Progress Report Kharif 2018 (original) (raw)
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All the present day established crops are evolved in due course of time, through continuous efforts of human being for crop improvement via, cultivation, selection and breeding. Even today many plant resources from forests are being utilized in crop breeding as source of resistant genes against insect pests, fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens, adverse agro-climatic conditions, for quality improvement in terms of different proteins, vitamins and also appearance; thereby broadening the genetic base of cultivars. Many others, e.g., Caralluma adscendens (Roxb.) R. Br., Chlorophytum borivilianum Sant. & Fernandez. and Jasminum malabaricum Wight are directly brought under cultivation from wilderness for food, medicine and ornamental purpose. Considering the potential and need for new resources, a study was undertaken to explore the diversity, plant parts used, process of preparation, scope and potential of the wild edible plant species from Maharashtra State. The results revealed that, about 172 wild species are used as food in Maharashtra. Out of these 63 species are commonly used by tribal and rural peoples, 35 species are occasionally used while remaining species are rarely consumed especially during scarcity of food due to drought or other reasons. Some of these have high scope and potential for their improvement and exploitation on commercial scale
PRINCIPLES AND PLANT BREEDING METHODS OF FIELD CROPS IN INDIA
Preface This book is specifically written for the undergraduate and Post Graduate Students following the same syllabus of State Agricultural Universities and ICAR Institutes . This book will be an indispensible guide and immensely helpful for JRF, NET and ARS examination giving in the discipline of plant breeding. All necessary important points are given which are basic and the students will be benefited if he can go through the book properly while attempting the ARSNET examination. It is a text book and it comprises of chapters with field crops grown in India in different states of the country following principles, procedure of breeding and problems in breeding of field crops in India. It has cereals, pulses, oil seeds, fibre crops, forage crops and general breeding methodologies and particular steps involved in breeding of disease resistant crops, pest resistant crops, abiotic stress resistant crops, tools involved in hybrid seed production etc. The chapters of each crop has short, lucid, point by point approach beginning from it’s origin, wild relatives, classification of different species, floral biology, anthesis and pollination, breeding objectives, parentage of different popular varieties in India, their duration, distant hybridization, detail different methods of breeding, quality assessment of different crops like oil percentage of oil seed crops, ginning percentage of cotton, detail methodology of hybrid seed production of cotton, rice, maize, castor, sunflower etc. Detail steps of hybrid seed production of different crops, crossing of A (male sterile ) with R line (restorer line), maintenance of A line with B line (maintainer line) in a field, specific spacing distance and moreover production of foundation seeds and certified seeds from each crop maintain the ISTA rule where hybrid seed production is possible are given step by step with precautions where the breeder should adopt for genuine production of certified or foundation seeds. The main agricultural field crops where the syllabus follows in any agricultural university while teaching breeding of field crops in undergraduate and post graduate programmes . It is useful in seed science and technology programme also in any agricultural university where hybrid seed production of all field crops is vividly described. (viii) This book will be also immensely helpful for the farmers, seed production companies when they are involved in seed production of different crops as well as hybrid seed production. We will be extremely happy and thankful to all the students and think our effort will be fruitful if this book will help the students as a whole. Any further improvement regarding the book is highly solicited and appreciated.
In view of changing food habits of local communities of Himachal Himalaya, a study to document the genetic resources of wild edible plant and traditional recipes was conducted in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Rituals and cultural beliefs of the local people of Kinnaur plays significant role in conserving biodiversity. A total of 116 plant species belonging to 42 families were recorded from the study area. Among the four major life forms, herbs contributed the highest proportion of the edible species (57) followed by trees (32), shrubs (26) and climber (1). Fruits (50) are the highly consumed plant parts, followed by leaves (33), seeds (23), bulbs (6), resin/gum (6), roots (5), flowers (4), shoots (4), bark (2) and tubers (2) respectively. Chilgoza nut is the dominant wild edible and also the main source of revenue. This includes 13 threatened species under different Red List categories of IUCN 2000 and 8 species are endemic to Western Himalayas. Allium stracheyi, Angelica glauca, Betula utilis, Bunium persicum, Dioscorea deltoidea, Hippophae spp., Juglans regia, Pinus gerardiana, Prunus armeniaca, Prunus mira and Sinopodophyllum hexandrum are highly exploited species in wild and need to be conserved.