An experiment was conducted to find out the effect of both fungal and bacterial bio-agents as soil application on plant growth and reproduction of Meloidogyne incognita on brinjal. For this study, two fungal and one bacterial bio-agents viz. Trichoderma viride, Trichoderma harzianum and Pseudomonas fluorescens were used at 2 g and 3 g per kg soil. A chemical check (carbofuran 3G at 2 kg a.i. per ha) and untreated check were also maintained for comparison. Results indicated that these bio-agents were found better over untreated check (control) in improving plant growth characters and reducing nematode reproduction. Among all the treatments T. harzianum at 3 g per kg soil proved better over other bio-agents. However, the chemical check carbofuran 3G at 2 kg a.i. per ha used as soil application was found the best treatments in improving plant growth characters as well as in reducing nematode population over other treatment. So according to bio-agents its concluded that soil application with T. harzianum at 3 g per kg soil was found best treatment followed by T. Viride and P. Fluorescens 3g/kg soil to enhanced plant growth of brinjal and management of M. incognita.

Milling characteristics of 17 Indian paddy varieties were determined along with their physical dimensions namely length, width and thickness of paddy. Statistical analysis was conducted to correlate the physical dimensions with milling characteristics. The mathematical models were selected based on the statistical parameters such as R2, RMSE and reduced- χ2. Mathematical models were also developed to predict the broken yield of milled rice. The brown rice yield varied from 75.73-79.69%, where as the milling yield varied from 66.82-73.51% at constant time of polishing.

The effect of egg albumin concentration and whipping time on foam density was investigated. Foams were prepared from tomato pulp by adding different egg albumin concentrations (1.5, 4.5, 7.5, and 8.7%) and whipped for different time levels (1.5, 4.5 and 7.5 min). The concentration of foaming agent was optimized based on minimum foam density and maximum foam stability. Optimized foaming agent concentration of 4.5% egg albumin was mixed up with tomato pulp and whipped for 4.5 minutes. The drying kinetics of the foam mat drying was studied for the control (without albumin addition) and for the treatment (with addition albumin) at two different temperatures of 60 °C and 80 °C. No constant rate period was observed during the drying of controlled and treated samples. Treated sample dried faster than the controlled at both drying temperatures. Increasing the dryer temperature also improved the drying rate. From the study, drying rates of the treatment were less compared to those of the control at both the temperatures 60 °C and 80 °C. Midilli-Kucuk model was the best model with highest R2 value and lower values of RMSE and reduced- χ2 in both controlled and treated samples at all drying temperatures.

Quality characterization of mandarin was done with the objective to analyze and find out best treatment among different combinations of pre-treatments and packaging during storage at ambient conditions (19 to 25°C). Twenty treatment combinations consisting of four types of chemicals (2, 4- Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid 50 and 100 ppm, Gibberellic acid 50 and 100 ppm) and three types of packaging materials (Corrugated boxes, perforated polythene and newspaper) and their combinations were used in the study. Maximum values for titrable acidity (0.624%), TSS (13.120 Brix), total sugars (9.56%) and ascorbic acid (14.17 mg/100 ml juice) were obtained with 2,4-D 100 ppm with perforated polythene on 20th day of storage. Maximum scores for sensory quality were observed in the treatment combination with 2, 4-D 100 ppm and corrugated fibre board boxes.

The present study has been designed to assess the relationship of dietary diversity with the nutrient intake among Punjabi preschoolers (3-6 years) that were categorized into three groups (n=120) based on the size of landholdings (hectares) as G I: Small farmers having 1-2 hectares, G II : Semi-medium farmers having 2-4 hectares and G III : Medium farmers having 4-10 hectares. The data pertaining to general profile of the subjects, socio-economic status of the households, demographic features, and nutritional status were collected on a pre-designed interview schedule. Appropriate statistical tools were applied to assess the relationship between various parameters. The results findings revealed that the mean adequacy ratio (MAR) was significantly lower in children belonging to families of small farmer (1-2 hectares), in comparison to those of semi-medium farmers (2-4 hectares). The statistical analysis revealed a significant relationship between the dietary diversity and nutrient intake (p<0.01).