eChapters

• 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’.

Etiology

It is a pruritic transmissible dermatological condition caused by Cheyletiella yasguri, one of the surface living mite.

Etiology

It is a pruritic transmissible dermatological condition caused by Cheyletiella yasguri, one of the surface living mite.

Rice is the principal crop of the region and cultivated in 3.9 million hectares area with an average productivity of about 1.3 t ha-1, which is very low. Irrigation resources are limited and confined to only 26 per cent and utilized for rice crop only. The region has rice based cropping system, in which lathyrus (grasspea),  is grown as utera (relay crop) in 0.46 million hectares. However, its productivity is not more than 2 to 3 q ha-1. Pulse crops are cultivated in an area of 0.44 m ha in kharif and 0.81 m ha in rabi season. The main pulse crops of the region are lathyrus, black gram, pigeonpea, chickpea, horsegram (kulthi), lentil and field pea. Area-wise, urd in kharif and lathyrus in rabi occupy the top position but as far as productivity is concerned, pigeonpea and chickpea are important. Pigeonpea and chickpea together can contribute a lot in increasing the pulses production in region. The average productivity of pigeonpea is 5.19 q ha-1 . It is also grown on rice bunds, which may give an additional production of 0.06 mt. Mung and urd are grown throughout the year in the region, however, powdery mildew and yellow mosaic virus diseases pose severe threat to these crops.

We have seen the procedures of testing hypothesis about population parameters in chapter 11. Frequently our interest is to test whether a set of observed values are in agreement with those which would occur if some specified hypothesis were true. The X² statistic provides a measure of agreement between such observed and expected frequencies.

The X² distribution has a number of applications in testing of hypotheses. It is used to test, (1) the independence of attributes, (2) the  goodness of fit, (3) the homogeneity of variances, (4) the homogeneity of correlation coefficients, and (5) the linkage in genetic problems. For applying X² test procedure we have to use only the actual observed frequencies and not the percentages or ratios. Further, the samples should be independent and the observations within a sample should be non-overlapping. The expected frequency in each category should be more than 5. The number of observations should be large, say, more than 50.

12.1 Chi-Square Variate

The square of a standard normal variate is known as a chi - square variate or chi square statistic with one degree of freedom. Thus if , then the variate Z defined as 

Z is a standard normal variate with mean zero and variance unity (one) and  = Z² is a chi - square variate (statistic) with one degree of freedom.

In general if xi, (i=1,2,.......n) are n independent normal variates with means μ_i and variance , then  is a chi - square variate (statistic) with n degree of freedom. It is denoted by the notation  and follows chi-square distribution. Symbolically, it is expressed as .

12.2 Chi-Square Distribution

Let  be a chi - square variate with n degree of freedom. Then its probability density function is written as

12.1 Chi-Square Variate
The square of a standard normal variate is known as a chi – square variate or chi square statistic with one degree of freedom.

13.1 Section-A : Write True / False

Q.1 The square of a standard normal variate is known as Chi-square variate with one d.f.

Q.2 If X ~ N(μ, σ²) and Z = (x - μ)/σ then Z² is known as Chi-square variate with 1.d.f.

Q.3 If Xi ~ N(μi, σi), i = 1,2,...., n are n independent normal variates then

Chi-square test is a non-parametric test as the null hypothesis does not contain any assumption regarding the population parameter. Chi-square is also written as c₂. In this chapter two uses of chi-square test will be dealt with. They are the following :

11.1 Introduction

Chi-square test is a non-parametric test. Such non-parametric tests have assumed great importance in statistical analysis and statistical inference because they are easy to compute and can be used without making assumptions about parameters as they are distribution-free tests.

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

Chia seed is an ancestral crop having fascinating history of 5500 years. It was the third most important grain of pre-columbian society. Chia seed is common name given to species of Salvia. Salvia hispanica, Salvia columbariae and Salvia polystachya are most important species among all Salvia seeds. Salvia belongs to family of Lamiaceaeis, first native to Mexico and later introduced to Spain by Hernan Cortes (Ortiz de Montellano, 1978), but in next 200 years 17 chia became virtually unknown to human and required research to establish the nutritional aspects of chia and reintegrate as food in modern diet.

Artificial insemination (AI) technology is one of the important managemental tools for the successful poultry industry. It has several uses and a few limitations also. This technique is performed to avoid the spread of venereal diseases by natural mating and to increase the dissemination of genetic material to a large number of birds. This technique include: semen collection, semen evaluation (physical and biochemical characteristics), semen dilution and preservation and deposition of semen in the female genitalia. Semen dilution is one of the most critical components of AI technology. Several suitable semen dilutors are reviewed for low temperature storage up to around 48 hours.

The ancient wisdom of the Indians about the value of pulses in human nutrition is perhaps, responsible to an extent for the widespread vegetarianism in our country. The staple pulse component in combination with cereals in our diet emanates from this recognition, Modern nutritionists also substantiate that this combination is superior to either pulse or cereal alone.

Chickpea, Cicer arietinum L, is the second most important pulse crop in the world. In India, it occupies prime position in terms of area, production and economic value and as an important constituent vegetarian diet. Chickpea is traditionally grown in many parts of the world covering Asia, Africa, Europe and North and South America. But the bulk of it is produced and consumed in South Asia and increasingly in Middle East as well as in some Mediterranean countries. Recently, chickpea cultivation started in Australia, Canada and USA mainly for export to south Asia. The cultivated species, Cicer arietinum L. (2n=16 and n=8), is characterized by possessing two distinct types-small and brown seeded known as desi type, and bold and white seeded known as kabuli type. The former is mostly cultivated in Indian sub-continent. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is also known by several common names viz., Bengal gram, Gram, Chhola, Hommes and Garbenzobean.

Chickpea provides 2-3 times more protein than many cereals, constituting a major component of the agrarian diet of the Indian sub-continent. Chickpea grains provide about 18-24% protein, 4-10% fat, 52-70.9% carbohydrate, 10-23% fibre, minerals and vitamins. Among essential amino acids lysine, methionine, threonine, valine, isolucine and leucine are major components of seed protein. It also contains considerable amount of vitamins such as B₁ and B₂, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and niacin also. Chickpea, therefore, plays an important role in human nutrition.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a self-pollinating diploid (2n=2x=16) with a genome size of 740 Mbp and belongs to family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae). In a scientific advance involving scientists from more than 20 research organizations, sequencing of the chickpea genome was recently completed for 90 chickpea genotypes, including several wild species. The researchers responsible for the work, led by ICRISAT, succeeded in identifying more than 28,000 genes and several million genetic markers that scientists expect will lead to the development of superior varieties.

All the above ground parts of the plant are affected. There is development of round and elongated spots surrounded by brownish red margin on the leafl ets. At later stage spots coalesce and entire leaf turns brown. On green pods, the lesions are usually circular with dark margin and pin head like dark dots representing the pycnidia in concentric circles.

Chicory (Cichorium intybus L. var. sativum D.C.) plant is the herbaceous, perennial plant and supposed to have descended from the wild chicory (wild succory, blue sailors) which is often seen along roadsides with its blue flowers. The leaves are used as salads in human diet and other different purposes. They were reported to be stomachic (Baumann 1982, Franke, 1981) and their juice was used against eye disease and poisoning. The infusion of chicory was believed to be good for the liver, kidney and stomach. Initially the wild plant was used but since approximately 300 B.C., the crop was cultivated for this purpose. Beverages, soups and sauces made of chicory were reported to be used in Italy and Belgium as early in 16^th century.

For the first time, the root of chicory was used as a substitute of coffee in 1690 in Holland followed by many other countries like Sweden, France, etc. During 1806 and 1813, the cultivation and use of roasted roots of chicory as coffee substitute spread over the whole European continent. In the 19^th century, the main centres of cultivation of chicory were North-East France, Belgium, England, Russia, Holland and Australia. Subsequently it was raised on large scale in Poland, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland and India. Presently over 20% of the World’s consumption takes place in Eastern Europe, especially in Poland (6%) followed by Russia, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia and East Germany. Twelve percent is reported to be consumed in South Africa, 9% in India and 2% in the United States (Clark and Macrae, 1987).

Chikungunya has been emerged as an important public health problem in the Indian Ocean Islands and India recently. Epidemiological, geographical and demographic data suggested that 1.38 million people were affected by the disease in India in 2006. The actual incidence of the disease may have been higher but underreporting did not reveal the actual picture. A large proportion of those who became ill consulted private health care professional or sought alternative medical care such as Ayurveda or homeopathy not included in the data collected by Govt. officials.

During the epidemic, rural hospitals, private and public clinics flooded with victims of Chikungunya. The virus did not kill its victims but inflicted considerable pain and misery besides local, regional and national financial burden towards health care. Only National Institute of Virology (NIV) and National Institute of Communicable Disease (NICD) provided accurate diagnosis of the disease. The Chikungunya assumed epidemic proportions because viral agent mutated, the vectors discovered the new ways to spread and the host lacked immunity to fight the disease. Modern transport systems - cars, buses, trains and aircraft particularly the movement of humans played a key role in spreading the disease that helped to maintain man-mosquito man cycle.

Etiology: First isolated in Tanzania in 1953, Chikungunya is under genus Alphavirus and family Togaviridae. It contains a single stranded positive sense RNA with a length of 12 Kb coding 4 non-structural (nspl - nsp 4) and 3 structural proteins (E1-E3). Among the structural protein, El protein correlates with serological response in human hosts and also modulates penetration of the virus in the mosquito species. Genetic analyses and historical accounts suggest that the Chikungunya virus originated in tropical Africa and subsequently evolved into 3 distinct genotypes - the East African, the West African and the Asian genotypes. The Asian genotypes have a high degree of nucleic acid sequence homology among themselves but the African strains exhibit wider sequence diversity and have been shown to undergo genetic micro-evolutions even during the course of an epidemic. Prior to the 2006 epidemic in India, the 3 genotypes were restricted to the geographical areas only. Previous outbreaks in India (1963 and 1973) were caused by the Asian genotypes, but the 2005 epidemic in the Indian Ocean Islands and the 2006 epidemic in India have been attributed to the East African genotype which arrived in India 5 years ago.

Children with developmental challenges may experience difficulties affecting physical movement, cognition, communication, learning, behaviour, sensory functioning or social participation. This chapter develops awareness of different disabilities, their characteristics, possible causes, assessment and educational implications. It covers intellectual disability, autism spectrum conditions, learning disabilities, hearing and visual impairment, speech and language problems, cerebral palsy and behavioural difficulties. Questions also examine inclusive and special education, early identification, intervention, rehabilitation, family support and the roles of teachers and professionals. Attention is given to government programmes, legislation and institutional services designed to protect children’s rights and promote their development, education, independence and inclusion within society.

It is a very important and commonly found disease of chili which observed in field as well as in storage. It is also known as anthracnose disease which is mostly seen in tropical and sub tropical regions.

Chilli or Pepper (Capsicum Sps.) originated in South America and spread into the New World tropics before subsequent introduction to Asia and Africa. Chillies are now widely grown throughout the tropics, sub-tropics and warmer temperature region of the world. The genus Capsicum is a member of the family Solanaceae.

Chilli thrips: Scirtothrips dorsalis, Thrips palmi: Thripidae

The adults of this insect are small brownish black with fringed wings. The nymphs are slender and yellowish straw coloured, later acquiring more brownish hue. They lacerate the tissues and feed on the exuding sap. Leaves become crinkled, curled upward and shed. The attack can be confused with chilli mosaic symptom.  In capsicum and chilli, they also feed beneath calyx of flowers and fruits causing flower/fruit drop and reduction in yield and market value of capsicum. Buds become brittle and drop down. Plants get stunted and bronzed. The fruits if at all formed are crinkled and small.

Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) and bell pepper (Capsicum annuum var. grossum) are economically significant crops in India, known for their distinct attributes and culinary uses. Despite their shared progenitor, these crops exhibit varietal differences and require specific breeding strategies for hybrid seed production due to small flower size. The development of male sterile systems has revolutionized hybrid seed production, with the exploitation of Genetic Male Sterility (GMS) and Cytoplasmic Male Sterility (CMS) in chilli and bell pepper breeding. The market for chilli seeds in India is substantial, driven by the demand for high-value hybrid seeds. This chapter comprehensively reviews the botanical characteristics, genetic resources, and breeding objectives in Capsicum species, emphasizing traits like disease resistance, high yield, and stress tolerance. It also highlights varietal achievements in public and private sectors, showcasing improved cultivars and hybrids with specific attributes. The integration of molecular markers in male sterile genes facilitates efficient hybrid seed production, ensuring genetic purity and quality. Additionally, the package of practices for seed production in chilli underscores the importance of isolation, field standards, inspection, harvesting, seed processing, and quality standards to maintain seed purity and viability.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Capsicum or chilli including paprika belonging to family Solanaceae, is a native of new world tropics and sub tropics. Within the genus Capsicum, mainly five species have been recognized as domesticated namely, Capsicum annuum, C. baccatum, C. chinense, C. frutescens and C. pubescens. Most of the commercially cultivated chilli cultivars as well as paprika belong to the species C. annuum. The cultivated Capsicum was introduced to India and Southeastern Asia in the 17th century by the Portugese. The name Capsicum is possibly derived from the Greek word ‘Kapso’ meaning ‘to bite’ referring to the dominant pungency stimulated by the spice, while ‘Paprika’ means plants of the genus Capsicum, in the Hungarian language. ‘Paprika’, is defined in the world market as non-pungent (sweet) brilliant red ground Capsicum powder, derived from the thick flesh dried red pods, with most of the seeds and veins removed. Both chilli and paprika are widely consumed as vegetable and spice all over the world. Mostly, the cultivars grown in Asian countries are pungent, while less and non-pungent cultivars are more common in European countries. Chilli of commerce is the dried pod, while it was pericarp (outer skin of the dried fruit) for paprika.

1. Anthracnose or Fruit Rot and Die Back
Diagnostic Symptoms
The disease occurs in two forms: the die back and the ripe -rot Die back symptoms
• Small, circular to irregular, brownish black scattered spots appear on leaves.
• Severely infected leaves defoliate.
• Infection of growing tips leads to necrosis of branches from tip backwards.
• Necrotic tissues appear grayish white with black dot like acervuli in the center.
• Shedding of flowers due to the infection at pedicel and tips of branches.
Fruit symptoms
• Ripe fruits are more liable for attack than the green ones.
• Small, circular, yellowish to pinkish sunken spots appear on fruits.

1. Introduction

Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) is a major vegetable and spice crop due to its high consumption, nutritional and cash value to farmers and consumers. It is cultivated almost in whole world as consume in the form of green and red ripe fruits. China is the world leader in chilli production followed by India, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Thailand, and Turkey. India is the second largest exporter in the world of dry chilli and its powder. Fruits of chilli are used as fresh salad, cooked vegetable, pickles, souces hot spices in powder form (Parey et al., 2013) and having many medicinal values (Nadkarni, 1927). Fresh green fruits of peppers and red peppers are the major source of vitamin A, C and antioxidant compounds, besides these also found minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, manganese, sodium, zinc and copper. 

I. FILL UPS

1. Dehydrated green chilli is a good source of _____.
2. Isolation distance adopted for chilli for foundation seed production is _____.
3. Seed rate of chilli is _____.
4. Spacing generally adopted for chillies are _____.

Chilli (Capsicum annuum, 2n = 2x = 24, family Solanaceae) also known as hot-pepper, classified as often-cross-pollinated crop is consumed both as fresh green and dry spice type. It is a rich source of vitamin C and pungency to the consumers and world food industries. The global area and production statistics often run into different figures due to inclusion of some times only fresh green chilies, sometimes red-dry chillies and sometimes inclusion of sweet peppers also in this broad category. The global production of fresh and dry chillies in 2014 has been reported to be 32.32 million tons where China alone accounted for 16.12 million tons followed by India with over 5 million tons of production. Other major countries growing chilli are Mexico, Indonesia, Spain, Turkey, USA, Korea, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Thailand and Ethiopia. More than 65% of global green and dry chillies production is in Asia, while Europe contributes 12% and Africa around 10%. China is the leading producer of green and dry chillies, Area under chillies in China is less than that in India, but productivity is almost double than that in India.

Chilli or hot pepper, the Capsicum species (principally Capsicum annuum) under the family Solanaceae (Chromosome No. 2n =2x =24) is a tropical vegetable-cum spice crop commonly used throughout the world as spice for its pungency and red colour of ripe dried fruits and also for its green fruits for pungency and flavour.
Origin, domestication and adaptation in India
It is generally accepted that the Capsicum genus belonging to the family Solanaceae was originated in Bolivia which consists of 25–30 species. Five of these Capsicum species viz., C. annuum, C. baccatum, C. chinense, C. frutescens, and C. pubescens were domesticated. The largest group of varieties is found under C. annuum which is grown worldwide. Both hot pepper and sweet pepper belonging to the same species Capsicum annuum originated from the wild and weedy Capsicum annuum var. minimum distributed from the southern United States to the northern South America. The primary centre of origin of chilli is in southern and central America and secondar centre in Guatemala.

Capsicum species are members of family Solanaceae, which include tomato, potato, tobacco and petunia.  Pepper, chile, chili, aji, paprika and capsicum are used interchangeably for plants in the genus Capsicum.  The word Capsicum is reserved for taxonomic discussion (Bosland, 1992). The indigenous people of Americas evolved pepper through breeding and domestication of Capsicum species. Global diversification was facilitated by age of exploration, and subsequent establishment of land races and farmers selections.  Classical genetic and cytogenetic exploitation of Capsicum species began in 1940s and continued throughout the century (Poulos, 1994). Data on crossability and hybrid sterility are developed to reinforce or revise views on the rank of morphologically distinguishable taxa, while studies on chromosomes and isozymes aided in understanding the relationships between domesticated and wild species and the course of evolution within the domesticated species.

India is today the second largest producer of fruit and vegetable after China with a total annual production of 281.75 million tons in 2017-18. Fruit and vegetables are essential components of the human diet and nutrition constitute. Fruit and vegetable are also element of diversification in agriculture for additional income generating resource and employment generation area. Although India is the largest producer of fruit in the world, the production per capita is only about 100 g per day. Huge losses to the extent of 20 to 40% of the total production are reported due to lack of adequate infrastructure and transportation facilities and higher the transportation cost. Thus the per capita availability of fruits is further reduced to 60 -80 g per day which is almost half the requirement for a balanced diet. The fruit production in India has recorded a growth rate of 3.9%, whereas the fruit processing sector has grown at about 20% per annum. However, the growth rates have been extensively higher for frozen fruits and vegetables (121%) and dehydrated fruits and vegetables (24%).

Fruit and vegetables are mostly seasonal crops but they are demanded by consumers throughout the year. They are very highly perishable in nature, which is difficult to preserve for the longer period of time under ambient storage conditions. The low temperature storage retarded the activity of various biological and biochemical agents of spoilage and provides longer shelf life to the fruit and vegetables The temperature is brought down by taking out the heat with the help of mechanical refrigeration, This system is based on a liquid absorbing heat as it change to a gas. The more common mechanical refrigeration system use a refrigerant such as (Ammonia, Freon etc.,) takes out the heat from the chamber/ store as it is expand. The spoilage agents are microorganism such as (e.g., bacteria, yeast and molds etc.) and larva. Optimum storage temperature for most products is one slightly above the freezing point of the product. Some fruit and vegetables are particularly sensitive to storage temperature are susceptible to called storage disease when stored at temperature below as or above the critical temperature e.g.,

7.1 Introduction
Certain bacteria are present in milk that is extracted from the udder; they increase in quantity as it is processed further. The optimal temperature range for the proliferation of typical milk bacteria is 20 to 40 degrees Celsius. The formation of unpleasant flavours, increased acidity, and other factors always results in a decline in market quality following the proliferation of bacteria. Prompt chilling to a low temperature is one method of preserving milk. Milk jug Refrigerator: In order to preserve the purity of the milk received at the Dairy/Chilling Centre, it is chilled to 4°C using a milk chiller. Stainless-steel plates comprise the chiller. The process of chilling involves the circulation of chilled water from one side of the plates and milk from the other.
7.2 Methods
1. In can or can immersion method:
The milk is not only cooled, but it also remains cold, necessitating a significantly smaller mechanical refrigeration unit. This is achieved by transporting pails.
Benefits of a surface cooler
• Efficiently and swiftly transfer heat.
• Relatively affordable.
• Additionally, the milk is aerated, which enhances its flavour.

Chrysomelid beetle : Aulacophora foveicollis : Chrysomelidae

Adults cut tender shoots and feed on leaves resulting in holes and loss of leaf. Grubs feed on roots and underground stems leading to yellowing,wilting and drying of attacked plants.

China aster (Callistephus chinensis) belonging to family Asteracea is a native of China. It is a half hardy annual, erect plant, hispid hairy branches bearing alternate, broadly ovate or triangular ovate, deeply and irregularly toothed leaves. Flowers are solitary, usually blue, lavender rose or white coloured. China aster is one of the most important among garden annuals grown throughout the world. Among annual flowers China aster ranks third next to chrysanthemum and marigold. It is grown by small and marginal farmers in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra. Due to its long vase life, China aster is a popular cut flower used in vases and for floral decoration and also for making garlands and venis in Karnataka. Asters are popular as bedding plants and used to fill gap in mixed herbaceous borders. Dwarf cultivars are also suitable for edging and window boxes.

China aster (Callistephus chinensis L. Nees) belongs to family Asteraceae. It is a half hardy and branching annual. Its generic name Callistephus is derived from two Greek words “kalistos” meaning beautiful and “stephos” meaning a crown alluding the large colourful flower heads. Plant is erect having hispid-hairy branches (Bailey, 1963). It is propagated through seed. It is cultivated as cut flower both in the field and under protected condition in temperate countries (Post, 1956 and Warren Auman, 1980). Whereas, in India it is widely grown in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharastra for cut as well as loose flower production (Janakiram et al., 2001).

China aster (Callistephus chinensis L. Nees) belongs to family Asteraceae. It is a half hardy and branching annual. Its generic name Callistephus is derived from two Greek words “kalistos” meaning beautiful and “stephos” meaning a crown alluding the large colourful flower heads. Plant is erect having hispid-hairy branches (Bailey, 1963). It is propagated through seed. It is cultivated as cut flower both in the field and under protected condition in temperate countries (Post, 1956 and Warren Auman, 1980). Whereas, in India it is widely grown in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharastra for cut as well as loose flower production (Janakiram et al., 2001).

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

China aster is originated from China. Several literatures also stated that China aster is native to China and Japan (Anon., 1950, Bailey, 1963 and Cockshull, 1985). The evolution of China aster has remarkable variations. The present day aster has been developed from single form of wild species, C. chinensis, a plant native to China. The plant was introduced in Europe in 1731 by Jesuit Missionary R.P. d Incarville.

The original plant had single flowers with two or four rows of blue, violet or white ray florets. The first change in the flower type had been the prolongation or development of central florets which lead to quilled flowers. Much original work to improve the plant was done by French. Later the British followed suit with breeding programmes. Most of the recent improvements are the work of American breeders. French florists contributed much in development of double forms. German scientists also evolved many doubled cultivars. These asters were known as German asters because the first great advances in the evolution of the plant were made in Germany and the seeds then used came largely from that country. The comet types introduced in 1886 or 1887 subsequently replaced the quilled types. With the introduction of new branching types by James Vick in 1893, the USA became the main centre of development of this plant as well as for the production of seeds. Since its introduction into Europe, it is grown in almost all the countries of the globe as a garden annual. A good amount of work on China aster on improvement and growing practices has been done in India (Singh, 2006).

INTRODUCTION

China aster is one of the most popular annual flowering plant grown throughout the world. Among annuals it ranks next to chrysanthemum and marigold and is grown mainly by marginal and small farmers. It can easily be grown in the open fields and lath houses for the roduction of cut flowers Cut asters last long and are used in vases and floral decoration. When asters are grown in large mass, they make very showy bedding plants and are valuable for filling up the gap in mixed herbaceous border. The dwarf types are put in front and the taller behind.

Some strains are used as pot plants, while dwarf cultivars are suitable for edging and window boxes. The prominent colours of flowers are blue, violet, lavender, rose, white, etc. In tropical and subtropical countries aster is extensively grown for bedding and cut blooms during winter month and spring. China aster is one of the most important traditional flowers in India and has maximum use for traditional purposes. The commercial importance of China aster is increasing in India especially in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra.

Abstract: The most popular ornamental monotypic species chinensis, is an important annual flower, used commercially as cut flower for interior decoration, bedding, potting and landscape purpose. Currently, there are many interspecific hybrid cultivars from this species on the market. The influence of breeding methods on the selection criterion and selection procedures is discussed. Information on variability and correlation is included. Ample genetic information and trait heritability has been established for this crop. Traits of interest to flower breeders for crop transformation include plant architecture, flowering (colour, size, timings), attractive flower heads, extended bloom time, horizontal placement of flowers, floral longevity, earliness, healthy foliage or other morphological traits. Future crop ideotypes are proposed to continue transformation of this crop for large scale cultivation.

Introduction

China aster is one of the most popular annual flowering plant grown throughout the world. Among annuals it ranks next to chrysanthemum and marigold. It can easily be grown in the open fields for cut and loose flowers. Cut asters last long and are used in vases and floral decoration. When asters are grown in large mass, they make very showy bedding plants and are valuable for filling up the gap in mixed herbaceous border. The dwarf types are put in front and the taller behind.

Some varieties are used as pot plants. The prominent colours of flowers are blue, violet, lavender, rose, white, etc. The commercial importance of China aster is increasing in India especially in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra.

Genetics

China aster (Callistephus chinensis L. Nees) belongs to family Asteraceae. The genus Callistephus has only a single species i.e. C. chinensis. The ploidy level is diploid (2n = 18).

China aster is a popular annual cut flower valued for its vibrant colours, sturdy stems, attractive flower forms and good vase life. This chapter describes its origin, distribution, genetics, botanical characteristics and commercial importance in India. It covers improved varieties, climate, soil, propagation, seed treatment, nursery management, planting, nutrition, irrigation and other cultural practices. The chapter further explains pest and disease management, harvesting, postharvest handling, grading, marketing and yield. China aster's importance to small and marginal farmers and its demand as both cut and loose flower make it an attractive crop for diversified commercial floriculture.

China aster (Callistephus chinensis) is a half-hardy annual belonging to the family Asteraceae and is valued for its attractive flowers in various colours and forms. It is an important ornamental and loose flower crop, particularly suitable for garlands and floral decoration. The chapter introduces its origin, genetics, botanical characteristics and important cultivars developed by Indian research institutions. It discusses climate and soil requirements, propagation, nursery management, field preparation, planting and nutrient management. Irrigation and other cultural practices are presented along with major insect pests and diseases such as grey mould and rust. Harvesting, postharvest handling and yield considerations complete the production package

The earliest Brassica planted in North America was Chinese cabbage, also known as celery cabbage and napa. It is becoming increasingly popular in western kitchens. When eaten fresh, the huge savoyed leaves with thick succulent midribs have a sweet flavour and crisp texture. The Pekinensis Group and the Chinensis Group are two cultivar groups of leaf vegetables frequently used in Chinese cuisine. These vegetables are turnip cultivars or subspecies that belong to the same genus as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, among other Western mainstays.

Botany & taxonomy: Brassica rapa, one of two commonly cultivated mustard family (Brassicaceae) members that are variants of Chinese cabbage. Pak Choy is a type of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa var. chinensis). Celery cabbage is another name for Napa cabbage.

Leaf-and shoot folders: Hymenia recurvalis : Pyraustidae

Pycnarmon cribrata;Phostria piasusalis

Chironji or Charoli (Buchanania lanzan Spreng.) is an important fruit tree of agro forestry and social forestry. In the wasteland development and dryland horticulture, it assumes great significance due to its multifarious uses and capacity to withstand adverse environmental conditions. At present, it is growing under natural forest as an underexploited fruit and gives monitory reward to the tribal community of the country and seems to be boon for them. It is valuable tree species found in dry deciduous forest throughout the country excluding eastern Himalayan forests (Singh, 1982).

Chironji or Charoli (Buchanania lanzan Spreng Family: Anacardiaceae) is an excellent tree of agro forestry and social forestry. In wasteland development and Dryland horticulture, it assumes great significance due to multifarious uses and capacity to withstand adverse climatic conditions. At present, it is growing under forest condition as an under exploited fruit and gives monitory reward to tribal community of country and seems to be a boon for them. It is a valuable species found in dry deciduous forest throughout the country excluding eastern Himalayan forests (Singh, 1982). Flesh of ripe fruit is very palatable and is largely eaten raw or roasted and oily kernels are the most important part and are used in preparation of sweet meats and puddings (Singh, 1982). Mesocarp of fruit is edible and cherished by children (Munde et al, 2003). Kernel is highly nutritious and rich in protein (18.00 %) and yields sweet oil, which can be used to substitute olive and almond oil. Kernel contains 33.50 % oil, 1.90 % of which is unsaponifiable. Saponifiable part contained 20.00 % of linoleic acid. Chironji oil is non-repellant and non-toxic and is suitable for human consumption (Banerjee and Jain, 1988). Hemawathy and Prabhakar (1988) reported that total kernel lipid extracted from chironji was 65.60 % of dry kernel and consisted of 90.40 % neutral lipids, 3.4 % glycolipids and 6.2 % phospholipids. Kernel can be used for preparation of sweets. It provides quality timber wood for various uses.

Abstract

Chitin has been ranked at second position after cellulose as the most abundant natural biopolymer. Chitin has similar chemical structure to that of cellulose with 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-b-d-glucose (NAG) monomers attached via ß (1–>4) linkages. Chitosan is the deacetylated (to varying degrees) form of chitin, which, unlike chitin, is soluble in acidic solutions. Therefore, Chitosan, a copolymer of glucosamine and N-acetyl glucosamine, is amongst the most copious biopolymers on earth and finds wide range of biomedical and industrial applications. It has been approved in 1983 by USDA as a feed additive. Chitin basically is obtained from prawn/crab shells and chemical treatment of chitin produces chitosan. Since supplies of seafood waste are seasonable and variable, so fungi can be used as alternative source for chitosan. The unique physicochemical properties of chitosan provide great potential of its utilization in food industry especially dairy industry such as production of dairy products, dairy waste water treatment, extension of shelf life of dairy products etc. In recent years, exotic synthetic compounds are losing their appeal, thus application of chitinous products in dairy as well as processing aids has received considerable attention. The modified chitosan with greater functional properties has increased application in different dairy foods. This chapter focuses on the fundamental uses of chitosan and their derivatives in a variety of dairy industry applications.