Effect of Zinc and Boron on Growth, Seed Yield and Quality of Radish (Raphanus Sativus L.) Cv. Arka Nishanth

The field experiment was conducted at Zonal Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Navile, Shimoga during kharif, 2013 and Laboratory studies were conducted in the Department of Seed Science and Technology, UAS, Bangalore. The four levels of nutrients M1:75:40:40NPK kg ha-1M2: RDF+ZnSo4 @10 kg ha-1 M3: RDF + Borax 0.1% spray at bud initiation stage M4: RDF + ZnSo4 @ 10 kg ha-1 + Borax (0.1%) spray at bud initiation stage. The combination of RDF + ZnSo4 @ 10 kg ha-1 + Borax 0.1% spray at bud initiation stage was effective in maximum plant height (33.80 cm),number of leaves plant-1 (34.30) at bud initiation stage, length of inflorescence (93.80 cm),number of siliqua plant-1(363),siliqua weight plant-1 (26.30 g), siliqua length (5.34 cm),No. of seeds siliqua-1(5.67),seed recovery per cent (92.87), seed yield(199.93 kg ha-1), germination per cent(92.20), seedling vigour index I &II (2100 & 467) compared to control with (30.09 cm, 26.60, 81.70 cm,13.80 g,4.63 cm,4.59,80.38%,138.75 kg ha-1, 83.70%,1243 and 357 respectively.

Website: https://www.arjonline.org/agricultural-sciences/american-research-journal-of-agriculture/

Nutrient Uptake and Physico – Chemical Properties of Soil Influenced by Organic and Inorganic Packages in Rice.

Field Study on Nutrient uptake and Physico – chemical properties of soil  influenced by organic and inorganic packages in rice was carried out at Research Cum Instructional Farm IGKV., Raipur (C.G.) during kharif  2010 and 2011. The soil of experimental field was ‘Inceptisols’ (Matasi), which was low in nitrogen, medium in available phosphorus and potassium. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replication. The treatments consisted of Basmati type rice variety viz. Kasturi Comprising organic, inorganic and integrated nutrient management. Treatment T1 (50% RDF + 50% N (CDM), T2 (100% N((1/3 rd each CDM +NC+CCR) T3 (100% N (1/3 rd each CDM + NC + CCR) + Green manure in rice), T4 100% N (1/3 rd each CDM + NC + CCR) +Deep summer ploughing), T5 (50%N(CDM)+RP+PSB+Azos.), T6 (100%N(1/3 rd each CDM+NC+CCR) + Azos.+ PSB) and T7 (100% RDF).among different nutrient management practiceshigher nutrient uptake in grain and straw were observed under treatment T7(100% RDF).followed by T1 (50% RDF + 50% N (CDM) an INM treatment.whereas water uptake was exceeding in100% N applied through 1/3 rd each CDM + NC + CCR + Green manure in rice. Bulk density, pH and EC were also exceeds in T7, except T6 (100% N CDM + NC + CCR + Azos + PSB) which has higher OC.

Website: https://www.arjonline.org/agricultural-sciences/american-research-journal-of-agriculture/

Assessment of Important Plant Disease of Major Crops (Sorghum Maize, Common Bean, Coffee, Mung Bean, Cowpea) in South Omo and Segen Peoples Zone of Ethiopia

Production and productivity of maize, sorghum, Haricot bean Mung bean cow pea and coffee are highly threatened by different diseases in South omo and Segen peoples zone of Southern Nation Nationality Peoples Region of Ethiopia. However, the relative importance of each disease across locations has not been assessed and well profiled to sound management strategy. To determine the occurrence, distribution and the status of in the two zones , survey was carried out in three  districts of South omo and Segen peoples zone i.e. South Ari and Benatsemay(South omo zone) and Konsso (Segen peoples zone), in 2013 cropping seasons. Results indicated that 70% of maize sampled plants were infected by Trichometasphaeria turcica at South Ari district of South omo zone. Whereas at Segen peoples zone the heights infected percentage was recorded 45%( Fusarium graminearum) . The current study indicated that a complex of diseases exist at different crops of the studied areas  and the occurrence across districts is highly variable despite introduction and promotion of different management practices. Therefore holistic and cumulative integrated approach is required to manage the complex diseases in the surveyed areas.

Website: https://www.arjonline.org/agricultural-sciences/american-research-journal-of-agriculture/

Empirical Proof on Benefits of Integrated Farming System in Smallholder Farms in Odisha

Integrated farming system (IFS) is considered as one of the best option towards intensification of small holder farm income to ensure sustainable livelihood. Integration of resources is made through a combination of land, water and animal resources of a farm through careful planning including recycling of bio-resources. Governments and development agencies have designed projects/programmes in promoting IFS through demonstration of successful models and other means. Integration of resources is a process which involves great thought in investing in one of the resource combined and gaining benefits. This paper entails information on IFS adopted farms by analyzing three cases promoted by Krishi Vigyan Kendra-Khordha under ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture mandated to work on technology assessment, refinement and demonstration. All the IFS analyzed are pond based integrations involving crop-livestock and fish as major with minor integrations of enterprises like mushroom cultivation. The gross income of case 1 farmer was found to be Rs 5,19,600 from 0.8 ha in a pond based farming system followed by case 2 earning Rs 3,75,920 ( gross income) from an area of 1.872 ha crop based farming system and Rs 1, 50, 300 ( gross income) from an area of 0.8 ha crop based farming system adopting. The details of the case studies and economics are presented and these model farms play a great role in motivating nearby farmers in adoption of IFS. The study also concluded that adoption of IFS is profitable.

Website: https://www.arjonline.org/agricultural-sciences/american-research-journal-of-agriculture/

Carbon Hotspots in the Food and Beverage Industry: Insights from Analyzing the Product Portfolio of a Global Packaged Consumer Goods Company

This requires, among others, fundamental understanding of how much such hotspots can vary from product to product, across brands, and country of origin. Here, we apply a novel fast LCA methodology to first quantify and then analyze PCFs of 3,335 stock keeping units (SKUs) of a global food snack and beverage company. We find that the often cited dominance of the supply chain's contribution to the total footprint is valid for large portfolios of products in aggregate (75%-93% contribution). However, this does not remain universally valid when analyzing individual brands and SKUs: At SKU level, the metric varies widely, from 9% (smallest supply chain contribution) to nearly 100%. For 254 of the 3,335 SKUs, less than 50% of overall emissions originate in the supply chain. SKU-level carbon intensity (PCF divided by net SKU weight) varies widely as well, in our sample from 0.1 to 70. It also varies within brands, indicating a design challenge for stream-lined models.SKU-averagecarbon intensityvaries between ~0.4 (beverages) to ~4 (some baked snacks). The portfolio-level footprint (3,335 SKUs in our sample) is highly concentrated: 4% of SKUs contribute 50% of annual GHG; 2.5% of the 6,040 acquired individual raw materials contribute 40% of annual GHG from all raw materials, the majority of the 2.5% being agricultural ingredients.

Website: https://www.arjonline.org/agricultural-sciences/american-research-journal-of-agriculture/

Water Treated by Magnetic Field to Reduce Excess Nitrogen Output

Data suggests that the properties of magnetically treated water are different from those of untreated water. This fact is usually attributed to the weaknesses of intermolecular interactions (hydrogen bonds) and nucleation processes (effect of impurity, frequency and growth of nuclei). Water treatment by magnetic field is an attractive but still controversial issue concerning to animal production.The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of water treatment by magnetic field on nitrogen excretion in livestock.There were evaluated milk production, milk composition, blood biochemical profile, blood gas level and nitrogen balance. We found increases in urea blood, urea milk and decreases nitrogen in urine. These effects were attributed due metabolic alkalosis and reduced glutamine metabolism in kidney to Bicarbonate buffer production. We concluded that the treated water by magnetic field provides an effective way to reduce nitrogen animal excretion and contributing to mitigate environmental impact in livestock.

Website: https://www.arjonline.org/agricultural-sciences/american-research-journal-of-agriculture/

Evaluation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Compliance by Small Farmers in Kentucky: Assessing Microbial Quality of Produce

In recent years the number of bacterial food-borne outbreaks associated with contaminated produce has increased substantially. Escherichia coli(E.coli) continues to contribute to the majority of foodborne illnesses. With more small farmers starting organic production and given a wide range of organic production practices, there is a vulnerable segment which demands continuous microbial safety assessments. In the current study, twenty small produce farms from fourteen counties in Kentucky participated in a survey outlining farmers’ procedures during their routine operations. These farms were visited three times, during the pre-growing, harvest, and post-harvesting seasons. A total of 59 produce samples were collected from 16 organic and 4 conventional farms, respectively. No differences were observed in the percentage of produce contaminated with E. coli between the organic (25%) and conventional (26.3%) practices. However, 45.5% of produce grown at and below the surface was contaminated with E.coli while 13.5% of the produce that grows above the surface was found to be contaminated. Most of the contamination was correlated with fields that were fertilized with manure in the past 90 days or less. Findings of the study were shared with participating farmers and they were counseled on Good Agricultural Practices.

Website: https://www.arjonline.org/agricultural-sciences/american-research-journal-of-agriculture/