eChapters

.1. Origin and distribution

• Native of South and South East Asia, from there it is spread to Indonesia, China, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Pacific Islands

6.2. Economic importance

• Used as condiments.

• Rhizomes are boiled in water, dried, ground into a deep orange yellow powder and used as a colouring and flavoring agent in many Asian cuisines, especially for curries, as well as for dyeing.

• Has a warm, bitter, black pepper like flavor and earthy, mustard like aroma.

• Yellow color is due to curcumin (3-9%)

• Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties

• Protect against heart disease

• May prevent cancer

• Ease symptoms of osteoarthritis

• Treat or prevent diabetes

• Treating depression

Agriculture is biggest user of water, accounting 70% of all withdrawals. It is major water-consuming sector due to intensification of agriculture (CWC, 2021). With changing climatic condition, demand of water will increase. Hence, conservation and efficient management of limited water has become the need of the hour for sustainable fruit production. Since per unit returns from horticultural crops are higher, their production system improves the net return of farmers and would impart resilience to aberrant weather (Meghwal et al., 2018). Therefore, immense opportunities for quality production of water-economizing horticultural crops. In arid and semi-arid regions, uncertain, erratic and scanty’ rains coupled with meagre irrigation facilities leads to low and unstable yields.

The agriculture sector in India accounts for about 20.2 per cent of its gross value added (GVA) and 17.34 per cent of the total export earnings. It employs approximately 60 per cent of the country’s workforce. It is an unavoidable source for generating demand for industrial goods and services, and domestic savings in rural India are a huge source of resource mobilization in the Indian economy. This sector plays a key role in ensuring national food security and, in the meantime, national security as well. For these reasons, the development of agriculture has a strong multiplier effect on the economy. There is also an increasing consensus that a globalizing economy and a long-term economic development plan for India are practicable only if it has agriculture and raises rural incomes as its central concern.

ICT and Information Needs of the Stakeholders

Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extension-related term used in information technology (IT) that emphasizes the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications like wireless signals and telephone systems and computers; it is also useful in the software system, middleware, storage, and audio-visual, that enable users to store, transmit, access, manipulate information by understanding the whole process.

Introduction

Flowers provide opportunity to convert them into exquisite value added products directly from fresh flowers like garland, bouquet, flower arrangements or after drying the flowers making different dried flowers products like pot pourri, wreath, painted gourds or after processing like rose water, gulkand, gulroban, perfume, essential oil, insects repellants, cosmetics etc. Beside this a number of pigments like xanthophylls, carotenoids, luteins, anthocyanins etc. which have neutraceutical properties and pharmaceuticals compounds are also prepared from flowers. The value addition results in more acceptable quality products for the domestic and export market and hence ensure high premium to the producers. Moreover, value addition technology can help avoiding wastage during the glut period and farmers involved in the flower cultivation can earn better remuneration. Preparation of value added products helps in employment generation at producer level, wholesaler level or industrial level. It is a good source of income generation. There are various types of value added products which can be prepared either by practice or by obtaining training of making these products. The value added products can be classified into three categories namely:

Phoenix dactylifera commonly known as the true date palm, is a palm in the genus Phoenix, cultivated for its edible sweet fruits. The fruit’s English name as well as the Latin species name dactylifera, both come from the Greek word for “finger,” Daktulos, because of the fruit’s elongated shape. The date palm is believed to have originated in the lands around the Persian Gulf. Date palms are said to thrive with their “feet in water and heads in the sun” because they need plenty of ground water but high heat and arid weather to produce fruit. Therefore, date palms grow best in hot and arid climates.

Abstract

The various options available with the fruit growers in temperate areas through floriculture are i) Growing traditional flowers such flowers are honeysuckle, hydrangea, roses of many sorts including Rosa banksiae ( vars alba, lutea), R. moschala, R. wichuriana, R. laevigata, bush roses, Jasminum humile, J. officinale, J. auriculatum, J. mesnyi, spiroea, Passiflora, Fuchsia, Wisteria chinensis, Hibiscus syriacus, Viburnum, Camellia  japonica, Cestrum, etc. ii) Growing cut flowers, iii) Growing annuals. The hardy annuals include Alyssum, Antirrhinum, Anchusa, Brachycome, Calendula, Candytuft, Centaurea, Chrysanthemum (annual), Clarkia, Cornflower, Eschscholtzia, Godetia, Helichrysum, Lathyrus, Larkspur, Linaria, Linum, Lobelia, Lupinus, Matthiola, Nasturtium, Nemesia, Nemophila, Nigella, Phacelia, Poppy, Reseda, Salpiglossis, Saponaria, Vaccaria, Venidium, Viola, etc.  Shade loving annuals are Salvia, Cineraria, Tropaeolum majus, etc. iv) Production of flower seeds and bulbs v) Growing herbaceous annuals vi) Plant rentals. The space between the trees and other plants can be utilized for potted plants, hanging baskets, making bonsai etc. vii) Dried flowers and floral crafts etc.

Dried Grasses

Grasses are easy to collect to dry and use. When the seed-heads have formed, the grass is cut off just above the soil using a sharp knife. They are allowed to lie in a thin layer in the sun for a day or two, turning them over a few times. They should not be allowed to get too damp. After they are dried they are put into a plethora of uses. Bunches of dried grasses can make a wonderful addition to any home or office.

The Government of Tamilnadu has taken a number of progressive measures on water resources and irrigation management, particularly through the Bank -assisted Tamil Nadu Water Resources Consolidation Project (WRCP) which was closed in September 2004 with a satisfactory rating. Now the Tamilnadu Government has decided to implement a project for the modernization of the Traditional Irrigation systems in Tamil Nadu with loan assistance from World Bank. The World Bank has also come forward to assist the Tamilnadu Government’s proposal. Under the World Bank funded project of “Irrigated Agriculture Modernisation and Water Resources Management” (WRCP - II) about 17 River sub basins have been selected and proposed to be taken up under the control of Water Resources organisation Wing of Public Works Department of Tamilnadu. The Varahanadhi sub basin is one among the seventeen. Accordingly this ‘IAMWARM’ Project report for the modernization of the irrigation systems of Varahanadhi Sub Basin has been prepared. The very objective of this project is to attain maximum productivity from farm lands, for which serious attention is required to modernise the existing irrigation structures, anicuts, canal systems and tanks in order to make them functionally more effective, conserve and utilise the available water from catchment area for optimum use.

ABSTRACT

In Kerala, the commercial cultivation of tomato is limited due to the bacterial wilt disease caused by the soil borne pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum. The release of bacterial wilt resistant varieties like Sakthi, Mukthi and Anagha has increased the area under tomato. But, these varieties are susceptible to tomato leaf curl virus diseases caused by Germini group virus and transmitted by white fly (Bemisia tabaci). The disease incidence varies from 10.77% to 90.5% and the yield loss is tremendous. Unless the tomato variety resistant to ToLCV disease is resistant to bacterial wilt also, it cannot be recommended for cultivation in the State.

The somaclonal variations have been well exploited in developing disease resistant varieties in many crops. Therefore an experiment was formulated to study the somaclonal variations and to screen the somaclones for resistance to tomato leaf curl virus disease in L. esculentum var. Sakthi and L. pimpinellifolium.

The somaclones of Sakthi and L. pimpinellifolium along with the parental lines were planted in earthen pots containing potting mixture with bacterial wilt sick soil. These were screened for resistance to ToLCV disease by artificial inoculation of the vector Bemisia tabaci inside the cages. The observations were recorded on ex vitro survival, biometric characters and reaction to ToLCV and other major diseases.

The ex vitro survival was 46.2% in Sakthi and 36.6% in L. pimpinellifolium. The somaclones of Sakthi showed wide variation for plant height and spread compared to that of L. pimpinellifolium. Some of the somaclones exhibited ‘gigantism’ with potato leaved plants. The yield of the somaclones of Sakthi were higher than that of parental line.

Reading is a means for language acquisition, communication and sharing information and ideas. Reading skill is considered to be most rewarding skill. Reading is not merely going through a book or a magazine or a journal. Reading is the process of gaining meaning from print. It Demands different types of skills depending on readers’ needs & requirements. Though lot of books discuss quite a number of reading skills-major part of reading skills - useful to students both for academic & professional purposes.

There are different types of reading.

They are:

1. Intensive reading

It’s a detailed reading. When we read our text books/newspaper/ report of great interest, we read sentence by sentence, trying to find out meaning of difficult words by reading in detail. Intensive reading has to be done when we do close texts or reading comprehension passages in exams or in classroom sessions.

2. Extensive reading

It contains longer texts. It should not be read sentence by sentence but we skip certain portions and find out overall meaning of text. When we read novels, magazines & newspapers, etc. we can do this type of reading. Extensive reading texts are generally meant for pleasure and they need overall global understanding.

3. Selective reading

Select to read news items that interest us. For many students sports page interests them. Within this column, another selection by reading about the game in which they are interested. Similarly scientists read topics which belong to their field. In these examples prior knowledge, technically called schema, acts. Sometimes people make a survey and find out what text is about. At times people make a survey when they do scanning.

Morphological characteristics

A. balfourii Stapf is an erect, glabrous shrub that grows upto 1.5 m in height. The plant has branched stems which are dull purplish brown in colur that reach about 1.2 m high. Lower leaves are long stalked while the upper ones are short. The plant has long heavy tubers with 7 to 12 cm in length. Roots are tuberous and fusiform.

Floral characteristics

The plants bears about 29 cm long inflorescence with numerous flowered racemes along with the yellow tomentum. The flowers are hermaphrodite and the mode of pollination is by bees. Sepals are helmet shaped, pubescent and blue in colur. The upper two petals are hooded and enveloped in the helmet, and the below two are glabrous. The stamens are many, the filaments are hispidulous, and the pollen is three-colpate. Carpals are yellowish, 3 to 5 in number and tomentose. Follicles range in size from 2 to 5, are sessile, and silky pubescent. Along the raphe, the seeds have a broad winged appearance. The months of September to November are ideal for flowering and fruiting in A. balfourii.

While circulation is a measure of tendency of fluid rotation, vorticity is the same property of fluid for an infinitely small area.

The four main projects of the transfer of technology projects of the ICAR.

The projects are:

1. All India Coordinated Project on National Demonstrations
2. Operational Research Project
3. Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Agricultural Science Centre)
4. Lab to Land Programme.

Cell counting is the fundamental techniques in various fields of biology, medicine and biotechnology.

Importance of cell counting

1. Research: Cell counting is a critical component of biological and medical research. It helps scientists understand the behavior of cells in various contexts, such as studying cell proliferation, differentiation, and response to stimuli.

2. Disease diagnosis: Monitoring various medical conditions, including infections, autoimmune diseases, cancer and blood disorders. Complete blood counts (CBCs) are routinely used to assess the levels of different blood cell types and assess disease conditions.

3. Stem Cell Research: Cell counting plays a significant role in stem cell research, where precise quantification of stem cells is necessary for various applications, including regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

4. Cell Culture: Cell counting is integral part to determine seeding density. Seeding of cells to available surface area for growth is important consideration for successful culture.

5. Cell-Based Assay: The cell-based assays are used for drug screening, toxicity testing, and evaluating the efficacy of new compounds. Accurate cell counts are essential to ensure the reliability of assay results.

Introduction

Rick (1984) used the term pre-breeding or developmental breeding to describe the same activity. Thus "genetic enhancement" or "pre-breeding" refers to the transfer or introgression of genes or gene combinations from unadapted sources into breeding materials (FAO, 1996)

However, enhancement has been more popularly adopted by PGR scientists. It is an emerging concept emphasizing the use of plant genetic resources

• To meet the market requirement, plant breeders have to develop improved cultivars.

• Crop improvement has led to narrowing down of genetic base resulting in slower progress (genetic gain) in plant breeding and increased risk of genetic vulnerability

Need for Genetic Enhancement

• In improving the level of resistance to biotic and abiotic stress.

• In improving quality characters such as fibre length, strength, fineness, maturity and uniformity.

• In developing early maturing genotypes, which can fit well in multiple cropping systems.

• In developing plant types suitable to machine picking etc.

• Use of germplasm will help in broadening the genetic base of cultivars as well as in creating vast genetic variability.

Introduction
Makkhan (Makhan) is an indigenous(desi) butter obtained by hand churning of dahi using wooden beater (mathani). It is traditional unsalted butter characterized by its delectable and rich flavour. It is white in colour with slightly greenish tinge and has typical soft body and a smooth grainy texture with pleasant aroma. This product has been extensively used for dietary and religious practices since vedic times. The entire quantity produced forms an intermediate product for preparation of ghee (clarified butter fat). Nearly 30% of the total milk production goes for desi butter manufacture. The average yield of the product is very low ranging from 5.5-7.0% for every 100 kg milk used for the purpose. The chemical composition of the product is variable depending upon the method of manufacture. It is difficult to achieve the uniform standard of 20% moisture in the final product due to limitations in the technique adopted for its manufacture. The non fatty solids and lactic acid are derived from the method of preparation and preservation. Higher non fatty solids in makhan indicates use of self soured milk, while a high lactic acid content indicates prolonged storage and in sanitary conditions of manufacture.

Quite a large number of vegetable crops are grown in the country either on a commercial scale or limited to backyards of homesteads.  A few crops have similarity while others have dissimilarity in their climatic and soil requirements, parts used, method of cultivation etc. While describing individual vegetables, there is possibility of repetition in many aspects. In order to avoid repetition, it is essential to classify or group them into different classes/groups. Different methods of classification followed in vegetables are described below: 

1.1 Problem
    1.    Compare the seed quality at different physiological maturity stages
    2.    Compare the seed recovery in acid and fermentation method

1.2 Materials
    ·    Tomato fruits – 4 batches
    ·    Plastic bucket/ Beaker
    ·    Water