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In cotton, mechanized harvesting has gained popularity in recent years due to labor-intensive process and shortage of labor. Moreover, mechanized harvesting of cotton depends on plant morphological characters like plant height, internodal length and synchronized boll maturity and opening etc. Mechanized harvesting enhancing the harvesting efficiency of cotton which is achieved by the use of some chemicals to attain good lint yield and fibre quality. With this background, the field experiment was conducted to study the impact of growth retardant and defoliant on morpho-physiological traits and yield improvement in cotton (CO 17) during 2021-2022 by following randomized block design with four treatments and five replications. The current study revealed that spraying of 0.015% mepiquat chloride (MC) at square formation and boll development stage significantly reduced the leaf area, plant height, total dry weight and boll number when compared to control. However, chlorophyll content and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were recorded higher in 0.015% mepiquat chloride (MC) applied treatments than control. Moreover, spraying of mepiquat chloride (0.015%) at square formation and boll development stage followed by spraying of 0.9% sodium chlorate (SC) at 60% boll bursting stage significantly increased the seed cotton yield compared to other treatments and recorded maximum seed cotton yield of 25.22% compared to control. Results clearly indicate that application of MC followed by SC could be a better practice for canopy management in cotton, resulting in improved efficiency of mechanical harvesting and good lint yield and fibre quality.

Cotton, known as “the King of fibers”, is the predominant fiber in the Indian textile industry. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) represent a potential sustainable alternative for the enhancement and protection of crops. The germination and seedling growth of cotton can be optimized by inoculating with PGPR. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different PGPR strains on seed germination and seedling establishment characters on cotton. The highest germination percentage, maximum vigour index and leaf area was obtained with the PPFM TNAU1 strain inoculation. The maximum shoot and root length were observed with seeds treated with Azospirillum strain sp7 with an increase of 24.4 and 42.8% over the control. Underground fresh and dry matter was higher in seedlings treated with Azospirillum sp7 strain compared to control, while the PPFM TNAU1 strain treatment increased the aerial fresh and dry matter content because of its larger leaf area. Seeds inoculated with individual strain of Azospirillum sp7 and PPFM TNAU1 outperformed the combined inoculation of PGPR strains. The increase in germination traits and seedling characters by PGPR strains indicates the positive influence on improving cotton seedling establishment traits associated to higher yield.

Drought is one of the major threats to groundnut productivity, causing a greater loss than any other abiotic factor. Water stress conditions alter plant photosynthetic activity, impacting future growth and assimilating mobilization towards sink tissues. The purpose of this study was to investigate how drought impacts the photosynthesis of plants and its links to drought tolerance. The influence of reproductive stage drought on photosynthetic activity and chlorophyll fluorescence of groundnut is well studied. The experiment was conducted in Kharif 2019 (Jul-Sep), where recent series in groundnut genotypes (60 nos) sown under rainfed conditions and water stress was created by withholding irrigation for 20 days between 35-55 days after sowing in the field to simulate drought conditions. Imposition of water deficit stress reduced PS II efficiency, which significantly altered the photosynthetic rate in the leaf. Observation of gas exchange parameters viz., photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate after 20 days of stress imposition revealed that of all 60 genotypes, 20 genotypes (VG 17008, VG 17046VG 18005, VG 18102, VG 18077, VG 19572, VG 19709, VG 18111, VG19561, VG19576, VG 19620, VG 19681, VG 19688, etc.,) had better Photosynthetic rate, Stomatal conductance. Similarly, PS II efficiency analyzed through fluorescence meter revealed that among the 60 and all the genotypes given above recorded higher value in Fv/Fm. Results obtained from Cluster analysis and PCA confirmed that photosynthetic rate and Fv/Fm is useful parameter in screening adapted cultivars under drought stress. These findings lay the groundwork for a future study to decipher the molecular pathways underpinning groundnut drought resistance.

Owing to growing concerns about making pollution-free sustainable environment by reducing the dumping of agricultural waste and convert it into valuable product is a key to carry out the present study. The ultimate goal of this study is to convert shallot onion wastes (SOWs) into active packaging and evaluating the anti-browning effect due to the SOWs holding rich polyphenols and antioxidants. The active packaging film was fabricated by using sodium alginate (SA) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) along with shallot onion waste extract (SOWEs) such as peel and stalk at 0.2% and 0.5% concentration. The film made with SA/CMC/SOWEs had good physical, mechanical, optical and barrier property, higher phenolic and antioxidant activity compared to control. In addition, the effect of SA/CMC/SOWEs film packaging on anti-browning and quality of fresh-cut apple and potato stored at 4 °C was studied. The results show the SA/CMC/SOWEs film had better effect on controlling browning index in fresh-cut apple and potato over the storage of 12 days and 5 days. This study concludes that the SA/CMC film developed with shallot stalk extract can be used for wrapping of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. It also prevents browning and maintains the overall quality than control and shallot peel incorporated film.

In the current situation, the waste disposal problem of industrial by-products like fly ash, rice husk ash, micro silica, Ground granulated blast slag furnace etc., become a vulnerable environmental issue due to the pollution. The present experimental investigation is focused on the mechanical and corrosion resistance properties of M30 grade of concrete with and without supplementary cementitious materials as a partial replacement of cement. Here the Fly ash is replaced to cement by 30% and GGBS by 40%. The cement was also replaced with composite supplementary cementitious materials such as Fly ash and Ground Granulated Blast Slag Furnace (GGBS) by 30% and 40%. Similarly the above blended mix is also made by adding micro silica by 10% with 20% Fly ash and 40% of GGBS mix. Here the various trail mixes are performed to examine compressive strength (C.S), split tensile strength (STS), flexural strength (FS) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) for the varying water cement ratio and the mechanical properties is observed for the concrete at 7 days and 28 days of curing. The half cell potential meter is used to compute the reinforced concrete subjected to accelerated corrosion for the trail mix concrete. It was observed that the concrete with cement as 60% as Fly ash as 30% shows the better behaviour out of concrete with other trail mixes.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is the important fresh produce of higher economic and nutritional significance among consumers globally. Moreover, tomatoes are a majorly rich in bioactive compounds. This present study was investigated to analyze various physicochemical and physiological changes of un-ripen and ripen tomatoes of the ‘Shivam’ variety. Different properties like colour value, total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, firmness, ascorbic acid, lycopenecontent and respiration rate of tomatoes were evaluated. The result findings of both stages of maturity (Mature green, Ripe red)tomatoes were compared and discussed in detail for understanding the changes that take place upon ripening. Upon ripening pH, TSS, redness, respiration rate, lycopene and ascorbic acid contentincreases and TA, firmness, lightness and yellowness of tomatoes decreases. The results suggest that ripening process has a significant effect on ‘Shivam’ variety tomatoes' physicochemical and physiological properties.

Coconut water (Cococus Nucifera. L) is the clear liquid present inside a coconut liquid endosperm. This water is subjected to microbial contamination and degrades while exposed to ambient air. In general, thermal methods are mostly used in the preservation of liquid foods. In this study, the coconut water was collected from 8-10 months old harvested coconut. Microwave power levels of 540 W, 720 W, and 900 Whavebeen used to treat the coconut water with different exposure times. The treated coconut water was filled in PET bottles and stored at cool temperature (4 °C) and room temperature (27 °C). It is observed that microwave treated 540 W, 720 W, and 900 W coconut water has maintained the quality during the storage period. The physico-chemical properties of microwave-treated coconut water includecolor, pH, TSS, acidity, and reducing sugar on 15days of storage was measured as 13.18 to 15;5.4 to 4.8; 4.5 to 6.0;0.07 to 0.30; and 1.8 to 3.3% respectively.

In this study, an effort was taken to progress the performance of Engineered Cementitious Composites [ECC] mix, by incorporating two different fibers. Five different proportions were subjected to investigation, in this three different proportions were developed with single fiber with 2.0% volume fraction, other two proportions were with two types of fibers. Hybrid ECC proportions were organized through the mixture of low-modulusfibers [poly(vinyl alcohol) fiber] and high-modulus fibers [steel and glassfibers]. Three proportions were made with metallic, glassfiber and poly vinyl alcohol fiber. The hybridation proportions were made with a 2/3 fraction of poly vinyl alcohol fiber and 1/3 fraction of the metal fiber in 2.0% of volume fraction and accompanied with poly vinyl alcoholfiber 2/3 fraction and 1/3 fraction of glass fiber. This procedure has a good rate of success in tensile and bending behavior of ECC mix. From this effort, it was concluded that poly(vinyl alcohol) fiber 2/3 fraction and 1/3 fraction of glass fiber in 2.0% volume fraction, displayed reasonable traits.

India has one of the largest concentrations of tribal population in the world after Africa. The Tribal areas of India are mostly sheltered and remote, as a result of it a very little is known about their conditions and problems. The tribes are more compared not only in relation to the general population, but also compared with scheduled caste, the other acknowledged backward social group with constitutional protection. Tamil Nadu is one of the major states of the southern zone in India, consists of important tribal groups. The tribal areas of Tamil Nadu can be broadly divided into two major geographical dimensions such as the eastern coastal line and the mountainous regions of the north and west. The average elevation of the Eastern Ghats is 2000 feet and the highest peak is 6000 feet. This range is not continuous in Tamil Nadu. The Indian Sub-continent, in the Indian geographical area of Tamil Nadu covers about 1, 30,000 sq kms, representing nearly four percent of the total geographical area. There are more than 40 different tribes in Tamil Nadu. Scholars believe that most languages are closely related to Tamil and belong to the Dravidian language family.

Aggregatum onion (Allium cepa L. var. aggregatum.) is used as seasoning material for preparation of food. In south Indian cuisine, it is primarily renowned for its pungency and used in various dishes. By secondary processing different product could be prepared from peeled onion are flakes, powder and paste. Now a days the demand for Ready to cook (RTC) products are high in the market. In order to understand product behaviour during design of processing equipment, grading, packaging, and storage for peeled onion. The physico-chemical and mechanical properties are important. These properties were measured as per the standard procedures. The true density and bulk density of aggregatum peeled onion were 989kg/m3and 378 kg/m3 respectively. The coefficient of static friction, crushing load and penetration load were also measured. The average crushing load and penetration load of fresh peeled onion were recorded as 107.35 and 8.69 N respectively. The moisture content and shape of aggregatum peeled onion was measured as 83.23% (w.b) and spherical in shape. The TSS of fresh peeled onion was found 14.45 ± 2.47° Brix. The pH, acidity were also measured. The ascorbic content, total phenolic and antioxidant activity DPPH % were found as 16.44 ± 0.28 mg/100gm, 1295 µg GAE/g FW and 67.5% respectively.

Shallot or aggregatum onion (Allium cepaL. var. aggregation.) is one of the oldest bulb crops known to mankind and extensively grown and consumed in Southern states of India. They are one among the most important commercial vegetable and spice crops, widely used in the south Indian kitchen mainly for seasoning of curries. Aggregatum onion invariably forms afresh cluster of bulbs, often as many as 10 or 15 per cluster. In India, presently about 35 to 40 percent of the onion is estimated to be lost by post-harvest practices during various operations including handling and storage. Presently after harvest onions are processed by hand labor to remove the leaves and the roots. Hand topping has obvious disadvantages including both cost and length of time necessary to process a large number of onions. However, in recent times it is becoming increasingly difficult to find sufficient skilled labor to do the job. Farmers and processors need a suitable post-harvest machine for stem cutting of shallot onion. Owing to the practical problem in the processing of shallot onion a stem cutting machine for shallot onion was designed and fabricated. The fabricated machine with different parameters like the slope of the machine and different speeds of the rollers were optimized. Different slopes (100, 200, 300) with two roller speeda (500 to 1500 rpm) were studied, results observed showed that at 200 slope and 1000 rpm, the cutting efficiency was very good (100%) with less damage to bulbs (2%).

Management of stored product insects is a major concern and widely researched topic in the food and grain processing and storage industry. In the scenario of estimated utilization of produces exceeding the production, postharvest losses should be properly controlled to feed the growing population. The prevailing disinfestation techniques are forced to meet regulatory standards and market demands. The resistance developed by insects, environmental concerns, and occupational hazards lead to the vanishing of many chemicals used in insect and pest management programs. Some of the major disinfestation techniques such as the use of chemical fumigants, ozone, irradiation, dielectric heating, extreme temperature treatments, and bio rational approaches are discussed, particularly on the storage of cereal grains and its products, as they contribute to a significant proportion of food consumed worldwide. Newer techniques such as nonthermal plasma and metabolic stress disinfestation and decontamination for stored pest control are developed and evaluated in different parts of the world. The knowledge about the mode of action of these disinfestation techniques is important to avoid the cross-resistance and multiple resistance developed by insects with frequently used techniques. Various alternatives to conventional fumigants are discussed in this review as there is a growing demand for toxic-free, environment-friendly, and, at the same time, efficient techniques.

Aim: The current study focuses on the effect of PP nanocomposite multi-layered film on physicochemical properties of stored idli batter and prepared idli cakes. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Food Packaging and System Development at Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India, between Aug 2018 and Dec 2019. Methodology: The developed PP nanocomposite multi-layered film composed with depositing silicon dioxide (SiO2) on polypropylene (PP) film (0.010 mm) and attached with ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH 32%) film (0.066 mm). The Physico-chemical properties of developed multi-layered and commercial PP film stored idli batter with different blend ratios of rice to black gram (3:1 and 4:1) were evaluated in terms of pH, percent titrable acidity (% TA), colour value (∆E), viscosity (cP) and volume measurement (ml). Idli cake prepared with batter stored in multi-layered film and evaluated in terms of colour, texture and percent pore characteristics. The percent pore presents in per square inches of prepared idli cake with different blend ratios and fermentation time were analysed using the grayscale image in MATLAB. Results and Discussion: The pH value of stored batter ranges from 6.7 to 4.5 or lower, to reach pH below 4.5 or lower commercially stored batter took 24 h and batter stored in the multi-layered film took 36 h at ambient temperature. The multi-layered stored batter showed better results of physicochemical properties in terms of fermentation time. Idli cake prepared with 3:1 blend ratio showed good results in terms of textural properties with compared to 4:1 blend ratio. Idli cake prepared with 3:1 blend ratio showed more pore percentage (21.88-36.80%) as compared to 4:1 blend ratio (18-32.98%) in per square inch. Due to higher barrier properties of the multi-layered film, the bacterial count increases at a slow rate and help to extend the shelf life of packaged batter more than 30 h at ambient temperature.

Aim: The current study focuses on development of high oxygen barrier multi-layered packaging film for shelf life extension of Ready-to-Cook (RTC) idli batter. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Food Packaging and System Development at Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India, between Aug 2018 and Dec 2019. Methodology: The developed multi-layered film composed with polypropylene (PP) nanocomposite by depositing silicon dioxide (SiO2) on PP (0.010 mm) film and attached with different thickness of barrier layers were PP (0.010–0.053 mm) and ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH 32%) film (0.066 mm) using layer-by-layer (LbL) process. The physical and chemical characteristics of commercial (A) and all developed multi-layered (B, C, D, E and F) films were tested for barrier and mechanical properties. Results and Discussion: The SEM analysis confirmed that the developed PP nanocomposite multi-layered films have a presence of SiO2 with quasi-spherical structure with diameter ranging from 200 to 500 nm. FTIR analysis also identified the presence of Si-O-Si group on all the developed PP nanocomposite films at wavenumber ranges from 1100-900 cm-1 and 467 cm-1. The film composed with PP++SiO2+EVOH (sample F) showed lower in oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of 452.46±33.94 cc/m2/24h and water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) of 1.07±0.16 g/m2 day. The batter stored in sample F film help to extend the shelf life upto 33 h at ambient temperature and commercially stored batter spoiled quickly (24 h) at ambient temperature.

The study aimed to improve the properties of SA-CMC film by gluten (G) blends and bioactive compounds from onion waste extracts (OWEs) peel (OPE) and stalk (OSE). The applicability of film on the quality of peeled shallot onion during storage was also examined. Water barrier (0.62 g/msPa × 10

This review paper outlines the recent research works on bond properties of reinforced concrete specimens. Bond strength depends mainly on corrosion of the main bar and stirrups, type of concrete, concrete cover and corrosion rate. The environmental effects also play a dynamic role in the degradation of bond stability within reinforced rods and concrete. To integrate the bond behaviour amidst reinforced rods and concrete, several testing methods have been used and the pull-out experiment is used worldwide among them due to its simplicity. The study is gone through bond toughness amid reinforcement and concrete in different environments in different types of concretes such as high strength concretes, fibre-reinforced concretes, reinforcement corroded concretes, lightweight concrete and recycled aggregate concrete. Bond-slip behaviour is also studied for the lightweight concrete, and the graph visualizes the fact that the curve of bond-slip in lightweight concrete is comparable with the standard concrete. From the literature study, it is remarked that very few investigations have organized on the behaviour of bond in corroded reinforced steel rods. The span of cracks on the surface of concrete that occurs due to corrosion performs a prominent part in estimating the bond stability. Also, the bond toughness varies in real-time corroded structures compared with laboratory corroded techniques. Still, there is a shortage of study in those areas, and advanced tests and investigations are required.

Cloud computing is a technology that has enabled individual users and organizations alike to implement such functionality. Currently, a large percentage of the data being generated is stored on clouds, and the number of organizations opting for cloud-based technologies is continuously on the rise. With such growing numbers accessing and utilizing cloud resources, data security has become a significant cause of concern. Traditional methods of cloud computing are becoming obsolete and ineffective with each technological breakthrough, and data is thus highly subjected to getting corrupted or hacked. This chapter provides a survey on various trust management techniques used in cloud technology to protect the data with multiple security features.

In the modern world, there is a huge increase in the usage of various technologies which may produce heterogeneous data. Using the latest security algorithms like Triple Data Encryption Standard (TDES), Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA), Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) these (heterogeneous) data are transferred over the internet. Despite of such good security mechanisms, there exist vulnerabilities to the user data. In the recent years, researchers started the usage of bio-inspired computing models towards security. In this paper, two such bio-inspired computing models namely splicing system and Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing were used. We proposed a novel cryptosystem using contextual array splicing system for DNA sequenced input data. In this process, we have designed Turing machine(s) that perform(s) the conversion of a binary input to DNA sequence and the cryptosystem operation using contextual array splicing system. Next, the developed novel cryptosystem is applied in the domain of Medical Internet of Things (MIoT). Further, we had investigated the proof of correctness. Next, the proposed cryptosystems are proved to be Turing computable. Finally, the security analysis and evaluation of the proposed cryptosystem has been studied.

Ozone is a potential alternative to commercial fumigants. The development of ozone fumigation technology for insects control requires a precise prediction of the distribution of introduced ozone ga...

Carbon Fiber Reinforced polymer (CFRP) bars are weak in yielding property which results in sudden failure of structure at failure load. Inclusion of non-pretensioned steel reinforcement in the tension side of CFRP based prestressed concrete beam will balance the yielding requirements of member and it will show the definite crack failure pattern before failure. Experimental investigation has been carried out to study the deflection behavior of partially prestressed beam. Experimental works includes four beam specimens stressed by varying degree of prestressing. The Partial Prestressing Ratio (PPR) of specimen is considered for experimental works in the range of 0.6 to 0.8. A new deflection model is recommended in the present study considering the strain contribution of CFRP bar and steel reinforcement for the fully bonded member. New deflection model converges to experimental results with the error of less than 5% .

Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) is a type of improved high-performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites with good tensile, compression and flexural behavior. ECC is known for their strainhardening behavior under tension and has been increasingly applied in engineering practice. The process of adding two or more fibers in a mix is known as hybridization. The hybrid composite drives benefits from each of the individual fibers added and exhibits improved ultimate strength and strain capacity compared to the mono-fiber composites. The major applications of ECC are structural reinforcement in the construction and also organic fiber hybridization is valid only for underwater conditions and they will provide additional tests concerning burnability or flammability. This work presents the results obtained from three ECC mixes (PVA, PP, STEEL) and four Hybrid Engineered Cementitious Composites (HECC) with different combinations of volume fraction with PVA, PP, STEEL. The experimental studies have been carried out to investigate the mechanical behaviors of ECC and HECC. The results indicate that this hybridation process has a notable achievement in compressive strength, direct tensile strength and flexural strength. Keywords: Engineered Cementitious Composite, Compressive Strength, Flexural Strength, Direct Tensile Strength, Composites with Organic Burnable Materials

In this paper natural fibers are confined with short circular and square columns for strengthening purpose with conventional wrapping technology. The substitution of natural fibres for synthetic fibres is a new approach to achieve sustainable construction. The most commonly used fibers are Glass, Carbon, Aramid, etc., but the fibers are costly and considered to be slightly uneconomical. Hence natural fibers namely Jute, Kenaf and Flax are utilized in this research. An experimental study reports the efficacy of the use of Jute, Kenaf, and Flax fabrics as external confinement for concrete columns furthermore, the outcomes propose that a huge improvement in the quality properties. Circular columns of 100mm diameter and 600mm height have been constructed and are tested under axial compression. The test outcomes show that the axial load carrying limit of FRP wrapped is increased than the control columns by a significant percentage. In these three natural fibers, Flax FRP wrapped columns offer more strength than Jute and Kenaf fiber wrapped columns. Natural fibers not only increase the strength it is cost-effective and environmental friendly as they are 100% bio-degradable.

The new fumigant ozone offers an alternative to contact insecticides such as phosphine and methyl bromide as a grain fumigant. This study was carried out to test the flow characteristics of ozone from points of release to the available concentration of ozone to kill pests at other areas along the storage bin. A mass transfer model which predicts ozone concentration as a function of time was applied along with continuity equation to simulate the ozone transfer in a storage bin. Ozone exchange rate based on grain bed thickness was taken into account and evaluated using the correlation developed during the experiment. The relative error between the experimental and predicted ozone concentration values for the entire bin geometry was less than 25.7%. Overall, the general trends of measured ozone concentration were compatible with the simulated ones.

Fe2O3 nanoparticles are particularly attractive for sensor and drug delivery applications because of their size-dependent super paramagnetism, low toxicity, and biocompatibility with cells and tissues. Binding interaction studies of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) with Fe2O3 nanocrystals have been carried out by absorption, fluorescence, dispersion, SEM, TEM, AFM and FT-IR spectral studies. APTES act as a new host for Fe2O3 nanocrystals that quenches its fluorescence due to the electron transfer of APTES. It adsorbs on the surface of the Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Dispersion studies, SEM and FT-IR confirm the adsorption of APTES on the surface of Fe2O3 nanocrystals. Fe2O3 nanocrystals quench the fluorescence of APTES. Surface treatment of nanoparticles by APTES and its mechanism discussed in detail. Antibacterial test such as well-cut diffusion have been done in agar plates using 100 μL concentration of functionalised and non-functionalised Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Functionalised Fe2O3 nanoparticles show enhanced biocidal activity when compared with non-functionalised Fe2O3 nanoparticles in repeated experiments.

Numerical model analysis was carried out to study the deflection behaviour of FRP-based prestressed concrete (PSC) beam, because it does not resemble the existing deflection model of steel tendon-based PSC beam due to its non-ductile property. Deflection model by various researchers for the FRP-based PSC beams are underestimating as compared to experimental results which lead to unsafe design. There were 51 numbers of experimental results which were collected from various research articles for the numerical model analysis. Lagrange dual function convex optimisation used to predict the effective moment of inertia and shift of neutral axis distance. It reveals that the deflection of FRP tendon beam depends on deformability of material, degree of prestressing and bond strength. Design chart suggested for calculation of effective moment of inertia and effective neutral axis distance with respect to deformability index. The maximum deflection error by the proposed method is less than 5% as compared to ...