Modern Agricultural Techniques Research Articles

Revolutionizing Farm Management with Modern Agricultural Extension Techniques: A Review

The transformative impact of modern agricultural extension techniques on farm management in India, highlighting the integration of digital technologies, precision agriculture, and innovative management systems to enhance productivity and sustainability. Traditional farming practices in India, characterized by low efficiency and productivity, are undergoing significant changes with the introduction of technologies such as mobile apps, remote sensing, GIS, and sensor-based systems. These technologies facilitate improved crop monitoring, resource mapping, and data-driven decision-making, leading to enhanced crop yields, resource efficiency, and economic benefits. Notably, precision agriculture technologies like automated systems and IoT have enabled real-time, precision farming practices that significantly reduce resource waste and increase crop productivity. However, the adoption of these modern techniques is not without challenges. Issues such as accessibility, the digital divide, economic constraints, and the need for continuous training hinder widespread implementation. The review also discusses policy recommendations for supporting the adoption of these technologies, including increased government investment in infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and capacity building. The integration of these modern techniques with global agricultural trends-especially those aimed at sustainability and climate change adaptation-is crucial for the future of Indian agriculture. By leveraging advanced technologies and aligning with global standards, India can not only enhance its agricultural productivity but also improve the socio-economic status of its rural population, contributing to broader economic and environmental goals.

Enhancing Agricultural Productivity in Egypt: The Impact of Scaling up The Use of Modern Agricultural Techniques on Main Crops

Enhancing Agricultural Productivity in Egypt: The Impact of Scaling up The Use of Modern Agricultural Techniques on Main Crops

Sustainable Interventions for Improving Food Security among Tribal Communities in Bodoland Territorial Region

The study examined the determinants influencing food security status among the tribals of Bodoland Territorial Region, Assam. The study randomly selected 400 tribal respondents, 200 Bodo and 200 Rabha respondents. Data was collected through personal interviews and analysed using descriptive statistics, food security index and multiple linear regression. Results of the food security index depicted that about Bodo respondents (19.50%) were food secure, while (80.50%) were food insecure. Similarly, only (18.00%) of the Rabha respondents were food secure, but the remaining (82.00%) of Rabha respondents were food insecure. Further, multiple linear regression analysis revealed that employed members in the respondent's household, annual income, access to credit, and access to the Public Distribution System had a positive relationship with the food security status of Bodo respondents. However, it was found that the age of household head, family size, loss of cultivable land, indebtedness, and food grain used for liquor preparation negatively affected the food security status of the Bodo respondents. In the case of Rabha respondents, factors like employed members in the respondents' household, annual income and operational landholding positively impacted on the food security status of the respondents. In contrast, the age of the household head and family size were negatively significant to the food security status of Rabha respondents. The research suggested that nutritional security can be improved by improving family income. So, the government should emphasise non-farm income-generating activities at a household level or through SHGs and strengthen the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) activities in BTR. Crops like millets may be introduced after sali paddy harvesting. The government should make policies for increasing crop productivity using modern agricultural production techniques and easy access to credit. The government also increased the number of beneficiaries under the Public Distribution System by changing the criteria.

Agronomic assessment of rice genotypes (Oryza sativa) under different levels of fertilizer application: A review

The current rice production system, centered around the high-input green revolution methods, tends to favour affluent farmers, leaving lower-income farmers unable to fully embrace modern agricultural techniques due to soaring input prices. In India, shrinking cultivable land and a growing population have led to intensified agronomic practices like heavy chemical fertilizer usage mainly impacting soil health and crops productivity especially rice. This trend has discouraged poorer farmers from rice cultivation due to diminishing factor productivity and profitability amidst rising input expenses, posing significant concerns about sustainability and economic viability. In this context, the review aims to assess how rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes perform when exposed to varying levels of fertilizer application, providing valuable insights into their adaptability and potential for increased productivity and soil fertility. It was investigated how different fertilizer levels, specifically nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, affects important agronomic practices, yield-related parameters, and grain quality in various rice genotypes. A diverse set of genotypes represent a broad spectrum of genetic background and adaptation strategies, including those known for their efficiency in using nutrients. Highlighting how the robustness of certain genotypes under conditions with limited nutrients maintained satisfactory yields and grain quality. In contrast, some genotypes demonstrated superior performance under higher fertility conditions, resulting in significant yield increases, larger grain sizes, and improved nutritional profiles. These approaches optimize fertilizer application, reduce the environmental impacts associated with excessive nutrient use, and ultimately enhance overall rice production.

Vaiadel kuhjalava ja selle ehitamine Matsalu rahvuspargis / Constructing a haystack base in Matsalu national park

Haymaking is a traditional craft that began to fade in the second half of the 20th century. The gradual disappearance of the traditional ways of making hay was due to the rapid development of modern agricultural techniques, which made the need for older techniques obsolete. Before the advent of hay packers, hay was mainly stored in barns or haystacks. As barns became more common beginning in the early 20th century, haystacks were the most common way of preserving hay (photos 1, 3, 4). To help structure the haystack and prevent the bottom of the pile from rotting, it was first necessary to build a haystack base (photo 2). In the case of wetlands and flooded meadows, haystacks had to be built on tall wooden poles to protect them against flooding (photos 5, 6). Although some descriptions of the construction of a traditional haystack have survived in the archives, there is no written information on haystack bases built on poles. Fortunately, there are some local people who still remember such haystack structures as well as some historically valuable photographs that have survived. Based on these old photos and local people’s memories, we organised a workshop on making a haystack base in Matsalu National Park, aimed at preserving and presenting the local heritage. In this article, we will look at the haystack, and in particular at the haystack base needed to build it on. The first part of the article gives an overview of the necessity and importance of the haystack in farm and folk culture. A separate section is devoted to the construction of the haystack bed on poles. The second part of the article is an auto-ethnographic overview of a workshop on the building of a haystack base on the Kasari riverbank in the village of Kelu. Along with photographic material, the article also gives an overview of the different stages of the build and some details about the construction. Keywords: woodcrafts, haystack, haystack base, traditional agriculture, workshop

Evaluation of the Agricultural Reality of the Industrial Yellow Corn Crop in the Iraqi Province of Kirkuk

The agricultural sector is considered one of the important and vital economic sectors in any country due to its role in providing food, clothing, employment opportunities for the population, and the supply of raw materials needed for industries. In Iraq, this sector is the largest non-oil economic sector and contributes significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Yellow maize (corn) is one of the main economic crops in Iraq. This study evaluates the agricultural situation of yellow maize crop in Kirkuk Governorate. The statistical data pertaining to the crop, including cultivated areas, production, productivity, and crop prices, were assessed descriptively through the calculation of arithmetic averages, percentages, growth rates, and graphical representations. During the study period from 2000 to 2021, approximately 23,000 to 237,000 tons of yellow corn were produced in Kirkuk province, Iraq. This crop was cultivated over an area ranging from 10,000 to 39,000 hectares of cultivated land during various years within the mentioned period. The average contribution of the yellow corn cultivation area in Kirkuk to the total cultivated areas of yellow corn in Iraq was approximately 19%. This study examines the average contribution of yellow corn production in Kirkuk Governorate to the overall yellow corn production in Iraq, which stands at approximately 24%. The contribution of yellow corn production in the region has exhibited considerable fluctuations over the years, with the highest contribution recorded in 2018 at 71.1%, and the lowest in 2006 at 6.3%. These fluctuations can be attributed to insufficient support for yellow corn cultivation, as well as the impact of various factors, including environmental, human, technological, political, and economic elements. The average corn crop yield in Kirkuk Governorate was estimated at around 3904 kg/ha. Notably, the highest yield was achieved in 2013, reaching 7592 kg/ha, while the lowest yield was recorded in 2014 at 1092 kg/ha, primarily due to challenging conditions faced by the region during that year. The annual growth rates for cultivated area, production, productivity, and price demonstrated positive rates, with values of 9.2%, 7.4%, 4.6%, and 6.7%, respectively. This indicates an increase of 9.2%, 7.4%, 4.6%, and 6.7% in the cultivated area, production, productivity, and price of yellow corn in Kirkuk Governorate, respectively. However, these positive rates were insufficient to meet the rising local demand for yellow corn. İn this study, recommendations were made to establish agricultural plans and policies for this crop, as well as to open multiple marketing channels in the Kirkuk province, particularly during the harvesting season. These measures aim to alleviate the burdens on farmers and protect them in order to mitigate the decline in the cultivation of this important crop. Furthermore, additional research is proposed, focusing on aspects related to the crop, such as price and marketing studies, to develop productive and pricing policies that can address the existing deterioration in the production of this crop. Increasing the purchasing price of this crop and providing prior disclosure of the price before the production season for yellow corn is suggested to incentivize farmers to engage in its cultivation. Additionally, granting more agricultural loans is recommended to enhance the production of this strategic crop and activate the role of agricultural guidance in the province. This would facilitate the transfer of modern agricultural techniques and provide clarification to farmers on their implementation.

Optimalisasi Produktivitas Petani Tradisional dalam Mencapai Sustainable Development Growth di Desa Pakantan Ditinjau dari Ekonomi Islam

The purpose of this research is to optimize the productivity of traditional farmers in Pakantan villages and achieve sustainable growth through an Islamic economic approach. The research methods used are qualitative and based on a case study approach. Data analysis was performed using a descriptive qualitative approach and Shariah financial analysis. The results showed that there are several factors that affect the productivity of traditional farmers in Pakantan villages, including social, economic and technical factors. Sustainable development strategies, such as the use of modern agricultural techniques, the establishment of farmer cooperatives and the application of Islamic economic principles such as justice, sustainability and independence, are needed to increase farmers' productivity. The conclusion of this study is that productivity optimization of traditional farmers in Pakantan village can be achieved through an economic approach. Sustainable and eco-friendly Islam. Therefore, it is proposed that the government and communities can work together to apply Islamic economic principles to the agricultural development of Pakantan villages.
 Keyword: Productivity optimization, traditional farming, sustainable growth, Islamic economy

An Analysis of Image Processing In Forestry and Agriculture Review

Numerous techniques have been demonstrated for computer technologies to increase agricultural output. One method that is becoming into a valuable tool for picture processing. In order to help academics and farmers improve agricultural practices, this study provides a brief assessment on the use of image processing in forestry and agriculture. Modern agricultural techniques, pesticides and herbicides, plant nutrition management and plant development monitoring benefit greatly from image processing techniques. A future potential for image processing in various agricultural business situations is highlighted in this research. Segmentation in this context refers to the division of pixels in a picture into plant and nonplant pixels. For subsequent plant analysis, like plant categorization (in another meaning: determining this plant was considered either a crop or maybe a weed. Based on this analysis, the successful work depends herbicide application in smart agricultural applications, In this process, excellence is crucial. Fragmentation is first focused on through survey and then image pre-processing is carefully examined. Here, at this stage, the backgrounds of the plants are segmented (i.e., the soil attachments are isolated on one side and the plant on the other). The main plant harvesting strategies are three of which are segmentation based on threshold, segmentation based on deep learning and segmentation based on color index. The focus of our review is on color index methods due to their abundance in the literature. Therefore, according to literature research completed in last decade, specifically starting in the year 2008 to 2021, a thorough evaluation of the Color index-based categorization approaches are shown. Finally, we list the difficulties and a few chances for new breakthroughs in this field.

Physiochemical Analysis of River Sutlej, Sindh and the Arabian Sea to Evaluate the Water Quality

Globally, water pollution is caused primarily by growing populations, urbanization, and modern agricultural techniques. In this study, freshwater samples were collected from Satluj river, Sindh river, and Arabian sea to assess water quality. A variety of physicochemical parameters were measured in these samples, including pH (7.5 to 8.4), color (variable), odor, turbidity (7 NTU to 18 NTU), taste (salty/bitter), total dissolved solids (182 mg/L to 34768 mg/L), total soluble solids (52 mg/L to 1244 mg/L), EC (109 µS/cm to 51488 µS/cm), total hardness/Ca+2+Mg+2 (25 mg/L to 125 mg/L), total alkalinity or CO3 -2 , HCO3 - (80 mg/L to 172 mg/L), exchangeable ions like Cl- (27 mg/L to 19742 mg/L), F- (0.3 mg/L to 1.29 mg/L), SO4 -2 (30 mg/L to 2974 mg/L), PO4 -3 (8 mg/L to 35 mg/L), NO2 -2 (18 mg/L to 43 mg/L), Mn+2 (0.0002 mg/L to 0.63 mg/L), Cu (0.0005 mg/L to 0.08 mg/L), Cd+2 (0.0005 mg/L to 0.88 mg/L), Cr+3 (0.003 mg/L to 0.32 mg/L), Zn+2 (0.001 mg/L to 2.72 mg/L), Fe+2 (0.01 mg/L to 0.9 mg/L), Ni+2 (0.002 mg/L to 0.23 mg/L), Na+ (15 mg/L to 10157 mg/L), K+ (4.4 mg/L to 379 mg/L), Ca+2 (20 mg/L to 380 mg/L), Mg+2 (5.4 mg/L to 1584 mg/L) tested by standard methods reported in Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) with little modifications. Most of the parameters studied in these water samples were beyond the National Environment Quality Standard of drinking water guidelines for seawater, but within acceptable limits for rivers. Consequently, these trends made seawater unfit for the survival of aquatic plants and marine life as well as for the people who use river water for domestic and agricultural purposes.

Iot-Based Privacy-Preserving Anomaly Detection Model for Smart Agriculture

Internet of Things (IoT) technology has been incorporated into the majority of people’s everyday lives and places of employment due to the quick development in information technology. Modern agricultural techniques increasingly use the well-known and superior approach of managing a farm known as “smart farming”. Utilizing a variety of information and agricultural technologies, crops are observed for their general health and productivity. This requires monitoring the condition of field crops and looking at many other indicators. The goal of smart agriculture is to reduce the amount of money spent on agricultural inputs while keeping the quality of the final product constant. The Internet of Things (IoT) has made smart agriculture possible through data collection and storage techniques. For example, modern irrigation systems use effective sensor networks to collect field data for the best plant irrigation. Smart agriculture will become more susceptible to cyber-attacks as its reliance on the IoT ecosystem grows, because IoT networks have a large number of nodes but limited resources, which makes security a difficult issue. Hence, it is crucial to have an intrusion detection system (IDS) that can address such challenges. In this manuscript, an IoT-based privacy-preserving anomaly detection model for smart agriculture has been proposed. The motivation behind this work is twofold. Firstly, ensuring data privacy in IoT-based agriculture is of the utmost importance due to the large volumes of sensitive information collected by IoT devices, including on environmental conditions, crop health, and resource utilization data. Secondly, the timely detection of anomalies in smart agriculture systems is critical to enable proactive interventions, such as preventing crop damage, optimizing resource allocation, and ensuring sustainable farming practices. In this paper, we propose a privacy-encoding-based enhanced deep learning framework for the difficulty of data encryption and intrusion detection. In terms of data encoding, a novel method of a sparse capsule-auto encoder (SCAE) is proposed along with feature selection, feature mapping, and feature normalization. An SCAE is used to convert information into a new encrypted format in order to prevent deduction attacks. An attention-based gated recurrent unit neural network model is proposed to detect the intrusion. An AGRU is an advanced version of a GRU which is enhanced by an attention mechanism. In the results section, the proposed model is compared with existing deep learning models using two public datasets. Parameters such as recall, precision, accuracy, and F1-score are considered. The proposed model has accuracy, recall, precision, and F1-score of 99.9%, 99.7%, 99.9%, and 99.8%, respectively. The proposed method is compared using a variety of machine learning techniques such as the deep neural network (DNN), convolutional neural network (CNN), recurrent neural network (RNN), and long short-term memory (LSTM).

Broadband Measurements of Soil Complex Permittivity.

Agriculture is a major consumer of freshwater and is often associated with low water productivity. To prevent drought, farmers tend to over-irrigate, putting a strain on the ever-depleting groundwater resources. To improve modern agricultural techniques and conserve water, quick and accurate estimates of soil water content (SWC) should be made, and irrigation timed correctly in order to optimize crop yield and water use. In this study, soil samples common to the Maltese Islands having different clay, sand, and silt contents were, primarily, investigated to: (a) deduce whether the dielectric constant can be considered as a viable indicator of the SWC for the soils of Malta; (b) determine how soil compaction affects the dielectric constant measurements; and (c) to create calibration curves to directly relate the dielectric constant and the SWC for two different soil types of low and high density. The measurements, which were carried out in the X-band, were facilitated by an experimental setup comprising a two-port Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) connected to a rectangular waveguide system. From data analysis, it was found that for each soil investigated, the dielectric constant increases notably with an increase in both density and SWC. Our findings are expected to aid in future numerical analysis and simulations aimed at developing low-cost, minimally invasive Microwave (MW) systems for localized SWC sensing, and hence, in agricultural water conservation. However, it should be noted that a statistically significant relationship between soil texture and the dielectric constant could not be determined at this stage.

Fuzzy Control Application to an Irrigation System of Hydroponic Crops under Greenhouse: Case Cultivation of Strawberries (Fragaria Vesca).

Hydroponics refers to a modern set of agricultural techniques that do not require the use of natural soil for plant germination and development. These types of crops use artificial irrigation systems that, together with fuzzy control methods, allow plants to be provided with the exact amount of nutrients for optimal growth. The diffuse control begins with the sensorization of the agricultural variables that intervene in the hydroponic ecosystem, such as the environmental temperature, electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution and the temperature, humidity, and pH of the substrate. Based on this knowledge, these variables can be controlled to be within the ranges required for optimal plant growth, reducing the risk of a negative impact on the crop. This research takes, as a case study, the application of fuzzy control methods to hydroponic strawberry crops (Fragaria vesca). It is shown that, under this scheme, a greater foliage of the plants and a larger size of the fruits are obtained in comparison with natural cultivation systems in which irrigation and fertilization are carried out by default, without considering the alterations in the aforementioned variables. It is concluded that the combination of modern agricultural techniques such as hydroponics and diffuse control allow us to improve the quality of the crops and the optimization of the required resources.

The Level of Usage of Modern Technologies by The Tomato Farmers in Plastic Spending in The District of Samarra / Saladin Governorate

The research aims to determine the level of usage of modern agricultural techniques by the farmers of the tomato crop in the plastic spending in the district of Samarra / Saladin, and to find the differences between the level of the usage of agricultural techniques, was selected Samarra district to conduct the research, and included three agricultural sector people representing 75% of all people In the judiciary, the population of research included all farmers of the selected agricultural division of 700 farmers. The research included a sample of 115 respondents. The questionnaire used a data collection tool. The questionnaire consisted of two parts. The first part included some variables related to the respondents. The second part included (9) paragraphs For the axis of a For biotechnologies to measure the level of use of modern agricultural techniques in the field of biotechnology, and to achieve honesty, the form was first presented to a group of agricultural extension experts to achieve the validity and experts in the Department of Plant Protection to achieve the validity of content, the method used Alphcronbach to measure the realibity of (0.97) The results of this study indicate that most of the respondents do not know this type of fertilizers because of the lack of availability in the market, because farmers are not satisfied with the results of their use, It is concluded that most farmers do not know that mixing the pesticide with a chemical pesticide increases its effectiveness because biocides are used as a chemical pesticide. Systemic pesticides do not kill insects quickly. The researcher recommended that the agricultural extension system should carry out learning activities to cultivate the tomato crop in plastic tunnels in all fields of study.
 

Prevalence of occupational injury among vegetable cultivators of West Bengal, India

Manual agricultural task is an accident prone task in the harsh working environment, with occupation related health problem and injuries. They are exposed to extensive usage of primitive tools, bearing awkward working postures, handling of chemicals during long working hours. This study thus aims at studying the prevalence of occupational injury of vegetable cultivators in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. A cross-sectional study on 181 male vegetable cultivators using traditional and/or modern agricultural techniques was conducted using predesigned survey questionnaire and direct observation of the mode of work. It was observed that 68% of mechanized workers and 86% of traditional workers suffered from cut accident (p<0.05). Traditional workers are more prone to occupational injuries like cut, fracture, sprain injury, etc. rather than mechanized cultivators, hinting at reduced work performance. Ergonomic interventions viz., natural working posture, work-rest schedule and optimization of body movements are required to reduce the prevalent accident frequency.

Smart Automation for Production of Panchagavya Natural Fertilizer

Modern agricultural farming techniques employ the usage of chemical supplements to improve crop yield in terms of quantity and quality. This practice has brought down the fertility of the soil and has led to secondary impacts and necessitates a significant financial investment. Awareness of the side effects of artificially enriched food has made people move towards organically grown food, and the consumption has also increased significantly. One of the ancient organic fertilizers used in India is panchagavya. As the name implies, pancha means five and gavya means cow. The five products of the cow are combined as per the compositions and procedure described in the literature, to provide economical and meaningful value to organic farming. The objective of this work is to design, develop, and implement an automated system to manufacture panchagavya with reduced operator assistance. The system implements an ATmega 328 microcontroller to automate the entire process by interfacing sensors such as pH, moisture, temperature, and pressure. The system is also provided with a SIM900A GSM modem to provide information to the user regarding the status of the process. The developed pilot scale design discussed in this work has several advantages in the world of farming technologies in terms of enriching the soil, thereby improving the crop yield. This technology will benefit the farmers as this natural fertilizer can be mass-produced and turn them into entrepreneurs, which benefits society at large.

Heavy metals and micronutrients assessment in soil and groundwater using geospatial analyses under agricultural exploitation in dry areas

This study used a geospatial model to evaluate the regional distributions and buildup of various Heavy Metals (HM) and micronutrients as a result of groundwater irrigation used for lengthy periods in Egypt’s El-Kharga and El-Farafra oases, which were formed on western desert terrain, were the subject of the study. To fulfill this aim, field sampling of soil and groundwater was integrated with cartographic modeling. The evaluated HM concentrations in the water samples are below the permitted level for irrigation. The surface soil’s element concentrations were within acceptable limits. However, protracted mobility and a potency risk for soil smearing were not spotted. The apportionment of HM concentricity versus soil profundity showed that the assemblage was primarily in the topsoil. Future management plans should consider ongoing HM level monitoring. The lands are divided into three classes: II, III, and IV, according to their capabilities, while the soils are divided into three classes based on their suitability: moderately suitable class S2, marginally acceptable class S3, and permanently unsuitable class N2. Additionally, soil fertility and quality were categorized into low and moderate categories. Land evaluations indicate that they are promising areas for agricultural investment under the conditions of using modern agricultural techniques. The most important results of the study are that the non-technical use of irrigation water in some areas has exacerbated the problems of salinity, especially in those where the drainage characteristics are poor. Concentrations of HM were found only in agricultural areas adjacent to urban areas and poor drainage, especially in agricultural areas reclaimed for more than 50 years. High concentrations of HM were also found in shallow wells close to the same places, and there were no significant concentrations in blind wells. The main recommendation of the study is the necessity of using modern agricultural and irrigation systems in those places.

Classification of Pomegranate Leaves Diseases by Image Processing and Machine Learning Techniques

A decrease in agricultural yield has been caused by uneven climatic conditions. Global agricultural economies are affected by this. Furthermore, if the crops are infected by any disease, the situation becomes even worse. In addition, farmers have to increase their yield in order to cope with a growing population. In order to detect and prevent various diseases from affecting crops, modern agricultural techniques, and systems are needed. One of the most profitable fruits on the market is the pomegranate, a fruit that produces an astounding yield in a number of Asian nations. Unfortunately, due to a number of conditions, the plants are infected with several diseases that destroy the entire crop leaving a terribly low yield of products. A key challenge in agricultural image processing is the recognition of disease in plants. To identify and classify diseases on pomegranate plants precisely, this framework uses image processing techniques such as acquisition, resizing, enhancement, segmentation, ROI extraction, and feature extraction to process images. The framework is implemented using a training set and a test set of images associated with pomegranate leaf disease. Image enhancement and image segmentation are usually used during the implementation process in order to identify ROIs and features. The use of machine learning (ML) may be a viable way to solve this problem. The problems are solved using ML models like linear discriminant analysis (LDA), K-Nearest Neighbor, Naive Bayes (NB), and ensembles (LDA–NB). By combining LDA with NB, the framework can achieve an accuracy of 96.49% for classifying diseases on pomegranate leaves.

A short review on sugarcane: its domestication, molecular manipulations and future perspectives.

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is a special crop plant that underwent anthropogenic evolution from a wild grass species to an important food, fodder, and energy crop. Unlike any other grass species which were selected for their kernels, sugarcane was selected for its high stem sucrose accumulation. Flowering in sugarcane is not favored since flowering diverts the stored sugar resources for the reproductive and developmental energy needs. Cultivars are vegetatively propagated and sugarcane breeding is still essentially focused on conventional methods, since the knowledge of sugarcane genetics has lagged that of other major crops. Cultivar improvement has been extremely challenging due to its polyploidy and aneuploidy nature derived from a few interspecific hybridizations between Saccharum officinarum and Saccharum spontaneum, revealing the coexistence of two distinct genome organization modes in the modern variety. Alongside implementation of modern agricultural techniques, generation of hybrid clones, transgenics and genome edited events will help to meet the ever-growing bioenergy needs. Additionally, there are two common biotechnological approaches to improve plant stress tolerance, which includes marker-assisted selection (MAS) and genetic transformation. During the past two decades, the use of molecular approaches has contributed greatly to a better understanding of the genetic and biochemical basis of plant stress-tolerance and in some cases, it led to the development of plants with enhanced tolerance to abiotic stress. Hence, this review mainly intends on the events that shaped the sugarcane as what it is now and what challenges ahead and measures taken to further improve its yield, production and maximize utilization to beat the growing demands.

Arazi Toplulaştırmanın Tarıma ve Tarımsal Mekanizasyona Katkısı; Çanakkale-Biga-Dereköy Örneği

Artan nüfusun gıda talebini karşılayabilmek için toprak ve su kaynaklarının daha ekonomik ve etkin değerlendirilmesi ile birim alandan alınan verimin ve elde edilen gelirin arttırılması gerekmektedir. Ülkemizde mevcut tarım alanlarını etkin ve sürdürülebilir bir şekilde kullanımını engelleyen en önemli sorunların başında arazi parçacılığı gelmektedir. Arazi parçacılığı modern tarım tekniklerinin uygulanmasını zorlaştırarak ülke ekonomisine olumsuz etkile yaratmaktadır. Bu noktada, mevcut tarım alanlarını daha etkin kullanıp mekanizasyondan üst düzeyde faydalanmak için arazi toplulaştırma projeleri devreye girmiştir. Arazi toplulaştırma çalışmalarıyla küçük, şekilsiz, parçalı ve dağınık parsellerin bir bütün haline getirmek amaçlanmaktadır. Miras yoluyla parçalanan parsellerin bütünlüğü ve üretim devamlılığı amaçlanmıştır. Arazi toplulaştırması ile tarımsal mekanizasyona daha uygun olan dikdörtgen ve kare şekillerine getirilmiş her parselin yola sınırının da olmasıyla üretim faaliyetleri sırasında oluşabilecek en önemli girdilerden yakıt, iş gücü ve zamandan tasarruflar sağlanmaktadır. Bu çalışmada Çanakkale ili Biga ilçesi Dereköy mahallesinde tamamlanan arazi toplulaştırma çalışması verileri değerlendirilerek eski ve yeni durumlar incelenmiştir. Dereköy mahallesinde 341 ha alanda tamamlanan toplulaştırma projesi ile 1088 adet parsel sayısı 507 adet parsele düşürülmüş olup, toplulaştırma oranı %52.40’tır. Eski durumda ortalama parsel yüzölçümü 3.13 dekar iken toplulaştırma projesinin tamamlanmasıyla 6.58 dekara yükselmiş olup %82 oranında parsel büyüklüğü artışı sağlanmıştır. Parsel sayısının azalması ve parsel büyüklüğünün artmasıyla tarımsal mekanizasyondan ve üretim girdilerinden büyük ölçüde azalma olmuştur. Çalışmada rast gele seçilen bir çiftçinin eski durumda 8 parseli varken toplamı 34 dekar olan arazisinden köy merkezine gidiş dönüş için 25 km yol yapmaktadır. Toplulaştırma projesinin tamamlanmasıyla 8 parseli 2 parsele düşmüş ve bu iki parselin köy merkezine uzaklığı 5.5 km’ye düşmüştür. Çiftçinin yolu %78 oranında kısalmış olup mazot gibi en önemli girdinin %78 azalması çok önemli bir katkı sağlamıştır. Yolun kısalmasıyla traktörün amortisman giderlerinden tutunda üretim için harcadığı tüm girdilerinde yüksek oranda azalma sağlanmıştır. Projenin tamamlanmasıyla her parselin yolunun olması ve sulama kanalına bağlantısının olmasıyla üretimin devamlılığı sağlanmıştır. Kırsal alanda yaşayan halkın yaşam şartlarını rahatlatacak proje ile köyden kente geçişin engellenmesine katkı sağlandığı değerlendirilmektedir.

Functional Capabilities of Spiders in Support of Sustainable Agriculture

Modern agricultural techniques have a detrimental effect on ecosystems, and hence ecofriendly agriculture is required for sustainable agriculture with biodiversity conservation. Spiders play a vital role in keeping pest populations under control as an alternative to chemical pesticides. This study assessed the functional diversity of spiders to control pest populations by estimating their diversity in diurnal and seasonal appearance, preferred microhabitats, and hunting strategies. From August 2020 to November 2021, random quadrate sampling was undertaken in cultivated and wild plant communities. A metaanalysis of the ecology and diversity found that spiders have the capability to provide biological pest control against a wide variety of pests in Odisha’s coastal environment.