The United Nations has declared the year 2008 as the International Year of Potato. This global commemoration is intended at increasing the knowledge and understanding of the importance of potato in concentrating on issues of global concern, including hunger, poverty and threats to the environment.

Today, the food prices are rising globally, being compelled by severe competition due to reduced international supplies of wheat, maize, rice, and other agricultural commodities. As concern grows over the risk of food shortages and instability in dozens of low-income countries, global attention is turning to an age-old crop that could help ease the strain of food price inflation. The compliant crop of potato is potentially very useful as it can be grown easily in many parts of the world and is a rich source of nutritious food. The nutritional value of potato along with its taste and ease of cooking has made it the most popular crop in the entire world. Potato is a good source of calories, hence people with low income in many developing countries, who cannot afford high-calorie diet such as milk products, meat and pulses, use potatoes as their prime source of calories. Potatoes are rich in carbohydrates, making them a good source of energy. They have very high protein content and are a useful source of vitamin C. Potatoes are considered good for high blood pressure patients and for the patients of hyper acidity. Compared to one cup of milk, it has seven times more iron, the same amount of thiamine, and eight times more niacin. Besides it is a rich source of minerals like calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. Not only is it easily digested, inexpensive and healthy, it is cholesterol-free and 99% fat free.
In the times of population explosion, squatted economy and world food security concerns it is very practical to aim at promoting the development of such sustainable systems that augment the well-being of producers and consumers and help realize the full potential of a crop as a ‘food for the future’. Over the next two decades, the population of the world is expected to rise on average by more than 100 million people a year and more than 95 percent of that increase will occur in the developing countries, where pressure on land and water is already intense. The potato should be a chief constituent in policies aimed at providing nutritious food for the poor and hungry. It is ideally suited to places where land is limited and labor is abundant that is the conditions that typify much of the developing world. The potato produces more nutritious food more quickly, on less land, and in harsher climates than any other major crop. Moreover, up to 85 percent of the plant is edible human food, compared to around 50% in cereals.

India is the biggest potato producer after China and Russia and has 1.28 million hectares under potato. The country’s annual output runs to 22.49 million metric tons. The major potato producing states in India are Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Assam, Karnataka and Uttaranchal. Today, India is one of the highly populated nations in the world. A key challenge is to ensure food security for present and future generations and to feed all of its population, while protecting the natural resource base on which we all depend, therefore, no crop other than potato can make an impact and sustain the efforts to meet those challenges.

However, the lack of adequate storage facilities and inadequate infrastructure to facilitate the transportation and marketing of processed potato products continue to impede the development of large-scale potato processing in India.

More efforts must be undertaken in order to extract this untapped potential and making the country productive and self sufficient. This year let us join hands in creating better awareness in enhancing the further progress of this wonder crop and accord it due importance in the interest of the country’s food security.

The spiders were around since unmemorable time and are certainly omnipresent. An exasperating device of the spiders is the creation of the cobwebs which are generally considered anything but to obstruct. However, to lend a little of attention to the single design of nature indicates astonishing information. A fabric or a cobweb of spider because it is generally called is a structure established by the spider out of the protéineuse spider that silk expelled of its dies (glands of rotation). The silk of spider is one of the 7 great wonders of the animal kingdom. It is light and strong. A typical silk bank of spider of garden has a diameter of approximately 0.003 millimetre, which is 1/10th silk of silkworm which is 0.03 millimetre in diameter. It is a remarkable substance because it is rather acid and is not attacked by bacteria or mycètes, the reason for which the cobwebs remain around for so much a long time. The question more intrigante which comes to those spirit is how the made protein silk is not broken up by mycètes and bacteria like all other proteins? Normally the protein is preserved while making cook, while salting, while drying or by adding the acid. The silk of spider contains three substances which are imperative for its longevity. They are pyrolidin, phosphate of potassium hydrogen and potassium nitrate. Pyrolidins are very hygroscopic which is they are equipped with capacity of connection of water and they prevent the wire from being desiccated. The potassium hydrogen phosphate makes the wire acid and prevents the fungic and bacterial growth. Although a low pH can cause the denaturation of proteins, but the potassium nitrate helps by preventing this and the proteins are salted.

It is interesting to note that the silk of spider is an extremely strong material and is on the basis of weight stronger than steel. It was suggested that a thick bank of silk pencil could stop a Boeing 747 in flight. According to Carwardine mark in Guiness delivers of animal disc, 1995, the silk of Spider is strongest of all the normal one and the synthetic fibres . Paul Hillyard indicates in the book of the spider, 1994. the For an equal diameter, silk of spider is stronger than steel and approximately as extremely as nylon. It is however much more resilient and can stretch several times before the rupture, it is twice more elastic than nylon and more difficult to break than rubber. Energy required to break the silk of spider is approximately ten times which other normal materials such as cellulose, collagen and chitin .

In 1709 a French, Good of Saint-Hilaire-Hilaire, bench the prospect to make fabric starting from this silk. Many cocoons were boiled, wash and dry and the wire was gathered with the fine combs. It could produce some socks and gloves. However, later a study with the economic output of this method indicated than it would be never advantageous. It was calculated that 1.3 million cocoons of spider were necessary to produce one kilogramme of silk.

While a small deviation before I finish this page I must mention that a certain number of legends are also associated the spiders the world more. While a common stating disappears, the If one that you wish to live and to thrive let a spider run alive , this at least to a certain extent explains why in 1936 a traffic of control of police officer on the bridge of Lambeth in London stopped all the traffic let a large spider cross the road in safety. Its actions were appreciated much by the close pedestrians who encouraged in an extravagant way while the spider did it without risk at the other side.

After having gained much knowledge of the silk of spider and its impressive properties the researchers at the university of Massachusetts report progress now by creating the silk of the spider by using techniques of genetics. According to the scientist David Tirrell, who wrote a review for the ’science ‘ to describe newspaper current research, the machines of the protein synthesis in the spider are operated with the advantage by creating the genes which produce the order of amino acid bringing back the desired product — in this silk case of dragline excavator. This would be employed in the manufacture of the waistcoats ball, the cord proof of parachute, cable of suspension of bridge, shoe resistant to wear and clothing, safety belt, rust the free stops for artificial cars, tendons and ligaments, etc… The hope of well I this small collection of pieces of information of spider helped you to appreciate spiders more fully.

Purple flowered saffron is a wonderful plant to which nature has given a fascinating fragrance, pleasant flavor, a beautiful color, and a host of other qualities. Believed to have been originally native to the Mediterranean area, Asia Minor, and Iran, the saffron crocus has long been cultivated in Iran and was taken from this country to a number of other parts of the world as a result of trade after its high quality and distinctive properties were understood over centuries of its application. Iran is most productive and together with Spain produces more than 80% of the world’s production. In India, it is cultivated in Jammu & Kashmir and in Himachal Pradesh. Saffron is more important in Central Asia and Northern India and is used extensively for rice dishes. Even the North Indian biryanis are relished due to the fragrant and aromatic flavor added by the saffron.

Indian sweets like, kheer, ras malai, Indian yogurt drink (lassi), butter lassi (makhaniya lassi) have an everlasting culinary impression due to the saffron added to it. The use of saffron in sweet dishes is famous in the desert regions of Jodhpur in Rajasthan in the Indian sub continent. Saffron is unique among spices due to its aroma. It has always held a very special place for its extraordinary medicinal and flavoring properties as well as for being a striking yellow dye. Indian saffron is cultivated on a large scale in the Jammu & Kashmir valley whose cool dry climate and rich soil with excellent drainage and organic content make the location an ideal thriving ground for this spice. By every standard, Indian saffron is considered superior to its foreign counterparts.Saffron has long history of over 5000 years in Kashmir, India and is supposed to have been introduced into china by the Mongol invasion.

The valley of Kashmir is famous for its saffron fields located on both sides of the national highway on the karewas of Pampore about 18kms from Srinagar. Moreover, it also grown in some part of Kishtwar region of Jammu division.. Saffron is a low growing plant with an underground globular corm. It is cultivated for scented lavender flowers. The flowers have a trifid, orange, coloured stigma which along with the style is the saffron of commerce. The cultivation of saffron needs an extreme climate; hot and dry weather in summer and cold in winter. The land must be dry, calcareous, aired, flat and without trees. The soil must be equilibrated in organic material in order to avoid risks of erosion, and have some depth that allows the water to drain so that the bulb is not damaged. The sowing takes place in the months of June and July.

The bulbs are placed in ridges of about 20 cm. depth. The distance between the bulbs should be of 10 cm. The plant is a bulbous, perennial with globular corms, 15-20 cm high. It has 6 to 10 leaves present at anthesis, one to two flowers with a lilac-purple colour with perianth segments of 3.5 - 5 cm and style branches of 2.5 - 3.2 cm. The yellow style is deeply divided into three branches and the stigmata are bright red. Flowers are arising directly from the corms. Flowers have tri-lobed stigma, which along with the style tops yield the saffron of commerce. The sowing of bulbs is a very hard job because it is done by hand, and forces you to walk in a bent position for hundreds of yards. By October end the blossoms are in full bloom. The stigmas are bright orange-red and are clearly visible among the lilac flowers. The harvesting takes place between the end of October-beginning of November.

The rose of saffron blooms at dawn and should stay the least possible time in the plant because it withers quickly and the stigmas loose color and aroma. This is why they are gathered between dawn and 10 a.m. Once the flowers are gathered, stigmas are separated from the rest of the flower. The fact that more than 85.000 flowers are needed to obtain just one kilo of saffron gives us an idea of how hard this work is. Simultaneously, while the crocus blooms are being collected, the stigmas are separated from the flowers. The stigmas of saffron have a high level of moisture, so it is necessary to dry them for its good preservation. The stigmas are naturally and slowly dried, a process that shrinks the stigma to one fifth of its original size and enhances its bright red colour. Now the stigma is rigid, without wrinkles and ready to use. Finally three grades known in the market as Shahi Saffron, Mogra saffron and Lachha Saffron are produced.

Nestled in the lap of nature lies ‘ Ldumra’. Ldumra is the local name for Nubra which means ‘Valley of Flowers’. Truly, the words itself expresses a lot. The valley is a superb art of nature. Its breath taking scenic view can astonish any body reaching out there for the first time. Climate much warmer than Leh, beautiful landscape with two mighty rivers, patches of sand dunes, rich wild life, great glaciers and Karakoram Ranges are all about a flash description about Nubra valley. Until 1947, Leh had a trading relation with central Asia through Karakoram Range of Nubra. Just imagine how prosperous could be the valley during that time! Now let’s come back to Karakoram pass. Karakoram pass alongwith other peaks and glaciers comes under Karakoram range. Karakoram pass used to provide main trading links between markets of Leh, Yarkhand and Kashgar. But unfortunately these areas are closed to tourist now. Since then silk route trade also diminished gradually. Later in 1962, India’s war with China further worsened the situation across the border areas to Ladakh that includes. Rupshu, Tsomoriri, Pangong lake and Nubra Valley. And thus Ladakh as a whole remained closed to foreigners.

Since 1974 when Indian Government reopened Ladakh to the foreigners Leh is doing a great job and progressing a lot. But in some regions including Nubra Valley, only a limited part of it was given authorized to open for the foreigners. Thus these paradise remained locked except some places. This is the reason why its gems (great monasteries) remain hidden to the people across the state and countries. So when you read any book on Nubra it is obvious that you might not get detail information regarding the monasteries over there. But it doesn’t mean that Nubra is not rich with monasteries. In fact each and every village scattered over there has at least one monastery whether big or small. Not only monasteries, Nubra is rich in every way. The climate of Nubra is considered to be the best one in Ladakh. Nubra is also rich in mineral deposit. Just recently, geologists from Kumaon University have found exceptionally high concentration of uranium and Thorium in Udmaru, a small village in Nobra. But this finding could be commercial interest only if large quantities of its deposition are indicated.

Monasteries of Nubra
Disket Monastery :- it is the largest monastery in Nubra and is more than 350 years old. The monastery was founded by Lama Sherap Zangpo of Stod. Disket monastery follows the Gelukpa order of Tibetan Buddhism and is a branch of Thiksey Gompa. There are three prayer rooms, Library and a school for little monks. About 120 monks reside in the monastery under the head Lama Nawang Jampa Stanzin who is 9th reincarnated Lama to hold this position. Just below the monastery there is a beautiful ‘Photang’ or residence of Dalai Lama, beyond which on the top of a hill, a giant statute of Maitreya Buddha is under construction. Disket is the main administrative centre of Nubra. So you can find all facilities over there. There are plenty of Guest Houses and a hospital in the heart of Disket. You can also approach the tourism office just besides the market if you need any information or help.

Ensa Gompa:- It is the oldest monastery of Nubra founded by Stod Changsem Sherap Zangpo during the reign of King Dakspa Bumde. Sherap Zangpo was one of the disciple of famous translator Tsongkhapa, who founded the Gelukpa order of Buddhism. It is believed that Lhasa Gompa of Tibet was first to be Built on this holy place. But unfortunately due to some reason, a great Lama named Dachompa Nima Gungpa refused to build the Gompa there and left his print of right foot at Ensa.

Dachompa Nema Gungpa had power to fly with his own religious cloth (Zang~gos). His foot prints are preserved well and still can be seen in places like Ensa, Morgi, Charasa and Tsati. And as such he went to Tibet and Built Lhasa Gompa there. Thus only his foot prints remains as evidence. So when you are there at Ensa please don’t forget to see the foot prints of Dachompa in one of the three prayers rooms of Ensa. Buddha Purnima is celebrated in Ensa Gompa. And I must say don’t miss this chance if you are in Nubra at that time.
Moving along Siachen River you are approaching towards Charasa after crossing two small villages Morgi and Kuri….

Samstanling Monastery: Built in 1847 AD, Lama Tsultim Nima at the age of 52 came here and founded this monastery. Tegar is close to Sumoor, just about 3 kms far. If you go up the hill and observe the village you will find Tegar in a bow shape. There is a small Gompa ‘Maneykhang’ just besides the main road.

Places of interest
Charasa: the actual name of Charasa is ‘Chak-ra-sa’ means ‘valley of iron’. It is believed that iron is found in the mountains of Charasa. The village is long and narrow with a palace on a hill. There is an amazing thing to see in Charasa palace. It is the sacred bones of 5th Panchen Lama. Charasa is the last permit zone for tourist.

These are the few accessible sites of Northern Nubra but if you take the left road from T-junction you will get only two places to explore in Western Nubra.
Disket: from the junction the road goes straight for a while along the dry sandy river bed and climbs steeply up the hill. It takes almost 15 kms to reach Disket. On the way you could view the splendid meeting of Shayok and Siachen River. Before the village actually starts you could observe Disket monastery farther up the hill.

Panamik: It is about 30 kms away from T-junction. On the way to panamik don’t forget to look at the green pasture with white salt like patches formed on it. These are local sodas known as ‘pul’ which is added in preparing butter tea of Ladakh. In olden days this area was used on commercial scale. Just near this area you can see a small hill in the centre. Here I must insist you to stop your car and go beyond the hills to look for the most amazing landlocked ‘Tirisha Lake’. The Lake is so beautiful and majestic in its own way! It is believed that person having good fortunes might see reflection of ‘Lhasa’ gompa of Tibet in the Lake water. After few kms you are in Panamik which is known for its Hot Spring. The water is meant to cure rheumastism. There is restriction on tourist to go fare north beyond Panamik. But you can cross the bridge of Hargam and can approach one of the most famous Gompa of Nubra ‘Ensa gompa’.

Sumoor:- Locally known as ‘Sum-Yur”. Sumoor is quite a big village set along the Siachen river. It is the model village of Nubra. This place is worth staying as tea stalls, restaurants, guest houses, medical centre all are there. But the biggest attraction about this place is Samstangling Gompa.

Hunder: Just 6 kms away from Disket comes Hunder. Hunder is a beautiful pretty village.
Along the way you can grasp the breath taking view of the incredible Sand Dunes! You can stop here and walk down to the sand Dune and enjoy a camel safari.

Even you might see wild and domestic Bactrian camel (double-humped) roaming through the sand dunes.A metallic bridge with a soldier guarding there is your last point. A small Gompa just come before the stop point. Inside there you may find all statue of Maitreya Buddha flanked by Bodhisattvas on its sides.

Anthuriums are relatively easy to grow, have attractive foliage and under the proper environment, produce long lasting flowers year round. Commercially, pot type Anthuriums are grown throughout the world with the heaviest concentrations in the US (Florida) and the Netherlands. They are durable and will survive as an indoor foliage plant for a remarkable period of time, even under adverse conditions.

Anthuriums grow best with day temperatures of 78 to 90 F, and night temperatures of 70 to 75 F. Temperatures above 90 F may cause foliar burning, faded flower color, and reduced flower life. Night temperatures between 40 to 50 F can result in slow growth and yellowing of lower leaves. Anthuriums will not tolerate frost or freezing conditions.

POTTING

Anthuriums prefer a growing media that is coarse and well drained. The potting media should be of a peat moss base with a 1:1:1 ratio of peat moss, pine bark and perlite. Plants when they are youong should be planted in a mix that is not quite so coarse, to retain moisture. The soil should be settled firmly around the roots and the root system should fill the pot before the plant is stepped up to a larger pot size.

WATERING

While Anthuriums are able to handle dryness around the root ball, they need to be watered thoroughly and allowed to dry slightly before watering again. Allowing the plant to dry out will greatly slow down the growth cycle. Drying out can also cause the tip to burn and root damage, while over watering can also cause root damage and sudden yellowing of leaves.

LIGHT

Anthuriums as a rule (indoors) will take about as much light as you can provide them with-but not direct sunlight. Lower levels of light will slow down or cease flower production. The foliage type species will tolerate lower light levels as they grow in some of the shasiest areas in their natural habitat. Leaves emerging under lower light may stretch and/or become distorted.

FERTILIZER

A quick word on nutrition. Most growers use a slow time release fertilizer on their plants. Fertilizing should not be an issue for quite a few months. If you are going to fertilize, use a light solution of a 3:1:2 ratio and it is probably best to dilute to 1/4 strength.

PEST AND DISEASE

Anthuriums are susceptible to the usual pests that visit out indoor plants, such as aphids, scales, mealybugs and thrips. Thrips and “mealy” are found more on new growth. You can also find aphids feeding on the flower buds. Scales seem to be particularly fond of the tough bird nest type. The best method of insect control is to monitor your plants and treat them before they get out of hand. There are some “insecticidal soaps” which work well on the soft insects, but scales may need a stronger insecticide. Under low humidity conditions spider mites may show up. One of the best ways to stay clear of the use of chemicals is with periodic wiping of the foliage and a gentle sparay of water. Make sure not to forget the undersides.

The biggest disease problem that you will face indoors is RHIZOCTINIA. This is caused by high temperature and humidity coupled with soil that is poorly drained. Don’t over water and if you must replant, use a well drained soil, for that will be your best defense. Chemically, RHIZOCTINIA can be controlled with a wide range of fungicides. The best approach is prevention via cultural practices.

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