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VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10 OCTOBER 2017 ` 70

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Characteristics of an ideal warehouse A ROYAL DECREE Against Black pepper

Pulses in INDIA WORLD FEMINIZATION OF INDIAN AGRICULTURE AGRICULTURE

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VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10 OCTOBER 2017 ` 70 PAGES 84 Editor-in-Chief

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Climate Change & Sugarcane

T. K Srivastava & Ram Ratan Verma

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Characteristics of an Ideal Warehouse

Dr. Swati Sharma, Prof. Gautam Parmar

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Tomato in Eastern India

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A Royal Decree against Black Pepper

Dr. Subhadeep Nath

B. Sasikumar & Lijo Thomas

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Feminization of Indian Agriculture

Sukanya Som, P Venkatesh & Aditya K S

James P. Thomas H. S. Asmuddin E-16F - 33, Hamriya Free Zone, Sharjah, UAE Mob: +971 50 2870465 Email: mezhukanal@krishijagran.com

Sreeja.S.Nair Monika Mondal

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Yogesh Kumar Alka Gupta Graphic Designer

“Shape What Agriculture has today”

with Dr.Suresh Pal Interview M. Mondal & I. Khan

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Accounts

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Promoting Indo-Israel Agriculture Cooperation V.R Ajithkumar

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Pulses in India

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Sabziwala: First Choice of Farmers & Consumers- Interview

Pawan Kumar

Deepshika Singh

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Oyster Mushrooms

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Jeevna’s Roof top Garden

Krishnapriya P.J & Dr. D. Geetha

Coconut Oil & the Diet- Heart Hypothesis

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Editorial

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“W

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hen women are empowered and can claim their rights and access to land, leadership, opportunities and choices, economies grow, food security is enhanced and prospects are improved for current and future generations”, says Michelle Bachelet - Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women It is true that agriculture is an important engine of growth and poverty reduction. But the sector is underperforming mainly because women face constraints that reduce the productivity.

Women comprise 43% of the world’s agricultural labour force, which rises to above 70% in Bangladesh and a few African countries. Overall, the labour burden of rural women exceed that of men and in India, a higher proportion of unpaid household responsibilities related to preparing food and collecting water and fuel overburden them.

The contribution of women to agricultural and food production is significant but it is impossible to verify empirically the share produced by women. Women are over represented in unpaid, seasonal and part time work, and the available evidence suggests that women are often paid less than men, for the same work. Efforts by the Government and other agencies to achieve their goals for agricultural development ,economic growth and food security will be strengthened and accelerated if they build on the contribution that women make and take steps to alleviate the constraints.

Rural women often manage complex households and pursue multiple livelihood strategies. Their activities typically include producing agriculture crops, tending animals, processing and preparing food, working for wages in agriculture or other rural enterprises, collecting fuel and water, engaging in trade and marketing, caring for family members and maintaining their homes. Many of these activities are not defined as economically active employment in national accounts but they are essential to the well being of rural house holds.

Overcoming all these hazards, it is true that agriculture and rural areas are becoming feminized.

Women predominate in the agricultural sector or women are rapidly gaining a predominant position . The training of rural women is very important, especially with the adoption of modern agricultural techniques that are tailored to local conditions and that use natural resources in a sustainable manner, with a view to achieving economic development without degrading the environment.

Giving support to rural women is a way of breaking the vicious cycle that leads to rural poverty and to the expansion of slums in the cities, where the poor get poorer. Development strategies should consider rural women as the epicenter, paying special attention to their social skills both within and without agriculture sector. Rural women - instead of being treated as mere beneficiaries – should be viewed as experts who possess knowledge which complement experts’ formal knowledge.

Participation in policies that benefit rural women can ensure truthful answers being given to this vulnerable group, since membership empowers impoverished subjects and is a vital step towards poverty alleviation. It is extremely important to recognize the role that rural women play and the contribution that they make in networks and cooperatives, giving them greater political and financial support and involving them in the training and conducting of development programs that enhance women’s role in agricultural production. Networks operating in rural areas like Kudumbashree project of the Government of Kerala can empower women in the farming sector.

MC Dominic Editor-in-Chief

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Advertorial

COMPANY NEWS

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AGRICULTURE

,e-,-lh- —f”k tkxj.k] flrEcj 2017 OCTOBER 2017 WORLD

hindi.krishijagran.com

Interview

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hen we talk of agriculture, a big tree with numerous branches comes up in the picture, branches in the form of farmers’ toil, seed, farm mechanization, market linkage and many more. In Indian scenario, one of the most important factors which connects all these branches is country’s economic policy frame work. Famous agricultural economist, Dr. Suresh Pal, Director at National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research NIAP, India is talking to KJ team about some major issues affecting agricultural scenario in India and its effects on the economy. He also served IARI during 1986-96 as an agricultural economist responsible for research and post-graduate teaching. Dr. Suresh Pal’s current research interests include technology-trade linkages,

intellectual property rights, biotechnology, and science and technology policy.

Q. We all heard about the “great Indian agro brain drain”. People are moving away from farming, especially youth. Even a majority of students who graduate from agricultural universities switch over to other professions. What are the reasons and how to influence them to take up farming?

One of the major reasons which drives away our youth is the low profitability this sector has, investments poured in the form of labor in harsh weather conditions, lower wages and lower income levels makes this sector non-preferable when compared with the fancy secondary or tertiary sectors. Our rural

SHAPE WHAT Agriculture has today Monika Mondal & Imran Khan

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Dr. Suresh Pal AGRICULTURE

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society has many lacunas, dearth of infrastructure which makes the young generation non-attracted to the villages, where most of our agriculture prevails. Development is directly proportional to the involvement. As our villages would develop, more population would be focused on agriculture and would practice it in rural areas. In the current scenario, we have examples where people left services and joined agriculture fields like, poultry,dairy and animal husbandry, floriculture and horticulture segment etc which are also viable in the urban settings.

Q. The contribution of agriculture to India’s GDP is declining with country’s economic growth. What’s your opinion and how the govt. can increase the growth rate?

It is actually a common phenomenon throughout the world. The US has seen the same graph and so India is witnessing. The GDP gap is filled by the industry and service sectors, which grows rapidly as the economy transforms. Unlike agriculture, secondary and tertiary sectors need only capital and generate high demand. Comparatively, on the contrary agriculture has limited growth.

Comparing earlier days’agriculture with todays, growth rate should increase and it indeed is increasing and hence agriculture is sustaining in India. Technology have evolved and have advanced with drip irrigation, bio-pesticide etc. making the efficiency high.

In totality, income level of farmers should increase. The conditions today are positive, India has witnessed bumper harvest of food grains of 275 – 278 million tonnes and horticulture had production of 286 million tonnes which is a record production.

Q. Minimum Support Price (MSP) and buffer stock are the key components of India’s agriculture price policy. At regular intervals, the government has made changes in these components for ensuring better productivity and benefits. How far does it reaches to the needyfarmers?

At present govt. provides MSP for 23-24 commodities. The scope has widened itself to take in rice, pulses, sugarcane, cotton, jute etc. The procurement process is not limited to govt. sector. Public Private Partnership has been a helping hand to the farmers as well.

Wastage of the buffer stock has been taking highlights in the dailies. Most of the problem lies with the perishable crops like vegetables.

The lack of storage infrastructure and procurement centers in the tough terrains like eastern India is one of the major drawbacks.

But the FCI, State govt. and the PPPs are trying hard to bridge the gap with scientific storages and capacity augmentation. Loans are available for the farmers to access the storage infrastructure and the capacity has multiplied by 2-3 fold.

Q. About the lack of infrastructure and technology in rural areas.

Today, farmers are much aware and inquisitive of the technology and advancement in farming. The various stakeholders including govt, media and extensions are making efforts to educate the farmer, to which the farmers respond affirmatively. Today, cellular phones can work like a mini-computer and satisfies the basic needs and they serve as the source of first information of market connectivity, commodity information, mandis’ information, storage, market access etc. DD Kisan is also a good source of knowledge for the farmers which are made accessible. Infrastructure is needed to be developed and it would take pace but rendering information is the first step.

Q. Impact of organic farming and its sufficiency to feed our second largest population of the world.

Modern agricultural practices have to follow likewise for sustenance of organic products.

Western and Southern regions of India are doing wonders with protected cultivation.

Consumers are ready to pay high prices for organic products. Places like North-Eastern India, where use of chemicals is limited are the most sought after organic farming fields and markets.

Q. About GM technology and its resonance in Indian agriculture Science and technology addresses problems to find better solution and are evaluated properly, keeping the risk factors, product quality, environment, health factors etcbefore delivering the advancementto the society.

The different stakeholders in the picture are scientific authorities, policy makers and decision makers. They all have their different roles and concerns, which we should respect.

BT cotton has worked well and it has its own potential advantages which cannot be denied.

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Sukanya Som, P. Venkatesh, Aditya K. S., R. Roy Burman and A. Suresh

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110 012

I

t may be said that feminization of agricultural labour is an increasing trend in the developing economies all over the world, but at the same time they suffer from lack of access and right to land, capital, income and other resources.

The trend of feminization is equally prevalent in India. Some case studies have also been collected from several research papers

to support the findings. The pertinent inquiry of this paper is whether this feminization of agriculture is actually leading to economic empowerment of women or it is only in terms of increased number of women labourers in agriculture. In the pursuit of seeking an explanation to this phenomenon, two major economic notions namely, Neoclassical and Marxist theories have been

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FEMINIZATION of Indian Agriculture AGRICULTURE

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Presently, increasing participation of women in agriculture is an emerging trend in developing economies all over the world. India is not an exception. Due to economic transformation and globalization, rural to urban male migration has become an increasing trend in India. As a result, farming is becoming the sole responsibility of women members of the family. However, the proportion of women cultivators is much lower than that of the women agricultural labourers implying casualization of women labour rather than their intellectual involvement in farm decision making. Several sources suggest that they have little control over assets, resources, land, capital, credit and wages. This may actually lead to more burden and social injustice to women by deepening gender inequality as women still have to operate in the male dominated agriculture sector. This article aims to find out in the light of Neoliberal and Marxist perspectives, whether this feminization of agriculture is only in terms of increasing number of women labourers or real empowerment of women. reviewed and presented in the paper in relation to feminization of agriculture.

Trend of women employment and involvement of women in agriculture in India Though India has one of the lowest Female Labour force Participation Rate (FLPR) i.e. around 25 per cent , the work participation rate is higher for rural women (30.02%) than urban women (15.44%). Among the major states, rural FLPR is the highest in Andhra Pradesh (45%), Chhattisgarh (42%), and Maharashtra (38.9).Hilly and North Eastern states like Himachal Pradesh (53.5%), Sikkim (50%), and Mizoram (40.8%) are reported to be having even higher rural FLPR. Except Union territories (UTs) like Daman & Diu, Chandigarh and Lakshwadeep, all other states and UTs have higher rural FLPR than Urban FLPR . It is found that most of the urban women are employed in regular sector, while most of the rural women are employed in casual (35.1%) and self-employment sector (59.3%) . Further, table 1 shows that most of the rural women are engaged in agriculture sector (74.5% in 2011-12).

Table 1. Share of rural female workforce by sector and activity status NSSO Rounds

Agriculture

Manufacturing

Non-manufacturing

Services PS

PS

SS

PS

SS

PS

SS

1993-94

76.6

60.9

12.7

32.0

6.4

3.1

SS

1999-00

84.5

91.8

7.2

5.6

1.6

0.2

6.7

2.4

2004-05

81.4

89

8.6

7.2

2.1

0.7

7.9

3.1

2009-10

78.9

80.7

7.5

7.1

4.6

9.0

9.0

3.2

2011-12

74.5

76.1

9.4

10.2

5.6

10.5

10.5

3.2

4

Source: Various report of NSS rounds

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Agriculture sector employes 4/5th of all economically active women and 48 percent of India’s self employed women are farmers.

14 Among total agricultural labourers in India, male and female workers constitute 44.8 and 55.2 per cent, respectively. Agriculture sector employs 4/5th of all economically active women and 48 per cent of India’s self-employed women are farmers . About75 million and 20 million women are engaged in dairy and animal husbandry compared to 15 million and 1.5 million men, respectively.

Therefore, it is quite visible that India is witnessing a high level of women participation in agriculture. One noteworthy fact is that number of female agricultural labourers is more than that of female cultivators (table1) which implies that women are working in farms but without asset ownership and without any say in decision making. However, there is an increasing trend in number of both female labourers and cultivators over the years while, the number of male workers is decreasing Source: Various report of NSS rounds 2 Migration as the major factor behind feminization of agriculture Though, rate of female migration is higher (45.6%) than that of male (25.9%), major AGRICULTURE

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reason for female migration is marriage and not economic activities. While, for men the chief reason for migration is employment related issues (52.6%), for women it accounts for only 2.6 per cent of cases (2007-08).Marriage (60.8 %) and family related issues (90.8 %) are found to be chief reasons for female migration.

It is further seen that rate of rural to urban migration is far higher for men than women. Rural to urban migration for men is also showing an increasing trend over the years. This strengthens the fact that mostly male members of family are moving out of rural areas to urban areas in search of better employment opportunities leaving female members back home for taking care of farming activities.

Source: Census 2001, NSSO several rounds It is seen that migration is remarkably higher in Uttar Pradesh (38.10 lakh) and Bihar (22.41 lakh) in comparison to rest of the states. Earlier also, we have seen that women participation in agriculture sector is highest in Bihar. This can be attributed to higher rural to urban migration of men from the state.

A study conducted in Bihar (2014) shows

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high rate of migration of men from Bihar over the past few decades. Bihar’s agriculture sector is highly feminized, with 50.1 per cent of the total workforce engaged in farming activities being women. Women contribute 79.5 per cent of the workforce engaged in animal husbandry in the state. She further investigated that 70 per cent of all women engaged in cultivation are from households witnessing migration.

Challenges and future policy interventions for women in agriculture With increasing participation of women in agriculture, a number of challenges have also emerged. As the Marxist theorists have stated that women participation in agriculture is often distress driven and not by their choice, the problems become even more severe.

When the male members of family move out in search of better opportunities, the women have to take up farming to supplement family income. This engagement is often forced on

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them in order to combat poverty and to keep the family going.

Wage discrimination There still exists high degree of wage discrimination between men and women in both formal and informal sectors. Average daily wage rate in formal sector isRs. 632.2 and Rs. 481.9 for men and women respectively, while for informal sector it is 194.2 and 120.3 for male and female, respectively.

Wage discrimination is equally prevalent in both casual and regular agriculture sector.

Female to male wage ratio is 0.69 in casual agriculture sector and 0.79 for regular agriculture sector Figure 4 shows trend of real wages (deflated by consumer price index) for men and women in agriculture sector over the years. It is clearly seen that wage gap exists between men and women in both rural and urban areas. This gap is even widening over the years. The wage rate of rural women is lower than that of urban women.

There still exists high degree of wage discrimination between men and women in both formal and informal sectors.

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Table 2. Average wage earning received per day in agricultural sector Farm activities

Female

Male

Female wage as a share of male wage

Ploughing

27.9

39.1

71.4

Sowing

32.7

41.8

78.2

Transplantation

28.3

38.7

73.1

Weeding

29.2

39.1

74.3

Harvesting

25.7

34.7

74.2

Animal husbandry

55.7

57.7

96.5

Fisheries

27.9

42.6

65.6

Non manual work in cultivation

34.9

56.5

61.9

Source: Authors calculation from data provided by Census report (2011)

Table 3. Farm hazards for women for several activities Farm activities Percentage Farm activities Percentage Transplanting

50

Parboiling

67

Harvesting

26.5

Seed cleaning

47

Threshing

50

Fodder collection

23

Drying

33

Milching

27.5

Source: Adopted from CIWA, 2014

Source: Various report of NSS rounds Table 2 shows average wage earning by women agricultural labourers for several agricultural activities. In all the activities women get paid less than men. The wage gap was the lowest for animal husbandry related activities.

The NSS data indicates large variations in female to male wage ratios for rural labourers. It is found to be more than 1 in case of Mizoram (1.3), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (1.1) and Jammu & Kashmir (1.08) implying that rural women labourers get paid more than men in these three states on an average. The ratio is the lowest in Kerala (0.48) followed by Jharkhand (0.57) and Tamil Nadu(0.59) (NSS, 2011-12).

Land ownership Land is more than an economic asset; it is rather a means of empowerment which helps in access to credit, training, agricultural extension services as well. In Kerala, among the property-less women, 49 per cent experienced physical violence and 84 per cent experienced psychological violence. In AGRICULTURE OCTOBER 2017

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Lack of education of rural women is another obstacle that prevents them from taking part in decision making, having control over resources and claiming their rights contrast, those who owned both land and house reported remarkably less physical and psychological violence (7% and 16% respectively). It is proven in many studies that if women have secure access and control over land, they are less likely to be exposed to gender-based violence, their family nutrition improves, a larger share of the family income is allocated to food; and the land may also be more sustainably managed.

Gender gap in education Lack of education of rural women is another obstacle that prevents them from taking part in decision making, having control over resources, claiming their rights etc. In a study

by United Nations (2011) it is depicted that, everything else being equal, countries in which the ratio of female-to-male enrolment in education is less than 0.75 can experience approximately, 25 per cent lower GNP than countries in which there is less gender disparity in education.

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Access to credit Female have lesser access to credit as well.

In rural areas only 25 per cent bank accounts are owned by women (Anonymous, 2012). A study by Kelkar (2012) stated that barely 5 per cent of women had been issued with Kissan credit cards in India. And Rao (2011) showed that 61.52 per cent of women respondents had no bank account in a study conducted in Uttar Pradesh. Further, only 3 per cent women participated in decision making on several farm and household decisions on an average. Another study by Malik et al. (2015), conducted on dairy farming in Haryana showed that the respondent farm women had very little access to financial resources (23.38 %). Though 66.7 per cent of them were aware of animal loans but only 0.83 per cent stated that they have ever tried obtaining animal loan. Only 8.3 per cent stated that they could mobilize and use family resources for purchasing new animals.

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Evidences suggest that there has been only increase in number of women participation in agriculture but not in their true involvement in farm management. Women workers face various forms of discrimination and operate within male dominated agricultural sector. This results into a discrepancy owing to added responsibility without adequate access to resources and thereby economic power Health Hazards Women also suffer from many health hazards during farm activities (Table 3). Most of the technologies are inherently designed for men which causes excessive workload for 20 women. A study by ICAR-Central Institute for Women in Agriculture (CIWA), Bhuwaneshwar attempted to find out farmwomen’s perception regarding several health hazards related to farm activities. Most of the respondents perceived parboiling (67%) to be the most hazardous activity followed by transplanting (50%), threshing (50%) and seed cleaning (50%) (Table 3).

Public efforts for women in agriculture and future policy interventions There have been many policy initiatives for women in the country. However, the number of programmes especially designed for women involved in agriculture sector is limited.

Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) is one important programme in this regard. It was launched as a sub component of NRLM in 2011 with a focus on empowering women in agriculture by creating sustainable livelihood institutions of women around agriculture and allied activities, promoting and enhancing food and nutritional security at household and community level, sustainable increase in income from primary sector livelihoods (Rs.30,000 to 50,000 per annum), drudgery reduction for women farmers and enabling women to have better access to inputs and services of the government and AGRICULTURE

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other agencies.

India is witnessing a trend towards feminization of agricultural work force. However, both the Neo-liberal and Marxist theories suggest although with different propositions, that women participation in agriculture is mostly out of compulsion rather than by choice. It is either male migration as per

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Neo-liberal theorists or poor economic condition of the family according to the Marxists that force women to engage in agriculture. This forced-participation naturally doesn’t lead to true empowerment and upward mobility of women, rather adds on to their workload and deepens gender discrimination due to inconsistent control and opportunities accessed by women. Evidenc-

es suggest that there has been only increase in number of women participation in agriculture but not in their true involvement in farm management. Women workers face various forms of discrimination and operate within male dominated agricultural sector.

This results into a discrepancy owing to added responsibility without adequate access to resources and thereby economic power.

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sugar cane

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Climate change and sugarcane 22

T. K. Srivastava and Ram Ratan Verma

C

ICAR- Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow – 226002

hange in climate is now evident with increase in global temperature by 1.30C as compared to that in 1880 the year when systematic recording began. Change in temperature is mainly owed to enhanced atmospheric CO2 concentration now over 409 ppm against 280 during the twentieth century. This phenomenon has directly impacted the life in all forms and sizes on the planet and plants being directly dependent AGRICULTURE

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on solar radiation and atmospheric CO2 for their living are the most affected. Plant physiological processes like photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration and enzymatic regulation of growth and development of plants face tangible alterations as affected by enhanced temperature and CO2 levels.

Further, the indirect effects of climate change are more pronounced as rising sea levels, increasing acidification of oceans, capricious rains and shifting weather patterns

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Climate change induced rise in atmospheric temperature and altered rainfall pattern leading to water scarcity coupled with high CO2 concentration in the air is expected to have an indirect overall negative impact on sugarcane growth and productivity in various agro-climatic regions of the country. This can be effectively addressed by adoption of water efficient varieties grown under precision agronomic management. Techniques like surface and sub-surface drip irrigation, trash mulching, integrated precision nutrient management and multi-ratooning hold the key for effective management of sugarcane under weather aberrations brought about by the climate change. Price premium for ratoon cane, more resilient to weather fluctuations, is proposed to incentivize farmers for raising ratoon yield that may lead to increased sugarcane and sugar production in the country.

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that imperil the balance of life and threaten mass dislocation and destruction of life on the Earth.

Climate change impact on sugarcane Sugarcane is a tall growing grass with sugar rich stalks cultivated in both the hemispheres up to 35 degrees of latitude. During 12-15 months duration from planting to maturity the crop undergoes varying weather conditions affecting its growth and development.

The conducive climatic requirements of sug-

arcane varies with the growth stage. For germination it requires warm and moist weather ensuring adequate moisture and warmth in soil and setts to give rise to adequate crop stand while tillering phase to determine final harvest needs hot and dry weather. Elongation of stems is supported by hot and humid conditions and maturity that is rapid accumulation of sucrose is good under cold and dry weather. The direct impact of change on sugarcane can be deciphered by analysing the effect of prevailing weather conditions during the said phases of sugarcane crop AGRICULTURE OCTOBER 2017

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sugar cane

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Climate change induced changes in temperature regime, rainfall pattern and aberrant weather conditions leading to higher evapo-transpirational demand on one hand and water scarcity on the other make it necessary to develop sugarcane varieties with higher water use efficiency, drought tolerance and efficient in sugar accumulation under expected fluctuating diurnal temperatures during maturity phase of the crop

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growth cycle.

Analysis of long term weather trends by IMD reveals decline in mean maximum annual temperature and slight increase in mean minimum annual temperature leading to overall rise in average temperature by 0.6-0.70 C over the Indian sub-continent. An increase in temperature results in increased evapo-transpirational demand of the crops.

However, there exists a linear relationship between the crop biomass yield and cumulative transpiration which indicates that under non-limiting availability of water crops like sugarcane where almost 90% of biomass makes the economic yield. Such a scenario may lead to enhanced cane productivity.

On the contrary ,availability of water for agricultural use is shrinking with inflating

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demands from other sectors and also in view of dwindling ground water resources that caters to around 60 % of irrigation water consumption in India. High water requiring crops like sugarcane, therefore need to be made more water efficient coupled with adoption of methods with high water application efficiency.

The increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration per se has been found to positively influence the average crop yield termed as ‘carbon fertilization effect’. However, such an effect is assessed to be more pronounced in C3 crops such as rice, wheat, pulses and oilseeds. Sugarcane being a C4 crop has little scope to be positive gainer from enhanced CO2 levels. More so the indirect influences of climate change like change in rainfall

pattern, disturbed river flow, rise in sea levels, increased intensity and frequency of extreme weather events and drying up aquifers have potential to negatively tip the positive effects of increased CO2 and temperature levels.

In view of this, following management and adaption approaches need to be followed earnestly.

Development of climate resilient cultivars: Almost all the sugarcane varieties presently cultivated in India are inter-specific hybrids developed from crosses between Saccharum officinarum and S. spontaneum or S. barberi possessing traits like high sugar content, tolerance to red-rot and wilt diseases, high cane yield and good ratooning ability. Cli-

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sugar cane

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Use of bio-technological tools such as marker assisted selection for such traits and development of genetically modified drought tolerance may potentially pave the way for climate smart sugarcane varieties mate change induced changes in temperature regime, rainfall pattern and aberrant weather conditions leading to higher evapo-transpirational demand on one hand and water scarcity on the other make it necessary to develop sugarcane varieties with higher water use efficiency, drought tolerance and efficient in sugar accumulation under expected fluctuating diurnal temperatures during maturity phase of the crop.

Fortunately, India maintains the highest number of sugarcane germplasms in its National Hybridization Garden at Coimbatore 26 which can be effectively utilized for the purpose. Screening of varieties with regards to stomatal conductance under CO2 preponderance, prolific root and shoot development during initial growth stages, resistance to new climate change induced emerging diseases (leaf scald, ratoon stunting disease and smut) and insect pest infestation (top borer, Pyrilla and internode borer) have to be made new priorities for sugarcane varietal development programme.

Use of bio-technological tools such as marker assisted selection for such traits and development of genetically modified drought tolerance may potentially pave the way for climate smart sugarcane varieties. Indonesia has developed a drought tolerant sugarcane variety using bet-A gene which can be domesticated under Indian conditions.

Climate smart sugarcane agronomy: Agronomic management of sugarcane under changing climate holds the key to stave off negative influences and harness the positive effects. Since water scarcity appears to become the most important impediment for realizing remunerative cane yield, approachAGRICULTURE

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es like large scale adoption of water efficient varieties, use of mulches during tillering phase of the crop, adoption of efficient micro-irrigation methods, fertigation, precision integrated nutrient management and income diversification through integrated farming and inter-cropping need to be adopted all across different sugarcane growing regions of the country.

Use of APSIM and DSSAT computer simulation models for forecasting sugarcane and sugar yield under climate change reveals that early maturing varieties can withstand changing temperature regimes better than the mid-late maturing sugarcane varieties during early phase of crushing, however maintenance of peak sugar content for longer period during the end of crushing season is recorded in the mid-late varieties. Based on this information it can be safely suggested that proportion of early-maturing varieties to the total sugarcane area in a factory zone can be allowed to increase beyond the recommended 30%.

As water use efficiency during early phases of crop growth holds the key for high biomass yield, agro-techniques promoting vigorous initial growth like overnight sett soaking in 100 ppm ethrel solution before planting, planting in trenches and trash mulching in inter-row spaces after germination need to be widely adopted.

Supply of nutrients through integration of organic manures and chemical fertilizers add to soil carbon sequestration resulting in longer retention of soil moisture, higher nutrient and water use efficiency and better soil health that can ensure high cane yield under the climate change. Addition of bio-amendments like farmyard manure, sulphitation press mud, vermi-compost or bio-gas slurry (10 t/ha) on a regular basis has been found to accumulate two- to three- times more carbon in soil than the recommended dose of fertilisers applied alone.

This effectively reduces the carbon footprint of sugarcane cultivation and ensures higher income to sugarcane growers. Sugarcane responds linearly to water application and its irrigation water requirement varies from 600 to 3600 mm in different sugarcane growing AGRICULTURE OCTOBER 2017

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sugar cane

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Inter-cropping of potato, coriander, garlic and onion in October planted cane and moong, urad and cowpea with spring planted cane effectively utilize the applied water and controls the weed growth with additional income for growers. regions of the country being higher in the tropical states. This indicates that strategy to increase the water use efficiency through reduction in the number or depth of irrigation would happen at the cost of cane yield.

Therefore, promotion and adoption of surface or sub-surface drip irrigation in sugarcane holds the key for saving of water and enhanced cane yield. Experimental evidences suggest 30-50% water saving with 25% more cane yield under these irrigation methods.

Efficient management of weeds during initial stage of slow crop growth and at tillering is crucial as uncontrolled weeds can remove the lion’s share of nutrients and soil moisture.

Under the scarcity of human labour ,use of herbicides such as atrazine (2 kg/ha) or 28 metribuzine (0.5 kg/ha) as pre-mergence and 2, 4-D (1.25 kg/ha) at 75 days after sugarcane planting effectively check the weed growth.

Inter-cropping of potato, coriander, garlic and onion in October planted cane and moong, urad and cowpea with spring planted cane effectively utilize the applied water and controls the weed growth with additional income for growers.

Ratoon crop occupies about half of the sugarcane acreage every year but yields 3040% less that the plant crop mainly owing to negligent attitude of the growers. Promotion of agro-techniques ensuring more number of remunerative ratoon crops also help mitigating the effect of climate change on sugarcane farming as ratoon with more developed root system and early canopy development withstands adverse temperature and moisture regimes better than the plant crop and accumulates sugar early.

Practices such as timely ratoon initiation that is avoidance of sugarcane harvest under very low (<200 C daily mean) temperature, dismantling of old ridges, harvesting close to the ground, pruning of old suberized roots by AGRICULTURE

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operating desi or shallow disc plough, filling of gaps in cane rows, application of higher nitrogen (25%) than the plant crop, frequent light irrigation during early stages and use of dried leaves (trash) from previous crop as mulch are to be adopted.

Post-harvest handling and policy support: Proper post-harvest handling of sugarcane

is important in view of bacteria (Leuconostoc) mediated fast sucrose deterioration under climate change induced high temperature regimes particularly during latter half of the crushing season in sub-tropical and throughout the year in tropical regions of the country. In addition to supply of cane for milling within 24 hours of harvest care should be taken to avoid contact of cut ends with soil and maintain the cane moisture by frequent sprinkling of water and also spray of microbicides like benzalkonium chloride (0.1%) in case of delayed crushing.

In northern sub-tropics a field of sugarcane is often harvested in a piecemeal manner which reduces the chance of timely ratoon initiation and impedes ratoon growth and productivity which may further aggravate

under the higher temperature conditions.

Among other reasons this also compels farmers to neglect the ratoon crop with little care.

Since ratoon cane holds promise under climate change induced adverse weather conditions, policy initiatives like a price premium to ratoon cane as given to early maturing varieties can effectively promote ratoon yield and positively influence overall sugarcane production in the country. Besides, promotion of the large scale adoption of drip irrigation through government subsidy or other incentives is urgently required to mitigate the negative impact of climate change on sugarcane growth and yield across all the sugarcane growing agro-climatic conditions in India.

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Warehousing

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Characteristics of an ideal warehouse Dr. Swati Sharma, Prof. Gautam Parmar ASPEE Agribusiness Management Institute Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari

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he post–harvest supply chain is one of the critical levers that can resolve some of the key issues plaguing agriculture in India. It also presents large opportunities for the private players to build a profitable business. In this scenario,there is urgent need to tap the opportunities available in warehousing and logistic sector in India leading to reduction in post harvest losses and this could help farmers to fetch better prices. Overall agri warehousing capacity is increasing by 8%–10% annually; however, 20%–30% of the total food grain harvest is wasted due to the lack of availability of storage capacity, regional imbalance AGRICULTURE

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in warehouses, lack of adequate scientific storage and inefficient logistic.The warehousing industry in India is currently valued at INR 745bn (FY 2013) and has been growing at ~15% for the last 3 years. The “ValueNotes” estimates that the industry will grow at a rate of 18% till 2017.

Convenient location: Warehouse should be located at a convenient place near highways, railway stations,airports and seaports where goods can be loaded and unloaded easily.

Use of mechanical devices for handling goods:Mechanical appliances should be

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Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Post Harvest Supply Chain is fragmented, with poor infrastructure and high levels of wastage. The ineficiencies in the Indian supply chain are leading to major losses in food sector.

The estimated loss of agricultural produce due to lack of adequate postâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;harvest infrastructure and an ineficient supply chain management is approximately Rs. 500 billion to Rs. 600 billion every year. Most warehouses and logistics providers do not have adequate scientific and technical facilities to store and transport perishable commodities like seafood, fruits, vegetables etc. Nearly 30 to 40 percent of horticulture produce is wasted annually because of inadequate storage and transportation facilities.

Round the clock security:Round the clock security arrangement should be there to avoid theft of goods.

Availability of fire fighting equipment:The building should be fitted with latest fire-fighting equipments to avoid loss of goods due to fire. there to loading and unloading the goods.

This reduces the wastages in handling and also minimises handling costs.

Adequate space for storage of good:Adequate space should be available inside the building to keep the goods in proper order.

Cold storage facility for perishable items:Ware houses meant for preservation of perishable items like fruits, vegetables, eggs and butter etc .should have cold storage facilities.

Protection of goods from sunlight, rain, wind, dust, moisture and pests:Proper arrangement should be there to protect the goods from sunlight, rain, wind, dust, moisture and pests.

Advantages of Warehousing There are several advantages of keeping the produce in warehouses like: Protection & Preservation of goods:Warehouse provides necessary facilities to the businessmen for storing their goods when they are not required for sale. It provides protection to the stocks, ensures their safety and prevents wastage. It minimises losses from breakage, deterioration in quality, spoilage etc. Warehouses usually adopt latest technologies to avoid losses, as far as possible.

Regular flow of goods:Many commodities like rice, wheat etc. are produced during a particular season but are consumed throughout the year. Warehousing ensures regular supply of such seasonal commodities AGRICULTURE OCTOBER 2017

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Warehousing

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throughout the year.

Continuity in production:Warehouse enables the manufacturers to carry on production continuously without bothering about the storage of raw materials. It helps to provide seasonal raw material without any break, for production of finished goods.

Convenient location:Warehouse enables the manufacturers to carry on production continuously without bothering about the storage of raw materials. It helps to provide seasonal raw material without any break, for production of finished goods.

Easy handling:Modern warehouses are generally fitted with mechanical appliances to handle the goods. Heavy and bulky goods can be loaded and unloaded by using modern machines, which reduces cost of handling such goods. Mechanical handling also minimizes wastage during loading and unloading.

Useful for small businessmen:Construction of own warehouse requires heavy capital 32 investment, which small businessmen cannot afford. In this situation, by paying a nominal amount as rent, they can preserve their raw materials as well as finished products in public warehouses.

Creation of employment:Warehouses create employment opportunities both for skilled and unskilled workers in every part of the country. It is a source of income for the people, to improve their standards of living.

Facilitates sale of goods: Various steps necessary for sale of goods such as inspection of goods by the prospective buyers, grading, branding, packaging and labelling can be carried on by the warehouses. Ownership of goods can be easily transferred to the buyer by transferring the warehouse keeper’s warrant.

Availability of finance:Loans can be easily raised from banks and other finan-

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cial institutions against the security of the warehouse-keeper’s warrant. In some cases warehouses also provide advance to the depositors of goods on keeping the goods as security.

Reduces risk of loss:Goods in warehouses are well guarded and preserved. The warehouses can economically employ security staff to avoid theft, use insecticides for preservation and provide cold storage facility for perishable items. They can install fire-fighting equipment to avoid fire. The goods stored can also be insured for compensation in case of loss.

The post–harvest supply chain is one of the critical levers that can resolve some of the key issues plaguing agriculture in India.

It also presents large opportunities for the private players to build a profitable business.

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33 Driven by growth in production and organized retail, warehousing is the major segment contributing to the growth of the Indian logistics industry. Dynamic market requirements have made it essential for Indian warehousing players to overcome challenges, as well as maintain, improve and sustain competitiveness.

There is urgent need that challenges and con-

cerns should be addressed with collaborative efforts among all stakeholders, including the government and its agencies, policy makers, entrepreneurs, investors, logistics service providers, manufacturers, farmers and sellers involved in supply chain. Globally, the focus has now shifted from increasing production to better storages and transportation of food produce, similar strategy need to be implemented in India.

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TOMATO in India

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Tomato

34

in Eastern India Dr. Subhadeep Nath

Asst. Director of Horticulture, Murshidabad & Subject Matter Specialist-Vegetables, State Kisan Call Centre & e Kisan Portal E mail: dr.subhadeep74@gmail.com Mobile: 9474578671

T

hough tomato tops in most demanding and profitable vegetables, the price dooms the farmers in main season crop with glut. If the same can be harvested early during ‘Diwali’ in eastern India a good return makes the small farmers quiet happy. But growing tomato in Kharif season is challenged by Tomato Leaf Curl Virus (TLCV) as crop loss can reach up to 100%. The key to combat TLCV is hidden in the strategy package to avoid virus cleverly with new generation tolerant hybrids and judicious use of pesticides in prophylactic way. Starting a nursery with insect-proof net cover with mechanical and chemical combat with whitefly vector with improved agro-technique can fetch about 2 lakh profit/acre.

Tomato – top most vegetable “A tomato a day – keeps the doctor away”, the Italian proverb not only make this unique vegetable crop to be on the top of the daily basket of consumers but on the other hand ,it is one of the easiest crop to make huge profit when it is grown off season. Tomato is one of the most popular and second most commonly grown vegetable in the world. The vegetable is known for its outstanding nutritive value as it contains in addition to the vital carotenoids, considerable amount of vitamin C and E. In eastern India particularly in West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and

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Tomato is one of the most popular and second most commonly grown vegetable in the world. The vegetable is known for its outstanding nutritive value as it contains in addition to the vital carotenoids, considerable amount of vitamin C and E.

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TOMATO in India

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The first and foremost part to grow virus free early tomato is to grow seedlings of good hybrids virus free seed Jharkhand the crop tops the list of marketability and consumer demand. The hybrid seed covers more than 30% of hybrids market share of all the companies.

The market trend In spite of the most demanded vegetable in the market, the price trend tells a different story. Due to huge demand of the market ,the farmers of eastern India grow it in main season starting from September mid to October for which harvest comes in January 36 to April. Now, just a look to average wholesale market price of tomato in West Bengal starting from October to April ( 2013-14) Wholesale price trend – Rs. Per quintal October

November

December

January

February

March

April

3251.6

4486.5

2415.2

1300

775.8

861.5

699.4

reveals interesting picture as indicated below.

Strategy to harness virus free profit

Limiting factor – Leaf Curl Virus

Various strategies are adopted to manage leaf Curl Virus. The author has interacted with a large numbers of farmers especially small holders who earn livelihood from just 1/3 acre of land with a family size of six.

Chemical control of whitefly is of no use single handedly as most of the farmers and extension workers adopted measure late in the crop. The magic behind the combat of virus is hidden to ‘avoid strategy’ cleverly so that with new generation tolerant hybrids restrict virus till a good growth with couple of harvests start.

Tomato Leaf Curl Virus (TLCV) is responsible for a severe leaf curling and yellowing disease of tomato crop in tropical and sub-tropical regions and in eastern part of our country, it has become a limiting factor for autumn to autumn-winter crop. Farmers of this region used to grow easy crop with more cropping intensity just by seeing what other farmers are doing without following market trend, knowledge of proper hybrids and improved agro-practices to avoid virus.

The disease is very difficult to control afterwards as caused by heterogeneous complex Gemini-virus transmitted by whitefly (Bemisiatabaci) whose severe population corroborate with high humidity and mild climate of autumn onwards.

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Package for early profitable tomato Nursery under insect-proof net –The first and foremost part to grow virus free early tomato is to grow seedlings of good hybrids virus free seed. If seedlings catch virus early,

no insecticide or viricide can help the crop. If curling occurs before flowering and then crop damage goes to 100%. Now the early crop is to be started in July-August for the rainy season of eastern India. The seedbed should be - in highland with good drainage.

Mix ½ kg of neem concentrated granules for a 10 m2seed bed. Use bamboo structure to cover seed-bed upper portion by transparent poly sheet and side by 40/50 mesh insect-proof net.

The structure can be customized to open Set – 1 Calcium-Magnesium (granule)- 25 Kg

insect-proof net cover nursery can combat virus attack.

Choice of new generation hybrids with good tolerance - It is better to call a hybrid TOLERANT rather than RESISTANT as 100% resistance with virus is vague. Previously ,cultivated hybrids are with few genes to act against virus but now new-gen hybrids with yielding capacity of around 20 Kg/ plant with multiple genes in convergence give a wide range of horizontal combat area against TLCV. These hybrids are mostly of semi-determinate growth habit and staking is Set – 3

Set – 2 fertilizer

Calcium-Magnesium fertilizer (granule)- 25 Kg

Calcium-Magnesium fertilizer (granule)- 25 Kg

Urea – 50 Kg

Urea – 50 Kg

Urea – 50 Kg

S. S. P. – 200 Kg

D. A. P. – 75 Kg

10:26:26 (NPK) - 75 Kg

M. O. P. – 30 Kg

M. O. P. – 30 Kg

S. S. P. – 100 Kg

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poly sheet when there’s no rain and net also in the afternoon when whitefly population is low. When rain is not prevalent and in case sowing after rainy season is over, only

necessary afterwards. Moreover, tomatoes of different shapes and sizes can option eastern India’s likeness to fulfill the demand.

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TOMATO in India

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Care of seedlings at nursery – Keeping poly and net covering management on spray 10000 ppm neem-insecticide @ 1ml/L when saplings are of 10-15 days old. This enhances ambience of whitefly repellence and distraction from nursery and crop area and hinders their perpetuation.

Land preparation and fertilizer package – Main land where early tomato to be raised should be high enough for better drainage as to trail with monsoon of eastern India.

During first deep plough ,50 quintal of well rotten FYM + 5 Kg of Neem concentrated AGRICULTURE

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granules (or 200 Kg of Neem-cake) + 5 Kg of Humic acid granules + 8-10 Kg of VAM (Vascular Arbascular Micorhiza) powder should be added per ACRE basis. After 7-10 days gap with an irrigation and plough farmers of eastern India can follow any one of the below mentioned set of fertilizers per acre basis in last plough of land preparation .

After fertilization, plot should be prepared as raised bed of 1 ft. height with 3.5 to 4 ft width and a bed length as per plot length or as per convenience of farmers. Between two beds, an irrigation channel of 1 – 1.5 ft. gap should

Top dressing and other packages – Drainage of plot should be utmost priority and first top dressing is scheduled at 3rd week after transplanting. Apply 40 Kg of Urea + 20 Kg of MOP + 3 Kg of Sea-weed-Extract granules + 5 Kg Fipronil granules and earth-up soil to make raised bed well enough. This will trigger the pick-up of hybrids and stake tomato plants with bamboo poles (6-7 ft. tall) along the rows with GI wire tightens above.

Tie each and every branch of semi-determinate plant by jute rope to GI wire for every harvest to best market. Spray grade-2 micronutrient mix after staking and put yellow sticky traps about 100 per acre randomly above staking to attract and kill whitefly swarm. A prophylactic spray of Acepahte+Imidachloprid 2.5 gm/L or Buprofezin 2 ml/L during this time cater the virus free tomato design in a sound way. Same amount of second top dressing is to be applied at 6th week of growth.

Please take care of weed by hand+chemical weeding during growth.

Harvesting and economics – Generally hybrids becomes ready for harvest at 70 days after planting (DAP). Good crop with staking will give almost three months harvest duration starting from October end to January. Growing vegetables is like share marketing but early tomato is like mutual funds which give you highest price benefit of Diwali and then lowers down slowly before glut comes to depress your sale totally.

be there from where other operations can be done.

Transplanting – This operation is as normal like main season crop but before transplanting, roots of saplings are to be cleared from dirt and washed in clean water with minimum root damage and a special package to follow. Dip roots for 10 minutes in a solution of Imidachloprid 17.8% SL 1 ml/5 litre of water and then transplant. Saplings are then transplanted with a spacing of 1.5 ft apart with row distance of 2.5 ft in the middle of the raised bed.

For an acre of tomato starts from July end to August onwards up to January,the cost of cultivation following the suggested package with improved nursery, high value hybrids with better agro-techniques will be around 1.25 lakh rupees. But a harvest of 200 quintal starts with November is expected to give you following return, 50 quintal @ Rs. 4000 in early month harvest November = Rs. 2 lakh 75 quintal @ Rs. 2000 in mid-month harvest December = Rs. 1.5 lakh 75 quintal @ Rs. 1000 in last harvest month of January = Rs. 0.75 lakh And the ultimate profit will be Rs. 2.0 lakh from an acre. If Rs.1 lakh is taken as uncertainty , subject to market risk, then also a profit of Rupees Two Lakhs per acre will definitely broaden the smile of farmers of eastern India.

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BLACK GOLD

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A Royal Decree

Against Black pepper 40

B.Sasikumar and Lijo Thomas

ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research,Kozhikode-12,Kerala.

Email: sasikumarsooranadu@gmail.com

E

pigraphs,Cheppedu (copper plates), or other court chronicles are a treasure trove of not only customs, practices or royal rulings of yester years but also of agricultural policies and practices of yore as existed in the princely states or local kingdoms. A reader may also look askance at the course of events described in some of these documents!

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Annals of Hikayat Banjar (Fig.1), the seventeenth century court chronicle of the Banjarmasin dynasty who ruled the coastal Malayic kingdom that existed in South-East Borneo until 1860 CE(Fig.2), tell the rulerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s injunction against cultivation of black pepper in the province! Hikayat Banjar chronicles the history of Banjarmasin dynasty during mid sixteenth century to mid seventeenth

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century ,spanning about 100 years.It is believed that the document is cobbled together by three or four separate chroniclers sitting in different courts, at different periods. It was the King by name Ampu Jatmaka who first issued a fatwa against cultivation of black pepper in his kingdom, prior to 1661 CE.Three more subsequent Kings who were in the throne continued with the decree.The decree likened the “fatal attraction” of black pepper cultivation to an indegenous metaphor of having a flourshing banana tree in front of one’s gate!

‘Whenever a country grows black pepper, all food stuffs will become expensive and anything planted will not grow well because the ‘vapours’ of pepper are hot .Black pepper cultivation will attract colonial trade and power,cause malice all over the country,rural people will become pretentious towards the townsfolk and even the government will fall into disorder and ultimately lead to anarchy ‘ the Hikayat cites as reasons for banning black pepper!

There are other ‘interesting’ reasons as well to enforce the injunction against black pepper cultivation such as:

Fig1.Hikayat Banjar

Fig2.Borneo(Source :EconomicBotany,Vol.51(4):347-361,1997)5

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BLACK GOLD

• 42 •

Black pepper cultivation will lead to soil erosion and loss of soil fertility Cost of production is high for black pepper

•

The cost of plant protection is high and needs expensive pesticides

•

Price fluctuates; storage and trade are not easy

•

The crop demands extra care and attention

Relatively long juvenile phase etc. are some of the other causes listed against black pepper in the document!

Hence, to ensure the well being of the subjects, one should not encourage commercial cultivation of black pepper,stresses the chronicle.

However,the decree exempted the people growing few vines for domestic use, from the ban.Instead of black pepper ,the rulers saw it wise to promote cultivation of rubber and cereal crops in their kingdom.

Interestingly ,around the same period,black pepper was cultivated as a commercial crop in other provinces of Indonesia.However,the rulAGRICULTURE

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ers of few other provinces choose to cut down their pepper vines so as to make their province less attractive destination to the colonial powers .

Ironically,inspite of all the injunctions and restrictions,the Dutch interest in controlling the black pepper trade in South Eastern Borneo led them to destroy the capital of the kingdom and finally won concession of a monopoly on the pepper trade during mid seventeenth century(1606-1635 CE).Ending the Dutch monopoly,Britishers came in to the scene in between and the region was a theatre of unrest and power struggle during many decades that followed. However,there is no mention of these historic facts in Hikayat Banjar as perhaps the raison d’être of most court chronicles are the glorification of the deeds of the ruling kings and dynasties.

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) reached Indonesia from India by 1000CE,it is believed.

Eventhough this introduced crop sowed the seeds of many a bloody wars and massacre in that land,today Indonesia is one of the leading producers and traders of black pepper and white pepper.The head quarters of the International Pepper Community(IPC)is also at Jakarta, Indonesia.

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Indo Israel Agri Relations

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V.R.Ajith Kumar

Editor, Agriculture World

44

I

ndia is the third-largest Asian trade partner of Israel , 10th largest source of import and 5th largest market of its exports.

In 2008, Israel and India signed the Agriculture Cooperation Agreement, which established the Indo-Israel Agricultural Cooperation Project implemented by MIDH (Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture) and MASHAV -Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project’s central aim is to utilize Israeli technology to increase crop productivity and diversity in various regions in India.

The implementation of the project occurs through establishment of agricultural centers of excellence in India that focus on growing horticulture crops, producing seeds and cut-flowers, and also on beekeeping and dairy farming. As of now, 29 centers of excellence are fully operational, spanning 10 Indian states. At these centres, experts from Israel have been training Indian officials as well as farmers in nursery management, protected cultivation, post-harvest management, precision farming of micro irrigation and other best agricultural practices. Farmers of such States are reporting many success stories

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largely due to Israeli farm technology and training that helped them choose the right crop for cultivation.

Every year, more than 20,000 farmers visit the Agricultural Centre of Excellence at Gharaunda in Karnal, Haryana, where a nursery produces hybrid seedlings -- including tomatoes, cherry-tomato, coloured capsicum, cucumbers, eggplant and chilli pepper-grown in small, individual cells, ready to be transplanted into containers or a field. There was a five to 10 fold increase in crop yields with an accompanying 65 per cent reduction in use of water and noticeable decrease in the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.

Agricultural Centers of Excellence The Centers of Excellence provide a suitable platform for a rapid transfer of technology to the farmers. Protected cultivation, drip irrigation and fertigation, canopy management, nursery production, Integrated Pest Management technologies are demonstrated at the centers and later adopted by the farmers to increase their yields and income.

The Centers of Excellence target both small

The Centers of Excellence provide a suitable platform for a rapid transfer of technology to the farmers.

Protected cultivation, drip irrigation and fertigation, canopy management, nursery production, Integrated Pest Management technologies are demonstrated at the centers and later adopted by the farmers to increase their yields and income.

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Indo Israel Agri Relations

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Undoubtedly, agriculture is at least one of the two main pillars in India-Israel relations – definitely the main pillar from the civilian angle and large farm holders, thus offering a wide range of agricultural practices in order to enable all to benefit from the new technologies.

Applied Research provides solutions to the farmers, mapping the challenges and adjusts the technology to local conditions.

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•

Field Extension Officers (SMS) are the linking element between the applied research and the farmers. This function is carried out by the government extension officers.

•

Progressive Farmers are implementing the technologies demonstrated at the Centers and act as role models to other farmers.

•

Sustainability- IIAP is a self-sufficient platform in the aspect of HR, accumulated knowledge and operating capabilities.

“Undoubtedly, agriculture is at least one of the two main pillars in India-Israel relations – definitely the main pillar from the civilian angle,” said Gil Haskel, head of MASHAV – Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation in the Foreign Ministry. “The next step should be to think on how to convert these Centers of Excellence, which are centers of Israeli knowledge, into commercially viable business models. The Indian and Israeli partners must work to promote business-to-business cooperation through the existing Centers of Excellence, with an emphasis on local production and the involvement of local Indian companies”, he said Now, the Israeli and Indian officials strategized about how they might best combine their reAGRICULTURE

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spective areas of expertise to plan for “the next 25 years” of agricultural partnerships. Water – and its management, conservation and reuse – as the next big focus area for the Israeli and Indian partners, both within the agricultural sector and beyond. Both countries now plan to recruit members from private sector to join forces with the government bodies to advance existing and future collaborative projects.

Israeli agriculture is a laboratory for the development of agricultural technology industry.

Learning the techniques of water resource management and cultivation in arid land from Israel are crucial for India in ensuring food and water security for 1.25 billion people. So far, India has adopted Israeli technologies like drip irrigation and has been successful in introducing new crops with the help of Israeli expertise.

During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, the two countries agreed to extend another three-year work programme in agriculture from 2018 to 2020. Israel has

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agreed to offer latest agricultural technology and advanced expertise to double farm income by 2022. Prime Minister Modi’s slogan for Indian agriculture — ‘per drop, more crop’ can be fulfilled with such technology and expertise.

Modi said that Israel is among the leading nations in the field of innovation, water and agricultural technology and “these are also among my priority areas in India’s development”.”We agreed that efficiency of water and resource use; water conservation and its purification; productivity increases in agriculture are key areas in deepening our bilateral cooperation,” he said.

His counter part Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu has agreed to offer expertise in water conservation and management technology. Such cooperation includes water purification, waste management and drip irrigation. There are already eight water desalination and purification plants in Chennai and Agra. Plans are on to set up more such units through joint collaboration. Many States are keen to seek Israeli assistance in drip irrigation technology as irrigation infrastructure has yet to catch up

in the country.

In 2008, Israel and India finalised an agricultural plan introducing crops native to the Middle East and Mediterranean to India, with a particular focus on olives.

Subsequently, around 1,12,000 olive trees were planted in the desert of Rajasthan.

In 2014, more than 100 tonnes of olives were produced in Rajasthan. At present,from the blossoming mango orchards of Haryana state to the drip-irrigated vegetable nurseries of Gujarat state, Israeli agricultural know-how has become a staple resource on farms across the Indian subcontinent.

While there are many ways to potentially involve the private sector in the centers, Israel plans to introduce new crop varieties – such as those developed by the Israeli Agricultural Research Organization’s Volcani Center – and marketing them to the local business sector. Doing so would require arranging the necessary legal framework, as such intellectual property is easy to copy, but would enable the launch of a whole new chain of technologies alongside the crops.

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Pulses in India

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Pulses in India

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Pawan Kumar,

pawan.kumar@smsfoundation.org

P

ulses are important sources of nutrition and income for millions of farmers around the world and the main source of protein for the vegetarian community in many countries. However, the consumption of pulses has seen a slow but steady decline in both developed and developing countries. Globally, in comparison with dairy and meat products, no major changes are foreseen in per capita consumption of pulses, which is low at 7kg/person/year. Despite low consumption, in many countries including India, the population growth rate exceeds farm output, i.e. farmers cannot grow enough pulses to keep up with increased demand and are forced to import pulses.

According to FAO, the Green Revolution led to massive gains in yield and production of many basic foodstuffs. Between 1960 and 2011, crops such as maize, wheat, rice, and soy had cumulative production gains someAGRICULTURE

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where between 200 and 800 percent (Figure 1), while pulses expanded by only 55 percent.

Figure 1: Growth rate of selected commodity at global level Source: FAO, 2017

The Indian scenario In spite of having the largest area and production of pulses (Figure 2), India suffers the most because India has more vegetarians than the rest of the world combinedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;roughly a half-billion people.

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percent in 2015–16. With the continuous increase in demand for pulses in India, the import has increased to 72.33 percent in that period (Figure 3). At the global level, India has the largest area and production of pulses but a productivity of only 0.65 t/ha, lower than the world’s average of 0.9t/ha. The low productivity and increasing demand continues to increase the volume of annual imports.

Figure 3: India pulse import Source: IPGA website

Deficit production and increasing imports necessitate serious action to promote pulse cultivation at all levels especially in rain-fed regions. Approximately 60 percent of the total cultivable land in India is rain-fed and could be effectively utilized, saving as much as INR 25,691 crore, the value of total pulse imports in 2015–16.

Limitations

Figure 2: Global scenario in area, production, and yield (2013) Source: Government of India, 2016

For several decades after India’s independence, until 2008, the production of pulses remained almost static—in the range of 14 million tons. In 2013–14, India produced 19.25 million tons of pulses, which a year later was only 17 million tons, necessitating more imports. In 2015–16, India imported 5.79 million tons pulses, which made India the largest importer of pulses in the world. In the last five years, except 2013–14, the import rose from 14.09 percent in 2011–2012 to 26.46

Major constraints for the cultivation of pulses include the availability of desired quality and quantity of high-yielding seed varieties of pulses. Many new high-yielding varieties were developed in the past two decades, but their performance is limited to providing 10–20 percent high yield vs local varieties.

Due to inherited weaknesses, performance of these varieties is poor at the field level, and the moderate increase in yield does not attract farmers or make any significant change in the national level of production. The need is to develop varieties with better yield advantage and desirable characteristics that are best suited to a semi-arid climate.

The ever decreasing pattern of shrinking land holdings discourages farmers from growing medium to long-duration varieties, which occupy land for 240–270 days. Medium and long-duration varieties don’t allow farmers to grow a cereal crop such as wheat and paddy, which provide a minimum cash income and year-long food security of the family.

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Pulses in India

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Traditionally, fertilizer use in pulses is very low. Except soybean, most pulses are on the lowest priority for farmers to use recommended quantity of fertilizers. The average use of chemical fertilizer to pulses results in low yields. For the growth and development of root nodules, phosphorous is absolutely necessary and the application of 40 kg P2O5 average per hectare has been recommended.

With the withdrawal of subsidies on fertilizers, the decline in the use of non-nitrogenous fertilizers has an adverse impact on yield.

The final testing ground of any technology is in the farmer’s field. Evidence suggests that the 100 percent requirement of nitrogen can be met to activate the nodulation process through the inoculation of efficient strains of rhizobium when coupled with sound agronomic practices. However, studies show that AGRICULTURE

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the adoption of these biofertilizers is negligible. Many farmers claim that inoculation with rhizobium is not providing the desired level of response. Rhizobium inoculation is probably not very effective in pulses. If this technology were as efficient as claimed, it would have to be “pushed” even now by government agencies as there would be enough demand by this time. Sustained use of rhizobium inoculants in the long run seems to be difficult. Of course, strict quality control standards need to be enforced in the manufacture and sale of the inoculants.

The perception and the high incidences of diseases and pests cause high losses that result in low production and high protection costs.

The spread of several resistant/tolerant varieties in the farmers’ fields is very limited. The main reason could be the weak seed produc-

“ In spite of having the largest area and production of pulses, India suffers the most because India has more vegetarians than the rest of the world combined—roughly a half-billion people” ernment agency is very limited, such as wheat and paddy. A government panel has called for procurement of pulses on a “war footing” as prices decline, and suggested better incentives for farmers in the form of higher minimum support prices combined with effective procurement to increase domestic availability and prevent price spikes. The government has suggested procuring pulses at MSP whereas local market trends show that the rate offered by local dealers is much below the MSP. Therefore, pulse growers are skeptical about the influence of MSP on actual market prices.

Prospects

tion program. The incorporation of insect-resistant genes, without compromising the yield in field verification trials, is yet to be commercially viable. Chemical pest control is the only option left for farmers at present for effective control of pest and diseases.

Even though several plant protection chemicals with method and time of application have been developed, the use of pesticides in pulses is still very low. In general, farmers apply chemical spray at the stage where losses cross the economic threshold level. This clearly shows that technological stagnation is primarily responsible for the backwardness of pulses in the country as a whole.

Market prices are largely controlled by local buyers irrespective of minimum support price (MSP), and procurement of pulses by the gov-

Pulses are an important source of high-quality protein complementing cereal proteins for the substantial vegetarian population of India. Pulses can be produced with a minimum use of resources and hence become less costly even than animal proteins. Cultivation of pulses builds up a mechanism to fix atmospheric nitrogen in their root nodules and thus meets their nitrogen requirements to a great extent. Pulses can provide a sustainable solution in rain-fed area which occupies 67 percent net sown area, contributing 44 percent of food grains and supporting 40 percent of the population. Development and cultivation of more draught-tolerant varieties of pulse can save India’s food and nutritional security.

Pulses are the most suitable crops to grow in water-stressed regions. Pulses require less water, improve soil health, and suit the local micro climate for smart agriculture. Only fortythree gallons of water (one gallon equals 3.785 liters) are required to produce one pound of pulses, whereas wheat, rice, and meat require 660, 1,056, and 1,142 gallons of water respectively. Therefore, in rain-fed farming systems, the cultivation of pulses, considered as smart AGRICULTURE OCTOBER 2017

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Pulses in India

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Pulses can be excellent sources of proteins in our diets.

According to the Indian Market Research Bureau survey, protein consumption in the diet of adult Indians is less than their daily protein intake. The survey noted that 91 percent of the vegetarians and 85 percent of the non-vegetarians were protein deficient

crops, can help address climate change in agriculture.

In comparison with resource-intensive crops such as wheat, soy, paddy, and maize, pulses are more remunerative crops due to fewer input needs and high market value. In addition, pulses improve soil health by fixing atmospheric nitrogen and adding humus content to the soil, which improves the soilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biological, chemical, and physical properties.

In rain-fed farming systems, pulses can improve overall farm income by introducing short-duration varieties of pulses into existing crop rotations. A pilot study done by Sehgal Foundation (NGO based in Gurugram) with thirty farmers of district Nuh confirm that a short-duration variety of pigeonpea provide 229 percent (Rs 35,843/ha) higher profit than pearl millet. The high return demand for promoting pulses in rain-fed areas provides opportunities for small land holders to shift from subsistence farming to profitable farming. The BCR and ROI of pigeonpea are 3.82 and 2.82, whereas for millet the AGRICULTURE

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BCR and ROI are 2.41 and 1.41. The high BCR and ROI of pigeonpea indicate that this is a more profitable crop than millet.

Traditionally, Indians have pulses, especially dals, as an important part of their daily diet, and pulses are the only sources of protein for more than half of the vegetarian population.

Proteins are required to grow new cells and tissues, thus are essential for all and especially for growing children.

As can be seen in the table above, non-vegetarian food sources contain good amounts of proteins and, as India has a large vegetarian population, they can derive needed proteins from pulses and legumes. Pulses can be excellent sources of proteins in our diets. According to the Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB, 2015) survey, which was conducted by interviewing 1,260 Indians, protein consumption in the diet of adult Indians (nine out of ten Indians) is less than their daily protein intake. The survey noted that 91 percent of the vegetarians and 85 percent of the non-vegetarians were protein

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deficient. The reason for this can be attributed to changes in eating habits and lifestyle.

The tremendous increase in pulse prices also contributes significantly to this deficien-cy.

Therefore, the mass-scale promotion of pulses is needed to enhance the income and nutritional security in rural and urban India.

Food

Gm protein/100 gm

Food

Gm protein/100 gm

Bajra

11.6

Kidney bean

22.9

Rice

6.8

Soybean

43.2

Wheat flour

11

Ground nut

25.3

Bengal gram

20.8

Chicken

25.9

Black gram

24

Mutton

21.4

Cow pea

24.1

Milk ( buffalo)

4.3

Lentils

25

Milk ( cow)

3.2

Peas green (dry)

19.7

Green pea

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Interview

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Deepshikha Singh

Journalist, Krishi Jagran, New Delhi 9891443388 Email: deepshikha@krishijagran.com

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SABZIWALA: First choice of Fa I

n this fast paced life, everyone seeks good and high quality products for which we even make huge toils. Economic and high quality vegetables are the demand of the time and this is what the company Sabziwala is ensuring. The company started its operation an year back and has already tightened its grip in Delhi. Where in one part of Delhi, people spend large to buy high quality vegetables, there is also a part where people also want high quality vegetables but in limited budget, and the company is dealing with the latter section of population.

Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founder and managing director Pravesh Sharma had been in the Indian Administrative Service for 34 years and has an experience of 18 years in the field of agriculture. Being at the job, he has worked as an Agriculture Secretary in the Government of Madhya Pradesh, has represented India in the International Fund for Agriculture Development and has also served as the Managing Director of SFAC for five years

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where he conceptualized the idea of Farmer Producing Organization (FPO) to benefit the small holders. Krishi Jagran team discussed about the detailed information about the company and problems in the area of perishable agricultural commodities.

How did the idea of Sabziwala came up?

I was always worried by thinking that when the farmer goes to sell his goods, he/she does not fix his/her own price, but the dealer decides the price of his/her products. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s utterly wrong. Most of the farmers in India have a very small land holding where the production is low and farmers has to be a part of forced selling of their produce, in this process they gain very little. So it was thought to be created by bringing the farmers together so that when farmer sells his merchandise, it could be organized and his/ her produce can be sold at a good price. The company started with this thought.

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f Farmers and Consumers How does the company benefits both the farmer and the consumers ?

Most of the time, it is seen that neither the farmer gets the fair price nor does the customer gets fair quality product on economic prices. I felt the lacuna lies in the fact that the farmers and the market is not properly linked. Our company provides solution to this problem. We buy fresh vegetables and fruits from farmer at fair prices and provide high quality commodities to the middle class at reasonable prices. And hence it benefits both the farmer and the consumer equally.

What kind of problems did the company face during its initial stage ?

There are many problems in this area in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time. Even today, the farmer is not aware of any kind of agricultural scientific advancement, which makes the quality of production low. The farmer who comes to

our collection center only has 30 percent of the high quality produce. We are also giving technical education to our FPO. Thereby, the high quality production of farmers will increase and gradually earnings will also increase. We buy vegetables at 10 to 12 % less than prices prevailed at Azadpur mandi.

When the farmer brings his own produce to Azadpur Mandi, it costs a lot of taxes, aadhat, transportation costs, labor cost etc.

The reason for which income decreases.

Your company website has a video which shows that you buy back the left over vegetables. If yes, How? As everyone knows that there are many types of markets in Delhi, we make available fruits and vegetables to all the shops in the morning just like milk. Those who are not able to sell vegetable-fruits etc. on that day, the next day we take them back from the shops and sell them in Delhiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s B grade market area,

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Interview

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Dhabas, Hotel, Slum etc.

Many conferences etc are organized in Delhi and metropolitan cities regularly. We would like to know, what do you think of its use and benefits for the farmers?

I believe every conference has a purpose.

Several types of positive aspects also comes 56 up here. Many solutions has also been framed due to such conferences, and I believe that the farmers who have become somewhat aware today, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the result of such conferences.

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How many FPOs and stores are connected with the company?

About 25 FPOs are connected with the company. Those are from different corners of the country and have more than 300 outlets in Delhi. We started from Delhiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dwarka outlet. The company now has 50 employees.

What are the future plans of the company?

We would like to expand our business further. We will try to establish 1000 outlets in Delhi NCR by December this year. We are also planning to move towards cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad .

Agri news

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Bengal’s Gobindobhog rice gets Geographical Indication tag

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obindobhog rice from Bardhaman district of Bengal has got Geographical Indication status. The state government had applied for the GI status for this variety on August 24, 2015.

The south Damodar belt has been the traditional area of Gobindobhog rice cultivation.

The rice has several advantages. It is cultivated late and therefore not much affected by rains. It is less prone to pests as well. The productivity per area is high and farmers get

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better prices for Gobindobhog rice. Last year this was cultivated in an area of 35 hectares.

The region of Burdwan (now divided into the districts of east and west Burdwan) is known as the rice bowl of Bengal. As a result of getting the GI tag, as the certification is also called, rice from other regions or rice of other varieties cannot be branded as ‘Gobindobhog’. This would strengthen the marketability of the rice in domestic as well as international markets.

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t least 30% of the fund allocated in the budget for agri schemes is being earmarked for women as part of efforts to bring them into mainstream agriculture, Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh said.

The minister was speaking at an event, themed ‘Securing Rights of Women Farmers: Developing a Roadmap for Action’, organised by the National Women Commission in association with UN Women and Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM).

The ministry is trying to ensure that women become part of the mainstream agriculture and contribute to farm productivity and production as well as in doubling the income of their families, the minister said. He said women should reap benefit of every penny spent in the farm sector.

The ministry is focusing on women self-help groups (SHGs) and to connect them to mi-

cro-credit. It also decided to celebrate October 15 of every year as Women Farmer’s Day. According to the survey conducted by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), a decline in both male and female labour force in agriculture has been observed in the last three decades.

However, there has been a greater decline in the number of male labour force in agri sector as compared to female workforce. The decline in the number of women is significantly lower than the men and “this can be easily called the feminization of agriculture”, the statement said.

According to NSSO report, women lead almost 18% agricultural households. Out of the 80% women in farm-related activities, 33% work as agricultural labourers and 48% as self-employed farmers.

Central Govt to allocate

30% agri scheme fund for women

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Agri news

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Kerala Agriculture University identifies 12 plants to make natural dyes

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K

erala Agriculture University has identified 12 plants for making natural dyes capable of colouring cotton and silk textiles. The study was undertaken as part of a Western Ghats Development Project at the College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram.

“The study has opened up the possibility of using indigenous plants as potential dye yielders. We are looking forward for a technology for industrial production of natural dyes for textile industry,’’ said vice chancellor P Rajendran in a release by KAU. He said that the hazardous effects of chemical dyeing have provoked a rethinking now and the KAU effort is along these lines.

According to KAU, the technology will be of great value in development of eco-friendly and safe clothing, especially for new-born babies and people allergic to synthetic dyes. The biochemical properties of these natural dye compounds have also been identified, which will help to identify the biomolecules in them.

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Horticulture Crops Production estimated at 300 million tonnes in 2016-17

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roduction of horticulture crops touched an all-time high of 300 million tonnes (mt) in 2016-17, the agriculture ministry said in its third advance estimate. It is 4.8% higher than the previous year’s production of 286mt.

According to the Agricultural Ministry, area under different horticulture crops which include fruits, vegetables and spices rose from 24.5 million hectares in 2015-16 to over 25 million hectares in 2016-17.

The report of agriculture ministry also showed that among major vegetables, production of potatoes, tomatoes and onions rose significantly during the year. While production of potatoes rose from 43.4mt to 48.2mt (11%) between 2015-16 and 2016-17, production of tomatoes rose from 18.7mt to 19.5mt (4.3%). Onion output rose from 20.9mt to 21.7mt (3.8%).

During the current year plantation crops – areca nut, cashew-nut, cocoa and coconut – output is estimated to be a record 18.3 million tonnes, up 10.2% higher than the previous year.

Production of spices is estimated to be around 8.2 million tonnes which is 17.4% higher than the previous year.

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Advertorial

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PlantbiotiX launches “DR-39” for Pesticide Residue Management users. In this way, so many people in the world, come under the influence of these hazardous chemicals and get affected with ulcers, cancer, sugar, asthma and other deadly and complex diseases.

Keeping this in mind, PlantbiotiX, which is a Bio-Agri business division of Zytex Biotech Private Limited Company, Mumbai (A leading Biotech Company), has launched a unique and innovative microbe based Agri input named “ DR-39” which helps in reducing the amount of hazardous pesticide residues mainly in fruits and vegetables crops, which makes fruits and vegetables are eatable for us as well export worthy.

This distinctive technology has been developed

by National Grape Research Center, Pune (NRGC), which is governed by an institute of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research New Delhi and NRCG licensed their technology & given an approval for commercial production of DR-39 to Zytex Biotech Pvt Ltd.

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Dr.ShekharBisht, Technical Head of the company said that with the use of DR-39 pesticide management is done. This product reduces quantity by dissolving the components of hazardous chemicals up to 30 to 50 percent of various pesticides such as Hexaconazole, Tetraconazol, Carbendazim, Buprofezin etc. This way fruits and

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e have been using pesticides to protect our crops from several destructive insects, pests and other harmful diseases all these years. The repetitive, unwanted, indiscriminate use of pesticides leads to toxic fruit and vegetables produced by us which are ultimately harmful to our health. Inadvertently, we have been eating such toxic laden fruits and vegetables and also feeding the same to our end

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vegetables become safe for human consumption & export worthy. With this, the crops will meet the European standard i.e.

EU MRL for export purpose.

In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s era, the biggest challenge for farmers is to grow better quality farm produce. DR-39 is such a unique agri input which is able to meet these challenges. Due to the indiscriminate usage of Pesticides, Fungicide and other harmful chemicals, Indian fruits and vegetables get lower market rates as well as many times farm produce get rejected in international markets due to inferior quality & more pesticide residues which makes our farmers disappointed. DR-39 will make our fruits and vegetables healthy and free from various diseases, so that farmers risk of rejection of their farm produce in national and international markets have been minimized to a great extent.

Usage of DR-39 will improve the quality of fruits and vegetables, which will give a chance farmers to earn remunerative prices for their farm produce. It is to be believed that this input will bring in a sort of revolutionary change in the horticulture sector of India At present, this product has been introduced in high potential fruits & vegetable growing agri in

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put markets of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh markets but the farmers from all over India can purchase it. To get more information about the product and to purchase this, contact at + 91-22-67723000

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AGRICULTURE OCTOBER 2017

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ICAR’s ‘DAC’ Technology for ALL-WEATHER Biogas Production

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cientists of ICAR- Avian Research Institute, Izatnagar, UP has developed a new technology for all- weather biogas production exclusively from poultry excreta.

Experts pointed out that this technology would minimise the environmental and health threats of poultry waste due to lack of proper waste management and disposal methods.

Major significance of this technology is its use in conservation of water as used slurry of digester is reutilized again and again as dilutor for poultry excreta.

In India most of the biogas plants become non-functional during winter season due to lower ambient temperature. Through this technology biogas production is possible for both during summer and winter season. In

‘DAC’ technology 12-13 to 19-20 kg poultry excreta is required for production of about one cubic meter of biogas during summer and winter seasons, respectively. This quantity of biogas is sufficient for cooking 3-times meals of an average family comprising 4-5 members.

This can also be used as heat source at poultry farm. Spent slurry of poultry biogas has good manure value and germination potential and can be easily applied in agricultural fields for organic crop production without burning effect on plants which is a common problem with crude poultry excreta.

According to the source, this technology is also helpful in self-sustainability of rural poultry farmers in terms of their energy demand. The excreta of 5000 layers birds has capacity to produce approximately 4100 kg biogas per annum whose market value will be around Rs. 1.31 lakh, if cost of biogas is considered at the rate Rs. 32.00 per kg. There is potential to produce around 128 tonnes of manure from spent slurry. The value of this manure will stand around Rs. 2.56 lakhs on urea, phosphate, potash and micronutrient equivalence basis. Therefore, this technology has great potential of value addition to the tune of 5-6 times from invaluable poultry excreta.

(Source- ICAR website)

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mushroom

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Pleurotus cystidiosus commonly known as the brown oyster/abalonus mushroom, is an internationally acclaimed mushroom, cultivated commercially in western countries

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Krishnapriya. P.J

(PhD. scholar, Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani)

Dr. D.Geetha

(Professor, Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture, Vellayani)

P

leurotus mushroom, generally referred as the ‘oyster mushroom’or ‘Dhingri’, is the well appreciated one in Kerala, for its broad adaptability under diverse agro-climatic conditions.

Oyster mushrooms are generally considered nutraceutical and are rich in anti-oxidants, dietary proteins, fibres, vitamins and minerals. Oyster mushrooms are the widely cultivated mushrooms in Kerala, among which the ruling ones are Pleurotus florida, Pleurotus sajorcaju and Pleurotus citrinopileatus.

Oyster mushrooms are popular both for its taste and nutritional qualities. New additions to the oyster family, are the newly identified Pleurotus cystidiosus and Pleurotus opuntiae.

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In view of diversifying the edible mushrooms for the gourmet’s choice, systematic studies were conducted to standardise the cultivation of Pleurotus opuntiae and Pleurotus cystidiosus in Kerala. The study was conducted at Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, as part of thesis work of Ph.D. student Ms. Krishnapriya. P.J. under the guidance of Professor, Dr. D. Geetha.

Pleurotus opuntiae, is the mushroom with the shortest duration among the Pleurotus genus.

Sporocarp masses of Pleurotus opuntiae looked so much like angelic wings flapped around the mushroom beds. Sporocarps are stark white, delicately fringed at the edges, borne on short

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stalks. Also, a characteristic thick white patch can be seen at the centre of sporocarps.

The particular variety was isolated from the dried wood logs of arecanut palm (Areca catechu) from the premises of College of Agriculture, Vellayani. The isolate was brought into pure culture on potato dextrose agar medium, followed by spawn preparation on paddy grains. Spawn run was completed on paddy grains within 10-11 days. Cultivation trials were undertaken on paddy straw and rubber sawdust, using poly bag method of cultivation.

The mushroom took 8 days for complete spawn run, 9 days for pin head formation and 12 days for the first harvest, when paddy straw was used as substrate. Longer time intervals of 14, 16 and 18 days respectively, were taken, when sawdust was used for bed preparation. Around 750-800g of sporocarps were obtained from 1 kg of the substrate. Mushrooms could be harvested up to one month. Also it could be raised

in match stick tree (Alstonia macrophylla) saw dust, with a significant biological efficiency.

This oyster mushroom also promises a tastier and nutritious offering for consumers, besides offering higher yield and better returns for growers. Isolate had not been formally released to farmers though some have already tried it out and found it attractive.

Pleurotus cystidiosus commonly known as the brown oyster/abalonus mushroom, is an internationally acclaimed mushroom, cultivated commercially in western countries. Fruiting bodies of P. cystidiosus are valued as a source of nutrients and biologically active substances. It is unique among the oyster mushrooms, owing to its bigger size, thick, fleshy, pure white coloured, attractive flavour, taste and less spore forming sporocarps. Also it has the longest shelf life and lifecycle among the oyster species.

The particular variety was isolated from the

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Pleurotus cystidiosus

Pleurotus opuntiae

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mushroom

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68 Gingels Kurian, Mushroom farmer at Idukki

Supportive biotherapy, using the extracts from new mushrooms, is a promising alternative/supplement to conventional cancer therapies. dried wood logs of asoka tree (Saracca indica) from the premises of College of Agriculture, Vellayani. The isolate was brought into pure culture on potato dextrose agar medium, followed by spawn preparation on paddy grains.

Spawn run was completed on paddy grains within 18-20 days. Cultivation trials were undertaken on paddy straw and rubber sawdust, using poly bag method of cultivation. The mushroom took 40 days for complete spawn run and from first harvest itself, 1.25-1.5 kg of sporocarps were obtained.

Isolate was tried under farmer’s field in Thankamany, Idukki. The farmer, Mr. Gingels Kurian says “Pleurotus cystidiosus needs minimum care and sporocarps are very huge, each mushroom ranging from 13-16 cm diameter and weighing up to 110 AGRICULTURE

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gram”. Mr. Gingels who is doing mushroom cultivation, for the past 4 years says ‘This giant oyster mushroom is the most suited and high yielding oyster mushroom for Idukki.

The mushroom can surely revolutionise the mushroom farming in Idukki’.

Anticancer assay, conducted at Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, with the extracts from new mushrooms, recorded a significant reduction in viability of human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines. Although cancer therapies can inhibit tumour growth and prolong the life span of humans, they usually compromise the immune system and damage genetic material of healthy cells. Thus, supportive biotherapy, using the extracts from new mushrooms, is a promising alternative/to conventional cancer therapies.

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Mahindra & Mahindra launches its third brand tractor ‘TRAKSTAR’

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he world’s largest tractor manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra has announced the renaming of its subsidiary Mahindra Gujarat Tractors as Gromax Agri Equipment and the launch of its new brand tractor, ‘Trakstar’.

Mahindra Gujarat Tractors is a joint venture between the Mumbai-based M&M (60% stake) and the Gujarat government (40% stake).

“Gromax will be an important element in our

journey of transformation towards a higher penetration of farm mechanization, enabling farmers to double their incomes”, said Rajesh Jejurikar, president – farm equipment sector, M&M Trakstar is the third brand of the company after M&M brand and the Swaraj brand of tractors. It will focus on value seeking farmers and enable them to enhance their prosperity. The Trakstar range will be present across 30-50 hp category.

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success story

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Jeevna’s journey from a barren terrace to a lively urban ROOFTOP GARDEN

70 es from experienced persons and search for local resources for growing food organically and successfully”.

“I

t all began when I quit my job of more than two decades due to changing priorities and became a homemaker”, says Jeevna, a successful farmer who has created her own niche in rooftop farming.

She started it with a few bags of greens on her rooftop and slowly extended to few veggies like radish, chillies, tomatoes, aubergines, beans, gourds etc. “Some days, my garden looks fresh, sometimes it seems tired due the attack of pests or disease. This doesn’t deter me; I look for remedies on the web, get advicAGRICULTURE

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garden.

Now, she expanded to grow a few exotic varieties of watermelons, passion fruit, squash, mandarins, cucumber, grape vines, cherry tomatoes etc. She also has few trees like custard apple, lemon, banana, gooseberry, moringa and papaya. She has added a couple of coconut tress too in her rooftop

She makes her own compost from kitchen scrap with Bokashi bin and Bokashi composite and procures organic vermicompost from a cattle farm. She has used recycled materials like a swimming pool tub to mix the potting mixture, paint cans to hold trees, and even converted a treadmill box into a big veggie platform used for mint, coriander, yam, greens, potato etc.

“My garden always welcomes sparrows,

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squirrels and a few birds and predatory insects helping in pollination of my veggie plants along with my collection of floral plants like roses, hibiscus, Passion flower, Jasmine flowers, adeniums etc. A few tubs of lilies with molee fish add life to my rooftop garden,” says Jeevna.

Persuading Dreams Jeevna likes to share with people around

we can adopt to transform it as a wonderful place to live for our future generations”, she shares her expectations.

her knowledge on kitchen gardening and also shares the yield from her rooftop. “I would like to engage with our community.

I sell excess produce to my neighbours and share seeds with my friends”.

Recently, on Republic day, she executed a “Go green” project in her neighbourhood by planting trees and saying no to plastic bags. She also conducts workshops for children on organic gardening.

She is giving all the credits of this successes to her family and friends especially, her cousin Deepak Jagdish, who encouraged her to create a Facebook page “Jeeva’s Urban Organic Garden” where she used to share her everyday garden stories and learnings.

She is also passionate about creating awareness among other farmers and wants to work with a focus to build stronger, self-reliant and better citizens for tomorrow.

“I took the first step recently by conducting a workshop on organic gardening for 30 students. My dream is to make Tiruppur, my native place and the country better place to live with residents growing their own organic food”.

Her on-going project is creating awareness on “Kitchen Scrap to Black gold - odourless solid waste management and promote kitchen gardening in maximum number of households in the country.

“With the overwhelming response I have started receiving from all over the country and abroad, I do wholeheartedly hope to give back to our Mother Earth what best AGRICULTURE OCTOBER 2017

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Farm Tech

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New Holland Agriculture unveils methane powered concept tractor

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ocussing a sustainable vision for the future of farming, New Holland Agriculture, a global agricultural equipment brand of CNH Industrial has developed methane powered concept tractor.

This concept is the next step in realizing the farm of the near future, one that moves away from fossil fuel powered vehicles and embraces renewable sources.

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It combines alternative fuels and advanced agricultural technology with readily available powertrain innovation from CNH Industrial sister brand FPT Industrial. This machine is

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said to reduce running costs by 30 per cent with a six-cylinder methane engine delivers 180hp and 740Nm, which is the same power and torque as its standard diesel counterpart.

CNH Industrialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brands are forerunners and market leaders in the development and commercializing of natural gas-powered vehicles.

Biomethane represents the latest phase in the Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alternative fuels strategy. It particularly suits on-farm use by agricultural vehicles as farmers already possess the raw materials and the space to produce the gas.

This enables agribusinesses not only to be fuel sufficient, but also energy sufficient.

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ic g a m e m Work so y b a b r u o on to y

xÉÉÊ®ú ªÉ±É Ê´ÉEòÉºÉ ¤ÉÉäbÇ÷ (EÞòÊ¹É B´ÉÆ ÊEòºÉÉxÉ Eò±ªÉÉhÉ ¨ÉÆjÉɱɪÉ, ¦ÉÉ®úiÉ ºÉ®úEòÉ®ú) Coconut Development Board

[MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA] Kera Bhavan, SRV Road, Kochi- 682 011 www.coconutboard.gov.in

The health f o c i g a m

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Baby skin-friendly Keeps skin soft and supple Retains moisture Germicidal & anti-bacterial

Prevents skin ailments AGRICULTURE OCTOBER 2017

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Coconut oil

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Coconut oil and the diet-heart

HYPOTHESIS 74

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or the past several decades you have heard about animal and human studies feeding coconut oil that purportedly showed increased indices for cardiovascular risk. Blackburn et al (1988) have reviewed the published literature of “coconut oil’s effect on serum cholesterol and atherogenesis” and have concluded that when “...[coconut oil is] fed physiologically with other fats or adequately supplemented with linoleic acid, coconut oil is a neutral fat in terms of atherogenicity.” The question then is, how did coconut oil get such a negative reputation The answer quite simply is, initially, the significance of those changes that occurred during animal feeding studies were misunderstood.

The wrong interpretation was then repeated until ultimately the misinformation and disinformation took on a life of its own.

The problems for coconut oil started four decades ago when researchers fed animals, hydrogenated coconut oil that was purposefully altered to make it completely devoid of any essential fatty acids. The hydrogenated coconut oil was selected instead of hydrogenated cottonseed, corn or soybean oil because it was a soft enough fat for blending into diets due to the presence of the lower melting medium chain saturated fatty acids. The same functionality could not be obtained from the AGRICULTURE

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cottonseed, corn or soybean oils if they were made totally saturated, since all their fatty acids were long chain and high melting and could not be easily blended nor were they as readily digestible.

The animals fed the hydrogenated coconut oil (as the only fat source) naturally became essential fatty acid deficient, their serum cholesterol levels increased. Diets that cause an essential fatty acid deficiency always produce an increase in serum cholesterol levels as well as an increase in the atherosclerotic indices.

The same effect has also been seen when other essential fatty acid deficient, highly hydrogenated oils such as cottonseed, soybean or corn oils have been fed.So, it is clearly a function of the hydrogenated product, either because the oil is essential fatty acid (EFA) deficient or because of trans fatty acids (TFA).

Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., F.A.C.N. (USA)

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Virgin Coconut Oil and HIV HIV/Aids is a global crisis affecting many aspects of life. HIV mainly destroys the immune system causing decreased quantity and quality of lymphocyte T cells, especially CD4.

Progressiveness of the disease will depend mainly on the host immune response which is measured by the amount of CD4 in the body (CD4 count). Therefore CD4 count is the base of HIV infection classification.

Coconut oil has unique features, where it is not only a source of medium chain fatty acids which are easier to absorb and utilise by cells, it also contains lauric acid and capric acid, which have antimicrobial effects. These substances can destroy bacteria and virus which have lipid layer on their cell membrane.

The experimental study conducted at the Special Health Centre, Dharmais Cancer Hospital in Jakarta studied the effects of VCO supplementation at 3X15 ml/day for 6 weeks on 40 HIV subjects. The CD4+ T lymphocyte count was used to indicate HIV disease progression, because HIV binds to this receptor in human body resulting in destruction and

decline of CD4+ T lymphocyte count. It was found that VCO supplementation significantly increased CD4+ T lymphocyte concentration in HIV patients. The antiviral ability of the lauric and capric acid in VCO could destruct the lipid capsule layer of virus more effectively than long chain fatty acids like oleic and linoleic acids.1 Results of a study on Coconut Oil in Health and disease and its monolaurin’s potential as cure for HIV/AIDS revealed that “this first clinical trial on HIV infected patients confirmed the anecdotal reports that coconut oil has an antiviral effect and can beneficially reduce the viral load of HIV patients. The positive viral action was seen not only with monolaurin acid but with coconut oil itself.

Weight gain, decreasing viral counts and increasing CD4 counts were noticed.”

Excerpts from Invited Paper on “Role of Virgin Coconut Oil on HIV” presented by Dr. Kadek Dharma Widhiarta, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jember, Indonesia, at the 1st International Symposium on Quality Coconut Oil for Nutrition and Health, New Delhi, India during 28-29 September 75 2015 Coconut Oil in Health and disease : its and monolaurin’s potential as cure for HIV/AIDS by Dr. Conrado S. Dayrit,Paper presented at the 37th APCC COCOTECH Meeting, Chennai, India July 25, 2000.

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Coconut Oil Kills Colon Cancer Cells In a published lab study, lauric acid (coconut oil is about 50% lauric acid) killed over 93% of human colon cancer cells (Caco-2) after 48 hours of treatment. Intriguingly, the lauric acid poisoned the cancer cells by simultaneously unleashing profound oxidative stress while strongly reducing their levels of glutathione (which is exactly what the cancer cells needed to protect themselves from the increased oxidative stress).

Many health benefits of coconut oil have already been well established through medical research. It naturally kills multiple viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. It aids in digestion and liver metabolism, reduces inflammation, and promotes healthier skin and faster wound healing when applied topically. It may also be an effective aid for diabetes. It has been shown to raise levels of the beneficial cholesterol HDL in women, improve their LDL: low HDL ratio, and resulted in superior weight loss and abdominal loss compared to soybean oil.

Coconut oil is now being used in clinical trials for improving cholesterol in patients with AGRICULTURE

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chronic heart disease, in fighting Alzheimer’s and for improving blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Coconut oil is unique in that it is about 50% lauric acid, a medium-chained triglyceride that is otherwise very hard to find in our diets (palm kernel oil is also about 50% lauric acid). Interestingly, lauric acid makes up about 2% of the fat in cow’s milk but 6% of the fat in human milk, implying that humans may have a naturally higher need for this fatty acid.

These studies don’t necessarily mean coconut is the panacea of cancer. What it means is that nature has provided many natural ways to combat disease. The more research we can do and the more information we can share with others gives us opportunities to possibly find cures and preventive measures using Mother Nature instead of simply putting our faith in the medical communities’ singular approach to disease.

Fauser, J. K., Matthews, G. M., Cummins, A. G., & Howarth, G. S. (2013, December).

Induction of apoptosis by the medium-chain length fatty acid lauric acid in colon cancer cells due to induction of oxidative stress. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/24356281

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Magnetic technologies

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MAGNETIC TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C: 78

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Productive techniques to promise a better life

agnetic Technologies LLC, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading manufacturer of magnetic devices founded in 1995 in Dubai by Sheikh Junaid Mohammed Khoory with the support of Russian Scientist Prof. Yuri Tkatchenko, a magnetology research scientist, associated with scientific institutes developing magnetic technologies established since the 60â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Soviet Union.

The company aims to introduce the miraculous applications of magnetic technologies in various fields including agriculture, health, construction, water treatment and energy saving.

The company represents over 35 years of constant research initiated by 500 Scientists from 52 leading research institutes of Russia, with the R&D investments of over USD 200 million. It operates globally with its pioneer technologies by coordinating numerous applications of science with various sectors like industry, agriculture, domestic and the environment.

The company is also excelled in improving water productivity by treating it with specialAGRICULTURE

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ized magnetic fields, thus greatly enhancing its important properties namely, solubility and permeability for nutrient transport and its ability to deal with saline soils to enhance nutrient mobility.

BENEFITS TO TARGETED SEGMENTS Agriculture: Increase the yield of the crops by 20% to 60% Decrease the usage of fertilizers by 30 to 50% Decrease the usage of seeds by 30% Decrease the usage of water by 30% (power usage proportionately).

Wide range of crops can be grown in soils having TDS levels of upto 8000 ppm.

Vegetation period earlier by 7 to 21 days depending upon crop.

Minimize the salinity effect and cleanse soil.

Drip irrigation systems will function effectively, as it prevents scaling formation.

Increases shelf life by a day.

Increases nutritional content and improves taste.

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with the way in which plant roots which are very permeable to water, becomes blocked by the salt encrustations. Research confirms that the effects of soil-moisture tension and osmotic pressure are additive in inhibiting the growth of plants.

Since, saline soil cannot be reclaimed by any chemicals, conditioners or fertilizers; reclamation of these types of soil to leach the salts thoroughly is possible when irrigation water is treated with specialized magnetic fields. With magnetic treatment of water, there is a change of the physiochemical characteristics of water leading to improved filtration and dissolvability e.g. plant capillaries start to let even brackish water pass carrying additional nutrients, found in such water’s. So, their presence does not interfere with osmosis and plants growth.

In Dairy Farming: Increases milk production by 10%. Can go higher, when fodder is grown with magnetic water.

Increases fat content in milk Reduces the firmness of the udder making it easier to milk.

Increases cow’s ability to resist diseases by increasing the healing effect of the cow suffering from mastitis.

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In Poultry: Increase in average weight gain by 5% to 7% Quality of the meat improves Size of the egg’s bigger by 10%.

Decrease in death rates of chicks by 2 to 3 times.

In Fisheries: Increase oxygen content of the water by a minimum of 5 mg/litre Reduces mortality rates by 3 times, weight gain upto 2 times. Taste properties improve.

How Magnetic Water Treatment Addresses Plant Irrigation in Saline Soils.

Plants rely on a process called osmosis to get water from the soil. When there are large amounts of soluble salts in the soil solution, the osmotic concentration will be high and the intake of water by the plant will be reduced. This happens because, the salt crystallizes creating a barrier interfering

Magnetized water induces positive changes, in the mobility of nutrient elements in root zone. Then due to single and smaller water molecule clusters, solubility in magnetically treated water is greatly enhanced. Because of the enhanced availability and mobility of ions in the water, plants grow better. Magnetically treated saline water also improves the texture of soil by removing salts deposAGRICULTURE OCTOBER 2017

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Magnetic technologies

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germination percentage and vigor. Even performance of non- standard seeds will be good.

Seed performance gets boosted due to the following influence • The magnetic field lessens the effect of germinating inhibitors due to an increase in pH of the cell juice.

• It boosts the proton pump located at the cell membrane, to relieve the seed from the state of repose by boosting the action of hormones. This accelerates breathing, enhances germination and enlarges the cell volume.

• Special magnetic materials giving appropriate gradients strengthen RNA transcription. This will lead to increased formation of proteins, stimulate the growth of roots as well as activate the growth of weak seeds, which never germinate in normal conditions.

its 3 to 4 times in the soil capillaries and 80 improves leaching process through the soil.

Oxygen concentration is increased by 10%.

Magnetizing Brackish Saline Water without the High Cost of Desalination Facilities: The nutrients within brackish salt water when magnetized, enables absorption by plants that offers the biggest potential, remembering that presently agriculture is responsible for using the majority of our fresh water resource. This process of allowing access to previously unusable water for plants, potentially allows us to establish and address not only agricultural sustainability within marginal lands but equally ecological planting within the hearts of depredated land spawning dust storms and along our unstable lands masses within our fragile delta systems threatened by sea rise. This is already being trialed by the Chinese along the Yellow river using our company technology.

Magnetic treatment of seeds Seeds are a resting system of organs of a future plant. What the plant will be and what results we will get depend upon the quality of this system. Magnetic treatment of seeds during sowing increases both its AGRICULTURE

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•

Plants achieve good speed of growth of the embryonic root, during transition from heterotrophic to autotrophic type of nourishment. Thus are more productive and form a well developed root system.

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Our unique magnetic field not only stimulates and activates metabolism alone, but a process which brings the seeds to conformity with its natural and historical background, upset by present day technologies. The technology not only allows on the sowing material, but also provides an earlier ripening of the harvest.

Other Benefits: Magnetic water can also be used for irrigation. It needs 30% less seeds when compared to normal crop production and will provide the same level of yields. The precious lands earmarked for production of seeds can be utilized for production of food crops.

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