Organic agriculture in relation to food security of developing countries

A study was conducted to investigate the differences in farm production, input use and farm income between organic and conventional systems in three regions (Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh and Tamilnadu) of India. From each region, 40 organic and 40 conventional farmers were interviewed with semi structured questionnaire. The results showed that input costs were less in the organic system while either total farm yield or net margin was righter in the organic system in two of the three regions. In Tamilnadu specializing in rice production, rice yield was less under organic system while net margin did not differ signifcantly. In addition, the IFPRI-IMPACT model was used to fnd out the impact of large scale conversion to organic farming on food security of Sub-Saharan Africa. The model showed that large scale conversion to organic farming in Europe and North America will not have major impact on food security of Africa and large scale conversion in Sub-Saharan Africa will improve the local food security

Influence of AM fungi and its associated bacteria on growth promotion and nutrient acquisition in grafted sapota seedling production

A study was undertaken to know the effect of co-inoculation of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and its associated bacteria on enhancing AM root colonization, growth promotion and nutrient acquisition in grafted sapota plants. The best mycorrhiza associated bacteria i.e. Pseudomonas putida (HM590707) isolated from Funneliformis mosseae spore was evaluated along with AM fungi for growth promotion and AM fungal colonization in grafted sapota plants. The combined application of P. putida along with AM fungi significantly increased plant height (39.67 %), stem girth (3.2 cm), total biomass (66.8 g plant-1), AM root colonization (73.4 %)and plant nutrient concentrations viz., N (2.52 %), P (0.18 %), K (2.90 %), Fe (428.4 ppm) and Zn (21.40 ppm) as compared to uninoculated control. This finding clearly demonstrated that grafted sapota plants can be successfully established by combined inoculation of AM fungi and its associated bacteria which have a greater impact on healthy grafted plants

Response to AM fungi and Azospirillum in growth of Vigna radiata L. Hub

Effect of AM fungi and Azospirillum application was studied on growth parameters in Green gram (Vigna radiata L.). The pot culture experiment was conducted by using AM fungi and Azospirillum. The result showed increased growth parameters (shoot, root length, number of leaves, fresh and dry weight). The AM fungi inoculated plants showed higher, when compared to the Azospirillum treated plants

CARDIOPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF FISETIN ON LYSOSOMAL ENZYME ACTIVITIES OF NORMAL AND ISOPROTERENOL-INDUCED MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN MALE WISTAR RATS

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the cardioprotective effect of fisetin on change in the activities of lysosomal enzymes in isoproterenol (ISO)- induced myocardial infarction (MI) in male albino Wistar rats. Methods: Rats were orally pretreated with fisetin (30 mg/kg body weight) daily for 30 days. After the pretreatment period, ISO (100 mg/kg body weight) was subcutaneously administered to rats at intervals of 24 h for 2 consecutive days. Results: The activities of β-glucuronidase, β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, β-galactosidase, cathepsin-B, and cathepsin-D were significantly (*p<0.05) increased in serum and the heart of ISO-induced rats. Pre-treatment with fisetin daily for 30 days to ISO-induced rats significantly prevented these activities and restored their activities to near normal. Oral treatment with fisetin (30 mg/kg body weight) to normal control rats did not show any significant effect. Conclusion: We have concluded that fisetin protects the β-glucuronidase, β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, β-galactosidase, cathepsin-B, and cathepsin-D against ISO-induced MI. The observed effects might be due to the free radical-scavenging and membrane-stabilizing effect of fisetin

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on occurrence and distribution of Coleus aromaticus Benth. in Cuddalore District, Tamilnadu

AM fungi are vital for uptake and accumulation of iron from soil and translocation to hosts because of their high metabolic rate and strategically diffuse distribution in upper soil layers. The rhizosphere soils and root samples were collected from Coleus aromaticus Benth. fields at eight sites of cuddalore district. They were analyzed for spore number, level of arbuscular mychorrhizal (AM) colonization and AM species. The number of AM spores detected in the field soils ranged from 73 to 485 per soil. Fourteen AM species were isolated, belonging to four genera viz., Glomus, Gigaspora, Acaulospora and sclerocystis. The species composition of the AM community varied at different fields and study sites

Studies on The Growth and Biochemical Activity of Coleus aromaticus Benth. as Influenced by AM Fungi and Azospirillum

Mycorrhizal fungi are obligated symbiotic soil fungi which colonize the roots of the majority of plants. These fungi help to ensure an opportunity for the utilization of the symbiosis and contribute to the success of sustainable medicinal plants. To a large degree, mycorrhizas seems to be symbiotic relationships, in which the fungus obtains at least some of its sugars from the plant, while the plant benefits from the efficient uptake of mineral nutrients by the fungal hyphae. Coleus aromaticus Benth. (Lamiaceae), commonly called Indian Borage, is a medicinal plant and several medicinal properties are attributed to this plant in the Indian system of medicine. The study was conduct to evaluate the morphological parameters such as root length, shoot length, fresh weight, dry weight, total leaf area and root nodules was measured. The biochemical viz., chlorophyll ‘a’ and ‘b’ total chlorophyll, protein, starch and amino acid contents were tabulated. The higher growth and biochemical content was observed the inoculation of AM fungi + Azospirillum applied plants when compared with control plants

Life cycle optimization for sustainable algal biofuel production using integrated nutrient recycling technology

In this study, a multi-objective optimization of sustainable integration of algal biofuel production using nutrient recycling technology, such as anaerobic digestion and hydrothermal liquefaction, is considered. Gross annual profitability and global warming potential (GWP) are the criteria chosen for the design of the algal biofuel production system. Three scenarios, such as full-scale (baseline), pilot-scale (conservative), and lab-scale (nominal), are chosen based on the expected maturity levels and nutrient demand. The results of the optimization produce Pareto sets of optimal solutions for acknowledging the trade-off between the economic and the environmental criteria of the integrated system. It is found that the anaerobic digestion (AD) technology shows better performance in terms of an environmental perspective, displacing the excessive fertilizer requirements due to its maturity in comparison with the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process. However, HTL is a new, evolving, promising nutrient recycling technology which demonstrates economic preferences compared to the AD process due to its low cost of production

Dynamic modelling of microalgae cultivation process in high rate algal wastewater pond

In this work, a comprehensive dynamic mathematical modelling to simulate the production of microalgae in a high rate algal pond (HRAP) is attempted. A synergetic algal–bacterial system comprising various interrelated biological and chemical system processes is presented. The dynamic behaviour of HRAP system is studied by solving mass balance equations of different components which account light intensity and gas–liquid mass transfer. The model predictions are compared with the previously reported studies in the literature. The influence of kinetic and operating parameters, including the supply of CO2, the maximum growth rate, pond depth and dilution rates, on the pond performance are evaluated. The sensitivity analysis of important process parameters is also discussed in this study. The developed model, as a tool, can be used to assess the factors that affect the pond performance criteria, including algal productivity and the dynamics of nutrient requirements

Enhancing Growth and Yield in Banana Cv. Robusta (AAA) through Fertigation with Microbial Consortium

Studies were carried out at Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, to test the effect of fertigation with a consortium of biofertilizers for sustainable production in banana cv. Robusta (AAA). The combination of fertigation and consortium of biofertilizers significantly influenced yield and yield-attributing characters in both primary and ratoon crops. Fertigation with 100% recommended dose of fertilizers along with the consortium of biofertilizers recorded significantly higher yield compared to soil application of fertilizer, farm yard manure and consortium of biofertilizers. However, yield difference between 100% and 75% recommended dose of fertilizers was not significant. Likewise, yield difference between 75% and 50% recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) too did not differ significantly, although yields declined at 50% RDF. Other growth characters such as number of leaves and plant girth were also significantly influenced by the combined application of fertigation and the consortium of biofertilizers in both main and the crops. However, plant height, number of hands per bunch and TSS were not affected by these treatments. Pulp-to-peel ratio significantly differed in both the main plant and ratoon crops, but days to maturity differed significantly in the ratoon crop. Main plant crop yields were higher compared to that in ratoon. N and K accumulation was significantly higher at 100% fertigation with 300g of the consortium of biofertilizers in both the seasons. However, accumulation of phosphorous was higher at 100% fertigation with 300g of the consortium of biofertilizers (CBF) in the plant crop whereas, in the ratoon crop, highest accumulation of P in the stem was observed at 100% RDF+100g CBF, and, in the leaf and fruit, at 100% RDF with 300g and 200g of CBF, respectively

Impact of large-scale organic conversion on food production and food security in two Indian states, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh

The millions of food insecure people in India are not solely due to inadequate food production, but also because some people are simply too poor to buy food. This study assessed how a large-scale conversion from conventional to organic production would impact on the economics of marginal and small farmers in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh, and on the total food production in these states. This study also considered a situation where fertilizer subsidies would be discontinued, with farmers having to carry the full cost of fertilizer. Results show that conversion to organic improved the economic situation of farmers although food production was reduced by 3–5% in the organic situation. Thus, the estimated economic values were higher in the organic system (5–40% in fertilizer subsidy scenario and 22–132% in no fertilizer subsidy scenario) than in the conventional system, whereas the total state-level food productions were lowered by 3–5% in the organic compared to the conventional system. Food production was higher when rainfed, and lower in the irrigated situation in the large-scale organic scenario. Although the study addresses short-term perspectives of large-scale conversion to organic farming, more research is needed to understand the long-term impact of organic conversion on food production, nutrient supply, food security and poverty reduction