National Research Centre for Banana

Literature serves as an invaluable mirror reflecting the life and ethos of a people. In this regard, Sangam literature, a venerable corpus of ancient Tamil poetry, stands as a priceless repository, safeguarding the intricate tapestry of life lived by ancient Tamils. Ancient Tamils ingeniously categorized land into five distinct ecological zones, known as thinai, each imbued with its unique flora, fauna, and human activities. Among these Aintinai (five thinai), the Neithal land, representing the coastal and maritime regions, forms the focus of this study. The primary objective of this research is to delve into the life and cultural constituents of the Neithal inhabitants (the Paratavar), specifically examining their social organization, modes of worship, ingrained beliefs, traditional occupations, marriage customs, and the profound practice of hospitality. ஒரு தேசத்தின் ஆன்மாவையும், அதன் மக்களின் ஆழமான மனதையும், அவர்களின் வாழ்க்கை முறையையும் அறிய வேண்டுமானால், அதைவிடச் சிறந்த சாட்சிகள் வேறில்லை – அவர்தம் இலக்கியங்களே! காலத்தின் கரங்களால் அழியாமல், தலைமுறைகளைக் கடந்து, நம்மை முன்னோர்களோடு உரையாட வைக்கும் அற்புதக் கருவூலங்கள் இலக்கியங்கள். அந்த வகையில், இரண்டாயிரம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கும் முற்பட்ட தமிழர்களின் வாழ்வியலை, அவர்களின் கலாச்சாரப் புதையல்களை, இன்றைக்கும் நம் கண்முன் நிறுத்தும் பேழையாகத் திகழ்வது சங்க இலக்கியங்களே. பண்டைத் தமிழர்கள், இயற்கையோடு இயைந்து வாழ்ந்தவர்கள். அவர்கள் வாழ்ந்த நிலத்தை, அதன் வளமையைப் போற்றி, ஐந்தாகப் பிரித்தனர். ஆம், குறிஞ்சி, முல்லை, மருதம், நெய்தல், பாலை என ஐந்து திணைகளாக நிலத்தை வகைப்படுத்தி, ஒவ்வொரு திணைக்கும் உரிய தனித்துவமான வாழ்வியலையும், மக்களின் நம்பிக்கைகளையும், கடவுள் வழிபாடுகளையும், அவர்கள் மேற்கொண்ட தொழில்களையும், குடும்ப உறவுகளையும், விருந்தோம்பல் பண்பையும் நுட்பமாகப் பதிவு செய்துள்ளனர். இந்த ஐந்திணைகளில், கடலோரப் பகுதிகளையும், அதன் செழிப்பான வாழ்வியலையும் பிரதிபலிக்கும் நெய்தல் நிலமானது, எப்போதும் ஒரு தனிச்சிறப்பு வாய்ந்தது. சங்க இலக்கியங்கள் நெய்தல் நிலத்தைப் பலவாறு வர்ணிக்கின்றன. மீன்பிடித்தல், உப்பு விளைவித்தல் போன்ற தொழில்களை மையமாகக் கொண்ட அந்த மக்களின் வாழ்க்கை, இயற்கையின் சீற்றங்களோடு போராடியும், அதன் கொடைகளை மகிழ்ந்து ஏற்றும் அமைந்ததைக் காண முடிகிறது. அவர்களின் சமூக அமைப்பு எவ்வாறு இருந்தது, அவர்கள் வணங்கிய தெய்வங்கள் யாவை, அவர்களுக்கு இருந்த மாய யதார்த்த நம்பிக்கைகள் என்னென்ன, திருமணச் சடங்குகள் எவ்வாறு நடைபெற்றன, விருந்தினரை அவர்கள் எவ்வாறு உபசரித்தனர் – இவையனைத்தையும் விரிவாகவும், நுணுக்கமாகவும் ஆய்வு செய்வதே இந்த ஆய்வின் முதன்மையான நோக்கமாகும். சங்க இலக்கியங்களில் உறையும் நெய்தல் நில வாழ்வியலின் பல்வேறு பரிமாணங்களை வெளிக்கொணர்வதே இதன் உந்துசக்தியாக அமைகிறது.

Ladybird beetles of the tribe Plotinini (Coccinellidae: Coccinellinae) are exclusively distributed in Asia, with their highest diversity in the Oriental realm. Although the tribe is one of the smallest within Coccinellidae in terms of species richness, it is recognized as strongly monophyletic in recent phylogenetic classifications. In India, only six species in three genera were known so far. In this study, illustrated diagnostic accounts of the Indian species are provided, along with notes on distribution and host associations, when available. One new species, Buprestodera reclusa sp. nov., is described from the Western Ghats. The genus Plotina Lewis is newly recorded from India, with the addition of two speciesPlotina muelleri Mader and Plotina octomaculata Wang & Renfrom the northeastern region (Meghalaya). This study documents the presence of nine species and four genera of Plotinini from India. An updated checklist of Indian Plotinini is also provided.

A solar photovoltaic-driven interior LED lighting system is proposed in this ‎manuscript, which is applicable for clean rooms, laboratories, modular offices, ‎convention halls, theatres, churches, etc., during daytime as well as night hours. The ‎proposed scheme gets supply from the grid in the case of shortage/absence of solar ‎PV power. The power transfer from the PV source and the grid is customized to ‎utilize the maximum PV power to maintain the constant and required level of ‎illumination at the workplace. A Firefly algorithm, together with a conventional ‎proportional-integral (PI) controller, is designed and tested successfully for effective ‎power arrangement. The simulated and measured result shows the effectiveness of ‎the new approach‎.

ABSTRACTThe declining availability of fossil fuels necessitates the development of sustainable and cost‐effective food processing techniques that utilize renewable energy sources. Phase change materials (PCMs), recognized for their high thermal energy storage capacity and ability to regulate temperature through latent heat exchange, are increasingly utilized across various industries. This study compares the energy consumption and quality attributes of solar tunnel drying (SOD), PCM‐based solar drying (PCMSD), and hot air oven drying (HAD) for the dehydration of whole ripe banana fruits, commonly known as banana figs. Among the drying methods evaluated, PCMSD demonstrated the highest energy efficiency, achieving a drying efficiency of 7.77% and a specific energy consumption of 2.90 × 104 kJ/kg. In comparison, SOD showed a drying efficiency of 7.17% with a specific energy consumption of 3.14 × 104 kJ/kg, while hot air drying recorded the lowest efficiency at 6.14% and the highest specific energy consumption of 3.60 × 104 kJ/kg. PCMSD resulted in significantly higher (p < 0.05) phenolic (118.77 mg/100 g) and flavonoid (62.74 mg/100 g) content than HAD & SOD, while HAD resulted in a harder texture (795.52 g), followed by SOD (452.08 g) and PCMSD (324.63 g). Nevertheless, SOD showed higher springiness due to its slower drying rate, while PCMSD exhibited better resilience, preserving its internal structure. Key esters, such as n‐Butyl acetate and 9‐Octadecenoic acid (Z), were most concentrated in PCMSD (61.84%) and retained more aroma compounds, followed by SOD (60.4%) and HAD (54.38%). Regardless of the drying method, water activity varied with relative humidity, ranging from 0.45 at 10% RH to 0.86 at 95% RH, with an optimum relative humidity (55%–65%), resulting in better storage life and sensory attributes. Differences in physicochemical characteristics, texture, and volatile compounds among drying methods highlight the advantages of PCMSD in maintaining energy efficiency and product quality.

The genus Pharoscymnus Bedel (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Sticholotidini) is widely distributed in the Asian and Afrotropical regions and one Asian species, Pharoscymnus flexibilis (Mulsant), has become established in parts of Europe, South and North America due to deliberate or accidental introduction. The genus is represented by only four species in the Indian subcontinent. Illustrated diagnostic accounts of the species of the Indian subcontinent are provided with notes on their prey and distribution. Pharoscymnus simmondsi Ahmad, currently known only from Pakistan, is recorded for the first time from India (Delhi). Immature stages are illustrated for P. horni (Weise) and P. flexibilis (Mulsant). An updated checklist of the species of the Indian subcontinent is given.

ABSTRACTThis pioneering research explores the application of a wavelet scattering network (WSN) and a long short‐term memory (LSTM) model to predict the drying kinetics of potato slices in real‐time, non‐invasively. This integration captures both localized image textural features using WSN and temporal dynamics via LSTM, thus enhancing the prediction accuracy. Potato slices, 1 mm thick, were dried at 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, and 60°C temperatures. During drying, image texture features were extracted using WSN and used as an input to an LSTM network. Additionally, the quantile score (Q) and prediction‐interval‐normalised root‐mean‐square width (PINRW) value were used to evaluate the reliability and robustness of the prediction result. The optimised LSTM network, with 210 hidden neurons, a depth of 3, a dropout rate of 0.40, and a learning rate of 0.0160, achieved an R2 of 0.9645 and an RMSE of 0.0649. Uncertainty analysis shows the Q values were low across all drying temperatures: 0.364 (45°C), 0.348 (50°C), 0.398 (55°C), and 0.356 (60°C), indicating high predictive accuracy. Similarly, the PINRW values at α = 95% were 0.132, 0.129, 0.136, and 0.119 for 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, and 60°C, respectively, demonstrating narrow prediction intervals and strong model confidence. This high predictive accuracy allows for reliable, non‐invasive, real‐time monitoring of moisture content during drying, which has direct implications for industrial drying operations, where improved process control can lead to enhanced product quality, energy savings, and reduced batch rejection, thus resulting in higher throughput, better product consistency and reduced operational costs.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-025-01570-w.

The development of efficient drying techniques for medicinal plants while preserving their nutritional composition remains a significant challenge in food processing technology. This study investigated the impact of three distinct drying methods (solar, cabinet, and shade drying) on the nutritional composition of Cassiaauriculata leaves, buds, and flowers. Fresh samples were collected and processed following standard protocols, with dried materials ground into powder and analysed in triplicate. Comprehensive proximate analysis revealed significant variations in fat content (p<0.008) and tannins (p<0.001) across drying methods. Mineral profiling demonstrated notable differences in potassium (p=0.001), selenium (p=0.004), magnesium (p<0.001), and copper (p=0.005) concentrations among the samples. Shade-dried samples exhibited superior nutrient retention, maintaining higher levels of essential minerals including calcium (6484.57 mg/kg), potassium (11100.2 mg/kg), and magnesium (2108.95 mg/kg) compared to solar and cabinet drying methods. Additionally, shade drying preserved the highest crude fiber content (16.20%) and protein levels (12.15%). The study establishes shade drying as the optimal method for Cassia auriculata processing, achieving a 40% recovery rate while maximizing nutrient preservation. These findings provide valuable insights for the standardization of drying protocols in medicinal plant processing and have significant implications for the functional food industry.