<div>Background: Because of low utility, feeding of male buffalo calves is ignored in India leading to high mortality and poor growth in surviving calves. However, the meat of buffalo calves has considerable collagen solubility and serves as a remarkable source for meat products. As the addition of potassium chloride in meat products is restricted owing to its bitter taste and metallic flavor, potassium lactate can serve as a potential source for sodium chloride and it also alleviates the function of sodium chloride in meat processing. 
 
Methods: Low salt buffalo calf meat rolls were prepared by partially substituting sodium chloride with potassium lactate at 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% levels maintaining equivalent ionic strength. Sensory quality, physico-chemical attributes, proximate composition, instrumental texture, firmness, toughness and color were evaluated. 
 
Result: Substitution up to 30% level did not cause any significant alteration in sensory quality but further enhancement in potassium lactate level resulted in a significant decrease in flavor, texture, juiciness, tenderness and overall acceptability. The replacement did not cause any significant decline in proximate composition, water holding capacity and emulsion stability of developed meat rolls. An increase in pH and decrease in cooking yield was noticed with an increase in the level of potassium lactate but a significant impact was noticed only at 50% substitution. Texture profile and instrumental color of potassium lactate treated rolls were comparable with control samples. Firmness and toughness decreased with enhancing the level of potassium lactate but the significant impact was recorded only at 50% level.</div>

<div>Studies on the Impact of Partial Replacement of Sodium Chloride with Potassium Lactate on Quality Attributes of Buffalo Calf Meat Rolls</div>

<div>Background: Oats provide a tough challenge to miller, consists of rigid outer covering called hull that comprises 30-35% of the weight of the oat grain. Hull composed of cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin which are inedible and not digested by humans and should be separated from oats. The study would enhance the utilization of this nutritional cereal to daily diets, as the processing of oats has not yet been exploited much at rural level in India.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: The present investigation was aimed at optimizing the dehulling process to enhance recovery of oat groats.&nbsp; The best combination of dehulling parameters was obtained with response surface methodology (RSM) using Box-Behnken design. The independent process variables for dehulling of oats were moisture content (8-14%), feed rate (6-12 kg/h) and number of passes (2-4).&nbsp; 
 
Result: Seventeen experimental runs in triplicate were conducted to obtain optimal condition moisture content: 10.62% (wb), feed rate: 7.57 kg/h and repetitive passes: 4 with dehulling efficiency of 65.79%, groat recovery 47.16% and broken percent 14.42% respectively. An analysis of variance (ANNOVA) revealed that the process variables, dehulling efficiency, groat recovery and broken percent decreased significantly (p&lt;0.05) with the increase in moisture content, feed rate and number of passes respectively.&nbsp;</div>

Response Surface Methodology to Optimize Process Parameters for Dehulling of Oats

<div>Background: Spent hen meat is considered as poor because of comparatively higher toughness and chewiness. The present study was envisaged to find out the effect of barley flour on the quality characteristics of restructured spent hen meat blocks. 
 
Methods: Barley flour (1:1 hydration, w/w) was incorporated at the levels of 4, 6 and 8% by replacing the lean meat in pre-standardized restructured spent hen meat blocks (RSHMB) formulation and evaluated for physico-chemical, sensory and textural quality. 
 
Result: Product yield was significantly higher (P&lt;0.05) and at 6 and 8% level of barley flour as compared to control. Fat percentage and shear force value of RSHMB was significantly lower (P&lt;0.05) at 8% level of barley flour as compared to control. There were no significant differences in the scores for general appearance, texture, binding, juiciness and overall acceptability of RSHMB of control as well as those incorporated with different levels of barley flour. Texture profile analysis revealed that the hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess and chewiness of RSHMB with 8% barley flour were significantly lower (P&lt;0.05) than that of control. Optimum incorporation level of barley flour for the preparation of restructured spent hen meat blocks was adjudged as 8%. The production cost of RSHMB with 8% barley flour reduced by Rs. 18.4/Kg than that of control. The developed restructured spent hen meat blocks with 8% barley flour can be utilized as texture-modified nutritious soft food products.</div>

<div>Effect of Barley Flour on Quality of Restructured Spent Hen Meat Blocks</div>

<div>Background: Legumes are relatively cheap, non-animal good source of valuable proteins, micro-nutrients and vitamins in human and animal nutrition for many years. Recognizing the potential of legumes in achieving the sustainable solution to the global food security, protein access, eradicate hunger and malnutrition, FAO of the United Nations (The Food and Agriculture Organization), facilitated 2016 as the International Year of Pulses (grain legumes) under the banner &lsquo;nutritious seeds for a sustainable future&rsquo;. The nutrient, nitrogen and biological nitrogen fixation is very crucial for legume&rsquo;s growth, besides sulphur deficiency is very sensitive to the nodulation and nitrogen fixation. Despite the amazing beneficial properties, legumes are neglected by most of us due to having tough competition with low price and high yielding cereal varieties.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: Therefore keeping in mind the above points, this review discusses the importance and application of legumes in different perspectives, legume cultivation patterns, importance of sulphur nutrition to legumes, role of sulphur oxidizing bacteria in sulphur nutrition, improving soil and environment, challenges and future of legumes. 
 
Conclusion: Legumes have variety of applications including food, health, environment and many other sectors but we are not able to produce enough amount according to their genetic potential due to inefficient breeding programs. Sulphur is an important nutrient along with N effecting its growth and yield. Sulphur oxidizing bacteria (SOB) have been proved as an important tool for improving yield and symbiotic nitrogen fixation in legumes. Therefor application of biofertilizers along with SOB and improved genetic breeding programmes may prove leading steps to enhance their production.</div>

<div>Importance of Legumes and Role of Sulphur Oxidizing Bacteria for Their Production: A Review</div>

<div>India became independent in 1947, when it was still reeling from the impact of the 1943 Bengal famine and world as a whole was experiencing the brunt of world war second. Thus India was born hungry in a hungry world. The country leaders were well aware of the challenge that India was expected to face in terms of food security and it was Jawaharlal Nehru who said everything can wait but not agriculture. The first president of India Rajendra Prasad after taking the chair, the first thing he did was to hoist the flag at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, declaring &ldquo;India&rsquo;s most pressing task would be to conquer the battle of hunger. The Indian population has increased tremendously from 376 million in 1950 to 1380 million in 2020 and it is agriculture and its allied sectors that sustained such a huge population. India still has a significant proportion of population 14% undernourished, 35% children stunted, 20% children underweight, 52% women of reproductive age anaemic. India could bring out green revolution, white revolution and blue revolution in order to provide food security to its people. India presently is not food deficient; it has attained self sufficiency in food production and stands exporters of food. However the irony is that India stands at place 102 in global hunger index with score of 30 that is a matter of concern (Global Hunger Index-GHI, 2019). The problem is in making this food available to the people or access to the food is ensured. India needs nutritional security rather than food security besides transformation in agriculture and allied sectors to become free from hunger. The task is tough and precipitated by Covid-19 pandemic, but not impossible. India has much strength but will need research, extension, implementation and policy framing to have sustainable, nutrition sensitive, climate resilient, integrated and smart agriculture to eliminate hunger.</div>

Saga of Hunger in India- Challenges, Chances and Resolutions: A Review

Background: Sclerotium rolfsii is a polyphagous pathogen which is uneconomical and difficult to control due to its broad host range and persistence due to its tough resting structures, i.e., sclerotia. Chemical control has been supplanted by biological phytopathogen control. Antibiotic microorganisms are regarded as one of the viable management techniques in an integrated approach for ecofriendly management. 
&nbsp; 
Methods: Twenty three Trichoderma spp. and twenty one Bacillus species were isolated at Groundnut Pathology Laboratory, ICRISAT, Patancheru from rhizospheric soils of Telangana during rabi 2022-23 and 2023-24 and examined for antagonistic activity against Sclerotium rolfsii in an effort to design an effective biocontrol system for the management of Sclerotium rolfsii&nbsp;in groundnut. 
&nbsp; 
Result: The highest antagonistic activity against Sclerotium rolfsii has been observed in Trichoderma viride and Bacillus cereus. In the dual culture assay, Trichoderma viride and Bacillus cereus inhibited Sclerotium rolfsii by up to 65.33 per cent and 58.22 per cent, respectively. In the metabolites assay, Trichoderma viride and Bacillus cereus inhibited Sclerotium rolfsii by 63.33 per cent and 55.40 per cent, respectively. Thus, Trichoderma viride and Bacillus cereus displayed promising biofungicidal capabilities against the stem rot pathogen.

<div style="text-align:justify">​</div>

Biocontrol Efficacy of Trichoderma and Bacillus Isolates against Sclerotium rolfsii under in vitro Conditions

<div>Background: Wet direct seeding technique in rice, which aims to realize labour saving in paddy rice cultivation, has continued to gain popularity in recent years. Because the work of raising and transplanting seedlings can be omitted, wet direct seeding can make an important contribution to labour saving. In wet DSR, iron coated seed that is, seed is coated with iron powder, which increases its weight so that seed settle easily in water and forms a tough coating that preventing birds from eating the seeds.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: Studies were conducted during the year 2018 and 2019 at the Department of Rice, TNAU, Coimbatore on influence of iron coated seeds and time of sowing in wet direct seeded rice. Experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications. In main plot, different time of sowing at weekly interval viz., first, second, third and fourth week of August sowing, where as in sub-plot iron coated seeds broadcasting in 1-2 mm water level condition; iron coated seeds broadcasting in wet condition; uncoated seeds broadcasting in 1-2 mm water level condition; uncoated seeds broadcasting in wet condition and normal method of transplanting.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The results indicated that iron coated seeds of variety Swarna, broadcasting in 1-2 mm water level condition during the first fortnight of August sowing resulted higher grain yield (5653 kg/ha) when compared delayed sowing. The Fe coating significantly increased grain yield over non-coating. Iron coated seeds recorded lesser occurrence of pest and disese incidence when compared to un-coated seeds.</div>

​Influence of Iron Coated Seeds on Time of Sowing in Wet Direct Seeded Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

<div>Background: Agricultural background of rural India, maintaining cattle is very important, but due to the lack of pasture land and fodder production, it is tough to maintain the cattle with the farmers. However, producing fodder crops throughout the year makes it possible to maintain cattle. During the rainy season, different grasses are available, but during the rabi season dry period, fodder becomes scares, so growing fodder oats will compensate during the lean period. 
 
Methods: A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2019 and 2020 at the experimental research farm, School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University, Medziphema. The experiment consisted of six varieties of oat, namely, V1-OS-346, V2-OS-403, V3-WJ-8, V4-OS-6, V5-OS-7 and V6-OS-377, which were laid out in randomized block design (RBD) with four replications to find out the best suitable variety under rainfed condition of Nagaland. 
 
Result: The study revealed that all the oat varieties grew well under Nagaland conditions. The variety OS-403 recorded the highest plant height (72.69 cm) and was at par with variety WJ-8 (72.43 cm). Among the varieties, green fodder yield and dry matter yield were significant. The variety OS-403 recorded the highest green fodder yield (148 q/ha), followed by WJ-8 (143.11 q/ha). Similar is the trend for dry matter yield. The variety OS-403 recorded the highest dry matter yield (27.97q/ha), at par with variety WJ-8 (27.22 q/ha). Crude protein content (%) and crude protein yield (q/ha) were non-significant among the different oat varieties.</div>

Production and Productivity of Oat (Avena sativa L.) Cultivars as Fodder Crop on Hilly Terraces of Nagaland under Rainfed Condition

Background: Minor millets like Browntop (Urochloa ramosa L.), Barnyard (Echinochloa crusgalli L.) and Kodo (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.) hold immense nutritional and functional promise. Yet, detailed characterization of their traits remains limited, making such studies vital for advancing processing and product development. 
&nbsp; 
Methods: Three minor millets browntop, barnyard and kodo were selected for detailed morphological analysis. Linear dimensions were measured and further evaluated for geometric, spatial, physical, phyto-nutrient and rheological properties. Antioxidant activity was assessed using the DPPH method, while total phenols, tannins, flavonoids and oxalate contents were quantified. The pasting profile of each millet was determined to evaluate gelatinization, viscosity and stability under heat and mechanical stress. 
&nbsp; 
Result: Browntop reported greater slenderness ratio among three, kodo with high GMD, AMD, sphericity, SA, volume. Spatial properties were calculated for the same and kodo has maximum projected area. Kodo millet has highest thousand grain weight and volume whereas barnyard has high hydration index and capacity along with swelling index, swelling capacity and porosity. Browntop has more bulk and true density whereas kodo reported to be the hardest grain among the three. The present study investigated anti-oxidant activity (DPPH method), total phenols, tannins, total flavonoids content and oxalate content in three minor millets. Kodo millet exhibited highest anti-oxidant activity (89.34%). Browntop millet showed high levels of total phenols (1.77 mg GAE/g), oxalates (38.0 mg/100 g) and flavonoids (21.40 mg RE/g), while barnyard millet (0.13 mg TA/g) had the highest tannin content. The pasting profile revealed that browntop millet requires high temperature to get gelatinized, barnyard millet exhibited high peak viscosity indicating a strong gelling ability. Kodo millet demonstrated high trough viscosity, holding strength and final viscosity along with low breakdown. Kodo grain, despite being tough and thick coated, forms a paste that was stable and its starch structure can effectively withstand heat and mechanical stress, ensuring consistent performance even under challenging conditions. 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Quantification of Structural, Physical, Phyto-nutrient and Rheological Traits in Selected Minor Millets

Background: Bael is an important indigenous fruit, which is rich in nutritional and health promoting factors. Development of value-added products from this fruit poses a problem as the fruit has a hard rind and is difficult to be removed by hand.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of different conditioning methods as normal water dipping (25-27&deg;C), chilling (10-11&deg;C), freezing (4-5&deg;C) and hot water dipping (90-95&deg;C) on firmness and other mechanical properties of raw and matured bael fruit, with a goal of devising some methods for easy removal of the rind. The fruits after conditioning were subjected to puncture test by universal testing machine. Distinct peaks were observed on the force-displacement traces which indicated the rupture force and firmness of the fruits. The changes observed in rupture force, deformation and firmness in conditioned samples were compared. 
 
Result: Rupture force measured for control sample (kept under ambient conditions) was 344.4&plusmn;27.13 N and was found to be lower than that of the conditioned samples. The minimum rupture force of 192.6&plusmn;14.41 N was observed in frozen sample. No significant difference in rupture force could be observed between the normal water dipped sample and chilled samples. Hot water dipped sample required a rupture force of 215.3&plusmn;29.2 N, which was not significantly (p&gt;0.05) less than those of other treatments but, the green color of the fruits degraded to brown. The change in other mechanical properties also remained similar. The results would be useful for preparing the raw bael fruit for further processing and value addition.