Rasagolla (a sweet syrup cheese ball) most popular in the regions of South Asia,
manufactured from Channa (a precipitate obtained by heat and acid coagulation of milk). The
shelf life of Rasagolla at ambient temperature, in sugar syrup is 2 days. The mostserious
constraint for shelf life enhancement is the activity of microorganisms. A study has been
carried out to enhance the shelf life of Rasagolla by microwave treatment. Rasagolla was
prepared under aseptic conditions in the laboratory as per the standard procedure. All the
samples of Rasagolla were packed in 16 glass containers. Eight samples were tyndallized and
others were kept as control. Standard Plate Count, Coliform Count and Yeast and Mould
Count analysis were carried out in tyndallized and control Rasagolla. Sensory evaluation on a
nine-point Hedonic Scale was done for treated and untreated products stored at ambient
conditions (30 ˚C) at 0 day, 7 th , 21 st , 28 th and till they were acceptable based on organoleptic
test and consumer acceptance. It was observed that the shelf life of Rasagolla was extended
by 28 days and beyond at room temperature. The different microbial counts are also within
the permissible limit in microwave products than control. It has been concluded that the
microwave treatment process in Rasagolla is suggested to enhance the shelf life of the
product up to 15 days in room temperature.

Floriculture is a dynamic industry. What sets it apart from other agricultural sectors is the
emphasis placed on novelty as a significant characteristic which can be achieved by introducing
new flower crops that are lesser known to mankind. Some of these new-generation crops are
proteas, gingers, curcumas, kangaroo paws, guzmanias, wax flowers etc. The Proteaceae of
Southern Africa are intriguing flowers that pose an interesting example of using an
undomesticated plant to an economically viable, cultivated fresh-cut flower. Among the tropical
floriculture products, ornamental ginger and curcuma species have considerable potential for
ornamental use, in landscaping, as cut, potted flowers and foliage with a potential for a wide range
of expansion in markets. A wide range of availability of colors in anigozanthos has increased the popularity of the genus in the international flower market. Apart from the crops which can be used
as cut flowers, there are some crops like bat lilies and guzmanias which have the potential to be
used as ornamental pot plants. Some of the crops, like wax flowers, have a great deal of promise
for use as fillers in floral arrangements. Inspite of having wide-varietal wealth in terms of unique-
form, vibrant-colours and long shelf-life, these plants have yet not been popularized out of their
indigenous niche areas. The diverse agro-climatic conditions of the Indian sub-continent offer
tremendous scope for diversification of novel, lesser-known ornamental crops. However, there is
still scope for further research and improvement for various characteristics of the new crops.

The present study aimed to determine the concentration of heavy metals (lead,
cadmium and nickel) in the external and internal body tissues of house sparrow (Passer domesticus)
living in Tehran, Iran, as a biological monitoring and also to identify possible sources of these
pollutants. One of the challenges of this research was sampling and determining the population of
city sparrows. The concentration of these heavy metals (in mg/kg) was measured in feather, muscle,
blood, adipose tissue and diet samples of birds collected by systematic sampling (n = 96) from
selected parks in the north, south, west and east of the city using inductively coupled plasma optical
emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) under optimal measurement conditions. Based on the results, the
unwashed feather samples showed the highest concentration for cadmium, as Cd (449.23)> Ni
(4.12)> Pb (3.67), and the washed feather samples indicated that the highest concentration of
cadmium in the northern (456.75) and southern (449.23) regions. The concentration of lead in most
of the regions had relatively similar values, but it was higher in the northern (5.11) and southern
(3.67) regions. The highest concentration of nickel was related to the eastern (29.76) and western
(9.76) regions. The comparison of our results reveals the correlation between the concentration of
heavy metals studied in different tissues of house sparrows and the distribution of polluting sources
in Tehran in terms of traffic load, the establishment of gas stations and industrial pollution transfer
routes.To conclude, house sparrow can be used as a suitable biological indicator in determining the
distribution of changes in the concentration of some heavy metals.

Cordyceps militaris is a well-known entomopathogen currently being explored for its
mycoparasitic ability against plant pathogens. The compatibility of C. militaris was tested
against various group of fungicides at systemic (0.075%, 0.050%, 0.100% and 0.150%) and
non-systemic doses (0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75% and 1.00%) to assess whether they can
effectively coexist or be used in combination with fungicide treatments in integrated disease
management scheme. It was observed that C. militaris showed highest compatibility with
copper oxychloride with the least mycelial growth inhibition (15.34±0.53%) even at the
highest concentration (1.00%). Among systemic fungicides, azoxystrobin and metalaxyl
were found to be compatible with C. miltaris only at lower concentrations upto 0.25 per cent
and showed a 100 per cent inhibition of mycelial growth at concentration more than 0.25 per
cent whereas carbendazim was incompatible at all the tested concentrations.

By using the AVIRIS NG Hyperspectral data, analyzed the relationship between the
soil spectral reflectance and various degree of salt affectedness and waterlogged soils from
the soil sampling sites from Nagarjuna Sagar Left Bank Command area, Nalgonda district,
Telangana, India. The individual AVIRIS NG Hyperspectral image scenes were processed
with ENVI 5.3 software geocoded, and mosaicked, and the data is subjected to MNF,
performed PPI, n-D visualizer, and classification (mapping) for salt-affected and waterlogged
soils was attempted using the Spectral Angle Mapper algorithm. Out of the total classified
area normal, slightly saline-sodic, moderately saline-sodic, severely saline-sodic, and
waterlogged soils occupy 67.9, 17.0, 3.42, 7.27 and 0.04%, respectively. The Pearson
correlation studies showed that 1830, 1850, 1930, 1935, and 1940 nm wavelengths
significantly showed a negative correlation with EC, ESP, and CEC. The PCR model showed
the possibility of retrieval of EC, ESP, and CEC more accurately. The SAM classification for
AVIRIS NG showed a producer accuracy percentage of 76.4- 88.4 and a user accuracy
percentage of 77.4-87.9.

The legume pod borer, Marca vitrata Fabricius, is one of the major stress factors
affecting the production of many grain legumes. Their webbing nature of flowers and pods
can cause severe infestation, leading to significant yield loss. Identifying the vulnerable stage
in the life cycle of an insect pest is critical for sustainable pest management. Hence, stage-
specific life table studies of this pest was conducted in response to feeding on pulses viz.,
pigeon pea (cv. CO-RG-6), green gram (cv. CO-GG-7), black gram (cv. CO-BG-6), cowpea
(cv. CO-7), and lablab (cv. Rohini) under laboratory conditions (27.9 ± 2.2 °C, 76.6 ± 9.1%
RH). The results revealed the highest egg mortality of M. vitrata (14.0%) on black gram and the lowest (6.0%) in lablab. Among five larval instars, maximum larval mortality was
recorded at the first instar stage of black gram (13.95%), followed by green gram (7.61%) as
against 3.13% on lablab. The highest survival rate of 1.00 was recorded in the third and fifth
instar larvae on pigeon peas and the third instar larvae on black gram. The maximum trend
index of 0.91 on pigeon peas showed the highest larval survival, and the highest generation
survival on lablab (0.44) and pigeon pea (0.43) indicating the emergence of a higher number
of female moths. In perusal of different parameters, lablab was found to be a comparatively
more suitable host for the ideal growth and development of M. vitrata.

Flower crops are season specific and blooming period under traditional culture is short, varying
from few weeks tot month, depending on the geographical location. This is one of the major
limitations in floriculture subsector. The growers are forcing flower crops to produce flower
during off season or predetermined time through manipulation of growing conditions to fetch
good returns and increase the duration of availability in market. In some bulbous species such as
tulip, narcissus, hyacinth, lilium etc. thermos periodic changes are required to induce flowering.
The specificity of temperature requirement for different stages of flower initiation is manipulated
for controlling the flowering. There are 3- phase forcing system for ornamental bulbs i.e.
production, programming and greenhouse phase. There are two main techniques for
programming underlying bulb forcing i.e. Rooting room Forcing and Non-rooting Room Forcing
schedule. Hence, programmed blooming results in year-round availability of flowers for
floriculture industry.

Pokkah boeng or twisted top disease caused by the Fusarium species complex is a fungal disease reported to cause economic losses in sugarcane crops throughout the world. Currently, the disease has become of major constraint in sugarcane production in many sugarcane-growing countries. The incidence of the disease is highly affected by epidemiological factors and the pathogen spreads through the air currents, with secondary infections occurring in irrigation water, rain splashes, and the soil. Several Fusarium species are reported to be involved in causing pokkah boeng disease, including F. verticillioides, F. sacchari, F. proliferatum, F. subglutinans and F. andiyazi. The disease causes yield losses up to 90 per cent. The traditional methods for identification of Fusarium species are based on the morphology of macroconidia, microconidia, and conidiophores but this process is tedious and needs expertise. Hence, both morphological and molecular phylogenetic analysis is important for the identification of this fungus up to species level. Management practice for this disease includes the use of healthy seed material, the use of resistant varieties, cultural practices, and fungicidal and biological control. However, the development and use of resistant varieties is the most viable and economical approach for this disease. This review summarized the various aspects of pokkah boeng disease like distribution, epidemiology, and disease management strategies.

In India, Pigeonpea is the second most important pulse crop and is predominantly grown under rainfed conditions.In peninsular India, particularly to Andhra Pradesh viz., Ananthapuramu district where long-duration varieties predominate experience the terminal drought during the reproductive period is the major yield-limiting factor. Inthe long duration traditional pigeonpea varieties and terminal drought coexist with the crop critical stages (Flower bud initiation, flowering, pod maturing) in rainfed areas of Andhra Pradesh are the primeimpediment for dwindled productivity. Thestate administration has initiated to combat the groundnut and sole pigeonpea crop by providing lifesaving supplementalirrigation through rain gun technology though it is uncommon for wide-spaced crops viz., pigeonpea and castor. Bountiful research work was taken up by the various R&D organizations in point to supplemental irrigation and recommended for the doubling of crop productivity. however supplemental irrigation through raingun was not reposited and there was a dire need to address the issue in a short while.

The study aimed to understand and explore the occupational profile of pit loomhandloom
weavers,involvement and details related to the weaving activity and occupational problems of
weavers. A total number of 120Saree handloom weavers working on pit loom in the state of
Andhra Pradesh are selected purposively as the sample.The major findings of the study include

that fifty-two per cent of the weavers work for 9-11 hrs whereas 42.50% work for more than 12
hrs and above irrespective of their age and health condition.More than half of the study sample
are independent weavers (54.17%), followed by 27.50 % as cooperative weavers and 16.67 % as
middlemen weavers.The majority 90 per cent of the handloom weavers get a minimum pay of
Rs.1000 –Rs.2999/- for each item whereas very few 7.5 % receive pay of minimum Rs.3000-
Rs.3999/-.Nearly sixty per cent of the weavers perform the activity in hall followed by 21.67 per
cent and 17.50 % in open shed and separate room in their own residences.It was reported that
most of the weavers were always involved in activities such as spinning (35.83%),winding and
warping (34.17%),lacing of cards (45.83%),setting the warp on loom (58.33%) ,preparing the
loom for activity (67.50%) and all the weavers involved in weaving activity (100%).All the
weavers of the study reported that they carry out the work at the same workplace in insufficient
spaces, the work involves mainly repetitive tasks and experience difficulties in exerting force
because of awkward postures and sitting in uncomfortable positions without the backrest. Nearly
three fourth of the weavers always had the health problems such as eye strain (85.00%),shoulder
pain (74.17%),leg pain (78.33%),foot pain (86.6%),hand pain (70.83%),wrist
pain(73.33%),neckpain (70.00%),joint pain(73.33%),finger pain(73.33%),knee
pain(73.33%),backpain (75.83%) and muscle pain (74.17%).The economic problems faced by
weavers include low wages and less financial assistance from government schemes (100%),
sometimes delay in payment (76.67%) and payment in installment (80.00%).