Foodgrain Production Research Articles

Technical Efficiency in Production of Major Food Grains in Punjab, Pakistan

Based on the 2016–2017 farm survey data, this study examines technical efficiency in the production of wheat, rice, and maize in Punjab province in Pakistan. Technical efficiency, under varying returns to scale, in wheat farming averaged 0.65; in rice, it averaged 0.74, and in the case of maize, it was 0.92. A great majority of the sample farmers were estimated to be operating under increasing returns to scale. Estimations of scale inefficiency in wheat cultivation hovered around 18%; in rice, it ranged from 16% to 21%, and in maize, it varied from 7% to 17%. These estimates are indicative of the scope and the potential for increasing technical and scale efficiencies in the production of all food grains, albeit to varying degrees for different crops.

Organic Farming and Sustainable Development

With the increasing pressure of population on the resources has increased the demand of grains to fulfil the food requirement. Production of food grains in agriculture was very less in the first half of the 20th century. After Independence first five year plan was dedicated to agriculture. Green revolution also introduce in the country to reduce the scarcity of grains. Consequently India became self-depend on the production of grains and fulfil the demand of its huge population but with introduction of chemicals fertilizers, pesticides and weedicides it’s also increases the problem of soil pollution, reducing the soil fertility and have bad impact on the health of human as well as on the animals. Today India is practicing organic farming for sustainable development in the field of agriculture. This paper is an attempt to study the benefits of organic farming and its issues and challenges in India. Organic farming which is a holistic production management system that promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity is hence important. Many studies have shown that organic farming methods can produce even higher yields than conventional methods. Here in this paper we tried to focus the organic farming it issues and challenges moving towards sustainable development with it.

Overview on Recent Developments in the Design, Application, and Impacts of Nanofertilizers in Agriculture

Nutrient management is always a great concern for better crop production. The optimized use of nutrients plays a key role in sustainable crop production, which is a major global challenge as it depends mainly on synthetic fertilizers. A novel fertilizer approach is required that can boost agricultural system production while being more ecologically friendly than synthetic fertilizers. As nanotechnology has left no field untouched, including agriculture, by its scientific innovations. The use of nanofertilizers in agriculture is in the early stage of development, but they appear to have significant potential in different ways, such as increased nutrient-use efficiency, the slow release of nutrients to prevent nutrient loss, targeted delivery, improved abiotic stress tolerance, etc. This review summarizes the current knowledge on various developments in the design and formulation of nanoparticles used as nanofertilizers, their types, their mode of application, and their potential impacts on agricultural crops. The main emphasis is given on the potential benefits of nanofertilizers, and we highlight the current limitations and future challenges related to the wide-scale application before field applications. In particular, the unprecedent release of these nanomaterials into the environment may jeopardize human health and the ecosystem. As the green revolution has occurred, the production of food grains has increased at the cost of the disproportionate use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, which have severely damaged our ecosystem. We need to make sure that the use of these nanofertilizers reduces environmental damage, rather than increasing it. Therefore, future studies should also check the environmental risks associated with these nanofertilizers, if there are any; moreover, it should focus on green manufactured and biosynthesized nanofertilizers, as well as their safety, bioavailability, and toxicity issues, to safeguard their application for sustainable agriculture environments.

Innovative extension methods lead to spread of agricultural technologies and socio-economic changes – A successful case in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh

The transfer of useful knowledge on Good agricultural management practices and technologies to the farmers and influencing the policy decisions in India is evident in agricultural Extension and it improved the production of food grains and other agricultural commodities since long time (Sajesh, VK and A Suresh 2016 ). Number of extension techniques, tools, methods, approaches were used by the extension specialists to achieve this targets. As number of extension methodologies and approaches are available at the desk of an extension agent and a combination of extension methods and Innovative extension approaches are always proven in reaching the farming community. Thus leading to the adoption of the technologies and increasing the farm productivity further to socio economic changes in rural society. In India the state department of agriculture is looking after the job of transfer of technology and during 1974 the ICAR established the KVKs at District level to meet the Extension needs of the Department of agriculture and Farmers. As an innovation, the ANGRAU established the DAATTCs (District Agricultural Advisory and transfer of Technology centre) during 1998 at district head quarters with an objective to test the Minikits and pre released technologies, Diagnosis and immediate solution to the farmers by the Scientists, Capacity building of farmers, rural youth and grass root level Extension functionaries and to work in convergence with line Departments to increase the out reach of Agricultural Technologies.

Agricultural Development and Socio-Economic Profile of Farmers in Arunachal Pradesh: With Special Reference to Tawang District

Arunachal Pradesh is an agrarian economy and it is the main source of earnings for people. In Arunachal Pradesh, the contribution of the agriculture sector to its GSDP is 44.78 percent. The present study is to analyze the trend and growth in production and productivity of food crops in Arunachal Pradesh. It also tried to examine the socio-economic profile of farmers in rural households. The study was based on both primary and secondary data. The secondary data were collected from NEDFI Data Bank and Statistical Abstracts of Arunachal Pradesh. The primary data were collected by conducting field surveys in Tawang District. The survey was based on a multi-stage sampling technique. In the first stage, the Tawang district was selected and in the second stage, Namazing and Kharsa villages of the Jang block were selected purposively. The sample size was 50 households. During the study, it was found that the overall production of food crops in the state was very low. The main issues of agriculture development in the state are limited arable land and low productivity. There has been a diversification of livelihood towards nonagricultural income sources. The socio-economic profile of farmers are found poor. People’s dependency on the public distribution system for food grains has substantially increased. It is a indication of inadequate production of food grains in the district. There is a need to focus on improving the productivity of major crops as the income of farmers is low.

Food Security Status at different Levels and Opportunities for Course Correction in Odisha State of India

This paper reflects the status of food security at different levels – global, country (India), and state (Odisha) based on the secondary sources of data and information. It tries to find out feasible and sustainable measures to ensure food security for all at the country and state level. Also, the paper diagnoses the relationship between food security and sustainable agriculture, exclusively. Our learning is that despite sustained economic developments, poverty reduction and targeted policy efforts, there has not been substantial progress in reducing food insecurity and malnutrition over the last decade and at all levels in terms of comparable socio-economic indicators. Food-grain production has slowly gone up, but the rising population (at country and state level) has made per capita food-grain availability lower. The paradox of food insecurity could be in the inherent flaws in the existing policies and implementation bottlenecks together with the weak public distribution system (PDS) including lack of required infrastructure to safely store and distribute food grains. Hence, to ensure food security for all, strategically designed programs need to be implemented with a strong monitoring system, creation of required rural infrastructure (roads, transport, market, communication, cold storage, grain banks, etc.), strengthening PDS, controlling rapid population growth, ensuring education for all etc.; besides developing and implementing precision agriculture technologies.

Evaluation of productivi­ty of different varieties of soryz (Sorghum orysoidum)

Aim. To establish the features of productivity formation (yield, protein and gluten content and estimated yield of bioethanol) of different varieties of soryz. Methods. Experimental studies were conducted during 2019–2021 at the Experimental Field of the Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beets of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Ksaverivka 2, Bila Tserkva District, Kyiv Region). Yields were determined by direct combining in sections, protein and starch content by infrared spectroscopy, and possible bioethanol yield by starch content. Results. On average, over the years of research, the highest yields were observed in the cultivar ‘Fakel’ – 10.93 t/ha, the lowest – in ‘Helios’ and ‘Saliut’ – 7.97 and 8.82 t/ha, respectively. The yield of other varieties was 9.38–9.82 t/ha, while the stability index, depending on the cultivar, varied from 0.77 to 0.90. The hi­ghest protein content in seeds was found in the variety ‘Samaran 6’ (14.0%), the lowest – in ‘Oktan’ (12.7%) and ‘Merkurii’ (12.4%). In other varieties of soryz this figure ranged from 13.1 to 13.9%. The stability index of the protein content was high – 0.91–0.97. It was found that the cultivation of soryz varieties ‘Evropa’, ‘Tytan’, ‘Samaran 6’ and ‘Fakel’ allows to obtain the highest estimated yield of bioethanol – 4027–4630 kg/ha. The lowest indicator was in the variety ‘Helios’ – 2846 kg/ha. For other varieties, this figure was at the level of 3378–3861 kg/ha. It should be noted that the grain of all soryz varieties must be dried after harvest, as its humidity, even in more favorable weather conditions is 16.2–21.4%. Conclusions. Soryz productivity varies greatly depending on the variety and weather conditions. All varieties provided high yields – 7.97–10.93 t/ha. For the production of food grain with a protein content of 13.1–13.8%, it is recommended to use varieties of ‘Kvarts’, ‘Helios’, ‘Saliut’ and ‘Odeskyi 302’. For the production of food grain (protein share 13.9–14.2%) and obtaining a high yield of bioethanol (3478–5265 l/ha) it is necessary to use varieties ‘Evropa’, ‘Tytan’, ‘Samaran 6’ and ‘Fakel’.

A Gendered Approach to Awareness of Climate-resilient Agricultural Practices

Over the years climate change has become a global issue and its impact on agriculture has a distressful effect on the production of food grains and the lives of the growers. Therefore, in this fast-evolving world being aware of the rapid changes has become the necessity of the hour. And keeping in view the present condition this study had been conducted in the Ganjam District of Odisha to understand the extent of awareness of Climate Resilient Agricultural Practices. A total of 200 male and female respondents,100 each respectively were selected for the study. The findings revealed that most of the respondents i.e. 68.00 per cent male and 64.00 per cent female were partially aware, though it is also seen that (20.00%) female and (13.00%) male was unaware of climate-resilient agricultural practices which is evident that more females are unaware regarding the issues. Further, it was observed that Education, Information Source Utilization, Land Holding, and Type of family have a significant and positive relationship with the awareness of female respondents. The findings of this research would focus on creating more awareness among the people regarding the impacts of climate change and the benefits of adopting climate-resilient agricultural practices.

How Climate, Crops, and Health Concerns Are Scripting a Millet Revolution in India

Millets are small grains, normally referred to as “inferior goods” in the classification of goods, under microeconomics. Across South East Asia and Africa, it has been a staple food for ages. In India, since ancient times, millets have been cultivated and consumed but are not as popular as rice and wheat. In April 2018, India declared 2018 as the National Year of Millets. The United Nations General Assembly at its 75th session in March 2021 declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets. India is already among the five largest economies in the world. India is predicted to be the third fastest-growing economy by 2030. As we embark on to 2024, India has to achieve the dream of a $5 trillion economy and ensure self-sufficiency in the production of food grains. Through the rapid pace of innovation and ideation, and by ensuring food availability, India can achieve a higher growth trajectory. The demographic dividend, digital prowess and the renewed focus on “Millets production” will help India to achieve the goals of “Viksit Bharat” by 2047. This article is an attempt to understand that “encouragement to millet production and consumption” can lead to multifarious gains. Hence, to achieve the goals of sustainable development, it is imperative that healthy and cost-effective crops are encouraged.

The patriarchy of accumulation: homework, fieldwork and the production-reproduction nexus in rural Indonesia

ABSTRACT This article argues that patriarchy expands capitalist accumulation by increasing surplus labour-time, lowering production costs, and dividing and controlling workers. Consequently, patriarchy increases profits, manages intra-capitalist competition, and impedes labour’s capacity to organise. Analysing how it does so can inform counter-strategies. Based on fieldwork in two West Java villages, the article analyses four forms of patriarchal accumulation: (i) reproductive labour underpinned by the ideology of housewifeization; (ii) the gendered production of cheap foodgrains; (iii) the production of street-food that reduces reproduction time and costs; and (iv) the extension of labour-time through low-waged homework squeezed into the rhythms of reproductive labour.

RICE WHEAT CROPPING SYSTEMS-CONSTRAINTS AND STRATEGIES : A REVIEW

The rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS) in the Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP) of South Asia with the help of Green Revolution in the early 1970’s greatly contributed to India's food self-sufficiency and livelihood of millions of peoplethus, became the country's primary source of food-grain production. However, deterioration of soil health and quality, ground water depletion, water stress, labour shortage, introduction of new weeds and pests particularly Phalaris minor, Scirpophaga incertulas and climate change have all contributed to a major production standstill and deterioration in recent years by which the sustainability of rice wheat cropping system is now at jeopardy. Traditional agronomic practices had various negative implications on the sustainability of rice wheat cropping system with the introduction of HYVs. So, a paradigm shift is required to achieve long-term productivity, sustainability and allow farmers to minimise inputs, optimise yields, enhance profitability, maintain the natural resource base and reduce risk owing to both environmental and economic issues through resource-conserving technologies (RCTs) including zero/minimaltillage, PUSA decomposer, bed planting, crop residue management, mechanical rice transplanter (MRT) and crop diversification. This article focuses some of the issues that need to be addressed in the RWCS in order to achieve the goal of increasing regional productivity and assuring food security while maximising the effective use of natural resources, enhancing rural livelihoods and aiding in poverty alleviation.

Cytotoxic Effect of Cypermethrin and Neem Extract on Human Lymphocytes

There is a need to increase our agricultural production of food grains and other crops to feed a continuously increasing population. To achieve this food security, use of insecticides/pesticides has become necessary. Cypermethrin is a pyrethroid insecticide used for control of pests of cereals, fruits, vegetables and cotton etc. but it has several toxic effects on human beings. Apart from being neurotoxic, it has harmful effects on lymphocytes also. Neem is also a potent insecticide of herbal and indigenous origin. In this investigation the cytotoxicity of cypermethrin (dissolved in DMSO) and aqueous extract of neem leaves to human lymphocytes was studied by MTT assay. It was found that after an exposure of two hours to LC50 concentration of cypermethrin viability of lymphocytes fell to 87.83%; however at lower concentration the viability fell further because of the increase in the DMSO concentration, proving the toxicity of DMSO. Treatment of lymphocytes with 45% of neem extract increased the viability by 196% but at lower concentrations lesser increase was noted due to the increase in concentration of PBS. Thus apart from being a safe insecticide neem extract can be used to promote viability and proliferation of cells of animal origin also.

Understanding Multi-Dimensions of Food and Nutrition Security in Odisha: A Methodological Approach Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA)

Using a set of 21 indicators collected from multiple sources of secondary data, the present study aims to understand the multi-dimensions of food and nutrition security in Odisha. A composite food security index was constructed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to summarise the indicators. The analyses show that the total production of foodgrains is higher than the total requirement with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.1 per cent per annum. However, agricultural growth and recent economic development have not translated into healthy nutritional outcomes. Although there is a decline in trends in malnutrition among under-five children and adults, the current prevalence is still high, particularly in the northern and southern regions. In addition, the State is also marching towards a double burden of malnutrition with a high prevalence of low BMI and raising obesity among adults. As shown by the composite index, out of 30 districts, eight has been categorised as ‘food secure’, 14 districts fall in ‘moderately food secure’ and eight are found as ‘food insecure’. Hence, the government initiatives to implement the State nutrition policies and allocation of resources need to be done based on targeting priority districts and vulnerable regions.

Gamma Irradiation Induced Chromosome Aberrations in Meiotic Cells of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Background and Objectives: Due to the ever-increasing human population and rapid urbanization, the available agricultural land becomes limited for the production of food grains. As a result, there is an urgent need for creating genetic variability upon which improved varieties could be made. The technology of induced mutagenesis plays an essential role in inducing genetic variations among crop species where hybridization is very challenging. Therefore, the present study has been designed to assess the mutagenic impact of gamma irradiation on the cytological behaviour of T. aestivum L in M1 and M2 generation.
 Materials and Methods: Bread wheat seeds of selected cultivar were irradiated at BARC, Mumbai with five doses. The irradiated and non-irradiated seeds were sown under field condition with three replicates for each dose according to randomized block design to raise the M1 and M2 generations for morphological and meiotic analysis. For meiosis, immature panicles were collected in early morning and immediately fixed in carnoy’s solution for at least 24 hours. Thereafter, anthers from buds were excised and squashed in acetocarmine followed by photomicrography of suitable PMCs to estimate chromosome aberrations.
 Results: The results displayed a progressive elevation in the chromosomal aberrations along with a significant influence on seedling emergence, plant survival and pollen fertility. The most frequent meiotic aberrations detected include chromatin clumping, univalents and early chromosome segregations at metaphase and lagging chromosomes, chromatin bridges and chromosome clumping at anaphase/telophase while unorientation, scattering, polarity disturbances and micronuclei were also noticed. In addition, the frequency of these chromosome aberrations significantly decreased in M2 generation depicting the reclamation in genomic structure.
 Conclusion: The present investigation supports the discovery that gamma irradiations are very effective in creating rapid genetic variability in crop plants including Triticum aestivum which could be essentially exploited for future mutation breeding programmes. The results revealed that the higher treatment doses are toxic whereas lower doses of gamma irradiations seem quite beneficial in generating promising traits with less toxicity. In this study, the cytotoxicity has increased along with gamma irradiation doses and therefore, the genetic structure of the selected bread wheat cultivar is highly affected, which will possibly create new favorable genetic changes in the following generations that would be useful for plant breeders for its improvement.

Dynamics of Food Grains Production in Vidisha District of Madhya Pradesh

The examined the relative change in area, production and productivity of major foodgrain crops (paddy, sorghum, maize, pigeonpea, black gram, green gram, wheat, chickpea, peas and lentil) in Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh. The relative change in area of green gram was noticed highest and wheat was observed lowest, although sorghum, maize, lentil and chickpea were observed negative. The relative change in production of paddy was highest as compared to other food grains, although sorghum and maize were found negative. The variability in area, production and productivity of paddy was highest as compared to other food grains. The growth rates in area of paddy, green gram, black gram, pigeonpea, wheat were observed positive and highly significant. The growth rates in area of sorghum, maize, lentil were noticed negative and highly significant. The growth rate in production of wheat, pigeonpea, black gram, and green gram were positive and highly significant while growth rate in production of sorghum was found negative and highly significant. The growth rate in productivity of paddy, wheat, black gram and lentil were found positive and highly significant

Annual Intercrops: An Alternative Pathway for Sustainable Horticultural Production

The greatest challenge to the agriculture in the years to come is to provide sufficient food to growing population in order to fight with hunger and malnutrition. We will have to feed more people with limited water resources, frequent droughts, degrading lands and difficult access to energy. Past strategy for development of the agricultural sector in India has focused primarily on raising agricultural output and improving food security. The Doubling Famer’s Income (DFI) strategy as recommended by the Committee include seven sources of income growth viz., improvement in crop productivity, increase in the cropping intensity, enhancement in livestock productivity, resource use efficiency, diversification towards high value crops, improvement in real prices received by farmers and shift from farm to non-farm occupations. Intercropping ensures efficient resource and space utilization including upgrading of soil and orchard nutrient status. So, intercropping has been employed with the main objective of proper utilization of resources under subsistence farming where the production of sufficient food grain is a great challenge. The outcomes of various intercropping practices confirm that vegetable and pulses crops are economically and ecologically most suitable and viable intercrops for fruit crops at early phase of growth. Once bearing starts, there is need of management of cultural practices adapted for intercrops with the requirements of fruit trees. So that productivity of fruit plants will not be decreased.

Indian Agriculture needs a Strategic Shift for Improving Fertilizer Response and Overcome Sluggish Foodgrain Production

In India, loss of fertility through soil erosion is primarily a summer monsoons mediated phenomenon. Reversing the land degradation processes contribute to water availability, soil fertility maintenance, adapting to climate change and overall food security. Whereas kharif (monsoon/rainy season crop) foodgrain production largely depends on summer monsoons, the rabi season (post-rainy season/winter crop) rainfall is too little to exert a direct influence. In spite of larger acreage under kharif foodgrain crops, total fertiliser consumption during kharif and rabi seasons is comparable. Negative rainfall anomalies (deficit) adversely affected total fertiliser consumption and their use efficiency. Despite significant differences in fertiliser application rates, the response to applied fertiliser nutrients is almost similar in the two seasons. This implies that nutrient use efficiency (NUE) has a ‘manageable’ and an ‘unmanageable’ component wherein 4R practices are difficult to implement under unfavourable kharif weather conditions. Partial factor productivity of fertilizer nutrients (PFPF) has continuously declined over decades mainly because of depletion of soil organic carbon, imbalanced use of nutrients and inability to maintain soil moisture supplies. These observations plus yield-gap analysis permitted us to conclude that past trends of declining NUE can only be reversed through a shift either in sustainable land management practices or enhancing the genetic yield potential/ biomass of crop cultivars or by combining both and making kharif crop planting independent of monsoons rains through direct dry seeding.

Analytical Study of Kharif Food Grain Production in Odisha

The state of Odisha having an agrarian based economy depends largely on agriculture for the livelihood of its population. Food grains are important commodity of crop groups that provide high quality carbohydrates, protein and vitamins. A study on the compound growth rate of area, yield and production of food grains for kharif season in the districts of Odisha and the state as a whole has been attempted in the present study which would be helpful in visualizing the progress of the state with respect to food grain cultivation and proper framing of agricultural policies of the state. The study is based secondary data for the period of 1993-94 to 2017-18 to estimate the compound growth rate and Cuddy-Della Instability Index of area, yield and production of kharif food grains for the districts and the state as a whole. The districts are ranked on the basis of compound growth rate and Cuddy-Della Instability Index in decreasing order and increasing order of their magnitudes respectively. The rank correlation between Compound Growth Rate and Cuddy-Della Instability Index of area, yield and production of food grains during kharif seasons are studied. It is found that despite negative growth rate in area, the positive compound growth rate of yield leads to positive compound growth rate in production of kharif food grains of Odisha. Also it is found that despite stability of area, the instability of yield leads to instability in production of kharif food grains in the state of Odisha.

Drought monitoring using multi-time-scale Standardized Precipitation Index

Drought is a natural hazard that affects almost all regions. In recent years, it has become more intense and frequentcausing adverse impacts on the socio-economic conditions of the country. The primary cause of drought developmentis the deficiency in precipitation impacting crop production during kharif with a follow-up effect also in crops grownduring rabi. The present study was carried out over one of the most drought-prone regions of India, i.e. Marathwadaregion, Maharashtra to characterize meteorological drought through the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) duringboth kharif and rabi crop growing seasons. SPI was computed at different time scales (1, 3, 6, 9 and 12-month) usingin-situ precipitation data for 35 years (1980-2014). Drought area observed by multi-time-scale SPI was correlated withdrought declared by the Government and foodgrain production for 15 years (2000–14). It was observed that none ofthe time scales of SPI had a significant correlation with declared drought. However, correlation analysis of multiscaleSPI with foodgrain production showed that 3-month SPI had a significant correlation (r= -0.72) during kharif, while alow correlation was observed between multiscale SPI and foodgrain production for rabi season. Therefore, informationobserved by SPI would be useful if it could be combined with other biophysical conditions and drought indices toincrease its accuracy and reliability for effective drought characterization and monitoring.

Methods Of Biologization Of Grain-Grass Crop Rotations And Their Influence On Fertility Of Soddy-Podzolic Soil Of The Forest Zone

On soddy-podzolic soils of the forest zone of the European part of Russia, grain-grass crop rotations are most common for the production of voluminous fodder, food and fodder grain [1,2]. In such crop rotations, the link of perennial grasses is the main factor in the reproduction of soil fertility and the production of high-quality voluminous fodder. Improvement of the grass-field link of such crop rotations based on the cultivation of new species and varieties is an urgent scientific and practical task [3,4,5].An important way to reduce the cost of reproduction of soil fertility in grain-grass crop rotations is the maximum use of plant residues, including straw and green manure crops, which makes it possible to exclude the use of organic fertilizers on certain arable land or, if necessary, to conduct a dung-free economy [6,7,8]. Improvement of the link of perennial grasses, saturation of crop rotations with legumes, maximum use of plant residues and green manure as organic fertilizers allows to reduce the cost of reproduction of soil fertility, to produce high-quality voluminous and concentrated feed [9,10].