Agriculture Desk

Tuesday, 18 June 2013

What is Tissue Culture ?
The propagation of a plant by using a plant part or single cell or group cell in a test tube under very controlled and hygienic conditions is called "Tissue Culture".

Status in India
Banana is a globally important fruit crop with 97.5 million tones of production. In India it supports livelihood of million of people. With total annual production of 16.91 million tones from 490.70 thousand ha., with national average of 33.5 T/ha. Maharashtra ranks first in production with 60 T/ha. Banana contributes 37% to total fruit production in India.

Banana is one of the major and economically important fruit crop of Maharashtra. Banana occupy 20% area among the total area under crop in India. Maharashtra ranks second in area and first in productivity in India. Jalgaon is a major Banana growing district in Maharashtra which occupy 50,000 hectares area under Banana. But most of Banana is grown by planting suckers. The technology development in agriculture is very fast, it results in developing Tissue Culture Technique.

Agro Climate
Banana is basically a tropical crop, grows well in temperature range of 13ºC – 38ºC with RH regime of 75-85%. In India this crop is being cultivated in climate ranging from humid tropical to dry mild subtropics through selection of appropriate varieties like Grandnaine. Chilling injury occurs at temperatures below 12ºC. The normal growth of the banana begins at 18ºC, reaches optimum at 27ºC, then declines and comes to a halt at 38ºC. Higher temperature causes sun scorching. High velocity wind which exceeds 80 km phrs damages the crop.

Soil
Soil for banana should have good drainage, adequate fertility and moisture. Deep, rich loamy soil with pH between 6-7.5 are most preferred for banana cultivation. Ill drained, poorly aerated and nutritionally deficient soils are not suitable for banana. Saline solid, calcareous soil are not suitable for Banana cultivation. Avoided soil of low laying areas, very sandy & heavy black cotton with ill drainage.

A soil that is not too acidic & not too alkaline, rich in organic material with high nitrogen content, adequate phosphorus level and plenty of potash are good for banana.

Varieties
In India banana is grown under diverse conditions and production systems. Selection of varieties, therefore is based on a large number of varieties catering to various kinds of needs and situations. However, around 20 cultivars viz. Dwarf Cavendish, Robusta, Monthan, Poovan, Nendran, Red banana, Nyali, Safed Velchi, Basarai, Ardhapuri, Rasthali, Karpurvalli, Karthali and Grandnaine etc..

Grandnaine is gaining popularity and may soon be the most preferred variety due to its tolerance to biotic stresses and good quality bunches. Bunches have well spaced hands with straight orientation of figures, bigger in size. Fruit develops attractive uniform yellow colour with better self life & quality than other cultivars.

Land Preparation
Prior to planting banana, grow the green manuring crop like daincha, cowpea etc. and burry it in the soil. The land can be ploughed 2-4 times and leveled. Use ratovator or harrow to break the clod and bring the soil to a fine tilt. During soil preparation basal dose of FYM is added and thoroughly mixed into the soil.

A pit size of 45cm x 45cm x 45cm is normally required. The pits are to be refilled with topsoil mixed with 10 kg of FYM (well decomposed), 250 gm of Neem cake and 20 gm of conbofuron. Prepared pits are left to solar radiation helps in killing the harmful insects, is effective against soil borne diseases and aids aeration. In saline alkali soil where PH is above 8 Pit mixture is to be modified to incorporate organic matter.

Addition of organic matter helps in reducing salinity while addition of purlite improves, porosity and aeration. Alternative to planting in pits is planting in furrows. Depnding on soil strata one can choose appropriate method as well as spacing and depth at which plant is required to be planted

Monday, 17 June 2013

Ladies Finger

Okra (US /ˈoʊkrə/ or UK /ˈɒkrə/; Abelmoschus esculentus Moench), known in many English-speaking countries as lady's fingers, bhindi or gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins. The plant is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions around the world. for more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okra

CLIMATE AND SOIL

   1. Okra requires hot and humid climate and is very effective within the range of 25 to 30 degrees centigrade
   2. higher temperatures will result in dessication of flowers and hence lower yields
   3. for the seed to germinate, the min soil temp should be within the range of 25 to 35 degrees
   4. well drained soils, loose and friable soils with rich organic content is best

     5. The above pics shows the selection of land and the initial steps taken to prepare for sowing
    6.The older rows and furrows from the previous crop must be completely leveled and made flat
    7.stones, sticks, twigs, clods and plant residue must be removed from the soil
    8.the soil needs to be pulverized, moistened and enriched with decomposed organic manure or farm yard manure before sowing the seeds



    PIT MAKING AND SOWING

   1. pits which are 2 feet wide and 1 feet deep should be dug as seen in the images above and distance between the pits also has to be maintained
    2.at least 4 to 5 seeds must be hand dibbled in the soil in every pit. once germination takes place, only 2 or 3 seeds retained per pit. the germinated seedlings can be thinned out and later transplanted in pits where germination is less
   3. 2 or 3 days before sowing the seeds, 5 to 10 kg(approx) Organic manure should be added to enrich the soil.
   4.The seeds can be soaked in curds/milk over night to soften the hard seed coat a day before sowing operations
   6. light irrigation must be given immediately after sowing the seeds and care should be taken to see the seed is not dislodged from its place.
   7.The most viable seeds take up to 5 days to germinate.



   IRRIGATION AND MANURING

   1. Light irrigation is given immediately after sowing in soil
   2.watering needs to be done everyday till the plant attains 4 leaf stage
   3. once the plant establishes itself properly in the pit, the frequency of irrigation can be reduced from thrice weekly to twice weekly.
   4. its advised to give the plant NKP or nutrients in 3 split doses, one at the time of sowing, the second during the growth vegetative phase and the final at the time of flowering
   5.Spraying with organic inputs like algae solutions and bacterial gels at least once weekly will take care of its micro and trace nutrient requirements


   OTHER INTERCULTURE OPERATIONS

    Weeds are a menace to the main crop and need to be removed at every stage of plant development.
    at the time of manuring, the plant needs support at the base of the stem and earthing up operations are done.
    inter culture operations will also help in aerating the soils
    Spraying the crop with female flower inducing hormones or sprays can be done at least 10 days before flower bud formation
    All spraying operations should be done in the mornings, when the temperature is not too high and similarly at evenings after 4 pm when the light intensity is not high.


    HARVESTING AND AFTERCARE

    the first flowers are seen after 45 to 55 days from the date of sowing
    harvesting the tender fruits must be done preferably early mornings or late evenings
    a glove or piece of cloth must be used to protect against the prickly leaves and stem of the plant which can cause irritation and even rash to some people
    the plant will continue to yield for another 50 days
    once the plant has reached a maximum height, lateral branches start to sprout giving it a total bushy appearance, at this stage, pruning the top can be done, even though its not recommended as it is cumbersome


    OBSERVATIONS

    since okra has a tap root system and not fibrous root system, i decided to experiment with pit method rather than the traditional ridge and furrow method.
    there was all around progress in almost every department from weeding to irrigation
    plant population and density was maintained
    no wastage of irrigation water as each pit required the same amount of water
    even manure application for every pit was the same
    keeping distance between pits helped greatly in harvesting, as the plants got maximum space and no over lapping of leaves was seen..wikipedia.org/wiki/Okra

Rose Farming

Starting a Rose Farm

Deciding to grow roses for business is an important decision. One has to be knowledgeable about all the facets in growing, maintaining and marketing roses.

Though growing roses can be an intimidating task, a little help and a lot of patience and knowledge can go a long way in starting one’s own rose garden.

Deciding to grow roses for money can be a daunting task especially if one is inexperienced in gardening or in taking care of flowers.

Knowledge Required to Grow Roses

Growing roses requires a certain level of skill and a lot of patience and diligence in maintaining and caring for them. Before starting your rose farm, there are certain factors that must be considered. Probably the most important thing to consider before starting your own rose garden is the kind of rose you are planning to grow. This in turn would depend on other factors that are readily available to you: the size of the planting area, the climate in that area, the purpose of the roses as well as the fragrance and color of the roses.

Requirements for Starting a Rose Farm

There are certain varieties of roses that require a bigger land area for planting than others as well as others who grow bigger in height than others. Other varieties of roses also survive in colder climates which may go below zero degrees whereas there are others that perish in such conditions. Certain roses are also much better suited for bouquets whereas others are best sold to plant. Fragrance and color should also be considered in planning the roses that you would eventually sell.

Preparing Land for Rose Plantation

Before planting roses, one has to first make sure that the soil that the roses would be planted in has the proper nutrition that the roses would need. These can be done by first testing the soil with a testing kit. The soil must have a ph level of only 5.5 to 7.0. The area to be planted must have a good drainage system as roses do not like to be soaked but at the same time they need to be watered often in their early months. Choose an area that is well lit by sunlight. Most varieties of roses require at least 4 to 6 hours of sunlight. Before planting the roses, soak its roots in water or puddle clay and cut off the broken roots. Then dig a hole measuring two feet wide and two feet deep. Add some compost in the soil and wait until the area is drained before placing the grafted rose. Water the roses often within the first 3 to 4 weeks from being planted. After the fourth week, the roses need only be soaked every two weeks. Begin mulching and fertilization around the third month. Prune the roses regularly and cut dead branches. Remember to water the roses often but not too much as the roses do not like to be soaked.

Friday, 14 June 2013

sugar Cane

Sugarcane, or Sugar cane, is any of six to 37 species (depending on which taxonomic system is used) of tall perennial true grasses of the genus Saccharum, tribe Andropogoneae, native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia.
They have stout jointed fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres (6 to 19 feet) tall. All sugar cane species interbreed, and the major commercial cultivars are complex hybrids.
Sugarcane belongs to the grass family (Poaceae), an economically important seed plant family that includes maize, wheat, rice, and sorghum and many forage crops. The main product of sugarcane is sucrose, which accumulates in the stalk internodes. Sucrose, extracted and purified in specialized mill factories, is used as raw material in human food industries or is fermented to produce ethanol. Ethanol is produced on a large scale by the Brazilian sugarcane industry.
Sugarcane is the world's largest crop.^[1] In 2010, FAO estimates it was cultivated on about 23.8 million hectares, in more than 90 countries, with a worldwide harvest of 1.69 billion tons. Brazil was the largest producer of sugar cane in the world. The next five major producers, in decreasing amounts of production, were India, China, Thailand, Pakistan and Mexico.

The world demand for sugar is the primary driver of sugarcane agriculture. Cane accounts for 80% of sugar produced; most of the rest is made from sugar beets. Sugarcane predominantly grows in the tropical and subtropical regions, and sugar beet predominantly grows in colder temperate regions of the world. Other than sugar, products derived from sugarcane include falernum, molasses, rum, cachaça (a traditional spirit from Brazil), bagasse and ethanol. In some regions, people use sugarcane reeds to make pens, mats, screens, and thatch. The young unexpanded inflorescence of tebu telor is eaten raw, steamed or toasted, and prepared in various ways in certain island communities of Indonesia.^[2]
In India, between the sixth and fourth centuries BC, the Persians, followed by the Greeks, discovered the famous "reeds that produce honey without bees". They adopted and then spread sugar and sugarcane agriculture.^[3] A few merchants began to trade in sugar—a luxury and an expensive spice until the 18th century. Before the 18th century, cultivation of sugar cane was largely confined to India. Sugarcane plantations, like cotton farms, were a major driver of large human migrations in the 19th and early 20th century, influencing the ethnic mix, political conflicts and cultural evolution of various Caribbean, South American, Indian Ocean and Pacific island nations.^[4]