Marketing of Milk in Various Agro-climatic Zones of Jammu and Kashmir

The study has examined the prevailing marketing system, utilization, marketed surplus / consumption, channels of distribution, processing / demand and supply scenario of milk in Jammu and Kashmir. The study is based on the primary data collected from 150 households rearing milch animals, 20 vendors and 20 milk shops from each delineated agro-climatic zones, besides qualitative and quantitative information obtained from co-operative / private dairy owners involved in milk trade. Crossbred cows have been found to have higher productivity than of buffaloes and indigenous cows. Marketed surplus as percentage of total production varies from 68 per cent in intermediate zone to 73 per cent in sub-tropical zone. Overall, sale price of milk has shown a highly erratic trend, irrespective of the zone. Per capita milk consumption varies from 338 g/day in intermediate zone to 569 g/day in sub-tropical zone and is higher in each zone than minimum quantity recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research. Producer share in consumer rupee has been found highest in channels I and IV. The dairy cooperative, a most significant market functionary in milk trade, is either missing or handles meagre quantity of milk. The study of milk processing has revealed that profit per litre in packaged milk is encouraging. Also, organized sector meets only 21.76 per cent and 16.32 per cent demand of the cities and towns of Kashmir and Jammu divisions, respectively. The study has suggested that an integrated dairy development project should be implemented in the state to boost milk production with regular / remunerative market to the milk producers and to capture a major share of urban milk markets with regular supply of quality milk.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Marketed Surplus and Price Spread of Vegetables in Kashmir Valley

The paper has reported the growth of vegetable sector in relation with technology mission, extent and determinants of marketed surplus and price spread of vegetables in the Kashmir valley. A substantial increase in the area and production of vegetables has been observed under Mini-Mission-II scheme of Technology Mission. At the farm level, vegetables have been observed to occupy an important place in the cropping pattern. The intensity of cropping in the study area has become more than 250 per cent due to multiple cropping of vegetable crops. On an average, producers’ marketed surplus has been found more than 92 per cent of the total production of selected vegetables. The estimates of regression function have revealed that the production, area under improved varieties, net price received by producers and education level are the significant and positive determinants of marketed surplus, while spoilage at farm level and consumption have shown a negative contribution. The price spread of vegetables with respect to various marketing channels has indicated that the producers’ share has an inverse relationship with the number of intermediaries. The net price received by the producers is relatively higher in the channels in which the produce is directly sold to the consumers or retailers. Across different vegetables, producers could receive higher absolute net returns in tomato, followed by brinjal and cauliflower in all the channels. The study has suggested that the coverage of technology mission should be expanded to other niche areas of vegetable cultivation. The study has also highlighted the needed effective measures to reduce marketing losses at various stages. Study has emphasized on the strengthening of institutions, establishment of processing units and development of market infrastructure in the area.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Equivalent circuits and efficacy of single-layer ACPEL devices

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.A series resistance - capacitance equivalent circuit has been used to describe a single layer AC Powder Electroluminescence (ACPEL) lamp in operation. The two crucial components of this practical equivalent circuit are frequency and voltage dependent and have been independently determined for a single layer ACPEL device over a range of 50-800 Hz and 10-150V. The organic binder containing a ferroelectric component is mainly responsible for determining the capacitive element since it acts in series with a larger capacitative contribution mainly from the phosphor. The series resistive element will be determined by mainly the phosphor particles, and the remarkable changes in the effective series resistance and capacitance of the lamp structure are shown to be brought about by the activation of the ZnS phosphor. The effective resistance is consistent with a model where conductivity is governed by the average charge recombination time under given internal field and frequency conditions. Using the effective resistance and capacitance values of our equivalent circuit, the average rate of energy dissipation can be easily calculated as a function of applied voltage and frequency. For sinusoidal waveforms, first indications are that efficacy will be optimized at low voltages, but only weakly dependent on frequency. © The Author(s) 2014

Land-use Dynamics in Jammu and Kashmir

The dynamics of shift among different land-use classes has been studied in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. A significant decline has been observed in the total reported area, which necessitates a proper land-use survey through remote sensing. A declining trend has also been observed in the area under forests. The unfavourable increasing trends in the area put to non-agricultural uses and barren and unculturable land are likely to have serious implications on ecological balance. Inter-sectoral land budgeting analysis has revealed that shifts in area are occurring from desirable ecological towards undesirable ecological sector. The estimates of regression analysis have revealed that the net irrigated area, literacy and area not available for cultivation have significantly improved the cropping intensity in the state agriculture, whereas agricultural density and area under rice are significant determinants of current fallow lands. The study has emphasized on the evolution of suitable institutional mechanism for scientific management, conservation and development of land resources in the state.Agricultural and Food Policy,

FORMULATION, CHARACTERIZATION, AND IN VITRO EVALUATION OF NOVEL MICROEMULSION-BASED SPRAY FOR TOPICAL DELIVERY OF ISOTRETINOIN

Objective: The present study aimed at the development of a suitable formulation for the treatment of acne using microemulsion-based topical spray system. In this study, we have designed and evaluated novel isotretinoin microemulsion-based spray and gel using basil oil. The rationale of work is to develop single topical formulation with multiple effects by combining effect of retinoid (prevention of comedones formation) and natural oil like basil oil (antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and penetration enhancer).Methods: The optimized microemulsion-based spray comprised basil oil, Kolliphor RH40, Ethanol, and water was prepared by an aqueous titration method with the help of a ternary phase diagram. The microemulsion-based gel was prepared using Carbopol ETD 2020. The formulations were evaluated for their physicochemical properties. The formulations were subjected to antibacterial activity against Propionibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Staphylococcus aureus using cup plate method against hydrogen peroxide as standard. Finally, the drug released from spray and gel formulations was studied and compared to a commercially available product.Results: Isotretinoin microemulsion-spray showed highest flux (27.67±0.12 μg/cm2/h) in comparison to formulated microemulsion gel (21.81±0.103 μg/cm2/h) and conventional marketed gel (19.29±0.34 μg/cm2/h). The particle size of optimized microemulsion was found to be 68.43 nm. The results indicate that the formulated microemulsion-based spray presents a promising alternative for acne therapy.Conclusion: This mentioned delivery system presented several benefits such as photostability, better patient compliance, antibacterial activity, and good penetration into the desired skin layer when compared to in vitro diffusion of conventional gel and microemulsion-based gel.Â

Rainfed agriculture: unlocking the potential

Rainfed farming / Soil degradation / Crop production / Climate change / Irrigation methods / Water harvesting / Yield gap / Models / Supplemental irrigation / Water productivity / Watershed management / India