Search

Agroecology is the application of ecological principles to agricultural systems and practices and the application of social justice principles to whole food systems. Agroecological farming, an unfamiliar concept to those who treat agriculture and ecology as separate subjects, refers to farming for producing food, employment and economic benefits in addition to cultural, social and environmental services and benefits. Additionally, agroecology empowers farming communities, as the key agents of change, and addresses the root cause of problems of unsustainable agricultural systems in an integrated way and provides holistic and long-term solutions to transform the food and agricultural systems. As agroecology is at the forefront of transforming farming and food system sustainability, the present chapter specifically explores the state of Indian traditional farming agroecosystems, evidence collected under the ongoing Indian UNEP-GEF project “Mainstreaming agricultural biodiversity conservation and utilization in agricultural sector to ensure ecosystem services and reduce vulnerability”. We discuss traditional Indian farming in view of FAO’s 10 principles of Agroecology which is key to help policymakers, practitioners and stakeholders, in planning, managing and evaluating agroecological transitions.

Until recent decades, labour-intensive subsistence farming was a way of life and livelihood in the hill communities of Uttarakhand, India. However, the nature of agriculture falls far short of the expectations of the main labour force, the rural youth, leading to their mass migration to non-agricultural occupations. The large-scale youth migration has left many hill farming landscapes depopulated and farmlands abandoned. As youth have special stakes in food systems, they must be included in the sustainable transformation of food systems. By doing so, the migration-prone hill region may be transformed into a place where rural youth have more options for work and income. Therefore, the agriculture sector needs to change and develop into a more engaging and youthful workplace. There are opportunities to explore and barriers to be removed. Besides identifying priority research areas on local food systems, in this exploratory research, we investigate opportunities to involve rural young people in the transformation of the food system. We document information by conducting focus group discussion (FGD) meetings in about 100 villages in the Uttarakhand hills, representing all major farming landscapes. This study mainly focuses on improving the production and consumption aspects of local food, which not only benefits the health and wellbeing of local communities but also has many positive economic, social, and environmental effects. In addition, we explore opportunities for reviving mountain agriculture through agri-ecotourism, which is a symbiotic relationship between tourism and agriculture. Making home- or farm stays in agri-ecotourism a subsistence strategy for local youth will contribute to a more prosperous rural economy. Recognising Uttarakhand’s rich culture and heritage while exploring the culinary travel opportunities in homestays will provide opportunities to focus more on traditional food systems, exposing various tangible and intangible aspects of the host region’s food culture to tourists. The findings of this study will aid in identifying specific policy issues for consideration by planners and policymakers at the local and state levels. Additionally, this exploratory study will assist young, motivated researchers in conducting follow-up, in-depth investigations and producing empirical data in their specialised fields.

Mainstreaming biodiversity in production landscapes ensures conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity, the key objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the projects supported by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Global Environment Facility (GEF). Mainstreaming integrates biodiversity in existing or new programs and policies, both cross-sectoral and sector-specific. The conventional model of agricultural production with limited diversity in production systems and use of high chemical input has taught us a valuable lesson as it is adversely impacting the environment, the essential ecosystem services, the soil health and the long term sustainability of our food systems. Using a qualitative participant observation approach, our study investigated four distinct traditional Indian production landscapes to gage (i) the farming communities&rsquo, response to institutional policies, programs and agricultural biodiversity-related activities in traditional Indian production landscapes and (ii) opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in smallholder traditional Indian farming systems. Results indicate that the top-down decision-making regime is the least effective towards achieving sustainable development in traditional Indian farming landscapes and that farmers&rsquo, experiential knowledge on participatory biodiversity management, maintenance and use for sustainable development are of critical importance to India&rsquo, s agriculture and economy. Reclaiming agriculture&rsquo, s spiritual roots through organic farming and locally grown food emerged as key, including the need for designing and implementing a more sovereign food system. Revisiting traditional smallholder farming under the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons learned for repurposing India&rsquo, s agricultural policy are also highlighted.

Lentil and horse gram germplasm was assessed for variety in seed and flour properties. Horsegram grains showed higher a* and b* and lower L* values as compared to lentil grains indicating lentil grains were lighter in color as compared to horse gram. Both the pulses showed significant differential accumulation of minerals. Flours from horse gram lines showed higher Mn, K, Mg, Na, Zn and Ca content and lower Cu and Fe content as compared to lentil lines. Polypeptide of 42 kDa was present in IC94636 and IC139555 only and 35 kDa PP subunit was absent in all the horse gram lines except IC94636. Major polymorphism among lentil lines was observed in 10, 35–37 and 55–49 kDa PP subunits. Amount of β-sheets and β-turns was the highest whereas that of antiparallel β-sheets was the lowest. NIC17550, NIC17551 and NIC17552 showed higher content of antiparallel β-sheets and random coils among lentil lines. PL1 showed the highest portion of α-helixes and β-turns whereas PL57 showed the highest proportion of β-sheets among lentil lines. Lentil flours showed higher proportion of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, asparagine, serine, citrulline and serine and lower proportion of histidine, threonine, GABA, tyrosine and cystine as compared to horse gram.

The biodiverse, predominantly crop-livestock mixed-farming in India is key to ensuring resilience to climate change and sustainability of smallholder farming agroecologies. Farmers traditionally grow diverse crops as polyculture, and agriculture is mainly organic/biodynamic with spirituality in food systems deeply ingrained. Job-driven out-migration of rural youths, the family labor force, and globalization of contemporary food choices under corporate industrial agriculture both adversely affect sustainability of traditional farming landscapes and compromise the nutrition and health of rural farming communities. Besides documenting information on general agri-food system policy inputs, our paper presents the results of an exploratory study of four crucial community-level initiatives conducted in four distinct agroecological landscapes of India, aimed at bringing sustainability to traditional farming and food systems. The driving force for fundamental change in agri-food system, and in society, is the question of sustainability. The organic and local food movements are but specific phases of the larger, more fundamental sustainable agri-food movement. While it is very critical to increase farmer livelihood, it is even more important to increase overall rural economy. It was found that four important interventions viz. linking organic agriculture to community-supported agriculture (CSA) initiatives, linking small-holder farming to school meal (MDM) programmes, enhanced market access and value chain development for local agricultural produce, and creation of employment opportunities at community level for rural youths and reducing over-dependence of rural population on agriculture as source of income can make traditional farming more profitable and sustainable. The transition to more sustainable methods of farming by selling the farm produce &ldquo, locally&rdquo, helps both consumers and farmers alike and is considered a future strength of smallholder Indian agriculture.

Our knowledge about the status of agrobiodiversity on farms is still very limited. While several studies to assess the crop genetic diversity on farms have been undertaken, there are no systematic documentation and monitoring practices for varietal diversity in space and time. Achievement of the agrobiodiversity Aichi Target 13, established under the Biodiversity Strategy Plan 2011–2020, have failed due to the lack of existing data on varietal diversity at country, regional and global levels. Here, we propose a method for calculating the Varietal Threat Index using the four-cell analysis (FCA) participatory methodology at different geographical scales to monitor changes in the varietal diversity on farms and to compare between areas. We tested the method with datasets collected from the UN-Environment GEF project implemented in India, in which data on crop and varietal diversity were collected across seven states in India, covering five agroecological regions. Results showed that landraces are still commonly grown in the study sites, especially in the central and western regions, and that more than 50% of landraces are considered threatened, suggesting that conservation interventions are required to prevent large-scale genetic erosion. A long-term monitoring framework for varietal diversity in India is proposed.

Development of genomic resources in any crop is the pre-requisite for the construction of linkage map and implementation of molecular breeding strategies to develop superior cultivars. Large number of molecular markers are required to enrich the scanty information available in horsegram (Macrotyloma uniflorum).We employed the next-generation Illumina sequencing platform to develop a large number of microsatellite markers in this species. Of the total 23,305 potential SSRs motifs, 5755 primers were designed. Of these, 1425, 1310, 856, 1276, and 888 were of di-, tri-, tetra-, penta-, and hexa-nucleotide repeats respectively. Thirty polymorphic SSR primers and 24 morphological traits were used in 360 horsegram accessions to detect the genetic diversity and population structure. Thirty primers amplified 170 polymorphic alleles with an average of 5.6 alleles per primer having size 80 to 380 bp. The polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.15 to 0.76 with an average of 0.50, suggesting that SSR markers used in the study were polymorphic and suitable for characterization of horsegram germplasm. Dendrogram-based on Jaccard’s similarity coefficient and neighbor-joining tree grouped the horsegram accessions into two major clusters. Similarly, STRUCTURE analysis assigned genotypes into two gene pools namely Himalayan origin and Southern India. Diversity analysis based on 24 agro-morphological traits also suggested the presence of high level of diversity among the accessions.

Significant genetic diversity was observed in 218 out of a total of 1309 accessions of amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) and its seven wild relatives, A. spinosus L., A. dubius Mart. ex Thell., A. hybridus L., A. tricolor L., A. cruentus L., A. caudatus L., A. retroflexus L. for 24 nutritional parameters including total oil content, fatty acid profile, total protein content and amino acid profile. Diversity for total oil content (6.42–12.53%), linoleic acid (25.68–54.34%), oleic acid (21.97–42.01%) of the total fatty acids, total protein content (7.84–18.01%), among important essential amino acids; lysine content (0.66–11.12 g/16 g N), methionine (0.35–4.80 g/16 g N) and half cystine and (0.12–8.32 g/16 g N) was reported. The un-weighted pair-group method using arithmetic average cluster analysis based on pair wise Euclidean genetic distance grouped the accessions into seven major clusters. Histidine, half cystine, tyrosine, essential amino acids, total oil content, linoleic acid and oleic acid content were the major parameters contributing significantly to genetic diversity. Present findings indicate that significant diversity exists for nutritional parameters in amaranth germplasm. The promising accessions with higher multiple nutritive traits; protein content (>16%), oil content (>11%), lysine content (>7.5 g/16 g N) and EAA higher than the FAO reported values, were identified. This is the first report on detailed nutritional analysis of diversity collected worldwide. These could be used as potential breeding material for nutritional enhancement through genetic improvement. This will help in overcoming the “triple burden” of malnourishment, hidden hunger, and obesity.

Cowpea is a multipurpose food legume of the tropics and is a crucial source of nutrition for rural and tribal communities in Africa and Asia. High protein content, nitrogen-fixing ability, drought tolerance and adaptability to challenging environment make cowpea, a promising climate resilient food legume of 21st century. This crop is grown as sole or mix-crop and in agro-forestry combinations for diverse uses as pulse, vegetable and fodder. Although cowpea has been used by indigenous people for centuries, its full potential has never been realized. Its production did not increase over the years due to narrow genetic base, biotic and abiotic stresses and non-adaptation to changing climate. Ultimate solution lies in its genetic resource which are the reservoir of useful genes. Lack of information on germplasm characterization and evaluation restricts the effective use of germplasm stored in the genebanks. Introgression of genes from closely related Vigna species and application of modern molecular tools may facilitate broadening the genetic base of cowpea.

The pea (Pisum sativum L.) is one of the oldest domesticated, highly valued and extensively cultivated pulse crops throughout the world. We studied genetic structure, diversity and inter-relationships in a worldwide collection of 151 pea accessions using 21 morphological descriptors and 20 simple sequence repeat (SSR) primers. Among quantitative traits, seed yield per plant followed by seed weight and pod length have shown significant variation. SSR primers showed a high level of diversity and amplified a total of 179 alleles with an average of 8.95 alleles per primer in a size range of 95–510 bp. Primer AA-122 amplified the maximum (21) alleles while primer AB-64 amplified the minimum (4) alleles. Mean polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.72. Observed heterozygosity (Ho) varied from 0.10 to 0.99 in primers AB-64 and AD-160, respectively, with a mean value of 0.46. Expected heterozygosity (He) ranged from 0.47 to 0.94 in primers C-20 and AA-122, with a mean of 0.75. Genetic relationships inferred from a neighbour-joining tree separated accessions into 3 groups. Bayesian model-based STRUCTURE analysis detected 3 gene pools for the analysed pea germplasm and showed a high admixture within individual accessions. Furthermore, STRUCTURE analysis showed that these 3 gene pools co-existed in accessions belonging to different geographic regions indicating frequent transference and exchange of pea germplasm during its domestication history. The results of the present study will be useful in understanding the pea’s genetic structure and in the selection of suitable diverse accessions for future improvement programmes in the pea.

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum spp.) has been an integral part of cold arid agro-ecology of the Indian Himalayas by providing food, nutritional and medicinal utilities. Development of trait-specific DNA markers can accelerate characterization of buckwheat accessions conserved in genebank and their subsequent utilization in varietal development programmes as well as in genomic studies. Here, we report the development of eighteen gene-specific sequence tagged site (STS) markers and their possible association with phenotypic traits in buckwheat. Four markers—BW10, BW12, BW22 and BW27— showed considerable polymorphism (PIC > 0.5). Overall, the eighteen gene-specific STS markers tested against 91 buckwheat germplasm accessions produced 2.76 alleles per locus and showed moderate estimates of polymorphic information content (0.268). The buckwheat accessions were phenotyped for 14 quantitative and 10 qualitative descriptors. The metric traits showed moderate variation (mean CV = 32.4). Among qualitative descriptors, flower colour and seed traits (shape, colour and shattering) showed substantial diversity (99 and 64 % of Hmax respectively) computed as Shannon–Weaver diversity indices. Multivariate analysis of variance suggested eight of the STS loci—BW10 (8KD allergen protein), BW18 (Aspartic proteinase 9), BW13 (Legumin-like protein), BW17 (Chalcone synthase), BW22 (Declined protein during seed development), BW09 (13S globulin), BW25 (Cys peroxiredoxin) and BW24 (Fagopyritol synthase 1)—to have significant association with six of the phenotypic traits (test weight, days to maturity, leaf length, number of primary branches, plant height and seed shape).

The physicochemical and functional properties of grains, flour and protein isolates (QPI) from different quinoa lines were evaluated. Quinoa flour and protein isolates were characterised by high protein (14.1–15.4% and 78.7–86%, respectively) and phenolic content (419 to 655 mg GAE/100 g). Water and oil absorption capacity of QPI (2.0–3.6 g/g and 2.71–3.32 g/g, respectively) was significantly higher than quinoa flour (1.22 and 2.17 gand 0.9 and1.54 g, respectively). QPI showed desirable functional properties in terms of high foaming capacity (50.8 to 60.2%), foam stability (38.5 to 50.4%), protein solubility (30 and 53.3%), and emulsification index (EAI- 19.2–26.1 m2/g and ESI- 96.7–149.8 min, respectively). Digestibility of QPI ranged between 70.8 and 77.8% and was negatively correlated to random coils. Quinoa lines with higher grain density (GD) showed higher total phenol content (TPC) and WAC and lower FRSA and OAC. QPI with higher proportions of β-structure and random coils had enhanced protein surface activities leading to improved emulsification and foaming capabilities. Among the highly conserved polypeptides (PPs), variations were observed in accumulation of 53, 59 and 32 kDa PPs for grains and 33 and 21–24 kDa PPs for QPI.

Diversity and relationship among grain, flour and starch characteristics of seventeen different kidney bean accessions were evaluated. Size of starch granules and thickness of protein matrix in cotyledon varied with grain size which also affected their hydration and textural properties. Antioxidant activity (AOA) ranged from 5.5% to 44.9% and was negatively correlated with L ⁎ and b ⁎ values. Accessions with higher degree of lightness and yellowness had significantly lower AOA as compared to other lines. Differential accumulation of trypsin inhibitory polypeptides was observed among the accessions. SEM revealed that starch granules were intact, smooth and round to elliptical. Crystallinity (1047/1022 cm − 1 ) of starches varied from 0.23 to 0.98 which could be attributed to difference in their amylose content (17.4%-40.7%). The size of the starch granules ranged between 1.64 and 176 μm. Rapidly digestible, slowly digestible and resistant starch (RS) content of starches ranged from 11.1% to 19.5%, 8.5% to 17.3% and 63.9% to 76.1%, respectively. RS showed significant positive correlations with amylose content of starches.

Macrotyloma uniflorum (horsegram) is an underutilized warm season pulse crop used as food and fodder in many semi arid regions of the world. In the present study, genetic structure and diversity of M. uniflorum was analysed using RAPD and ISSR markers. Two other species of the genus Macrotyloma namely M. axillare and M. sar-gharwalensis were also included to assess genetic inter-relationships. In total, 25 polymorphic primers amplified 156 fragments ranging in size from 300 to 3000 bp. Primer wise fragments ranged from 2 (OPR-20) to 13 (OPB-5, OPB-12 and OPS-14) with an average of 6.24 fragments per primer. Highest PIC value of 0.499 was recorded for primer OPR-20 and lowest (0.013) for primer OPR-2 with an average of 0.344. STRUCTURE analysis clustered accessions on the basis of their geographic origin and showed the presence of two distinct gene pools. Dendrogram based on Jaccards similarity coefficient also grouped the accessions into two groups and revealed that M. sar-gharwalensis is more distantly related to the cultivated than M. axillare. PCA analysis also confirmed clustering results shown by STRUCTURE. Partitioning of genetic variation using AMOVA revealed 63 % within population variation with only 37 % genetic variation among populations. Few horsegram accessions showed high levels of genetic diversity which can be exploited in crop breeding programmes for its genetic improvement.

The grain and flour characteristics of different field pea (FP) accessions were evaluated. Accessions with higher grain weight had less compact structure with a greater proportion of large-sized starch granules. Accessions with higher protein content had lower starch content, blue value and λ(max) whereas accessions with higher amylose showed higher resistant starch (RS) and final viscosity and lower rapidly digestible starch (RDS). Ca, Zn, K and Fe content vary significantly amongst different accessions and creamish green and white seeds accessions showed higher Fe and Zn content. Yellow coloured accessions (1.36-3.71%) showed lower antioxidant activity as compared to brownish and green coloured accessions (4.06-9.30%). Out of 21 major polypeptides observed (9-100 kDa), 11 showed differential trypsin inhibitory activity (TIA) under non-reducing conditions. Polypeptides of 68, 46, 33 and 22 kDa showed prominent TIA.

Common bean is one of the most important legume crops worldwide. Response to selection and success of hybridisation in common bean primarily depends on the nature and magnitude of genetic diversity present in the germplasm used. Germplasm comprising 4274 accessions originating from 58 countries were characterized for 22 phenotypic traits for two years. Genetic diversity for traits such as leaf length (4.5–20.7 cm), leaf width (3.4–17.5 cm), pod length (PL) (3.5–23.5 cm), no of pods/plant (4.2–59.6), seeds/pod (2.1–9.6) and 100-seed weight (SWT) (3.5–96.3 g) was observed in the accessions. Based on multivariate analysis, the entire collection was grouped into 10 genetically diverse clusters irrespective of the origin or place of collection of accessions. First three components obtained through principal component analysis explained 80.44 % of the total variance and it was contributed mainly by PL, pod width (PW), seed length (SL), seed width (SW), pods/plant and SWT. Correlation coefficient of seed weight was positively significant with leaf length, PL, PW, SL and SW while it was negatively correlated with days to flowering, pods/plant and seeds/pod. Regression analysis showed highest direct effect of SW on seed weight followed by SL, and PL. For bean anthracnose, >600 accessions showed resistance under field conditions, however when subjected to screening under artificial conditions against four most prevalent races (03, 515, 598 and 529) of Colletotrichum lindemutianum, we identified 16 accessions which have complete resistance and good agronomic superiority. These accessions may serve as useful genetic material to plant breeders for breeding bean varieties for anthracnose resistance and high yield.

Introgression of unadapted genes from the wild Cicer species could contribute to the widening of genetic base of important traits such as yield, yield attributes and resistance to major biotic and abiotic stresses. An attempt was made successfully to intercross two wild annual Cicer species with three cultivated chickpea cultivars. Four interspecific cross-combinations were made, and their true hybridity was ascertained through morphological and molecular markers. These cross-combinations were also studied for some important quantitative traits under real field conditions. The range, mean and coefficient of variation of agro-morphological traits were assessed in the parental lines, their F1 and F2 generations to determine the extent of variability generated in cultivated chickpea varieties. A high level of heterosis was recorded for number of pods/plant and seed yield/plant in F1 generation. Three cross-combinations of ‘Pusa 1103’ × ILWC 46, ‘Pusa 256’ × ILWC 46 and ‘Pusa 256’ × ILWC 239 exhibited substantially higher variability for important yield-related traits. The present research findings indicate that these wild annual Cicer species can be easily exploited to broaden the genetic base of cultivated gene pool for improving seed yield as well as adaptation.

Protein isolates were prepared from different kidney bean (KB) and field pea (FP) lines and their physicochemical (protein content, colour, electrophoretic profile & zeta potential), structural (thermal & conformational), dynamic rheological and functional (emulsification, foaming, water and fat absorption) properties were evaluated. These isolates differed significantly in colour-, structural-, thermal- and functional-properties. SDS-PAGE and size exclusion chromatography revealed that vicilins (∼150 kDa) were prominent proteins in KB isolates, while FP protein isolates contained both legumins and vicilins (∼330 and ∼155 kDa, respectively) as major components. FTIR spectroscopy revealed that β-sheets, β-turns and α-helix were main secondary structures in the KB and FP proteins. KB proteins had relatively more β-sheets (38.6%) while less α-helix (22.8%) than FP proteins (30.0 and 28.0%, respectively). The rheological properties of the protein isolates were measured as gelation temperature (Tgel), gel reinforcement (Greinforcement) and tan δ. KB proteins had higher thermal denaturation temperature (Td), Tgel and Greinforcement while lower tan δ than FP proteins. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that Td, Tgel and Greinforcement related positively, whereas tan δ related negatively with the proportion of β-sheets. Protein solubility, emulsion stability, foaming capacity and stability were positively related to the charge on the proteins.

The development of transgressive phenotype in the segregating populations has been speculated to contribute to niche divergence of hybrid lineages, which occurs most frequently at larger genetic distances. Wild Lens species are considered to be more resistant against major biotic and abiotic stresses than that of the cultivated species. In the present study, we assessed the comparative agronomic performance of lentil (Lens culinaris subsp. culinaris) inter-sub-specific (L. culinaris subsp. orientalis) and interspecific (L. ervoides) derivatives, also discussed its probable basis of occurrence. The F3, F4, and F5 inter sub-specific and interspecific populations of ILL8006 × ILWL62 and ILL10829 × ILWL30, respectively revealed a substantial range of variation for majority of agro-morphological traits as reflected by the range, mean and coefficient of variation. A high level of fruitful heterosis was also observed in F3 and F4 progeny for important traits of interest. Phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was higher in magnitude than genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) in all generations for several quantitative characters. The results showed high heritability estimates for majority of traits in conjunction with low to high genetic advance in F3 and F4 generations. Further, F5 progeny of ILL10829 × ILWL30, manifested resistant disease reaction for fifteen recombinant inbred lines (RILs) against (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lentis (Vasd. Srin.) Gord.). The multilocation agronomic evaluation of both crosses showed better results for earliness, desirable seed yield and Fusarium wilt resistance under two agro-ecological regions of north-western India. These better performing recombinants of ILL8006 × ILWL62 and ILL10829 × ILWL30 can be advanced for further genetic improvement and developing high yielding disease resistant cultivars of lentil.

The present study explores morphological, genetic and phytochemical composition of Bunium persicum populations belonging to high altitudinal areas of Indian Himalayan region. In total, 23 morphological traits (13 quantitative and 10 qualitative traits) and 32 Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA primers were employed to infer the population structure of the species. Of the fourteen populations, five genetically diverse populations were analyzed for phytochemical diversity. Among morphological traits, inflorescence, seed and branch traits were most significant in detecting variation. At molecular level, primers TIBMBA-06 and OPR-16 were found most polymorphic with respect to Polymorphism Information Content and Marker Index values. Dendrogram grouped all populations into two major clusters while population from Shong region out grouped separately showing its distantness from all other populations. STRUCTURE analysis was done by using Bayesian model, which characterised all populations into four clusters and some degree of admixture was also observed within individuals. Shong population showed distinct genetic makeup as also suggested by dendrogram. Phytochemical analysis showed the presence of 55 components, of which, 2-methyl-3-phenyl propanal, benzeneacetic acid, 1-phellandrene, γ-terpene, α-terpinolene, Δ0.3-carene and sabinene were major components in its essential oils. The present study revealed high genetic and phytochemical diversity in B. persicum accessions from north-western Himalayan regions. Specifically, accessions from Saptal regions were having higher quantity of essential oils and can be selected for cultivation to meet the commercial demand to some extent. Further, the diversity information provided herein can be useful in management and improvement of this species through future breeding programmes.

Different kidney bean lines (48) were evaluated for diversity in seed (physicochemical, hydration, textural and cooking) and flour (antioxidant, total phenols, minerals, protein and pasting) properties. All the lines showed significant differential accumulation of minerals i.e. Fe, Mn, Cu, Na, Zn, K, Mg and Ca. Mn content was correlated with L* and b* values while Ca and Mg contents were correlated antioxidant potential relative to the phenolic content. Antioxidant activity (AOA) was measured using 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazine (DPPH) antioxidant assay and total phenolic content (TPC) was measured using Folin–Ciocalteu assay. AOA and TPC ranged from 2.14 to 94.24% of DPPH inhibition and 0.07 to 7.10 mg GAE/g, respectively. Light grain lines with lower L* had lower AOA and TPC as compared to the darker grain lines with higher L*. SDS-PAGE analysis showed the presence of 26 major polypeptides ranged from 12 to 137 kDa and among them, eight polypeptides were subjected to MALDI-TOF/MS analysis. These polypeptides were identified as phaseolin (alpha-type precursor) of 200 kDa, legumin (Phaseolus vulgaris) of 86 kDa, methionine synthase (Glycine max) of 84 kDa, 5-methyltetrahydropteroyltriglutamate-homocysteineS-methyltransferase, putative (Ricinus communis) of 80 kDa, chain A purple acid phosphatase of 59 kDa, IAA-protein conjugate (P. vulgaris) of 39 kDa and lectin (P. vulgaris) of 36 kDa. It has been observed that most of the lines which show the presence of 59 kDa protein also showed the presence of high activity of antioxidant.

Two and a half decade (1985–2009) surface air temperature from Giovanni database available for the Naradu valley at High Himalaya Mountain range of Himachal Pradesh has been analysed to determine the changes in the maximum, minimum and mean air temperatures. The analysis was subjected for seasonal, annual and monthly basis and revealed a tendency towards warmer years all around, with significantly warmer winter and more significant increase in minimum temperatures. The annual maximum, minimum and mean temperatures have increase by 1,41 °C, 1,63 °C and 1,49 °C, respectively. The seasonal analysis indicates that the tendency is more pronounced in winter followed by post-monsoon, pre-monsoon and monsoon season. The trends were also examined on a maximum temperatures, and it showed a significant warning in all the months in annual mean, minimum and maximum temperatures, except February during the period of 1985–2009 in the valley. Different trend detection statistical tools have been exercised by using variety of non-parametric tests and all are in agreement.

Subsistence farming still predominates in many places across the globe including India. Crops and livestock are often integral key components of subsistence farming practiced generally by smallholder farmers. A precise documentation of traditional farming practices involving native diversity with overall objectives of their conservation and showcasing their role in addressing livelihood security of farmers was done in the present study. This case study was undertaken in three underprivileged districts of India representing specific agroecosystems. The outcome of the study could help develop a policy framework for bringing sustainable agricultural development to subsistence farming agroecosystems. It could also help in exploring and advocating the potential of various suggested “add-value” interventions to native agrobiodiversity in addressing livelihood security of farmers.

UNLABELLED The present work was carried out to evaluate physicochemical (composition, hunter color, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis [SDS-PAGE]), pasting, and functional properties (foaming, emulsification, water, and fat absorption capacity) of amaranth full-fat flours from 6 lines/cultivars (AFs), and to see the effects of lipid removal/defatting on these properties. Protein, ash, and lipid content of AFs ranged between 12.5% to 15.2%, 3.0% to 3.5%, and 7.1% to 8.0%, respectively. The flours showed a number of bands between 97 and 7 kDa, with main subunits of approximately 58, 37, 33, 31, 23, and 16 kDa in the SDS-PAGE profiles. The protein content and L* value increased, while b* values decreased following defatting for most of the lines/cultivars. The defatted flours (DAFs) had higher final viscosity and stability (lower breakdown viscosity) as compared to counterpart AFs. The protein profiling of the flours was not affected with the lipid removal/defatting. However, water absorption capacity and foam stability of the flours improved upon defatting. Principal component analysis revealed that pasting temperature was positively related to lipid content, while breakdown viscosity was negatively related to protein content. Foaming properties (capacity and stability) showed negative relationship with lipid content, and positive with protein content, ash content, water, and fat absorption capacity. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Amaranth grains are known to have higher amount of proteins and lipids than cereals. Amaranth lipids are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which are prone to oxidative rancidity. Removal of lipids or defatting of flours may be carried out to enhance product shelf life by preventing undesirable oxidative chain reactions. Therefore, this research was undertaken to see the effects of defatting on the functional properties of amaranth flours. The defatting was a value addition process as it improved the functional properties of the flours.

Structural, thermal, and rheological properties of starches from 13 Amaranthus hypochondriacus lines and 8 Amaranthus caudatus lines were evaluated and related using principal component analysis. Amylopectin chains with DP 6–12, DP 13–18, DP 19–24, and DP 25–30 ranged from 43.60 to 55.72%, 31.59 to 34.49%, 10.14 to 16.37%, and 2.56 to 5.53%, respectively, for A. hypochondriacus and 50.67 to 57.53%, 29.30 to 32.02%, 10.04 to 13.09%, and 2.75 to 4.2%, respectively for A. caudatus. A. hypochondriacus showed higher proportion of granules

The present article investigates the use of different enzymes viz. pectinase, cellulase and pectinase CCM alone or in combinations to enhance olive oil recovery and quality. The enzymatic treatment significantly (P

The grain, starch and protein characteristics of twenty rice bean lines were evaluated. The relationship between grain and starch properties was described using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Seed weight was positively correlated with swelling capacity, hydration capacity, soaked and cooked seed hardness; and negative with ash content. Protein, ash and fat content of the lines ranged between 18.64 to 20.4%, 3 to 4.26% and 0.30 to 1.98%, respectively. Amylose content of starch varied between 21.12 and 60.14%. PCA revealed that the lines with higher seed weight had starch with lower amylose content and higher peak and breakdown viscosity. Lines with higher amylose content showed higher cooked grain hardness. Protein profiling revealed a total 27 major proteins of 103–15 kDa consisting of high MW (103.0, 92.0, 63.0 kDa), medium MW (58.0, 56.0, 50.0, 33.0–31.0 kDa) and low MW (29.0–20.0 kDa).

Summary Protein isolates from six amaranth lines/cultivars (APIs) were evaluated to study their physicochemical (hunter colour, protein content and zeta potential), structural (thermal and conformational) and functional (emulsification, foaming, water and fat absorption) properties. APIs had protein content, whiteness index and gel temperature in range of 79.4–85.4%, 41.17–54.26 and 87.8–91.8 °C, respectively. The Fourier-transform infrared spectra of APIs revealed α-helix, β-sheets and random coil conformations in the secondary structure. APIs with higher relative proportion of β-sheets had higher Differential Scanning Calorimeter denaturation temperature and gel temperature. Minimum protein solubility (PS) was observed at pH 5.0, indicating isoelectric point (pI) of amaranth proteins. The PS, emulsifying activity index (EAI), emulsifying stability index (ESI), foaming capacity (FC) and foam stability (FS) of APIs at neutral pH were related to their zeta potential (ζ). The emulsifying and foaming properties were also determined at different pHs (between 2.0 and 9.0). The EAI-pH profile of APIs confirmed close relationship between the emulsifying ability and PS.

In this study starches isolated from Indian quinoa varieties were examined for physicochemical, morphological, thermal and rheological properties. Among isolated starches V1 showed higher starch yield and lower purity (48.45% and 98.32%) than V2 (41.28 and 98.53%). The amylose content was higher for V1 (12.10%) than V2 (9.46%). Swelling powers and solubility of the starches increased with increasing temperature. Peak viscosity (386.4 RVU) was higher for V1. In contrast V2 showed higher pasting temperature (72.85°C). Low setback viscosity of the starches suggests that they can be profitably used in frozen and refrigerated foods. Starch granules from both varieties were irregular, angular and polygonal in shape. The starch granule size obtained by SEM was 1.23μm for V1 and 1.19μm for V2. Both starches showed a typical A-type diffractrometric pattern with varying crystallinity. Further V1 showed lower transition temperatures (To, Tp and Tc) than V2. FTIR spectroscopy showed higher intensity and broader shape of V2 at OH stretch which can be due to its higher crystallinity. Increased interest is shown in quinoa starch because of its unique microcrystalline granules. Higher yield and purity values suggest that both varieties can be exploited for commercial starch utilization.

Powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe pisi DC results heavy losses in the yield and quality of pods and seeds of pea crop. Germplasm comprising 701 accessions of garden and field pea originating from 60 countries were screened for powdery mildew resistance under natural epiphytotic conditions and 64 accessions found resistant in field screening for 2 years at one location were further screened both in field at two locations and artificially in laboratory to four isolates. The information was also obtained on the amount of genetic diversity and agronomic superiority in resistant accessions. Fifty-seven accessions showed resistant reaction for 3 consecutive years in field screening but only 14 accessions originating from 10 countries showed resistant reaction in laboratory screening against the four most prevalent isolates of E. pisi collected from different places in the area of experiment. Germplasm lines showed both complete and incomplete levels of resistance and variable reactions to different isolates. There was sufficient genetic diversity and agronomic superiority in the resistant accessions e.g. EC598655, EC598878, EC598704, IC278261, and IC218988, which may serve as useful genetic material to plant breeders for breeding pea varieties for powdery mildew resistance and high yield.

In light of the economic importance of buckwheat as well as existence of enormous accessions of Fagopyrum species in the Himalayan regions of India, the characterization of tartary buckwheat for rutin content variation vis-a-vis DNA fingerprinting was undertaken so as to identify fingerprint profiles unique to high rutin content accessions. Rutin content analysis in mature seeds of 195 accessions of Fagopyrum tataricum showed a wide range of variation (6 μg/mg to 30 μg/mg D.W.) with most of the accessions (81%) containing 10–16 μg/mg of rutin followed by 14% accessions with significantly higher rutin content (17 μg/mg to 30 μg/mg) and 5% accessions with low rutin content (≤ 10 μg/mg). AFLP fingerprinting of 18 accessions having high (≥ 17 μg/mg) and low rutin content (≤ 10 μg/mg) with 19 Eco RI/ Mse I primer combinations yielded 136 polymorphic fragments out of total 907. The hierarchical and model-based cluster analyses of AFLP data strongly suggested that the 18 populations of F. tataricum were clustered into two separate groups. The high and low rutin content accessions were clustered into two separate groups based on AFLP fingerprinting. The AFLP fingerprints associated with high rutin content accessions of F. tataricum are expected to be useful for evaluation, conservation and genetic improvement of buckwheat.