eChapters

Objective: To check quality of genomic DNA on agarose gel electrophoresis.

Background information

Agarose gel electrophoresis is a common method of gel based electrophoresis technique used in biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics and clinical chemistry for separation of Protein and nucleic acids from a mixture of macromolecules. Agarose is a major component of agar that is used as a matrix in gel baseelectrophoresis. The nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) are separated based on length of fragments while, proteins are separated based on size and/or charge (Kryndushkin, et al. 2003). For separation of bio-molecules the electric field is applied that leads to movement of charged particles via agarose gel matrix and bio-molecul s are separated based on difference in size in the agarose gel matrix (Sambrook and Russel, 2001).

Gel casting with agarose is easy and has very few charged groups, hence found most suitable for nucleic acid separation in most of the biochemistry, molecular biology and biotechnology laboratories. Separated DNA/RNA ma be seen and recorded with stain under UV light. Further DNA fragments can be eluted from agarose gel with an ease for further down applications. The percentage of agarose gel used is in the range of 0.7 - 2. Lower percent of agarose gel is used for long DNA fragments while, higher percent of agarose gel is used for short DNA fragments with suitable running buffer.

Objective: To check the integrity of isolated RNA on agarose gel.

Background information:

The most common method used to assess the integrity of total RNA is to run RNA sample on agarose gel (denaturing) stained with ethidium bromide (EtBr). While native (non-denaturing) gels can be used, the results can be difficult to interpret. The secondary structure of RNA alters its migration pattern in nativegels so that it will not migrate according to its true size. Nondenaturing conditions also result in bands that are not as sharp, and even multiple bands representing different structures of a single RNA species.

Intact total RNA run on a denaturing gel will have sharp, clear 28S and 18S rRNA bands (eukaryotic samples). The 28S rRNA band should be approximately twice as intense as the 18S rRNA band. This 2:1 ratio (28S:18S) is a good indication that the RNA is completely intact. Partially degraded RNA will have a smeared appearance, will lack the sharp rRNA bands, or will not exhibit the 2:1 ratio of high quality RNA. Completely degraded RNA will appear as a smear (having very low mw). Inclusion of RNA size markers on the gel will determine the band size or smears size and will also serve as a good control for ensuring proper gel run. Note: Poly selected samples will not contain strong rRNA bands and will appear as a smear from approximately 6 kb to 0.5 kb (resulting from the population of mRNAs, and depending on exposure times and conditions), with the area between 1.5 and 2 kb being the most intense (this smear is sometimes apparent in total RNA samples as well).

Objective: To synthesize cDNA from isolated plant total RNA.

Background information:

Complementary DNA (cDNA) is double-stranded DNA made from template of single stranded RNA, [e.g., mRNA or microRNA] by reverse transcriptase enzyme. Mostly cDNA is used for cloning of eukaryotic genes in the prokaryotes. For the expression of a specific protein in a cell where the expression of that protein is not found (i.e., heterologous expression), the cDNA will be transferred that codes for the protein to the recipient cells. Retroviruses (e.g. HIV-1, HIV-2, simian immunodeficiency virus, etc.) also produce cDNA naturally and integrate in host's genome and further creates provirus (Croy, 1998). Major use of cDNA is in gene cloning or as gene probes or in the creation of a cDNA library. When scientists transfer a gene from one cell into another cell for the expression of new genetic material as a protein in the recipient cell, the cDNA will be added to the recipient (rather than the entire gene), because the DNA for an entire gene may have certain DNA that may not code for the protein or that interrupts the coding sequences of the protein (e.g., introns). Partial sequences of cDNAs are often obtained as expressed sequence tags.

The review deals with 151 species of plants covering 138 genera and 66 families used by the tribes for curing women diseases involving 172 practices. Fabaceae is the dominant family with 13 species followed by Caesalpiniaceae (9 spp) and others curing a variety of ailments. The useful plants be subjected to phytochemical and pharmacological tests to determine the effective constituents and characteristic biological activity.

1. Introduction

Primitive man gets much enthusiasm towards green plants and started to examine the property of using plants by trial and error and obtained different beneficial properties. India is one of the 12 megadiversity countries and comprises of two hot spots. The World Health Organization (WHO) has compiled a list of 20,000 medicinal plants used in different parts of the globe. In India the scheduled tribe population is 104,545,716 constituting 8.6% of country total population of 1,210,726,932 (Census 2011) belonging to over 550 tribal communities and 227 ethnic groups. They inhabit about 5000 forested villages and occupying about 15% of country’s geographical area.

In economics and business, specifically cost accounting, the break-even-point (BEP) is the point at which cost or expenses and revenue are equal: there is no net loss or gain, and one has “broken even”. A profit or a loss has not been made, although opportunity costs have been paid, and capital has received the risk-adjusted, expected return.
For example, if a business sells less than 1000 liters of milk each day, it will make a loss, if it sells more, it will be a profit. With this information, the business managers will then need to see if they expect to be able to process and sell 1000 liters of milk per day.

Apart from the job content and specialization, the conditions or the atmosphere in which employees work is critical to their productivity. Work environment includes the tools and equipment provided to perform the job, the atmosphere at the work place, worker motivation etc.

Tools and Equipments

The quality of tools and equipment provided to a worker has a profound effect on the worker’s contribution to his job. A poorly designed tool can cause excessive physical burden on the worker and may result in fatigue. A faulty computer monitor can cause severe eyestrain, which might affect productivity in an office environment. Hence, tools and equipment should be appropriate for the production task. The design should consider ergonomic factors like grasping pressure, size, weight, ease of use etc. when designed properly, tools enable users to work efficiently, resulting in higher productivity. The equipment installed should be able to meet the capacity requirements of the job, have safety features and be easy to use. The use of the right tools and equipment can improve productivity in an organization substantially.

A broader definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other. The most basic tools are simple machines. For example, a crowbar simply functions as a lever. The further out from the pivot point, the more force is transmitted along the lever. A hammer typically interfaces between the operator’s hand and the nail the operator wishes to strike.
A telephone is a communication tool that interfaces between two people engaged in conversation at one level. And between each user and the communication network at another. It is in the domain of media and communications technology that a counterintuitive aspect of our relationships with our tools first began to gain popular recognition.
Marshall McLuhan famously said “We shape our tools. And then our tools shape us.” McLuhan was referring to the fact that our social practices co-evolve with our use of new tools and the refinements we make to existing tools.

The compliance with hygienic and aesthetic standards in the dairy factory is, in the final analysis, dependent on the human element. Each employee, from top management to the most junior operative, has his role in the factory sanitation programme and carelessness at any stage may cause quality deterioration of products or endanger the health of consumers. Legal action against the dairy may also result from neglect of hygiene. Personnel hygiene refers to the personal cleanliness and related habits of the workers. Milkborne infections frequently originate from food contaminated by workers through their hands, breath, hair, perspiration, pimples, infected wounds, coughs, and sneezes. Transfer of even traces of human and animal excreta by the workers is a potential source of pathogenic microorganisms. Foodborne illness is known to originate from workers who were ill and practiced unsanitary food handling methods or poor personal hygiene. Even the healthy worker, who does not exhibit the symptoms of the disease, may harbour food poisoning bacteria in the respiratory or intestinal tract. It is always desirable, as a matter of practice, to look at different parts of the human body in terms of potential sources of bacterial contamination. Provisions regarding personal hygiene of employees are contained in all legislation dealing with milk treatment.

Water Requirements

Dairy plant requires large quantities of water on a daily basis for processing and cleaning purposes. Normally the specific water consumption ranges from 1000-5000 litres per 1000 litres of milk processed. The actual requirement can vary between dairies and is a function of 
    a)    Manufacturing process or manufacturing profile.
    b)    Auxiliary processes such as steam generation, design of the refrigeration processes and extent of social services.
    c)    Multiple use/reuse.
Water is a very valuable basic natural resource  and needs careful consumption. The water supply system in a dairy plant should be designed in such a way that consumption for each manufacturing department and auxiliary processes can be determined. This makes it possible to influence water consumption directly, and major losses can be determined very rapidly.

The total milk production in the country for the year 2013-14 has been estimated at 126 million metric tonnes and the demand is expected to be 180 million tonnes by 2020. To achieve this demand annual growth rate in milk production has to be increased from the present 2.5 % to 5%. Thus, there is a tremendous scope/potential for increasing the milk production through profitable dairy farming.

a. Requirements of project report for setting up dairy units

Project report can be prepared by a beneficiary after consulting local technical persons of State Animal Husbandry Department, DRDA, Dairy Co-operative Society / Union / Federation / commercial dairy farmers.

Introduction
Demand of dairy products is on the rise in India. India‘s demand forecast for milk and milk products is more than the current supply of these products. To meet this demand entrepreneurship initiatives are need of the hour. Further, younger generations of India are more interested in commercial dairy farming rather than subsistence based farming. Therefore, scientific as well as commercial dairy entrepreneurial training to farmers about advanced technology used in breeding, feeding, housing and healthcare is essential.

a. Barriers for Entrepreneurship in dairy

An average dairy entrepreneur faces several barriers to start a new enterprise. Some of them are as under

    1.    Lack of financial support: A major stumbling block for many dairy farmers to expand production or diversify into new high value enterprises is lack of access to finance. Farmers who are starting new enterprises often face difficulty raising investment capital.

    a.    General Principles and practices
    b.    Analyzing project appraisals and reports
    c.    Capital Expenditure decisions, reinvestment and payback
    d.    Assessing project profits.

a. Financing the dairy enterprise

Dairy rearing provides triple benefits of income, employment and nutritional security to the society and is important source of subsidiary income to small/marginal farmers and agricultural laborers. Finance is a prerequisite and of paramount importance for setting up of a dairy enterprise whether a dairy farming unit for milk production, sheep or goat unit/piggery unit, dairy/poultry processing unit etc. Decisions about credit are often most important judgments that people in the agricultural industry must make. These decisions often determine whether individuals operating in input, production, processing, and services based dairy enterprise would succeed in making profit.

Seed technology is defined as “that discipline of study having to do with seed production, maintenance quality and preservation (Cowan, 1973).

Feistritzer (1975) has defined seed technology as the method through which the genetic and physical characteristic of seeds could be improved. It involves such activities as variety development, evaluation and release, seed production, seed processing, seed storage, seed testing, seed certification, seed quality control and seed marketing etc.

So seed technology in widest sense, includes development of superior crop plant varieties, their evaluation and release, seed production, seed processing, seed storage, seed testing, seed certification, seed quality control, seed marketing, seed distribution and the related research on these aspects,

The major goal of seed technology is to increase agricultural production through the spread of good quality seeds of high yielding varieties. To achieve this goal, the quality seeds must be rapidly multiplied and supplied to the farmers at proper time with the reasonable price.

INTRODUCTION

High crop productivity depends on quality of seed as without good quality seed even if we apply manure, Plant protection measure and other cultural practices it is not possible to produce good quality seed. So the basic seed used for sowing must be healthy and good in quality. It is different from commercial production as it need proper care, good quality basic seed, timely cultural operations, thinning, roguing, timely application of pesticides and fertilizers and maintenance of seed quality through inspections. 
Seed production requires technical skill to achieve all the above advantages for which the best approaches Compact Area Approach or Seed Village Concept.
It is selection of compact area by organizing the seed farmers in the selected area. The selected area must be fertile and suitable for reproduction of good quality seed such areas can be organized for self and cross pollinated crops (Groundnut, Paddy, Pulses, Sorghum) especially for the varietal seed production. But the variety should be one another for whole of the selected area.

Advantages of Seed Village Concepts

1. Isolation and Roguing

For maintenance of genetic purity of the crop it requires isolation and proper rouging. This can be achieved in the compact area programme, as it will be the mutual benefit to the farmers who are concentrating growing on single variety on compact area.

A. Bhattacharya
1.1.    Specific and Unspecific Reactions to Stress

• Agriculture Information Systems
• Major Trends
• Agriculture Information System
• Importance
• Internet Based Agriculture Information System
• Support Provided by Agriculture Information System
• AGRIS/CARIS
• AGROVOC
• Agriculture Research Information System (ARIS)
• Agriculture Research Information Center

• Introduction
• Characteristics of Management Information System
• Management Information Systems Advantage
• Outputs of a Management Information System

Deep freezing or cryopreservation of semen refers to freezing and storage of semen at –79ºC using dry ice and alcohol or at -196ºC using LN2 as refrigerant. Cryopreservation of semen was first attempted by Parkes in 1945. But cryopreservation of semen received a boost by discovery of glycerol a cryoprotectant by Polge in 1949.  Bull semen was first successfully frozen by Stewart in 1951. Cooling rate is a vital factor determining the post thaw survival of the sperm cells. Cell death occurs in rapid freezing due to formation of intracellular and possibly extracellular ice. In contrast slow cooling rates cause cell death due to diffusion of intracellular fluid into the extender, which then become increasingly hypertonic as the extender’s water freezes causing intracellular osmotic damage as the cell dehydrates. Hence, the cooling rate needs to be balanced in a way that it is neither too fast to cause cell death due to cold shock nor too slow to result the same due to osmotic shock. Ultra rapid freezing gives excellent morphological preservation but with poor retention of functions on thawing due to large number of minute crystal formation.

Early research in field of semen storage and delivery systems was conducted in USA. The straw technique for the storage of frozen semen was evolved by work of French, Danish and German workers whereas the pellet system of storage of semen was devised by Japanese scientists. The different packing systems of frozen semen are:

    9.1    Ampoule method
    9.2    Pellet method
    9.3    Straw method

9.1 Ampoule Method
In this method the semen is placed in a glass ampoule and is subsequently sealed and frozen in liquid nitrogen. The ampoule is thawed just before insemination and is then cut open. The semen is withdrawn into glass catheter and used for AI. Since the ampoule is sealed there is no risk of contamination during storage. The relevant details can be marked on the ampoule.

Gross evaluation is generally done to get a rough idea of the quality of semen and to assess the semen producing capacity of the bull. This also gives a fairly good idea about the reproductive health and any pathological conditions of the semen donor. The following are recorded under gross evaluation of semen:

    11.1    Color and appearance of semen
    11.2     Semen Volume
    11.3    pH of semen
    11.4     Semen consistency/ Semen density
    11.5     Presence of foreign matter
    11.6     Gross motility

The bacterial load in the semen samples is estimated by standard plate count method. The bacterial contaminants of semen have been a major concern for most of the frozen semen production laboratories as it adversely affects semen quality and hence subsequent fertility. There exists a significant negative correlation of bacterial load and sperm livability, motility and in vitro fertility tests. Macrophages and polymorphonuclear granulocytes, which form the first line of defense against these microorganisms, produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) to kill these microorganisms. ROS, however, is also released outside these cells and may react with molecules and cells such as spermatozoa in their vicinity. The cellular antioxidants, present mostly in the cytoplasm, are scanty and inadequate to counteract this ROS as the sperm cell cytoplasm is very small (20 µm3) and mostly distributed in the midpiece. Therefore, semen samples with minimum bacterial load are expect to give better results on insemination.

18.1 Estrus Detection
18.1.1 Estrus Detection on the Basis of External Signs

The following signs are suggestive estrous period in cattle and buffaloes

1.    Partial inappetance due to excitement

2.    Drop in milk yield

3.    Restless ness of varying degree

4.    Frequent micturition with raised tail and crouching the back and lumbar region

5.    Marked bellowing

6.    Swollen vulvar lips- Due to swelling the wrinkles on vulvar lips disappear. The vulvar lips appear turgid and stand prominently.

7.    Congestion of vulvar lips 

8.    A clear, shiny mucus discharge seen at the vulvar lips extending down to perineal region and smearing the hind quarters. The discharge is stingy, having good consistency and no odour.

The process of converting the frozen semen to liquid state while retaining maximum semen quality is called thawing. The process of thawing is as important as freezing as there is equal probability of loss of semen quality in freezing and thawing. Therefore, great care should be taken while thawing to insure that it is done with minimum loss of sperm quality. There are two methods of thawing:

1.    Rapid thawing

2.    Slow thawing

The effectiveness of each method of thawing depends upon the extender composition and freezing procedure. With any thawing procedure, the recommendations of the semen supplier should be followed. The thumb rule is that rapid freezing rates require rapid thawing.

The equipments used in artificial insemination should be clean and sterilized. The use of unsterilized equipments in AI causes the spread of infection in the herd and infertility. Rinse the equipments with tap water immediately after use and then lukewarm detergent solution. The detergent used for washing the AI equipments should be non corrosive. Use of corrosive detergents will reduce half-life of the plastic and rubber wares. Wash thoroughly with tap water till the equipments become grease free and perfectly clean. Then rinse in distilled water at least thrice. Use of distilled water does not leave any salt residues on articles after drying.

Bananas and plantains constitute the fourth most important global food commodity (after rice, wheat and maize). They are cultivated in over 120 countries in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world in an area of  approximately 100 million hectares, where they constitute a major staple food crop for millions of people, as well as providing a valued source of income through local and international trade.
 
Banana is one of the oldest fruit crops of India, finding its reference even in epics like Ramayana. India is  believed to be one of centres of  origin, besides southeast Asian countries like Burma, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. It is a crop having multifarious uses as every part of the plant is utilized and hence aptly  called as ‘Kalpatharu’ the plant of virtues. It is important internationally from the point of view of  trade as well as livelihood security.

Most banana producers in Africa, Latin America and Asia are small-scale farmers who grow bananas either for home consumption or local markets. Because bananas and plantains produce fruit year-round, they provide an extremely valuable food source during the hunger season (when the food from one annual/semi-annual harvest has been consumed, and the next is still to come). Bananas and plantains are therefore critical to global food security. However, the export trade of banana depends mainly on commercial plantations in Latin America, East Asia and Africa. These plantations are owned by multinational corporations.

9.1    Temperature
    
9.2    Relative Humidity
    
9.3    Physical Damage
    
9.4    Microbial Load
    
9.5    Packaging
    
9.6    Transportation

By definition, minimal processing would encompass any procedure, short of traditional complete preservation procedures (heat sterilization etc.) that adds value to the fruit or vegetables (Floros, 1993). Other terms used to refer minimally processed products are lightly processed, partially processed, fresh processed, fresh cut and prepared. Minimally processed fruits and vegetables are products those have the attributes of ‘fresh-like’ quality. A number of minimally processed products of fruits and vegetables are now being produced like peeled and sliced potatoes, shredded lettuce and cabbage, washed and trimmed spinach, chilled peach, mango, banana, melon and other fruit slices, vegetable snacks such as carrot and celery stick  and cauliflower and broccoli florets, packaged mixed salads, cleaned and diced onion, peeled and cored pineapple, fresh sauces, peeled citrus fruits and microwaveable fresh vegetable trays. Minimal processing of fruits and vegetables has two purposes. First, it is important to keep the product fresh but convenient without losing its nutritional quality. Second, the product should have a shelf life sufficient enough to facilitate distribution within the region of consumption. The microbiological, sensory and nutritional shelf life of minimally processed fruits and vegetables should be at least 4-7 days but preferably even longer (Ahvenainen, 2000).

Q.1.    What is progeny row trial ?

    Answer
    
    The replicated experiment designed to compare a number of parent plants with respect to any characteristic under study is known as progeny row trial.

Q.1.    In what sense the analysis of covariance is an extension of ANOVA ?

    Answer
    
    The analysis of covariance is an extension of ANOVA in the sense that it covers the case where observations are taken on more than one variable from each experimental unit. The interest centers on the study variable y which depends upon on auxillary variable x.

1.    The term Horticulture is derived from two Latin words  Hortus meaning = Garden and Cultura meaning = Cultivation.

2.    In ancient days the gardens had protected enclosures with high walls or similar structures surrounding the houses.

3.    The enclosed places were used to grow fruit, vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants. Therefore, in original sense “Horticulture refers to cultivation of garden plant within protected enclosures”.

Definition: Horticulture is the branch of science which deals the cultivation, utilization and management of horticultural crops eg. fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, plantations, medicinal and aromatic plants.

The Indian subcontinent is bestowed with a great variety of climate and soil conditions. Broadly the country can be divided into tropical, subtropical and temperate regions, within each broad category there are differences due to rainfall, humidity, altitude etc. Considering these aspects six different horticultural zones have been identified so that appropriate choice of the crops can be made and development is planned. They are;

Temperate: Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, North Uttarakhand, Sikkim and part of Arunachal Pradesh.

N.W. Subtropical: Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Central Uttar Pradesh and North Madhya Pradesh.

N.E. Subtropical: Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur.

Central tropical: South Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orissa and West Bengal.

Southern tropical: Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Coastal tropical humid: Konkan, Goa, Kerala, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.

Orchard: Establishment of orchard is a long term investment. It is require a proper planning, any mistake during the selection of site, planting distance, choice of crop/variety, quality of nursery stock etc. reflect greatly on the orchard performance and efficiency.

Following points are keep in mind at time of orchard planning-

1.    Road- Orchard should be well connected with the road for facilitate transportation of material to the orchard and produce of orchard to the market.

2.    Orchard structure- In structure office, implementshed, go-down come store etc. are required. Area under these structures is not more than 10% of total area.

3.    Fencing and wind break- Before planting of plants, installation of fence is necessary for protecting the undesirable element. Fencing can be done by erecting a wall or by fixing iron angle or concrete cement pillar and titening with running 4 to 5 times at a distance of 30-40 cm barbed wire.

Layout plan- Main objective of layout is maximum number of plant accommodated in per unit area without affecting the efficiency of production. If more than one fruit is included in the orchard plan, each kind should be grouped into individual block. Similarly fruit ripened in particular season should be grouped to facilitate convenience in watch and ward, harvest and post harvest handling. Some kind of fruit trees need pollinators/pollinisers for improving the fruit set.

Digging and Filling of Pits

1.    Marking of pits and planting should always be done with the help of planting board.

2.    The guide pegs are installed at both the ends.

3.    One meter deep pits of one meter diameter should be dug.

4.    Top 30 cm soil should be kept on one side, which is used for refilling the pits as it is fertile soil.

5.    Bottom 70 cm soil should be kept on other side, which is discarded.

6.    The pits should be left exposed for a few days before actual planting.

7.    These pits should be refilled with mixture of topsoil, 2-3 baskets of silt and 2-3 baskets of well-decomposed farmyard manure.

8.    The refilled pits should be watered a few days before planting the tree. To each pit add carbofuron (25g) for control of white ants.

Pollination : Transfer of pollen grains from anther to stigma is termed as pollination.

1. Self pollination

When pollen grains from an anther fallen to stigma of same flower or same plant is called self pollination or autogamy. In other word when pollen and pistil are from the same plant, often (but not always) from the same flower. In other word when transfer of pollen grain from anther to stigma of a same flower or same plant is called as self pollination. In which development of seed by self pollination is known as autogamy it is the closest form of breeding. Autogamy leads to homozygosity such species develop homozygous balance and do not exhibit significant inbreeding depression several mechanisms which promote autogamy.

Origin and history : Ber is an ancient fruit crop of India and is relished for its sweet and sour fruits. It is an ideal fruit tree for arid and semi arid regions in tropical and subtropical climate. It is highly suitable for marginal land and hot arid region. It is distributed in tropical and sub tropical country in the world, including China, Pakistan, Australia and France. In India the major growing states are Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh etc. In Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi, Aligarh, Ayodhya, and Agra are the major growing region. Beside mauritiana other important species like Zizyphus rotundifolia, Zizyphus numuleria, Zizyphus rugosa, Zizyphus xylopyrus, Zizyphus micropyla is also commercially grown for rootstock purpose.

Origin and history: Pineapple is considered as one of the most popular tropical fruit, and is known as “Golden Queen” all over the globe. It can be grown as mixed crop in most of the orchards and also as hedge plant and as a pure crop. It is drought tolerant and suitable for marginal lands. Pineapple contain an enzyme Bromeline and volatile compound three methyl propionate ester. It is widely cultivated throughout the world and country is like Malaya, Hawaii, Brazil, South Africa, Singapore, Mexico and India. In India it is cultivated in eastern part of the country like West Bengal, Assam, Manipur, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Origin and history  : Aonla or Indian gooseberry is also known as Indian amla. Aonla is the tropical South eastern Asia particularly central and southern India. It is commercially grown in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. In Uttar Pradesh aonla cultivation is more popular in Pratapgarh, Mirzapur and Barely. It is very rich from nutritional point of view being next to Barbados cherry in terms of vitamin C content (500-750 mg/100g pulp)which is not oxidized due to presence of tannins and even it is least destroyed during storage. Besides, it has an excellent medicinal value. It can be grown successfully in arid climate and in the soils of higher pH and poor fertility wastelands.

Origin and history- Litchi is a popular subtropical evergreen fruit; the white translucent flavoured aril is liked very much and is used for table purpose in India. The fruits are available during May–June in northern India. China is the biggest producer of litchi followed by India. In India major litchi producing areas are Mujaffarpur, Bihar mountain area of Saharanpur, Dehradoon, Hoshiyarpur and Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

Soil and climate - It can be grown sandy to clay loam and it prefer slightly acidic soil having pH range from 6-6.5 it has been reported that in acidic soil litchi root develop Micorrhyza. Which symbiosis of root fungus and there by Nitrogen fixation take place in atmosphere.

Origin and history: Jackfruit is a common and popular fruit crop of the low land tropics of eastern and southern parts of India. This fruit tree grows well without much care. It is the largest edible fruit (20-40kg), in Srilanka a fruit of about 120 kg was harvested and created the world record. The fruit is also called as poor man’s food in eastern and southern part. The tree has considerable potential, but it is yet to receive due attention in India it is not generally cultivated in regular plantations and is mainly grown in homestead for domestic uses and as a shade tree in coffee or cardamom plantations. The largest area of jack fruit is in Assam, jack fruit can grow in a wide variety of soil but in grow well in rich, deep alluvial soil.

In our country livestock are mostly dependent upon cereal by-products or the crop residues such as straws, stovers etc., which are low in nutritive value. According to the National Commission on Agriculture (1989-90), there is a shortage of 40% of concentrates, 20% of dry fodder and 40% of green fodder for meeting the nutritional requirements of livestock. Consequently the livestock is surviving on low weight, low energy and thereby leading to problems in the production and reproduction. Nutritional deficiencies as well as imbalances are implicated as the cause of infertility in animals. The clinical signs observed with the deficiency of a specific nutrient as variable depending on the degree of the deficiency. The information on the important relationship between nutrition and health is necessary for recognizing and correlating the reproductive problems.

India has a mega animal bio-diversity, which is manifested in the form of availability of a large number of species, and a variety of breeds even within species. India is bestowed with rich and varied domestic animal biodiversity having a total of 32 breeds of cattle and 10 buffalo breeds. The diversity of livestock is not only accidental, nor purely natural; it is more the outcome of thousands of years of continuous selection. The trends in livestock population over the last three decades have shown that, there is significant increase in the population of buffaloes i.e. from 60.5 crore in 1973 to 96.9 crore in 2003, while cattle population has increased from 180.1 crore to 226.1 crore in the same period. The share of buffaloes, in the bovine population increased from 22 to 32 per cent while that of cattle has shown declining trend. Within the cattle, there has been marked shift from work animals towards milch animals which has resulted in loss of important draught breeds of cattle. Further indiscriminate crossbreeding has resulted in significant decline in number of important milch breeds like Sahiwal.

Faulty estrus detection is the most important problem in reproductive management.  There are two requirements for good estrus detection: a skilled observer must spend sufficient time to make observations and cows must show overt signs of estrus during the period of observation.  There are various ways to detect the estrus signs in cows and buffaloes as detailed below.

1.    Palpation of reproductive organs:  Routine rectal examination of all cows between 30-40 days after calving and individual cow that has not been inseminated within two months after calving should be encouraged.   This is to confirm that the reproductive tract is normal and to predict when the next estrus will occur or to identify cows for prostaglandin treatment when estrous cycles are occurring, but estrus has not been detected. 

2.     Teaser bulls:  Teaser bulls are useful in identifying estrus in large number of animals especially buffalo cows.   Teaser bulls can be prepared by vasectomy or by applying apron to a bull. 

3.     Heat detector animals:  Sexually active animals like bulls, cystic cows, hormone treated steer, cows and heifers can be used to identify estrus cows.    They may be fitted with halters containing ink- filled reservoirs and ball paint pen type devices (chin ball markers) that will mark animals that mounted or they can be used without these devices to increase the sexually activity and make visual detection programs more effective.

A typical repeat breeder cow or buffalo is an apparently normal cycling cow / buffalo with normal genitalia which has failed to settle to services or inseminations during three or more consecutive estrus periods. These animals can neither be considered as sterile nor can settle to subsequent services.  Age of the repeat breeder should not have exceeded beyond 12 years.

The causative factors for repeat breeder animals fall in two main categories as failure of fertilization and early embryonic death.

Several cryogenic agents have been used in many countries for freezing and preservation of bovine semen like solid carbon-di-oxide (-79°C), liquid air (-183°C), liquid helium (-268°C) and liquid nitrogen (-196°C).  Liquid nitrogen is 4th coldest substance known and its small amount is converted into a very large amount (near about 700 times) of its volume when exposed to atmosphere.  It is a colourless, odourless, non-irritant, non-toxic, non-caustic, non-corrosive, non-inflammatory and inert gas having boiling point -196°C temperature.  Being a liquid it comes into good contact with the surface of the semen straws and constant storage temperature is maintained throughout the straw and due to these properties LN2 is most widely used refrigerant in the world.

The various steps involved in frozen semen technology are vital as the quality of semen determines the conception rate.  The key factor enabling the successful long term storage of frozen spermatozoa is maintenance at ultra low temperature.  Effective semen storage depends heavily on good identification and stock control.  Frozen semen can be easily damaged in the process of repeated handling to establish identity.

Bioinformatics is a recently emerged frontier discipline, which helps in analyzing biological data with the help of information technology and statistical software packages. In a broader sense, bioinformatics is the application of computer technology in management of biological information. This interdisciplinary scientific tool having no barriers between different branches of science like biology, biotechnology, mathematics, computer science and information technology, has great influence on advanced bio-science research, particularly dealing with genes, proteins and cell biology.

Bioinformatics is the branch of study that deals with the use of information technology (IT) for managing data of biological science. Bioinformatics drew public attention with the announcement of the draft sequence of human genome by the then US President Bill Clinton along with Craig Venter and Francis Collins in 2000 (Uma and Sathyanathan, 2004).

Soil is formed by disintegration and decomposition of rocks, minerals and organic matter, Soil is a habitant for plant growth and serves as a storehouse of water and food nutrients for plants, Soil is not same everywhere and varies morphologically, physically, chemically and mineralogically from one point to another both in horizontal and vertical directions. Development of soil informatics is necessary to classify the soils, to assess the productivity of soils for various crop productions and to use the soil for various purposes such as land capability classification, soil irrigability classification, soil rating and soil mapping.

Morphologically soil may appear red, yellow, black, brown or ashy in colour. Soil may vary from sandy to clayey in texture. Depending upon the nutrient reserve capacity, the soil may be fertile or infertile. On the basis of climate, a soil may be classified as laterite soil. Red earth and red loam soil, podzol soil or desert soil.

Different kinds of soil contain minerals of various types and amounts and so exhibit distinct physio co-chemical properties. Although various methods have been used in the past to classify the soils, the most modern and scientific methods is based on dominants pedogenic processes acting on a place to from a soil. The new method of soil classification has two important characteristics-Firstly soil classification is based on certain diagnostic parameters which could be estimated quantatively, and secondly depending on diagnostic parameters, a scientific method is being followed to classify a soil from higher to lower levels such as order, suborder, great group, subgroup, family and series.