Asafoetida (Heeng) to be cultivated for the first time in India :
Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT), based in Palampur, have developed planting material for Asafoetida through agro-technology. Due to its requirement of cold and dry weather conditions for growth, farmers in the Lahaul valley in Himachal Pradesh have taken up the cultivation of this planting material for the first time in India. 6 accessions from Iran have been introduced and 300 hectares have been identified for its cultivation.
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Effective Bio-pesticide formulation created for insects in seed spice crops
A new aqueous suspension formulation technology of biopesticide using entomo-pathogenic fungus Verticillium lecanii was created by The Institute of Pesticide Formulation Technology (IPFT ) in collaboration with ICAR-National Research Center on Seed Spices (NRCSS) for seed spice crops like fenugreek, cumin, and coriander. The bio-pesticide is safe for use and for the environment and has a good shelf life.
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Prohibition of unauthorized sale of fertilizers
Agriculture department reiterated the purpose of subsidized fertilizers after a violation came to light in Pollachi district of Coimbatore. Under Fertilizers Control Order, 1985 using them for any other purpose is considered as a crime. The allotted amount of urea, diammonium phosphate, potash and complex fertilizer to the district for the Rabi season should be sold only to the farmers having aadhar card.
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New rust resistant wheat variety doubles famers income
The new wheat variety (MACS 6478), also called high yielding Aestivum, was developed by Agharkar Research Institute (ARI). This variety is leaf and stem rust resistant and yielded 45-60 quintal/hectare compared to Lok1 (HD2189) which yielded 25-30 quintal/hectare. The variety has high chapati (8.05) & bread (6.93) making scores & matures in 110 days. Currently, certified seed production is being carried out for farmer’s use.
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Dhanuka partners with Gramophone to benefit the farming community with digitized solutions
The association between Dhanuka and Gramophone will help farmers to get direct access to affordable crop intensive technology and to reach deeper markets to pave the way for better yields for farmers across the country. The collaboration also delivers agronomic intelligence with agri inputs like seeds, crop protection and crop nutrition products
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Recently developed 17 biofortified varieties can transform normal Indian thali into nutri-thali
On the occasion of 75th Anniversary of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated 17 recently developed biofortified varieties of 8 crops to the Nation. These crops will have up to 3 fold increase in nutritional value and are developed by utilizing the local landraces and farmer’s varieties
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Robotic solutions developed by IIT Kharagpur for plant disease identification and pesticide spraying
IIT Kharagpur has designed a robotic system capable of identifying the plant diseases through the camera-captured image analysis and to spray the appropriate pesticide to help farmers in detecting the diseases correctly and to protect farmers from related health hazards. The robotic system is a tracked mobile manipulator that aims to achieve the conflicting objectives of increased productivity and improved quality.
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Nanofibre bags to protect seed storage losses
Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IIT-H) have developed neem oil encapsulated electrospun polyurethane nanofibrous bags to protect post-harvest seed storage losses. The real-time applicability of these bags infers that any type of seeds can be stored for a longer duration at normal room temperature conditions.
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Farmers adopt drone technology to spray pesticides
To ease farming activities and to overcome the agricultural labour problems farmers have been using crop cutting and sowing machines so far. Now a farmer in Suryapet sprayed pesticide with the help of a drone in his agriculture fields which was witnessed by other nearby farmers
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Syngenta buys Valagro in Biostimulant Segment
Syngenta Crop Protection buys Italy-based Biostimulant and speciality nutrient based company, Valagro. The company has 12 subsidiaries around the world with a significant footprint in Eurpoe and Latin America. Valagro will retain its management team, employees and facilities and will operate independently for research and development.
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Declining global cotton production may boost India’s exports
The estimated global cotton production is 5% less than the previous year estimates whereas India’s estimates is expected to increase. As per International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) this is an opportunity for Indian cotton industry to increase the exports as the projected trend for consumption is higher than the previous year.
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IARI’s Fungal Decomposer for in-field Paddy Straw and Stubble Management Practices
Indian Institute of Agricultural Research (IARI) has developed an innovation, Pusa Decomposer for stubble management in the Paddy-Wheat crop cycle. This technology is commercialized and is licensed to six companies as a substitute for burning of paddy stubble.
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India’s agricultural exports rose by 43.4%
Indian agricultural exports increased by 43.4% to Rs. 53, 626 cr from Rs. 37,397 cr in the first six months of 2019-20 in comparison to the same period last year. The commodities which has recorded maximum jump are basmati rice, non-basmati rice, ground nut, refined sugar and wheat. This is an outcome of the new agricultural export policy launched in 2018 and the exports are likely to increase further with the announcement of Agri Infrastructure Fund.
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