Chittoor District Research Articles

Economics of Milk Production and Resource Use Efficiency of Milk Across Different Herd Size Categories in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh

Background: In India dairy farming is a significant part of the rural population, providing not only supplementary income and nutritional standards but also organic manures and draught power. Andhra Pradesh ranks 5th in total milk production in India with an output of 15.04 million metric tonnes and Chittoor district is one of the leading districts for dairy farming in the state. There is an increasing trend in milk production; however, the main drawback faced by the milk producers in dairy farming is the low productivity of milch animals. Assessing the economics of milk production would be extremely beneficial in planning for the improvement of productivity of dairy animals and framing policies to increase the profitability of dairy farms. Methods: Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh was purposively selected for the present investigation. The primary data was collected from 80 respondents of which 40 each from two villages in the year 2021. The economics of milk production and the resource use efficiency of milk were computed based on collected data. Result: The per-day gross cost for maintaining local cow, crossbred cow and buffalo was found to be ₹ 161.09, ₹ 246.16 and ₹ 196.07, respectively. The overall cost per litre of milk was found to be slightly high in the case of buffalo (₹ 31.45), followed by the local cow (₹ 31.33) and crossbred cow (₹ 19.69), respectively. The net returns per litre of milk were found to be highest in the case of the crossbred cow (₹ 7.45), followed by buffalo (₹ 3.66) and local cow (₹ 0.12). It was observed that the net return per litre of milk for local cows was very less due to high feed cost, labour cost and low productivity of milk. Green fodder, dry fodder and concentrate were observed underutilized whereas labour was found to be over-utilized.

Flood Frequency Analysis of Araniar Medium Irrigation Project in Chittoor District by using Gumbel's Distribution

Flood frequency analysis is one of the most important statistical technique to understand the nature and magnitude of high discharge of floods in the river. The objective of flood frequency analysis was to relate the magnitude of floods and their frequency of occurrence through probability distribution. Flood frequency analysis is essential to reduce the impact of flood damage by predicting the floods by adopting the suitable flood prediction model. The Araniar reservoir was constructed across the Araniar river in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. The flood frequency analysis was conducted on the Araniar reservoir using Gumbel’s extreme value distribution method in the year 2019-2020. Daily maximum inflow data from the Department of Water Resources, Andhra Pradesh, were collected for the period 1990-2019 and used for flood frequency analysis of Araniar Reservoir using Gumbel's extreme value distribution method. From the observations of Gumbel’s distribution, the R2 value acquired from the trend line equation was 0.9803, indicating that Gumbel's extreme value distribution was suitable for estimating predicted reservoir flood flow. The estimated flood flow for upcoming years of 2 years, 10 years, 50 years, 100 years,150 years, 200 years, 300 years and 400 years were found to be 38.29 Mm3/year, 66.96 Mm3/year, 92.08 Mm3/year, 102.71 Mm3/year, 108.90 Mm3/year, 113.29 Mm3/year, 119.47 Mm3/year and 123.85 Mm3/year respectively. The mean instantaneous flow in the reservoir was 40.88149 Mm3/year which was nearly equal to a return period of about 2 years. The estimated flood flows of the Araniar reservoir was useful for constructing important dam hydraulic structures, advising agricultural patterns in the command area, and protecting lives and property downstream of the catchment region.

Communication Behaviour of Groundnut Growers in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh

This study was conducted in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh to measure communication behaviour among groundnut growers for agricultural technology. A total number of 120 respondents were selected purposively from 12 villages under Gudipala & Yadamari block to measure the level of communication behaviour among growers for agricultural technology. The data was recorded by personal interview method by using pre-structured interview schedule and latter appropriate statistical analysis was done to draw logical conclusion. The study revealed that 44.18 % of the Groundnut growers belonged to middle age category and 57.51 % belonged to middle and high school. 44.16 % of the groundnut growers belonged to medium (2.5 – 5) acre of land holding. The findings also revealed that that majority (41.66%) of the groundnut growers had medium level of communication behaviour among groundnut growers, (40.01%) and (18.33%) of the groundnut growers had high and low level of communication behaviour.

Food loss of perishable produce from farm to retail: evidence from tomato supply chains in South India

ABSTRACTBackgroundReducing food loss and waste (FLW) may narrow gaps between fruit and vegetable production and recommended intake. However, FLW estimates are inconsistent due to varying estimation methods.ObjectivesUsing multiple estimation approaches, we examined the extent and determinants of FLW along tomato supply chains in South India, from farm to retail. We also explored tomato quality assessments.MethodsWe surveyed 75 farm households and 83 tomato traders in the Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, and 52 vegetable traders and 50 vegetable retailers in Hyderabad, Telangana, on harvest and market days. We calculated declared FLW values using participant-reported losses to estimate the preharvest quality FLW and quantitative FLW values at the farmer, vegetable-trader, and vegetable-retailer stages. We calculated the destination FLW based on counted crates diverted to loss destinations, using participant-reported destinations (animal feed, field discard), to estimate the postharvest FLW from farm to retail. We used pile sorting with farmers to explore on-farm quality assessments.ResultsThe average preharvest quality FLW was 13.9% of harvested tomatoes. From farm to retail, the quantitative FLW was greatest at the postharvest, farm level. Among all harvests, the median postharvest, farm-level FLW was 0.0% (IQR, 0.0%–7.9%) using the destination FLW approach (tomatoes diverted to nonfood uses) and 2.3% (IQR, 0.0%–12.5%) using the declared FLW approach (P < 0.05). Among harvests with a non-zero postharvest, farm-level FLW, the median FLW was 9.1% (IQR, 2.4%–16.7%) using the destination FLW approach (tomatoes diverted to nonfood uses) and 10.0% (IQR, 2.9%–16.7%) using the declared FLW approach. Harvesting during peak season was a determinant of postharvest, farm-level and preauction, market-level FLW values. Farmers prioritize color/ripeness attributes while harvesting and tomato size while grading.ConclusionsSingle-point estimates may obscure FLW patterns for perishable, indeterminate crops and depend on data collection and estimation methods. Reducing FLW of perishables requires the integration of quantitative and qualitative FLW estimation methods.

Report of invasive species Croton hirtus from Andhra Pradesh, India

Croton hirtus L’ Her., an aggressive invasive weed, native to W. Indies and Central and South America is reported as an addition to the Flora of Andhra Pradesh from Chittoor District. Detailed description and photo plate are provided for easy identification.

Molecular characterization of virus species causing yellow mosaic disease of redgram in Andhra Pradesh

Redgram is animportant drought tolerant leguminous crop in the semi-arid subtropics. Many fungal, bacterialand viral diseases are major constraints for redgram production, apart from all these diseases, yellowmosaic disease (YMD) is observed in redgram crop in few localities of Chittoor district, Andhra Pradeshduring 2017. The present study was aimed to find out associated begomo virus species causing YMD inredgram.The total genomic DNA was isolated from YMV infected redgram leaves by modified CTAB method.The rolling circle amplification based full length clones were constructed in pUC18 vector. The two constructed clones (DNA-A and DNA-B) were confirmed by using gene specific primers and weresequenced.The coat protein gene andcomplete nucleotide sequence analysis was carried out with the knownbegomoviruses sequences obtained from Genbank database.The phylogenetic analysis of coat protein geneof YMV-AP-Red gram isolate shared 94.3-98.1% nucleotide identity with HgYMV isolates, followed byMYMV (81.2-85.2%), MYMIV (78.1-80.2%) and DoYMV(72.2-74%). Hence it was confirmed that viral speciescausing YMD in redgram from Tirupati, AndhraPradesh is a Horsegram yellow mosaic virus and it is avariant of HgYMV as it shared&gt;94% similarity with other HgYMV isolates at nucleotide level.

Socio-economic characteristics of dairy farmers sourcing information from digital and traditional media in Andhra Pradesh

Dairy farming has enormous potential to augment dairy farmers socioeconomic status. The present study was conducted in purposively selected Visakhapatnam, Prakasam and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh. Twenty dairy farmers were chosen randomly from each of the selected villages based on their media exposure to digital and traditional media. Then, they were divided into two groups of 10. The ones who use digital media and those who use traditional media as their source of information. The study included 60 traditional and 60 digital media farmers. Thus, a total of120 farmers were involved in this study. A simple statistical approach was employed to evaluate the data acquired. The study revealed that most respondents (70.00%) were middle-aged men (96.67%), literate (73.35%), and 46.67% were from the Backward caste (BC). The majority of respondents had agriculture (56.65%) as their main occupation, medium (69.165%) herd size, medium income (65.00%) and medium social participation (89.17%). Most of the respondents (60.83%) had medium media exposure, with medium information seeking behaviour (72.5%) and medium extension contact (50.83%) respectively.

Impact of Ridge and Furrow Method of Planting on Groundnut Yield Attributes in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India

Climate change is putting increasing pressure on India's farmers' land and natural resources, which they rely on not just to feed the country but also to support their livelihoods. Approximately 30% of land is currently degraded, and rising temperatures mean agriculture will require 30% more water. Innovative approaches are emerging across India to assist farmers in adapting to climate change challenges and mitigating the effects of their farming practises. An innovative ridge and furrow planting pattern and its impact on ground nut crop production was carried out. The field experiment was conducted during the two consecutive Rabi and Kharif seasons of 2020 and 2021 to study ridge and furrow in-situ conservation system for Groundnut crop at farmer’s fields in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh under Southern agro-climatic region. Raised bed planting involves sowing of crops using raised bed maker alternated with furrows for irrigation. Bed width depends upon crop spacing usually ranging from 30 cm, and accommodates crop on raised bed. Raised beds require reshaping each year preferably before Kharif season. Bed planting reduces cost, and saves seed, fertilizer and irrigation water. It also increases water-use efficiency both under rainfed and irrigated scenarios because water moves laterally from furrows into beds thereby reducing evaporation losses. Further lesser incidence of pest and diseases as well as better aeration within furrows. Weed population reduced on ridge and furrow method of planting. The ridge-furrow method of planting groundnut has been reported to save seed and water by 25-30% and fertilizer by 25%, yield enhancement to the extent of 8-23% higher compared to the normal flatbed sowing method. Economic analysis revealed that the net profit was recorded higher under ridge and furrow system compared to normal flatbed sowing. Benefit–cost ratio (BCR) ratio was recorded under ridge and furrow system (5.13) while under flat sowing system (2.20) for the consecutive years respectively.

Absolute cardiovascular risk scores and medication use in rural India: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesWe compared the performance of laboratory-based cardiovascular risk prediction tools in a low-income and middle-income country setting, and estimated the use of antihypertensive and lipid-lowering medications in those deemed at...

Role of Competency Environment based Empirical Study and Education on Employees Retention and Psychological Analysis

A healthy relationship between Employer and employee psychology is a critical factor for any successful business. Both Employer and employees are responsible for attaining the company’s goal and vision, for which an empirical study is performed. Employee turnover is a significant problem faced by many organizations. Employee turnover is a major issue in the competitive Automobile sector. This research study attempts to assess and evaluate the role of competency management &amp; its impact on the work environment &amp; work-related challenges and its effects on employee retention in large-scale automobile &amp; ancillary companies in Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh. Empirical and quantitative research would use a mixed research approach, and the data were collected from 82 Managers and 116 Engineers of various automobile companies &amp; ancillary companies in Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh. Competency management positively affects work enrichment&amp; enlargement, which is positively related to work autonomy and participative decision making. Work autonomy and participative decisions are making lead to employee psychology retention. This education can be useful for future employee maintenance in business applications.

Assessment of incidence of collar rot disease of groundnut in Andhra Pradesh and evaluation of bioefficacy of &lt;i&gt;Trichoderma&lt;/i&gt; spp. against &lt;i&gt;Aspergillus&lt;/i&gt; spp.

Roving survey was conducted during &lt;em&gt;Kharif&lt;/em&gt;, 2018-19 in three major groundnut growing districts of Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh to know the status of collar rot (caused by &lt;em&gt;Aspergillus&lt;/em&gt; spp.) incidence under field conditions. Effect of variety, seed treatment, farming situation, soil type and cropping pattern on disease incidence was studied. Maximum collar rot incidence was observed in Anathapuramu district (17.24%) followed by Chittoor district (15.90 %) and Y.S.R. Kadapa district (12.56%). Even though fungicides were reported to be effective against collar rot of groundnut, there is limited data available on biological control of collar rot. Hence, a study was also conducted to isolate and test &lt;em&gt;Trichoderma&lt;/em&gt; spp. that is effective against the collar rot pathogen. Eight&lt;em&gt; Trichoderma&lt;/em&gt; spp. isolates were evaluated against six virulent &lt;em&gt;Aspergillus&lt;/em&gt; spp. isolates (i.e., two isolates of &lt;em&gt;A. niger&lt;/em&gt;, two isolates of &lt;em&gt;A. flavus&lt;/em&gt; and two isolates of &lt;em&gt;A. terreus&lt;/em&gt;) using dual culture technique. From the results it was revealed that, &lt;em&gt;Trichoderma&lt;/em&gt; spp. isolate GT2 (88.64 %) exhibited highest overall mean per cent inhibition followed by GT1 (85.17 %) and GT7 (84.20 %). Whereas, the lowest mean per cent inhibition was recorded in GT3 (45.59 %).

Forms of Potassium and their Distribution under Prominent Cropping Systems of Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India

An investigation was carried out to assess distribution of forms of potassium in soils and seven prominent cropping systems from Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh viz., Groundnut + Redgram, Groundnut-Groundnut, Groundnut monocropping, Redgram monocropping, Sugarcane monocropping, Paddy-Groundnut and Bajra-Groundnut. The highest mean available K was recorded under groundnut + redgram intercropping system (126.41 mg kg ) in surface soils, while in sub-surface soils under groundnut monocropping system (89.32 mg kg ), water -1 -1soluble K in surface soils under bajra-groundnut cropping system (38.70 mg kg ), while in sub-surface soils under groundnut + redgram -1 intercropping system (23.29 mg kg ), exchangeable K under groundnut monocropping system in surface soils (102.63 mg kg ) and in sub--1 -1 surface soils (72.17 mg kg ), non-exchangeable K under paddy-groundnut cropping system (517.83 mg kg ), while in sub-surface under -1 -1bajra-groundnut cropping system (475.20 mg kg ). The mean lattice K and total K were under redgram monocropping system in surface soils -1 (40313.16 mg kg and 40794 mg kg , respectively), while in sub-surface soils under groundnut+redgram intercropping system (35802.72 mg -1 -1 kg and 36248 mg kg , respectively).The different forms of potassium were positively and significantly correlated among themselves with each -1 -1 other in soils of indicating dynamic equilibrium among different forms K.

Extraction of drainage Characteristics and Morphometric analysis using GIS and SRTM Digital Elevation Model Data in Sathyavedu area, Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh, India

The aim of the present study is to extraction of the drainage characteristics from SRTM 30M resolution data processed in Arc GIS 10.1and develops the different maps such as Drainage fill, flow accumulation, stream link, flow direction, stream order map. The study area stream order map shows 5 orders. Most of the stream area flow in the direction of North West to south west and it determine the less porosity and permeability due to presence of the granite schist, quartzite's and laterite group of rocks and SRTM DEM with spatial resolution of 30m.

Correlates of Self Rated Health among Elderly Men and Women from Different Social Classes: A Prospective Study

Majority of elderly women experience apprehensions of health and disability especially when they enter 60 plus years. One of the psychological markers of long life is self-rated health which is revealed by western and eastern longitudinal studies on longevous individuals. Self-efficacy beliefs of health as a moderator variable that determine physical wellbeing which in turn leads to mental well-being. Keeping aforementioned in view, data on SRH and its correlates have been identified from a 3-year prospective study carried out on three cohort groups (55-60; 61-65; 66-70). A sample of 480 community dwelling elderly men and women of different social classes (schedule class, schedule tribe &amp; general open category - non-SC &amp; ST groups) were drawn from 50-59(N=160), 60-69(N=160), and 70-79 (N=160) age groups. Multistage random sampling technique was used to draw subjects from rural areas of Chittoor, Kadapa and Nellore districts. Data pertaining to 480 middle aged and elderly men and women over three consecutive years of testing indicate a significant association between self-rated health with self-regulation, state and trait anxiety, anger, social supports, physical and mental activity, health behavior motivation, health behavior practices and stress, Health care implications are discussed.

HERO-STONES IN RAYALASEEMA - A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO VAIDUMBA CHIEFS

The present paper deals with the hero-stones of Vaidumba chiefs in the Rayalaseema region. The hero-stones of South India datable to the third century CE are found in N?g?rjunak?nda in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, in which names of the warriors are mentioned and are carved elaborately. In Rayalaseema three hundred and forty six hero-stones are found. Of these eighty four belong to Vaidumba chiefs. In Kadapa District alone fifty seven are found. Twenty five hero-stones are in Chittoor District and the remaining two in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh. More than five hero-stones with inscriptions, in characters of ninth-eleventh century CE in archaic Telugu are found, at Vand?di in Rayachoti Taluk of Kadapa district. Vaidumba chiefs were one of the important feudatory dynasties of the Western Ch?lukyas. They ruled from the eighth to fourteenth century CE Their original habitat was Vaidumbavr?lu in Chittoor District. When the Vaidumb?s became the masters of R?n?du-7000, the capital was shifted to Chippili in Madanapalli taluk of Chittoor District and then to Pottapi in Kadapa District.

DWCRA: An Explanatory Study in Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh

DWCRA: An Explanatory Study in Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh

Analyzing factors influencing non performing assets from banker's and borrower's perspective of selected commercial banks in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh

Analyzing factors influencing non performing assets from banker's and borrower's perspective of selected commercial banks in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh

Diagnosis of Marek’s Disease through Histological, Immunohisto-Chemical and Molecular Applications: A Comparative Study

A total of 615 dead birds from various commercial poultry farms in and around Tirupati of Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh were examined and among them 63 birds (10.24%) revealed suspected lesions for Marek’s disease. The gross and microscopic examination of the different tissues was carried out and further confirmed as Marek’s disease by immunohistochemical and molecular applications. Histologically, infiltration of the pleomorphic lymphoid cells was observed in the liver, heart, lung, kidney, ovary, spleen, thymus, pancreas, proventriculus, intestine, skin, skeletal muscle and sciatic nerve. Immunohistochemical staining revealed mild to moderate positive reactivity for MDV antigens in the cytoplasm of the infiltrating lymphocytes in all the organs. Mild positive reactivity for Marek’s disease was detected in the hepatocytes, tubular epithelial cells of the kidney, myocardial fibers and epithelial cells of the intestine. Molecular detection of the Meq gene of serotype 1 MDV in the tissue samples revealed an expected size of 1081 bp in PCR products in Marek’s disease - positive birds. The sequence showed 99.7% homology with that of different strains of serotype-1 specific Gallid Herpes virus 2 of Kerala and Ludhiana. The above studies indicated that the incidence of Marek’s disease among the vaccinated chicken flock was evident. The immunohistochemical studies revealed the distribution pattern of the Marek’s disease virus in internal organs and the PCR product was amplified on histologically diagnosed tissues.

Vaccination against COVID-19 among People Living with HIV

Background: Vaccination against COVID-19 among people living with HIV (PLWH) infection is crucial. At present, evidence lacks to strategize vaccinating the hesitant PLWH. This study has estimated the proportion of PLWH vaccinated till October 2021, enumerated the various adverse events following vaccination, and identified the enabling and constraining factors associated with vaccination. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among PLWH by the snowball sampling in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Data were analyzed using the descriptive statistics and qualitative analyses. Results: Two-hundred and forty-seven PLWH responded, out of which 52 (20.7%) were yet to be vaccinated. Seventy-five (30%) participants reported having adverse events, out of which five (7%) had pain at the injection site, and 72 (96%) had systemic reactions. Fever (n = 51, 68%), dizziness (n = 23, 31%), and joint pain (n = 23, 31%) were the major systemic reactions. Among the vaccinated, motivation by the health-care workers and village volunteers were the major enabling factors. On the contrary, uncertainty about the vaccine effects, negative feedback from the health-care workers, and lack of self-motivation were the important constraining factors in taking the vaccines. Conclusion: Some PLWH are still hesitant to take the vaccine. Evidence generation, coupled with community mobilization, is required to upthrust the vaccination campaign in achieving the herd immunity against COVID-19.

Micro credit as a mechanism for the financial uplifment of women in chittoor district

The main objective of this paper is to find the impact of Micro Credit on the Empowerment of Women in Chittoor District.This paper includes many challenges that are faced by the rural women for empowering their livelihood. One of the tools that help the women in rural areas for their empowerment is Micro Credit. The Microfinance Sector occupies a position of importance in the Indian Economy. One of the major barriers to lend women is the collateral requirement. Property owning can be factually or legally difficult for women. Other major obstacles, namely, the lack of initial capital resulting from their low level of livelihoods, patriarchal control over financial decisions, the lack of entrepreneurship, market knowledge, management, and technical skills, and the lack of time resulted from the household responsibilities prevent for women in establishing an enterprise and starting economic activities.