Rainfed agriculture: unlocking the potential

Rainfed farming / Soil degradation / Crop production / Climate change / Irrigation methods / Water harvesting / Yield gap / Models / Supplemental irrigation / Water productivity / Watershed management / India

Quantification of yield gaps in rain-fed rice, wheat, cotton and mustard in India

Rainfed farming / Crop yield / Simulation / Rice / Wheat / Cotton / Mustard / India

Urological implications associated with the use of recreational drugs: A narrative review

About 275 million people worldwide aged between 15 and 64 years used drugs at least once since 2016. Initial estimations suggest that 13.8 million young people between 15 and 16 years used cannabis every year. Recreational drug use contributes significantly to mortality as well as physical and mental health problems. A number of urological complications can arise from the use of common and emerging recreational drugs which can present as wide spectrum affecting lower and upper urinary tracts, kidneys, sexual organs as well as sexual dysfunction. In order to effectively manage these issues, urologists need to be cognizant of these complications in their patients, particularly among youths. This review attempted to consolidate available data and provide insight into this issue; however, further population-based epidemiological studies are needed to provide necessary guidelines

Big change with small doses

At times big changes require small interventions. The application of small doses of deficient microelements boron and sulphur to the soil in the watersheds being developed by ICRISAT has resulted in significant increase in crop productivity. The success was achieved in the watershed projects being implemented by an ICRISAT-led consortium of institutions in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in India. The Andhra Pradesh project is being implemented under the Andhra Pradesh Rural Livelihood Programme (APRLP) of the state government. The Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan projects are implemented under the Sir Dorabjee Tata Trust

Grey to green – literally

Rajasthan in western India. Images that come to mind are those of camels stretching their legs over desert sand, hot, dry and rocky land, thirsty underfed livestock, and villagers wearing brilliant colors to offset their drab surroundings. This is just imagination one might argue, but it takes even more imagination to picture this landscape with green meadows, shady trees, and cool spots where the Nilgai (blue bull) rests...........

Carbon Sequestration and Carbon Trading to Benefit Rural Poor

Climate change due to global warming as a result of increased concentration of green house gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere is a well established fact (IPCC 2007). Impacts of climate change are experienced through out the world. Climate change is a global problem with unique characteristics and involves complex interactions between climatic, environmental, economic, political, institutional, social and technological processes, which affect locally. The GHGs concentration, particularly CO2 in the atmosphere, has increased dramatically from 280 to 392 ppm..................

Taking soil science to farmers’ doorsteps through community watershed management

This lecture is dedicated to great soil scientist Dr. RV. Mehta and the research is based on the work of a large number of research and development workers from different institutions, including policy makers and resource poor farmers..

Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.)

The claim of jatropha (Jatropha curcas) being a wonder plant is based on its perceived ability to grow successfully in semi-arid environmental conditions and on degraded soils. This chapter describes the (i) plant root traits and their significance for drought tolerance; (ii) jatropha plantations' impact on hydrological processes (water balance, sediment transport and soil loss) and soil and environmental quality (carbon and nutrient sequestration and soil biology in the plant rhizosphere); (iii) cultivation including vegetative propagation, application of fertilizers and growth regulators, pruning, insect pests and diseases, intercropping, and seed yield; and (iv) genetic improvement involving assessment of variability in jatropha accessions using molecular markers. The factors controlling up-scaling of jatropha cultivation are also discussed

Bhoochetana: Bridging Yield Gaps with Science-led Interventions in Andhra Pradesh

Current productivity of agricultural crops in Andhra Pradesh is lower by two- to four-folds as compared to the achievable potential yields. Long term studies at ICRISAT based at Patancheru have demonstrated a virtuous cycle of persistent yield increases through improved management in rainfed agriculture. The present scenario clearly points to the need for adoption of science-led interventions to improve agricultural productivity and livelihoods to alleviate poverty, hunger and malnutrition in rainfed regions. In this context, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has taken up an innovative approach to adopt science-based development of agriculture and capacity strengthening of stakeholders with technical support from the ICRISAT-led consortium called “Bhoochetana”, which will increase productivity of target crops by 25% in 5 years. The strategy is to map out nutrient deficiencies in the soils, develop mandal-wise balanced nutrient recommendations and conduct demonstrations/trials in a phased manner to scale out the technology to a large number of farmers in the state using improved cultivars and soil and water managemnet practices