eChapters

Substantial onion losses occur after harvest through sprouting, rotting, physiological weight reduction and quality deterioration. Proper harvest timing, careful handling and effective curing are therefore essential for maintaining marketability and extending storage life. This chapter explains maturity indices, including appropriate levels of top fall, and compares field curing with forced-air methods. It examines topping, grading, packaging, transportation, storage temperature, relative humidity, ventilation and disease management. Physiological and biochemical changes occurring during storage are also considered. An integrated post-harvest approach combining correct maturity assessment, suitable harvesting, complete curing, careful handling, controlled storage and regular quality monitoring can considerably reduce losses and improve year-round onion availability.

General Signs of Healthy and Ill Animals

Health

It is a state of freedom from disease. It may also be stated as a condition of an animal in which all the body organs are normal and are functioning to their optimum capacity in relation to animal’s age, sex, work, and production with optimum pulse, temperature and respiration rates appropriate to the species, sex and environment.

Disease

Disease may be any deterioration from normal health or normal functioning of any or all the tissues or organs of animal body. Thus, it shuns animal to perform its normal physiological functions though the nutritional and environmental parameters are maintained normal.

Heliconia is a tropical ornamental crop valued for its striking inflorescences, vibrant colours and long-lasting cut stems. This chapter presents the origin, distribution, species, botanical characteristics and commercially important types of Heliconia. It discusses climate, soil, shade, propagation, planting, irrigation, nutrition and cultural management. Pest and disease problems are described together with suitable management practices. The chapter also addresses harvesting stages, postharvest handling, grading, packaging, vase life and yield. Its emphasis on tropical production makes Heliconia particularly relevant to growers seeking to diversify high-value floriculture enterprises in warm and humid regions of India. commercially.

Introduction

Vegetables are one of the potential crops in meeting the food requirements and improving the nutritional status of our people. They play a vital role in crop diversification, employment generation, and nutritional security and in improving the economic conditions of farmers.

Our country has made a tremendous progress in vegetable production and ranked as second largest producers of vegetables in the world with a total production of more than 125 million tons per annum. Our estimated demand is about 225 million tons by 2020 AD. This target can be achieved through use of improved vegetable varieties, hybrids and production technologies even with diminishing land and water resources.

In Indian vegetable scenario, IARI has contributed significantly by developing more than 168 improved varieties and 24 hybrids in different vegetables. Apart from high yielding, many of these varieties/F₁ hybrids are resistant to biotic and abitic stresses and also suitable for processing, value addition and export. Besides developing large number of improved varieties and F₁ hybrids of vegetables, IARI has developed/standardized improved hi-tech vegetable nursery and off-season production technologies which require commercialization by the entrepreneurs as these can bring quantum improvement

Abstract

Rural indebtedness is an old problem in India. In the 19^th century commercial banking was absent in rural areas and farmer were entirely in the hand of usurious moneylender. Since the British rule, the central government has been trying to extend institutional lending to the rural agriculture sector. To provide credit to the agricultural sector, a multi-agency approach involving co-operative banks, scheduled commercial banks, and RRBS has been used in India. Adequate and timely loan availability at reasonable rates is the basis for agricultural finance policy. The institutional structure for agricultural lending has improved over time in terms of scope and reach. India’s higher education institutions have been focusing their efforts on advancing agricultural finance.

ABSTRACT

This paper provides an account on the origin of the concepts of IP, gradual development and their culmination at the TRIPS.

Introduction

Intellectual property rights form the most prominent and ever-expanding category of rights in the 21^st Century. It differs from other proprietary rights in many respects and prevails in most articles of law, which influence our daily life. The economic significance of intellectual property rights has made it a subject of global political interest. In the broader sense, the term “intellectual property rights” connotes different categories of rights such as patents, copyrights, trademarks, designs, plant varieties, semiconductors, geographical indications, trade secrets and data exclusivity with varying scope

1.1 Introduction
The concept of invention is the fundamental requirement for design thinking. Since the birth of mankind, people started inventing many concepts, which are mainly observations of facts and innovation of ideas for producing products that are useful to the society. The design thinking requires unconventional thinking to design processes for maximal operational efficiency of manufacturing the products, which give maximum satisfaction to customers with more value for money. Hence, the team that is involved in the design thinking projects may gain the required skills by knowing several inventions of the past. Hence, a review of inventions is presented in this chapter.
1.2 Tracing Inventions
The content at https://www.explainthatstuff.com/timeline.html gives a complete account of inventions starting from 4–5 billion years ago up to 2022. The article on solar cell energy gives an account of the sun started producing energy. About 1.2 million years ago, humans invented fire, which has been further innovated for biofuels, candles, IC engines, aviation engines, etc. In the 7th century B.C., ants were killed by burning in the heat produced by concentrated sun rays using magnifying lens. Greeks and Romans utilised burning mirrors to light candles during religious ceremonies in the third century B.C. About 3.5 million years ago, stone, wood, antlers, and bones were used by humans to make first kind of tools. These were further improved to make tools for machines. About 4000 BCE back, iron was used to make decorative ornaments. About 3500 BCE, people invented the concept of wheel, which brought quantum revolution in transportation.

Introduction

Food and nutrition security is the basic requirement of human development. Among the ten global burden of diseases, six are connected with diet related factors. Food and nutrition security is also closely related to other factors like socio economic status, geography and demography. Asia, Latin America and Africa hosts world’s most of the undernourished population. Among these regions South Asia is considered as one of the hotspots of malnutrition, in which India is the major contributor. Fifty seven percent of population cannot afford healthy diet in South Asia.

Over the centuries of remarkable economic growth in India concomitant reduction in under nutrition has not been witnessed and this dilemma is called Indian enigma (Gillespie et al 2012; Sengupta 2019). In India among the different socio economic categories, undernutrition has highly been manifested among SC and STs (Gillespie et al 2012; NNMB 2009).The reasons of food and nutrition insecurity are directly linked to remoteness, dire poverty and dysfunctional food security programmes (Khera 2011; UNICEF 2014). Poor and landless among them are mostly falling prey to chronic food insecurity. Coupled with reduction in locally available dietary inputs, rising food expenditure also compel poor to cut back the quantity and resort to low priced calorie dense food (Smyth & Sweetman; 2010). Therefore, poor people’s diet assume to fraught with starch, which leads to nutritional imbalances and resulting in to various lifestyle diseases like diabetics among them. This situation necessitates the need of local, sustainable household food production through home nutrition gardens. Many studies testify the impact of household level food crop cultivation in addressing malnutrition. Kuhnlein & Raceveur 1996; Pimbert 2009; Vira et al 2015 argues inadequate diets are associated with the “delocalization of food supply” and disruption in existed food systems. Therefore, in general literatures on agriculture and nutrition elicits the positive correlation between cultivating food crops and nutrition security (Gillespie et al 2012; Hossain et al 2016; Viswanathan et al 2015). In this context, home nutrition garden programmeassumes greater significance in countering malnutrition among Paniyan community in Western Ghats region of Wayanad district of Kerala.

Introduction

In the perspective of the accelerating national growth rate of 8% recorded at the end of the 10th Plan to a projected growth rate of 10% by the end of the 11th Plan, yielding an average GDP growth rate of about 9% it was appearing that the nation is going to have a strong footing of development. However, it could not be fully achieved due to several reasons including the global recession and other factors related to international economic setback which may deter achieving a projected growth rate of 10% in the 12th Plan. In consideration of the international scenario of growing complicacy in economic growth more emphasis should be given on further efficient utilization of natural resources and intellectual properties of grass root innovators to improve per capita income leading to a promising national structure of economics ensuring wide spread benefits to the society. In this regard, true development of a nation like India can be primarily realized by recognition of wide spread enthusiasm of its innovative human resources living in village and rural areas. It can be made possible only through working with them by appreciating their struggle for survival using all round innovative measures coming out of their daily life experiences and traditional knowledge. Technopreneur Promotion Programme (TePP) is a unique scheme of Government of India for development of society especially by promoting the intellectual properties of grass- root level innovators coming out from the society with a source of inspiration arising out of their daily life struggle for existence. In spite of its limited publicity in remote areas an awareness of this programme has often been found to raise great hope to the villagers to do something for their society exploring the ideas generated from the experiences of life with the help of local resources. Such naturally grown innovation can be found undoubtedly novel and the idea can change their world of dreaming for a more prosperous life by bringing changes in socioeconomic pattern of trade and employment in rural areas with proper support from Government if India through the scheme like TePP.

Non-mulberry plants, sometimes referred to as Vanya plants, are important to the sericulture sector because they give silkworms—which are normally fed mulberry leaves—an alternate source of nutrition. Many species, including castor (Ricinus communis), oak (Quercus spp.) and arjun (Terminalia arjuna), are among these non-mulberry plants. These plants are a food source for a distinct species of silkworm known as Eri, Tasar and Muga silk, which are distinct from the common mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori. These silks are prized for their unique properties, hues and textures which add to the variety and depth of silk goods on the market.
3.2 Host Plants
3.2.1 Host Plants for Tasar Silkworms
The traditional tasar and the oak tasar are now two separate entities within the Indian tasar culture. Terminalia and Shorea dominate the traditional tasar tract, with Quercus oaks (as the name suggests) dominating the latter.
Although tasar silkworms are actually polyphagous, there is some specificity in terms of their affinity for a given feeding source.
Taxonomy: A. mylitta feeds primarily on Asan (Terminalia tomentosa,
Fig.3.1), Arjun (Terminalia arjuna, Fig.3.2) and Sal (Shorea robusta, Fig.3.3), while A. proylei is mainly reared on Uyung (Quercus serrata, Fig. 3.4), Banj (Quercus incana, Fig. 3.5), Sahi (Quercus dealbata, Fig. 3.6) and Moru
(Quercus himalayana, Fig. 3.7). Being important for tasar industry, these three genera (Terminalia, Shorea and Quercus) the silkworm feeds on Phutuka (Melastoma, Fig. 3.8) and Bogori (Zizyphus jujuba, Fig. 3.9).

An efficient management of animals will be incomplete without a well planned and adequate housing of animals. Improper planning of animal housing leads to additional labor charges. The housing should have proper sanitation, durability, arrangements for the production of clean milk under convenient and economic conditions.

a) General Housing Requirements

Dairy animals will be more efficient in the production of milk and in reproduction if they are protected from extreme heat, and particularly from direct sunshine. This can be achieved through provision of shade in tropical and subtropical climates. If dairy animals are confined, the area should be free of mud and manure in order to reduce hoof infection to a minimum. Concrete floors or pavements are ideal where the area per animal is limited. However, where ample space is available, an earth yard, properly sloped for good drainage is adequate.

Once you have embarked upon the idea of doing (any) business, your concentration should be focused on doing things that should be relevant to maximizing returns and minimizing risks. Looking upon why businesses fail, one can find that it is usually because entrepreneurs are ill equipped to identify real business opportunities and take advantage of them, or they don’t anticipate and adapt critical changes or they fail to recognize or minimize real threats to business. Successful entrepreneurs are found to intensively pursue the path of planning by preparing business plans, for having foresight of critical incidents that would affect business and possible ways of action.

Abstract

Human Resource Management (HRM) is an essential function of every organization. Information Technology (IT) application has made such ‘human resource management’ function easy, to a great extent. Now a day, IT has been used widely across the organizations to perform different functions like, Recruitment, training, maintenance and development etc. Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is one of the latest contributions of IT to the area of human resource management, which is going to revolutionise management in 21st Century. Technology has brought changes in the existing working styles of organisations. By the introduction of HRIS, it enhances the efficiency of the organisation by changing the traditional way of working. In Human Resource Information Systems, many organizations use employee data in traditional ways. These can create conflict with the rights and interests of employees, with external stakeholders, and with society at large. The present paper discusses such issues. Other soft issues like, challenges and possible solutions are also discussed.

Abstract

Human resource management (HRM) has experienced a strong evolution. It is necessary to evaluate the design and implementation of personnel policies in order to provide useful information to managers. The objective of HR Audit is to analyze and evaluate the HR policies and their level of fit with the firm’s strategy and the characteristics of human capital. A periodic and systematic audit is very important in order to check the effectiveness and proper implementation of various HR policies in the organization. This chapter will represent various sections where the HR audit can be carried out, what should be the task of auditors, what are the steps/processes that needs to be followed at the time of audit, and various tools for HR Audit and preparation of Audit Report to be used for future references. At the end of this chapter a case study has been presented in order to make the study more effective.

10.1 Leading Self and Other

Leading up

In order to develop the ability to be a good Leader, people must learn to lead up with their leader, lead across with colleagues, and lead down with followers. Each of these skills draws on different principles. Leading up is the process of influencing a leader. The principles of leading up greatly increase the chance for success.

11.1 Time Management

One of the greatest assets business can have is an employee who uses his or her time to its fullest potential. Time is something that we can lose and never get back. People are always wishing they had more hours available in the day. The solution to this common problem is easier than one might realize. With a few minor adjustments in how to utilize time, people can change how to manage time. Proper time management can change life on a fundamental basis for the better.

Time management is not an instinct and instead, must be learned. . Using time wisely allows a person to complete tasks in an allotted time period, take on additional work, or spend more time with family. There are many things in an office environment that prevent effective time use.

Interruptions are time-wasters, especially since items one may consider urgent are not necessarily important. There is no way to pre plan the time and duration of an interruption, which may cause a loss of train-of-thought, difficulty concentrating, or complete memory lapse. Although it is difficult to avoid interruptions, there are methods for limiting their duration and impact the schedule.

Time is not like other resources which can be stored and used in the future, Time is a very special resource that you cannot be stored or saved for later use. Everyone has the exact same amount of time each day. Time not well used cannot be retrieved. Most people, feel like they have too much to do and not enough time. They blame lack of time for their poor finances, stress, bad relationships, and for not exercising their body.

Wise time management can help people find the time for what one desire, and for what they need to do. People need time to get what they want in life. If they wait for extra time to appear, they might lose the game of life. Through right time management, they can “create” the time they need, and not just wait for it to come. By planning time wisely, they will have more time to do more things.

Symbolic systems provide logical reasoning and explicit knowledge representation, whereas sub-symbolic models offer learning, adaptation and pattern-recognition capabilities. This chapter explains how combining these approaches can create more accurate, adaptive and interpretable intelligent systems. It discusses rule-based systems, logic programming, ontologies, neural networks, fuzzy systems, evolutionary computation and swarm intelligence. Neural-symbolic, neuro-fuzzy, rule-augmented and ontology-aware architectures are examined, along with loose, tight and deep integration strategies. Applications in healthcare, cybersecurity, manufacturing and knowledge-based information systems demonstrate their practical potential. Challenges involving integration complexity, scalability, knowledge engineering, transparency and continuous updating are considered, together with future directions in human-centred hybrid intelligence.

A greenfield ice cream project involves much more than installing production machinery. It requires integrated planning of the business model, market opportunity, capacity, product portfolio, plant layout, process technology, refrigeration, utilities, packaging, cold storage, quality systems, regulatory compliance, distribution, working capital, and future scalability. This chapter presents a practical framework for evaluating new ice cream manufacturing projects, with particular attention to a representative 1000 LPH facility. Different project scales and business models are considered along with major plant and machinery requirements. The chapter also highlights common project-planning mistakes and best practices. It helps entrepreneurs and investors assess technical feasibility, operational readiness, financial requirements, scalability, and long-term commercial viability.

India is emerging as one of the most dynamic ice cream markets, with growing demand driven by urbanisation, rising disposable income, premiumisation, regional flavours, modern retail, quick commerce, and expanding cold-chain infrastructure. This chapter examines the evolution and structure of the Indian ice cream market, major growth drivers, consumer segments, competitive conditions, and emerging opportunities. It also considers important challenges including seasonality, freezer investment, cold-chain reliability, SKU complexity, regulatory compliance, working capital, and market returns. The chapter provides strategic guidance for entrepreneurs and manufacturers on market entry, positioning, product portfolios, distribution, and sustainable growth in India’s increasingly competitive ice cream industry.

16.1 Process of Ripening of Worms
Closer to the end of the fifth stage, the silkworm stops ingesting and turns into the so-called mature larva and starts spinning the cocoon. Properly reared worms, when ripe, will attempt to spin true cocoons even below incorrect conditions. However, it needs to be remembered that the worm spinning the cocoon is to defend itself from outside disturbances and enemies all through the maximum crucial period of its metamorphosis. The rearer can get the reward for his labour most effective, if he cooperates by making the situations such that, through spinning a commercially good cocoon it also most correctly protects itself. This cooperation is composed in imparting the ripe silkworm with appropriate mountages to facilitate its spinning of suitable cocoons. The eating duration throughout the fifth instar may close for 5 to 7 days in the case of multivoltine and bivoltine races in the tropical regions and 7 to 9 days in the case of bivoltine and univoltine races in sub-tropical areas. The mature worm is effectively distinguishable by its translucent colour. The frame also shrinks with duration; there is also a constriction seen on the 4th and 5th segments. The worm loses appetite and begins to look approximately as although on the lookout for a appropriate area to which to attach itself. Generally, the ripening worms circulate in the direction of the periphery of the rearing trays in search of anchorage to begin spinning of cocoons. This is the time for selecting the ripe worms and putting them on mountages. This process is known as ‘mounting’. It has to be remembered that all the worms in a tray do not ripen simultaneously. It commonly happens that by the time all the worms in a tray are ripe, a number of the early worms can be over-ripe. They could have misplaced a quantity of silk by the point they are picked up, and they are furthermore in a hurry to spin their cocoons that they continue to do it anyways, without ready to select a right location, and as a consequence produce irregularly formed and flattened or sticky cocoons causing loss to the rearer.