eChapters

11.14. Nanotechnology 11.14.1. Concept • Nanotechnology is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers. • Physicist Richard Feynman is considered as father of nanotechnology. The idea and concepts behind nanoscience and nanotechnology started with a talk entitled “There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom” by physicist Richard Feynman at an American Physical Society Meeting at the California Institute of Technology on December 29, 1959, long before the term nanotechnology was used. In his talk, Feynman described a process in which scientists would be able to manipulate and control individual atoms and molecules. Over a decade a later, in his explorations of ultra precision machining, Professor Norio Taniguchi coined the term nanotechnolog

9.2. Causes of Post-Harvest Losses (A) Primary Causes: (B) Secondary Causes: • Mechanical injury. • State of maturity. • Physio-biochemical losses. • Time of harvesting. • Microbial losses. • Storage facilities. • Physical losses. • Bruishing caused due to transportation and distribution. 9.3. Control of Post-Harvest Losses The extent of post harvest losses in vegetables can be minimized by • Careful harvesting. • Harvesting of vegetables at the right stage of maturity. • Proper sorting, grading and packing. • Careful transportation and distribution. • Adequate and suitable storage facilities. • Pre and post harvest treatment

7.1. Status Vegetables are generally sensitive to environmental extremes, and thus high temperatures and limited soil moisture are the major causes of low yields as they greatly affect several physiological and biochemical processes like reduced photo-synthetic activity, altered metabolism and enzymatic activity, thermal injury to the tissues, reduced pollination and fruit set etc., which will be further magnified by climate change. The consequences of the climate change badly hit the vegetable production. Under changing climatic situations crop failures, shortage of yields, reduction in quality and increasing pest and disease problems are common and they render the vegetable cultivation unprofitable. This ultimately questions the availability of nutrient source in human diet.

6.20. Role of Micro Nutrients in Vegetable Production 6.20.1. Born 6.20.1.1. Importance Warington first demonstrated the essentiality of boron in plants in 1923 in broad bean (Vigna fava L.). Boron markedly affects nitrogen uptake and the metabolism of nitrogen compounds. The protein contents of young leaves decrease and soluble nitrogen compounds, particularly nitrate accumulate under the condition of severe boron deficiencyBoth with and without boron added, nitrate reductase activity was obviously higher with Ca (NO3 )2 than with (NH4 )2 SO4 . With boron added, nitrate reductase activity in leaves increased from the basal to the top parts of the plant.

5.1. Precision Farming Precision farming is an emerging concept in modern agriculture. It is micro management system to arrive at improved agriculture and land management decisions that result from using information delivered by geospatial technologies. In other words it is “Digital Agriculture” involving very large scale farm level mapping, comprehensive data base creation on required resources generated through space based inputs and field observations and making a detailed plan of work for maximizing the yield and reducing the cost on inputs using the decision support system. Precision farming means to do the right thing, in the right place and in right time. It is also called site-specific management (SSM), is the management of an agricultural crop at a spatial scale smaller than the individual field. In many fields, the crop’s environment varies substantially from one part to another

4.1. Promotion of Kitchen Gardening 4.1.1. Essential Guide Lines for Kitchen Gardening • The location should be in the backyard of the house. As far as practicable, kitchen garden plot should be located near to the well, water tap or other source of irrigation. It should never be located in the shady area of home, which is generally not suitable for most of the vegetables. There should be enough of sunlight for major part of day. • It should be fenced with boundary wall or fruit crop or live fence all around. • The layout should be such as to make the garden look attractive and allow access to all its parts. The land should be laid out in small paths and plots. • The garden should preferably be rectangular in shape. • About 200 m2 area is sufficient for a five members family to supply about 1.5 kg vegetable per day

Protein Pea, French bean, cowpea, cluster bean, amaranth and broad bean. Carbohydrates Potato, sweet potato, dry beans, yam and tapioca. Vitamin-A Carrot, palak, amaranth, pumpkin, methi and paprika Vitamin-B Garden pea and Indian bean Vitamin-C Tomato, sweet pepper, green chilli, cauliflower, knol-khol, bitter gourd, amaranth, methi, palak and cabbage. Calcium Methi, kale, beet leaf, amaranth, broccoli, onion, beet root, Indian bean, and cabbage. Potassium Sweet potato, potato, bitter gourd, raddish, dolichos, onion and green leafy vegetables. Phosphorus Garlic, garden pea, bitter gourd, broccoli, onion, leek, kale, amaranth. Iron bitter gourd, amaranth, methi, poi, beet leaf, leek and spinach

2.4. Plan-wise Initiation of AICRP (Vegetable Crop) Centres in India Regular Centre Initiated in plan/year ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi IV Plan (1971) ICAR-IARI Regional Vegetable Reseearch Station, Katrain, Kullu IV Plant (1971) ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi IV Plan (1971) ICAR-IARI Regional Vegetable Research Station, Katrain, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh IV Plant (1971) ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, Karnataka IV Plan (1971) Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, Punjab IV Plan (1971) Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa Bihar IV Plan (1971) Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharashtra IV Plan (1971

1. Education 1.1. Some Landmarks of Agricultural Education Including Vegetable Science Year Landmarks 1952 Indian Council of Agricultural Education (ICAE) set up (worked up to 1964 under ICAR). 1958 First ‘Deemed University‘ status bestowed on Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). 1959 Chief of Agricultural Education and ex-officio Secretary to ICAE appointed. 1960 Emergence of SAUs, starting with Pantnagar, based on the recommendations of Joint Indo-American Teams. 1965 Standing Committee on Agricultural Education replaced the Education Panel. 1965 ICAR reorganization with four Divisions including Agricultural Education 1966 ICAR developed Model Act for Agricultural Universities in India.

Introduction

Agriculture forms the backbone of the Indian economy. Although there has been large industrialization in the last 60 years, agriculture still occupies the prominent place of importance (Banarsi Lal, 2019). The agriculture sector contributes about 20 per cent of GDP in India (MoF, 2020-21). Both the agriculture and livestock sectors provide employment to 52 per cent of the work force (Rathod and Dixit, 2019). In India, most of farmers have small average holdings. Agriculture marketing can play important role in increasing income of farmers with same landholding. Agriculture plays a vital role in India’s economy. 54.6 of the total workforces is engaged in agriculture and allied sector activities (Census 2011) and accounts for 18.8% (First Advance Estimates) of country’s Gross Value Added (GVA) for the year 2021-22 (at current prices). Agriculture sector needs structured and functional markets, preferably in the vicinity of farmers, to drive growth, employment, remunerative prices and economic prosperity in rural areas of the country.

Introduction

In rainfed region, the rain is the only source of water which is erratic with unprecedented frequent draughts affecting fruit production in these areas. In adequate, improper water and nutrient management that has lowers down the soil fertility of orchards, especially in rainfed areas. India has fairly good progress on the horticultural crops of the world and is today the second largest producer of fruits in the world, falling behind China. However, the productivity of these fruits is significantly low as compared to other fruit growing of the countries. This is mainly reason due to undulating topography, poor soil fertility status, deep and scare ground water level are the main characteristics of rainfed areas of Jammu region. Due to ever-increasing demand of food, fruit, fuel and fodder, cultivation has been extended to marginal and smalleroded lands. These marginal and small landholders of rainfed regions are not able to sustain arable crops in long run. In addition, the income generated from such a holding is inadequate to sustain the family. 

Introduction

ICT in agriculture is an emerging field focusing on the enhancement of agriculture and rural development. It involves applications of innovative ways to use ICT in rural domain. The advancement in ICT can be utilized for providing accurate, timely, relevant information and services to the farmers, thereby facilitating an environment for more remunerative agriculture. (Mahant et. al. 2012). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in agriculture can act as a driving force in the development process. It facilitates marketing decisions, directs the competitive process and simplifies marketing mechanisms. Accuracy, Availability, Applicability and Analysis are the four ‘A’’s of marketing information; a farmer may decide how much to produce, when and where to sell and a trader may expand trade (Behera, 2015). Social media is the new upcoming area in agricultural marketing that has blogs, microblogs, pages, groups etc. It saves time and cost of the farmers for getting information. Facebook is the most likely social media for pages and profiles.

Mushrooms are regarded as a macro-fungus with a distinctive fruiting body which can be either epigeous or hypogeous and large enough to be seen with the naked eyes and to be picked by hand (Chang and Miles, 1992). Hundreds of identified species of mushrooms, since time immemorial, have made a significant global contribution to human food and medicine (Marshall and Nair, 2009). Mushrooms have been a part of the human diet and used as both food and medicine for centuries and their importance is well established in many spheres of human life as well as ecosystem functions. They are known to produce enough amount of protein rich quality food which is of high biological value and appropriate for all age groups. Edible mushrooms are recognized not only as delicacy but also as food in human diet. They are consumed not only for their innate ation and taste but also for their important nutritional value. 

The major mountain ranges in India are the Himalayas and the Western Ghats. The mountain ecosystem is spread over two Union Territories of India: Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and eleven states Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and West Bengal. The hill agriculture has its own unique characteristics and that the growth potential of hill agriculture has remained under-exploited due to various mountain specifities like poor marketing and processing infrastructure, undulating topography, lack of system specific technologies, land degradation, soil erosion, soil acidity and loss of soil fertility. Hill agriculture has several niche areas having comparative advantage for better exploitation of resources and for better trade. Organic farming still remains a viable option for export of specialised commodities especially fruits and vegetables.

Introduction

“If agriculture goes wrong, nothing else will have a chance to go right in the country”,these words by Dr MS Swaminathan known as the ‘Father of Green Revolution’ in India, itself highlights the importance of agriculture and its allied sectors in Indian economy. India is an agrarian nation with about 140 million farmers and net sown area equals to 42.4% of the total geographical area. Its agriculture sector has always played and will continue to play a major role in its economic growth. As per the First Advance Estimates of National Income, 2021-22 released by National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics & ProgrammeImplementation, the contribution of agriculture and its allied sectors stand at approximately 18.8 % of India’s Gross Value Added (GVA) at current prices during 2021-22, depicting a growth of 3.9%.In addition, agriculture is also the largest employment generating sector in India as approximately 55% of the total workforce is engaged in agriculture and its allied sector activities. It is the main source of income security of rural households in India. Since ancient times, agriculture and livestock keeping are complementary professions that rural households have undertaken for their survival.

Introduction

Agriculture is India is mostly production oriented restricted in huge number of uneven small holdings and plays a key role in the Indian economy. Cultivation of fruits and vegetables has emerged as profitable venture and it is not only providing nutritional security but also provides a substantial employment to rural people as well as open the door for export. India is the second largest producer of vegetables, next only to China, in the world with a production of 40 million tonnes from four million hectares of land area. In India, vegetables are grown in an area 1, 10, 65 thousand hectares with the production of 1, 99,882 thousand metric tonnes. Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of vegetable production in the country (14.80 %) followed by West Bengal (14.12 %), Madhya Pradesh (10.30%), Bihar (8.88 %), Maharashtra (8.39 %), Gujarat (7.84 %), Odisha (4.76 %) and Karnataka (4.05 %) (NHB, 2021).

Introduction

Cherry (PrunusaviumL.) is considered as one of the most important temperate deciduous fruit and is the season’s first tree fruit to reach the market. Cherries are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals and have more calories than apple. Most of the present day cherry cultivars are of European origin. The annual world production as of 2012-13 of cultivated cherry fruit is about 2.5 million tonnes. Around 40 per cent of the world production originates from Europe and 13 per cent in the United States. The other important global players during 2012-13 were Turkey (4,80,740 MT), United States (3, 84,646 MT), Iran (200,000 MT) and Italy (1, 04,766 MT) (FAO, 2012). Important sweet cherry cultivars include Bing, Brooks, Tulare, King, Sweetheart, Rainier etc.

Introduction

Agricultural extension has been developing from past more than 100 years. The term was first used by Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, in the year 1867. Chinese people have been following extension approximately from past 2000 years. There are four generations of agricultural extension in Asia: colonial, diverse top-down, unified top-down and diverse bottom-up extension. Communication takes place mainly in two ways in extension system: paternalism versus participation and persuasion versus education, which aims to change behaviour of rural people. Many approaches have emerged in extension which includes ICT based extension.

Introduction

Lavender (Lamiaceae family) produces characteristically lavender- coloured (purple) flowers, although pink, white and green forms of some species also exist. There are approximately 20 species of lavenders with hundreds of various genotypes differentiated by variations ranging from morphology to chemical composition of essential oil. Cultivation of lavenders for essential oil is thought to have begun in the 16^th century. Recently there has been an upsurge of interest in lavender as a medicinal herb crop. Lavender is a perennial herb and is a native of the western Mediterranean and the eastern coast of Spain, France, Switzerland, North Italy, Corsica and North Africa. Lavender and lavandin oil have long been the major essential oils produced on the southern slopes of the French Alps. The oil possesses refreshing, sweet aroma and blends with many other essential oils. Therefore, it is widely used in perfumery, cosmetics and medicines.