Jamun (<i>Syzygium cumini </i>(L.)): A Review of Its Food and Medicinal Uses

Eugenia jambolana Lam., commonly known as black plum or “jamun” is an important medicinal plant in various traditional systems of medicine. It is effective in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, inflammation, ulcers and diarrhea and preclinical studies have also shown it to possess chemopreventive, radioprotective and antineoplastic properties. The plant is rich in compounds containing anthocyanins, glucoside, ellagic acid, isoquercetin, kaemferol and myrecetin. The seeds are claimed to contain alkaloid, jambosine, and glycoside jambolin or antimellin, which halts the diastatic conversion of starch into sugar. The present review has been primed to describe the existing data on the information on traditional and medicinal use.

Performance Evaluation of Manually Operated Mulch Laying Machine on Different Soil Conditions

A machine with manual operation for mulch-laying machine with a punching arrangement was developed,and its performance was assessed at three different mulch paper thicknesses(15 m,20 m and 25 m),three different disc angles(35 degrees,40 degrees,and 45 degrees),three different punch spacings(250 mm,500 mm,and 1000 mm),and three different forward speeds(1.3 km/h,1.5 km/h,1.7 km/h)to investigate their effects on field capacity,effective field efficiency,and punching efficiency.Utilizing randomised block design and response surface methods,the experimental plan for optimization was created.All of the independent variables’combined effects on the dependent variables were found to be statistically significant.The influence of operating speed and mulch paper thickness was found to be the most significant on the dependent variable.The effective field capacity and field efficiency increased from 0.11 ha/h to 0.19 ha/h and 72.04 percent to 89.51 percent,respectively,by increasing mulch paper thickness from 15μm to 25μm and operating speed from 1.3 km/h to 1.7 km/h,whereas punching efficiency fell from 85.18 percent to 84.40 percent.Mulch paper of 15μm and a disc angle value of 40 degrees were optimised from the independent factors that were chosen for optimal soil covering over the laid plastic mulch sheet.Punching efficiency was maximised with performance optimised at 500 mm punch spacing.Additionally,the machine operated more efficiently at 1.5 km/h.

Review of IoT and electronics enabled smart agriculture

The population increases at an exponential rate as human society advances,and pollution is increasingly depleting the availability of resources such as water and land.All these problems are thought to require the use of smart agriculture.By reducing use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides,smart agriculture could mitigate land pollution and increase the sustainability of agricultural practices while also greatly enhancing the agro-ecological environment,yield,and quality of crops.The steps to make agriculture smart are made possible through data and communication technology,which helps with automatic operation and cultivation.Moreover,advances in wireless communication protocols will bring agriculture to a more intelligent stage.This study provides an overview of IoT technology and its application in the smart agriculture industry to make crop production automatic and intelligent by assessing their architecture(IoT devices,communication technologies,and processing),their applications,and research timelines.The communication protocols that have established uses in agriculture are reviewed first in this article.Various wireless communication protocols such as WiFi,ZigBee,SigFox,LoRa,RFID,NFMI,Terahertz,and NB-IoT were summarized,and their applications in various fields were also studied.These protocols in smart agriculture can effectively and efficiently address environmental data,water saving,monitoring of animal behavior,accuracy,power efficiency,cost reduction due to low power consumption,accuracy,wide transmission,simple in operation and cost effective.The most commonly used microcontrollers are Arduino(to develop autonomous machines),Raspberry Pi(to store data),and 8-bit microcontroller(to process data).In addition,it is important to take advantage of modern communication technology to enhance crop production.This study also examines the future opportunities and trends for IoT applications in smart agriculture,along with the ongoing challenges and issues that need addressing.Furthermore,it provides crucial insights and guidance for future research and the development of IoT solutions.These advancements aim to improve agricultural productivity and quality while facilitating the transition to a more sustainable agroecological future.

Performance evaluation of a diesel engine by using producer gas from some under-utilized biomass on dual-fuel mode of diesel cum producer gas

Producer gas through gasification of biomass can be used as an alternate fuel in rural areas due to high potential of biomass resources in India.Experiments were conducted to study the performance of a diesel engine(four stroke,single cylinder,5.25 kW) with respect to its thermal efficiency,specific fuel consumption and diesel substitution by use of diesel alone and producer gas-cum-diesel(dual fuel mode).Three types of biomass,i.e.wood chips,pigeon pea stalks and corn cobs were used for generation of producer gas.A producer gas system consisting of a downdraft gasifier,a cooling cum cleaning unit,a filtering unit and a gas air mixing device was designed,fabricated and used to power a 5.25 kW diesel engine on dual fuel mode.Performance of the engine was reported by keeping biomass moisture contents as 8%,12%,16%,and 21%,engine speed as 1 600 r/min and with variable engine loads.The average value of thermal efficiency on dual fuel mode was found slightly lower than that of diesel mode.The specific diesel consumption was found to be 60%-64% less in dual fuel mode than that in diesel mode for the same amount of energy output.The average diesel substitution of 74% was observed with wood chips followed by corn cobs(78%) and pigeon pea stalks(82%).Based on the performance studied,the producer gas may be used as a substitute or as supplementary fuel for diesel conservation,particularly for stationary engines in agricultural operations in the farm.

Computer aided engineering analysis and design optimization of rotary tillage tool components

The computer aided engineering analysis and design optimization of rotary tillage tool on the basis of finite element method and simulation method is done by using CAD-software for the structural analysis.The different tillage tool parts of rotary tillage tools are geometrically constructed as a solid model.The actual field performance rating parameters along with boundary conditions are set in the software for 35 hp and 45 hp tractor.The estimated forces acting on soil-tool interface are fed into software as a loading condition.The resultant effects of loading condition on tillage blade and whole rotavator assembly were obtained from stress distribution and deformations plots.The proposed working results in identifying sufficient tolerance in changing the dimensions of rotavator frame sections and side gear box for removing the excess weight in a solid section and also to raise the weight of blade for a reliable strength.The present working model with tillage blade is analysed to new design constraints with change of its geometry for the maximum weed removal efficiency by presenting its practical results from the field performance.

Effect of drying methods and packaging materials on quality parameters of stored kokum rind

In this study kokum rind dried by different methods,i.e.open air sun drying,solar drying and the convective hot air drying(60℃)was taken after being packaged in gunny bags,nylon bags and plastic jars for storage study upto nine months.The effect of different drying methods on quality parameters i.e.acidity,pH,TSS,reducing sugar,non-reducing sugar,colour(L,a and b)and calorific value of the stored product were evaluated.The quality parameters were tested at three-month intervals.Among three packaging materials,plastic jar was found best for kokum rind storage upto nine months as compared with nylon and gunny bags.Deterioration occurred as changes in acidity,non-reducing sugar,lightness,redness and calorific value over the storage period from the 0^(th) to the 9^(th) month.However,the TSS and b value increased as storage duration extended.

Biomass energy cost and feasibility of gasifier based biomass power generation system

The present research work has been carried out on biomass based on 10 kW capacity gasifier power generation system installed at College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology,Dr.Panjabrao Deshmukh Agricultural University(Dr.PDKV),Akola Maharashtra,India.The main objectives were to evaluate various costs and benefits involved in the power generation system.The costs of energy per unit were calculated for the first year of operation.The economics of gasifier based power generation system and thereby the feasibility of the system was examined by estimating per unit cost,Net Present Value(NPV),Benefit Cost Ratio(BCR),Internal Rate of Return(IRR)and payback period.The discount cash flow method was used to find out the IRR.In the present analysis,three costs viz.,installed capital cost,operation and maintenance cost,and levelised replacement cost were examined for the evaluation of the power generation per unit.Discount rate on investment in case of subsidy(Case I)and in case without subsidy(Case II)for installation cost of system was considered as 12.75%.The BCR comes in Case I for operating duration of 22 h,20 h,and 16 h are 1.24,1.18,and 1.13,respectively.Similarly for Case II BCR comes 1.44,1.38,and 2.39.The IRR comes in Case I for operating duration of 22 h,20 h,and 16 h are 26%,22%,and 19%,respectively.Similarly for Case II,IRR comes 52%,44%,and 39%for operating duration of 22 h,20 h,and 16 h,respectively.The payback period in the present analysis was worked out.The payback period for biomass based gasifier power generation system was observed to be for Case I from three to four years and for Case II it was one to two years.

Air flow characteristics of an air-assisted sprayer through horizontal crop canopy

Artificially induced air currents or air-assistance to droplet spectrum produced by hydraulic nozzles not only facilitate in transporting and depositing the droplets in different parts of canopy but also reduce the application rate of chemicals.The air streams increase the velocity of smaller droplets so that extra momentum would increase impaction and improve penetration into the crop as well as mitigating the influence of wind on drift.It is necessary to quantify the airflow characteristics.But,control of climatic and other conditions in the field is very difficult.Thus,airflow characteristics study was done under controlled conditions on a horizontal simulated crop canopy.Based on this study,an airflow distribution model was developed and airflow characteristics for vegetable crops,namely,eggplant,chilli and bittergourd were predicted.The differences between predicted and actual field study values were not statistically significant.Kinetic energy of air stream dissipated with its movement from top to bottom of the canopy.The rate of kinetic energy dissipation was higher in denser canopies.Higher air velocity 15 m/s was the best as it produced maximum turbulence throughout the canopy.

Overview of farming practices in the water-logged areas of Kerala, India

Water logging is one of the major problems of land degradation in India.Unscientific management of soil,water and crops in irrigated lands,and obstruction of natural drainage systems by various developmental activities are the main factors responsible for disrupting the balance of inflow and outflow of water,leading to water stagnation.While irrigation has increased by leaps and bounds,its attendant problem of water logging is now plaguing substantial area of agricultural lands.The low-lying areas of Kerala,the southernmost state of India,are potential areas of paddy production.But these areas are situated below the mean sea level and have serious problems of water-logging.About twenty five percent of total paddy lands in Kerala are water-logged;especially in Kuttanad,Pokkali,Kole and Kaipad areas.An integrated rice-shrimp/prawn farming are practiced in these areas.One rice crop followed by shrimp/prawn capture provides a substantial subsidiary income to the farmer.The major issues faced in these areas are mainly related to pollution,eutrophication,encroachment,reclamation,mining and biodiversity loss.As a result of denuding,polluting,draining,filling,etc.,these water-logged areas have been under severe threat.The potentiality of these areas should be exploited and necessary measures in conserving these areas need to be undertaken.Sustainable farming where a judicious mix of integrated enterprise concept of resource based planning based on public participation is slowly developing in these areas.A clear perspective and a management system that ensures participation and regulation in resource use are essential.

Optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis of pigeon pea for cooking quality of dhal

Cooking quality of dehusked splits is influenced by the dehulling method,in particular,by the pre-milling treatments.The effects of four enzymatic hydrolysis parameters,i.e.,enzyme concentration(20-60 mg/100 g dry matter),incubation time(3-15 h),incubation temperature(40-60℃)and tempering water pH(4.0-6.0)on cooking time of pigeon pea dhal were optimized using response surface methodology.Three kinds of enzymes,i.e.,xylanase,pectinase,and cellulas were used in combination for enzymatic pre-treatment.A quadratic model satisfactorily described the dehulling efficiency with high value for the coefficient of determination R^(2)(0.9062).It predicted a minimum cooking time of 21.91 min at enzyme concentration of 37.8 mg/100 g dry matter,incubation time 8.69 min,incubation temperature 48.5℃ and pH 5.49 of tempering water.Cooking time at optimum condition was observed to be 21.50 min and the predicted values of cooking time showed 2.19% deviation from the experimental values.Results of the study revealed that cooking time of enzyme treated dhal could be decreased by 19.77% compared to the oil treated dhal.

Aquatic weed classification, environmental effects and the management technologies for its effective control in Kerala, India

Aquatic weeds,the unabated plants completing life cycle in water,are a serious menace to the environment.Dense colonies of aquatic weeds are observed in the southern regions of Kerala which mainly includes Ernakulam,Kottayam,Idukki and Alappuzha districts.The noxious aquatic weeds invade inland water masses,estuaries inshore regions of seas and are now abandoned.The rapid and excessive growth of aquatic weeds in varied and wide environmental condition limits the sustained performance of many drainage and irrigation system,reducing the productivity of agricultural land.Aquatic weeds are classified into emergent,floating and submerged weeds according to the various habitats.Many species are found in Kerala which were originally introduced into botanical gardens.The major aquatic weeds found in Kerala include Salvinia spp.,Eichhornia crassipes,Pistia stratiotes,Alternanthera spp.,Azolla,common duckweed,and Hydrilla verticillata.Reduction or elimination of aquatic weeds is possible through well planned management strategies which includes preventive and control(biological,physical,chemical,eco-physiological)measures.A successful weed control program depends on the resources available,the weeds present and the ability to carry out effective control methods.Operational research and/or pilot projects have to be initiated in the problematic areas on long term basis,using technical recommendations derived from research experiments.

Pan evaporation modeling in different agroclimatic zones using functional link artificial neural network

Pan evaporation is an important climatic variable for developing efficient water resource management strategies.In the past,many machine learning models are reported in the literature for pan evaporation modeling using the different combinationof available climatic variables.In order to develop a novel model with improved accuracy and reduced computational complexity,the functional link artificial neural network(FLANN)is chosen as an architecture to estimate daily pan evaporation in three agro-climatic zones(ACZs)of Chhattisgarh state in east-central India.Single neuron and single layer in its structure make it less complex as compared to other multilayer neural networks and neuro-fuzzy based hybrid models.Estimation results obtained with the FLANN model are compared with those obtained by multi-layer artificial neural networks(MLANN)and two empirical methods using the same raw data and corresponding features.Statistical indices like root mean square error(RMSE),mean absolute error(MAE)and efficiency factor(EF)is also computed to evaluate the model performance.It is demonstrated that pan evaporation estimates obtained with the proposed FLANN models provide an improved estimation of pan evaporation(RMSE=0.85 to 1.27 mm d^(-1),MAE=0.63 to 0.95 mm d^(-1) and EF=0.70 to 0.89)as compared to MLANN(RMSE=0.94 to 1.58 mm d^(-1),MAE=0.73 to 1.14 mm d^(-1) and EF=0.62 to 0.88)and empirical(RMSE=1.19 to 2.19 mm d^(-1),MAE=0.91 to 1.62 mm d^(-1) and EF=0.49 to 0.88)models in different ACZs.