eChapters

1. Introduction

Democratisation of information makes it possible for ideas, opinions, knowledge and services to be accessible to everyone, anywhere, anytime. In this era of ‘knowledge sharing’, making access to the required information and knowledge is the key to innovation and empowerment of farming community. Rapid technological developments over the years, particularly internet and mobile, have made it possible to provide array of services on a single platform due to convergence. It is a unique opportunity to leverage upon the available ICT infrastructures and deliver the knowledge based services effectively to people. There are number of ICT initiatives being attempted in the field of Agriculture and other sectors. Some of the successful models (web-based and mobile based) have shown way for the future of e-extension in India.

ABSTRACT

According to WHO report, over 80% of the world population relies on traditional medicine, largely plant based for their primary healthcare needs. India has 15 Agroclimatic zones, 12 ecoregions and 47,000-plant sp. and is one of the 12-mega biodiversity centres. The Indian Systems of Medicine have identified 1500 medicinal plants, of which 500 species are used in the preparation of commercial drugs. These medicinal plants contribute to 80% of the raw materials used in the preparation of drugs.

Q. 1 A device which is used to store energy in hydraulic system is known as
(A) Motor             (B) Cylinder
(C) Accumulator  (D) Pump

Microbiologists are constantly at risk of exposure to hazardous microorganisms that can cause diseases. These microorganisms may enter the body through inhalation, ingestion, cuts, abrasions, or the eyes. Therefore, handling cultures, slides, and live microorganisms requires utmost care. To ensure safety in the laboratory, several precautions must be followed:
1. Maintain cleanliness in microbiological labs at all times, taking extra care to prevent contamination from the air, equipment, personnel, or the environment.
2. Always wear a clean white lab coat or apron while working. After handling infectious microorganisms, the lab coat should be autoclaved.
3. No eating, drinking, or smoking is allowed in the laboratory.
4. Personal hygiene is essential in microbiological labs.
5. Wash hands with soap and water or a mild disinfectant solution (e.g., hypochlorite solution containing 50-100 ppm chlorine or 1-2% lysol solution) before starting work.
6. Disinfect the work surface by wiping down the lab bench with a disinfectant solution, such as 5% phenol or hypochlorite solution containing 200-300 ppm chlorine, both before and after work.
7. Keep the work area neat and organized at all times.
8. Use self-adhesive labels instead of moistening labels with your tongue.
9. Sterilize inoculating loops and needles by heating them in a Bunsen burner flame until red hot before and after use.

Introduction
Public relations (PR) is a vital element for government institutions seeking to establish strong, credible, and transparent relationships with the public. Unlike corporate PR, where goals center on branding and market influence, government PR focuses on informing citizens, fostering trust, promoting policy understanding, and maintaining transparency. As government bodies make decisions that directly impact public welfare, maintaining effective public relations becomes essential to ensuring public cooperation, mitigating crises, and building a stable, informed society. This chapter explores how government institutions leverage PR, the strategies and mechanisms they use, and how effective PR can impact the relationship between government and citizens.

The early history of laparoscopy is unknown to many surgeons, but Hippocrates (460-375 BC) in Greece was first to describe endoscopy). He made reference to a rectal speculum. Hippocrates also advised injecting a large quantity of air into the intestines through the anus in the case of intestinal obstruction. He also advocated the insertion of suppository that was 10 digits long. These descriptions suggest that Hippocrates was well aware of ileus with intestinal obstruction and thought of several possible etiologies, including faecal impaction, intussusception, and sigmoid volvulus. Moreover, Hippocrates treated these life-threatening conditions with minimally invasive approaches.

Multiple Choice Questions

Steps for Cloning

Prepare DNA.

Select restriction enzymes for your insert and vector, and determine the appropriate reaction buffers.

Combine the following in a microfuge tube (30 µL total volume):
2 µg DNA
1 µL Each Restriction Enzyme
3 µL 10x Buffer
3 µL 10x BSA
x µL H₂O (to bring total volume to 30 µL)

Gaseous poisons use to kill insects are called as fumigants. Fumigants are pesticides that form poisonous gases when applied. Some active ingredients are liquids when packaged under high pressure but change to gases when they are released. Other active ingredients are volatile liquids when enclosed in an ordinary container and so are not formulated under pressure. Still others are solids that release gases when applied under conditions of high humidity or in the presence of water vapor.

Drying- Removal of water from product by influence of non conventional energy source like sun and wind.

Dehydration- Process of removal of moisture by the application of artificial heat under controlled condition of temperature, humidity and airflow etc.

Advantage of dehydration over sun drying

The process of dehydration is much more rapid than sun drying.

Dehydration requires less floor area.

Dehydration is done under very hygienic condition.

Sun drying is not possible in cloudy weather or during rain while dehydration or mechanical drying is not dependent on weather.

The colour of dehydrated or mechanically dried fruit and vegetable remain uniform due to uniform drying temperature.

Q. 1 In agricultural tractors, the vibration level is in the range of .......... Hz.
(A) 0 – 2         (B) 2 - 8
(C) 8 – 20       (D) More than 20

Overhead Projector
Principles of Over Head Projector (OHP)
A projector, which projects the image over the head of an instructor on the screen, is called OHP. It worked on the principle of indirect projection. With the use of lens of short focal length and two mirrors the picture is reflected on the screen. The drawing, diagram, letter (may be in colour or in black and white) etc. are made on transparent sheet and are put on the glass platform of the OHP, through which strong light is passed. The rays of light are converged by a lens and reflected by a mirror held at an angle of 45°.

Drying is one of the oldest methods of preserving food. It is usually accomplished by the removal of water. Dried foods are preserved for long storage time because the available moisture is very low, so that the micro organisms cannot grow and enzyme activity is controlled. It is done by many methods. 1. Sun drying 2. Using mechanical dryers.

A public relations (PR) is a vital function for any organization, aimed at fostering beneficial relationships between the organization and its various publics. This chapter explores the core processes in PR and the distinct types of publics involved. By understanding both aspects, PR practitioners can more effectively craft messages, manage perceptions, and achieve organizational objectives.
The Public Relations Process
The PR process can be broadly defined as a strategic framework used to plan, execute, and evaluate activities aimed at building and maintaining a positive image of an organization among its stakeholders. One commonly used model to describe this process is the RACE model: Research, Action planning, Communication, and Evaluation (Marston, 1963). Each step plays a critical role in shaping effective PR practices.
The process of public relations generally involves several key stages, often structured as a cycle. Here’s an overview of the main steps:
1. Research and Analysis This initial stage involves gathering information about the organization, its publics, the market, and the situation at hand. It includes understanding the needs, preferences, and behaviors of target audiences, as well as identifying potential issues or opportunities.
2. Planning and Strategy Development Based on research findings, a clear PR plan is created. This involves setting objectives, defining target publics, crafting key messages, and choosing the right communication channels. This stage outlines how to address the organization’s goals through tailored PR strategies.
3. Communication and Implementation The planned PR strategies and messages are put into action. This can include creating press releases, managing media relations, organizing events, running social media campaigns, or other methods of engaging with the target publics. Consistency in messaging is essential at this stage.

Tandem Selection
Selection is practiced for one trait at a time until satisfactory improvement has been achieved in this trait. Then, selection efforts for this trait are relaxed and efforts are directed towards the improvement of a second, then for a third and so on, until finally each trait has been improved to the desired level. This method is the least efficient of all the three methods, from the stand point of the amount of genetic progress made for the time and effort by the breeder. Efficiency of tandem selection depends a great deal upon the genetic correlation between the traits selected for. If the genetic correlation is positive and desirable, improvement in one trait by selection would automatically result in improvement in the other trait not selected for, and then the method could be quite efficient. Otherwise, if there were little or no genetic correlation between the traits, which means that they are inherited independently, the efficiency would be less. When the two traits are negatively correlated, improvement in one trait is nullified or neutralized by the regression in the other. For example, in poultry, selection for egg number will result in reduction in egg weight, as they are negatively correlated.
Independent Culling Level (ICL) Method
Method of selecting two or more traits but they both need to meet a minimum standard. It is very strict that if the animal didn’t meet one trait it would be rejected. Independent Culling level (ICL) Method selects several characteristics or traits simultaneously.
Breeders set minimum or maximum culling levels or standards or criteria for each trait of selection objectives. Any animal not meeting all criteria is not selected for use in the breeding program regardless of the level of excellence of other traits. With each successive generation of progeny, the minimum quality of each characteristic is raised thus ensuring improvement of these traits. For example, a breeder has a view of the minimum requirements for milk yield, fat yield, and service period for which cows are breeding. The breeder will determine what the minimum acceptable quality for each of these traits will be for progeny to be folded back into her breeding program. Any animal that fails to meet the quality threshold for any one of these criteria is culled from the breeding program. Thereby, it causes the loss of excellent genes from the population for a particular trait.

Physiological or abiotic disorders are mainly caused by changing environmental conditions such as temperature, moisture, unbalanced soil nutrients, inadequate or excess of certain soil minerals, extremes of soil pH and poor drainage. The distinction between physiological or abiotic disorders from other disorders is that they are not caused by living organisms (viruses, bacteria, fungi, insects, etc.), but they are the result of abiotic situations (inanimate) i.e. their agents are non-living in nature which causes deviation from normal growth. They results in physical or chemical changes in a plant which is far away from what is normal and is generally caused by an external factor. Non-infectious disorders in some cases are easy to identify, but others are difficult or even impossible to recognize. Most of them are non reversible once they have occurred. For the identification of physiological disorders it is important that one must know that:

Flowers attract both young and old alike. They are associated with mankind from the dawn of civilization. These have become an integral part of human life in the modern era.
 
The Indian floriculture industry has been shifting from traditional flowers to cut flowers and dry flowers for export purposes. The liberalized economy has given an impetus to the Indian entrepreneurs for establishing export oriented floriculture units under controlled climatic conditions. About 60,000 hectares, area is under floriculture at present. During nineties, increasing demands for flowers in world market was coupled with production technology available abroad for high quality flowers.

I. FILL UPS

1. Mango fruit is a _____.
2. _____ is a fleshy fruit with a single seed enclosed by a hard, stony endocarp or pit.
3. Apple fruit is a _____.
4. _____ fruit is a drupe.
5. Grape fruit is a _____.
6. Cucumber fruit is a _____.
7. Citrus fruit is a _____.

This practical assignment is associated with the evaluation of communication fidelity with in a communication process where in all the communication elements are responsible to contribute the same.

PURPOSE

To understand the communication gap which arises due to emergence of noise in the channel

To understand the importance of communicator’s ability to organize and treat the message for making communication effective

To understand the distortion (addition or deletion or alterations in the original message) in communication.

Alcoholic Beverages

These are the beverages which are prepared after alcoholic fermentation of sugars by yeast, contain varying amounts of ethyl alcohol (5-42%), and are consumed directly or after dilution in water.

Wine : Product made by alcoholic fermentation of grapes or grape juice unless otherwise specified, by yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and a subsequent ageing process. Alcohol content is 11-14 %, but may be as low as 7%.