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The livelihoods of millions of rural households in the semi-arid areas depend mainly on natural resources such as soil, rainwater, vegetation, livestock and the like. The major source of livelihood in these areas solely depends on the arrival, distribution and cessation of monsoons, which are erratic and ill distributed. However, management of natural resources like soil and vegetation in a way that these are used to optimally to produce maximum output. This requires new knowledge, better skills and improved management strategies. In this context, building the capacity of the rural households particularly the youth holds key to improving productivity and profitability ot the enterprise. Keeping these in view, the National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) sub project on “Sustainable Rural Livelihoods through Enhanced Farming Systems Productivity and Efficient Support Systems in Rainfed Areas” being implemented by a consortium led by CRIDA has introduced several interventions aimed at involving rural youth right from the beginning of the project.  The project is being implemented in eight backward districts (Adilabad, Anantapur, Kadapa, Khammam, Mahabubngar, Nalgonda, Rangareddy and Warangal) of Andhra Pradesh in selected clusters of villages.

13.1. INTRODUCTION

Photosynthetically active radiation is a primary energy resource for terrestrial plants, necessary for the plant growth. Plants receives this photosynthetically active radiation from sunlight as a consequence, plants are also exposed to the ultraviolet (UV)-radiation. Seven percent of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun is the UV range (200-400 nm). Though representing only a small portion of the total solar electromagnetic spectrum, UV-B has a disproportionately large photobiological effect. As it passes through the atmosphere, the flux transmitted is greatly reduced, and the composition of the UV-radiation is modified. This UV-radiation is mainly divided into three classes, namely UV-A, UV-B and UV-C. The UV-A region of the spectrum (wavelengths from 320 to 400 nm) are not attenuated by ozone, so their influence will be unaffected by ozone layer reduction. This portion of the UV radiation is less damaging and important for photomorphogenic signal in plant development (Bjorn, 1994). The wavelength of UV-B portion ranges from 280 to 320 nm. This region of UV is very energetic and effectively absorbed by ozone in the stratosphere. Thus, only a very small portion, approximately 4% is transmitted to the earths. Shortwave UV-C radiation (200-280 nm) is highly energetic and strongly absorbed by atmospheric oxygen and ozone. Thus, none of this sterilizing radiation is present in terrestrial sunlight.

The word protein was first coined in 1838 to emphasize the importance of this class of molecules. The word is derived from the Greek word proteios which means “of the first- rank”. Proteins are polymers/macro molecules made up of several amino acids. When there are more than 50 amino acids in a chain, the polypeptide is normally called a protein. Each protein in the cells of living beings has a unique sequence of amino acids that determines its biological function. The proteins are folded into specific defined structures, which are maintained by a large number of relatively weak bonds. The  three  dimensional structure is well defined and suited to it’s specific function.

Very small changes in the structure can modify the function. Hence, it is important to know the structure of proteins to understand their behavior and function. The biological activity of proteins depends on maintenance of folded conformation. Proteins fold into well defined three dimensional shapes and they are able to recognize their corresponding substrates or antigen molecules and bind them tightly. The protein structure has been classified into four different levels based on the folded conformation of the protein.

Culture Media and Reagents

The media used throughout the study were procured from Hi- Media Laboratories, Mumbai, India and the chemicals used were procured locally. Composition of each medium is as follows:

Protection from natural enemies and adverse environmental and climatic conditions is vital to safeguard insects and to this effect, insects possess a great variety of protective structures and mechanisms without which they cannot survive.

    i)    Food. Each insect species has certain nutritional requirements for the completion of life cycle. If the required food for any particular species gets reduced in a particular locality, that species will gradually disappear from that locality, though other environmental conditions may be favorable. Under normal conditions, there may be sufficient food for the insect to live on and continue its race. In the event of sudden increase in the population of an insect, the density of the population becomes too high to be supported by the food available in the area. Under such conditions, some individuals of the species either migrate to other suitable areas where enough food is available or else starve, if the species has limited power  of  dispersal  as  in  the  case  of  many  coccids.  According  to  the nutritional requirements insects are characterized as ‘omnivorous’ (feeding on different kinds of both plant and animal food), ‘carnivorous’ (feeding on animal food) and ‘herbivorous’ or ‘phytophagous’ (feeding on living plants). Those insects, which feed on many cultivated and wild species of plants, are termed ‘polyphagous’ (e-g) Locusts, grasshoppers, cutworms etc. If the feeding activities of a particular species of insect are confined only to plants of one botanical family, it is termed ‘oligophagous’ (e-g) cabbage butterfly - Pieris brassicae. When only a single species of plants constitute the food of a particular species of insect, it is termed ‘monophagous’ (e-g) Brinjal fruit borer.

Phospholipids are the most abundant lipids of biological membranes. They serve primarily as structural components of membranes and are never stored in large amounts. As the name of phospholipid implies, this group of lipids contains phosphorus in the form of phosphoric acid groups. The major phospholipids found in membranes are the phosphoglycerides (phosphatides) (Fig.1). Which have two fatty acid molecules esterified

INTRODUCTION

The metabolism of carbohydrates is vital for plant growth and development, and to the yield of major plant products such as starch and sucrose. Starch, sucrose and fructose are the three important carbohydrates which are utilized in most of the higher plants. The majority of sucrose that is synthesized in higher plants during photosynthesis is exported to non-photosynthetic cells (ap Rees, 1992). Starch serves as an important storage for carbohydrate residues. The degradation (breakdown) of starch ensures retaining of important life processes in plants when there is carbon shortage, for instance, during night period in leaves or in resting organs such as potato tubers.

Introduction

The respiratory electron transport pathway of plant mitochondria comprises the cytochrome (Cyt) pathway and alternative pathway (McDonald et al., 2002). Both the cyt and the alternative respiratory pathways start at protein complex I when NADH is being oxidized. One H+ (proton) is transported by the complex I to inner membrane space, whereas two electrons are transported within the inner membrane by the ubiquinone, which at its reduced state (Qr) transfers these electrons either to complex III or to the Alternative oxidase (AOX). Ubiquinone is the point in which reactions can proceed in different ways, and it is called the branch point. Cyt respiratory pathway is present in all living organisms. It proceeds while complex III pulls out a proton from the mitochondrial matrix to the inter membrane space. The electrons are received by cytochrome c which spreads up to the outer side of the inner membrane towards protein complex IV, which then pulls out another proton similar to complexes I and III, and transports the electrons back to inner domain of the mitochondria. As a result, oxygen is consumed with a proton and the two electrons to produce water (Fig 1).

Introduction

The phytohormone abascisic acid (ABA) was discovered in connection to studies related to shedding of fruits and leaves, also called abscission, and the dormancy of buds. It was first identified and characterized by Frederick Addicott and his associates in 1963 while studying the compounds responsible for the abscission of cotton fruits. Inhibition of growth and maintenance of the dormancy of buds are the most important visible effects of ABA. The concentration of ABA does not remain constant as its concentration decreases in the buds significantly after sprouting and rises during seed and fruit production. Its concentration in dormant seeds is very high and considered as an efficient inhibitor of germination. The role ABA plays during the abscission of fruits and leaves is not clearly understood as its effect is very clear in case of fruit abscission where as it is not very clear on the abscission of leaves. However, the regulatory effect of ABA on the water balance is established in plants. It also induces stomatal closure to inhibit further loss of water. Being a growth inhibitor, ABA also reverses the effect of growth-stimulating hormones like auxin, gibberellins and cytokinin in different tissues of a plant. One of the main goals of phytohormonal ecology is to study the interactions between biotic and abiotic stress at hierarchical levels of biological organization.

Introduction

Salinity is a significant environmental stress for crop plants it account for about 70% of the losses in the crop yield. It adversely affects seed germination, seedling growth and different metabolic activities in plants (Begum et al. 1997). It reduces DNA, RNA and protein synthesis and differentially influences the activities of the hydrolytic enzymes (Kumar et al. 1996).

Plants are classified as glycophytes or halophytes according to their capacity to grow on high salt medium. Most crop plants are glycophytes and cannot tolerate salt stress. High salt concentration decreases the osmotic potential of soil solution creating a water stress in plants. Secondly they cause severe ion toxicity since Na+ is not readily sequestered into vacuoles as in halophytes.

The widespread nature of saline soils compounded by the geographical distribution of man’s population and agricultural practices are largely succeeded in increasing salinization in arid and semi-arid lands. Most of the crops are sensitive to even low concentration of NaCl.

Important by product from Rabbit are meat, wool, fur and skin. It can be made highly profitable if products are properly processed and marketed. Many rabbit products are wasted because people do have not enough knowledge about processing.
 
Slaughtering: Know when and how.

Skinning

Familiar with how to remove skin and carcass preparation. How the skin has to be processed and how the products which can be obtained from skin.

Manure collection and preservation.

Slaughtering : It depends on demand, type of animal where meat is consumed more, it can be achieved in 2 methods.

Introduction

In recent years aquaculture has become the fastest growing food production sector in the world with 10% annual growth rate in comparison with 3% for livestock and 1.6% for capture fisheries. FAO (2000) estimates that by 2030, over half of the fish consumed by the world’s people will be produced by aquaculture. It is not only the demand for animal protein but the high returns associated with aquafarming when compared with agriculture or animal  husbandry that has accelerated the growth of aquaculture. Thus, in the last two decades aquaculture with greater emphasis on shrimp farming made fast strides among Asian countries including India. The culture of carps in freshwater and shrimps in brackishwater are the two main culture practices followed in India. During nineties around 10% of 2.7m ha. brackishwater area has been put under farming along with a number of other supporting and ancillary units viz.; hatcheries, feed mills, processing and packaging industry etc.

The North Eastern Region of India possesses unique potential for fishery activities. The region represents all agro-climatic zones ranging from warm water drainage system to cold water conditions facilitating freshwater fishing and is identified as the hot spot of freshwater biodiversity. So far about 267 fish species have been reported to be present in the region, which is approximately 33.13% of the total Indian fresh water fishes (Munilkumar and Nandeesha, 2007). The total land coverage of the region is 2.55 lakh sq. km. which is about 7.76% of the country, out of which 70% is hilly terrain (Mahanta and Tyagi, 2003). The main fishery resources of the region comprises of rivers (18,968 km), reservoirs (8,019 ha), beels/lakes (1,48,491 ha) and tanks and ponds (42,782 ha) (Ghosh and Ponniah, 2008).

The North Eastern Region of India with its large fish eating population, needs planned sustainable development of its existing as well as potential fishery resources. A challenging environment for fisheries development prevails in the region by way of very high demand and price of fish. Given the socio-economic conditions and vast fishery resources of the region, there is a strong chance for diversion of work force to productive sectors like fisheries thus transforming the economy of the region and further socio-economic development.

Introduction

The world of living organisms essentially consists of the kingdoms of plants and animals. Myriads of organisms representing these two, interact among them, ranging from symbiosis and mutualism to competition and predator-prey interactions. The last mentioned process is one the important components of ecological dynamics, that determine the balance of nature or equilibrium among the biota. To this category belong the predators, parasites (parasitoids), pathogens, and so on, all of which live at the cost of another organism, without affording any benefit to the ‘victim’, hence the victim is termed the ‘prey’. In an agroecosystem, when an organism, explodes into an unusually high number, devouring cultivated plants it often becomes a ‘pest’ from a man’s point of view. Sometimes the pest can be a human nuisance too. It is here, that the role of predators and parasitoids become relevant as biological agents against the pests.
 
A lion, which preys on herb-feeding antelopes, is also a predator. But, its roles become restricted to maintaining the balance of the antelope population. Left undeterred, antelopes can explode to levels that can threaten grasslands. Here lions play a very crucial role in maintaining (through hunting antelopes) the equilibrium of the grasslands, just sufficient for these plants to surge with every rain. Otherwise, the grasslands potentially may get denuded by the antelopes, or conversely it may override other ecosystems. This is part of the ‘food web’ and is found in every ecosystems; desert, aquatic, mountains, forests, agro-ecosystems, etc.

INTRODUCTION

Phytophagous mites have long been considered as potentially serious pests of a wide range of food and fibre crops, and ornamentals. They are covered under subclass Acari of class Arachnida and phylum Arthropoda. Mites unlike insects are 8-legged creatures and lack compound eyes, antennae and wings. Plant feeding mites measure from 200µ to 600µ. Majority of the plant feeding mites belong to suborder Prostigmata, and phytophagous mites belong to family Tetranychidae (spider mites); Eriophyidae (bud or gall mites) ; Tenuipalpidae (false spider mites); Tarsonemidae (broad mites) and Tuckerellidae, in the decreasing order of their importance. Before one can develop integrated management of phytophagous mites in different agri-horticultural ecosystems, knowledge about the following fundamentals of phytophagous mite management principles is a big must.

A. Answer the following.

Q.1.     What is the percentage of different subclasses of IgG in the serum ?
Ans.     IgG1 : 65 ; IgG2 : 24 ; IgG3 : 7 ; IgG4 : 4

Q.2.     How many inter heavy chain bonds are there in different subclasses of IgG ?
Ans.     IgG1 : 2 ; IgG2 : 4 ; IgG3 : 13 : IgG4 : 2.

Q.3.     What is the half life of different subclasses of IgG ?
Ans.     IgG1, IgG2 and IgG4 : 23 days ; IgG3: 8 days.

As an engine requires fuel to run, similarly the animal body requires food to run its vital activities. Food, after its digestion, absorption and oxidation, provides energy to the body. The energy thus obtained is utilized by the animal for maintenance, growth, reproduction and production. Hence, a good quality of food should be provided to the animal so that it may fulfil all the requirements of the animal. Food contains water, carbohydrates fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals which are essential constituents of the body and indispensable for life. Water being an essential constituent of protoplasm carries out many other important and inevitable functions in the body. Water helps the body absorb nutrients from the food and throw out wastes from body in the form of sweat and urine. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins provide energy to the body. Fat provides 2.25 times more energy than carbohydrate and proteins. Besides providing energy, proteins are also essential for body building, growth and repair of wear and tear of the body tissues. Vitamins protect the body against diseases and help in keeping eyes, gums, skin, teeth and bones healthy. Vitamins are required by the body in small quantities. Vitamins are essential for normal growth, health and reproduction. Prolonged deficiency of vitamins causes characteristic diseases. Minerals required in small quantities are essential for normal growth of body and maintaining good health. Skeleton system of the body contains principally Calcium and Phosphorus with small amount of Magnesium.

Historical background of dairy goats

Small ruminants sector plays an important role in the national economy. This enterprise is associated with social and cultural fabric of millions of resource poor farmers. Small ruminant especially goats gain importance mainly on account of their short generation intervals, higher rates of prolificacy and the ease with which they can be marketed. They are very useful in semi-arid and arid zone where they can sustain themselves on sparse vegetation and esteemed climatic conditions.
 
There are four main breeds of dairy goats commonly found in Western Country, namely, Alpine, Nubians, Saanens and Toggenburgs. They are considered to be the best milking breeds of the world. All these four breeds have recently been introduced in India for improvement of milk quality of local goats. These breeds have been improved by selection, upgrading, and the wise use of pedigree records and registration over a period of more than half a century in Europe and North America.

Introduction

After introduction  of Green Revolution and White  Revolution in our country, India had high growth in food and milk production but farmers of our country had  applying more chemical fertilizers, insecticides  pesticides, weedicides and various medicines  in injudicious way  to increase grain, vegetable, fruit, flower, milk, meat and egg production . Due to this reason soil fertilely and soil health is deteriorating continuously. The soil  of food bowl states of our country viz. Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh and plain area of Uttarakhand deficient in organic matter, macro and micro and trace elements. Now soil became non living due to death of earthworms and beneficial micro organism. Farmers are using mainly nitrogen, phosphorus and potash in crop production. However there are 15 essential plant nutrition’s for growing of crops. Due to more application of chemical fertilizers in crop production these days’ farmers are not properly using organic, green and compost manures in crop husbandry. Soil fertility and ground water level has been declined very fast by adopting intensive farming.

Steps in the Estimation of Trace Elements
Estimation of trace elements in feeds and fodders and other biological materials involves the following steps :

    1.    Production of an acidic solution of the inorganic elements in the biological samples after removal of the organic matter by dry ashing or wet oxidation.

    2.    Removal or masking of interfering substances.

    3.    Determination of the selected elements, usually by using colorimetry.

Results of trace elements determinations are expressed as parts per million (ppm), mg/kg or µg/g dry matter.

Preamble

In India, agriculture plays an important role as it accounts for about 18% of the GDP and supports nearly 58% of the total working population for employment. Food grain production increased significantly from a low level of 50 million Tons during 1950-51 to a record of 230.7 million Tons in 2007-08. The demand for food is growing rapidly due to increasing population and rising income levels, hence we need to produce about 320 million Tons of foodgrains by the year 2025. It implies more pressure on our exhisting land, soil and water resources which are already in short supply, degraded, fragile and this similar situation is being faced by mainly developing countries today. Plant parasitic nematodes are of great economic significance. Since most of them live in the soil hence represent one of the most difficult pest problems in terms of identification, demonstration and management.

Anar butterfly, Deudorix isocrates (Fab.)

The pest has been found boring into fruits of pomegranate. Besides it may attack guava, aonla, apple, ber, citrus, litchi, loquat, sapota, etc., pomegranate is the most preferred host for this pest. It may destroy up to 50 percent fruits. The female lays eggs singly on calyx of flowers or small fruits. On hatching, the caterpillars bore inside the developing fruits and are usually found feeding on pulp and seeds just below the rind; subsequently bacteria and fungi causing fruit rot also attack the infested fruits. The conspicuous symptoms of damage are offensive smell and excreta of caterpillars coming out of the entry holes, the excreta is found stuck around the holes. The affected fruits ultimately fall down and are of no use; even if the fruits be picked before falling down, these fruits have no market value.

Barleria L. (Acanthaceae) is a pantropical genus of herbs and shrubs comprising about 300 species, occurring mainly in Africa and Asia. In India, the genus is represented by about 32 species of which 24 are endemic to India.  About 80 % of the species are found in Peninsular India. Many species of Barleria are of ornamental value and can be grown for their foliage and showy colorful flowers. There are certain indigenous species which show good growth performance in cultivation and have economic importance as ornamentals. Moreover, some species fall under IUCN categories of threatened plants which need immediate attention for their conservation. Considering the horticultural importance especially in landscape gardening and rarity of Barlerias, various species found in India are collected and cultivated through various methods in the Botanical Garden of Shivaji University, Kolhapur.

India produces all deciduous fruits including pome fruits (apple and pear) and stone fruits (peach, plum, apricot and cherry) in considerable quantity. These are mainly grown in the North-Western Indian States of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Himachal Pradesh (H.P.), Uttarakhand and in Uttar Pradesh. The North-Eastern Hills region, comprising of the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur and Sikkim also grow some of the deciduous fruits on a limited scale. The sub tropical region lies between 150 and 300 north of equator covering North Indian plains, the gangetic basin, large parts of North eastern state, western ghats, nilgiri regions etc. In this zone spring is generally frost free and chilling availability ranges from 50-500 hours. This region is not considered proper for temperate fruit growing but grows several low chilling varieties of peach, plum, pear etc. Deciduous fruits, such as peach and nectarine, require accumulated exposure to cool temperatures during winter dormancy for bud break and the resumption of normal growth the following spring. Minimum amount of accumulated cool temperature exposure needed for normal growth, which varies by cultivars, is referred to as the chilling requirement. Due to introduction and adaptation of low chilling cultivars of peach, plum and pear, they are also now being grown commercially in certain areas of the north Indian plains.

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.

The extensive use of improved types of vegetable crops has led to a  situation that the indigenous types are virtually disappearing from ecosystems creating a vacuum in crop biodiversity. Biodiversity of genes, species, ecosystems and habitats will remain under threat. Habitats will be decreased and fragmented, endangering many indigenous, rare, endemic and specialist species populations and ecosystem functions, although generalist and invasive species will continue to spread. Therefore, loss of biodiversity can be considered at three scales: genes, species or populations and habitats or ecosystems. Maintaining thriving natural systems is essential not only for economic or ethical reasons, but also for ecological, social, recreational, educational and aesthetic reasons (Gomez, 1996). Most of these are easy to grow, resistant to pests and diseases, hardy and acceptable to local taste. They are rich in carbohydrate, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals; hence the diets could be diversified to meet the nutritional requirements of the people in the country. The lack of micronutrients, including certain vitamins, minerals and other components needed for a healthy diet, is a pervasive and growing threat throughout the world.

Palms are monocot species, belonging to the family Palmae (Arecaceae). They are perennial and distinguished by having woody stems. Coconut, Arecanut and Oil palm are the major crops coming under this group. Palmyra is a naturally occurring palm in many parts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Bihar and West Bengal States. Palmyrah is utilized by the locals for tapping inflorescence sap and for fruit. Palms of India are represented by 20 genera and about 96 species among which 24 species belonging to nine genera are endemic to India. The largest genus, Calamus with 44 species is followed by Phoenix seven, Pinanga five and the rest with less than five species each. The genera Borassus, Salaca, Livistona, Nypa, Hyphaene and Ptychoraphis are represented by a single species each. In addition, C. nucifera and A. catechu are extensively cultivated as plantation crops. They have almost naturalized in parts of Kerala and Andaman Nicobar Islands. Except P. sylvestris, C. urens and B. flabellifer which are widespread in peninsular India, the rest are of restricted distribution in specialized eco-geographical regions of the country. The forests of Andaman–Nicobar islands (13 genera, 24 species), northeastern and eastern Himalayan region (12 genera, 36 species) and the Western Ghats (7 genera, 30 species) are major centres of palm concentration. Nypa fruticans and Phoenix paludosa are fringe mangrove species occurring in salt marshes of Sundar-bans and Andaman–Nicobar islands. P. paludosa is also found in Orissa.

Wild fruits were an important source of food for mankind before dawn of civilization and domestication of present day fruits. Cavemen in forests also depended on these fruits and passed on valuable information on utility and choice of wild species of fruits from generation to generation.Thus the present day horticulture came into existence. Also, wild varieties of plants, yielding edible fruits growing throughout the Himalayas, contributed directly to cultural heritage of India. Even today, these fruits are eaten in plenty by local people, as they are commonly available in abundance in their habitats. Fruit crops, which are neither grown commercially on large scale nor traded widely are called underutilized fruit crops. These are cultivated, traded and consumed locally. Underutilized fruit crops have many advantages in terms of easiness to grow, hardy in nature and  production of good crop even under adverse conditions. Most of them are rich sources of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Underutilized fruit crops play crucial role in successful running of processing industry round the year in the region. A large proportion of rural population depends on locally available fruits to meet their dietary requirements

Cleome gynandra is one of the most underutilised crops in the world. It is the best known by rural and urban communities of Africa. The plant is well distributed in parts of South Africa, C. gynandra is indigenous to the country and evenly spread throughout Africa. Many people use it in their daily diets but it is not yet found on formal commercial markets. It is still regarded as a weed by commercial farmers. The nutritional value of the leaves is totally underestimated. The plant is known for the treatment of various ailments originated from epilepsy to headaches. The crop is harvested mainly from the wild and only cultivated in certain areas. The germination of the seeds can be a problem especially if the seeds are harvested simultaneously. The seeds must be harvested as it gets matured not all at once. Most consumers harvest the plant as needed. The more the leaves are picked the more growth is stimulated. A general harvesting method is not worked out yet, as this will differ from area to area.

INTRODUCTION

Vegetables and fruits have many similarities with respect to their composition, methods of cultivation and harvesting, storage properties and processing. In fact many vegetables are considered fruits in the true botanical sense. But the difference between the two is that vegetables are derived from various parts of plants e.g. roots, leaves, stems, buds and so on whereas, fruits are the mature ovaries of plants with their seeds. The edible position of most fruits is the freshly part of the pericap or vessel surrounding the seeds. The other difference between the two is that those plant items that are generally eaten with the main course of a meal are often considered to be vegetables, whereas those that are eaten alone or as a dessert are considered as fruits. This is the distinction made by food processors, certain marketing laws, and the consuming publics.

SUMMARY

Fly ash, a waste product generated by coal based thermal power plants. The annual production of fly ash in the country has increased from 40 million tones in 1994 to 110 million tones in 2004 and it is expected that by 2012 the annual production of fly would reach the mark of 170 million tones. Owing to its physico-chemical characteristics, it has a vast potential for use in agriculture, forestry and wasteland reclamation. Application of fly ash into soil has been reported to increase the water holding capacity, hydraulic conductivity, porosity and decrease bulk density, modulus of rupture and surface encrustation. The studies conducted by various organizations on fly ash use in different crops have revealed significant increase in the crop yields such as wheat, maize, paddy, soybean, sunflower and vegetables like brinjal, tomato, potato, cabbage. Application of fly ash has been found to increase the level of heavy metals  viz., Co, Pb, Mo, As and Se as well as the activity of radio-nuclides i.e., ⁴⁰K, ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ac  in the soil- plant system; however, the levels of all these heavy metals and radio-nuclides were found to be well below the permissible limits.

Sir Alexander Ogston (1880) first isolated Micrococci in pus and in 1883 he subdivided them into two groups i.e. Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. He also first proposed the name ‘Staphylococcus’ (Greek ‘staphyle’ means bunch of grapes and ‘kokkos’ means berry). Experiments of Bumm (1885), Garre (1885) and Bockhart (1887) established its relationship with human infections. As well as Nocard (1887) first isolated Staphylococcus from mastitis in sheep and found its pathogenic significance in animals.

Properties of Genus

Morphology : Staphylococci are gram positive cocci, capsulated, non-sporing and non-motile. Each coccus cell is 1µm in diameter.  They are arranged in a group or grape like cluster as cell division occurs in more than one plane. During preparation of smear and staining the cluster is sometimes broken and cocci are seen in pair or single (Fig. 1).

Staphylococcal capsule is polysaccharide in nature. The capsule can inhibit phagocytosis and helps in virulence.

 Staphylococcal cell wall contains three major components i.e. peptidoglycan (PG), teichoic acid (TA) and surface proteins.

Lucke (1862) first described that the bluish green discolouration of surgical dressing is associated with the presence of small vibrio like organisms. Latter Gessard first isolated the organism as Pseudomonas in 1882.

Properties of Genus

1. Morphology : They are Gram negative straight or curved rod, motile by one or more polar flagella. Usually it is 1.5 µm in length and 0.5 µm in width. Longer filamentous forms are sometimes observed. The bacteria are non- acid fast, non- sporulating and uncapsulated. Pili on the bacterial surface are detected. Environmental and strains present within tissue can produce slime. The slime is composed of glycolipoprotein (GLP) and polysaccharide of LPS.
    
2. They are strict aerobe.

Classification : Pseudomonas belongs to class Gamma-Proteobacteria, order- Pseudomonadales, family- Pseudomonadaceae.  Previously Pseudomonas included two group of bacteria viz. Fluorescent group and Pseudomallei group. Recent classification system included this Pseudomallei group into a new genus known as Burkholderia. Important species of Pseudomonas are:

INTRODUCTION

The fine feeder roots of many vascular plants are invaded by specific nonpathogenic fungi forming a distinct morphological unit known as mycorrhiza (In Greek, Mykes mean mushroom or fungus, rhiza mean root). Physiologically mycorrhiza represents a case of symbiosis.

The term mycorrhizae were coined by a German botanist Albert Bernard Frank in 1885 which literally mean “fungus-roots”.  Mycorrhizal fungi form a symbiotic association with agricultural and horticultural crops in addition to certain tropical tree species.
Mycorrhizal fungi are broadly classified in to two groups:
1) Ectomycorrhizae  
2) Endomycorrhizae.

INTRODUCTION

Soil-borne pathogens cause heavy losses to most agricultural crops. Repeated planting of a crop in the same piece of land results in a high inoculum build-up, which forces the farmers either to change the crop or the land. Thus, the search for new, effective, inexpensive and non-hazardous methods for the control of soil-borne diseases is a continuous one. Over the years, efforts have been made to manage the soil-borne pathogens by employing fumigants, chemical pesticides, biological control agents, different type of soil amendments and also by causing modifications in different cultural practices. But, pathogen control is often hampered by the fact that both the inoculum of the pathogens and the lethal agents applied to the soil are affected by the soil’s physical, chemical and biological environment. Keeping in view the bottlenecks with different methods of management of soil-borne pathogens; harnessing of solar energy i.e. soil solarization is an effective method to control soil-borne pathogens.

1. Introduction

Pectin is a polysaccharide present in the middle lamella of plant cell walls. The firmness and structure of the plant tissue are attributed to the presence of pectin in the middle lamella. The insoluble form of pectin is called protopectin and the soluble form is called soluble pectin (Kertez, 1951). Protopectin is abundant in green fruits and contributes to hardness of cell, where as soluble pectin is responsible for viscous nature of juice and pulp. Conversion of protopectin to soluble pectin results in loosening of the bonds between the cells and softening of the fruit tissues. Protopectin is reported to be hydrolyzed to pectin by enzyme action during ripening. Protopectin on restricted hydrolysis yields pectin or pectinic acid. Braconnot (1825) discovered pectin as the gelatinous principle of fruits.

Genotypes × Season interaction is of major importance to the plant breeder in developing stable high yielding varieties of crop plants. When new varieties are tested over a series of seasons, the relative ranking of the varieties for any given attribute is rarely the same at each season. This increases the difficulty of identifying superior stable genotypes. Comstock and Moll (1963) have shown statistically the effect of large genotype × environment interaction is reducing the progress from selection.

In order to minimize the genotype × season interaction, stratification of the seasons can be practiced. The implification in stratification is that suitable selections could be made for the infavourable and favourable seasons encountered within the sampling units proposed. Stratification of environments has been practicised for a long time to identify suitable selection that could be made for the narrower range of environments encountered within the sampling units proposed. However, even with this refinement of technique, the interactions of genotypes with locations in a sub-region and within environments encountered at the same location in different years, frequently remain too large (Allard and Bradshaw, 1964). Little is known about the environmental factors contributing to such interactions. Sprague (1966) suggested that even if such information are available, the possibility of materially reducing genotype × environment interaction in field experiments would remain questionable.

On line with Allard and Bradshaw’s (1964) statement, the interactions of genotypes with locations in a sub-region with different seasons at the same location in different years, may remain too large. As far as sesame is concerned, practically nothing is known about the factors contributing to such genotype × season interactions. Hence, the progress in breeding a stable variety of sesame has been slow. Since sesame in India is grown essentially as rainfed crop, fluctuations in yield levels closely follow changes in the environment and seasons. Breeding for multiseasonal variety for may small regions within a state is being considered necessary. There is widespread awareness of achieving stability of production as well as improvement in yield of sesame under low and high-in-put conditions as well as for different seasons.

INTRODUCTION

Hybrid crops are derived from an established and well-proven breeding method used in ornamental sectors. The development of hybrid crops has been one of the major factors behind a dramatic increase in global crop yields. Hybrid is produced by crossing between two genetically dissimilar parents. Pollen from male parent called pollen parent will pollinate, fertilize and set seeds in female called seed parent to produce F₁ hybrid seeds. For production of a hybrid, crossing between two parents is important, the crossing process will results in heterosis or hybrid vigour. Heterosis is defined as the increase in size or vigour of a hybrid over its parent. This boost in performance, combining the best yield, quality and agronomic characters from each parent, is the result of hybrid breeding.

F₁ hybrid seed offers to the growers a significant benefits in terms of yield improvement, agronomic performance and consistency of end-use quality. But attempting to farm-save hybrid varieties will result in segregating populations producing highly variable offspring, which can lead to reduced yield, disease resistance and quality. As this factsheet explains, it doesn’t make economic or agronomic sense to save seed of an F₁ hybrid. In self pollinated crops it is difficult to cross but in cross pollinated crops it is easier. In nature to create genetic variability and for its wider adaptation in different environmental conditions, flowering plants has adopted many mechanisms for cross pollination. Cross pollination results in genetic heterogeneity and show wider adaptations. F₁ hybrids are in immense usage throughout the world with the rapid increasing interest in flowers, however the total number of the hybrids developed in flowers is still less. In India hybrid seed production is taken up in Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh for export.

F₁ hybrids in ornamental crops were known even before Shull 1911 when he propounded the classical theory of hybrid vigour in plant breeding for the first time. In 1909 F₁ hybrid variety Prima Donna in begonia was released by Benary Seed Company in Germany. The first commercial F₁ hybrid in petunia was produced by Japan during World War II, in 1942. From 1950 onwards, F₁ hybrids were available in ornamental flowers from The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, USA and UK besides Japan and produced in flower crops like ageratum, anemone, gerbera, primula, petunia, cyclamen, marigold, pansies, begonia, geranium, portulaca, dianthus, balsam, stock, wall flower, ornamental sunflower, gazania, hollyhock, calceolaria and zinnia. Flower breeders became familiar with the F₁ hybrid production of those crops also which were formerly propagated by vegetative parts such as pelargonium and gerbera. A few important hybrids were first released in petunia in 1940-50, geranium single in 1960, antirrhinum, marigold, pansy and zinnia in 1965, ageratum in 1966, geranium double in 1970, dianthus, impatiens, portulaca in 1976-77, gerbera in 1980 and carnation in 1981.

Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) belonging to family Amaryllidaceae is half hardy, perennial, bulbous plant. Bulbs are made of scales and leaf bases and stem remains concealed within scales. The generic name Polianthes is derived from Greek word “polios” meaning shining or white and “anthos” meaning flower, in allusion to the blooms of the common tuberose and species tuberosa, the plant being tuberous in nature. Tuberose is commercially cultivated in tropical and sub tropical areas for cut and loose flower trade and also for the extraction of it’s highly valued natural flower oil.

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

Tuberose is a native of Mexico (Bailey, 1976) from where it spread to different parts of world during 16^th century. The name tuberose is derived from tuberosa, this plant being the tuberous hyacinth as distinguished from the bulbous hyacinth. The name therefore, is tuber-ose, not tuberose. By the middle of the 18^th century the tuberose was still referred for as Hyacinthus indicus tuberosus. Originally Linnaeus had used the name Polianthes floribus alternis in his Hortus Cliffortianus. Later it was grouped under the genus Polianthes and the species tuberosa.

Tuberose is cultivated on large scale in China, Egypt, France, Italy, Israel, South Africa, New Zealand, Spain, Sri Lanka, North Carolina, USA and in many tropical and subtropical countries.

In India tuberose is commonly known as Gulchari and Gulshabbo in Hindi, Rajanigandha in Bengali, Sukandaraji and Nelasampengi in Telegu, Nilasampangi in Tamil and as Sugandharaja in Kannada.

In India its commercial cultivations is confined to Bagnen, Midnapur, Krishnanagar, Ranaghat, Kolaghat and Pariskura in West Bengal, Guwahati and Jorhat in Assam, Pune, Thane, Sangli, Nasik and Ahmednagar in Maharastra, Udaipur, Ajmer and Jaipur in Rajasthan, Navsari and Valsad in Gujrat, Ambala, Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana, Ludhiana and Patiala in Punjab, Devanahalli, Tumkur, Kolar, Belgaum and Mysore in Karnataka, East Godavari, Guntur, Chitoor and Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh and Coimbatore and Madurai in Tamil Nadu. Growers of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Orissa are also concentrating in tuberose cultivation after evolvement of improved varieties namely Shringar, Suvasini, Prajwal and Vaibhav by Indian breeders (Singh, 2006).

Ixora is an ornamental plant which is a medium-sized, tropical flowering, evergreen shrub that is used in landscapes. The genus Ixora belongs to the family Rubiaceae. The plants have glossy green leaves which are arranged oppositely along each stem. All Ixoras produce clusters of star-shaped flowers on stem tips or terminal growth. They are grown for their beautiful flowers which bloom in summer in clusters of different shades of red, pink or yellow (De Block, 1998 and Husain and Paul, 1988). The colour of the wild flowers is red or reddish-orange but ornamental varieties may have white, yellow, salmon or pink flowers. It is commonly known as West Indian Jasmine. The other common names of this plant are Jungle Geranium, Flame of the Woods, Jungle Flame, Burning Love, Red Ixora, Ixora, Amor Ardiente, Cruz de Malta, Dola de Coral, Equisosea and Rajana (Griffiths,1994 and Liogier,1997), Rangan, Kheme, Ponna, Chann Tanea, Techi, Pan, Santan, Jarum-Jarum and many more. Members of Ixora prefer acidic soil and are suitable for bonsai (Frommer, 2001). I. coccinea is used extensively for landscaping and is also grown as a potted ornamental (Lakshmanan et al., 1997). Ixora coccinea and Ixora parviflora are generally used as the ornamental plants in gardens and parks.

It is also a popular choice for hedges in parts of South East Asia like Thailand. Red Ixora flowers are commonly used in Hindu worship as well as in Indian folk medicine. The flowers, leaves, roots and the stems are used to treat various ailments in the Indian traditional system of medicine, the Ayurveda. The fruits are used as a dietary source. The plant possesses antioxidative, antibacterial, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, antidiarrhoeal, antinociceptive, antimutagenic, antineoplastic and chemopreventive effects. The oil extracted from the flowers is helpful in conditions like scabies, eczema, pruritis and other skin infections. It is also used for hedges and borders and planted as an indoor potted plant. In laboratory tests, extracts of Jungle Geranium have shown anti-bacterial (Kumer et al., 1997) and anti-tumour (Serrame and Lim-Sylianco, 1995 and Latha and Panikkar, 2000) activity. From a methanol extract of the flowers, 13 chemicals were identified including ursolic acid which has known antitumor and antiviral activity (Monteath et al., 2001). In the traditional medicine of India, infusions of the leaves and juice from the roots are used to treat a wide variety of ailments including dysentery, ulcers, and gonorrhea (Parrotta, 2001).

Pansy belongs to the family Violaceae, genus Viola and species tricolor. Pansy also known as butterfly flower, cat face. Pansies are annuals or short-lived perennials, grow 15-30 cm tall and have heart-shaped leaves at the base and oblong leaves growing from the stems. The pansy is quite durable and a “flower for all seasons”. The fragrant and edible blooms are desirable in gardens. Pansy popularity increases possible due to its ease of growing. Whether grown from seed or bedding plants, pansies are relatively disease and pest free blooming prolifically for the gardener’s enjoyment. The pansy is a group of hybrid plants cultivated as garden flowers. Pansies are derived from Viola species Viola tricolor hybridized with other Viola species, these hybrids are referred to as Viola × wittrockiana or less commonly Viola tricolor hortensis. The pansy is used in phytotherapy. The pansy is the symbol of Free thought. For Viola species, there is strong resistance to cold, flowering early and long flowering period. Also be used to cover a large area on the ground flower beds, its colour range, forming a unique landscape in early spring, but also in the flower bed with the string of red, petunia colour, or for potted plants and planted tank, decorative balconies, bay windows and stairs.

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

The modern pansy, Viola x wittrockiana, is thought to have derived from Viola tricolor, a native of central Europe. The center of origin for Viola was continental Europe. Viola is widely distributed in temperate areas in the northern hemisphere and in S. America, with centres of diversity in S.E. Europe, E. Asia and S. America; isolated endemics occur in Africa (equatorial high mountains and the Cape), E. Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and Hawaii. V. sororia as defined by McKinney (1992), is widely found across the United States and Canada. Each subspecies has a smaller distribution. V. sororia var. sororia is found in the mid to eastern United States and southern Canada, V. sororia var. affinis, is found in western and extreme northeastern sections of the United States and Canada, V. sororia var. missouriensis is found in the eastern United States, and V. sororia var. novae-angliae is found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maine, Quebec and New Brunswick. Of the four varieties only V. sororia var. sororia and V. sororia var. missouriensis are native to New Jersey (McKinney, 1992). V. sororia var. sororia is found in drier areas than the other four subspecies and often in waste grounds (McKinney, 1992) or on the forest floors of open woods in semi-shaded conditions (McKinney, 1992).

Salvia belongs to family Lamiaceae. The genus Salvia comprises about 900 species which are grown for their ornamental flowers since they make excellent and showy borders in gardens. One of the species most commonly grown is Salvia splendens is a tender herbaceous perennial, but grown in India as winter season annual flowering plant. It bears racemes of bright scarlet flowers of large size. It has ability to grow under partial shade condition. It is commonly grown as bedding plant due to varying colours mostly scarlet, purple, orange, lavender and yellow and long lasting flowers. The word salvia was derived from Latin word ‘Salvare’ meaning ‘to heal or to be safe and unharmed’ (Blumenthal et al., 2000 and Kamatou et al., 2008) later it was translated in French as “sauge” or “sage” and in old English “Sawge” (Kamatou et al., 2008). Salvia has several ornamental, culinary and medicinal species (Codd, 1985, Paton, 1991, Gali-Muhtasib et al., 2000, Kamatou et al., 2008 and Bruna et al., 2006). It is also used in preservation of food, mainly meat and cheese, due to its antioxidant properties, as well a spice for flavouring food articles (Topuc, 2006). Chinese use its species to increase longivity and Roman use it in ceremonies as scared herb (Kamatou et al., 2008). The salvia species contain secondary metabolite the main are terpenoids and flavonoids and monoterpenes present in aerial parts of plant like flower and leaves and diterpenoids mostly in roots (Topuc, 2006).

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

The centre of origin of salvia is considered to be Afghanistan and Soviet Central Asia as a large number of primitive morphological species are present but the most of the diversity or species are present in Mexico (Paton, 1991 and Kamatou et al., 2008). The genus is sub-cosmopolitantly distributed worldwide, but is absent in the North and most of the low-lying tropical areas of the world such as the Amazon basin and central and west Africa (Paton, 1991), Jager and Van Staden (2000) and Kamatou et al. (2008) reported its absence not only in western Africa but also in central tropical Africa, Hedge (1974) and Kamatou et al. (2008) reported that West and the southern parts of Africa has greatest number of species (Kamatou et al., 2008).

The genus Salvia contains at least 900 species, because they readily cross pollinate, innumerable hybrids - both natural and manmade. Salvias are found on almost every continent in the world. Pliny the Elder, a Roman naturalist, wrote about their healing qualities back in the first century. In the early 17^th century, the English botanist John Gerard, in his famous Herbal, described a number of sages, including common garden sage and one that sounds similar to what we now call ‘Tricolor’ sage. He referred to the healing powers of these herbs as well. Until the 19^th century, most gardeners focused on growing plants for medicinal or culinary purposes; beauty was a secondary, much less important consideration.

The results of plant exploration in the 18^th and 19^th centuries brought scores of new salvias to English and European gardeners from Mexico, China and Africa. One, Salvia buchananii, was found in Mexico by an English woman, who gave it to a man serving in the army. Salvia coccinea, indigenous to Mexico and South America, was grown for decades as a wildflower. Both scarlet sage and mealy cup sage were discovered in the early 1800’s, the former in Brazil, the latter in Texas.

Geranium (Pelargonium spp.) belongs to the family Geraniaceae. The name Pelargonium was introduced by Johannes Burman a Dutch Botanist in 1738, from the Greek word “Pelargos” means stork because the seed head looks like a stork’s beak. Due to their long and beak-shaped fruits, they are also known by the name of cranesbills. Geraniums are popular flowering plants and grown as decorative pot plants for indoor and outdoor. There is a world demand for the rose geranium essential oil of Pelargonium species which contains geraniol, linalool and citronellol, substitutes for the expensive attar of roses in the perfume trade. Pelargonium species was known for their medicinal value by the earliest indigenous people (Swanepoel, 2009).

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

The plants originated from South Africa (Swanepoel, 2009), as well as Reunion, Madagascar, Egypt and Morocco and were introduced to European countries such as Italy, Spain and France in the 17^th century. Geranium includes around 422 species of flowering annual, biennial and perennial plants. Both Geranium and Pelargonium are genera in the Family Geraniaceae. Linnaeus originally included all the species in one genus. Geranium, but they were later separated into two genera by Charles L’ Heritier in 1789. Although members of the Pelargonium genus are often referred to as ‘Pelargoniums’ to try to avoid confusion, many people still use the older common name of ‘Geranium’.

Most of the Pelargonium plants cultivated in Europe and North America have their origins in South Africa. Geranium robertianum is found throughout Europe, Asia and North Africa where it grows on a variety of soils, rocks, tree trunks and decaying organic matter such as logs. It is a component of virtually all forest types there. In the Pacific Northwest it is primarily found west of the Cascade crest although it extends along the Columbia River in Klickitat County. Ecological structure of Geranium robertianum L. populations under natural conditions and in the garden in Poland. Geranium farreri found in China, in south Gansu and north-west Sichuan.

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is one of the most popular ornamental pot plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. The botanical name Euphorbia pulcherrima means very beautiful. Euphorbia pulcherrima the name originally given by German botanist Karl Ludwig Wilenow was changed to “Poinsettia” in honour of “Mr. Poinsett” in 1836 by William Prescott. Poinsettia is a short-day, non-food and non-feed vegetatively propagated ornamental plant. Poinsettias are fascinating winter blooming small shrubs or trees which can grow anywhere from about 0.6 to 5 m tall. The coloured bracts of poinsettia plants are actually leaves. Colours of the bracts can be red, pink, orange, white or marbled. These coloured bracts are caused by photo-periodism. Poinsettias have also been called the lobster flower and the flame-leaf flower due to the red colour. California is the top U.S. Poinsettia-producing state.

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is the world’s most economically important potted plant but despite its preeminence it is not clear which wild populations are ancestral to the varieties cultivated around the world. Tradition holds that the U.S. envoy to Mexico, J. R. Poinsett collected the progenitors of the over 300 varieties in global cultivation on an 1828 excursion to northern Guerrero State, Mexico. It is unknown whether the contemporary cultivars are descended from plants from Guerrero or whether germplasm from other parts of poinsettia’s 2000 km long distribution entered into cultivation during the nearly 200 years of subsequent poinsettia horticulture.

The combination of nuclear and plastid haplotypes characterizing cultivars was found only in northern Guerrero. Whereas, distribution modeling indicated that suitable habitat conditions for wild poinsettias are present in this area consistent with their likely wild status. Finding shows that the area of northern Guerrero as the cultivated poinsettia’s probable ancestral region congruent with the traditional account attributing the original collections to Poinsett (Trejo et al., 2012). Poinsettias are originally native to the central and southern parts of Mexico where they grow as a shrub up to 5 m. The poinsettia was introduced to the United States by Mr. Poinsett in 1828. It was introduced into North America in1838 from Mexico and since that time it has achieved considerable economic importance as a pot plant in the florist trade.

The apparent reasons for undesirable productivity under intensively cultivated areas are depletion of native nutrient reserves, emergence of multinutrient deficiencies, and consequent decline in factor productivity of applied nutrient (Dwivedi et al., 2006; Yadav, 1998; Yadav, 2003). Surveys conducted at PDFSR in different agro-climatic regions of Indo- Gangetic Plain indicated that in order to achieve previously attained yield levels, farmers have started applying greater doses of N than the recommended ones (Dwivedi et al., 2001; Sharma, 2003). Such indiscriminate use of N is likely to further worsen the nutrient imbalance in soil-plant systems, besides increasing the pest incidence, cost of production and environmental problems (Dwivedi et al., 2001). The annual productivity of rice - wheat could hardly exceed 9 t ha^-1 in the multilocation experiments on yield maximization (Dwivedi and Singh, 2011). On the other hand, long-term experiments (Singh and Mishra, 2010) and other studies indicate that crop productivity can be sustained with balanced fertilization, taking into account the emerging deficiencies of secondary and micronutrients (Tiwari et al., 2006)

Nutrient management is a major component of a soil and crop management system. It becomes even more important in intensive high yielding cropping systems because of the higher investments at stake. The SSNM is applying those concepts to areas within a field that are known to require different management options from the field average. Site specific nutrient management is a concept that can be applied to any field and any crop. Yet, it is most often thought of in relation to use of computer and satellite equipment, and does not require large farming operation. The technology tools certainly expand the capabilities for using site-specific management. This is really a “repackaging“ of management concepts that have been developed and promoted for many years.

India is a leading vegetable producing country in the world. Presently it occupies 7.981 million hectare area with the annual production 129.077million tones (2008-09). The country being belessed with the unique gift of nature of diverse climate and distinct seasons, make it possible to grow an array of vegetables number exceeding more than hundred types. However, potato being the staple food and easy to mix in several preparations ranks first (26.6%) in total production of vetetables followed by onion (10.5%) and other important Solanaceous vegetables like tomato (8.6%), brinjal (8.0%). Cauliflower and cabbage are most preferred winter vegetables and their total share in the country’s vegetable production is 5.1 and 5.3%, respectively. Other important vegetables, which are primarily grown in the country, are okra, onion, vegetable peas and a good range of cucurbits (Fig. 1)

There is miss-match in area production and productivity of vegetables among various states of the country. The West Bengal ranks first in the total production of vegetables in the country and its production during the year 2008-09 was in tune of more than 22.704 million tones, contributing the more than one-fifth of total country’s vegetable product ion. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa in north India and Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karanataka in south India are the other leading vegetable producing states in the country. In last one decade, there has been considerable progress in enchancing the productivity of vegetables which is presently 16.2 tonnes hectare^-1. Incessant growth of urbanization, ceaseless fragmentation ofland holdings and depleting natural resources are the major challenges before the expansion of any agricultural commodity either cereals or vegetables. Hence, our attention must be focused on vertical expansion strengthened with the boon ofthe technology instead of horizontal expansion just by increasing the crop area. To ensure the nutrition security of the burgeoning population of the country, it is estimated that up to 2020, the country’s vegetable demand would be around 155 million tones (Rai et al., 2004; Pandey et al., 2009). To achieve this target, it is sine qua non to integrate the various technologies right from production to post-harvest.

Protected cultivation of horticultural crops offers the best choice for diversification from traditional agriculture production system for a number of reasons. Production of crops under protected structures has great potential in augmenting production and quality of vegetables, flowers and in some fruit crops in main and off-season and maximizing water and nutrient use efficiency under varied agro-climatic conditions of the country. This becomes relevant to growers in India who have small land holding. They would be interested in a technology, which helps them to produce more crops each year from their land, particularly during off-season when prices are higher. The commonly protected structures are polyhouses, poly-tunnels, floating row covers, clotches, shade-net, insect-proof net and plastic-mulches (Chandra et al., 2000 ; Singh et al. 2010). These protected structures act as physical barrier and play a key role in integrated pest management by preventing spread of insect-pests and viruses which causes severe damage to the crop (Singh et al., 2003). This technology has great potential especially in periurban agriculture in near future, since it can be profitably used for growing high value vegetable crops like tomato, cheery-tomato, coloured peppers, parthenocarpic cucumbers, cut-flowers like rose, carnation, Berbera, lilium and fruits like strawberry, grapes etc. and for off-season cultivation of vegetables and their healthy and virus-free seedling production.

Protected cultivation is intended to mean some level of control over plant micro-climate to alleviate one or more of abiotic stresses for optimum plant growth. The microclimatic parameters being referred here are temperature, light, air-composition and the nature of rooting medium.

Rice-wheat cropping system is the most important food production system in India. This system has enabled the country to attain food security during last three decades and provided livelihood to millions of farming families in recent times. The productivity of this system has now started showing signs of decline or stagnation at many places. There are also concerns of declining soil health and other related environmental problems. At the same time, food demand is rapidly increasing due to increasing population and income growth. During the past 30 years, agricultural production has been able to keep pace with population demand for food. This came about through significant area and yield growth. Area growth was a result of new lands being farmed and through increases in cropping intensity, from a single crop to double or even triple crops per calendar year. Area growth will be less important in its contribution to production growth in the future as more land is used for urban areas and industry. Yield growth will have to be the mainstay for providing the means for meeting future food demands unless food imports start to play a major role. Total factor productivity is declining and farmers have to apply more fertilizer to obtain the same yields. There is, therefore, a huge challenge ahead to meet future food demands without damaging the natural resource base on which agriculture depends, producing food at a cost that is affordable by the poor, and with incentives to farmers that allow them to improve their livelihoods. Water will become a major limiting factor for sustained production in the next decade. Rapidly growing urban areas and industry will compete with agriculture for good quality water. There are already reports of declining water tables in some areas leading to more costly pumping of groundwater and increased costs of production.

This chapter describes various conservation agriculture technologies to attain the goal of increasing productivity and meeting food security needs while at the same time efficiently using natural resources, including water, providing environmental benefits and improving the rural livelihoods of farmers. The major success in the last few years has been the development and deployment of conservation agriculture technologies (CATs) with farmers in the rice-wheat systems. CATs range from simple surface seeding, where wheat seed is broadcast on the non-ploughed soil; no-till with a special opener for placing seed in the soil also without ploughing; reduced tillage and bed planting. This has benefited farmers through less cost, more yields and more income. CATs are defined as any practice that will result in improvement of the efficiency of natural resources. These technologies are rapidly gaining popularity among farmers as they result in higher production at less cost with significant benefits to the environment and more efficient use of natural resources. This ultimately results in higher profits, cheaper food, and improved farmer livelihoods. Crop diversification is also easier as less land is needed to produce staple cereals, freeing up land for other crops.

Cost is the value of the factors of production used in producing and distributing goods and services. The cost of a factor unit equals the maximum amount which the factor could earn in alternative employment. Broadly speaking, cost is the measure of what has to be given up in order to achieve something. Production costs play an important role in the decision of the farmers. Cost of production here means the exogenesis incurred per unit of output. In general, at given level of prices, a farmer can increase his farm income in two ways i.e. (i) by increasing production or (ii) by reducing the cost of production. The cost of production involves both cash cost and non cash cost items. Cash costs are incurred when resources are purchased and used immediately in the production process such as casual labour, fertilizer fuel etc. And non cash cost like depreciation on farm building and equipment and payment made to farmer himself or family labour, management and owned capital. Before estimating the cost of cultivation/production, we should know the concepts/terms are used in estimating the cost. Concept means idea underlying or general notion.

Cost concepts and items of cost

The cost of production of a crop is considered at three different levels viz., cost A, cost B and cost C. The concept of nine costs such as is followed by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Ministry of Agricultures Government of india in their cost studies are given below.

Ethnobotany deals with different aspects of man-plant relationship with special emphasis on ethnic community of a region, nay country or any geographical territory. This perhaps gives us a new dimension, orientation and objectives to make it complete with vivid information on people and their resource use pattern including science background behind scientific use. The new form of ethno-botany is now reformed and re-oriented as beta-ethnobotany. Earlier taxonomists, anthropologists and social workers have made their work on a wide field of man-plant relationship which was very loose in the sense that no specification or special focus was there which has its origin so called alpha-ethnobotany. Beta-ethnobotany deals with objective based oriented studies, divine, dynamic and quantitative ethno-botany with special emphasis to assessment of credibility of folk claims, ethno pharmacology, ethno-pharmacotherapy and ethno-medicine. Presently scientists estimated that out of over 5000 plants have been used in ethno-medicine much less than 1000 are utilized in herbal drug industry in different indigenous systems of medicine like ayurveda, homoeopathy, unani and siddha. A wide variation of use and conservation strategies on that medicine or the raw sources of these materials are available in the lower tract of Chotanagpur plateau in red lateritic part of West Bengal so called the ‘ rarh’ region. Tribal people like santal, kol, sabar, kheria, oraon, munda etc. inhabiting the rarh region use the medicine as ethno-medicine since time immemorial and conserve the plants and similar plant propagules in their home gardens and nearby sal (Shorea robusta) dominated forests for future generation. Wide application and conservation strategies of a large number of ethno-medicine and ethno-medicinal plants have been presented here with special emphasis on landscape conservation to make the ecosystem pristine rather than degraded in near future.