The Times of India

Experts have urged farmers to adopt latest technology such as drip irrigation and shed traditional ways of farming to increase the crop yield while also saving precious water. They were speaking at a ‘kharif mela’ organised by Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Aurangabad, at the Lakhegaon village in Paithan on Wednesday. In her introductory speech, KVK Aurangabad head and farming expert Dipti Patgaonkar said the programme is aimed at sensitising farmers about the advanced agriculture technology and its implementation.

The Times of India

As many as 2.66 lakh ineligible beneficiaries have so far been identified under the Kalia scheme as the state government has completed verification of around 72 per cent of total 51 lakh beneficiaries. State agriculture minister Arun Kumar Sahoo, who chaired a high-level meeting in Bhubaneswar on Thursday to review the ongoing verification process, said scrutiny 36.88 lakh beneficiaries have so far been completed.

Krishi Jagran

Odisha Government has signed two agreements with an NGO of national repute & a Central Government agency to promote agricultural enterprises in tribal regions and provide services to farmers via common service centres. As many as 1000 agri-entrepreneurs will be chosen, imparted training & establish an agri based enterprise. Every agri-entrepreneur (AE) will cater to 200 local growers in a cluster of 4 to 5 villages & act as one stop solution provider in the area. The agri-entrepreneurs will also provide services for livestock rearing & fisheries wherever possible to improve farmers livelihood.

Krishi Jagran

National Center of Organic Farming, NCOF Ghaziabad has developed a product named Waste Decomposer. It is a consortium of few beneficial microorganisms which is isolated by Dr. Krishan Chandra from Desi Cow Dung and took 11 years to standardize the mass multiplication technique at the farm level. Waste decomposer works as Biofertiliser, Biocontrol and as well as Soil Health Reviver. Dr. Chandra told Krishi Jagran,” It can be used in various ways such as quick composting of biowastes, drip irrigation, foliar spray as a biopesticide against most of the plant diseases for all types of agricultural and horticultural crops, in-situ composting of crop residue and steel treatment.”

Down to Earth

A novel approach to vaccinate plants against viruses can be used as an alternative to toxic pesticides that is harmful both to insects and the environment, according to a study. The approach, developed by a team from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), helps to rapidly detect and produce vaccines that can be tailored to combat different pathogens in plants. During a virus attack, plants initiate a two-stage molecular defence programme which protects them “both at the site of the infection and throughout its structure”.