eBook Chapters

The use of flower inducers stimulates flower growth during the resting year so the tree produces annually. Flower inducers can also increase the number of viable blooms during the natural fruit producing year, for an increase in production. These can also be used on varieties that provide a crop every year, to boost harvest.

Abstract

Eight species including 1 variety, 2 macro and 6 micro-lichens from Garhwal Himalaya, c 1500-2700 m, have been found to glow and emit fluorescent light, when exposed to long wave-length (254 nm) ultra-violet radiataions. Taxonomy and chemistry of all these species have been critically evaluated. The recorded taxa belong to families Physciaceae (4 species); Pertusariaceae, Rhizocarpaceae (1 species each) and Lichen imperfecti (2 species). The reported taxa are: Buellia hemispherica Singh and Awasthi, B. sub-glaziouana Singh and Awasthi; Pertusaria pertusa (Weig.) Tuck., Pyxine berteriana (Fee) Imsh. var. himalayensis Awasthi; P. cocoes (Swartz) Nyl., Rhizocarpon geographicum (L.) DC.; Lepraria taxonomic species I and II.

Understanding the chemistry of submerged soil in the field of Geology, Pedology, Agriculture and other allied sectors draws attention to the research on characteristic changes in soil under submergence. It has been reported that, about 72% of the earth’s surface is covered by submerged soils or sediments . Rice plants have unique adaptation capability to grow under submerged soil and in any type of soil (acid/alkaline) condition or land situation (upland/lowland). The knowledge on changes of important physical, chemical and biological properties under submergence have important role to play in understanding the mechanisms of availability of nutrients to the plants and sustainability of the crop during its growing period.

9.0 Submerged Soil

The soils which are saturated with water for a longer period of time in a year to make the soil a distinctive gley horizons resulting from oxidation-reduction processes are called submerged soil. About 72% of the earth’s surface is covered with soil –submergence or sediments.

Soil  is an interface of inorganic and organic componentsof the planet earth, which combines carbon and nitrogen from the atmosphere with different mineral elements of the lithosphere through millions of microorganisms, intercepting energy from the sun and moisture from the hydrosphere and atmosphere. It is a source as well as sink to adsorb, desorb, fix or release mineral elements and gases, decompose organic residues, simultaneously and support the growth of plants. All these natural processes are accompanied by runoff, percolation and evapotranspiration processes of the hydrologic cycle. Thus, soil is a dynamic body that acquires properties in accordance with the forces, which act upon it. Many soil properties emanate from physical, chemical and biologically mediated reactions, where the factors like climate, vegetation, topography and time  influences the processes. Soil reaction is one of the most important chemical characteristics of the soil solution,which has both direct and indirect effects on plant nutrition.

11.1. What is acid soil?

Acid soils refer to those soils that are characterized with the presence of higher concentration of H⁺ in soil solution and at exchangeable sites or characterized with its high proton donating capacity such as aluminium (Al³⁺) on hydrolysis gives rise to proton. Both H⁺ and Al³⁺ are responsible to contribute soil acidity. Al³⁺ causes soil acidity indirectly by generating H⁺ through its hydrolysis, while H⁺ contributes directly. Therefore, due to more abundance of H⁺, they exhibit low soil pH and low base saturation (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺). Such soil is considered as problematic soil because plant growth is affected adversely under acidic conditions and they suffer root injuries when grown in acid soils. Besides, soil acidity interferes in the soil nutrients availability to plants, making them either deficient to plants (such as phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, molybdenum) or toxic to plants for their more availability. Under acidic condition, Al, Mn and Fe are found in more soluble form. Thus, they are taken up by the plant in such a higher level that they become toxic to plants. Phosphorus becomes immobile due to the formation of insoluble compounds with aluminium and iron under acidic conditions. Ca, Mg and Mo also become unavailable in acid soil and show their deficiency symptoms. Soil acidity also affects soil microbial growth and thus, in turn, affects the nutrient dynamics in soil. Soil acidification is induced heavily under intensive agricultural practices such as increasing leaching due to more irrigation practices, addition of fertilizers, build-up of soil organic matter and many other possible ways.

Cheese is made from milk, with the addition of cream, buttermilk, and/or whey. This basic raw material is also called cheese milk. Cheese consists mainly of casein (the major protein of milk), other milk proteins, fat, other milk components, and a certain percentage of water, which is bound. Proteins are precipitated by enzymes and/or acidification as well as heat and are separated by suitable processes from the aqueous phase. (whey, serum). Cheese is most often molded, pressed, and salted and has fungal and bacterial culture additions. colorants, herbs, spices, and other non-dairy ingredients are also added to the cheese. It is consumed either fresh or at different stages of ripening.

Worldwide, there are more than 2000 types of cheese, sometimes made by very different manufacturing processes. A classification can be based on several aspects and is done in different countries according to different criteria. A general classification can be made for three major groups:

a. Rennet or natural cheese: manufactured straight from milk by using proteolytic enzymes (rennet) and acid, with a more or less pronounced ripening process.

b. Fresh cheese or non-ripened Cheese: Quarg, fresh cheese, and white cheese are examples. Its manufacturing process is similar to that of rennet cheese manufacturing, but it has a high degree of acidity and is not subjected to a proteolytic ripening process.

c. Long-life cheese (processed cheese): it is more often made from rennet cheese and is textured by thermal treatment and made shelf-stable.

Concentrated milk products are obtained through partial removal of water which increases the dry matter content of milk. The increase in dry matter content in concentrated milk is proportional to the degree of concentration. The milk concentrate may be prepared from either full-cream whole milk or fat-free skim milk.

Depending on the nature of raw material and other non-milk additives concentrated milks are classified into four broad categories.

1. Sweetened condensed milk

2. Evaporated milk or unsweetened condensed milk

3. Sterile milk concentrate

4. Reconstituted concentrated milk

Sweetened Condensed Milk

One of the earliest dairy products to be produced industrially is sweetened condensed milk. According to FSSA (2006), sweetened condensed milk is the product obtained by partial removal of water from the milk of cow/buffalo with the addition of sugar or a combination of sucrose with other sugars or by any other process that leads to a product of the same composition and characteristics. The fat and/or protein content of the milk may be adjusted by the addition and/or withdrawal of milk constituents in such a way as not to alter the whey protein to casein ratio of the milk being adjusted. It shall have a pleasant taste and flavor and be free from off-flavor and rancidity. It shall be free from any substance foreign to milk. It may contain food additives. It shall conform to the microbiological requirement as laid down by FSSA. The said product shall also conform to the following requirements

Chemistry of Creaming

After being drawn from animals, normal milk will form a cream layer on standing. Because of the difference in density between fat globules (920 kg m−3 at room temperature) and milk plasma (density 1030 kg m−3), the granules tend to rise. This causes creaming, which we often want to prevent and it enables milk to be separated into cream and skim milk. Creaming is much enhanced when the globules have been aggregated into flocculates, clusters, or granules.

Cream Ripening

This unit operation serves as an intensive preparation of the cream for the churning process. It is divided into two categories.

1. Physical ripening;

2. biochemical ripening The following criteria are influenced by the cream ripening:

• Consistency, firmness, and spreadability of butter.

• Basic water content of butter during the manufacturing process (bound water in butter, which cannot be removed by any mechanical treatment).

• Buttermilk fat content, which has to be minimized.

The melting and solidification behavior of fat depends on the attached fatty acid, which indicate the hardness of the butterfat.

Natural hardness is caused mainly by seasonal feeding of the milk animals. Winter feed with a great deal of dry feed or roughage yields a hard butterfat with a high percentage of saturated and short-chain fatty acids and few double bonds in the fat molecules.

Summer feeding (green grass) results in fat with longer chains and a higher percentage of unsaturated fatty acids with many double bonds. We therefore distinguish between summer fat and winter fat or summer cream and winter cream.

The process of making dried milk involves eliminating water from milk, primarily through spray or roller drying. It is regarded as a significant sector of the dairy industry and is made from whole cow, buffalo, or standardized milk. Skim milk powder (SMP) is made from milk after the fat has been removed whereas whole milk powder (WMP) is made from whole cow or buffalo milk

FSSA (2006) Standard Of Milk Powder According to FSSA (2006), Milk powder is the product obtained by partial removal of water from the milk of cows and/or buffalo. The fat and/or protein content of the milk may be adjusted by the addition and/or withdrawal of milk constituents in such a way as not to alter the whey protein to casein ratio of the milk. It shall be of uniform color and shall have pleasant taste and flavor, free from off-flavor and rancidity. It shall also be free from vegetable oil/fat, mineral oil, thickening agents, added flavor, and sweetening agents. It may contain food additives. It shall conform to the microbiological requirements prescribed by FSSA (2006).

Water activity, high storage temperatures, longer than usual storage times, high product moisture content, high processing temperatures, and container headspace are some of the variables that affect the Maillard reaction in dried milk.

Casein and whey proteins are the major proteins present in milk. Unlike casein, whey proteins are heat-labile. Whey protein fractions present in milk are α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, bovine serum albumin, immunoglobulin, euglobulin, and lactoferrin. β-lactoglobulin and κ-casein interact during heat treatment. When milk is refrigerated for longer than 24 h, it forms γ-casein and protease-peptone fractions.

The terms “cultured dairy foods,” “cultured dairy products,” and “cultured milk products” are other terms for fermented dairy products. Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, and other lactic acid bacteria, along with yeasts in certain products, are used to ferment milk to make these dairy products. The product’s shelf life is extended through fermentation, which also improves the product’s taste and milk’s digestibility. There is a wide variety of fermented milk products available, each with unique flavors and attributes. The following categories apply to fermented milk products, based on the type of fermentation.

Changes in Nutrients Resulting from Fermentation

Fermentation lowers the lactose content in fermented milk products; however, if the starting milk is concentrated or fortified, the finished product’s lactose content may be higher than that of liquid milk.

The composition and content of protein and total amino acids are comparable to those of raw milk. Casein degradation is small compared to cheese, accounting for not more than 1% of the total protein. While some products of casein degradation are used by the starter microorganisms, others build up as free amino acids in the fermented kinds of milk. The amounts of free amino acids that build up differ depending on the species. Generally, proline is increased in large quantities, followed by serine, alanine, valine, leucine, and histidine. As a result of continuous starter culture activity, the level of free amino acids increases during storage. A limited degree of lipolysis occurs during the manufacture of fermented milk. The amount varies depending on the type of species, but the pattern and concentration of free fatty acids are both impacted. During fermentation and the breakdown of amino acids, trace amounts of volatile fatty acids are also produced.

Very little is known about the basic principles governing the chemistry of flavour or fragrance. In English, the term aroma chemicals is used for both fragrance and flavour compounds. Any compound with a sufficiently high vapour pressure will have an odour and this is normally of the molecular weight of around 300, a relatively low polarity granted (Frater et al., 1998). Generally only compounds with pleasant smell are considered to fall under the realm of fragrance chemistry, but purified individual components from a mixture may have a malodour. Almost all ancient civilizations had their tradition of making fragrances from natural materials, mostly of plant origin, but also of animal origin – these are mostly essential oils, exudates, balsam and resins (Arctander, 1969).
 
It was in the latter half of the 19th century that synthetic fragrance chemicals were experimented upon and brought into the market, examples being coumarin (Fig. 1) (in the year 1866), salicylaldehyde (Fig. 2) (1876), vanillin (Fig. 3) (1876), phenylacetaldehyde (Fig. 4) (1883), piperonal (Fig. 5) (1890), musk xylol (Fig. 6) (1891) and b-ionone (Fig. 8) (1893) (Frater et al., 1998).

The Structure of Proteins

Proteins are composed of building blocks called amino acids. A string of amino acids is called a polypeptide chain. Once such a chain has folded into its working three-dimensional shape, it is a protein. Though there are tens of thousands of different proteins, all of them are put together from a starting set of 20 amino acids. It is the order in which the amino acids are linked in a polypeptide chain that determines which protein will be produced.

One of the most consumed and well- known milk products in the Indian subcontinent is ghee. It is a by- product of tradition, prepared both at organized dairy plants and the household level for a well- established market. Ghee is traditionally made from the milk of cows or buffalo. The tetrapyrrole pigments biliverdin and bilirubin are responsible for the distinctive color of buffalo ghee. On the other hand, ghee is golden yellow due to the presence of carotenoids in cow’s milk. Ghee’s composition changes according to the kind and feeding habits of the animal and can differ from place to place and season to season.

In addition to, being a substantial source of fat- soluble vitamins, essential fatty acids, and other growth- promoting components, ghee is a rich source of energy. Its value as food for humans is enormous. Additional attributes related to medicine are present in ghee. Ghee can improve one’s physical and mental attributes and treat eye conditions like ulcers. Ghee is used in religious and ceremonial rites in addition to being consumed.

Composition

Ghee is a complex lipid composed of mixed glyceride which makes up 99–99.5% of its total content. In addition, it has trace amounts of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, and fat- soluble vitamins, tocopherols, carbonyls, hydrocarbons, carotenoids, free fatty acids, phospholipid, sterols, and sterol esters

Commercially, one of the most significant milk products is ice cream. It is a frozen product which is usually made from milk or cream that has been f lavored with fruits like peaches or strawberries, and spices like vanilla or cocoa, or with sugar or a substitute. Stabilizers are sometimes combined with food coloring. Ice cream mix typically contains 10.0% milk fat, 11.0% solids not-fat, 14.0% added sugar, and 0.3% additives like an emulsifier, stabilizer, f lavor, and color substances.

Standard of Ice Cream

According to FSSA (2006), ice cream, kulfi, chocolate ice cream or softy ice cream means the product obtained by freezing pasteurized milk prepared from milk and/or other products derived from milk with the addition of sweetening agents and fruit products, egg products, coffee, cocoa, ginger, and nuts. It may also contain chocolate, and bakery products such as cake or cookies as a separate layer and/or coating. It may be frozen hard or frozen to a soft consistency. It shall be free from artificial sweeteners. It shall have a pleasant taste and smell free from flavor and rancidity. It may contain food additives. It shall conform to the microbiological requirements as given in FSSA (2006).

The native and applied organic matter play an important role in terms of nutrient adsorption , nutrient mobility and microbial habitat on soil. The dominant ions present in soil under a particular agro-ecological situation may or may not be available to the growing plants due to the presence of organic matter. The binding energy and the stability of the organo-metal complexation would play an important role in availability of nutrients to the plants. The organo-metal complexation reaction depends on the nature of the ionic species (ionic/non ionic) present in soil. The organic fractions (Humic acid/Fulvic acid) react with metal ions present in soil to form complexes which may be stable or unstable depending upon the molecular arrangement and degree of coiling of humic/fulvic substances. The surface charge density on clay and soil pH also play an important role to determine the order of stability of different nutrients (macro/micro) in soil.

12.1. Introduction

All soils invariably contain soluble salts. However, physico-chemical and biological soil properties start degrading when excessive amount of salts are accumulated in soil, particularly in rhizosphere, due to several anthropogenic activities and environmental conditions, and crop production is severely affected. Then we refer those soils as salt-affected soil.

The need of intensive agriculture to keep pace with the increasing world population for their food requirement necessitates to bring more agricultural land area under irrigation. However, irrigation system without taking enough drainage provision and poor water quality and its poor management may make the situation worst due to the development of salt-affected soils that ensue unproductive soil and low crop yield. Crops grown on salt-affected soils suffer from high osmotic stress, nutritional disorders due to nutrient (N, Ca, K, P, Fe, Zn) deficiency, specific ion toxicities, poor soil physical conditions and as a consequence, a reduced crop productivity.

Although it is considered that the rocks and minerals on weathering lead to salt accumulation in the soil, but the salt-affected soils are not truly originated from the accumulation of such salts in situ. On the contrary, occurrence of salt-affected soils is due to receiving salts that come from other locations with water. Sea water inundation in coastal belt, irrigation with poor quality water including saline groundwater, poor drainage system, irrigation adopting unscientific ways leading to waterlogging, shallow water table etc. contribute heavily toward development of salt-affected soils. Salt-affected soils may occur under almost all climatic conditions. Their distribution, however, is relatively more extensive in the arid and semi-arid regions compared to the humid regions because of poor precipitation to leach soluble salt adequately. Since evapotranspiration greatly exceeds precipitation in these climatic conditions, the soluble salts move upward with water due to capillary action and are left behind on the surface soil and the rhizosphere, once water is evaporated. The commanding ions of accumulated salts in affected soil are sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chlorides, sulphates, carbonates and bicarbonates. The nature and properties of salt-affected soils are so diverse that they require specific approaches for their reclamation and management. Therefore, it is necessary to know their origin, formation, nature, chemistry and properties in detail to classify them into groups for their proper management to maintain sustainable agriculture.

Silage fermentation is a complex process involving biochemical changes by microbial populations and the ensiling environment. The chemistry and microbiology of silage fermentation are linked, but the microorganisms are the dominant factor in the fermentation process, and they have the main influence on the quality of the end product. Many species of microorganisms are involved in the fermentation process, and their relative importance varies according to the prevailing conditions. As these conditions change during the fermentation process, the microorganism population changes accordingly. Lactic acid bacteria and clostridia are two main categories of microbes responsible for biochemical changes in silage.

13.1. Introduction

Water is chemically benign. However, its interference in free gas exchange in soil becomes detrimental to crop growth when soils are subjected to waterlogging or plants are submerged with water.Waterlogging of soil refers to a soil condition when the soil attains a moisture regime to such an extent that oxygen is not available in the pore space in enough quantity for plant roots to respire adequately. On the contrary, detrimental gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen sulphide, ethylene etc. accumulate in the root zone and adversely influence the growth of plants. Thus, anaerobic condition prevails in waterlogged soil causing depletion of oxygen and increase of CO₂ in root zone, which severely affects aerobic micro-organisms while harmful organisms proliferate and restrict the plant growth. Waterlogging leads to nutrient deficiencies or nutrient toxicities, root tip decomposition and eventually, reduced growth or death of the plant. Physical, chemical and biological activities in the soil are also disturbed due to low temperature. However, this is important to note that plants differ among themselves in their demand for oxygen. Even oxygen demand for same plants differs with its growth stage. Therefore, it is well understood that there is no universal level of soil oxygen that can identify waterlogged conditions for all plants. Mostly waterlogging prevails in the land due to non-permeability of the soil material, the presence of an impervious layer in soil horizon, or a high-water table.

If the reader has endeavoured to follow the basic chemistry in the first chapter, he would be in a positions to follow up the various reactions that take place in soils and which hitherto had baffled him. Soils contain particles of various sizes ; some so fine that they would remain suspended in water for a long time; others so coarse that they would be sieved out by even a coarse sieve. Soils contain some salts that can be washed out by leaching with water; they contain some water which can be readily evaporated away by exposing to hot sun or by heating slightly. They also con-tain a little organic matter which can be burnt away or dissolved in alkali. When all the extraneous substances have been completely removed we are left with what we might call soil framework. This framework gives mechanical support to the roots of the plants. Without this framework the plant would not stand up even if it could be supplied with all the food material.

Let us suppose a soil freed from all the extraneous matter by continuous leaching with water or a dilute acid. In the former case the removal of all the extraneous matter is extremely slow, whereas by leaching with dilute acid everything except the soil framework is removed in a short time.

When soils from different localities are subjected to leaching with dilute acid we find that the soil framework in every case, behaves in a similar manner. No matter from what part of the world the soil has been obtained, the properties of its mineral framework only differ in quantity but not in kind.

Being an essential component of the rich Indian past, traditional dairy products and a sophisticated classification of confections have played a significant role in the Indian economy. Depending on how it is processed, it has significant social, cultural, and economic significance. These products have been developed over a long period using a combination of experience, traditional wisdom, and culinary skills. India is emerging as the highest milk- producing country in the world with an annual production of 221.1 million tons in the year 2021–22 (Source: Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics, MoFAHD, DAHD, GoI). An estimated 50% of the milk produced in India is used to make a range of traditional dairy products, including paneer, dahi, ghee, khoa, and shrikhand. The product is not only well- established in the Indian market, but it also has significant export potential due to the large Indian diaspora living all over the world.

All native milk products that have developed over time using locally accessible technologies are referred to as traditional Indian dairy products or Indian indigenous milk products. The Indian masses’ economic, social, religious, and nutritional well- being are greatly influenced by traditional dairy products.

Classification of Traditional Indian Dairy Products

Traditional dairy products in India are typically made, packaged, and/or sold using time- honored methods without the use of machinery or meticulous documentation of the procedure. These products do, however, have several technological advantages, including their widespread appeal, reduced cost of production, straightforward manufacturing process, adoption at the rural level or collection center, large profit margin, and abundance of employment opportunities. These products are categorized according to the manufacturing principle.

Milk is the secretion of the mammary glands of animals. For human consumption, milk is that liquid obtained from the cow or the buffalo during the period following at least 72 hours after calving or until the milk is colostrums-free. It is a complex biological fluid consisting of seven main components: water, fat, protein, sugar (lactose), minerals, vitamins and enzymes. Milk is a white opaque fluid in which fat is present as an emulsion, protein and some mineral matters in colloidal suspension and lactose together with some minerals and soluble proteins in true solution. The opacity of milk is due to its content of suspended particles of fat, proteins and certain minerals. The colour varies from white to yellow depending on the carotene content of the fat. Skimmed milk is more transparent with a slightly bluish tinge. Milk of a good flavour has a pleasant, slightly sweet taste, and no odour. It is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorous and riboflavin. Vitamin A and D are currently added to whole milk, partly skimmed and skimmed milk.

Chemotherapy in Parasitology deals with the treatment of disease caused by different parasites by specific drugs; meanwhile particular drug has got the particular action against the particular parasite. Recently chemotherapy is a extensively used and emerging branch for the control of different stages of parasites that is normally not killed by the conventional methods of treatment. Thus, chemotherapy plays an important role in the treatment and control of parasitic infections by avoiding the outcome of the danger of the disease by treatment of the affected animals. They should have the maximum parasitotrophic action and minimum organotrophic action. It is mainly divided into two types: 1) Rational therapy: It is a mode of treatment based on the pharmacological actions of drugs with relation to disease. 2) Supportive therapy: It is a method of treatment other than drugs, e.g. giving high protein diet in the oedematous condition such as bottle jaw in fascioliosis and amphistomiosis. The drugs used for the killing or complete removal of the parasites from the body of the host called antiparasitic drugs.

Chemotherapy is the procedure of treating a sick or infected plant using chemicals to kill the fungus. Chemotherapy has proven successful in very few circumstances. For example, plants have been treated with antibiotics to minimise the severity of “lethal yellowing” of palm trees caused by Phytoplasma and the decline of pears. Likewise, fungicides have been used to elm trees to mitigate the effects of Ophiostoma ulmi and O? neo-ulmi, the causative agents of Dutch elm disease. The chemotherapy drugs must, however, always be given repeatedly. Systemic fungicides like sterol biosynthesis inhibitors (SBIS), which partially penetrate plant tissues, eradicate recent infestations.

Chemotherapeutic fungicides are a class of systemic fungicides that have some plant mobility. They are capable of eliminating diseases even in parts of the plant that were not exposed to the chemicals. Unfortunately, pathogens develop resistance to systemic fungicides because they are site-specific

Q1. The nitrogen atom of amino group in basic structure of sulfonamide is designated as

1. N1
2. N2
3. N3
4. N4

Q2. Trimethoprim produces synergistic action by interfering the synthesis of

1. Dihydrofolic acid from tetrahydrofolic acid
2. Tetrahydrofolic acid from dihydrofolic acid
3. mRNA from DNA
4. tRNA from DNA

Q3. An ophthalmic sulfonamide is

1. Sulfaguinidine
2. Sulfadimidine
3. Sulfadimethoxine
4. Sodium sulfacetamide

Cherimoya is considered as the most esteemed of the fruits of the genus Annona (family Annonaceae). A. cherimola Mill., because of its limited distribution, has acquired few colloquial names, and most are merely local variations in spelling, such as chirimoya, cherimolia, chirimolla, cherimolier, cherimoyer. The cherimoya is believed to be indigenous to the interandean valleys of Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia. It is cultivated in Australia, Hawai, Brazil, Mexico, India, Sri Lanka, Jamaica, Spain, Costa Rica, Africa and Argentina. In India it is found growing in states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, (Nilgiris and Palani hills), Karnataka (the Nandi hills) and Andhra Pradesh (Telangana region).

It bears fruits with skin which is thin or thick, may be smooth with fingerprint-like markings or covered with conical or rounded protuberances. The sweet, juicy, white flesh is melting, subacid and very fragrant. The fruit is of a primitive form with spirally arranged carpels, resembling a raspberry. Each segment of flesh surrounds a single hard black bean-like seed.

Cultivars: Fingerprinted, Smooth, Tuberculate, Mammilate and Umbonate are the cultivars having different shapes, texture and morphology.

Uses

The flesh of the ripe cherimoya is most commonly eaten out of-hand or scooped with a spoon from the cut open fruit. It really needs no embellishment but some people in Mexico like to add a few drops of lime juice. Occasionally it is added to fruit salads or used for making sherbet or ice cream. Colombians strain out the juice, add a slice of lemon and dilute with ice-water to make a refreshing soft drink. The fruit has been fermented to produce an alcoholic beverage (Morton, 1987). In Jamaica, the dried flowers have been used as flavoring for snuff. All species of Annona can produce seed oil. Essential oils extracted from soursop (pulp) have industrial applications and the oils are also thought to improve the flavour of processed fruit products.

Genus   : Prunus
Species : avium cerasus, mahaleb L.
Family : Rosaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 16, 24, 32

Records indicate that cherries were in cultivation ever since the beginning of civilization. Cherries exhibit vast genetic variability as is evident from the different species which vary in their ploidy level. Sweet cherries (Prunus avium L) are diploid while sour cherries (P. cerasus, L.) are tetraploid, and commercially more important than the other species. Duke cherry has resulted from hybridization between sour and sweet cherry with intermediate tree and fruit characters. Successful cherry cultivation revolves around climatic factors, prime being the extent and spread of rainfall, variation in day and night temperature, occurrence of frosts, high heat day largely determine the type of cherry that will grow successfully in a particular areas. Hence cherry improvement around the world has so far been localized to few selected areas where different cherries have been successfully grown.

1. Introduction

Cherry is the common name of several Prunus species that include sweet cherry (P. avium), tart or sour cherry (P. cerasus), Duke cherry (hybrids between P. avium and P. cerasus). Sweet cherries are believed to have originated from the area between the Black and Caspian seas of Asia Minor. Birds probably carried the seed to Europe prior to human civilization. Cultivation was probably started by the Greeks and continued by the Romans. Its distribution and naturalization have proved extensive, for it is now found wild in areas as widely spaced as northern India, the southern plains of Europe and even on isolated islands such as Madeira. Climatic conditions are the most important limitations on cherry production. Being a deciduous tree, it needs a period of dormancy, which is initiated in temperate regions mainly by a fall in average temperatures in late autumn (Mir et al., 2017). Sweet cherry is grown almost everywhere in the temperate zone. It is a composite genus. Due to its origin, this genus needs warm and light conditions, but can also endure cold winter weather. It requires 550-600 mm precipitation annually. Sweet cherry prefers medium light (pH= 5.5–7.5), deep-layered soil, which is rich in nutrients. The root system of sweet cherry requires aeration and cannot tolerate slack water (Simon, 2004). Many areas of the world, although environmentally suited to cherry production, are currently unsuited to profitable cherry production due to high perishable nature of the fruit.

Prunus avium means “Bird Cherry” in the Latin language, is commonly known as ‘Sweet cherry’. Cherries have pleased the palates of food lovers for centuries. Their ruby-red colour and tangy taste won the hearts of kings, queens and noblemen in the history, making a special place for cherries on their tables. The ultimate celebration of cherries is the National Cherry Festival. It is held every year in July in the “Cherry Capital of the World”-Traverse City, Michigan. This festival originated from a spring ceremony known as the “Blessing of the Blossoms.” Thousands of visitors come from all over the world to celebrate the harvest and of course, eat cherries. A delicious fruit, cherry is rich in protein and sugars. Cherry is an excellent source of minerals like potassium, manganese, magnesium, iron, phosphorous and copper. Good amounts of vitamins (A, B, C and K) are found in cherries. They also contain anthocyanins, melatonin and fibers. It has more calorific value than apple. 

There are many cherry species, but only a few have been domesticated. The sweet cherry trees are large (30–40 feet tall) and usually pyramid shaped. Branches grow upright. The fruits are large, have a deep stem cavity, vary in colour from light yellow to dark red to purplish black. Flowers arise from clusters of 2 to 5 flowers on short spurs with multiple buds at tips; the distal bud develops into a leafy shoot. The flesh ranges in texture from tender to firm, and is sweet. Most sweet cherries are consumed as fresh fruit. The tart cherry, is sometime called “red cherry” or “sour cherry” and may have arisen from an unreduced pollen grain of Prunus avium crossed with Prunus fruiticosa. Trees are very cold hardy, but are shorter lived than sweet cherry. The fruit is relatively small, and have higher acid and lower sugar content than sweet cherry. Tart cherries are used for processing, jam, and pie filling. The Duke cherry is a hybrid of Prunus avium and Prunus cerasus and all gradations between the two species exist, but most varieties more closely resemble sweet cherry. Sweet cherries are the variety most often found in markets. They have a thick, rich, and almost plumb-like texture. Sour cherries are not usually eaten raw, but are widely used for making preserves, candy etc. Sour cherries are much smaller than sweet cherries and all varieties are self-fertile. Cherries are cultivated all over the world and the top 3 producers of cherry are Turkey, USA and Iran. The cultivated forms are of the species sweet cherry (Prunus avium) to which most cherry cultivars belong, and the another sour cherry (P. cerasus), which is used mainly for making preserve etc. Both species originate in Europe and western Asia; they do not cross pollinate. Some other species, although having edible fruit, are not grown extensively for consumption, except in northern regions where the two main species will not grow.

• Native to temperate regions of Northern Hemisphere.
• Chilling requirement – 2000-2700 hr, highest among temperate fruits.
• Heavy rainfall during flowering causes – Blossom wilt.
• Heavy rainfall during ripening causes fruit cracking.
• In Europe, a wine – ‘Kirschwasser’ is distilled from the pulp of cherries.
• Most of the commercial varieties of cherry are self-sterile.
• Seedling rootstock – Pazza, Mahaleb, Mazzard
• Clonal rootstock – Colt, Mazzard, F-12/1
• Cherry fruits are the first to appear in the market among temperate fruits.
• Cherry has more calorific value them apple.
• Donar vars: Stella, Vista, Vic, Seneca, Vega.

7.1 Introduction

Cherry is one of the important temperate stone fruits of the world. It is widely grown in the cooler climates where the span of winter is wide and very much pronounced. Sweet cherry is tall, attaining a height of 18 m, and pyramidal form. The branches are usually erect, and leaves are large, thin, variable pubescent beneath and coarsely serrated. Sweet (Prunus avium L.) and sour (P. cerasus L.) cherry ripen first among stone fruits followed by apricot, peach and plum. Sweet cherry comes first on the fresh market; hence, it is in high demand during late spring and early summer. Sweet cherry cultivars with red fruit colour lead the market while cultivars of yellow, white, or blush colour are in less demand. Sour cherries have smaller fruit size and are less firm than sweet cherries. The vast majority of the sour cherries are processed. The tree of sour cherry is usually 6-9 m tall, open headed, round topped or spreading and often without a central leader. The leaves are much smaller, dark green in colour and more numerous and trees are hardier than those of sweet cherry. Diameter of sour cherry fruit is about 2 cm.

• The chestnut is a nutritious low in fat and rich in Vitamin B.
• Freshly harvested nuts contain about 50% moisture, 40-42% carbohydrates, 2.9% proteins and about 1.5% fats.
• All cultivars of chestnut are self-sterile.
• The Chinese chestnut is the earliest tree to bloom. The flowers are produced in two kinds of catkins borne on current season shoot near the terminal portion of the shoot.
• Three nuts are usually produced in each bun (upper, left and right).
• Botanically, each nut is a complete fruit.
• The shell of the nut develops from the ovary wall.
• It is as hardy as peach and can withstand as low as -29°C temperature in deep dormancy.
• Some species of chestnut are used as rootstock for propagation.
• Chestnut is a highly cross-pollinated and hybrid seedling used as the rootstock is a possible cause of graft union failure in chestnut. Therefore, mixed hybrid strains should not be used as rootstock.

Genus : Castanea 
Species : avellana
Family : Fagaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 24

Before the history was started to be written chestnut nuts in Japan and China were harvested, collected and eaten and aptly has been an important food for man around the world especially in Asia, Asia Minor, Europe and North America for hundreds of years. As early as 50 B.C., chestnut was brought to southern Europe by Greeks from Asia Minor and red Indians in North America prior to its discovery. Used nuts of chestnut was a staple food especially during famine times.

Genus Castanea has 13 species and belongs to the family Fagaceae which also has important forest plants like Oak (Quercus), and beech (Fagus). Species of this genus are grown for ornamental and also for their edible nuts. Three species of chestnut are economically important as they produce edible nuts, are highly variable and selection has been practiced for hundreds of years to select high yielding, large fruited type. The species other than C. dentata (American chestnut) are called ‘Chinkapins’.

Etiology

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

Etiology

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

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

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

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

12.1 Chi-Square Variate

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

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

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

12.2 Chi-Square Distribution

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

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

13.1 Section-A : Write True / False

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

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

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

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

11.1 Introduction

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

Chi-Square

The Chi-square test (c₂) proposed by Karl Pearson in 1899 is used to measure goodness of fit of observed and theoretical or expected data and is a continuous distribution.

Formula for Chi-Square

1. General Formula

The general formula for Chi-square is as follows

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

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

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

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

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

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