Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item titled "Nayar river is vanishing - a yatra reveals conservation goes beyond science and policy" appearing in ‘The Down To Earth’ dated 03.06.2025. The original application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled "Nayar …
in the first case of its kind, Japanese scientists have incorporated a human gene into the rice genome to evolve a variety resistant to several herbicides. The move, however, has kicked up a controversy with many people opposing the use of a human gene in food. Usually, genetically modified (gm) …
a bangladeshi scientist has developed a biopesticide from garlic, whose smell repels insects perhaps as much as it does humans. Integrated Pest Management Laboratory head Bahadur Meah says the garlic tablet he has made can treat seeds that can be planted on fields up to 0.4 hectare. Developed under a …
fishing practices followed in most parts of the world are inherently flawed and threaten not only the future supply of fish but also the long-term survival of some species, experts say. The big, fat, older fish
In a development that would immensely help rice breeders worldwide, scientists from the Beijing Institute of Genomics (BIG) have come out with fine genome maps of two most widely grown sub-species
a hybrid variety of pearl millet resistant to downy mildew (dm) has been developed jointly by researchers at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (icrisat) in Patancheru near Hyderabad and the Haryana Agricultural University (hau) located in Hissar. Caused by the fungus Sclerospora graminicola, dm is the …
scientists at the Indian Institute of Spices Research (iisr) in Kozhikode have found how bacterial wilt attacks ginger (Zingiber officinale), an important cash crop. Caused by a family of pathogens called Ralstonia solanacearum, the disease spreads quickly and can cause total crop loss. It is one of the major causes …
the obsession to increase farm productivity is taking a toll on the quality of fruits and vegetables. A us study shows nutrient value of 43 common crops has declined significantly over the past 50 years. The crops included 39 vegetables, three types of melons and strawberries. Between 1950 and 1999 …
A researcher from Hyderabad-based International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics has identified the virus that causes the sterility mosaic disease in pigeonpea (commonly known as tur dal). The finding is significant, as the disease leads to an annual loss of US $300 million in India and Nepal, which account …
a recent discovery could help overcome a limitation of biopesticides. These insect repellents, based on microorganisms like Bacillus thuringiensis, are far better than their chemical counterparts, as they do not pollute environs. But to be effective, they need to be ingested, which takes a long time. In addition, there is …
wheat growers may no longer worry about drought, with scientists from Egypt's Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (ageri) evolving a drought-resistant variety of the crop. The development will reduce the number of irrigation cycles required per growing season from eight to one. Moreover, the wheat can be cultivated with only …
now farmers of the developing nations need not make backbreaking efforts to prepare their land for wheat cultivation. Scientists from Bangladesh-based Wheat Research Centre (wrc) have developed a tool that helps cultivate the crop without tilling the land several times. The device, zero tiller, is already popular among farmers across …
many farmers across the world will now stop going bananas. Researchers have developed a method to quickly assess the susceptibility of the banana plants to Panama disease
sumit Naik, a migratory worker in Bhubaneswar, has decided to be ‘absent’ from his native village of Ektal for much longer this year than is usual. He is forced to stay away from his home. Reason: his presence would worsen the food scarcity his family faces, despite having 1.5 hectares …
War has taken its toll on agriculture in Afghanistan. The country's seed collections have been destroyed, putting its crop diversity at risk. Taking stock of the situation, a consortium of international crop genebanks led by Future Harvest
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 …
Use of farmyard manure has resulted in a marked increase in groundnut production in India's Deccan Plateau. In a study conducted by the Centre for Research and Information on Low-External-Input and Sustainable Agriculture (ILEIA), it was discovered that when manure was used as fertiliser, yields were considerably higher as compared …
japanese organic farmer Takao Furuno has hit upon a novel idea to make his paddy fields flourish: soon after the rice seedlings are planted, he releases ducks into the fields. "Well, it has been called a
