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Japanese plum (Prunus salicina) is usually eaten as fresh while as European plum (Prunus domestica) required to process before consumption. Plum ranks next to peach as for as its economic importance is concerned. It is a delicious juicy fruit, prized both for its exquisite fresh fruit flavor and in processing industry. Due to its typical chilling requirement it is grown in cooler region. Two types of plum i.e. Japanese plum and its hybrids and European plum are grown in India.

Observation recording: To record the observation on seed germination, Pollination and dispersal needs to conduct frequent field visits in different seasons for recording the various pollination and dispersing agents and conducting experiment on seed germination.

The Indian subcontinent has a vast costal belt along with the wide range of forest environment, which host large number of unexplored plant/marine species. This diversity has been the source of unique chemical compounds with the potential for industrial development as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, nutritional supplements, molecular probes, fine chemicals and agrochemicals. In recent years, a significant number of novel metabolites with potent pharmacological properties have been discovered from the natural sources including marine and terrestrial plants. Recent move of society towards nature for the treatment of various diseases where there is no satisfactory cure in modern medicine has diverted the attention of natural/medicinal chemists and biologists to unravel their chemical characteristics and biological activities together in order to define their therapeutic potential in the light of modern pathobiological understandings. This move has led collectively to rediscover, design and refine the therapeutic application of medicinal plants/marine sources.

Agriculture and allied sectors have adversely hit by the COVID-19 scare.The rumors of poultry birds likely the carrier of the virus circulated in social media had led to reduced demand of the chicken meat in several parts of the country in the month of February 2020 even before India reported the first case of COVID-19. The poultry industry in India hit hard because of nationwide lockdown to stop the rapid spread of COVID-19 virus. This lock-down had disrupted the entire supply chain. Before COVID-19 the prices for broiler was about Rs. 80 per kg and Rs. 4 for egg the price dropped to almost no value like Rs. 6 per kg and Rs. 1-1.50 per egg. As a result, the projected loss of the industry was about Rs 25000 crore. (Shukla & Bhattacharyya, 2020).
According to industry sources, the poultry industry which had witnessed steady growth rate in the last two decades because of rising consumer demand for protein rich food especially but, it has incurred huge losses since the beginning of the 2020. The loss incurred by Indian poultry industry is mainly attributed to sharp decline in demand because of disruption of supply chain during lock down. The financial condition of all the stakeholders in the poultry value chain – farmers, feed suppliers and retailers had become risky. The drop in demand and supply chain disruption especially hit the smaller farmers who had limited
resources. Thus, many farmers went for ‘contract farming’ offered by many large poultry players.

Raw cashew nuts are a seasonal commodity and the trading season is from March to May. Growers usually supply the primary or village markets where small traders collect and supply the urban markets. The cashew trade is seldom handled by exclusive traders. Usually, those traders who collect other plantation products also trade in cashew. Due to the highly competitive nature of the cashew trade, growers have few marketing problems. When large quantities are collected by middlemen, the processors enter the marketing chain and make wholesale purchases. Grades and standards for cashew are yet to be introduced in India. Quality is generally determined by appearance and cutting tests that traders employ prior to purchase. The raw cashew nut market involves a large amount of capital where nearly 80 per cent of the produce is transacted within a period of 35 days. The current value of Indian production is estimated at around Rs. 10,000 million. This capital is made available by industry for procurement and processing operations.

There are no growers’ cooperatives or organizations for cashew marketing. In Kerala, however, the government has been involved in the procurement process and supply to large-scale processors. This adversely affected the cashew trade and has now been replaced by a free market policy.

In addition to the local production of nearly 7 lakh tonnes, India also imports a considerable quantity of raw nuts from several African and South-east Asian countries to satisfy the national processing capacity of about 12-14 lakh tonnes established in the country.

There is no cereal in the world which has no immense patentability as in maize and that’s why it is called the “Queen of cereals”. It is the world’s leading cereals crop after rice and wheat. It is one of most important cereals of Nepal. At national level, it stands second position after rice in term of area and fourth in term of production after rice, potato and sugarcane. Maize is the most important cereals crop of hill and mid hills of Nepal. It is grown single as well as mixed cropping with millets or legumes or potato. Maize crop in hill is grown as rainfed farming. Generally, farmer of such region does not apply chemical fertilizer but they fertilize the land with organic manures in three seasons viz., rainy, winter and spring season. In rainy season it grown in upland while in spring season in low land. The winter maize is grown in Terai and inner Terai in low land as well as upland.

Horticultural plants present a kaleidoscopic scenario from small herbs to very big deep rooted perennial trees. The associated rhizospheres present variable conditions as to supply of nutrients, water and air. The principles governing their physical, chemical and biological properties along with their relationship with plants need to be understood clearly. The plants differ in their requirements at various stages of growth; hence their tissues require constant monitoring of nutrient status for better productivity and quality. As nutrient behavior in soils is governed by soil properties and environmental conditions, measurement of such properties is often required. These include pH, salinity, organic matter, CaCO₃ and texture in drier areas the presence of Na and gypsum (CaSO₄2H₂O) is also of concern.The irrigation water is a source of dissolved salts which are also nutrients and in excess impede water and nutrient relations of soil and plant. It requires a thorough understanding of the principles underlying methods of collection, characterization of water, air and nutrient relations of soil-plant system, monitoring of plant nutrient status, quality of irrigation water and soil and water pollution for effective management of nutrients avoiding pollution.

Soil and plant analysis is a diagnostic instrument for soil fertility and basis for fertilizer recommendation; to know where and where not fertilizer is to be applied. Obtaining accurate and precise values has always being the basis of soil analysis.

Involved in plant metabolic functions and the plant cannot complete its life cycle without the element.

7.1. Plant nutrient concentration and plant growth

1. Deficient

Lowest concentration of an essential element that limit yield severely and cause distinct deficiency symptoms.

Abstract

Real-time PCR, also known as qPCR, is a highly sensitive technique used to determine the real-time amplification of a target DNA sequence. However, the presence of secondary structures or spurious amplicons can distort the results. When using SYBR Green chemistry, the features of qPCR primers differ from those of standard endpoint PCR primers. As a result, designing primers for SYBR Green qPCR requires extra caution and attention. This chapter outlines the essential features and conditions for designing qPCR primers, including primer length, melting temperature, GC content, specificity, and avoiding primer-dimer formation.

a) Transformation towards Commercial Agro: The poultry sector in India has experienced a revolutionary shift in structure and operation, which has led its transformation from a simple backyard activity to a major commercial agro based industry over a period of decades.
b) Layer Farming: The production of eggs has increased from 1.83 billion numbers in 1950-51 to 103.32 billion numbers in year 2018-19. The per capita availability reached at 79 eggs per annum in the year 2018-19 from 5 eggs per annum in year 1950-51. Andhra Pradesh, Tami Nadu and Telangana contributes about 55 percent share in total egg production.
c) Broiler Farming: Chicken meat contributes to 50 percent share in total meat production in year 2018-19 with the production of 4.06 million tonnes production. Broiler production is mainly concentrated in
Maharashtra, Haryana, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Broiler farming is mainly done through contract broiler farming. In that the integrator provides inputs such as chicks, feed, medicines and
vaccines. The contract farmer provides labour, shed, electricity, water, litter material, and other miscellaneous services or equipment that may be required. The integrator bears the transportation cost, investment and marketing risks. 

1.    Kernel type: Dent, Flint, Floury, Waxy, Sweet and Pop corn 
        •    Dent corn (Zea mays indentata Staurt.)
        •    Flint corn (Zea mays indurate Staurt.)
        •    Pop corn (Zea mays everta Staurt.)
        •    Sweet corn (Zea mays saccharata Staurt.)
        •    Flour/soft corn (Zea mays amylacea Staurt.)
        •    Waxy corn (Zea mays ceatina Kulesh)

Objective: To study the seed germination, pollination and dispersal type of various temperate tree species.

Observation recording: To record the observation on seed germination, Pollination and dispersal needs to conduct frequent field visits in different seasons for recording the various pollination and dispersing agents and conducting experiment on seed germination.

Modern agriculture faces unprecedented challenges due to climate change, unsustainable farming practices, and declining soil health. In response, nanoparticle-bioinoculants (nano-bioinoculants) have emerged as a promising innovation that integrates nanotechnology with microbial inoculants to enhance plant productivity and sustainability. Conventional agriculture contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, degrades microbial diversity, and compromises ecological balance. Beneficial microbes, known as bioinoculants, play a vital role in improving plant health through nutrient cycling, hormone production, and disease suppression. However, their field performance is often limited by environmental instability and low survival rates. Nanotechnology provides a solution by enabling the encapsulation of bioinoculants within nanoparticles, enhancing their stability, targeted delivery, and effectiveness. These nano-scale carriers exhibit high surface-area-to-volume ratios, improved reactivity, and strong adhesion properties, making them ideal for enhancing microbial colonization and activity in the rhizosphere. Additionally, nanoparticles function as nano-fertilizers and nano-pesticides, supporting both plant nutrition and protection against pathogens. Plant-based nanoparticle synthesis further offers an eco-friendly alternative, minimizing ecological and health risks. Studies demonstrated that nano-bioinoculants improve seed germination, stress resilience, photosynthetic activity, and crop yield across various species. They also mitigate abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and heavy metal toxicity while promoting systemic resistance against biotic threats. The synergistic combination of nanoparticles and microbial agents enables multifunctional benefits—supporting soil health, reducing chemical dependency, and enhancing agricultural resilience. While challenges remain in understanding

Maize is a tall, determinate annual C₄ plant varying in height from (1-4) meters producing large, narrow, opposing leaves (about a tenth as wide as they are long), borne alternately along the length of a solid stem. The botanical features of various plant parts are as follows: 

Root

Root system of maize consists of seminal roots, crown or coronal or adventitious or fibrous roots and brace, pop or aerial roots. Seminal roots - which develop from radical and persist for long period. Crown roots developing from the lower nodes of stem below ground level which are the effective and active roots of plant and.  Brace or prop roots, produced by lower two nodes. The roots grow very rapidly and almost equally outwards and downwards. Favorable soils may allow corn root growth up to 60 cm laterally and in depth.

Vacuole: A fluid filled space within the cytoplasm surrounded by membrane called as tonoplast, that occupies most of the volume of cell. Aside from storage, the main role of the central vacuole is to maintain turgor pressure against the cell wall.

Valinomycin: An antibiotic that uncouples electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation only in presence of some cations such as K⁺ or Na⁺

Van der Waals interaction: Weak intermolecular forces between molecules as a result of each inducing polarization in the other.

Papaya (Carica papaya) is a important delicious fruits of herbaceous in nature,. It is most precocious fruit crops cultivated as pure as well as intercropped with mango, guava, peach, and coconut. Papaya starts bearing in 8-10 months after planting.