eBook Chapters

ABSTRACT

The concept of the Kissan Call Centres-KCCs (Farmers’ Call Centres-FCCs)) was a logical outcome of the Government of India’s (GOI’s) commitment to leverage the ICT for overcoming the constraints of distance and time in providing new generation extension services to the farmers of the country by facilitating their direct virtual contact with the agricultural extension and expert personnel. The study on KCC has shown that farmers in the age group of 29 to 48 years are the biggest user group of KCC helpline. In terms of academic background, farmers with a minimum exposure of six to seven years to formal schooling (86%) seek to utilize the KCC support and relatively inexperienced farmers with less than 10 years of experience are more likely (47.5%) to call the KCC. The scope to enhance awareness and access among women farmers to the KCC helpline is huge as their current levels of participation are negligible. As regards the performance of KCCs, 84% of the farmers who called the KCCs expressed overall satisfaction from the advice provided through the helpline.

Black Pepper and Pearl Millet Flour for Disease Control in Chickens: To treat a disease in chickens characterized by frothing at the mouth, frequent cackling, restlessness, and reduced food intake, 10-15 black pepper corns are ground and mixed with pearl millet flour and water to form small pellets. These pellets are fed to the chickens to increase body heat and help eliminate the disease (Sabarkantha, Gujarat) (Parmar, 1992a).

Use of Garlic Against Pulorum in Poultry Birds: To cure chicks affected by Salmonella pulorum, one or two peeled cloves of garlic (Allium sativa) are soaked in a cup of water for 12 hours. The water is then given to the chicks to drink, curing them in two days (Dahod, Gujarat) (Khant, 1999).

Poultry Disease Management: For treating an unidentified disease in poultry birds that kills them within a few days, tribals use various plant-based remedies:

1. Bark of ‘beda’

2. Small pieces of onion

3. Grains of paddy smeared with kerosene

4. Tuber of ‘dev-alad’ (Curcuma spp)

11.1 Control of Diarrhea in Animals Using Traditional Remedies

1. Strychnos potatorum Leaves: In Dahod, Gujarat, approximately 100g of kantas (Strychnos potatorum) leaves are crushed and soaked in water. This mixture is given to the ailing animals for three days (Sitaram, 1997).

2. Ventilago denticulata and Syzygium cumini Mixture: In Bori, Shahera, a mixture of asul (Ventilago denticulata) roots and jamun (Syzygium cumini) bark is crushed and administered with water to the suffering animal. This treatment typically cures diarrhea within 2-3 days. Asul is a creeper found year-round in hedgerows, and jamun is a common tree (Dalsukhbhai, 1993).

3. Decoction of Soymida febrifuga: In Shahera, Gujarat, fresh leaves of royan (Soymida febrifuga) are crushed and soaked in water for one hour. A 100-150 ml dose of this concoction is given to the animal, which usually brings relief within 24 hours. This remedy has a long history in the region (Dalsukhbhai, 1993).

4. Ficus hispida: In Panchmahal, Gujarat, roots of dedhumari (Ficus hispida) are washed, crushed, and soaked in water for one hour. The mixture is then filtered through cloth, and 100-200g of the filtrate is administered to the animal. The treatment typically takes effect within a day and completely cures the animal in about 2-3 days. Many farmers use this method, although they may also consult veterinary experts (Baria, 1993).

5. Umra Bark and Banana Plant: During the monsoon, diarrhea in animals is treated using umra bark and banana (Musa Paradisiaca) plant sap. About 500g of umra bark is pounded and mixed with 500ml of banana stem juice. The mixture is filtered, and the filtrate is given to the affected animal. One hour later, the animal is fed 250ml of groundnut oil, resulting in a cure within a day or two (Valsad, Gujarat) (Patel, 1996).

Introduction

Poultry industry is one of the quickest developing sectors in India. Poultry involves a remarkable position in the livestock economy of India by coexistence of intense technology, capital, and scale with integrated production, marketing and the others based on the traditional knowledge and practices. The annual growth rate is more than 11% and 8 % in broiler production and egg production respectively. The general development rate of poultry industry is around 7-8% for every annum, most outstanding among all sectors of agriculture. In poultry industry, poultry meat accounts for two third of the value of output and one third by eggs. 

INTRODUCTION

The medicinal values of plants are known since prehistoric times. Interestingly, 13000 BC old drawing on Lascaux caves in France suggests that humans were using plants for medicinal purposes. Ancient Egyptians chewed willow bark to relieve fever and headaches; and thousands of years later, scientists discovered that the bark contains salicylic acid- the active ingredient in aspirin. History reveals that in most of the countries natural products including plants, animals and minerals have been the basis of treatment of diseases both in human and veterinary medicines.
 
Plants as a source of medicine has been an ancient practice and is an important component of the health care system in India. The health management of people and domestic animals is based partially on the exploitation of natural resources, which needs proper documentation and research.

Livestock wealth is very precious for a developing country like India. In India, animal husbandry is no longer a subsidiary to agriculture or a backyard vocation. Animal husbandry has metamorphosed into an industry and the latest reports suggest that the contribution of animal husbandry sector to the GDP of the nation is substantially higher despite the meager input. Animal husbandry offers a better scope for marginal farmers whose income from agriculture is dwindling fast due to vagaries of monsoon, fragmentation of landholdings, pest problems, poor pricing etc. Though the growth of livestock industry is very promising, in order to make India a global leader in animal husbandry, it is imperative to integrate it with developments in other fields. The developments in Information Technology over the past few decades are tremendous and offer great potential in improving animal health through various measures like effective disease forecasting, rapid and accurate disease diagnosis, modern therapeutic measures etc.

Veterinary Informatics is the discipline concerned with the application of information science, engineering, and computer technology to support veterinary health care. Veterinary informatics and the larger field of medical informatics is often called health care informatics or biomedical informatics and forms part of the wider domain of e-health. Applications of Information Technology in different aspects of animal health are discussed below.

A nimal disease monitoring describes the ongoing efforts directed at assessing the health and disease status of a given population. The disease can be a specific infectious disease/diseases or health in general, whereas the monitoring activities are the routine recording, analyses and distribution of information related to the disease (or health). The term disease surveillance is used to describe a more active system and implies that some form of directed action will be taken if the data indicates a disease level above a certain threshold.

In today’s click-and-access kind of world, Information Technology is finding applications in every field and animal disease monitoring & surveillance is no exception. The various technologies which are applied are Geographic Information Systems, Global Positioning System, database management, computer aided design (CAD), computer network technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), expert systems etc.

1. Use of banana pseudostem in fish pond to enhance productivity of f ish: Pseudostems of banana, after harvesting the bunch, are added to the pond by cutting longitudinally, which increases the pH and oxygenation of pond water. This practice increases the fish yield. As it involves low cost, it is being followed by 80% of the farmers in Bastar village of Balasore district in Odisha.

2. ITKs on Craft and Gear Making / Maintenance (Vipinkumar et al., 2013): The major ITKs of scientific rationale identified in the craft and gear making and maintenance were ‘Sardine oil smearing on craft wood for improving the durability’, ‘Smearing cashew kernel oil on craft wood for durability’. Similarly, the durability of cotton nets was believed to be improved by dipping in banpu bark decoction. In the same way, beating nets with thalampu plant for ensuring strength was another one identified in craft and gear maintenance. The scientific validity assessment indicated that the boats of about 6.5 ft size length and 4.5 ft width require 3.5 to 4 litres of oil of sardine. The oil coasts about Rs 70/- per litre. Three cosequitive coatings followed by natural drying under sun are required for good results. Cashew smearing: The boats of about 6.5 ft size length and 4.5 ft width require 3.5 to 4 litres of cashew nut oil and the oil costs about Rs 40 -50/- per litre. Here also three cosequitive coatings followed by natural drying under sun are required for good results. Smearing Cashew kernel oil on craft wood for durability in Karwar of Karnataka is shown in photograph 1. For improving durability of nets, dipping nets in banpu bark decoction was practiced. The thalambu beating is nowadays not practiced due to the non-availability of those items. Instead, fisherfolk use a powder available in the market especially in the net shops. 1 kg of the colour powder (red/ blue) is required for 1 kg of net. The advantage is that the wastage due to mud coating and dirt can be rectified to a great extent.

1. Introduction

For millennia, civilizations worldwide have relied on medicinal plants for healthcare, with their usage documented as far back as ancient Sumeria. Today, traditional medicinal plants remain vital in many regions, especially in developing countries. Ethnobotanical studies have identified numerous bioactive plants, sparking extensive research into their biological activities and chemical compositions. Interest in medicinal plants has surged due to the drawbacks and costs of prescription drugs, leading to increased exploration of plant-based alternatives. Plants offer diverse chemical compositions with varied biological activities, making them suitable for treating complex diseases and posing little risk of antibiotic resistance development. Aquaculture, the fastest-growing sector in animal food production, faces challenges such as overcrowding and poor water quality, leading to disease outbreaks. While veterinary drugs are commonly used, their intensive use poses environmental and health risks, including antibiotic resistance and accumulation in animal tissues. Vaccines are effective but expensive and often limited in scope. Given the drawbacks of synthetic drugs, there's a growing need for alternative disease management strategies in aquaculture. Medicinal plants offer a promising solution, with reported bioactivities such as stress reduction, immune stimulation, and antiparasitic effects. By enhancing fish immunity and f itness, medicinal plants provide a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to chemotherapy in aquaculture (Cabello et al., 2006; Romero-Ormazabal et al., 2012).

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.

Introduction

Biofertilisers are defined as preparations containing the living cells or latent cells of efficient strains of microorganisms that assist in the uptake of nutrients in crop plants by their interactions in the rhizosphere, when applied through seed or soil. They accelerate certain microbial processes in the soil, which augment the extent of the availability of nutrients in a form easily assimilated by plants. The increasing pressure of human and livestock population, indiscriminate extraction of forest produce, regular forest fires and mining activities have resulted in soil erosion, loss of fertility and moisture content and decreasing productivity of forests, which pose manifold problems for the restoration of the ecosystem.

Asiatic Elephant (Elephas maximus) is the national heritage animal of India. This particular species now exists in 13 Asian countries including India. As per 2017 census, India is home to an estimated figure of 29,964 elephants that is >60% wild population of the globe. Once distributed across the country, now they are squeezed to 14 states grouped in four regions ie., southern (14,612), north-eastern (10,139), east-central (3,128) and northern regions (2,085). There are 2675 captive elephants across different states under both private and government custody. This largest terrestrial mammal is protected under Seclude I species of Indian Wild Life Protection Act, 1972.

Both central and state Government are implementing short- and long-term programmes for health and well-being of captive as well as free-range elephants. The Central Government has established an ‘Elephant Cell’ at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun to provide technical inputs to the ministry for strengthening the efforts towards conservation of elephants. Add-on, the ‘Project Elephant’ was launched in 1991-92 in the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to restore the elephant habitats and reduce their sufferings. Elephant habitats are notified as Elephant Reserves that are basic management units for elephant conservation and managements. A total of 33 Elephant Reserves has been notified in the country. A book titled, ‘Caring for elephants: Managing health and welfare in captivity’ is edited for field officers, veterinary professionals and elephant handlers.

Historical Background: Mendelian Genetics
 
Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), the first geneticist, proposed his principles (Mendel’s laws of inheritance) addressing the question of ‘what is inherited and how?’ based on his experimental results with sweet pea. New scientific discoveries supported Mendel’s principles. The chromosome theory of inheritance was proposed based on the cytological observations that transmission patterns of chromosomes are closely associated with Mendel’s principles (Sutton 1903). T.H. Morgan (1866-1945) provided the empirical evidences of this theory using fruit fly, Drosophilla. He demonstrated that genes located close together on the same chromosome co-segregated in his experimental crosses (i.e. linkage), and could be mapped into linear linkage groups which corresponded to chromosomes (Morgan 1934). Thanks to Morgan’s contributions, the failure of independent assortment in Mendelian inheritance could be explained by linkage. In 1908, the equation describing the expected genotype distribution in a random mating population at equilibrium was derived by Hardy and Weinberg (Crow, 1999).

Brief History

1953: discovery of the molecular structure of DNA

1961-1965: decoding of the genetic code

1977: first method developed for DNA sequencing

1980: the principle of genetic mapping by anonymous molecular markers

1987: first “automatic” DNA sequencing machine developed

1990: publication of the BLAST algorithm for the comparison of DNA sequences

pesticides on food safety, environmental well-being, and the sustainability of agriculture have driven the search for innovative eco-friendly options that can boost crop yields, while reducing ecological damage. One such approach is the use of plant growth promoting bio-inoculants that contain beneficial microorganisms. However, conventional bio-inoculants face limitations such as poor shelf life and sensitivity to environmental fluctuations. Nano-bioinoculants address these challenges by combining beneficial microorganisms with either nanotechnology based delivery systems or nanoparticles. The incorporation of nanomaterials addresses these limitations by enhancing the stability, bioavailability and targeted delivery of microbial inoculants. In addition, these nanoparticles can act as anti-microbial agents. The combined effects of bioinoculants and nanomaterials present exciting opportunities that offer dual advantages, consequently enhancing crop yield. The application of nano-bioinoculants has shown significant promise in enhancing nutrient use efficiency by facilitating the solubilization and uptake of essential minerals. In addition, nano-bioinoculants offer effective biocontrol against phytopathogens by producing antimicrobial metabolites, competing for space and nutrients, and inducing host defense mechanisms. They are also reported to be effective for insect pest management. These nano-formulations also play a crucial role in improving plant resilience under abiotic stresses like drought, salinity, and heavy metal toxicity. The slow and targeted release of active compounds ensures long term benefits with minimal environmental

17.1 Introduction

In industrialized nations the air is filled with numerous pollutants caused by human activity or industrial processes, such as carbon monoxide (CO), chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), heavy metals (arsenic, chromium, lead, cadmium, mercury, zinc), hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, organic chemicals (volatile organic compounds, known as VOCs, and dioxins), sulphur and other particulates. The presence of nitrogen and sulphur oxide in the air generates acid rain that infiltrates and contaminates the soil. The high levels of nitrogen and sulphur oxide in the atmosphere are mainly due to human activities, particularly burning of oil, coal and gas. Only a small portion comes from natural processes such as volcanic action and decay of soil bacteria. Water pollution is caused by numerous factors, including sewage, oil spills, leaking of fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides from land, by-products from manufacturing and extracted or burned fossil fuels.

INTRODUCTION

Plant diseases caused by microbial plant pathogens and sub microscopic entities including virus and viroids induce both quantitative and qualitative losses of high magnitude in yields. The extent of loss may range from slight to 100% depending on the susceptibility/resistant level of the cultivars and prevailing favourable environmental conditions (Narayanasamy, 2011). With the introduction of high yielding cultivars, adoption of modern production techniques such as high input agronomic practices, changes in cultural practices, free movement of planting materials and changes in weather conditions over the years have led to increase in pest and disease problems, several of which have become major constraints in their successful cultivation (Gupta and Thind, 2006). The challenge is how to feed the growing population by producing more on a stagnant or shrinking landscape; with lesser input cost and with lesser hazards to the eco-system. The detection and management of diseases prior to economic loss will help to minimize the yield loss of the crops. Physical and chemical techniques have been applied either alone or in combination with certain cultural practices to enhance the effectiveness of reducing pathogen inoculums and consequent reduction in disease incidence.

Introduction

Nanotechnology and nanoparticles are increasingly recognized for their potential applications in various aspects of human animal and animal welfare like development of various healthcare or cosmetic products, nano-electronics and techniques for environmental remediation, and many consumer products. Nanoparticles, by definition, are structures that have one dimension in the 1–100 nm range. Nanotechnology involves the application of materials at the nanoscale to new products or processes. Over the past few decades, inorganic nanoparticles, whose structures exhibit significantly novel and improved physical, chemical, and biological properties, phenomena and functionality due to their nanoscale size, have elicited much interest. Nanophasic and nanostructure materials are attracting a great deal of attention because of their potential for achieving specific processes and selectivity, especially in biological and pharmaceutical applications. Nanotechnology has made a new generation industrial revolution by developing product and formulations for medical, agriculture (nano-fertilizers, nano-herbicides, nano-pesticides, recalcitrant contaminants from water, nano-scale carriers, nanosensors), veterinary care, fisheries and aquaculture, detection of nutrient deficiencies, preservation, photocatalysis, nanobarcode, quantum dots etc. It is a rapidly growing industry currently worth billions of U.S. dollars, with many potential benefits to society. Nanotechnology has the environmental applications to protect climate change and environmental pollution as nanocatalyst, light weight nanocomposite materials, nanocoatings, improved renewables and nanosensors.

This fast growing technology is already having a significant commercial impact, which will certainly increase in the future. Because of their widespread application, the commercial nanotechnology industry is predicted to increase significantly to more $3 trillion in few years. While nanotechnologies offer many opportunities for innovation, the use of nanomaterials in food, agriculture and environment has also raised a number of safety, environmental, ethical, policy and regulatory issues.

Introduction

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food producing sector. According to FAO (2016), Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms including fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants in all types of environments including ponds, lakes, oceans, and rivers. Aquatic resources have played an essential role in ensuring food security by supplying the enormous demand for animal protein. Around 17% of animal protein consumed by people worldwide comes from fish (Shah and Mraz, 2020). Fish provide the highest quality protein sources, essential amino acids, fatty, vitamins, and minerals which are lacking in others (Kwasek et al., 2020). The world population will exceed 9 billion by 2040. Therefore, to feed a rapidly increasing population, aquaculture production must increase globally

Manipulation of matter at nanoscale for creating a myriad of new materials having unique optoelectronic and physiochemical attributes is called nanotechnology (Mohanpuria et al., 2008). The term nanotechnology was first coined by Drexler in 1986, in the book “Engines of creation: the coming era of nanotechnology”. In this book, he writes about the building of machines on the scale of molecules, a few nanometers size (motors, robot arm and even computers). Broadly nanotechnology refers to a field of applied science and technology whose unifying theme is the control of matter on the atomic and molecular scale, normally 1 to 100 nanometers, and the fabrication of devices within that size range. Nanotechnology is multi-disciplinary in nature often involving chemistry, biology, physics and material science. Nanotechnology is one of the budding and emerging fields of 21^st century. Nanoparticles have received increased attention in the recent past due to their unique distinct unusual physical, chemical and biological properties, which are completely different from their bulk materials and individual molecules (Li et al., 2001).

Abstract
Quality management of fish and fishery encompass the several aspects such as ensuring of food safety, preserving of freshness, promotes consumer confidence, minimize the loss and enhance the traceability. While managing the whole food supply chain becomes the most difficult endeavour. Unfortunately, biosensor emerged to fulfil the requirement of quality management in seafood supply chain and these sensors consist of detection, discrimination and avoidance of risk. Novel sensors are being origin due to evolved in every phase of requirement. The sensor has primarily performed to tracking the level of freshness or spoilage of fish product and also detection of contaminant from time of processing of fishery product to point of consumer before they eat. Recently, various biosensor based on principles of nanosensor, graphene based biosensor and evanescent wave optical biosensor arising its role in fish quality management through monitoring,and tracking of significant compound.
Keyword: Fish quality, biosensor, nanosensor, graphene based sensor, freshness, biocompounds

Introduction
Open-source software has revolutionized the way individuals and industries approach digital content creation, offering high-quality, community-driven solutions without the cost of proprietary software. Among the most popular open-source tools for graphics and 3D modeling are GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) and Blender. Both programs provide powerful capabilities for creating, editing, and enhancing visual content. This chapter delves into the application of GIMP and Blender, exploring their key features, workflows, and how they can be utilized across various fields of digital production. This chapter explores the capabilities and applications of two prominent open-source software tools: GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) and Blender. These software tools are transformative in the fields of digital design, animation, and media production. The chapter provides an overview of their features, real-world applications, and advantages over proprietary alternatives. Through practical case studies, the chapter
demonstrates how GIMP and Blender empower professionals, educators, and hobbyists to create high-quality visual content without incurring significant financial costs.
What is Open-Source Software?
Open-source software is freely available for use, modification, and distribution. It fosters collaboration among developers and users, resulting in cost-effective, versatile, and frequently updated tools.

Introduction

Cultivation of crops in greenhouse or protected structure has been increased tremendously in recent times and also has been spread from temperate regions to the warmer regions of tropics and subtropics. Plentiful technologies have been developed for heating the inside environment of greenhouse for optimum plant growth (Sethi et al. 2013). However, in hot arid areas, cultivation in greenhouse is very difficult as the temperature reaches to a very high level to sustain plant growth (Pek and Hayles 2004, Saran et al. 2010). Under such situation requirement for cooling the greenhouse microclimate environment is the necessity, but is very energy and water intensive. Hence, in such regions, reduction of air temperature inside the greenhouse or the regulation of temperature closer to the ambient temperature during summer is necessary for successful crop production. A typical diurnal variation of temperature and global solar radiation during late winter months inside a shade net structure has been plotted in Fig. 18.1. It has been found that global solar radiation has been decreased to almost 1/3 of the radiation received outside by using 75% shade net cover. The temperature inside structure during morning time has also been found higher than outside temperature and in summer such increase is expected to be much higher.

Therefore, cooling is considered as the basic necessity for greenhouse crop production in tropical and subtropical regions to overcome the problems of high temperatures during summer months. Development of suitable cooling system that provides congenial microclimate for crop growth is a difficult task as the design is closely related to the local environmental conditions. Different cooling techniques for greenhouse crop cultivation may be found in Kumar et al. (2009). Fan pad cooling system has been widely used for greenhouse cultivation however, requires large amount of water during evaporation based cooling. Since water resources are becoming scarce in future such fan-pad cooling system may not be viable in future specifically in hot arid region.

Fracture in animals occur frequently and is a concern of economic importance to the owner. The practice of keeping them as pets in households rather than in sheds or in confinements have increased the chance of encountering accidents like fall from coat, terrace, limbs being trapped in drains, being hit by vehicles, dog bites etc. leading to fracture. Fracture management in small animals/small ruminants can be successfully achieved owing to their light weight; they tolerate external coaptation relatively well and can ambulate in three limbs well in order to spare the injured limb. Fracture can be repaired successfully with regional anaesthetic techniques which they can tolerate very well. The constraint of cost effectiveness can be balanced by carefully selecting the appropriate technique according to the weight and limb involved. Many economical skeletal fixation technique have been evolved which can well fit into the budget of the owner. Knowledge of simple techniques can enhance healing in cases of bone loss and management of infection.

Fracture site stabilization

Fracture repair is usually elective, hence initial support and care of the fracture is necessary to prevent further trauma and complications like communication of fracture site to the exterior through wound or sinus and chances of infection. Initial support to splint the bone not only limits the movements but also supports the soft tissues from untoward consequences. Limb splinting reduces edema and pain, preserves neurovascular supply to the limb till the day of operation and helps to transport the animal safely. Fracture to limbs caudal to mid radius ulna/ tibia can safely be stabilized by splints or full limb casts. Wood, pliable bamboo or split poly vinyl chloride pipes positioned on the caudal and lateral aspects of the limbs and supported firmly with tapes or bandages can serve the purpose. Fracture proximal to mid radius ulna or tibia should not be stabilized using splits since the fulcrum effect created due to this can augment soft tissue injury. Careful assessment of the viability of the structures caudal to fracture site should be assessed prior to a decision regarding surgery, devitalized tissue hamper healing and is a subject to be considered for amputation.

Introduction

Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredient which beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of health-promoting bacteria in the intestinal tract, thus improving the host‘s microbial balance (Gibson and Roberfroid, 1995). Normally, prebiotics contain some type of a non-digestible carbohydrate fraction (Rehman et al., 2009). Almost 90% of oligosaccharides escape digestion in the small intestine and reach the colon where they selectively stimulate the growth and/or activity of beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus, providing prebiotic properties (Stanton et al., 2003). These bacteria populate the gut filling any niches were pathogenic bacteria may attempt to take hold. This concept is better known as competitive exclusion. Prebiotics function by lowering the gut pH through lactic acid production, inhibiting/preventing colonization of pathogens, modifying metabolic activity of normal intestinal flora, and stimulation of the immune system (Doyle and Erickson, 2006). Studies have demonstrated that these bacteria reduce pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella spp., Clostridium diffile and Campylobacter spp. (Hopkins and Macfarlane, 2003; Stern et al. 2000), by diverse mechanisms including competitive exclusion of nutrients or adhesion sites to intestinal mucosa (Stern et al. 2000) and fatty acid of short chain production, like propionic and butyric acids, which modifies the acidic conditions and inhibits the growth of microorganisms that cause infections (Collins and Gibson, 1999).

Radionuclides are used in two major ways: for their chemical properties and as sources of radiation.

Radionuclides of familiar elements such as carbon can serve as tracers because they are chemically very similar to the non-radioactive nuclides, so most chemical, biological, and ecological processes treat them in a near identical way. One can then examine the result with a radiation detector, such as a Geiger counter, to determine where the provided atoms ended up. For example, one might culture plants in an environment in which the carbon dioxide contained radioactive carbon; then the parts of the plant that had laid down atmospheric carbon would be radioactive.

In medicine, radioisotopes are used for diagnosis, treatment, and research. Radioactive chemical tracers emitting gamma rays that can provide diagnostic information about a person’s internal anatomy and the functioning of specific organs. This is used in some forms of tomography single emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography scanning. Radioisotopes are also a promising method of treatment in hemopoietic forms of tumors, while the success for treatment of solid tumors has been limited so far. More powerful gamma sources are used to sterilize syringes and other medical equipment. About one in two people in Western countries are likely to experience the benefits of nuclear medicine in their lifetime.

In biochemistry and genetics, radionuclides are used to label molecules and allow tracing chemical and physiological processes occurring in living organisms, such as DNA replication or amino acid transport.

Introduction

After the Second World War, isotopes have become available in sufficient quantities for use in different fields of scientific research. There has been tremendous increase in the number and scope of applications of these new tools and agricultural research is no exception. During the last quarter of a century, the use of isotopes and radiations has become one of the important tools in the solution of practical problems in the area of soil-plant nutritional studies throughout the world. In India, these studies were initiated as early as 1955 with the establishment of the Radiotracer Laboratory at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. The use of these nuclear tools got further fillip in our country with the establishment of the Nuclear Research Laboratory at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi in 1968 as a UNDP Project on Nuclear Research in Agriculture, operated by the Joint FAO/IAEA division of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Also, the agriculture division of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai and the special radioisotope laboratories established by several agricultural universities had made significant contributions to the use of isotopes and radiations in agricultural research.

Introduction

Genetic markers have assisted in genomic characterization of various crops species (Rafalski and Tingey, 1993). Most of the genetic marker systems rely upon DNA sequence polymorphisms (Staub et al., 1996). Each system has unique advantages and disadvantages based on cost, experimental objectives and type of information desired. Regardless of its inherent methodology, the effective use of any marker system for genetic analysis requires reliability and consistency.

The random amplified polymorphic DNA i.e. RAPD (Williams et al., 1990) or arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (Welsh and McClelland, 1990) marker identifies DNA sequence polymorphisms. In this technique, segments of genomic DNA are amplified in a polymerase chain reaction i.e. PCR (Mullis et al., 1986) with random primers followed by agarose gel electrophoresis. This is simple, relatively inexpensive and is amenable to high throughput investigation. RAPD markers are usually dominant and polymorphisms are observed as the presence or the absence of DNA bands of a particular size. RAPDs are common molecular approaches employed in plant breeding, genotypic differentiation, gene linkage analysis, assigning evolutionary and taxonomic affinities and relatedness and DNA fingerprinting analysis (Lin et al., 1996).

ABSTRACT

The discovery of polymerase chain reaction method of amplification of DNA is an important milestone in molecular genetics and used for multiple purpose such as construction of linkage maps, marker saturation of specific genome regions, analysis of genetic diversity, molecular phylogeny and cultivar identifications (Williams et al; 1990, Demeke, Adams and Chibbar; 1992, Welsh and Maclelland; 1990;, Obara-Okeyo and Kako; 1998, Sawhoon Lin et al; 1998 and Grunger et al; 1998.). 15 species of three morphologically distinct groups of Orchids belonging to the subfamily Epidendroideae and tribe Dendroebieae and Cymbideae were studied using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. Genetic variability and relation between these 3 genera and 15 species were estimated based on band sharing and cluster analysis. A total of 227 distinct major RAPD bands of which 97% were polymorphic were generated from 15 arbitrary primers. The number of bands generated per primer ranged from 3 (Primer A-10) to 22 (Primer K-10 and N-17) with a mean of 14.8 bands per primer. Out of 227 bands generated 222 bands (97.8%) where polymorphic while only 5 bands were monomorphic. The primer resolving power was found to range between 2.00 (prime A-10) and 13.38 (primer k-10) when all the species were studied were taken into account. The molecular analysis grouped all the species into 5 groups. The polymorphic patterns generated by RAPD profiles showed different degrees of genetic relationship among the species studied and the RAPD marker were found to be an useful tool for detecting genetic variation within the species of three important genera of Orchids.

Ali Demirci et al., (2014) studied the reactors with biofilms which are used to produce many value added products. These include organic acids, alcohols, enzymes, antibiotics, bacteriocins and many more. Many bioreactor designs favor the biofilm formation in a reactor. The biofilm reactors are utilized for fermentation and bioconversion of large amount of biomass. Recently, the biofilm reactors have been applied for production of many value-added products with novel designs. According to Ercan and Demirci (2015) the biofilms can cause both detrimental and beneficial effects in the environment. Biofilms in bioreactors has many advantages due to the membrane fouling which reduces the cost. Higher biomass density can be utilized and the operation is more stable.Biofilm reactors are commercially being utilized for waste water treatment, bench and pilot-scale production of value-added products. In order to run the biofilm reactor at optimum conditions it is important to understand the fundamentals of biofilm formation, the different properties

1. Introduction

Aquaculture is described as an organized production of crops in an aquatic medium (FAO, 1987). Global aquaculture production has continued to expand at approximately 9% per year since the 1970s, with Asia dominating production levels, particularly for finfish (FAO, 2014). FAO data indicate that global fish production stands at 167 million tons (MT), of which 44% (73.8 MT) is contributed by the aquaculture sector (FAO, 2016). Twelve percent of the world's population depend on the fishing industry for their livelihood as and it provides 17 percent of animal protein. India is second only to China in terms of the world's output of culturable fisheries. According to reports, the aquaculture industry in India has suffered significant losses from the frequent incidence of infectious diseases of bacterial and viral origins, which has hindered sustainable development. To overcome the challenges of developing appropriate technologies for managing water quality in culture systems, developing quick diagnostic tools and ways to contain disease outbreaks, and providing disease-free or highly healthy broodstock and seeds, aquaculture requires creative biotechnological interventions “is the need of the hour” (Subasinghe et al., 2003).

The application of (VCRS) Vapour compressor refrigeration system is in the air conditioners (window, split, central or precision), car air conditioners, domestic refrigerator etc. The different parts of a domestic refrigerator are: in the hermetical sealed compressor, air cooled condenser, capillary tube, thermo expansion device, filter, rotameter, solenoid valve, temperature control sensor.

Abstract

Soil Resource Appraisal helps in characterizing the existing land resources, assessing their suitability for various land uses and then helping the user to prepare a rational land use plan suitable for the integrated development of the area. Application of Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) helps not only in the characterization of the resource base, but also in the generation of various thematic maps and preparation of land use and action plans for effective implementation of various developmental plans at farm level.

Keywords : Soil Resource Appraisal, Land Use Plan, Farm level Developmental Plans

1.0 Introduction

A thorough knowledge and understanding of soils is basic to the development and management of agricultural resources. About 100 years ago, man began systematic study of soils in the field and tried to separate, classify and map their geographic distri­bution. Today we have sufficient knowledge about soils; however the characterisation, classification and mapping of soils is still tedious, time consuming and costly affair. Therefore the need for adopting new and more rapid and accurate methods of mapping soils has resulted in the use of satellite images with image interpretation techniques for soil survey and map­ping.

In India for the country as a whole, soil and other land resources information is available at 1:1 M scale, which was generated from the state level mapping done at 1:250,000 scale under the Soil Resources Mapping Project of India during the period from 1986 to 1995. This information is of general nature and useful for planning on a wide canvas and not particularly useful for farm or watershed level planning in the country. For site-specific needs and for developmental works at watershed level, we need detailed farm level database at 1:10,000 scale. Once this type of information is generated at village/watershed level, this will be useful for identifying site specific constraints, generation of area and site specific agro technologies, land-use options based on soil site suitability assessment, wasteland identification, identification of prime farm lands and farm clusters for zoning and Strategic planning, preparation of farm level development plans by line departments and proactive advice and technology transfer to farmers.

ABSTRACT

In Tamilnadu majority of the people are engaged in agricultural work and they mainly depend upon the water resources. But at present both surface and subsurface water has become deficient because of over exploitation. Since last few years, conventional methods were employed to improve the surface and subsurface water conditions. But these methods provide less accurate result and consume more time. So to improve the conditions modern tools, such as remote sensing and GIS are being used to identify the ground water potential zones in Tamilnadu. It provides accurate resulst and consumes less time.

A project was carried out in Gadilam lower sub basin which falls in the part of Cuddalore District, Tamilnadu. The IRS 1D imagery was collected and interpreted using image processing software and Geo media GIS Software in conjunction with collateral data to prepare Hydro geomorphology, land use, geology and lineament maps Field checks were made and transferred the field data on the base map. By application of overlay analysis of the above thematic maps, using GIS techniques, the recharge zones were identified.

The satellite image mosaic map of Gadilam lower sub basin was generated to identify ground water potential zones. Average monthly rainfall data for the past 50 years were collected. Using Remote sensing and GIS techniques, the thematic maps such as Geology, Geomorphology, Soil, Drainage, Land use, Lineament zones have been generated for this study. Geophysical survey was also conducted in various locations and the aquifer parameters were measured. Details related to land and water resources, cropping pattern, water levels and water qualities from PWD ground water division, land use and well censes data of villages from village Administrative Officer, tank details from PWD were collected and analyzed

After analyzing the various thematic maps, they were finally overlaid. Thus the groundwater potential zones of Gadilam lower sub basin was identified.

Abstract
Remote sensing and image analysis have emerged as essential tools in modern agriculture, particularly for plant protection in grain-based legume cropping systems. These technologies are increasingly valuable in addressing challenges such as climate change, pest infestations, and the demand for sustainable practices. Grain legumes, including peas, beans, lentils, and chickpeas, are vital for global food security and soil health due to their protein content and nitrogen-fixing capabilities. However, their productivity is often threatened by pests, diseases, and weeds. Remote sensing allows for early detection of crop stress through analysis of specific wavelengths of light, enabling farmers to identify issues before visible symptoms appear. Tools like the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) provide insights into crop health, allowing for timely and targeted interventions. Hyperspectral and multispectral imaging further enhance disease detection by identifying physiological changes in crops that are not visible to the naked eye. In addition to disease monitoring, remote sensing aids in pest management by detecting changes in plant temperature profiles and utilizing drone surveillance for real-time data collection. Image analysis complements these efforts by offering detailed insights into crop conditions, enabling precision agriculture practices that minimize environmental impact and reduce costs. By integrating remote sensing and image analysis with other technologies like GIS and IoT, farmers can achieve more efficient, sustainable farming practices, ultimately leading to higher yields and better protection for grain legume crops. Keywords: Food security, Remote sensing, GIS, Grain legumes, IoT, Pest management

ABSTRACT

Petroleum exploration is the art of searching hydrocarbon reserves in unknown regions by geological, geophysical and geochemical methods. The selection of effective exploration targets is an important step to achieve success in oil exploration and its selection also dependents on study of basic petroleum geological conditions. Petroleum geologists generally consider basins to be a basic geological unit for petroleum exploration and their main task is to find and determine various sedimentary basins. The remote sensing images have characteristics of really and macroscopic to provide accurate and visualization data for directly determining geometric shapes of sedimentary basins. Remote sensing techniques are more effective in understanding the study of basins in an out-of-the-way about mountains and remote deserts.

Key words: Petroleum Exploration, Sedimentary basin, geology, basin, geometry.

Reproduction is the backbone of animal production and productivity is the key to development. Reproductive inefficiency is one of the most important causes of economic losses in animal industries and it is realized throughout the world. Despite the remarkable advancement that has been made in the field of reproductive physiology in recent years, infertility due to low conception rate and high embryonic mortality rate remains a major problem. To meet future needs and to be able to sustain agricultural production, agricultural research and its applications need to use all emerging technologies one of which is modern reproductive biotechnologies.5 Thus, various assisted-reproductive techniques have been developed and refined to obtain a large number of offspring from genetically superior animals or obtain offspring from infertile (or sub-fertile) animals in addition to disease control. Reproductive biotechnologies intend to be used routinely to shorten generational intervals and to propagate genetic material among breeding animal populations. To achieve this goal, reproductive technologies have been developed in generations over the years, namely artificial insemination (AI), embryo transfer (ET), manipulation of fertilization in vitro (IVF), cloning and transgenesis. These, together with sperm separation techniques, including that of selection of spermatozoa for chromosomal sex (commonly named sex-sorting) all face today a strong wave of increasing commercialization.9 Hence, this review paper highlighted the reproductive biotechnology options and their roles in the improvement of livestock production.
Roles of Reproductive Biotechnology in Animal Production
Biotechnology is defined as a technique that uses living organisms to make or modify and improve products. The emergence and development of reproductive technologies have been driven by the economic gain offered by the potential increase in the number of offspring from genetically superior animals or simply to safeguard the genetic pool of infertile or sub-fertile animals. In other words, reproductive technologies were developed to offer possibilities for wider use of superior germplasm.In recent times, there has been increasing challenges for

4.1 Introduction

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major food security crop in South Asia, with 42% of the wheat in this region grown following rice (Oryza sativa L.) on 13.5 million hectares of land. Resource-conserving technologies offer considerable potential for improving the sustainability and productivity of wheat in the rice-wheat system of South Asia. These include raising input use efficiency, cutting costs, providing various environmental benefits, and ultimately improving farmer livelihoods and helping to reduce poverty.

History of Social Networking Services

The notion that individual computers linked electronically could form the basis of computer mediated social interaction and networking was suggested early on. There were many early efforts to support social networks via computer-mediated communication, including Usenet, ARPANET, LISTSERV, bulletin board services (BBS) etc.

Early social networking websites included Classmates.com(1995), focusing on ties with former school mates, and SixDegrees.com(1997), focusing on indirect ties. User profiles could be created, messages sent to users held on a “friends list” and other members could be sought out who had similar interests to yours in their profiles. Whilst these features had existed in some form before SixDegrees.com came about, this would be the first time these functions were available in one package. Despite these new developments (that would later catch on and become immensely popular), the website simply wasn’t profitable and eventually shut down. It was even described by the website’s owner as “simply ahead of its time.” Two different models of social networking that came about in 1999 were trust-based, developed by Epinions.com, and friendship-based, such as those developed by Jonathan Bishop and used on some regional UK sites between 1999 and 2001. Innovations included not only showing who is “friends” with whom, but giving users more control over content and connectivity.

Introduction

The development of DNA technology over the last few decades has led to generation of huge amount of data from plant and animal genome. The main sources of markers are mitochondrial DNA (mt DNA), minisatellites, micro satellites and anonymous nuclear sequences assayed using highly specific PCR primers or by using the RAPD technique. A major contribution comes from molecular markers used for analyzing genetic variations. There has been the infusion of computers, softwares and online databases into the daily activities of many molecular geneticists. The identification of abundant, highly variable loci, detectable by a wide variety of techniques has led to a revolution in the way researcher view and analyses levels of variation. We will here discuss about current computer programs in this area to characterize the DNA profiles and data analysis for intra and inter population structure, phylogenetic inference and parentage determination.

ABSTRACT

The present paper describes application of synergistic action of microalgae viz., Spirulina platensis, Chlorella vulgaris, and Oscillatoria princeps coupled with state-of-the-art microbial biotechnology (that involved strains of Bacillus subtilis, Nitrobacter winogradskyi, Aspergillus flavus, and A. niger) developed by Biotechnology Resource Centre (BRC), Mumbai for treatment of secondary liquid effluents from a gelatine manufacturing industry. The growth of mixed cultures of selected microbial and algal species was measured respectively in terms of Colony Forming Units (CFUs) and Optical density (O.D.) of the culture. The results were indicative of efficient degradation potential of the proteinaceous liquid effluents. Moreover their BOD and COD loads reduced by 30.75 % and 84.10 % respectively after the treatment. Furthermore, the bio-safety of algal biomass cultured in selected effluents as feed supplement was tested on Swiss albino mice (Mus musculus). Mice in treated group didn’t exhibit any observable adverse effect on their growth or on their reproductive performance. In fine, the liquid effluents of gelatine manufacturing industries were polished along with production of probiotic food supplement.

Need of Analytics in Fisheries Management

New technologies are introduced for industrial vessels every day: Fuel and gear sensors, cameras, electronic catch reports etc. There is a global push to track small-scale fishing vessel. In the coming years, fisheries monitoring centers will have to adjust from tracking a few hundred vessels to tens of thousands of vessels, meaning huge quantity of data. To make sense of all this information, it must be properly analysed. The future of fisheries depends on big-data analytics

This may help in many ways. Fishing trips could be tailored to meet quotas in the shortest time reducing fuel consumption and crew costs. Real-time catch data could help administrations close a fishing zone once quota is reached. Fisheries administrations can monitor catch efforts over an entire region and decide which zones to close, improving management of stocks and fishing licenses. Fighting the challenge of Illegal and Unreported fishing contributing to over-exploitation of fish stocks. Use of disruptive technologies in fisheries and aquaculture like block chains, sensors and automatic identification systems (AIS) has the potential to change the processes profitability and sustainability of the sector

Globally used popular Data Science Software

• MS-EXCEL

• SPSS (IBM)

• STATA • MINITAB

• SAS

• R

• PYTHON

Introduction

Data Analysis is an approach to analyse data sets to summarise their main characteristics and extract valid information. The importance of hypothesis is generally recognised more in the studies which aim to make predictions about some outcome. As it is not possible to work on the whole population, each group is represented only by a sample of observations and if another sample is drawn, the numerical values would change. This variation between different samples drawn from the same population cannot be eliminated or reduced fully. One is supposed to draw inferences in the presence of the sampling f luctuations. Statistical tools and techniques are applied to check whether the observed differences are real significant differences or non- significant ones.

Introduction

A population is the set of all objects we wish to study. A sample is part of the population we study to learn about the population. A census may be defined as an enumeration or evaluation of every member of a population. A parameter is any measurement that describes an entire population. A statistic is any measurement computed from a sample of the individual observations made. As per Best (1977), "Research is considered to be more formal, systematic, and intensive process of carrying on a scientific method of analysis."

Introduction

“Quality” of fish refers to the aesthetic appearance and freshness or degree of spoilage which the fish has undergone or involves safety aspects such as being free from harmful bacteria, parasites or chemicals. “Quality’’ is a term which must be defined in association with an individual product type. For example, it is often thought that the best quality fish is the one which is consumed within the first few hours of post mortem. However, very fresh fish which are in rigor mortis will be of hard texture and difficult to fillet and skin are often unsuitable for smoking or drying. Thus, for the processor, a slightly older fish which have passed through the rigor process are more desirable.

In today’s technology driven 21^st century, software has become an integral part of our day to day work. Starting from checking day’s schedule in tablet after waking up in the morning till setting up alarm before going to bed at night, we are using numerous software applications in a day without even realizing the efforts spent to make those applications work perfectly every time we use it. If we look deeply, each software application in computer or in any electronic/computer controlled device go through multiple rigorous cycles of testing to ensure that it is working as intended after it was built by developers and before it was launched in market for public use. In software industry, this process is termed as software quality assurance (QA) or software testing which is being considered as one of the most flourishing verticals of IT software services sectors in 21^st century.

Software testing is one of the most important phases of software development life cycle and it consumes anything between 10% to 45% of project budget depending on the type of the software and methodology followed in the development and testing life cycle. There are different types testing e.g. unit testing, integration testing, system testing, user acceptance testing, alpha, beta testing which are exercised during the testing phase and QA team needs to provide the sign off before any product is released and implemented in production or in consumer market. With the ever increasing complexity of today’s software products along with the competitive market due to easy availability of multiple product options/vendors, the importance and awareness of software quality assurance has increased over years. Consequently, various software testing methodologies have been evolved in last two decades in order to perform testing in more structured and controlled manner. In addition, there is a continuous urge for improving the operational efficiency of the testing process in the organizations in order to produce better quality software at less cost.

Tissue culture is the culture and maintenance of plant cells or organs in sterile, nutritionally and environmentally supportive conditions (in vitro). Conventional breeding methods are the most widely used for crop improvement. But in certain situations these methods have to be supplemented with plant tissue culture techniques, either to increase their efficiency or to achieve an objective not possible through conventional methods.

The art of Indian traditional knowledge regarding herbal medicine has a long history and can be considered as a potential source of new medicine. India has great potential in the market for herbal medicine, which is evident by the fact that medicinal plants required to prepare 50% of the drugs mentioned in the British Pharmacopoeia are reported to be present in the Western Himalayan region alone and India has approximately 8% of the world’s biodiversity, including plant genetic diversity with medicinal properties (Singh, 2006). Traditional medicine is widely used in rural areas, where 70% of the country’s population resides. Almost 75% of the medicinal plants grow naturally in different states of India. These plants are known to cure many ailments in animals.

Ethno Veterinary Practices

Ethno Veterinary Practices, also known as Traditional Veterinary Medicinal Practices are regarded as information gained over a period of time passed on from generation to generation. It is a community based functional knowledge system which has been developed, preserved and refined by generations of people through continuous interaction, observation and experimentation with their surrounding environment. Rural farmers mostly rely on ancestral ethno veterinary practices to deal with the diseases of their livestock and poultry. Veterinarians also show considerable interest in the medicinal plants, employed in traditional systems. This emerging trend in favour of herbal medicine is also due to the issues related to the antimicrobial drug resistance and drug residues in foods (milk/meat/eggs) of animal origin.

SANTOSH P. SARANGAMATH & VIVEK M. PATIL

While System Software like device drivers and utilities enables the application software to interact with the computer hardware, Programming Software like compilers, debuggers and interpreters provides tools to assist a programmer in writing computer programs. However, most common users interact with their computers using Application Software, which enables them to carry out various daily tasks.

Application Software

Application software is programs that work with the operating system software to help the computer to do specific types of work. Applications are the pieces of software that perform tasks for the user besides helping the computer to operate (i.e. the task of system software). Applications range from games, calculators, and word processors (document creation programs). Application software can be easily divided by looking at exactly what function they serve. Listed below are some common types of software which one may encounter while using a computer. Application Software can be categorized into :

1.    Introduction    71
2.    Microorganisms in Food Industry    72
    2.1.    Microorganisms as the agents of fermentation in  
        traditional fermented foods, 73
    2.2.    Microorganisms as the source of food, 83
    2.3.    Microorganisms as a source of food supplements, 86

3.    Microorganisms in Pharmaceutical Industry    92

    3.1.    Antimicrobial agents from microorganisms, 92
    3.2.     Microorganisms as probiotics, 97
    3.3.    Microbial enzymes in  pharmaceuticals, 98
    3.4.    Mushroom nutriceuticals, 98