eChapters

Cell

Cells (small, membrane-bounded structures filled with a variety of chemicals in an aqueous solution that interact to give life) are the basic unit of life. Cells are capable of acquisition and use of energy, have the capacity to reproduce and respond to the environment and are able to carry out a variety of chemical reactions. They maintain a relatively constant internal environment despite changes in the external environment. There are two types of cells, namely, prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

The prokaryotic (pro = before, karyote = nucleus) cells are the simple form of cell types which include the various types of cells of bacteria and their relatives, all belonging to kingdom Monera. They possess a cell wall constructed of peptidoglycan, a substance unique to prokaryotes. Beneath the cell wall, there is a plasma membrane that encloses a cytoplasm containing DNA, RNA, proteins and various small molecules.

Centre of origin are also known as centre of diversity. N. I. Vavilov in 1926 has proposed that crop plants evolved from wild species in the areas showing diversity and termed them as primary centers of origin. Primary centers, crops moved to other areas with the movements of man. But in some areas, certain crop species show considerable diversity of forms although they did not originate there. Such areas are known as secondary centers of origin of these species. Genetic diversity is essential for crop improvement. Vavilov has suggested eight main centers of origin of crop plants.

1. Chinese Centre

This centre is considered to be one of the earliest and largest independent center of origin of cultivated plants. This centre includes mountain regions of central and western China. The endemic species listed from this centre include, soya bean, radish, turnip, pear, peach, plum, colocasia, buckwheat, opium poppy, brinjal, apricots, oranges, china tea etc.

2. Himalayan Centre

This centre is also known as the Indian centre of origin. This centre includes regions of Assam, Burma, Indo-china and Malayan Archipelago. The crops originated from this centre are rice, red gram, chick pea, pea, mung, brinjal, cucumber, sugar cane, black pepper, moth bean, rice bean, cotton, turmeric, indigo, millets etc.

Introduction

About sixty percent of the world’s food intake comes from the three major crops, i.e., wheat, rice and maize (Thielecke and Nugent, 2018). Depending upon the country of utilization and consumption, the products made from cereals such as barley, wheat, maize, triticale, spelt, buckwheat, rice etc. can vary in the range of pasta, bread, pastries, soups, chapatti, cooked rice etc. World cereal utilization in 2021/22 is forecasted at 2,811 million tonnes and the worldwide production of cereals is expected to reach 2,818 million tonnes by 2025 (FAO, 2020).

    1.    Rice is a
        a)    Edible fruit    b)    Edible Vegetable
        c)    Edible flower    d)    All
    2.    Major components in cereal seeds are 
        a)    Endosperm    b)    Germ or embryo
        c)    a & b    d)    None
    3.    Bran is composed of 
        a)    Pericarp    b)    Testa
        c)    aleuron layer    d)    All
    4.    Oats contains ______________ percent of hull
        a)    50    b)    40
        c)    30    d)    20

Natural farming in India is increasingly being recognized not just for its ecological integrity but also for its potential to enhance farmer incomes through systematic certification, innovative marketing, and value-added processing. Together, these elements form a vital support framework for scaling natural farming as a sustainable livelihood model.
While natural farming is rooted in chemical-free traditional practices, certification mechanisms like the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) and thirdparty organic certifications provide formal recognition. These certifications— backed by government agencies and NGOs—enhance credibility, assure consumers of product authenticity, and allow farmers to label their produce as
natural or organic. This certification enables access to niche, premium markets where consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable and safe food options.
Marketing remains a key challenge but also a promising frontier. Traditional supply chains often fail to acknowledge the ecological value of natural produce. Direct-to-consumer sales, farmers’ markets, and online platforms like Jaivik Kheti are bridging this gap, offering better price realization. Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) further strengthen the position of natural farmers by enabling bulk marketing, logistics management, and improved price negotiation.
Value addition transforms raw produce into market-ready goods such as  pickles, flours, oils, and herbal teas, significantly enhancing profitability. These products appeal to health-conscious consumers and often command premium prices. Many on-farm processing units are run by rural women’s self-help groups, thereby creating jobs and empowering local communities.

India has a wide agroclimatic range i.e. temperate, subtropical and tropical, enabling to achieve horticulture diversification. India is second in fruit and vegetable production at global level. The percentage share of horticulture output in agriculture has become 33%, (Horti statistics, 2018). However, productivity in most of the horticulture commodities is very low below world productivity, as we have not concentrated intensively on some major aspects to achieve competitiveness in horticulture for expansion in international trade.

India has potential to lead the world in horticulture. Horticulture is mostly concerned in different aspects of human beings such as provision of nutritious food to achieve a balanced diet; rural employment, integral part of rainfed and dry land areas, wealth generation through the activities of production, processing, marketing, servicing, and related sectors, economically important in export related activities and associated with all the elements of the supply chain etc. 

13.1 Challenges in the technology transfer process
Technology transfer (TT) is more complex and involves the complex interrelationships between universities, research institutes, the private sector, the state, and society. Though TT is all about translating research findings into purposeful solutions that can support the economy and society, it is not a linear process. The challenges can be described as legal, institutional, cultural, financial, policy, and human resource. All this is accompanied by bottlenecks that inhibit or decelerate the diffusion of promising technologies.
13.1.1 Legal and intellectual property challenges
The vital component of technology transfer is the proper management of intellectual property (IP), which is often the most challenging aspect.
• Ambiguities in IP ownership: During multi-institutional or shared funder research, ownership is quite controversial. As an example, when a government lab and a university collaborate on the project, there is ambiguity as to who would have the ultimate licensing authority over the technology: the university, the lab, or the funding agency. This kind of fight hinders commercialisation and scares off industry partners.
• Lengthy patent filing and prosecution timelines: In several jurisdictions, the filings, examination, and granting of a patent may take between three and five years or more. Such delay is not compatible with the rapid cycle of invention in other fields such as ICT or biotechnology, where patent claims may become invalid before they are granted.
• High costs of IP protection: International direct patenting, like under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), is costly and involves legal services, fees, and upkeep costs. These costs are excessively high, which cannot be easily compensated by universities and startups, and where technologies are not secured or limited to local markets.

ABSTRACT

Atotal of 45 Gram positive, spore forming and rod shaped bacteria identified as Bacillus species were isolated from the rhizosphere of Chickpea plants. They were studied for their interaction with root borne fungal pathogens was studied using spot test method. Isolates CBS 29, CBS 113, CBS 123, CBS 132, CBS 153 and CBS 155 inhibited the growth of four or more fungi with inhibition zones varied from 1-5 mm. Two isolates CBS 153 and CBS 155 produced siderophores on CAS supplemented agar medium. Further inoculation of these Bacilli on seeds of Chickpea cultivar C235 and H8618 showed inhibitory, stunting or stimulatory effects on plumule and radicle growth depending upon cultivar, bacterium used and stage of seedling growth. Studies on co-inoculation of these isolates with Mesorhizobium and their plant growth promoting activity are being carried out. These co-inoculation studies are important areas of exploitation to improve crop productivity.

In the previous chapter the physical methods of fruit and vegetables processing and preservation have been discussed. The present chapter deals with chemical method of fruit and vegetable preservation. In this method of preservation of fruits and vegetables, chemicals as preservatives are used to prevent the spoilage of fruit and vegetable products. These preservatives react with food (produce) constituents or microorganisms and create unfavourable conditions which hinder growth, activities and multiplication of microbes responsible for spoilage of food products. These chemical agents have maximum permissible limit of their use as law. They can be classified into two classes class I and class II.

Class I: Sugar, Salt and Oils

Class II: Sodium benzoate, Potassium metabisulphite (K M S) and Sorbic acid

Very little is known about the basic principles governing the chemistry of flavour or fragrance. In English, the term aroma chemicals is used for both fragrance and flavour compounds. Any compound with a sufficiently high vapour pressure will have an odour and this is normally of the molecular weight of around 300, a relatively low polarity granted (Frater et al., 1998). Generally only compounds with pleasant smell are considered to fall under the realm of fragrance chemistry, but purified individual components from a mixture may have a malodour. Almost all ancient civilizations had their tradition of making fragrances from natural materials, mostly of plant origin, but also of animal origin – these are mostly essential oils, exudates, balsam and resins (Arctander, 1969).
 
It was in the latter half of the 19th century that synthetic fragrance chemicals were experimented upon and brought into the market, examples being coumarin (Fig. 1) (in the year 1866), salicylaldehyde (Fig. 2) (1876), vanillin (Fig. 3) (1876), phenylacetaldehyde (Fig. 4) (1883), piperonal (Fig. 5) (1890), musk xylol (Fig. 6) (1891) and b-ionone (Fig. 8) (1893) (Frater et al., 1998).

Cherimoya is considered as the most esteemed of the fruits of the genus Annona (family Annonaceae). A. cherimola Mill., because of its limited distribution, has acquired few colloquial names, and most are merely local variations in spelling, such as chirimoya, cherimolia, chirimolla, cherimolier, cherimoyer. The cherimoya is believed to be indigenous to the interandean valleys of Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia. It is cultivated in Australia, Hawai, Brazil, Mexico, India, Sri Lanka, Jamaica, Spain, Costa Rica, Africa and Argentina. In India it is found growing in states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, (Nilgiris and Palani hills), Karnataka (the Nandi hills) and Andhra Pradesh (Telangana region).

It bears fruits with skin which is thin or thick, may be smooth with fingerprint-like markings or covered with conical or rounded protuberances. The sweet, juicy, white flesh is melting, subacid and very fragrant. The fruit is of a primitive form with spirally arranged carpels, resembling a raspberry. Each segment of flesh surrounds a single hard black bean-like seed.

Cultivars: Fingerprinted, Smooth, Tuberculate, Mammilate and Umbonate are the cultivars having different shapes, texture and morphology.

Uses

The flesh of the ripe cherimoya is most commonly eaten out of-hand or scooped with a spoon from the cut open fruit. It really needs no embellishment but some people in Mexico like to add a few drops of lime juice. Occasionally it is added to fruit salads or used for making sherbet or ice cream. Colombians strain out the juice, add a slice of lemon and dilute with ice-water to make a refreshing soft drink. The fruit has been fermented to produce an alcoholic beverage (Morton, 1987). In Jamaica, the dried flowers have been used as flavoring for snuff. All species of Annona can produce seed oil. Essential oils extracted from soursop (pulp) have industrial applications and the oils are also thought to improve the flavour of processed fruit products.

Genus   : Prunus
Species : avium cerasus, mahaleb L.
Family : Rosaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 16, 24, 32

Records indicate that cherries were in cultivation ever since the beginning of civilization. Cherries exhibit vast genetic variability as is evident from the different species which vary in their ploidy level. Sweet cherries (Prunus avium L) are diploid while sour cherries (P. cerasus, L.) are tetraploid, and commercially more important than the other species. Duke cherry has resulted from hybridization between sour and sweet cherry with intermediate tree and fruit characters. Successful cherry cultivation revolves around climatic factors, prime being the extent and spread of rainfall, variation in day and night temperature, occurrence of frosts, high heat day largely determine the type of cherry that will grow successfully in a particular areas. Hence cherry improvement around the world has so far been localized to few selected areas where different cherries have been successfully grown.

1. Introduction

Cherry is the common name of several Prunus species that include sweet cherry (P. avium), tart or sour cherry (P. cerasus), Duke cherry (hybrids between P. avium and P. cerasus). Sweet cherries are believed to have originated from the area between the Black and Caspian seas of Asia Minor. Birds probably carried the seed to Europe prior to human civilization. Cultivation was probably started by the Greeks and continued by the Romans. Its distribution and naturalization have proved extensive, for it is now found wild in areas as widely spaced as northern India, the southern plains of Europe and even on isolated islands such as Madeira. Climatic conditions are the most important limitations on cherry production. Being a deciduous tree, it needs a period of dormancy, which is initiated in temperate regions mainly by a fall in average temperatures in late autumn (Mir et al., 2017). Sweet cherry is grown almost everywhere in the temperate zone. It is a composite genus. Due to its origin, this genus needs warm and light conditions, but can also endure cold winter weather. It requires 550-600 mm precipitation annually. Sweet cherry prefers medium light (pH= 5.5–7.5), deep-layered soil, which is rich in nutrients. The root system of sweet cherry requires aeration and cannot tolerate slack water (Simon, 2004). Many areas of the world, although environmentally suited to cherry production, are currently unsuited to profitable cherry production due to high perishable nature of the fruit.

Prunus avium means “Bird Cherry” in the Latin language, is commonly known as ‘Sweet cherry’. Cherries have pleased the palates of food lovers for centuries. Their ruby-red colour and tangy taste won the hearts of kings, queens and noblemen in the history, making a special place for cherries on their tables. The ultimate celebration of cherries is the National Cherry Festival. It is held every year in July in the “Cherry Capital of the World”-Traverse City, Michigan. This festival originated from a spring ceremony known as the “Blessing of the Blossoms.” Thousands of visitors come from all over the world to celebrate the harvest and of course, eat cherries. A delicious fruit, cherry is rich in protein and sugars. Cherry is an excellent source of minerals like potassium, manganese, magnesium, iron, phosphorous and copper. Good amounts of vitamins (A, B, C and K) are found in cherries. They also contain anthocyanins, melatonin and fibers. It has more calorific value than apple. 

• Native to temperate regions of Northern Hemisphere.
• Chilling requirement – 2000-2700 hr, highest among temperate fruits.
• Heavy rainfall during flowering causes – Blossom wilt.
• Heavy rainfall during ripening causes fruit cracking.
• In Europe, a wine – ‘Kirschwasser’ is distilled from the pulp of cherries.
• Most of the commercial varieties of cherry are self-sterile.
• Seedling rootstock – Pazza, Mahaleb, Mazzard
• Clonal rootstock – Colt, Mazzard, F-12/1
• Cherry fruits are the first to appear in the market among temperate fruits.
• Cherry has more calorific value them apple.
• Donar vars: Stella, Vista, Vic, Seneca, Vega.

7.1 Introduction

Cherry is one of the important temperate stone fruits of the world. It is widely grown in the cooler climates where the span of winter is wide and very much pronounced. Sweet cherry is tall, attaining a height of 18 m, and pyramidal form. The branches are usually erect, and leaves are large, thin, variable pubescent beneath and coarsely serrated. Sweet (Prunus avium L.) and sour (P. cerasus L.) cherry ripen first among stone fruits followed by apricot, peach and plum. Sweet cherry comes first on the fresh market; hence, it is in high demand during late spring and early summer. Sweet cherry cultivars with red fruit colour lead the market while cultivars of yellow, white, or blush colour are in less demand. Sour cherries have smaller fruit size and are less firm than sweet cherries. The vast majority of the sour cherries are processed. The tree of sour cherry is usually 6-9 m tall, open headed, round topped or spreading and often without a central leader. The leaves are much smaller, dark green in colour and more numerous and trees are hardier than those of sweet cherry. Diameter of sour cherry fruit is about 2 cm.

There are many cherry species, but only a few have been domesticated. The sweet cherry trees are large (30–40 feet tall) and usually pyramid shaped. Branches grow upright. The fruits are large, have a deep stem cavity, vary in colour from light yellow to dark red to purplish black. Flowers arise from clusters of 2 to 5 flowers on short spurs with multiple buds at tips; the distal bud develops into a leafy shoot. The flesh ranges in texture from tender to firm, and is sweet. Most sweet cherries are consumed as fresh fruit. The tart cherry, is sometime called “red cherry” or “sour cherry” and may have arisen from an unreduced pollen grain of Prunus avium crossed with Prunus fruiticosa. Trees are very cold hardy, but are shorter lived than sweet cherry. The fruit is relatively small, and have higher acid and lower sugar content than sweet cherry. Tart cherries are used for processing, jam, and pie filling. The Duke cherry is a hybrid of Prunus avium and Prunus cerasus and all gradations between the two species exist, but most varieties more closely resemble sweet cherry. Sweet cherries are the variety most often found in markets. They have a thick, rich, and almost plumb-like texture. Sour cherries are not usually eaten raw, but are widely used for making preserves, candy etc. Sour cherries are much smaller than sweet cherries and all varieties are self-fertile. Cherries are cultivated all over the world and the top 3 producers of cherry are Turkey, USA and Iran. The cultivated forms are of the species sweet cherry (Prunus avium) to which most cherry cultivars belong, and the another sour cherry (P. cerasus), which is used mainly for making preserve etc. Both species originate in Europe and western Asia; they do not cross pollinate. Some other species, although having edible fruit, are not grown extensively for consumption, except in northern regions where the two main species will not grow.

• The chestnut is a nutritious low in fat and rich in Vitamin B.
• Freshly harvested nuts contain about 50% moisture, 40-42% carbohydrates, 2.9% proteins and about 1.5% fats.
• All cultivars of chestnut are self-sterile.
• The Chinese chestnut is the earliest tree to bloom. The flowers are produced in two kinds of catkins borne on current season shoot near the terminal portion of the shoot.
• Three nuts are usually produced in each bun (upper, left and right).
• Botanically, each nut is a complete fruit.
• The shell of the nut develops from the ovary wall.
• It is as hardy as peach and can withstand as low as -29°C temperature in deep dormancy.
• Some species of chestnut are used as rootstock for propagation.
• Chestnut is a highly cross-pollinated and hybrid seedling used as the rootstock is a possible cause of graft union failure in chestnut. Therefore, mixed hybrid strains should not be used as rootstock.

Genus : Castanea 
Species : avellana
Family : Fagaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 24

Before the history was started to be written chestnut nuts in Japan and China were harvested, collected and eaten and aptly has been an important food for man around the world especially in Asia, Asia Minor, Europe and North America for hundreds of years. As early as 50 B.C., chestnut was brought to southern Europe by Greeks from Asia Minor and red Indians in North America prior to its discovery. Used nuts of chestnut was a staple food especially during famine times.

Genus Castanea has 13 species and belongs to the family Fagaceae which also has important forest plants like Oak (Quercus), and beech (Fagus). Species of this genus are grown for ornamental and also for their edible nuts. Three species of chestnut are economically important as they produce edible nuts, are highly variable and selection has been practiced for hundreds of years to select high yielding, large fruited type. The species other than C. dentata (American chestnut) are called ‘Chinkapins’.

Chi-Square

The Chi-square test (c₂) proposed by Karl Pearson in 1899 is used to measure goodness of fit of observed and theoretical or expected data and is a continuous distribution.

Formula for Chi-Square

1. General Formula

The general formula for Chi-square is as follows