“My major work on the farm is just picking the harvest,” says Raghava with a straight face. It takes some time for the fact to sink in that this young farmer is not joking. One begins to believe him only after visiting his coconut plantation in village Mallanayakanahalli in Karnataka’s …
Most of us detest weeds. They have a tendency to pop up at the wrong place at the wrong time. They have extraordinary genetic pluck that enables them to take astonishing levels of abuse and rough treatment—the harder the better. Plantain likes to be trodden underfoot. Danish scurvy-grass thrives on …
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 …
AMID countrywide agitations over land acquisition and growing food security concerns, the Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj is considering reserving land for agriculture. The ministry has suggested a bill that would make it mandatory for all states to declare the most fertile land (or category I agricultural land) …
Why have yields stagnated? Yield stagnation at an average of 520 kg fibre per hectare over the past five years could be because of several factors, including bad weather and poor agronomic management. But over 800 Bt cotton hybrids developed by private seed companies have been approved for commercial cultivation …
AT A time when the world is pushing for organic farming, the US is advocating the no-till method. Tilling, a process that turns soil inside out, helps develop a good seed bed while destroying weeds, insects and microbes. Organic farming requires land to be tilled to control weeds and pests …
AN EARTHQUAKE measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale recently shook Japan, causing a massive tsunami. Changes in groundwater electrical conductivity and soil radon gas can help predict an earthquake in quake-prone regions, according to a team of geologists in India. Earlier studies by Japanese scientists have shown that prior to …
SOIL erosion worldwide is threatening agriculture. A group of scientists has calculated that about 7.5 per cent of the soil in India is extremely vulnerable to erosion. Scientists at the Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute in Dehradun employed a concept to evaluate susceptibility of soil types …
A NUMBER of farmers lose their crops because of acidic soil. It increases solubility of the naturally occurring aluminium, leading to aluminium toxicity. Aluminium toxicity usually damages the roots first; they tend to be shortened and swollen. Aluminium also inhibits the uptake of calcium, an essential plant nutrient. Use of …
INTENSE heatwaves in July last year scorched much of Europe and several other countries in the Northern Hemisphere. It took many lives, destroyed crops and ignited forest fires. Scientists say climate change will not just influence the average climate but also extremes such as heatwaves. Taking cue a group of …
SOIL constantly undergoes changes—be it by growing crops, adding fertilizer, erosion or contamination. Scientists analyse as many as 50 properties of soil—including sand and organic carbon content, porosity and essential nutrients like nitrogen and iron—to monitor its health and predict if the land is on the verge of degradation by …
The new nutrient-based fertiliser subsidy policy provides implicit incentives to farmers to test soil samples regularly and get crop-wise recommended doses of nutrients, and offers prospective benefits from the agro-environmental management point of view. A study of six villages in the lower Bhavani Basin in Tamil Nadu reveals that despite …
INDIA'S brick industry is the second largest in the world. Since bricks are best produced from alluvial soil, the unorganised industry flourishes in the fertile belt; the Gangetic plain accounts for 65 per cent of the total brick production in the country. But once brick kiln owners wind up operations, …
A survey was made on certified organic farms in the country to ascertain the real benefits and feasibility of organic farming in terms of the production potential, economics and soil health in comparison to the conventional farms. The study revealed that organic farming, in spite of the reduction in crop …
Water is one of the most valuable resources. The agriculture sector is the largest consumer of water resources in the developing countries. Assured supply of water is necessary for sustainable agriculture.
Secondary salinisation is the most harmful and extended phenomenon of the unfavourable effects of irrigation on the soil and environment. An attempt was made to study the impact of poor quality ground water on soils in terms of secondary salinisation and availability of soil nutrients in Faridkot district of Punjab …
The prominent rivers of Bihar all originating from Nepal and entering into Bihar, are adversely affected sands-play resulting from flood. In Nepal these rivers have very steep slope and acquire scouring velocity. Thus the water flowing down carries a lot of silt and sand. Theses silts are deposited in the …
As envisaged in its common minimum programme (CMP), the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) government will lay emphasis on diversification of agri and allied sectors to augment production and productivity. Informing this in his address to the first session of Nagaland assembly yesterday, Governor K Sankaranarayanan pointed out that owing …
In parts of the world already facing unreliable food supplies, an uncertain climate adds to the future stress for soils, plants and people. March 20, 2008
The agricultural scene in Haryana, dominated by paddy-wheat rotation, is causing degradation to soil fertility and fall in the underground water level. This was stated in the economic survey tabled in the state assembly here today. It said the area under wheat and paddy crops crossed over 53 per cent …
