• Authors:
    • Ramalingam, A.
    • Srinivasan, G.
  • Source: Journal of Cotton Research and Development
  • Volume: 25
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Field experiment was carried out in summer 2007 and 2008 to evaluate the response of summer irrigated cotton to foliar nutrition of potassium as an alternative to soil application. The results revealed that highest seed cotton yield of 1854 kg/ha was recorded only with the soil application of recommended level of potassium in 4 equal splits at sowing, seedling, flowering and boll development stage. This was comparable with 4 sprays of KNO 3 (2%) at 60, 75, 90 and 105 days after sowing (1665 kg/ha). The economics of cultivation also revealed that soil application of recommended level of potassium in 4 spits was advantageous with the highest BC ratio of 2.11 indicating the superiority of soil application of potassium over foliar application.
  • Authors:
    • Gautam, M.
    • Ambati, R. R.
    • Reddy, A. R.
  • Source: Indian Journal of Agronomy
  • Volume: 56
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Field trials were conducted to validate farm pond sizes for supplemental irrigations during 2004-2011 at the Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur (′21degrees09′N, 79degrees09′E.). Ten farm ponds 200 to 15,120 m 3 size resulted in a runoff storage of about 60, 75 and 28, 36, 58% (2007, 2010 and 2008, 2009, 2011) in normal and drought years at the end of August month. During actual drought the water availability was 0 and 18% only of the capacity designed in 2011 and 2008 July seedling droughts. Special recharging techniques like opening borewells/percolation tanks etc in under ground storages and using it with sprinkler irrigation during seedling droughts is the only option. Two supplemental irrigations at flowering stage along with application of deficient micronutrients on shallow and medium soils to Bt hybrid cotton ( G. hirsutum L.) resulted in increased seed cotton yield by 50% and 44%, which was verified during 2008 and 2009 seasons in Yeotmal district. The minimum economical catchment was found to be 21 ha or 0.7 ha m pond size, with which 25% and 50% area could be irrigated by conventional and alternate furrow/sprinkler irrigation respectively, with a payback period (PBP) of 2 years in Bt hybrid cotton. Rotational soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merrill) could be irrigated to the extent of 16 and 33% catchment area with improved water use efficiency (WUE) from 250 to 500 kg/ha-cm for 1.5 and 3.5 years of pay back period (PBP) under conventional and sprinkler irrigation, respectively, during drought conditions. The same sprinkler and drip irrigation systems could also be used to irrigate subsequent wheat [ Triticum aestivum (L.) emend. Fiori & Paol] crop with a gravitational well, covering 14 and 57% of catchment area with WUE of 180 kg/ha-cm with a PBP of 11 and 21 years.
  • Authors:
    • Akram, M.
    • Sahota, A. W.
    • Anjum, M. A.
    • Ali, I.
  • Source: Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences (JAPS)
  • Volume: 21
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: A total of 100 samples, 50 each of layer starter and broiler starter feeds manufactured by 10 different commercial feed mills were collected to assess contamination of aflatoxin B 2 and Ochratoxin A in poultry feeds and feed ingredients in Punjab. 440 samples of different poultry feed ingredients including cereal grains and animal and vegetable protein sources were also collected from all over Punjab and were analyzed for Ochratoxin A (OA) content. The mean concentration of aflatoxin B 2 in layer and broiler starter rations was observed to range from 10.80 (2.16) to 39.20 (3.67) g Kg 1. Out of 100 feed samples tested, 40 contained higher than the maximum tolerance level of 20 gKg -1 aflatoxin B 2. Out of the 440, 19.32 percent (n=85) were contaminated with OA. The occurrence of OA was found to be higher in maize (40%), sun flower (30%), wheat (28%), corn gluten (25%) and barley (24%). OA detected in rice, sorghum, peanut meal, soybean meal, guar meal, corn gluten and rice polish was found to be 20 percent. The findings further showed that maize had maximum mean OA concentration of 112.20 (22.69) gKg -1, followed by 59.43 (22.32) gKg -1 in wheat, 50.33 (13.79) gKg -1 in sunflower meal, 49.20 (10.23) gKg -1 in peanut meal and 39.14 (15.06) gKg -1 in rice polishing. Corn gluten meal, sorghum, barley, cotton seed meal and rapeseed meal contained mean OA concentration ranging from 30 to 36 gKg -1. The OA content ranging from 10 to16.67 gKg -1 was detected in samples of wheat bran, fish meal, blood meal and meat meal. The aflatoxin B 2 and OA contamination of poultry feeds and feed ingredients having deleterious effects seems to pose a serious threat for local poultry farming sector which calls for regular testing and surveillance of poultry feeds and adoption of necessary remedial measures.
  • Authors:
    • Jha, N.
    • Kundu, S. S.
    • Singh, S.
    • Gupta, A.
  • Source: The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences
  • Volume: 81
  • Issue: 11
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Seventeen feed ingredients comprising protein sources (linseed cake-LSC, mustard seed cake-MSC, cotton seed cake-CSC, soybean cake-SBC and groundnut cake-GNC), energy sources (deoiled rice bran-DORB, maize grain-MG, barley grain-BG and wheat bran-WB), legume roughages (berseem, cowpea hay-CH, Stylosanthes hamata-SH and Acacia catechu-AC) and non-legume roughages (ammoniated wheat straw-AWS, guinea grass-GG maize fodder-MF and sorghum fodder-SF) were evaluated for carbohydrate and nitrogen fractions as well as mineral contents. In CNCP system, crude protein content of feed is partitioned into 5 fractions (A, B 1, B 2, B 3 and C) and carbohydrate into 4 fractions (A, B 1, B 2 and C) according to degradation rates. The proximate composition, cell wall constituents, carbohydrate and nitrogen fractions of different feeds vary significantly amongst the groups. The CHO, C NSC, C B1, and Cc fractions of carbohydrate were higher in energy, while C A and C B2 fraction of CHO were more in protein sources. Total CHO and C B2 fraction of carbohydrates were more in non-legume while C A, C NSC and Cc fractions were higher in legume roughages. Amongst the studied feedstuffs P A and P B fractions of protein were higher in protein sources, while P B2, P B3 and P C fractions were higher in energy sources. Legumes exhibited higher contents of P B2, while non-legume had higher P A, P B1 and P B3 fraction of protein. Concentration of macro (%) and micro minerals (ppm) of feed stuffs differed across feeds (energy and protein) and roughages (legumes and non legumes). It is concluded from the present study that feedstuffs chemical properties for carbohydrate and nitrogen fractions are unique and different. Therefore feed ingredients selection based on CNCPS evaluation will be more logical for formulating efficient diets for livestock.
  • Authors:
    • Selvakumar, T.
    • Balakumbahan, R.
    • Joshua, J. P.
  • Source: Indian Journal of Arecanut Spices - Medicinal Plants
  • Volume: 13
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The importance, geographical distribution, cultivars, cultivation aspects (soil, climate, land preparation, propagation, planting material, raising of nursery, shade, transplanting, manures and fertilizers, irrigation, and intercropping), pest and diseases and their control, harvesting, crop yield, drying, distillation of oil, oil content and chemical constituents and storage of oil of patchouli ( Pogostemon patchouli [ Pogostemon cablin]) are briefly discussed.
  • Authors:
    • Joshi, O. P.
    • Billore, S. D.
    • Bhatia, V. S.
    • Ramesh, A.
  • Source: Soybean Research
  • Volume: 9
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The work done so far on soybean-based intercropping systems in India involving crops like sorghum, maize, pigeonpea, pearl millet, cotton, sugarcane, minor millets, wheat, rice, oilseeds and plantation crops is reviewed. The compilation brings out the possibilities of rational utilization of natural resources by resorting to diversified cultivation rather than monoculture of crops. Soybean being a short duration leguminous crop with wide agro-climatic adaptability, offers a good opportunity to fit in cropping systems in different regions with added advantage of better economic returns, risk coverage and utilization of natural resources. The benefits of sustainability can be harnessed by adoption of scientifically evaluated and suggested intercropping systems.
  • Authors:
    • Blaise, D.
  • Source: Soil & Tillage Research
  • Volume: 114
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Transgenic Bt cotton hybrids, in India, now constitute more than 90% of the cotton area. Conservation tillage systems such as reduced tillage (RT) improve soil health and crop productivity. Field experiments were conducted to study the response of Bt cotton hybrids to the tillage methods in a split plot design for three years (2005-2006 to 2007-2008) with tillage practices as main plots (conventional tillage {CT}, RT with two inter-row cultivations {RT(1)} and RT with no inter-row cultivation {RT(2)}). In the sub-plot, in situ green manure (GM) was included along with 100 (GM + N(100)), 80 (GM + N(80)) and 60 kg N ha(-1) (GM + N(60)) and were compared to N alone (N(100)). Growth, yield and fibre quality of Bt transgenic cotton hybrid (RCH-2 Bt) were monitored during the study. In all seasons, weed density and biomass were significantly lower in the RT treatments than in the CT treatments. Taller plants with more main stem nodes were produced on the RT plots (63.6-75.8 cm) than on the CT plots (58.1-70.2 cm). Thus, plants of RT treatment retained more bolls (60.8-62.0 m(-2)) than those of the CT treatment (52.4 m(-2)). Averaged over seasons, RT treatment had seed cotton yield (1717-1740 kg ha(-1)) significantly higher than the CT treatment (1489 kg ha(-1)). The treatments N(100), GM + N(100) and GM + N(80) (1687-1734 kg ha(-1)) did not differ and were significantly better than the GM + N(60) (1303 kg ha(-1)). Tillage x GM interaction was significant in two of three years and data combined over years. The RT plots with GM had significantly greater yield than the CT plots. Compared to the CT treatment, the RT plots had significantly greater proportion of water stable aggregates (48.6% vs. 54.4-56.0%) and mean weight diameter (0.47 mm vs. 0.49-0.51 mm). The GM plots had significantly higher WSA and MWD than those without. Further, soil moisture content was greater in the GM mulched plots up to 0.60 m depth compared to without GM treatment (CT + N(100)). Favourable soil physical properties may have contributed to improved seed cotton yield in the RT treatments with GM than in the CT treatment. Fibre quality was not affected by either the tillage systems or GM. This study indicates that Bt transgenic cotton can be grown under RT systems with an in situ legume GM. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
  • Authors:
    • Kukal, S. S.
    • Christen, E. W.
    • Hira, G. S.
    • Balwinder-Singh
    • Sudhir-Yadav
    • Sharma, R. K.
    • Humphreys, E.
  • Source: Advances in Agronomy
  • Volume: 109
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Increasing the productivity of the rice-wheat (RW) system in north-west India is critical for the food security of India. However, yields are stagnating or declining, and the rate of groundwater use is not sustainable. Many improved technologies are under development for RW systems, with multiple objectives including increased production, improved soil fertility, greater input use efficiency, reduced environmental pollution, and higher profitability for farmers. There are large reductions in irrigation amount with many of these technologies compared with conventional practice, such as laser land leveling, alternate wetting and drying (AWD) water management in rice, delayed rice transplanting, shorter duration rice varieties, zero till wheat, raised beds, and replacing rice with other crops. However, the nature of the irrigation water savings has seldom been determined. It is often likely to be due to reduced deep drainage, with little effect on evapotranspiration (ET). Reducing deep drainage has major benefits, including reduced energy consumption to pump groundwater, nutrient loss by leaching, and groundwater pollution. The impacts of alternative technologies on deep drainage (and thus on irrigation water savings) vary greatly depending on site conditions, especially soil permeability, depth to the watertable, and water management. More than 90% of the major RW areas in north-west India are irrigated using groundwater. Here, reducing deep drainage will not "save water" nor reduce the rate of decline of the watertable. In these regions, it is critical that technologies that decrease ET and increase the amount of crop produced per amount of water lost as ET (i.e., crop water productivity, WP ET) are implemented. The best technologies for achieving this are delaying rice transplanting and short duration rice varieties. The potential for replacing rice with other crops with lower ET is less clear.
  • Authors:
    • Tomar, S. S.
    • Yadav, A. K.
    • Singh, A.
    • Pal, G.
    • Shahi, U. P.
    • Kumar, A.
    • Singh, B.
    • Gupta, R. K.
    • Naresh, R. K.
  • Source: Progressive Agriculture
  • Volume: 10
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: Resource conserving technologies (RCTs) with double no-till practices represents a major shift in production techniques for attaining optimal productivity, profitability and water use in rice-wheat system in Indo-Gangetic plains. Conventional tillage and crop establishment methods such as puddled transplanting in the ricewheat ( Oryza sativa L.- Triticum aestivum L.) system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) require a large amount of water and labor, both of which are increasingly becoming scarce and expensive. We attempted to evaluate alternatives that would require smaller amounts of these two inputs. A field experiment was conducted in the Western IGP for 2 years to evaluate various tillage and crop establishment systems for their efficiency in labor, water, and energy use and economic profitability. The soil physical properties (bulk density, mean weight diameter of aggregates and infiltration rate) improved significantly compared to puddled transplanted rice-conventional till wheat system. The wide beds and double no-till with flat layouts in rice-wheat system is under evaluation in different scenario of soil, climate, crop cultivars and seeding/crop establishment techniques (direct seeding, transplanting) and showed non consistent results. Systematic information on various aspects of narrow/wide beds is lacking. The productivity of rice with wide beds was at par compared to reduced tillage transplanted rice layouts but, the wheat productivity was reverse as it was highest under wide beds. The RW system productivity was highest with wide raised beds does differ significantly with other tillage and crop establishment techniques except with mulch crop establishment techniques. The water productivity of both rice and wheat was markedly improved with wide beds compared to other tillage and crop establishment techniques. Under research managed trials (rice on double no-till flat) with basmati rice, the profitability was maximum with ZTDSR (US $ 505 ha -1) and was least with direct seeded on narrow raised beds (US$305 ha -1). The study showed that the conventional practice of puddled transplanting could be replaced with no-tillage-based crop establishment methods to save water and labor. However, the occurrence and distribution of rainfall during the cropping season had considerable influence on the savings in irrigation water.
  • Authors:
    • Singh, R.
  • Source: AMA-Agricultural Mechanization in Asia, Africa and Latin Ameria
  • Volume: 41
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2010
  • Summary: India has emerged as the second largest producer of wheat in the world, close on the heels of China. Development and adoption of improved farm technologies has helped boost yields, provide resistance to important pests and diseases and other undesirable traits, spread of irrigation, storage, transport, processing and marketing, coupled with congenial price policies, all helping enhance the production and productivity of wheat. The transition in technology and agricultural development has brought in a shift in the choice of energy resources under use. The use of non-renewable energy sources has been increasing in the process. Adoption of an energy-efficient cultivation system would help in energy conservation and better resource allocation. For the wheat crop, data were collected from 780 irrigated farms spread over Tarai and Bhabar regions of Uttar Pradesh and five agro-climatic zones of the Punjab State. All the farms had the combination of tractor power and diesel engine and electric motor pumps as stationary power sources. The energy consumption patterns of these farms were studied and linear programming technique applied to determine optimal energy resource allocation for maximum yield obtainable under business-as-usual and improved cultivation practices. The results indicated that 16,635 MJ/ha of energy is presently consumed for an average yield of 3,646 kg/ha. Fertiliser provided 41 percent of the energy, followed by diesel, electricity, seed, farmyard manure, human, machinery and agro-chemicals. Based on the performance of the farms, optimal energy resource allocation suggests that 38.50 percent additional yield can be obtained without any major change in energy use pattern. Energy saving of 8.30 percent is also feasible with optimal energy resource allocations. Since the optimisation is based on actual performance of the sample size, it appears that the energy resource management by the majority of farmers has been sub-optimal. The results also suggest that by adopting improved cultivation practices and recommended seed and fertiliser application rates, the yield level can increase to 5,792 kg/ha with an investment of 17,230 MJ/ha of total energy. The optimized energy use requires 17.40 percent higher fertiliser, and 60.72 percent higher machinery energy for timely sowing of the crop with improved sowing implements and timely completion of time bound operations. Energy productivity in the process would increase to 0.336 kg/MJ from 0.219 kg/MJ presently being obtained by the farmers. The estimate of optimized energy resource allocation (using improved practices) required for attaining the potential yield level observed in research farms indicate that investment of 22,378 MJ/ha would be required for a yield level of 6,000 kg/ha. When compared with optimal energy resource allocation for business-as-usual approach, fertiliser use would increase by about 48 percent for the increase in yield by 19 percent. Diesel energy use would increase by 54 percent. As a consequence, electricity and human energy use would reduce by about 10 and 19 percent, respectively. The total energy consumption (using improved practices) increases with increase in productivity. The share of indirect energy increases faster than direct energy due to fertiliser consumption pattern. Energy productivity would improve to 0.426 kg/MJ, the rate of improvement being higher till yield level of 2,500 kg/ha. The total direct energy consumption in business-as-usual practice is, however, more than in the improved practice, the difference being more pronounced at lower productivity levels. The pattern is governed by the consumption pattern of direct commercial energy. The potential of saving of human energy and electricity in the process would provide a better energy management option for cultivation of the crop.