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At times a pesticide application fails to reduce the levels of a pest. Usually, the farmer blames either the pesticide for this or he thinks that the pests have developed resistance. Though, the usual causes of poor results with an application of a genuine pesticide from a reputable source are:

Pesticide poisoning occurs when a pesticide enters the body and interferes with the vital systems of the body. Symptoms can begin anything from 1/2 hour to 24 hours after exposure. The typical symptoms and signs of pesticide poisoning are:

Pesticides can cause three types of harmful effects – Acute, Delayed and Allergic.

Acute effects: Are those that occur immediately after the exposure, within minutes or hours.

Definition

Adjuvants are chemicals incorporated in a pesticide formulation or added to the tank mix, to increase effectiveness and safety. They generally have no effect on pests in themselves.

There is a common practice of using the terms spurious, counterfeit, misbranded, illegal, sub-standard and others interchangeably and this often creates confusion among scientist, industrialist and extension officer. Spurious and counterfeit pesticides are the two major words used to describe all kind of anomalies in the pesticides. Hence, there is a need to have a clear understanding of these and differences between them.

Environmental protection Agency (EPA)has established category of pesticides called “Reduced Risk” pesticides to encourage the development, registration and use of products which could result in reduced risks to human health and the environment. New Generation pesticides are considered for “Reduced Risk” status if they have at least one or more of the following status: low risk to human health, low toxicity to non target organisms, low potential to contaminate ground water, surface water or other valued environmental resources and have the potential to expand the adoption and effectiveness of IPM.

Strobilurins are a group of chemical compounds used in agriculture as fungicides. They are part of the larger group of QoI inhibitors, which act to inhibit the respiratory chain at the level of Complex III.Some common Strobilurins are azoxystrobin, kresoxim-methyl, picoxystrobin, fluoxastrobin,oryzastrobin, dimoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin and trifloxystrobin. Strobilurins represented a major development in fungus-based fungicides. They were extracted from the fungus Strobilurus tenacellus. They have a suppressive effect on other fungi, reducing competition for nutrients; theyinhibit electron transfer inmitochondria,disrupting energy metabolism and preventing growth of the target fungi. Strobilurins are miracle fungicides ever developed with novel mode of action & mobility that qualifies the Unique New Generation Fungicides controlling Pathogen from diverse class.

Definition

“Biological pesticides”, or “Biopesticides” as the name suggests, are naturally occurring substances that biologically control harmful pests, especially among field crops. These are naturally produced bio chemical materials basically non-toxic to the environment that can be employed in pest control. Biopesticides could mean living organisms (bacteria, virus, and algae), their products (biochemicals produced by them) and also plant byproducts. Biopesticides offer an ecologically effective solution to the harmful effects of synthetic pesticides.

Pesticide Toxicity

Chemical tactics to manage pests can include many types of compounds. Some merely repel or confuse pests. Some interfere with weed photosynthesis, insect molting processes or development in some way. Others, including some botanical and most conventional insecticides are broadly toxic to living systems. The term pesticide literally means “pest killer". Generally speaking, when using pesticides, we are trying to garner the advantages of using pesticides while minimizing the risk to humans and other non-target organisms. Risk to humans of pesticide use is often described as:

Pesticides sustain food production and control disease and pests. They are vital for crop production and instrumental in continuous increase in food production. The consumption of pesticide in India is one of the lowest in the world. India uses a low amount of 0.5 kg/hectare pesticide compared to 7.0 kg/ hectare by USA, 2.5 kg/hectare by Europe, 12 kg/hectare by Japan and 6.6 kg/ hectare by Korea. However, despite the low consumption of pesticides, India has more problem of pesticide residues vis-a-vis other countries and these have entered into food products and underground water because of

Before applying fungicides in field at large areas, it is required to be thoroughly investigated under laboratory conditions for its efficacy on pathogen, subjected. Basic methods of testing these chemicals against subjected pathogen, under laboratory conditions are described here.

1. Poisoned Food Technique

Principle

The principle involved in this technique is to poison the medium with fungicides and then allow a teat fungus to grow on such medium. The test may be conducted both on solid and liquid medium.

1. Bordeaux Mixture

It was invented in the Bordeaux region of France by PM Millardet (1982).

Also called Bordo Mix.

Mixture of Copper sulfate (CuSO₄), Slaked lime and Water.

It is known locally in France as Bouillie Bordelaise.

Antibiotics are substances which are produced by micro-organisms and which act against micro-organisms. It is also defined as secondary metabolites produced by microorganism, which inhibits the growth of another microorganism. Most antibiotics known uptill now are products of actinomycetes and some are from fungi and bacteria. The use of the antibiotics in managing plant diseases, particlulaty the disease caused by bacteria, mycoplasma and ricketsia, is well demonstrated and are thought to be effective means because of their selective action directed towards causal agents not to the infected host. The mode of action of the antibiotics varies depending on site of action which in turn detrmines their specificity towards given target host (Table 12). Some time mixture of antibiotics are in practice in managing the diseases to reduce delay the chances of resistance development against a particular antibiotic by the causal agent. The most useful antibiotic mixture is streptocycline, which contains streptomycin and tetracycline.

The behavior of pesticides is dependent on many factors, so be sure to consider everything from light and temperature to moisture and pH and recognize that all the factors will impact the active ingredient. Here is some information on these topics, and others, which will improve pest management success.

1.Identification: The first step to disease and pest management success is the proper identification of the insect, disease or weed pest. Without identification of the pest, controls may be misused or improperly timed.

2.Time of Application: Time of application of pesticides plays major role in optimizing pesticidal performance. Early morning or late afternoon are the best times to spray. Dust formulations should be apply in early morning hours (6 am).In the case of foliar spray, it should be done in morning hours between 8 am to 11 am. Avoid spraying during the heat of the day.

3.Water Quality and pH: Primary factors important in water quality are pH and alkalinity (bicarbonates). Most of the pesticides show high efficiency in slightly acidic to slightly basic water pH (i.e. 6.5 to 7.5). Many water sources in alkaline pH (<7.0). Alkali pH (7.5>) is always harmful for pesticides. High pH levels are responsible for alkaline hydrolysis, a process that breaks down the active ingredient in many insecticides, fungicides and herbicides.Add a buffer agent to lower spray solution to a pH of 5.5-6.5. This will give better initial knockdown and longer residual action.

The Effectiveness of a Pesticide in Controlling a Disease and Pest Depends on

Using the right pesticide for the target disease & pest.

Applying the pesticide at the right time.

Applying the pesticide in the right amount.

Applying the pesticide to the right place.

Sprayer is an equipment in which the spray fluid is broken up into fine droplets and ejected under pressure. Actually, the function of the sprayer is to provide the spray fluid with some energy so that it can be broken into fine droplets through the nozzle and propelled to the target. The energy can be produced manually or with the help of any other source of power. There are a variety of sprayers.

Type of Sprayers: There are a variety of sprayers.

Pesticide Dusting

The dusting powders are low concentration ready to use type, dry formulations containing 2 to 10% pesticide. The inert material or dry diluents is talc, soapstone, attapulgite, etc. and it is non toxic. The sulphur dust is not diluted with inert material.

Spraying nozzle is a device for emitting spray liquid, breaking it up into small droplets and throwing the droplets away from the nozzle orifice. Different designs of nozzle are used to produce appropriate droplet size spectrum. In order to break the liquid into droplets energy is needed. The spray nozzles therefore are classified as:

Majority of the pesticides are applied as sprays. The liquid formulations of pesticide either diluted or directly are applied in small drops to the crop by different types of sprayers. Generally the wettable powder, EC formulations are diluted suitably with water which is a common carrier of pesticides. However, in few cases oil is used as carrier of pesticides.

Any sprayer nozzle essentially breaks the liquid into small droplets and throws them. All nozzles in the field produce rangesof droplets of different size called spray spectrum. The hydraulic nozzles have wide range of size of droplets whereas the rotary nozzles have narrow range. Adroplet of 400 µm diameter is 1000 times bigger in volume than a droplet of 40 µm. The volume of spherical droplets can be worked out as 4/3 µr3. So if the droplet size of aspraying system could be reduced to half, then there will be 8 fold increases in the number of droplets and the coverage will also increase.

i) Common Maintenance

Clean outer surface with brush or cotton waste by using plenty of water or kerosene oil.

Oil the moving or rubbing surfaces of parts with lubricating oil or grease.

Filter the chemical solution/ fuel oil mixture while pouring into the tanks. Make the caps or lids leak-proof with gaskets.

Flush the equipment with clean water to wash inside parts of containers, tubes and nozzles to be free from chemicals.

The objective of correct pesticide application cannot be achieved without good quality Plant Protection Equipment. A sound designed machine shall be proficient as far as pesticide distribution and delivery to the target in minimum time with least wastages is concerned. Hence, the machines should be tested to ascertain that they are:

Calibration is the process of measuring and adjusting the amount of pesticide your equipment applies or delivers to a specific area. The purpose of calibration is to ensure your equipment is applying the correct amount of material uniformly over a given area.

Equipment is manufactured to be adjustable. Charts or tables may be provided to assist the operator in making adjustments to the settings. These recommended settings, however, are only approximate and may not be appropriate for all situations. Therefore, your equipment must be calibrated periodically. This depends on the type of equipment and the frequency of use. The application rate of the sprayer is affected by travel speed, nozzle size, and sprayer pressure. Equipment is calibrated by making a trial run on some premeasured area and measuring the output. For example, using a hand-held sprayer, spray a premeasured test area with water using the same pressure and techniques (i.e., travel speed and equipment) you would use when applying the pesticide. After spraying the test area, determine how much water was used. This volume can then be used to calculate the amount of water and pesticide needed to cover the intended application area.

The time invested in calibrating your equipment is time well spent. Accurate calibration to determine the application rate under your operating conditions is important for cost, efficiency and safety.

Solid formulations such as dust, wettable powder or granules, the active ingredient is mixed with inert material. The concentration is expressed as:

Active ingredient (%) in the total weight of commercial product.

Effective application of pesticides depends on many factors. One of the more important is to correctly calculate the amount of material needed. Unless you have the correct amount of pesticide in your tank mix, even a correctly calibrated sprayer can apply the wrong rate.

Manufacturers provide application rate instructions on every pesticide label. Due to the variety of ways in which these recommendations are stated (such as lbs. of active ingredient (a.i.) per acre, lbs. of formulation per 100 gal. of spray, or ozs, of a.i. per 1,000 sq. ft.) it is often necessary to adapt the recommendations to different areas and volumes, or even other units. Sometimes the amount of active ingredient must be converted to the amount of actual product. This process can be very confusing.

A. Purchase

a)Do not purchase leaking containers, loose, unsealed or torn bags.

b)Do not purchase pesticides without proper/approved labels.

c)Purchase only just required quantity e.g. 100, 250, 500 or 1000 g/ml for single application in specified area.

Insect Control and Insecticides

Control Tips

Practicing Integrated Pest Management can significantly reduce the amount of insecticides needed to control many insect problems.

Broad-spectrum insecticides are effective against all insects, even the good ones. Other insecticides target certain insects. Using a targeted insecticide minimizes the risk to beneficial or non-target insects.

Some insecticides work immediately to kill insects while others may need some time to take effect.

Using more than one insecticide product in the same location can increase or decrease each one’s effectiveness. It may also result in a greater risk to health and/or the environment.

Insect growth regulators like pyriproxyfen and methoprene do not kill insects; they make it impossible for exposed insects to molt (grow) or lay eggs properly.

Insecticidal baits can be used instead of spraying large areas, especially for social insects like ants. This can decrease the risk of exposure, but remember to place baits where children and pets won’t have access.

Proper selection of a fungicide and its application at the correct dose and the proper time are highly essential for the management of plant diseases. The basic requirement of an application method is that it delivers the fungicide to the site where the active compound will prevent the fungus damaging the plant. The fungicidal application varies according to the nature of the host part diseased and nature of survival and spread of the pathogen. The method which are commonly adopted in the application of the fungicides are discussed.

1.Soil treatment

2.Seed treatment

3.Foliar or vegetative application

Definition

Seed treatment is the process by which seeds are treated with physical, chemical or biological agents to prevent the infection of seedlings and the subsequent development of the crops.

Advantages of Seed Treatments

Increased seed germination.

Ensures uniform seedling emergence.

Protect seeds or seedling from early season diseases and insect pests improving crop emergence and its growth.

Lower seedling mortality.

Improved plant population and thus higher productivity.

Reduces the cost and the potential environmental impact.

Also reduces the probability of chemical residues in harvested grain.

Relatively easy and cheap to apply compared to broadcast sprays.

Gaseous poisons use to kill insects are called as fumigants. Fumigants are pesticides that form poisonous gases when applied. Some active ingredients are liquids when packaged under high pressure but change to gases when they are released. Other active ingredients are volatile liquids when enclosed in an ordinary container and so are not formulated under pressure. Still others are solids that release gases when applied under conditions of high humidity or in the presence of water vapor.

Failure in timely diagnosis of diseases and other pests has often been responsible for devastating losses. Reducing crop losses by keeping pests at bay is crucial to food security. Plant clinic is an innovative paradigm which plays a vital role in assuring food security and ushering prosperity by providing timely diagnosis and rendering necessary advice to the growers, gardeners and other stakeholders for managing pest problem in India. Plant clinics are all about plant health. Though the major role of plant clinic lies in diagnostics and advisory, the activities of plant clinic extend beyond plant clinic, with emphasis on extension, working more closely with farmers and organizations involved in promoting food production. The role of plant clinics beyond diagnostics and advisory. These are:

Introduction

Underutilized fruits provide nutrition and sustenance of life to the native communities and prevent widespread malnutrition, combat micronutrient deficiencies and other dietary deficiencies, as these are rich in vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates and fats. Vitamins like A, E and minerals like calcium, magnesium and iron are abundantly available in these fruits, which help in building resistance against diseases. Many underutilized fruits contain more vitamin C and pro-vitamin A than the widely available commercial species. Consumption of these fruits by the rural people directly from the trees further maximizes vitamin intake.

A healthy diet depends on a diversity of foods rich in vitamins and minerals. Whether wild, semi-domesticated or fully cultivated, the underutilized and neglected species are important for the well being of local communities. These fruit trees provide the essential supplements that ensure a balanced nutritious diet. Diet diversity is an extremely important element of nutritional well-being, in part because more essential nutrients are consumed and also because it improves the taste of staple foods thus encouraging greater consumption. One of the most common causes for dietary deficiencies appears to be the decreasing diversity of traditional diets. Underutilized fruits are common snack foods that provide vitamins, minerals, proteins, etc. and play important role in diets.

Sugars and sweetners: Sugars are present in all the actively metabolising plant cells in the form of glucose and sucrose. The under-exploited fruits that yield sugar are black maple, sugar maple, sugar palm, wild date palm, honey palm or coquito palm (Jubaea chilensis), talipot palm, nipa palm, toddy palm, palmyra palm (Table 1).

Introduction

The hot arid regions are spread over about 31.7 million ha area mainly in the States of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, which inhabit on an average 61 persons per square km making up a population of nearly 20 million people. The Indian arid zone is characterized by high temperature and low and variable precipitation which limit the scope for high horticultural productivity. However, these conditions greatly favour development of high quality production in number of fruits such as date palm, ber, pomegranate, citrus, aonla, bael, grapes, guava and in vegetables such as cucurbitaceous crops, spices and some medicinal plants. The optimized technologies and inputs could increase the existing low productivity. It is now realized that there is a limited scope for quantum jump in fruit and vegetable production in the traditional production areas. The amelioration of the extreme conditions is also considered vital for life support to the inhabitants of this area. The recent awareness regarding the potential of these ecologically fragile lands for production of quality horticultural produce has not only opened up scope for providing economic sustenance for the people of this region, but also for bringing new areas to increase production through horticulture.

Introduction

While Indian agriculture has evolved to provide food to our ever growing population, nutrition security still remains a distant dream. Fruits an important component of a healthy diet, are rich source of nutraceuticals. Such health components comprising of flavonoides, carotenoides, vitamins, anthocyanins and other polyphenolics provide health benefits of disease prevention through antioxidant activity and reduced disease risks. Of late there has been an explosion of consumer interest in the health enhancing role of physiologically-active specific food components commonly referred to as nutraceuticals and functional foods.

The term ‘nutraceutical’ was first coined by an American doctor Stephen DeFelice in the 1990s. Today, healthcare market is flooded with different new nutraceutical related terminologies like, cosmeceuticals, biopharmaceuticals, herbaceuticals, ayuraceuticals, dermaceuticals, nutri-cosmetics etc. A review of 200 epidemiological studies showed that cancer risk in people consuming diets high in fruits was only one-half that in those consuming few of these foods. Increased acceptance and use of nutraceuticals and functional foods in the western world has resulted in increased export of such commodities from these countries. World-wide market for nutraceuticals and medicinal plant products today has surpassed US $ 15 billion with the top markets being United States (US $ 3 billion), Europe (US$ 2.4 billion), Japan (US$ 2.7 billion) and Asia (US$ 2.7 billion). It is increasing at the rate of 10% per annum. USA holds a significant share (35%) in world nutraceutical market followed by Japan (25%). As per the US estimates, the market for natural food colorants is estimated at US $ 500 million out of which anthocyanin and lutein together account for US $ 200 millions. Other large, emerging international markets in south and southeast Asia and mid-east gulf countries include UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait. At present nutraceuticals and food supplement based functional foods account for trade worth US$ 170 billions and India’s share in this market is less than one per cent.

India is emerging as a major stakeholder in the global horticulture scenario accounting for 10.00 % of the world production of fruits. This has been made possible due to concerted efforts of scientists and progressive farming community. In recent years, there is considerable awareness about the nutritional security and food safety. Underutilized fruit trees not only provide nutrition and income security to the people but can also ameliorate the harsh environment of the semi-arid and arid region. Jamun has been named as diabetes fighter for its hypoglycemic (lowering blood sugar) properties.The minor fruits like bael, karonda, khirni, mahua, tamarind, mulberry, pilu, chironji, phalsa and wood apple have tremendous scope for their proper utilization. These fruits are nutritionally rich in bioactive compounds and some of these are of great medicinal value, processing quality and other uses. They have a growing demand in local as well as export market and for processing besides diversification in agriculture in the wake of global changes in weather conditions.

Introduction

During the last few decades, interest in Ethnobotany has evolved substantially world wide, particularly in India, Africa, Mexico, South America, and South-East Asia. Ethnobiological information on what and how local people make use of plants and animals have been traditionally gathered and passed on from generation to generation. India represents one of the greatest emporia of ethnobotanical wealth. Like other parts of India, in hot arid region also, rural and tribal communities have precious information about utilization of indigenous plants. Besides identification of plants as food, fodder, medicine etc., there also exists similar experience on life support species for exigencies like drought and famines, which is less utilized so far. Several researchers made contribution on etnobotanical aspects of Thar Desert. During 19^th century, King (1869 and 1870) listed wild plants used as food and vegetables during famine by people of Marwar region of Thar Desert. Afterwards, ethnobotanical aspects of edible plants of this region was attempted by several workers

Introduction

Vegetables are essentially important functional foods capable of providing additional physiological benefits such as delaying onset of chronic diseases apart from meeting basic nutritional requirements. Vegetables constitute a significant source of carotenoids, phenolics, vitamin C, flavonoids and glucosinolates which boost the immune mechanism and have medicinal properties. The antioxidants in tomato, onions, carrots, garlic, brussel sprouts, peppers and green leafy vegetables and their potential health benefits are critically discussed.

Oxidative damage to biological molecules like DNA, protein and lipids induced by free radicals is considered to be linked with many degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular, cancer, ocular and neurological such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Antioxidants from plant sources preserve an adequate function of immune cells against homeostatic disturbances and act as functional foods. Functional foods are foods which besides fulfilling the basic physiological function, have health promoting effect. There is a considerable epidemiological evidence indicating association between diets rich in vegetables and a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and certain forms of cancer. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables contain high amounts of antioxidant compounds like vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, flavonoids, tannins and other phenolic constituents which boost the immune mechanism.

Introduction

The semiarid and arid ecosystem is not only neglected in India but also the whole world in respect of socio-economic and scientific development. Middlefon and Thomas, 1997) reported the arid and semi arid covers 47% of land surface of the plant and home town to 1/3 of human population. Conventional plant breeding so far only increased the yield of crops grown under arid tropics at about half the rate achieved for crops grown in temperate regions (Turner, 2004, b). The major crop of other ecosystem are considered as under exploited crop of arid ecosystem. Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), is one such crop, which was domesticated in ancient Peru, has become the most popular and widely consumed vegetable in the world today, for its rich flavor and high nutritional value (Vitamins A and C)

Introduction

Humans are able to live and work in almost all the environmental extremes of the planet earth and also in space due to their remarkable physiological adaptability and/or by modification of environment itself. Adequate nutrition plays a key role in adaptation and accordingly nutritional needs vary to a great extent. Nutraceutical, a term combining the words “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical”, is a food or food product that provides health and medical benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease. Such products may range from isolated nutrients, dietary supplements and specific diets to genetically engineered foods, herbal products, and processed foods such as cereals, soups, and beverages. Nutraceutical is a broad umbrella term used to describe any product derived from food sources that provides extra health benefits in addition to the basic nutritional value found in foods. Products typically claim to prevent chronic diseases, improve health, delay the aging process, and increase life expectancy. Phytochemical profile in important crops such as ber, aonla, pomegranate, date palm, karoda, bael, aloe vera, cactus pear of arid region have been indicated that there is wide variation among primary and secondary metabolites. Thus it has become imperative to look into markers linked to high contents of bioactive compounds rather than size and sweetness of the fruits during exploration and evaluation of the plant germplasm.

Introduction

Several tropical indigenous fruits have still remained underexploited due to the lack of awareness of their potential, market demand and low and erratic bearing in many cases. Though wild and domesticated diversity is composed of nearly 3000 tropical fruit species, only a few are cultivated on large scale (Vietmeyer, 1990;Pareek et al., 1998). These species (approximately 600 tropical and subtropical) are better known in their areas of diversity and have not yet been utilized to their full potential inspite of their high economic value. There exists a very rich diversity of fruits across the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, with more than 500 species of fruits estimated to be found in Southeast Asia alone. The South and Southeast Asia represents above 300 species of native minor fruits (Arora, 1995). These species are being used by local people as minor fruits as well as for medicinal purposes as described in the Indian system of medicine. If properly harnessed, this diversity has great potential as a source of food besides meeting multipurpose needs of the local communities (Pareek et al., 1998).

Introduction

While Indian agriculture has evolved to provide food to our ever growing population, nutritional security had remained a distant dream. Vegetables, an important component of a healthy diet, are rich source of nutraceuticals such as flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamins, anthocyanins, polyphenolics etc. Such constituents provide health benefits of disease prevention through antioxidant activity and reduced disease risks. Since perishable food commodities and light sensitive nutraceuticals have a specific shelf life, these run the risk of getting spoilt beyond a specific time. Excessive quantities of these must therefore, be processed and converted into value added products with improved shelf life and nutrition value after fortification with nutraceuticals. Nutraceuticals are also referred to by different terminologies like functional foods, fusion foods, dietary supplements, designer foods etc. Nutraceutical products include food supplements, dietary supplements, value-added food products, processed food commodities as well as non-food supplements such as tablets, soft gels, capsules etc. A survey related to nutraceutical rich vegetables has revealed that farmers are growing only the conventional vegetables and there is little awareness about the use of nutraceutical rich vegetables.

Vegetables are rich sources of important phytochemicals, which provide essential nutrients and enhance the body’s ability to prevent and fight disease. There is a multitude of phytochemicals, in unique combinations, in different vegetables, and each functions differently in the body as anti-oxidant, as anti-allergenic, as anti-carcinogenic, as anti-inflammatory, as anti-viral, and/or anti-proliferative. Being of natural origin, some of the phytochemical pigments are increasingly sought after as food colorants. Some of the nutraceutical rich vegetable crops include red and black carrot, beet root, tomato, chilli, and broccoli.

Introduction

Antioxidants are substances, which retard or prevent deterioration, damage or destruction caused by oxidation. Fortunately, the body has an army of antioxidants for damage limitation. Antioxidant form an integral part of the nutraceutical market. During the last few years’ research has confirmed that many have the common disease and ailments of 21^st century (Coronary Vascular Disease, diabetes, cataracts, high blood pressure, infertilities, respiratory infection, and rheumatoid arthritis) are associated with tissue deficiency and/or low dietary levels of compounds called antioxidants. The oxygen is consumed in the body during metabolism by process called oxidation. During oxidation free radicals are generated. These free radicals at a molecular level burn everything they touch. Antioxidants are power full electron donors and react with free radicals which damage the biomolecules. The formed antioxidant radical is stable and non-reactive. Antioxidants are quite large in number and diverse in nature which oppose the process of oxidation largely by neutralizing free radicals at relatively small concentrations and also have the potential to inhibit the oxidant chain reactions.

Introduction

The present trend in the search for new drugs is to look at natural sources, which are safer for humans and ecofriendly. Of late there has been increased awareness about the detrimental effects of synthetic food supplements, food additives and drugs, and the search for natural alternatives in plants has intensified. In this regard, horticultural crops are particularly appealing since they are not only edible, but also have diverse nutraceutical effects. Nutraceuticals (often referred to as phytochemicals or functional foods) are natural, bioactive chemical compounds that have health promoting, disease preventing or medicinal properties (http://foodsci.rutgers.edu),such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, antimicrobial effects, to name just a few. Most of these properties are attributed to the secondary metabolites present in plants, various phytochemicals including flavonoids, terpenoid, lignans, sulfides, polyphenolics, carotenoids, coumarins, saponins, plant sterols, curcumins, phthalides etc. The medicinal value of our horticultural crops is not a new knowledge, it has been exploited by the traditional systems of medicines like Ayurveda, folklore medicines and ‘kitchen remedies’ since time immemorial.

A functional food is similar in appearance to, or may be, a conventional food that is consumed as part of a usual diet, and is demonstrated to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions, i.e. they contain bioactive compound.

A nutraceutical is a product isolated or purified from foods that is generally sold in medicinal forms not usually associated with foods. A nutraceutical is demonstrated to have a physiological benefit or provide protection against chronic disease.

Introduction

The incidence of diabetes mellitus is increasing all over the world and is becoming a problem of significant importance. Diabetes mellitus is a disease of CHO metabolism and WHO has declared India as the diabetic capital of the world. Globally diabetes affects 246 million people, which is about 6% of the total adult population. It is the fourth leading cause of death by disease and every 10 seconds, a person dies from diabetes related causes in the world.

The growing number of diabetic patients and the current and probable future need for health care constraints will mean that high quality diabetic care will become increasingly difficult to be delivered in the future. This requires identification & implementation of cost effective treatment measures that will improve diabetes care in the long term, decrease the associated morbidity and reduce the high direct and indirect costs of its management. This can be possible by incorporation of cost effective and efficient medicinal plants in the management of diabetes. Toxicity and side effects of modern system of medicine have highlighted the importance and relevance of traditional medicinal plants. India has about 45,000 plant species and several thousands have been claimed to possess medicinal properties. Among Indian traditional medicinal plants several potential anti-diabetic plants and herbs are being used as part of our diet since prehistoric time.

In India, medicinal plants have been used as natural medicine since the days of Vedic glory. Historically, in ‘Atharva-Veda’ (about 200 B.C.) description of medicinal plants was made under a separate chapter ‘Ayurveda’. The medicinal values of plants have been tested by trial and error method for a long time by different workers and opened great opportunities for scientific investigations of herbal medicines for cure of diabetes and its complications.

Medicinal plants used to treat hyperglycemic conditions are of considerable interest for ethno-botanical community as they are recognized to contain valuable medicinal properties in different parts of the plant and a number of plants have shown varying degree of hypoglycemic and anti-hyperglycemic activity. The active principles of many plant species are isolated for direct use as drugs, lead compounds or pharmacological agents. Traditional plant medicines or herbal formulations might offer a natural key to unlock diabetic complications if utilized with care.

Introduction

Fiber is that part of plant food which is not digested when eaten. Since it is not absorbed into the body, dietary fiber is not a nutrient. Nevertheless, fiber is a very important component of a healthy diet. Fiber, also called “roughage” helps prevent constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticular disease. Some types of fiber have a cholesterol-lowering effect, which could lead to reduced risk of heart disease.

Dietary fiber has been defined as plant cell wall material resistant to the intestinal secretions of the host. This definition gives the appearance of precision and allows gravimetric and chemical measurements. However, a proportion of other non-fibre dietary constituents (e.g, retrograded starch, protein, and fat) pass along the gut, without absorption or metabolism, to the caecum. Chemical analysis or quantitative measurements of the fibre content of specific diets do not allow prediction of their biological action. The physiological effects of dietary fibre depend predominantly on physical properties unrelated in any simple or direct way to chemical composition. Quantitative measurement of dietary fibre does not allow for diverse effects on nutrient absorption, sterol metabolism, fermentation in the colon, and stool weight. We still do not know whether to restrict the definition of “dietary fibre” to non-starch polysaccharides or to include related materials such as resistant starch, lignin, and the complex assemblies typical of plant tissues, where polysaccharides occur in close association with other molecules. An alternative to defining fibre in terms of chemical composition would be to develop measurements of physical properties relevant to physiological action in the intestine. This approach could be extended to other polymeric constituents, in particular proteins (ingested and secreted) and mucous glycoproteins.

Polysaccharides are the main constituents of dietary fibre and show a wide spectrum of physical, properties that reflect the nature and extent of intermolecular association. Dietary fibre can be likened to a water-laden hydrated mass passing along the gut. Physical properties that influence function are a combination of the rheological and colligative properties of the water-soluble fibre components, the surface characteristics of the water-insoluble components, and the network properties of the swollen hydrated components. Such features include viscosity, water holding, cation exchange, organic acid adsorption, gel filtration, and particle size distribution.

Introduction

Phytosterols, phytostanols and their esters are a group of steroid alcohols and esters that occur naturally in plants as nonsaponifiable fraction of plant oils. Phytosterols (including plant sterols and stanols) cannot be synthesized by humans, and all plant sterols and stanols in the human body therefore originate from the diet. They are known to have several bioactive qualities with possible implications for human health. Their properties for reducing blood cholesterol levels, as well as their other beneficial health effects, have been known for many years. It was recognized in the 1950s that plant sterols lower serum concentrations of cholesterol. Plant sterols might also protect against certain types of cancer such as colon, breast and prostate. Scholarly reviews have all confirmed the health benefits and safety of phytosterols.

People with high blood cholesterol levels are typically advised by health professionals to exercise and consume a diet high in fiber and low in saturated fats and cholesterol. Although these measures can reduce blood cholesterol, sometimes they don’t go far enough. Other cholesterol-lowering interventions may be needed, including cholesterol-lowering medicines or adding phytosterol esters to the diet. The primary phytosterols in the diet are sitosterol, stigmasterol, and campesterol and typical consumption of plant sterols is approximately 160 – 400 mg/day. The enrichment of foods with phytosterols is one of the recent developments in functional foods to enhance the cholesterol-lowering ability of traditional food products.

Introduction

Foods and nutrients play a vital role in normal functioning of the body. They are helpful in maintaining the health of the individual and in reducing the risk of various diseases. Nutraceuticals and functional foods are broad terms describing “a food (or part of a food) that provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and/or treatment of a disease”. Nutraceuticals hold promise in clinical therapy as they have the potential to significantly reduce the risk of side effects associated with chemotherapy along with reducing the global health care cost. Food provides not only essential nutrients needed for life but also other bioactive compounds for health promotion and disease prevention. Consumption of fruit and vegetables, as well as grains, has been strongly associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer disease, cataracts, and age-related functional decline. A change in dietary behavior such as increasing consumption of fruit, vegetables, and grains is a practical strategy for significantly reducing the incidence of chronic diseases.

Functional foods that contain significant amounts of bioactive components may provide desirable health benefits beyond basic nutrition and play important roles in the prevention of chronic diseases. The key question is whether a purified phytochemical has the same health benefit as does the whole food or mixture of foods in which the phytochemical is present. Technological progress in manipulating plant metabolism and metabolites, combined with the explosive growth of the “functional food” industry has led to many attempts to enhance the concentration of these health-promoting compounds in specific plant-based foods . “Functional foods” are foods that, by virtue of physiologically active components, provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition”. Functional/medicinal food is a category of botanical therapeutic available at the grocery store, which can be decrypted as “food engineered or supplemented to provide health benefits”. Thus, the future of plant-based functional foods seems bright and, as a result, grocery and drug stores might eventually look very similar. Optimization of composition of fruits and vegetables would be a very cost-effective method of disease prevention, since diet-induced health improvements would not carry any added costs for the health sector.

Introduction

Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) grows in dry and arid regions of Arabia and in regions of India mainly Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Western Uttar Pradesh and drier parts of Deccan. The tree is locally known as Jandi or Khejri (India), Jand (Pakistan) and Ghaf (Arabic). It is the State tree of Rajasthan, India. Prosopis cineraria are small to medium size evergreen thorny tree. It is also known as “wonder tree” and “king of desert” as all the parts of tree are useful. The importance of the medicinal value of this tree has been highlighted in our ancient literature. The bark of the tree has abortifacient and laxative properties and is also used as a remedy for rheumatism in the central provinces. The leaves are of high nutritive value and locally called ‘’Loong’’. Leaf paste of P. cineraria is applied on boils and blisters, including mouth ulcers in livestock. The smoke of the leaves is considered good for eye troubles. Leaf extracts of P. cineraria have been reported to show antibacterial, antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic and antioxidative activities . Pods are brown to chocolate in colour on ripening, each containing several seeds embedded in sweet dry yellow pulp. P. cineraria pods are locally called ‘’sangar’’ or ‘’sangri’’. The pod is considered astringent in Punjab. Sangri pods are known to prevent protein and mineral deficiency. Cooked pods of Khejri are used as a functional food in Rajasthan, for the amelioration of numerous illnesses. Pods of khejri have been studied for various phytochemicals like alkaloids, saponins, tannins, flavanoids, flavanols and total phenolics. As this plant is found in water stress (or deficient area) so antioxidant potential of pods has also been investigated. Acetone and methanol extracts of Sangri pods are the most potent bioactive extracts. Nutritional analysis shows it as a good source of proteins and minerals like calcium, sodium and potassium. This study demonstrates that P. cineraria pods may be employed as nutraceutical food with rich nutrition, disease prevention and health promoting effects.

Introduction

Cactus pear belongs to Cactaceae family, is widely grown in Mexico and distributed in arid and semi arid tracts of several other parts of the world, such as Australia, Africa, USA and the Mediterranean basin and South East Asia. The future of arid and semi-arid areas of the World largely depends on the development of sustainable agricultural systems based on the use of appropriate crops. Suitable crops are those that successfully cope with water shortage, high temperature, variabilities, poor soils, and easy management to provide food and forage to poor farmers and herders. Opuntias fit most of the above described requirements. In addition, Opuntias play an important ecological role in combating desertification as well as producing fruits and vegetables for human consumption, forage or fodder for livestock, biomass for energy purposes, cochineal for carmine production, and numerous by-products (beverages, vegetarian cheese, drugs and cosmetics). They also provide shelter and food for various wildlife species in arid environments. The fruit known as tuna is a fleshy berry, varying in shape, size, and colour and has a consistent number of hard seeds. The fairly high sugar content and low acidity of the fruit makes it palatable and delicious. Cactus pear was largely treated as underutilized crop by the scientific world until the beginning of 1980, when there was a multiplication of research and symposia, resulting in a large number of publications, including books and book chapters. Recent research finding has, in fact, revealed the high content of some chemical constituents, which can give added value to this crop on a nutritional and bioactive profile. High levels of betalains, taurine, calcium, magnesium, and antioxidants are nutraceutically important. Moreover, some of the constituents show promising in terms of health beneficial quality. Cactus pear products could supplement to nutritional security and human health. The diverse genotypes of Cactus pear have different coloured fruit that show the presence of different antioxidants profiles.

Introduction

The primary role of the diet is to provide enough nutrients to meet metabolic requirements while giving the consumer a feeling of satisfaction and well being. Beyond meeting nutrient needs, diet may modulate various functions in the body and may play detrimental or beneficial roles in some diseases. Now a days concept in nutrition is expanding from the past emphasis on survival, hunger satisfaction and preventing adverse effects to an emphasis on the use of foods to promote a state of well being and better health and to help reduce risk of diseases.

In recent years, the words like functional foods, nutraceuticals, phytochemicals are frequently used/found in media. It is important to understand these words and understand their functions in health care.