Search

This study aimed to document the effects of the long-term organic farming (OF) on soil quality, agronomical parameters, crop productivity, and food grain yield compared to the conventional farming (CF) system. The crop used in this study is chickpea (Cicer arietinum), and the field was located at Pantnagar, India, in the foothills of Himalayas. The organic farming approach involved utilizing a blend of farmyard manure and vermicompost, combined with a biopesticide comprising neem oil and cow urine. Chickpea grain micronutrient analysis was done via atomic absorption spectrophotometry. It was found that the physicochemical properties of soil in the organic plot were improved compared to the conventional counterpart. At the post-harvesting stage, the organically managed field had higher soil organic carbon than the conventional field (OF-0.93± 0.05%, CF-0.75 ± 0.12%), higher available nitrogen (OF-317 ± 11 kg/ha, CF-240 ± 22 kg/ha), and more available phosphorus (OF-37.4 ± 1.3 kg/ha, CF-25.2 ± 2.5 kg/ha). The agronomical parameters of the chickpea crop were better under organic cultivation, with a significantly high nodule number, nodule dry weight, and grains per pod. Hence, the grain yield of the crop was better under organic cultivation, with the yield of 1,048 kg ha-1, whereas it was 896.5 kg ha-1 for conventional cultivation. The Fe and Zn contents of organically produced chickpea grains were almost double of their conventional counterpart. Therefore, organic cultivation led to better soil fertility, chickpea grain yield, and nutrient status of the crop. It will be beneficial for the nutritious and sustainable production of chickpeas in Himalayan regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potential of community participation and non‐timber forest species in forest restoration has been widely discussed but rarely demonstrated through long‐term empirical studies. An attempt was made to restore the communal forest in temperate Indian Himalaya by mixed planting of multipurpose broad‐leaved trees, bamboo, and medicinal herbs chosen by local people based on pooled indigenous and scientific knowledge. Funding was terminated after 7 years, while people–researcher interactions and monitoring of the restored forest and competing land uses/economic activities continued. People viewed co‐occurrence of gregarious flowering induced mortality of bamboo and excessive crop/beehive damage by wildlife in the 10th year as a setback. Further, they envisioned threats to intact forest from mounting timber demand. As a common mitigation measure, they planted in gaps fast‐growing and nitrogen‐fixing Alnus nepalensis excluded in the initial treatment for harboring pests, yielding inferior products, and its negative association with medicinal herbs/bamboo. After 20 years, transplanted trees/bamboos were over two times taller than the naturally regenerated ones. The plantation had 75% of belowground and 17% of aboveground carbon stocks and 39% of flowering plant species in intact forest and was economically more efficient than intact forest and farms. People did not expand the trial because of its ineffectiveness in mitigating new problems and satisfying new aspirations. Agricultural abandonment nullified restoration‐mediated carbon sequestration. There is a need of translating ecological concepts underlying cost‐effective restoration into practices and of policies supporting participatory long‐term adaptive forest restoration and its synergy with other economic activities in cultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of a fast-growing crop like baby corn under organic condition is poorly understood and related information is meager. We conducted field trials in the northwestern Himalayas of India during two seasons (2004 - 2005) to determine the effects of three organic manures on protein and mineral constituents of baby corn, yield attributes, cob and fodder yield. Farmyard manure, vermicompost and poultry manure were applied each at two different rates. Plots receiving chemical fertilizers produced significantly higher baby corn yield compared to organic treatments. Among the organic manures, farmyard manure at 15 Mg ha-1 gave the highest baby corn yield. Baby corn grown under inorganic management was richer in protein, iron (Fe), phosphorous (P) and manganese (Mn) content. The protein content in baby corn, however, did not differ significantly among the treatments involving organic manures. Application of vermicompost contributed more to concentration of iron, zinc and manganese in baby corn, whereas, total P content was more due to application of poultry manure. Nitrogen (N) input, irrespective of sources, was highly correlated with baby corn yield. We conclude that not only quality but also quantity of nutrient source are important for better nutritional quality and yield of organically grown short duration crop like baby corn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]