without judgment. The American Counseling Association defines counselling as a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals. This definition emphasizes the empowerment aspect of counselling, highlighting its role in facilitating personal growth and development rather than simply addressing problems or deficits. The fundamental nature of counselling involves a systematic p

1.1. Introduction
The terms ‘counselling’ and ‘health promotion’ complement each other when it becomes a matter of an individual’s health. Health promotion is a part of behavioural social science that aims to change the systemic strategies adopted by the individual or group or by the mass community for the betterment of their health which can be achieved by talk therapy known as counselling. In the 21st century, from childhood to adulthood, all people are in a ‘rat race’ for their careers and necessities, which is one of the main reasons for stress generation. Not only that, chemical substances consumed by different food ingredients as food additives, preservatives, etc. but also induce oxidative stress and damage the functional activity of cells, tissues, organs, and systems. This ‘stress’ is a major culprit not only for the deterioration of physical health but also psychological health. Such stress imposition in daily life impairs normal physiological functions, skills, performance, and productivity. Unhealthy food, life, and work styles are also linked to the onset of pathophysiological complications that counselling and health promotion are required to overcome. Besides this, for sportsmen, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and growing children, nutritional counselling and health promotion are indisputable. For disease prevention and early recovery from disease, dietary counselling plays an immense role.
1.2. Counselling
Counselling is an intermittent, interpersonal interviewing process where the counsellor gives advice or suggestions to the client but never gives any direction. Counsellors assist the client in thinking, analysing, and acting to improve their insight power. The counsellor focuses on both the positive and negative sides of a particular event and allows the client to think and rethink its acceptability and unacceptability.

Enumeration of cells is essential to determine the multiplicity of infection, efficiency of plating and to obtain the specific number of cells for an experiment. The concentration of cells of a suspension can be counted using a haemocytometer. Each chamber is divided into a grid of nine large squares. Each large square is 1mmX1mm (area 1 mm²) and the depth is o.1 mm. The volume of each square is 0.1 mm³ or 10^-4 cm³. Since 1 cm³ is equal to 1 ml, the number of cells per ml of suspension can be obtained by multiply the average count per large square by 10⁴ and reciprocal of dilution factor. Dilution is made in such a way that one large square contain about 20-60 cells. The haemocytometer chambers should be filled by capillary action and cell clump are counted as one cell. A total count does not distinguish between living and dead cells. The number of viable cells can be determined by staining the cells with trypan blue or erythrosine B. In trypan blue staining cells appear as unstained whereas dead cells appear as blue.

5.1 Afghanistan Overview of the Agri-Food Economy Agriculture is a vital sector in Afghanistan, contributing around 25% to national GDP and employing nearly 60% of the workforce (World Bank, 2023). The country’s agro-climatic diversity enables the cultivation of staple crops such as wheat, along with high-value horticultural products like pomegranates, grapes, almonds, and apricots (FAO Afghanistan, 2022). Despite this potential, the sector is highly vulnerable due to climatic extremes, institutional fragility, and limited infrastructure. Key Challenges • Conflict-related Disruptions: Persistent conflict and political instability have disrupted agricultural activities and supply chain networks, undermining both domestic

31.1 Introduction

Courtship is the behavioural interaction that occurs between males and females before, during and just after mating. It encompasses all expressive movements associated with pair formation and mating. “Courtship is the heterosexual communication system that leads to the consummatory sexual act,” says DeMorris. Arthropods, mollusks, fish, reptiles, and mammals are the most affected. It consists of various activities and serves a specific purpose. Many courtship activities ensure that people only mate with people of their species. The distinction between species’ courtship behaviour allows females to identify males of their species. It is concerned with reproductive fitness and provides opportunities for survival

3.1. Conventional farming

Refers to the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and other continual inputs, genetically modified organisms, heavy irrigation, intensive tillage and concentrated monoculture production.

Highly resource and energy intensive, but also highly productive.

Conventional farming typically involves monocropping, but very expensive.

Introduction

Modern intensive agriculture systems based on the principles of yield maximization have been plagued with multiple constraints such as declining factor productivity, decreasing resource use efficiency (fertilizers, water, labour etc.), soil organic matter decline, salinization, soil structure degradation, water and wind erosion, reduced water infiltration rates, soil compaction due to surface sealing and crusting, declining ground water table, pest and disease outbreak, weed resistance and weed shifts (Paustian et al., 2016). To address these overwhelming issue, conservation agriculture (CA) has been defined by FAO as a concept of resource saving agricultural crop production which is based on enriching the natural and biological processes above and below ground. The major purpose for its advancement is to reduce the production cost, save resources, enhance yields and utilize resources like nutrient and water efficiently. Conservation tillage denotes soil management system that follows the principle of at least 30% of the soil surface coverage with crop residues after seeding of the crop (Jarecki and Lal, 2003). CA, a resource-efficient agriculture helps to conserve, improve and utilize natural resources efficiently through integrated management of available soil, water and biological resourwces combined with external inputs and thus contributes to environmental conservation as well as enhanced and sustained agricultural production in the long term. The practice and wider extension of conservation agriculture thus requires a deeper understanding of its ecological underpinnings for managing its various elements for sustainable intensification.

ABSTRACT

Microbial contamination is perceived as the most serious threat faced by plant tissue culture research laboratories and commercial production units. A culture is often viewed as contaminated when obvious microbial growth incited by fungi, yeast or bacteria is noticed on the culture medium. On the other hand, there can be situations when microbes may be present in a covert or latent form with serious side effects on the cultures. The present investigations were taken up with the objectives of elucidating the cause of poor growth, lack of regeneration response or modification of rooting observed with visibly clean cultures of different horticultural crops. Apparently clean cultures of grape, banana, watermelon, eggplant, gerbera and chrysanthemum of recent origin or after long-term in vitro culturing were used in this study. Indexing the medium of such cultures using fungal/ yeast and bacteriological media brought out the covert association of one or more bacterial types with varying proportions of incidence in such cultures. Indexing of tissue revealed bacterial presence in different parts of in vitro plantlets. In some instances, bacteria showed endophytic colonization while being not detectable in the tissue culture medium subsequent to a disinfection or antibiotic treatment. Such bacterial association appeared to be the cause of in vitro decline observed with long-term micropropagated cultures, lack of reproducibility of tissue culture protocols, failure of in vitro rooting etc. besides being a threat to in vitro gene banks and germplasm exchange.

The manuscript was completed in February 2020. The book was supposed to be out in print form in April 2020. In between the pandemic changed the world. Obviously, world changing events can’t be left out of the book, particularly if the book is about the future of science, engineering, technology and humanity. I, therefore, requested the publisher of the book for the inclusion of a chapter COVID crisis and its impact on the future of the world. He readily agreed.

I am sincerely grateful to the publisher for allowing me to include issues relevant for the present book, as an additional chapter at the end of the book. The subject at the moment looks unending and it has so many dimensions. I have tried to cover them as briefly as possible, in the context of the book. In spite of the several difficulties due to this last minute inclusion the publisher has taken pains to include it. I am grateful to him for his gesture.

The pandemic of this proportion is expected to get the views/suggestions from equally large number of people. Everyone is eager to see the end of the pandemic. And everyone has realised that the world will be a much different place. Some people are hopeful that the problems will be resolved, of course using multi-dimensional approaches. Not many are sure of the time frame. There is also pessimism among common people. One of my aunt’s asks me - what kind of research we have been doing all these years that we can’t even face the challenges posed by a mere virus? Has the balloon of the technology busted by a miniscule virus? In this fluid time many questions are being asked, and as many answers are also emerging. It is a big issue. It is as big as that emerged after the Second World War. Some are calling it the ‘birth of a new power’.

Introduction The impact of COVID-19 on the fisheries and food industries of vary, and the situation is rapidly evolving. Fisheries products that are highly dependent on international trade suffered quite early in the development of the pandemic from the restrictions and closures of global markets, whereas fresh fish and shellfish supply chains were severely impacted by the closure of the food service sectors (e.g. hotels, restaurants and catering facilities, including school and work canteens). Although COVID-19 does not fish, the fisheries sector is still have indirect impact in the pandemic caused changing consumer demands, market access or logistical problems related to transportation and border restrictions (Purkait et al., 2020). This will in turn have a damaging the effect on fisheries and aquaculture farmers in livelihoods, as well as on their food security of the populations that rely heavily of the fish for protein and essential micronutrients. The processing sector also faced closures due to reduced/lost consumer demand. This has had a significant impact, especially on women, who form the majority of the workforce in the post-harvest sector (Avtar et al., 2021).

Cow Based Formulations describes traditional agricultural preparations made from cow-derived materials and other locally available ingredients for soil fertility, pest management, disease management, crop growth, and stress management. The chapter covers Ghana Jeevamrutham, Jeevamrutha, Amruthajalam, Amudham solutions, buttermilk-based preparations, and microbial formulations for improving soil fertility. It also presents Neemastram, Agniastram, Brahmastram, Dashparni Kashayam, and related preparations for pest management, followed by BeejAmrutham, Beejaraksha, herbal teas, and other disease-management inputs. Panchagavya, fish amino acid, egg amino acid, vermiwash, and cow dung–asafoetida solution broaden the discussion toward growth promotion and stress management in natural farming. using locally accessible agricultural resources today.

1. Ambwani S, Ambwani Tanuj Kumar and Chauhan RS (2014) Counteracting effects of cow urine on allethrin induced immunotoxicity and oxidative stress in chicken lymphocytes culture system. Journal of Immunology and Immunopathology.16: 58-63.
2. Ambwani S, Ambwani TK and Chauhan RS (2018) Ameliorating effects of Badri cow urine on cypermethrin induced immunotoxicity and oxidative stress in chicken lymphocyte culture system. Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia.15 (3): 1-12.
3. Banga RK, Kumar P, Singhal LK, Sharma A and Chauhan RS. 2005. Red hill cattle is characters and body measurements. The Indian Cow, 3: 10-14.
4. Banga RK, Singhal LK and Chauhan RS. 2005. Cow urine and immunomodulation: An update on cowpathy. International Journal of Cow Science, 1(2): 26-29.
5. Chauhan Divya and Chauhan R.S, 2021. Badri Cattle - A Boon to Uttarakhand. In: Cowpathy and Human Health ( Eds : Sethi RS, Kaur Gurvinder, Malik Yashpal, Chauhan RS ). SIIP, Ludhiana. P_17
6. Chauhan Divya and Chauhan R.S. (2022). Cow Science Experts in India - 1. Shree Krishna A well known Cow Lover. International Journal of Cow Science. 6(1):2
7. Chauhan R S and Tulsa Devi. 2020. Immunity, Nutrients and Immunomodulation. International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, 7 (5):1030-1038.

Cowpathy

Panchgavya chikitsa is an age old system of medicine described in ancient Indian literature ‘Ayurveda’ and now it is known as ‘cowpathy’ means the therapy of human ailments through cow products. However, Cowpathy is different from Panchgavya as it also include cow cuddling, Backrub, Gau grass, Gauseva, and living with cow besides, Panchgavya products milk, curd, ghee, urine and dung. Since the cowpathy practice is to increase the aura of an individual, it prevents from many ailments and infections. In Ayurvedic system, the medicines are prepared either from plants or from animals besides the use of certain metals. The Ayurvedic medicines of animal origin are mainly prepared from indigenous cow products such as urine, dung, milk, curd and ghee. Medicinal use of cow urine has been in practice since time immemorial in India.

Botanical description

Cowpea belong to genus Vigna and species unguiculata (L) Walp (Syn V. sinensis Savi) of the family Leguminosae sub family Fabacae.

Floral biology

The flowers of cowpea are hermaphrodite. Self-pollination is effected though with some cross-pollination.

Climate and Soil

Cowpea is a warm season crop, and therefore it can be grown both in spring and in rainy seasons in the plains of India. It cannot tolerate cold weather, heavy rainfall and water logging.

The cowpea aphid: Aphis craccivora: Aphididae

Hosts
 
Groundnut, red gram, peas, beans, safflower, lab-lab niger

Symptoms of damage
 
Both nymphs and adults cause the damage by sucking the plant sap from shoot tips, pods and leaves.  Infested pods become malformed and withered.  Severe infestation may result in complete drying of affected pods.  They also act as vector of virus diseases in pea. 

I. FILL UPS

1. Cowpea is a _____ crop.
2. Isolation distance for cowpea foundation seed production is _____.
3. Spacing adopted for cowpea is _____.
4. Seed rate for cowpea seed production is _____.
5. The maximum permitted limit of offtypes for CS is _____.