Not Available

Not AvailableThe need for achieving food security is felt significantly in the recent years due to enormous pressure from the ever-increasing population in India. Owing to the change in preferences in crop production techniques over a period of time, several new challenges draw attention to food security. Chronic food insecurity still persists as reflected in the low energy intake and high incidences of malnutrition. The overall improvement in nutritional status being very slow, is very chronic for approximately half of the population, particularly among the vulnerable groups of children. India is one of the few countries which have experimented with a broad spectrum of programmes for improving food security. However, despite a significant reduction in the incidence of poverty, population. The government needs to supplement the provision of food security with a mix of short- and long-term policies. This will require improvements in infrastructure and time-limited targeted policies to improve rural farm and non-farm productivity. Special care should be taken in laying down the guidelines for the policies and programmes so that the money and labour expended result in durable and visible assets benefiting the whole community and ensuring food security for all. Research should be targeted to emphasize on bio fortification to ensure nutritional security in the diet. Prioritize the demand-driven and nutrient-based research programmes. Concerted efforts should be made to ensure involvement of social sciences in research prioritization, and technology development, targeting and dissemination. This paper deals with food and nutritional security status, interventions of government and the other institutions and the roles to be played by policy makers, researchers and extension agents in overcoming food and nutritional challenges in India.Not Availabl

Not Available

Not Availablesolvent extracts of four plants, viz. Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Thw. (PL), Paederia foetida (PF), Limonia acidissima L. (LA) and Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del. (BA), from different families, were screened for their antifeedant, insecticidal and insect growth regulatory potential against important crop pests. The solvent extracts, namely methanol, petroleum ether, chloroform and water, of all four plants were tested for their bio-activity against lepidopteran insect pest, Spodoptera litura; and sucking insect pest, L. erysimi (mustard aphid). It was observed that Polyalthia longifolia (methanol extract) exhibited maximum potency with least concentration of 0.1 % ( * 1080 ppm) to give 50 % antifeedancy, followed by P. longifolia (petroleum ether) with a value of 0.2 % ( * 2360 ppm) and Limonia acidissima (methanol) and L. acidissima (petroleum ether). The least active compound for antifeedancy was found in the aqueous extract of Balanites aegyptica. Out of 16 plant extracts bio-assayed, methanol showed potential antifeedancy when compared with chloroform, water and petroleum ether extracts. But chloroform and petroleum ether extracts of all four plants gave very promising insecticidal activity against aphids, in comparison to other two extracts. L. acidissima (water), B. aegyptica (methanol), P. longifolia (methanol) and P. foetida (water) did not give any insecticidal activity with 50 % lethal concentration (LC50) up to 0.1 % as maximum concentration.National Innovation Foundation, Ahemdaba

Not Available

Not AvailableThe issue of impact of climate change on agriculture has emerged in recent decades and it is necessary to evaluate its impact on agriculture. It is resulting in problems with food security and may threaten the livelihood activities upon which much of the population depends. However it may affect crop yields both positively and negatively, as well as the types of crops that can be grown in certain areas, by impacting agricultural inputs such as water for irrigation, amounts of solar radiation that affect plant growth, as well as the prevalence of pests. Keeping in mind the importance of the issue a study was conducted in two villages of Haryana state. The objective of the study was to determine the perception of farmers on issue of climate change. A sample of 300 respondents (40 %) was randomly selected from a total population of 800 farmers. Data were collected from the sampled respondents in 2013 and 2014. Most of the farmers (69.3 %) perceived that climate change started between last 5 to15 years. Almost half of the farmers (48.0%) believe that environmental factor is responsible for climate change and felt that both rainy season and cold season start late and are of shorter duration. Hot season shows opposite scenario as it starts early but is prolonged. Mean duration of hot season has significantly increased in recent past compared to last decade. Similarly, they perceived that hotness has increased (88.7%) and coldness has reduced (60.0%). Farmers observed a reduction in overall rainfall (83.3%) as well as variation in the speed and duration of strong wind. They felt that incidence of drought has increased (73.3 %). However the educational status of the farmers and access to extension services had significant association with their perceived cause towards climate change.Not Availabl

Not Available

Not AvailableThe issue of impact of climate change on agriculture has emerged in recent decades and it is necessary to evaluate its impact on agriculture. It is resulting in problems with food security and may threaten the livelihood activities upon which much of the population depends. However it may affect crop yields both positively and negatively, as well as the types of crops that can be grown in certain areas, by impacting agricultural inputs such as water for irrigation, amounts of solar radiation that affect plant growth, as well as the prevalence of pests. Keeping in mind the importance of the issue a study was conducted in two villages of Haryana state. The objective of the study was to determine the perception of farmers on issue of climate change. A sample of 300 respondents (40 %) was randomly selected from a total population of 800 farmers. Data were collected from the sampled respondents in 2013 and 2014. Most of the farmers (69.3 %) perceived that climate change started between last 5 to15 years. Almost half of the farmers (48.0%) believe that environmental factor is responsible for climate change and felt that both rainy season and cold season start late and are of shorter duration. Hot season shows opposite scenario as it starts early but is prolonged. Mean duration of hot season has significantly increased in recent past compared to last decade. Similarly, they perceived that hotness has increased (88.7%) and coldness has reduced (60.0%). Farmers observed a reduction in overall rainfall (83.3%) as well as variation in the speed and duration of strong wind. They felt that incidence of drought has increased (73.3 %). However the educational status of the farmers and access to extension services had significant association with their perceived cause towards climate changeNot Availabl

Not Available

Not AvailableThe antifungal potential of solvent extracts of four plants, viz. Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Thw. (PL), Paederia foetida (PF), Limonia acidissima L. (LA) and Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del. (BA), were screened during the year 2010 and 2011 against important plant pathogenic fungi. The methanol, petroleum ether, chloroform and water extracts, of the plants were bio-assayed against test fungi, Rhizoctonia bataticola, R. solani, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, S. rolfsii, Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternata and Pythium aphanidermatum. Out of 16 plant extracts, extracts of P. longifolia recorded significant antifungal activity (up to 84% inhibition) against almost all test fungi. The methanol extract of P. longifolia gave most promising results for inhibiting the test fungi, resulting in inhibition concentration (IC50) in the range of 200-600 ppm. Hence, a single methanol extract of the plant P. longifolia could act as a promising biofungicide for inhibiting the growth of different fungi responsible for crop losses. Thus these plants extracts have potential to act as effective fungicide.Not Availabl