ABSTRACT OF PAPERS

INTERNATIONALSEMINAR ONEMERGING TRENDS INORGANIC FARMINGAND SUSTAINABLEAGRICULTURE29-31 DECEMBER 2016

MAHATMA GANDHI UNIVERSITYKOTTAYAM, KERALA, INDIA

MAHATMA GANDHIUNIVERSITY

2

OR

GA

NIS

ING

CO

MM

ITT

EE

CHIEF PATRONProf. C. RaveendranadhHon’ ble Minister for Education, Govt of Kerala.

PATRONS1. Dr. Babu Sebastian

Hon’ble Vice Chancellor

2. Dr. Sheena ShukkurPro Vice Chancellor

3. Dr. S SujathaMember, Syndicate

4. Dr. A JoseMember, Syndicate

5. Prof. Tomichan JosephMember, Syndicate

GENERAL CONVENERSri. M. R. UnniRegistrar and Director, IUCOFSA

SEMINAR DIRECTORDr. B Prakash KumarAssociate Professor, School of Biosciences

CONVENERS

1. Dr. A. P. ThomasHonorary Director, Advanced Centre for Environmental Studies & Sustainable Development

2. Dr. K. JayachandranAssociate Professor, School of Biosciences

3. Dr. K. SabukkuttanHead, Dept of Life Long Learning & Extension

4. Dr. Robinet JacobHead, Dept of Tourism Studies

SEMINAR ADVISORY COMMITTEE

1. Prof. (Dr) Sabu ThomasHon. Director, International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

2. Prof. (Dr.) M. S. JishaCo-ordinator, NIPST

3. Dr. Nandakumar KalarikkalAssociate Professor, School of Pure and Applied Physics

4. Dr. Gireesh KumarAsst. Professor, School of International Relations and Politics

5. Dr. Aju NarayananAsst. Professor, School of Letters

Schedule

DAY 1 (29/12/2016) THURSDAY8.30 am - 9.30 am : Registration & Tea

9.30 am - 10.40 am : Inaugural Session

10.40 am - 11.30am : SCIENTIFIC SESSION I

10.40 am – 11.00 am : Keynote I 13Mult Angelika Ploeger, Section of OrganicFood Quality and Food Culture, Universityof Kassel, Germany

11.00 am - 11.20 am : Keynote II 15Current Status and Future Outlook ofOrganic Conservation Tillage in the U.S.Great Plains RegionShabeg BriarMontana State University, Central AgriculturalResearch Center, US

11.20 am – 11.30 am : Paper Presentation – I 24Settling and Ovipositional Preference ofWhitebacked Planthopper, Sogatellafurcifera (Horvath) on selected RiceGenotypesK. ChandrasekarBihar Agricultural University, INDIA

11.30 am - 12.30 noon : SCIENTIFIC SESSION IICarbon Sequestration

11.30 am – 11.50 am : Keynote III 16Organics in 3D: diversity, dynamics anddevelopment of organic agricultureStéphane BellonINRA, France

11.50 am – 12.00 noon : Paper Presentation – II 25CO2 fixation and carbon sequestration inupland rice (Ahu rice), monsoon rice (Salirice) and summer rice (Boro rice)ecosystemParijat SaikiaTezpur University, INDIA

3

SCH

EDU

LE

12.10 pm - 12.20 pm : Paper Presentation – III 26Intercropping of vegetable crops underAilanthus excelsa based agro forestrysystemG.V. RajalingamHorticultural College and Research Institute, TNAU,Coimbatore – 3, Tamil Nadu.

12.20 pm – 12.30 pm : Paper Presentation – IV 27Organic production exotic vegetables forkitchen gardenV. PremalakshmiTNAU, INDIA

12.30 pm - 1.30 pm : SCIENTIFIC SESSION IIIOrganic Farming & Soil Mineral Nutrients

12.30 pm – 12.50 pm : Invited Talk I 19Are we ready for Organic Farming? Signalsfrom field in Kerala and Strategies forfutureP. Indira DeviKerala Agricultural University, India

12.50 pm – 1.10 pm : Invited Talk II 20Challenges in managing mineral nutrition ofcrop plants: Nutrient imbalance-interaction-availability-uptake-translocation-retranslocation andutilizationBhupinder SinghICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, India

1.10 pm – 1.20 pm : Paper Presentation – V 29Impact Assessment of BioprimingInterventions for Nutrient Use Efficiency-Indian storyAmitava RakshitBanaras Hindu University, India

1.20 pm – 1.30 pm : Paper Presentation – VI 30Iron nutrition of rice in the era ofsustainable agricultureAbin SebastianUniversity of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, INDIA

1.30 pm - 2.30 pm : Lunch4

SCH

EDU

LE

2.30 pm – 3.10 pm : SCIENTIFIC SESSION IVOrganic Farming & Soil Mineral Nutrients

2.30 pm – 2.50 pm : Invited Talk -III 22Organic farming for improved onion qualityand sustainable soil healthA. ThangasamyICAR–Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research,India

2.50 pm – 3.00 pm : Paper Presentation – VII 31Bioprospecting for plant growth promotingBacillus from semi-arid tropicsN.K. SinghS.D. Agricultural University, India

3.00 pm - 3.10 pm : Paper Presentation – VIII 32Influence of Phosphorus and PotashSolubilizing Bacteria on Growth, Yield andQuality of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.)under North Eastern Himalayan RegionN. PrakashICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, INDIA

3.10pm – 3.20 pm : Tea3.20 pm – 4.40 pm : SCIENTIFIC SESSION V

Organic Food

3.20 pm – 3.40 pm : Key Note IV 17Pest control strategies in Organic Farmingin mango -an overviewK. UshaDivision of Fruits and Horticultural Technology, IARI,New Delhi

3.40 pm – 4.00 pm : Paper Presentation – IX 33Assessment of soil carbon pools indifferent agricultural land use systems ofmajor soil series of Southern KeralaB. AparnaKerala Agricultural University, INDIA

5

SCH

EDU

LE

4.00 pm - 4.10 pm : Paper Presentation – X 34Fermented Foods: A microbial Approachfor amelioration of Health Related issuesDr. SuvarnaV. ChavannavarUAS, GKVK, INDIA

4.10 pm – 4.20 pm : Paper Presentation – XI 35Regulatory mechanisms of hesperidin inmale STZ induced diabetic and myocardialinfarction (MI) rats; M. Bhaskar, SriVenkateswara University, India.

4.20 pm – 4.30 pm : Paper Presentation – XII 36Exploitation of potentials of organic fruitproduction in North East IndiaUtpal dasAssam Agricultural University, India

4.30 pm – 4.40 pm : Paper Presentation – XIII 38Evaluation of certain fern plants extractsagainst diamondback moth, Plutellaxylostella l. in cabbageJ.MurasingCentral Agricultural University, INDIA

9.00 pm : Dinner6

SCH

EDU

LE

DAY 2 (30/12/2016) FRIDAY

9.00 am - 10.00 am : SCIENTIFIC SESSION IOrganic Farming Practices

9.00 am - 9.20 am : Keynote V 40A brief history of organic agriculture andrural community in South KoreaJungho SuhGeography, Environment and Population, TheUniversity of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia

9.20 am - 9.40 am : Invited Talk-III 51Organic Fruit Production in North-eastIndia: Concerns, Strategies and PrioritiesT. K. HazarikaMizoram University; INDIA

9.40 am - 9.50 am : Paper Presentation XIV 58Bio efficacy of some commercially availableeco-friendly insecticides againstdiamondback moth, Plutella xylostella l. incabbageM VigneshUniversity of Agricultural Sciences, INDIA

9.50 am – 10.00 am : Paper Presentation XV 60Insecticide resistance management throughuse of entomopathogenic fungi Metarhiziumanisopliae (metch.) against Nilaparvata lugens(stal) in riceC. MohanTamil Nadu Agricultural University, INDIA

10.00 am - 10.10am : Refreshment

10.10 am - 11.10am : SCIENTIFIC SESSION IISustainable Agriculture

10.10 am – 10.30 am : Invited Talk IV 53Nutritional potential of organic matter andbio-fertilizers on growth, yield andproductivity parameters of tomato (Solanumlycopersicum l.)Sartaj A. TiyagiAligarh Muslim University, INDIA

7

SCH

EDU

LE

10.30 am - 10.50 am : Invited Talk-V 53Sustainable Animal Agriculture throughOrganic Farming and IPM forcomplementing the concept of holistic onehealth approachB W NarladkarCollege of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, MAFSU, INDIA

10.50 am - 11.00 am : Paper Presentation – XVI 62Formulation of crop specific ready to usegrowth media for organic vegetableproduction in urban farmingAmeena MCollege of Agriculture, Thiruvananthapuram, INDIA

11.00 am - 11.10 am : Paper Presentation – XVII 63Ailanthus excelsa based silvihorticulturalsystem for sustainable agricultureGV. RajasreeHorticultural College and Research Institute, TNAU,Coimbatore, INDIA

11.10 am - 12.00 noon : SCIENTIFIC SESSION IVWeed and Pest Management

11.10 am – 11.30 am : Keynote VI 41Bats and plant pests: current knowledge andperspectivesXavier Puig MontserratSpain

11.30 am – 11.40 am : Paper Presentation – XVIII 64Entomopathogenic nematodes: a potentialbiocontrol agents for the management ofsoil-dwelling insectsJagadeesh PatilNational Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources,Bengaluru, India

11.40 am – 11.50 pm : Paper Presentation – XIX 66Area wide integrated pest management offruit flies in organic fruits and vegetablesproductionChandra Shekhar PrabhakarBihar Agricultural University, Dumraon, Bihar, India

11.50 am – 12.00 noon : Paper Presentation – XX 67Yield and economics of ginger influenced bydifferent management systemsThankamani CKICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode, INDIA

8

SCH

EDU

LE

12.00 noon - 1.00pm : SCIENTIFIC SESSION IIIMEET THE FARMERS:

12.00 noon - 1.00pm : Keynote VII cum LEC DEM 43Sustainable Organic Agriculture Systems alongwith Fair Trade in India, Africa and EuropeRudolf BühlerEcoland International, Germany

1.00 pm - 2.00 pm : Lunch2.00pm - 3.00pm : SCIENTIFIC SESSION V

2.00 pm – 2.20 pm : Invited talk VI 55Eco-friendly approaches to manage insectpests of Indian Sandalwood (Santalum albumLinn.),in the present scenario of its cultivationR. SundararajInstitute of Wood Science & Technology, Bangalore, India.

2.20 pm - 2.30 pm : Paper Presentation –XXI 69Seed invigoration with organic preparationsfor accelerated germination and vigour inbhindi (Abelmoschusesculentus (L.) Moench)Poornima YadavKerala Agricultural University, Sadanandapuram, Kerala,INDIA

2.30 pm - 2.40 pm : Paper Presentation – XXII 70Genetic assessment for yield and qualitycomponents under organic andconventional fertilizer managements ingroundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.),M.Shanthi PriyaS.V.Agricultural College, Tirupati, India

2.40 pm - 2.50 pm : Paper Presentation –XXIII 73Identification of tropical crop plants suitable forcultivation in Nedumbana Panchayat, Kollamdistrict, Kerala based on the flowering plant floraof the Pazhangalam Muhurthy sacred groveAlan Thomas SMahatma Gandhi University, INDIA

2.50 pm - 3.00 pm : Paper Presentation XXIV 74Management of Sigatoka leaf spot disease ofbanana through an integrated approach.Susha S.TharaCollege of Agriculture, Kerala Agricultural University,Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

9

SCH

EDU

LE

3.00pm - 4.00 pm : SCIENTIFIC SESSION VI

3.00 pm – 3.20 pm : Keynote VIII 49Nanoparticles for Sustainable AgricultureSabu ThomasMG University, Kerala India

3.20 pm - 3.40 pm : Keynote IX 50Biopesticides and Practices for Protecting ThePlants In Organic Farming from Insects andDiseasesNutan KaushikTERI, New Delhi , INDIA

3.40 pm - 3.50 pm : Paper Presentation – XXV 75In vitro sensitivity of Azospirillum lipoferum andAzotobacter chroococccum to new riceherbicide – bispyribac sodium + metamifopSheeja KCoconut Research Station, Balaramapuram, Kerala, India

3.50 pm –4.00 pm : Paper Presentation – XXVI 76Molecular phylogenetic analysis of chrysomelidpests of cucurbitaceae vegetables from northkerala, using mitochondrial coi gene markerPriya Bhaskaran K.P.Department of Zoology, University of Calicut, Kerala, INDIA

4.00pm - 4.15 pm : Tea

4.15pm - 5.15pm : SCIENTIFIC SESSION VII

4.15pm – 4.45 pm : Invited Talk VII 57Exploring the Plant Microbiome of medicinal plantsfor environment friendly agriculture practicesRadhakrishnan E.K.Mahatma Gandhi University, INDIA

4.45 pm – 5.00 pm : Paper Presentation – XXVII 77Productivity of rainfed rice (Oryza sativa L.)through agronomic practices under on FarmAdaptive ResearchD. SaveipuneSHIATS, INDIA

5.00 pm – 5.15 pm : Paper Presentation – XXVIII 78Intercropping of vegetable crops underAilanthus excelsa based agro forestry systemG.V. RajalingamTNAU, INDIA

9.00pm : Dinner

10

SCH

EDU

LE

DAY 3 (31/12/2016) SATURDAY

9.00 am - 10.00 am : SCIENTIFIC SESSION I9.00 am - 9.20 am : Invited Talk IX 79

Organic Leaf production under Ultra HighDensity planting in moringa (Moringa oleiferaLam.) cv. PKM-,V. PonnuswamiTamil Nadu Agricultural University, Tamilnadu, INDIA

9.20 am – 9.30 am : Paper Presentation – XXIX 80Wisdom of the Earth: Ecosophy and HolisticAgricultureK M George (Kondothara)Chairperson Dr Paulos Mar Gregorios Chair, MahatmaGandhi University, Kerala, India

9.30 am – 9.40 am : Paper Presentation – XXX 81Dying folklore and mechanic reproduction oforganic life styleRajesh KomathMahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India

9.40 am – 9.50 am : Paper Presentation – XXXI 82Probiotics for organic aquafarmingGlindya Bhagya LakshmiMahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, INDIA

9.50 am – 10.00 am : Paper Presentation – XXXII 83Non-Chemical Weed Management on OrganicBrinjal [Solanum melongena, (L.)]Uma MaheswariTamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, INDIA

10.00 am - 4.00 pm : House Boat Cruise4.00 pm – 5.00 pm : Concluding Session

11

SCH

EDU

LE

1. Nutritive requirements for the vegetative growth ofShiitake mushroom (Lentinulaedodes (Berk.) Pegler)and its yield impacts on various agrowastes,Dr. Deepa Rani C. V, Dr. Lulu Das and Dr. Susha S.TharaDepartment of PlantPathology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani,Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695522deepasajith_akd@yahoo.com

2. Effect of integrated Plant nutrient system onsoil biological health in a red loam soil,B.Aparna and Sathyan.R.N.Assistant Professor, Department of Soil Science & Agrl Chemistry, College ofAgriculture, Vellayani, Trivandrum- 695522,Msc ( Student), Department of SoilScience & Agrl Chemistry, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Trivandrum- 695522

3. Shelf life of liquid organic formulation*Rameeza E. M., **Usha K. E,*Research scholar, College of Horticulture, vellanikkara, **Professor (Agronomy),PPNMU, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur

4. Promises of endophytic Paraconiothyrium as a biocontrol agentAnisha C and Radhakrishnan E K*School of Biosciences, M G University, P D Hills, Kottayam, Kerala, India,*Corresponding author: radhakrishnanek@mgu.ac.in, Tel :+91-9847901149

5. Biocontrol and plant growth promoting traits shown bySerratia sp. ZoB 14 isolated from Zingiber officinaleAswani.R, Rohini Sabu, Jyothis Mathew, Radhakrishnan E.K.Corresponding author: radhakrishnanek@mgu.ac.in, Tel :+91-9847901149

6. Application of Endophytic Burkholderia vietnamiensisfrom Zingiber officinale Rosc. in Organic farmingRohini Sabu1, and Radhakrishnan E.K1*School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, P.D Hills P.O, Kottayam, Kerala,India - 686560., *Corresponding author - radhakrishnanek@mgu.ac.in

7. Pathogenicity of Indigenous Isolates of MetarhiziumanisopliaeMetschnikoff (Sorokin) to Bhindi Leaf Roller SyleptaderogataFabricius,Dr. K. Sudharma, Ms. Praveena ADepartment of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani

8. An Economic and environmental benefits of biopesticides inpaddy farms: A study in Alappuzha District of Kerala StateHilagavathi.M1, Neethu Thomas2 and K.R. Ashok1

1Dept.of Agricultural Economics, TNAU, Coimbatore andCoconut Development Board, Odisha

Poster Presentations

12

POST

ERPR

ESEN

TAT

ION

S

Keynote I

Development and challenges fororganic agriculture and sustainablefood systems in Europe

Angelika Ploeger, Prof. Dr. Dr. H.C. Mult.Kassel University, Faculty for Organic Agricultural Sciences, Section of Organic FoodQuality and Food Culture, Study Director of the Master Program International FoodBusiness and Consumer Studies (IFBC) and the European Master Program SustainableFood Systems (SusFoods)

Abstract

Observing the market for organicagricultural food products worldwideduring the last 5 years it shows acontinues growth. The Europeans spend2014 26,1 billion • for organic foods 8%more in comparison to 2013. Within theEU the Swedish market grows for organicproduce by 45%,Norway, the Netherlandsand France show a growth more than 10%.

On average Europeans buy for 37• perperson and year organic foods (EU-28 perperson 47• per year). The Swissconsumersare spending 222• per person/a, the Germans 97 • (7th place in Europe).The Danish organic food market is theleading one with 7.6% of the total turnoverfor food, followed by Switzerland (7,1% ofthe food market).

Considering the global development fororganic food the US-market showsanenormous growth (doubling in the last 7years). Five % of the total food expenditureis for organic food (2014:27,1 billion •).Canada is the 4th biggest organic market

worldwide (2,73 billion •)after US, Germany and France.China follows on the 5th place(2013). Chinese consumersbuy organic food for 2,43billion •.

In such exploding markets, it isimportant to look which fooditems consumer buy producedorganically and why they buy it(e.g. animal welfare, protectingenvironment, human health).For US and Canada organicfruits and vegetables areimportant (36% and 40% ofthe total market). The key notewill present some details.

13

AB

ST

RA

CT

14

AB

ST

RA

CT

Important is the fact that US, Canada aswell as some European states are not ableto deliver the amount of organic foodsthey need from their own organic farms.They have to import basic organicfoodstuffs (e.g. grain, fruit, vegetables, milk)and by this increasing e.g. the foodmilesand climate relevant gases emission.

This leads to the question of food qualityand quality understandingby farmers´associations, consumers and the definitionaccording to EU- regulation of organicfoods. According to the IFOAM principlesof organic agriculture (health, ecology,fairness and care) it means healthy soil,plants, animals and humans, sustainingnatural systems, respect and justice for allliving beings and to safe the resources forthe generations to come. Consumersexpectations on organic food have beenanalyzed in Europe showing the mostimportant attitudinal choice factors whichinclude health concerns, environmentalconcerns, animal welfare, taste preferencesand preferred origin of food. The definitionof quality according to EU-regulation is notfocused on the product itself but on theprocess of the product regarding the

farming system (e.g. feed, animalhusbandry, fertilization, plantprotection), the processing (e.g.processing aids but nottechnologies) and packaging,taking into account the IFOAMprinciples and using methodssuch as e.g. Life CycleAssessment (LCA).

The challenges for organicfarming and sustainable foodsystems in future will be therevision of the EU- regulation(in process), new processingtechnologies (such asNanotechnology), changes inconsumers‘ expectations fororganic foods (such asauthenticity) and the demandfor food security worldwide.

15

AB

ST

RA

CT

Keynote II

Current Status and Future Outlook ofOrganic Conservation Tillage in theU.S. Great Plains Region

Shabeg BriarMontana State University, Central Agricultural Research Center, US

Crop production and soil qualitybenefits following adoption of

conservation-tillage practices inconventional dryland agriculture are welldocumented. This has spurred interestamong organic farmers and researchers indeveloping reduced tillage practices thatcan be used successfully on organicfarms.However, achieving long-term,consistent weed control has been cited asa main obstacle preventing the widespreadadoption of conservation-tillage systems byorganic farmers in the U.S. Great Plains andIntermountain region, particularly whenfarm scale prevents hoeing and handremoval of weeds from fields. To fill thisknowledge gap, crop scientists and farmersin the northern U.S. Great Plains haveexplored various strategies to reduce andeven eliminate tillage completely whengrowing wheat (Triticumaestivum L. emendThell.) and other field and horticulturalcrops. Cover crop mulch, grazing, aceticacid applications, and other practices havebeen used with varying levels of success atsuppressing weeds in certified organicenvironments. In particular, Canada thistle(Cirsiumarvense (L.) Scop), field bindweed(Convolvulus arvensis L.), and othercreeping perennial weed species pose

particular obstacles to thecontinued use ofconservation-tillage practicesfollowing the first two to threeyears of adoption, althoughannual weeds (e.g., downybrome [Bromus tectorum L.)and simple perennials (e.g.,dandelion [TaraxacumofficinaleWeber) can also becomeproblems. We will summarizeefforts to develop long-term,conservation-tillage systems inenvironments managedorganically, discuss howemerging practices andtechnology may affect theability of organic farmers toadopt these systems in thenear- and intermediate-future,and discuss how successfuladoption of conservation-tillage practices by organicfarmers may revolutionizeorganic farming in the U.S.Great Plains and similar climaticregions globally.

16

AB

ST

RA

CT

Together with its growing recognition,organic agriculture continues to evolve.

In this paper, we address this evolutionwith two paradigms - decomposition andidentity –in the perspective of organicdevelopment. Our viewpoint combinesresearch in the agronomic and socialsciences. The proposed approach isthreefold. First, we show that the tensionbetween the diversity and identity oforganics is resolved by the adaptation ofits frameworks, thus connecting organicsframing and farming. Then, we account forthe main recent dynamics in the organicsector and translate them into researchand development challenges, whilespecifying the roles of institutions in suchorientations. This is supported by a visionof organic food and farming as a“prototype” for sustainable agricultures,but also questioned by other proposalssuch as agroecology. Finally, we addressthree issues related with the developmentof organics: the opportunities to redesignorganic systems instead of favouring steadystates; the redefinition of the expected

Keynote III

Organics in 3D: diversity, dynamics anddevelopment of organic agriculture

Stéphane Bellon1

INRA, France ; Gilles Allaire2 INRA, France 1 INRA, UR 767 F-84914 Avignon Cedex 9,France. stephane.bellon@inra.fr2 INRA, US 0685 (ODR), F-31326 Auzeville, France

performances for an organicagriculture in keeping withsocietal expectations, includingthe provision of public goods;and the balances to maintainwithin the diversity of organicsto scale it up. A challenge is tomaintain innovative capacitieswhile preserving organicidentity.

17

AB

ST

RA

CT

Organic farming in mango is anecological production management

system that promotes and enhancesbiodiversity, biological cycles, soil biologicalactivity and integrity based on minimal useof off-farm inputs and on managementpractices that restore, maintain andenhance ecological harmony.In Indiaorganic mango production is practicedonly by individual entrepreneurs andNGOs in isolated pockets and is slowlygaining popularity due to increasedacceptance by the consumers. Bigchallenge in organic mango orduction istimely control of several pests likehoppers, mealy bugs, stem bores, fruit fliesand diseases like powdery mildew,anthracnose, sooty mould and mangomalformation etc.that drasticallyreducefruit yield and quality. Some of thestrategies that can be practiced tosuccessfully control pests in organicmango production are discussed in thispaper.

Strategies like fruit bagging prevent pests,especially fruit flies, from damaging mangoesand checks latex burns and fungal spotson fruits, improving the market appearanceof the fruit. Yellow sticky traps attract smallflying insect pests and help in delaying thebuild-up of pests and in reducing existinginsect populations.Hanging pheromonetraps among treeshelp in catching fruit flies

Keynote IV

Pest control strategies in Organic Farming inmango -an overview

K. UshaDivision of Fruits and Horticultural Technology, IARI, New Delhi

and other pests. Wrapping aslippery plastic band aroundthe lower trunk region willrestrict the movement of theemerging mealy bugs from soilup the trunk tobranches.Applying stickybands at the upper end of treetrunks when the trees startflowering reduce migration ofweevils to branches for egglaying.Natural enemies such aslady beetle larva, wasps, spiders,parasitic fungi, attack themaggots of fruit flies andpredators such as rove beetles,weaver ants, spiders, birds andbats are very efficient inprotecting fruit trees frompests, including fruit flies.Theirpresence and foraging activityhinders the fruit flies fromlaying eggs, resulting in reducedfruit fly damage. Foliar spraywith pyrethrum solution,plantextracts like neem, garlic, chilliand tephrosia,spraying with 1% soap solution with 1 % pure

18

AB

ST

RA

CT

alcohol, an application of paraffin oil (whiteoil) as a 3 % water emulsion and practiceslike removal of dead branches, leaves andinfested fruits from the orchard canreduce the pest incidence. Dill, parsley,yarrow, zinnia, clover, alfalfa, parsley, cosmos,sunflower and marigold are floweringcrops that attract the native wasppopulations and provide good habitats forthem. Growing these crops as intercropscan help in reducing the pest incidence.

Strong antifungal activity and optimalcontrol of floral malformation was found intrees sprayed with concoction brewedfrom Datura stramonium,Calotropisgigantea, Azadirachtaindicaandcow manure at bud break stage and againat fruit set stage when compared with thecontrol. All malformed buds and paniclescompletely dried and dropped two daysafter foliar spray with brewed tea, whereasin the control, the malformed paniclesremained green and competed with thegrowing fruits for plant nutrients.Biologicalcontrol of plant diseases through the useof antagonistic microorganisms has beenconsidered as a viable alternate method tochemical control.Bio-pesticides such asPseudomonasfluorescens, Verticilliumlecanii, Beauveriabassiana asfoliar sprays, besides neem oil spray helpsin controlling sevral fungal diseases.B.subtilis, gram positive bacteria showedgreater potential to control mangomalformation when compared with P.fluorescensa gram negative bacterium. Dueto airborne nature of dissemination andinfection of buds, foliar spray once beforeflowering and again at the time of flower

bud initiation with B. subtilisreduced the extent of mangomalformation.The studyshowed that protection ofbuds from infection wheninoculums prevail is necessaryto control the disease. Thebacterial bioagent B. subtiliswhich showed promise tocontrol mango malformationboth under in vitro and in vivoconditions is environmentfriendly, nontoxic to humansand animal health as reportedearlier and constitute aneffective, economically viableand sustainable approach tocontrol malformation inmango.After harvest,anthracnose and fruit flydamage can be controlled if thefruits are dipped in hot waterat 55°C for 3-5 minutes. Inacute cases, mildew,anthracnose and leaf spotdiseases can be regulated withsulphur or copperpreparations, which areallowed in organic farming.

19

AB

ST

RA

CT

Farming methods that depend on chemicalbased technologies has been facing severe

criticism, on account of the long term negativeecological and social impacts. OrganicFarming (OF) is thus gaining popularity as agreen technology for agricultural productionwhile securing ecological balance. This papertries to review the farm level productionperformance of cropsunder organic farmingtechnology in the backdrop of food securityconcerns .It also discuss some of thechallenges associated with this technologybased on farm observations and suggestsfuture course of action to facilitate betterspread of the technology. The paper is drawnfrom a case study of certified /non certifiedorganic farms and control group, conductedin Kerala, India .

Factors that challenge the adoption of greentechnologies include personal, social, politicaland ecological and policy related. Thepsychological barriers of individual farmersand group dynamics are the major factorsthat belong to the first group. The socialbehavior of waste disposal, peer groupcharacteristics and neighborhood effectsexert considerable influence. The policysupport for the promotion of organic farmingoften does not facilitate efficient supplychains of organic inputs, certification andmarketing of products The externalitiesassociated with irrigation water quality, farmmanagement in neighborhood farms and

Invited Talk I

Are we ready for Organic Farming? Signalsfrom field in Kerala and Strategies for future

P. Indira DeviKerala Agricultural University, India

upstream areas restrict thequality of the produce andhinder certificationrequirements. Certificationagencies are mainly in privatesector only and the cost ofcertification is prohibitive formany farmers.The paper alsoaddress the knowledge andextension gaps in thisarea.Thepaper suggest importantpolicy prescriptions for effectiveimplementation of organicfarming practices ,in general.

20

AB

ST

RA

CT

Mineral nutrient deficiency in the soiland at the plant level is a serious

production constraint. Deficiency of bothmacro and micro nutrients in cultivablelands are rampant and adversely impactthe grain productivity and quality andhuman nutrition. Over exploitation of soilsand non-judicious management of farmresources and farm practices have causedwidespread nutrient imbalance which leadsto nutrient unavailability for plant uptakedespite its sufficient presence in the soil.Interaction between macro and micronutrients may influence not only nutrientuptake but also their translocation,retranslocation and accumulation in thegrains to facilitate biofortification. AMapplication and other organic farmingpractices help in maintaining balancebetween various nutrients and thusoptimise nutrient availability and uptake.Further, plants are also not a completelypassive player. Cereals have the ability torelease metal chelating non-proteinaceous

Invited Talk II

Challenges in managing mineral nutrition ofcrop plants: Nutrient imbalance-interaction-availability-uptake- translocation-retranslocation and utilization;1Vasundhara Sharma, 1Shamima Praveen, 1Prashantkumar SHanjagi, 2Kalidindi Usha, 3Raghunath Pandey, 1Rinki Khobra,4*Bhupinder Singh1Division of Plant Physiology; 2Division of Fruits and Horticultural Technology;3Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry; 4CESCRA, ICAR-IndianAgricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India *Corresponding author;bhupindersinghiari@yahoo.com

amino acids –phytosiderophores- that canalter the solubility, availabilityand uptake of metals. Releaseof phytosiderophore causallydetermines the Fe deficiencyresponse of wheat. Anotherstudy on S and Fe interactionrevealed that the transcriptexpression of S transporter(SULTR1;1) requires not onlylow level of S but also asufficient level of Fe while thereverse was true for Fetransporter YS1 expression.We also showed that alimitation at the level of releaseof the PS was responsible forlow Fe use efficiency of the Fe

21

AB

ST

RA

CT

deficiency susceptible wheat cultivars andthat multi micronutrient deficiency causeda greater induction of PS synthesis incomparison to iron deficiency but not inthe PS release suggesting, that the PSrelease is determined by a threshold.Importance of micronutrientremobilization under nutrient deficiencyinduced senescence has been evidencedand its manipulation may facilitate grainbiofortification. Investigations into the roleof natural chelators showed a strongerinduction of DMAS gene, involved in thebiosynthesis of deoxymugineic acid, underFe deficiency. Further, root response,nutrient sensing and signalling mechanism,

phytohormone regulationunder organic farming may getaltered to influence nutrientuse efficiency and thus,requires a greater insight todecipher the contribution ofvarious soil and plantattributes towards mineralnutrition of crop plants underorganic agriculture.

22

AB

ST

RA

CT

Organic farming in India and developedcountries is gaining importance for its

quality produce, environmental safety andprofitable livelihood especially forproduction of fruits and vegetables. Areaunder organic farming in India is increasingat a faster rate and the cultivated areaunder certified organic farming has grownalmost 17 fold in last one decade. Itinvolves ecologically sound practices andpromotes use of organic amendments,crop residues, enhancement of soil fertilitythrough biological processes, biologicalmethods of pest and disease managementpractices, cultural and mechanical methodsof weed control while excluding syntheticagrochemicals.

Consumer demand for safer and healthierfood along with environmental protectionhas increased over last decade. Onionbeing used as fresh, preference for organiconion is more over conventionallyproduced onion. The research is focusedon organic farming to increase the cropproductivity, improve quality of theproduce and to protect the environmentfrom pollution. The experimental evidencesshowed that the yield gap between organicand conventional farming is larger than20% due to challenges in the maintenance

Invited Talk –III

Organic farming for improved onion qualityand sustainable soil health

A. Thangasamy and Kalyani GorrepatiICAR–Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research, Rajgurunagar, Pune-410505Email: astsamy@yahoo.co.in

of nutrient availability inorganic systems. The results ofthe experiment conducted atICAR-Directorate of onionand Garlic Research, Puneshowed that the organicfarming produced 24.6-43.6%lesser onion yield overconventional farming. However,organic farming increased TSS,total phenol, total flavonoid andascorbic acid contentsignificantly over conventionalfarming in onion. A number ofstudies conducted to examinenutritional value of organicfarming reported higher valuesof various phenoliccompounds in organic farmingcompared to conventionalfarming. In onion, among theorganic amendments,vermicompost applicationshowed higher total phenol(21.5%), individual phenolic

23

AB

ST

RA

CT

compounds, flavonoids (79.3%) andascorbic acid content (22.5%) overconventional farming.

Organic farming has increased soil organiccarbon, improved microbial activity anddehydrogenase activity significantly overconventional farming. It also sustained initialsoil fertility status and soil health over theyears of cultivation. However, theconventional agriculture negatively affectedsoil organic matter, microbial activity andsoil fertility.

Although the organic farming produceslower yield as compared to conventionalfarming, it improves the quality of produceand sustain soil health. In addition to that,the organic produces are safe and freefrom pesticide residues. The reduced yieldcould be compensated with premium price

available in the market fororganically produced produceover conventionally producedproduce. Further, researchneeds to be strengthened toincrease the crop yield underorganic farming bysynchronising nutrientavailability with crop demand,suitable pest and diseasemanagement and weedmanagement during criticalgrowth period.

24

AB

ST

RA

CT

Rice planthoppers such as the brownplanthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens

(Stal) and the whitebacked planthopper(WBPH), Sogatella furcifera (Horvath) areconsidered as ‘green revolution’ inducedpests. The present investigations weremade to study the settling andOvipositional preference of S.furcifera onresistant and susceptible genotypes. Thepre-germinated seeds were sownindividually 20 cm row and 5 cm apart inthree replications. Twenty days afterseeding, approximately 1500-2000 secondinstar nymphs were released in the centreand covered with a fiberglass mesh cage.The number of nymphs settled on eachgenotype was counted at 2, 6, 24, 48 and72 hours after infestation (HAI). At sixhours after release, significantly higherpercentage of nymphs oriented on TN1than on other genotypes. However, after24 hour, the percentage of nymphs settledwas the lowest in IR 72 (6.22) and was onpar with CB 08 504 (7.15), CB 06 535(7.40), PTB 33 (7.60) and PTB 41 (7.97)compared to TN1 (17.47). At 48 and 72hour after release, significantly higherpercentage of nymphs settled on TN1compared to other resistant genotypes.The lowest percentage of nymphs was

Paper Presentation – I

Settling and Ovipositional Preference ofWhitebacked Planthopper, Sogatella furcifera(Horvath) on selected Rice Genotypes

K. ChandrasekarBihar Agricultural University, INDIA

settled in CO 43 (5.02) whichwas on par with IR 72 (5.51)and PTB 33 (4.60) at 48 HAI.Similar trend was observed in72 HAI. Ptb 41 had the lowestnumber of nymphal emergenceof 13.50 number/plant whilePTB 41 recorded the highestpercentage of unhatched eggs(85.50 per cent) and thelowest number total eggs laid13-08 504 and IR 64 (91.17number/plant).

25

AB

ST

RA

CT

Agricultural soils are considered asignificant stock of C within global C

budget; changes in the soil C stock havecertain implications on the mitigation ofclimate change. On the other hand theterrestrial ecosystem also serves as thesource and sink of atmospheric C. Thepresent investigation was undertaken towork out the atmospheric C fixationability of an ecosystem and contribution ofecosystem to soil C storage, moreprecisely to address the phenomenon of Csequestration in an agroecosystem. Wefocused on the soil carbon storagepotential of different rice ecosystem alongwith carbon fixation ability of theecosystems. Rice ecosystems studied wereupland (Ahu), monsoon (Sali) and summerrice (Boro) ecosystem. Experiments wereconducted in the North Bank PlainAgroclimatic Zone (NBPAZ) of Assam,India in the Tezpur University campus.Results of the experiments conducted inthree rice ecosystems upland (Ahu),monsoon (Sali) and summer rice (Boro)revealed that ecosystems has differentpotential to sequester and store soilorganic carbon. Within an ecosystemcarbon storage varied significantly in thefield planted with different rice cultivars.Soil CO2 efflux did not vary within theecosystems and this CO2 efflux was

Paper Presentation – II

CO2 fixation and carbon sequestration in up-land rice (Ahu rice), monsoon rice (Sali rice)and summer rice (Boro rice) ecosystem

Parijat Saikia and Kushal Kumar Baruah,Department of Environmental Science, Tezpur University, Assam

influenced by soil moisturecontent, soil temperature,photosynthesis, root activityand availability of substrate.CO2 efflux varied in the fieldwith different cultivars.Photosynthetic rate andbiomass accumulation revealeda good correlation with soilorganic carbon and soil carbonstorage irrespective of theecosystem. Crop productivitywas highly influenced by thesoil carbon. In Ahu riceecosystem soil planted withcultivar Kapili had highercarbon storage potential overcultivar Luit. In Sali riceecosystem cultivar Ranjit andin Boro rice ecosystem cultivarKanaklata had higher carbonstorage potential over otherhigh yielding and indigenousvarieties and can beconsidered as suitable for largescale cultivation in the field, forefficient C sequestration.

Key words: Soil carbonsequestration, rice ecosystems,CO2 efflux , photosysthesis

26

AB

ST

RA

CT

A field experiment was conducted todevelop a suitable Ailanthus excelsa

based agro forestry system for higherproductivity in Western zone of Tamil Nadu.Tomato, brinjal, bhendi, cluster beans andvegetable cowpea were intercropped in 3years old Ailanthus excelsa. Results revealedthat the growth and yield of intercrops werereduced under intercropping compared topure cropping. Among the test crops, tomatowas most affected and cluster bean was theleast affected. However the benefit cost ratiowas highest for brinjal (3.02:1) and lowestfor vegetable cowpea (2.35:1) due to thehigher productivity in brinjal. Growth ofAilanthus was also influenced due tointercropping with cluster beans andvegetable cowpea. The tree height and DBH

Paper Presentation – III

Intercropping of vegetable crops under Ailan-thus excelsa based agro forestry system.

G.V. Rajalingam1*, V. Rajasree 2 and K.T. Parthiban 3

1 and 2 - Assistant Professors (Horticulture), Horticultural College and ResearchInstitute, TNAU, Coimbatore – 3, Tamil Nadu. 3 – Professor and Head, Department ofAgro forestry,Forest College and Research Institute, TNAU Mettupalayam, Coimbatore(District) Tamil Nadu -641 3011*- Corresponding author (Assistant Professor (Horticul-ture), Horticultural College and Research Institute, TNAU, Coimbatore – 3, TamilNadu. Email- rajalingamhort@rediffmail.com.

of Ailanthus was highest whenintercropped with cluster beans(15.21% and 10.00 % increaseover pure tree) and the lowestwas observed with tomato (4.30% and 2.50 % increase over treealone).

Key words: Ailanthus,intercrops, growth attributes,yield.

27

AB

ST

RA

CT

Organic farming practices that preservesoil fertility and maintain or increase

organic matter content that reduce thenegative effects of drought while increasingproductivity. Vegetable quality will beimproved through organic cultivation andcompletely reduces the hazardous due toexorbitant use of pesticide and fungicides,The food we are now consuming containshigh residues due to much of pesticidesand herbicides. In earlier the usage ofchemicals was very much reduced andmaintaining the correct quantity ofnutrient content in vegetables . But, nowthe chemical usage is enormous so thissituation has to be changed. Exoticvegetables are rich in nutrients andcontains high amount of anti –oxidants .Nutritional wise lettuce ,palak and broccoliare considered to be the most perfectvegetables. American cancer society deemsbroccoli is an anti-cancerous food ,itcontains “sulphoraphane” which is knownto have anti-cancer properties Thevegetables growing popularity ofinternational cuisine in India and are beingpopular among households. Hence thestudy was undertaken with the objectivesof to increase the yield and quality oflettuce, broccoli and palak and to comparethe nutritional quality of vegetables using

Paper Presentation – IV

Organic production exotic vegetables forkitchen garden

Dr.V.Premalakshmi, M.Hemamalini, R.Indirapriyadarshini,J.Vinithini, and Dr.T.SaraswathiDept of vegetable crops, HC&RI, TNAU,Coimbatore-3

organic and conventionalmedia at dept of vegetablecrops, HC&RI, TNAU,Coimbatore during 2015. Theorganic media consisted ofvermicompost,coir pithenriched with azospirillum,phosphobacteria, humicacid,seaweed,azophosmet andazadirachtin whereas theconventional media containsred earth,sand and FYM andwith recommended dose ofinorganic fertilizer.Theresearch trial included thematerials of lettuce cv iceberg,lolarosa and red leaf., in spinachcv local variety and in broccolicv Fiesta. The results revealedthat the high chlorophyllcontent was recorded inorganic culture of ice berg(0.4366/100g), lola rosa(0.186mg/100g),redleaf(0.6154mg/100g) and spinach0.35133mg/100g) , highascorbice acid content wasrecorded in ice berg (2.4mg/100g), lola rosa (2.633mg/

28

AB

ST

RA

CT

100g),red leaf (0.2.566 mg/100g) andspinach (14.2664mg/100g) , high calciumcontent was obsvered in ice berg (17.8mg/100g), lola rosa (0.186mg/100g),red leaf(17.1mg/100g) and spinach (14.06mg/100g) ,Iron content was recorded in iceberg (0.4066mg/100g), lola rosa (0.38mg/100g),red leaf (0.413mg/100g) and spinach(2.516mg/100g) and high fibre content wasrecorded in ice berg (2.05mg/100g), lolarosa (1.90mg/100g),red leaf (2.05mg/100g)and spinach (2.205mg/100g) in organiccultivation of vegetables whereas the yieldcontributing parameters on number ofleaves and weight of leaves were maximumin conventional media but the totalnumber of marketable leaves were

maximum in organic mediathan the conventional mediaand nutrient content is high inorganic means and the mediaalso retained the fertility statuswas maximum in organic mediathan conventional media

29

AB

ST

RA

CT

Since environmental stress negativelyaffects crop growth and productivity

throughout the world and the energycrisis threatens the sustainability of bothirrigated and rainfed system, it is becomingincreasingly evident that primingtechniques can enhance and improve theperformance of crops withoutdeteriorating the natural resourcebase.Among the available options , on-farmseed priming is a simple, proven technologythat has been an age old practice, tested,and refined in laboratories, in experimentalplots, and by farmers themselves in theirfields. It’s easy to use with a wide range ofcrops in many different farming conditions.Farmers in the indo-gangetic plains of UttaPradesh, India prime rice ,wheat, maize andpulse seed before sowing. This simplemethod is now spreading to other parts ofthe country as well . Although priming withwater or tiny amounts of phosphorus,boron and zinc is common but use ofmicrobes can make a huge difference.Biopriming is becoming a potentiallyprominent technique to induce profoundchanges in plant characteristics and toencourage desired attributes in plantsgrowth associated with fungi and bacteriacoatings. Biological factors such as fungiand bacteria are used in biopriming which

Paper Presentation – V

Impact Assessment of Biopriming Interven-tions for Nutrient Use Efficiency-Indian story

Amitava RakshitDepartment of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Institute of Agricultural Science,Banaras Hindu University, UP-221005, India; Email: amitavar@bhu.ac.in

includes: fungi and antagonistbacteria and the mostimportant of all areTrichoderma,Pesodomonas,Glomus,Bacillus,Agrobacterium andGliocladium.Therefore, seed priming incombination with low dosageof biocontrol agents has beenused to improve the plantperformance, stabilize theefficacy of biological agentsinthe present set up ofagriculture and reducingdependency on chemicalinputs.

30

AB

ST

RA

CT

Rice is staple food of more than half theworld population. But nutrients such

as protein and minerals are meagerlypresent in rice grain. It is well known thatmore than 30 % of world population isaffected by Fe deficiency anemia. Sobiofortification of rice with Fe will be apractical solution to combat anemia whichis prevailing in developing countries.Cadmium contamination of rice is anotherserious health concern during ricecultivation. Repeated application of Cdcontaminated phosphate fertilizer hadresulted in massive Cd contamination ofrice fields across the globe. So approachesare being carried out to enhance nutrientcontent as well as to reduce the toxicmetal content in rice. We have challengedthe problem of Fe fortification in rice withFe nanoparticles synthesized in ourlaboratory. It has been found thattreatment of nanoparticles enhances Fecontent in rice plants during pot cultureand the treatment also helped to upholdphotosystem efficiency in rice plants.Nanoparticle treatment also had resultedin progressive changes in linear electrontransport rate and non-photochemicalquenching - a process which dissipatesexcess light energy during photosynthesis.

Paper Presentation – VI

Iron nutrition of rice in the era of sustainableagriculture

Abin Sebastian*1, Ashwini Nangia1, M.N.V. Prasad21

School of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500046, INDIA 2Departmentof plant sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500046, INDIA *abin@uohyd.ac.in

Our studies with Cdminimization in rice using greenmanure and Fe salts revealedthat these soil amendmentsreduce Cd accumulation inrice plants. It is also revealedthat Fe supplement enhancesphotosynthesis performanceunder Cd stress. But it isnoteworthy thatvermicompost prepared fromgreen manure lead Cdaccumulation in rice. Thus thepresent study discusses thesignificance of Fe nutrition andorganic farming in Fefortification as well as Cdminimization in rice.

31

AB

ST

RA

CT

The selected Bacillus isolates, obtainedfrom the semi-arid tropics of North

Gujarat (India), efficiently solubilizedinsoluble phosphate. The isolate BCRh10solubilized 37.84 and 96.76 ìg ml-1 ofphosphate at an incubation of 2 and 10days. Numerical analysis of phenotypiccharacter revealed a high degree ofpolymorphism and grouped these strainsinto two at similarity coefficient of 0.71whereas the strain BCRh10 stood as anoutlier and was positive for most of thecarbon sources. The functional efficiencyof these isolates as PGPR (plant growthpromoting rhizobacteria) was furthertested by ability to produce enzymes(ACC deaminase, protease, cellulase,pectinase, and chitinase) necessary forcatalyzing reactions for nutrientmobilization; and which in addition tocertain metabolite (siderophore and HCNproduction) promote inhibition of fungalplant pathogens. The isolates varied widelyfor these attributes and showed presenceof more than one type of biochemicalactivities. The isolate BCRh10 producedhighest quantity of IAA (94.82 μg/mL), waspositive for most of the enzymes and

Paper Presentation – VII

Bioprospecting for plant growth promotingBacillus from semi-arid tropics,

N.K. SinghS.D. Agricultural University, India

N.K. Singh* and D.B. PatelDepartment of Microbiology, C.P. College of Agriculture, S.D. Agricultural University,Sardarkrushinagar, Gujarat, India-385506*Corresponding Author:nirbhaysingh78@gmail.com

metabolites, and adjudged mostefficient in suppressing thefungus Alternaria burnsii andFusarium solani. Theevolutionary history based on16SrRNA gene sequence wasinferred using the UPGMAmethod and evolutionarydistances were computedusing Maximum CompositeLikelihood method usingMEGA5. Grouping of theisolates in the factorialcoordinate analysis was incongruence with that of thephenotypic characterizationbased on carbon utilizationpattern and the 16S rRNAgene sequence.

32

AB

ST

RA

CT

North Eastern Himalayan Region ofIndia is bestowed with all prerequisite

for successful cultivation of turmeric. Thedemand for organic turmeric (Curcumalonga L.) is increasing among the healthconscious consumers due to its anti-cancerous and other bioactive properties.However, the soil of North Eastern regionis deficient in phosphorus. Potassium alsoplay an important role in rhizomedevelopment of turmeric and continuouscultivation of turmeric on same piece ofland leads to depletion of potassium levelin the soil. With this background, turmericvar. Megha Turmeric-1 was grown with fourorganic manures viz. compost (20 t/ha),vermicompost (5 t/ha), poultry manure (6t/ha) and mustard cake (3 t/ha) and twobiofertilizers (Pseudomonas fluorescensand Frateuria aurentia) under the foothillcondition of Manipur at an altitude of 800m above msl. Biofertilizers were appliedsole or in combination with each organicmanure through rhizome treatment (10 g/kg of seed rhizome) and soil application(10 kg each/ha after 30 days of planting).No chemical fertilizers and pesticides wereapplied to the plants except control plots.Plants grown under bio-organic inputsexhibited maximum values in most of the

Paper Presentation – VIII

Influence of Phosphorus and Potash Solubiliz-ing Bacteria on Growth, Yield and Quality ofTurmeric (Curcuma longa L.) under NorthEastern Himalayan Region

N. Prakash, S. S. Roy, S. K. Sharma, M. A. Ansari, ChongthamTania, Ch. Premabati Devi and S. V. Ngachan.ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Manipur Centre,Lamphelpat, Imphal - 795 004

growth and yield parameters ascompared to inorganicmanagement. The maximumprojected yield per hectare(27.58 t/ha) was recordedwith Vermicompost +Pseudomonas + Frateuria, ascompared to 24.71 t/ha underinorganic management. In termsof quality, maximum curcumincontent (6.50%) and oleoresincontent (8.10%) wererecorded with Compost +Pseudomonas + Frateuria andVermicompost + Pseudomonas+ Frateuria, respectively.Maximum build-up of soilnutrients (NPK) wasassociated with Vermicompost+ Pseudomonas + Frateuria.Hence, growing turmeric withorganic manure along withphosphorus and potashsolubilizing bacteria may berecommended for maximizingthe yield and quality of organicturmeric as well as to restorethe soil fertility under NorthEastern Himalayan Region.

33

AB

ST

RA

CT

The balanced fertilization of majorelements could be beneficial for the

growth of plant above ground parts androots. Farmers need to change theirfertilization strategy that reflects theireconomic pressure and the nutrientsupplementation remains a threat becauseof the escalating prices and their ill effect.Hence the concept of Integrated PlantNutrient System (IPNS) is gainingpopularity as an ideal system of nutrientmanagement. IPNS approach aims toenhance soil and crop productivitythrough a balanced use of mineralfertilizers combined with organic andbiological resources. Hence a study wascarried out during 2011-12 to assess theconjugal effect of manures and chemicalfertilizers on the dynamics of majoragriculturally significant soil enzymes,available nutrient status yield and yieldattributes of Okra .Thirteen treatmentsinvolving different inoculants likeAzosprillium,PGPR mix-1,Phosphbacterinsand amendments like neem cake wereused .Results of the experiment revealedthat application of NPK ( 505) ,PGPR mix-1 enriched vermicompost+ N,P&K wasfound to be the best treatment both in

Paper Presentation – IX

Effect of integrated Plant nutrient system onsoil biological health in ared loam soil

B.Aparna and Sathyan.R.NDepartment of Soil Science &Agrl Chemistry, College of Agriculture, Vellayani,Trivandrum- 695522Department of Soil Science &Agrl Chemistry, College of Agriculture, Vellayani,Trivandrum- 695522

sustaining soil biological fertilityand economic returns. Availablemicro nutrients (Fe, Cu,B),biological properties of soilviz. Dehydrogenase,Cellulaseand protease activities andbiometric characters ofbhindiie. Plant height ,and no offruits.The most substantialindex of biological activity inthe soil is its enzyme activityand therefore it can give anidea of biochemical processesin the soil.Enzyme activitynumber was highest for thesame treatment with theapplication of NPK 50% asPGPR mix -1 enrichedvermicompost in combinationwith inorganics .On farm Trials( OFT ) and Multi locationTrials ( MLT) is to be carriedout at farmers field forconfirming the results.

34

AB

ST

RA

CT

Preface: Health of an individual is afunction of disease incidence, nutrition

and hygiene, genetic and environmentalfactors. Disease incidence and nutritionrelated problems can be easily tackled byfollowing some healthy food practices.Incidence of diseases pertaining todeficiency of Calcium and Iron,Osteoporosis and further lifestyle relateddiseases like diabetes,hypercholesterolaemia, cancer can beameliorated by adopting a few foodprocessing methods. Fermentation is oneof the processes involving microbialintervention to improve the nutritionalvalue and quality of food. Apart fromnutritional improvement, there are manyother benefits associated withconsumption of fermented foods. If thefermented food product is not heatprocessed, it can act as a vehicle totransport organisms involved in processing(may be probiotic organisms). Probioticmicroorganisms not only antagonize with

Paper Presentation – X

Fermented Foods: A microbial Approach foramelioration of Health Related issues

Dr. Suvarna, V. ChavannavarProfessor, Dept. of Agril. Microbiology, UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru -560 065.

the pathogens in GI tract, theydo involve in metabolicpathways of human system andthereby help in reducingcancer incidence, diabetes andcardiac problems. Withincreasing incidences ofdiabetes, cardiac problems andmany such ailments can beminimized with a strategy thatincludes simple method ofincluding fermented foods inour daily diets so as to achievegood health.

35

AB

ST

RA

CT

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronicmetabolic disorder characterized by

high levels of glucose in the blood due tothe non-secretion of insulin or insulininsensitivity (ADA, 2005). Diabetes affects180 million people worldwide. It isestimated that around 300 million peoplemay be affected by 2025 with DiabetesMellitus. Cardiovascular diseases accountsfor 80% of death among diabetic patients.Suffering from diabetes is one of the riskfactor for cardiovascular disease, it leads todiabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Theobject of the study was to examine the7groups; each group contains 6 ratsduration of 30 days, Groups I-normal, II-diabetic (50mg/kg BW of STZ, single dose),III-diabetic + hesperidin (100mg/kg BW/day), IV-diabetic + Glibenclamide, V-ISO(11mg/kg BW/29th,30thday), VI-diabetic+ISO, VII-diabetic + ISO +hesperidin. Oral treatment of hesperidinshowed significantly reduced bloodglucose, total cholesterol, Triglycerides,HDL, LDL and VLDL concentrations andincreased body weight were observedwhen compared with experimental groups(p<0.05). In conclusion, hesperidin

Paper Presentation – XI

Regulatory mechanisms of hesperidin in maleSTZ induced diabetic and myocardial infarc-tion (MI) rats;

M. Bhaskar,Sri Venkateswara University, India.

treatment showed significantinfluence on the decreasinglevels of total lipid profileaccompanied by thehypoglycemic, hypolipidemicactivity of MI in diabetictreated rats.

Keywords: Hesperidin,diabetic cardiomayopathy,hypercholestemic,hyperglycemic, hypolipidemic.

36

AB

ST

RA

CT

North East Region (NER) of Indiacomprises eight states namely

Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur,Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim andTripura. Total geographical area of NER is2.55 lakh km2, which is about 8% of India’stotal area. Physiography of NER is dividedinto three divisions —Meghalaya plateau,northeastern hills and Brahmaputra valley.NE hills alone accounts for 65% of thetotal land area, Brahmaputra valley 22%and Meghalaya Plateau covers 13%. Averageannual rainfall in the region is 2500mm.Less than 18 % of net cropped area isunder irrigation. NER enjoys suitable agroclimatic condition for growing wide arrayof horticultural crops. With exception tomandarins and to a certain extent tobanana and pineapple, majority of fruitcrops in the region are largely grown inhomestead gardens.The region hastremendous potential for growing all thesubtropical, tropical and temperate fruitcrops organically. The Zone-wise, nutrient-wise consumption pattern of fertilizersclearly depicts that in South Zone a totalof 153.19 kg, in West Zone a total of 84.64kg, in North Zone a total of 192.32 kg, inEast Zone a total of 161.08 kg while inNorth East Zone a total of only 51.73 kgNPK per hectare fertilizers are Consumed.

Paper Presentation – XII

Exploitation of potentials of organic fruitproduction in North East India

R. K. Bhattacharyya and Utpal Das*Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat-785013email: ranjitkb2010@gmail.com, utpaldashorts14@gmail.com

The major share of whateverlittle fertilizers consumed inthe North East Zone largelygoes to the plantation cropslike tea, rubber as well as tothe cereal crops grown in theregion. The low fertilizerconsumption pattern in theregion clearly depicts farmers’tendency of non usinginorganic fertilizers for fruitproduction. This situationcompelled the fruit productionorganically by default in theregion. However, it would be achallenging task for the fruitgrowers of the region toproduce fascinating fruit cropsof the region organically notmerely by default but primarilyas well as substantially bypractice of organic farming.State like Sikkim of the regionfrom the beginning of thecurrent year is already onestep ahead in proclaiming to bethe first state in the country tobe organic. In addition, another

37

AB

ST

RA

CT

NER state Tripura is already in limelight byproclaiming positions as Organic PineappleProducer among the sixty Agri ExportZones of the country. Mizoram, Meghalayaand Assam states have taken initiative toproduce mandarins, lemons, passion fruitsand pineapples organically. ManipurOrganic Mission Agency is planning organicproduction of mandarins, lemons andpineapples as a first step in six hill districtsof the state. Arunachal Pradesh has formedstate Soil Health Mission as an initial stepfor entry into systematic organic fruitproduction. With the existing diversifiedtropical, subtropical and temperate fruitcrops in NER, exploitation of potentials oforganic fruit production in the region

would definitely be a giant stepin making the entire NER asthe Organic Hub for fruits inthe country.

*Presenting author’s presentaddress : PhD Student,Department ofHorticulture, University ofAgricultural Sciences, Raichur-584104, Karnataka, India.

38

AB

ST

RA

CT

Cabbage is important cruciferousvegetable grown in India with an area

of 4,33,870 hectare. Diamond back moth isnotorious pests of cabbage. Management ofthis pest has become a remarkable taskand farmers apply chemical pesticides oncein a week for the effective management ofthis pest. However indiscriminate use ofchemicals has resulted in problems likeresurgence, resistance, replacement, impacton non-target organisms, including humans,environmental pollution. Increasingawareness about the deleterious effects ofinsecticides. Now farmers and researchersare switching over to botanical pesticides,which overcome many problemsassociated with chemical insecticidesespecially in the vegetables. In nature morethan 1800 plant species are reported tohave biopesticidal properties. Our presentstudy mainly focus on use of certain fernplant extracts against P. xylostella underlaboratory condition. Three ferns(Diplazium esculentum, Christella parasitica

Paper Presentation – XIII

Evaluation of certain fern plants extractsagainst diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella l.in cabbage

J.MURASING1, M.VIGNESH2, C. MOHAN3 ANDM.K.GUPTA4

1, 4* Department of Agricultural Entomology, Central Agricultural University, Imphal,Manipur, India, 2*Department of Agricultural Entomology, University of AgriculturalSciences, Dharward, Karnataka, India, 3*Department of Agricultural Entomology, TamilNadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India : jolo91molo@gmail.comHYPERLINK “mailto:mohanagri638HYPERLINK“mailto:mohanagri638@gmail.com”@gmail.com

and Blechnum orientale)extract has been tested on thelarva of p. xylostella in the labcondition. All of these extractsshowed statistically significantcontrol over the untreatedcontrol plot. The larvalmortality was low at lowconcentration of these plantextracts after 24 hours oftreatment but showedincrease in larval mortality withthe increase in theconcentrations being maximumat 20% concentration. Themaximum larval mortality was36.66% after 24 hours oftreatment in case of D.

39

AB

ST

RA

CT

esculentum which increased to 73.33%after 72 hours of treatment indicating D.esculentum to be the most toxic to larvaeof P. xylostella. In comparison to this, thelarval mortality was 0.66% after 24 hoursand 13.33% after 72 hours of treatment inuntreated control. The efficacy of D.esculentum was altered the feedingbehavior of P. xylostella, reduced the larvaland pupal weight, prolonged the pupationperiod, malformed the pupa and adult wererecorded under in vitro.

Key words: Brassica oleracea ,Plutella xylostella, Fern plantextracts.

40

AB

ST

RA

CT

Organic agriculture used to beprevalent in South Korea until the

1960s by necessity as in Cuba since theearly 1990s. The first fertiliser plant wasbuilt in 1961 in South Korea. Ever since,the government agricultural policy hasfocused on an increase in food productionto the self-sufficient level. The growth-oriented agricultural policy has promotedthe practices of conventional agriculturecharacterised by mechanisation,specialization, and the heavy use ofagrochemicals. Whena reasonably high levelof economic affluence in rural areas wasobtained, the traditional labour-sharingnetwork started fading. Various organicagriculture movements have emerged inSouth Korea since the 1990s. Theagrotourism industry based on organicagriculture has blossomed and community-supported organic agriculture hasflourished over the last one decade.Although only 1.0% of the total agriculturalland in South Korea was under organicmanagement as of 2014, the organicagriculture movements have been at theheart of rural social and environmental

Keynote V

A brief history of organic agriculture and ruralcommunity in South Korea

Jungho SuhGeography, Environment and Population, The University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia

movements in rebuildingtraditional rurality in SouthKorea.

Key words: Agriculturalindustrialisation, Saemaul (NewVillage) Movement, rural returnmigration, agrotourism, organicagriculture.

41

AB

ST

RA

CT

There are approximately 1200 speciesof bats worldwide, of which around

70% (all belonging to the suborderMicrochiptera) eat insects above all else.Insectivorous bats can gather in vastnumbers and this enables them to exertgreat pressure on the insect populationsthey prey on. Although the effect of batson insect community dynamics is stillpoorly known, evidence suggests that theyplay an important role in the regulation ofinsect populations. A single gathering ofaround 1 million Brazilian free-tailed bats,amedium-sized American species, isestimated to consume every seasonbetween 500 and 1,000 tons of insects.The diet of many bat species has beenstudied by researchers in recent decadesand the list of insects consumed by bats isknown to encompass virtually every familyof nocturnal insects, including many pestspecies. The ‘arms race’ between bats andinsects, which has led to the developmentof a number of evolutionary adaptations ininsects enabling them to elude bats,provides evidence of the influence batshave and have had on the life history ofinsects. Hearing, for instance, is bestdeveloped in nocturnal moths susceptibleto being predated by bats and these mothshave an optimal hearing range tuned to thefrequencies predominantly used by bats(20–60 KHz). Like other insects, mothshave also developed specific reactions to

Keynote VI

Bats and plant pests: current knowledge andperspectives

Xavier Puig MontserratSpain

elude their attackers that aretriggered when an ultrasoundis heard. In the past decadethere have been attempts toquantify the impact bats haveon insect populations and, inparticular, to evaluate the pestcontrol service that batsprovide. The first research onthe subject, published in2006,contains calculations thatthe annual economiccontribution made by bats tothe $5.5-million Texan cottonindustry is around $750,000,corresponding to the annualcost of the pesticides thatwould have to be applied tomaintain yield levels if batswere absent. Furthermore, thecost of losing bats at acontinental scale (consideringjust North America)has beenestimated to be at least $3.7billion per year (with amaximum of $53 billion/year).Similar estimations for a staplecrop such as rice have beenmade in Thailand by linking dataon populations of a commonmedium-sized species (wrinkle-lipped bat) and its estimatedconsumption of certain major

42

AB

ST

RA

CT

rice pests present in the region. In thisparticular context, bats were estimated toprevent the loss of 2,900 tons of rice peryear, thereby providing an annualecosystem service valued at $1.2 million.Since a part of the rice production in theregion is for self-consumption, thismonetary value can be translated into foodsecurity and equates to the annual ricemeals for more than 26,000 people. All theaforementioned valuations use extantpopulations of bats and their estimatedpest consumption to assess the impact ofthe ecosystem services they provide aspest controllers. They all stress theimportance of implementing appropriatepolicies aimed at preserving functionallyimportant bat populations includingendangered populations, as well as thosethat live in human-modified environments.A promising step forward has been takenin rice paddies in northern Iberia, whererice is cultivated in highly modifiedlandscapes, devoid of trees and any othernatural structure that could provideshelter for bat populations. Three yearsafter deploying a number of bat boxesaround rice paddies, a population ofsoprano pipistrelles (the smallest Europeanbat) became established and a dramaticdrop in the populations of the striped riceborer, a rice major pest, was detected.These bats’ consumption of this pestdisrupts its population cycles and reducesits density to below economic injury level.Bats thus have acted here as an integrated

ecological pest control method.Another promising field forboth research and applied pestcontrol is how to extendhabitat improvements to otherregions and crops to enable orenhance bats’ ecosystemservices. This presents anumber of challenges that willhave to be overcome. Publicperception of bats needs to begreatly improved if they are tobe efficiently protected.Explaining how bats controlpest populations is not easyand may not be feasible insome cases since little isknown about the response ofbat populations to habitatimprovements. Finally, it mustbe born in mind thatenhancing certain batpopulations may give rise tounexpected conservationissues that negatively affectother species or ecosystems.Thus, as in any other biologicalcontrol system, research andimplementation will have to gohand-in-hand if undesired sideeffects are to be avoided andoptimum results obtained.

43

AB

ST

RA

CT

Keynote VII

SEEDS OF HOPESustainable Organic Agriculture Systems alongwith Fair Trade in India, Africa and Europe& Proposals for Joint Research Projects be-tween ECOLAND and IUCOFSA about“Biodiversity of Autochthone Pepper Varietiesin India” and “Vrikshayurveda IndigenousOrganic Knowledge Center”

Rudolf BühlerPresident ECOLAND INTERNATIONAL, Germany

SEEDS OF HOPE

Seeds of Hope is a international projectscheme for sustainable and organicagriculture with indigenous and smale scalefarmers in India, Africa and Eastern Europe.The seeds are organic grown spices whichare exported upon Fair Trade principles toGermany to avail the rural producers andsocieties a sustainable and valuable incomeout of their natural resources whichcreates hope for a better life.

The project aims in sustainable ruraldevelopment based on a eye to eyepartnership with Ecoland Internationalalong with exchange of knowledge,introduction of organic cultivation andprocessing practices and finally the

sourcing of the organic spicesupon guarantied prices and itsexport to Germany. Pricesoffered to the small scale andindigenous farmes are 40 –100 % on top of conventionalmarket prices and theincreased value is empoweringthe rural communities andenables them for improvedliving conditions in terms ofhousing, food, health care andeducation.

The first project has started2001 within in the TigerSancturary at Thekkady, Kerala,

44

AB

ST

RA

CT

India, focusing on the Vanchivayal tribalcommunity. Later a close partnership withWayanad Social Service Society in thenorth of Kerala was introduced and ledalso to a substantial financial support forestablishing a large spice processing unit.Main crops are pepper, cardamom, nutmeg,allspice, curcuma and ginger.

In Serbia SEEDS Of HOPE started in 2005by introducing firstly ever organic farmingpractices and establishing a farmerscooperative for the cultivation of organicchillies, poppy seed, soya, black mustardand sunflowers.

In Zanzibar, Africa, SEEDS Of HOPEstarted in 2012 also by introducing organicagriculture practices and creating aproducers cooperative with the local smallscale farmers. There we grow mainly cloves,cinnamom, lemon grass, vanilla and alsonutmeg.

Further projects are on the way in Java,Tanzania and Namibia. The core values of allSEEDS Of HOPE projects and activitiesare

• regional partnerships between northand south on eye to eye level

• sustainable development for ruralsocieties living in remote areas

• exchange of values and goods upon fairtrade principles

• fair share to the farmers and producersout of the value chain

• implementing solidaric business

principles

• introduction andpromotion of organicagricultural practices byknowledge transfer,education and extensionwork

• preservation of autochtonebreeds and plants

• strengthening the peasantsrights by developing aInternational Charta ofPeasants Rights incooperation with the UN

The SEEDS OF HOPE projectsare substituted with 50 % oftheir project expenditures byGerman Government fundsreleased through DeutscheEntwicklungs Gesellschaft,DEG.

Proposal for a Joint ResearchProject between ECOLANDand IUCOFSA: Saving theBiodiversity of AutochthonePepper Varieties in India - TheArc of Pepper.

The Malabar Coast of SouthIndia is the original place ofpepper (Piper nigrum) fromwhere it spread to othercountries and continents. Sofar, within this region of richplant diversity, differentvarieties of the pepper plant

45

AB

ST

RA

CT

have been identified. This includes wildspecies as well as more than 100cultivated varieties domesticated anddeveloped by the local indigenousgrowers and rural people over centuries.

The abundant natural treasure of morethan 100 autochthone varieties has to beconsidered as the common value of thelocal rural people. Along with thedomesticated varieties, there is still a hugenatural treasure of wild pepper speciesobserved. As with the last generation offarmers, pepper was still cultivated uponthe foundation of a wide range of peppervarieties, what we call agro-biodiversity.This meant that, each and every peppervariety was selected based on its specificvalue in terms of taste, content ofpiperine, oleoresin and essential oil, yield,medicinal value and its resistance to pestsand diseases as well as its adaptation tovarious soil and micro-climatic conditionswithin the region. The local farmingcommunities had their own andindigenous varieties, most of which wassuperior in taste, whiles others wereadapted to drought or poor soilconditions depending on the area ofcultivation.

During the last decades of “modern”agricultural practices, particularly withfocus on the green revolution, which wasspear-headed under the supervision ofwestern industrial economies and science,the traditional and autochthone Indianvarieties were steadily replaced by

hybrids to a large extent whichaccounted for more than 90 %of pepper plants cultivated. Theagro-biodiversity of pepper,grown at the Malabar Coast upto the Western Ghats, hasbeen drastically reduced withina short span of 20-30 yearsonly.

Research institutions,Agricultural boards andExtension Services wereresponsible for supervising themove to the so called “HighYielding Varieties HYV” andtaught the farmers to usethose hybrids along with theintensive application ofchemical fertilizers andpesticides. The reality is thatthe HYV-Hybrids serve theirexpected high yields only bythe intensive use of thechemical inputs. As a result ofthis influence and thepromotion of agrochemicalpractices along with the “HYV-Hybrids”, the traditional andautochthone varieties havegradually disappeared.

If no measures are taken torescue them, they risk beingendangered and becomingextinct within a short periodof time.

46

AB

ST

RA

CT

Furthermore, future systems of sustainableagriculture have to be proven upon newparameters, such as resource-efficiencyand energy-efficiency systems throughwhich, we can understand the great valueof the autochthone traditional varietieswhich were developed during centuriesby the work and wisdom of the localfarmers to serve humans needs. Local andindigenous varieties are well adapted tothe individual local climate and soilconditions and produce sustainable yieldseven under critical soil and climaticconditions.

The goal is therefore to come up with anew and revised economic view uponfuture agricultural systems, particularlythrough a macroeconomic view in orderto consider the external costs created bythe agro-industrial and agro-chemicalsystem and on the other hand theexternal benefits and values of the organicand holistic way of production by focusingon its balanced results and the benefits tosociety. By considering these importantfactors, one can understand the need andvalue of such a project for preserving theabundant natural treasure of theautochthone pepper varieties within theMalabar Coast stretching through to theWestern Ghats.

With this in mind, it is worthwhile to notonly consider the intensive and peculiartaste of indigenous pepper varieties butalso the medicinal values as well as thenatural resistance against several pests anddiseases which are needed for sustainable

organic cultivation practices. Itis for this reason that EcolandHerbs and Spices - Germany,represented by its founderRudolf Bühler, in cooperationwith Wayanad Social ServiceSociety (WSSS), Kerala -India,represented by Father BijoThomas Karukappally asDirector, have since August,2016 put together a jointproject to rescue and preserveall survived traditionalautochthone pepper varietiesalong the Malabar Coast up tothe Western Ghats in order toestablish an “Ark of Pepper”,located at the WSSS BotanicalGarden in Boys TownOrphanage Complex, 12 kmaway from Mananthavady,Kerala- India.

Project Design:

a. Collection of the historicand traditional autochthonepepper varieties within thearea of Malabar Coast up tothe Western Ghats,including wild species andgathering them in plots andthe site-buildings of WSSSBotanical Garden.

b. Identifying ‘pepper varieties’as pure varieties uponphenotypic identification

47

AB

ST

RA

CT

and classification as well as with geneticscreening and the registration of theidentified pure varieties under itstraditionally conveyed name.

c. Establishing of a herbarium accordingly,to serve as a scientific ex-situ referencelibrary at the site-buildings of WSSSBotanical Garden.

d. Conservation of the collectedautochthone varieties under in-situ andex-situ conditions: BotanicalLaboratory and Mother-Nursery atBoys Town.

e. Establishing field plots with selectedpilot farmers from WSSS for the meansof scientific research upon theindividual values of each variety asresistance to diseases and drought,specific soil conditions, yield, medicinalvalue and specific content analysis.

f. At a later stage, identify specificmarketing values to provide addedvalue to producers in order to motivatethem to shift from “HYV-Hybrids” tothe traditional autochthone Varieties.

g. Reconstructing and extension of theplot and buildings at the BotanicalGarden of WSSS including thelaboratory.

Proposal for a Joint Research Projectbetween ECOLAND and IUCOFSA :Establishment of a Indigenous OrganicAgricultural Knowledge Center ofKerala/India including the acientpractices of Vrikshayurveda

Along with the collection andrevitalization of theendangered rare peppervarieties, the project will seekto collect all reachable books,scripts and oral contributionsby tribals and local farmersabout the tradition of“Vrikshayurveda”, consideredas the indigenous knowledgeon organic and sustainablefarming practices laid down inthe ancient Sanskrit scripts. Itis an important task to lookinto the wisdom of the historicscripts as well as to the orallyconveyed wisdom andknowledge of the indigenouspeople. This will lead to aLibrary and an archive whichwould be known as the“Indigenous OrganicAgricultural KnowledgeCenter” at the plot including aTraining Hall for itsdissemination andpopularization.

As we have observed inCentral Europe a strongmovement to adopt “bio-dynamic” cultivation practicesbased upon protagonists as“Steiner, 1924” under thebrand of “Demeter”, theproject will also want toobserve and research intosimilarities and applied

48

AB

ST

RA

CT

preparate work and practices betweenboth biodynamic systems, Demeter andVrikshayurveda. Furthermore a bio-dynamic and Vrikshayurvedic preparatecenter will be established within theBotanical Garden plot for the future use ofWSSS member farmers.

Both sides agreed that the specific part ofthe project which is a so called Gen-Bankwill be not subjected to any trial orattempt of “Genetic Engineering” practices.The Ark of Pepper will entirely serve torescue and revitalize the historic treasureof indigenous and autochthone peppervarieties of South India which are thecommon assets of the local farmers whodeveloped them through generations andcenturies. The local farmers will always havefree access and use them for their organicand bio-dynamic cultivation.

The same applies to the “IndigenousOrganic Agricultural Knowledge Center”with the indigenous knowledge beingunderstood as a treasure of the ruralsocieties and small scale farmers, but notyet protected by the UN OrganizationWIPO which covers and protects only theintellectual knowledge as a property, butnot the indigenous knowledge, therebyposing a threat of being grabbed easily byinterested groups and business followers.

So far the “Ark of Pepper” including theestablishment of the “Indigenous Organic

Agricultural KnowledgeCenter” is being financed forthe next 3 years till the end ofDecember, 2018 jointly byEcoland Herbs and Spices andWSSS. Further commitmentswould be developed withintime.

49

AB

ST

RA

CT

For many years, people are using varioustypes of growth promoting substances

to increase the growth rate of plants.Because of the difficulties in themodification of chemical and microbialgrowth promoting substances, scientistsfocus mainly on nanotechnology.Nanotechnology opens a large scope fornovel applications in the field ofbiotechnology and agricultural industries,because of the unique physicochemicalproperties of nanoparticles like highsurface area, high reactivity, tunable poresize, and particle morphology.Nanoparticles can serve as “magic bullets”,containing herbicides, nano-pesticidefertilizers, or genes, which target specificcellular organelles in plant to release theircontent. Despite the plenty of informationavailable on the toxicity of nanoparticles toplant system, few studies have beenconducted on mechanisms, by whichnanoparticles exert their effect on plantgrowth and development. The appropriateelucidation of physiological, biochemicaland molecular mechanism of nanoparticles

Keynote VIII

Nanoparticles for Sustainable Agriculture

Rakhimol K R1, Sabu Thomas1,Jayachandran K 2, Oluwatobi SOluwafemi 3,4, Francis B Lewu 5, Nandakumar Kalarikkal11International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology,Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India, 2School of Biosciences, MahatmaGandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India, 3Centre for Nanomaterials Science Research,University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa, 4Department of AppliedChemistry, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 17011, Doornfontein 2028,Johannesburg, South Africa, 5 Department of Agriculture, Cape Peninsula University ofTechnology, Holy Oke Building, Huis Meiring, Wellington Campus, Wellington 7655,Western Cape, South Africa

in plant leads to better plantgrowth and development. Inthis work, we will be trying topresent on the role ofnanoparticles (NPs) in plantgrowth and development andalso on the mechanism ofaction of nanoparticles. The useof nanotechnology for thesustained release of fertilizerswill be discussed. Finally, wewill summarize the role ofnanotechnology for thepreservation of grains, fruitsand vegetables

50

AB

ST

RA

CT

Considerable inclination towards organicfarming in developed as well in

developing countries has been observed inrecent years after realization of the impactof pesticide-loaded food on health,environmental pollution, and land degradationcaused due to high input agriculture. Organicagriculture is different from otherapproaches of sustainable agriculture in twoways. One crop rotation for build up of soilfertility is a must and second the use ofsynthetic inputs is prohibited. Therefore,pests and diseases may lead to significantlosses to crop yield in the absence of good

Keynote IX

Biopesticides and Practices for Protecting ThePlants In Organic Farming from Insects andDiseases

Nutan KaushikTERI, Habitat Place Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110 003 kaushikn@teri.res.in

management practices. Thepresentation will focus on therole of biopesticides and thepractices for maintaining theproductivity of organicagriculture by minimizing coploses due to pests and suggestsways to enhance it by improvingthe existing models.

51

AB

ST

RA

CT

Organic horticulture is one of theholistic production management

system found to meet the objectives ofsustainable horticulture. It is consideredthe most coherent and stringent systemthat is designed and maintained to producehorticultural products by the use ofmethods and substances that maintain theintegrity of organic horticultural productsuntil they reach the consumer. Organicproduction has the potential to sustainablyproduce sufficient food of a higher qualityat a lower price.

North east region is characterised bydifficult terrain, wide variations in altitudeand slope, land tenure system andindigenous cultivation practices.Horticulture is the main economic activityin the region and despite major impact ofgreen revolution in the irrigated areas ofthe country, development andmodernisation of horticulture has escapedthis region as was evidenced by pooradoption of modern technologies and lowconsumption of fertilizers. The regionharbours a number of tropical, sub-tropicaland temperate fruits.

The north-east region has enormouspotential for organic fruit production.

Invited Talk-III

Organic Fruit Production in North-east India:Concerns, Strategies and Priorities

T. K. HazarikaDepartment of Horticulture, Aromatic and Medicinal Plants School of Earth Sciencesand Natural Resources Management Mizoram University Tanhril, Aizawl, MizoramEmail:tridip28@gmail.com

Favourable soil and climaticconditions have great scopefor organic production oftropical, sub-tropical andtemperate fruits in the region.Organic fruit production in theregion has direct implicationsin improving the sustainablelivelihood of the community.

Although North-east isconsidered as by defaultorganic, no concrete steps hasbeen taken to implementorganic sector scientifically.High costs of certification, lackof experts in the field level aresome of the lacunas whichhinder the development oforganised organic fruitproduction in the region. Inaddition, lack of marketability ata premium over conventionalproduce, inadequate certifyingagencies, and inability of thefarmers to reach the certifyingagencies, marginal and

52

AB

ST

RA

CT

fragmented land holdings, practice ofshifting cultivation and organized marketingsystem prevents the development oforganic fruit production in the region. It isthe high time to shift from organic bydefault to organic by process. There is

need for institutional researchon developing of organichorticultural food productionpackages in all the thrust cropsof the region.

53

AB

ST

RA

CT

A field experiment was conducted atAligarh Muslim University Research

Station during 2012-2015 to determinethe nutritional potential of organic mattersuch as sunflower seed cake and bio-fertilizers like Azospirillum brasilense andGlomus fasciculatum individually as well asconcomitantly alongwith differentrecommended doses of inorganic nitrogenon the growth, yield attributes andproductivity parameters of tomato(Solanum lycopersicum L.). Significantimprovement was observed in growth aswell as yield parameters such as height ofplants, fresh as well as dry weights, numberof primary branches, percent pollenfertility, green fruits per plant, green fruityield per plant, ascorbic acid content andchlorophyll content of tomato in all thetreatments as compared to untreatedcontrol which seems to be due to thepresence of growth promoting moleculesin the organic matter and bio-fertilizers.Combined inoculation of the bio-fertilizers,A. brasilense and G. fasciculatum shownhigher improvement in growth parameters.Azospirillum was found to be moreeffective than Glomus. Soil application ofcaster cake, bio-fertilizers and 100%recommended dose of nitrogenousfertilizers results the highest improvement

Invited Talk IV

Nutritional potential of organic matter andbio-fertilizers on growth, yield and productiv-ity parameters of tomato (Solanumlycopersicum l.)

Sartaj A. Tiyagi* and Rizwan Ali AnsariSection of Plant Pathology and Nematology, Department of Botany, Aligarh MuslimUniversity, Aligarh—202002, India, *Email: sartaj_a2000@yahoo.co.in

in growth as well as agronomicparameters like plant nitrogen,phosphate and potash , andavailable soil nitrogen,phosphate and potash. Soilbiological properties andmetabolic activities of plantswere found to be greatlyinfluenced due to thepresence of these nutrientsand hence increased growthand yield of plants. This type ofinvestigation is to increaseproductivity to developorganically based agriculturalfarm produce. This may beuseful in long run to sustainthe crop production withoutaltering the exiting harmony inour natural bio-resources. Thismethod of organic farming canbe used as economical andeco-friendly alternative tohazardous agrochemicalfertilizers.

Keywords: Castor cake,Azospirillum, Glomus, Growthparameters, Tomato

54

AB

ST

RA

CT

In the recent past growing concept oforganic farming is emerging in sustainable

agriculture (since 1990 the market fororganic food and other products hasgrown rapidly, reaching $63 billionworldwide in 2012). It is complementing tothe growing concept of ‘one health aspect’.It is been described in the research paperthat, over the centuries, farming systemsthat were once mutually beneficial topeople, animals and the environment havetransformed into intensified ‘factory’systems that are destroying rurallivelihoods and increasing urban migrationand poverty. More recently, coinciding to

Invited Talk-V

Sustainable Animal Agriculture through Or-ganic Farming and IPM for complementing theconcept of holistic one health approach

B W Narladkar,Associate Professor of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences,MAFSU, Parbhani -431 402 (Maharashtra state, INDIA) Email: babanar47@gmail.com

this, India became the signatoryto WTO and Paris agreementof 2015. It has created anurgent need for protection ofour ecosystem and supply ofresidue free organic food; it hasall together forced to inculcatethe tactics of organic farmingwell supplemented by IPMpractices.

55

AB

ST

RA

CT

Santalum,the genus underSantalaceaecomprises economically

important species, which are xylem-tappingroot hemi-parasites with high valuedaromatic heartwood. Among them theIndian sandalwood, S. albumLinn., is themost appreciated in the world, for itsfragrant heartwood and oil used forincenses, soaps, creams, perfumes, carvings,paintings and religious worships for over4000 years. It is acknowledged as “RoyalTree” in subcontinent and is one of themost economically important tree speciesoccupying a pre-eminent position in Indianforestry. The tree has been synonymouswith ancient Indian cultureand is havinglong history through and its importanceand medicinal value has been mentioned inmany quotes of age-old writings.For morethan 5000 years, India has been thetraditional leader of sandalwood oilproduction but in the last decade it hasdecreased to meagre 300 tonnes of woodper year with an annual rate of reductionof 20% since 1995. Currently due to theamendments in the Sandalwood acts in2001 and 2002, respectively by theKarnataka and Tamil Nadu governments,sandalwood is emerging as one of theimportant species for cultivation.

Invited talk VI

Eco-friendly approaches to manage insectpests of Indian Sandalwood (Santalum albumLinn.),in the present scenario of its cultivation

R. SundararajInstitute of Wood Science & Technology, Bangalore, India.

Progressive farmers andprivate entrepreneurs arecultivatingsandalwoodinagroforestry, farm forestry andin varied agri-silvi-horticulturaland mixed plantation systemswith other agricultural,horticultural, commercial andother tree species based ontheir need and choice. In theseareas many pests of agriculturaland horticultural importancewere found affectingsandalwood.The morediversified areas recordedmore insect pests and morenatural enemies and theseverity of the infestationswere less. In less diversifiedareas the severity ofsapsuckers and stem borerswere more, often resulted inundertaking control measures.An analysis of sapsuckers and

56

AB

ST

RA

CT

defoliators with the natural enemies likecoccinellids, mantids and spiders showedpositive linear relationship with pest andpredators. Studies demonstrated thatnatural ways of insect pest managementviz., habitat diversification, organic

amendments and conservationand release of bio-controlagents as ideal options tomanage the insect pestproblemsof sandalwood underits cultivation in areas outsideforests.

57

AB

ST

RA

CT

Abstract

Emerging understanding on plantassociated microorganisms as plantmicrobiome indicates the significant impactof microorganisms on plants as its secondgenome. This is because, themicroorganisms play key role in plantgrowth and development and also indisease resistance. Unraveling thecomplexity involved in the plant- microbeinteraction and decoding the chemicalconversation between plant andmicroorganisms can provide information toenhance yield and disease resistance inplant by modulating the microbiome. Theplant probiotic and antiphytopathogenicmechanisms of plant microbiome frombiodiversity rich areas can have immense

Invited talk VIII

Exploring the Plant Microbiome of medicinalplants for environment friendly agriculturepractices

Radhakrishnan E.K.Assistant Professor, School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam,Kerala, India – 686560 E-mail: radhakrishnanek@mgu.ac.in

applications in new generationagriculture practices. Ourresearch during last few yearshas generated a microbiologicalinsight into the medicinalplants of Kerala with excitingscientific evidences for theproduct forming potential ofmicroorganisms as phyto-stimulants or phyto-vaccinatingagents.

58

AB

ST

RA

CT

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. varcapitata) is one of the most important

cruciferous green leaf vegetables grownextensively in tropical and temperateregions of the world. Cabbage crop isattacked by a number of insect. Of these,diamond back moth, Plutella xylostella hasbecome serious pest from sowing toharvest. To mitigate the losses, farmers uselarge quantities of pesticides. Indiscriminateuse of pesticides has led to many problemslike insecticide resistance, resurgence andresidues. Recent advances in researchbeing directed towards development ofsafer and eco friendly methods such asbotanicals, biopesticides which arerelatively safe to natural enemies andreduces pesticide load in environment.Keeping this in view, investigations wereundertaken to test the commerciallyavailable six ecofriendly pesticides against P.xylostella. The pooled mean results of thesesprays is presented as follows. Among thedifferent eco-friendly insecticidesevaluated against P. xylostella, the Refresh

Paper Presentation XIV

Bio efficacy of some commercially availableeco-friendly insecticides against diamondbackmoth, Plutella xylostella l. in cabbage,

M. VIGNESH1 ,J. MURASING2, C. MOHAN3 andIBOHAL SINGH4

1*Department of Agricultural Entomology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharward,Karnataka, India 2, 4* Department of Agricultural Entomology, Central AgriculturalUniversity, Imphal, Manipur, India 3*Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil NaduAgricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India 2Author for correspondence:vickymologyHYPERLINK “mailto:mohanagri638HYPERLINK“mailto:mohanagri638@gmail.com”@gmail.com

PAPER PRESENTATIONS

@750 ml/ha and Signature@750 ml/ha closely performedwell with the least leaf damagepercentage of 6.9 and 8.4percentage, respectively whichis followed by Dichlorvos 76SL @500 ml/ha. with 10.53percentage leaf damage. Thethree insecticides (Refresh,Signature, Dichlorvos) werestatistically on par. Bio DoseMagnum @ 750 ml/ha provedthe least effective one amongeco-friendly insecticidesrecording the mean leafdamage percentage of 13.59.However all the eco-friendlyinsecticides tested exhibitedstatistically better than theuntreated control (34.55%

59

AB

ST

RA

CT

LD). The highest yield of 24.07 t/haobtained from the Refresh treated plotsfollowed by Signature (23.53 t/ha). Thecost-benefit ratios varied from 1:5.8 to1:24.4 in different insecticidal treatments.Dichlorvos gave the maximum monetarybenefit with highest cost-benefit ratio(1:24.4) followed by Refresh with a

recorded monetary cost-benefit ratio of 1:18.5,respectively.

Key words: Brassica oleracea ,Plutella xylostella, Eco-friendlyinsecticides.

60

AB

ST

RA

CT

Rice (Oryza sativa) is the staple food ofpeople in almost all asian countries and

a major source of livelihood in their ruraleconomics. The productivity of rice isthreatened by more than 100 species ofinsect pests attacking the crop fromnursery to harvest causing enormous yieldloss. Of these, Rice Brown plant hopperNilaparvata lugens has become seriouspest of rice in almost all rice growing tractsof India, because of their ability to removethe sap content of the stem leading toconsiderable reduction in yield. Over theyears, control of N. lugens has been almostexclusively based on application ofchemical insecticides. Some of theinsecticides earlier effective, for examplequinalphos and phoshomidon are also nowbeing reported to cause resurgence of N.lugens. Therfore , the need for alternativemethod for control of N. lugens hasbecome vital to slash- down chemicalpesticidal usage. Utilization of bioagents can

Paper Presentation XV

Insecticide resistance management throughuse of entomopathogenic fungi Metarhiziumanisopliae (metch.) against Nilaparvata lugens(stal) in rice

C. MOHAN1, R. PHILIP SRIDHAR2., M.VIGNESH3 andJ.MURASING4 1,&2*

Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,Coimbatore, 3*Department of Agricultural Entomology, University of AgriculturalSciences, Dharward, Karnataka, 4* Department of Agricultural Entomology, CentralAgricultural University, Imphal, Manipur, India 1Author for correspondence:mohanagriHYPERLINK “mailto:mohanagri638@gmail.com”638HYPERLINK“mailto:mohanagri638@gmail.com”@gmail.com

help in solving ecologicalproblems resulting from toxicpesticides and manage the pestpopulation efficiently. Byconsidering the benefits andpotential of microbials, anexperiment was conducted toevaluate the efficacy ofentomopathogenic fungiMetarhizium anisopliae againstN. lugens under laboratoryconditions. Three Metarhiziumanisopliae strains werecollected from the variousinstitutes. Among the threestrains, Metarhizium (M1)strain (NBAIR) showed ahigher percentage of mortalityagainst N. lugens (76.67%)under in vitro conditions. Fourconcentration of each of the

61

AB

ST

RA

CT

strain were used along with untreatedcontrol to determine the LC50 and LT50 forthe Metarhizium strains. The least LT50value of 4.4 days was registered in M1strain with the spore concentration of 1 X108 and the LC50 value was 3.4 X 104respectively.

Key words: Metarhiziumanisopliae, Nilaparvata lugens,Rice

62

AB

ST

RA

CT

Majority of urban dwellers especiallythose living in very small holdings or

flats lack the basic requirement for farmingviz., quality growing media for filling thecontainer or grow bags. This necessitatedthe need for standardizing and developinga ready to use growing media for variouscommonly grown vegetables in urbanfarming. Crop specific ready to use growthmedia for organic cultivation wereformulated with different combinations oforganic substrates based on nutrientuptake and POP recommendations of cropwith manures supplied on N equivalentbasis. UV stabilized growbags of 39 cmheight and 26 cm diameter capable ofholding up to 9 kg of growth media wereused as the containers. Modified basemedia for growth media formulation wasprepared by substituting sand with acombination of rock sand, coir pithcompost and vermicompost in equalproportion. Treatments were: N1- 100%POP as basal, N2- 150% POP as basal, N3:200% of POP as basal: N4: 25% of N fullP&K as basal + 75% N in 2 splits, N5: 50%of N full P&K as basal+ 50% N in 2 splits,N6: 75% of N full P&K as basal+ 25% N in2 splits, and N7: modified base media alone.

Paper Presentation – XVI

Formulation of crop specific ready to usegrowth media for organic vegetable produc-tion in urban farming

Ameena M1., Geethakumari,V.L, Sheela ,K.R and Girijadevi, L.Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Vellayani,Thiruvananthapuram 695522

The growth media wasenriched with manures ofrespective source andincubated for a week to supplythe recommended dose of N, Pand K respectively as per thetreatments. Initial N, P, K statusof modified basal media wasestimated as 1.4 % N, 0.009%P2O5 and 0.11% K2O. Thestudy showed thatstandardization of soil basedgrowth medium with 25 % ofnutrient requirement given asbasal and remaining N in s splitdoses recorded an yield of 171g per bag for bhindi which wason par with T5 and T6. Readyto use soil based growth mediafor container grown tomatoand amaranthus standardizedat 75 % NPK supplied as basaldose (T6) recorded high fruityield per bag of 292.33g and551.83g respectively and wason par with T2,T3,& T4 and T5.

63

AB

ST

RA

CT

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted todevelop a suitable Ailanthus excelsa basedagro forestry system for higherproductivity in Western zone of TamilNadu. Tomato, brinjal, bhendi, cluster beansand vegetable cowpea were intercroppedin 3 years old Ailanthus excelsa. Resultsrevealed that the growth and yield ofintercrops were reduced underintercropping compared to pure cropping.Among the test crops, tomato was mostaffected and cluster bean was the leastaffected. However the benefit cost ratiowas highest for brinjal (3.02:1) and lowestfor vegetable cowpea (2.35:1) due to thehigher productivity in brinjal. Growth ofAilanthus was also influenced due tointercropping with cluster beans andvegetable cowpea. The tree height andDBH of Ailanthus was highest whenintercropped with cluster beans (15.21%and 10.00 % increase over pure tree) andthe lowest was observed with tomato(4.30 % and 2.50 % increase over treealone).

Paper Presentation – XVII

Intercropping of vegetable crops under Ailan-thus excelsa based agro forestry system

G.V. Rajalingam1*, V. Rajasree 2 and K.T. Parthiban 3

1 and 2 - Assistant Professors (Horticulture), Horticultural College and ResearchInstitute, TNAU, Coimbatore – 3, Tamil Nadu.3 – Professor and Head, Department of Agro forestry, Forest College and ResearchInstitute, TNAU, Mettupalayam, Coimbatore (District), Tamil Nadu -641 301

Key words: Ailanthus,intercrops, growth attributes,yield.

1*- Corresponding author(Assistant Professor(Horticulture), HorticulturalCollege and Research Institute,TNAU, Coimbatore – 3, TamilNadu. Email:rajalingamhort@rediffmail.com.

64

AB

ST

RA

CT

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) arenon-segmented roundworms, are lethal

pathogens of insect pests and are found insoil throughout the world. Nearly 98 validspecies of Steinernema and 25 species ofHeterorhabditis have been describedworldwide and still surveys for EPNs havebeen conducted in many parts of theworld. EPNs are mutually associated withbacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae;the bacterium carried by steinernematidaeis usually a species of the genusxenorhabdus, and that carried byheterorhabditidae is a species ofphotorhabdus. EPNs and their associatedbacteria comprise together a highlypathogenic complex that is able to invadeand kill insect hosts within two days. Bothbacteria and nematodes produce a varietyof factors interacting with the insectimmune system and helps to overcomehost defences. The third juvenile stage ofEPNs is referred to as the infectivejuvenile (IJ) or the dauer stage. IJs of bothgenera release their bacterial symbionts inthe insect host body and develop intofourth-stage juveniles and adults. Theinsects die mainly due to a septicemia. Theyhave many advantages over chemical

Paper Presentation – XVIII

Entomopathogenic nematodes: a potentialbiocontrol agents for the management of soil-dwelling insects

Jagadeesh Patil1*, and RangasamyVijayakumar 1

1National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bengaluru-560024, India *Corre-sponding author, e-mail: patiljaggi@gmail.com

pesticides are in operator andend-user safety, absence ofwithholding periods, minimisingthe treated area by monitoringinsect populations, minimaldamage to natural enemies andlack of environmental pollution.Improvements in mass-production and formulationtechnology of EPNs, thediscovery of numerousefficient isolates and thedesirability of increasingpesticide usage have resultedin a surge of scientific andcommercial interest in thesebiological control agents.

We have studied the efficacyof EPNs against eggplant ashweevil, Myllocerussubfaciatus,suagrcane white grub,Holotrachiaconsanguinea andarecanut white grub,

65

AB

ST

RA

CT

Leucopholislepidophoraand L. burmeisteri.Third-instar and pre-pupal stages of M.subfaciatus were susceptible to EPNspecies but the pre-pupal stage was moresusceptible. In a pot experiment, S.carpocapsae caused significantly greatermortality against both life stages M.subfaciatus than H. indica. Sugarcane fieldtrail data showed that the percentagereduction in H. consanguinea grubpopulation was significantly higher using H.indica at a dose of 2.5 × 109 IJ ha”1 than S.abbasi and phorate application. Phorateapplication was more efficient in reducingthe grub population than both nematodespecies at the lower application rate (1.25× 109 IJ ha”1). In arecanutfield experiment,H. indica at both application rates (1.7 ×105 and 3.5 × 105 IJ palm-1) caused higherpercentage reduction of L. lepidophoralarvae than S. abbasi and cholorpyrifos.Chlorpyrifos treated plots caused higherpercentage reduction of the grub larvaethan S. abbasi at lower rate 1.7 × 105 IJpalm-1. However, S. abbasi at 3.5 × 105 IJpalm-1 performed at least equally well thanthe chlorpyrifos treatment. The arecanutyield from the H. indica treated plots at 3.5× 105 IJ palm-1 was at least 85.4% higherthan those from water control and 33.3%higher than that in the chlorpyrifostreatment. The cost benefit analysisshowed that H. indica is promisingbiocontrol agent for L. lepidophoracontrolin arecanut field.We also studied thephoratic association between EPNs and

earthworm, results showedthat although EPNs have nodeleterious effects onearthworms, their passagethrough Eudriluseugeniae gutaffected their mobility and butnot virulence. In our study alltested EPN species were ableto reproduce in differentdevelopmental stages of insecthosts, but progeny productionrate for heterorhabditidswassignificantly higher than thoseof steinernematids. Ourobservations also revealed thatefficacy of EPNs against M.subfaciatus,H. consanguinea, L.lepidophora and L.burmeisterivaries withdevelopmental stages of insecthosts and EPN species.Therefore, for the effectivemanagement of target pests,choosing the appropriatenematode to be matched withthe particular target pest isparamount importance.

Keywords – biocontrol,entomopathogenic nematodes,white grubs, reproduction,earthworm.

66

AB

ST

RA

CT

Integrated pest management (IPM) hasremained the dominant paradigm of pest

control for the last 50 years. IPM has beenendorsed by essentially all the multilateralenvironmental agreements that havetransformed the global policy frameworkof natural resource management,agriculture, and trade. To be the mosteffective, IPM programs should be appliedon an area-wide basis. Area-wide integratedpest management (AW-IPM) is that whereproducers within geographically definedgrowing areas should coordinate theircrop protection efforts so that pestscannot find a refuge from which to re-invade the nearby production area.Presently, AW-IPM being implemented forthe insect pest causing high economiclosses and reduces export opportunity ofthe commodity. AW-IPM programs canminimize the need for sprays and thusimprove the economic and environmentalsustainability of the cooperating farmers.Fruits and vegetables are mostly infestedby fruit flies at the time of harvest needarea wide management of the pest. As fruitflies lay eggs inside the fruits and larvae eatinternal content of the fruits are difficult

Paper Presentation – XIX

Area wide integrated pest management offruit flies in organic fruits and vegetables pro-duction

Chandra Shekhar Prabhakar*Department of Entomology, Veer Kunwar Singh College of Agriculture (Bihar Agricul-tural University, Sabour), Dumraon- 802136, Buxar, Bihar, India*csprabhakar.ento@gmail.com

to manage with the organicinsecticides. AW-IPM programof fruit flies should also includeadjacent urban/suburbanproperties that contain hosttrees which are often aconstant source of pests.Organic control tactics such asthe release of sterile insectsand the application of matingdisruption products are mosteffective when applied on anarea-wide basis for the organicproduction of fruits andvegetables. Many countrieshave developed the AW-IPMprogramme with the inclusionof sterile insect techniques forthe suppression of fruit fliespopulation for export qualityorganic fruits and vegetablesproduction. Therefore, AW-IPMcould be an importantintervention in the organicproduction system for fruitflies management.

67

AB

ST

RA

CT

Ginger (Zingiberofficinale Roscoe.) isgrown in tropical and subtropical

regions of the world for its spice andmedicinal values.India ranks first andcontributes about 29.0 percent of totalworld’s ginger production followed byChina (26.0%), Indonesia (14.0%) andNigeria (10.0%). During 2014-15 thecountry produced 7.60 lakh tonnes of thespice from an area of 11.41 lakh ha. Indianginger has high esteem in the global marketbecause of its characteristic lemon likeflavour. Since spices like ginger form part ofmany of ethnic medicines, the demand fororganically produced ginger is alsoincreasing considerably in the importingcountries. In this context, an experimentwas conducted at ICAR-IISR, IndianInstitute of Spices Research, Kozhikodeduring 2007-12 to compare the effect oforganic, chemical and integratedmanagement systems on yield, nutrientuptake and economics of ginger.

The treatments were 100% organic (30 tFYM + 2 t neem cake + 1 t ash + 4 tvermicompost per ha,bio fertilizer -Azospirillum and Pseudomonassp. as seed

Paper Presentation – XX

Yield and economics of ginger influenced bydifferent management systems

Thankamani,C.K.,Srinivasan V, Dinesh R, Hamza,S, JohnZachariah T. and Kandiannan, K.ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode-673012, Kerala.

treatment and spray withBordeaux mixture and neemoil for disease and pest control,respectively), 100 % inorganic(recommended dose offertilizer NPK@75,50,50 kg /ha with recommendedchemical methods of pest anddisease control as per POP)and integrated management(20t FYM+ half therecommended N, full P and K+ phosphorus solubilisingbacteria and spray withDithane M-45 and Quinalphosfor disease and pest control,respectively). Improved gingervarieties released from ICAR-IISR, viz, Mahima, Rajatha andVaradha were used for thestudy. The treatments were

68

AB

ST

RA

CT

given in split plot design with 7 replicationseach. Soil samples were collected during120 days after planting, yield data duringharvest of the crop every year. The soilsamples collected were subjected tochemical analysis as per standardprocedures. Yield and economics wererecorded and 5 years data subjected topooled statistical analysis.

The integrated management systemrecorded maximum yield during initialyears whereas maximum yield wasrecorded under organic during 2010 to2012. With a premium price (25% higherthan market price) B: C ratio was higherorganic system compared to integratedand inorganic systems. The soil nutrientstatus indicated that the organic carbonand nitrogen of soils were higher underintegrated and organic systems. The soil

phosphorus status, calcium,zinc was significantly higherunder organic system. Soilpotassium status wasconsistently and significantlyhigher under integratedsystem.Soil enzyme activities(acid phosphatase anddehydrogenase) were higherunder organic managementsystem. Organic system ofmanagement yielded on par tothat of integrated managementsystem indicating itssustainability.

69

AB

ST

RA

CT

A study entitled ‘Seed invigoration withorganic preparations for accelerated

germination and vigour inBhindi(Abelmoschusesculentus (L.) Moench)’was conducted inKrishiVigyanKendra,Kollam KeralaAgricultural University, Sadanandapuram,Kollam , Kerala , during April 2016 to May16 to study the effect of seedinvigoration using organic preparations ongermination and seedling characters inBhindi, The experiment was laid out inCompletely Randomized Design with 5treatments and 3 replications. The seedtreatments comprised of T1-control(water), T2-goat urine,T3-Fish jaggeryextract,T4- Egg lemon jaggery extract,T5-Panchagavyam. The seeds were treated inthe respective organic preparations for 2hours and then dried. The seeds weresown in portrays filled with a mediumcontaining coir pith, vermiculite and perlitein the ratio 3:1:1.The study indicated thatseed invigoration with these organicpreparations enhanced the germinationand seedling characters. Maximumgermination was observed in seeds treated

Paper Presentation –XXI

SEED INVIGORATION WITH ORGANICPREPARATIONS FOR ACCELERATED GER-MINATION AND VIGOUR IN BHINDI(Abelmoschusesculentus (L.) Moench)

Revathykutty V,R;Poornima Yadav P.I*; Manu C.R;NobleAbrahamKrishiVigyanKendra, Kollam Kerala Agricultural University, Sadanandapuram, Kollam,Kerala*Corresponding author poornimayadavpi@gmail.com

with fish jaggery extract (T3)followed by seed soaking inpanchagavya (T5) and egglemon jaggery extract (T4)compared to the control.Significantly higher shoot androot length were recorded inseeds treated with fish jaggeryextract (15.03 and 16.74cmrespectively)., followed byseeds treated withpanchagavya (14.42 cmand16.06cm). Seeds soaked infish jaggery extracts gave thehighest values of vigour index(3157.70) and seedling length(31.78cm) followed bypanchagavya treatment. It canbe concluded that seed qualitycould be improved by seedinvigoration with organicpreparations like fish jaggeryextract and panchagavya.

70

AB

ST

RA

CT

The present investigation wasconducted at dryland farm of S.V.

Agricultural college, Tirupati, during kharif2014 to study the variability and geneticparameters, character association and pathanalysis in fourty four genotypes ofgroundnut under organic and conventionalfertilizer management separately.

Analysis of variance carried out in respectof twelve quantitative characters revealedhighly significant differences among thegenotypes for all the characters underboth the managements except shellingpercentage, which showed non- significantdifference under organic fertilizermanagement and significance at 5 % underconventional fertilizer management,indicating the presence of considerableamounts of genetic variation for differenttraits in the present material. Based onmean performance the genotypes TCGS-1330, TCGS-1343, TCGS-1349, TCGS-1381, TPT-1, Narayani, TCGS-1328, ICGV06420, ICGV 03042, TCGS-1073, Bheema,TCGS-1157-A, TCGS-1333 and TCGS-1157 were found to be good for yield aswell as for quality traits under organic and

Paper Presentation – XXII

Genetic assessment for yield and quality com-ponents UNDER ORGANIC AND CON-VENTIONAL FERTILIZER MANAGEMENTSIN GROUNDNUT (Arachis hypogaea L.),

M.Manjubhargavi, M.Shanthi Priya, D.Mohan Reddy andB.Ravindra Reddy

conventional fertilizermanagements.

The estimates of PCV andGCV were high for thecharacters such as pod yieldper plant and kernel yield perplant under both themanagements; for number ofpods per plant under organicfertilizer management and forhundred seed weight underconventional fertilizermanagement indicating thepresence of genetic variabilityfor these traits and lessinfluence of environment. Thus,direct selection for these traitswould result in furtherimprovement of pod yieldunder respective environment.

High heritability coupled withhigh genetic advance as percent of mean was recorded forthe character plant heightunder both managements and100 seed weight under

71

AB

ST

RA

CT

conventional fertilizer managementindicating the presence of additive geneaction and selection may be effective forimprovement of these traits. Moderateheritability coupled with high geneticadvance as per cent of mean was recordedfor the characters primary branches perplant, number of pods per plant, pod yieldper plant and kernel yield per plant underboth the fertilizer managements and thecharacters mature pods per plant, harvestindex and 100 seed weight under organicfertilizer management. Improvement can bebrought about in these traits throughsimple pedigree method of breeding andphenotypic selection would be effective.

The association analysis in both themanagements indicated significant positiveassociation of pod yield per plant, maturepods per plant, number of pods per plant,shelling percentage, primary branches perplant, days to 50 % flowering, harvest index,100 seed weight and protein content withkernel yield per plant under both themanagements, indicating the possibility forsimultaneous selection of these characterstowards the improvement of kernel yield.Oil content displayed a significant negativeassociation with kernel yield per plantunder both organic and conventionalfertilizer managements. Hence judiciousselection programme might be formulatedby repeated intermating to break thenegative correlation between oil content

and kernel yield per plant forsimultaneous improvement ofthese characters under organicand conventional fertilizermanagement.

Path analysis revealed highpositive direct effects of podyield per plant and shellingpercentage under both organicand conventional fertilizermanagements and significantpositive correlation of othertraits with kernel yield was dueto positive indirect effect viathese traits. Hence selectionwould be more effectivethrough these traits toimprove kernel yield underboth the environments.

Conducting variety trialsunder organic farmingconditions may help to selectthe best varieties available inthe pool of existing varieties tobe propagated organically.Although the organic sectorprofits from the breedingefforts of the conventionalbreeding sector, variety trialsunder organic farmingconditions show that themodern varieties are not in allthe cases the best for organic

72

AB

ST

RA

CT

agriculture. Conventional breeding effortsin the past have largely developed inresponse to the demands of intensiveagricultural production (i.e, increasedyields through dependence on externalinputs of synthetic fertilizers andpesticides). Alternatively, organic farmingsupportive of a philosophy promoting theself regulating principles of the soil, theplants and the animals, requires a distinctbreeding programme. Organic farmersneed varieties that adapt well to specificsoil and fertility conditions. The differentrequirements for varietal characteristics

clearly highlight the importanceof breeding and selectingvarieties suitable for organicfarming under organicconditions. The organicsystems approach requiresvarieties that match a differentcrop ideotype in which it ismore important to adapt thevariety to the organicenvironment rather than theenvironment to the variety.

73

AB

ST

RA

CT

The aim of the present study was toidentify the crop plants for the

cultivation inNedumbana Panchayat, Kollamdistrict, Kerala by analyzing the floweringplant flora of a sacred grove. About 39plant species from the sacred grove wereidentified and the fourth version of theAPG system was chosen for depicting thesystematic position. More than 90 tropicalcrop plant species, which could yieldvegetables, spices, condiments, fruits, nuts,yams and aroids, were identified. Thefarmers of the Nedumbana Panchayat,where the PazhangalamMuhurthy sacredgrove is situated, were found to cultivatebananas, yams, aroids, vegetables, ginger,coconut, pepper, areacanut, rubber, cassava,turmeric, and rice. The survey conductedamong the most experienced farmersidentified during the course of study alsoprovided valuable information about thevarious types of plant diseases, whichinflict their crops and cause economic loss.The present study also included themapping of the sacred grove by QGISsoftware and determination of the

Paper Presentation –XXIII

Identification of tropical crop plants suitablefor cultivation in Nedumbana Panchayat,Kollam district, Kerala based on theflowering plant flora of thePazhangalam Muhurthy sacred grove

Alan Thomas S., Rajagopal R. and Jisha M. S.National Institute of Plant Science Technology Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam,Kerala, India – 686560. *Corresponding author.E-mail – alanthomass06@yahoo.in

physico-chemical properties ofthe soil samples collected fromdifferent sites within andoutside the sacred grove. Oncompletion of the presentstudy, it was become obviousthat it may provide informationabout tropical plant specieswell suited for cultivation inKollam district. Thus, this workwill be a novel effort, and avery important source ofinformation to the scientificcommunity.

Key words: APG system, spices,condiments, QGIS software,Nedumbana Panchayat

74

AB

ST

RA

CT

Paper Presentation XXIV

Management of Sigatoka leaf spot disease ofbanana through an integrated approach

Susha S.Thara*, Deepa Rani C.V., Anitha Cheriyan K andRegeena SAssistant Professor, College of Agriculture, Kerala Agricultural University,Vellayani,Thiruvananthapuram-695522 *susha.thara@kau.in

Bannas are one of the main agriculturalcrops in the world, and the main fruit

crop. Sigatoka leaf spot is considered as themost serious fungal disease causingeconomic loss of crop in almost all bananagrowing areas including India, causesignificant reduction in affected leaf arearesulting in yield losses of 50 per cent ormore and promotes premature fruitripening. A field evaluation was conductedin a farmer’s plot at Kottarakkara in Kollamdistrict in Kerala to evolve an efficientmanagement strategy for the disease.Disease Severity Index (DSI), yieldcharacters viz., bunch weight, number ofhands per bunch and numbers of fingersper bunch, were recorded at the time ofharvest of the plants in each treatment. Atvegetative stage carbendazim gavemaximum disease suppression of 40.93 %over control. After the second and thirdseries of treatment application at monthlyinterval, maximum disease suppression wasobserved in plants treated with propineb(50.32 %), tebuconazole (49.84 %),difenoconazole (48.16 %) and thecombined application of the biocontrol

agent & organic compounds(47.79 %). Highest yield (19.17t/ha) and maximum yieldincrease over control (34.56 )were recorded in asoxystrobinfollowed by diluted cow’s urine(18.92 t/ha, 32.81).

75

AB

ST

RA

CT

Weeds are the prime biologicalconstraint in direct seeded rice.

Herbicidal management of weeds is theonly viable option available for the farmersat present. Azospirillum lipoferum andAzotobacter chroococcum are the twocommonly used N bio fertilizers in rice.These two N fixing organisms play a majorrole in sustainable agriculture by reducingthe use of chemical fertilizers through Nfixation and avoiding the toxic effects ofchemicals by degrading them to non- toxicproducts. Hence, testing the compatibilityof herbicides to N fixing organisms is ofgreat importance in sustainable agriculture.The sensitivity of Azospirillum lipoferumand Azotobacter chroococcumto new pre-mix herbicide mixture, bispyribac sodium+metamifop were studied in vitro by DiscDiffusion Method. The experiments wereconducted in completely randomizedblock design with seven differentconcentrations of bispyribac sodium +metamifopviz., 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, 200and 220 μL L-1 corresponding to 50 g ha-1

(below the tested field dose), four testedfield doses (60, 70, 80 and 90 g ha-1) andtwo above the tested field doses (100 and110 g ha-1) and a control (0 μL L1).The

Paper Presentation – XXV

In vitro sensitivity of Azospirillum lipoferum andAzotobacter chroococccum to new rice her-bicide – bispyribac sodium + metamifop

Sheeja K. Raj1, Elizabeth K. Syriac2, K.N. Anith3 andK.S. Meenakumari31*Coconut Research Station, Balaramapuram, Kerala, India 2Department of Agronomy,College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Kerala, India 3 Department of Agricultural Microbiology,College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Kerala, India *(sheejakraj70@gmail.com)

experiments were repeatedfor confirmation. Results onthe in vitro effects of herbicidemixture on the growth ofAzospirillum lipoferum andAzotobacter chroococcumrevealed that, the testedconcentrations of bispyribacsodium + metamifop did nothave any inhibitory effect. Thegrowth was positive and verysimilar to that in control. Thepresent findings revealed thatsoil application of Azospirillumlipoferum and Azotobacterchroococcum could beexploited along with bispyribacsodium + metamifop at testedconcentrations to enhancetheir population in the soil, asthese bacteria are importantfor sustaining the productivityof soil.

Keywords Bispyribac sodium+ metamifop, In vitro sensitivity,Azospirillum lipoferum andAzotobacter chroococcum

76

AB

ST

RA

CT

Modern knowledge of insect moleculargenetics has created new methods in

their systematic taxonomy and pestmanagement strategies as the groupcomprises major agricultural pests. It willcontribute to sustainable agriculturalpractices, protection of the environmentand maintenance of biodiversity.Chrysomelidae (Coleoptera) arepolyphagus insect pests of various cropvarieties including vegetables. In this study,we have PCR amplified and sequenced thepartial region of cycochrome oxidasesubunit I (COI) gene ofOocassida pudibunda (Boheman, 1856)(GenBank Accession: KX603663) ofChrysomelidae family, a morphologicallydiverse insect taxon. The COI gene partialnucleotide sequence obtained in the study

Paper Presentation – XXVI

Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis ofChrysomelid Pests of Cucurbitaceae vegetablesfrom North Kerala, Using MitochondrialCoGene Marker

Priya Bhaskaran, K. P. and Sebastian, C. D.*Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calicut, Kerala,India *drcdsebastian@gmail.com

can be used for accuratespecies identification as theirDNA barcode.

Keywords: Oocassida pudibunda,DNA barcoding, phylogeneticstatus, COI gene.

77

AB

ST

RA

CT

The field experiment under On FarmAdaptive Research was conducted

during the Kharif season 2013 at SatnaDistrict of Madhya Pradesh to assessProductivity of rainfed rice (Oryza sativaL.) through agronomic practices. RBD with3 treatments and 9 replications of differenttreatments of transplanted rice were T1(20 cm x 20 cm + Matka khad), T2 (20 cm x20 cm + neem and tobacco extract) and T3(20 cm x 15 cm + inorganic fertilizers,conventional practice). Results show thatsignificant and highest growth and yieldattributing parameters viz., plant height(101.21 cm), Number of tillers hill-1 (17.89hill-1), plant dry weight 51.02 (g), no.ofgrains panicle-1 (136.67), grain yield (7.78 tha-1) and straw yield (17.06 t ha-1) wererecorded under treament T2 and T1consisting organic component. Further,grain yield higher by 16.29% and 3.58% oftreatment T2 and T1 respectively was higherin value than T3. Also T2 was 12% and32.65% higher in value than T1 and T3 instraw yield. Plant dry weight T1 was foundto be statistically at par with T2. Number of

Paper Presentation – XXVII

Productivity of rainfed rice (Oryza sativa L.)through agronomic practices under onFarm Adaptive Research

D. Saveipune1, Thomas abraham2, Sunil Simon3 , Vivek Tripathi4and Valentine Pankaj51M.Sc. Student, 2Professor, Department of Agronomy, SHIATS, Allahabad (U.P.) andNodal Officer SAF-BIN, 3District Project Officer, SAF-BIN, 4South Asia ProgrammeManager, SAF-BIN and 5Project Coordinator, SAF-BIN Corresponding author’s email:dsaveipune@gmail.com

tillers panicle-1 of treatment T2(17.06) was found to bestatistically at par with T1(17.89). OFAR result hasevinced the stakeholder,including the farmers that thetreatment consisting organiccomponent possess propertiesto better soil health andproductivity and also lessensinfestation of pest, ultimatelyresulting enhancedproductivity of rainfed ricethrough a balanced agronomicapproach.

Keyword: OFAR, Rainfed rice,Agronomic practices andPoductivity

78

AB

ST

RA

CT

A field experiment was conducted todevelop a suitable Ailanthus excelsa

based agro forestry system for higherproductivity in Western zone of TamilNadu. Tomato, brinjal, bhendi, cluster beansand vegetable cowpea were intercroppedin 3 years old Ailanthus excelsa. Resultsrevealed that the growth and yield ofintercrops were reduced underintercropping compared to pure cropping.Among the test crops, tomato was mostaffected and cluster bean was the leastaffected. However the benefit cost ratiowas highest for brinjal (3.02:1) and lowestfor vegetable cowpea (2.35:1) due to thehigher productivity in brinjal. Growth ofAilanthus was also influenced due tointercropping with cluster beans andvegetable cowpea. The tree height andDBH of Ailanthus was highest whenintercropped with cluster beans (15.21%and 10.00 % increase over pure tree) andthe lowest was observed with tomato(4.30 % and 2.50 % increase over treealone).

Paper Presentation – XXVIII

Intercropping of vegetable cropsunder Ailanthus excelsa basedagro forestry system

G.V. Rajalingam1*, V. Rajasree 2 and K.T. Parthiban 3

1 and 2 - Assistant Professors (Horticulture), Horticultural College andResearch Institute, TNAU, Coimbatore – 3, Tamil Nadu.Professor and Head, Department of Agro forestry,Forest College and Research Institute, TNAU, Mettupalayam,Coimbatore (District), Tamil Nadu -641 301

Key words: Ailanthus,intercrops, growth attributes,yield.

1*- Corresponding author(Assistant Professor(Horticulture), HorticulturalCollege and Research Institute,TNAU, Coimbatore – 3, TamilNadu. Email-rajalingamhort@rediffmail.com.

79

AB

ST

RA

CT

An experiment was conducted to studythe “Standardization of Ultra high

density planting system for organic leafproduction in Moringa and nutrientencapsulation through Nano –technological approach to fortify the milk”at Tamil Nadu Agricultural Universityduring 2015-2016. The experiment waslaid out in split plot design with five mainplot treatments (spacing) viz.,M1 - 10 x 15cm (6.66 lakh plants/ha), M2 - 15 x 15 cm(4.44 lakh plants/ha), M3 -20 x 10 cm (5lakh plants/ha), M4 - 20 x 20 cm (2.5 lakhplants/ha), M5 - 40 x 20 cm (1.25 lakhplants/ha) and five subplot treatments(organics) S1 - FYM 25 t/ha, S2 -Vermicompost 12.5 t/ha, S3 - Sheep manure25 t/ha, S4 -Humic acid 20 kg/ha, S5 -Control with three replications. Firstharvest of leaves was commenced at 60days after sowing, subsequent leaf harvestwas done at 45 days interval. After harvest,subplot treatments (Organics) as per theschedule were applied on the concernedmain plots. Among the different plantdensity, plant density of 40 x 20 cm (1.25lakh plants/ha) resulted in increased plantheight, number of leaflets per plant,number of branches per plant, fresh leaf

Invited Talk IX

Organic Leaf production under Ultra HighDensity planting in moringa(Moringa oleifera Lam.) cv. PKM-1"

Dr. V. Ponnuswami1 and Dr. E. Alli Rani21. Former Dean (Hort), Emeritus Scientist (ICAR), Department of Vegetable Crops, HC&RI, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore – 641 003 .2. Research Associate, Department of Vegetable Crops, HC& RI, Tamil Nadu Agricultural,University, Coimbatore – 641 003.E –Mail : swamyvp200259@gmail.com

yield per plant and leaf yieldper plot. Among the differentorganics, humic acid @ 20 t/haregistered the increased plantheight, number of leaflets perplant, number of branches perplant, fresh leaf yield per plantand leaf yield per plot. Thetreatment combination of 40 x20 cm with humic acid 20 kg/ha recorded the increasedplant height, number of leafletsper plant, number of branchesper plant, fresh leaf yield perplant and fresh leaf yield perplot under high densityplanting system.

Key words: Drumstick, UltraHigh Density Planting system,Yield traits.

80

AB

ST

RA

CT

Paper Presentation – XXIX

Wisdom of the Earth: Ecosophy and HolisticAgriculture

K M George (Kondothara)Chairperson Dr Paulos Mar Gregorios Chair, Mahatma Gandhi University

81

AB

ST

RA

CT

The Kothamuriyattam (a fertility cult)performed in Malayalam month of

Kanni (September-October) had aconnotationof faith and sustenance ofhuman society. But this form of fertility cultare almost dead. In the 1970s almost allhomes had cattle and cattle based farmingpractices. Kothamuri is performed for theprotection of the cattle and to bless themwith improved yields. When homes withcattle reduced, cattle used in fields alsocame down, thus Kothamuriyattamceasedto exist. It remind the fact that any form offolk ritual which has a social function to

Paper Presentation – XXX

Dying folklore and mechanic reproduction oforganic life style

Rajesh KomathMahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam

perform will survive only whensociety want its use as afunction to perform in theireveryday life. When those rolesof cult become untimely, thesignificance of the socialfunction of the folk ritualsfaded away.

82

AB

ST

RA

CT

Aquaculture or aqua farming is thefarming of aquatic organisms

intervention in the rearing process toenhance production and it is the fastestgrowing food production sector in theworld. Aquaculture supplies fish and otheraquatic products rich in protein, vitamins,minerals and essential fatty acids whichplay an important role in global efforts forthe elimination of hunger and malnutrition.Intensified aquaculture results in diseaseoutbreaks and common measure oftreatment is by the use ofchemotherapeutics and antibiotics. But itsuse and abuse creates problems likeemergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria,biomagnification of antibiotics, onconsuming antibiotic treated fish theresidue transfers to humans and createshealth problem, the remaining deposited inthe water and soil also resuts inenvironmental pollution. Globally the banon antibiotics or its restricted use isencouraged and the demand for organicproducts is increased, the same trendreflects in aquaculture also. Research onorganic nutrition and organic aqua feedsfor the better utilization of dietarynutrients, for the improvement of fish guthealth, for optimized growth, performanceand disease resistance is needed. Microbialinterventions or by use of bacteria basedbiopreparations like probiotics as biologicdrugs plays a vital role in both land andwater based agriculture. Probiotics are

Paper Presentation – XXXI

Probiotics for organic aquafarming

Glindya Bhagya Lakshmi & Keerthi T.R**Corresponding author: Dr. Keerthi T.R, Professor& Director, School of Biosciences,Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, IndiaEmail: keerthisureshbabu@gmail.com,

harmless bacteria that help thewell being of the host animaland contribute, directly orindirectly to protect the hostanimal against harmful bacterialpathogens. Probiotics in fishesstimulate appetite and producevitamins, detoxify harmfulcompounds in diet, andbreakdown of indigestiblecomponents. In addition tothese benefits the applicationof probiotic in aquacultureimproves the water quality andthereby reduce theenvironmental pollution.Application of probiotics tothe aquaculture is either byincorporating with fish feed ordirectly as water additives orthrough vaccination. Inaquaculture both gram positiveand negative bacteria,bacteriophages, unicellular algaeand yeast are categorisedunder probiotic. To increasethe acceptance it is better touse species specific (isolateand applied in the same host)probiotic. Safety is animportant requirement forprobiotics, generally theprobiotics comes under GRAScategory (Generally RegardedAs Safe).

83

AB

ST

RA

CT

Field experiment was conducted atorganic certified field, Annur,

Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, duringkharif 2015 to identify suitable nonchemical weed management practices formanage of complex weed flora in organicbrinjal. The experiment was laid out inrandomized block design with threereplications. The treatments comprised ofdifferent non chemical weed managementpractices viz., Live mulching withsunnhemp after 30 days of growth (T1); PEapplication of Corn Flour @ 1 t/ha (T2); PEapplication of Corn Flour @ 1 t/ha fb HWat 60 DAT (T3); Live mulching with MultiVarietal Crops (Navathaniyam) after 30days of growth (T4); PE application ofSunflower dried stalk solution on w/v basis@ 1:10 lit/ha (T5); PE application ofSunflower dried stalk solution on w/v basis@ 1:10 lit/ha fb HW at 60 DAT (T6);Mechanical weeding twice using twinwheel hoe weeder on 30 and 60 DAT (T7);Hand Weeding on 30 and 60 DAT (T8);Weed free check (T9); and Unweededcontrol (T10). Observations were recordedon weed characters like weed flora, weeddensity, dry weight and plant growthparameters viz., plant height, plant drymatter production, leaf area index and

Paper Presentation – XXXII

NON-CHEMICAL WEED MANAGEMENTON ORGANIC BRINJAL (CO 2)[Solanum melongena, (L.)]

UMA MAHESWARI.M and P. MURALI ARTHANARI.Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-3

yield parameters like numberof fruits/plant, fruit length, fruitgirth and individual fruit weight.In the experimental field,Cyperus rotundus undersedge Euphorbia geniculata andTrianthema portulacastrumunder broad leaved weedswere the predominant weeds.The experimental resultsrevealed that considerablereduction in the density ofweeds, weed dry weight andhigher weed control efficiencyand plant parameters like plantheight (102.42 cm), dry matterproduction (3905 kg/ha), leafarea index (3.95), crop growthrate (5.92 g/m2/day) and yieldattributes like fruit length

(7.57 cm), fruit girth (18.10

84

AB

ST

RA

CT

cm), number of fruits/plant (20.7/plant),individual fruit weight (57.5 g) and wasrecorded higher in PE application of CornFlour @ 1 t/ha fb HW at 60 DAT (T3) at 90DAT.From the results, it can be concludedthat, PE application of Corn Flour @ 1 t/hafb HW at 60 DAT (T3) reduced the weeddensity and weed dry weight conspicuouslybelow the economic threshold level andincreased the yield, net return and benefitcost ratio in organic brinjal.

Key words: Organic brinjal,Corn flour, Sunflower driedstalk solution, weed control

85

AB

ST

RA

CT

Mushrooms are one of the mostpromising sources of functional food,

drug, dietary supplements, healthybeverages etc. Lentinula edodes or Shiitakeis a white rot wood decay fungus whichproduces brown basidiocarps with exoticflavor. A study was conducted to determinedifferent nutritive requirements viz. carbonand nitrogen sources for the vegetativegrowth of Lentinulaedodes in both solidand liquid media. Out of six differentcarbon sources viz.sucrose, lactose,galactose, fructose, dextrose and mannitoltested, fastest growth was obtained withdextrose as carbon source in solid media.In the broth, mannitol supported maximummycelial dry weight of Lentinulaedodes.Peptone when used as nitrogensource gave best result in solidmedia.Maximum mycelial dry weight was obtainedin liquid media when ammonium nitratewas used as nutrient source.The impact ofsubstrates on Shiitake yield by theeffective bioconversion of locally availablelignocellulosic agricultural wastes was alsoevaluated under Kerala conditions. Among

Poster Presentations I

Nutritive requirements for the vegetativegrowth of Shiitake mushroom( Lentinulaedodes (Berk.) Pegler)and its yield impacts on various agrowastes

Dr. Deepa Rani C. V, Dr. Lulu Das and Dr. Susha S.TharaDepartment of PlantPathology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala, 695522deepasajith_akd@yahoo.com

the various substrates ,theteakwood sawdustsupplemented with 20% wheatbran gave good yield. Teakwoodsawdust gave an yield of325.8gm/ 500 gm of drysubstrate. The days for pinheademergence was also less ascompared to other substrates.Large size and enhancednumber of fruiting bodies wereobtained from teakwoodsubstrate. Paddy strawsubstrate gave lowest numberof fruiting bodies and tooklongest time for primodialinitiation.The present studythus explored the possibilitiesfor cultivation of Lentinulaedodes using largely availableagroindustrial wastes in Kerala.

86

AB

ST

RA

CT

The balanced fertilization of majorelements could be beneficial for the

growth of plant above ground parts androots. Farmers need to change theirfertilization strategy that reflects theireconomic pressure and the nutrientsupplementation remains a threat becauseof the escalating prices and their ill effect.Hence the concept of Integrated PlantNutrient System (IPNS) is gainingpopularity as an ideal system of nutrientmanagement. IPNS approach aims toenhance soil and crop productivitythrough a balanced use of mineralfertilizers combined with organic andbiological resources. Hence a study wascarried out during 2011-12 to assess theconjugal effect of manures and chemicalfertilizers on the dynamics of majoragriculturally significant soil enzymes,available nutrient status yield and yieldattributes of Okra .Thirteen treatmentsinvolving different inoculants likeAzosprillium, PGPR mix-1,Phosphbacterinsand amendments like neem cake wereused .Results of the experiment revealedthat application of NPK ( 505) ,PGPR mix-1 enriched vermicompost + N,P&K wasfound to be the best treatment both insustaining soil biological fertility and

Poster Presentations II

Effect of integrated Plant nutrient system onsoil biological health in a red loam soil

B.Aparna and Sathyan.R.N.Assistant Professor, Department of Soil Science & Agrl Chemistry, College of Agricul-ture, Vellayani, Trivandrum- 695522,Msc ( Student), Department of Soil Science & AgrlChemistry, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Trivandrum- 695522

economic returns. Availablemicro nutrients (Fe, Cu,B),biological properties of soilviz. Dehydrogenase, Cellulaseand protease activities andbiometric characters of bhindiie. Plant height ,and no offruits. The most substantialindex of biological activity inthe soil is its enzyme activityand therefore it can give anidea of biochemical processesin the soil.Enzyme activitynumber was highest for thesame treatment with theapplication of NPK 50% asPGPR mix -1 enrichedvermicompost in combinationwith inorganics .On farm Trials( OFT ) and Multi locationTrials ( MLT) is to becarried out at farmers field forconfirming the results.

87

AB

ST

RA

CT

A study on influence of ageing on qualityof liquid organic formulation was

carried out in the Department ofAgronomy, College of Horticulture, KeralaAgricultural University, Thrissurduring2015 - 2016. The objective was to find outthe shelf life ofPanchagavyam by analyzingthe chemical and biological properties. Theexperiment consisted of 11 treatmentswhere Panchagavyam was stored for 1, 2, 4,6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks andreplicated thrice in CRD. Panchagavyamwasanalyzed for various parameters likecolour, odour, presence of mould growthand maggots, pH, EC, organic carbon, macroand micro nutrients, total microbialpopulation of fungi, bacteria, actinomycetesand Escherichia coli. For preparingPanchagavyam,cow dung (2.5 kg), ghee (500g), cow urine (1.5 L),cow milk (1 L), curd(1 L), jaggery (500 g), coconut water (2 L),well ripened banana (8 no.) and water (10L)were used. The fresh preparation ofPanchagavyam was light green with fruitysmell and became darker green at the endof storage and foul odour was observedfrom 8th week onwards. The surface mouldgrowth was observed in one week oldPanchagavyamwhereas maggots wereappeared from16 weeks onwards.Anincreasing trend in the pH and EC ofPanchagavyam was noticed during theperiod of storage.There was no significantvariation in organic carbon content (2.65 –

Poster Presentations III

Shelf life of liquid organic formulation

*Rameeza E. M., **Usha K. E*Research scholar, College of Horticulture, vellanikkara, **Professor (Agronomy),PPNMU, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur

2.94%) during storage.20weeks old Panchagavyamrecorded the highest nitrogencontent (0.21%). Phosphoruscontent decreased whilepotassium content slightlyincreased during the period ofstorage.Calcium, magnesiumand sulphur content wasslightly improved due to ageing.The micronutrients viz. iron,manganese and zinc were alsodetected in Panchagavyam. Thetotal microbial population wassignificantly influenced by thestorage period. The highestfungal population(66.00x104cfuml-1) wasnoticed in 20 weeks oldPanchagavyamwhile the highestvalue forbacteria(385.00x106cfu ml-1) andactinomycetes (250.33x105cfuml-1)was in 12 weeks oldPanchagavyam.It was free fromEscherichia colithroughout theperiod of storage.The presentinvestigation revealed thepossibility of storingpanchagavyam up to 6 monthswithout quality deterioration.

88

AB

ST

RA

CT

Plants are always subjected to variouskinds of diseases among which fungal

diseases are very significant, as it severelyaffect plant growth and yield. With thechanges in climatic conditions, thechallenge to plant growth is of greatconcern. Even though various chemicalsare used for the management of plantdiseases, its use is getting rejection fromthe general public due to toxicity andhealth related issues. Hence naturalmethods to manage plant diseases aregaining more attention. Here comes therelevance of exploitingantiphytopathogenic mechanisms presentin microorganisms to exploit their fieldapplicability. In our study we haveidentified an endophytic fungus fromrhizomes of ginger with broadantiphytopathogenic properties. Theorganism was identified as Paraconiothyriumsp. and the chemical basis of its antifungalactivity was identified as chrysazin ordanthron. The study is remarkably novel asit is the first report on Paraconiothyrium asendophyte from ginger and is the first

Poster Presentations IV

Promises of endophytic Paraconiothyrium as abiocontrol agent

Anisha C and Radhakrishnan E K*School of Biosciences, M G University, P D Hills, Kottayam, Kerala, India*Corresponding author: radhakrishnanek@mgu.ac.in, Tel :+91-9847901149

report on chrysazinproduction fromParaconiothyrium sp. The resultsof the study are of immenseagricultural application becauseof the broad applicability of theisolate to manage variousdiseases in plants.

89

AB

ST

RA

CT

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc) is atropical plant which is cultivated in

tropical and subtropical coutries for itsmedicinal and culinary uses. One of themajor problems that limit the yield ofginger is pythium soft rot or rhizome rotdisease caused by Pythium myriotylum.Recent studies on plant- microbeinteraction shows the possibility ofoccurrence of endophytic organisms withplant protective and growth promotingtraits. The present study focused on theisolation of endophytic bacteria withantifungal activity from ginger. The selectedisolate in this study designated as ZoBR14,was identified as Serratia sp. by biochemicaland molecular based 16S rDNAsequencing and subsequent BLASTanalysis. PCR screening of ZoB14 forgenetic basis for antifungal propertyshowed 100% similiarity withaminopyrrolnitrin. The protective effect ofthe endophytic bacterium on ginger wascarried out by the bacterization of rhizomeof ginger with ZoBR14 followed byP.myriotylum treatment. The plant growthpromoting traits such as phosphatesolubilization, ACC deaminase, zincsolubilization and indole-3-acetic acidproduction were studied. The studies

Poster Presentations V

Biocontrol and plant growth promoting traitsshown by Serratia sp. ZoB 14 isolated fromZingiber officinale

Aswani.R, Rohini Sabu, Jyothis Mathew, Radhakrishnan E.K.*Corresponding author: radhakrishnanek@mgu.ac.in, Tel :+91-9847901149

confirmed that the isolateZoB14 was having inhibitoryeffect on Pythium myriotylumalong with potential for plantgrowth promotion asevidenced by its effect on Vignaunguiculata seedlings. Hencethe endophytic bacteria ZoB14can be exploited as abiocontrol and plant growthpromoting agent.

90

AB

ST

RA

CT

Endophytic bacteria can generallycontribute to the health, growth anddevelopment of the plants directly bycontributing in nutrient uptake andproducing plant growth regulators /phytohormones. In the present studyninety six endophytic bacteria wereisolated from surface sterilized rhizome ofginger (Zingiber officinale). All the isolateswere screened for plant growth promotingproperties such as phosphatesolubilization, 1-Amino Cyclopropane-1-Carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity,nitrogen fixation, ammonia production andIAA production. All of them were alsoscreened for invitro inhibition of Pythiummyriotylum which showed eight isolates tohave remarkable antifungal activity amongwhich Burkholderia vietnamiensis ZoB74showed highest antifungal activity. Thirtyfive endophytes with both plant growthpromoting and antifungal activity wereidentified by 16S rDNA method. This hasresulted in the identification of the generaBacillus, Enterobacter, Serratia, Burkholderia,Alcaligenes and Pantoea as majorendophytic bacteria. Invitro production ofIndole 3 acetic acid (IAA) by selected

Poster Presentations VI

Application of Endophytic Burkholderiavietnamiensis from Zingiber officinale Rosc. inOrganic farming

Rohini Sabu1, and Radhakrishnan E.K1*School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, P.D Hills P.O,Kottayam, Kerala, India - 686560.*Corresponding author - radhakrishnanek@mgu.ac.in

endophytic bacteria wasconfirmed by HPLC which wascomparable with thestandard.IAA producingisolates were also used toanalyse the invivo efficiency ofselected endophytic bacteria inthe growth enhancement ofVigna unguiculata.. Invivo plantgrowth studies in Vignaunguiculata by selectedendophytic bacteria revealedthat the growth of all thetreated plants were enhancedwhen compared to control.Burkholderia vietnamiensisZoB74 showed highest rootelongation in Vigna unguiculata.The study also assessed theability of shortlistedendophytic bacteria tocolonize and improve thegrowth of Capsicum frutescensin field application. which

91

AB

ST

RA

CT

showed that all the tested parametersincreased than in the control. Floweringand Fruiting of Capsicum frutescens treatedwith Burkholderia vietnamiensis ZoB74showed early flowering and fruiting whencompared to the control. Hence the studyrevealed invivo plant growth enhancementin two model plant systems indicate the

remarkable role of organismsin chemobiology of rhizomeand its broad plant probioticpotential to be explored inagriculture.

92

AB

ST

RA

CT

Entomopathogenic fungi are importantregulators of insect populations and are

valued as the most versatile group ofmicrobes for pest management in view oftheir wide host range and safety to nontargets. Globally, there is a revival ofinterest in entomopathogenic fungi andresearch focused on these msicrobesunveiled the potential of the fungi in thegenera Beauveria, Metarhizium andLecanicilliumas important bioagents.Metarhiziumanisopliae (Metschnikoff)Sorokin (Dueteromycetes: Hyphomycetes)is a well knownbiocontrol agent thatinfects wide range of insect orders but, theexistence of many different species andeven many isolates within genusMetarhiziumthat vary in virulence tovarious insect pests. Bhindi leaf rollerSyleptaderogataFabricius is a polyphagouspest that attacks A. esculentus and othermalvaceous plants, Amaranthusspp andSoyabean. The pathogenicity of the fourindigenous isolates and one isolate fromNational Bureau of Agricultural InsectResources (NBAIR) were evaluated againstBhindi leaf roller, SyleptaderogataFabricius atdifferent concentrations. The fourindigenous isolates of M. anisopliae weretrapped using larvae of Galleria melonellaL.

Poster Presentations VII

Pathogenicity of Indigenous Isolates ofMetarhiziumanisopliae Metschnikoff (Sorokin)to Bhindi Leaf Roller Syleptaderogata Fabricius

Dr. K. Sudharma, Ms. Praveena A,Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani

Studies on the virulence of theisolates at three differentconcentration viz., 107, 108 and109 spores mL-1 showedtheM.anisopliae (SP11) recordedmortality of 83.33 to 100 percent at 168 HAT. Dosedependent mortality wasrecorded in all the isolatesevaluated. The present studyreveals the selection of theappropriate isolate ofentomopathogenic fungi and itsapplication at the requiredconcentration is highlyessential for effectivemanagement of crop pests.

93

AB

ST

RA

CT

The increased public concerns about thepotential adverse environmental effectsand health effects associated with the useof synthetic plant protection necessitatedthe use of ‘Biopesticides’ in Kerala. Hence, aresearch study was carried out in Keralawith the specific objectives, to assess theeconomic and environmental impact ofbiopesticide use on paddy farms of Keralain terms of its productivity, cost andreturns and also to assess theenvironmental benefits of biopesticideswith special reference to Pseudomonasfluorescens and Trichogramma sps.Alappuzha district of Kerala waspurposively selected for the study as it is aRice bowl of Kerala. To assess theeconomic and environmental impact of biopesticide on paddy farms, the datacollection were made from 60 no’s ofadopters and non adopters each from theselected four sample villages of theChambakkulam and Veliyanadu blocks inthe study district. Thus the total samplesize was 120. Partial budgeting techniqueand Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ)analysis was used to estimate the cost andreturns, net gain and environmentalbenefits in bio pesticide adopter’s farms in

Poster Presentations VIII

An Economic and environmental benefits ofbiopesticides in paddy farms:A study in Alappuzha District of Kerala State

Hilagavathi.M1, Neethu Thomas2 and K.R. Ashok1

1Dept.of Agricultural Economics, TNAU, Coimbatore andCoconut Development Board, Odisha

Kerala. The comparativeeconomics in both adoptersand non adopter’s paddy farmsshowed that, the adopters andnon adopters spent theamount of Rs.40790 andRs.44389 per hectarerespectively. It implies that, biopesticide use lowering the costin adopter’s farms towardsinput use. On returns side, theadopters received (6191 kg/ha) an additional yield at 321kg per hectare than nonadopters farms (5870kg/ha)thus the adopters wererealized, the net gain ofRs.10729 per hectare than

94

AB

ST

RA

CT

non adopter’s farms. The positive net gainindicated the financial viability ofbiopesticide use in Paddy farms. Theaverage field use EIQ value was 12.01 and5.15 for farmers under non-adopter andadopter category.The lower EIQ value ofthe adopter farmers compared to that ofnon-adopters indicated the environmentalbenefits of pest management throughbiopesticide. The high EIQ values of thenon-adopter farmers indicated thenegative environmental impact ofindiscriminate pesticide use. Thus, theresults of the study confirmed that, therewere difference in the yield of paddy withhigher returns and lowering the pesticideuse in bio pesticide adopter farms than thenon-adopter farms.

95

AB

ST

RA

CT

Notes

96

AB

ST

RA

CT

Notes