High-Yielding Multicut Coriander Variety, Arka Isha

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) is one of the important leafy vegetables having a pleasant aroma. Very little research work has been done on improvement of leafy coriander and only a few local varieties, low-yielding and with low aroma, are available in the market. Research work at Indian Institute of Horticultural Research has resulted in development of a leafy coriander variety, Arka Isha, with a high yield potential and good aroma. It is a multicut variety where the plants are bushy, leaves are broad and leaf lobes are short, and the variety is late flowering. Yield is 3.74t ha-1 by pulling at 40 days after sowing, and 11.98t ha-1 by cutting. Leaves have 167.05mg 100g-1 of Vitamin C, with good aroma and keeping-quality

Economic Analysis of Post-Harvest Loss and Marketing Efficiency in Guava (cv. Allahabad safeda) in Karnataka

Post-harvest losses (PHL) in guava (cv. Allahabad safeda) were estimated at the field and retail levels in Karnataka, and impact of this loss on marketing efficiency was studied. Results indicated that the total PHL was 13.29% consisting of field-level loss (9.17%) and retail level loss (4.12%). The producer's share was 51.52% and PHL, when included as an item of cost, reduced the share to 45.80%. PHL also reduced marketing efficiency index from 1.06 to 0.88, thereby indicating the importance of PHL and scope for minimizing it to improve the efficiency of the marketing system in guava

Maturity determination of red and white pulp dragon fruit

There is a huge potential for dragon fruits grown in India but insufficient information may hamper its production and postharvest handling. The aim of this study was to investigate the right harvest time and maturity indices for red and white pulp dragon fruit. Growth and developmental studies were undertaken using destructive (total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity and TSS: acid ratio) and non-destructive methods (fruit weight, specific gravity, peel colour and heat units). Fruits were collected at seven intervals (7, 14, 21, 26, 31, 36 and 41 days after flowering) to assess the right maturity. All these methods were used to standardize the optimum maturity and right time for the harvest of red and white pulp dragon fruit. Harvesting dragon fruits between 31-36 days after flowering (DAF) was found ideal for optimum maturity and quality. Both red and white pulp fruits harvested at 31 DAF showed better quality in terms of physic-chemical and sensory attributes

Higher order corrections to Heterotic M-theory inflation

We investigate inflation driven by $N$ dynamical five-branes in Heterotic M-theory using the scalar potential derived from the open membrane instanton sector. At leading order the resulting theory can be mapped to power law inflation, however more generally one may expect higher order corrections to be important. We consider a simple class of such corrections, which imposes tight bounds on the number of branes required for inflation.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure

Post harvest loss and marketing of fruits - economic analysis of pink flesh guava in local and distant markets in India

Guava produced in Bengaluru in Karnataka is also transported to distant markets like Cochin in Kerala and Chennai in Tamil Nadu. An assessment of post harvest loss (PHL) was done in these markets. The main marketing channel followed was:Producer PHC Distant Market WS Retailer ConsumerMarketing practices followed in marketing of pink flesh guava and losses occurring at the wholesale (transit) and retailers’ level (storage) in the distant market - Kerala were studied from wholesalers and retailers. The PHL at the wholesalers’ level was observed to be 3.6 per cent mainly due to pressed and crushed fruits during transit. The retail level loss was 4.59 per cent which was mainly due to storage for more than two days resulting in decaying, rotting, yellowing etc. Average price received by the wholesaler was Rs.29.92/kg with a margin of Rs.6.21/kg (20.75%). The retailers received a price of Rs.46.54/kg with a margin of Rs.16.35/kg (35.13%). Marketing practices followed in marketing of pink flesh guava and losses occurring at the wholesale (transit) and retailers’ level (storage) in the distant market - Chennai (Tamil Nadu) were studied with wholesalers in Coimbeedu market and retailers in different parts of Chennai. The PHL at the wholesalers’ level was observed to be 4.62 per cent mainly due to pressed and crushed fruits during transit. The retail level loss was 6.09 per cent which was due to pressing of fruits during handling. The wholesaler received a margin of 22.91 percent in trading of guava fruits. The retailers received a margin of 45.72 per cent. The Karnataka farmers can take advantage of the higher prices prevalent in the distant markets and increase their income. Pathological investigation indicated that losses occurred at different stages of handling due to Styler end rot, Anthracnose, Canker, thrips attack etc., which needs to be addressed. The storage losses of pink flesh guava were estimated as 5.89 % after 4 days of storage at room temperature (24-32°C) that constituted mainly the physiological loss in weight (PLW). Spoilage started after 5 days of storage (10.5 %) and reached to 28.31 % by 6 days of storage. After 4 days of storage, guava fruits lose weight to the extent of 6 per cent and the spoilage starts after 5 days. Hence, care should be taken to dispose of the fruits within five days of harvest

Evaluation of the Immunoprotective Potential of Recombinant Paraflagellar Rod Proteins of Trypanosoma evansi in Mice

Trypanosomosis, caused by Trypanosoma evansi, is an economically significant disease of livestock. Systematic antigenic variation by the parasite has undermined prospects for the development of a protective vaccine that targets the immunodominant surface antigens, encouraging exploration of alternatives. The paraflagellar rod (PFR), constituent proteins of the flagellum, are prominent non-variable vaccine candidates for T. evansi owing to their strategic location. Two major PFR constituent proteins, PFR1 (1770bp) and PFR2 (1800bp), were expressed using Escherichia coli. Swiss albino mice were immunized with the purified recombinant TePFR1 (89KDa) and TePFR2 (88KDa) proteins, as well as with the mix of the combined proteins at equimolar concentrations, and subsequently challenged with virulent T. evansi. The PFR-specific humoral response was assessed by ELISA. Cytometric bead-based assay was used to measure the cytokine response and flow cytometry for quantification of the cytokines. The recombinant TePFR proteins induced specific humoral responses in mice, including IgG1 followed by IgG2a and IgG2b. A balanced cytokine response induced by rTePFR 1 and 2 protein vaccination associated with extended survival and improved control of parasitemia following lethal challenge. The observation confirms the immunoprophylactic potential of the covert antigens of T. evansi

Effect of modified atmosphere packaging on quality of minimally processed fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) microgreens

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) microgreens is an underutilized vegetable with limited shelf life having good source of antioxidants, carotenoid as well as vitamins. The study deals with nutritional quality and optimization of a suitable passive modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for improving the shelf life of fenugreek microgreens in its minimally processed form (MPFM) at 8oC Semipermeable plastic films viz., low density polyethylene, polypropylene, Cryovac PD 961® and stretchable PVC cling film with varying thickness were evaluated as packaging materials to obtain different MAP composition inside MPFM packages. Packaging of MPFM in 40 μm thick polypropylene film resulted in development of in-pack equilibrium MA with 10-14% oxygen and 5-8% carbon dioxide during storage. This in-pack MA maintained ‘fresh-like’ sensory properties, biochemical and nutritional quality in MPFM till 15 days of storage. Significant loss of B vitamins was recorded in all packages during low temperature storage. Packaging in 40 μm thick polypropylene film retained B vitamins significantly better than other semipermeable films. Low temperature storage in modified atmosphere conditions enhanced vitamin E content in MPFM. The outcome of the study will benefit the entrepreneurs and retailers for distant transport and storage of fenugreek microgreens in commercial open chillers maintained in supermarkets in their ready-to-cook form

Effective Scheduling of Multi-Load Automated Guided Vehicle in Spinning Mill: A Case Study

In the Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS), where material processing is carried out in the form of tasks from one department to another, the use of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) is significant. The application of multiple-load AGVs can be understood to boost FMS throughput by multiple orders of magnitude. For the transportation of materials and items inside a warehouse or manufacturing plant, an AGV, a mobile robot, offers extraordinary industrial capabilities. The technique of allocating AGVs to tasks while taking into account the cost and time of operations is known as AGV scheduling. Most research has exclusively addressed single-objective optimization, whereas multi-objective scheduling of AGVs is a complex combinatorial process without a single solution, in contrast to single-objective scheduling. This paper presents the integrated Local Search Probability-based Memetic Water Cycle (LSPM-WC) algorithm using a spinning mill as a case study. The scheduling model’s goal is to maximize machine efficiency. The scheduling of the statistical tests demonstrated the applicability of the proposed model in lowering the makespan and fitness values. The mean AGV operating efficiency was higher than the other estimated models, and the LSPM-WC surpassed the different algorithms to produce the best result