Diagnostic SWOT appraisal of the wicker handicraft entrepreneurship development in Kashmir, India

Critical analyses of the perceptions on SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) have become a fundamental element of multi-criteria decision making for developing wicker handicraft entrepreneurship. The study examined the effectiveness and prioritization of entrepreneur's perceptions towards SWOT categories and factors and provided insights for developing wicker handicraft entrepreneurship in Pulwama district of Kashmir. Data were collected through structured interviews and focus group discussions of 100 wicker handicraft entrepreneurs of 20 villages selected by multi-stage random sampling. Simple descriptive statistics were used for the data analysis. Results showed that the factors like income generation (19.30%) and employment generation (19.00%) were viewed as most important strengths while labour intensive and less remunerative livelihood (18.80%) and seasonal subsistence (18.70%) were identified as main weaknesses. Further, poverty alleviation (20.70%), preservation of traditional art craft (19.00%) and improvement in public-private relations (17.50%) were adjudged as strong opportunities whereas limited marketing facilities (20.70%), lack of co-operative societies (18.90%) and harassment by officials in withies collection (16.50%) were seen as chief threats. The challenges (weaknesses and threats) (50.40%) for wicker handicraft entrepreneurship outweighed the prospects (strengths and opportunities) (49.60%) while the internal factors (strengths and weaknesses) (54.80%) prevailed over the external factors (opportunities and threats) (54.20%). F statistics (p<0.05) indicated significant differences between the internal factors (strengths and weaknesses) and external factors (opportunities and threats). The results projected the basis to the policymakers to prioritize and address the prominent challenges and reinforce the prospects for conceptualizing, formulating and implementing the strategies for strengthening the wicker handicraft entrepreneurship

Versuche zur Ausloesung der Superovulation und zur Embryokultivierung bei der Ziege

Available from: Zentralstelle fuer Agrardokumentation und -information (ZADI), Villichgasse 17, D-53177 Bonn / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

“Studies on Corm Rot of Saffron (Crocus Sativus L.)”

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is an important cash crop. The incidence of corm rot ranged from 4.00-42.00 per cent and intensity from 0.8 - 17.46 per cent. Three species of Fusarium viz. F. solani, F. moniliforme and F. oxysporum along with nematodes were found to be invariably involved in causing corm rot. The occurrence of three pathogenic species of Fusarium varied with the stages of crop development F. solani at digging and harvesting stage, F. moniliforme and F. oxysporum in storage. Interaction of F. solani nematodes showed a highest incidence of 50.00 per cent and intensity of 14.66 per cent compared to check. Three management practices using non-chemical and non-hazardous organic amendments, bioagent and soil solarization reduced incidence of the disease with organic amendments showing corm rot incidence of 23.33 – 40.00 per cent compared to 50.00 per cent in check and saffron yield was enhanced from 10.00 – 75.00 per cent. Similarly bioagents also reduced the intensity of corm rot with Trichoderma viride giving maximum control and showing an intensity of 13.33 per cent compared to 27.33 per cent in check. Six weeks soil solarization reduced corm rot incidence 52.2 per cent during 2000 and 41.9 per cent during2001 season. All the approaches have significantly affected in reducing the corm rot and increasing the yield. However, an integrated approach of soil solarization after irrigation and addition of FYM/ poultry manure in the ratio 4:1 was best treatment

Medicinal Plants: A Potential Source of Compounds for Targeting Cell Division

Modern medicinal plant drug discovery has provided pharmacologically active compounds targeted against a multitude of conditions and diseases, such as infection, inflammation, and cancer. To date, natural products from medicinal plants remain a solid niche as a source from which cancer therapies can be derived. Among other properties, one favorable characteristic of an anticancer drug is its ability to block the uncontrollable process of cell division, as cancer cells are notorious for their abnormal cell division. There are numerous other documented works on the potential anticancer activity of drugs derived from medicinal plants, and their effects on cell division are an attractive and growing therapeutic target. Despite this, there remains a vast number of unidentified natural products that are potentially promising sources for medical applications. This mini review aims to revise the current knowledge of the effects of natural plant products on cell division