Floriculture Today May 2019
May 2019
Floriculture Today
Floriculture Today May 2019
May 2019
Floriculture Today
Contents 8 Editorial v Cover Story
10 Beijing in Full Bloom as Horticultural Expo Opens
— Bureau Report
v photo Feature 14 Glimpses of
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v Floriculture 16 Constraints Faced by Indian Flower Growers in Floriculture Sector — Jergin J.I & Rexlin Selvin v Technology 20 Making Plants Talk! Artificial Intelligence and Robotics to Revolutionize Floriculture — Prabha K and K V Prasad v Horticulture 26 “Are Bumble Bees Causing My Tomato Flowers to Fall Off?” — Benjamin Phillips
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v Training Programme 28 ‘Dakshin Gujaratna Phool Pako’ Under Scsp Held at Swami Vivekanand Hall, Achf, Nau, Navsari v Beneficial Plant 32 The Miracle Tree-moringa (Moringa Olifera) It’s Benefits For Skin, Hair And Health v Aesthetic 36 Fallen, Not Forgotten — Sumana Roy v Social Bloom 37 This Tamil Nadu Village is Known for its Instagrammable Sunflower Fields
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News 42 To Protect Stem Cells, Plants have Diverse Genetic Backup Plans 43 Exponential Growth in Land Value Forced Exporters to Close Units 43 Floweraura in Talks to Raise $15 Million 44 Anthurium to be Added to Amazone Plants 44 Will ‘Neelakurinji’ Blossom Carpets the Hillocks Next Season 46 Big Chinese Project to Propagate Flowers and Plants 47 Scientists Discover a New Way to Regenerate Flowering Plant Tissues
May 2019
Floriculture Today
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Floriculture Today May 2019
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Editorial
omewhat on the lines of Sunderlal Bahuguna’s “Chipko Movement” to save the trees in Uttar Kasi region of the Himalayas, a few dedicated south Mumbai residents – about 200 of them – tied pieces of cloth as “Rakhis” around the trunks of 100 trees in the Tata Garden in Bhulabhai Road in the metropolis, in a bid to save the green lung facing the axe. Close to half of the garden is endangered under the Coastal Road Project, being executed by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. The road is planned to run from Marine Drive at the city’s southern end to Worli, where it could connect to the sea link road going up to Bandra. The tree lovers wanted to hold a peaceful protest march, but were stopped by the police for lack of permission. The project is being opposed not only by environmentalists but also fishermen and residents of posh areas like Breach Candy, Peddar Road and Malabar Hill on the ground that it would alter the coastline, besides changing the complexion of those areas. Fishermen have already moved the Bombay High Court seeking a stay on the work. Environmentalists also feel that the reclamation work for the project would lead to flooding of these areas. After the police halted the protest march, men, women and children, holding placards, which read Rakhi Bandho Vriksh Bachhao Abhiyan, tied around the trees multi-coloured pieces of cloth serving as ”Rakhis,” A senior member of the group said that about 60 per cent of the garden would be destroyed if the project is implemented. “Saving trees” movement through protests by environment-conscious residents is picking up momentum in many places. In Haryana, the Supreme Court had to intervene, in a case filed by environmentalists, to stop implementation of Punjab Land Preservation (Haryana Amendment). Bill in effect, sought to allow massive scale of construction in the ecologically fragile Aravali Hills, described by a forest analyst as an “assault on the natural ecological infrastructure of Gurgaon and Faridabad.” The apex court, led by Justice Arun Mishra, told the Haryana government counsel that amendments made in the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900, pulls the carpet from under a series of judgments passed by the Supreme Count over the years to protect the Aravali and Shivalik ranges from builders and indiscriminate mining. Earlier, in February, the Supreme Court had in a strongly worded statement taken the Rajasthan government to task, accusing it of being hand in glove with illegal miners who operate in the Aravali region. During the hearing of a case, the court pointed out how the once-lush Aravali region has now been devastated by illegal mining and the entire flora and fauna are gone. Meanwhile, Delhi government has come up with a draft plantation policy. The policy, spelt out by Finance Minister Manish Sisodia in his budget speech, says when trees are allowed to be cut for construction projects, at least 80 per cent of the indigenous trees will have to transplanted, with remaining allowed to be felled. Foreign species like Vilayati Kikar and Eucalyptus, which are a strain on water and soil, should not be transplanted. Senior forest officials welcomed the policy since it would help ensure that ecological losses would be minimized. Comments are welcome at: editorialmtpl@gmail.com
Views expressed by individuals and contributors in the magazine are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Floriculture Today editorial board. Floriculture Today does not accept any responsibility of any direct, indirect or consequential damage caused to any party due to views expressed by any one or more persons in the trade. All disputes are to be referred to Delhi Jurisdiction only. .....Editor
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Floriculture Today 11
Cover Story
— Bureau Report
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ehind a traditional memorial archway, white houses with grey tilted tiles on the roof stand near a green pond. In the courtyard, rockeries with cascades sit quietly amid pine trees, plum trees and elms. It’s the garden of east China’s Anhui Province at
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Floriculture Today May 2019
the 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition. The garden covers an area of about 3,000 square meters. Eager to present a glimpse of the province’s unique culture, designers tried to recreate ancient Anhui village houses for an international audience. Even the memorial archway
was made in tribute to the style of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Opened from April 29 to Oct. 7, the horticultural expo is drawing international attention, putting Beijing’s tourism in full bloom. The 162-day expo is poised to impress an expected
number of 16 million visitors from home and abroad with a huge collection of plants, flowers and eye-catching pavilions as well as ideas for green development. More than 110 countries and international organizations, as well as over 120 non-official exhibitors,
Cover Story are participating marking the highest attendance in the expo’s history. The exhibitors are vying to present their latest achievements in horticulture in the 503-hectare expo site at the foot of the Great Wall in Yanqing District on the northern outskirts of the national capital. More than 2,500 cultural events, such as parades and horticulture competitions, are taking place during the expo. Many of the participating countries have also selected a “national day” to hold special events to showcase their distinctive cultures. This is the second time for China to hold such a high-level horticulture expo. Southwestern Chinese city Kunming held the expo in 1999. The expo has signed contracts worth about 1 billion yuan (149 million U.S. dollars) with 25 Chinese firms, including Air China and China Mengniu Dairy Company Limited, a record high sum for similar events in the field. The firms are not only sponsoring, but also serving the expo with products, services and technologies. A total of 2,000 volunteers have been recruited for the expo. Eye-Catching Pavilions At the center of the expo site stands the Chinese Pavilion, a curved exhibition hall in the shape of “ruyi,” a traditional Chinese ornament symbolizing good fortune. As one of the expo’s four main pavilions, the Chinese Pavilion displays a wide variety of plant species from across China and showcases the history of Chinese gardening and horticulture.
Such exquisite designs are found in other main pavilions such as the International Pavilion featuring 94 pillars in the shape of flower umbrella and the butterflyshaped, multicoloured Guirui Theater which is host to the expo’s opening and closing ceremonies. China’s 31 provincial-level regions as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan have spared no effort in presenting their iconic cultural elements in the outdoor exhibit areas, such as the giant pandathemed garden set up by Sichuan Province, miniature Mogao Grottoes by Gansu Province and a model of ancient Tibetan village house
by Tibet Autonomous Region. In a meticulously designed garden covering about 3,000 square meters, southwest China’s tourism province Yunnan recreates many of its acclaimed landmarks, such as the ancient Tea Horse Road in northern Yunnan, traditional houses in tourist city Dali and a set of bronze statues displaying the production process of Pu’er Tea. The spotlight is also on more than 40 gardens and pavilions built by international exhibitors and branded with each country’s unique culture and history. The Azerbaijan Pavilion is modeled on a seashell, which symbolizes the
country’s “dynamism and passion for development and innovation,” said Narmin Jarchalova, Director of the pavilion. Besides Azerbaijan’s native plants and flowers, the pavilion exhibits the country’s traditional foods, handmade carpets and photos of its scenic spots. Visitors can also watch animated videos showing Azerbaijan’s culture inside the wooden pavilion. A pomegranate tree, which Jarchalova said is a “national symbol for prosperity and fertility,” has also been planted beside the pavilion. Designed to show the quintessence of Japanese gardening, the Japan garden features a lovely courtyard dotted with trees, flowers, rocks, cascades and bamboo walls. “The design of the Japan garden creates a perfect harmony of the courtyard, the plants, the water and the faraway mountains,” said Takahashi Naruki, who is in charge of the construction project. “It represents the pursuit of a green lifestyle in traditional Japanese
Xi, Foreign Leaders Tour Horticultural Exhibition
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hinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan were joined by foreign leaders and their spouses for a tour of the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 Beijing in Yanqing District of Beijing, capital of China. The foreign guests, coming for the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 Beijing, were received by Xi and Peng at the China pavilion of the expo park and introduced to different exhibitions featuring characteristic plants and unique gardening arts presented by various regions. The China pavilion not only boasts wonderful gardening but also demonstrates the country’s willingness to pursue a green life and share the benefits of development with the rest of the world, said Xi. They also visited the gardens of Cambodia, the Czech Republic, Djibouti, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Japan, Singapore and Tajikistan in the international horticulture zone, and attended a tree-planting ceremony. Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen visits the Cambodia Garden; Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov visits the Kyrgyzstan Garden; and Myanmar’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi visits the Myanmar Garden at the International Horticulture zone. Czech President Milos Zeman visits the Czech Republic booth at the International Pavilion. Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh writes an inscription after he visits the Djibouti Pavilion at the central Africa joint garden.
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Floriculture Today 13
Cover Story
Kingdom of Plants & Flowers In a 20-meter-high greenhouse that covers 3,000 square meters, rare plants like red sandalwood and ficus varietgata are flourishing in their new home. The Plant Pavilion, one of the major pavilions, houses up to 1,000 plant species,
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including over 100 rare species, said Fu Zhongren, technical manager of the pavilion. The pavilion also features a rooftop garden filled with colourful, sweet-scented flowers and a plant genetics laboratory where visitors can learn about the latest scientific achievement in plant genome
sequencing. “The Plant Pavilion demonstrates an amazing ‘kingdom of botany’ to visitors,” said Fu. The Beijing expo presents a large collection of flowers, fruits, vegetables and herbs from across the world, including more than 1,200 species of flowers indigenous
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The 162-day expo is poised to impress an expected number of 16 million visitors from home and abroad with a huge collection of plants, flowers and eye-catching pavilions as well as ideas for green development
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gardening.” All of the expo pavilions and gardens offer something to fascinate the visitors. “The Beijing expo serves as a platform for participating countries to showcase their distinctive cultures,” said Jiao Yutong with the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition Coordination Bureau. “It also provides the countries with the opportunity to further cooperate in horticulture and agriculture.”
to China, such as peony, lotus, orchid, camellia and rhododendron, according to Zhou Jianping, Executive Deputy Director-General of the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition Coordination Bureau. In the garden of Anhui Province, more than 300 plants species, including over 200 species native to the province, are put on display. “The plants in the Anhui garden include endangered species such as parrotia subaequalis, and we have made all efforts to take care of them,” said Wang Yin, the garden’s chief designer. Rare plant species have also been transplanted from other parts of China to impress visitors to the expo, including a 100-year-old willow tree from Tibet and a 3-meter-tall pine tree from the Qinling
Cover Story
Mountains in northwest China. A vast variety of flowers, vegetables, herbal plants and fruit trees surround the Thailand Pavilion, a house in the style commonly seen in central Thailand. It will host rotating exhibitions of mango, longan, durian and mangosteen trees as well as orchids and potted flowers during the expo. The Beijing expo would “attract many visitors to learn about the importance of plants and greening in their lives,” said Tim Briercliffe, Secretary General of the International Association of Horticultural Producers. Green Expo The theme of the Beijing expo is “live green, live better,” which is well embodied in the design of the expo gardens
and pavilions. The Chinese Pavilion is designed as an earth-sheltered structure. With most of its exhibition halls embedded in man-made terrace fields, both heat and humidity inside are better preserved, said Jing Quan, with the China Architecture Design and Research Group. The rainwater collection system on the roof and a storage pond underground are used for terrace field irrigation, Jing said, adding that more than 1,000 photovoltaic glass panels have also been installed on the steel roof to utilize solar energy. “Taking advantage of the natural conditions to save energy, the design of the Chinese Pavilion incorporates traditional Chinese architectural concepts and Chinese wisdom,” Jing said.
During the planning and building of the expo site, the existing 50,000 trees in the area were preserved and became the premise of the design. Meanwhile, over 100,000 trees and shrubs were planted to improve the conditions of wetlands, purify water and provide habitats for migratory birds. To protect the 15-meter-tall willows lining the road to the Horticultural Life Experience Pavilion, designers adjusted foundation heights of the nearby architectures to better suit the tall trees. “Despite the costs, we have managed to protect the trees. That is what matters, as ecology comes first,” said Zheng Shiwei, Chief Designer of the pavilion. Next to the expo site stands Guihe River Forest Park with more than 100 kinds of plants,
birds, and insects. A buffer zone separates the expo and the park so these species will not be disturbed. Zhou Jianping said the ecology-prioritized principle has not only been stressed for the planning, design, and construction of the expo, but will also be emphasized for its future operation and utilization, such as using electric vehicles in the expo area. “The Beijing expo provides an exciting opportunity to demonstrate to the world the latest thinking and new ideas on how plants and landscapes can make lives better,” said Tim Briercliffe. “We have a very real expectation that in 2019 Beijing will become recognized as an example for green living,” he added.
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Photo Feature
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Floriculture
CONSTRAINTS FACED BY INDIAN FLOWER GROWERS IN FLORICULTURE SECTOR — Jergin J.i & Rexlin Selvin
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Production Level Constraints The growing of real estate business around the cities results in smaller land holdings, which is a big threat to flower industry regarding production. As flowers are perishable produce, for better gain the
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flower market should be close to flower growers. The expansion of real estate business in nearby area of cities affect the growing of floriculture farms, observed from recent studies as growers sold their farms to builders for big amount and gets diverted towards different industries. The production related constraints are related to ground level obstacles which are unavailability of ample infrastructure,
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quality and improved species planting material, identical fertilizers and manures. Lack of knowledge regarding high yield varieties, soil testing and proper doses of pesticides and fertilizers is again a big obstacle in flower production. Unavailability of skilled labour for plant protection, harvesting and post harvesting of floriculture produce is affecting the floriculture production. Since India is a signatory to General
The growing of real estate business around the cities result in smaller land holdings, which is a big threat to flower industry regarding production. As flowers are perishable produce, for better gain the flower market should be close to flower growers ...
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loriculture is an age old farming activities in India having massive potential for generating gainful self-employment among small and marginal farmers. In the recent years, it has emerged as a profitable agribusiness in India and worldwide, as improved standards of living and growing consciousness among the citizens across the globe to live in environment friendly atmosphere has led to an increase in the demand of floriculture products in the developed as well as in the developing countries worldwide. Owing to steady increase in demand of flower, floriculture has become one of the important commercial trades in Agriculture. Some of the constraints faced by flower growers are enumerated here under. i. Production level constraints ii. Climate related constraints iii. Marketing and transportation related constraints iv. Obstacles in Export
Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT), plant breeder rights will have to recognize and abided by the Indian government. Pirating of foreign plants and violation of breeders right has become increasingly punitive at the international level. In the light of new Intellectual Property Right (IPR) regime and plant variety protection, non registration/protection of indigenous cultivars and genetic resources may result in potential loss to floriculture. In Hi-tech floriculture methodologies involving indiscriminate pesticide inputs results in development of pesticide resistance, contamination of soils and environment and damage to beneficial organisms. Domestic spread and movement of pests to pest disease free areas is again an obstacle in production. Post harvesting of produce is again toughest challenge in India as the quality of flowers depends on the postharvest technology. Picking of floriculture produce is either unprofessional or primitive, as the age old packing material are still used by many growers, results in accelerated growth of pathogens on delicate petals and other floral parts which causes damage to the floriculture produce. Climate Related Constraints India is rich in bio-
Floriculture
do co-exist in the cropping in the environment always challenges the successful cultivation and postharvest handling of crops. Changing climate scenario increased incidence of soil borne pathogens, viral and phytoplasmal infection, nematodes, foliage and flower pests and reemergence once of controlled pest and pathogens affecting the quantity as well as quality of production. Marketing and Transport Related Constraints The market related challenges is the main obstacle in improving economic status of floriculture producers from small growers to large. There are various market related constraints faced by floriculturist which are non-availability of market, difficulties in transportation due to high perishable produce, commission agents, delayed in payment after
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sell of flowers, inadequate arrangements for grading and storage; due to such factors growers have to sell their produce at very cheap prices to the wholesalers or commission agents. There are various marketing channels studied by the experts recently regarding floriculture produce it is observed that the producer’s share in consumer’s rupee varies from 38% to 70% in various regions of India in open cultivation while it is somewhat improved in Hitech cultivation of flowers, it may be 55%to 80%. The low level of product diversification and differentiation, challenges associated with quality of flowers affects the marketing of floriculture produce in national and international markets. Various local taxes by the government on
India is rich in bio-diversity and varied agro-climatic regions. There is a great impact of climate change on flowering plants particularly in commercial production under open field conditions
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diversity and varied agroclimatic regions. There is great impact of climate change on flowering plants particularly in commercial production under open field conditions. The impact of excessive heat, cold, continuous or unpredictable rain fall with storm will damage the flower production in the blooming span. Indigenous species in the natural habitat may not be proliferate and will be under threat of unfavourable agro-climatic conditions. Unseasonal monsoon may deprive the western hilly regions and its surrounding regions of normal precipitation, affecting the species required high humidity and water. The plain regions also gets affected either by drought or flood and abrupt seasonal variations. Due to drastic changes in climate onset of new diseases, pest or even altered resistance to the existing pathogen is also expected resulting in low production or low quality of flowers. Drought could become a challenge in areas supposed to have high temperature and low rain fall, resulting in petals losses, colourfed in blooming flowers. The production in open cultivation of floriculture affects mainly due to these factors. Diseases, pests, nematodes and crops
transportation of floriculture produce create a big issue for the growers so that most of the growers prefer spot sale to avoid such expenses and they sale their produce with a very low profit margin. Due to such constraints faced by the growers, every time during sale of produce the growers instead of using their future sight, satisfied in what they grab in their hand immediately after sale of their produce, due to inadequate market and transport facilities in India. Obstacles in Export There are many obstacles related to floriculture exports which keep India’s share in world trade negligible. Economic crisis has significantly affected the floriculture industry worldwide. Declining floriculture produce from major consuming countries affects the export levels and employment in flower sectors, particularly in developing country like India. The major problem faced by Indian flower exporters related to low level of product diversification and differentiation, vertical integration and innovation and challenges associated
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Floriculture with quality and emerging environmental concerns. The main obstacle is the quality of flowers. International trade – Risk of incursion of pests and pathogens through import and export of pathogens free floriculture products meeting international standards. Post harvesting management is the toughest challenge in India which directly impacts quality of flowers. The increasing involvement of supermarkets in flower trade, organizing logistics is also becoming a critical factor for the Indian flower exporters. Although there is vast scope for the floriculture industry; steps are necessary to develop the industry and to meet the quality requirement of the International flower auction houses. There are six Agro-Export zones in 6 different states in the country
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even after that there are several issues in export of floriculture produce. Meeting international quality standards, requires adoption of modern technology and protected environment, which are very expensive in India. Increase in Demand Floriculture production and market is booming nowa-days due to increase in demand both in national and
international market. The floriculture exports dropped marginally in value terms during the recent years. The industry is also facing several challenges at the production level related to small size land holding day by day, unavailability of basic inputs and skilled manpower for harvesting and post – harvesting techniques. Pirated seeds and planting material are further adding to the woes of the flower producers
in the country. Inadequate cold chain management is not only affecting the future of floriculture but also having a negative impact on it. At marketing stage, major challenges faced by Indian flower exporters are related to product diversification, differentiation, vertical integration and innovation, quality and environmental issues. By adopting modern techniques with future sight by the flower growers and exporters definitely overcome these challenges and obstacles in the Indian floriculture sector in future. n Authors: Jergin J.I, Ph.D Scholar and Rexlin Selvin, Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension & Rural Sociology, Agricultural College & Research Institute-TNAU, Madurai
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Technology
Making Plants Talk! Artificial intelligence and Robotics to Revolutionize Floriculture — Prabha K and K V Prasad ICAR-Directorate of Floricultural Research, Pune
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hat if plants could talk? A grower’s job will be reduced to half if plants would be able to express what they want and could manage their requirement by themselves. With the help of machine learning, artificial intelligence and mechatronics this scenario is getting realized. Plant can sense its own requirements through sensors and send information to the owner or can meet its requirement by itself through robotic
arms and other algorithms to control its environment. When it is attacked by a pest or disease it can raise alarm to caution other plants and take measures to control the pest. Here few such technologies which are revolutionizing or going to revolutionize floriculture are discussed. Intelligent Gardening When googles, alexas, sofias, internet of things etc, are revolutionizing our day-today tasks, agriculture in turn
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Artificial intelligence has put its mark to improve the marketing aspect of agriculture produce as well. Niti Aayog of Government of India has linked up with IBM for advanced predictions in crop loss
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floriculture is no exception. Scientists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology has designed and implemented “Indoor Robot Gardening”. This indoor garden is a mesh network of robots and plants. The gardening robots are mobile manipulators with an eye-in-hand camera. They are capable of doing every garden activity from locating plants in the garden, watering them, and locating and grasping fruits. The plants in the study were potted cherry tomatoes enhanced with sensors and computation to monitor their well-being (e.g. soil humidity, state of fruits) and with networking to communicate servicing requests to the robots. Like indoor, outdoor robots are also plenty to perform various farm tasks. In the TrimBot2020 project in Europe they designed the first outdoor robot for automatic bush trimming
and rose pruning. Automatic tractors and lawn mowers are a great success long before itself. Similarly, automated unmanned vehicles for agriculture are getting more popular day by day. ‘Green-thumb’ robots are used for automatic planting or harvesting. This robot also notes the surrounding environmental conditions of the plant like temperature, moisture and humidity so that the robot will decide about health of plant and will display it on the LCD. The robot also has watering mechanism it will provide water to the plants according to their requirement by observing soil moisture and humidity. It also detects the plant disease and provides the necessary pesticide according to the type of disease. Ecobot II is energetically autonomous robot which get all of their on board power from microbial
Technology fuel cells, not from batteries. Ecobot I was a sugar eating robot and Ecobot II eats dead flies or rotten fruit. Ag Ant robots from University of Illinois, are dwarfs and autonomous. Ag Ant robots could find weeds, insects, or disease, sampling the soil for nutrients, and application of pesticides or herbicides in corn fields without supervision. Plant doctors Many autonomous intelligent poly house robots observing health of plant through image processing are developed at various parts of the world. Artificial Neural network and fuzzy logic are utilized in designing disease detection systems. Pocket Agronomist app identifies agronomic issues in crops, be it disease, nutrient deficiency, insect feeding patterns, or weeds. Using the included camera on Smart
Phone or Tablet, the Pocket Agronomist application can identify problems from live video. Simply by pointing the smart phone at the plant gives a diagnosis, live, on-device. While pocket agronomist detects diseases of corn with accuracy, PLANTIX app by Progressive Environmental & Agricultural Technologies (PEAT) got a wide application where diagnostics of many diseases of a wide range of crops across the globe is
possible. Ian Kelly and the University of West of England, Bristol, have invented a robot that will track, capture and dispose off slugs, called Slugbot, a solution to the slug problems in flower production. eAGROBOT (a prototype) is a ground based agricultural robot that overcomes challenges existing in large and complex satellite based solutions and helpdesk form of solutions available as m-Services. It provides a small,
portable and reliable platform to automatically survey farmland, detect diseases as well as spray the pesticide. Automatic unmanned aerial vehicles commonly known as drones are widely used to monitor plant diseases and pest attacks. RIPPA - Robot for Intelligent Perception and Precision Application is small like a ladybird used for identification of pest and diseases and precision application of chemicals. In RHEA project - Robot Fleets for Agriculture and Forestry Management, robots are integrated in tractor units and equipped with machine vision-based weed and crop row detection systems. This approach seems able to detect up to 90% of weed patches and eliminate most of them by using a combination of physical and chemical means. Georgia Tech engineers have
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Technology designed robots that can sniff crop disease. It is a micro gas chromatograph; a GC-onchip device which is enable to detect crops disease based on the volatiles emitted by the plants. Indian initiative ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute of Semi-Arid Tropics) in collaboration with Microsoft, developed an Artificial Intelligence based sowing App that uses machine learning and business intelligence from the Microsoft Cortana Intelligence Suite to determine the optimal sowing period based on the Moisture Adequacy Index (MAI). PLANTIX is an artificial intelligence based mobile crop advisory app for farmers, extension workers and gardeners around the world. Government of Andhra Pradesh and ICRISAT were also involved in the development of this App. By uploading pictures of affected crops to the mobile service, farmers can diagnose the disease and get advisory for managing it. Microsoft and United Phosphorous (UPL), developed a Pest Prediction App that leverages AI and machine learning to indicate in advance the risk of pest attack. Gramophone (Agstack Technologies) utilizes image processing for soil health indices. Plant-o-bots designed by Manav Rachna International University, India automatically senses the water content in the soil and waters the plants according to the requirement. It detects the soil as dry if the amount
of water is less than 30% and automatically waters to raise the moisture level to 100%. Individual plant’s moisture level is also determined by the robot and it will water the plant if moisture level is 50% or below. Plant watering robot also checks the moisture of grass in garden and in the soil makes watering lawns easier. Crop In’s (An Indian start up) ‘smartfarm’ solution, claims that all the plots were geo-tagged to find the actual plot and this helps in remote sensing and weather advisory, scheduling and monitoring farm activities for complete tracking. It is educating farmers on adoption of right package of practices and inputs, monitoring crop health and harvest estimation, and alerts on pest, diseases etc. Supply chain intelligence Artificial intelligence has put its mark to improve the marketing aspect of agriculture produce as well. Niti Aayog of Government of India has linked up with IBM for advanced predictions in crop loss. Many state governments
are dependent on algorithms predicting crop yields and market intelligence to decide the minimum support price of many crops. Block chain technology is widely used for supply chain management for traceability of the produce. Accenture is providing consultancies for supply chain management of crops like Coffee. Gobasco Agri Supply Chain based on artificial intelligence, claims that their data-driven agri-marketplace offers the best prices for both the producers and buyers at their fingertips. Jivabhumi a “Smart” Agriculture Marketplace claims to connect institutional buyers directly with farmers and providing wider market access to the farmers and ensuring fairtrade. Main advantage of such supply chain platforms is that buyers get to discover the produce, price and be able to procure directly from the producers while maintaining the transparency of the transaction and traceability of the produce. Availability A wide
array
of
technologies is available for managing the production and marketing of agriculture produce. The major challenge for automation in open field in our country will be the small landholdings with multiple cropping systems. Many of the available machine learning applications may be directly applied to floriculture while some needs little modifications. Floriculture involves many robotics amenable practices and is technology friendly since most of the high value flowers are grown under protected conditions. Other than climate control, nutrient management and pest & disease management, the machine learning can be used for grading nursery plants and the flowers based on various quality parameters and harvesting separately for different marketing purposes. Automated smart greenhouses for production of high value flowers have already revolutionized the industry. Artificial intelligence technology has immense capabilities to make intelligent interventions from sowing to harvest to marketing to recycling. Incorporating AI and mechtronics into advanced cultivation systems like hydroponics and aquaponics is gaining momentum and will enable precision floriculture with high use efficiency of inputs. The journey of artificial intelligence has just begun and many more new turning points are to come sooner in future. Keeping in pace with these technology jump, floriculture industry can be benefitted steadily can be in the years to come. n Disclaimer: Authors have no intention of promoting any private firms or entities through this article. The article is just a collation of information available in public domain. It do not purport to reflect the opinions of ICAR or its members.
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Horticulture
“Are bumble bees causing my tomato flowers to fall off?” — Benjamin Phillips, Michigan State University Extension
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get a number of calls from hoop house tomato growers in spring regarding flowers aborting at the elbow of their stems. There has been some speculation that the bumble bees have something to do with it since they notice a lot of blossom drop just after the bees were introduced. This has become an issue I hear about as frequently as symptoms related to ethylene from leaky heat sources. Bumble bees can bruise the stamens and petals of tomato flowers because they grab on tight with their legs and mandibles as they pollinate. Usually, this is more obvious if there aren’t many flowers yet. The bees just keep hitting the same flowers over and over again. The thought that I’ve heard passed around is that maybe all those visits stress the stem joint and the flower falls off. It is possible for bumble bees to damage the flowers to such a degree that they abort. Bumble bee visits to tomato flowers usually last between 10 and 115 seconds. A four-point scale can be used to measure visitation, where each level loosely represents one bumble bee visit. A level 4 indicates about four visits and was correlated with higher fruit weights and fruit set. Other studies reported that one visit was enough. So, bruising is not necessarily bad, but if flowers are bruised and misshapen higher than a level 4, then visitation is too heavy and blossom drop is a possibility. Koppert Biological Systems
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uses the pictorial scale below and adds a fifth level indicating an extremely high visitation rate. However, I do not think bumble bees are always the culprit, and I have another explanation for Michigan hoop house tomato growers in March through May. I think the main cause of blossom drop is temperature. Tomato flowers are unable to accept or transfer pollen if the temperatures are below 55 degrees Fahrenheit at night, or above 850F in the daytime. Bumble bees do not like working in those temperatures either. If your tomato house fluctuates between these extremes, then that leaves fewer optimal pollination hours, and flowers will abort if they are not pollinated within 50 hours. Manually-operated vent and heat systems are prone to such fluctuations, especially on
400F sunny days with spotty cloud cover and other farm tasks with demands on your attention. New tomato flowers open every day, but are only receptive to pollination the first 50 hours after opening. Prior to the delivery of the bumble bees, the tomatoes that were already flowering were not getting pollinated very well. As the bees were introduced, more than 50 hours had passed for many of the open flowers without pollination and they aborted just as the bees started working. Note, tomato flowers can be pollinated through vibration from wind or the grower as they prune, etc. So, some flowers will set fruit even before the bees come. In fact, in more than one tomato hoop house I visited, the first few plants along a well-
Bumble bees bruise the stamens of tomato flowers as they visit. You can gauge how often they have visited a flower by the amount of bruising. A level 5 is more than enough, and will not lead to higher fruit set. It may actually cause blossom drop. Photo by Chris Anzell, Koppert Biological.
traveled path had fruit with a 1-inch caliper, indicating that the frequent traffic had pollinated the very first flowers well before bumble bees were introduced. If you see continued blossom drop, look for other reasons. The University of Florida bulletin #HS1195, “Blossom Drop, Reduced Fruit Set and Post-Pollination Disorders in Tomato,” has great explanations of primary and secondary reasons for blossom drop throughout the season. One way to diagnose blossom drop is to put bread bag twist ties around the stem of new flowers just as they open. Follow the development of those fruit. If they abort and do not have level 5 bruising, then there are other causes for the blossom drop. If you are seeing a lot of level 5 flowers, then it is likely you have too few flowers and lots of bees. This can be a problem when bees are introduced too early or if the colony you bought is larger than you need. You can close up the box for a few days or block one of their entrance holes to reduce their flights. Additionally, you plan to order a hive with fewer bees that will grow as your flower load increases. Remember, growing tomatoes in these conditions is pushing the envelope for revenue. Doing it well requires considerable expense for your time or wallet. Every year, a number of growers will experience these hurdles, but when successful, it is a thing to be proud of. n Source: Horti Daily
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Training Programme
‘Dakshin Gujaratna Phool Pako’ Under Scsp Held at Swami Vivekanand Hall, Achf, Nau, Navsari
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training programme, Dakshin Gujaratna Phool Pako (Flower Crops of South Gujarat) was conducted under AICRP on Floriculture, ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari in collaboration with Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Navsari for SC farmers on March 28, 2019 at Swami Vivekananda Hall, ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, NAU, Navsari. The inaugural function of training programme was presided over by Dr. C. J. Dangria, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, NAU, Navsari. Dr. S. R. Chaudhary, Director of Research and Dean (PGS) was the chief guest of the function; Dr. B. N. Patel, Principal and Dean, ACHF; Dr. S. L. Chawla, PI-AICRP on Floriculture & Associate Professor, ACHF; Dr. C. K. Timbadiya, Senior Scientist and Head, KVK, Navsari and Dhirubhai Patel, Progressive Farmer graced the dais with their presence. 52 flower growers and Faculties of ACHF, PG students of the
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department were remained present in the hall for the inaugural function. The function started with a prayer song and the dignitaries lighted the lamp giving the programme a traditional touch. Dr. B. N. Patel, Principal and Dean, ACHF, NAU: He delivered welcome speech and appreciated the efforts taken by the floriculture team for organizing such a useful training programme to create awareness among farmers and to benefit them. He insisted the importance of the programme
and inspired the farmers to interact with the scientists to solve the problems they are facing practically in the field. Dr. S. L. Chawla, PIAICRP on Floriculture: He highlighted the importance of the training programme and also expressed thanks to ICAR-Directorate of Floricultural Research, Pune for financial assistance. Dr. C. K. Timbadiya, Senior Scientist and Head, KVK, Navsari: He mentioned about the importance and adaptability of marigold in south Gujarat and also
for its demand during the festival occasions like Navratri, Diwali and Ganesh Chathurthi. He shared some scientific cultivation practices to improve the yield and quality of the flowers to meet out the demand even for export purpose. He also made a note on composting of the small, unproductive and used flowers which can be used for cultivation of other flower crops. Dr. S. R. Chaudhary, Director of Research and Dean (PGS), NAU: He welcomed everyone present in the hall and reminded farmers about the vision ‘Doubling their income’ and encouraged the farmers to work for it. He motivated the farmers to make this training effective and successful by their active participation and interaction. He also assured the farmers to contact the scientists for clearing their queries even after this training programme. He congratulated the untiring and valuable efforts of floricultural crew for conducting such training on
Training Programme short notice. Dr. C. J. Dangria, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, NAU, Navsari: He delivered the presidential address for the programme. He proudly stated that Navsari Agricultural Univesity is among the top 10 agricultural universities of India. He encouraged the farmers to adopt protected cultivation of rose which will double the income, improve the quality and standard of the different flower crops. He also insisted that gulkand prepared from the roses grown under open field condition fetches higher price in the market. He created awareness among the farmers about the subsidies for drip irrigation especially for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. He suggested farmers to form co-operative groups for dry flower production, marketing and export of flowers. Dr. Mukesh A. Patel, Assistant Professor, Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, ACHF, proposed vote of thanks to all the dignitaries for their valuable time from hectic schedule, suggestions and motivation to the farmers. He cordially thanked all the faculty members of ACHF and KVK for their support and participation. He showed his gratitude towards farmers, the backbone of India who made this programme successful with their participation. At last, he thanked the PG students who remained present throughout the event with their active participation. Finally, the programme was a grand success with participation of 52 farmers. In this training, total 09 lectures were delivered by various scientists covering different aspects of floriculture viz., Possibilities of cultivation of flower crops in south Gujarat; Nursery management
in flower crops; Production technology of marigold, tuberose, rose, gladiolus, spider lily; Value addition in flowers; Production technology of high value new flower crops and Integrated Pest Management in flower crops. After lectures, farmers visited Floriculture Research Farm for practical training and got valuable information on various flower crops. After
that all farmers were given input kits having tuberose bulbs and Novel Organic Liquid Fertilizer which is patented product of NAU. Recommendations of the training 1) Crop diversification with high value flowers is required for better prices of flowers. 2) Farmers need more
exposure and technical guidance to grow different flower crops. 3) Regular training is necessary for updating of new technology. 4) Set up marketing channels co-operative group. 5) Quality planting material of various flower crops should be provided to farmers. n
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Beneficial Plant
THE MIRACLE TREE-MORINGA (Moringa olifera) IT’s BENEFITS FOR SKIN, HAIR AND HEALTH
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he miracle tree Moringa is a multipurpose that is native to parts of Africa and Asia. In India, it is found on the foothills of the Himalayan mountains. This plant belongs to the family Moringaceae. It derives its name from the Malayalam word, ‘Muringa’. It is a multipurpose plant and its leaves, pods, fruits, flowers, roots and bark are beneficial in one way or the other. The moringa tree grows easily in semi-arid, tropical and sub-tropical climate and is reported to be beneficial for human beings as its various parts are edible. Some of the most commonly used parts are moringa leaves and seeds. Moringa seeds and roots are used to extract oil and the flowers can be cooked and eaten. Apart from these, its bark, sap, seeds, oil, leaves, roots and flowers are used in making traditional medicine in many countries. Moringa Benefits For Health The most amazing thing about moringa is that all parts of this plant including its bark, roots, leaves, flowers, seeds, sap and pods are a storehouse of nutrients and antioxidants. Thus, this plant possesses innumerable health benefits and has the capacity of curing several diseases. For this reason, it is referred to as the ‘miracle tree’ and is widely used in traditional medicine. The various health benefits of moringa are as follows. The seeds of moringa contain 40 percent edible oil known as Ben oil. This clear,
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Fig: Moringa tree
sweet and odourless oil is rich in antioxidants and is similar to olive oil in terms of its nutritional profile. It has an indefinite shelf life as it does not turn rancid like other oils. Moringa leaves are the most widely used parts of this plant. These leaves are edible. They contain three times more iron than spinach. Moringa contains all the essential amino acids needed by the body. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins which
are needed to grow, repair and maintain cells. Human body manufactures 10 to 12 amino acids. The remaining 8 amino acids are known as the essential amino acids which should be provided from everyday diet and moringa contains all of them. For Hair Healthy hair improves the physical appearance to a great extent. Health problems
or nutritional deficiencies can damage the hair and cause problems like dandruff, split ends and breakage. Hence, proper intake of vitamins and minerals is essential for maintaining healthy hair. Certain vitamins, minerals and amino acids are involved in the formation of keratin protein. Moringa Oleifera has a high content of vitamin A, thus promoting hair growth and maintenance. Optimum delivery of oxygen and nutrients from the circulatory system to the hair follicle is vital for proper hair growth. Vitamin A plays an important role in the development of healthy cells and tissues in the body and reduction of hair loss. Deficiency of vitamin A can cause thickening of scalp, dry hair and dandruff. Moringa plant also contains zinc which stimulates hair growth by enhancing the immune function. Zinc and silica along with vitamin A prevents drying and clogging of the sebaceous
Essential Amino Acids and their benefits ISOLEUCINE
Helps in building protein and enzymes and creation of biochemical components within the body.
LEUCINE
Builds protein and enzymes along with isoleucine to enhance body’s energy and alertness.
LYSINE
Ensures the absorption of right amount of calcium by the body and aids in collagen formation and production of antibodies, hormones and enzymes. Maintains the balance of nutrients that reduce viral growth.
METHEONINE
Provides sulphur to the body and prevents hair, skin and nail problems. Lowers cholesterol levels by increasing liver’s production of lecithin. Helps in reducing liver fat and bladder irritation.
PHENYLALAINE Production of chemicals required to transmit signals between nerve cells and brain, thus reducing hunger pains. It also improves memory. THREONINE
Forms an important part of collagen, elastin and enamel proteins. Assists metabolism, prevents fat build up in the liver and boosts digestive and intestinal tracts.
TRYTOHYAN
Supports the immune system and alleviates insomnia. Reduction of anxiety, depression and migraine symptoms. Decreases the risk of artery and heart spasms as it reduces cholesterol level along with lysine
Beneficial Plant
Fig: Moringa leaves and powder
glands. Sebaceous glands are responsible for production of sebum. Deficiency of zinc can lead to atrophy of the hair follicles due to the impairment of DNA and protein synthesis. Zinc also influences the conformation of nucleic acids. Vitamin E in moringa is a powerful antioxidant that stimulates blood circulation around the scalp. Proper flow of blood to the scalp helps in the absorption of more nutrients available in the hair follicles. Moringa is a storehouse of all the nutrients required for healthy hair. Hair loss occurs due to the deficiency of vitamin B especially B6, biotin, inositol and folic acid. Proper blood circulation to the scalp enables hair follicles to grow stronger and healthier. Vitamin C together with vitamin E helps in the improvement of blood circulation in the scalp. It is vital to maintain capillaries that carry blood onto the follicles. Moringa contains abundant
Fig: Moringa fruits
quantities of minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, selenium, copper and manganese which are essential for healthy hair. For Skin Just like healthy hair, supply of proper nutrients is vital for the maintenance of healthy skin. Moringa is loaded with nutrients like calcium, vitamin A, B, C, D, E; minerals like copper, iron,
zinc, magnesium, silica and manganese. Moringa has moisturizing and nourishing properties and an excellent cleansing ability which makes it an active ingredient in skin care products. Moringa has been found to possess antiageing properties. The effect of free radicals on human skin causes the appearance of wrinkles and makes the skin aged and less resistant to lines. Moringa has excellent
cleansing ability which aids in cleaning the skin cells of free radicals and restoring the vitality and youthful complexion of the skin. Moringa leaves contain about 30 antioxidants that contribute greatly towards healthy skin. Moringa oil is highly absorbable and hence helps in delivering these powerful antioxidants to the skin cells. Moringa leaves also contain sulphur. This mineral is present in every single cell of the body and is the key ingredient for Collagen and keratin. Collagen is an elastic substance that gives flexibility and softness to the skin and keratin is a rigid substance which gives the skin rigidity and strength. These two substances form the majority of skin tissue and are made up of proteins constructed from sulphur. The seed extract of moringa herb is popular in the cosmetic industry due to its therapeutic skincare benefits and skin purifying properties. It possesses the ability to filter out impurities that are deeply rooted within the skin and has an amazing detoxifying and rejuvenating properties. It enhances the fairness of skin by balancing the natural skin colour and tone. A paste made from moringa leaves beautifies the skin and can be used as a face mask. The ben oil which is extracted from moringa seeds is used to soften and soothe babys’ skin. Moringa seed extract is used in protective creams and has the ability to provide protection
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Beneficial Plant The most amazing fact about moringa is that it is a storehouse of nutrients and medicinal chemicals. The various parts of this plant are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, iron Fig: Moringa seeds
and protein. It contains a plethora of phytonutrients, eight essential amino acids and other powerful disease fighting antioxidants. According to the Ayurveda, moringa comprises of around
Nutritional Value NUTRIENT DRIED LEAVES
Fig: Moringa capsules
against cigarette smoke and heavy metal pollution. It is a powerful cleaning agent and moringa seed powder is used as an active ingredient in deep cleansing creams and lotions. It protects the skin from adhering pollution and smog. Nutritional Value of Moringa
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539 compounds capable of preventing 300 diseases. Moringa contains more than 90 nutrients and 46 different antioxidants which make it a powerhouse of nutrition.
FRESH LEAVES
Vitamin A
6.78 mg
18.9 mg
Thiamin (B1)
0.06 mg
2.64 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
0.05 mg
20.5 mg
Niacin (B3)
0.8 mg
8.2 mg
Vitamin C
220 mg
17.3 mg
Calcium
440 mg
2,003 mg
Calories
92 cal
205 cal
Carbohydrates
12.5 g
38.2 g
0.07 mg
0.57 mg
Copper Fat
1.70 g
2.3 g
Fiber
0.90 g
19.2 g
Iron
0.85 mg
28.2 mg
Magnesium
42 mg
368 mg
Phosphorus
70 mg
204 mg
Potassium
259 mg
1,324 mg
Protein Zinc
6.70 g
27.1g
0.16 mg
3.29 mg
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Aesthetic
Fallen, not forgotten The dead need as much care as the living. Maybe that’s why we treasure scrapbooks that are resting places for dried flowers and leaves — Sumana Roy
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ometimes, when my mind longs to lie on its spine, to give company to the body’s spine as it were, I feel like a dried leaf. The antonym of ‘dry’ would be ‘wet’, and to feel like a dried leaf would, therefore, feel like being without water. Water is grease — it seems to lubricate everything. The loss of water is how I understand death — when all moisture has been taken away from life. I imagine death to be dry. In old scrapbooks that my mother has preserved from my childhood are dried flowers and leaves. They are brittle, they break with my touch. I begin to imagine ghosts as brittle creatures. The sticky tape that has caged them there for decades has worked overtime. They let go as soon as I open a page. I am careful. It’s almost as if I’m trying to teach myself a new moral: Anything that doesn’t have water will break easily (I think of the heart, how we feel it break, and I think of love as moisture, and how its absence causes the heart to become brittle). Many of them fall — and then lie — on my lap, roses and pine leaves that were once in bouquets, from where I’d scavenged them as a child (for bouquets were ‘adult’ things, I thought then). Others haven’t been able to survive Time’s leaching away of moisture. Only the impress
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Keep in touch: Leaves and flowers make for some of the prettiest keepsakes
of the hibiscus remains — a smudge, a stain of its corpse, where it bleed before shrinking and falling off, literally. The fig leaf — I cannot remember from where I might have got it — has survived. Its flesh, only a function of the body, has fallen off. Its remainder — as dust — lines the fold of the scrapbook. What stands, or lies, on the page is perhaps the most beautiful skeleton I shall ever see: The deep network of the leaf’s veins, all held together inside its heart-shaped perimeter. It’s a work of filigree through which light passes to produce beautiful shadows, as if the leaf were a wall in a Mughal monument. What I can’t help thinking also is how the loss of water, along with the consequent loss of flesh, has allowed light to pass through. In Tipu Khola, a forest reserve near Bengdubi, close to Siliguri, the sub-Himalayan town where I live, it is difficult to walk in March without breaking skeletons of leaves. On a family picnic, I hear a relative use the phrase “littered with leaves”. The trees, to whose home we’ve come, could make the same complaint about us — littered
with humans. They might, who knows? Is it that sound — of annoyance— we hear as we try to make our way through the forest? ‘Cacophony’ is an anthropocentric word — the kind of sound unbearable to humans. It is spring here, but this wind, muscular and masculine, reminds me of the kalbaishakhi, the nor’wester. It looks like a cyclone of leaves; they brush against each other and against the wind. The sound of that resistance echoes in the forest. Such is the stupidity of our ideas about hygiene and cleanliness that people, particularly children, may spend their entire childhood without thinking about what happens to leaves that die. Where do they disappear? The modern — and postindustrial — understanding of cleanliness has to do with the eradication of things that come from ‘nature’. We buy tubers from supermarket without touching the soil that produced them; we walk on levelled lawns and streets without having to encounter fallen leaves or rotting flowers. There were two little boys
in our group. They’d carried a football, and a cricket bat and ball with them. But once there, they seemed to have abandoned all the modernday props for entertainment. All through the late morning and early afternoon they only played with the dried leaves, kicking at them, thereby making them fly in the air, picking up a bunch with their tiny hands and throwing them at each other, running through the dried leaves, creating a unique form of music, like air does when jogging through a flute. Lunch was late, as it usually is on picnics, and they, hungry, wondered whether they could eat the dried leaves like potato wafers. They replicated the biting with their hands, and the sound of the crunch, where they imagined the taste to be hidden. I carried a dried leaf as a souvenir. Souvenir because one can no longer be sure what will remain — of both the people and the place. Sitting next to me in the car on our way home was my sisterin-law, with her six-monthold daughter. The infant’s fingers were all that was visible, for she was held as close to her mother as bodies would allow. In my hand was the dried leaf, curled too, but as if this curling away was a withdrawal from life. It had lost all water. Its midrib had bent, as had its edges. Conscious not to harass it, I held it carefully, protecting it from everything, including myself. The dead need as much care as the living. n Author: Sumana Roy is the author of How I Became A Tree; @SumanaSiliguri
Social Bloom
This Tamil Nadu village is known for its Instagrammable sunflower fields Located in Tamil Nadu, Sundarapandiapuram, shot to fame in the film Roja
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undarapandiapuram has been on my list of must-see places ever since I saw a travelogue featuring this rustic village with its fields of sunflowers, a much-photographed sight. While it isn’t exactly, a hop, skip and jump from the city, the drive out to Sundarapandiapuram is well worth it for these blooms. With good roads and clear skies, one can drive to this village in Tamil Nadu from Thiruvananthapuram in three-and-a-half hours. Hoping to paint my Instagram feed yellow, I head for Sundarapandiapuram. My guide to the village Venkatesh S waits by the village post office. He directs me to a private patch of sunflowers. Sundarapandiapuram is an agricultural village and most of its residents own land. While the farmers are into cultivating rice, onions, corn, coriander and the like, sunflower was added to
Anniyan para
enthusiastic photographers tend to damage the stalks in their quest for that perfect shot. Dogs guard their plots.”
Sunflower patch at Sundarapandiapuram
that list 15 years ago when a sunflower seed company encouraged them to plant a few patches as a trial run. “And we have been planting them ever since, although in 2017, due to severe drought, we didn’t plant any. You won’t need to travel all the way to Italy for Instagrammable photographs amidst sunflower fields,” he says. Sunflower seeds are usually sown by mid-June, and in 90 to 100 days, the flowers reach full bloom. And if you think the flowers grace vases or are part of the flower
carpet spread during Onam, Venkatesh is quick to dispel them. The sunflower seeds are harvested for making edible sunflower oil. “We sell the seeds by the quintal to various sunflower oil companies.” At first, I see only green, and then I spot it, flecks of gold dancing in the wind. The sunflowers stand tall amidst the green, a slice of sunshine on earth. Some of the stalks tower over me. As I snap several Instagram pictures in the fields, Venkatesh says, “Most farmers cordon off their sunflowers as over-
Rock art Next on the list is a visit to Anniyan para that stands on the way to Sundarapandiapuram. Venkatesh insists that we go there. “The popular Tamil song ‘Andang Kaka’ in Shankar’s Anniyan was shot here. Earlier, it was known as Roja para, as a few scenes from the movie were shot on that rock, but its real name is Puliyur para. In fact, the reason why our village shot to fame was due to Roja; the agraharam scenes were taken in our village.” Our car stops by a huge, rather unimpressive-looking rock formation, which we start to climb. Two young men are taking selfies and I can’t help but wonder why until I see it — Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, MGR... Staring at me.
Agraharam at Sundarapandiapuram
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Social Bloom Venkatesh laughs at my reaction and says, “The art team of Anniyan did this. They painted these images for the song. The paintings have faded over the years, though.” We head back to the village for lunch, which is at Venkatesh’s relative’s house. There are no eateries here
expect for one or two tiny shacks. Meena amma, as she likes to be addressed, is all smiles as she ushers me into her dining room. The table is all set — piping hot rice, sambar, rasam and a thoran (vegetable dish). A simple, yet tasty lunch. Post lunch, Venkatesh and I set off to explore the famous
agraharam, which is a popular setting for many Tamil and Malayalam films and sitcoms. “We are so used to seeing film shoots and movie stars here that it is no longer exciting. Most of the stars have visited or dined at our homes. In fact, quite a few of us have starred as extras in various films.” The village is quiet with
Radha Narasimham
just a handful of residents outside of their homes. People are all smiles and welcoming. The homes stand close together like linked houses. While some are modern in look, some have retained the traditional decor with carved pillars, intricate roof patterns, old-fashioned doors... There are around 180 families in this agraharam and almost everyone is related to the other. Venkatesh grins when I tell him I smell a delectable aroma coming from one of the houses. He takes me into the house and introduces me to Radha, who is busy making kai murukku. “Radha akka is our resident snack maker. Her snacks and sweets are famous across nearby villages and towns. We even have people from Thiruvananthapuram ordering from her.” After tasting nearly all of Radha’s snacks, we walk towards the theppakulam. I can spot windmills across the pond. Venkatesh says, the residents come here in the evening, sit, talk and enjoy the evening breeze. The sun is almost setting when I leave. After a strong, ginger tea at Meena’s place, I head back thinking of this little village with its smiling villagers, picturesque landscapes and golden blooms that has captured my heart. n
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News
To protect stem cells, plants have diverse genetic backup plans
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espite evolution driving a wide variety of differences, many plants function the same way. Now a new study has revealed the different genetic strategies various flowering plant species use to achieve the same status quo. In flowering plants, stem cells are critical for survival. Influenced by environmental factors, stem cells direct how and when a plant will grow. Whether a plant needs deep-reaching roots, taller stems, or more leaves and flowers, it is the stem cells that produce new cells for the job. That’s also why having too many or too few stem cells can disrupt a plant’s growth. Responsible for all this is a “core genetic circuitry found in all flowering plants,” says CSHL Professor and HHMI Investigator Zach Lippman. In a paper published in Nature Genetics, Lippman and CSHL Professor David Jackson describe the genetic mechanisms that ensure “a deeply conserved stem cell circuit” maintains some function, even if defects occur in a signaling protein called CLV3, and the receptor with which it interacts, CLV1. “Those players are critical for ensuring a plant has the right number of stem cells throughout life, and we discovered there are backup systems that kick in when these players are compromised through
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When the maintenance of stem cells is disrupted, the consequences are often very visual. In the case of this tomato plant, the cells driving flower growth have over-proliferated, creating a disorganized mass of petals.
chance mutations,” explains Lippman. The researchers determined that although the stem cell circuits are essential for flowering plants, the genetic backup systems can vary drastically from plant to plant. If the gene producing CLV3 is disrupted by a mutation in a tomato, for instance, a related gene will stand in for it. However, Jackson’s team discovered that in the case of maize, two genes are working in parallel to produce the essential signaling protein. “I like to compare it to a rowboat,” Lippman adds. “In tomato there are two people who can row, but only one is rowing. But if the main rower injures his arm, the second person can take up the oars. In maize, both are rowing all the
When the CLV3 circuit is disrupted, the stem cells making up a maize plant’s meristem can become disorganized (greyscale, right). As the crop matures, the results of an especially disruptive genetic mutation become more and more apparent (left) when compared with an unaffected ear (WT).
time, though not necessarily with equal effort. And in Arabidopsis [rockcress] you have one main rower supported by seven, eight, or nine other rowers in the boat; and it looks like only one has a fullsize oar. The rest are just using very small paddles.” “We were surprised to see such big differences”, says Jackson, “but in retrospect it reveals the power of evolution in finding novel ways to protect critical developmental circuits.” According to Jackson, Lippman and their colleagues, understanding these species-specific strategies for protecting key genetic interactions will be essential for achieving “intelligent crop design” and using genome editing to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability.
News
exponential growth in land value forced exporters to close units
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xports of flowers had reached a record $144.79 million (Rs. 653 crore) in 2006-07, but have since faltered because an exponential growth in land value in cities like Pune and Bangalore has forced many exporters to close their units. With specific export incentives on freight and production, the floriculture sector can double shipments in five years from around $80 million/year now, analysts feel. “We can boost exports of fresh flower to a very high level with appropriate policy intervention,” said Praveen Sharma, President of Pune-based Indian Society of Floriculture Professionals (ISFP). Shipments were worth $78.7 million (Rs. 507 crore) in 2017-18 (in fact, exports have been fluctuating in the range of $7580 million since 2011-12). Industry experts say dry flower has larger share than fresh varieties in the export basket (60:40). Sharma said roses have a share of about 95% in India’s fresh flower exports and the major destinations include Japan, the UK, Italy and Greece. Until 2005, flower exports to Europe were routed through Holland, which is the world’s largest trading hub in floriculture. Over
the years, exporters have established their own contacts in individual countries and directly sending consignments, said Sharma. In the initial few years of last decade (2000-10), there was several floriculture units established in the vicinity of Pune and Bangalore, with the focus being on exports of roses. However, many units either closed down or reduced size as land prices skyrocketed during 2005-08. Some analysts cite the reluctance of exporters to pay royalties to global breeders which makes it impossible for growers to get right varieties at the right time. “Rose farmers are not getting new varieties from overseas breeders due to IPR issues in India,” said S Jafar Naqvi, President of the Indian Flowers and Ornamental Plants Welfare Association. The cost is definitely a factor, but export oriented units must be made competitive through suitable government intervention, he said. Cut rose was sold at Rs. 3050/ piece in the NCR region during this year’s Valentine’s Day, industry officials said. This in comparison with exporters earning 30-60 percent (or Rs. 2448) per rose from the European buyers this year, Sharma said. India’s peak export season (December-February) caters to mainly Valentine’s Day demand. According to an industry estimate, India had exported roses worth Rs. 26-27 crore for this year’s festive season, compared with about Rs. 23 crore in 2018.
FlowerAura in talks to raise $15 million
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urgaon-based e-commerce platform FlowerAura is in talks to raise $15 million to scale up its operations across the country and deliver personalised gifting experiences to its customers. The bootstrapped company, founded in 2010 by Himanshu Chawla and Shrey Sehgal with an initial investment of Rs. 3 lakh, delivered 7 lakh orders in FY 2018 at an average order value of Rs. 800 and ended fiscal 2019 with revenue of Rs. 55 crore. “We are a profitable company and will invest Rs. 3.5 crore this fiscal to ramp up our Fulfilment Centre count to 40 from 22 that we have in eight metros to deliver the right product at the right time. Our biggest gifting category is flowers followed by cakes, personalised gifts and plants, which we introduced recently,” said Himanshu Chawla, co-founder and director. Demand on FlowerAura.com has grown from 4.5 lakh orders in FY 2018 to seven lakh in FY 2019 from not only the top ten cities but also 180 other cities across the country, Chawla said “We are expecting to grow revenue three times this fiscal and touch Rs. 150 crore and double that in 2021. We are also in talks to raise $15 million to scale operations beyond metros to Tier-2 and -3 cities which currently contribute to 35 per cent of our overall business.” The total size of the Indian corporate and personal gifting market has exceeded Rs. 250,000 crore in 2017 as per a study.
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Anthurium to be added to amazone plants
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mazone Plants is expanding the range considerably this year. From July Amazone Plants will deliver Anthurium in no less than three pot sizes and more than fifteen, partly exclusive, varieties. Recently the first plants found their place in the new greenhouse. Expansion in area and pot size The growth in the range is made possible by the expansion in cultivation area to 5.8 hectares. At the adjacent tomato nursery, a start was made last November with the conversion to an Anthurium nursery. This July everything must be ready and the first plants can leave the new greenhouse. The pot sizes 12 and 14 cm are added to the assortment and from now on new plants are placed in
Amazone Plants
the converted greenhouse every week. It was a memorable moment, when the very first Anthuriums made their entrance into the former tomato greenhouse. This new greenhouse is, just like the existing and adjacent Anthurium greenhouse, very modern and automated.
Plants. Not only is the cultivation area and the range expanded, the Anthurium Company is also launching a completely new house style. A new logo and appearance, new packaging and a completely new website will be introduced in June. The new house style will match the product line and its origin.
New house style 2019 is an important year for Amazone
Will ‘neelakurinji’ Blossom carpets the hillocks next season Recent wildfires could have wiped out all seeds of the endemic flower: Experts
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ext season, the ‘neelakurinji’ blossom may not carpet the hillocks on the western side of the Western Ghats in a ravishing purple. Wildlife experts say the recent largescale wildfires on the grasslands where Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiiana) blossomed widely last year after a period of 12 years could have wiped out all the seeds of the endemic flowers from the
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area. The Forest Department suspects that the recent wildfires were man-made. Some areas are still engulfed in flames in the Munnar region. About 1,000 ha of forestland, grantis and eucalyptus plantations and grasslands have been destroyed in the fire. There are allegations that the areas coming under the proposed Kurinji sanctuary were set on fire with a motive to destroy the germination of Neelakurinji seeds, immediately after the flowering season, so that the area would not come under the sanctuary. A senior forest official told that in the proposed Kurinji sanctuary, here were encroachments and land grabbers who wanted to keep the area off the limits of the sanctuary. According to
P. Sujanapal, Scientist, Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Peechi, Neelakurinji seeds are sensitive without a hard cover and are unlikely to survive a massive fire. As a habitat, the Western Ghats is known for its rare collection of flora and fauna. There are some rare orchids in the area and even a flash of fire could destroy the seeds. The grasslands are important agents for protecting the biodiversity, both for plants and animal species. The damage done by a wildfire to its ecosystem would depend on the intensity of it. A massive fire could wipe out an entire habitat and there are many rare plants in the Western Ghats which are yet to be studied. All these and insects endemic to the area might face extinction in a massive fire, he added.
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Big Chinese project to propagate flowers and plants
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t’s not just greenhouse vegetable cultivation that’s making serious headway in China, ornamental horticulture is also on the rise. The Chinese are getting more money in their pockets, which means consumers are increasingly willing to purchase a nice bunch of flowers or a pretty plant. In order to meet that growing demand, Shanghai Yuanyi Seedling is building a brand new propagation company, equipped with a full automation line from TTA and partners. Peter Rietveld, Sales Manager Asia with TTA, “Careful calculations show that annually, 800 million plants can be propagated.” In order to facilitate all that, a lot of automation is needed before the plants can go into the greenhouse. It’s no mean feat to fill up a 9-hectare greenhouse, after all. What’s remarkable is that Yuanyi, which is among the top 5 propagators in China, is building such a project in one go. “You don’t see that a lot on a global scale, but the market in China has matured, and it’s ready for such a step.”
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Peter Rietveld and Geert Maris will both be present at the Hortiflorexpo IPM Shanghai for TTA.
3D model During the Hortiflorexpo IPM Shanghai, held from 20th to 22nd of April, TTA raises the curtain on this special project. The project, which has been worked on for about two years, with the efforts being focused particularly in the last 12 months, will be completed at the end of 2019. At the trade show, TTA, a Dutch family enterprise, will show a 3D model, supported with videos. But what will it show? Peter explains, “It’s about the complete automation of the
process before the plants will enter the greenhouse. Think of a number of seeding lines with a capacity of 1200 trays per hour, gapping automation and automatic transplanting of begonias and cyclamen from small to big plugs. But there’s more: a complete delivery system for rooted cuttings, an automated potting line, robots that enable handling 540,000 plants per hour, and robots for automatically moving and widening pots.” In collaboration with a few partners, TTA delivers the project with largely TTA machines, of course with the latest techniques. “Speed and accuracy are getting increasingly important in automation. But also quality-wise, higher demands are made. You can’t get around vision technology anymore. For instance,
News
selection machines are equipped with smart, self-learning vision software to process high-quality material very fast.” Optimizing machine performance The flowers and plants need to be high quality, but the same goes for the machines,
of course. They need to deliver maximum performance to make that possible. The ‘Optimizer’ software suite ensures that. “The software brings maximum machine performance and average machine performance closer together, as well as providing users with insight into machine
performance, based on big data. And in the rare event that something doesn’t go quite as planned, we’ll be ready to offer the service that’s needed. We can do that online, but also on site if the grower can’t figure it out themselves.”
Scientists discover a new way to regenerate flowering plant tissues
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group of scientists from Tokyo University of Science have discovered a new way to regenerate flowering plant tissues, opening possibilities of mitigating the global food problem. Plant regeneration can occur via formation of a mass of pluripotent cells. The process of acquisition of pluripotency involves silencing of genes to remove original tissue memory and priming for activation by external input. Led by Professor Sachihiro Matsunaga from Tokyo University of Science, a team of scientists have shown that plant regenerative capacity requires a certain demethylase that can prime gene expression in response to regenerative cues. In multicellular organisms, not all genes are expressed in all cells, meaning that not all cells make the same enzymes or proteins, and therefore not all cells have the same metabolism. This differentiation
is a key process across multicellular organisms, including plants and fungi. But as cells specialize, they become unipotent, meaning that they lose the ability to form multiple cell types. For long scientists have tried to reprogram mammal cells for pluripotency by drastic means such as nuclear transfer and induction of transcription factors. However, plants can acquire the same regenerative powers via external signal input such as hormones and stress. A part of the phenomenon is regulated by epigenetics, because these modifications are epi or “above” the genes. Professor Matsunaga and his team used Arabidopsis thaliana, a small flowering plant commonly used in plant biology, to study genome-wide histone modifications. Histones are proteins that package together eukaryotic DNA, preventing it from being transcribed or decoded. Upon being modified, however, these proteins’ grasp around the DNA
molecule loosens, making it easier for the DNA to be transcribed. The group of scientists found that it is the demethylation (the removal of a methyl group from the amino acid) of the histone H3 by the LDL3 enzyme that lends regenerative competency to the plant. This epigenetic mechanism allows the plant’s pluripotent cells to go back to its unipotent state and thus assume the identity of shoot meristems for differentiated tissues including leaves and stems. Because no seeds are needed to grow these plants, this could potentially help scientists grow plants faster without flowering. “By strengthening the ability of plants to reproduce, even without seeds,” Professor Matsunaga indicated, “it is possible to increase the number of clonal plants with only leaves, stems, and parts of roots. It can address environmental problems by promoting greening and solve the global food problem by increasing production of grains and vegetables.”
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