eChapters

36.1 Introduction

Migration refers to the long-distance movement of fish from one location to another in search of food or breeding. It involves a temporary or permanent absence from one’s home range and the establishment of a residence in another. It is one of the most remarkable and fascinating characteristics of fish. It is the mass movement of fish from one body of water to another. It entails longer-duration movements of schools of fish than those seen during normal daily activities.

In textile manufacturing, fibers serve as the fundamental components of raw materials, distinguished by their length, flexibility, and strength, which enable them to be spun into yarns and woven into fabrics. Extremely long fibers are referred to as filaments. Fibers can be classified as natural, derived from plants, animals, or minerals, or artificial, produced through chemical processes. Natural fibers are those sourced directly from animal, vegetable, or mineral origins and can be utilized for creating nonwoven fabrics or spun into yarns for woven textiles. Typically, they are significantly longer than they are wide. Although nature offers a variety of fibrous materials, including cotton, wood, grains, and straw, only a select few are appropriate for textile applications. The appropriateness of a fiber is determined by its length, strength, flexibility, elasticity, abrasion resistance, absorbency, and surface characteristics. Most textile fibers are slender, flexible, robust, and elastic, allowing them to stretch and revert to their original form.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Industrial Revolution brought about significant advancements in machinery for processing natural fibers, resulting in increased fiber production. This era saw the introduction of regenerated cellulosic fibers such as rayon, which is produced by dissolving and purifying cellulose, followed by the emergence of synthetic fibers like nylon, which began to compete with the supremacy of natural fibers in the textile industry. Synthetic fibers, with their distinct advantages, started to supplant natural fibers across various sectors. In reaction to this shift, there was a surge in research aimed at enhancing natural fibers through improved strains, advanced production techniques, and modified properties of yarns and fabrics. Nevertheless, synthetic fibers, being more economical and less labourintensive, captured a larger share of the market.

10.1 Introduction

A single-walled carbon nanotube (SW-CNT) is a nano scale tube formed by a cylindrical shell of single atomic layer of carbon atoms. Nanotubes have diameter of a few nm and length up to 100 nm so that they form extremely thin wires. The atomic structure of SWCNT can be formed by wrapping a stripe of single atomic layer of graphite sheet al.,ong a certain direction, and this direction determines the diameter and chirality of the nanotubes. Experimental and theoretical studies have found that these nano-meter sized CNTs have novel electronic properties, which can be metallic or semiconducting, depending on their radius or chiralities (Mintmire 1992, Hamada 1992, Saito et. al., 1992, Rao 1997, Wildoer 1998 and Odom et al., 1998).

ABSTRACT

The multi-sensor airborne geophysical survey was carried out over Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh, during the field season 2002-03, with an objective to locate potential areas for mineral exploration. The area comprises older metamorphic rocks of Peninsular Gneissic Complex of Archaeanage represented by gneisses, granite, amphibolite and banded magnetite quartzite. Leucocratic intrusive granite, extending over a length of about 40 km around Suryapet in NNW-SSE direction exhibits intense fracturing. Two sets of vertical to sub-vertical fractures have been noted in granite. Yellow stains observed in granite near fracture planes reveal the presence of secondary radioactive mineral encrustation. The ground magnetic and spectrometric observations indicated that the uranium mineralization is confined to these fractures in granite. Petrographic, ore-microscopic and scanning electron microscopic studies revealed evidences of metamict alteration surrounding monazite/apatite inclusions within biotite, and magnetite grains in granite. These studies also indicated evidences of discrete grains of uraninite / coffenite / pitchblende (containing Thand Ce). Chemical analysis of the rock samples (by NAA) collected from anomalous zone reveal high uranium concentration of the order of 1200 ppm, marked by high values of total Rare Earth Element concentration (800 ppm).

The leucogranites are characterized by high LREE and a negative Eu anomaly suggesting plagioclase fractionation. An ultramafic enclave near village Kutubsahipur shows highest concentration of both uranium (1240 ppm) and REE (890 ppm) analyzed by BARC and NAA Lab, GSI.

Introduction

Maize is the second most important cereal crop in the world in terms of acreage and is called the ‘Queen of Cereals’. Corn production is a vital component of the global agricultural sector, contributing significantly to food, feed, and industrial demands. Maize, it is the most popular crop among the farmers all over the world. Maize grows throughout the year.USA leads in the production followed by China. India ranks 3rd in global maize production; the major maize-growing states are Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. After the cereal production of wheat and rice, maize has significantly held a strong position in the third position out of the many crops produced in India. The major usage of maize is for human and animal consumption, it is also used in baby corn oil, corn starch, corn oil production, and much more. In the India, not less than 15 million farmers are engaged in maize cultivation and it generates employment for more than 650 million person-days at farming and its related ecosystem levels. Corn could be grown in variety of soil under Indian conditions but most preferable soil is light, free-draining soil that is full of organic matter. This type of soil obviously provides great drainage, water retention and nutrition. Rich, light soil enables the roots of corn plants to grow downwards quickly, which allows them to get a good foothold which stabilizes the plants effectively. Corn is known for its shallow root system, which means it is inherently unstable and will struggle in dry conditions, which makes soil quality all the more important. High winds can easily damage the plants and prevent pollination. Corn is a water-hungry crop with a shallow root system so it needs to be watered regularly. Under watered corn quickly becomes stressed, which results in early maturation and underdeveloped cobs.

1. Introduction

Modern medicine relies heavily on biomaterials and tissue engineering, which are a broad category of materials designed to interact with biological systems in a therapeutic or diagnostic capacity. These materials, which are frequently polymers, natural or synthetic, are made to have particular physical, chemical, and biological characteristics in order to satisfy the demands of a range of medical applications (Holzapfel et al., 2013; Ozdil & Aydin, 2014). These materials can be produced, modified and characterized in a number of ways, according to the particular needs of the application, including 3D printing, molding, and machining (Jandyal et al., 2022). Biomaterials are extensively studied for their applications in tissue engineering, which comprises the recent developments into studying the disease models, micro-scale bone repairing, wound healing and other applications (Purnama et al., 2010). Biomaterial degradation and biocompatibility must be taken into account when developing implants or medical devices since the material's characteristics are tunable according the external or internal parameters. In order to produce biomaterials for use in healthcare applications, cooperation between specialists in biology, medicine, and materials science is needed, the upcoming advances in bioprinting, artificial graft and usage of artificial intelligence might give us an insight towards development in disease regression (Holzapfel et al., 2013; Khan et al., 2015).

The majority of the protein found in the food supply worldwide comes from animal or grain sources, which together account for around half of the total. First of all, fish and crustaceans are significant and excellent providers of amino acids, a form of protein that is essential to nutrition and is only present in trace amounts in cereals and grains. It turns out that these matters for global nutrition and that some low-income, food-deficient nations really benefit from it. Furthermore, fisheries are significant local sources of food, commerce, and revenue in many coastal developing and developed countries. This has prompted researchers and biotechnologists to look at the identification, use, and extraction of these biomaterials in healthcare settings (Raghavendra et al., 2015). The varied fish-derived biomaterials have a variety of uses, including as in tissue engineering, medication delivery, and wound healing, which has opened up new avenues for medical science to make scientific discoveries (Bhat & Kumar, 2013).

The genus Amaranthus is rather unique in having species which are used for vegetable, grain and ornamental purposes. Vegetable amaranth, Amaranthus spp. under the family Amaranthaceae (Chromosome No.: 2n = 2x = 32, 34) is the most common tropical leafy vegetable in Southeast Asian countries especially India, Malaysia, Indonesia, southern China and hot and humid regions of Africa. It is an excellent source of β carotene, vitamin C, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, folic acid and dietary fibre. Its protein content (20-38% based on dry matter) includes methionine and other sulphur-containing amino acids. It is cultivated throughout India however, it is a common leafy vegetable in southern states viz., Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Origin, domestication and adaptation in India
The phylogenetic relationship and taxonomic delimitation in the genus Amaranthus under the family Amaranthaceae are still not resolved with extreme clarity. Phylogenetic analysis revealed clear separation of vegetable and grain amaranths. The derivation of grain and vegetable amaranths represent two lines of descent from the weed progenitor. Amaranthus hybridus L. This species has spread to different tropical countries like Mexico, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Amaranthus is a cosmopolitan genus of annual or short-lived perennial plants collectively known as amaranths. Vegetable amaranth is the most common leafy vegetable crop grown in India. Several kinds of vegetable amaranths under the genus Amaranthus and belonging to different species are grown in India.

Nanotechnology is an emerging of field of science which is being highly exploited in the sphere of medicine where “nano” plays a vital role in delivery of drugs or chemical molecules to the point it is required in précised quantities in right proportions. Nanoscience infuses intelligence to the truck load of chemical constituents that are to be delivered at appropriate locations and cleave from the site after the task is complete. Such process will likely to reduce the cost besides ensuring environmental safety. Nanoscale devices with its unique properties make the agricultural system more smart and effective; such devices are capable of responding to different situations by themselves, thus taking appropriate remedial action with the need of external directions from humans. In short, these devices act as a detectors and if need arises serve as a solution/remedy for the particular issue. These smart delivery systems of chemicals in controlled and targeted manner can be considered synonymous to the proposed nano-drug delivery system in human (Patolsky et al., 2006).

Introduction

Food security problem has multiple dimensions that range from ensuring the food supply at global, country and local levels to create its effective demand round the year. The ultimate goal of an effective food security policy is to provide individuals with adequate dietary requirements through availability and accessibility of food, which are necessary conditions for nutritional well being. The level of food security existing in a country, however is a complex interactions, operating at different levels from the macro to the micro level. The components of the system would include international trade and macro policies, the agricultural sector, the market economy, consumption pattern, the micro economy or household income, urban-rural differentiation and gender issues, etc.

Food insecurity is a complex issue having several dimensions such as, poverty, unemployment, famine, gender discrimination, inequity, starvation, food and nutritional practices, for human growth, natural calamities and so on. Poverty has been recognized globally both as a cause and consequence of food insecurity. In the mid 1980s, 72 per cent of the world’s poor and 66 per cent of the world’s extremely poor lived in the Asia-Pacific region. In this region, 272 million people would suffer from chronic malnutrition during the next decade i.e. in the year 2010. In Asia-Pacific region, India alone has 204 million undernourished people, which is quite alarming when compared with neighbouring countries like China, which has only 164 million undernourished people despite being much populous than India. World Health Organization (WHO) report (1998) points out that health expectancy is more important than life expectancy. The impact of poverty and malnutrition on health has widened the gap between the rich and the poor.

Agroforestry systems are not simply systems where trees and crops or animals give useful products to the farmers, rather systems where trees and crops and/ or animals interact. Interaction literally means influence or mutual or reciprocal action. So, component interaction refers to the influence of one component of a system on the performance of other component as well as the system as a whole.

In agroforestry systems, trees are grown in close proximity to crops and pasture. Their performance would largely depend on their ability to share various growth resources in a given environmental situation. Various interactions take place between the woody trees and herbaceous plants (crops or pastures) which is referred to as tree-crop interface. These interactions take place through the media of soil and microclimate and may exert favourable or adverse effects on the crop. Study of interaction helps to know how the components of agroforestry utilize and share the resources of the environment, and how the growth and development of any of the components will influence the others. Interaction occurs both above and below the ground and includes a complex set of interactions relating to radiation exchange, the water balance, nutrient budget and cycling, shelter and other microclimatic modifications.

The success of an agroforestry system relies heavily on exploitation of the component interactions. In an ideal relationship, production of trees as well as crops or grasses in combination could be comparable to their sole performance. Agroforestry could be even more advantageous if the production of associated components is increased due to influence of trees. This is possible because trees are capable of improving productivity of soil in many ways. A large number of trees are known to fix nitrogen symbiotically. Nevertheless, instances of crop inhibition in association of trees are not uncommon. Such inhibitions are primarily caused by shade effect as well as competition for below-ground resources such as nutrients and water. In some cases, inhibitory effect may also result from allelochemicals secreted by some of the tree species.

Principal Scientist and I/c Head, Division of Social Sciences and Training IIHR, Hessaraghatta Lake Post, Bangalore – 560 089, Karnataka

What is a funding pitch?

A pitch deck lets you present your business plan to potential investors when new funding is needed to develop the business. You don’t need a pitch deck to attract funding if your business is successful, growing organically and at the right level and scale for the market and your ambitions.

7.1 Introduction

The occurrence of different medicinal and aromatic plant species is often associated with a specific ecology and thereby, to a biogeographical or phytogeographical region of the Indian Subcontinent. The Indian Subcontinent is a confluence of at least two biogeographical realms, i.e., Palearctic or Palaearctic (Himalayas) and Oriental (Sino Indian- mainland India to much of insular the Southeast Asia). The most acknowledged classification of biogeographical zones was proposed by Udvardy (1975), which recognized 12 biogeographical provinces in India falling in these two realms. Based on varied climate, terrain, and faunistic information, Roger and Panwar (1988) tried to distinguish India into 10 distinct bio-geographical regions. Their classification did account for distribution of the plant-communities because they provided information about key components to identify the probable habitat for the presence of animals. An attempt for phytogeographical zonation, based on type of vegetation by Gadgil and Meher Homji (1990), distinguished 16 phytogeographical zones. Rodgers et al. (2002) further revised their biogeographical maps using geographical information system (GIS) techniques. They distinguished 10 biogeographical zones and 26 biotic provinces.

6.1 Role of Media in Democracy: Introduction

The media is the fourth pillar of democracy. The media has a critical role in creating a democratic culture that transcends the political system and gradually enters the general public's consciousness. Voters rely on the political information provided by the media to make their selections. They facilitate discussion and help discover issues facing our society.

1. Introduction

With the advancement of science and technology, new technologies have been developed to advance molecular work to a great extent. Thousands of DNA molecules can be simultaneously sequenced at one time using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies act as revolutionary tools for various implementations and can produce hundreds of gigabases of sequence data within a single experiment. A wide variety of modern sequencing technologies go by the name of "high-throughput sequencing." In recent years, this technology has advanced as a de facto tool for the study of genomics and epigenomics. Nucleotides can be located using this technique anywhere in the genome or in groups of specific DNA or RNA regions. An NGS plot is a useful tool for bridging the gap between enormous datasets and genomic information in this era of massive sequencing data. Resequencing of genomic DNA will undoubtedly be the primary application of NGS in clinical settings. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) offers an intricate representation of single nucleotide variations (SNV), insertions and deletions (indels), complex structural alterations, and changes in copy number, all of which are attainable through a single analysis. Extensive genetic information can be obtained and used after complete genome sequencing, which reveals a large amount of genetic data. However, a significant portion contains either novel information or data whose clinical significance has not yet been established. WGS is the most comprehensive genetic analysis of an individual or cancer genome.

Abstract
Regional approaches to progressive agriculture involve tailored strategies and practices that address the unique agricultural needs and challenges of specific regions. This chapter explores the various regional strategies for advancing agriculture, focusing on how local conditions, cultures, and resources influence agricultural practices and innovations. It examines case studies from diverse regions to highlight successful approaches and adaptations in progressive agriculture. The chapter covers key areas such as climate adaptation, resource management, technology adoption, and policy frameworks. By analyzing regional successes and challenges, the chapter provides insights into how regional approaches can drive sustainable agricultural development and enhance food security globally.
Keywords: Regional agriculture, progressive agriculture, climate adaptation, resource management, technology adoption, policy frameworks, sustainable development, case studies, food security.

Gladiolus is a flower of breathtaking beauty with a wide range of colours, size and form. Its magnificent inflorescence has won for it, a place of pride in gardens and value as a cut flower. Except true blue and green practically all colours are available in gladiolus. Flowers are long lasting and stand transport well. They are widely used in flower arrangements, bouquets and indoor decorations. It is estimated that gladiolus is grown throughout India over on area of 1270 ha (Arora et al. 2002).

1. Introduction

Pummelo is considered as largest fruit among all the Citrus species from the Rutaceae family. It is also known as shaddock, papanus or chakotra. Although C. grandis (L.) Osbeck is more frequently used, however C. maxima (Burm.) Merr. is considered as correct under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Singh and Navneet, 2017). It is considered as one of the four true species (natural, non-hybrid) of Citrus. The ltypical large size, thick rind is one of the causes for slow acceptance of pummelo in international market. However, it is presently considered as important fruit due to presence of various bio-active compounds related with human health and nutrition. The word ‘pummelo’ was originally derived from the Dutch word ‘pompelmoes’. The fruit is also named as ‘Shaddock’ after a Captain Shaddock who was believed to have introduced the fruit in Barbados on an East India Company ship on its way to England in the 17^th century. It is known by different names by different communities residing in India such as chakotra (Hindi), batabi lebu or jambura (Bengali), robab tenga (Assamese), nobab (Manipuri), ser trawk (Mizo), soh myngor or soh bah (Khasi), rabab tasing (Adi), papanas (Gujarati), chakota (Kannada), kambili naranga (Malayalam), pamparapanasa (Telugu), metukki or pampalimaku (Tamil) and bampara (Marathi) [Anon, 2019]. Pummelo can be distinguished from grapefruit by its larger size fruit, thicker albedo and the bunch bearing habit of grapefruit can also be considered for distinguishing it from pummelo (Scora et al., 1982). The crop is believed to have originated from South and Southeast Asia and it is now cultivated in many tropical and semi tropical countries. The top ten world producers of pummelo and grapefruit are USA, China, Mexio, South Africa, India, Argentina, Turkey, Cuba, Brazil and Tunisia (FAOSTAT, 2010). It is also cultivated in in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chile, Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Nepal. There is no report of its commercial cultivation in India till date; rather it is mainly grown in homestate gardens across the country including UP, Punjab, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. However, maximum genetic diversity in pummelo germplasm is found in North Eastern Region, West Bengal and Bihar (Singh et al., 2015).

1.    Gummosis
        
2.    Canker
        
3.    Scab/Verucosis
        
4.    Tristeza or quick decline
        
5.    Greening
        
6.    Exocortis or scaly butt

Introduction

India is more an agrarian economy, wherein about 50 percent of people directly depend on agriculture for employment. Like other developing nations, however, this country is facing some of the challenges like food insecurity, agricultural backwardness and unsatisfied farming community. Though green revolution in 1970s had brought much relief in this direction, liberalized trade polices since mid 1990s created new and complex issues, especially for small and marginal farmers. Also, since recent years the contribution of agriculture to GDP is declining, indicating that there is growth is shifting away from agriculture to industrial and service sectors. The rural-urban migration, primarily due to the poor employment absorption capacity of our traditional agricultural system, lower productivity, changing life styles, etc. is increasing at alarming rate. In spite of all these, the disparity persists within the society and across the region. Such inequalities, as measured through income distribution, consumption pattern and spending of the income, pose a big challenge, as the gaps are widening with the passage of time. Inadequate purchasing power among the poorer communities leads to undernourishment, which in turn affects their productive capacity. Even though huge food grain stocks are distributed among the needy, considerable proportion of the population lack economic access to such food, and have to rely upon the cheap and insufficient food.

Seed is a fertilized ripened ovule consisting of three main parts namely seed coat, endosperm and embryo which in due course gives rise to a new plant. Seed is the nucleus of life. Endosperm is the storage organ for food substance that nourishes the embryo during its development. Seed coat is the outer cover that protects or shields the embryo and endosperm.

Importance

Plants reproduce sexually by seeds and asexually by vegetative parts. Grains which are used for multiplication are called seeds while those used for human or animal consumption are called grains. Good stalks of planting materials are basic to profitable crop production. The seed or planting material largely determines the quality and quantity of the produce. A good seed or stalk of planting material is genetically satisfactory and true to type, fully developed and free from contamination, deformities, diseases and pests.