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Indigenous food (IF) systems, derived from natural ecosystems are perceived to be sustainable and nutritionally adequate. Mundas, an indigenous tribal community in Jharkhand India, are surrounded by rich agroforestry resources, yet display high levels of malnutrition. Our study explored the food environment of Munda community, different IFs they accessed, levels of utilization of IFs in routine diets, their nutritional attributes and factors influencing IF consumption. A cross-sectional mixed-methods study was conducted in nine villages of Murhu and Torpa blocks in Khunti district, Jharkhand. Using focus group discussions and key informant interviews, we did free-listing of IFs known to the community. This was followed by enumerating preferred and little used/historically consumed IFs, along with reasons. Qualitative enquiries were recorded and transcribed verbatim; data were coded and analyzed using thematic framework approach. The listed IFs were identified through common names and photographs, and verified by ethnobotanist in the team. The nutritive values of identified IFs were searched in literature or nutritional analysis of specific plant based foods were undertaken in an accredited laboratory. The community demonstrated traditional ecological knowledge of several IFs (n = 194), which are accessed from wild, cultivated and built food environments. Taxonomic classification was available for 80% (n = 156) IFs, out of which 60 foods had nutritive values in secondary literature and 42 foods were analyzed in laboratory. Many IFs were rich in micronutrients like calcium, iron, folate, vitamin A and C. Among the listed IFs, only 45% were commonly consumed, while rest were little used/historically consumed. Factors like desirable taste, satiety, perceived nutrition benefits, adaptability to climate variability, traditional practice of food preservation and their cultural importance promoted IF consumption. However, local climatic impacts on agroforestry systems, easy access to foods bought from markets or distributed under government food security schemes, and promotion of hybrid seeds by local agricultural organizations, emerged as potential barriers. Thus, reinforcement of traditional ecological knowledge and informal food literacy, along with promotion of climate resilient attributes of IFs, can contribute to sustainable food systems in Munda community.

Pasteurella multocida is a causative agent of many major diseases of which haemorrhagic septiciemia (HS) in cattle & a buffalo is responsible for significant losses to livestock sector in India and south Asia. The disease outcome is affected by various host- and pathogen-specific determinants. Several bacterial species-specific putative virulence factors including the capsular and virulence associated genes have been proposed to play a key role in this interaction. A total of 23 isolates of P. multocida were obtained from 335 cases of various clinically healthy and diseased cattle. These isolates were examined for capsule synthesis genes (capA, B, D, E and F) and eleven virulence associated genes (tbpA, pfhA, toxA, hgbB, hgbA, nanH, nanB, sodA, sodC, oma87 and ptfA) by PCR. A total of 19 P. multocida isolates belonging to capsular type B and 4 of capsular type A were isolated. All isolates of capsular type B harboured the virulence associated genes: tbpA, pfhA, hgbA, sodC and nanH, coding for transferrin binding protein, filamentous hemagglutinin, haemoglobin binding protein, superoxide dismutase and neuraminidases, respectively; while isolates belonging to capsular type A also carried tbpA, pfhA, hgbA and nanH genes. Only 50 % of capsular type A isolates contained sodC gene while 100 % of capsular type B isolates had sodC gene. The gene nanB and toxA were absent in all the 23 isolates. In capsular type A isolates, either sodA or sodC gene was present & these genes did not occur concurrently. The presence of virulence associated gene ptfA revealed a positive association with the disease outcome in cattle and could therefore be an important epidemiological marker gene for characterizing P. multocida isolates.

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In this investigation, the effects of feeding encapsulated cells (rhizomycelia and zoospores) of a fibrolytic isolate from an anaerobic fungus (Neocallimastix sp. CF 17) on nutrient digestion, ruminal fermentation, microbial populations, enzyme profile and growth performance were evaluated in buffaloes. In three in vitro studies, the true digestibility of wheat straw was increased after addition of CF 17 to buffalo rumen fluid (p < 0.05). In Exp. 1, three groups of six buffaloes each (initial BW [body weight] 148 +/- 12.0 kg) were allotted to three dosing regimes: Group 1 received 200 ml of liquid culture of Neocallimastix sp. CF 17 (about 10(6) TFU [thallus-forming units]/ml); Group 2 received an encapsulated culture of the same fungi prepared from 200 ml liquid culture; Group 3: received 200 ml of autoclaved culture (Control). The supplementations were given weekly for four weeks (on days 1,7, 14 and 21). During the dosing period, the average daily gain of Group 2 was higher than in the Control group (444 g/d compared with 264 g/d; p < 0.05). Furthermore, the digestibility of organic matter increased in Group 1 and 2 compared with the Control (64.8, 64.0 and 60.4% respectively; p < 0.05), resulting in an increase in the total digestible nutrient (TDN) percent of ration (p < 0.05). But these effects disappeared post-dosing. There were also an increase in concentration of volatile fatty acids, trichloroacetic acid precipitable N and number of fibrolytic microbes in the rumen during the dosing period (p < 0.05), but these effects declined post-dosing. Results of Exp 2., where the encapsulated culture was applied at intervals of 4 d or 8 d for 120 d, showed that a shorter dosing frequency did not improve growth performance or feed intake. However, independent of the dosing frequency the growth rate of both groups fed the encapsulated culture were about 20% higher than in the Control group (p < 0.05). The present study showed that encapsulated fungi have a high potential to be used as feed additive at the farmers' level and that weekly dosing can increase growth performance of wheat straw based diets.