Suresh Kumar

• PhD (Horticulture)
• Principal Scientist at ICAR National Research Centre for Banana, Trichy

Fruits and vegetables are dried to enhance storage stability, minimize packaging requirement and reduce transport weight. Preservation of fruits and vegetables through drying based on sun and solar drying techniques which cause poor quality and product contamination. Energy consumption and quality of dried products are critical parameters in the se...

Study presents preparation of quality osmo-vac dehydrated mango slices from firm and ripe Amrapali mango. Slices were prepared after peeling and cutting mango into slices followed by dehydration in vacuum drier at 40±2°C with an atmospheric pressure of 640 mmHg. Among three packaging materials (200 gauge HDPE, 260 gauge ALPE and 250 gauge COEX), 25...

Mango (Mangiferra indica L), guava (Psiduim guajava L.) slices and aonla (Emblica officinalis L) segments were osmo-dried under four different dying conditions viz., cabinet drier (CD), vacuum oven drier (VOD), low temperature drier (LTD) and solar drier (SD) to evaluate the best drying condition for the fruits. It was found that vacuum oven drying...

Mono-cropping is the most common farming practice followed in the North Eastern Hilly Region (NEHR) of India and farmers leave the land fallow after harvesting the main crop. The identification of suitable sequential crops is essential to increase the cropping intensity, land-use efficiency and overall productivity of the land. Therefore, a study w...

Better root growth helps the plant for more uptakes of nutrient and water and positively influence the growth and yield attributes. Tillage alters the physicochemical and biological properties of soil and provides the congenial condition for better growth of maize. Four different till system, viz., conventional tillage (CT), zero tillage (ZT), rais...

Aim: Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea L) is an underutilized tuber crop belonging to the family marantaceae. This study mainly aims to evaluate different arrowroot accessions for quality starch and best yield. Study of Design: The field experiment was conducted in randomized block design with total ten accessions and three replications. Place and Dur...

Banana starch is explored for its use in food and pharmaceutical applications. In this study, in order to improve the techno-functional properties of native banana starch (NS), different chemical modifications namely acid thinning (AT), oxidation (OX), sodium-trimetaphosphate method (STMP), cross linking phosphorylation (CLP), hydroxypropylation (H...

Banana plays a vital role in the nutrition and well-being of millions of people. With the change in lifestyle, people prefer convenient foods and pizza is one among it. In this study, pizza base was prepared by partial replacement of semolina with banana based composite flours, viz., green-banana flour (GBF), banana modified-starch (BMS) and banana...

Banana with different genomic groups has a greater varietal diversity. New varieties are also developed which have unique tastes, and tolerance to biotic or abiotic stresses. Eleven varieties belonging to different genomic groups are evaluated for their nutrients, secondary metabolites, techno‐functional characteristics, antioxidant activities, gly...

Agricultural crops especially fruit trees are constrained by edaphic stresses in shallow soils with low water retention and poor fertility. Therefore, interventions of shifting to trench planting for better root anchorage and replacing the filling soil were evaluated for 8 years in dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) cultivated in Deccan Plateau of p...

Fruit sugars are gaining attention for nutraceutical benefits. Higher sugar in ripe and over-ripe bananas makes them difficult for convective drying. In this study, red banana (RB) pulp was added with different gum derivatives as foaming agent FA) (4 % w/w) viz., acacia gum(GA), carrageenan (CG) and gelatine(GE). Maltodextrin and carboxymethyl-cell...

Banana central-core stem-powder (CCSP) of seven varieties were studied to elucidate their functional, therapeutic properties and bioactive profiling. CCSP recorded whiteness index in the range of 75.80-80.78. Hauser-ratio (1.12-1.26), Carr-index (10.91-20.75) and aw (0.15-0.22) revealed good flowability and storage-life. A fair amount of insoluble...

Resistant starch in unripe banana offers a possibility to alter the glycemic properties in convenience foods, such as pasta. In this study, pasta formulations were tried by replacing 30% semolina with varying proportions of green banana flour (GBF) and banana‐modified starch (MS). The effect of substitution on physicochemical and functional propert...

Dryland fruit crops are highly prone to stresses caused by depleting soil moisture coupled with high ambient temperatures, particularly during summers. This is more conspicuous and seldom deleterious during droughts, which recur periodically. However, some of the crops sustain and recover their growth after the drought. Since desiccation of leaf is...

Banana starch, with its nutritional properties, opens new opportunities for the food industry, which is seeking new starch sources to fulfil rising demand. Herein, physico-chemical, and functional properties of banana starches isolated from dessert, plantain, and cooking cultivars were investigated. Starch yield was higher in Popoulu (30.58%) and M...

The increasing population of India is raising alarm to search means for sufficient food for all and the employment for the young generation. The apiary or beekeeping has the potential to become the alternative of those people who needs the employment. The study was conducted in four blocks and four villages of West Siang district of Arunachal Prade...

The study was designed to know the extent of adoption of different practices of vermiculture technology recommended by the scientists and to find out the adoption gap in various practices with the sample of 120 respondents who were selected purposively from West Siang district, Basar subdivision. Majority of the respondent were medium level adopter...

Banana chips are gaining popularity as a deep-fried product for its unique taste and flavour. This study is aimed to investigate the effect of hydrocolloids on oil absorption, physico-chemical and sensory properties of banana chips from two different varieties (var. Popoulu and var. Nendran), when fried at 180 °C for 3 min. The reduction in oil con...

Natural fiber as adsorbents is an emerging trend in effluent treatments as the fibers are environmental friendly, abundantly available and superior to polymeric-based materials. In this study, fiber extracted from the banana pseudostem was tested as an adsorbent. The lead (Pb (II)) removal was assessed with various parameters, namely, pH, agitation...

Pseudostem is the major biomass being generated and not utilized after harvesting of banana bunches. The present study was aimed to characterize the banana fiber and to explore the possibilities of improving the quality of extracted fiber by degumming using enzymes. Fiber from pseudostem of five cultivars, viz., Grand Naine (AAA), Red Banana (AAA),...

Banana with good amount of resistant starch (RS) offers greater benefit to human health. Studying the dehydration mechanism of the raw banana slice is very important for subsequent processes and quality of the product. Thus the study was aimed to investigate the influence of varying temperatures viz., 45, 55, and 65°C in a convective dryer on thin...

Alteration in micro-topography and mulching are important agronomic practices to conserve the resources in situ. Turmeric is sensitive to weed infestation and soil loss. Studies were conducted during 2011–12 and 2012–13 in a silt loam soil to evaluate the weed suppression, nutrient leaching, water use and yield of turmeric under varying land config...

Vulnerability of agriculture to climate change is becoming increasingly apparent in recent years. During 2014 and 2015, India experienced trails of unusually widespread and untimely hailstorm events. The increased frequency of hailstorm events, especially in vulnerable ecosystem of Deccan Plateau region of India demanded appropriate measures to min...

Vulnerability of agriculture to climate change is becoming increasingly apparent in recent years. During 2014 and 2015, India experienced trails of unusually widespread and untimely hailstorm events. The increased frequency of hailstorm events, especially in vulnerable ecosystem of Deccan Plateau region of India demanded appropriate measures to min...

Bamboo has a vital importance in the lives of the native tribes and is extensively grown in varied climatic zones. It is a valuable and renewable natural resource. India is one of the richest countries in terms of bamboo resources with about 136 species. In this review, we tried to collect and systematically arrange all the available important lite...

A field experiment was conducted for two years (2013–15) to evaluate the response of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) to deficit irrigation (DI) with drippers. The options tried were either the regulated DI on the basis of climatological approach i.e. irrigation water equalling 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 times the evapotranspiration (ET) or DI (0.6xET)...

The present investigation was aimed at documentation, analysis and evaluation of ethnomedicinal knowledge in the study area as the forces of acculturation are rapid in recent times. The underprivileged tribal people of Arunachal Pradesh do not receive adequate primary healthcare. They have perforce been still utilizing traditionally the plants in t...

Four rootstocks, viz., C. latipes, Volkamariana, Tanyum (C. medica) and rough lemon (C. jambhiri) were used for budding different genotypes, viz., Hill mandarin, Nagpur mandarin, Khasi mandarin and Sikkim mandarin as a scion cultivars. Plant height was observed higher with Nagpur mandarin followed by Hill mandarin. Among the rootstocks, TCSA was no...

Various options of deficit irrigation (DI) were tested for accumulation of functional food compounds on tomato included; (i) continuous deficit irrigation i.e. applying irrigation water equally (0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 evapotranspiration (ET)), (ii) DI at vegetative, flowering and fruiting stages (0.6 ET for 30 days), (iii) DI at vegetative and flowering,...

Acidic soils are limiting the production potential of the crops because of low availability of basic ions and excess of hydrogen (H+), aluminium (Al3+), and manganese (Mn2+) in exchangeable forms. Therefore, a field study was conducted to know the ameliorating effect of organic manures on acidic soils and production performance of cowpea (Vigna ung...

Nutmeg, Myristicafragrans, is known for its culinary and medicinal values. The nutmeg pericarp, abundant during the production of the seed, is also used in food and beverage preparations. In this study, the pericarp of M. fragrans was evaluated for its bioactive components using in vitro antioxidant and antiinflammatory assays. The hexane, ethyl ac...

Effect of drying air temperature and velocity on thin-layer drying characteristics of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus spp.) was investigated using a fluidized bed dryer. Mushrooms were dried at three air temperatures 45, 55 and 65ºC coupled with the air velocity of 2, 3.5 and 5 m·s‒1. Dehydration of mushrooms occurred in falling rate period and temperat...

Ten gladiolus (Gladiolus hybrida Hort.) cultivars were evaluated for 18 characters to estimate the genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance and correlation to identify suitable gladiolus cultivar for mid-hill conditions of Arunachal Pradesh. The magnitude of phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was higher than genotypic coefficient o...

Identifying the right packaging material and storage condition are prerequisite for extending the shelf life of dehydrated guava slices. An experiment was conducted to evolve the influence of packaging materials (200 gauge High density polyethylene, 200 gauge Aluminium laminated polyethylene and 250 gauge coextruded pouches); mode of packaging (air...

National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management, the unique institute of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, was set up on 21 February, 2009 at Baramati, Pune, Maharashtra, India representing the rain shadow area after the Sahyadri Ranges frequented by famine calamities. The 56.5 ha of barren land allotted to the institute was having shallow 0...

NIASM, the unique institute of ICAR, was set up on 21 February, 2009 at Baramati, Pune representing the rain shadow area after the Shyadri Ranges frequented by famine calamities. The 56.5 ha of barren land allotted to the institute was having shallow 0.1–0.3 m murrum soil with parental basaltic rock. With the objective of developing a “Model Resear...

In eastern Himalayan region, growers cultivate many crops per unit area without following definite row proportions which resulted in lower productivity. Use of recent modern technologies in undulated topography is not feasible. Therefore, locally available resources were utilized for better water use, higher productivity and improved energy profita...

Due to the role of leptin gene in the immunity of animal, the present study was carried out to find the association of leptin gene with mastitis by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Genomic DNA was isolated from the blood of randomly selected, lactating 40 Murrah buffaloes (including 20 mastitic animals)...

Intercropping is the simultaneous cultivation of more than one crop species on the same piece of land and is regulated as the practical application of basic ecological principles such as diversity, competition and facilitation. Farmers of the region sow many crops in a piece of land, without following any row proportion geometrics and hence crop pr...

According to world estimates, only 9 % of the area is conducive for crop production. Abiotic stresses like temperature, water, radiation and hazardous chemicals/pollutants are responsible for major reduction in agricultural production. Fruits and vegetables can be potentially exposed to numerous abiotic stresses during production and distribution....

An experiment was conducted at Basar, during 2008–11 on maize (Zea mays L.)–based cropping systems, to evaluate the production, root growth and weed dynamics with and without mulch. The productivity of sequential crops was 18–35% higher with mulch application than no mulch. However, the highest maize yield (4.25 t/ha) was obtained with maize–ground...

Introduction The precise role of the physiotherapists in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) varies considerably from one unit to the other, depending on factors such as the country in which the ICU is located, local tradition, staffing levels, training and expertise. The referral process is one such example of this variation. In some ICU's, physiotherap...

The present study was conducted on nineteen male boxing players (age: 16.37±1.34 years) comprising of inmates of Sports Training Centre and Centre of Excellence scheme of Sports Authority of India, training at NS NIS Patiala (India). The aim of the study was to find the status of mechanical power variables of leg extensor muscles in male boxing...

Three fruits viz., mango, guava slices and aonla segments were osmo-dried under four different dying conditions viz., cabinet drier (CD), vacuum drier (VD), low temperature drier (LTD) and solar drier (SD). It was found that vacuum drying was superior to other mode of drying, as it retained better quality like acidity, ascorbic acid, and sugar. Fur...

Low availability of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in acidic soil is a major constraint for crop production. Cowpea was grown under split-plot design with three levels of K and P ( viz., 100%, 75% and 50% of recommended dose). Green pod and stover yield was 20.9 and 16.9% higher with 100% K over 50% K application. Similarly, 100% P had 20.2% high...

Taktir is one of the fruits consumed by the large population of eastern Himalaya and other south east Asian countries. The fruits were harvested in five different harvesting times starting from second fortnight of April to mid of May to adjudge the best maturity time for fresh consumption and processing of fruits. The fruits harvested during 1st we...

Despite the lack of scientific knowledge on plant density and its influence on component crops in intercropping, risk-averse smallholder farmers unabatedly continue growing crops in a mixture, which finally lowers the productivity of the system. Studies were conducted to evaluate the productivity, weed dynamics, nutrient mining, and monetary advant...

A study was conducted to find out the optimum ripening stage for osmo-dehydration of aonla segments. Fresh aonla fruits were kept at ambient conditions (25-35°C, 50-60% RH) till 10 days and analyzed for various quality parameters. Sensory analysis was also carried out both in fresh and osmo-dehydrated segments. It was observed that 8th day after ha...

Growth and yield attributes, yield and economics of broom grass (Thysanolaena maxima (Roxb.) O. Ktze) was compared under different row proportions and four tree species predominantly found in North Eastern Region. The growth parameters viz. height of tussock, average yield of culm, leaf length and leaf breadth were higher with Alnus nepalensis foll...

This study investigated the thin-layer drying characteristics of bamboo slices in a convective tray dryer with three different temperatures viz., 55, 65 and 75C and fit the experimental data to four drying models to identify the best fit model and drying temperature. The drying rate curves of slices typically demonstrate a smooth diffusion controll...

A field trial was laid out on 11 year old Khasi mandarin trees with 12 different doses organic sources (20, 40, 60, 80 kg each of FYM, pig manure and poultry manure) and three different doses (200, 100, 100; 400, 200, 200; and 600, 400, 400 g NPK / tree ) of inorganic fertilizers to evaluate the effect of different nutrient sources on growth and yi...

Replenishing nutrients through organic sources is essential to maintain the soil health and sustainability in Eastern Himalayan Region, India which is organic by default. Keeping this in mind an experiment was laid out on randomized block design with six treatments viz., T2: Vermicompost (VC; 2.5 Mg ha-1), T1: Poultry manure (PM; 1.25 Mg ha-1), T3:...

Study was conducted to find out the optimum osmotic concentration, temperature, slice thickness and Fruit to Syrup (F:S) ratio for better osmo-dehydration of bamboo slices. Response Surface Methodology (RSM was used with four factors on five levels. The slices of various thickness (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 mm) were dipped into various sucrose concentratio...

A field experiment was conducted during 2008-11 to study the production, economics and energy auditing of maize (Zea mays L.)-vegetable cropping system. Maize was grown on terraces during rainy season and vegetables (tomato, okra, frenchbean, pea, potato, cabbage and cauliflower) were grown as sequential crops. Maize equivalent yield (MEY), product...

An experiment was conducted with different NPK fertilizer combinations to explore the possibility of improving growth and productivity of popular elephant foot yam (EFY) varieties of Arunachal Pradesh. Two varieties, Gajendra and TRCB-1 were planted in main plot and fertilizer combinations viz., F 0 : N 0 P 0 K0 ; F 1 : N 75 P25 K 75 ; F 2 : N 100...

An experiment was conducted to find out the optimum osmotic concentration and temperature for the preparation of osmo-vac dehydrated aonla segments. Blanched segments were dipped in various sugar concentration, viz. 400B, 500B, 600B and 700B with the temperature viz., 40°C, 50°C, 60°C and 70°C for six hours without any agitation. At the end of osmo...

Fresh mango fruits were kept at ambient conditions (25-35°C, 50-60%. RH) till 10 days and analyzed for various quality parameters. Sensory analysis was also carried out both in fresh and osmo-dehydrated slices. It was observed that 6th day after harvest was the best ripening stage for dehydration of mango slices on the basis of better firmness, opt...

Slash and burn cultivation (jhum) is the most disadvantageous method of cultivation in the Eastern Himalayan Region. This practice causes soil, nutrient, water erosion and biodiversity loss. Therefore, alternate conservation practice is required urgently. Field experiment was conducted at two villages viz., Digbak and Belo with two sites at each vi...

There has not been any major step for mass cultivation of medicinal plants in India. In this context, review of factors affecting the cultivation of medicinal plants is very important. This study has also been accomplished for the purpose of identification of socio-economic factors effective on the adoption of medicinal plants cultivation in the Ud...

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch) cv. Chandler was grown in the field to investigate the effectiveness of different mulches and irrigation level on plant growth, fruit growth, yield and other quality parameters. I 1 favoured plant growth, enhanced flowering (67.5 days), resulted in production of significantly larger fruit and higher yield (175....

Traditional knowledge exists among different tribes on preparing boiled foods, fermented foods, beverages and nutritionally rich traditional foods from various indigenous crop plants, forest products and meat of wild and domesticated animals. Manipur has great ethno-cultural diversity, with two major tribes, the Nagas and the Kukis. The Naga tribe...

Abstract This study explored the farmers’ attitude towards back yard poultry farming and identified the factors associated with it. An attitude scale consisting of 12 items was developed and administered to 35 back yard poultry farmers of West Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh, India. The results revealed that were majority of the respondents wer...