Agricultural technologies can increase global crop yields by 67pc

Pakistan, which has an agrarian economy, is not equipped to adapt to climate change because of its low technological and resource base.

It has suffered a loss of billions because of the floods in recent years. A new strategy is required to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The increased demand for food due to population and income growth and the impacts of climate change on agriculture will ratchet up the pressure for increased and more sustainable agricultural production to feed the planet.

A new report released on Wednesday by London-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) measures the impacts of agricultural innovation on farm productivity, prices, hunger, and trade flows as we approach 2050 and identifies practices which could significantly benefit developing nations.

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty.

The IFPRI was established in 1975 to identify and analyse alternative national and international strategies and policies for meeting the food needs of the developing world, with particular emphasis on low-income countries and on the poorer groups in those countries. “The book, Food Security in a World of Natural Resource Scarcity: The Role of Agricultural Technologies, released today, examines 11 agricultural practices and technologies and how they could help farmers around the world improve the sustainability of growing three of the world’s main staple crops – maize, rice, and wheat,” the report said.

Using a first-of-its-kind data model, the IFPRI pinpoints the agricultural technologies and practices that can most significantly reduce food prices and food insecurity in developing nations. The study profiles 11 agricultural innovations: crop protection, drip irrigation, drought tolerance, heat tolerance, integrated soil fertility management, no-till farming, nutrient use efficiency, organic agriculture, precision agriculture, sprinkler irrigation, and water harvesting.

The findings from the book indicate that no-till farming alone could increase maize yields by 20 percent, but also irrigating the same no-till fields could increase maize yields by 67 percent in 2050.

Nitrogen-use efficiency could increase rice crop yields by 22 percent, but irrigation increased the yields by another 21 percent.

Heat-tolerant varieties of wheat could increase crop yields from a 17 percent increase to a 23 percent increase with irrigation.

Yet, no single silver bullet exists. “The reality is that no single agricultural technology or farming practice will provide sufficient food for the world in 2050,” said Mark Rosegrant, lead author of the book and director of IFPRI’s Environment and Production Technology Division. “Instead we must advocate for and utilise a range of these technologies in order to maximise yields.”

However, it is realistic to assume that farmers in the developing world and elsewhere would adopt a combination of technologies as they become more widely available. If farmers were to stack agricultural technologies in order of crop production schedules, the combination of agricultural technologies and practices could reduce food prices by up to 49 percent for maize, up to 43 percent for rice, and 45 percent for wheat due to increased crop productivity. The technologies with the highest percentage of potential impact for agriculture in developing countries include no-till farming, nitrogen-use efficiency, heat-tolerant crops, and crop protection from weeds, insects, and diseases.

The anticipated negative effects of climate change on agricultural productivity as well as projected population growth by 2050, suggest that food insecurity and food prices will increase. For example, climate change could decrease maize yields by as much as 18 percent by 2050–making it even more difficult to feed the world if farmers cannot adopt agricultural technologies that could help boost food production in their regions.

“One of the most significant barriers to global food security is the high cost of food in developing countries,” Rosegrant explained. “Agricultural technologies used in combinations tailored to the crops grown and regional differences could make more food more affordable – especially for those at risk of hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.”

However, based on current projections, stacked technologies could reduce food insecurity by as much as 36 percent. Making this a reality, however, depends on farmers gaining access to these technologies and learning how to use them. This underscores the need for improved agricultural education to ensure that farmers are able to use the best available technologies for their region and resources.

The IFPRI highlights three key areas for investments prioritising effective technology use: increasing crop productivity through enhanced investment in agricultural research; developing and using resource-conserving agricultural management practices such as no-till farming, integrated soil fertility management, improved crop protection, and precision agriculture.

Shahid Husain
Monday, February 17, 2014, Source: International The News

Scientific truth about agri biotechnology

NASIR BUTT

Introduction of new technologies has always been resisted in any field by the people who are the beneficiaries of the status-quo and those afraid of any new technology. Same thing is happening to agriculture in Pakistan and there is heated debate in the country on the introduction of genetically-modified or biotech crops, although data shows it is the most rapidly adopted crop technology in the history of modern agriculture.
Introduced first in 1996, today genetically-modified or biotech crops are being grown by millions of farmers across the globe – from the United States to Philippines. According to the latest report of International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), which has been tracking global biotech crop adoption trends since the inception of biotechnology in 1996, the global adoption of biotech crops continued to rise in 2012 with new countries realising the benefits. Hectarage of biotech crops increased every single year between 1996-2012 with double-digit growth rates, reflecting the confidence and trust of millions of risk-averse farmers around the world in both developing and industrial countries.At a time when the world is turning to science and technology, particularly biotechnology, to meet much-needed challenges in agriculture, Pakistan seems to be lacking a national strategy and plan of action to fully use this revolutionary science.
While there is a disinformation and misinformation campaign because of lack of understanding of agri-sciences, the voices of the experts, who know what agricultural biotechnology exactly is, are being ignored. Biotech crops are not new to Pakistan. Pakistan has already embraced crop biotechnology by commercialising Bt cotton (although through informal channel). According to the ISAAA, Pakistan is among the 10 countries which grew biotech crops on more than one million hectares in 2012. Now, Pakistan is in the process of approving GM corn, whose field trials have been completed as per government rules and regulations for commercial cultivation.
Before clarifying myths that are propagated by anti-science and low-quality seed companies, we must know that what exactly biotechnology is and how it works. Have you ever wondered where our crops come from and what were they like thousands of years ago, or hundreds of years ago? The truth is that our food crops today are in fact very different from the original wild plants from which they were derived. The fact is that crop biotechnology is just an evolution of traditional agricultural methods and merely an extension of traditional breeding.
Almost all GM crops are based on two well-established and rigorously tested technologies. First, Bt crops produce a bacterial protein known as Bacillus thuringiensis. It’s naturally occurring—and it’s widely used by organic farmers to selectively kill pest insects. Genetically engineered Bt crops simply produce their own Bt. The effects are identical to what happens on organic farms—which is what makes protests against genetically-engineered Bt crops seem so bizarre to scientists. The net result is that Bt crops increase yields because farmers lose fewer crops to insect pests.
The other major GM crops are those designed to be herbicide-tolerant, most commonly glyphosate, and better known as Roundup. Glyphosate is biodegradable and breaks down rapidly in the environment. Because the weed killer is more powerful and less toxic than the chemicals that it competed with, farmers quickly adopted glyphosate.
In case of GM corn, plants have been genetically modified to have agronomic desirable traits. Traits that have been engineered into corn include resistance to insect pests and herbicide tolerance. It means that GM corn makes a protein that kills specific insect pests without the use of insecticides. Besides, it can also reduce the losses caused by weeds. In a nutshell, GM corn is just an improved version of traditional corn and can be the solution to the major problems (insect pests and weeds) our corn farmers are facing today. The GM corn has the capability of significantly reducing the losses caused by certain chewing insect pests and weeds which in turn results in higher production. This transgenic maize provides in-plant protection with dual modes of action to protect against certain above-ground pests that plague Pakistani farmers including the corn Stem borer, (Chilo partellus), American Bollworm (Helicoverpa Armigera), army worm (Spodoptera Litura) and beet armyworm (Spodoptera Exigua). It also provides the corn plant with tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup(r) brand agricultural herbicides, opening up new possibilities for weed control for Pakistani farmers. This technology is also environment friendly because use of pesticides will decrease considerably.
Therefore, the scientific truth is that biotechnology is just a refinement of breeding techniques that have been used to improve plants for thousands of years. This technology is simply a more precise science, so scientists are able to isolate a specific gene to make exact changes to a crop. Scientists around the world agree that the risks associated with crop plants developed using biotechnology are the same as those for similar varieties developed using traditional breeding methods.

Source: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk

Banana peels as a substitute for petroleum based plastic

Sunday, 7 July 2013

Elif Bilgin has come up with an unusual idea - using banana peels as a substitute for petroleum based plastic.

Image Source: sorion.tumblr.com

The 16 year old student from Istanbul has spent the past two years perfecting the process to make a bioplastic from discarded banana peels. She hopes that, in time, the method can be utilised to produce plastics for electric cable insulation.

On Thursday, her efforts paid off when Scientific American named her the winner of its $50,000 Science in Action prize, a stepping stone to the Google Science Fair for young inventors in California this September.

In her research, Bilgin — who says, "science is my calling" — determined that if starch and cellulose from such food waste as mango skins can be used to make bioplastics, then banana peels ought to do the trick, too.

"For me, this means that my project actually has a potential to be a solution to the increasing pollution problem caused by petroleum-based plastic," said Bilgin, who counts Nobel laureate Marie Curie among her heroes.

"It also means that I have started the process of changing the world, which makes me feel like a winner already," she said.
Source: rawstory.com

Latest tech is the future of agriculture in Pakistan

Sunday, 7 July 2013

Experts at an international seminar on Tuesday called for promotion of environment-friendly agricultural practices like precision cultivation to increase productivity and to reduce the input cost.

The seminar titled Technology, Energy and Natural Resources was arranged by the Department of Environmental Sciences of GC University, Faisalabad (GCUF) and was presided over by Acting Vice Chancellor and Faculty of Science and Technology Dean Dr Naureen Aziz Qureshi.

Image Source: http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/571664-hitechagriculture-1372811370-670-640x480.jpg

Experts who spoke on the occasion included Dr Qamaruz Zaman and Dr Tri Ngyuen Quang from Canada’s Dalhousie University and Department of Environmental Sciences GCUF Chairman Dr Farhat Abbas. Dr Schumann from University of Florida also addressed the seminar via video conferencing.

Prof Dr Naureen Aziz said that it was important to make efficient use of natural resources and at the same time maintaining international standards.

She said that glaciers were melting drastically due to climate changes and after 50 years, the country would be left with few glaciers if the trends remained unchanged. She stressed the need to shift from flood irrigation to drip irrigation to conserve water.

She said water efficiency in Pakistan was only 40 percent and added that per capita water availability was down to 1,000 cubic metres.

Prof Dr Qamarur Zaman said that the world population would touch 9 billion a few decades.

In order to meet agricultural needs with limited resources, Pakistan would have to shift focus to precision agriculture.

Dr Tri was of the view that the advanced technology would be very useful to countries with a warm climate like Pakistan.

Dr Farhad Abbas said, “We are wasting our resources in agriculture because of our reluctance to switch from traditional methods.” He also talked about using environment-friendly practices at par with modern trends.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2013.

Farming the Ocean

Many scientists believe that we have a lot of potential to produce aquatic animals and plants in order to meet the ever raising food requirement of the world. The ocean covers a majority of the Earth’s surface, and the likely for producing food is marvelous. While we have harvested wild fish and other aquatic animals for centuries, hard work to actually farm the ocean have been small. With all of the immeasurable amounts of water, it is just a matter of time before research gives us the means to use this resource to grow food in a controlled manner. The effects could be just as great as when people began to develop the wild plants from which they gathered food. Just think of how much more corn or wheat is grow in a modern field compared to the amount gathered in wild fields. The same could be true for the animals gathered from the ocean.

In many places in the world the ocean is filled with plant life. Off the coast of many countries grow giant forests of algae called Kelp. These plants begin as tiny plantlets, and some species grow to a height of almost 200 feet. During the growth process these plants may puts on more than two feet of new growth per day.

Several uses have been found for this plant. One abstract, alginic acid, is used in making tires, as an ingredient in ice cream, and in the manufacturing of paints. Also, kelp is high in vitamins and minerals and is used for food in Asia. Considering that this plant grows well in an area that has received little attention from agriculture and the many uses that can be made of it, the potential is high as an agricultural product.

Source: Oasis Agro Industries Pakistan

MODERN AGRICULTURE-HOW TO PROCEED

Ali Ahsan Bajwa, Dr. Muhammad Farooq, Usman Zulfiqar

Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38040.Pakistan
http://www.agrinfobank.com 

I guess change is the only constant in world. Everything has to change with time sooner or later. Agriculture is one of the most important and old occupations. People used to grow crops and rear animals to meet their food and accommodation requirements since ancient times. These requirements have climbed enormously with the passage of time. Agriculture has changed and is still changing with modern trends of time. Modern agriculture is quite different from conventional one. Previously lands were disturbed with bullocks and seeds were dispersed by hands. A person used to grow grains and grasses on small piece of land by adding dunghill of his domestic animals to feed his family and the same animals. Milk, meat and eggs were available at the cost on-farm produced grains and forage. Groundwater was sweet enough to drink, to bath and to grow crops and vegetables. Yields far below than present levels, were sufficient to feed farming community and to earn necessary money through give and take trading system. Lands were blackish with maximum organic matter and crop produce was pure and healthy. Incidence of diseases in plants and animals were not as much frequent and severe as now. Meanwhile, people were contended with lesser income and profits. Environment was safe due to the absence of agro-chemicals, synthetic fertilizers, growth regulators, heavy machinery, industry and luxury. This was the story of old agriculture which is not prevalent anymore because of elevated levels of population, increased urbanization, industrialization, commercialization, rising desire for money and eagerness for so-called “modernization”.

Threats:

Modern agriculture in my opinion is a broad spectrum term covering all the advances being used in agriculture to enhance per unit production and per capita availability of food. It relates to the production process and marketing regimes. Modern agriculture requires heavy inputs along with mechanization to ensure maximum production. The process of crop production begins from sowing. The manipulation of soil for the provision of good environment to plants is necessary. This process of soil tillage and its intensity in modern agriculture is of key importance. It has been common practice to cultivate, shuffle and level the soil intensively at frequent basis. It is inevitable as people are trying to get more crops per year and then more production of each crop. Keeping in mind the fact that all the nutrients required to crop has to be taken up from soil, disturbance of soil becomes first priority. The same soil which was strong enough to provide essential elements to plants previously has become deficient of all. It is because of increased intensity of crops. Cropping intensity of Pakistan has increased from 25% to 150%. This much exploitation of soil has made it less fertile and less productive. People are trying to explore maximum potential and maximum crops from a unit area. Most of the time crops cultivated are exhaustive in nature. It means modern agriculture has also deviated from basic principles like planned crop rotations. There is no such involvement of restorative crops indeed. http://www.agrinfobank.com

Trend of monocropping has introduced the problems of specific weed flora development, insect-pests attacks, diseases incidence, weeds herbicide resistance, micronutrients deficiency and reduction in yield. Salient feature of modern agriculture is the maximum use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, growth regulators, soil conditioners, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, nematocides and wormicides. I refer “homicidal” as single but comprehensive word for all these. These are being added to the environment without any check just to have a quick control of problematic agents in crops. The farmer who was once reluctant to adopt these “poisons” has embraced the luxury and is blindly using all these. We are ridiculously feeding the earth with poisons to get blessings in the form of food grains, fruits and vegetables. Perhaps modern age has scratched the saying “as you sow, so shall you reap” from our greedy brains. Same dismal picture is for all natural sources like water, air, light, forests, deserts, mountains, flora, fauna and biodiversity. Modern man with its modern agriculture is playing havoc with all these beauties. Land is being degraded through accelerated erosion, salinity, waterlogging fertility loss. Ground water is no fit for irrigation because of more soluble salts and heavy metals in it. Rivers, lakes and oceans are being awarded with industrial effluents, agro-chemicals, municipal wastes and bio-excreta. Non-judicious use of farm machinery has increased fuel consumption, green house gases (GHGs) emission and soil degradation simultaneously. Oxides of N, O₂, C and S are being released through agro-ecosystem in biggest proportion which cause the haunting catastrophe of modern age, global warming. This mechano-chemical setup has induced drastic changes around the globe.

Global temperature is rising furiously, glaciers are melting and floods are coming. Rainfall patterns are changing that cause alternate flooding and drought onsets. Heat, cold, drought and submergence stresses are affecting the very same crop production due to which they prevails. Our needs have compelled us to apply the same irrational formula of production on livestock, poultry and fishery sectors. Factory-farming of meat and milk animals is also the “blessing” of modern agriculture. It is again due to increased food requirements. Animals are reared at sub-standard health conditions at commercial basis. High use of synthetic feed and regulators irrespective the animal health and requirement is done. It is an immoral way to fulfill food requirements by human-beings. Utilization of such chemicals offer sub-optimal conditions for animals and influence their health severely.

No doubt, science has gifted us modern technologies. These facilitate and provide ease, efficiency and perfection in agricultural processes. But the intensity, timing and frequency of their use make them blessing or calamity. In modern day agriculture focus is on resource exploitation, energy exploration, production enhancement and profit maximization. Food quality management, environmental protection, economic stability, moral obligations, natural resource conservation and system sustainability has been given secondary importance. This is injustice with us, coming generations and nature.

Suggested solutions:

My knowledge is poor, my abilities are fragile, my intellect is faint and my experience is small but my sense of realization of this matter is bigger than me. That realization is key for thinking about solution. Being an agrarian I have some simple but pragmatic points that can help in this regard:

• Immediate adoption of resource conservation technologies
• Start moving towards conservation agriculture slowly but surely
• Adopt sustainable measures in farming
• Proper but minimum use of agro-chemicals along with mechanical, manual and cultural approaches to control agricultural pests may help a lot
• Ecological options like cover crops, intercropping and true crop rotations must be considered
• Agricultural lands should not be devoted for industry or urban settlements
• Water bodies must be protected and addition of drain’s water, industrial effluents and municipal wastes should be strictly banned
• Agro-forestry should be promoted to enhance sustainability and biodiversity
• Use of natural products, manures and amendments should be encouraged
• Integrated approaches must be adopted. As we can neither reduce our population nor leave modern agriculture but decrease in use of harmful technologies and increase in use of natural options is possible. So, integrated weed management (IWM), integrated pest management (IPM), integrated disease management (IDM) and integrated nutrient management (INM) can make modern agriculture safe and suitable.
• Proper policy making and then fair implementation is very much necessary
• Action plans should be developed by research organizations, extension wing and educational institutes to discourage harmful practices of modern agriculture
• Awareness must be provoked in farming communities in this regard
• Influence of low standard pesticide companies in rural areas must be restricted
• Focused and comprehensive research is much needed to develop resource efficient techniques, to frame sustainable practices, to modify cropping schemes and cropping rotations, to improve farming systems and to reinforce natural phenomena
• Improved cultural practices (ICPs), recommended crop husbandry practices (RCHCs), on-farm management practices (OMPs) and good agricultural practices (GAPs) are collectively key to success and must be adopted
• Consistent efforts with logical modifications are pre-requisite for a better production system http://www.agrinfobank.com

Modern agriculture is not a bad thing at all and we cannot shift towards the agriculture of our fathers. But some poor management is governing us to the destruction which we can stop easily by adopting above mentioned rules. It could be a safe agriculture within the same resources, conditions and requirement just through better management. It is need of the hour to regulate our farming practices once again for secure future of us and our coming generations. I believe it’s the time to take these issues seriously and to make our mind for certain changes. A crucial initiative in this regard is required somewhere from government, research organizations or farming community. Someone has to break the ice and to embark upon the expedition of reform. Changing political and organizational setups will not help unless or until we decide to move with this enlightened vision.

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Improved method for raising rice nursery

By Dr Shahzad M. A. Basra, Dr M. Farooq & Hafeez ur Rehman

RICE is grown here under diverse climatic and edaphic conditions. Basmati predominates in traditional rice tracts of Punjab. Temperate Japonica rice is grown in Swat at high altitude in the mountainous valleys. IRRI type long grain heat-tolerant variety of tropical rice is grown in the south of NWFP, Sindh and Balochistan.
Transplanting is the major method of growing rice. In this method rice is grown in a nursery, pulled and transplanted into well puddle and prepared field. Rice seedlings can either be transplanted manually or by mechanically. In transplanted rice, spacing between hills varies with variety and seedling age. A spacing of 20 x 20 cm is recommended. A hill should be transplanted with two healthy seedlings.
For transplanted seedlings, age is a major factor in determining yield. Transplanting shock, this is a setback to growth due to uprooting and replanting of seedling, increases with increased age of seedling. In general, the effect of transplanting on yield increases with the decreasing age. Seedling age also varies with environmental conditions and the type of nursery. The physical and bio-chemical factors set a minimum and maximum age for a particular nursery. Minimum age of a seedling for transplanting is about 15-20 days. However, ideal seedling age is about 30 days; tilling capacity is reduced if older seedlings are transplanted.
Nursery seedlings: Rice which is to be transplanted into puddle soil must first be nursed on seed beds. The main reason for rising nursery is to provide seedlings a substantial head-start on weeds. Rice nursery is raised by four methods in world, viz. the wet-bed nursery, the dry-bed nursery, the dapog and mat type in trays. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Dapog method originated in the Philippines and is now fairly common in South East Asia, but not practised in Pakistan. Mat type is being introduced in the country. Wet-bed and dry-bed methods are common here depending on the soil and water availability.
The wet-bed method is popular worldwide. It is used in areas where water is adequate. In our country, it is commonly followed in Punjab and the NWFP. The area selected for nursery is watered for about 30 days before sowing. It helps in eradication weeds. When weeds germinate after a week, the field is thoroughly puddled and levelled. Clean seed is shifted into gunny bags and soaked in water for 24 hours. After soaking it is placed under shade and covered with gunny bags. Water is sprinkled over seed after intervals and turned with hands about three times in a day for proper aeration and avoiding damage by heat due to suffocation. After about 36-48 hours, the seed sprouts and is ready for sowing. Pre-germinated seeds are then broadcast in seedbed. Once the seedlings are established, the nursery is impounded with water. Water level is then raised gradually. Some decomposed organic manures and small amount of inorganic fertiliser as basal dose may also be added in the nursery. Remember to flood the beds while uprooting. Uproot seedlings by holding at a few times between thumb and forefinger at the base of culms and pulling sideway.
The dry-bed method of nursery is practised in dry soil conditions. The fields are prepared under dry conditions. Seeds beds of convenient dimensions are prepared by raising soil to a height of about 5-10 cm. A thin layer of farmyard manure or half burnt paddy husk could be spread over nursery bed mainly to facilitate uprooting. In this method, soaked seed are spread over seedbed and then irrigated. In some areas of Punjab rab method of nursery raising is also practised.
Nursery raised by soaking seeds and then broadcasting pre-germinated seeds may be ready for transplanting within 40-45 days under both system of nursery growing. For decades, our farmers are using pre-germinated seeds for rice nursery raising that result in poor and delayed germination. Not only it is very difficult to handle the pre-germinated seeds but it also makes the nursery sowing a tedious job. Nursery seedlings thus raised can be transplanted when they are 40-45 days old, while, 30-day-old seedlings are considered ideal for transplanting. Older seedlings result in lower tilling capacity thus reducing the final yield. Sub-optimum plant population and uneven crop stand resulting from poor nursery seedlings are the most important yield limiting factors in the traditional rice production system which ultimately results in low paddy yield. Success in raising healthy rice seedlings depends mainly on planting high quality seeds with increased vigour. Seeds with enhanced vigour have high percentages for germination and vigorous seedling growth than seeds low in vigour generally produce weak seedlings that are susceptible to environmental stresses. Seeds high in vigour generally provide for early and uniform stands that give seedlings a competitive advantage against environmental stresses. Improved seed invigoration techniques like seed priming are being used to reduce the germination time, to get synchronised germination, improve germination rate, and better seedling stand in many field crops like wheat, maize including rice.
These seed priming techniques including hydro priming, osmo-conditioning, osmo-hardening and hardening has been successfully employed for earlier and better nursery stand establishment, which result in improved performance of traditional rice production system.
Recently, after a series of trials at farmer’s field of districts of Sialkot, Sheikhupura and Faisalabad, researchers at the Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, have successfully established an improved method of nursery raising by using primed seeds instead of pre-germinated seeds as in case of traditional method of nursery raising. The seed priming techniques like osmo-hardening with CaCl2, followed by hardening and osmo-hardening KCl are found the most effective and promising seed priming techniques in both coarse and fine rice varieties for raising healthy and vigorous nursery seedlings growth.
These seed priming techniques not only improve nursery seedlings and performance of improved nursery seedlings, increased growth, yield and quality of transplanted rice production system are also reported. Rapid and more uniform germination and seedling growth, younger seedlings are able to be transplanted after 25-30 days which result in higher tilling that ultimately lead to improved kernel yield of the transplanted rice.
Transplanted rice raised by improved nursery method is also resistant to lodging due to natural calamities such as windstorm having healthy and vigorous seedling growth of main culms and secondary branches and deeper, more vigorous and fibrous root system development.
It should always be kept in mind that it is really very easy to raise healthy seedlings by primed seeds if one is prepared to take enough time to do the job properly. Success in raising healthy rice seedlings depends mainly on the constant supervision and proper management. 
Courtesy:  The Dawn

Resource Conserving Agri-Technologies

Authors:  Habib Ullah, Dr. Ehsanullah and Dr. Shakeel Ahmad Anjum, Associated with Agro-biology lab, department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad.

Pakistan is an agricultural country. Contribution of agriculture sector in the GDP is about 21%. It provides employment to 45% of country’s labor force and is source of livelihood for 60% of the rural population. It has a vital role in ensuring food security, generating overall economic growth, and reducing poverty. Our population is increasing very quickly, there is lot of population pressure on the agriculture sector. To feed this high population we are trying to enhance the agriculture productivity on the expense of land, water, labor, capital, climate and other resources ignoring the recommendations for good agricultural practices. Industrialization and urbanization has further aggravated the problem by reducing the area of production and polluting the land, water and environment which is a direct threat to our agricultural productivity. With the unbalanced use of our resources, we have created many problems such as loss of fertile land, water logging, soil salinity, erosion, pollution of above ground and underground water, habitat destruction etc. We are wasting our water resources which are decreasing rapidly. 75% area of Pakistan is dependent on irrigation water. Our mismanagement of resources is a permanent cause of the higher levels of CO₂ emissions and temperature increase leading to climate change with extreme events which are destructive to our resources and agriculture productivity, which may cause the food security issues to rise up. Food security is a global problem and especially for Pakistan, it is a great challenge. About 30% of our population is living below poverty line, and our farmer is also very poor with small land holdings. The high prices of inputs (fuel, seed, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, machinery and electricity etc) have added much to the anxiety of the farmers. Farmers are living a subsistent life. Our average crop yields are much lower than other countries despite having lot of potential. Despite of great recent progress, hunger and poverty remain widespread and agriculturally driven environmental damage is widely prevalent. The idea of agricultural sustainability centers on the need to develop technologies and practices that do not have adverse effects on environmental goods and services, and that lead to improvements in productivity per unit area and profitability. Resource Conserving Technology (RCT) is a broad term that refers to any management approach or technology that increases factor productivity including land, labor, capital and inputs. Some of these technologies are briefly described here as;

1. Bed planting of crops

It is sowing of crops on the raised leveled surface. Crop is sown on beds in lines Size of bed and furrow depth depends on the type of crop and soil. Bed planter is used for making beds and/or sowing seeds. Using either Dry or Wet sowing method crop can be sown. Irrigation is applied in the furrows. For the sowing of wheat, University of Agriculture Faisalabad has developed a university bed planter machine. It makes two beds and three furrows in the same operation; bed width is 2 feet with four rows of wheat sowing on it, and furrow width is 1 foot. The first row of wheat on bed is sown 3 inches away from either side of furrow, and 2^nd row is sown 5 inches away from first line from either side; between these two lines there is a buffer zone with width of 8 inches for the accumulation of any salt. In this planting geometry of crop, plant population is not reduced in any way. This technology saves 40-50% water, reduces the seed rate upto 10%, better weed control and 20% increase in the yield of the crop has been achieved. Similarly other crops can also be grown successfully on beds such as cotton etc.

2. Wheat residue management

After combine harvesting wheat, wheat stalks are a problem. To manage these residues Prof. Dr Ehsanullah (department of agronomy, university of agriculture Faisalabad) has developed a technology of sowing of Sesbania crop in the wheat. Presoaked seed (10-12 hours) @ 10 kg/acre is broadcasted in the standing wheat after last irrigation in the end of March or in start of April. After one month almost, wheat crop is harvested. Sesbania plants height is much smaller than wheat and escapes from combine harvester. After second irrigation to sesbania it is buried down in the soil along with wheat stalks. To accelerate the process of decomposition, half bag urea per acre can be added. This technology improves the soil health, manages wheat residues, reduces the fertilizer requirements to half and improves next crop yield.

3. Laser land leveling

It is a process of smoothing the land surface (± 2 cm) from its average elevation by using laser-equipped drag buckets, soil movers which are equipped with global positioning systems (GPS) and/or laser-guided instrumentation. To level the land, soil can be moved either by cutting or filling to create the desired slope/level. This technology gives uniform soil moisture distribution, better water application and distribution, good germination, enhanced input use efficiency, reduces weed , pest, and disease problems, reduced consumption of seeds, fertilizers, chemicals and fuel and improved yields. It may have cost and expertise constraints.

4. Direct seeding of Rice

It is a cost effective technology for the seeding of rice crop. The dry seed is drilled into the non-puddled soils with proper land leveling and weed control measures. Sowing of seeds at a depth of 2-3 cm is done with zero till, minimum till machine or broadcasting it after ploughing and leveling the field at @ 12-15kg/acre, fine and Basmati varieties will need 10-12kg/acre. The seed is then covered with the thin layer of soil to aid in proper germination and to avoid the birds damage. Soil moisture in soil should be sufficient for better germination. The sowing of crop starts from end of May to start of June. The problem of weeds is tackled by application of pre-emergence herbicides or by stale seedbed method. Next weeding can be done manually. This technology saves water by 10-30%, avoids soil degradation and plow-pan formation, saves labor, energy, fuel, seeds, and gives 10% higher yields with 10-15 days early maturation of crop.

5. Relay cropping of wheat

Relay cropping consists of interseeding the second crop into the first crop well before it is harvested. It is a form of intercropping in which both crops enjoy a short term association; first crop is at its maturity and second crop is at its initial stage. Wheat is important crop for Pakistan. Due to late maturing varieties of cotton, sowing of wheat goes upto December and January. It is experimentally proved that after November, 15 the yield of wheat is reduced @ 10-15 kg/acre/day. And with the introduction of Bt-cotton, about 7-10% area under wheat has been reduced. So both these problems are direct threat to our wheat production and self sufficiency. Relay cropping of wheat into cotton facilitates timely sowing of wheat, gives extra cotton pickings, saves the land preparation and labor charges, improves soil health and increases yields. It is economically and environmentally viable technology.

6. Zero tillage

Zero tillage is one of a set of strategies aimed to enhance and sustain farm production by conserving and improving soil, water and biological resources. Essentially, it maintains a permanent or semi-permanent organic soil cover (e.g. a growing crop or dead mulch) that protects the soil from sun, rain and wind and allows soil micro-organisms and fauna to take on the task of "tilling" and soil nutrient balancing - natural processes disturbed by mechanical tillage systems. For example, there was a lot of problem of rice stubbles for the sowing of wheat, farmers were burning the residues destroying soil or managing it by disc plough or rotavator increasing cost of production. To address this issue; new technology of Turbo seeder has been introduced. It cuts and churns the stubbles and places it between the rows of seed drilled into the soil by inverted ‘T’ shaped openers. There is no problem of operation or germination as observed in Zone disk tiller and Happy seeder. It decreases cost of production; improves soil health, saves water, labor and energy.

7. Drip irrigation

Widespread appreciation of the “global water crisis” recognizes that scarcity of clean water is affecting food production and conservation of ecosystems. By 2025 it is predicted that most developing countries will face either physical or economic water scarcity. So we have to go for efficient irrigation methods. Drip irrigation is one of them. It irrigates the plants drop by drop on the soil surface or directly into the root zone with the help of network of pump, valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters. It reduces evaporation, controls weeds, increase water and fertilizer use efficiency, saves water and fertilizer and increase yields.

8. Precision Farming

It is a farming management concept based on observing and responding to intra-field variations with the goal of optimizing returns on inputs while preserving resources. It relies on new technologies like satellite imagery, information technology, and geospatial tools. GPS, GIS and Remote sensing satellites can track the soil variability, can assess the nutritional status of the soil, disease prevalence and can predict the yields. These technologies can reduce the input rates, decrease cost of production, increase yields and can reduce the environmental concerns.

9. Solar water pumps

With the current energy crisis scenario all over the world, and especially for Pakistan it is need of the day to utilize renewable energy sources for power generation to use for different purposes. Solar water pumps get solar energy from the sun and convert it into electricity by which water pumps can run for pumping of water for irrigation purposes. It is economical and environmental friendly technology.

10. Biogas Plants

Biogas is a flammable gas produced from renewable resources that can be used in many applications as an alternative to fossil fuel-based natural gas. A biogas plant is an anaerobic digester of organic material for the purposes of treating waste and concurrently generating biogas fuel. The feedstock of this plant is the animal dung, plant material, grease food wastes etc. Biogas converts this farm waste to biogas which can be used for home cooking purpose, lightning and for pumping water for irrigation.

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Dry seeded rice technology

ASIAN rice growing systems are undergoing changes in response to economic factors and technological advancement in farming.

Dry seed rice cultivation on the mechanical lines is the linkage of past practice with throughput technology, becoming indispensable to address problems like drudgery, high production cost, low quality, low crop intensity and above all water and labour scarcity.

    












 The sowing of dry seeds into dry or moist, non-puddled soil has many advantages over traditional transplanting and is a principal method of rice growing in many parts of the world including Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, America, Japan and the sub-Saharan Africa.

In Pakistan traditional dry seeding in rice is reported only in few acres across Punjab and a big space exist for both research and extension wing of the agriculture department for its standardisation, popularisation and adaptation. With the recent developments in rice production technology across the globe, there should be flexibility in opting for the prevailing patterns and latest trends to achieve self-sufficiency and resource conservation.

Dry seeded rice, a simple approach, is beneficial for farmer. The foremost principal underlying this theory is water saving, cost benefit ratio, efficient land utilisation and better management practices. Water situation in the country and its scarcity need not be elaborated. In dry seeding of rice 30 per cent of water can be saved by eliminating puddling and if
intermittent irrigation (alternate wetting and drying concept), a new method of irrigation, is used additional 15-30 per cent of water can be saved and that can be a big achievement.

Beside, about 40 per cent of labour cost can be saved by dry seeding method. Dry seeding also implies time saving, quicker land preparation in effective manner, and maximised yield.

Going ahead, if one more step is taken by clubbing the dry seeding rice cultivation with mechanised farming, it can reward the farmers more by generating the idea of intensification, higher yield with low input, reduced tillage and efficient utilisation of nutrients (proper placement and time).

Mechanisation will lead the growers to resource use efficiency and sustainable agriculture while muting the voice of environmental pollution.

The biggest challenge to this practice is weed manifestation. Various pre- and post-emergence chemicals have been introduced to fix it. Besides this, research is going worldwide over this system of cultivation for best management practices under innovative ideas by agronomists in regards to response of new breeding lines, adaptation to different soils and climatic conditions, and effective use of mechanisation concept.

Finally, this change in sowing pattern is expected to have a big impact on Asian rice production efforts and on the region’s economies. This is because one of the main forces driving such changes has been shrinking resources in the region, especially available land and water.

Pakistan should be a part of knowledge sharing and applied research centers working round the world. This way one can succeed in the achievement of mutually agreed benefits such as serving humanity, coping food security and fighting for the cause of hunger.

Effort in the direction of increasing output at the least cost is more important as the world population is going to increase to nine billion by 2050, which will require more than doubling the current food production. Asia grows 90 per cent of rice of the world which is mostly consumed by its population.

Each hectare of rice-producing land at present is providing food for 27 people. By 2050, because of growth in population and increasing urbanisation, each hectare will have to feed at least 43 people. This means that yields must be enhanced by at least 50 per cent over the next 40 years to prevent mass malnutrition among the 700 million Asians.

The writer is a PhD research scholar at The International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Philippines.
z.hasnain@irri.org

Source: Dawn.com

Vertical Vegetable Garden

Vertical vegetable garden
Vertical space is often underused, but  it has great potential in small gardens,  increasing the space for growing a range  of crops. Attaching pots of herbs and  bush varieties of vegetables to a sturdy  wire mesh can turn a bare sunny wall into a riot of color, and they are simple  to care for and convenient to harvest.  Vigorous climbing beans, squashes,  and nasturtiums can be planted in large  containers at the base of the wall and  are easy to train up the mesh for a  fabulous, lush display.
Garden basics Size6 x 7 ft (1.8 x 2.2 m) SuitsAny sunny location with a wall or  fence as a backdrop SoilLight, multipurpose potting mix SiteWall in full sun
Shopping list • 2 x eggplant ‘Mohican’ • 3 x basil ‘Sweet Genovese’ • 3 x basil ‘Red Rubin’ • 3 x tomato ‘Tumbling Tom Red’ • 1 x cucumber ‘Masterpiece’ • 1 x zucchini ‘Tromboncino’ • 3 x runner bean ‘Wisley Magic’
Planting and aftercare Attach wood battens to the wall and secure a sturdy wire mesh to them. Drill holes in the sides of plastic pots and window boxes and thread galvanized wire through them before planting. After the risk of frost has passed, fill the pots with a lightweight potting mix, plant with hardened-off plants, secure pots to the mesh, and arrange larger ones at the base of the wall. Leave space for plants to develop, and train climbing crops up the mesh. Water the plants frequently because they will dry out rapidly in their exposed position. Tie in climbing plants as they grow, and harvest frequently to encourage further crops.