Livestock Census is a regular quinquennial exercise of Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD). The first Livestock Census was conducted in the year 1919 and last census i.e. 20th Livestock Census was conducted in 2019. The 21st Livestock Census exercise has been launched across the country on 25th October, …
Two green crusaders in West Bengal have made it to the record books for breeding plants to record heights and growing them two-way to counter effects of global warming. However, their lack of formal education as scientists is proving a deterrent for the duo in delivering their novel ideas to …
Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding has started work on 60 hectares in Andamans With several plantations likely to end their leases in the coming years, scientists are thinking ahead of means to convert them into natural forests. Coimbatore-based Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB) has launched …
The Green Revolution reduced hunger also in India, but it is not enough to raise yields, other, complementary interventions in the food system and other sectors are also important says this 2013 edition of FAO's State of Food & Agriculture report. Malnutrition in all its forms – undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, …
INDORE: Green Tribunal, Bhopal, has issued notices to Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), Coal India, National Biodiversity Committee, Union ministry of environment and forest and MP state biodiversity board for not sharing benefits from bio-resources with local bio-diversity committee. Eklehra Panchayat in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh had filed the PIL …
Crop domestications are long-term selection experiments that have greatly advanced human civilization. The domestication of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) ranks as one of the most important developments in history. However, its origins and domestication processes are controversial and have long been debated. Here we generate genome sequences from 446 …
There is growing recognition that successful adaptation of agricultural production systems to changes in climate will depend upon the improved access to, and use of, genetic diversity. In order to facilitate this adaptation, new forms of interdisciplinary research, new technologies, novel partnerships and effective policy instruments are considered essential. Given …
Improvement in post-rainy sorghum grain yield has been a challenge with M 35-1, a landrace selection released in 1937 dominating the post-rainy (rabi) tracts. It led to stagnation of post-rainy sorghum yields until the importance of specific adaptation was realized in lieu of highly variable soil and climatic conditions of …
Independent India inherited a structure of landholdings characterised by heavy concentration of cultivable areas in the hands of relatively large absentee landowners, the excessive fragmentation of small landholdings, growing number of landless agricultural workers, and the lack of any generalised system of documentary evidence of landownership or tenancy.
During the late 1950s and early 1960s food deficits India has been requiring importation of 3 to 4 million tons of grain per year. However because of bad monsoons in 1965 and 1966, imports exploded unpwardly to 10 million tons, and India was in dire straits. It was during this …
An important source of uncertainty in anticipating the effects of climate change on agriculture is limited understanding of crop responses to extremely high temperatures. This uncertainty partly reflects the relative lack of observations of crop behaviour in farmers’ fields under extreme heat. We used nine years of satellite measurements of …
The National Agricultural Research Plan (NARP) is a consolidated action plan for scientific research in agriculture. It sets out the research agenda of the major thrust areas in agriculture. The research plan sets out in summary from the key elements of scientific work to be carried out in a short …
Plant breeders have played an essential role in improving agricultural crops, and their efforts will be critical to meet the increasing demand for cellulosic bioenergy feedstocks. However, a major concern is the potential development of novel invasive species that result from breeders' efforts to improve agronomic traits in a crop. …
A soybean seed racket has been unearthed in Akola, Maharashtra. The scam comes on the heels of the large scale soy seed germination failure in the state and further erodes the credibility of government seed corporations. (Read: Seeds of failure) The racket came to light after Ajay Parate, agriculture officer …
ABOUT 30,000 farmers in Maharashtra are feeling cheated. The soybean seeds they had purchased from the state seed corporation, Mahabeej, failed to germinate this season. Over 40,000 hectares (ha) of farms in seven districts have been affected. Mahabeej has 45 per cent share in the soy seed business in the …
Climate change and catastrophic events have contributed to rice shortages in several regions due to decreased water availability and soil salinization. Although not adapted to salt or drought stress, two commercial rice varieties achieved tolerance to these stresses by colonizing them with Class 2 fungal endophytes isolated from plants growing …
The Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company Limited, popularly known as Mahyco, has a remarkable history in many ways. It was set up in 1964 by a man with farming but no business experience, and at a time when public sector research institutions and government seed companies dominated Indian agriculture.
With environmental clearance from the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests in place, Bt-Brinjal has taken an important step towards its widespread cultivation. As is expected, a variety of views, supportive as well as those advocating caution have been expressed regarding the introduction of …
Plant genetic resources (PGR) scientists now recognize the importance of shifting from a singular focus on conservation to a focus on both conservation and utilization of germplasm in order to meet future challenges. This paper analyzes the patterns of distribution of pearl millet, six small millets, chickpea and pigeonpea germplasm …
Farmer-breeders are an unsung tribe. In far corners of the world, farmers study the seeds they use, experiment with them, do simple back-crossing to improve yields and taste, and quite often come up with winners. Some farmers are geniuses when it comes to improving their seed and introducing simple but …
