There are multiple initiatives of the Government of India such as the Animal Husbandry Startup Grand Challenge launched by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy in partnership with the Startup India programme, Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGPA), etc. which aim to encourage entrepreneurship in …
horticulture experts from the us have warned apple growers not to apply harmful compounds to trees that can kill aphid parasites and mite predators. These compounds can damage their produce and the production level will automatically drop. Experts visiting the apple-growing areas of Shimla have said that factors like drought …
Five high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of mango have been developed by the Horticulture Centre under the Agriculture Extension Directorate at Kewatkhali in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. The varieties are Amropali, Ratna, Sindhu, Mishra Special and Hybrid-10. The five new varieties of mango were developed by cultivating the fruit on an experimental basis. Officials …
The malbhog, considered to be the finest variety of banana found in Vaishali district of Bihar, is on the road to extinction. Soil infertility, fungal diseases, unscientific farming practices have takes their toll on the quality, and even quantities are down. Currently, only 10 hectares (ha) of land are under …
One of the most popular fruits of Mizoram is sapthei, or passion fruit, which looks more like a small mauve brinjal from the outside. The fruit is yellowish in the inside and is scooped out and eaten, seeds et al. People talk about the late Rajiv Gandhi's partiality towards the …
The wetlands of Bihar are home to a unique food crop - makhana (Euryale ferox), the popped seeds of which are a popular non-cereal meal eaten on some religious occasions. "Though the medicinal value of the seeds is documented, the plant has been ignored by scientists," complains Vidyanath Jha of …
Dwindling diversity India holds the distinction of being the world's second largest producer of fruits, both major and minor. But many of the fruits native to India are being less and less savoured Fruits come in all shapes and sizes. Neatly stacked in wooden crates and placed under bright lights, …
MANGO: Known as the king of fruits, India is blessed with mango diversity. Wild forms of Mangifera indica (mango) can be found in the peninsular tract, the evergreen forests in the Northeast and the terai regions. Wild forms of the allied species, M sylatica, are also found in the evergreen …
Besides diversity in minor fruits like aonla, ber, bael, custard apple, jamun, phalsa, tamarind and karonda, there are other tropical fruits that are yet to be exploited and their genetic base explored and enhanced. These include barhal (Artocarpus lakoocha), chironji (Buchanania lanzan), dillenia (Dillenia indica), makhana (Euryale ferox), manasari (Mimusops …
Conservation is a positive step towards preservation, maintenance, sustainable utilisation, restoration and enhancement of the natural environment with its diversity. However, conservation of fruits certainly needs more government attention than what it currently gets. Research institutes lack funds for establishment of gene banks or to carry out conservation programmes. "Through …
• The war of words, and weapons, aside, legend has it that during one of the better phases in Indo-Pak relation-ship, the fate Zia ul-Haq sent a crate of mangoes to the late Indira Gandhi. The taste caught Indira's fancy and she immediately sought information on the mango only to …
A mechanical harvester with nylon arms is being tested by the US-based orange growers. The machine gently shakes ripe fruit off the tree. The growers are using the technique originally developed for picking blackberries. If the machine is found successful, it would help orange growers in the US to compete …
A tiny "hazardous' insect, weevil, considered a major threat to horticulture and floriculture sectors, is being successfully used to clear the weeds from Harke reserve lake in Amritsar. Ram Kishan, director of the Irrigation and Power Research Institute (IPRI), Amritsar, says that the insects do no allow the water hyacinth …
studies have shown that when some common blood pressure-reducing drugs are taken with the juice of the grapefruit, the impact of these drugs significantly increases as compared to the conventional way of taking them with water. There are other drugs besides the blood pressure ( bp) regulators that are affected …
genetic tinkering can produce plants that can be made to bloom as and when required. Doused with the correct chemical trigger, they spring into bloom within days. George Coupland and his colleagues at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, say that if plants could be persuaded to flower as and when …
An horticulture development document worth US $6.5 million has been signed by the government of Bhutan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to improve the livelihood of its rural people who comprise about 85 per cent of the population. The UNDP will assist by providing technical assistance, training equipment, …
Fruits stay fresh for longer durations in tin cans compared to plastic packaging in hot conditions, says William Porter, food chemist at the Army Soldier Systems Command in Natick, Massachusetts, USA. This was discovered in 1991 during the Gulf War, when the caterers had problems with fruit turning brown and …
a low-cost cooling chamber that increases the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables has been developed by Susanta K Roy and his team at the Division of Fruits and Horticulture Technology at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi ( Science Reporter , Vol 34, No 6). Even though …
the garden city of India, Bangalore, is fast earning another name, that of being the biotechnology capital of south Asia. At the sixth international exposition and conference on biotechnology held here recently, C S Prakash, professor and director of the Centre for Plant Biotechnology Research at the University of Alabama, …
Researchers at Nottingham university UK, have identified 35 different kinds of inheritable genes responsible for a frnit's colour, taste and ripeness through hormonal control. Experts will soon be able to produce a fruit with two to three different colours by reconstructing the inherited genes. Thereafter, people will be able to …
Dates are making a comeback in the international market. Gulf countries, till now solely reliant on oil exports, are seeking to diversify into agricultural industries through the use of modern horticultural and food -processing techniques. Omanis are taking renewed interest in dates, which is the largest agricultural product of the …
