Customized fertilizers for higher yield and income: Evidences from on-farm validation in coconut – tuber crop intercropping system

Fifteen on-farm experiments were conducted in tropical tuber crops intercropped in coconut gardens in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts, Kerala, during 2018-2021 for the validation of customized fertilizers formulated from on-station developed Site-Specific Nutrient Management (SSNM) practices. The validation experiments were done under the aegis of ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, in a project funded by Coconut Development Board, Kochi, Kerala.Three treatments viz., T1: SSNM technology using customized fertilizers (CF) (SSNM), T2: present POP recommendation (POP) and T3: farmer's practice (FP) was evaluated in cassava, elephant foot yam and greater yam intercropped with coconut. System productivity and profitability were worked out for the different treatments based on yield and income from coconut and tuber crops in the respective treatments. Pooled analysis indicated that the coconut yield under intercropping with tuber crops under SSNM using CF was higher by 12-23% in comparison to coconut monocrop maintained unscientifically by the farmers. Tuber yield under CF proved superior over POP by 9.3% and FP by 37.4%. On an average, the net income from coconut-tuber crop intercropping system under SSNM using CF was ₹ 270396 per ha, whereas it was ₹ 198047 in POP and ₹146358 in FP and significantly outperformed sole coconut (₹ 7764).Thus, the results of the validation experiments indicated that the use of customized fertilizers in tuberous intercrops offered resilience with higher system productivity and profitability from coconut gardens

Organic management of tuberous intercrops for resilience, higher yield and profit from coconut plantations: Insights from validation experiments in Kerala, India

Fifteen on-farm experiments were conducted in tropical tuber crops intercropped in coconut gardens in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts, Kerala, during 2018-2021 for validation of organic production technologies. The validation experiments were performed under the aegis of the ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, in a project funded by the Coconut Development Board, Kochi, Kerala. Three treatments viz., T1: organic farming technology (OF), T2: POP recommendation (POP) and T3: farmer's practice (FP) were evaluated in cassava, elephant foot yam and greater yam intercropped with coconut. System productivity and profitability were worked out for the different treatments based on yield and income from coconut and tuber crops in the respective treatments. Pooled analysis indicated that the coconut yield under intercropping with tuber crops in organic mode was high by 7-13% in comparison to monocrop of coconut maintained by the farmers. Tuber yield under organic management was superior over POP by 14% and FP by 27%. On an average, the net income from coconut-tuber crop intercropping system under organic management was ₹ 2,36,133 ha-1, whereas it was ₹ 1,56,904 ha-1 in POP and ₹ 1,32,706 ha-1 in FP and significantly outperformed sole coconut (₹ 7,764 ha-1). Thus, the results indicated that organic management of coconut-tuber crop system offered resilience with higher system productivity and profitability

Fine mapping of the “QTL-hotspot” region for drought tolerance in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the third most important grain legume cultivated in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Drought is one of the major constraints leading up to 50% production losses in chickpea. In order to understand the basics of drought tolerance, two recombinant inbred line (RIL) mapping populations (ICC 4958 × ICC 1882 and ICC 283 × ICC 8261) segregating for root traits were developed and a promising “QTL-hotspot” region was reported on these populations. With an objective to fine map this region, two approaches were adopted, i) genotyping-by sequencing (GBS) and ii) skim sequencing. GBS approach enabled identification of 828 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. A high-density genetic map was developed, comprising 1,007 marker loci including 49 SNP markers in the “QTL-hotspot” region and spanning a distance of 727.29 cM. QTL analysis using the extended genetic map along with precise phenotyping data generated earlier, re-estimated the “QTL-hotspot” from 29 cM to 14 cM. In addition, these 49 SNPs were converted into cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS)/derived CAPS (dCAPS) markers which can be used in marker assisted breeding. An ultra-high-density bin map was developed using 53,223 SNPs obtained through skim sequencing approach and its analysis with the phenotyping data, split the “QTL-hotspot” region into two sub-regions namely “QTL-hotspot_a” of 139.22 kb with 15 genes and “QTL-hotspot_b” of 153.36 kb with 11 genes. To validate and find more recombination in these regions, a large mapping population was developed. Flanking SNP markers of the two regions were converted to KASPar assays and screened on 1,911 F2 lines. Progeny testing on F2:3 lines revealed the role of “QTL-hotspot_a” in controlling 100-SDW. A total of 15 candidate genes were reported in this region. In summary, the refined region will help in precise introgression of the “QTL-hotspot” in breeding program for yield improvement under drought conditions and the reported genes can be used for further cloning studies to dissect the molecular basis of drought tolerance in chickpea

Analyzing the trade competitiveness of Indian coconut sector in the liberalization regime

Coconut export sector in India of late gained an outward orientation, especially since the Coconut Development Board was elevated to the status of export promotion council in the year 2009. In the recent period, the growth rate experienced in the coconut based value added products has been stupendous. Since there is an attempt for global value chain up-gradation at the production node of the sector, it is imperative to analyse our strengths in the world market in comparison with the major competitors. We have used the Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) methodology to analyse India’s competitiveness in the exports of major coconut value added products traded across the world. The study revealed that, as far as the coconut value added products are concerned, India is comparatively a very small player with paltry export market shares. The analysis of RCA revealed that comparative advantage of India is lower than the major coconut exporting countries like Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The Philippines is the dominant player with highest RCA indices in most of the coconut value added product lines. The study suggests the need to formulate plausible strategies to reach the overseas market and capture the optimal share in market segments. Though we have a strong domestic market base, it is an indubitable fact that in the near future due to the evolving trade agreements even in the domestic sector we may confront fierce price competition from the overseas imports. Hence we need to chalk out modalities and execution plans to elevate our export competitiveness and comparative advantage

A robust estimate for location in experiments with plantation crops

Presence of outliers or extreme values in the experimental data is a major concern for data analysis. Many times, the experimental data contains abnormal or extreme values due to genetic variations, loss of yield due to pest/disease infestation, errors in tabulation/data entry etc. In field experimental data analysis, the plot mean or treatment mean is usually considered for comparison. The sample mean, which is usually taken as an estimate of the population mean (location estimator) is highly affected by the presence of outliers or extreme values particularly when the sample size is small. In this paper, kernel weighted location estimator with weight proportional to the value of the estimated kernel density function is proposed, to handle the outliers or extreme values. The kernel weighted location estimator is robust even if the underlying distribution is non-symmetric. The performance of the proposed method is compared with the existing procedures through simulation study. The method is also applied to the analysis of yield data of arecanut and cocoa mixed cropping experiment at CPCRI Regional Station, Vittal

Group approach for enhancing profitability of small holders through technology integration-reflections from coconut farming

Technology integration for enhancing productivity and income from coconut farming, facilitated through stakeholder participation, was a major objective of the NAIP sub-project on ‘Value chain in coconut’ implemented in a consortium mode with ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasaragod as the lead institute. To achieve this objective, 10 clusters of coconut farmers were formed under the project in selected panchayats of Kasaragod district in Kerala state. A total of 534 farmers covering 250 ha participated in the project interventions. Appropriate production technologies were integrated in their holdings which included intercropping, growing of leguminous crops in the coconut basin, organic recycling through vermicomposting and integrated nutrient management. Group action was initiated among the farmers for taking up need-based integrated disease management measures especially to control bud rot disease of coconut. Knowledge and skill upgradation of farmers on the selected technologies were achieved through various institutional and off campus training programmes. The net income from the coconut farming in small and marginal holdings could be increased through the interventions under the project. Technology integration in the holdings also resulted in the increase of coconut productivity from 60 to 112 nuts per palm. Technology integration in small and marginal coconut holdings for higher productivity and income through Community Based Organizations approach is scaled up by other agencies like Coconut Development Board for implementing development/extension programmes

Analysis of organic farming practices in cocoa in India

The study was conducted among 120 cocoa growers drawn randomly from one district each from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states. Profile characteristics of farmers were quantified based on socio-personal, psychological and economic variables. Majority of farmers were middle aged (64.2%), literate (96%), with less than 2 ha area under cocoa (64%) and farmers having livestock (77%). Most of the farmers had medium level of social participation, extension orientation and mass media exposure. One fifth of farmers had undergone training on organic farming, soil testing was done by nearly 31 per cent farmers and very few farmers (5%) had done organic certification. Mulching and use of green leaf manure were the main agronomic practices. Main organic inputs which were produced or prepared at the farm were, farm yard manure, crop residues, cow dung slurry, ash and vermicompost. Farm yard manure, neem cake, biofertilizers, goat manure etc. were the major inputs which were purchased from the market. Majority of cocoa growers (68.3%) had medium level of knowledge about organic farming practices. Knowledge of farmers on biocontrol agents (35%), botanical pesticides (33.3%) and biofertilizers (31.7%) was recorded. Variables like, education, social participation, extension orientation, mass media exposure and training attended were found to have positive and significant relationship with knowledge on organic farming practices. The mean yield and productivity of cocoa was found to be 1.2 kg dry beans tree-1year-1 and 608 kg dry beans ha-1 respectively. Gross income from cocoa was calculated as `170 tree-1year-1 and ` 83377 ha-1. Non-availability of labour, non-availability of quality organic inputs, difficulty in controlling pests and diseases by organic methods and lack of knowledge about organic farming practices were the major constraints

A q-deformed nonlinear map

A scheme of q-deformation of nonlinear maps is introduced. As a specific example, a q-deformation procedure related to the Tsallis q-exponential function is applied to the logistic map. Compared to the canonical logistic map, the resulting family of q-logistic maps is shown to have a wider spectrum of interesting behaviours, including the co-existence of attractors -- a phenomenon rare in one dimensional maps.Comment: 17 pages, 19 figure

Validation of organic management in cassava intercropped in coconut plantation in the humid coastal tropics of Kerala, India

Crop diversification and alternatives like organic farming assume importance for sustainable food production, especially during climate change. Besides, organic farming enables environmentally benign and clean food production. Cassava, an important food-cum-nutritional security crop with diversified uses in feed and industrial sectors, is a common intercrop in coconut plantations. On-station field experiments at ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (ICAR-CTCRI), Thiruvananthapuram conclusively proved that organic management promoted productivity, tuber quality and soil properties in cassava. Cost-effective technologies were also developed, which required large scale field validation. Hence, a field experiment was conducted under Network Project on Organic Horticulture during 2015-2017 at the Research Farm, ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasaragod, to validate the ICAR-CTCRI developed organic farming technologies in cassava under intercropping in an organically raised mature coconut garden. Three varieties of cassava (Sree Vijaya, Vellayani Hraswa and H-165) were tested under four production systems viz., traditional, conventional, integrated and organic, and replicated thrice in split-plot design in a 48-year-old coconut (var. Kera Keralam) garden. Organic and conventional practices were equally efficient in crop growth, yield, tuber quality and soil chemical properties. Averaging over the years, yield under organic management was 76 per cent of conventional farming. The domestic and industrial varieties of cassava performed similarly under the different production systems, with almost the same yield reduction (24%) under organic over conventional management. The organic technology package comprising farmyard manure, green manure cowpea, cassava crop residue and biofertilizers, resulted in significantly higher available N in soil and improvement in P, K, Mg, Mn and Zn contents in cassava tubers. However, cassava var. Vellayani Hraswa under an integrated production system resulted in the highest net income (` 1,97,830 ha-1) and B:C ratio (1.99) when intercropped in coconut