eChapters

Abstract

While harnessing the benefits of genetically modified (GM) crops, in terms of increased yield, better nutritional quality and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, it is important to undertake biosafety and risk assessment studies in a systematic manner to allay the concerns of their impact on the environment and especially on the genetic diversity. Since Bt cotton is the only commercialized GM crop in India, this paper reports on the monitoring of unintentional introgression of transgene(s)/ regulatory elements of four commercialized Bt cotton events, covering 99.5% of the area under cultivation, in 180 ex situ cotton accessions conserved in the National Gene Bank at National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays. Based on the real-time event-specific and conventional transgene-specific PCR assays, no amplification signals specific to two major Bt cotton events MON531, MON15985; transgenes/markers/ regulatory elements of 4 widely cultivated commercialized Bt cotton events, i.e., cry1Ac, cry2Ab, marker genes, i.e., nptII (neomycin phosphotransferase), aadA (aminoglycoside-3’-adenyltransferase) and uidA (?-D-glucuronidase) marker genes, CaMV35S, nos (nopaline synthase) promoters and nos terminator were detected in any of the cotton accessions. The study shows that the cotton accessions conserved in National Gene Bank are GM free and the study can be used as a model for monitoring the adventitious presence of unintended mixing of cotton seed during seed production or harvesting in Bt cotton growing states of India. On similar lines, adventitious presence of transgenes can be checked in ex situ collections of different crops conserved in the genebanks.

Abstract

The Directorate of Sorghum Research has explored 9 states for sorghum germplasm during 2000 – 2011. The sorghum landrace collections are mostly named with the village name prefixed to the landrace (ex. tongraligaon maldandi, sultanpur maldandi etc), landraces are also named based on the grain colour (ex. tella jonna, bili jola etc.) and size (ex. moti rabi jowar), ear head compactness (ex. mudda jola), use of the stem, ear head or grain (ex. dagdi, gundu, allur, broom etc.) for varieties utilities. The landraces are being grown by farmers over the years for many reasons. The moli jowar grains are attractive and fetch higher price in the market compared to other released varieties in Madhya Pradesh. Some are used for specific food preparations. The irungu cholam flour is boiled with water to prepare food. The mathappu cholam is used to prepare a jelly like food known as khali in Tamil Nadu. The beed maldandi and bidri from Maharashtra are used to make quality jowar roti. Karnataka’s kodumurugu jola and allina jola are used to make laddu’s and pappads respectively. Broomcorn jowar from Uttarakhand are used for roti, cattle and poultry feed making. The allur jola from Karnataka is used to prepare allu dish during the nagapanchami (festival of snake god). The pachcha jonna from Andhra Pradesh, barmuda local, deshi chari and gudli local from Rajasthan and bendri dagdi and khondya from Maharashtra are very good fodder types. Valsangh maldandi local, Vadgaon dagdi maldandi, tongraligaon maldandi, tongraligaon dagdi, sultanpur local dagdi, sultanpur maldandi, harni jogdi (dagdi), harni jogdi, chungi maldandi, musti local (Maldandi), chungi kuch-kachi, baddi jowar, chakur maldandi from Maharashtra, and sai jonna from Andhra Pradesh are considered by the farmers as drought tolerant landraces. In Andhra Pradesh, Koya’s (tribe) grow konda jonna. Lambada’s used to grow the maghi sorghum landraces extensively in the state. The tribal community mainly uses the accessions as food and some are used for both food & fodder. The accessions collected from the higher elevation and remote forest area is source material for pest & disease resistance. The accession IC 347574 is used as the tribal food. The accession IC 347583 is a guinea race and IC 347585 is a durra-guinea race sorghum collected at an elevation of 500 feet from the tribal village. In Gujarat,Gomati (tribe) grow deshi jonna landraces. In Madhya Pradesh, Rewa district is the maximum deshi jowar cultivation region. This area is commonly called “Junariwala Shetra”. Mehran, Swarguor, and Kushwaha are the main tribes cultivating the jowar in these regions. In Maharashtra, Korukoo’s tribe grows somgi and deshi jonna landraces. They cultivate sorghum with lablab, chillies, cotton, redgram, and tomato at the height of 650 – 870 m from MSL. Maximum diversity of the sorghum still exists in the disturbed forests. Due to extend of its natural variability, India exists as the secondary origin of sorghum.

Abstract

Genetic diversity of thirty two rice genotypes from different states of India was evaluated through Mahalanobis’s D2statistic under integrated fertilizer management for fourteen yield and quality characters. The genotypes were grouped in to seven different clusters. Cluster I had nine genotypes. Three genotypes each were included in cluster II, cluster IV and cluster VII, whereas six and seven genotypes in cluster III and cluster V, respectively while the cluster VI had only one genotype. The results revealed that the geographic diversity might not always be related to genetic diversity. Kernel length after cooking, days to maturity and kernel breadth contributed maximum towards divergence indicating their importance in choice of parents for the hybridization programme.

Abstract

Agricultural practices prior to the eighteenth century were completely dependent on crop landraces and their mixtures. The knowledge of plant genetics and its application to crop improvement programmes led to increase the production potential of agriculture. Contrary to this, the wonders of crop improvement have resulted in the erosion of genetic diversity of many crops in farmers’ fields, including wheat, due to the replacement of landraces and farmers’ old cultivars with modern high-yielding cultivars.

Wheat is cultivated over an area of 216.6 million hectare globally and the production is 674.9 million tons. The seven largest producers of wheat are China, India, the Russian Federation, the USA, France, Turkey and Canada. During 2012-13, India produced 92.46 million tons of wheat from 29.65m ha area with productivity of 31.19q/ha (4th Advance Estimates, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of India). Three wheat species namely, T. aestivum L., T. durumDesf. and T. dicoccumSchubl are grown in India as commercial crops covering 95, 4 and 1 percent area, respectively. The cultivation of T. dicoccumis confined largely to the regions of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in two replications with seventy germplasm lines during kharif 2012 at College of Agriculture, UAS, Raichur. The germplasm included 30 local varieties from different parts of Karnataka and 40 lines collected from AICRP, Jabalpur. Each entry was sown in three lines of 4 m length with 30 cm x10 cm spacing. Out of seventy lines sixty two entries were germinated. These lines were evaluated for seed yield and other ancillary characteristics viz., days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, number of primary branches, number of capitula, number of seeds per capitulum and seed yield. Among them, six entries performed better than check variety No. 71 and 12 entries performed better than another check variety RCR 18. Among all the entries N-84 (238.89 kg/ha) and SD-33 (215.28 kg/ha) produced high yield. Hadagali local and No. 71 (51.5 days) were found earliest in flowering and maturing varieties and SP 141 was late in flowering (71 days) and late in maturing. Tavaregere local (66.5 cm) and SP134 had less plant height (67.5 cm) and BMD 127 had highest (113.5 cm) plant height. The number of primary branches was more in the genotype Humnabad local (12.5). Number of capsules per plant was more in Humnabad local and ICP 76 (53.0) and number of seeds per capsule were more in BMD 115 (77.0).

Abstract

In recent years the quest for improving the quality of life has ventured into many aspects of utilizing plants for the aesthetic sense. One such is an increased utilization of flowers /flowering plants for beautification of homes, offices, gardens etc. The increased interest in use of cut flowers has brought challenge of bringing in varieties of natural flowers from different sources. India’s rich biodiversity also contributes addition of lot of new species to the cut flower industry. Banana and Plantains have been revered only for their utility as dessert fruit or staple food. But aesthetic dimension has never been much explored. Musa comprises more than 50 species and sub species traversed across the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Musa Ornata is one such plant, native to north eastern regions of India, belongs to the family Musaceae and section Rhodochlamys. It draws its attention by virtue of its bright inflorescence and its long lasting nature. It is a medium statured plant, hence suitable for gardens also. It is a fertile wild species, multiplies mainly through suckers and through seeds to some extent.

Abstract

Advances in genome sequencing technologies have made it possible to uncover the whole genome sequences of numerous organisms from microbes to higher eukaryotes. Haemophilus influenza, a free living bacterium, was the first complete genome to be sequenced in 1995 by a team headed by J. Craig Venter and Hamilton Smith at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). Immediately after this, Mycoplasma genitalium, a bacterium responsible for reproductive-tract infections and well-known for having the shortest genome of all free-living organisms was sequenced. Subsequently, TIGR unearthed the genome sequences of many microbes like Methanococcus jannaschii, Archaeoglobus fulgidus, Helicobacter pylori, Borrelia burgdorferi etc. During the years 1996-2000, the complete genome sequences of several model organisms such as bacterium Escherichia coli K-12, baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster etc were published. Since then the complete genome sequences of many other eukaryotes have been released by the genome sequencing community.

Abstract

There has been consistent narrowing down of gap in our knowledge about various ‘omics’ as the omics’ based disciplines are filled with valuable information emerging from research. During the last two decades, the practice of genetics has not only changed the broad horizons of medicine but also found its niche through “high-dimensional biology” there by allowing geneticists to reframe the good-old definition of gene from a locatable region of genome sequence involved in heritability to a locatable region of genome sequence associated with a functional region or a functor. Various other scientists viewed genetics ‘‘as the study of single genes and their effects’’ and genomics as ‘‘the study not just of single genes, but of the functions and interactions of all the genes in the genome.’’ We will cover the qualitative difference that bridges various disciplines casing Omics.

Abstract

Our biological heritage, from genes to ecosystems, is threatened on a global scale. Biological species, the prime focus on biodiversity, provide all our basic requirements such as food, medicine, fuel and things for well being, make nature’s sustainability through purifying air and water, pollinating crops, etc. and motivate us at a deep emotional level. During the course of human civilization and consequent urbanization process biological species and environment have been degraded. It is estimated that about 20% of all species are expected to be lost within 30 years and 50% or more by the end of the 21^st century [36]. The current rates of species extinction are 1000–10,000 times higher than the background rate of 10-7 species per year inferred from fossil record. Today, we seem to be losing two to five species per hour from tropical forests alone. This amounts to a loss of 16 m population per year or 1800 populations per hour. This led to biodiversity crisis in the global level [23,26,35] and generated an outpouring of research on biodiversity for the last 25 years. As a result we could have a general understanding about the distribution of biodiversity, the proximate causes (habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, habitat degradation, invasive species, pollution, resource exploitation) contributing to its loss, sketches of the root causes of biodiversity loss, and the outlines of better management policies. Since the establishment of the convention on biological diversity in 1992, conservation of biodiversity has become a priority concern on the international agenda.

Abstract

Microorganisms constituting the major fraction of the total biomass, are the main source of biodiversity in our planet and play an essential role in maintaining biogeochemical processes, which ultimately regulate the functioning of the Biosphere. Molecular ecological studies of microbial communities revealed that only a small fraction of total microbes in nature have been identified and characterized so far, since the majority of them are recalcitrant to cultivation. The emergence of ‘metagenomics’ have paved ways to the analysis and understanding of the genetic diversity, population structure, and ecology of complex microbial assemblages through culture – independent genomics-based approaches. The concept, metagenome, represents the total microbial genome in natural ecosystem consisting of genomes from both culturable microorganisms and viable but nonculturable bacteria. The construction and screening of metagenomic libraries in culturable bacteria constitute a valuable resource for obtaining novel microbial genes and products. Several novel enzymes and antibiotics have been identified through the metagenomic approach from many different microbial communities. This technology in the near future will provide breakthrough advances in the field of medicine, agriculture, energy production and bioremediation. This paper looks in to the various steps involved in metagenomic studies and how its potential can be utilized in the various aspects of agriculture to improve crop production and protection. The importance and role of bioinformatics in deciphering metagenomic data are also looked into.

Abstract

The study of palm genomics can aid to understand the genetic and molecular knowhow of all biological processes in palms that are vital tothe palm species. This knowledge will allow the path for the fruitful exploitation of palms as biological resources in the development of new cultivars of improved quality and with shortened economic and environmental costs. This knowledge is also vital for the development of new diagnostic tools. Traits considered of primary interest are resistance to pathogens and abiotic stress, fruit quality and yield. Genomics and bioinformatics approaches helped in unraveling the genomes of economicpalsm like coconut, oilpalm and datepalm. The genome characteristics and tools for genome analysis are provided in the chapter. Due to the economic importance of cocoa, many scientific research studies (genome, EST, transcriptome) have been carried out in the past years in this crop also.

Introduction

Plantation crops constitute a large group of crops. The major plantation crops include coconut, arecanut, oil palm, cashew, tea, coffee and rubber; and the minor plantation crops include cocoa (Prapulla and Indira, 2014). India is the third largest producer of coconut and goes in front of the ninety coconut-producing countries of the world (Richard 2013). India is the largest producer and consumer of cashew nuts (Mohod et al., 2011.). India also occupies number one position in arecanut production (Dwivedi et al.,2008) besides being the largest tea producers in the world. While Coffee is the second largest traded commodity in the world, it has, in recent times become an extremely important foreign exchange (Prapulla and Indira, 2014).

Abstract

Spices are aromatic substances of plant origin which are commonly used for flavouring, seasoning and imparting aroma in foodstuffs. They are cultivated in an area of 5.98 million ha globally with a total production of 7.31 million tons. India is considered as the home of majority of these spices from ancient times and sizable area of the country is under spice cultivation. The latest statistics shows that the total cultivated area in India under spices is 2.89 million ha with a total production of 3.33 million tonnes. About 109 plants belonging to 31 families are recognized as spices useful as ingredients in food. Many of them have been demonstrated to mediate therapeutic benefits for wide spectra of diseases ranging from multiple sclerosis to colorectal cancer.

Introduction

Advances in molecular genetics in the last 20 years like rapid DNA amplification techniques using PCR, rapid sequencing methods and computational software programs have enabled the placement of molecular markers on to the maps of chromosomes of most major crop species and the subsequent tagging of genes of interest by their placement near those markers^[38]. Unfortunately very little or scanty molecular data of spices are available in the public domain (Table 12.1). ‘Orphan crops’ like spices which have not yet received the investment of research effort or funding can exploit comparative genomics and bioinformatics to assist research and crop improvement provided they are related to a well-characterized model plant species.

Abstract

Mitochondrial (mt) genomic study may reveal significant insight into the molecular evolution and several other aspects of genome evolution such as gene rearrangements evolution, gene regulation, and replication mechanisms. Other questions such as patterns of gene expression, mechanism of evolution, genomic variation and its correlation with physiology, and other molecular and biochemical mechanisms can be addressed by the mt genomics. Rare genomic changes have attracted evolutionary biology community for providing homoplasy free evidence of phylogenetic relationships. Gene rearrangements are considered to be rare evolutionary events and are being used to reconstruct the phylogeny of diverse group of organisms. Mitochondrial gene rearrangements have been established as a hotspot for the phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis of closely as well as distantly related organisms. This evolutionary episode has significant contribution among animals as well as plants and serves as an important genomic evolutionary event for the analysis of mitogenomes on large scale.

Abstract

The field of bioinformatics emerged as a tool to facilitate biological discoveries more than 10 years ago. The ability to capture, manage, process, analyze and interpret data became more important than ever. Bioinformatics in agricultural science has many complex aspects and problems that must be resolved due to the involvement of a wide variety of fields and subjects. Consequently, the establishment of interdisciplinary research areas is required, which should include collaboration among experimental and informatics researchers in different fields within industry, academia, and government. Thus, the Agricultural Bioinformatics Special Interest Group was established to promote interaction among researchers and provide an opportunity to report on bioinformatics studies in agricultural science: design and analysis of functional foods, scientific testing of food safety, breeding of agricultural organisms, development of environmental friendly agricultural chemicals, bioremediation and production of useful chemical materials using microorganisms, measuring and monitoring biodiversity, statistical genetics in resource ecology, and so on. The activities of the Agricultural Bioinformatics Special Interest Group include (1) Studies of applied bioinformatics in the agricultural science (2) Development of new research areas in agricultural science using bioinformatics (3) Practical application of bioinformatics technologies in the field of agricultural science (4) Development of new bioinformatics technologies characteristic of agricultural science.

Abstract

Support Vector Machine (SVM) is a classification and regression prediction tool, widely employed in different fields of science and engineering. A review on some recent plant bioinformatics applications using SVM is made. Different soft wares for SVM are also explained. There is a growing amount of plant genomes data currently available from different sources. Recent advances made using SVM and Feature selection in plant bioinformatics are reviewed

Introduction

Recent developments in genomic and post-genomic research have generated a vast amount of biological data. This data is growing exponentially with the advancement of research technologies. Several plant genomes have been sequenced recently. For instance, the complete sequence of Arabidopsis thaliana and the draft sequence of rice are now available^[1]. Also, sequencing of several other plants including maize, tomato, sorghum, etc is in progress. Considering the amount and complexity of this data, it is impossible for an expert to analyze and compare the data manually. Thus, there is an increasing need for computational methods that can efficiently store, organize and interpret this large amount of data.

Abstract

Development of reliable automated techniques for the identification and annotation of exon and intron regions in a gene has been an important area of research in the field of computational biology. Several classical approaches like probabilistic model, artificial intelligence and digital signal processing are already in use to cater to this challenging task. In this work, we propose a Support Vector Machine based kernel learning approach for detecting splice site patterns and their conservation across the species. Electron-Ion Interaction Potential (EIIP) values of nucleotides were used to map DNA character sequences to corresponding numeric sequences. Radial Basis Function (RBF) SVM kernel was trained with cross validation using these EIIP numeric sequences. This was then tested on test gene datasets of multiple species for detection of splice site pattern. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and various other statistical measures have been utilized for displaying the performance of the classifier. Results indicate an inter-species splice site conversion profile.

Abstract

Manipulation of a large number of genes is often required for the improvement of even the simplest character. Molecular marker trace valuable alleles in a segregating population and mapping them. Genome mapping has emerged as a powerful new approach for research in botany, agriculture and other related fields. Genome mapping methods help to locate specific DNA markers to delineate when one has reached particular gene of interest and forming a molecular map. DNA mapping encompasses a wide range of techniques useful for studying DNA at different levels of magnification. Genetic Linkage Mapping Using Molecular Markers, Development of Genetic Maps, Mapping populations and comparative genomics are elucidated.

Introduction

Understanding biology and genetics at molecular level has become very important for better understanding and manipulation of genome architecture. Molecular markers have contributed significantly in this respect and have been widely used in plant science in a number of ways including genetic fingerprinting, identification of duplicates and selecting core collections, determination of genetic distances, genome analysis, identification of markers associated with desirable breeding traits which are useful in marker assisted breeding, genomics and development of transgenics. Use of these markers also significantly reduce breeding time and cycles required for crop improvement. Molecular level understanding of the inheritance of agriculturally important traits creates new opportunities to streamline plant breeding.

Abstract

The completion of large number of genome sequencing projects has generated large volumes of raw sequence data. One of the fundamental tasks in bioinformatics is the creation of databases for data storage and development of tools for analysis. The first plant genome to be completed is that of Arabidopsis thaliana in 2000^[49]. This was followed by the rice genome and others. The availability of complete genomes has provided us with an opportunity to analyze them and understand plant biology in a holistic way. It has enhanced our understanding of factors affecting plant growth and development, abiotic and biotic stress, disease resistance, host pathogen interactions amongst others.

Abstract

In recent years there has been a world-wide shift in consumer choice and preferences for herbal drugs. Herbal drugs are crude preparations of various kinds of medicinal plants. It involves dried plant or any part such as leaf, stem, root, flower, or seed. According to WHO survey, about 70-80% of the world population particularly in the developing countries rely on non-conventional medicines mainly of herbal sources for their primary health care.^[1] Herbal medicines are being widely accepted for their safety, efficacy, cultural acceptability, better compatibility with the human body and lesser side effects. With the legal acceptance in many countries of the world as an alternative system of medicine, the growth rate of ayurvedic and herbal industry is estimated to be more than 30% for the last 25 years. 

Introduction

With an ever-increasing global inclination towards the consumption of herbal medicines, there is a growing need of raw materials and to identify the active principles that should be available in optimum quantities at the requisite time. Currently, the herbal medicine sector faces numerous challenges such as narrow genetic base, identification and authentication of species, chemical characterization of active compounds and identification of the target molecules. The pharmacologically active metabolites are produced in very low amounts by the plants and their chemical synthesis is expensive, hence there is a growing pressure of procuring these active metabolites from the wild leading to diminishing the populations, loss of genetic diversity and local extinctions. Domestic cultivation of medicinal plants offers an attractive alternative but not much information is available regarding the cultivation practices for many plants and also, there are issues related to storage practices, quality, safety and stability assessment that need to be addressed. Futher, the study of secondary metabolites and their enhancement is a bottleneck due to lack of knowledge about characterized biosynthetic pathways and enzymes in many plants and how their synthesis is regulated at molecular level. To address these challenges, new molecular tools and biotechnological approaches are much warranted. However, the rapidly changing pace of technology and development of high-throughput research, the field of plant biotechnology is beginning to suffer from data overload. All biotechnological efforts have involved empirical, labor-intensive and time-consuming methods. Bioinformatics is one such approach in which biology and information technology converge. It is an interdisciplinary scientific tool that facilitates both the analysis and integration of information from ‘omics’ technologies including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and phenomics. The present chapter highlights some of the important areas in bioinformatics which play a significant role and could also have immense impact in medicinal plants research.

Abstract

Plant Bioinformatics is a new and rapidly evolving field driven by the advances in ‘Omics’ technologies. This chapter is intended to help both beginners and experienced researchers to develop and apply bioinformatics tools to specific areas of plant genomics research. This chapter will also help plant biologists to access and implement comparative genomics studies of the plant genes of interest. Also discussed are the databases which house the data on plant genes and genomes. The chapter ends with a review of basic Perl Programming for sequence motif analysis beneficial for plant biologists.

Introduction

Ever since the discovery of DNA structure, the field of plant genomics has experienced a dramatic change in the ways scientific problems are approached. With the recent advances in High Throughput analysis clubbed with methods like Physical mapping of genes, RFLP, RAPD, large scale EST sequencing and mRNA protein profiling, there is an enormous amount of biological data available for various analysis. As the amount of data grows tremendously, there is a demand for developing tools and methods to effectively access these assembled data for analysis, modeling, visualization and prediction. In this chapter, we emphasize on some of the key concepts in bioinformatics, tools and databases relevant to plant genomics.

Abstract

Plant genetic resources constitute the chief component of agro-biodiversity and comprise of land races, modern cultivars and obsolete varieties, breeding lines, genetic stocks and wild species. They provide the basic materials to the plant breeders to utilize genetic variability for the development of high yielding cultivars with a broad genetic base. The utilization of these genetic resources, however, depends upon their efficient and adequate characterization and evaluation, which in turn entails efficient characterization standards and appropriate strategies.

Introduction

Analysis of trait data generated from characterization and evaluation of the genetic resources is used to understand and use diversity. Currently, a large number of distance measures are available for analyzing similarity/dissimilarity among accessions based on different traits representing different types of variables. The selection of the most appropriate distance measure for each trait is the prerequisite for diversity analysis. One of the approaches is to form clusters where accessions between clusters would be more diverse than the accessions within a cluster. The clustering algorithms require a distance/similarity matrix between the accessions which can be calculated depending upon the nature or type of traits such as morphological and agronomic traits and/or molecular markers.

Abstract

Bioinformatics is a discipline combining biology, mathematics and the technology including computational tools and databases. It is one of the fast growing fields in the scientific community. This chapter is intended to provide an overview of the important databases of bioinformatics used for research in molecular biology, taxonomy, conservation biology, forensics and medicine and for the commercial applications in pharmaceutical industry and agricultural biotechnology. This chapter also describes various internet resources available in the field of Bioinformatics.

Introduction

Bioinformatics has emerged as one of the important scientific disciplines which revolutionized application of life sciences in our day to day life. A simple definition of bioinformatics is: “Bioinformatics is the use of computational techniques for the consolidation and analysis of large scale experimental biological data”. Hence, Bioinformatics has transformed the life science discipline from a purely wet lab-based science to a computationally assisted information science.

Application of bioinformatics in life science has multi facets right from gene discovery to drug design where the knowledge on sequence, structure and function of genes and proteins take the lead. The objectives of biological database generation are to: (i) organize the large scale experimental biological data for further investigation, (ii) make the biological data available globally and (iii) avoid duplication of experiments.

Abstract

Indian agriculture made a rapid stride, converting the country from food scarcity to sufficiency. But challenges for the Indian agriculture in 21st century are much greater than before. The growing population has to be fed and surplus has to be produced with declining land, water and threat of climate change. Food and livelihood security of increasing population is a cause of concern and has received focused attention across the globe. Food security emphasizes access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for an active and healthy life. Similarly, livelihood security has the emphasis on income and other resources to enable households to meet their fair needs.

The horticulture which includes fruits, vegetables, spices, flowers and medicinal and aromatic plants, has proved beyond doubt its potentiality for gainful diversification. Initiatives taken by Government and other stakeholders have impacted the development in terms of increased production, productivity and availability of horticultural crops. One of the significant developments is that horticulture has moved from rural confine to commercial production and this changing scenario has encouraged private sector investment in production system management. Now the horticulture sector contributes 29.65 per cent to agricultural GDP that has achieved a growth rate of 5-6 per cent during the decade. India has emerged as the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables and has first position in several horticultural crops. Production and export of flowers have increased manifold and the country has a major stake in global trade of spices and cashew nuts. Exports of medicinal plants, fruits and vegetables have also exhibited rising trend.

Sales Management

According to American marketing Association “Sales management is the planning, direction and control of personal selling, including recruiting, selecting, equipping, assigning, routing, supervising, paying and motivating as these tasks apply to the personal sales force.”

Promotion Mix

The main objectives of promotion mix are to seek buyer’s attention towards the product with a view to : (1) arouse consumer interest in the product (2) inform consumer about the product availability (3) inform the consumer as how is it different from others.

Product

Anything that possesses utility is described as goods. A product is both what a seller sell and what a buyer has to buy. 

According to Phillip Kotler: A product is anything that can be offered in a market for attention acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or need. It includes physical objects, services, persons, places, organisation and ideas.

According to Stanton: A product is a set of tangible and intangible attributes, including packaging, colour, price, manufacturer’s prestige, retailer prestige and services which the buyer may accept as offering satisfaction or wants or needs.

Pricing

Pricing goods and services is a critical job to maximize the profit of business organizations. Price is the most important determinant of the profitability of the business. Setting the right price can influence the quantities of various products or services that consumers will buy, which in turn determines the total revenue and the profit of the business. Price is the only element in the marketing mix of a firm that generate revenue.

The price of a product or service is the number of monetary units a customer has to pay to receive one unit of product or service (Simon, 1989).

Demand & Sales Forecasting

Demand: Demand usually means effective desire/ willingness for a product. It normally refers to the quantity of a product or services which the buyers are likely to purchase at different prices in a given market at a given time.

The laws of demand states that the price and quantity demanded are inversely related, other things remaining the same (income, tastes, habits, weather, season, region, price of related commodity etc.).

Consumer Behaviour / Buyers Behaviour

Marketing management can succeed easily and smoothly of the behaviour of present & potential consumers are understood properly. Marketing success or failure depends on target customers individual and group reactions. The individual buyer behaves in a different design and pattern depending upon the internal & external marketing environment. The individual attitude & motivation along with economic conditions influence the consumers to behave in a certain fashion. The consumer behaviour is primarily understood in the content of consumption goods. The factors influencing their behaviours are demographic, economic, sociological, cultural and psychological.
The aim of marketing is to need and satisfy target customers needs & wants. The field of consumer behaviour studies how individuals, groups and organizations select, buy, use & dispose of goods, services, ideas or experiences to satisfy their needs and desires.

Grading and Standardization

Grading and standardization is marketing function which facilitates the movement of produce. Grading standards for commodities are laid down first & then the commodities are sorted out according to the accepted standards.
Grading means grouping the products into different classes (which posses the same characteristics) in accordance with the predetermined standards. Grading as the division of products into/commodities into classes made up of units possessing similar characteristics of size and quantity. Grading follows standardization. It is a sub function of standardization.

Marketing Channel

Marketing Channel is an organised network of agencies and institutions which in combination perform all the activities required to link producers with users to accomplish the marketing tasks.
Marketing channel is the route taken by a product as it moves from the producer to the consumer.
It is a part of value chain – what the customers are prepared to pay for goods and services and all activities carried out in chain.
Marketing channels are sets of interdependent organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use/consumption. Channels normally describe a forward-movement of products from sources to user. Reverse flow channels is used to reuse or recycle products, and to recycling or disposal of solid waste (ecological goods).

Marketing Information System (MIS)

Market information is crucial to effective marketing management. Business success now requires a sustainable and cutting-edge knowledge base. Information becomes knowledge when it is discriminated, classified, processed and assembled in an appropriate manner. Knowledge is the final entity in the sequence.
Marketing decisions are based on marketing information and research. The scientific decisions are based always on the facts and figures. The information based decisions are useful for solving day to day problems. Marketing information are the facts and figures required for taking the marketing decisions. Marketing information assists marketing decisions in right perspectives. The marketing managers are expected to get all the relevant information. They have to evaluate the information for their purposes. The utilities of each source of information are assessed to have optimum use of the resources. Good information improves decision making process. The marketing managers have to make decisions based on available information and try to collect adequate and correct information from all sources. Establishment of an effective marketing information system (MIS) is essential for adequate and correct marketing decisions.

Marketing Strategy

Marketing strategy is an integral part of marketing planning. In modern day business terms, strategy refers to the matching of the activities of an organization to the environment in which it operates and to its own resource capabilities.

Definition: Marketing strategy is the complete and unbeatable plan, designed especially for attaining the marketing objectives of the firm/business unit. The marketing objectives indicate what the firm wants to achieve, the marketing strategy provides the design for achieving them. e.g. marketing objective of a business unit in the next year (2016) to achieve sales revenue of Rs. 2,000 crore and net profit will be 15 per cent on sales revenue. Then it is the job of marketing strategy to indicate how and where from this sale and profit will come, which product lines/products/brands will accomplish this task and how?

Concept and Meaning of Market

Agricultural marketing management offers key insights into the agricultural and rural development today. Agricultural marketing and its management is an essential element of every economic activity. It is a most creative, dynamic and challenging activity for every kind of enterprises. Agricultural marketing management has significantly changed and it comprises numerous aspects of the needs of the customers over the selling and distribution of agricultural goods and services to customer and adds value to agricultural products and facilitates marketing and agribusiness opportunities in the economy. It deals with identifying and meeting human and social needs.

Meaning of Market Energy Strategy

Market Entry Strategy

When an organization has made a decision to enter an overseas market, there are a variety of options open to it. These options vary with cost, risk and the degree of control which can be exercised over them. The simplest form of entry strategy is exporting using either a direct or indirect method such as an agent, in the case of the former, or counter trade, in the case of the latter. More complex forms include truly global operations which may involve joint ventures, or export processing zones. Having decided on the form of export strategy, decisions have to be made on the specific channels. Many agricultural products of a row or commodity nature use agents, distributors or involve Government, whereas processed materials, whilst not excluding these, rely more heavily on more sophisticated forms of access.

Abstract
The assistance/credit provided by banks is classified as priority sector lending and non-priority sector lending. Priority Sector Lending (PSL) is one which has got the order of preference over other sectors by the target groups in availing bank credit as per the directives of RBI. It is one of the important steps taken by the government for the cause of rural development. It involves rising the socio-economic status of the rural population on sustainable  basis through the optimum utilization of local resources. In the words of Planning Commission1 rural development could be achieved through strategies, policies and programs  for the development of rural areas and the promotion of activities carried out in such spheres as agriculture, forestry, fishing, rural crafts and industries, the building up of social and economic infrastructure, with the ultimate aim of achieving a fuller utilization of available physical and human resources and earns higher income and better living conditions for the population. According to Desai2, the preamble to the Bank Nationalization Act, 1970 clearly lays down that the banking system has to function in alignment with priorities and objectives. According to Srinivasan3  during 1969-89, the PSL has considerably increased and radical transformation has taken place in the allocation of pattern of credit. The trend analysis in between 1969-89 indicated that banking system has achieved a good blend of social and commercial banking.

Abstract
Electricity is one of the most important input factors for the economic development of the country. There is huge and increasing demand of electricity in India and it is continuously increasing with the countries corporate and economic growth. The Indian power sector has responded significantly and made significant progress in reducing the gap between demand and supply. Indian power sector offers one of the highest growth potential to players in this industry. However, this is subject to some challenges like to generate more power and to generate and distribute power efficiently and at minimum cost. The present study covers five selected companies operating in power sector for the financial performance using ratio analysis and ANOVA. Out of selected companies NTPC performance is better than other companies but overall Indian power sector needs to reduce too much dependence on coal and needs to generate more power availability, quality and reliability for successful future and growth of the country. 

Abstract
This case study investigates that how HR policies and practices are aligned with the respective business strategy of ABC Ltd. The strategy classification of M. Porter were used to analyze the different approaches used by organizations for competing in the market and the way they use HR policy and practices to support their business strategy. Data collection instrument (questionnaire) has been used for collecting the data form employee as well as HR manager. Based on the qualitative study of various functional managers and secondary data (annual report, press release, websites content etc), this study highlights the internal as well as external synergy of HR policies and practices. Different SHRM models were used to find out the strategic alignment. Study presents number of implication for lubricant industry and HR professional in emerging economy like India.

Abstract
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has much bigger implications for inclusive development of the any country. It reduces dependency on the government for social expenditure and helps in speedy inclusive growth. The scale of CSR emerged significantly in the last decade in India. Since business houses required doing business in the society it would be an obligation on their part to share a small portion of their profit for the betterment of society. To relate fundamental business philosophy to make CSR sharper, smarter, and focused is what really matters and is the core part of any business in the 21st business philosophy century. However, critiques are emerging on the recent Government bill on CSR which makes mandatory on the part of the companies to spend a small portion of their profit for the social causes. Many companies have invested noted share of profits in various social development sectors. Also, there is research evidence to show that CSR work of the companies have reached where government could not reach so for. However, there are some reports showing most of the companies have not even have CSR policies yet. All though various Indian corporate involved in CSR activities; it is not enough when contrast to their actual financial strength. This paper gives a solid background for the discussion about the possible role of CSR with respect to Social Inclusion

Abstract
Access to finance by the poor, disadvantaged and underprivileged group is a prerequisite of poverty alleviation on one hand and the economic growth on the other. In the struggle against poverty, the financial inclusion is a crucial element. For achieving economic power and self reliance, it is essential to ensure timely access to financial services and adequate credit when they are needed by vulnerable groups such as the weaker sections and low income groups at an affordable cost. Large sections of the rural population have no access to financial services and their only recourse is to borrow from moneylenders at the exorbitant charges causing exploitation. Therefore, financial inclusion, today, has become the national objective and major concern for the economic policy decision makers. The present study will focus on the major challenges and opportunities of financial inclusion in India.

Abstract

Service tax is an indirect tax.  It is a tax levied by the Central Government on service providers on certain service transactions, but is actually borne by the customers. Just like excise duty is payable on goods which are manufactured, similarly service tax is payable on services provided. Service tax is charged on all services except the services in the negative list of services.  Based on the manageing business in emerging economics, this article discuss about the person liable to pay service tax, negative list, rates of service tax, due date of paying tax and penalty for non-payment of tax.

Abstract
Corporate Social Responsibility is one of emerging term now-a-days in the corporate arena. Sustainable growth is possible only when all sphere of the society is self sustained. Since the early 1990’s, corporate responsibility issues including social obligation of corporations have attained prominence in political and business debates. This is mainly in response to corporate scandals but also due to realisation that development centred only on economic growth paradigms is unsustainable and therefore there is a need for more pro-active roles by states, companies and communities in a development process aimed at balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability and social cohesion. Some people think sustainability is all about environmental issues. Others see it in terms of the bottom line. And then, of course there are the people who use the term synonymously with corporate social responsibility. CSR and Sustainable development are two different concepts having different traits. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) promotes a vision of business accountability to a wide range of stakeholders who are directly and indirectly dealing with corporate entities, besides shareholders and investors. Therefore, there is a need for evaluating the working of CSR on social sustainability. Besides, this paper try to identify the key areas of concern are environmental protection and the wellbeing of employees, the community and civil society in general, both now and in the future (by international institute for Sustainable Development),various issues and challenges faced by corporate bodies.

Abstract

This chapter highlights the importance of re-engineering the functional processes prevalent in organizations today and realigning organizational resources with policies, procedures and systems that foster innovation in the technological and managerial space and institutionalize long term sustainability of businesses in emerging market economies such as India. These economies can serve as an engine for growth in a globalized era, if the intellectual capital of these economies is utilized and enhanced with maximum possible efficiency. It is in this scenario where entrepreneurial and decision making techniques based on the knowledge management-organizational learning continuum can help in the confluence of open innovation practices and stable management expertise. Such a comprehensive strategic shift from being a financial economy to a knowledge economy needs to be supported by integration of practical actions with the untapped cognitive potential of emerging economies. This chapter shall also be useful in explaining the importance of coexistence of competition and cooperation for enhancing the viability of the organizational ecosystem in the emergent Indian economy. 

Abstract

This paper attempts to analyses the price discovery relationships of future and spot prices of ten agricultural commodities during the period of post sub-prime crisis i.e., from 2010-2015. As per the decisions derived by the study, we found that except Turmeric price discovery is confirmed for all the nine agricultural commodities. The results are quite encouraging showing the emerging character of the agricultural commodities in India. Although, it doesn’t assure the competitiveness of the Indian commodities market. The statistical diffusion of the findings is quite relevant in policy making, hedging and investing decisions. Now a day, these markets are becoming more efficient and mature in terms of information, also market regulators are working towards their development. The study suggests that Forward Market Commission (FMC) should be given more power to regulate and control the market, which will ensure the efficient market situations in these commodities market. It also suggests that in order to facilitate more transparency in commodities market, like stock market, electronically traded stock exchanges must be developed. All these suggestions of the study are targeted to strengthen the derivative market trading in agricultural commodities to achieve efficient price discovery mechanism.

Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, one should be able to understand:
    ·    The Indian ICT industry and the emerging market of Africa: overview
    ·    Regulations and their impact on international business, with reference to the emerging African market
    ·    Some of the business regulations relevant to the ICT industry
    ·    Regulatory reforms and their impact on business: examples from global markets
    ·    African regulatory situation by means of field survey and secondary data
    ·    Regulatory assessment and recommendations for the Indian ICT industry

Abstract

Orange is a machine learning and data mining suite for data analysis through Python scripting and visual programming. It is a general -purpose tool of data mining for machine learning. It’s having a multi-layer architecture which is suitable for different kinds of users, from new data mining learner to programmers who prefer to use the tool through its interface. Here we report on which features interactive data analysis and component-based assembly of data mining procedures. In the paper we highlight the history of Orange’s development process and present its current state, achievements and the future challenges.

Keywords: Python, Data mining, Machine learning, Toolbox, Scripting

Abstract

The main reasons behind farmers for adopting organic farming practices are their concerns for the environment and about side effects of agricultural chemicals in conventional farming systems. Organic farmers find their method of farming to be profitable and personally satisfying. There is also a concern with the amount of energy used in agriculture, since many farm chemicals require energy intensive manufacturing processes that rely heavily on fossil fuels which are very limited.
This paper is an attempt to identify the current process of organic farming and initiatives to make organic farming a more profitable practice. 

Keywords: Agriculture, Farming, Organic

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyze perceptions of individual investors on general terms, statements related to mutual fund and reasons for withdrawal of investors. This chapter analysed  the general awareness of individual investors on terms related mutual fund investment such as New Fund Offer (NFO), Systematic Investment Plan (SIP), Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP), Asset Management Company (AMC) and  Association of Mutual funds in India (AMFI) etc and its association with individual investment decision making. This chapter also covered perceptions of respondents on the statements such as Mutual Funds are useful for small investors, Mutual Funds give higher return than other investments, Mutual Funds are healthy for Indian financial environment, Private sector mutual funds are not good, ELSS schemes are good for tax saving, Mutual funds with large corpus perform better and Mutual funds having diversified portfolio gives better returns etc related to mutual fund investment and studied their perceptions towards mutual fund investment. The primary data also collected from the respondents relating to the withdrawal Behaviour of individual investors from mutual fund investment by taking the factors such as Lack of Performance, Lack of Involvement of companies, Lack of Capital appreciation, Low Dividend Payment ratio and Low NAV etc.

Abstract

In the present paper an attempt is made to study the job inspirational element of employees of Small and Medium Enterprise’s, Guntur.  It is well known fact that job satisfaction plays major role in satisfying an employee himself as well as the organization in terms of attaining the needed output.  As job inspirational elements are the deciding factors of job satisfaction, HR managers will have an eagle eye towards in this aspect in the organization that intern has to bridge the gap between the personnel and the management.  The present study attempted to understand the well as the source of recruitment through which they have entered the organization.

Abstract

In today’s scenario every human being is continuously juggling the demands of career and personal life. Achieving the insidious “work-life balance” can often been taken as an impossible goal, especially for those who struggle to give their best to personal and professional life. In todays time “do more with less” competing reality, managing careers and families, and feel satisfied with both can be a messy task. Life filled with conflicting responsibilities and commitments, work life balance has become a major issue in workplace in today’s time. This study attempted to provide an understanding of the term work life balance as well as the conceptual paradigm of work life balance, discussions of different causes and consequences of WLB, and the importance as well as the strategies of WLB.

The strategies outlined in this paper are proposed as recommendations for managers and supervisors to consider for implementation in their work areas to assist employees achieve a better balance between work, family, and life commitments.