Some physical properties of palmyrah fruit were investigated in this study. The average values of major, medium, minor and geometric mean diameters of fresh whole palmyrah fruit were 11.54,10.45, 9.85 and 10.64 cm respectively at 47.34 % (w.b) moisture content whereas that of palmyrah nut were 8.59, 7.35, 4.99 and 6.79 cm respectively at 8% (w.b) moisture content. Sphericity, surface area and aspect ratio were found to be 91.94%, 359.17 cm2 and 0.90 for fruit and whereas that of nut were 79.19%, 145.16 cm2 and 0.86 respectively. The average mass of the individual palmyrah fruit and nut was 927.78 and 248.10 g whereas bulk density was 525.92 and 693.0 kg/m3 respectively. The coefficient of static friction on mild steel, glass and plywood surfaces were 0.27, 0.21 and 0.25 for palmyrah fruit and 0.36, 0.28 and 0.27 for nut respectively. The angle of repose of palmyrah fruit and nut were 30.77 and 44.03 respectively.

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Plasma is the fourth state of matters which have a wide application in food processing and post harvest technology. Plasma when applied over crops has tremendous effects in improvement in the quality and other post harvest attributes. Application of cold plasma technology could effectively induce desirable changes in its overall quality and diverse physiology. The following review would discuss the application of non-thermal plasma technology to disinfect and decontaminate processed food product and fresh horticultural crops. Horticultural crops which are treated with plasma technology do not show any loss in nutrients. The packaging materials can also be sterilized by using plasma technology. Similarly, the food packed inside a package can also be sterilized without harming the package integrity. Beside that it can also be used to reduce the enzymatic activity of fresh fruits and vegetables and help to modify the food properties. Cold plasma technology can penetrate fungal biofilm and destroy resting fungal spores. This technology can also be harnessed to remove residual toxic pesticide from food products and fresh fruits and vegetables. However, the technology might sound a bit expensive but have a long future in terms of utility.

This chapter described a model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), and its performance in comparison with other similar models evaluated. A case study of the Kosi basin in the eastern Himalayas using the SWAT model is presented. The study evaluates the impact of climate change on streamflow in the Upper Kosi basin by using a Regional Climate Model (RCM) coupled with SWAT. The potential impacts of climate change on water yield and other hydrological budget components are quantified by driving SWAT with current and future climate scenarios. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is now the encompassing paradigm for adaptation to contemporary climate variability, and it is the prerequisite for coping with the still uncertain consequences of global warming, the climate changes associated with it and their repercussions on the water cycle. A framework of IWRM that can be readily adopted is described.

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Granular formulations of Dactylella candida and Arthrobotrys dactyloides were prepared by encapsulating different quantities of fungal biomass in alginate, or by subjecting encapsulated biomass to further fermentation. Results of experiments with these formulations showed that the presence of nutrients and the quality and quantity of biomass in granules determined their level of activity against nematodes. The best formulations were those in which granules were fermented after the fungus had been encapsulated in alginate. These formulations produced a network of traps in soil which were maintained for at least 10 d and extended 5-10 mm from the granule. Experiments in microcosms showed that the number of second-stage juveniles of Meloidogyne javanica recovered from soil was reduced substantially when alginate preparations of both fungi were introduced.

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