eChapters

The Begonia family has a tropical and subtropical distribution in America, Asia and Africa. With approximately 100 species and 10,000 cultivated hybrids, they are very important as ornamental plants.A few reports describe Begonia as edible; the highest number of these species is found in America, some in Asia, and we have only one report of an edible Begonia in Africa.

The Begonia family has a tropical and subtropical distribution in America, Asia and Africa. There are approximately 600 species in America, and the same number in Asia.

Africa, including Madagascar and the Mascarenes, has 158 reported species, one third of which are endemic to Madagascar and associated Isles (Mascarenes, Seychelles and Comoros). Only ones species, B. grandis Dryander, is widely distributed in temperate regions, extending northwards near Beijing (Forrest & Hollingsworth, 2003; Plana, 2003).

Wild edible plants have played an important role in human life since time immemorial. People depend on the wild plant resources for various purposes like fire wood, timber, non-timber forest products, medicines and food (Pushpangadan, 1995). In many cases, rural communities depend on wild edible plants, to meet their food needs in periods of food shortage. Indian subcontinent is blessed with varied and diverse soil and climate conditions suitable for the growth of various plant species. It has been estimated that 9000 of the 15,000 higher plants occurring in India are commercially useful. Of these 7500 are medicinal, 3900 are edible, 700 are culturally important, 525 are used for fiber, 400 are fodder, 300 for pesticides and insecticides, 300 for gum, resin and dye and 100 for incense and perfume (Anonymous, 1992-1993).

Introduction

Fruits and vegetables are essential constituents of daily diet and are highly demanded in the recent years from most of the population. They are reservoir of vitamins, essential minerals, antioxidants, bio-flavonoids, dietary fibres and f lavour compounds which fall easily victim to abiotic and biotic adversities. Fruits and vegetables are highly perishable and during the post- harvest, there are considerable losses due to microbes, insects, respiration and transpiration.

The important quality factors of fresh produce contributing to the marketability are texture, colour, appearance, flavour, nutritional value and microbial safety. These quality factors are measured by plant variety, ripening stage, maturity stage pre-harvest and post-harvest conditions. The Post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables are a serious problem because it rapidly deteriorates them during handling, transport and storage. Edible coating over fruits and vegetables are used to improve their quality and shelf life.

Abstract

It’s relatively frequent to hear about the customary consumption and commercialization of wild and cultivated mushrooms in European, North American and Asian tempered zones. In contrast, such a phenomenon has been widely unrecognized in Mesoamerican lowlands. The scarce interest for leading ethnomicological studies in these zones may be caused by a preconception according to which peoples inhabiting them do not use macroscopic fungi. Yet, archaeological evidence shows a relation between fungi and Mayan peoples existed during pre-Hispanic times.

Mushrooms are good as nutritious food for all ages and under all conditions of health. The mushroom is a fleshy, space-bearing organ of non-green edible fungi. Its fleshy nature of mushroom is responsible for its main attraction to human being as a source of food. Like other fruit and vegetables, mushrooms are soft textured and highly perishable in nature. Mushroom are potential sources of nutrients. They can convert nutritionally valueless substances into high fat and protein food. Mushroom proteins are comparable to muscle protein in nutritive value. Being a good source of vitamins and proteins it is considered be a distinct food. The digestibility of protein in these is 72-83%. Mushrooms are edible fungi; assume considerable importance in human diet as they are good source of non starchy carbohydrate, dietary fibre, minerals and vitamins-B and essential amino acids. Mushrooms are popular their delicacy and flavour rather that food value. However, it is now a well-established fact that they are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals (Vijaya Khader, 1988). The vitamins in mushroom are well retained during cooking, canning, and dehydration. The White button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus), Shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes), Pleurotus species (Pleurotus osteatus, P. flabellatus, P. sajor caju etc.), Paddy straw mushrooms (Volvariella volvacea), Winter mushrooms (Flammulina velutipis), Jew’s ear mushrooms (Auricularia polytricha) are commercially cultivated species of mushroom. In India, mainly three species viz., white button, oyster or dhingari and paddy straw mushrooms are commercially cultivated at large scale.

‘Fungi’ including ‘mushrooms’ are ‘Thallophytes’, which do not possess chlorophyll and have been classified under the Kingdom - Myceteae. They do not have stems, roots and leaves and they lack a vascular conducting system as in the case of plants. They propagate by means of spores, either asexual or sexual. Though almost all the fungi are microscopic, the mushrooms are among the largest fungi and had attracted the attention Scientists and Naturalists of many countries dating back to centuries. The Greek word ‘mykes’, which means ‘cap’, was given to the mushrooms because of the ‘cap-like’ appearance of the pileus and the Greek word ‘Mycology’ (mykes = mushroom + logos = discourse) denotes the study of mushrooms. What we call mushrooms, are actually the sporocarps produced by several species of fungi, while the mycelium that produces them live in various types of substrata and obtain nourishment from them. Usually, the fleshy, macroscopic fruiting bodies or sporocarps produced by fungi belonging to Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes are called ‘mushrooms’

The Romans attributed the appearance of mushrooms and truffles to lightning hurled by Jupiter to the earth. Even now in India and several other countries, people believe that mushrooms appear only after lightning and thunder. The Greeks believed mushrooms as ‘Food for the Gods’. The Romans supplemented mushrooms in the food of soldiers for strength and vitality. The much-priced mushrooms were supposed to be the food delicacy of the elite society of the Romans and Greeks in olden days. The Chinese consider mushrooms as a cure for many diseases and they believe that mushrooms increase the longevity. A number of medicines in all forms are prepared from mushrooms by the Chinese.

Objective
After performing this experiment you will be able to learn:
How to do edible packaging of food sample.

Introduction

Edible Packaging – An edible film or coating is simply defined as a thin continuous layer of edible material formed on, placed on, or between the foods or food components. The package is an integral part of the food, which can be eaten as a part of the whole food product.

Edible packaging can be done in two types:

Edible coating: Edible coating are applied and formed directly on food (e.g. by spraying, immersion, and fluidization) via a coating solution. This will be a part of the food and must not provoke unwanted change (organoleptic, physical, and chemical).

This chapter demonstrates that modern advances in horticultural crop development may benefit from not only knowledge derived from extant ethnographic groups but extinct peoples as well. More than 18,000 archaeological sites were identified, and a dozen rock shelter sites investigated in the Zeekoe Valley, Upper Karoo, South Africa. A baseline for understanding potential contribution of plants to the Zeekoe Valley diet is crucial for developing models of land use and mobility patterns for Late Stone Age (LSA) inhabitants, particularly since  ethnographically known foragers in Botswana, some 800 km to the North, are as much as 80 % depend on plant foods for their survival.  Since native foraging groups are long extinct in this semi-arid region with abundant natural springs, a rigorous investigation of botanical and ethnohistoric literature forms the groundwork for field investigations where direct ethnographic observation is no longer an option. First, edible species in the study area are identified in the literature. They are then sought on the ground with the aid of local informants whose families reside in the valley for generations. It appears as though some knowledge of local plants gained from native foragers 150 years ago or more have remained in Afrikaans families passed down from landowning parent to child. On the ground, collection and middle range experimentation were followed by basic nutritional analysis.  These measures were then used to compare foraging efficiency to measures from extant foraging groups.

Outdoor programming, whether for documentary films, nature shows, travel vlogs, or live-event broadcasts, presents unique challenges and opportunities for video editors. Unlike studio-based productions, outdoor recordings are subject to unpredictable variables like lighting, sound quality, and environmental factors. However, the beauty of non-linear editing (NLE) is that it allows editors to manage these challenges creatively and efficiently. This chapter will delve into the process of editing a recorded outdoor programme using NLE tools, providing an in-depth look at the techniques and considerations that can
help shape the final product.
1. The Nature of Outdoor Programmes
Outdoor programmes, by their very nature, capture content in dynamic and uncontrolled environments. This could mean shooting in vast natural landscapes, bustling cities, or remote locations with limited access to professional sound and lighting equipment. As a result, outdoor footage often contains elements that require careful editing to ensure the final product is visually and audibly appealing to the audience.

Editing

Editing is the process of refining the content, structure, grammar, and presentation of a written work. Editing is done to make sure that your thoughts are communicated to the reader as clearly as possible.

It takes more than just changing a word, adding a comma here and there, and fixing spelling errors to edit a tale. The procedures below must be followed in order to edit effectively.

1. Read the story from beginning to end first. The writer’s intent will become clearer to you at this point. Then check to see if it addresses the following queries: what? Why? Where? When? Who? and how - regarding the topic.

2. Make your notes in the margin while keeping these inquiries in mind.

3. Next, consider the general level of education and comprehension of your magazine or letter’s readers. Make a note of every word you believe they won’t comprehend.

4. Next, determine how long the story should be. What room in your magazine can you offer it? It is preferable to rewrite the story rather than attempt to condense it by omitting some details if you need a very brief copy.

5. Verify that the information is logically ordered and, if a process story, that the directions are comprehensive and given in the right sequence.

Education has continuously evolved in response to technological, economic, and social change. Education 5.0 represents a further transformation toward human-centered, personalized, inclusive, creative, sustainable, and collaborative learning environments supported by intelligent technologies. This chapter examines the evolution from Education 1.0 through Education 4.0 and explains how Generative Intelligence contributes to the emerging Education 5.0 paradigm. Earlier models progressed from teacher-centered knowledge transmission to standardized education, digitally connected learning, and technology-enabled competency development. Education 5.0 extends this evolution by emphasizing meaningful collaboration between humans and intelligent systems rather than simple technology adoption. Generative AI can support personalized content, automated assessment, intelligent tutoring, adaptive learning pathways, multimodal resources, and immersive educational experiences. The chapter also considers the role of AI, IoT, AR/VR, robotics, big data, cloud technologies, and other digital systems in shaping future learning ecosystems. Importantly, Education 5.0 must address data privacy, algorithmic fairness, academic integrity, digital inequality, sustainability, and human control. The chapter presents Education 5.0 as a human-centered transformation in which technology supports creativity, inclusivity, lifelong learning, social responsibility, and sustainable development.

Abstract
Education and knowledge transfer are vital components in advancing agricultural practices and ensuring the sustainability of food systems. This chapter explores the importance of education and knowledge transfer in agriculture, focusing on how they contribute to improved farming practices, technological adoption, and sustainable development. It examines various educational approaches, including formal education, extension services, and informal learning networks, as well as the role of technology in facilitating knowledge dissemination. Additionally, the chapter discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with knowledge transfer, such as bridging the digital divide, ensuring relevance and accessibility, and fostering collaboration between stakeholders. By highlighting successful case studies and providing recommendations for enhancing education and knowledge transfer, the chapter aims to offer a comprehensive overview of how these processes can drive agricultural innovation and development.
Keywords: Education, knowledge transfer, agriculture, extension services, technology, sustainable development, informal learning, digital divide, stakeholder collaboration, agricultural innovation.

While reviewing the status of education and research on medicinal plants in Bangladesh, it was found that there are 27 government and private educational institutions currently engaged in offering Bachelor or Diploma degree on Unani and Ayurvedic systems and training of traditional medicine practitioners in Bangladesh. Several other public and private universities have included different aspects of medicinal plants in their syllabus with other degrees at undergraduate and post graduate level. At present, there are 277 Unani, 201 Ayurvedic and 32 herbal drug manufacturers in Bangladesh with 6498 Unani, 4058 Ayurvedic and 537 herbal products registered by the Directorate General of Drug Administration. About 500 species of plants are identified which possess medicinal properties and are distributed throughout the country. There is no distinctive research organizations at present for conducting planned research solely on medicinal plants; though, the Bangladesh Forest Research Institute have some research programme on medicinal plants. Hamdard University- a private university is offering degree on Unani and Ayurvedic systems and conducting some research including drug manufacturing. Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute with other public and private universities are conducting some hectic research on medicinal plants including some high yielding variety development. The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) have taken some initiatives for development of Unani and Ayurvedic medicine sector like making ‘Bangladesh Unani and Ayurvedic Practitioners Ordinance, 1983’, ‘National Drug Policy 2016’, establishment of ‘Board of Unani and Ayurvedic Systems of Medicines (BUASM)’, etc. But proper implementation of the ordnance, strengthening the activities of BUASM and taking organized research programme on medicinal plants are very much essential for having skilled professionals, quality drugs and research.

ABSTRACT

Education begins at home, then in community and finally in the educational institutes. At present 90% of the children in the age group of 6-14 years are receiving free primary education. Education policy of the 11^th plan states that there should be free and compulsory secondary education for all. To meet this goal, additional schools have to be set up to cater to the 30 million students. To teach the 30 million students atleast one million teachers would have to be trained to ensure the 1:30 teacher– student ratio. How do we plan to meet this target?

The projected target has to be met by developing innovative teaching methods in the institutes of higher learning. These methods have to be technology based, as well as community based regional approach. Emphasis has to be given to Liberal Education where there has to be a close interaction between the teacher and learner. The Open and Distance Learning isone such System which can be compared to Liberal Education– where there is flexibility in time and pace of learning for the learners. Reforms and innovations have to be brought in this system of education with utmost caution so that there is no compromise on quality and ethics, since every age has its own ethical environment.

Ethics in this context means traditions and culture of the small communities. This is more so in the North Eastern Region where there is an intimate connection between large and small communities. This region is rich in its community based values, bioresources and cultures. Need based Vocational and Professional courses have to be designed for enriching the region with human resources infused with sophisticated skills, resulting in the economic growth for the region. This method is envisaged to take care of the social challenges, traditions and cultural ethos.

Distance Education coupled with Information Communication Technology plays a pivotal role in meeting the requirements of today’s knowledge society by cutting across the barriers of time and geographic isolation.

Almost half of the population in the world comprises women, indicating that women are at par with men, but the issue is ‘Is she really at par with men in the status too?’ Numerous studies have drawn attention to the fact that women are half marginalised in every society; they have not yet got their share. The concern over women’s problems started with the establishment of the United Nations in 1945, which led to the declaration of 1975 as ‘International Women’s Year’ and the years between 1975- 1985 as the UN Decade for Women. For the first time, the attention was focused on the unnoticed and forgotten halves, who by birth were women, performing 2/3^rd of the world’s work, receiving 1/10th of the world’s income and owning less than 1/100^th of the world’s property (Rath, 1996). 

1. Introduction
“Educational Technology is the application of scientific knowledge about learning and the conditions of learning to improve the effectiveness of teaching and training. In the absence of scientifically established principles, educational technology implements techniques of empirical testing to improve learning situation”.
Educational technology includes numerous types of media that deliver text, audio, images, animation, streaming video that includes technology applications and processes such as computer-based learning as well as local intranet/ extranet and web-based learning. Information and communication systems whether freestanding or based on either local networks or the internet in

“Educational Technology is the application of scientific knowledge about learning and the conditions of learning to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching and training. In the absence of scientifically established principles, educational technology implements techniques of empirical testing to improve learning situation”.

National Centre for Programmed Learning, UK
“Educational Technology is a complex, integrated process involving people. procedures, ideas, devices and organization for analyzing problems and devising. implementing, evaluating, and managing solutions to those problems, involved in all aspects of learning”.

Association for Educational Communications and technology (AECT), 1977
The most recent definition of the field (which uses the term, instructional technology) has been published by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). It defines Instructional Technology as “the theory and practice of design,

Effect of Air Pollutants on Plants
 
Elements of those air pollutants which accumulate in plants (S from SO2, heavy metals from anthropogenic emissions etc.) may be used for specific bio-indication of possible effects caused by these pollutants, and for mapping their spatial and temporal distribution. Measuring accumulated components in plants rather than directly in the environment, provides the dual advantages of an integrated rather than a momentary value, and of a biological content rather than a mere concentration (Stocker and Gluch, 1990).

Air pollution is the major environmental problem due to rapid urbanization and industrialization. It has led to continuous deterioration of air quality in both developed and developing countries.

Air pollution is characterized by high concentrations of suspended particulate matter, oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. Air pollution has long term effects on fruit trees; when exposed to higher orabnormal levels of various air pollutants. The injury symptoms range from visible marks on foliage, reduced growth and yield to premature death of the plant. The development and severity of injury depends not only on the concentration of the particular pollutant, but also on a number of other supporting factors. These include the duration of exposure to the pollutant, the plant species and development stage as well as conducive environmental factors.

Air pollution problems: Air pollutants are injurious to vegetation can generally be classified as either local or widespread.

Rapid urbanization and industrialization has led to continuous deterioration of air quality, which is a major environmental problems in many urban areas in both developed and developing countries. Air pollution is characterized by high concentration of suspended particulate matter, oxides of sulphur and nitrogen resulting primarily from increased use of vehicles. Air pollution effects are not limited to the short term nor to the plant damaged or killed. Rather, air pollution has long term effects that affect plants including fruit trees. Horticultural crops are injured when exposed to higher of abnormal levels of various air pollutants. The injury symptoms range from visible marks on foliage, reduced growth and yield to premature death of the plant. The development and severity of injury depends not only on the concentration of the particular pollutant, but also on a number of other supporting factors. These include the duration of exposure to the pollutant, the plant species and development stage as well as conducive environmental factors.