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This study is an attempt to identify the socioeconomic factors that affect farmers' decision-making process regarding the adoption of organic farming. A total of 100 (50 organic and 50 conventional) farmers were interviewed and their demographic, socioeconomic and ecological behaviour differences were studied. The behavioural analysis identified education, environmental concerns and social benefits as the prominent drivers of organic farming, while lack of government support in marketing, managerial and technical spheres as major constraints to its adoption. The probit model confirms that farmers with a smaller size of holding who are educated, younger and practice diversified cropping are more inclined towards organic farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the quest for a sustainable farming system around the world, organic farming has emerged as the most promising alternative system that can offer solutions to the growing sustainability issues associated with the current input-intensive agriculture system. Organic farming is also becoming increasingly important due to a significant rise in the demand for organic food across the world. Realizing the importance of organic agriculture in the current Indian agricultural scenario, the Government of India has taken several initiatives to promote organic farming across the country. As a result, there has been a considerable increase in different dimensions of organic farming especially in India over the last decade. However, studies have found that organic farming practices in India are more suited to a few specific regions (such as rain-fed zones, low-productivity areas, hills, and arid zones) as compared to the other parts of the country. In this backdrop, this paper attempts to evaluate the state-wise progress of organic farming in India. To measure the inter-state variation in the performance of organic farming, a composite index has been constructed by taking into account four different performance dimensions viz. area covered under organic cultivation, volume of organic production, volume of organic export, and number of producers practicing organic farming. The result suggests a wide disparity in performances in respect of organic farming among the states in India. Interestingly, the states that have performed well in organic farming are found to have a higher level of organic carbon stock in their soil. This shows the influence of agroclimatic conditions on the organic cultivation practices as popularly postulated in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical fertilizers are crucial for increasing agricultural growth and productivity, but inorganic fertilizers can negatively impact agricultural systems. To address this issue, sustainable techniques like organic farming are being developed, which improve soil quality and nutritional status while preserving human safety. In the Botanical Garden, of Department of Botany at the University of Delhi, India, experiments on Brassica juncea were carried out over a three-year period in six micro plots, each measuring 10 square meters. Vermicompost (V), Sargassum johnstoni (S), NPK (N), Trichoderma viride (T), and Sargassum + Trichoderma viride were five distinct organic combinations that were used to replenish the garden soil (ST). The aim of the study was to assess the effects of organic fertilizers and compare the results with commercially available chemical fertilizers (NPK) on Brassica growth and yield. The study found that soil modified with seaweed fertilizers significantly improved the morphological, reproductive, and biochemical properties of plants. Sargassum + Trichoderma soil amendment led to early flowering and fruiting, better-quality produce, and a low incidence of fungal infection and aphid infestation. This study reveals a new cost-effective method for crop development and production sustainability, benefiting both farmers and environmentalists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic farming and organically produced food products are gaining popularity very rapidly in India and world. To trounce the reliance on chemical fertilizers for crop production liquid organic bio-fertilizers and manures are very excellent and cheap sources on the earth because of easy availability and good source of nutrients. Among these Jeevamrut, Beejamrut and panchagavya are the one of the best, which contains almost essential plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese etc.), enzymes (acid phosphatise, alkaline phosphatise, dehydrogenase etc.) and microbes (bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, free living nitrogen fixers and phosphorus solubilising organisms), which directly enhances plant metabolism resulting better growth and development. Jeevamrut is well thought-out to be a brilliant source of natural carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and lot of other micro nutrients required for the crops and popularly used as means of organic farming. Panchagavya was used in conventional Hindu rituals which is prepared by mixing five ingredients viz., cow dung, urine, milk, curd and ghee. Jeevamrut and Panchagavya have potential to play the role of promoting growth and provide immunity in plant system. In this manuscript various effects of applications of Jeevamrut and Panchagavya on crops grown in organic farming and their consequences will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional agricultural system heavily depends on chemicals and inorganic fertilizers, which cause environmental issues. Organic agriculture impacts 6 of the 17 Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Strategies to develop organic agriculture have used SWOT and MCDM techniques for analysis. However, the examination of the influence of one strategy over the other strategies has yet to be investigated. This paper proposes a model that combines the existing SWOT analysis with neutrosophic cognitive maps (NCM) models to analyze interconnections among the various strategies obtained from SWOT. This research deploys the proposed SWOT–NCM model to analyze the case study of developing organic farming in Tamil Nadu, India. It offers insights into the strategy's influence over other strategies so that the best is given maximum importance while implementing organic farming. The framework captures the interconnections and ranks the strategies by order of influence, providing fresh insights by taking the farmers' perspective while working with the strategies from the SWOT analysis to model an NCM. A comparative analysis of this SWOT–NCM model with other MCDM models that use SWOT to analyze the agriculture problem, and a sensitivity analysis of the proposed model, is performed. According to our study, the best possible strategy to encourage organic farming is minimum support price (MSP) and centralized procurement. This proposed model can analyze other MCDM problems that use SWOT analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of pathogenic bacteria in organic feed and food is a topic of current subject of study due to concerns that certain organic practices may heighten the risk of contamination and contribute to the spread of foodborne pathogens. The primary objective of this research is to analyze the main microbial contaminants exclusively associated with organic products, as reported in the literature. The search and selection of suitable studies were conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Databases consulted included Web of Science Core Collection, Medline (PudMed) database, and UE Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) database. Using the EU RASFF System, we have summarized the notifications in relation to these products during the last 3 years in Europe. Eligibility criteria were studies published in English between 2000 and 2022. All authors performed critical appraisal and independent data extraction. Analysis of RASFF notifications related to organic products over the period from January 2020 to October 2022 revealed that 61.7% of notifications were related to food, while only 38.2% were related to feed. Salmonella emerged as the predominant pathogen reported in both organic food and feed. Notably, only one food outbreak linked to Salmonella Enteritidis in eggs was reported during the study period. Among food commodities, seeds were the most frequently affected, with the highest percentage of food products with alerts originating from India. Regarding antimicrobial resistance, a noteworthy trend was observed, with a decrease in multidrug-resistant strains favoring organic production compared to conventional methods. In conclusion, this research aimed to investigate the presence of pathogenic bacteria in organic feed and food, considering the potential risk factors associated with organic practices and their implications for food safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to ascertain farmers’ practices, challenges faced, and suggestions for scaling up crop diversification and sustainable agriculture in Punjab, India’s Granary. The results highlight that both organic and conventional farmers are grappling with similar challenges. However, a higher proportion of organic farmers cited difficulty in marketing, high labor requirement, low yield and low income as major challenges. Farmers offered several suggestions for scaling up production, resource access, and marketing facilitation. Valuable insights are offered into how ingenious low-cost solutions can alleviate resource-constrained conditions and state policymaking geared to create an enabling environment while engaging with farmers and stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The profitability, resource-use efficiency and technical efficiency of organic crops in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh is estimated from primary data collected from 60 organic farmers selected randomly using three-stage sampling. The cost return data showed that maize and paddy were profitable organic crops, and increasing return to scale was supported by the Cobb-Douglas production function. Mean technical efficiency was 75, 55, 47, and 31% in maize, followed by barley, wheat, and paddy, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scientometric analysis was conducted to study the productivity and trend dynamics of organic farming research in India covering a period of 20 years (2002-21). The present study aims at science mapping to summarize research activity and its essential aspects. The scientometric analysis outlines the year-wise research growth pattern, prolific authors and their productivity, major contributing journals, major contributing institutions and countries along with keyword occurrences for trend dynamics of organic farming research in India. The data have been sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection database. The most productive period was 2017-21 (44.76% of the total papers published). The growth pattern showed a gradual increase in research during the two decades. Research articles were the most common document type. About 20.11% of international co-authorship was observed in organic farming research. ICAR-based Indian Journal of Agricultural Science was the major contributing source to organic farming research. This study has the potential to benchmark organic farming research in India and play a significant catalytic role in further research in the field of organic farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The elevated concentrations of heavy metals in soil considerably threaten ecological and human health. To this end, the present study assesses metals pollution and its threat to ecology from the mid-channel bar's (char) agricultural soil in the Damodar River basin, India. For this, the contamination factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), pollution index, and ecological risk index (RI) were measured on 60 soil samples at 30 stations (2 from each station, i.e., surface and sub-surface) in different parts of the mid-channel bar. The CF and EF indicate that both levels of char soil have low contamination and hence portray a higher potential for future enrichment by heavy metals. Moreover, Igeo portrays that soil samples are uncontaminated to moderately contaminated. Further, pollution indices indicate that all the samples (both levels) are unpolluted with a mean of 0.062 for surface soils and 0.048 for sub-surface soils. Both levels of the char have a low potentiality for ecological risk with an average RI of 0.20 for the surface soils and 0.19 for the sub-surface soils. Moreover, Technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) indicates that the sub-surface soils have lower pollution than the surface soils. The geostatistical modeling reveals that the simple kriging technique was estimated as the most appropriate interpolation model. The present investigation exhibits that reduced heavy metal pollution is due to the sandy nature of soils and frequent flooding. However, the limited pollution is revealed due to the intensive agricultural practices on riverine chars. Therefore, this would be helpful to regional planners, agricultural engineers, and stakeholders in a basin area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BLOOM study (co-Benefits of Largescale Organic farming On huMan health) aims to determine if a government-implemented agroecology programme reduces pesticide exposure and improves dietary diversity in agricultural households. To achieve this aim, a community-based, cluster-randomised controlled evaluation of the Andhra Pradesh Community-managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme will be conducted in 80 clusters (40 intervention and 40 control) across four districts of Andhra Pradesh state in south India. Approximately 34 households per cluster will be randomly selected for screening and enrolment into the evaluation at baseline. The two primary outcomes, measured 12 months post-baseline assessment, are urinary pesticide metabolites in a 15% random subsample of participants and dietary diversity in all participants. Both primary outcomes will be measured in (1) adult men ≥18 years old, (2) adult women ≥18 years old, and (3) children <38 months old at enrolment. Secondary outcomes measured in the same households include crop yields, household income, adult anthropometry, anaemia, glycaemia, kidney function, musculoskeletal pain, clinical symptoms, depressive symptoms, women's empowerment, and child growth and development. Analysis will be on an intention-to-treat basis with an a priori secondary analysis to estimate the per-protocol effect of APCNF on the outcomes. The BLOOM study will provide robust evidence of the impact of a large-scale, transformational government-implemented agroecology programme on pesticide exposure and dietary diversity in agricultural households. It will also provide the first evidence of the nutritional, developmental, and health co-benefits of adopting agroecology, inclusive of malnourishment as well as common chronic diseases. Trial registration: Study registration:ISRCTN 11819073 (https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN11819073). Clinical Trial Registry of India CTRI/2021/08/035434. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consumption of different food-based goods produces a considerable amount of waste that needs to be conserved in an eco -friendly manner. A study was carried out on food waste compost made from the in-vessel compost process for use in agriculture and its marketability for its fertility and contamination potential. Food waste samples were collected from the canteen and hostels of GITAM University, Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), India and were transferred to a 125Kg in-vessel food waste composter (Molten Mind F125) and allowed to digest for 24 hrs followed by curing for seven days. After curing, the samples were characterized for nutrient content for fertility index (FI) and heavy metal contamination for clean index (CI). The compost quality index was derived from FI and CI to assess its suitability for agriculture. The pH of the food waste compost sample was reported as 8.4 and the C/N ratio was 28, which was higher than the standard ratio (15-20). The other physicochemical characteristics were analyzed using the standard methods and the concentration of metals was analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS). From the analysis, it was evident that heavy metal concentrations were well within the permissible limits. Further, the compost was characterized to know the fertility index (FI) and contamination index (CI) and its suitability to the soil. FI value was reported as more than 3.1 and CI value more than 4, which indicated that compost was best in quality, having high-value potential and low heavy-metal content, which will be suitable for high-value crops such as organic farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rice is one of the major staple crops of human population. Worldwide escalating human populace exerts pressure to increase rice production. To fulfill the demand, the injudicious application of chemical fertilizers is posing grave threat to the environment together with the entire living population. A suitable replacement of these harmful fertilizers is needed in modern agriculture to keep the biodiversity undisturbed. The main objective of the study is to screen and explore indigenous plant growth promoting fungi which can replace the conventional fertilizers. Methods: Rhizospheric soil of different rice cultivating fields were collected in the year 2018. Different in vitro assays of the fungal isolates obtained from the soil were performed to check their plant growth promotion capabilities. Result: 20 different indigenous fungal isolates were studied to evaluate their ability as PGPF for organic cultivation of Tulaipanji, an endemic aromatic rice variety cultivated in Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal, India. Trichoderma harzianum TaK12 and Trichoderma aureoviride TaN16 were found to enhance maximum shoot and root length of rice plant. These two isolates also showed efficacy in phosphate solubilization. Trichoderma aureoviride TaN16 together with Penicillium citrinum PcK10 and Aspergillus niger AnK1 produced high amount of IAA. The results obtained from the study clearly indicate that these plant growth promoting fungi (PGPF) possess the ability to boost up plant growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multilocation field experiment was conducted during kharif season (July-September) of 2019 in mungbean under organic nutrient management at Agriculture Research Sub-Station, Sumerpur, Pali and Adaptive Trial Centre, Sumerpur, Pali, Rajasthan, India. The nine organic nutrient management practices viz. T1-Farmyard manure (FYM) as per soil health card @10 t ha-1, T2-Vermicompost @ 2 t ha-1, T3-T1+Vermiwash @ 10% at 15, 30 and 45 days after sowing (DAS), T4-T2+Vermiwash @ 10% at 15, 30 and 45 DAS, T5-T1+Panchgavya @ 4% at 15, 30 and 45 DAS, T6-T2+Panchgavya @ 4% at 15, 30 and 45 DAS, T7-T1+Panchgavya @ 6% at 15, 30 and 45 DAS, T8-T2+Panchgavya @ 6% at 15, 30 and 45 DAS and T9-Control in three replications in randomized complete block design (RCBD). The higher values of growth attributes like number of leaves, number of branches, height and leaf area per plant were recorded by treatment vermicompost as per soil health card+Panchgavya @ 4% at 15, 30 and 45 days after sowing (DAS) which was found significantly superior over the other treatments at both the places. It was found that Panchgavya @ 4% at 15, 30 and 45 DAS along with vermicompost @ 2 t ha-1 obtained higher SPAD value (39.51), seed yield (908 kg ha-1) and benefit cost ratio (B:C ratio) under organic farming during kharif season at both the places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern agricultural farming techniques employ the usage of chemical supplements to improve crop yield in terms of quantity and quality. This practice has brought down the fertility of the soil and has led to secondary impacts and necessitates a significant financial investment. Awareness of the side effects of artificially enriched food has made people move towards organically grown food, and the consumption has also increased significantly. One of the ancient organic fertilizers used in India is panchagavya. As the name implies, pancha means five and gavya means cow. The five products of the cow are combined as per the compositions and procedure described in the literature, to provide economical and meaningful value to organic farming. The objective of this work is to design, develop, and implement an automated system to manufacture panchagavya with reduced operator assistance. The system implements an ATmega 328 microcontroller to automate the entire process by interfacing sensors such as pH, moisture, temperature, and pressure. The system is also provided with a SIM900A GSM modem to provide information to the user regarding the status of the process. The developed pilot scale design discussed in this work has several advantages in the world of farming technologies in terms of enriching the soil, thereby improving the crop yield. This technology will benefit the farmers as this natural fertilizer can be mass-produced and turn them into entrepreneurs, which benefits society at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India nearly,3.56 million hectaresof area is being managed organically (certified) with limited internal inputs to keep fruits and vegetables chemical-free. Thepresent study aims to obtain bioactive volatile compounds profile of chili fruits grown under organic and conventional farming system in the same climatic conditions. Fields practicing organic farming ORG I (since last 2-3 year), ORG II (5-6 years) and ORG III (8-9 years) were selected. fruit extracts obtained from three experimental fields and one conventional field were analyzed through Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy. The current experimental study on comparative analysis of nutrient content and effect of pesticides on chili fruits has been conducted in the year 2018. Study based on soil quality, temperature condition, amount of organic matter, pesticide spray, and year of practicing as an organic field.GC-MS analysis of conventional chili recorded a high number of compounds contrasting to organically grown chili which recorded a lesser number of compounds.GC-MS analysis of chili fruit samples grown in different agricultural conditions showed various volatile compounds. Comaprative data shows higher compounds in conventionally grown samples while lower quantity in organically grown samples. Nutritional compounds like ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) were recorded 13.22% in organic fruits in comparison to conventional chili fruits (4.37%).Capsaicinoidsand fatty acid contents were reported manyfold in organically grown chili in comparison to conventional chili fruits. Reports are in favor to promote more and more organic farming systems for nutritional enhancement in food crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture was, by default, organic throughout the world before the technique of manufacturing synthetic nitrogenous fertilizer was discovered in 1903. However, availability of agro-chemicals became very common after the Second World War and the agriculture started becoming more and more chemical based. Synthetic fertilizers were introduced in India during 1965-66 and their use grew rapidly along with the high yielding varieties during the green revolution period and Indian farming, by and large, became chemical based. However, by the end of the twentieth century the ill-effects of such chemical-based farming were very well understood by the common Indian people and demand for organically produced food started growing. Different methods and procedures of growing organic food got popularity among the growers, however, a sense of confusion on package of practices on organic/natural farming kept on growing simultaneously. This review article was designed to make various concepts related to organic/natural farming crystal clear for the readers. Principals of organic farming, crop cultivation strategies in organic/natural farming, challenges in organic/ natural farming and possibilities and suggestions in organic/natural farming have been elaborately articulated in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the soil is discussed in terms of the extent of degradation, increased pollution (footprint of human activity), and ecosystem services apart from the fertility and productivity point of view. To address these issues, soil needs to be defined in terms of its health. Healthy soil is the first and foremost entity in organic farming. In India, organic farming is spreading in areas subjected to different kinds of land degradation (hilly areas and semi-arid areas). Therefore, the study of soil health is important in organic farming. The article aims to discuss the concept of soil health and different agronomic interventions and management practices with their possible economics for maintaining soil health in an organic production system. The practices such as the use of biodynamic formulations, the use of microbial inoculations, and intercropping with leguminous crops have a positive effect on the nutrient supply besides improving soil health. The availability of a large array of options including input addition and management practices for soil health management provides potential for soil health management. Organic farming can afford the cost on soil health management considering its specification for organic sources, organic farming niche (North East India with high organic matter and semi-arid area with large bovine population), and premium prices of produce; while trade-off between premier prices and low yield in organic farming is well-defined constraint for investing of soil health at commercial scale in organic farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All the cultivated Brassica species exhibited powdery mildew severity with highest (43.2%) on Brassica juncea followed by B. rapa (28.0%) which is widely cultivated in India. Yield losses from 10-90 per cent with reduction in 6.47 per cent oil content have been estimated from different Brassica species. Hence, the present study was carried out to evaluate different oils to manage powdery mildew disease and aphids in an organically grown mustard crop. Five oils (castor, groundnut, sunflower, neem and mustard oil) and ghee were evaluated against powdery mildew (Erysiphae cruciferarum) and aphid (Lipaphis erysimi) of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea). Castor oil 50 EC, neem oil 50 EC and mustard oil 50 EC and deshi ghee 50 EC (@ 100 ml/10 litre water) were effective over untreated control in reducing powdery mildew disease severity when applied as foliar spray (@ 5 ml/ litre) in the experiment carried out in organic field (plot No. B-2 at Agronomy Instruction Farm, S. D. Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar). Maximum reduction in germinated conidia (66.0%) over control, disease severity (50.0%), area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) values (51.8%) and maximum increase over control in 1000 seed weight (16.7%) and seed yield (10.3%) was observed with neem oil. This was followed by the application of ghee which exhibited reduced disease severity (22.9%) and AUDPC values (30.6%) and increased seed yield (8.1%) and the application of castor oil 50 EC which exhibited an increased in seed yield (8.0%) and reduced powdery mildew severity (20.8%). Shortest log phase was observed with neem oil during 10th std. week. All the oils tested (castor, groundnut, sunflower, neem and mustard oil) and deshi ghee were effective in reducing aphid population (39.5 to 65.9%) and damage index (6.1 to 25.1%). A maximum reduction in aphid population (65.9%) over control and lowest aphid damage index (3.70) was observed with neem oil 50 EC 6 days after 2nd spray. Application of neem oil, castor oil and deshi ghee resulted in increased seed yield (8.1 to 10.4%). This information could be useful in devising strategies for powdery mildew and aphid management in organic cultivation, eco-friendly management and IPM of mustard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beejamrit is an ancient organic formulation commonly used as a seed treatment in organic and natural farming in India. This low-cost formulation is primarily a product of dairy excreta (e.g., cow dung and cow urine) and forest soil, often supplemented with limestone. Growing data suggest that dairy excreta are the potential sources of enriched microbial niche, including several plant growth-promoting bacteria capable of synthesizing plant growth regulators. However, the microbiological properties of Beejamrit and their temporal changes after different incubation periods, delineating its application in seed treatment, remain largely unexplored. Here, we aimed to analyze the decomposition rate of Beejamrit over 7-consecutive days of incubation. This study further elucidates the microbial niche and their dynamics in Beejamrit, including the plant beneficial bacteria. We have shown that the population of plant beneficial bacteria, such as the free-living nitrogen fixers (FNFs) and the phosphate solubilizers (PSBs), proliferates progressively up to 4- and 5-days of incubation, respectively (p < 0.0001). This study also reports the total indolic content of Beejamrit, including indole 3-acetic acid (IAA), which further tends to oscillate in concentration based on the incubation periods incurred during the Beejamrit preparation. Our analyses, together, establish that Beejamrit provides a dynamic, microbe-based metabolic network and may, therefore, act as a plant biostimulant to crop plants. A plant-based bioassay finally demonstrates the role of Beejamrit in the seed treatment to improve seed germination, seedling survival rate, and shoot length trait in French beans (p < 0.01). In conclusion, this study highlights, for the first time, the scientific insights of Beejamrit as a potential seed priming agent in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Green gram is the important pulse crop of India and grown under extensive agroclimatic condition in India for its versatile uses. Moreover, extreme and inappropriate use of inorganic nutrients deteriorated the soil quality by reducing the soil microbial population and also declined the quality of crops. Now a days, majority of population living in urban and rural area had demand for safe and healthy food for which inclusive food production technology needs to be developed with priority on quality enhancement and yield stability. In fact, it is not possible for farmers to directly shift from inorganic source of nutrients to organics in their crop production as it may lead to decrease in crop yields in the initial years. This may be possible due to substitution of organic sources of nutrients in place of inorganics to fulfil the crop nutrient requirement for accomplishing higher and stable crop yield of better quality with upgradation in soil health. Therefore, the present study was carried out to evaluate the influence of differential substitution of nutrients through organics on growth, yield and nutrient content of green gram (Vigna radiata) in irrigated sub-tropical region of J and K. Methods: The experiment was conducted for two consecutive years in field during summer 2016 and 2017 at research farm of division of Agronomy located at latitude and longitude of 32°40' N and 73°64' E at SKUAST-Jammu. Experiment was laid out with 16 treatments and three replications. Green gram variety "SML-668" was grown as per their respective recommended packages of cultivation except for the nutrient-N and its organic sources which were applied as per the treatments. Nutrient content of green gram was worked out in the laboratory following standard procedures. Result: The pooled result of the two-year study of green gram concluded that significantly highest growth parameters and yield of green gram were recorded with treatment 100% recommended dose of fertilizer whereas significantly lowest value of all these parameters were recorded with treatment 100% NPK through FYM. Numerically highest value of NPK content in seed and stover of green gram after two-year experiment was recorded with treatment 100% NPK through FYM whereas highest gross returns, net returns and B:C ratio were recorded with treatment 100% recommended dose of fertilizer when compared with other treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present field experiment was conducted at the Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal on a clayey soil (Typic Haplusterts) during 2012–13 and 2013–14. The performance of soybean (Glycine max, cv. JS 335)–wheat (Triticum durum, cv. HI 8498) cropping system in terms of yield, nutrient uptake and economics under different organic and inorganic nutrient was assessed. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with seven treatments in four replications. The treatments involved different nutrient inputs viz. organic manure (OM) (T1); biodynamic preparation (BD) (T2); OM + panchagavya (OM + PG) (T3); OM + BD (T4); OM + PG + BD (T5); control (T6); and recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) (T7). Cattle dung manure on N equivalent basis to soybean in kharif and cattle dung manure (CDM) + vermicompost (VC) + poultry manure (PM) (1:1:1 on N equivalent basis) to wheat were applied as organic manure whereas nutrients were supplied in the form of chemical fertilizers in RDF treatment. The yield of soybean and wheat crops obtained with organic combinations were found comparable and even better (5–13% higher) with those obtained under RDF which enhanced nutrient removal by soybean and wheat crops. The soybean–wheat sequence registered an increment of 2–11% and 11–26% in total N and P uptake, respectively over RDF. The net returns obtained under organic treatments were found statistically at par with those obtained under RDF. [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]

Organic farming is an environmentally, economically and socially accepted way to produce food. This review scrutinizes various facets of the practice including its impact on the environment, international markets, and local as well as global food security. First-hand knowledge throughout India and the world was evaluated the various strategies and policies implemented for organic agriculture in India. Scenarios depicted here represent millions of people from all social and economic backgrounds who have embraced this agrarian method ensuring the integrity of food. Since organic farming depends on animal manures, off-farm organic wastes, crop residues, green manures, and bio-fertilizers, the question arises whether the availability of these organic feed materials is sufficient to support widespread organic farming in India. In total, these sources could supply 7.04 Mt. of primary nutrients in India, while in the long-term, organic farming could contribute to food security by harmonizing population growth, food grain production, fertilizer consumption, and prevent or minimize soil nutrient depletion. Municipal solid waste compost and sewage water are being increasingly employed in organic agriculture and very large amounts of organic residues and pollutants are added to the soil. Given this, the prospects of organic agriculture to help solve environmental problems need to be researched in more detail. Soil C (carbon) sequestration by municipal solid waste compost and sewage water may to some extent stop environmental degradation. Primarily, organic farming could boost the quality of food by enhancing protein, vitamins, minerals, etc. Soil health and ecological functions such as biomass production, biodiversity maintenance, environmental protection, etc., which occur in organic farming could also be maintained or improved. In this way, it is possible for climatic aberrations could be mitigated or alleviated. However, policies should be developed for proper utilization of bio-waste, integrated farming approaches with organics, prioritizing areas and different kinds of organic farming, better pest management involving bio-pesticides, strengthening the domestic market for organic produce, farmer-to-farmer communication, etc. Our assessment found that organic farming has huge potential for contributing to food security, risk mitigation, etc., in India. Organic farming could also address many of the sustainable development goals directly, namely 3, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. However, future research should address areas like: (a) C sequestration and critical C input for organic farming; (b) dynamics, biology and biochemistry of nutrient cycles; (c) impact of the exposure of organic farming to contaminants; and (d) producing higher quality food crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background  This study aims to evaluate association between suicidal ideation and pesticide exposure in rural communities of Wardha district of Central rural India compared with villagers who are not exposed to it. Method  It was a cross-sectional study done in rural community of Wardha district in Central India. About 100 farmers who were exposed to pesticides and 100 controls who were not exposed to pesticides were included. A Semistructured proforma to record sociodemographic variables and Indian version of the Self Reporting Questionnaire-20 was used. Results  Of these 200 subjects, data were available for 85 farmers in study group and 74 in control group. In the farmers group, 31% of farmers had suicidal ideas, while 8% of controls felt like ending their life. Conclusion  Measures must be taken to store pesticides at a safer place thus reducing long-term exposure. Organic farming is a better choice to avoid suicidal ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantification of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) pools and carbon farming potential of any land use and cropping systems are important indicators of productivity, profitability, and sustainability of that system. The objective of our present study was to evaluate the spatial and depth-wise distribution of SOC pools (active-C and passive-C) and carbon farming potential of major cropping and land use systems in Alfisols under southern agro climatic zone of Andhra Pradesh, India. We quantified active-C, passive-C pools, and SOC status in 19 different land use and cropping systems. The results indicated that SOC status and carbon farming potential were highest (P≤0.001) under forest land use (13.96 g kg-1 and 62.19 Mg ha-1) followed by mango orchards (≥15 years age) relatively less than 23.6%, and on par with sugarcane-vegetables 25.2%, and paddy-tomato 23.1 %. The lowest (P≤0.001) was recorded under rainfed groundnut 77.5%, followed by sugarcane-sugarcane 73.3%. The active-C pool was significantly (P≤ 0.001) higher in forest land use (8.79 g kg--1) followed by sugarcane-vegetables (8.3 g kg-1). The passive-C pool was higher (P≤0.001) under forest land use (7.98 g kg-1), on par with mango orchards (≥15 years age (7.49 g kg-1) and followed by paddy-tomato (5.69 g kg-1) and sugarcane-paddy (5.12 g kg-1). The lowest (P≤0.001) active and passive-C pools belonged to rainfed groundnut, current fallow lands, and sugarcane-sugarcane cropping systems. Of all the studied land use and cropping systems, carbon farming potential was higher under forest land use followed by mango orchards ≥ years age, sugarcane-vegetables and paddy-tomato cropping systems. The potential was medium under paddy-groundnut, groundnut-tomato/vegetables, tomato-vegetables, perennial fodder plantations, casuarina and eucalyptus plantations and sugarcane-paddy cropping systems, while it was low under paddy-paddy, groundnut-groundnut, flower crops and cultivable wastes and very low under rainfed groundnut, current fallow lands, and sugarcane-sugarcane cropping systems. Thus, the present study emphasizes on the carbon farming potential, which could act as an indicator for sustainability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important protein-rich winter vegetable of our country but extensively grown in south Chhotanagpur plateau of Jharkhand during both kharif and rabi seasons. However, indiscriminate uses of agrochemicals lead to production of poor quality pods of the crop due to residual toxicity. Hence, the current study was aimed to evaluate of the crop varieties based on their yield and quality traits expression under organic growing condition. Methods: The present investigation was carried out by adopting five bush type varieties of French bean (V1: Arka Komal, V2: Swarna Priya, V3: HAFB-2, V4: HAFB-4 and V5: Falcon). They were grown independently under two growing conditions viz. organic farming (Oi) where FYM, vermicompost and Shasyagavya were used as organic inputs and absolute control (O0) where no organic input was applied. These varieties were grown with their four replications in each of the experimental situate following RCBD experimental design. Different yield and its attributes and proximate quality traits were studied under both growing conditions for their evaluation. Result: Findings revealed that most of the studied traits were influenced by organic growing condition with significant differences among varieties to pod length, pods per plant, pod weight, green pod yield, ascorbic acid, TSS and protein content. Consequently, the maximum green pod yield (17.55 t ha-1) was estimated in HAFB-4 under organic growing condition as against 7.57 t ha-1 under the absolute control condition. Different proximate quality traits were also expressed independently under different varietal situates but responded better under organic growing condition than its respective absolute control counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is the backbone of India’s economy and agriculture employs more than 70% of the country’s people. With the continued use of fertilizers and their negative environmental repercussions, the farming community is becoming more aware of alternative agriculture systems, such as organic farming. Organic farming is a natural farming technique that meets society’s food and nutrition demands while not diminishing natural resources. Thus, by combining organic resources with high-yielding varieties and technologies, the country was able to enhance not only its food excess, but also its environmental pollution, pesticide toxicity and agricultural production sustainability. Organic farming also feeds crops with macronutrients and micronutrients, as well as improving the physical, chemical and biological qualities of the soil. In organic farming, pest and disease management alternatives rely mainly on preventive measures rather than curative treatments, which are based on environmentally safer management strategies. The priority has been placed on maintaining the ecosystem’s health, allowing plants to become resistant to insect pests and illnesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Input-driven agriculture has led to an epidemic of impoverishment, farmer suicides, and environmental degradation in India, but has also shown consistent staying power in Indian politics. We examine the case of organic farming policy adoption to explore this paradox. Specifically, our objective was to evaluate how the state-wide Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) program (now formally known as Community Managed Natural Farming) in Andhra Pradesh, India came to be. Evidence was drawn from government documents, field notes from a ZBNF workshop and farmer interactions, and in-depth interviews with stakeholders. Results suggest that advocacy of civil society networks, champions within the bureaucracy, emphasis on rural livelihoods, and the 20-year history of consensus building around agroecology all played a key role in the adoption of the ZBNF program in this state. Given the possibility of scaling up ZBNF at the national level, our analysis of the enabling environment is especially timely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study set out to measure the performance of organic farming in India. The study utilized data of 21 Indian states for the period 2016–2017, and the states are considered as decision making units for performance assessment. In the first step, we compared the "pure organic production" or "production technology set A" with the "production including the conversion period" of organic farming or "production technology set B" by incorporating the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method of performance evaluation. In the second step, we estimated the performance of "pure organic production" and applied the bootstrap DEA method to correct the biasness in the traditional DEA approach. The input‐oriented DEA model reveals that on average technical efficiency of organic farming production is 84.7%, and the output‐oriented DEA model concludes 20% technical efficiency which means organic farming production can be increased by 80% with the same amount of inputs utilization. Evidence is presented in the conclusion which shows that organic farming practice is highly beneficial for land degraded states of India. The findings can contribute to implement policies for organic farming production in Indian states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustaining soil fertility and enhancing food production on smallholder farms is a great challenge in the Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP). Soil fertility parameters viz., physical, chemical and biological, though intrinsically linked to one another in the soil environment, are often studied in isolation. This work adds value to analyses of all these three components of soil quality influenced by different cropping systems under organic and chemical farming by correlating all these parameters, otherwise left unexplored. The study compared soil physical, chemical and biological characteristics in relation to long term organic and chemical farming in a sandy loam soil. The field experiments were conducted at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India, with two farming systems in main plots for 12 seasons and four cropping systems in sub-plots for 4 seasons. The organic farming with green manuring (GM) to basmati rice and farmyard manure to wheat in basmati rice - wheat cropping system significantly increased soil water holding capacity, mean weight diameter, soil organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, dehydrogenase activity and basal soil respiration by 42.3, 62.7, 48.9, 59.0, 55.6 and 50.3%, respectively than with chemical farming. The crop productivity was 33.9% higher in organic than chemical farming, resulting in higher net returns under GM based organic farming. Principal component analysis (PCA) distincted organic farming from the chemical farming under different cropping systems based on basal soil respiration and cation exchange capacity in PC1 (explaining 93.1% of total variability), and the carbohydrate carbon and pH in PC2 (19.5% variability). These indicators are most influential for studying soil quality under organic farming and GM based cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural practices are known to affect the soil ecosystem, which ultimately influences the environment and human health. In this perspective, soil nutrient status and microbial diversity of ten year's long organically managed soil were compared with its conventional counterpart at Pantnagar, India (29.03° N/79.46° E). A combination of farmyard manure and vermicompost was used under an organic farming system along with a mixture of neem oil and cow urine as a biopesticide. Organic amendments have improved carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content in the soil. Moreover, the copy numbers of diazotrophs and phosphate solubilizers were also found to increase under the organic system which can be evident from their dominance in the organic soil metagenome. Further, several clinically important bacterial genera viz. Corynebacterium, Mycobacterium, Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, Ruminococcus, Prevotella, Coxiella, Neisseria, Haemophilus, Actinobacillus, Treponema, and Mycoplasma were observed only in conventional soil and were completely absent in organic soil sample. These findings revealed that besides enhancing soil fertility and microbial diversity, organic practices have an impact on the soil-borne pathogens and, in general, on the soil microbiome. It will impart value addition to the organic products and lead us towards healthy agricultural practices and products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The small-scale ecological farming methods of Uttarakhand hills are key to ensuring resilience to climate change as these are based on enhancing diversity, thereby increasing options to respond to climate instability. Beside eco-nutrition, local community-level economic incentives are also considered important for sustainability of traditional hill farming and food systems. Feasibility of integrating four local marketing initiatives to traditional hill farming, i) promoting community-supported organic/biodynamic agriculture (CSA), ii) linking traditional farming with school meal (MDM) programs, iii) enhanced market access and value chain development for local plant food resources, and iv) creating off-farm employment opportunity at community level for rural youths, among others, are explored in the present study. The need of re-assessing existing food and nutrition-related health and agriculture policy, and developing cross-sectoral implementation strategies on food and livelihood security, nutrition, and health was also addressed. The outcomes are expected to set priorities for state policy for a more profitable local level agriculture and regenerative food system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the use of thematic collages as a methodological innovation to participatory photography as a research framework. Participatory photography was used to understand the subjective "off-script" motivations behind the full or partial adoption of Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) by members of women's self-help groups in Andhra Pradesh, India. The addition of thematic collages to existing participatory photography methods was developed as a mechanism to better support the dialogic generation of new Freirean "generative themes" for investigation by a group. Further, the use of thematic collages invites the integration of "renegade" or non-thematic images into participant group analysis. ZBNF is an agricultural practice that has become an extension priority in Andhra Pradesh. It emphasizes the use of defined chemical-free inputs and regenerative farming techniques as a holistic approach toward socio-ecological resilience. As part of an interdisciplinary research project, this participatory photography design was piloted parallel to a soil science experiment in three geographically distinct agroecological zones in Andhra Pradesh. We show how participatory photography, with the novel addition of thematic collages, can be integrated into interdisciplinary research as a method to discover the underlying motivations to adopt agricultural practices and participate in agricultural movements like Zero Budget Natural Farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Quantified the environment impact of conventional and organic potato cultivation. • The entire cultivation process was divided into distinct agricultural practices (encompassing land preparation, sowing, fertilization, crop protection, irrigation, and harvesting). • In conventional cultivation, fertilization and sowing phases were identified as the most impactful. • For organic cultivation, irrigation and sowing practices emerged as significant factors. • Sensitivity analysis and comparison of different functional units were conducted. In order to meet the ever-increasing demand of food in the near future, the agriculture sector is anticipated to expand grain, vegetable, fiber, and biomass energy production within the restrictions of limited resources, while simultaneously minimizing the related Environmental Impacts (EIs). When focusing on potatoes specifically, it's important to note that a significant portion of global potato production occurs in developing countries. Nevertheless, existing literature reveals a noticeable gap in research dedicated to assessing the EIs of potato cultivation, as well as other staple crops. The current study aims at contrasting the EIs of organic and conventional potato cultivation in the northern plains of India. Taking two functional units (one hectare of land and one ton of potato produced), a cradle-to-farm gate Life Cycle Assessment approach using SimaPro 9.1.1 software was applied to explore various hotspots for highlighting and analyzing the various phases responsible for sparking off the severe EIs and compared for both cultivation systems. To confirm results from different perspectives, both ReCiPe Midpoint & Endpoint impact assessment methods were used which acknowledged that fertilization is the most significant phase for environmental impacts in conventional cultivation. Specifically, conventional cultivation contributes 2007.669 kg CO 2 eq per hectare to Global Warming potential, whereas organic cultivation emits 1287.952 kg CO 2 eq. Transitioning to organic cultivation leads to an average reduction of 35.76 percent across a range of 18 environmental impact categories Furthermore, the endpoint method reveals that 86 percent of the total score for conventional cultivation, which is 159.20, comes from human health-related indicators, whereas organic cultivation exhibits 27.6 percent less impact in this regard. Conducting a sensitivity analysis highlights fertilization as the most sensitive phase for conventional potato cultivation, whereas irrigation emerges as the critical phase for organic cultivation. The current study assists farmers in making decisions about chemical usage, energy management, and governments in improving the overall sustainability of cultivation systems through regulatory adjustments. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving agricultural sustainability requires a comprehensive assessment of economic, social, and environmental dynamics. This assessment must be supported by scientifically validated indicators that measure all aspects of the system. This study aims to assess and compare the indicator-based farm sustainability of wheat farming in Punjab, India, under two farming systems: conventional farming (CF) and organic farming (OF). This study is based on cross-sectional data collected through a primary survey of 348 wheat growers (143 organics and 205 conventional). A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to collect the data. Based on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2008 index construction methodology, a composite sustainability index (CSI), economic sustainability index (ESI), social sustainability index (SSI), and environmental sustainability index (EnSI) have been constructed. The study is motivated by the significant focus on wheat-rice monoculture in Punjab, which has led to declining agricultural growth, over-exploitation of groundwater, and excessive use of agro-chemicals, among other sustainability issues. The empirical results of CSI show that OF is more sustainable than CF in terms of environmental and social sustainability, whereas CF is economically more viable than OF. The study suggest that the government should adopt a balanced approach that encourages and promotes both farming systems simultaneously. To enhance the sustainability of CF, the focus should be on resource conservation technologies, farm practices and ensuring farmers' well-being, while financial incentives, educational opportunities, and market expansion are crucial for making OF more sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper aims to identify the emerging trend and prospects of organic farming throughout the world. This paper also gives stress on the usage of organic fertilizer in India. India is a country with huge climate diversity hence different regions of the country have different agricultural climates. The diverse agro-climatic on the country has a direct impact on the natural nutrients of soil which are the key source of soil nutrition for organic cultivation. India covers 1.18 mm hectares of organic agriculture land which led the county on the 9th position globally in 2014-15. In this total organic area, 26% of the land is cultivable and rest 74% is covered under the forest or wild land. In the same year Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have been identified as having most organic agriculture area regions in the country. The country also has a leading position in organic production with consent increment in the organic producers throughout the globe. In the year 2014-15, the county has 0.55 mm producers which led the country on the first position in the world. The country exports more than 135 products including basmati rice, cotton and oil corps. In this review, paper research had tried to analyze the significance of organic farming, export and marketing of organic products in the country. Consumption and production of organic fertilizers in the county also have been discussed in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term use of chemical fertilizers has been known to degrade the various soil physico-chemical properties. Incorporation of crop residues (CR) along with biofertilizers (BF) is an important practice from improving the physico-chemical properties of soil. Laboratory analyses were conducted during 2015 on soil samples collected from an on-going long-term experiment "Nutrient management in rice based organic farming systems," in progress since 2003. Over the 12 years of study a significant improvement in bulk density, water-holding capacity, aggregate stability, hydraulic conductivity, and soil pH was observed under conjoint application of organics, CR, and BF in farmyard manure (FYM)+CR+BF and VC+CR+BF treatments. The data further delineated maximum soil organic carbon build-up was recorded in the combined application of organic nutrient sources as compared to manures alone treatment. The data further indicated that DTPA extractable copper, zinc, manganese, and iron in soil recorded a significant increase in all the manures applied treatments under rice-wheat-mungbean and rice-wheat cropping systems over the initial level. The integrated use of organics and crop residues in combination with biofertilizers recorded significant higher rice grain and straw yields over the rest of the treatments. Organic manures in combination with crop residues and biofertilizers supported high rice grain yield and straw biomass and sustainable yield index (SYI), with lower values of coefficient of variance. In conclusion, the conjoint application of organics, crop residues, and biofertilizers can enhance not only rice crop yield but also yield stability and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aphids, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and Aphis gossypii (Glover) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and the whiteflies, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) and Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are the most damaging pests of greenhouse crops, which cause vector-borne viral diseases and its damage includes chlorosis, necrosis, and fruit abortion. This review article addresses the protected cultivation of vegetable crops (cucumber, capsicum, tomato, and gerbera), important insect pests of greenhouse crops in India along with its management by entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) and increase in the virulence by different genetically modified techniques. Due to excessive and indiscriminate use of insecticides over the years, these insect pests became resistant to these insecticides. So, there is a need for the effectual substitutes to manage these pests. Biological control is a foundation of integrated pest management (IPM) that plays a key role in the repression of arthropod pests. Among different IPM program, the uses of different microbial formulations are ecofriendly and safe for life and proven a boon for the farmers and entrepreneurs. EPF are the most effective in reducing aphid and whitefly populations on vegetable crops recommending its organic production under greenhouse conditions and could be a part of IPM. In the future, these insect pests will become more resistant to entomopathogens. Some novel techniques such as genetic engineering of fungal formulations will be required to increase the efficiency of various entomopathogens as these techniques are well adopted by countries like the USA, China, and European countries but its use in India and needs to be improved in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of organic manures in the agricultural plays a vital role in improving the quality of turmeric as well as improving the soil health. Turmeric is having a close relation with human health; hence demand of organically grown turmeric is increasing tremendously. A field trial was conducted to study the effect of different organic manures (generally recommended fertilizer dose, farmyard manure, vermicompost, press mud compost, poultry manure, sugarcane trash, wheat straw, turmeric trash and jeevamrut) on the yield and curcumin content of turmeric Cv. Phule Swarupa on Inceptisol at Agricultural Research Station, Dist-Sangli, Maharashtra, India. The trial was conducted on the fixed site of soil for the continuous of five years (2009-2013). The maximum dry yield (62.42 q ha-1) of the turmeric was recorded by application of the general recommended dose of fertilizer (GRDF) i. e. 25 MT FYM + 200:100:100 kg N:P2O5:K2O ha-1 which was at par with the vermicompost (11.36 T ha-1). The highest number of leaves per tiller and number of tillers per plant, plant height and curcumin content was recorded in the GRDF, which was at par with vermicompost. The highest benefit: cost ratio (1.59) was also noticed in GRDF, which was at par with the application of vermicompost (1.54) on a nitrogen basis. The soil available nutrient status was taken into consideration during experimentation. The application of vermicompost (11.36 T ha-1) along with Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria and Azospirillium @ 5 kg ha-1, respectively at the time of planting was found superior for higher dry yield (55.45 q ha-1), net monetary returns (Rs. 137035) and maintenance of soil fertility for organic cultivation of turmeric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite enhancing the crop yields, the so called green revolution (GR) has proven unsuccessful in assuring long term agricultural sustainability. The methods used for productivity enhancement during GR have not only proven to be problematic but have also resulted in deterioration of soil quality and several other issues related to ecosystems and health issues. The damage was mainly caused by the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides. Various types of pesticides, are now known to be causing huge problems in the agro-ecosystems. In such a situation, where chemicals have caused or are causing irreversible impacts on agroecosystems, the use of biopesticides has emerged as a sustainable alternative leading to safe organic farming. At the global level, environmentally benign nature and target-specificity of biopesticides are gaining wide popularity. However, in developing countries like India usage of biopesticides is still minuscule in comparison to conventional chemical pesticides. Although the Indian government has encouraged the use of biopesticides by placing them into many of the agricultural schemes, at the grassroots level, biopesticides are facing many challenges. The lower adaptability and declining interest of farmers towards biopesticides have become a matter of concern. However, technological challenges related to production, manufacture and application in agroecosystems have also raised a question on their long-term sustainability. The main objective of this review is to highlight the developing trend in the field of biocontrol products in India. Apart from this, the review also focuses on the technological perspectives that are required for the long-term sustainability of biological control products in Indian agriculture and market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A few small tea growers in Assam, India, shifted to organic production of tea considering the ecological and economic benefits of organic cultivation. However, lack of sufficient training, technical know-how, inadequate experience, and market access posed serious threats to sustaining their business. Amidst the difficulties, some of these growers managed to overcome the initial problems of the production of organic tea. The present study uses a mixed method, multi-site, collective case study approach to understand the situation of these growers and to analyze it within the framework of farm entrepreneurship. The organic growers displayed entrepreneurial characteristics of being innovative, risk-taking, and opportunity seeking to overcome the initial difficulties. The findings suggest that the development of entrepreneurial skills among small growers would be crucial to promoting organic cultivation in the small tea growers sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"[W]hat is the role of sustainable agriculture organisations", Brown asks (p. 14), "in sustaining and/or challenging relations of hegemony in rural India?" Chapter 4 explores the Kheti Virasat Mission (Agricultural Heritage Mission - KVM), a natural farming organization active in Punjab, the state where Green Revolution agriculture has led to perhaps the most pronounced socio-ecological degradation. Building on his extensive multi-case evidence, Brown argues that "we need to de-link sustainable agriculture from the counter-hegemonic struggle for food sovereignty" (p. 174), posing a significant analytical challenge to food regime, food sovereignty, and related literatures. [Extracted from the article]

The concept of organic agriculture is receiving increased attention and organic food markets are also expanding quite fast in many parts of the world including India. Development of production technology particularly appropriate nutrient management strategy for organic baby corn is necessary for realizing higher yield and economic returns as well as soil health aspect. Most of the organic manures are low in nutrient contents, which are not sufficient to meet the nutritional requirement of the crops with smaller quantities, especially when inorganic fertilizers are not applied. Under such circumstances, enrichment of organic manures and composts with permitted additives like rock phosphate and beneficial microbial cultures is a feasible option for nutrient supplementation in organic food production. Microbial enrichment technique with bio-inoculants to composting material had been shown to improve the quality of compost. The enrichment of the organic manures with beneficial microbial cultures will further contribute to the enhancement of N and P contents through nitrogen fixation and phosphate solubilization. Hence, the enriched organic manures and their combination provide an ideal nutrition strategy for the crop. There is the possibility of increasing the nitrogen content of compost by inoculation with nitrogen-fixing organisms and the phosphorus content by the inoculation with phosphate solubilizing bacteria. Improved manures will play a major role in organic farming since the method of production is simple and easy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ginger and turmeric were highly responsive to organic package of practices. • Yield, curcumin, oloersin, dry matter content increases significantly under organic package of practices. • Both crops were found climate resilient as they will not be affected significantly by rise in temperature especially in mid-hills. • The entire north eastern region of India was found suitable for organic production. A field experiment was conducted at seven distinct locations of north-eastern states of India to assess the effect of organic versus traditional production practices on plant growth, yield and quality attributes of turmeric cv. Megha Turmeric-1 and ginger cv. Nadia for two consecutive years during 2011-13. Among the treatments, organic practices i.e., seed rhizomes treated with Trichoderma harzianum (at 5 g kg−1 seed rhizome and soil application of organic manure {FYM (7.5 t ha−1) + vermicompost (2 t ha−1) + Neemcake (250 kg ha−1)} enriched with PSB (phosphorous solubulizing bacteria) and Azospirillum at the rate of 10 kg ha−1 each was found to be superior over traditional practices (without any use of organic manure and biofertilizers). Under organic practice for turmeric, significant improvement was observed with 21.98, 17.42, 11.54 and 40.31% increase in yield (20.13 t ha−1), dry matter (19.34%), curcumin (5.44%) and oleoresin (16.86%) content, respectively, over traditional practices. Similarly in ginger, the increase in yield (19.29 t ha−1), dry matter (19.93%) and oleoresin content (6.62%) was recorded 36.54%, 12.81% and 6.04%, respectively, under organic over traditional practices. The difference of average annual temperature between lowest (23 m) and highest elevation (960 m) was 5.36 °C with non-significant (p < 0.05) correlation between elevation/temperature of testing locations to growth, yield and quality attributes of ginger and turmeric. Hence, under mid-hill conditions, yield and quality attributes of ginger and turmeric will not be affected significantly by rise in temperature due to global warming. Moreover, quality ginger and turmeric production in the region can be enhanced by promoting organic package of practices with ensuring the availability of quality inputs such as planting material, biofertilizers etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The green revolution has been a major boost to the agriculture sector throughout the world including India. The food production of the country increased by many fold during the 1960s and 1970s and has continued to increase since then. But, the boom of green revolution could not last long as we witnessed stagnation in the productivity of our farm lands along with soil and crop health degradation. This forced the scientific and farming community to look for efficient and ecologically safe farming systems which led to the evolution of the concept of „sustainable agriculture". Sustainable agriculture is a holistic concept of agriculture which helps in meeting the needs of the present generation without affecting the future generation. It helps in maintaining optimum crop production along with maintaining soil health, conservation of natural resources and preserving ecological balance and biodiversity in agroecosystems. This review aims to create a paradigm for future studies on new and innovative techniques for sustainable crop production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological control, the most important pillar of organic farming, depends on natural organisms that act as agents to control pathogens and diseases. Biological control agents include parasites and predators, microbial pesticides from fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, and protozoa, insect pheromones, pesticides extracted from plants, and plants genetically modified to resist pests. In Oman, the three primary biological control methods were implemented successfully in the field. First, introducing new natural enemies and establishing a permanent population, i.e. classical biological control, in 1984, the parasitoid wasp, Encarsia opulenta Silvestri, imported from USA (Florida) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) was introduced to target the citrus blackfly (CBF) Aleurocanthus woglumi Ashby (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), and during 1985, the coccinellid beetle, Chilocorus nigritus [Fabricius], was introduced from India in the south to target the coconut scale insect, Aspidiotus destructor Sign., (Homoptera: Diaspididae). Second, conservation of existing natural enemies, e.g. local Leptomastix dactylopii (Hymenoptera:Encyridae) is parasitic wasp that target Citrus mealybug. Third, mass rearing and periodic release, on a seasonal basis, e.g. Mass rearing program of Trichogramma that used to control (Lipidoptera) pomegranate butterfly, lesser date moth corn borer and eggplant shot & fruit borer. Notably, local agents are potentially better than introduced ones because of their adaptation to physical factors such as temperature and salinity. For example, Trichoderma asperellum. Therefore, more efforts should be invested in identification of new local agents to control challenging pathogens and diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major constraint in the promotion of organic farming, a safe and sustainable alternative, is lack of availability of quality organic resources in sufficient quantities. The quality of resources can be ascertained by monitoring its nutrient release pattern, which has not yet been attempted. A controlled condition pot experiment was conducted at ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, India, in completely randomized design to study the nutrient dynamics of various organic and inorganic resources, commonly used in cassava production, at monthly intervals up to six months. The release of almost all nutrients and activity of soil enzymes were higher at the middle (3 or 4 months) of the incubation period. The pH showed an increasing trend and electrical conductivity, organic C and Fe content declined from initial. Averaging over stages, organic practice favored the activity of soil enzymes and release of almost all nutrients over conventional system significantly, except N. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Certification is increasingly used in diverse spheres of social, political, and economic life, in which it is associated with transparency projects and audit cultures. In the Doon Valley of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, the state government has supported certified organic agriculture since the early 2000s. Although practices of document keeping and inspections required by organic certification were intended to make agrarian practices legible and transparent, in practice they often failed to do so. Officials charged with conducting certification ultimately framed organic agriculture as a moral enterprise, finding sentiments of viśvās (trust, belief, or faith) to be crucial to their work. Rather than producing certainty and transparent knowledge, certification practices may generate forms of uncertainty that compel, and rely for their resolution on, sentiments of trust. [organic agriculture, certification, audit, transparency, trust, bureaucracy, India] An agricultural extension worker, known as a master trainer, inspects a farmer's production diary as part of the process of certifying the crop as organic (Doon Valley, Uttarakhand, India, March 2008). Such diaries played a key role as objects, as much as instruments, of certification inspections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]