CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE-WAY TO PROSPERITY

Ali Ahsan Bajwa

Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.38040, Pakistan

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Agriculture is mainstay of a large population across the globe. Global food security and ecosystem integrity demands the sustainability and longevity of productive agricultural systems. Abrupt changes in weather situations, unpredictable and unpredicted rather under-predicted fluctuations in climate imparting enormous pressure on today’s farmer. Global warming, abiotic stresses, environmental pollution, urbanization, industrialization and population bloom are negatively effecting the crop production. It is turning into a serious conundrum and requires immediate attention. Scientists are working their best to resolve this issue. Modern research has led us to the conclusion that it is matter of time and management. Sustainable crop production under changing climates needs special management practices and technologies. It is evident that vicinity to nature provides more diversity and durability. Conservation agriculture (CA) is a vital approach that offers quality food production through resource conservation approaches being close to natural ecosystems. It aims to produce maximum yield by utilizing minimum inputs and by disturbing the natural environment least. It is such a sustainable form of agriculture that addresses all the bad impacts prevailing at times related to productivity and environment.

            CA has come up as a complete technology with multi-benefits. Soil health and productivity have substantial impact on crop growth and production. Minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, judicious crop rotations and integrated weed management are golden principles of CA. As a matter of fact increasing population at alarming rates demands high production of grains, legumes and vegetables. To provide this much amount intensive cultivation of soil, heavy use of synthetic agro-chemicals, monocropping, frequent flooding of fields and elevated use of mechanization is inevitable. All these practices degrade soil, water and air. But CA offers a wise package of techniques based on minimum alterations in natural conditions of soil and other media. It is logical to extract the nutrients and soil power slowly by rotating crops in such a manner so that exhaustive crops followed by restorative ones. Moreover, a fallow period is fixed in cropping schemes which allows soil to retain its moisture, to improve its fertility, to avoid erosion and to control weeds. Improvement of soil physical, chemical and biological attributes through conservation tillage practices (CTP) certainly enhance productivity. Soil productivity ensures better crop growth and production. CA is a perfect approach aggrandizes the soil and crop properties. Through its pragmatic role in agriculture food security and food safety can be ensured simultaneously.

            Adoption of CA is increasing in modern world. Developed nations have adopted it at larger scale. The reason behind its wide scale adoption in relatively developed countries is that they have large productive land. People use to grow crops in a specific manner keeping appropriate crop-free restoration periods. Monocropping is discouraged to maintain the biodiversity in terms of soil micro flora and micro fauna as well as crops. It facilitates the nutrient cycling, acquisition, uptake and transformations from soil regimes. It helps to acquire maximum (NUE). The regulation of water status is also improved. Better structural development of soil layers improve water relations and thus water use efficiency (WUE). Plant canopies are well developed in case of soil tilled in conservation manners. Improved aerial and soil conditions produce excellent bases for crop growth resulting in maximum conservation and yields.

            Yield under CA, is a debatable issue as many of staunch critics provide relatively lesser yields as proof of its failure. CA follows natural conditions due to which weed flora is more diverse in initial years but once it has been properly managed, can easily be controlled. High weed infestation may cause severe competition with crops to reduce yields. Researchers are trying to sort out this problem through herbicide resistant crops, intercropping, rotations and manual weed management tools. It will help to maximize the yield levels avoiding weed problems. But one thing is must for sure, that we will be saving a lot of energy, environment and money. The profitability is always more in case of CA as compared to traditional tillage (TT) or intensive farming (IF). In my opinion as agrarian, it is wise to produce a little less saving environment rather than achieving maximum by deteriorating resources of our future generation. 

 In crux, CA is a suitable, feasible, profitable and off course doable technology. It is sustained way to use our depleting resources protecting the degrading surroundings. For time being it may be hard to move from conventional agriculture towards CA. But ultimately we have to go for this pragmatic approach to affirm the foundations of our agro-ecosystems. A paradigm shift is required to change the fate of our coming generations; to provide them healthy soils, good air, lush green fields and fresh waters. It is only possible when we consider our soils and plant communities as living entities. A brave initiative in this regard is need of the hour especially from people in rule and progressive farming community. Sound strategic planning, long-term policy making and fair implementation can lead us to a luminous future of agriculture. We will be able to conserve huge resources to fill many mouths which are empty at the moment and many more which are still to come. Choice was and still is ours but will not be any more if criminal negligence will prevail.

PLANTS AND DISEASE

Plants make up the majority of the earth’s living environment as trees, grass, flowers, and so on. Directly or indirectly, plants also make up all the food on which humans and all animals depend. Even the meat, milk, and eggs that we and other carnivores eat come from animals that themselves depend on plants for their food.

Plants are the only higher organisms that can convert the energy of sunlight into stored, usable chemical energy in carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. All animals, including humans, depend on these plant substances for survival.

Plants, whether cultivated or wild, grow and produce well as long as the soil provides them with sufficient nutrients and moisture, sufficient light reaches their leaves, and the temperature remains within a certain “normal” range. Plants, however, also get sick. Sick plants grow and produce poorly, they exhibit various types of symptoms, and, often, parts of plants or whole plants die. It is not known whether diseased plants feel pain or discomfort.

The agents that cause disease in plants are the same or very similar to those causing disease in humans and animals. They include pathogenic microorganisms, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes, and unfavorable environmental conditions, such as lack or excess of nutrients, moisture, and light, and the presence of toxic chemicals in air or soil. Plants also suffer from competition with other, unwanted plants (weeds), and, of course, they are often damaged by attacks of insects. Plant damage caused by insects, humans, or other animals is not usually included in the study of plant pathology.

Plant pathology is the study of the organisms and of the environmental factors that cause disease in plants; of the mechanisms by which these factors induce disease in plants; and of the methods of preventing or control-ling disease and reducing the damage it causes. Plant pathology is for plants largely what medicine is for humans and veterinary medicine is for animals. Each discipline studies the causes, mechanisms, and control of diseases affecting the organisms with which it deals, i.e., plants, humans, and animals, respectively.

Plant pathology is an integrative science and profession that uses and combines the basic knowledge of botany, mycology, bacteriology, virology, nematology, plant anatomy, plant physiology, genetics, molecular biology and genetic engineering, biochemistry, horticulture, agronomy, tissue culture, soil science,  forestry, chemistry, physics, meteorology, and many other branches of science. Plant pathology profits from advances in any one of these sciences, and many advances in other sciences have been made in attempts to solve plant pathological problems.

As a science, plant pathology tries to increase our knowledge about plant diseases. At the same time, plant pathology tries to develop methods, equipment, and materials through which plant diseases can be avoided or controlled. Uncontrolled plant diseases may result in less food and higher food prices or in food of poor quality. Diseased plant produce may sometimes be poisonous and unfit for consumption. Some plant diseases may wipe out entire plant species and many affect the beauty and landscape of our environment. Controlling plant disease results in more food of better quality and a more aesthetically pleasing environment, but consumers must pay for costs of materials, equipment, and labor used to control plant diseases and, sometimes, for other less evident costs such as contamination of the environment.

In the last 100 years, the control of plant diseases  and other plant pests has depended increasingly on the extensive use of toxic chemicals (pesticides). Controlling plant diseases often necessitates the application of such toxic chemicals not only on plants and plant products that we consume, but also into the soil, where many pathogenic microorganisms live and attack the plant roots.

Many of these chemicals have been shown to be toxic to nontarget microorganisms and animals and may be toxic to humans. The short- and long-term costs of environ-mental contamination on human health and welfare caused by our efforts to control plant diseases (and other pests) are difficult to estimate. Much of modern research in plant pathology aims at finding other environmentally friendly means of controlling plant diseases. The most promising approaches include conventional breeding and genetic engineering of disease-resistant plants, application of disease-suppressing cultural practices, RNA and gene-silencing techniques, of plant defense-promoting, nontoxic substances, and, to some extent, use of biological agents antagonistic to the microorganisms that cause plant disease.

 The challenges for plant pathology are to reduce food losses while improving food quality and, at the same time, safeguarding our environment. As the world  population continues to increase while arable land and most other natural resources continue to decrease, and as our environment becomes further congested and stressed, the need for controlling plant diseases effectively and safely will become one of the most basic necessities for feeding the hungry billions of our increasingly overpopulated world.

Mother Nature deplores a vacuum

Crop rotations help prevent the buildup of weeds adapted to a particular cropping system. Certain weeds are more common in some crops than others. Pigweed, lamb’ squarter, common ragweed, velvetleaf, cocklebur, foxtail species, and crabgrass are found in summer-cultivated crops such ascorn. Mustards, wild oat, wild garlic, chickweed, and henbit are associated with fall-sown small grains. Pastures often contain perennial weeds such as ironweed and thistles. Changing crops changes the cultural conditions (planting date, crop competition, fertility, etc.) that a weed must tolerate. Rotating crops also often means that a different set of management tools (especially herbicides) will be used. The overall success of crop rotation in managing weeds depends on the ability to control the weeds in each crop grown in the rotation.

Rotation will prevent a weed species from becoming dominant in a field but will also maintain a diversity of weed species in the same area.  Crop rotation historically was very important for managing weed problems. Today, rotation is used more for managing diseases and insects than weeds. Rotation requires the farmer to have additional knowledge and to use additional equipment to manage the various rotational crops. Even with an abundant supply of fertilizers and diverse herbicides that make it possible to minimize the need of crop rotation for weed control, there are still sound reasons to rotate crops for environmental and pest management reasons. For example, corn rotated with soybeans consistently yields more than corn grown continuously in the same field. Rotation of vegetable crops is important to avoid buildup of soil diseases that reduce crop yields. However, rotation is not an option with long-term perennials such as orchards, forest trees, nurseries, and perennial forages. Some of the benefits of rotation can be retained in monoculture cropping systems by the selection of a variety of herbicides, especially those differing in mode of action, and the use of various cultural practices, especially cultivation.

Herbicide diversity and cultivation help prevent the development of resistant weed populations that are adapted to an unchanging herbicide program and crop.  Problems tend to arise when farmers do not rotate their crops and pest management strategies in an integrated manner. For example, in the past the corn–soybean rotation avoided the buildup of corn rootworm in the corn cycle, as rotation for 1 year to soybean broke the insect life cycle. However, the insect has adapted to these cropping strategies to be able to survive on soybean and has once again become a major corn problem. Similar examples are available in weed control. With the availability of a variety of glyphosate-resistant crops, there will be a tendency to continually use glyphosate for weed control even as we rotate crops. This is poor management, and it will become necessary to rotate herbicide-resistant crops with nonresistant crops to avoid a buildup of weeds not well controlled by glyphosate. The same holds true for herbicides that inhibit branch chain amino acids and can be used in many of our major acreage crops. There is a law of nature that holds true for agriculture that one should always remember: “Mother Nature deplores a vacuum.” Repeated use of any successful pest management practice without appropriate integration with a variety of other tactics and rotation over time will result in that tactic’s selecting for its own extinction. There are many good examples of this phenomenon in weed science, and they are called herbicide-resistant weeds

Coriander

A Brief Introduction:

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), also known as cilantro, Chinese parsley or dhania, is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to regions spanning from southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to 50 cm (20 in) tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the flowering stems. The flowers are borne in small umbels, white or very pale pink, asymmetrical, with the petals pointing away from the centre of the umbel longer (5–6 mm) than those pointing towards it (only 1–3 mm long). The fruit is a globular, dry schizocarp 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) in diameter.

History: Coriander grows wild over a wide area of the Near East and southern Europe, prompting the comment, "It is hard to define exactly where this plant is wild and where it only recently established itself."Fifteen desiccated mericarps were found in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Blevel of the Nahal Hemel Cave in Israel, which may be the oldest archaeological find of coriander. About half a litre of coriander mericarps were recovered from the tomb ofTutankhamen, and because this plant does not grow wild in Egypt, Zohary and Hopf interpret this find as proof that coriander was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians. The Bible mentions coriander in Exodus 16:31: "And the house of Israel began to call its name manna: and it was round like coriander seed, and its taste was like that of flat cakes made with honey."

Coriander seems to have been cultivated in Greece since at least the second millennium BC. One of the Linear B tablets recovered from Pylos refers to the species as being cultivated for the manufacture of perfumes, and it appears that it was used in two forms: as a spice for its seeds and as a herb for the flavour of its leaves.This appears to be confirmed by archaeological evidence from the same period: the large quantities of the species retrieved from an Early Bronze Age layer at Sitagroi in Macedonia could point to cultivation of the species at that time.

Coriander was brought to the British colonies in North America in 1670, and was one of the first spices cultivated by early settlers

Parts Used---Fruit and fresh leaves.

Habitat---Coriander, an umbelliferous plant indigenous to southern Europe, is found occasionally in Britain in fields and waste places, and by the sides of rivers. It is frequently found in a semi-wild state in the east of England, having escaped from cultivation.

Description---It is an annual, with erect stems, 1 to 3 feet high, slender and branched. The lowest leaves are stalked and pinnate, the leaflets roundish or oval, slightly lobed. The segments of the uppermost leaves are linear and more divided. The flowers are in shortly-stalked umbels, five to ten rays, pale mauve, almost white, delicately pretty. The seed clusters are very symmetrical and the seeds fall as soon as ripe. The plant is bright green, shining, glabrous and intensely foetid.

Cultivation: Sow in mild, dry weather in April, in shallow drills, about 1/2 inch deep and 8 or 9 inches apart, and cover it evenly with the soil. The seeds are slow in germinating. The seeds may also be sown in March, in heat, for planting out in May.As the seeds ripen, about August, the disagreeable odour gives place to a pleasant aroma, and the plant is then cut down with sickles and when dry the fruit is threshed out. Constituents-Coriander fruit contains about 1 per cent of volatile oil, which is the active ingredient. It is pale yellow or colourless, and has the odour of Coriander and a mild aromatic taste. The fruit yields about 5 per cent of ash and contains also malic acid, tannin and some fatty matter.

Coriander fruit of the British Pharmacopoeia is directed to be obtained from plants cultivated in Britain, the fruit before being submitted to distillation being brushed or bruised.

The English-grown are said to have the finest flavour, though the Russian and German are the richest in oil. The Mogadore are the largest and brightest, but contain less oil, and the Bombay fruit, which are also large, are distinguished by their oval shape and yield the least oil of any.

Medicinal Action and Uses---Stimulant, aromatic and carminative. The powdered fruit, fluid extract and oil are chiefly used medicinally as flavouring to disguise the taste of active purgatives and correct their griping tendencies. It is an ingredient of the following compound preparations of the Pharmacopceia: confection, syrup and tincture of senna, and tincture and syrup of Rhubarb, and enters also into compounds with angelica gentian, jalap, quassia and lavender. As a corrigent to senna, it is considered superior to other aromatics.

If used too freely the seeds become narcotic.

Coriander water was formerly much esteemed as a carminative for windy colic.

References:

1. http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/corian99.html
2.  Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
3. Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf, Domestication of plants in the Old World, third edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), pp. 205–206
4. Fragiska, M. (2005). "Wild and Cultivated Vegetables, Herbs and Spices in Greek Antiquity". Environmental Archaeology 10 (1): 73–82.
5. Chadwick, John (1976). The Mycenaean World. Cambridge University Press. p. 119.

Ginger Cultivation Basics

Ginger is an important spice crop of the world .Its scientific name is Zingiber officinale.Its a valuable cash crop and plays an important role in aurvedic medicines in India .It has been used for cleaning body through perspiration,to calm down nausea,and to stimulate the appetite.Ginger tea is used as carminative and in the symptomatic treatment of colds.Ginger contains gingerol, an oleo resin that accounts for the characteristic aroma and therapeutic properties.Components of gingerol posses beneficial properties for the treatment of poor digestion,heart burn,vomiting and preventing motion sickness.

 

Climate and soil

Ginger requires tropical,subtropical and humid climate for its commercial production.It can be successfully grown to an altitude of 1500mt.A well distributed rainfall during growing season and dry season during the land preparation as well as before harvesting is required for good growth and

yield of the crop. Dry weather with a temperature range of 28-30 degree Centigrade for about a month before harvesting is ideal . High humidity throughout the crop period is necessary. Ginger prefers good garden soil, rich in humus, light, loose, friable, well drained and of at least 30 cm depth. Rhizome growth is better on slightly acidic soil.

Varieties

Most promising varieties of ginger are Himgiri,Varad,surbhi,suruchi,Ernas,Nadia,Maran,Rio de jenerio and China.

Planting

In northern India, planting of Ginger is done on the onset of monsoon. In Eastern India planting is done in the month of march.The method of land preparation depends on the soil and climatic conditions.Usually beds of 1.0 mt width ,15 cm height, and 6-7 metre in length with 30 cm wide channels between beds are made. Ginger is universally propagated from cutting of Rhizome known as bits. A direct relationship has been established between size of planting material and final yield. Bits should be 3-5cm in the length, 15- 20gm in weight and at least one sound bud .A seed rate of 15-20 Quintal per hectare is considered to be optimum for planting. Before planting bits should be treated with fungicide like carbendazim and mancozeb by dissolving the 30 gm of powder in 15 litres of water as a safeguard against soft rot and to induce early sprouting.The spacing for planting of the ginger should be kept 25-45 cm between rows and 15-20 cm between plants.

Manures and Fertilizers

Well rotten FYM or compost at the rate of 25-30 ton/hectare should be applied at the time of planting. The amount of inorganic fertilizer depend upon the fertility of the soil and organic manure used. It ranges between 100-120 kg nitrogen, 75-80 kg of phosphorus and 100 -120 kg of Murat of potash.It is advisable to add 20-25 kg of elemental sulphur at the time of land preparation to correct the deficiency of sulphur which is increasing in Indian soils. Half of nitrogen and entire quantity of phosphorus and Murat of potash should be given as basal.Rest of the nitrogen should be split in two doses as top dressing at the 45 and 90 days after planting.

Shade and mulching

One row of maize in every inter row space of ginger with maintenance of 100% maize population and application of additional fertilizer to maize additional yield of ginger can beobtained. Mulching is essential as it enhances sprouting ,increase infiltration and organic matter .

First mulching should be done at the time of planting with quick rotting green leaves at the rate of 10-12 t/hectare or with dry leaves at the rate 5-6 t/hectare.

Water management

The crop raised in the month of April-May needs 2-4 initial watering at an interval of 7 days depending upon the soil types. After this the crop receives monsoon rain and comes up well till end of September . Subsequently the crop has to be given watering commencing from middle of October and the end of December at 15 days intervals. In ginger cultivation sprouting, rhizome initiation and rhizome development are critical stages of irrigation.

Weed management

Two weeding are generally given to the ginger crop.First weeding should be done just before the second mulching. It is repeated depending on the intensity of the weed growth or at an interval of 45-60 days. During hoeing , every care should be taken so that the rhizomes should not be disturbed, injured or exposed.

Plant Protection

To control shoot borer and leaf roller the spray of indoxacarb @ of 10 ml per 15 litre of water or novaluron@ of 10 ml per 15 litre of water is very effective if sprayed at 15 days interval. Rhizome scale insects destroys rhizome and it can be controlled by dipping the seed rhizome in quinalphos by dissolving 1 ml in 1 litre of water .To avoid rhizome rot , good drainage and treatment of the seed rhizome with dissolving 3 gm of combination of carbendazim and mancozeb ( readily available in the market) in 1 litre of water for nearly 30 minutes, before storage should be done. Bacterial wilt which causes milky ooze as gentle pressing of rhizomes and can be effectively controlled by treating the seed rhizome with dissolving 2 gm of streptocycln in 1 litre of water for 30 minutes.

Harvesting and yield

For fresh Ginger, the crop should be harvested before attaining the full maturity means when rhizomes are still tender, low in pungency and fiber content, usually from fifth month onwards after planting. Harvesting for the preserved ginger should be done after 5-7 months of planting while harvest for dried spices and oil is best at full maturity. i.e between 8-9 months after planting when leaves start yellowing. Rhizomes to be used for planting material should be harvested until the leaves become completely dry. After digging the rhizomes should be treated with fungicide like mancozeb @3-4 gm per litre of water , dried in shade , and stored in pits covered with 20 cm layer of sand alternating every 30 cm layer of rhizomes. These pits should be dug under a thatched roof to protect the rhizomes from rain, water and direct sun. Average yield varies from 12-15 tons per hectare. However recovery of dry ginger varies from 20-22%.

Washing and drying

After harvest, the fibrous roots attached to the rhizome should be trimmed off and soil is removed by washing. Rhizomes should be soaked in water overnight and then cleaned. The skin can be removed by scrapping with the correct instrument. Peeling or scraping reduces, drying time, thus minimizes mold growth and fermentation. However scraping process tends to remove some of the oils constituents which are more concentrated in the peel. By removing the outside Corky skin the fiber content also decreases. After scrapping, the rhizomes should be sun dried for a week with frequent turning and well rubbed by hand to remove the outer skin. This is called as the unbleached ginger . The peeled rhizomes should be repeatedly immersed in 2% lime solution for 6 hours and allowed to dry in the sun for 10 days while rhizome receive a uniform coating of lime and moisture content should be 8-10%. This is called as bleached ginger which has improved appearance with light bright colour.

The Modern Face Of Farming In The UK

John Hutchinson
LPS Special Correspondent

FEW nations have seen such enormous changes in their farming industry as the United Kingdom. Recent decades have not only brought farmers more than their fair share of drought and flood but also powerful new pressures on their livelihoods that their grandfathers, 50 years ago, could never have imagined.

These pressures are generated by the modern world’s economic, environmental and consumer forces that have changed the face of the entire agriculture and food-production industry in the UK.

As a result, the UK’s agricultural and food production and processing technologies have become some of the most advanced and most sought-after in the world. The downside for many farmers is the personal consequences of the inevitable contraction of an industry that once employed millions but now supports a full-time workforce of fewer than 400,000 people.

Today in England, farmers tend an impressive 80% of the country’s 130,000 square kilometres of land and yet the direct economic value of farming in the food they produce is less than 1% of the nation’s gross domestic product.

This tiny proportion hides the real and immeasurable economic value of farming in terms of the raw materials that feed the UK’s major food processing industry, the new generations of energy crops for cleaner fuels, and the enormous benefit for the UK public in the shape of attractive landscapes that provide a fertile field for the growth industry of rural tourism – a sector that today is worth more in economic terms than farming.

Increasingly, these developments are being encouraged not only by government policies in the UK but also by the farming community. Modern farms are getting bigger but profits are dropping and farm incomes are at the lowest levels since the 1930s, while more than 40,000 jobs have been lost in farming in the past two years alone.

Many UK farmers are weathering the storm by becoming more productive. In the past 18 months the total area under crops has increased by 3% to nearly four million hectares, with wheat up by 20% at nearly 1.9 million hectares. At 21 million tonnes, the UK’s wheat and barley harvest marked a 17% increase over 2001.

Cheap grain from the Ukraine has contributed to a drop in grain prices for UK farmers but the UK’s National Farmers’ Union sees a confident future.

The overall wheat market looks promising for UK suppliers, reports a National Farmers’ Union spokesman. World production levels have fallen, especially in the United States, Canada and Australia, while new markets are opening up in north Africa and Asia.

Livestock, overshadowed today by UK’s grain and horticultural sectors, saw reductions of between 2- and 5% in dairy and beef breeding herds. Horticulture, by contrast, is a vibrant and growing feature of UK agriculture, with the UK leading the way internationally in research, development and environmental stewardship. Horticulture output today is worth almost two billion pounds sterling, more than 10% of the total industry.

Farming in UK also contributes strongly to a thriving export business in foodstuffs that rose to more than 4.8 billion pounds in the first six months of 2002 alone.

Defra - the government’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - is striving to help UK farmers survive and prosper, balancing the priorities of ensuring competitively priced food for UK and overseas markets with the need for high standards of safety, environmental care, animal welfare and a sustainable, efficient food chain – while maintaining the essential character of rural communities. Government forecasts point to a 9% growth in farming income this year.

Farmers are also contributing more effectively to government environmental schemes. Direct state ownership of production farms has long since ended but more than 25,000 farmers are now involved in government initiatives and in recent years 400 flourishing farmers’ markets have opened to offer producers scope to sell direct to their customers. Nearly 80,000 farmers and growers are members of farm assurance schemes.

The UK’s leisure and tourist industry, too, is presenting new opportunities for farmers. In the past 20 years an estimated 15,000 farmers have introduced products or services for the leisure market, from big pleasure and educational parks to small-scale facilities for holidaymakers.

Meanwhile the system of state support to food producers is under review with farmers, consumers and the government increasingly anxious to ensure Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) develops as an integrated rural development policy.

Reforms to the policy get the support of UK farmers, although the industry is concerned that changes to the proposed phasing-in of farm support to new member states could affect farmers.

Farmers do not see any major competitive threat arising from the introduction of new member states into the European Union (EU), says the National Farmers’ Union. We broadly agree with the proposed EU position on agriculture in the enlargement talks.

Meanwhile another initiative for UK farmers to grasp is new scope for growing green fuels. Research shows almost one fifth of arable land could be devoted to crops for conversion into bio-fuels.

This promises to be one of the most dramatic shifts in the function of farming in recent history, says the National Farmers’ Union. It will provide new opportunities for farmers and will be excellent news for the environment. With such initiatives, UK agriculture is preparing to look ahead to a cleaner, productive and more stable future.

Source : http://www.agriworld.nl/

Wheat: Planning for better yield (بہتر پیداوار کے لئے منصوبہ بندی: گندم)

The wheat is sown the world over on an area touching 220 million hectares producing 600 million tons with an average of 2700 kg. of grain per hectare.

The Main land China brings 30 million hectares the largest are in the world followed by Russian Federation, India, USA, Australia, Canada, Turkey and Pakistan.

As far as the highest yield is concerned, France produces 7200 kg per hectare. Who leads other countries because it has much longer growing season of winter wheat? It is rather more appropriate to compare our wheat grain yields with countries of similar climatic and eco-zones, like Mexico and Egypt. Their yields are much higher owing both genetic constitution of cultivars and environment provided to them to express their biological potential.

Since Mexico and Pakistan are located in analogous ecological zones therefore, introduction of Mexican varieties in the country in sixties verities in the country in sixties ushered an era of green revolution. But unfortunately the pace of development could not be maintained for long and we now lag much behind the Mexican yields, who have gone for ahead of us producing 3900 Kg. of wheat grain per hectare as compared to 2491 K. for us in the year 1999, the best season. According to FAO statistics for 1995, among spring wheat growing countries Egypt has fantastic yield by producing 5422 kg. of grain per hectare where as Indian Punjab producing 4090 kg. and even India leads us in average yield by producing 2559 kg. notwithstanding three times largest area as compared to ours.

In our country wheat is cultivated largely (80 per cent), in irrigated areas whereas, rest in rain-fed. The yield and production in latter part of the country is predominantly controlled by rains during growing season, which usually are erratic. Hence yields are much lower during season of low precipitation.

There are of course three kinds of wheat cultivars, the long duration, the medium and short duration varieties. The wheat yields usually start declining after 20th Nov sowing at the rate of 20 kg per day.

Hence efforts must be made to plant it at optimum time. In cotton areas the sticks are by and large used as fuel in domestic house hold. Big heaps of cotton sticks can be seen along the roadside and in villages.

There is a great need to educate growers as to how much yield is last due to burning of sticks. So as to restores the soil fertility at least 80 per cent sticks may be buried in soil. In order to enhance the decomposition half a bag of urea per acre may be incorporated in the soil after the stick burial.

In view of numerous benefits through the addition of organic matter from cotton sticks, may be made mandatory for each farmer. In case wheat sowing is delayed owing to late maturity of cotton, wheat may be sown in standing crop, if there is low or no incidence of weeds. However in rice tract wheat should be sown on proper time immediately after crop harvest. In rice zone a sizable area must be brought under this season legumes, the chickpeas and lentils. It is of course not so difficult to reap their yields up to 1000 kg per acre, which will bring more finances to the growers as compared to raising wheat.

Adequate quantity of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash may be applied to harvest maximum grain. If phosphorus is added adequately it will not only help to realize good harvest, the following crop of cotton shall utilize the remaining residual phosphorus, without adding more of this element to cotton.

In my opinion there are three main factors, which largely contribute towards low wheat yields, the optimum time of sowing, prevalence of high intensity of weeds, imbalance use of fertilizer. The low level of organic matter is also important for holding the yield. In irrigated areas the crop is generally sown either after the harvest of cotton or paddy.

In most of the cases it is customary that farmers neither add organic matter nor farmyard manure to maintain fertility, thus resulting in low yields. In order to sow wheat at optimum time the cotton breeders in collaboration with cotton agronomists must try to reduce the life span of cotton crop without hampering the yield and deteriorating the quality of lint. In this way not only have substantial saving on the management of cotton but also timely sowing of wheat to realize maximum yields. As far as weeds are concerned it is estimated that decline in wheat yield ranges from 15 to 40 per cent or even more in some cases, which is indeed a great loss towards food self-sufficiency.

As my experience goes tit is much worst in certain localities where it appears as if wheat is an unwarted and obnoxious plant. It is in fact a glaring negligence on the part of extension workers and the grower himself.

The extension workers with the help of farmers may try to delineate the areas of high infestation of "Dumbi Sitti" and wild oats.

The farmers in such areas may be advised to control them through agronomic practices or herbicide treatment or removing the weed plants just after earring because at that stage it is easy to differentiate between both the weed and wheat plants.

If these weeds are not controlled now they will spread like a wild fire in coming years in whole of wheat areas. Thee weeds have capability to produce large quantities of seed, which is always shed before wheat harvest. Henceforth infestation increases at an alarming pace. These two weeds along with "It Sit" can be used as biological warfare in agriculture. On the other hand in barani areas "Pohalli" is quite a common weed, which can be easily seen while travelling by air, road or rail after the harvest of wheat.

The abundance of this weed undoubtedly is a main factor for low yield in the area. The Pohalli remain green much after harvest of crop. At that time it is an appropriate time to launch a campaign to eradicate it by uprooting and burning. Two or three exercise will help to whip out the weed in barani areas. Henceforth this year may be declared a Pohalli eradication year. The road sides and sides of rail tracks may also be cleared of it.

The pace of yield increase per hectare during past twenty years has been awfully poor rather frustrating since 1980 to 01. The population growth however, over whelmed the increase in yield per unit area therefore; the enlarged demand of wheat consumption was met by bringing more area under crop.

Which certainly is not a good omen. But for how long increase in area under crop shall come to our rescue. This problem has to be tackled through serious and wise planning and execution.

First of all we shall have to get rid of non-technocrats from lowest level to highest in the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock and induct able selfless agricultural scientists but not the pseudo ones. More funds have to be infused for research and transfer of technology. At the same time we must motivate the general public to diversify the so-called dietary pattern, is greatly imbalanced, which required to be substituted by balanced through intake of nutritive food, so as to reduce unnecessary burden on wheat. Besides this we must substantially boost yield per unit area. Thus placing this area under oil seeds, vegetables, fruits, pulses, and flowers. Also considerable area may be brought under fodder to raise ore animals for milk and meat production. Last but not the least we ought to arrest population growth.

With the improvement in agronomic practices we must try to equate with Egyptian or across the Punjab wheat yields in less than three or at the most five years.

Storage facilities: There are many stored grain pests, which destroy a considerable quantity of produce while in store in villages. Efforts may be made to eliminate the losses. If these losses are controlled it is possible that we may not have to import food grains any longer.

Courtesy Daily Dawn, 10 December 2001

New Agri-Technology

A new method of rice farming

New Delhi: In Kerala, where paddy cultivation is going out of favour because of labour problems and high costs, the novel System of Rice Intensification’ (SRI) has shown the potential to rehabilitate this crop.

This innovative technique ensures substantially higher productivity and lower input use. The SRI system has, in fact, proved its utility in many other regions as well, spanning Sikkim in the north-east to Tamil Nadu in the south.

The environment-friendly SRI method of growing rice involves transplanting relatively young paddy seedlings (eight to 10 days old instead of usual 20 days or more), along with the soil that contains their roots. The spacing between plants and rows is kept relatively wide at around 25 cms to provide room for the robust growth of both root and plant.

Plant nutrients are supplied largely through farm-yard manure, supplemented with need-based fertiliser applications. The most significant aspect of SRI is that the fields are not kept submerged under water all the time, as is usual in rice farming, but are allowed to remain just wet without flooding.

The success of SRI technology in most places where it has been tried in the past few years has led to its promotion in a big way by Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs or agricultural science centres) and other farm research bodies under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). What makes the SRI method an instant hit with paddy growers is the saving of almost all key inputs (water, seed, fertilisers, pesticides and labour), and a perceptible spurt in crop productivity, which has, of late, tended to stagnate at many places.

The saving on water, which is rapidly turning scarce in most paddy-growing tracts, can be 30 to 40 per cent or more; that of costly seeds over 50 per cent. The reduction in the requirement of other inputs varies according to field conditions.

Higher crop yields in SRI fields are attributed to several factors. Since the seedlings are planted along with the soil in which these are growing, it helps the undisturbed roots to develop more profusely and enables it to tap more nutrients from the soil. This, in turn, facilitates a larger number of tillers (shoots) per root-system, vigorous plant growth and, more importantly, longer panicles (ear-heads) to accommodate more grain per plant.

Moreover, the fact that the seedlings are planted in wide-apart rows makes it easier for farmer to remove weed and other rogue plants that normally compete with the main crop for extracting nutrition from soil.

SRI fields also have a lower incidence of pests and diseases, mainly on account of lower humidity because the fields are not kept inundated. Overall crop yields have been found to surge by anywhere between 20 and 100 per cent over those obtained with normal cultivation practices.

The introduction of the SRI technique in different states has shown that it works well with both high-yielding varieties and local varieties of paddy. In east Sikkim, for instance, where farmers tend to grow only traditional varieties, such as Attey, Krishnabhog and Dudhetulsi, the new method enabled farmers to bag, on average, over 23 quintals of grain per hectare, against 19.6 quintals with conventional method, in kharif 2009-10. Farmers earned an average net return of around Rs 25,550 per hectare, more than double the production cost of Rs 10,950, according to sources in the KVK run by the ICAR Research Complex for the north-eastern hilly region, located in East Sikkim district.

In the Nellanad area of Thiruvananthapuram, where the SRI technology has been introduced by the local KVK in collaboration with the Coimbatore-based Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, farmers have reportedly reaped a paddy harvest of nearly 7 tonnes per hectare, against the state’s average crop productivity of 3 to 3.5 tonnes a hectare. This has spurred the state government to include the promotion of SRI in its overall agricultural development policy. Kerala’s example can surely be emulated elsewhere.

Similar encouraging results have been reported from Tamil Nadu’s key paddy belt in the Mettur dam command area where the uncertainty over the release of canal water from this dam has been posing problems for paddy growers. With the SRI technique, farmers can manage comfortably with whatever water is available.
Courtesy: Business Standard

New farming techniques produce more food, while protecting land in Nicaragua

New farming techniques produce more food, while protecting land in Nicaragua

Aug 22, 2012

Indigenous people in Nicaragua's Rio Coco region bring their harvest downstream.
Photo: ACT Alliance/CWS/Don Tatlock

Even in the face of the grinding poverty that is a fact of life for indigenous people living in climate-challenged regions of northern Nicaragua, some families are not just using new techniques to grow bigger and better crops, but also working to generate income by selling their surplus produce.
That was the message from a delegation from Nicaraguan organization Christian Medical Action, AMC, in a recent visit to partner Church World Service (CWS), a longtime supporter of AMC's work in the Central American country and a member of ACT Alliance. The delegation was in Washington, D.C. to attend a conference.
Francisco Gutierrez, programme officer and a former executive director of AMC, told of how in 2005, 30 children in the Rio Coco area of northern Nicaragua faced starvation because rats had eaten all the food. AMC intervened with emergency food and also provided seeds, animals and technological assistance to struggling families in the community. As a result, malnourished children at risk for permanent physical and mental developmental defects have regained their health, and nutritionally diverse crops are thriving on farms and in family gardens.
AMC leaders attribute the progress toward food security in a region challenged by climate change and weather disasters – like Hurricane Mitch in 1998 – to the families' embrace of programs aimed at training, teaching and transfer of technology.
"I have learned that there is a lot of capacity and knowledge in this population," says Gutierrez. "The people here only need support so that they can develop their capabilities."
That is precisely what is happening at six CWS-supported demonstration farms, where some 5,000 people already have learned sustainable farming techniques ranging from organic pest control to crop diversification and soil conservation. These model farms include food storage facilities, a water source, seeds and tools, animal spaces, and plots for growing fruit, grains and vegetables.
Program participants then share what they already know from experience and what they have learned at the demonstration farms with other farmers and gardeners in their communities and beyond. AMC also promotes sustainable agriculture techniques in Matagalpa, an impoverished area of central Nicaragua. Already, the expertise gained by people in the Matagalpa communities is being transferred to indigenous people along the Rio Coco river who own land but lack the techniques necessary to get the most from that valuable resource. The Rio Coco program, implemented by AMC, is supported by CWS through the Foods Resource Bank.
"These demonstration farms empower communities to draw upon their own knowledge to help themselves," says Gutierrez. The net result is the kind of broad information and experience sharing that is reaching beyond either Matagalpa or Rio Coco to help AMC and its partners in other areas develop a regional strategy for improving food security.
Some 80 landless participants in the program in Matagalpa are working land owned by AMC, under a program that facilitates their actual purchase of the land over a period of years. The land grant program is also supported by CWS CROP Hunger Walk funds. Gutierrez says that several families actually have completed the purchase of their land over the past seven years.
With the greater crop yields resulting from smarter farming comes a larger amount of surplus produce not needed for family meals that could be sold to earn income to pay for other necessities. To that end, Gutierrez says AMC is lobbying the government to support efforts to help people get their goods to market for sale.
And what would success look like for communities participating in the program? The security of access to nutritionally diverse food throughout the year, the ability to sell surplus food at a fair price, and increased awareness of the need to protect the environment even as the personal and economic needs of families and communities are being met.

This article originally appeared at Church World Service (CWS). To view the original article

Promotion olive Cultivation for economic development in poverty alleviation

Promotion olive Cultivation for economic development in poverty alleviation

The plans to plant olive saplings in KP and the rest of Pakistan can bear fruit

By Tahir Ali

With high global demand and rising prices in the international market and Pakistan’s annual edible oil import bill exceeding $2bn, the rationale of recent olive cultivation initiatives in the country cannot be overemphasized. Olive demand globally is on the rise. Germans are using five times more and British ten times more olive than they did in 1990. In America, olive demand is growing by 6pc annually for two decades now. Olive prices in world market have doubled to $3,400 a ton recently. Pakistan has over 0.8mn hectares of wasteland suitable for olive cultivation. An official of the now defunct Pakistan Oil Seeds Development Board (PODB) had told this writer that by covering the area with olive plants, Pakistan can produce around 1.84mn tons of olive oil. This would fetch over $6bn at the current rate of olive in world market. The Pakistan agricultural research council (PARC) has begun implementing the project “Promotion of olive cultivation for economic development and poverty alleviation” whereby olive plants will be cultivated on 300 hectares in Balochistan, 100 hectares in KP, 300 hectares in federally administered tribal areas and 100 hectares in the Pothohar region of Punjab. The Rs382mn project to be completed in three years is being under the Pakistan Italian debt-for-development swap agreement.

The Punjab Agriculture and Meat Company also plans to develop 10 certified nurseries. These nurseries –being opened through private sector in Attock, Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Jehlum and Khushab districts –would have a catchment area of 27000 acres and would have an impact of $78mn. The potential area suitable for olive cultivation is around 8mn acres in Punjab of which 0.4mn is being targeted though this initiative. Total impact of this land, if covered, would be $1.16bn.

Similarly, in KP’s budget for 2012-13, a Rs100mn project –research and development on European olive and maintenance of model olive farm Sangbhatti Mardan –has been started and allocated Rs15mn this year. As the PODB stands dissolved, Sangbhatti olive farm, one of its assets, has been handed over to the directorate of agriculture research in KP. “The department will provide olive plantlets, grafts and buds produced in the Sangbhatti farm to farmers. Though the production of olive nursery is limited at present, it is nevertheless sufficient for the time being,” says an official of KP agriculture ministry wishing anonymity. “Despite our efforts, mass resort to olive plantation is however unlikely in the immediate future,” the official adds.

Pakistan has been unable to increase its olive acreage and yield for indifference by successive governments, lack of private sector’s interest, focus on other cash crops, security situation in KP and tribal belt, too few olive nurseries and marketing worries. It only has 1130 acres of land under productive olive trees and the crop is yet to be inserted into the cropping system. The question arises: will the new initiatives succeed?

While olive farmers usually grow olive haphazardly, the problem is multiplied by non-availability of standard olive plants and restricted mobility of local and foreign experts in the olive-rich but militancy-hit tribal belt, KP and Balochistan. This explains why there has been of late a shift of focus to other parts of the country. Olive acreage and yield could be increased by providing quality seed, polythene rolls for wrapping round the buds/grafts to save them from cold and moisture, modern training and marketing support to olive farmers. Have similar interventions been planned?

Pakistan has over 0.8mn hectares suitable area for olive but as most farmers on fertile lands prefer other crops, the potential area may be around 0.264mh. Even if a third of this area is brought under olive cultivation, around 25mn olive seedlings would be needed (@250 trees per hectare) over the next few years. Has this been considered? Pakistan need to shift to tissue culture technology, standardise its nursery production and open more germplasm units to provide enough olive seeds, buds and grafts. Olive tree usually bears fruit after 4-5 years. However, Sultan Ali Khan, a farmer from Swat, says his community had grafted around 40000 wild olive trees but only 5000 of them have been successful and have started bearing fruit after 7-8 years. Shafeeq Ahmad from Swari, Buner says an olive plant could bear over 40-45kg of fruit if sufficient care, protection, pesticides and fertilisers are provided to the plants.

“We planted 600 olive plants on a mountain ridge around ten years ago but it is yet to bear plentiful fruit. Bearing of fruit was late and paltry because the orchards could not be looked after well nor were provided sufficient and timely doses of fertiliser and pesticides as the farmers were not given guidance and help,” he tells TNS. Another problem is that very ambitious projects are launched but are later forgotten. For example, there is no mention of the projects of establishment of olive orchards in KP and that of research, development and promotion of olive in KP which were allocated funds in the last two budgets but not in this fiscal and have been left out incomplete. A report on the Malakand olive development prepared by ISCOS, an international organisation, had urged induction of more olive technicians, modern training for them and increase in their salaries, introduction of a system of reward for successful olive farmers, subsidized provision of olive plants, and interaction between all the stakeholders in the olive production chain. The PODB had converted quite a few wild olive plants into fruit bearing trees. That process needs to be continued.

The planners also need to ensure olive production is developed on commercial lines and its enterprises facilitated. Olives are grown by the methods of budding and grafting of wild olive trees or planting of new trees. However, farmers have found the method of grafting most successful. A research showed that around 80-90pc olive trees grown through T-Grafting technique from August to September were successful. The areas with an altitude between 400 and 1,700 meters, slope of 20°, rainfall between 250 mm and 1,000 mm and having a warm, semi arid, winter rain climate are mostly suitable for olive plants. Olive trees can endure low temperature of even -9° C but these can hardly tolerate it at vegetative stage. It however needs a bit low temperatures in winter to be able to produce good amount of inflorescences and flowers in spring. The common diseases in olive plants are trunk decay, sooty mould and peacock spot, which decay and dry up the tree. The olive trees need more nitrogenous fertilizer than phosphorous and potash. The latter two fertilizers should be mixed in the soil before planting of trees at the rate of 200 kg and 300 kg per hectare respectively. Best time of nitrogen fertilizer is pre-flowering and stone-hardening stage.

Reference by: "THE NEWS" (Dated: 07th Sept. 2012)

The New breed: Pakistan olive plantation intiatives

With high global demand and rising prices in the international market and Pakistan’s annual edible oil import bill exceeding $2bn, the rationale of recent olive cultivation initiatives in the country cannot be overemphasized.

Olive demand globally is on the rise. Germans are using five times more and British ten times more olive than they did in 1990. In America, olive demand is growing by 6% annually for two decades now. Olive prices in world market have doubled to $3,400 a ton recently.

Pakistan has over 0.8mn hectares of wasteland suitable for olive cultivation. An official of the now defunct Pakistan Oil Seeds Development Board (PODB) had told this writer that by covering the area with olive plants, Pakistan can produce around 1.84mn tons of olive oil. This would fetch over $6bn at the current rate of olive in world market.

Olive is used in foods, pickles, medicines, food preservation, textile industry and cosmetic preparation etc. Special restaurants dealing in olive foods have also been opened in various cities of the country.

The Pakistan agricultural research council (PARC) has begun implementing the project “Promotion of olive cultivation for economic development and poverty alleviation” whereby olive plants will be cultivated on 300 hectares in Baluchistan, 100 hectares in KP, 300 hectares in federally administered tribal areas and 100 hectares in the Pothohar region of Punjab.

The Rs382mn project to be completed in three years is being under the Pakistan Italian debt-for-development swap agreement.

The Punjab government has declared the Pothowar region as Olive Valley. It recently distributed thousands of olive plants amongst olive growers and trained them.

The Punjab Agriculture and Meat Company also plans to develop 10 certified nurseries. These nurseries –being opened through private sector in Attock, Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Jehlum and Khushab districts –would have a catchment area of 27000 acres and would have an impact of $78mn.

The potential area suitable for olive cultivation is around 8mn acres in Punjab of which 0.4mn is being targeted though this initiative. Total impact of this land, if covered, would be $1.16bn.

Similarly, in KP’s budget for 2012-13, a Rs100mn project –research and development on European olive and maintenance of model olive farm Sangbhatti Mardan –has been started and allocated Rs15mn this year.

As the PODB stands dissolved, Sangbhatti olive farm, one of its assets, has been handed over to the directorate of agriculture research in KP.

“The department will provide olive plantlets, grafts and buds produced in the Sangbhatti farm to farmers. Though the production of olive nursery is limited at present, it is nevertheless sufficient for the time being,” said an official of KP agriculture ministry wishing anonymity.

“Despite our efforts, mass resort to olive plantation is however unlikely in the immediate future,” the official added.

Pakistan has been unable to increase its olive acreage and yield for indifference by successive governments, lack of private sector’s interest, focus on other cash crops, security situation in KP and tribal belt, too few olive nurseries and marketing worries. It only has 1130 acres of land under productive olive trees and the crop is yet to be inserted into the cropping system.

The question arises: will the new initiatives succeed?

While olive farmers usually grow olive haphazardly, the problem is multiplied by non-availability of standard olive plants and restricted mobility of local and foreign experts in the olive-rich but militancy-hit tribal belt, KP and Baluchistan. This explains why there has been of late a shift of focus to other parts of the country.

Olive acreage and yield could be increased by providing quality seed, polythene rolls for wrapping round the buds/grafts to save them from cold and moisture, modern training and marketing support to olive farmers. Have similar interventions been planned?

Pakistan has over 0.8mn hectares suitable area for olive but as most farmers on fertile lands prefer other crops, the potential area may be around 0.264mh. Even if a third of this area is brought under olive cultivation, around 25mn olive seedlings would be needed (@250 trees per hectare) over the next few years. Has this been considered?

Pakistan need to shift to tissue culture technology, standardise its nursery production and open more germplasm units to provide enough olive seeds, buds and grafts.

Olive tree usually bears fruit after 4-5 years. However, Sultan Ali Khan, a farmer from Swat, said his community had grafted around 40000 wild olive trees but only 5000 of them have been successful and have started bearing fruit after 7-8 years.

Shafeeq Ahmad from Swari Buner said an olive plant could bear over 40-45kg of fruit if sufficient care, protection, pesticides and fertilisers are provided to the plants.

“We planted 600 olive plants on a mountain ridge around ten years ago but it is yet to bear plentiful fruit. Bearing of fruit was late and paltry because the orchards could not be looked after well nor were provided sufficient and timely doses of fertiliser and pesticides as the farmers were not given guidance and help,” he told the TNS.

Another problem is that very ambitious projects are launched but are later forgotten. For example, there is no mention of the projects of establishment of olive orchards in KP and that of research, development and promotion of olive in KP which were allocated funds in the last two budgets but not in this fiscal and have been left out incomplete.

A report on the Malakand olive development prepared by ISCOS, an international organisation, had urged induction of more olive technicians, modern training for them and increase in their salaries, introduction of a system of reward for successful olive farmers, subsidized provision of olive plants, sensitizing farmers against cutting and grazing of animals in olive orchards and an in-depth dialogue and interaction between all the stakeholders in the olive production chain.

The PODB had converted quite a few wild olive plants into fruit bearing trees. That process needs to be continued.

The planners also need to ensure olive production is developed on commercial lines and its enterprises facilitated.

Where and how to plant?

Olives are grown by the methods of budding and grafting of wild olive trees or planting of new trees. However farmers have found the method of grafting the most successful. A research showed that around 80-90% olive trees grown through T-Grafting technique from August to September were successful.

The areas with an altitude between 400 and 1,700 meters, slope of 20°, rainfall between 250 mm and 1,000 mm and having a warm, semi arid, winter rain climate are mostly suitable for olive plants.

Olive production varies on the basis of temperature and rainfall. Rain falls abundantly in March (olive flowering season) and in summer in Pakistan. This rain pattern could pose threats for the olive cultivation –the first may heavily reduce the production and the second –rainfall in summer –could make it prone to various plant diseases. It requires extra care and more use of pesticides.

Olive trees can endure low temperature of even -9° C but these can hardly tolerate it at vegetative stage. It however needs a bit low temperatures in winter to be able to produce good amount of inflorescences and flowers in spring.

Olives require well drained soils for adequate growth. Heavily clayish or sandy soils or one prone to water logging should be avoided.

The common diseases in olive plants are trunk decay, sooty mould and peacock spot, which decay and dry up the tree.

The olive trees need more nitrogenous fertilizer than phosphorous and potash. The latter two fertilizers should be mixed in the soil before planting of trees at the rate of 200 kg and 300 kg per hectare respectively. Best time of nitrogen fertilizer is pre-flowering and stone-hardening stage.