eChapters

Cost-effective farming systems for spices cultivation for increasing production and productivity in different agro ecologies have been developed.

An organic package for production of black pepper, ginger and turmeric by applying farmyard manure, vermicompost, ash, rock phosphate, Azospirillum sp. and phosphobacteria and Trichoderma sp. and Pseudomonas sp. as biocontrol agents for disease control was developed. Further, a foliar spray of 1% solution of complex fertilizer 19 : 19 : 19 (N : P : K) during spike initiation period (April second week, May first week and May fourth week) during lean cropping season under irrigated condition enhanced black pepper (cv. Panniyur I) yield by 20–25%. Soil application of zinc up to 10 kg/ ha or foliar spraying of ZnSO4 (0.25%) and Borax (0.2%) twice (60 and 90 days after planting) was recommended for higher yield and quality for turmeric in zinc and boron deficient soil.

Among all the treatments, sprinkler and drip irrigation methods caused early sprouting; early flowering with increased plant height and more number of leaves and flowers/plant as compared to the control (rainfed). Also, stiga fresh weight, dry weight, length and saffron yield were improved in sprinkler and drip irrigation methods over the control. Raised beds resulted in early sprouting, early flowering with increased plant height and more number of leaves and flowers/plant.

Matrix is a rectangular array of numbers arranged in rows and columns. The order of a matrix is written as r x c, where r is the no. of rows and c is the no. of columns. The numbers included in a matrix are called elements of the matrix. The name of the matrix is denoted by an uppercase English alphabet.

Introduction

‘Infrastructure’ connotes physical assets. The meaning may differ based on the sector under which the term is in use. More often, it has been used to describe the public as-sets that facilitate production. Historically, Lewis (1955) included public utilities, ports, water supply and electricity as infrastructure, whereas Hirschman (1958) outlined four conditions that characterise infrastructure or social overhead capital: the services provided to facilitate or are basic to economic activity; the services are usually public goods because of economic externalities; these services cannot be imported; these investments tend to be indivisible or ‘lumpy’. 

Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study and manipulation of matter at the nanoscale, where unique phenomena allow for novel applications. Nanotechnology is the utilization of components smaller than 100 nanometers for manufacturing and bio-fabrication. This adaptable technique had a wide range of uses, from clothing manufacture to medical advancements such as cancer detection and treatment, among others. The name “nano” comes from Greek, which meaning incredibly small, and a nanometer (nm) is equal to 10 -9 m. Nanotechnology, also called as Molecular Manufacturing based Nanotechnology (MNT) as it involves experimentation and manipulating of nano particles, in order to design and build materials and devices with the basic structure in the nanometer scale. Nano material which can exist in the form of powder or liquid, exhibits significantly different physical and chemical properties at nanoscales compared to their micro size materials with similar chemical composition. Nano food refers to food in nanoparticles, nanotechnology techniques or tools are used during cultivation, production, processing, or packaging of the food.
The development of both organic and inorganic materials achieved through conversion and manipulation of the materials on an atomic and molecular scale [Grumezescu et al., 2018; Dera & Teseme, 2020]. By reducing the particle size below its outset to approximately 1–100 nm, the physical and chemical properties of the materials significantly differed when compared to the original materials despite they contain the same base materials. The unique
and incomparable properties of nanoscale materials are arise due to their high surface area-to-volume ratio compared to the microscale of the same materials [Grumezescu et al., 2018, Berekaa, 2015].

Introduction
Informative speaking is a powerful form of communication that seeks to educate an audience on a particular topic, idea, or issue. Unlike persuasive or entertaining speech, the primary purpose of informative speaking is to provide knowledge and clarity. It equips listeners with valuable insights, broadening their understanding and perspectives. Mastery of informative speaking is crucial in educational, professional, and public contexts, as it fosters informed decision-making and nurtures curiosity.
The Purpose of Informative Speaking
The primary purpose of informative speaking is to educate an audience by sharing knowledge, clarifying concepts, or explaining processes. It seeks to enhance understanding rather than to persuade or entertain. Below are the core purposes of informative speaking:
1. To Educate
Informative speaking helps an audience gain a deeper understanding of a topic by presenting facts, data, and research. This could involve teaching something new, offering insights into complex issues, or updating the audience on current trends.
Example: A presentation on the basics of block-chain technology explains how it works and its potential applications in finance and beyond.

Strategic partnerships and productive outreach play a crucial role for new technologies to successfully reach the market, drive growth, and strengthen a country’s global competitiveness, Outreach programs have various benefits, ranging from technology transfer awareness, communication of stakeholders, industry, government, to academy partnership promotions. These efforts help in establishing connections, communicating opportunities, and encouraging active engagement from key stakeholders. Outreach activities can be performed under two broad categories:
1. Written communication includes all communication which can be viewed, shared, or made accessible for a set of people in a passive manner. This includes reports, newsletters, guidance, and online content which provide insights of worth for stakeholders.
2. Human outreach includes all direct communication like c face-to-face or verbal form communication it included conferences, conventions, workshops, seminars and personal communication with industry leaders.
The type of outreach creates stronger, more personal connections. An effective outreach strategy usually combines both human and written outreach efforts. By following this strategy TTOs can expand and strengthen partnerships, and make it easier for research-led innovations to get transition from lab to market more effectively. This chapter explores key outreach models, strategic networking approaches, and proven practices for building impactful partnerships in technology transfer.

Abstract

Vegetable cultivation has been threatened due to limited availability of arable land and frequent vagaries of environment and incidence of soil borne pests and diseases. Development of stress tolerant or climate smart cultivars through conventional breeding methods or dependence upon agrochemicals for mitigation of pest and disease problems for vegetable crops have been practised since time immemorial. Salinity in coastal belts, high or low temperature injury, bacterial wilt in solanaceous vegetables, Fusarium wilt and nematode infestation in cucurbits are common of the many maladies which have caused tremendous loss in productivity and quality of vegetable crops throughout the globe. 

The extreme weather events being experienced at a greater frequency now a days are due to accelerated climate change caused mostly due to global warming. Global warming is basically a change in the climatic conditions of the Earth, brought about by a considerable rise in the near-surface temperature of the planet. Earth’s surface and the troposphere become warmer due to absorption of infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface by Green House Gases(GHGs). The important green house gases include carbon dioxide(CO₂),methane(CH₄) nitrous oxide(N₂O), chloro-?uoro-carbons(CFCs), ozone(O₃) and water vapour(H₂O). Various climate models predict major changes in our weather patterns, environment, and way of life in absence of efforts for substantial reductions in GHG emissions. The CO₂ gas concentration of atmosphere has increased to 385 ppm as against the normal concentration of 300 ppm. The atmosphere contains only 1 % of the total global carbon pool. The undesirable changes can be reversed by increasing soil and eco system carbon pools, increasing mean resident time(MRT) of sequestered carbon and decreasing GHG emission to atmosphere.

Maize is the only cereal crop which is being used as human food, animal feed and as a source of large number of industrial products. In Odisha traditionally maize is a Kharif season crop and second most important crop next to paddy during Kharif season in terms of both area and production. The Rabi maize is cultivated under irrigated condition, and accounts only 7% of total area and production of the State. While only 24% of the Kharif maize area have irrigation facilities. Irrespective of the season, it is that is the fourth most important food grain crop with respect to area in the state which is next to rice, mungbean and urdbean. Even though maize is grown as a sole crop in the state but, some farmers are also adopting maize based inter-cropping and the major recommended/adopted inter-crops are arhar, cowpea, yam, runner bean, greengram and blackgram. The comparative analysis of compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of area, production and yield of the major crops is the state was done for the years 2004-05 to 2013-14. The CAGR study of major crops revealed that no other major crop including rice has the impressive growth rate a like maize in the state (Fig. 1).

Introduction
In the realm of modern agriculture and plant breeding, the integration of advanced biotechnological tools has revolutionized the traditional methods of crop improvement. Traditional approaches to genetically improving horticultural crops that are primarily propagated asexually encounter multiple challenges. These include an extended juvenile phase, the absence of seeds, a high level of intraand interspecific incompatibility, frequent heterozygosity, seed sterility, and, most importantly, the restriction of certain valuable traits to wild species (Mehlenbacher, 1995). Conventional or classical breeding techniques rely on natural processes and traditional tools to develop new plant varieties or cultivars. However, these methods are often time-consuming, labor-intensive, and less efficient. The lengthy process, coupled with the challenges of maintaining desirable traits, makes it difficult to achieve rapid genetic improvements. As a result, there is a growing need for more advanced and precise breeding methods to enhance crop development (Jain and Kharkwal, 2004). A molecular marker is a specific DNA segment that signifies genetic variations at the genome level, aiding in genetic analysis and breeding (Dhutmal et al., 2018). These are composed of nucleic acids as well as proteins and used on basis of naturally occurring polymorphism (Thottappilly et al., 2000; Ahmad et al., 2020). These markers are closely related with the target gene and they act as sign or flags (Nadeem et al., 2018), aiding in the identification of specific regions associated with advantageous characteristics such as disease resistance, yield potential, nutritional content, and environmental adaptability (Meena et al., 2023).The advancement of high-throughput molecular markers and genetic maps has enabled the precise identification of genes responsible for agronomically important traits, potentially enhancing breeding through markerassisted selection (MAS). Compared to traditional breeding methods, MAS overcomes the challenges of phenotypic selection and significantly improves selection efficiency. This approach accelerates crop improvement by ensuring the effective transfer of desirable traits with greater accuracy and reliability (Wani et al., 2022). The incorporation of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and high-throughput genotyping platforms has also facilitated genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and the discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) linked to important traits, further enhancing the resolution of genetic analysis. In recent years, molecular markers have been extensively used to characterize and enhance genotypic and phenotypic traits in temperate fruit and nut crops. Studies have focused on assessing genetic diversity in almonds, identifying genes responsible for red skin color in apples, developing sharka disease-resistant apricots, and sequencing the almond genome. These markers have been successfully used for genetic studies in many horticultural crops including vegetables (Gulsen et al., 2007; Kumar et al., 2008 a and b; Schafleitner et al., 2013; Yadav et al., 2015; Sharma et al., 2016; Kumar et al., 2017 and Kumar et al., 2019) and flowering crops (Kumar et al., 2019; Kumar et al., 2016 and Kumar et al., 2018a and b). These advancements highlight the crucial role of molecular markers in improving breeding strategies, accelerating genetic improvements

Rice farming under different subsystems of lowland ecology
1. Rainfed lowland with limited water at seeding and excess water at later growth stages: In rainfed lowland areas, the rice is direct seeded in dry soil in April-May before onset of monsoon (June) and seeds germinate with the showers received after sowing. Drought at the seedling stage kills seedlings and results in poor stand establishment. Furthermore, heavy rains in catchment areas of river basins result in water logging and flooding at late growth stages. The water hinders tillering and results in poor panicle number less than 200/m2 as against 350 /m2 of high yielding rice cultivars.
2. Rainfed lowlands with limited/excess water at transplanting and excess water at later stages: When on-set of the monsoon is delayed, transplanting delayed because the farmer has to wait for adequate rains for land preparation. Monsoon rain submerges the transplanted crop, resulting in poor stand. In some areas, the land gets inundated before transplanting and farmers generally transplant aged and tall seedlings to keep the plant parts above the water. Plant survival in deeper water depends on rise in water level and on the elongation ability and submergence tolerance of the plant. Varieties that elongate fast develop weak culms and may lodge when the water level recedes. In this situation tillering is poor and panicle per unit area are less.
3. Assured irrigated areas with excess water during crop growth due to poorly drained condition: Rice grown in the river deltaic areas of Krishna, Godavari and Indo-Gangetic rivers suffer from water stagnation even though some areas are having irrigation facilities. Heavy rains in the catchment cause flooding and stagnation in rice fields because of congested drainage or lack of drainage caused by topographically saucer-shaped land. These conditions develop during peak monsoon (July-September). The late planted crops, being at an early stage of growth, suffersfro water stagnation. In these areas, transplanting early in the season is necessary for plants to grow enough to escape submergence.

Introduction
 
Natural control strategies that employ biological agents for pest suppression are generally classified as biological control tactics. In conventional usage, this term usually refers to the practice of rearing and releasing natural enemies:   parasites, predators, or pathogens. A slightly broader definition of “bio-control” includes any related management activity that is designed to protect or conserve natural enemies. Biological control is the use of living organisms to maintain pest populations below damaging levels. Natural enemies of arthropods fall into three major categories: predators, parasitoids, and pathogens (Altieri et al., 2005; Mahr et al., 2008).

Introduction

Carbohydrates are the most common source of energy for all living cells, which, in presence of light, are formed by the green plants from CO₂ and water during photosynthesis. It canbe said that ‘light’ is theultimatesourceof energyrequired for all livingcells.Glucose,a monosaccharide,plays a centralroleincarbohydrate metabolismin all plants, animals and manymicroorganisms. Glucose is derived from the polysaccharides (starch, glycogen) and non-carbohydrate sources (amino acids, glycerols, etc.) during metabolism and ultimately converted either into carbondioxide and water orotherintermediateproducts.Complete oxidation of glucose to CO₂ and water provides ~2,840 kJ/mol energy. The other monosaccharides such as fructose, galactose, mannose, etc. are also important molecules in carbohydrate metabolism.

1. GENETIC PRINCIPLES

1.1. Maintenance of genetic purity during seed production

The methods suggested by Home (1953) and Hartmann and Kester (1968) may be used wholly or in part to maintain high levels of genetic purity during seed production.

The various steps suggested by Home (1953) to maintain varietal purity are as follows:

8.1 Key legal statutes and regulatory foundations
Various policy measures were also undertaken by the Government of India in due course of time. The Government of India enacted four science policies after gaining independence, i.e. Scientific Policy Resolution (1958), Technology Policy Statement (1983), Science and Technology Policy (2003) and Science Technology and Innovation Policy (2013). The 1983 Technology Policy Statement possessed a simple goal of creating indigenous technology and boosting efficient absorption and adaptation of imported technologies suited to the nation’s priorities and. The Technology Policy Statement of 1983 was followed up through the establishment of the Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), an autonomous organization entirely owned by the Government of India under the Department of Science and Technology during 1988. TIFAC also offers some funding and supports development and commercialization of technologies through the home-grown technology scheme, among its other operations. The Technology Development Board Act (1995) was also a significant policy move of the government in the same direction. Also in recent times, the Government of India also unveiled its own National IPR Policy 2016 with the motto cum slogan “Creative India, Innovative India”. In addition, the policy is aligned to a number of other schemes of the Indian Government like “Make in India”, “Atal Innovation Mission”, “Start-Up India” and “Stand-Up India”, all aimed at encouraging creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in the nation.

Irrigation Scheduling: Approaches and Advantages
Efficient irrigation scheduling aims to optimize crop yields while maximizing water use efficiency and minimizing soil damage. This involves determining the correct timing and amount of water to apply for each irrigation event. Several criteria can be used for scheduling irrigations, broadly classified into climatological, soil water regime, and plant-based approaches. The most suitable criterion depends on specific soil, plant, climate, and management factors.
Climatological Approach
Under conditions where soil water is readily available, the potential rate of water loss from a crop primarily depends on the atmosphere’s evaporative demand. This approach uses potential evapotranspiration (PET) or cumulative pan evaporation (CPE) over short periods as an index for irrigation scheduling.
Penman (1948) defined PET as the water transpired by a short, uniformly green crop completely covering the ground and never lacking water. He also noted that PET is generally a fraction of pan evaporation under the same conditions. PET can be estimated using various techniques, including lysimeters, energy balance calculations, aerodynamic approaches, and empirical formulas. Based on PET or crop water use rates over short periods, irrigation can be conveniently scheduled. Lysimeters isolate the crop root zone, allowing accurate determination of water balance components by controlling and measuring difficult-to-assess processes.
Soil Water Regime Approach
This approach uses the available soil water held between field capacity and the permanent wilting point in the effective crop root zone as a guide for irrigation scheduling. Soil moisture tension, which reflects how tightly water is held by soil particles, can also serve as an indicator.

Prebiotic foods have been consumed for centuries, either as natural components of food, or as fermented food. However, interest in dietary use of prebiotics blossomed in the later 1800s and early 1900. Preliminary researches revealed that lactose had a profound effect on the pH of the caecal contents and intestine due to lactic acid fermentation resulting in enhanced calcium and phosphorous absorption. Further, it was also noted by several workers that inclusion of lactose in poultry diets resulted in better growth and reduced mortality.

A prebiotic can be defined as “a non digestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectivity stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or limited number of bacteria in the colon, and thus improves host health” (Gibson and Roberfroid, 1995). Based on this definition, Russell (1998) formulated the criteria according to which a substance can be a prebiotic. First, prebiotics are always feed ingredients that are not digested by the host, not or little used and/or metabolised as they pass through the upper portion of the intestinal tract, so they can reach the f lora of the large intestine. Secondly, they have to be able to serve as a substrate for one or more bacterial species with a potentially beneficial effect on the host. Finally they have to be able to cause a shift in the microf lora that improves the health of the host. In principle only non-digestible, fermentable feed components are prebiotics.

Introduction

A case study involves a thorough examination of an individual, group, or event, delving into nearly every facet of their life and history to identify patterns and causes of behaviour. This investigative approach finds application across diverse fields such as psychology, medicine, education, anthropology, political science, and social work. The primary objective of a case study is to acquire comprehensive knowledge about a specific individual or group, enabling the generalization of information to a broader audience. However, it is worth noting that case studies often exhibit a high degree of subjectivity, making it challenging at times to extrapolate results to a larger population.

Abstract
The growing need for sustainable fishing practices has increased attention to eco-friendly fishing technologies designed to minimize their environmental impact. These technologies focus primarily on reducing habitat destruction, bycatch and overfishing, which is essential for maintaining a balanced marine ecosystem. Traditional fishing methods such as bottom trawling and non-selective fishing practices have caused notable harm to the ecosystem, including the destruction of seabeds and accidental catches of non-targeted fish populations. Advancements in eco-friendly designs, such as turtle-excluding devices (TEDs) and bycatch reduction devices (BRDs), have crucially mitigated the bycatch of vulnerable species such as turtles and juvenile fish. Modifications in longlines, traps, and biodegradable nets have further reduced ecological damage. In addition, electronic innovations such as sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) system and Global Positioning System (GPS) enable precise fish targeting, reducing unwanted habitat damage. However, the transformation to eco-friendly technologies faces issues such as investments, lack of awareness and inadequate regulatory support. Government and international bodies play a vital role in promoting these technologies through various regulatory policies and frameworks. Further, fostering cooperation among the stakeholders and using innovations can ensure a future of sustainable fisheries, balancing ecosystem conservation with economic livelihoods.
Keywords: Bycatch reduction, responsible fisheries, ghost fishing, environmentally friendly