Tuesday 28 August 2012

Evolution of Hybrid Seeds in India

Indian Agriculture has made enormous progress in the last 50 years.  Food grains production has risen from 50 million tons in 1947 to 212 million tons in 2003-04. However, the growth of agriculture sector has not kept pace with the growth of the population and has stagnated. The unsatisfactory growth of agriculture, apart from serious implications for food security of the country, has been adversely impacting the growth rate of country’s economy. Seed is the critical determinant of agricultural production on which depends the performance and efficacy of other inputs.  Quality seeds appropriate to different agro-climatic conditions and in sufficient quantity at affordable prices are required to raise productivity.

Indian Seed Industry is strong, vibrant and is showing rapid growth. Seed Industry’s turnover is of Rupees 7000 crores and growing at a rate of 12-15% annually.  It is globally 5th in terms of size and projected to be 3rd by 2015.

History:

The National Seed Corporation was established in 1963. The Government of India enacted the Seeds Act in 1966 to regulate the growing seed industry. The sixties were the most eventful times for Indian agriculture,  not only because of introduction of high-yielding cereals, particularly wheat and rice but also for many other positive developments related to seed such as, constitution of Seed Review Team, enactment of Seeds Act, 1966 and formation of National Commission on Agriculture. This was the period, during which the private sector significantly stepped into the seed business.

The Seeds Act stipulated that seeds should conform to a minimum stipulated level of physical and genetic purity and assured percentage germination either by compulsory labelling or voluntary certification. Further, the Act provided a system for seed quality control through independent State Seed Certification Agencies which were placed under the control of state departments of agriculture.

When we talk about Hybrid seeds in India, the first name that comes to our mind is Padamshri Dr. Manmohan Attavar. He is the pioneer of development of commercial hybrids in India as well as protected horticulture. The monolithic growth of seed export industry from the first batch of Petunia hybrid seeds production in greenhouses in 1967, speaks volumes about his unparalleled managerial ability, scientific acumen and visionary leadership. He ideated and reined potential of the horticulture industry by establishing Indo-American Hybrid Seeds at Bangalore, as early as in 1965 and with his global vision, enduring persistence and relentless persuasion of his ideals for quality assurance and service to mankind, the Indo-American Hybrid Seeds (India) Pvt. Ltd.(IAHS) is today India’s leading company in hybrid vegetable seed and horticulture. As Chairman of the company, Dr. Attavar has made it one of the most modern houses for agricultural science with International standards and cutting age laboratory on Genetic Engineering and Commercial Tissue Culture Laboratory. The Seed Testing Laboratory established by him is the first laboratory in the private sector in Asia accredited by International Seed Testing Association.

Extensive studies were carried out at C.I.C.R., Nagpur on various management techniques such as controlled fruiting, restricted pollination and plant trimming to increase the hybrid seed production in various GMS hybrids.  NSC is the pioneer in field crop seed production. Seed production of first hybrids of Maize, Sorghum and Bajra have been done by NSC. NSC was assisted by Rockefeller foundation and USAID in seed production in the formative years.


Read more about hybrid seeds: http://seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/evolution-of-hybrid-seeds-in-india

Thursday 23 August 2012

Safety & Health at Farms

 We all know that farms are peaceful settings. But actually, farming is one of the most dangerous jobs in the many countries. Farms have many health and safety hazards, including chemicals and pesticides. Machinery, tools and equipment can be dangerous also hazardous areas such as grain bins, silos and wells and even livestock that can spread diseases or cause injuries.
Another most unavoidable situation is overexposure to heat. It can stress the body’s cooling system and when combined with other stresses like hard physical labour or some medical conditions, it can lead to heat-related illness, disability and even death.
Heat stress symptoms are a set of natural signals telling you that something needs to be done to balance your body’s heating and cooling. As our body heats up, it tries to rid itself of excess heat through the evaporation of sweat.

learn more on farm safety: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/safety-health-at-farms

Monday 20 August 2012

Bio Pesticides - Benefits & Barriers


What are the disadvantages of using Biopesticides
  • Slow effect
  • Lack persistence and wide spectrum activity
  • Rapidly degraded by UV lights so residual action is slow.
  • Seasonal availability of plants products indicates the needs for storage.
  • They are not available easily
  • Poor water solubility and generally not systemic in nature
  • All products applied followed by growers have not been scientifically verified.





What characteristics should bio-pesticides possess?
Bio-pesticides must be effective in controlling the pest(s) that they are designed to control. Many bio-pesticides are single host specific, but it is desirable to have a bio-pesticide that can control a wider range of targets. Researchers believe that biological pesticides may be less vulnerable to genetic variations in plant populations that cause problems related to pesticide resistance, which would make them very appealing by contrast. This has become the greatest concern among those who rely on these applications. Biological pesticides need to provide predictable performance standards, and they need to do so inexpensively. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists in Saskatoon developed formulations that may be applied pre-emergence or post emergence to control common weeds.
Researchers employ a host of strategies often looking for means to strengthen local, natural enemies or to produce them en masse as biopesticides. Fungi, ​insect viruses, competing but harmless strains of the same pest are being tried, often with great success. Chemicals are mainly used as herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. These chemicals characteristically have good storage, relatively wide spectrum of activity, fast speed of kill, relatively short persistence, so need frequent applications, and a potential for environmental harm and toxicological concerns.

Read  more details: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/bio-pesticides-benefits-barriers

Thursday 16 August 2012

Soil Toxicity

Soil pH is the most important value on a soil report. Soil pH is the measure of the hydrogen ion activity or concentration in the soil solution. Soil solution is the water contained in your soil. Soil water exists as films of water around soil particles or aggregates. Roots grow in this soil solution and take up nutrients from these layers of water around the soils particles. Soil pH or rather the pH of the soil water determines the solubility and therefore the availability of nutrients found in soil water. pH also has a profound effect on soil microbiology and alters the nutrient cycling that takes place based on the biological activity. Soil pH is expressed on a scale from 0 to 14. At pH 7 the soil has a neutral reaction. At a pH value below 7 the soil is acidic and soils above pH 7 the soil is basic. Most plants grow well in a pH range from 6.5 to 7.5 because in this range most of the essential nutrients have good solubility in soil solution. The only exception is acid loving plants such as rhododendrons and blueberries that require a more acidic environment and grow well at pH of 5.0

read the complete article on: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/soil-toxicity

Monday 13 August 2012

Methods of Seed Protection

Recent increase in the production and sale of seeds has heightened the scrutiny of organic seed quality and in particular brought attention to concerns of seed-borne disease contamination. Seed-borne diseases are pathogens such as bacteria, fungus, or virus that live on the surface or interior of seed and have the potential to spread disease further on. Conventional seeds are often treated or coated with chemical fungicides to kill pathogens. It is always prudent to seek high-quality seed and work with a reputable company.
Three methods of Seed Protection are
  1. Encrustment
  2. Pelleting
  3. Film coating
Coated seeds can be distinguished visually from naked seeds, because of their higher weight and different color, the shape of the seeds does not change much though. The higher weight also provides for a better and more secure ground contact and therefore provides a higher growth rate than normal seed. Coated seeds are effective for the germination and the juvenile development of young seedlings. The coat surrounding the seed absorbs water which provides for a secure germination and with it a secure start for the plant. The purely biological components of the coat are non toxic to birds but also not attractive for them to eat, thereby the seeds are saved from them. Coated seed is a huge step forward in seed application and is suitable for most situations. The advantages of this innovation are valid particularly for small inhomogeneous seeds and also for seed mixture whether the seeds are sown by hand or machine. Thus just not the look of the seed changes but its resistibility against diseases, protection from bird and rodents, and lastly seedling is protected. Over all the coating helps the seeds to grow as a healthy sapling.

Know more on seed protection: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/methods-of-seed-protection

Saturday 11 August 2012

Role of Mariculture in Worldwide Food Production

Mariculture is the term used when referring to the farming of marine species by man. The broader term called 'aquaculture' is what is used to describe all types of production of aquatic species, both seawater and fresh water. Some types of mariculture are truly historical whereas others are more modern-day. Mariculture is the commercial farming of marine organisms. This form of farming has a long history in Australia and has made a significant contribution to the nation's marine products ($AUS708 million 2003/2004).

Mariculture includes a wide range of species and culture methods. It is growing fast on a global scale. At the same time the world population is rising and with it the need for dietary protein. The expansion of mariculture can reduce pressure on wild fish, shrimps and molluscs, because they reduce their market price and by this the investments in fishing fleets, or they can increase the pressure due to the use of fishmeal in feed for some mariculture-species.

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Tissue Culture- A Boon or a Bane


Tissue culture is a process that involves exposing plant tissue to a specific regimen of nutrients, hormones under sterile or in artificial conditions outside the mother plant to produce many new plants. Each new plant is a clone of the original mother plant. This process is done over a very short period of time. Tissue culture is the growth of tissues or cells separate from the organism. This is typically facilitated via use of a liquid, semi-solid or solid growth medium such as broth or agar. Tissue culture plants are characterized by disease free growth, a more fibrous, healthier root system, a bushier branching habit and a higher survival rate.

Plant tissue culture is a widely used procedure in plant biology in which organism is planted from the explants of the living plants in a nutrient medium under aseptic conditions. There are both advantages and disadvantages of plant tissue culture.

Oyster Mushroom Cropping


Mushrooms are called ‘white vegetables’ or ‘boneless vegetarian meat’. They contain ample amounts of proteins, vitamins, minerals and fibre. Apart from having certain medicinal properties and appreciable amounts of vitamins like Niacin and Pantothenic acid, minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and potassium, a fair quantity of iron is also present in them. Folic acid which is of vital importance for treating anaemic condition in the human body is available in large quantity. Their protein may be considered intermediate to that of animal and vegetables. Fresh mushrooms contain about 80-95% moisture, 3% protein, 0.3-0.4% fat and 1 % minerals and vitamins.


At present world production of mushrooms is estimated to be around 5 million tonnes and is ever increasing.  Total mushroom production worldwide has increased more than 18-fold in the last 32 years, from about 350,000 metric tons in 1965 to about 6,160,800 metric tons in 1997. The bulk of this increase has occurred during the last 15 years. A considerable shift has occurred in the composite of genera that constitute the mushroom supply. Mushroom is an attractive crop to cultivate in developing countries for many reasons. One of the most charming points would be that they are grown on agricultural wastes. It enables us to acquire substrate materials at low prices or even for free and to conserve our environment by recycling wastes.

 

Thursday 2 August 2012

How to Store Food!!!


Storage
  • Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours (1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F). Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer. The refrigerator should be at 40 °F or below and the freezer at 0 °F or below.
  • Cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and variety meats within 2 days; other beef, veal, lamb, or pork, within 3 to 5 days.
  • Perishable food such as meat and poultry should be wrapped securely to maintain quality and to prevent meat juices from getting onto other food.
  • To maintain quality when freezing meat and poultry in its original package, wrap the package again with foil or plastic wrap that is recommended for the freezer.
  • In general, high-acid canned food such as tomatoes, grapefruit, and pineapple can be stored unopened on the shelf for 12 to 18 months.
  • Low-acid canned food such as meat, poultry, fish, and most vegetables will keep 2 to 5 years—if the unopened can remains in good condition and has been stored in a cool, clean, and dry place. Discard cans that are dented, leaking, bulging, or rusted.
 To know more methods to keep you food safe visit: http://www.seedbuzz.com/forums/food-safety