eChapters

Abstract: Among the annual flowers, marigold is commercially important loose flower crop in India. Marigold types with odourless foliage with orange to light lemon colour are available in world market. Being cross pollinating and seed propagated, progeny can segregate widely for traits due to heterozygosity. Improvements in marigold as cut flowers, larger flowers, more intense flower colour, an expanded flower colour range, more uniform plant habit, earlier flowering, more xanthophylls and extended bloom time are future breeding objectives. The use of intraand interspecific hybridization, heterosis, polyploidy and genetics of traits have been presented with a focus on creating novel transformations for this crop in future.

Abstract: Zinnia, multipurpose ornamental annual is noted for its garden performance. The uses of zinnias range from dwarf cultivars used for containers, borders or edging, bedding to tall cultivars used for cut flowers. Breeders and seed companies successfully introduced hybrid cultivars in the mid 20^th century. Some modes of inheritance of floral doubleness, floral colour, male sterility, self incompatibility, leaf morphology, disease resistance have been discussed/ clarified; research succeed in interspecific hybridization, polyploidy, mutation breeding and seed production are presented. Somaclonal variation for generating mutants has created new horizons in zinnia breeding. Important traits for both production and landscape use include flower colour and bloom time, plant habit and form, seed germination, disease and virus susceptibility.

Keywords: Breeding, cytology, inheritance, polyploidy, F₁ hybrids, seed production.

1. INTRODUCTION

Grading and packing of fruits ensure the safe transportation from the farm to the storage and consumer centre, while reducing the damage during transportation. The properly graded fruits should be packed in such a way that they do not collide with each other during transportation. Throughout the entire handling system, packaging can be both an aid and hindrance to obtaining maximum storage life and quality. Before the fruit is packed in a suitable container/package it is graded according to the standard grades accepted in the market. Packaging is one of the important components after grading during the handling of fruits. Packaging is meant to protect the commodity by immobilizing and cushioning it, but temperature management can be made more difficult if packing material block ventilation holes. Packing material can act as vapour barriers and helps in maintaining higher relative humidity within the package. Packaging material such as trays, cups, wraps, liners and pads may be added to help immobilize the produce. A wide variety of containers such as wooden boxes, plastic crates, corrugated fiberboard boxes are important package used in the transportation and distribution of fruits in most of the developing countries.

Mangoes (Mangifera indica L.) belong to the family Anacardiaceae, has become naturalized and adapted throughout the tropics and subtropics. There are over 1,000 varieties throughout the world, which is a testament to their value to mankind. Popularly known as ‘King of Fruits’, mango is eaten throughout the world. Commercial mango cultivation is based on locally adapted and recommended cultivars. There is a great diversity in mango fruit which permits considerable manipulation of various purposes and markets such as juice, candy, chutney, amchur, pickles, jam, jelly, fresh fruit, canned and/or dried fruit etc. Given the multiple products, it is therefore a potential source of foreign exchange for a developing country as well as a potential source of employment for a considerable seasonal labour force.

PRESENT STATUS

India is the leading country sharing 42.1 % of the world mango production. Currently, it is cultivated in 22,97,000 ha with a total production of 1,51,88,000 tonnes. In India, all fruits share 29.25 % of total land and 31.13 % of total fruit production of which, 36 % of land and 20.3 % of production is under mango. Mango prefers a warm, frost-free climate with a well defined winter dry season. Rain and high humidity during flowering and fruit development reduces fruit yield. The tree generally flowers in mid- to late winter, while fruits mature during early to mid-summer. Mango trees are usually between 3-10 m (10–33 ft) tall but can reach up to 30 m (100 ft) in some forests. The canopy is evergreen with a generally spreading habit. The heavy canopy of the mango is a source of shelter and shade for both animals and human beings. It occupies a pre-eminent place among sub-tropical fruits grown in some states.

Introduction

Poverty has been described as a situation of “pronounced deprivation in well being” and being poor as “to be hungry, to lack shelter and clothing, to be sick and not cared for, to be illiterate and not schooled. Poor people are particularly vulnerable to adverse events outside their control. They are often treated badly by institutions of the state and society and excluded from voice and power in those institutions.” Lack of access to resources is a unifying characteristic of poverty in all its manifestations. The poor lack ownership of or access to assets such as land, water, forest, dwelling units, credit, literacy, longevity, voice and capital-both physical and social. Those who are severely below the poverty line are largely involved in subsistence type activities for which they get exploitatively poor returns despite suffering extreme physical hardship and undertaking grave risks so as to earn a meager income. Since earnings are below even the margins of existence, expenditure and survival needs exceed income. This often results in the need to borrow small amounts of money at usurious interest rates of as much as 120 per cent per annum (Mehta, 1996) when borrowing is not possible, hunger is suffered. Their inability to change the power relationships results in scarcely available common resources (such as even drinking water) or public funds meant for poverty alleviation being misappropriated and diverted through manipulation by the locally powerful or corrupt. Since there are no mechanisms for grievance redressal this could result in social tension, despair or a combination thereof.

Introduction

The Integrated Watershed Development has come to be recognized internationally as an important holistic approach to natural resources management and poverty reduction, wherein promoting the concept of sustainable development. In the Indian context, watershed development has come to be acknowledged as key and discrete units in rural development which forms an important vehicle for achieving the objectives of increased production and availability of food, fodder and fuel restoration of agro ecological balance and in improving the livelihood status of the village communities.

In line with the above, the conceptualization of Integrated Watershed Development Project Hills-II (initiated in September 1999) has been built up on the success of IWDP Hills-I project with a laudable vision to arrest environmental decline, boost agricultural growth, and ensure better management of scarce land and water resources and reducing poverty dimensions in the Siwalik & Karewas regions, which are one of the most environmentally degraded areas in India. The project area encompasses two sub-watersheds in sub-tropical belt of Siwaliks of Jammu region and two in temperate Karewas of Kashmir valley, covering an area of 1,11,080 ha. Ramnagar and Akhnoor sub-watersheds are located in Siwalik range of Jammu region whereas the sub-watersheds of Rajwar and Rambiara are located in Karewas belt of Kashmir valley.

Introduction

The first step of geostatistical analysis in R is the creation of dataset which is acceptable in R environment by using the data collected from field survey or laboratory experiments. Different type of data is collected during experiments e.g. sand content, silt content, organic carbon content, geographical location of data points, soil type, land use type etc. Here, we will discuss how these data are converted into a acceptable dataset format for R environment and how we manage these data. In R this task is performed in two steps. First, a data structure is created to hold the data and second is the entering or exporting the data into data structure.

Introduction

The main objective in analysing fertilizers is to assess their quality. The analysis examines both their physical and chemical composition. The quality of fertilizers is stated by the manufacturers and, in most countries, it is statutorily notified. Hence, analysis is carried out to determine whether the stated quality meets the statutorily notified standards or not. Together with the statutory notified composition of the fertilizers, the testing methods are specified. In situations where the testing methods are not notified, the prevalent standard methods are followed. Generally, the term fertilizer refers to mineral fertilizers, which are manufactured chemical products of standard composition, while the term manures refers to organic manures, compost, agro-industrial wastes, etc. The compositions of organic fertilizers, unlike mineral fertilizers, are quite variable and, thus, difficult to regulate precisely.

Fertilizer quality is notified in terms of physical and chemical characteristics. The physical parameters include moisture content and particle size. The chemical parameters refer to the amount and form of nutrients, and to various impurities that may be toxic to plants above a critical limit, e.g. biuret in urea. The efficiency of a fertilizer depends on its form of nutrient content. A phosphatic fertilizer may have water-soluble, citrate-soluble, water-insoluble or citrate-insoluble forms of phosphate. A nitrogenous fertilizer may contain ammoniacal, nitrate and amide forms of N in various proportions.

In general crop is an organism grown or harvested for obtaining yield. Agronomically crop is a plants cultivated for economic purpose.

Classification of Crops

Classification is done to generalize similar crop plants as a class for attaining better understanding of them. Field crops are classified in the following ways.

1. According to range of cultivation
2. According to the place of origin
3. Botanical classification
4. Commercial classification
5. Economic / Agricultural / Agrarian classification
6. Seasonal classification
7. Classification based on ontogeny

Abstract

Based on oxygen requirement, microorganisms have been classified into different groups, like facultative anaerobes, micro-aerophilic, aerotolerant and strict/obligate anaerobes. Obligate or strict anaerobes are the key components of anoxic environments and provide valuable ecosystem services like methanogenesis, sulphate reduction, metal reduction, degradation of pollutants etc. Apart from being valuable for the ecosystem, they are causative agents of human infections. They are the key players of human-gut microbiology, and can be used in bio-toilets, solid waste management, anaerobic digestion of waste, wastewater treatment processes and generation of waste to energy etc. Only few anaerobic microorganisms are pathogenic in nature. A mechanistic understanding about physiology and metabolism of anaerobic microorganisms is imperative for their industrial applications. Cultivation of these organisms is the first and very important step for the basic and applied study of anaerobes. Unlike cultivation of aerobic microorganisms anaerobic cultivation needs special care and facilities for successful handling of anaerobes. In the current chapter, We tried to incorporate the components and technicalities of anaerobic pre-reduced media preparation, cultivation and successful isolation of strict anaerobes. In addition, we also tried to discuss the different tools used for cultivation of anaerobes.

Abstract

Anaerobic sulfur compound reduction processes make use of sulfur, thiosulfate, trithionate, tetrathionate, and sulfite during the reduction process. Complete reduction of these sulfur compounds leads to production of H₂S. Isolation of sulfur compound reducers requires a suitable electron donor and one of the sulfur compound as a sole electron acceptor during the reduction process carried out in anaerobic conditions. Anaerobic sulfur, thiosulfate and tetrathionate reductases identified to date are molybdopterin binding oxidoreductases that extract out electron during the reduction process. The electron transport chain during the reduction process involves cytochromes and menaquinones. Dissimilatory sulfite reductases include conventional siroheme dissimilatory sulfite reductase and the nonconventional sulfite reductases including ASR sulfite reductase, F₄₂₀ dependent sulfite reductase and the MccA sulfite reductase. Anaerobic sulfur compound reduction process are almost ubiquitous in nature and are important part of the biogeochemical cycle. They occurs in aquatic systems, are found in extreme environments such as hydrothermal vents, acid mine drainage sites and are also found in important human and animal pathogens.

Introduction

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is the largest and most important vegetable crop belongs to family Solanaceae grown all over the world. It is grown for its edible, fleshy, berry typed, mostly red coloured fruits.The species has its origin in coast of Ecuador, Peru, part of Bolivia and the northern region of Chile i.e.western South America and cultivation started most probably by the people of Maxico of Central America^1-3. It is found to be a rich source of many minerals like Ca, K, Cu, Fe, Zn and S and vitamins and other nutritive values so it is cultivated both as protective and supplementary food⁴.In India and in some European countries with common form of tomato fruits the cherry type of tomato fruits also cultivated on large scale. Cherry type of tomato fruits when consumed fresh, act as a very efficient source of diet of urban and rural people as it is reported to be a good source of many macro elements of human requirements such as K, Mg, P and Na⁵. As it is short duration crop and gives high yield, it is important from economic point of view and hence area under its cultivation is increasing day by day. India is considered to be a second largest producer of tomatoes succeeding to China. Tomato is used in preserved products like ketch- up, sauce, chutney, soup, paste, puree etc. Cherry fruits are commonly used in diverse ways, including raw in salads and processed, and their acidity allows for ease of preservation without refrigeration (long shelf life) or home canning processing for later use⁶

Introduction

In ruminants,nutritional studies are very complicated unlike non ruminants where it is quite simple. In non-ruminants, analysis of feed taken and faeces voided by the animal gives overall picture of digestion and nutrient availability to the animal. In ruminants, since it has a complex microbial digestive system (rumen) within the animal digestive system, the analysis of the feed taken and faeces voided will not express the whole processes in the GI tract of the animal. To have complete picture, it is necessary to study at the site of microbial digestion (rumen). For such study, samples from the rumen have to be drawn and analyzed for metabolities, microbial enzymes etc.

Loose Smut

Ustilago nuda tritici (Ustilago tritici)

Economic Importance

• Loose smut has been observed and recorded on cultivated wheat from all over the wheat growing regions of the world.
• In India, it is prevalent in areas having cool, humid and semi humid climate during flowering period.
• Loose smut has recently became a more serious problem in the Ladakh region in the Himalayan mountains of India.
• If uncontrolled, loose smut can wipe out entire crops, since it replaces the grain.
• In areas where people depend on their grain crops for survival and don’t have the money or technology resources to control it, the disease can be devastating.
• Not only does it wipe out the crop, growers cannot even try again next year since any seeds they were able to harvest will be infected and will not produce seed the following season.

Wetland birds serve an important ecosystem function of accelerating the nutrient cycling in the feeding grounds (Morales and Pacheco, 1986) and regulating fish populations (Miranda, 1995). According to Drent and Dann (1980), the availability of food is of primary importance to the birds during migration when, they store energy for winter survival and successful completion of migration. Many migrant shorebirds relay on a few key stopover sites to complete their annual migratory cycle (Myers et al., 1987), which provide a unique combination of food resources and habitat necessary to support these large numbers of birds (Myers, 1984).

When animal species assemble at a particular area, they utilise individual but overlapping segments of the habitat (MacArthur, 1958). Karr (1980) stated that resource utilization pattern and the community organization are determined by a combination of variables. The availability and preference of the food organisms, feeding behaviour and utilization of the habitat for feeding and reproduction differ in co-existing animal species. Periods of rapid change in prey populations offer important opportunities to study the relationship between predators and their prey. In particular, such studies can yield information on the functional response of predators to a changing prey environment and the role of prey dynamics in the regulation of predator population size.

Introduction

The various kinds of plants present on earth have been used over the millennia for human welfare in the promotion of health and as drugs and fragrance materials. About 80% of the world’s inhabitants rely mainly on herbal medicines for their primary health care, while medicinal plants continue to play an important role in the health care systems of the remaining 20%. The use of herbal medicine and medicinal plants in most developing countries, as a normative basis for the maintenance of good health, has been widely observed (UNESCO, 1996). According to WHO (1998), herbal medicines are finished, labelled medicinal products that contain as active ingredients, above ground or underground parts of plants or other plant materials, or combinations thereof, whether in the crude state or as plant preparations. The plant materials referred to above include juices, gums, resins, fatty oils, essential oils and any other substances of this nature. Herbal medicines may contain excipients in addition to the active ingredients (WHO, 1991). Remarkably, even today there is no real definition for this special group of plants that has been accompanying mankind throughout history. Most frequently, medicinal plants are defined as feral and/or cultivated plants that, based on tradition and literature records, can be directly or indirectly used for medical purposes. The basis of medicinal use is that these plants contain so called active ingredients (active principles or biologically active principles) that affect physiological (metabolic) processes of living organisms, including human beings.

The conception about aromatic plants is even less definite. The term aromatic indicates plants having an aroma; being fragrant or sweet-smelling, while the word aroma is supposed to imply also the taste of the material (aromatic herbs). Since, large number of plants possess both medicinal and aroma properties which leads to complexity and overlapping uses of active ingredients, making impossible to establish rigid categories or a practical classification for medicinal and aromatic plants. For example; Anise, dill, coriander, thyme, etc. are equally known as medicinal, spice and essential oil crops. Thus, frequently these plants are simply referred to as medicinal plants, disregarding their specific features. More recently, the term “Medicinal and Aromatic Plants” (MAPs) has been used in a slightly broader sense, distinguishing the fragrant (aromatic, ethereal) ingredients containing group of medicinal plants.

Introduction

In Indian agriculture, horticulture sector has made considerable progress after independence and as a result, horticulture has emerged as one of the major drivers of growth in the agricultural and allied sector. The horticulture sector includes large number of crops viz., fruits, vegetables, ornamental crops, spices, tuber crops, plantation crops, medicinal and aromatic crops, mushroom and their post harvest management. On the production and productivity front, the horticulture sector outperformed conventional food crops. Between 200405 and 201415, horticultural output achieved an annual growth of about 7 per cent as compared to around 3 per cent growth in food grain production. This increase in production has come from an increase in acreage and even larger increase in productivity. Over the last decade, the area under horticulture grew by about 3% per annum and annual production increased by 5.4%. Thereby, India has maintained its second rank in the global production of fruits and vegetables, next only to China. India’s fruit productivity is better than that of China, though China is the largest fruit producing country.

The country is currently producing 295.2 million tonnes of horticulture produce from an area of 24.9 million hectares, which has surpassed the estimated food grain production of 275.68 million tonnes (201617). Though the production of food grains and horticultural produce are not meaningfully comparable due to fundamental differences in resource requirements, their farming practices, characteristics of produce and most importantly, their nutritional and medicinal properties as well as energy value. The special attention was given to the this sector, especially after the introduction of the Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNEH) and the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) during 11^th Plan period, owing to bumper fruit production. Given the increasing pressure on land, growth strategies have been focusing on raising productivity through high density plantations, protected cultivation, micro irrigation, quality planting material, rejuvenation of senile orchards and an emphasis on post harvest management and marketing of produce for better price realization.

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

International Group for the Genetic Improvement of Cocoa (INGENIC) formed in 1993.

Central Coconut Research Station (presently CPCRI) was established in 1940.

Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasargod, Kerala established in 1970.

CPCRI hosts International Coconut Gene Bank for South Asia under the umbrella of Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT) of the Biodiversity International.

National Active Germplasm Site for coconut: CPCRI.

United Planter’s Association of Southern India (UPASI) started in 1893.

Branch of International Rubber Association was established in 1948 at Kottayam, Kerala. It was renamed as Indian Rubber Institute in 1987.

Rubber Research Institute of India, Kottayam established in 1995.

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

Asian continent, particularly India is known as “Land of Spices”.

Spice crops are largely grown in tropics between 20⁰N and 20⁰S.

Term ‘spice’ was derived from Latin ‘Species aromatacea’ means ‘Fruits of the earth’.

Spices and condiments are grouped under food adjuncts.

India is largest producer of spices and oleoresin.

Home of spices/ Spice bowl of India: Kerala.

1. Introduction

Plant metabolites are the major sources of pharmaceutical food additives, fragrances and pesticides. It is estimated that the market potential for herbal drugs in the western world alone could range from US $ 4.9 billion to 47 billion by the year 2000 if the AIDS epidemic continues unchecked (Biotechnology and Development, 1991). A similar situation exists for plant based food additives, fragrances and bio-pesticides. The natural resources for plant based chemicals are limited but the consumer preference for natural products is greater. Alternative avenues for plant products have gained prominence during the past few years. In recent years, plant Biotechnology has gained considerable importance for the production of phytochemicals (Heble, 1996).

During the past three decades, several phytochemicals with biological activities have been identified from higher plants for plant tissue culture industry (Verpoorte et al., 1991). Vincristine, vinblastine, artemisinin, taxol and podophyllotoxin are in the list of approved drugs. Some products under clinical trials are forskolin, castanospermine, ginkgolides and hyperin (Heble, 1996). In recent years, there has been renewed interest in screening higher plants for novel biologically active products particularly to combat such ailment that have defined synthetics and antibiotics. This has resulted in the development therapeutics used in the treatment of cancer, hypertension, AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

What is a system?

A group of interacting components, operating together for a common purpose, capable of reacting as a whole to external stimuli is called a system. It is not affected directly by its own outputs, having a specified boundary based on inclusion of all significant feedbacks. Human body is a system with a boundary (e.g., the skin) enclosing a number of components (heart, lungs) that interact (the heart pumps blood to the lungs) for a common purpose (to maintain and operate the living body). Collection of unrelated items does not constitute a system. A bag of pebbles is not a system because with addition or removal of a pebble, a bag of pebbles remains and is almost not affected completely by that change. Pebbles behave as a whole if the whole bag is influenced, for example by dropping it; the constituent parts go their own ways with its bursting. It is the property of the system that mainly matters and it may be summarized in the phrase ‘behaviour as a whole in response to stimuli to any portion’.

Apple (Malus x domestica Borkh) is the most widely grown temperate fruit of the world considered as king of temperate fruit. It is one of the most delicious fruit rich in carbohydrates, minerals like calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, vitamin B6 and low in calories. Apples are extremely rich in important antioxidants, flavanoids, and dietary fiber. Apple is recommended to reduce the incidence of dental caries, and the phytonutrients and antioxidants may help reduce the risk of developing cancer, hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. Apple is chiefly used as table fruit. The various processed product like juices, jelly, preserve, canned slices, wine, concentrated juice, cider and powder are prepared from apple fruit.

Abstract

Sikkim is part of the eastern Himalayan hotspot. Rich biological diversity of the region is owing to its wide range of topography, varied climatic condition and high annual precipitation, inhabited by three major ethnic communities, the Lepchas, Bhutias and Nepalese. With its unique ethno-cultural diversity and equally rich Phyto-diversity, the region holds an immense ethno-botanical knowledge and potential. The collection of food, fodder, fuel wood, timber, herbs for folk medicine from wild is an integral and deep-rooted cultural component and for sustaining socio-economic condition of the people. Medicinal plants of this region have potential for value addition as well as domestication. The folk medicine practices of three ethnic groups are different, but in general there are strong beliefs system in relation of folk medicine with supernatural forces and deities; local people consider its mountain peaks, forest, lakes as sacred hence it helps in sustainable management of its natural resources traditionally. Developments activities, urbanization, overexploitation of important plants and not giving due importance to the traditional knowledge in the past decades leads to the potential depletion in wild and that bring concern for their conservation. A proper strategic plan is needed for conservation of these valuable resources and promoting the indigenous traditional knowledge for sustainable development. Conservation-linked with people participation has been initiated in Sikkim through Sikkim State biodiversity board (SSBB), with its biodiversity management committees (BMCs), and local activist and stakeholders. The research institution of the region and researcher from outside has contributed immensely in documentations of the ethno-botanical knowledge and phyto-diversity of this region. This chapter reviews the current status of traditional ethno-botanical knowledge system of Sikkim state and highlights the current scenario of biological diversity; conservation practices, threats and challenges.

3.1. Non-Climatic Factors

Apart from climate several other non-climatic factors has to be considered before selection of proper greenhouse technology, which are listed in the following text.

1. Location and selection of site: The ideal location for greenhouse cultivation is an area having moderate climate with high sunlight, low humidity and good natural drainage. It is better to avoid storm prone areas or it is a must to take necessary protection, like wind-break and shelter belt, in such areas. However, selection of site, where the greenhouse will be constructed, is the first consideration to select the proper greenhouse technology. The proper selection of site will also depend upon various non-technical factors, which are listed below.

Abstract

Indian agriculture witnessed a transformation in early seventies with green revolution in cereals. The Green Revolution resulted in a record grain output of 131 million tons in 1978-79. Yield per unit of farmland improved by more than 30 per cent between 1947 and 1979. This was because of introduction of high yielding varieties and use of agro-chemicals, particularly synthetic fertilizers. Farmers realized 3-4 times increment in their profit when high yielding varieties and chemical fertilizers were used in integration. Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for about 58 per cent of India’s population. Gross Value Added by agriculture, forestry and fishing is estimated at Rs 17.67 trillion (US$ 274.23 billion) in FY18. The Indian food industry is poised for huge growth, increasing its contribution to world food trade every year due to its immense potential for value addition, particularly within the food processing industry. Food & Grocery retail market in India was worth US$ 380 billion in 2017, is the world’s sixth largest, with retail contributing 70 per cent of the sales. The Indian food processing industry accounts for 32 per cent of the country’s total food market, one of the largest industries in India and is ranked fifth in terms of production, consumption, export and expected growth. It contributes around 8.80 and 8.39 per cent of Gross Value Added (GVA) in Manufacturing and Agriculture respectively, 13 per cent of India’s exports and six per cent of total industrial investment. During 2017-18, food grain production is estimated at 279.51 million tons, with rice and wheat production in the country at 111.52 MT and 98.61 MT, respectively in the same period. Milk production stands at 165.4 million tons during FY17, while meat production is 7.4 million tons. India is the second largest fruit producer in the world. Production of horticulture crops is estimated at record 307.16 million tons (mt) in 2017-18 as per second advance estimates. Total agricultural exports from India grew at a CAGR of 16.45 per cent over FY10-18 to reach US$ 38.21 billion in FY18. In April-May 2018 agriculture exports were US$ 6.43 billion. India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices and spice products. Spice exports from India reached US$ 3.1 billion in 2017-18. Tea exports from India reached a 36 year high of 240.68 million kgs in CY 2017 while coffee exports reached record 395,000 tons in 2017-18.

9.1 Introduction

Basically, for heating or cooling the space using solar energy, the solar energy is to be collected, stored and distributed properly in the space to be heated or removed from the space to be cooled. There are two basic approaches for solar houses, there are:

(a)Active solar house technology

(b)Passive solar house technology

In active approach, the solar energy is collected and stored in some separate solar energy collector and then energy is distributed in the space where heating is to be done using electrically operated pumps and fans coupled with radiator etc. The storage of solar energy in active solar house may be in the form of storage as sensible heat or storage as latent heat or chemical heat storage. As per requirement of heating the size of solar collector and storage system be decided. Generally, the active concepts of solar houses are used for heating purpose. Active concept can also be used for space cooling applications. Solar vapor compression and absorption system can be used for this purpose, essentially, this includes incorporation of solar heat collectors, thermal storage system, auxiliary heat supply system (to compensate intermittent nature of sun energy) and control systems. Further, there are three ways of solar space heating i.e. solar air systems, solar liquid systems and solar heat pump systems.

Abstract

The ever increasing population in India and the world, impeding threats from the climate change scenario and the increasing demand for land resources from the industrial sector calls for improved resource efficiency. The production strategies are changing from input intensive to integrated resource management strategies. The shift is towards adopting the precision farming technologies like addressing the site specific variability and crop needs. Remote sensing technology coupled with GIS has been recognized as reliable tool in agriculture to guide application of fertilizer, pesticides and other farm inputs. With precision farming, technologies such as grid soil sampling, remote sensing, on- the-go sensing, and electronic yield monitoring help farmers gather very detailed information about the heterogeneous makeup of a farm field. Site specific applications means application of required input only where it is required rather than entire fields or adjusting application rates accordingly. This chapter discussed the input management based on the time of intervention - Input management prior to crop sowing, in season crop management and end of the season.

Keywords : Management zones, soil variability and Remote Sensing

Maize is an important crop of Uttarakhand and is cultivated in about 22 thousand ha in both hills and plains. The crop is grown for food, feed and fodder and forms an integral constituent of all major cropping systems prevalent in the state. Kharif (June-September) is the main grown season in the hills, whereas in the foothills and tarai plains, the crop is grown during zaid (Feb-May) as well. The crop is grown broadly for two different end products – grain and green ears. In areas where maize forms staple diet, the crop is grown for grain, whereas in areas adjoining/en route popular tourist destinations and towns, the crop is grown mainly for green ears. The crop is also gaining importance as an industrial crops following establishment of maize processing industry in the state.

The major maize growing districts of the state are Dehradun, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Pauri, Tehri and Almora (Fig. 1), which together comprise about 90% of total

Improved Varieties of Root Crops

A. RADISH

A. Asiatic/Tropical Varieties

Abstract

Women empowerment means capacity of womenfolk to participate as equal partners in cultural, social, economic and political systems with much appreciated and gladly accepted by the society. Acceptance of unequal gender norms by women are still persisting in the society. Moreover, ignorance prevails in rural areas and subordination to men is considered as god-will by the womenfolk. Food, health and education are prioritized to boys and girls’ destiny is linked to surplus resource of the family if any, available. Gender inequality exists in every nation on the planet. Women’s disempowerment is all over the world, comprising countries of east and west so empowerment of women has become one of the most important concerns of 21st century’s world. More than one third of the world’s adults, most of them women, have no access to printed knowledge, to new skills or to technologies that would improve the quality of their lives and help them shape and adapt to social and economic change. There are 130 million children who are not enrolled in primary school and 70 per cent of them are girls. Women and girls around the world are more likely to live in poverty due to discriminatory and unjust economic policies, pervasive gender inequality, war and instability and climate change. Human society has to work for sexual and reproductive health and rights, freedom from violence, economic justice, and leadership as these are the critical building blocks for women’s rights. When a woman has these rights, she can be strong, safe, powerful, and heard. Cultural and religious factors are hurdles to women empowerment so the greatest need of the hour is to change the social attitude towards women. There is need to envision a world where all women, girls, and trans people have a voice and choice in the work they do. They are paid equal wages in safe and secure workplaces and they have access to justice and rights. Strengthening women’s leadership should be priority area because it is an integral part of social perception towards women status. The future of women’s human rights depends on a strong pipeline of diverse young women leaders, as well as on creating opportunities for leaders from different generations and movements to learn from each other. Long lists of international and national initiatives are available on the websites of various governments and United Nations but the tangible results are still awaited mainly because of poor/ half heartedly implementation.

Abstract

February 14, 2019 marks the third anniversary of the One Billion Rising campaign, a new escalation in violence against women that calls for a radical shift to end the global epidemic of abuse that women face worldwide. Violence against women continues to be on rise. This ill-omened barrier to achieving equality, development, peace as well as to the fulfillment of women and girls’ human rights has gone viral. The National Coalition against Domestic Violence reports that 1.3 million women are victims of domestic abuse each year. Violence against women is a serious problem in India, too. Overall, one-third of women age 15-49 have experienced physical violence and about 1 in 10 has experienced sexual violence. It is very disturbing as well as discouraging to think that a country that praises womanhood through epics and their devotion to goddesses can be so demeaning and indifferent when it comes to the common women living in the country. Amid environment of bleak hope, yog with multiple benefits of physical, psychological and mental stresses offers a ray of hope for women. Yog means connectivity with oneself that ignites power to understand strength of one’s own innerself, builds confidence to think of innovative attainments, endure the atrocities of external world and stay moralized. Yog classes run throughout the world providing relief to billions. Yog therapies are in operation to cure social stress, mental fatigue and physiological disorders etc. More research on yog, yog therapy and yogic interventions aided by political and social will are needed to have its effective implications on the women empowerment and sustainability of human world.

The conservation of soil and water is very essential for sustainable production, environment preservation and balanced ecosystem. Fifty percent of total geographical area (329 m ha) of our country needs soil and water conservation measures. About 5334 million tonnes of soil is lost annually along with 10 million tonnes of fertilizer and other essential nutrients and organic carbon. Loss of nutrients is almost equal to their total production in India. In India about 70% of the cultivated area falls under the category of dryland conservation measures for soil and water and efficient utilization of these resources is needed in these areas. The fact that rainfed agriculture supports 44% of India’s human population and contributes 90 percent of coarse cereals and pulses, 80 percent of oil seeds and 65 percent of cotton and growing realization that further gains in productivity of crops and live stock will emanate from rainfed regions, leave no room for complacency in this regard.

In these areas, rainfall frequently occurs with high intensity that produces higher runoff due to non adoption of soil and water conservation (SWC) measures and poor permeability of the soil. As a result crop grown during rainy season often suffer from moisture stress due to inadequate moisture storage in the soil profile. Secondly soil erosion problems such as sheet, rill and even gully erosion are common in the region.

It has been reported that the black soils of peninsular region of India, under cultivated fallow gives runoff of about 23.4 percent of rainfall and results in a soil loss of 8.94 t ha^-1 at 1.0 percent slope (Verma et al., 1990). They further reported that the rate of siltation reduced by 83 percent within a span of five years due to adoption of agronomic measure of SWC. These studies clearly showed that soil erosion and runoff are the major factors causing land degradation in the region that needs appropriate SWC measures so that crop productivity could be maintained.

INTRODUCTION

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is afflicted by many kinds of viruses and their various strains belonging to different taxonomic groups (Table 1) throughout the world resultingin declinein yieldand tuber quality. Exact estimation of yield and economic losses caused by potato viruses depends on a number of factors mainly strain of the virus, variety, seasonand growingconditions etc. Generally crop losses ranges between 5 to15 per cent if all plants are secondarily infected with PVX and PVS; 15-30 per cent for 100 per cent secondary infection of PVYnand 40-70 per cent due to PLRV. Besides, in Europe and North America Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) is wellknown to reduce yieldssignificantly (16-64 per cent) dependingon the viroid strain/potato varietyand warmweather (Singh, 1988). Thesevere strains of Potato virus Y (PVY)and Potato leafroll virus (PLRV) have the potential to reduce yield up to 80 per cent, while mild viruses like Potato virus X (PVX), Potato virus S (PVS)and Potato virus M (PVM) can cause up to 30 per cent yield loss in infected plants. Atospovirus Groundnut bud necrosis virus (GBNV) causing severe stem/leaf necrosis disease in plains/plateaux of central/western India heavily infects the early crop of potato. Similarly, a whitefly transmitted begomovirus Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus-potato (ToLCNDV) known to cause apical leafcurl disease in India, has become a serious problem in North Indian plains.

The viruses can be mechanically transmitted with plant sap, by contact and with seeds. Infectedtubers, whitefly and aphid vectors are importantfactors for the transmission of the virusesin nature. Potatoviruses are transmitted by aphids in two ways. The viruses are either non-persistent (stylet-borne) or persistent and circulative (they are ingested and persist in the aphid throughout its life cycle). The most common persistent and circulative virus affecting potatoes in India is PLRV. Common non-persistent or stylet-borne viruses are PVY, PVA, PVS and PVM. Control of circulative viruses by insecticides is highly effective, which is not the ease with stylet borneviruses. Sustainable potato production is possible only if the virus incidenceis kept under check especially in sub tropics where the weather is highlyconducive both for vectors and the common viruses. In thischapterthe major viruses and viroidof potato including symptomatology, diagnostics and their management have been discussed.

Abstract

Asteraceae is one of the largest family of flowering plants and have been used by mankind for a variety of purposes including food, medicine, cooking oils, sweeteners and tea infusions. In India, Asteraceae is 4^th largest family of angiosperms and ranked third among dominant families of angiosperms in Arunachal Pradesh. The indigenous communities of Arunachal Pradesh possess a rich knowledge on utilization of the plant resources around them for food, fodder, medicine and other purposes. Due to the remoteness and inaccessibility, the indigenous communities are mostly depended on their traditional medicines using plant resources around them for treating minor and major ailments. The effectiveness of these plants in traditional medicine has also been confirmed after isolation and characterization of the bioactive compounds responsible for their pharmacological activities. The present study is a review on ethnomedicinal plants belonging to Asteraceae family that are being used by different tribes of the state. The tribal communities have been using 36 medicinal plant species from this family as recorded from published literature and field study. Maximum number of species have been found to exhibit antimicrobial, antioxidant, antihelminthic, analgesic and anti-malarial properties. Among the recorded species, Ageratum conyzoides, Spilanthes acmella, Artemisia nilagirica, A. maritima, Blumea balsamifera, B. lacera, Eclipta prostrata, Vernonia cinerea and Chrysanthemum indicum were already being used in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy, Folk and Sowa-Rigpa systems of Indian Medicine. Therefore, the study highlighted the pharmacological potential of ethnomedicinal plantsfrom Asteraceae family which would provide opportunities for future drugdiscovery.

Abstract

Ladakh, a geographically isolated region, is known for its tough terrain and harsh climatic conditions. It remains cut off from rest of the country for 6-7 months in a year during winters. With limited food, fuel and other resources the people here have developed and sustained a long unique relationship with plants. They have been using both cultivated and wild ones as medicine, food, and fodder since centuries. The local populace possesses good knowledge of traditional methods of utilization of plant resources for diverse purposes, which they have acquired from their ancestors. However, this indigenous knowledge and age old practices are fast disappearing from the tribal communities, and there is an urgent need to save this treasure from getting irretrievably lost. Therefore, the present study is an attempt to document the various wild and cultivated plants along with their ethnobotanical uses as per the ancient practices of these tribal communities. For this purpose, an ethnobotanical survey was conducted in various villages of lower Ladakh. The investigation revealed a host of plants put to use by the natives in different indigenous ways. The scientific, family and local names of 50 species belonging to 48 genera and 31 families along with their uses have been enlisted in the present communication. As per the information gathered from the local inhabitants, these plants are categorized into five different groups. More than 50% of these are used as medicines, 38% are edible, 24% as fuel and 20% as fodder. Approximately 38% plants are employed in construction, as ornamentals, or sources of dyes, incense, cosmetics, etc.

Abstract

Space, water and labour have become limiting factors in vegetable production. Moreover, production of off-season vegetables during period of demand fetches better returns. Vegetable forcing for year round production has become a necessity in urban and peri-urban olericulture. With use of pesticides, fungicides, weedicides and chemical fertilizers, health hazards have become visible. Being treated as a field crop, vegetables are exposed to vagaries of weather and floods and droughts take heavy toll. Research on protected cultivation in India is limited but for attempts by private seed companies and enterprising farmers in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab. More emphasis is given to tomato, cucumber, capsicum, lettuce and beans. Breeding for varieties suited for protected cultivation is a recent innovation in public sector laboratories. Now there are parthenocarpic cucumbers, tomatoes and capsicum especially to suit protected cultivation. The first four vegetable varieties were developed and released by Uttarakhand State Varieties Release Committee for Horticultural Crops during 2011. These varieties namely Pant Polyhouse Hybrid Tomato -1 , Pant Polyhouse Tomato -2 in tomato and Pant Parthenocarpic cucumber -2 and Pant Parthenocarpic Cucumber -3 in cucumber. These varieties were delivered to ployhouse farmers cross the country.

Tomato is relatively recent addition to the world’s vegetable crops. Now became one of the most important vegetable crops and is popular & widely consumed. It is being grown extensively in USA, China, India, France, Israel and Netherland.
 
It is used in fresh and processed form. Among the vegetables maximum attempts have been made to improve this crop because of its short duration, easy cultivation and large number of seeds per fruit and this has made it an ideal crop for many research works. An exclusive Tomato Genetics Co-operative located in University of California, USA, published genetic information on the crop and maintains a large number of     collections which have already been thoroughly catalogued.
 
Origin and Distribution: Native of Peru in South America and spread to North America by migrating birds. Largest number of wild tomato forms is present in Mexico. Spanish Priests introduced it to Europe in around 1550. In Europe it is known as Poma amoris = Amorous apple (Love apple). Wild relatives found in narrow elongated mountainous regions of Andes in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia and Galapagos islands. Domestication and cultivation of tomato appears to have first occurred outside its centre or origin. Domestication of tomato was first done by Mexican people i.e. Red Indians, which is considered as secondary center of origin. Now cultivated tomato is common in Peru but recently added to their diet.

Herbicide Application

Generally, herbicides are applied in the form of solution or granules. Of the two, spraying solutions of herbicides formulated as wettable powders, soluble powders and emulsifiable and solution concentrates is more common. When herbicides are formulated as granular or encapsulated materials, they are applied by hand or with the help of a granular applicator.

Introduction

Vegetable crops are a big group of crop plants, consisting of diverse kinds with differing breeding systems and varying consumer preferences. In India there are native vegetables like eggplant (Solanum melongena), beans (Lablab purpureus), cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and a few gourds, namely smooth gourd (Luffa cylindrica), ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula), snake gourd (Trichosanthes anguina) and pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica), while there are several introduced crops and which have long history of domestication and adaptation like garden pea (Pisum sativum), onion (Allium cepa), bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) etc. and also some others like tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var.botrytis), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata), chillies, (including Capsicum), frenchbean (Phaseolus vulgaris) etc, which have been introduced during the last 4 or 5 centuries. With such a diversity of crops, characterization and evaluation of genetic resources in each of them become a stupendous responsibility requiring extensive infrastructure facilities and varying methods of evaluation. The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi with its Regional Stations at Shimla, Bhowali, Akola, Thrissur, Jodhpur, Hyderabad, Umiam-Barapani, Base Stations at Ranchi, Cuttack and Satellite centre at Amravati and Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi-designated as National Active Germplasm Site (NAGS) for vegetable crops and Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore, are holding over 40,000 germplasm collections in different vegetable crops.

A large number of lines have been collected from various parts of the country. A number of varieties have developed either through selection from local landraces or through hybridization resulting in development of a large number of open pollinated varieties with resistance to some important diseases, such as wilt. Also, a number of hybrid varieties have been developed both by public and private institutions, however there is a scope to increase further yield and nutritional quality using some of the modern techniques, such as molecular marker aided selection. The promising genetic resources utilized in vegetable improvement work have been described under following three heads

Introduction

Chilli is one of the most important spice and condiment of daily use in all most all the Indian houses. The fresh and dry fruits are the rich source of Vitamin A (292 IU) and Vitamin C (111 mg/100g). Its pungency not only improves the taste of the different preparations but also improve their storability. The colour of the fruits is due to the presence of the pigment capsanthin and pungency and acridity is due to the presence of alkaloid oleoresins knows as capsaicin (C₁₈ H₂₇ O₃ N). The capsaicin has a very good medicinal importance and also having importance for the pharmaceuticals industries for preparation of the different types of the drugs, because of the presence of the antioxidants like Vitamin A, C and P (Rutin). The green and red sweet pepper, bell pepper, Pimiento (heart shape) and cherry pepper are used in the fresh market processing industries for stuffing pickling and dehydrated processed meat. It is used as green as well as dry powder, pickles, salad and for industry to prepare the medicines for external and internal uses.

Introduction

Oils and fats are utilized both for their food applications as well as for industrial purpose. As a food product, oils and fats are consumed in a variety of forms such as shortening, ghee, butter, margarine, cooking oil, salad oil, etc. Other uses include their usage in the form of lubricants, greases, soaps, cosmetics, paints as well as animal feed and biofuels. Among the Asian countries, Indonesia leads as the prime producer with more than fifty percent of the total palm oil production in the world. As a second-best producer of oils and fats, China was the major manufacturer of rapeseed as well as soybean oil in year of 2018. In general, Asian countries contributed to more than fifty percent of the total fat and oil manufacturing in the world in 2018 (Kushairi et al., 2018). Even though fats and oils are primarily utilized for food applications, there has been an increased interest in their industrial utility for the manufacture of biofuels. Fats manufactured from various animal sources like tallow or lard also contribute to a considerable quantity and compete with vegetable oils for the production of biofuels.

The resources for producing oils and fats are diverse depending on their end use, yet they are obtained from two major sources: animal sources and plant sources. Oils and fats are used as starting materials for the preparation of shortenings, margarines, and other tailored products that further act as functional ingredients in food products prepared by food processors, restaurants, and in home. They have been used for food and other variety of applications since the prehistoric times, due to their easy availability. For example, fatty tissues from animals liberate free-floating fats on being boiled, whereas oil can be pressed out from oil fruits and oilseeds.

The role of dietary oils and fats in human nutrition is also one of the important areas of interest. Over the time, oil and fat industry has provided significant contributions toward nutritional improvement of various products. With the growing concern linked between cardiovascular diseases and consumption of oil and fat products, low-calorie variants of different foods, free or low in cholesterol are also available now. Excessive fat consumption among the populations of developed countries and consequences of obesity has led to the development of reduced-fat and very-low-fat variants of foods.

7.1 Introduction

Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy and almost 70 per cent of the total population depends on it. After independence, India achieved self-sufficiency in primary agriculture like food grains, fruits, vegetables and milk, etc. Now it is time to think and focus on secondary agriculture. It is assumed that with the adaption of secondary agriculture, India can achieve the goal of doubling the income of farmers. The secondary agriculture can be defined as, value addition to agricultural products, generating basic facilities for primary processing and add value to the basic agro commodities to allow farmers to get better revenues from their farm produce. It also has job creation opportunity in the rural sector to grow rural economy, which is purely based on agriculture. Further, it can also be elaborated that secondary agriculture as a production activity and invented strategy which includes sustainability of production, monetisation of farmer’s produce, straightening of extension service and recognising agriculture as an enterprise. Secondary agriculture can help drive growth of primary agriculture in the three areas i.e. (i) value addition to primary agriculture production, (ii) farmer – industrial linked and (iii) effective utilization of crop residues of primary agriculture.

The value addition to a primary agriculture production can be achieved by establishing direct linkage of farmers with market through grading of agricultural produce, cluster farming, marketing skill and financial literacy. The farmer – industrial linkage is closely associated with rural off-farm activities such as bee keeping, livestock production, etc. it can be promoted as a part of an integrated farming system. The crop residues effectively can be utilized for energy generation. There is scope of establishing rural based agricultural entrepreneurship in the field of biofuel. Agribusiness incubation can help farming community and provide reliable market linkages to improve farmer’s realisations.

Abstract

In recent years, significant studies have been carried out on Plant growth promoting rizhobacteria (PGPR) to replace the usage of pesticides and fertilizers to improve the plant health. Plant growth promoting rizhobacteria (PGPR) is a group of rhizosphere bacteria, which are symbionts to plants and influence their growth by providing plant growth promoting substances. Different bacterial genera act as plant growth promoting rizhobacteria (PGPR): Pseudomonas sp., Rhizobium sp., Azotobacter sp., Bacillus sp. Pseudomonads are gram negative rods, aerobic, fluorescent, motile and are able to produce siderophores which influence plant growth. There are multiple potential traits offered to the plants by plant growth promoting (PGP) Pseudomonas sp. are (1) Biocontrol agent against plant pathogens (2) Induced systemic resistance, which is a defense mechanisms in plants preceding to pathogenic attack (3) Influence of plant growth promoting (PGP) Pseudomonas sp.on agricultural crops (4) Siderophores, which are low molecular, high affinity iron chelating compounds which benefits the plants to acquire iron molecules (5) Nitrogen fixation (6) Phytoremediation of heavy metals (7) Solubilization of inorganic phosphates (8) Secretion of plant hormones (9) Bacteriocins(10) Antifungal factors (11) Antibiosis traits and (12) Endophytic PGP Pseudomonas sp.

Introduction

Indian agriculture has come a long way since the inception of planning in1951. All along there was an almost obsessive concern of development policy with the attainment of self-sufficiency in food. We faced nightmare of absolute shortage of food grains supplies in the 1960s, when the average annual imports of wheat hovered around three million tones. We survived through this phase because of the munificence of the US, which supplied wheat to us under its PL 480 programme. There have been several policy statements for agriculture during the last sixty years. India attained self-sufficiency in food grains in the 1970s and what is more, has emerged as an exporter of food grains in more recent years. Attainment of food self-sufficiency, even in a technical sense, is admittedly an important landmark in the history of growth of Indian agriculture, but this has not meant the dilution of problems facing Indian agriculture. Problems of agricultural growth and rural development in general continue to remain, in the new millennium, as daunting as they were in the 1950s. One major difference is that agricultural sector today faces a host of what we might call second generation problems.

Introduction

Agriculture is the backbone of India as 50% of its work is engaged in agricultural activities enabling India self-sufficiency in food production. However, agriculture sector is facing several challenges such as reduction in arable land due to urbanization and industrialization, decrease in farm size due to family division, climate change, yield loss due to abiotic and biotic stresses like pest, disease and weed, proliferation of non-genuine/illegal agro-chemicals etc (Murali-Baskaran et al., 2019). FAO estimates that a total annual loss of 20 to 40 percent of global crop production due to pests. Each year, plant diseases cost the global economy around $220 billion, and invasive insects around US$70 billion. While in India, yield loss to crops is estimated as 26, 20, 6 and 8% by insects, plant pathogens, rodents and others, respectively with an annual loss of Rs. 2,25,000 crores annually. Traditionally, ITKs have been practiced by farmers to control pests based on three categories viz., (a) cultural practices, physical, mechanical methods and use of botanicals. Later, IPM has been implemented in various crops to curb such losses caused by biotic stresses. Although cultural, mechanical and biological control strategies are in practice, insecticide application has been the most widely used tactics to reduce such losses to achieve quick control and particularly in case of outbreaks/upsurges. In India 76% of the pesticide used is insecticide, as against 44% globally (Mathur, 1999). First generation insecticides such as sulphur, arsenic, calcium arsenate, copper acetoarsenite, hydrogen cyanide, lead were introduced during 1950’s which are simple, persistent, usually very toxic chemicals used in large scale which harm almost everything they come into contact with. Later second generation insecticide molecules like DDT, chlorinated hydrocarbon, organophosphates, carbamates, and pyrethroids have been introduced with few advantages over first generation molecules. Subsequently, insect growth regulators (IGRs) that mimic insect growth hormones preventing natural young insect moulting which are less harmful to mammals have been introduced. Then, during past decades, newer insecticide molecules have been introduced which are target specific, relatively safe to non-target organisms and low residual activity. In terms of pesticide production and consumption, India is the fourth largest user of pesticides in the world (FAOSTAT, 2017). India is one of the lowest consumer i.e. 0.5 kg/ha (0.06 mt) of pesticides in the world as compared to China (13.06/ha), Japan (11.85 kg/ha), Brazil (4.57 kg/ha) etc. The United Nations has declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). The main aim is to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development. FAO estimates that up to 40% of food crops are lost due to plant pests and diseases annually. This leaves millions of people without enough food to eat and seriously damages agriculture - the primary source of income for rural poor communities. .

Introduction

Bundelkhand is an important region of Central India which is often called as heartland of the nation. It is spread in the geographical area of 7.08 mha, includes 14 districts seven, each of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and supports 1.84 crore (as per 2011 census) of socio-economically and culturally diverse population. The present region of Bundelkhand lies between approximately 23°10’ and 26°27’ (north) latitude and 78°4’ and 810 34’ (east) longitude. It lies between the Indo-Gangetic Plain to the north and the Vindhya Range to the south. Bundelkhand is a hot and semi- humid climate with highly variable depending on the region and with gently sloping upland, distinguished by barren hilly terrain with sparse vegetation, although it was historically forested. As with the rest of the Indian sub-continent, Bundelkhand experiences two main seasons, monsoon and dry. The monsoon brings over 90 percent of the annual rainfall between the months of June and September with the highest precipitation occurring in July and August. On an average, the region receives 75 cm to 125 cm of rain each year. The dry plains in the north usually receive less rain compared to the south- eastern part of the region. Minimum temperature varies from around 6-12 ^?C and maximum temperature varies from 38- 48 ^?C.

The region is blessed with plenty of natural resources. It had truly been endowed by nature, with beautiful mountains, good perennial rivers, fast flowing seasonal rivulets, large rich forest areas with valuable timber, fruit trees, numerous medicinal plants / herbs in almost each district. The rainfall here had been on average much better than many parts of India. Bundelkhand is a part of the central zone of India with a group of north-bound perennial rivers flowing and paying tribute to river Yamuna. From west to east these are Sind, Pahuj, Betwa, Dhasan, Ken, Baghein Paisuni and Tons. Along with Chambal and Yamuna these are ten major rivers. Other water resources in Bundelkhand are in form of water stored / conserved on surface termed as ponds, tanks, lakes etc. Bundelkhand has, undoubtedly, been one of the regions in India very much known for its historical rain-water management through man-made ponds, tanks and lakes. Topography here helped to build such structures but more than anything it reflected fore-sight and positive attitude of those rulers towards conservation of nature.

Introduction

The country’s population is growing at fast pace putting pressure on agriculture sector to grow more with declining resources. Proper planning and management become ever more crucial to ensure the sustainability of food production with minimal environmental footprints. Space technologies have unique advantages of providing large area synoptic coverage, with repetitive, objective and scientific datasets essential for monitoring a hugely vast and heterogeneous country like India. Agriculture being very dynamic and highly dependent on different natural resources needs continuous monitoring. Therefore these technologies have immense potential for application in the agriculture sector of the country. Space based technologies provide information on crops and natural resources on a real-time basis, proving unmatched opportunity for planning including in-season manipulation of crop production and management practices improving the resilience of farming against weather aberrations. Advanced estimates of regional agricultural output are critical to anticipate and mitigate the course of food shortage from sudden crop failure.

Incidentally, the first practical application of remote sensing in India was in the field of agriculture, wherein early detection of coconut wilt disease in Kerala was possible using air borne infrared cameras (Dakshinamurty et al. 1971). To explore the potential of space technology through satellites Joint Experiment Programme (JEP) started for defining the appropriate configurations of sensors in Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites during the early 1980s. After exhaustive field experimentation, the potential of remote sensing (RS) technology to estimate crop yield and area to forecast its productivity at district and regional level due to the multispectral, large area and repetitive coverage was established. By that time this technology was being used operationally used by a few advance nations. With the launch of the first IRS satellite IRS-1A in 1988, in India

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

Economic Importance

Apple (Malus domestica, M. communis, M. pumila and M. sylvestris), the generic name Malus is derived from the Latin word belong to the rose family and include literally hundreds of cultivated varieties. In the apple, the original ancestral species is obscured by so many cultivated variations throughout the centuries that some authors lump them all into one species, Malus domestica. They all originated in western Asia (or Eurasia) and are characterized by fleshy fruits called pomes. In the pome a thick, fleshy hypanthium layer (also called the floral cup or calyx tube) surrounds (and is fused with) the seed bearing ovary or core. The edible part of most fruits is the actual ovary, but in apples and pears only the outer hypanthium layer is eaten (unless you enjoy eating the core). Apple is commercially the most important temperate fruit and is fourth among the most widely produced fruits in the world after banana, orange and grape. China is the largest apple producing country in the world. It is premier table fruit of the world and excels other fruits in having prolonged keeping quality and wide variety of flavour and taste (Sharma, 2000). Apple is a highly remunerative crop and is grown in all temperate regions of the world. In India apple is grown in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and some parts of Arunachal Pradesh. Jammu and Kashmir account for sixty per cent apple in total apple produced in India and is the most important fruit among all the cultivated fruits in the state. The state annually produces 1.31 lakh metric tons apple fruit from an area of 1.28 lakh hectares (Anonymous, 2008). It forms the backbone of the state’s economy and is main cash crop for the small and marginal farmers. However, the production and quality of apple is poor as compared to that of the developed countries because of several factors including diseases and insect-pests (Thakur, 2000). Although a large number of insect pests attacks to apple crops but some of them are very serious and need attention for their control. Besides the insect pests, mites are also associated with apple production and cause significance economic losses to commercial fruit growers (Kerik, 2012).