The flowering plants (angiosperms), also known as Angiospermae (Lindley, 1830; Cantino et al., 2007) or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants, with about 350,000 species (Zeng et al 2014). Like gymnosperms, angiosperms are seed-producing plants; they are distinguished from gymnosperms by characteristics including flowers, endosperm within the seeds, and the production of fruits that contain the seeds. Etymologically, angiosperm means a plant that produces seeds within an enclosure, in other words, a fruiting plant. The term "angiosperm" comes from the Greek composite word (angeion-, "case" or "casing", and sperma, "seed") meaning "enclosed seeds", after the enclosed condition of the seeds (http://en.wikipedia.org).

The book traces the history of forestry since the middle of the 19th century in the erstwhile territorial units that constitute the present state of Karnataka, in India. It provides glimpses of the forest policy and management of the British Indian government which had laid the foundations of scientific forestry in the Indian subcontinent. A chronological account of the development of national forest policies, plans, and strategies in post-independent India has also been given in the context of their impact on forest management in the states. The book dwells comprehensively on multifarious aspects of forestry including the challenges faced by a forester in a situation of increasing demand and shrinking forest. It highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the forest administration and recommends strategies to protect the remaining natural forest and to increase the tree cover everywhere to effectively confront the specter of environmental catastrophes facing the planet earth. The book has brought out the inseparable and intrinsic relationship of mutual interdependence between forest and water – two of the most important natural resources on which the future of mankind depends, and calls for urgent action. With detailed data, analysis, and inferences derived with an open mind, the book forms a reference document for the present and future foresters. Problems of the forestry sector in the developing world are similar. Although the book focuses on the forestry scenario in Karnataka, lessons learned and strategies recommended for forest conservation are relevant across a larger landscape, with similar challenges and problems.

This book discusses the perception of disease, healing concepts and the evolution of traditional systems of healing in the Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh, India. The chapters cover a diverse range issues: people and knowledge systems, healing in ancient scriptures, concept of sacredness and faith healing, food as medicament, presumptions about disease, ethno-botanical aspects of medicinal plants, collection and processing of herbs, traditional therapeutic procedures, indigenous Materia medica, etc. The book also discusses the diverse therapeutic procedures followed by Himalayan healers and their significance in the socio-cultural life of Himalayan societies. The World Health Organization defines traditional medicine as wisdom, skills, and practices based on theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, used in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness and maintenance of health. In some Asian and African countries, 80% of the population depends on traditional medicine for primary health care. However, the knowledge of these conventional healing techniques and traditions associated with conveying this knowledge are slowly disappearing. The authors highlight the importance of safeguarding this indigenous knowledge in the cultural milieu of the Himachal Himalayas. This book will be an important resource for researchers in medical anthropology, biology, ethno-biology, ecology, community health, health behavior, psychotherapy, and Himalayan studies.

Sustainable livelihood security of resource poor farmers is the top priority for the nation today. However, there is wide gap in productivity of various horticultural commodities among different eco-regions, where horticulture can play significant role particularly in arid and semi arid regions, it is far below than the potential productivity. Hence, sustained and steady growth in rural income is critical for positive impact on living standard of various stakeholders. Therefore, an appropriate strategy needs to be devised for such climatically vulnerable regions. The net income of farmers can surely be increased by efficient management of nutrient, water and agri-input, integrated horticulture based farming system, better market price realization, post harvest management and value addition, integration of secondary enterprises and thereby improving productivity of arid and semi-arid horticultural crops. In this book, several such interventions are given in the form of various chapters which will be of immense use improving the productivity and profitability of horticultural commodities. Note: T&F does not sell or distribute the hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This title is co-published with NIPA.

The number of objective questions: representing from vast canvas of agriculture runs into thousands thus covering a wide spectrum of subject matter. The book begins with general agriculture and almost covers exhaustive outlines of all the important facts. Any specific interest for furthering the knowledge is facilitated by twenty different sub subjects of agricultural sciences namely: Agriculture (General), Ecology, Plant Genetics Resources, Agricultural Meteorology, Farm Machinery Engineering, Soil Science, Agricultural Extension, Genetics, Soil Water Conservation Engineering, Agricultural Economics, ICT & Remote Sensing in Agriculture, Statistics, Agronomy, Microbiology, Watershed Engineering, Biotechnology, Nematology, Model and IARI Sample Papers, Breeding, Pathology, Entomology, Physiology, Environmental Science. The questions in the specific chapters range chapters from basics to some in-depth, conceptual questions. The questions have been further facilitated with answers being given at the same place. Finally there are model test papers to particularly address the concerns of examinees. The book is exhaustive and covers the entire gamut of examination pattern in agriculture and will prove to be a worthy companion for the examinees. The general coverage of the book will enable a reader to prepare for a vast range of syllabi and examinations. It is believed that the present book is very powerful in terms of its general exhaustively and also in terms of its subject selection.

Shyam Sunder’s education, in Mangalore and later in Madras, followed a course predestined for entry in to the forest service. In the Madras Presidency of the early 1950s, selection to a Class I government post was highly coveted, as well as restricted by numerous fences of exclusion. However, he succeeded due to several unusual events he narrates vividly in this memoir. One of his early forestry mentors cautioned, “Shyam Sunder, you’ll either go very far or will lose your way. I advise you to be careful.” As a researcher, forest administrator, and later as head of the forest department, he always chose to do what felt right. Inexplicably, that hastened success throughout his career. Except for a short period of two years, when he lost most of his hair thanks to a despondent boss, Shyam Sunder’s career was a ‘dream come true.’ With the affection of 10,000 staff, full support of the chief ministers he served under, and ample confidence of the government, Shyam Sunder made Karnataka a model state for forestry in India. He retired in 1989 as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. Shyam Sunder loved Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat (To say nothing of the dog), due to the similarity between the trip depicted in the book, up and down the Thames, and his own career. In both cases, life was interesting while not always smooth whether it was protecting forests in the Western Ghats from insatiable societal demands, working with ministers intent on getting their way, or striving to achieve conservation goals while being part of a labyrinthine bureaucracy. Under his leadership, partnering with a staff of ten thousand officials, the forest department of Karnataka became the envy of departments across the country. Shyam Sunder’s memoir is a series of vignettes, from numerous comedic to a tragic few. The life narrated is varied and never short of excitement – being ten yards from a charging tusker or a foot away from a King Cobra; defying orders of the chief minister; being hauled up for contempt of the high court, and discussing with Indira Gandhi the best way to eat avocados. Possessed of wit and passion, the narration lays bare the hubris of popular discourse on noble forest livelihoods, and unflinchingly narrates neglect of rural communities, as well as of forests, at times by the callous imposition of rules and regulations.