Unveiling Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITKs) Using Different Available Plants by the Local People of South Sikkim, India

Northeast India is biologically diverse regions, among which the South Sikkim district possesses unique rural landscapes enhanced with endless waves of farming areas and terraced hills. Within this region, three main indigenous groups—Nepali, Lepcha and Bhutia—coexist, contributing to the cultural diversity. Over the years, these communities have cultivated a traditional knowledge based on which they are greatly dependant on diverse plant resources for both protective measures and medicinal practices. These traditional practices encourages a strong local knowledge base. These practices include local plants namely utis (Alnus nepalensis), chilauni (Schima wallichii), wild fern, titepati (Artemisia vulgaris) and many more.  However, despite the rich diversity of these cultural practices connected with nature, there is a lack of detailed exploration and documentation for better understanding traditional practices and ethno-medicinal knowledge upheld by these communities. The absence of such documentation underscores a significant gap in our understanding of their cultural heritage, as these ITKs can be further integrated with science to make contribution for adaptive management to many environmental and health issues. Therefore, this study is conducted with the aim to unreveal the potential of these traditional practices and ethno-medicinal knowledge preserve among the diverse communities of South Sikkim, which can help to shed light on their cultural heritage and to recognize their invaluable contributions

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Not AvailableThe low and highly fluctuating agricultural productivity and farm income is causing detrimental effect on the interest in farming, and farm investment, and is also forcing more and more farmers, particularly younger group, to leave farming. It is apparent that income earned by a farmer from agriculture is crucial to address agrarian distress and promote farmers welfare. Realizing the need to pay special attention to the plight of farmers, the Hon’ble Prime Minister announced to double the farmers income by 2022 to promote farmers welfare, reduce agrarian distress and bring parity between income of farmers and those working in nonagricultural profession. In spite of the natural resource endowments in terms of fertile soils, water resources and solar radiation, the productivity and per capita income of the farmers in the Eastern region is very low due to erratic climate variations, population explosion, land degradation, small and scattered land holdings, lack of quality seed and planting materials, poor extension mechanism, etc. However, the Eastern region of the country holds promise for a Second Green Revolution, which can be accomplished through holistic management of land, water, crops, biomass, horticultural, livestock, fishery and human resources. The region has developed a large number of technologies related to agri-horti crops, vegetables, livestock, poultry and fisheries. The major technologies developed for the Middle Indo-Gangetic Plains include: • Improving wheat productivity through zero tillage in rice-wheat system. • Integrated farming system. • Utilization of rice-fallows for pulse production. • Enhancing productivity of sugarcanebased production system. • Crop diversification. • Promotion of secondary agriculture like mushroom cultivation, bee keeping, etc. • Rejuvenation of unproductive fruit orchards. • High density orcharding with drip irrigation. • Supply of superior quality semen of cattle and buffalo. • Regular de-worming and vaccination, and feeding of area-specific mineral mixture. • Small scale mechanization in milking, washing, manure lifting & cleaning. • Integrated fish farming cum refined aquaculture technology. In order to enhance agricultural productivity and profitability, there is a need to make planned efforts for promotion and use of these technologies in befitting manner so as to increase farmer’s income to ensure sustainable food and livelihood security.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableIndian agriculture has been diversifying from cereals to high-value crops including fruits and vegetables, and livestock & fishery. The Eastern states supports 34% human and 31% livestock population of the country on 21.85% geographical area. Agriculture in Eastern India have been facing the challenges of the new economic regime, besides the usual problems of rising population, unemployment and poverty; declining investment in agriculture and degradation of natural resources. Crop diversification fulfills the basic needs of the farm households for cereals, pulses, oilseeds and vegetables and, helps in regulating farm income, withstanding weather aberrations, controlling price fluctuation, ensuring balanced food supply, conserving natural resources, reducing the chemical fertilizer and pesticide loads, ensuring environmental safety and creating employment opportunity. In the era of shrinking resource base of land, water and energy, resource use efficiency is an important aspect for considering the suitability of a cropping system. Hence, selection of component crops needs to be suitably planned to harvest the synergism among them towards efficient utilization resource base and to increase overall productivity. Rice-Wheat is one of the major cropping systems of Eastern states. Continuous cultivation of rice for longer periods with low system productivity, and often with poor crop management practices, results in loss of soil fertility due to emergence of multiple nutrient deficiency and deterioration of soil physical properties, and decline in factor productivity and crop yields in high productivity areas. Diversification and intensification of rice-based cropping systems to increase productivity and profitability per unit resource is very pertinent. Because of high rainfall in the region (average annual rainfall 1526 mm) during rainy season (June-September), frequent flooding with runoff water from uplands, and beside, rice being the staple food of people can not be replaced with other crops during rainy season. Hence, the only option left is to identify suitable crops for post-rainy (November to February) and summer (March to May) seasons. However, still there are the areas in the Eastern region where rice faces severe drought at different growth stages due to insufficient and disproportionate rain fall. In those regions, millets being drought hardy crops will play an important role in food, feed and fodder security. Growing of crops such as vegetables, pulses and oilseeds in post- rainy season is an alternative approach for realizing higher productivity and profitability. Moreover, large area in the region remains fallow (ricefallow) due to moisture stress. Therefore, there is need to evaluate the crops, varieties and management practices for higher productivity, resource use efficiency and sustainability.Not Availabl

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Not AvailablePulses are an important component of diverse cropping/farming situations and provide nutritional security to the farmers.Eastern regions account for nearly 17.40% and 18.05% of the total area and production of pulses in the country. Within the Eastern region, Odisha and Eastern UP have witnessed significantly low productivity as compared to the national average. Even other states of the region are far from achieving and realizing the full potential of high-yielding varieties released for these regions. Of the total, 11.6 million ha ricefallow area in the country, 82% lies in the Eastern states and offers an unique opportunity for enhancing the production of pulses through crop intensification. Low productivity of pulses due to limited availability of quality seed of improved varieties in the region is one of the major recommendations of the State ordination Committee meetings of Second Green Revolution. This is evident from lower seed replacement rate (SRR) of major pulses in the region than the national average. Hence, to make the region selfsufficient in pulses production, availability of quality seed need to be ascertained as it alone will enhance yield level by 10-15 per cent. For augmenting the availability of quality seeds of pulses, the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, has sanctioned a project on “Creation of seed hubs for increasing indigenous production of pulses in India” with a total outlay of Rs. 22531.08 lakhs for a period of two years from 2016-17. This project aims at establishing 150 seed hubs across the country in State agricultural Universities/Krishi Vigyan Kendras/ICAR Institutes. Out of the 150 seed hubs, 46 have been sanctioned for Eastern region, of which two seed hubs are functioning under ICAR RCER Patna, i.e., at Patna and KVK, Buxar. The seed hub at Patna has been given a target of producing 50 tonnes quality seed of lentil (HUL 57 and KLS 218), field pea (HUDP 15 and Swarna Mukti), chickpea (Pusa 547) and summer mungbean (PDM 139, IPM 2-3 and HUM 16) and at KVK Buxar, the target is 50 tonnes quality seed of lentil (HUL 57and KLS 218), and chickpea (Pusa 547) for the year 2016-17. The project has a provision of Rs. 50.00 lakhs in the first year at each seed hub for creating infrastructures to ensure seed production and processing as well as storage of seeds in addition to Rs. 100 lakhs to each seed hub as a revolving fund to meet various expenses for production, procurement and processing of seeds during 2016-18. It is expected that within three years, all the seed hubs will become self reliant and will continue production of quality seed of pulses in a sustainable manner. The seed hubs have already started functioning. The endeavor is likely to result in bringing pulses selfsufficiency in India.Not Availabl

Fruit Peels as Biofertilizers and Biopesticides for Sustainable Agriculture and Horticulture: A Review

The annual increase in global population of 1.1% necessitates increased agricultural yields to provide a sustainable food supply, which necessitates the extensive use of chemical fertiliser and pesticide. This practise, however, causes a number of environmental and health issues, which ultimately drives the creation of safer organic fertilisers and bio-pesticides. Organic fertiliser comprises various antioxidants and carbonaceous matter, which are inexpensive and safe elements utilised for plant growth. While inorganic fertiliser is typically made entirely, such as sulphate of ammonia, they may also be processed from quarries. One must need to develop other sustainable alternative to meet the demand of world's expanding population, thereby meeting the SDGs of poverty eradication, zero hunger, and climate action.One possible technique is to use fruit peels as biofertilizers and bio pesticides. Fruit peels are often discarded in the garbage and taken to a solid waste dumping facility. Because of the breakdown of peel material at the disposal location, this generates an odour problem. Ergothis is critical for establishing the peel as a significant bio resource in worldwide organic agriculture development, reducing solid waste accumulation in the environment with its attendant public health threat, and documenting a long-term management technique. Fruit peels are high in nutrients such as potassium, calcium, iron, zinc,calcium, citrate content, and other minerals

Psychological and family intervention with a person diagnosed with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome

Complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) is a rare condition resulting due to the inability of the cell to respond to the masculine hormone (androgen). Often, CAIS patients identify themselves as female and may experience significant psychological distress on learning that they are genetically male with a female body with significantly reduced fertility. This is a report of a female patient with CAIS and intellectual development delay wanting to undergo mastectomy with multiple psychosocial issues

Data_Sheet_1_Double zero-tillage and foliar-P nutrition coupled with bio-inoculants enhance physiological photosynthetic characteristics and resilience to nutritional and environmental stresses in maize–wheat rotation.PDF

Conventionally tilled maize–wheat cropping system (MWCS) is an emerging cereal production system in semi-arid region of south-Asia. This system involves excessive tillage operations that result in numerous resource- and production-vulnerabilities besides impeding environmental-stresses. Likewise, phosphorus is a vital nutrient that limits crop growth and development. It’s a matter of great concern when ∼80% of Indian soils are low to medium in available-P due to its sparing solubility, resulting in crop stress and low yields. Hence, crop productivity, photosynthetic parameters and resilience to nutritional and environmental stresses were assessed in a MWCS using four crop-establishment and tillage management (CETM) practices [FBCT-FBCT (Flat bed-conventional tillage both in maize and wheat); RBCT-RBZT (Raised bed-CT in maize and raised bed-zero tillage in wheat); FBZT-FBZT (FBZT both in maize and wheat); PRBZT-PRBZT (Permanent raised bed-ZT both in maize and wheat)], and five P-fertilization practices [P100 (100% soil applied-P); P50+2FSP (50% soil applied-P + 2 foliar-sprays of P through 2% DAP both in maize and wheat); P50+PSB+AM-fungi; P50+PSB+AMF+2FSP; and P0 (100% NK with no-P)] in split-plot design replicated-thrice. The results indicated that double zero-tilled PRBZT–PRBZT system significantly enhanced the grain yield (6.1; 5.4 t ha–1), net photosynthetic rate (Pn) (41.68; 23.33 μ mol CO2 m–2 s–1), stomatal conductance (SC) (0.44; 0.26 mol H2O m–2 s–1), relative water content (RWC) (83.3; 77.8%), and radiation-use efficiency (RUE) (2.9; 2.36 g MJ–1) by 12.8–15.8 and 8.5–44.4% in maize and wheat crops, respectively over conventional tilled FBCT–FBCT. P50+PSB+AMF+2FSP conjugating soil applied-P, microbial-inoculants and foliar-P, had significantly higher Pn, SC, RUE and RWC over P100 besides saving ∼34.7% fertilizer-P under MWCS. P50+PSB+AMF+2FSP practice also had higher NDVI, PAR, transpiration efficiency and PHI over P100. Whereas lower stomatal limitation index (Ls) was observed under PRBZT–PRBZT system as compared to the conventional FBCT–FBCT system indicating that P is the limiting factor but not stomata. Hence, optimum P supply through foliar P-fertilization along with other sources resulted in higher grain yield by 21.4% over control. Overall, double zero-tilled PRBZT–PRBZT with crop residue retention at 6 t/ha per year, as well as P50+PSB+AMF+2FSP in MWCS, may prove beneficial in enhancing the crop productivity and, thereby, bolstering food security in semi-arid south-Asia region.</p