eChapters

Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria, 2n = 2x = 22, family Cucurbitaceae, monoecious, cross-pollinated but genetically behaving like self-pollinated crop), is grown primarily in India on large scale for consumption as cooked vegetables. Bottle gourd is considered to be one of the earliest species of plants to be domesticated by humans. Bottle gourds are regularly grown and consumed in various parts of the world, particularly Asia. Fruits of bottle gourds are harvested young and used as a vegetable. The mature, dried fruits have been used throughout the world for making storage jars and utensils and hence the name bottle gourd. Shoots and leaves are also cooked and eaten. Lately, bottle gourd juice is also becoming popular in India as a health drink. Other countries growing bottle gourd on limited scale are Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Tropical Africa, Colombia and Brazil. After seed scooping, the hard rind is used as containers also. Seeds are used for oil extraction and oil is used as cooking oil.

During 2017-18, India produced 27 lakh tons (2.7 million tons) of bottle ground from 1.60 lakh ha (0.16 million ha) and this translated into a productivity of 17 tons/ ha (Horticulture Statistics at a Glance-2018, MAFW, 2018). Top six states producing bottle gourd on significant scale are Bihar, UP, Haryana, MP, Odisha, and Pujab, production being in the range of 135,000 to 650,000 tons.

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN LIVESTOCK ENTERPRISES

GENDER AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY: The women and men enjoy equal status in the law of the constitution, though there exists a wide difference as looked upon by the society. This gender gap is a socially constructed attribute as being male and females are assigned roles and responsibilities in respect to one’s gender. Gender disparity is a serious concern in all sectors and must be addressed immediately for the development of the country. To address gender issues, it is imperative to understand different fundamental gender concepts to deal with it effectively.

Gender: Gender identifiers social relations between men and women. Gender refers to the relationship between men and women, boys and girls and how this is socially constructed. Gender roles are dynamic and changed over time. Gender determined, what is expected, allowed, and valued in a man or woman in a different context.

Sex: Sex identifies the biological difference between men and women, such as-women can give birth and men provide sperm. Sex roles are universal. These are universal, obvious and generally permanent. It is what, we are born with and does not change over time, differs from place to place.

India is the primary centre of origin of brinjal. Decandolle (1904) reported it as native of Asia. In Europe it is not known earlier (before 17th early). According to N.I Vavilov, the egg plant originated in Indo–Burma region and china and spread to South Europe, china and Japan. Vavilov (1951) suggested China a centre of origin of brinjal. Crop is restricted mainly to South and South-East Asia, Southern Europe, China and Japan. Wild brinjal types are available in Southern Coastal area of Africa.

Botany

Solanum melongena’ L. var. esculentum - round or egg shape 
var. serpentinum – long, slender type 
var. depressum – dwarf brinjal plant 
It is often cross pollinated crop due to heteromorphic flower structure (heterostyle)

Introduction

In view of the existence of productive agro-climatic and soil-morphological conditions, a dynamic estuarine river system and unique network of productive brackishwater aquaculture has emerged in the coastal states of India. It is immensely suitable for the shrimp/shrimp+fish culture providing high valued export quality shrimp. The Indian contribution of world shrimp export is at 6% (Katiha et al., 2003). Unfortunately, investment in shrimp farming has slowed down (Hempel, 2000) in recent years due to lack of interest among the entrepreneurs. Therefore, it is pertinent to work out and compare the economic feasibility of various shrimp farming system. Studies on cost and return for shrimp production are scanty, therefore, in depth analysis with identification of bottlenecks, yield gaps and constraints is the need of hour. It may lead to harness the potential for shrimp farming through inculcating entrepreneurs’ interest. This may also help the financial institutions for reconsidering loan procedure and further investment in this enterprise. Considering, over one third of national potential area for the enterprise and its sustainability over past decade, the study mainly concentrates on shrimp farming in the state of West Bengal.

This chapter explains how workplaces and equipment can be designed to improve functionality, comfort, safety and productivity. It presents fundamental principles for arranging work areas, selecting layouts and adapting workstations to the physical dimensions and capabilities of users. Work-simplification techniques, process charts, motion-economy principles and task-analysis methods are introduced as tools for eliminating unnecessary effort. The chapter also examines energy expenditure, worker comfort and environmental conditions such as lighting, temperature, humidity, ventilation, vibration and noise. Human–machine interfaces, controls and information displays are discussed to show how intuitive design can reduce errors. The overall emphasis is on fitting workplace systems to their users.

Abstract

Coral reefs, the marine representatives of tropical forests, coupled with the sea grasses contribute considerably to the coastal productivity. Damages to these ecosystems will immediately affect the fishery productivity of the region. Due to this, the long-term ecological impact of the recent tsunami will be a serious set back to the local, national and regional economy than the immediate losses. Andaman and Nicobar reefs represent the second largest coral reef formation next to the Great Barrier Reef and are also comparable to the coral reefs of Indonesia and Philippines in terms of diversity of species and associated floral and faunal components. The recent mega – subduction of the Indian plate below the Burmese micro – plate in Andaman – Sumatra region has not only deepened the southern and uplifted the northern group of Andaman – Nicobar islands but also created a disastrous tsunami on Dec 26, 2004. While such tectonic changes are expected to cause longterm changes in the coral reefs of Andaman, Nicobar group of islands, the tsunami has damaged the coral reefs instantaneously. However, the coral reefs of the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay are not much affected by the tsunami by virtue of their geographic position in the shadow region of Sri Lanka.

Keywords: Indian coral reefs, Tsunami effect, Coral recovery

Introduction

Project evaluation aims at analysing research and development projects, or activities or ideas, for any or all of the following purposes:

Getting an overall understanding of the project.

 Making priorities among a set of projects.

 Taking a decision about whether or not to proceed with a project.

 Monitoring projects, eg. by following up the parameters analyzed when the project was selected.

 Terminating projects and evaluating the results obtained.

The purpose of the clinical examination is to identify the clinical abnormalities that are present and the risk factors that determine the occurrence of the disease in the individual or population. The focal point of any investigation of animal disease is the making of diagnosis and the critical part in making that decision is the clinical examination of the animal or group of animals. Without a proficient clinical examination and an accurate diagnosis it is unlikely that the treatment, control, prognosis and welfare of animals will be optimized.  The level of examination set out is sufficient to enable the clinician to determine the nature of the abnormality and the system involved.

Green Revolution has increased food grain production by four fold since 1950–51 with the adoption of HYVs, intense input use, extensive tillage, burning of residues and irrigation. The intense cultivation has lead to degradation of natural resource such as soil, water, vegetation etc. In this context, globally conservation agriculture (CA) has opened a new paradigm as it has potential for higher resource use efficiency, water productivity and climate change mitigation through its key principles. Total area and percentage of total area under no tillage practised as part of conservation agriculture in different continents is given in Table 92.

Introduction Farmer Producer Company (FPC) is a dynamic form of farmer collective that enables strong backward and forward linkage to the member farmer, leading to enhanced socio-economic status amongst the farming community. As of March 31, 2019, there were 7,374 FPCs with a total of 860.18 crore in Paid-Up Capital (PUC). With a budget of 6,865 crore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare announced in 2021 central scheme to support 10,000 farmer producer organisations. The Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), the National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), and f lagship programmes like the Agriculture Investment Fund (AIF) have all contributed to expanding farmers' access to capital (www.livemint.com).

FPCs are effective tools that give smallholder farmers more influence over the trading markets. This improves agricultural output and raises the revenues of small-scale farmers. To fully realise the potential of FPCs, cluster-based business organisations must acknowledge the inherent difficulties that they face and understand how to avoid common management mistakes.

Branding scenario of successful FPCs

There have been very few Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) in India that have been running their businesses professionally and have become sustainable organisations over the years with well-established market linkages. Sahyadri Farmer Producer Company (Nashik, Maharashtra), Indian Organic Producer Company (Kerala), Bhangar Vegetable Producer Company (West Bengal), Madhya Pradesh Women’s Poultry Producer Company Pvt. Ltd. (Madhya Pradesh), Nachalur Farmers Producer Company Limited (Tamil Nadu), Maha Gujarat Agri Cotton Producer Company Ltd. (Gujarat), etc. are some of them, to name a few. A lot of sincere efforts have been put into strengthening their marketing linkages, viz. grading, processing, packaging, branding, distribution, etc. All the FPCs have been able to garner a significant market share because of their immaculate branding exercise. Their success has proved the fact that mere branding won’t guarantee large-scale consumer acceptance and it is brand positioning which is the required engine to drag the product towards consumers.

Introduction

A little information when shared can go a long way. Information patented can elevate India to great heights. Property (tangible) is associated with physical objects: house, land, etc., while intellectual property (intangible) includes Patents, Trade secrets, Copyrights, and Trademarks. Intellectual property rights (IPR) are legal rights which result from intellectual activity in industrial, scientific, literary, and artistic fields. Intellectual property protection (IPP) is right to protect intellectual property. Various types of IPR are:

Keys to Genera
Flowers zygomorphic, stamens definite, corolla papillonacious, petals imbricate: 1I, 1O, 3 IO
Group I:    Herbs or shrubs, leaves imparipinnate, leaf lets entire, pods usually dehiscent, or if indehiscent usually small, a few seeded. Cyamopsis
Group II:    Herbs low or climbing, leaves paripinnate, leaflets ending in a tendril or bristle, style bearded, pods dehiscent.
Sub group 1: Staminal tube oblique at mouth, pod compressed. Vicia
Sub group 2: Staminal tube truncate (cutting off) at mouth, pods torpid.  Pisum
Group III:     Climbing or prostrate and rarely erect
Sub group 1: style bearded, stamen diadelphous
Sub-sub group: stigma terminal: Dolichos
Sub-sub group: Stigma oblique: Keel spiral : Phaseolus
Keel not spiral: Vigna
Sub group 2: Style not bearded, stamen monodelphous: Canavalia
Group IV:    Trees or shrubs, some times climbing, pods indehiscent: Psophocarpus

Garden Pea
It is cool season crop cultivated throughout the world. It is extensively grown in temperate zone and is restricted to cooler altitudes in tropics and winter season in sub tropics. It is rich source of proteins (25.6%), amino acids and sugars. It goes well with other vegetables in vegetable dish.

Among beans, the most popular bean is French bean and it has wider distribution and larger gene pool. Various names are associated with cultivars viz., Snap bean, salad bean and green bean and all these names associated are with beans of vegetable types. The names haricot bean, dry bean and navy bean are applicable to pulse types. String bean, dwarf bean and pole bean applicable to growth forms. It is known as Rajmah in Hindi, Tingalawari in Kannada and Fras bean in Punjabi. Cultivars preferred for Canning, frozen and freeze-dried are having round pods. Fresh market cultivars are flat or oval shaped. Yellow pod cultivars are also grown. Generally fresh market cultivar yields higher in temperate region than in tropical region. Beans are said to be antidiabetic and good for bladder burns, cardiac, carminative, diuretic.

Origin and Distribution: Phaseolus vulgaris was domesticated in Central America about 7000 years ago and it is also thought to be domesticated in Brazil and Northern Islands and was introduced to Europe in 16th century. Vavilov (1951) reported that Phaseolus vulgaris originated in South Mexico and Central American centre of origin. The first cultivar has been selected in Peru. From Peru it spread to Europe and to Asia. Wild species P. aboriginus in North West Argentina is considered as the wild progenitor of French bean. Based on growth habit, crop can be classified into pole type, semi pole type and bush type. Former varieties are more string types. American origin of P. vulgaris is questioned by De Candolle (1584). Southern part of Mexico and Central America are considered to be primary centre of origin. While secondary centre lies in Peru-Bolivian-Ecuador of South American continent. In Europe, French bean spread rapidly in 16th and 17th centuries and reached England by 1594. From Europe, it was introduced to India during 17th century (Simmonds, 1976).

Cooling systems play a vital role in cold chain logistics, serving as essential components that regulate temperature for storage, processing, and transportation. An efficient cooling system ensures that food and other perishable products remain fresh for extended periods, even before they begin their journey. Various cold chain products require specific temperature settings to maintain their quality and integrity until they reach their final destination.
For instance, tropical fruits such as bananas and pineapples must be stored at a consistent temperature between 12°C and 14°C. If the temperature exceeds this range, the fruits may ripen prematurely, compromising their quality. Likewise, food items like milk, vegetables, and other perishable fruits should be cooled within the range of 2°C to 4°C. This temperature effectively eliminates harmful pathogens and prevents bacterial growth, preserving the freshness of the produce.
For businesses dealing with frozen food, seafood, or ice cream, a more advanced cooling system is necessary—one that can maintain temperatures as low as -30°C. Such systems are essential to prevent thawing and spoilage, ensuring that frozen goods remain in optimal condition throughout their transportation and storage.

Transfusion therapy is basically an attempt to replace blood or its components when the life is threatened. Blood transfusion plays a life saving role in general mostly to shorten the recovery time during any severe blood loss conditions arising due to accidents, major surgical interference, haemoprotozoan diseases especially in canines during anaemic conditions due to sever helminthic infestions, tick infectation, haemophilia etc.

In livestock, diversity of blood and lack of commercially available blood typing reagents, make blood group matching and typing difficult, which results in reduced importance in veterinary practice. Blood or individual blood component is to be transferred during the following conditions-

Plant breeding activities basically involve development of new and superior crop varieties to replace the old ones and this naturally needs comparison of several lines/cultivars for agronomically important traits which are often quantitative in nature. Therefore, lots of environmental influences are there on the mean performance and mere numerical comparison of mean data is not sufficient to draw valid conclusions regarding the superiority of one variety over the other. Great advances have been made during the last about 100 years in the area of experimental designs and analytical procedures to facilitate such comparisons. Most commonly used designs by the plant breeders are included here for better understanding by the students and the breeders and to handle the experimental data on their own when confronted with such issues. Before applying statistical procedures on the experimental designs, it must be well understood that proper use of field plot technique is of great value to have meaningful data for further statistical analysis and use.

Introduction

Biodynamic farming is a holistic and sustainable approach to agriculture that goes beyond organic practices, incorporating spiritual, ethical, and ecological dimensions into farming and food production. Rooted in the early 20th century, this method is based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher, who laid the groundwork for what has become a global movement aimed at creating a harmonious balance between nature and agriculture. Unlike conventional farming, which often relies heavily on chemical inputs and monoculture practices, biodynamic farming emphasizes the interdependence of all elements within a farming system. This includes the soil, plants, animals, and even cosmic forces. The approach seeks to enhance the vitality of the farm as a living organism, fostering a self-sustaining and self-regulating ecosystem.

Central to biodynamic farming is the concept of the farm as a closed-loop system, where all inputs are produced on-site. This includes composting organic waste, rotating crops to maintain soil fertility, and using herbal and mineral preparations to enhance the health and resilience of the farm. These preparations are often made from specific plants, minerals, and animal manure, which are applied according to a biodynamic calendar that aligns farming activities with the lunar and cosmic cycles.

Cerebrospinal fluid is found in the ventricles, cistern of brain, canal of spinal cord and in space between piamater and arachnoid. The main source of CSF is choroids plexus in the ventricles of brain. CSF is derived from the blood plasma and therefore, it has qualitatively the same composition. But the discrepancies between the ionic concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid and blood plasma indicate that the fluid is not a simple filtrate but a product of active secretary mechanism. Functionally, CSF protects and nourishes the parenchyma and maintains homeostasis. Diagnosis of diseases of CNS posses a challenge to the clinician and confirmation of tentative diagnosis based on clinical manifestations requires cytological and biochemical examination of CSF. Removal and laboratory examination of CSF are indicated whenever there is clinical evidence suggesting CNS disease.

Soil structure is highly important for maintaining favourable conditions for water movement, aeration, root development and crop production. In irrigated agriculture, inappropriate management practices can cause structural degradation through compression, puddling, compaction and crust formation. This chapter examines the major processes responsible for deterioration of soil structure and their effects on soil physical properties and crop performance. Soil compaction is discussed in relation to agricultural machinery, pressure distribution, formation of compacted layers and restrictions to root growth and water movement. The chapter also explains soil crusting, its mechanisms, effects on seedling emergence and methods for evaluating crust strength. Slow-permeable soils, including Regur soils, highly permeable soils and soils with shallow water tables are considered from a management perspective. Appropriate management practices are emphasized to restore permeability, improve soil structure and maintain favourable soil-water relationships. The chapter provides an integrated understanding of structural degradation and its management for sustainable irrigated agricultur

Cutaneous muscle

The cutaneous muscle of abdomen and pelvis is the continuation of cutaneous muscle of thorax. This has been described under the muscles of thorax.

Abdominal fascia

Beneath the skin in the abdominal region, there are two layers of fascia, the superficial and deep, similar to those of the fascia of thoracic region.

The superficial fascia is next to skin. It is fused dorsally with the thoracolumbar fascia. Cranially it is continuous with the superficial fascia of shoulder and arm and caudally with that of the gluteal region. In the inguinal region it forms part of fascia of penis in male and of mammary glands in female animals. At the flank, it continues as fascia of thigh region.

The deep fascia forms the abdominal tunic. It is especially well developed as a thick sheet of tunic in the ventral and the adjacent lateral parts of the abdominal floor. It extends cranially over the ribs and external intercostal and the caudal digitations of the serratus thoracis muscles. Caudally it is attached to the external angle of the ilium and thoracolumbar fascia. The suspensory ligament of prepuce in males and that of the mammary glands (udder) in females is an extension of this tunic. It strongly supports the abdominal muscles to bear the weight of abdominal viscera.