Australia, China and the United States: maintaining an equilibrium in the Indo-Pacific

Looking into the increasing economic and political strength of China, this report shows how its relationship with both Australia and the United States will change.As tensions rise in the South China Sea, the world is watching nervously as events unfold. Although not a party to the disputes, Australia nonetheless finds itself uncomfortably near the centre of the geo-strategic dynamics in the broader Indo-Pacific region. It has been balancing the two major players, the United States and China, each of which is critical to Key Points Australia finds itself uncomfortably near the centre of the geo-strategic dynamics in the broader Indo-Pacific region. It has been balancing the two major players, the United States and China, each of which is critical to Australia’s security and economic well-being. Australia is in something of a Catch-22 situation, as even a slight tilt towards either China or the US could be damaging to its relations with the other. Australia’s grand strategy, therefore, should not be focussed on fighting a war with an Asian power. Instead, the focus should continue to be on working with the Asian powers and seeking even greater co-operation and engagement in the region. Strategically speaking, India and Indonesia could be good options as partners for Australia in meeting its strategic and economic needs. Thus, Australia, Indonesia and India can make joint efforts to ensure peace in the region. &nbsp

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Not AvailableGoa is the smallest state of India in terms of size and fourth smallest in terms of population. The state has a geographical area of approximately 3,702 sq. km. The net sown area is around 40% and cultivable wasteland is around 12% of the cultivated land. Agricultural activities depend almost entirely upon the rainfall. But in spite of the low irrigation support these fertile areas have very high land productivity. The main staple food crop of Goa is Paddy followed by cowpea (Alsando), ragi (finger millet), mung and vegetable crops in rabi or wherever irrigation is possible Paddy again. The important plantation crops are coconut, cashew, areca and pepper, groundnut, turmeric, banana, pineapple and tuber crops are grown as inter crops in the plantations. Choice of farming as a profession in Goa is reducing due to increasing cost, non-availability of labor and falling productivity due to lack of timely inputs and maintenance. ICAR-CCARI, Goa under its Tribal Sub Plan Program entitled “Agricultural Mechanization for Small and Tribal Farmers of Goa” has distributed farm machinery and implements among tribal farmer groups to help them overcome the main problem of labor non-availability. Around 24 tribal farmer groups, 8 in 2011-12 and 16 in 2012-13 benefited through this program. A survey was conducted to obtain the feedback from the beneficiary farmers and to analyze the effect of this initiative on the farming operations. Significant saving in time and finance was achieved through the use of these equipment. Some constraints like lack of access roads and training in use and maintenance of the equipment were the constraints reported by the beneficiary farmers.Not Availabl

Variation in plant traits and nutrient uptake among banana varieties in shaded agroecology under areca nut canopy

Banana is an excellent companion crop cultivated with coconut, areca nut, coffee, or cacao. The yield performance of bananas however differs due to cultivar response to light, water, and nutrient availability in the intercropping system. The current study aims to understand the performance of different banana varieties under the areca nut shaded system by trait variation in growth, phenology, fresh bunch mass (yield), and soil nutrient balance patterns. Five banana varieties were screened in a field experiment in a high-density areca garden for vegetative traits, phenology, yield components, and nutrient budgets. Variety Amti recorded wider leaves and greater leaf area and also recorded higher bunch yield in plant and first ratoon crop than other varieties. The Velchi variety recorded the highest leaf emergence rate during winter and recorded the highest percentage of plants with a bunch in both the plant and first ratoon crops. The study revealed nutrient mining of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium in the areca–banana system. The effective balance of the available soil phosphorus was found to be highly negative for Grand Nain (−50.3 kg·ha−1·year−1) and negative (−23.6 kg·ha−1·year−1) for Amti. The results reveal the role of choice variety, indicator traits, and nutrient management strategies in enhancing banana productivity in agroforestry systems