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, …
KOCHI: Dry land is commonly seen in hilly areas or where the water table lies so low that even large trees find it difficult to get water. In Kerala, coastal areas do not have much width. In many areas, landscapes stretching 10 to 25 km from the seaside stand elevated. …
"I AM a strong supporter of science. But just because somebody says Bt brinjal is good, we need not run after it. Let our own scientists, farmers and political leaders decide what is good for our country," said Union Minis- ter of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh, here …
If one gene is good, more genes are better. That's the mantra of plant biologists working to improve crops. Already, companies have engineered varieties that carry both herbicide and insect resistant genes. Ultimately, researchers have set their sights on tweaking complex multigene processes, such as nitrogen fixation, which might involve …
To feed the several billion people living on this planet, the production of high-quality food must increase with reduced inputs, but this accomplishment will be particularly challenging in the face of global environmental change. Plant breeders need to focus on traits with the greatest potential to increase yield. Hence, new …
Forest and tree resources are managed in different types of systems that are characterized by varying management intensity and range from primary natural forests to productive industrial plantations. A number of factors shape global opportunity, condition investment decisions and drive research priorities for forest biotechnology - they also underline important …
New information on how plants breathe may help scientists engineer plants that require less water, according to a report published this month in Nature Cell Biology. While it has been known for half a century that a plant
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 …
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.
Out of twenty-eight Oryza species, only two are cultivated. The indigenous practices of different regions vary. But the essence of the indigenous practices are low external input (LEI) based farming system, organic produce, preference for taste and quality, and a number of innovations involved. The present paper elucidates the traditional …
Banana is a common horticultural crop in the Sunderbans region though there are hardly any cultivation of proven commercial elite varieties that can yield much higher incomes per unit of area under the crop. Keeping in mind the promise that banana holds as a cash generating crop for the Sunderbans …
In West Africa two rice species (Oryza glaberrima Steud. and Oryza sativa L.) co-exist. Although originally it was thought that interspecific hybridization is impossible without biotechnological methods, progenies of hybridization appear to occur in farmer fields. AFLP analysis was used to assess genetic diversity in West Africa (including the countries …
The Jeypore tract of Orissa, India is famous for the genetic diversity of Asian cultivated rice and has been considered the center of origin of aus ecotype. The landraces or traditional varieties growing here are thought to harbor dominant genes for biotic and abiotic stresses, aroma and palatability and hold …
THIS is the variety of rice without which biryani, the royal gastronomical delight, would not feature so prominantly in the history pages on Mughal influence in India. Aromatic, long-grained, nonsticky are the words that describe it. It is the Basmati. India grows 1.6 million tonnes annually. Two-thirds is exported every …
Surinder Sud / New Delhi September 22, 2009, 0:49 IST Maize scientists plan to promote production of seeds of single-cross maize hybrids to boost the output of the nutritious and versatile coarse cereal for domestic consumption and exports. Single-cross maize hybrids are the first generation of seeds obtained by crossing …
Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Dibrugarh organised a farmer-scientist interaction-cum-awareness programme on August 26 as part of the technology week from August 24 to 29, in the conference hall of the district agriculture office, Dibrugarh. Inaugurating the programme, Dr J K Choudhury, Programme Coordinator of KVK, Dibrugarh, highlighted the objectives of …
Plant growth promoters are naturally produced molecules that increase crop yield. Developing them for commercial use is difficult. The Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) received a US patent in May, this year, for developing a promoter, isolated from a medicinal plant. Anil Kumar Singh, Deputy Director of …
ornithology Birds love noise The house finch and the black-chinned hummingbird are unaffected by noise pollution. In fact, they prefer to nest in noisier areas because it increases their chances of survival. A team isolated the effects of noise pollution on bird communities. For this they chose regions with natural …
Pink bollworm (PBW, Pectinophora gossypiella Saund.) is a pest of economic importance in cotton producing countries. Earlier results of host-plant resistance to the PBW indicated races of Gossypium hirsutum L. and some wild species including Gossypium thurberi Tod. which are resistant to PBW. Hence prebreeding efforts were made to transfer …
