Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University

This study utilized mineral-based additives namely kaolin, coal fly ash (CFA), and CaCO3, which can potentially mitigate biomass (agro-residue) ash-related issues in boilers and furnaces. It examined the effects of these additives mixed with biomass at a 950 °C combustion temperature with concentrations ranging from 2 to 10 wt

Microstructure is a fundamental determinant of the quality, functionality, and stability of dairy products, governing critical attributes such as texture, rheology, meltability, and shelf-life. Conventional compositional analyses are not sufficient to fully explain processing-induced changes and product defects, necessitating microscopic approaches. This review examines the role of microstructural analysis as a quality assessment and process optimization tool for several dairy products, including fluid milk, fermented products, cheese, ice cream, butter, traditional dairy products, and milk powders. Emphasis is placed on the application of complementary microscopy techniques, light microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and cryogenic imaging methods, to elucidate the spatial organization and interactions of casein networks, fat globules, aqueous phases, air cells, and crystalline components. The review discusses evidence linking microstructural features with macroscopic product properties, demonstrating influence of processing variables such as homogenization, heat treatment, fermentation, freezing, and ripening on the changes in structural organization and, consequently, product characteristics. Furthermore, it illustrate the utility of microscopy in defect and critical control point identification, and industrial troubleshooting, including syneresis in yoghurt, textural defects in cheese, recrystallization in ice cream, and poor rehydration of milk powders and establishes microscopy as an indispensable tool for dairy product design, and quality control, providing considerable potential for enhancing consistency, functionality, and processing efficiency for dairy industry.

Mulberry ( Morus spp.) is a fast growing woody perennial fruit crop that has its principal role in the sericulture sector as being its major food source of nutrition for the silkworm ( Bombyx mori ). Although a number of techniques for its propagation are available, its propagation through hardwood cuttings has go on most popular owing to its ease of operation, cheap cost of operation and result uniformity. However, successful rooting of mulberry cuttings has often being affected by a number of parameters like usage of PGRs, rooting substrate type and time of planting. The review focuses on evaluating the contribution of different PGRs more particularly indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and cytokinins in inducing root initiation and vegetative growth of mulberry cuttings. Among these PGRs, IBA was documented to be most efficient auxin of its own class because different studies indicated increased sprouting, number of root and survival rate of rooted cuttings on different genotypes of mulberry. The review has also enabled elucidation of role of rooting substrates to a larger extent; cocopeat, perlite, vermiculite, vermicompost and Farm Yard Manure mix showed superior rooting performance owing to their superior physical and chemical properties. In addition, improvement of micro-propagation techniques was also evaluated and documented to be efficient in terms of utilization of BAP and IBA for in vitro multiplication of shoot and root growth, while offering a substitute for rapid multiplication of elite genotypes. However, their limitation like genotype specific response to hormone, low rate of acclimatization and erratic field performance were reported. Based on these study, this review recommends optimizing of variety-specific hormone media combination, standardization of micro-propagation regime and integration of molecular tools for precision in propagation for improvement of propagation efficiency, with genetic fidelity of planting material and ensuring sustainable production of mulberry for a more resilient sericulture sector.

Background: Agripreneurship is increasingly discussed as a livelihood option for rural youth, but perceived opportunities differ across enterprises and socioeconomic circumstances. This study assessed rural youths’ perceptions of agricultural entrepreneurship in two districts of the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, India. Methods: An observational, ex post facto survey was conducted with 240 respondents from 12 villages in four blocks of Lalitpur and Banda districts. The districts were purposively chosen, with random selection at subsequent sampling stages. Respondents were interviewed using a pre-tested, structured schedule. Item means, overall perception categories and bivariate correlations were summarised. Results: Livestock farming obtained the highest item mean (4.60), followed by digital marketing (4.45) and agricultural technology (4.42); the lowest item means concerned renewable energy in farming (2.36) and organic farming (2.39). The overall perception score had a reported mean of 76.89 (standard deviation of 7.38). Most respondents were classified as having medium perception (159/240; 66.25%), while 39 (16.25%) and 42 (17.50%) were classified as low and high, respectively. Reported correlations with overall perception were positive and modest, including economic motivation (r = 0.236), education (r = 0.217) and extension contact (r = 0.212). Conclusion: Respondents expressed comparatively favourable views of livestock, digital marketing and agricultural technology, but lower ratings for several other activities. The findings identify topics for locally tailored information and enterprise-support initiatives. Interpretation is constrained by purposive district selection, incomplete documentation of instrument properties and the clustered sampling design.