eChapters

Cotton

Cotton is one of the most important fiber and cash crop of India and play a key role in economic and social affairs of the world. Cotton is referred to as “King of Fibres” and also known as “White Gold”. India is largest produces of accounting for 22% cotton in the world. Nearly 65 per cent of the cotton crop is grown under rainfed conditions. Cotton production, processing and trade provides livelihood to several millions of people.

Scientific Name : Gossypium hirsutum

Family : Malvaceae

Origin: Cotton has been used as a fabric in India from time immemorial. It has been cultivated in the Indus Valley for more than 5000 years before. The excavations of Mohen-jo-daro indicates a high degree of art in spinning and weaving with cotton at that time. It finds mention in the Rigveda, the oldest scripture of the Hindus. Manu also refers to it in his Dharma Shasta. India appears to have been the centre of an important cotton industry as early as 1500 B.C.

Introduction

For optimum use of harvested rain water in surface reservoir like farm ponds or tankas, small sized solar PV pumping systems with 1 hp AC and DC motor were experimentally tested at research farms of ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur (Fig. 16.1). Total suction head in both pumps was about 5 m. Among two installed pumps, the system with AC pump consisted of 1400 Wp (200 Wp × 7) whereas the DC pump consisted of PV array of 920 Wp (230Wp × 4). Each PV panel of AC solar pump was connected in series, which was further connected with an inverter to generate AC output of about 220-240 volt and 4-4.2 ampere. In case of DC solar pump, panels are connected in parallel to generate DC output of 40-50 volt and 15-20 ampere.

Many farmer participatory field  experiments were designed and conducted in different states of India having large area under acid soils, with locally available soil ameliorants to study their effect on soil health and crop performance. This work was done during 2000 & 2005 under an ICAR network project on “Soil characterization and resource management of acid soil regions for increasing productivity”. The details of the field locations are presented in table 1.

13.1 Biosafety Research Trials: Scope and Implementation
Introduction
Biosafety research trials serve as a critical phase in the evaluation and regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), particularly transgenic crops and microorganisms. These trials assess potential environmental and health impacts under confined and controlled conditions before the organism can be considered for commercial release. With the expansion of biotechnology applications, especially in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and industrial processes, the need for scientifically rigorous and ethically sound biosafety research trials has become increasingly important.
13.1.1. Scope of Biosafety Research Trials
1.1. Definition and Objectives
Biosafety research trials are confined, stepwise, and monitored field or laboratory-based studies designed to evaluate the safety, stability, performance, and unintended effects of GMOs. The overarching objectives include:
• Assessment of potential risks to human health, non-target organisms, and the environment.
• Evaluation of gene stability, trait expression, and environmental adaptability.
• Monitoring of gene flow and potential invasiveness or weediness.
• Determination of agronomic efficacy under field conditions.
• Data generation for regulatory dossiers and risk assessment reports.

A field visit to innovative farming system models would involve observing and learning about different approaches to agriculture that aim to improve efficiency, sustainability, and profitability. Here’s a breakdown of what such a visit might entail, the types of systems you might encounter, and the potential benefits:
Objectives of a Field Visit
• Practical Learning: See firsthand how innovative systems are implemented and operated.
• Knowledge Exchange: Interact with farmers, researchers, and experts who are using these systems.
• Inspiration & Idea Generation: Identify potential adaptations and applications for your own farm or region.
• Networking: Connect with other individuals and organizations interested in sustainable agriculture.
• Assessment: Evaluate the real-world performance of different technologies and practices.

Fieldpea is animportantrabi pulse crop which is highly productive and is grown for food, feed as a vegetable. There are two types of peas grown in India viz., vegetable type in which grains arevery sweet when green and become wrinkled ondrying, and grain type where grains are generally white and round. Green seeds of the grain type are not so sweet as in thecase ofvegetable type. The dry grains areconsumed in various forms such as chat, chhola, dal, vegetable and flour. Green seeds are used as fresh, frozen or canned vegetables. The cultivation of grain type is confined to northern and central parts of the country.

It is high protein (20%) crop with all the essential aminoacids important for normal activity of living organisms. The fractional composition is also favourable the most easily assimilated water soluble protein from mature pea seeds varies from 36 to 87% and in green matter from 65 to 82%. Pea contains 4 mgpro-vitamin A, 300 mgvitamin C, 3 mgB₁, 1.5 mgB₂and 1.2 mgpantothenic acid per 1000 g fresh seed weight. Also, it contains 1.1% fat, 2.2% minerals, 4.5% fibre and 56.5% carbohydrate. It is rich in phosphorus. Green pea and the immature pods of pea are typified by a high level of active lipotropic antisclerotic substances-choline and inositol.Choline deficiency may lead to the development and growth of malignant tumors.

Investment Appraisal Techniques

A financial evaluation/ appraisal of Project considers the possible compensations of completing the Project against the anticipated expenses. The assessment of the project will rely on several factors, including the Size of the project, time span of project etc. The motivation behind the financial evaluation is to decide if the project is advantageous, contrasting its expenses and its expected normal advantages. These methods are primarily designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a new project. This investment evaluation technique includes Payback Period, Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Net Present Value (NPV), Accounting Rate of return (ARR), Profitability index etc. Each of these techniques evaluates the project from various angles and provides very useful insights. Investment appraisal techniques are divided in two parts namely, discounted cash flow methods and non-discounted cash flow methods.

Non-Discounted Cash Flow Techniques

Future cash flows are not brought to their Present value through Non-Discounted Cash flow methods. Non-Discounted Cash flow methods are also categorized into the following two techniques.

Introduction

This chapter gives an account of a summary of the significant findings of the study, followed by tenability of hypotheses, suggestions, further areas of research in the related areas, and a conclusion. The present study investigated the Quality of Work Life (QWL) of Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals working in Kerala’s eight prominent state universities. The data of the study were collected from the two hundred and sixty-six 266 regular qualified LIS professionals. 

1. Introduction Millets have gained popularity as staple foods worldwide, particularly in regions with hot and humid climates. These crops are often cultivated in marginal areas where major grains struggle to yield significant harvests (Thapliyal and Singh, 2015). One such millet is finger millet (Eleusine coracana), native to Ethiopia, and widely grown in Africa and India, where it is known by various names, including ragi and mandua (Table 1). In many developing countries, finger millet serves as a staple for a substantial portion of the population, especially those belonging to lower economic strata, providing essential nutrients (Chandra et al., 2016).

Finger millet (Ragi/ Mandua) is the principal small millet grown in South Asia. It is believed to be native of India (De condole, 1886) but according to Vavilov (1926) it originated in Abyssinia.

1.1 Introduction Millets were one of the first crops to be domesticated by mankind in Asia and Africa which later spread across the globe as critical food sources to the evolving civilizations. The earliest evidence of millets has been found in the Indus civilization around 3000 BC. Millets are a collective group of small-seeded annual grasses that are grown as grain crops, primarily on marginal land in dry areas of temperate, sub-tropical and tropical regions (FAO). However, due to the popularity of the cereal crops like wheat, rice and maize; millets have lost dominion and have become an underutilized crop in last few decades. Millets have the potential to be the crop of the future, as our major crops have reached yield plateau, also changing climate has introduced several new biotic and abiotic stresses to the major crops, so to feed the ever-growing population we need to shift towards other potential crops. India is the largest producer of millet as it contributes about 41% of the total millet production of the world (APEDA, 2020).

Three years after the establishment of the Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE), a global conference was held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for promoting environmentally sustainable development in all spheres of human activity. At this UN Conference on Environment and Development, generally referred to as the Earth Summit, an Agenda 21 was adopted to provide guidelines for mainstreaming ecology in all major research and development programmes. In Agenda 21, pride of place has been given to the management of aquatic resources from both the quantitative and qualitative aspects. 2012 marks the twentieth anniversary of the Rio conference.  It will be useful to prepare a balance sheet indicating where we have succeeded and where we have failed in implementing Agenda 21 in the area of inland and marine fisheries, as well as integrated coastal zone management.

Key facts

    
•    Fish is an important source of animal protein for billions of people (estimate 2.6 billion people). About 200 million people and their dependants worldwide, mostly in developing countries, live by fishing and aquaculture. 
    
•    Fish living in temperate and Polar Regions could be benefited from climate changes since an increase in water temperature would extend the fish growing season. Moreover, rising temperature could reduce over-wintering stress normally experienced by temperate fishes.
    
•    Rise of temperature may cause a decrease in dissolved oxygen (DO) or hypoxic conditions (as temperature and DO are inversely related) and can impair fish reproduction and may cause endocrine disruption in fish (increase incidence of malformations and may alter sex differentiation and sex determination in fish).
    
•    Bioavailability and toxicity of common pollutants such as pesticides and heavy metals may be enhanced with increasing temperatures. Therefore, exposure of toxicants at elevated temperatures may cause a decline in recreational and commercial fisheries.

India is endowed with 8118 kilometers of coastline and access to 5.3 lakh square kilometers of continental shelf to facilitate marine fishing.195210 kilometers long river and canal system, more than 6 million hectares of water bodies under reservoirs, ponds, Fish is an integral part of food and culture in India. Indian coastal region is rich in aquatic bio diversity with various identified fish species and also in aquatic resources. India with its vast and varied marine and inland resources stands third in world total fish production and second in inland fish production. India’s fish production has increased from 5.6 million tonne during 2000-2001 to 6.9 million tonne during 2006-2007. During the year 2006-07, the country witnessed foreign exchange of Rs.8363.53 crore through export of sea food. Fish processing industries in India are gaining importance in recent years due to increase in demand of processed food by the developed countries. In India fishery sector provide livelihood to an estimated 10 million people and the Inland fisheries are of particular importance to the rural poor accounting for about 15% of total global employment (FAO, 2000). Sustainable utilization of available resources with appropriate farming system approaches will increase fish production and also will generate employment opportunities.

Nutrient adsorption in soil is one of the important phenomena in terms of nutrient availability to plants. Due to the nutrient fixation of the added nutrients supplied through fertilizers or manures may result the increase in cost of production due to the non-availability of the added nutrients at the optimum level to the plants. Hence, management options are required to release the sorbed nutrients from soil for better availability to the plants. The ion-fixation is driven by physico-chemical and biological processes and varies under agro ecological situations. The chemistry of ion fixation in the form of specific or non-specific adsorption on soil colloids will help understanding the bonding and adsorption reactions of ions in the soil.

8.0 What is fixation?

Fixation of plant nutrients in soil may be defined as the process, where readily soluble plant nutrients are transformed into less soluble forms by physical or chemical reaction with organic or inorganic compounds and thus restricting the mobility of ions in soil that leads to the decrease in availability to the plants. There are two kinds of fixation in general, viz; cation (N, K, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ca,Mg etc.) and anion (P, B, Mo etc.) in soils. The fixation of ions in soil is governed by important physical and chemical parameters of soil based on which the available pools of nutrients for plants may be determined.

Flood-control economics compares the financial, social, and environmental costs of flood damage with the costs and benefits of alternative mitigation measures. Because complete protection is generally impractical, planners must identify an economically justified level of risk reduction. Evaluation considers construction, operation, maintenance, rehabilitation, residual risk, avoided losses, project life, discount rates, and direct and indirect benefits. This chapter introduces economic assessment of flood-control projects and examines flood-damage estimation, depth-damage relationships, benefit-cost analysis, present value, and investment decision criteria. It also considers remote-sensing approaches for mapping inundation and assessing losses. The discussion supports the selection of measures that are technically feasible, socially acceptable, environmentally responsible, and economically efficient.