eChapters

30.1 Introduction

Sexual dimorphism is a condition in which sexes of the same species exhibit morphological differences that are not directly related to reproduction. It is a common and noticeable feature of the animal world. It is extremely important in biodiversity assessments, as well as in biometry, breeding biology, induced breeding, breeding, pheromone biology and other related fields.

Biological assay or bioassay

• A bioassay is an analytical method to determine the concentration or potency of a substance by its effect on living animals or plants (in vivo), or on living cells or tissues (in vitro).

• Bio-assays are thus a type of experiments with the object of comparing the efficacy of two or more substances, or preparations, like drugs, by using responses produced by them on suitable living organisms.

• The bio assay involves a stimulus applied to a subject and the response of the subject to the stimulus.

• When a stimulus is applied to a subject there may be a change in some characteristics of the subject. Such changes in the subject are known as responses.

• The response may be quantitative as in the case of weight or qualitative as in the case of mortality. The magnitude of response depends upon the dose.

• Normally, two preparations having a common effect are taken for assaying. One of the preparations is of known strength and is called the standard preparation and the other is of unknown strength and is called test preparation.

The low productivity in guava because of traditional planting distance (6-7 m apart) with no canopy management practices. Guava under traditional and high density planting system, though it gives high yield during initial stage but as the tree advances in age light interception and aeration decreases inside the canopy due to shading and overcrowding, resulting low yields and poor quality. In order to develop efficient canopy architecture for HDP and traditional planting system, the ICAR-CISH has standardized training system and canopy management with objective to have sustained high yield and quality of guava.
Guava bears flower on current shoots produced on mature wood laterally or terminally. In general flowers are produced in the leaf axils in 1 or 2-3 in cluster. The crop load depend on number of new shoots, hence more new shoots resulting more fruiting surface area.
High Density Planting System
Accommodation of more plants per unit area is known as high density planting system. Since guava respond well to pruning and fruiting starts 40-50 days after pruning and more new shoots emerged on which more flowers and fruits appears, thus yield increased. For successful HDP suitable canopy shape and its management is prerequisite. Guava is usually planted 6-7 m distance accommodating 277 to 204 plants per hectare the yield vary 35-80 kg/tree with yield per hectare 15-12 t/ha. In traditional planting density usually fruiting takes place on high on the tree.

Project Formulation for Farming-Based Livelihood Systems Project formulation is the process of systematically developing a project idea into a detailed and implementable project plan. It’s like creating a roadmap that outlines what you want to achieve, how you’ll achieve it, and what resources you’ll need. For farming-based livelihoods, this process needs to be particularly sensitive to the unique challenges and opportunities of the agricultural sector.
Here’s a step-by-step overview
1. Situation Analysis (Needs Assessment)
• Identify the Problem/Opportunity: What challenges are the target farmers facing? (e.g., low yields, lack of market access, climate change vulnerability, soil degradation, limited access to credit). Alternatively,
what opportunities exist? (e.g., growing demand for organic produce, new technologies, government subsidies).
• Target Group Identification: Who will benefit from the project? Be specific. (e.g., smallholder farmers in a particular region, women farmers, youth). Understand their current farming practices, income
levels, skills, and access to resources.
• Resource Assessment: What resources are available? (e.g., land, water, labor, existing infrastructure, local knowledge). Assess the quality and quantity of these resources.

4.1 Introduction

More and more industrial applications require self cleaned surfaces, water repellent, anti-dirt pickup and many other specific surface requirements. Introduction of nanotechnology has changed the coating scenario drastically. Hard, anti-scratch, hydrophobic coatings are achieved by the addition of small amounts of nano-pigments which help in creating hydrophobic surface. It is also possible to grow certain nano-fibers which on chemical treatment give surfaces which can either attract water or repel it. It is also possible now to create self healing coatings which can repair surface once they are damaged by scratch. Capacitance coupler pads have been devised to reach those corroding areas which are not covered by other corrosion protection methods. Stringent requirements of many modern industrial application resulted in developing coatings which can give special surface properties such as high hardness, scratch resistance, hydrophobicity, anti-dirt pickup etc.  This brief article presents a few new researches which provide one or more special properties to the surface.

1. Introduction

Plant-derived substances have recently become of great interest owing to their versatile applications. Medicinal plants are the richest bio-resource of drugs of traditional systems of medicine, modern medicines, nutraceuticals, food supplements, folk medicines, pharmaceutical intermediates and  chemical entities for synthetic drugs Medicinal value lies in certain chemical substances that have its physiological action on the human body. Many indigenous medicinal plants are used as spices and food plants. The general techniques of medicinal plant extraction include maceration, infusion, percolation, digestion, decoction, hot continuous extraction (Soxhlet), aqueous-alcoholic extraction by fermentation,  counter-current extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, ultrasound extraction (sonication), supercritical fluid extraction, and phytonic extraction (with hydrofluorocarbon solvents). For aromatic plants, hydrodistillation techniques (water distillation, steam distillation, water and steam distillation), hydrolytic  maceration followed by distillation, expression and enfleurage (cold fat extraction) may be employed.

Reproductive is fundamental property of living beings. While lower animals reproduce by simple methods, the higher animals attain greater degree of animals reproduce by complexities in the reproductive functions. Basic units (Gonads) of males and females are testis and ovaries respectively. The gonads of each sex perform dual roles:

• Formation of gametes (sperms by testis and ovum by the ovaries)
• Production of hormones.

Role of Hormones in Reproduction

In the past several insect pests had entered India and are causing economically perceptible damage to native crops. The Government of India, in line with the International Standards on Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM), notified ‘Plant Quarantine Order, 2003’ to reduce the risk of introduction of exotic insect pests in India. The storage insect pests of quarantine concern for India have been listed in Table 9.1.

Aim

To determine the reduced level of various points

To find out difference of elevations of two points

Materials required

Dumpy level

Levelling staff

The Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is not a disease; it is multi-factorial syndrome which causes massive losses of honey bee in the USA and elsewhere. It is recorded that in European honey bee (Apis mellifera). The adult worker bee population of the colony demean through catastrophic effects of CCD. The dwindling of adult worker bees in colonies and the lack of noticeable symptoms leads to the nebulous label of CCD. In this syndrome, dead worker bees cannot be found in the colony and their vicinity of bee hive, and stored food (honey and pollen) are not touched by robbers bees and combs remain as such for several weeks even after the collapse. Some scientists; Aizen and Harder, also reported this disorder is not universal and, in fact, global populations of honey bee (A. mellifera) populations are increasing. In the spring of 2007, beekeepers in the US reported a rare kind of bee colony disease where they die off and numerous colonies left their hives and disappeared without a trace. The plight of honey bee in USA has caused concern and attracted great attention of scientists to delve and provide explanations of this mystery and preventive measures. In US, it is also christened “Honey bee AIDS” by some popular media. Indeed, honey bee colonies can die in many ways and CCD is just one of them. Finally, since both honey bee host and pathogens are genetically diverse, the symptoms and causes of colony losses may well be different in varrious regions.

The liver produces the entire albumin and most of the globulin; a small amount of gamma globulin is produced by retculoendothelial tissue. The production of albumin is subject to a mechanism regulating colloidal osmotic pressure and the secondary to alterations in globulin concentration. The liver synthesizes lipoproteins, glycoproteins, mucoproteins, fibrinogen, prothrombin and clotting factors VII, VIII, IX and X.

Humic substances are the most widely-present, natural, complexing ligands occurring in nature. They are found not only in soils, but in natural waters, sewage, compost heaps, marine and lake sediments, peat bogs, carbonaceous shales, coals and other miscellaneous deposits.

The fate of natural organic matter, especially humic substances, has over recent decades attracted increasing attention of scientists representing various disciplines. Humic substances constitute about 25% of the total organic carbon on the earth. These are a group of naturally occurring complex molecular structures into which biomolecules derived from plant and animal residues are transformed progressively through biotic and abiotic pathways, by aggregation and accumulation processes

I. Case Study Framework: Agri-Sector Startups
This framework focuses on analyzing the startup’s value proposition, execution, and impact within the agricultural landscape.
A. Start-ups Profile
1. Name and Location: (e.g., “Agbotic, New York, USA”)
2. Founding Date and Team: (Key founders, their backgrounds, and relevant experience in agriculture, technology, or business). Highlight the team’s expertise and any advisory boards.
3. Mission and Vision: What problem are they solving? What is their longterm goal for transforming agriculture?
4. Legal Structure: (e.g., LLC, Corporation)
5. Funding History: Seed rounds, Series A, venture capital, grants, bootstrapping. Identify key investors and the amount raised.
6. Stage of Development: (e.g., Ideation, Seed, Early Growth, Scaling)
B. Value Proposition
1. Problem Addressed: Clearly define the specific challenge in agriculture that the startup is tackling. (e.g., labor shortages, inefficient irrigation, lack of market access for small farmers, food waste, soil degradation).
2. Solution Offered: Describe the startup’s product or service. Be specific about how it works. (e.g., AI-powered yield prediction software, robotic harvesting systems, a mobile platform connecting farmers to buyers, a  bio-fertilizer product).

This chapter introduces genetic principles used to improve wool production and quality. It examines heritable traits including fibre diameter, clean fleece weight, staple length, staple strength, diameter variability and freedom from faults. Selection differential, response to selection, selection indices and crossbreeding strategies are discussed. The chapter also introduces objective measurement, genomic selection, reproductive technologies and electronic recording systems as modern tools for accelerating genetic improvement and producing more valuable and uniform fleeces.

Green peach aphid/leaf curl aphid : Brachycaudus helichrysi : Aphididae

These are green aphids that suck the sap from growing buds. Leaf buds become weak and result in poor setting and premature fruit fall.

The pest has a worldwide distribution. In India it is seen in the hills of North India and in nilgiris.

It is a serious pest of peaches, plum, apricot, and almond. The aphids attack the tender portions like new buds, blossoms, petioles, tender fruits and leaves. When the new flushes are attacked, the leaves get curled and crinkled and fruit set is either reduced or  fruits fall off . The infestation starts with the commencement of bud swelling and continues until after flowering. The leaf curl may be confused with that due to the fungal leaf curl by Taphrina deformans.

Introduction

The role of knowledge management as the key source for competitive advantage in our organizations has become a hotly debated topic. Indeed, it is a core competency for creating competitive advantage. In this environment that knowledge management is vital, therefore, at first we should determine knowledge management situation, and then to achieve a desired point, formulate a knowledge management strategy.

5.1 Concept of Ecosystem

Ecosystem is the basic functional unit in ecology, since it includes both biotic and abiotic environments influencing each other for maintenance of life.

A.G. Tansky in 1935 first proposed the term ecosystem. According to him, it is defined as the system resulting from the integration of all the living and non-living factors of the environment. In a simplest form, an ecosystem can be defined as a self-sustained community of plants and animals existing in its own environment. The term ecosystem is composed of two terms, “eco” means environment and “system” means an interacting and interdependent complex. It is otherwise known as bio system.

Soil: Soil is the upper most crust of earth surface which supports plant growth. It is defined as a three phase system in which plants grow. These phases are solid, liquid and gas and are essential. Solid part is frame which provides space for other two. This consists of minerals, clay minerals and organic matter. The soil is also a living system with millions of microbes that breakdown organic matter and builds it again.

Some points are following

•    Microbes are essential and survive only when soil is well aerated and rich in organic matter and avoid of waterlogged conditions.

•    Texture of soil depends on the size of solid particles and classified as gravel, coarse and fine sand, silt and clay.

•    Soils are classified according to relative distribution of these particles and there are 12 textural classes.

•    Likewise, arrangement of these particles is referred as structure, and both texture and structure land soil physical properties like water holding capacity, aeration and bulk density.

Fracture of meta-carpals and meta-tarsals comes under lower level fracture. Padded cloth and netted bamboo splint along with conjoint U plate has been considered as standard method of repair.

The fractufe is a lower level fracture involving the meta-carpal and meta- tarsal bones. (Fig.1 & Fig.2)

The fracture site is immobilized extending joint below and joint above level initially with cloth or cotton padding.(Fig.3)

Netted bamboo splint Is applied over it for support involving joint above and joint below which should not be too tight or too loose.(Flg.4)

Splints are retained in position by thread with knots. The ends of bamboo splint kept padded to avoid skin damage.(Fig.4)

More strength is given to immobilisation by application of conjoint U- plate.Conjoint U-plate is a U shaped metallic plate used for lower level fracture immobilisation. (Fig.5 & Fig.6)

At the end the entire bandage is covered with cloth or a bandage roll.The hoof should also be bandaged to avoid damage due to improper blood circulation.(Flg.6)

Plants make up the majority of the earth’s living environment as trees, grass, flowers, etc. Plants are the only higher organisms that can convert the energy of sunlight into stored, usable chemical energy in carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Directly or indirectly, plants make up all the food on which humans and all animals depend. Plants however also gets sick, grow and exhibit various types of symptoms and sometimes whole plant die. It is not known whether diseased plant feel pain or discomfort. If a plant is looking different from its community then it is equal to be disease one. Any biotic or abiotic agents which induce the disease in plant is referred as the cause of diseases.The causative agents of disease in plants are pathogenic such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, protozoa and nematodes and environmental conditions such as lack or excess of nutrients, moisture, light, etc to presence of toxic chemicals in air or soil. These biotic constraints can, at times, seriously compromise food security, For example, potato late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans, struck Europe like ‘a bolt from the blue’ in the 1840s. In Ireland, about a million people died of starvation and more than a million attempted to emigrate. The reasons for this calamity were the arrival in Europe of a virulent strain of the pathogen, the high dependence of much of the Irish population on potato for sustenance, the lack of resistance in the plant to the pathogen, and weather conditions favorable to epidemic development. There have been other disasters caused by plant diseases such as the Great Bengal Famine of 1943 and the southern corn blight epidemic of 1970-71 in the USA, to name but two. In the former, an estimated 2 million people died owing to the high dependence of most of the population on a single crop, rice, which was attacked by the fungus Cochliobolus miyabeanus. In the USA, by contrast, although in some genus, Cochlobolus heterostrophus, alternative sources of nutrition were plentiful so no one died, although the effect on the agricultural economy was severe.

The first two of these heartbreaking examples demonstrate with brutal clarity that in areas of the world where a large proportion of the population is dependent on a single crop or a few crops, they are at risk should that crop fail owing to one or more devastating diseases. At the present time, the threat is partially great in developing countries, where populations are growing fastest, poverty is endemic , the population depends upon on locally produced staples, and the infrastructure of extension and R&D is often poorly resourced. The losses due to weeds, disease and insects have been estimated to around 40% in the developing and underdeveloped countries. If the post harvest losses (15-20%) are also added , the situation becomes even more alarming.