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| AGRICULTURE TRIBUNE | Monday, May 21, 2001, Chandigarh, India |
Protected cultivation of off-season vegetables Asia’s useful trees and plants A high-yielding pea variety Bee books: a beehive of knowledge
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Protected
cultivation of off-season vegetables With the increase in population of our country and improvement in the dietary habits, the consumption of vegetable has improved. People realise the importance of vegetables in their diet as vegetables have high nutritive value which are vital for the body. Also in the present scenario the cultivable land area is decreasing day by day due to rapid urbanisation, industrialisation and shrinking land holdings. Therefore, off-season vegetable production under protected conditions is the best alternative to use the land and other resources more efficiently. It involves protection at production stages of vegetables mainly from adverse environmental conditions such as high and low temperatures, frost, hails, rains and snow when it is not possible to raise under open fields. Protected cultivation provides an excellent opportunity to produce high-quality yields, assured regular supply in huge quantity of vegetables for domestic and export market. Plant protective structures include hot beds, cold frames, frame culture, polythene tunnels, green house, glass house and poly house which are beneficial to modify the natural environment for optimum plant growth. These structures are designed as per climatic modification requirements of the area as temperature, humidity, wind velocity and soil conditions, etc. play the major role in the design of protection structures. Hot beds: Cold frames: Frame culture: Plastic tunnel: Green and
polyhouse: Some vegetables are grown in one part of the country but their seed production is restricted to another part. To reduce such micro-climate condition a protected environment is essential which is feasible in a low and medium-cost green house for seed production of highly remunerative crops like tomato, capsicum and cucumber. The maintenance of purity of different varieties can be achieved by growing them under green house without giving isolation distance, particularly in cross-pollinated vegetables like onion, cauliflower and cabbage. To get proper pollination and fruit set, beehives are kept inside during flowering. Thus, seed production of vegetables under protected environment is also a major step to increase vegetable production. In India, most of the farmers are not economically sound and high initial cost of development of protected
technology restricts the farmers to establish these structures for taking up vegetable production. Therefore, to make it popular the rate of subsidy given may be increased by central and state
governments so that more farmers can make use of it. Thus, protected cultivation can not only increase vegetable production and their availability but also encourage conservation of different rare vegetables. |
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Asia’s useful trees and plants Tulsi is a well-known plant of the Asian subcontinent. It is a much branched erect herb having hair all over. It attains a height of about 75 to 90 cm when mature. Its scientific name is ocimum sanctum and the family is labiateae. The plant is called by some
other regional names like trittavu (Malayalam), tulshi (Marathi), manjari/krishna tulsi (Sanskrit), thulsi (Tamil and Telegu), etc. Its leaves are nearly roundish and up to 5 cm long with the margin being entire or toothed. These are aromatic because of the presence of a kind is scented oil therein. Tulsi flowers are small having purple to reddish colour. These arise in small compact clusters on cylindrical spikes. The fruits are small and the seeds yellow to reddish in colour. The natural habitat of tulsi varies from sea level to 2000 above mean sea level. It is found growing naturally in moist soil nearly all over the globe. On Indian scene, however, Hindus grow tulsi as a religious norm, though to a limited extent. The leaves of tulsi are used in nearly all religious rites and routine worship in Hindu homes. These contain a kind of oil which is useful against insects and bacteria. Their juice and or a concoction, called jushanda, a kind of tea, gives relief in common cold, fever, bronchitis, cough, digestive complaints, etc. When applied locally, it helps in eradicating ringworms and other skin diseases. Tulsi oil is also used as ear drops in case of pain. The seeds are also used in curing urinary problems. The plant being of religious importance, all Hindu families raise it in a raised stone masonry platform, generally erected in the middle of the compound of a residential premises. In addition to ocimum sanctum proper, some other species on varieties of this plant also go by the same name viz tulsi. These are ocimum canum (ram tulsi or kali tulsi), ocimum basilicum or bobai tulsi, ocimum kilmand, O. scharicum or camphor tulsi, etc. The medicinal effect of all these varieties is nearly similar, if not the same. The best part of the matter is that certain Indian scientists are at the threshold of finalising their discovery of a reliable medicine against cancer out of tulsi plant. Keeping in view the several uses of tulsi and the ease with which it can be propagated, it is highly desirable that essential research into a large scale cultivation of the plant in vacant lands and spaces, application or utilisation of the yield thereof and the alkaloid obtainable therefrom in various fields including medication, insecticide etc., should continue. |
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A high-yielding pea variety Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur, has developed a new high-yielding variety of garden peas known as Palam Priya (DPP-68). This variety is most suitable for cultivation in the hills as well as in the plains. Scientists working in the Vegetables Department of the university say that this variety has also been recommended for national cultivation. Palam Priya has many merits and its seed is in high demand in the state. Dr Pritam Kalia, a vegetable breeders, who had played a significant role in developing this variety, says that this is resistant to powdery mildew disease and it has medium height, double pod bearing height throughout the season with eight to 10 peas per pod. Besides, it is sweet in taste with more than 16 per cent total soluble solids and its average green pod yield capacity is 150 quintals per hectare or even more in well managed conditions. Palam Priya was formally released for cultivation in the state in 1995. Since then this variety has made a great impact in the off-season pea growing areas, especially Mandi and its adjoining areas of Kulu and Shimla district, where it has almost replaced the old varieties like Bonvilla and Lincoln, etc. Recently the demand for the seed of Palam Priya has increased in other districts of the state as the farmers have also found it most suitable in Kangra, Solan and Sirmaur areas. Farmers are sore over the attitude of the Agriculture Department as it has failed to meet the demand of farmers and has made no efforts to increase the seed production of Palam Priya. At present the seed is not available at any sale centre of the department, causing great inconvenience to the farmers. Dr Kalia says that the agricultural scientists have already recommended to the state government that the Agriculture Department should lead and produce its seed in bulk. He says this pea cultivation has emerged as a major cash crop of the state. Even at the national level this variety has been identified as one of the best peas varieties resistant to powdery mildew disease and the All-India Coordinated Vegetable Improvement Research Project during its meeting held at the IIVR, Varanasi, has recommended its release at the national level. |
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Bee books: a beehive of knowledge Honey is as much a sweet food made by bees from the nectar of flowers as the word means endearment, acquiring a different connotation, aroma or flavour depending upon its usage. But how many of us know about the honeybee? All that one wanted to know about the honeybee, one of the most fascinating species in the animal kingdom, its life story, beekeeping, bee sting or string of products produced by this “social insect” is now available between the covers of two books, Essentials of Beekeeping and Pollination and The world of Honeybee. Both books, literally a beehive of information, are by Dr Avtar S. Atwal. The books detail the biology of the honeybee — apis mellifera — primarily based on research and scientific observations made by apiculturists in Europe and North America and the work done in India since the introduction of this species in the mid-sixties. Dr Atwal is credited with introducing apis mellifera in the country. He is called the “father” of commercial beekeeping. Dr Atwal has spent nearly 50 years painstakingly piloting the project of introducing the European honeybee. He did this pioneering work, besides shouldering other responsibilities between 1948 and 1989 — as one of the founders of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Dean, College of Agriculture and Dean, Postgraduate Studies. He was Adviser and Vice-Chancellor of Jammu and Kashmir Agricultural University and also a full-time member of the Punjab State Planning Board. Besides the bee, Dr Atwal introduced the concept of respecting ecology by introducing environmental conservation in 1974 in the academics at PAU. He is founder of the Indian Journal of Ecology. Though retired, he hops between Chandigarh and Vancouver (Canada) interacting with academicians, administrators and farmers. His major concern, at present, is the stagnation in agriculture with zero economic returns to small farmers and the way natural resources are being plundered and agricultural research flawed because of poor management and myopic vision of men who matter in Punjab. The two books tell the story of the honeybee as well as its role in pollination. Since beekeeping is one of the essential components of the much talked-about diversification in agriculture, these would serve ready-to-use reference books for enterprising beekeepers keen on taking up beekeeping as a vocation. Punjab is flushed with orchids and a bouquet of flowers attracting the honeybee making beekeeping a viable proposition for small and marginal farmers and improving their livelihood through additional income. If understanding the honeybee is essential for beekeeping so is knowing the properties of honey. In that sense Dr Atwal presents the structure and characteristics of the honeybee and the honey in as much detail as the architecture of the beehive, drawing up a detailed life sketch of the bee-colony, its inhabitants and the way workers and drones lived around the queen. May it be knowing the tools required for beekeeping, friends and foes of the honeybee and its diseases, the sting and its cure, management of the honey production and its techniques, properties and qualities (medicinal, etc) of honey or beekeeping as an industry, the books answer all queries. What Dr Atwal has penned is a beginner’s guide to the fascinating world of the honeybee. Through photographs and sketches the books narrate the story of the world of a four-winged insect friendly to man and contain information on flowers and flora (bee pasturage), climatic effects on the honeybee, its pests and predators, etc. Do you know there are many castes in a honeybee colony — there is a single queen, the mother of the entire colony. There are a few hundred drones (the helpless, lazy and awkward males), around 50,000 workers that are sterile females: the very life of a colony. These workers feed the queen and the drones who practically do nothing in the colony. The former is a slave queen, laying eggs for the propagation of the colony. In a passive manner, the queen controls the life of the colony, and if she dies, and there is no replacement for her, the colony also dies. The world of the honeybee is as fascinating as the manner in which the story is told by Dr Atwal. His message to fellow retired scientists and colleagues is to write down their experiences sharing their knowledge and thoughts so that posterity will benefit. |
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Recommended varieties of cotton — The sowing of all American cotton varieties like F-1378, F-846,LH-1134, LH-1556, F-1054, LH-900 or hybrid LHH-144 and Desi cotton (LH-491, ID-327) should be completed by the middle of this month.— Treat seed before sowing. Add 5 g of Ceresan wet and 1.3 g of Streptocyline or 8 g of Agrimycin 100 in 5 litres of water and soak delinted seed in it for 2-4 hours. If Ceresan wet is not available, use 5 g of Agallol or 2.5 g of Tafasan/Emisan. Also add 0.5 g succinic acid in solution to accelerate germination and good establishment of seedling. — After this cotton seed should be smeared with Gaucho 70 WS (Imidacloprid) @ 5 g/kg seed. If undelinted seed is used, it should be soaked in the fungicidal solution for 6 to 8 hours. For desi cotton, add 12 g of Bavistin also in the fungicide solution. Avoid growing American cotton in citrus orchards and adjoining bhindi crop. Follow clean cultivation and destroy kanghi buti (sida sp.) and peeli buti (Abutilon sp.) which act as collateral host of leaf curl. — If jassid incidence is noticed in the standing crop, spray 40 ml imidacloprid 200 SL in 100 litres of water per acre. — Apply Treflan 48 EC/Shaktiman Trifurex 48EC @ 1.0 litre/acre pre-plant (before sowing of cotton) on well-prepared seed bed or Stomp 30 EC @ 1.0 litre/acre as pre-emergence within 24 hours of sowing for control of weeds particularly itsit. In situations where itsit emerges after first irrigation or with the rain shower, Stomp 30 EC @ 1 litre/acre can also be applied as post-emergence after first irrigation to cotton. Spray herbicide uniformly by dissolving in 200 litres of water. Give one hoeing/inter-culture about 45 days after sowing to control these weeds. — Drill 75 kg of superphosphate per acre with the last preparatory ploughing. In light soils, apply 10 kg of zinc sulphate per acre. |
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Farm operations for MAY VEGETABLES: — Harvest mature umbles of onion and carrot at a weekly intervals. Dry, thrash, clean and store the seed in a damp proof place. Harvesting is to be completed in 3 to 4 rounds in the morning as all the umbles do not mature at a time. — Harvest the onion and garlic bulbs. Cure under shade and store them in a dry place. The garlic should be stored with stalks intact and after packing in small bundles. The onion stalk should be cut just 2 to 3 cm above the bulb before storage. — Start sowing on the N-53 or Agrifond Dark Red varieties of onion in nursery beds during the last week of this month. Sow 500 g seed per marla bed area and 5 kg seed for raising seedlings to plant in one acre. Apply water after 3 to 4 days to protect the seedlings, against hot weather. — Sow the Pusa Chetaki/Punjab Ageti/varieties of Radish. — Tomato fruits are available in plenty and at a throwaway price. Prepare ketchup chuteny, juice, etc. for year round domestic use. Vegetable pests and diseases — Brinjal mite may also be checked by spraying 250 ml of Metasystox 25EC/Rogor 30 EC in 250 litres of water per acre. — Red pumpkin beetle attack on young cucurbits can be avoided by spraying 75-150 g of Sevin/Hexavin 50 WP in 50-100 litres of water per acre. — For the control of powdery mildew in cucurbit, spray the crop with Karathane 50-80 ml/acre at the appearance of powder on the leaves. Avoid sprays of sulphur or copper based fungicide on cucurbits. — For the control of downy mildew, spray the crop with Indofil M 45 at the rate of 300 g in 100 litres of water. Repeat sprays at 4 to 7 days interval. — Spray the onion crop with 600 g Indofil M-45 or 400 g of Difolatan mixed with 200 ml of Malathion and 200 ml of Triton or linseed oil (as sticker) in 200 litres of water per acre for the control of purple blotch. Oranmentals: Annuals: Roses: Chrysanthemum: Permanent plants:
Tree, shrubs and climbers should be watered at required intervals of 5 to 7 days. Care should be taken for the newly planted young plants and, if required, staking of young sapling should also be done. Bougainvillaea plants should be pruned after flowering is over. Pot plants:
The pot plants should be transferred to shady area in this month to protect them from direct sunlight. Timely watering twice a week, is required in this month to the pot plants.
— Progressive Farming PAU |
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