Forest Garden is an agronomic system where trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, annuals and climbers all form part of a carefully designed and interconnected arrangement for growing food and other useful plant products. Forest Gardening is an intensive form of agro-forestry, mixed in such a way as to mimic the structure of a natural forest - the most stable and sustainable type of ecosystem in this climate. 

The  primary aims of the system are –

To be biologically sustainable, i.e. help to cope with disturbances such as climate change

To be productive, i.e. yield a large number of different products

The crops produced in the forest garden will often include fruits, nuts, edible leaves, spices, medicinal plant products,etc.

A forest garden is designed and maintained specifically, not using the normal tenets of gardening, but taking its vision from nature and very much based on a natural ecology of a young forest. It is a food production system based on replicating woodland ecosystems to grow trees, bushes, shrubs, herbs and vegetables that are directly useful to people. The different crops grow on multiple levels in the same area to gain maximum productivity from the available space. Whilst this is a common small scale food production approach in the tropics, models for temperate climates have more recently become popular.

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Soil Science and Plant Nutrition

Soil is one of the most important constituent of Agriculture. Plants derive almost all nutrients from soil and so its purpose serves beyond the fact that it’s the substrate on which the plant grows. The soil types vary from region to region and so do the type of plants that grow on them. All types of soil are made up of two basic components which are biotic and abiotic.  It’s the continuous nutrient cycle that takes place at the biotic-abiotic interface that plays a crucial role in plant growth and sustainable agriculture. There are tremendous amounts of biochemical reactions occurring in what seems like a lifeless soil. Increased use of fertilizer has increased the cost of production and decreased the soil quality. In order to better understand basic needs of the plants, it is important to go to the root cause, literally.

Soil ecosystem is a complex interaction of biochemical process between the soil biota. These biological processes have both direct and indirect impact on plant growth. Soil microorganisms that are present in the rhizosphere of the roots of plants are constantly interacting with the plants for transportation, mobilization and solubilization of nutrients.  These soil bacteria that aid plant growth are referred to as Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). PGPR can further be classified into symbiotic bacteria also referred to as iPGPR (intercellular/internal PGPR) that live inside the plant root cells and free living rhizobacteria also referred to as ePGPR  (extracellular/external PGPR) that live outside the plant root cell.  The most studied and effective iPGPR is the Rhizobia which is symbiotically associated with the leguminous plants and helps in the formation of root nodules and Nitrogen fixation.  Rhizobium species such as Allorhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Azorrhizobium and Sinorhizobium been found to have significant impact on plant growth. On the other hand free living bacteria such as Azatobacter, Azospirillum, Bacillus and Klebsiella species have also proven to enhance plant growth by Nitrogen fixation

The soil health is without doubt vital for good yield of plant. The right balance of biotic and abiotic constituents in the soil can lead a way to sustainable and optimal agriculture. The following conclusions can be drawn from the studies reflected in this article.

• Presence of good amount of organic and inorganic matter is essential to support nutrient cycle.
• Soil biota help plant growth by supporting nutrient uptake, providing disease resistance and holding up soil structure
• The presence of a healthy population of soil biota reduces the need for external inputs for soil growth

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Benefits of Automation in Drip Irrigation System

Micro-irrigation technology is now widely accepted by most of the farmers in the world. Drip irrigation was named in Israel in 1959. Drip irrigation also called as micro irrigation or trickle irrigation is a remarkable water saving technology developed decades ago. It is commonly used all over the world in nurseries, greenhouses, landscapes, kitchen gardens and variety of industrial applications. The major amount of fresh water is utilized by the agriculture for irrigation purpose. By using a drip irrigation the water will be maintained at a constant level that is the water will reach the roots drop by drop. Because of increasing demand for freshwater, optimal usage of water resources should be practiced with great extent of automation technology such as solar power, microcontroller, sensors, remote control, embedded system etc. There are lots of benefits of automation in drip irrigation- the real time useful controlling system for monitoring and controlling all activities of drip irrigation more efficiently. Drip irrigation by automation helps the farmers to apply the right amount of water at right time, regardless of availability of labour. This reduces the wastage of water and improves the crop performance and help saving time in all aspects.

The developed irrigation automation system can be used in several commercial agricultural productions since it is available in low cost and provide reliable operation. Using sensor-based site-Specific irrigation has some advantages such as preventing moisture stress of trees, diminishing of excessive water usage, ensuring of rapid growing weeds and derogating salinization, save water from wastage. If different kinds of sensors (that is, temperature, humidity, and moisture etc.) are involved in irrigation, it may be possible that an internet based remote control of irrigation automation will be possible. The developed system also transfers fertilizer and the other agricultural chemicals (calcium, sodium, ammonium, zinc) to the field by adding new sensors and valves. Thus it is very essential to have an automated drip system for higher productivity and effective utilization of water for surplus production.

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Pollination Management

 Pollination is the process of transferring of pollen from the anthers of a flower to the stigma of the same flower or of another flower. Pollination is a prerequisite for fertilization: the fusion of nuclei from the pollen grain with nuclei in the ovule. Fertilization allows the flower to develop seeds.

Pollination is a keystone process in both human managed and natural terrestrial ecosystems. It is critical for food production and human livelihoods, and directly links wild ecosystems with agricultural production systems. Pollinators are an element of crop associated biodiversity, and provide an essential ecosystem service to both natural and agricultural ecosystems. In the case of agricultural ecosystems, pollinators and pollination can be managed to maximize or improve crop quality and yield. Pollination depends to a large extent on the symbiosis between species, the pollinated and the pollinator, and often is the result of intricate relationships between plant and animal - the reduction or loss of either affecting the survival of both. The vast majority of flowering plant species only produce seeds if animal pollinators move pollen from the anthers to the stigmas of their flowers. Without this service, many interconnected species and processes functioning within an ecosystem would collapse. Many plants are wind pollinated, while animal pollinators include bees, and to a lesser extent butterflies, moths, flies, beetles and vertebrates.

Pollination is a very important process in ecosystem. Current understanding of the pollination process shows that, while interesting specialized relationships exist between plants and their pollinators, healthy pollination services are best ensured by an abundance and diversity of pollinators. Maintaining pollinator biodiversity in agricultural landscapes can ensure the provision of essential pollination, while also serving as a critical form of insurance against the risks of both climate change and the pests and diseases that occur among populations of managed pollinators. The vast majority of flowering plant species only produce seeds if animal pollinators move pollen from the anthers to the stigmas of their flowers. Without this service, many interconnected species and processes functioning within an ecosystem would collapse.

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Urban Farming

Urban farming simply put is the process of cultivating, processing, distributing and marketing of food crops grown in and around an urban area. An urban farm can also include the raring of livestock and fishery. In the complex web of globalization the idea of urban farming bring in a sense of self sustainability within a community. There can be different form of urban farming each adding value in its own way.

According to the projection by the UN by the year 2030 two-thirds of the world population will be living in cities. It is also estimated the by the year 2020, 85% of the poor in Latin America and about 45% in Asia and Africa will be living in Cities. These projections not only concern food insecurity but also the human right implications that tag along with it. As the percentage of slums in the cities are on the rise, the quality of life of the average city dweller decreases. Urban farms may not only bring in new geography for agriculture but the associated changes that it could bring about in the cities seem highly positive in terms of employment, food security, reducing carbon footprint of the food we eat, community building and the associated health benefits .   The significance of Urban farms in combating the various issues mentioned above has been acknowledged by various private research works and public bodies like the UN and FAO.

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Foliar Nutrition for Plants

Foliar nutritioning is the process of adding essential growth nutrients to plants thought the stomatal pores of plants leaves.                              Foliar application of nutrients has proven to be a highly effective and an efficient method of supplying plants with their requirements for secondary nutrients such as magnesium, sulfur and calcium. Along with micronutrients such as iron, molybdenum, copper, boron, zinc and manganese while supplementing it regular N-P-K needs for short and critical growth stage periods.

Primarily, foliar feeding is used to delay natural senescence processes shortly after the end of reproductive growth stages. Foliar feeding targets the growth stages where declining rates of photosynthesis and leveling off of root growth and nutrient absorption occur, in attempts to aid translocation of nutrients into seed, fruit, tuber or vegetative production.

Secondly, foliar feeding can be an effective management tool to favorably influence pre-reproductive growth stages by compensating for environmentally induced stresses of adverse growing conditions and poor nutrient availability.

Foliar nutritioning at the right time intervals can influence flowering, fruit set, fruit size, the amount of vegetative growth and other plant characteristics. By carefully choosing the components of a foliar or side-dress fertilizer, the grower can “nudge” a crop toward earlier, heavier fruit set, or discourage fruiting an advantage when producing greens or forage crop. This is well recognized in conventional agricultural communities.

Many citrus growers are known to foliar feed with fertilizer blends of dominated by potassium and nitrate – vegetative growth enhancing nutrients in order to increase fruit size after the crop is well set.

More information on: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/foliar-nutrition-for-plants

Soil Remediation

Soil is a vital natural resource whose importance is often not realized. Like water and air, soil too is subject to contamination, largely by various human activities. With human population increasing exponentially we are increasingly encroaching into agriculture land for residential and commercial real estate and forest area is encroached for agriculture purpose.  It is therefore important for us to understand the importance of reusing contaminated land by soil remediation and thereby ensuring that there is no pressure on the environment on the whole. The various options available for the remediation of soil and its feasibility will be discussed in this article.

Soil Contamination

Soil contamination refers to the presence of un-natural (human-made) chemicals or other substances in the soil. The pollutant can be a solid or liquid. These chemicals include hydrocarbons such as gasoline and petroleum leaks seeping into the soil, derivatives of petroleum, heavy metals, dumping of solid and liquid waste, excessive use of pesticide and herbicides.  In case of contamination by petroleum the challenges of removing contamination becomes harder as they are not soluble in water and can adhere to the soil particles. Heavy metals and oils are also known to seep into the ground water which spread the contamination to a larger area.

Cleaning of contaminated soil can involve removal of soil from the contaminated area or on-site treatment. They are called Ex-situ remediation and In-situ remediation respectively.

More information on: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/soil-remediation

Integrated Farming System

Farming and agriculture are respectively defined as the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock and the production of agricultural goods through the growing of plants and the raising of domesticated animals. In the developing countries frantic efforts have been made through research and enlightenment campaigns to encourage farming and thus ensure significant increases in agricultural production in order to feed and sustain the population that is increasing at geometric proportion. At present, the farmers concentrate mainly on crop production which is subjected to a high degree of uncertainty in income and employment to the farmers. In this context, it is imperative to evolve suitable strategy for augmenting the income of a farm.

Integrated farming (or integrated agriculture) is a commonly and broadly used word to explain a more integrated approach to farming as compared to existing monoculture approaches. It refers to agricultural systems that integrate livestock and crop production. Integrated farming system has revolutionized conventional farming of livestock, aquaculture, horticulture, agro-industry and allied activities. It could be crop-fish integration, livestock-fish integration, crop-fish-livestock integration or combinations of crop, livestock, fish and other enterprises.

The integrated farming system approach introduces a change in the farming techniques for maximum production in the cropping pattern and takes care of optimal utilization of resources. The farm wastes are better recycled for productive purposes in the integrated system. A judicious mix of agricultural enterprises like dairy, poultry, piggery, fishery, sericulture etc. suited to the given agro-climatic conditions and socio-economic status of the farmers would bring prosperity in the farming. An integrated farming system allows us to use some of the advantages of nature, and ecology, as opposed to relying on chemistry to solve all our production issues.

For more information visit: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/integrated-farming-system

Lettuce Seeds – Diseases

Seeds can spread plant diseases from one farm to another, from one State to another, and from a distant country to the other. Some disease pests may survive for years, safely lodged on or in a seed or on bits of stem or leaf mixed with the seeds. Many seed borne diseases cannot be recognized when seeds are examined, and cannot be detected during incubation. Only by inspecting the growing crop can one be sure that the seeds are free of viruses, bacteria, and fungi, organisms that cause disease and are called pathogens. Most seed borne parasites do not affect germination immediately. They do not harm the seeds but multiply on emerging seedlings, which may then succumb to the disease. Some seed lots that show high germination in tests are nearly destroyed when they are planted under conditions that favor development of the organisms they carry. Below is a short brief of diseases that are present in lettuce leaf, and their control measures. Lettuce leaf is probably the most common and popular salad leaf among all other salad leaf, Therefore one must be aware of the diseases it gets affected with.

Downy Mildew

Lettuce Leaf symptoms of downy mildew first show as angular, pale yellow patches which are delineated by leaf veins. The underside of the leaf opposite the yellow patch will show white masses of spores from 7 to 14 days after infection. Downy mildew damaged leaf tissue can be an entry site for secondary rot producing organisms. These rot organisms may compound crop losses in the field, and can also cause losses later when the lettuce is in transit.

Control: There are downy mildew resistant varieties of iceberg lettuce, but no cultivar is sufficiently resistant to all the races of downy mildew to allow culture without fungicides. Both systemic and contact fungicides are necessary in a spray program to combat downy mildew. Control of the disease depends upon good coverage with the fungicide material, timely first applications, and repeated applications as weather and disease development dictate. Currently maneb, fosetyl-A1, and at times, copper compounds are the primary fungicides used for disease suppression.

For more informaton visit: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/lettuce-seeds-diseases

Soil Science and Plant Nutrition

Soil is one of the most important constituent of Agriculture. Plants derive almost all nutrients from soil and so its purpose serves beyond the fact that it’s the substrate on which the plant grows.The soil types vary from region to region and so do the type of plants that grow on them. All types of soil are made up of two basic components which are biotic and abiotic.  It’s the continuous nutrient cycle that takes place at the biotic-abiotic interface that plays a crucial role in plant growth and sustainable agriculture. There are tremendous amounts of biochemical reactions occurring in what seems like a lifeless soil. Increased use of fertilizer has increased the cost of production and decreased the soil quality. In order to better understand basic needs of the plants, it is important to go to the root cause, literally. In this article we will have an insight into the underworld nutrient cycle that occurs in the soil and better understand the need to focus on the need to take care of soil.

The soil health is without doubt vital for good yield of plant. The right balance of biotic and abiotic constituents in the soil can lead a way to sustainable and optimal agriculture. The following conclusions can be drawn from the studies reflected in this article.

Presence of good amount of organic and inorganic matter is essential to support nutrient cycle.

Soil biota help plant growth by supporting nutrient uptake, providing disease resistance and holding up soil structure

The presence of a healthy population of soil biota reduces the need for external inputs for soil growth.

More information on:  http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/soil-science-and-plant-nutrition-0

Benefits of Automation in Drip Irrigation System

Micro-irrigation technology is now widely accepted by most of the farmers in the world. Drip irrigation was named in Israel in 1959. Drip irrigation also called as micro irrigation or trickle irrigation is a remarkable water saving technology developed decades ago. It is commonly used all over the world in nurseries, greenhouses, landscapes, kitchen gardens and variety of industrial applications. The major amount of fresh water is utilized by the agriculture for irrigation purpose. By using a drip irrigation the water will be maintained at a constant level that is the water will reach the roots drop by drop. Because of increasing demand for freshwater, optimal usage of water resources should be practiced with great extent of automation technology such as solar power, micro controller, sensors, remote control, embedded system etc. 

There are lots of benefits of automation in drip irrigation- the real time useful controlling system for monitoring and controlling all activities of drip irrigation more efficiently. Drip irrigation by automation helps the farmers to apply the right amount of water at right time, regardless of availability of labour. This reduces the wastage of water and improves the crop performance and help saving time in all aspects.

In a study conducted by M. Guerbaoui, Y. El Afou, A. Ed-Dahhak, A. Lachhab and B. Bouchikhi of Moulay Ismail University, Meknes, Morocco the efficacy of automated drip irrigation on water waste management in growing tomato crops were observed. Tomato crops are found to be sensitive to both water deficit and excess water. The average density of greenhouse tomato crops is 18000 plants/ha and the water requirements of tomato by drip irrigation attain 7000 m3/ha [El Attir (2005)]. It was found that computer based drip irrigation control could reduce water consumption by 20% to 30%.

For more information visit: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/benefits-of-automation-in-drip-irrigation-system

Climate Change and its Impact on Agriculture

Climate change is probably the most important cliché in the world. To understand what climate change is, it is important to define climate as it is often an ambiguous term. Climate may be defined as a composite or general weather conditions that prevails over a long period of time in a particular geographical area. In simpler terms it is the average of everyday weather over a long period of time. Climate change refers to a lasting and significant change in the weather pattern and its distribution across the globe. Climate change is caused due to various factors such as accumulation of greenhouse gases like Carbon dioxide, water vapor, Methane, Nitrous oxide and Chlorofluorocarbons caused due to increase in the output of solar irradiance, volcanic eruptions and many human activities.

 

To substantially understand the effect climate change will have on agriculture we can begin with listing the possible changes in the environment that are likely to occur. Change in climate can be associated with change in temperature, precipitation, Carbon dioxide concentration, wind pattern and other climatic variables.

Temperature is critical variant in any biochemical process as it determines the rate of the reaction. The physiology of plants is ultimately a biochemical reaction and hence it is bound to effect the growth of the plants. An increase in temperature will lead to increase in the rate of respiration of the plant. An increase in the temperature is seen to decrease the grain-filling period which can lead to decreased yield. The effects of high temperature can be more significant around anthesis as the various stages of reproduction that the leads to the formation of seeds such as pollen grain synthesis, transfer of pollen grains to the stigma, generations of pollen tube, fertilization and development of zygote are all temperature sensitive. This could explain the decrease in yield. Also a higher mean temperature is shown to affect the root biomass of the crops which in turn affects the quality of crop as it reduces the ability to absorb nutrients from the soil. Though these effects may not be universal and many crops may be able to adapt to the changes in temperature, it cannot be neglected that some crops might be adversely affected even by the slight increase in the mean temperature. Studies conducted by enlarge show that the effect of increase in mean temperature leads to lower yield of crops.

For more Information visit: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/climate-change-and-its-impact-on-agriculture

Mangolicious

 India ranks first among world’s mango producing countries accounting for about 50% of the world’s mango production.  Other major mango producing countries include China, Thailand, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria and Egypt. India’s share is around 52% of world production i.e. 12 million tonnes as against world’s production of 23 million tonnes (2002-03). An increasing trend has been observed in world mango production averaging 22 million metric tonnes per year. Worldwide production is mostly concentrated in Asia, accounting for 75% followed by South and Northern America with about 10% share.

  

Economic Importance of Mango-

 The fruit is very popular with the masses due to its wide range of adaptability, high nutritive value, richness in variety, delicious taste and excellent flavour.  It is a rich source of vitamin A and C. The fruit is consumed raw or ripe. Good mango varieties contain 20% of total soluble sugars. The acid content of ripe desert fruit varies from 0.2 to 0.5 % and protein content is about 1 %.

Raw fruits of local varieties of mango trees are used for preparing various traditional products like raw slices in brine, amchur, pickle, murabba, chutney, panhe (sharabat) etc. Presently, the raw fruit of local varieties of mango are used for preparing pickle and raw slices in brine on commercial scale while fruits of Alphonso variety are used for squash in coastal western zone.

For more information visit: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/mangolicious

 

Phomopsis Seed decay:

     Phomopsis seed rot occurs when harvest is delayed due to rainy, wet weather. Seed infection may reduce seed quality, vigor, and viability. Severely diseased seeds appear moldy and may be graded lower, which leads to dockage at the elevator. Planting diseased, poor-quality beans will result in reduced stands that may reduce yields. Pod and stem blight also occurs when soybeans mature during wet weather and harvest is delayed. These soybeans may be caused by a number of different fungi in the Diaporthe-Phomopsis complex. Phomopsis seed decay is caused primarily by Phomopsis longicolla, but other Diaporthe/Phomopsis spp. also can cause seed decay.

     Severely infected seeds are shriveled, elongated, and cracked and appear white and chalky. Seeds also may be infected and not show symptoms. Affected seeds usually do not germinate or are slow to germinate. Seed infection may cause pre- and post emergence dampening-off, and under severe conditions, stands can be reduced enough to lower yield.

   Symptoms of Phomopsis seed rot, pod and stem blight are readily apparent after the plants reach physiological maturity. Dead petioles, stems, and pods may be covered with small black specks, which are the fruiting bodies of the fungus (pycnidia). The pycnidia are usually arranged in parallel rows along the stem. During less favorable weather conditions, pycnidia may be confined to small areas of the stem near the soil surface or around the lower nodes of the stem. Pycnidia are also found scattered on discolored, poorly developed pods. Seeds that are infected have a range of symptoms from none to severe. Affected seed are usually cracked, shriveled, and covered with white mold. These severely infected seeds rarely germinate when planted. Less severely infected seed may germinate, but seedlings may show signs of seedling blight. Seedlings developing from moldy seed may have brown to reddish colored lesions on the cotyledons, or reddish-brown streaks may develop on the stem at or below the soil surface.

      Infested crop debris and soil are the major sources of primary inoculum. However, diseased seeds are an important factor in the long-range dissemination of the pathogen. Seed infection tends to be more severe when harvest is delayed, when early-maturing cultivars are grown, or when crops are grown in regions where warm; humid weather prevails at harvest time. More seed decay occurs in plants that are deficient in potassium, infected with one or more viruses, such as soybean mosaic poly virus, or heavily attacked by insects.

For more information visit: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/phomopsis-seed-decay