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Entrepreneurship opportunities for agriculture graduate and rural youth in India: a scoping review
Get PDFThe majority of the world’s population lives in rural areas whereas, in the case of India, 73% population is dependent on agriculture and related works as their mainstream revenue resources. Entrepreneurship in rural areas could be one of the utmost vital initiatives towards the country’s economic development under the adverse impacts of climate change. Entrepreneurship is a crucial feature for the sustainable survival of small-scale agriculture in a continuously increasing compound international economy. Contrarily, most rural entrepreneurs in developing nations, including India, face numerous problems due to the unavailable primary facilities in remote areas. Several agricultural entrepreneurship technologies have been scientifically studied and introduced by numerous countries. Information regarding the progress in modern agriculture entrepreneurship has become crucial for agriculture graduates and the rural youth engaged in the agriculture sector. Hence, it becomes essential for developed and developing economies to emphasize the large-scale demonstrations of agriculture entrepreneurship technologies. In the present manuscript, several such interventions are highlighted in the form of various points which will be of immense use to the self-reliant movement of India. In this endeavour, helpful information on agriculture entrepreneurship technologies from various research institutions and universities has been generated to benefit agriculture graduates and rural youth
Selection of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies for desirable traits
Get PDFThe experiment on selecting honey bee Apis mellifera L. colonies for desirable traits was conducted at the Apiary of the Department of Entomology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana (India) during 2020-21. The significant variations were observed in various colony parameters viz. colony strength (7.2 to 13.0 no. of bee frames), brood area (1029.42 to 3917.73 cm2), honey store (1196.48 to 2568.71 g), pollen area (314.76 to 692.73 cm2), brood survival rate (76.56 to 91.61.39 %) and paper potness (8.82 to 24.73 %). Ranking of honey bee colonies was developed on the basis of a five-point scoring system for each desirable trait. Colonies were rated based on 1 to 5 point scale. The average score ranged from 1.2 to 4.9. On the basis of top score, 9 colonies (C-6, C-8, C-2, C-20, C-12, C-11, C-5, C-19 and C-16) were selected for further evaluation and mass queen rearing, having average scores ranged from 3.5 to 4.9
Exploring the scenario of natural farming and food system in the North Eastern Hill Region of India: an introspective study
No full textThe agricultural practices in India\u27s North Eastern hill region (NEHR) align with the philosophy of natural farming, which emphasizes working in harmony with natural cycles and processes of the natural world. Farmers in the region follow the traditional agriculture practices based on indigenous technical knowledge (ITK), these practices align with the attributes of natural farming such as; no-tillage, intercropping, mulching, crop rotation, no use of agrochemicals, functional biodiversity, crop diversity etc. evolved through experience and experiments by ancestors. As the indigenous communities habituated in the region have historically relied on natural resources, their food systems have been centred around forest-based resources, which include a wide variety of wild species. Therefore, this study endeavors to provide a comprehensive overview of the scenario of natural farming and food systems in NEHR. Further, it suggests assessing natural farming in the context of NEHR while taking food systems into consideration, along with the documentation of both cultivated and collected wild foods of significance
Influence of farming systems on management of major pests and disease of groundnut
Get PDFA field experiment was conducted during the summer 2019 to manage significant pests and diseases of groundnut. Four farming methods were evaluated against Aphis craccivora, Scirtothrips dorsalis, Spodoptera litura andearly leaf spot (Cercospora arachidicola). Among the different farming methods, Natural farming (NF) (neemastra @ 625 lit/ha) significantly reduced the Aphis craccivora (3.92 aphids /plant) and Scirtothrips dorsalis (11.80%) at one week after spray followed by organic farming (OF) and a package of practice (POP). Similarly, S. litura (0.44 % leaf damage) infestation was significantly lower at two weeks after spray compared to other treatments. Botanical decoctions were found safer to Coccinella transversalis in natural farming plot. The experiment also evaluated the effective farming methods against early leaf spot of groundnut and among the different methods, the minimum per cent disease index (6.26) was recorded in POP (hexaconazole 5EC @ 500ml/ha) followed by OF (azadirachtin 10000 ppm @ 600ml/ha) (7.02) and NF (fermented buttermilk @ 12.50 lit/ha) (7.19). All the farming methods were statistically at par in recording pod yield however, the highest pod yield was recorded in POP (20.07 q/ha) followed by organic farming (19.50 q/ha). The present investigation has found natural farming to be an effective system against the management of pests and disease in groundnut
Comparative study of green gram cultivation in natural farming vs recommended practices
Get PDFA comparative study on green gram cultivation in natural farming vs recommended practices was carried out at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Abusar Jhunjhunu in Kharif-2022 to assess future possibilities of Natural farming practices in the district. In natural farming plot no manure and fertilizer were applied, seeds were treated with beejamrit and after sowing Jeevamrit was applied in field as per recommendation while in other plots all recommended doses of fertilizers were applied, seeds were treated with imidacloprid and NPK consortia, for management of weeds herbicide pendamethalin was applied after sowing. Whiteflies were observed in both plots. Neemastra and imidacloprid were applied in natural farming and other plots to control white flies. All observations were recorded from both plots and analyzed. Results revealed that lower yield was observed in natural farming plots (4.54 q/ha) than recommended practices (5.82 q/ha.). Possible causes of low yield in natural farming plots were weeds and severe white fly infestation. In recommended practices, pendamethalin herbicide was applied as pre-emergence, which reduced weed population, while Imidacloprid was sprayed to control white flies, reducing pest infestation. Soil samples after harvesting of crops were taken from both plots and analyzed for available organic carbon and NPK level. In the natural farming plot organic carbon level was slightly higher than in another plot which is a positive sign that it may increase the yield of the next crop.  
Plant-insect interactions in different genotypes of ber (Ziziphus mauritiana L) against fruit borer (Meridarchis scyrodes Meyrick)
Get PDFDifferences in genotypes of ber plant characters may affect insect-plant herbivore interactions, and variation in genotype traits is responsible for modifying the bottom-up effects. We evaluated the performance of different genotypes of Z. mauritiana against fruit borer, Meridarchis scyrodes Meyrick, under field conditions in the semi-arid region of India. We found that: (i) four genotypes were resistant; 5 genotypes were moderately resistant; 7 genotypes were susceptible, and seven genotypes were highly susceptible to fruit borers infestation; (ii) per cent fruit infestation was highest in Sanur-5 (75.09 %) and lowest in Safeda (13.27 %) followed by Tikadi (14.01 %); (iii) phenols (0.96), Tannins (0.95), flavonoid (0.95) contents and pericarp thickness (0.88) had significant negative correlations with per cent fruit infestation of fruit borer, M. scyrodes; (iv) fruit length (0.50) and pulp: stone ratio (0.77) showed significant positive correlations with per cent fruit infestation of fruit borer, M. scyrodes and (v) flavonoid contents explained 91.40% of the total variation in fruit borer, M. scyrodes infestation. Two principal components (PCs) were extracted, explaining the cumulative variation of 88.48 %. PC1 explained 64.34 % of the variation, while PC2 explained 24.14 n. In conclusion, growers can adopt the potential resistant genotype (Safeda) of Z. mauritiana with minimal financial investment to obtain higher yields
Performance evaluation of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) growth, yield and quality under subtropical climate
No full textLettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) belongs to the family Asteraceae and is known as a leafy salad vegetable. It is rich in vitamins like Vitamin A and C, and also a good source of minerals such as iron, sodium, calcium etc. It is more popular in temperate regions and also performing well under subtropical climatic conditions during the winter season. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to identify the suitable variety of lettuce for higher yield and quality under subtropical climate. The experiment was conducted with five treatments replicated thrice. Seeds of these five lettuce varieties viz., Tango, Bingo, Summer Star, Grand Rapid and Black Rose were sown in portrays prefilled with a combination of media made of coco peat, vermiculite and perlite in the ratio 3:1:1. After thirty days plants were plugged out and transplanted under field condition to study the performance of lettuce varieties. Among the studied varieties, the maximum yield (191.44 q/ha) was recorded with the variety Summer Star which was at par (190.32 q/ha) with the Bingo variety, followed by (129.50 q/ha) in Tango and the least (85.51 q/ha) by Black Rose. However, vitamin C content and total carotenoid content were significantly found highest (15.98 mg/ 100 g) and 8.06 mg/ 100 g in the Black Rose variety, respectively. Tango variety observed maximum chlorophyll ‘a’ (5.85 mg/ g FW), ‘b’ (2.01 mg/ g FW) and total chlorophyll (7.85 mg/ g FW) content among studied lettuce varieties
A functional decision support system for management of Graphiola leaf spot (Graphiola phoenicis) disease during hardening of date palm tissue cultured plants in a greenhouse
No full textA functional decision support system (DSS) was developed through optimising values of parameters favour faster growth and development of tissue cultured plantlets of date palm and suppression of disease infection. The programming of control devices was further managed based on the ambient environmental conditions, which required variable simulation periods and a plan for controlling of all systems for maintaining the greenhouse environment. During the process of plant hardening, the plants were infected by Graphiola leaf spot (Graphiola phoenicis). The moderate temperature, and high humidity inside the greenhouse, accompanied by short days and frequent occurrence of fog during winter months, favoured the development of smut infection. It is required to manage an extended photoperiod for 16 hours with 15000 lux light intensity provided by white fluorescent tube lights and incandescent bulbs inside the greenhouse. The integrated practices of enhanced photoperiod and light intensity under the greenhouse in combination with fungicides application to plants were found very effective in suppressing the intensity of the disease and its adverse effects on the plants. Using this decision support system (DSS), the tissue cultured date palm plants cv. Barhee has been successfully hardened and managed disease and transplanted in the field for further studying establishment, survival, plant growth and fruiting-related parameters
Nitrogen and weed management effects on soybean (Glycine max L.) yield in Kandahar, Afghanistan
No full textSoybean [Glycine max (L.)] ranks fourth among the most important crops in the world, following maize (1017 Mt), wheat (713 Mt) and rice (741 Mt). In 2014, soybean was grown in an area of about 111 M ha worldwide. The global production of soybean has shown a rising trend over the years (79 Mt in 1983, 115 Mt in 1993, 191 Mt in 2003, and 276 Mt in 2013). To assess the impact of weed and N management on soybean growth and productivity, a field experiment was carried out in a split-plot design with three replications during the spring season of 2020-21 at the Afghanistan National Agricultural Science and Technology University (ANASTU), Kandahar, Afghanistan. The main plot treatments consisted of three weed management options, namely weedy check, pendimethalin 1 kg/ha at 1-2 DAS followed by 1 hand weeding at 25 DAS and pendimethalin 1 kg/ha at 1-2 DAS followed by Imazethapyr 100 g/ha at 25 DAS. The sub-plot treatments included four N levels (~0, 40, 60 and 80 kg N/ha, i.e., N0, N40, N60 and N80). Weed and N management had significant effects on all the growth parameters, yield attributes and yield of soybean. The highest values of plant height, leaf area index, DMA per plant, grain yield, Stover yield, biological yield and harvest index were recorded with the application of pendimethalin fb imazethapyr with 80 kg N/ha. Therefore, it is suggested that pendimethalin fb imazethapyr with 80 kg N/ha should be applied for effective weed control and higher soybean production and income in Kandahar, Afghanistan