Technological Advancement for

Vibrant Agriculture

Edited by

Dr. Amitava Rakshit

Department of Soil Science and Agricultural

Chemistry, Institute of Agricultural Sciences

Banaras Hindu University, India

Athens Institute for Education and Research

2014

Technological Advancement for

Vibrant Agriculture

Edited by

Dr. Amitava Rakshit

Department of Soil Science and Agricultural

Chemistry, Institute of Agricultural Sciences

Banaras Hindu University, India

ATINER 2014

Technological Advancement for

Vibrant Agriculture

First Published in Athens, Greece by the

Athens Institute for Education and Research.

ISBN: 978-618-5065-20-1

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, retrieved

system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the written permission of

the publisher, nor we otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover.

Printed and bound in Athens, Greece by ATINER

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©Copyright 2013 by the Athens Institute for Education and Research.

The individual essays remain the intellectual properties of the contributors.

Table of Contents Preface i

Technological Advancement for Vibrant Agriculture:

An Introduction

Amitava Rakshit

iii

Part I: Genetics and Plant Breeding

1. Morhpometric Biomass and Nutritive Evaluation of EMS

Mutagenised Morus Species (Genotype RFS135)

H.V.Anil Kumar and Munirajappa

1

2. Allelopathic Potential and Molecular Analysis of some Rice

Cultivars (Oryza Sativa L.) Cultivated in Kurdistan Region –

Iraq

Zeinab M. Al-Asaadee, Jaladet M.S. Jubrael and

Hassan A. M. Mezori

13

3. Exploration of Genetic Variability of 'Mirasol' Chili

(Capsicum annum L.) Accessions through ISSR Markers

Margarita Gisela Peña-Ortega, Juan Enrique Rodríguez-Pérez

and Juan Martínez- Solís

29

Part II: Seed Technology

4. Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) Germplasm for Non-

burn Seed Production

William J. Johnston, Richard C. Johnson, Charles T. Golob,

Kathleen L. Dodson, Dale A. Silbernagel and Gwen K. Stahnke

43

5. Using Vigor Tests for Predicting Seedling Emergence of

Vegetable Seeds under Greenhouse Conditions

Juan Martínez Solís, Juan Enrique Rodríguez Pérez and

Margarita Gisela Peña Ortega

49

Part III: Horticulture

6. Crop architecture: Investigating ‘Strigolactones’ in

Different Horticultural Species having different Branching

Phenotypes

Sarina Manandhar, Keith A. Funnell and David J. Woolley,

59

7. Fatty Acid Compositions of Seeds of some Grape Cultivar

(Vitis vinifera L.) Grown in Turkey

Aydin Akin and Ozcan Baris Citil

69

8. In Vitro Rooting of Apple MM106 (Malus Domestica Borkh.)

and Pear (Pyrus Calleryana) Rootstocks

Mosleh M. S. Salih Duhoky, Mobasher S. Omar and

Sua’ad A.H. Yaseen

75

9. Vegetative Propagation of Gerbera Jamesonii via Tissue

Culture Technique (Callus Induction)

Mosleh. M. S. Salih and Payman. A. A. Zibari

85

10. The Edible Home Landscape: Nutritious, Sustainable,

Aesthetic, Feasible

Pete Melby, Sylvia H. Byrd, David Nagel and Andrew D. Frugé

95

Part IV: Plant Physiology

11. An Update of Stifdb Database: Insight into Additional Plant

Stress–Responsive Genes and Stress-Specific Transcription

Factors

Mahantesha Naika, Khader Shameer, Oommen Mathew,

Ramanjini Gowda and R. Sowdhamini

105

12. Evaluation of the Artificial Vision System to Diagnose

Potassium Status in Maize Plants

Liliane Maria Romualdo, Pedro Henrique de Cerqueira Luz,

Fernanda de Fátima da Silva, Mário Antonio Marin,

Valdo Rodrigues Herling, Odemir Martinez Bruno and

Alvaro Gómez Zúñiga

115

Part V: Plant Protection

13. Feasibility of Biological Control of the Hawkweeds

Hieracium pilosella and H. patagonicum with the

Cecidomyiid Macrolabis pilosellae in Magallanes, Chile

Jocelyn Sallés, Andrés Undurraga,Teresa Cortés and Jaime E. Araya

125

14. Parasitic Nematodes Associated with Tropical Crops in

Regions Huetar Huetar North Atlantic and Costa Rica

Thomas J. Guzman Hernandez, Ingrid Benavides Varela,

Silvia Hernandez Villalobos, J. Duran Mora and

W. Carmona Montero

131

15. Antimicrobial Activity of Bacillus Spp. in the Biocontrol of

Different Phytopathogenic Agrobacterium Isolates

Žarko Ivanović, Veljko Gavrilović, Tatjana Popović,

Svetlana Živković, Jovana Blagojević, Slaviša Stanković and

Đorđe Fira

153

16. Use of Rhizobacteria for the Management of Soft Rot

Disease of Potato

Ahmad Ali Shahid, Saira Yasin, M.Inam-ul-Haq, Muhammad Ali

and M. Saleem Haider

161

17. Assessment of Damage by Insects and Fungi from

Austrocedrus chilensis (Cupressaceae) in Central Chile

Amanda Huerta, Jaime E. Araya, Camila Becker and

Carolina Gazmuri

175

18. Shell Power: Managing the Giant Earthworms (Pheretima

elongata) With Melanoides granifera to save the Ifugao Rice

Terraces (IRT)

Nancy Ann P. Gonzales

189

19. Copper-Citrate as a Possibility for Control of Some

Phytopathogenic Bacteria

Tatjana Popović, Zoran Milićević, Predrag Milovanović,

Nenad Dolovac and Žarko Ivanović

201

20. Insecticidal effect from Schinus molle Leaf Extracts on

Xanthogaleruca luteola Larvae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Amanda Huerta, Italo Chiffelle, Manuel Celis and

Jaime E. Araya

207

Part VI: Agricultural Engineering

21. Drinking Water Distribution Systems Characteristics on

Biofilm Development: A Kernel based Approach

Eva Ramos-Martínez, Manuel Herrera, Joaquín Izquierdo and

Rafael Pérez-García

221

22. SEBAL Methodology for Estimating Crop

Evapotranspiration in Cyprus

Giorgos Papadavid, Skevi Perdikou, Neophytos Neophytou,

Michalis Hadjimitsis and Diofantos Hadjimitsis

231

23. The Impact of Virtual Water Trading on the Water and

Agricultural Policies in the Semi-Arid Regions; The Case

Study of Cyprus

Nora Fayssal and Christos Anastasiou

241

Part VII: Agricultural Economics and Farm Management

24. Measuring Irrigation Water Use Efficiency in the Oldman

River Basin, Alberta, Canada

Kurt K. Klein, Robert Bewer, Md. Kamar Ali and

Suren N. Kulshreshtha

255

25. The Agricultural Productive Cooperatives in Poland

Małgorzata Gajewska 267

26. Energy Balance in Crop Production

Wulf Diepenbrock 277

Part VIII: Animal Husbandary

27. Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Escherichia Coli:

Farm Trends and Implications for Raw Dairy Products

Consumption

Alvaro Garcia

289

Part IX: Post Harvest Technology

28. Storagability of Mango Fruits Improvement by Some

Natural Preharvest Applications

Thanaa M. Ezz, M. A. Aly, and Rehab M. Awad

299

29. Bioethanol Production from Sweet Sorghum under Hot and

Dry Climatic Conditions

Abbas Almodares and Mojtaba Goli

311

30. Studies on New Corn Hybrids for Bioethanol Industries in

Hungary

András Dallos, Ágnes Nikolett Tollár, Sándor Hoffmann, Zoltán

Tóth, Borbála Hoffmann and Csaba L. Marton

321

31. Effects of Gelling Agents on some Characteristics of

Sweetened Preserved Tangerine

Patcharaporn Kaopon, Ratkanya Wangkam and

Suwimol Chockchaisawasdee

331

Part X: Agriculture Extension

32. Training Needs Assessment of Mid-Career Agricultural

Extension Officers: Evidences from Sasakawa Africa Fund for

Extension Education (SAFE) Intervention in North-East Nigeria

M. R. Ja’afar-Furo, J. S. Neils, D. I. Mojaba, A. Sulaiman and

J. D. Shall

341

33. Guidelines for Integrating Sustainable Creative Tourism

toward Collaboration of ASEAN Economic Community: A

Case Study of Southern Coastal Subcorridor from Thailand

to Kingdom of Cambodia and Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Paiboon Archarungroj, Supada Sirikudta and

Varintra Sirisuthikul

355

34. Analysis of Community based Rural Development Project

Implemented by LEADER Program: Case Study in North

Tipperary Region, Ireland

Ulmaskhon Kalandarova

367

Part XI: Agronomy

35. Assessment of Organic Fertilizer use in Cagayan Valley

Mila T. Benabise and Hermana K. Banciles 379

36. How Overstory Cover and Thinning Impact Understory

Vegetation in a Riparian Forest in Nebraska, USA

Julie Huddle, Tala Awada, Derrel Martin, Xinhua Zhou,

Tyler Smith and Roger Stockton

391

37. Effects of Different Growing Mediums on Nutrient

Concentration of Eggplant in Soilless Culture

Ibrahim Erdal, Hakan Aktas, Zeliha Kucukyumuk, Selda Daler,

Özden Özen and Kemal Gencer

405

38. Input of Accessory Elements from Various Mineral and

Organic Fertilizers to Arable Soils

Manfred Sager

413

List of Contributors

Aydin Akin, Assistant Professor, Department of Horticulture, Faculty of

Agriculture, University of Selcuk, Turkey

Hakan Aktas, Associate Professor, Suleyman Demirel University, Turkey

Zeinab M. Al-Asaadee, College of Education, University of Duhok, Iraq

Md. Kamar Ali, Assistant Professor, The University of Lethbridge, Canada

Muhammad Ali, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, University of the Punjab,

Pakistan

Abbas Almodares, Associate Professor, Biology Department, College of

Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

M.A. Aly, Professor, University of Alexandria, Faculty of Agriculture, Egypt

Christos Anastasiou, Assistant Professor, Head of Department of Civil

Engineering, Frederick University, Cyprus

Jaime E. Araya, Full Professor, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile

Paiboon Archarungroj, Lecturer and Deputy Director of MBA Program,

Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand

Rehab M. Awad, Lecturer, University of Alexandria, Faculty of Agriculture,

Egypt

Tala Awada, Associate Director and Associate Professor, School of Natural

Resources, University of Nebraska, USA

Hermana K. Banciles, Retired Professor and Private Research Consultant,

Cooperatives and Academic Institutions, Philippines

Camila Becker, Forestry Engineer, Department of Forestry and Nature

Conservation, College of Forestry and Nature Conservation, University of

Chile, Chile

Mila T. Benabise, Asssistant Professor, Institute of Agriculture, Quirino State

College, Philippines

Robert Bewer, Graduate Research Assistant, The University of Lethbridge,

Canada

Jovana Blagojević, Institute for Plant Protection and Environment, Belgrade,

Serbia

Odemir Martinez Bruno, Professor Dr., IFSC, USP and Physics, IFSC, USP,

Brazil

Sylvia H. Byrd, PhD, RD, LD, Professor, Department of Food Science,

Nutrition, and Health Promotion, Mississippi State University, USA

Manuel Celis, Forestry Engineer, Department of Forestry and Nature

Conservation, College of Forestry and Nature Conservation, University of

Chile, Chile

Italo Chiffelle, Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Industry and

Enology, College of Agronomic Sciences, University of Chile, Chile

Suwimol Chockchaisawasdee, Lecturer, Loei Rajabhat University, Faculty of

Science and Technology, Thailand

Ozcan Baris Citil, Assistant, Department of Animal Nutrition and Nutritional

Disorders, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Selcuk, Turkey

Teresa Cortés, Agronomist, MS, Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero, Lo Aguirre,

Santiago, Chile

Selda Daler, MSc. Student, Suleyman Demirel University, Turkey

András Dallos, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of

Pannonia, Hungary

Wulf Diepenbrock, Professor, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional

Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany

Kathleen L. Dodson, MS Graduate Student, Department of Crop and Soil

Sciences, Washington State University, USA

Nenad Dolovac, Institute for Plant Protection and Environment, Belgrade,

Serbia

Mosleh M. S. Salih Duhoky, Scientific Research Center, University of Duhok,

Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Ibrahim Erdal, Professor, Suleyman Demirel University, Turkey

Thanaa M. Ezz, Professor, University of Alexandria, Faculty of Agriculture,

Egypt

Nora Fayssal, PhD Student, Department of Environmental Geography,

Lebanese University, Lebanon

Đorđe Fira, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

Andrew D. Frugé, MS, MBA, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of

Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion, Mississippi State University,

USA

Keith A. Funnell, Scientist, The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food

Research Ltd., New Zealand

Małgorzata Gajewska, PhD Student, Wroclaw University of Economics,

Poland

Alvaro Garcia, Professor, South Dakota State University, USA

Veljko Gavrilović, Institute for Plant Protection and Environment, Belgrade,

Serbia

Carolina Gazmuri, BS in Forest Sciences. Department of Forestry and Nature

Conservation, College of Forestry and Nature Conservation, University of

Chile, Chile

Kemal Gencer, MSc. Student, Suleyman Demirel University, Turkey

Mojtaba Goli, Graduate Student, Biology Department, College of Sciences,

University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

Charles T. Golob, Research Supervisor, Department of Crop and Soil

Sciences, Washington State University, USA

Nancy Ann P. Gonzales, Professor V, Ifugao State University (IFSU),

Philippines

Ramanjini Gowda, Department of Plant Biotechnology, University of

Agricultural Sciences, GKVK Campus, India

Diofantos Hadjimitsis, Assistant Proffesor Cyprus University of Technology,

Cyprus

Michalis Hadjimitsis, CEO, M. Hadjimitsis Trading and Engineering LTD,

Cyprus

M. Saleem Haider, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, University of the

Punjab, Pakistan

Borbála Hoffmann, Associate Professor, Department of Crop Production and

Soil Sciences, University of Pannonia, Hungary

Sándor Hoffmann, Full Professor, Department of Crop Production and Soil

Sciences, University of Pannonia, Hungary

M.Inam-ul-Haq, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, University of the Punjab,

Pakistan

Valdo Rodrigues Herling, Professor Dr., FZEA, USP, Pirassununga and

Agricultural Sciences, FZEA, USP, Brazil

Thomas J. Guzman Hernandez, Technological Institute of Costa Rica, San

Carlos Regional Headquarters, Costa Rica

Manuel Herrera, BATir, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium

Julie Huddle, Research Assistant Professor, School of Natural Resources,

University of Nebraska, USA

Amanda Huerta, Associate Professor, Department of Forestry and Nature

Conservation, College of Forestry and Nature Conservation, University of

Chile, Chile

Žarko Ivanović, Institute for Plant Protection and Environment, Belgrade,

Serbia

Joaquín Izquierdo, FluIng-IMM, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain

M. R. Ja’afar-Furo, Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural

Economics and Extension, Adamawa State University, Nigeria

William J. Johnston, Professor, Washington State University, USA

Richard C. Johnson, Research Agronomist, USDA/ARS, Washington State

University, USA

Jaladet M.S. Jubrael, Scientific Research Center, University of Duhok, Iraq

Ulmaskhon Kalandarova, Researcher, Department of Food Business and

Development, University College Cork, Ireland

Patcharaporn Kaopon, Undergraduate Student, Loei Rajabhat University,

Faculty of Science and Technology, Thailand

Kurt K. Klein, Professor of Economics, The University of Lethbridge, Canada

Zeliha Kucukyumuk, Research Assistant, Suleyman Demirel University,

Turkey

Suren N. Kulshreshtha, Professor, University of Saskatchewan, Canada

H.V. Anil Kumar, Professor of Sericulture, DVS College of Arts and Science,

Shimoga, Karnataka, India

Pedro Henrique de Cerqueira Luz, Professor Dr., FZEA, USP,

Pirassununga and Agricultural Sciences, FZEA, USP, Pirassununga, Brazil

Sarina Manandhar, PhD Student, Institute of Agriculture & Environment,

Massey University, New Zealand

Mário Antonio Marin, Master Student, Agricultural Sciences, FZEA, USP,

Pirassununga, Brazil

Derrel Martin, Professor, Biological Systems Engineering Department,

University of Nebraska, USA

Juan Martínez-Solís, Faculty and Researcher, Chapingo Autonomous

University, Mexico

Csaba L. Marton, Deputy Director for Science, Agricultural Research

Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary

Oommen Mathew, National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR), UAS-

GKVK Campus, India

Pete Melby, ASLA, Professor, Landscape Architecture, Mississippi State

University, USA

Hassan A. M. Mezori, College of Science, University of Duhok, Iraq

Zoran Milićević, Institute for Plant Protection and Environment, Belgrade,

Serbia

Predrag Milovanović, Galenika-Fitofarmacija, Belgrade, Serbia

D. I. Mojaba, Farm Coordinator, Department of Animal Production,

Adamawa State University, Nigeria

W. Carmona Montero, Technological Institute of Costa Rica, San Carlos

Regional Headquarters, Costa Rica

J. Duran Mora, Technological Institute of Costa Rica, San Carlos Regional

Headquarters, Costa Rica

Munirajappa, Professor of Moriculture, Department of Sericulture,

Jnanabharathi, Bangalore University, India

David Nagel, PhD, Professor, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences,

Mississippi State University, USA

Mahantesha Naika, Department of Plant Biotechnology, University of

Agricultural Sciences, GKVK Campus and National Centre for Biological

Sciences (TIFR), UAS-GKVK Campus, India

J. S. Neils, Associate Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Adamawa State

University, Nigeria

Neophytos Neophytou, Private Researcher, Frederick Research Center,

Cyprus

Mobasher S. Omar, Scientific Research Center, University of Duhok,

Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Giorgos Papadavid, Agricultural Research Institute of Cyprus, Cyprus

Margarita Gisela Peña-Ortega, Faculty and Researcher, Chapingo

Autonomous University, Mexico

Skevi Perdikou, Lecturer, Frederick Research Center, Cyprus

Rafael Pérez-García, FluIng-IMM, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain

Özden Özen, MSc. Student, Suleyman Demirel University, Turkey

Tatjana Popović, Institute for Plant Protection and Environment, Belgrade,

Serbia

Dr. Amitava Rakshit, Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry,

Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, India

Eva Ramos-Martínez, FluIng-IMM, Universitat Politècnica de València,

Spain,

Juan Enrique Rodríguez-Pérez, Faculty and Researcher, Chapingo

Autonomous University, Mexico

Liliane Maria Romualdo, PhD Student, Agricultural Sciences, FZEA, USP,

Brazil

Manfred Sager, Deputy Head, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety

(AGES), Austria

Mosleh M. S. Salih, Dean, College of Agriculture, University of Duhok,

Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Jocelyn Sallés, Agronomist, Universidad Mayor, Escuela de Agronomía,

Santiago, Chile

Ahmad Ali Shahid, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, University of the

Punjab, Pakistan

J. D. Shall, Professor of Agronomy, Department of Crop Science, University of

Maiduguri, Nigeria

Khader Shameer, Department of Plant Biotechnology, University of

Agricultural Sciences, GKVK Campus, India and Division of Biomedical

Statistics and Informatics and Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo

Clinic, USA

Dale A. Silbernagel, MS Graduate Student, Department of Crop and Soil

Sciences, Washington State University, USA

Fernanda de Fátima da Silva, PhD Student, Agricultural Sciences, FZEA,

USP, Pirassununga, Brazil

Supada Sirikudta, Associate Professor, Srinakharinwirot University,

Thailand

Varintra Sirisuthikul, Dr., Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand

Tyler Smith, Research Technologist, School of Natural Resources, University

of Nebraska, USA

R. Sowdhamini, National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR), UAS-GKVK

Campus, India

Gwen K. Stahnke, Associate Professor, Department of Crop and Soil

Sciences, Washington State University, USA

Slaviša Stanković, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade,

Serbia

Roger Stockton, Former Coordinator, Southwest Nebraska Resource

Conservation and Development, USA

A. Sulaiman, Director, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Department,

Bauchi State Agricultural Development Programme, Bauchi, Nigeria

Ágnes Nikolett Tollár, PhD Student, Department of Chemistry, University of

Pannonia, Hungary

Zoltán Tóth, Associate Professor, Department of Crop Production and Soil

Sciences, University of Pannonia, Hungary

Andrés Undurraga, Agronomist, Universidad Mayor, Escuela de Agronomía,

Santiago, Chile

Ingrid Benavides Varela, Technological Institute of Costa Rica, San Carlos

Regional Headquarters, Costa Rica

Silvia Hernandez Villalobos, Technological Institute of Costa Rica, San

Carlos Regional Headquarters, Costa Rica

Ratkanya Wangkam, Undergraduate Student, Loei Rajabhat University,

Faculty of Science and Technology, Thailand

David J. Woolley, PhD Supervisor, Institute of Agriculture & Environment,

Massey University, New Zealand

Sua’ad A.H. Yaseen, Horticulture Department, College of Agriculture and

Forestry, University of Duhok, Kurdistan Region Iraq

Saira Yasin, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, University of the Punjab,

Pakistan

Xinhua Zhou, Associate Research Professor, School of Natural Resources,

University of Nebraska, USA

Payman. A. A. Zibari, Assistant Lecturer, College of Agriculture, University

of Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Svetlana Živković, Institute for Plant Protection and Environment, Belgrade,

Serbia

Alvaro Gómez Zúñiga, PhD Student, Physics, IFSC, USP, Brazil

i

Preface

This chapters consists of ten disciplines with voluminous and diverse issues in

Agriculture.. It can serve as a basic tool to help confront new realities in

Agricultural Sciences and mark the beginning of a new phase in Agriculture to

advance in to the 21st century.

The chapter selected in different disciplines is based on the following

priorities:

Harnessing conventional and modern scientific knowledge, tools,

and cutting-edge of science for development of improved crop

cultivars

Eco-friendly and sustainable crop production and protection

technologies

Refinement of seed-production technologies

Increasing the value of production by reducing variability in

yield, quality, reducing crop loss

Developing system for productive use of nutrients, water and

reducing impact of pest and disease through the use of innovative

diagnostic techniques.

Improve the understanding of interaction between native

ecosystem and production system and develop best practices to

conserve biodiversity and sustainable use of resource.

Enhancing the shelf life of perishable fruits, vegetables, flowers,

product diversification and value addition for better profitability.

Understand social needs of communities and build the capabilities

for practice the change for effective utilization of resources

Sustainable agricultural production and resource conservation

Development of technologies to support production enhancement,

profitability, competitiveness and sustainability of livestock and

poultry

Creating awareness of improved agricultural technologies among

the farmers

Further these collections will provide a much needed platform to

discuss the emerging issues and problems in agriculture and will

come out with a well defined strategy to overcome the challenges

of food, environment and livelihood security. This book is

therefore an extremely valuable contribution towards agricultural

sciences with its roots in science disciplines, most notably

biology and chemistry.

Amitava Rakshit

Technological Advancement for Vibrant Agriculture

ii

About the Author

Dr Amitava Rakshit , an IIT, Kharagpur alumnus is the faculty member in the

Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry at

Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University,

Varanasi, UP, India. His research areas include: Nutrient use

efficiency, Simulations modeling, organic farming, Integrated

Nutrient Management and bioremediation. His consulting

capabilities are: Composting Techniques, Soil Health

Management, Input quality Control. He was involved in "Participatory

Research" and "Lab to Land" Programmes of ICAR; Dept. of Agricultural

Cooperation, Govt. of India; Department of Agriculture, Government of West

Bengal ;NHB, New Delhi and NHM for on farm demonstrations of agro-

technologies in cerals/pulses/oilseeds/Cash crops/vegetables/Fruits. Actively

involved in imparting training and dissemination of technical knowledge and

information to diversified end users. He has supervised approximately five

research projects, many in partnership with industry. He is widely

acknowledged for his skills in linking research with the broader community in

regional languages. He has been working closely with undergraduate and post-

graduate students in BHU presently. He has visited Norway, Finland,

Denmark, France, Austria, Russia, Thailand, Egypt, Turkey number of

occasions pertaining to his research work and presentation. Dr.Rakshit has

previously worked at Department of Agriculture, Government of West Bengal

in research extension and implementation roles. He is presently the Chief

Editor of International Journal of Agriculture Environment and Biotechnology

(NAAS: 3.9) .He was awarded with Biovision Nxt Fellow by Biovision, Lyon,

France for the year 2008-09. He has been selected as review college member of

British Ecological Society, London for the year 2013-14. He was awarded with

Best Teacher’s Award by BHU(ICAR). He is the author of four books

(Springer, ICFAI, Kalyani and IBDC). He also published numerous

articles/reviews in professional journals.

iii

Technological Advancement for Vibrant

Agriculture: An Introduction

Amitava Rakshit, Banaras Hindu University, India

Since ancient times humans have gathered plants and hunted animals for food.

Later humans became dependent on agriculture to fulfill their needs for food.

Agriculture is a composite term that includes all those activities which involve

appropriate utilization of earth’s resources for fulfillment of human needs of

food, fodder, fibre and fuel, etc. But with passage of time agriculture is under

intense pressure to increase production of food grains. The available fertile

farm land per person in 2050 is predicted to be less than a third of that in 1950.

By 2050, global population is expected to reach 9 billion and the demand for

food will grow by 70%. . Therefore, managing agricultural production systems

on a sustainable basis is one of the most critical challenges for the future of

humanity. There was once a time when farmers used to plow the land manually

and it was one long hard task stretching from dawn to dusk. Over centuries,

agricultural technology has created huge changes in the way people live, and

the stakes for technological progress have never been higher. The generations

have witnessed traditional hybrids into genetically modified crops, improved

and efficient fertilizers and resource conservation technologies.

The influx of technology in the sphere of agriculture has witnessed

veritable revolutions in the arena of crop husbandry. The scientific advances

have touched all the facets in the field of agriculture. It has witnessed a radical

makeover from the days of hand-held apparatus to the modern day computer-

controlled, GPS-monitored and self-steer programs that are virtually negating

the need for human intervention from the days of hand-held apparatus to the

modern day computer-controlled, GPS-monitored and self-steer programs that

are virtually negating the need for human intervention. Further in the 21st

century, farming has gone all high-tech and is talking about GM food, genetic

engineering and agricultural biotechnology and plants, fruits and vegetables

have been endowed with increased insect resistance and abundant nutritional

advantages. Agricultural technology is also making inroads into the relatively

new but very promising fields of nanotechnology.

Technological advancements must be used to provide farmers with tools

and resources to make farming more encouraging and sustainable without

deteriorating the natural resource base. Concepts of modern technologies in

agricultural systems have given an important role for the improvement of

agricultural productions in order to maintain food security. In a nut shell plants

are biologically designed, genes are isolated, and chemicals are precisely

mixed. It has been experimented and validated that modern agricultural

technology can substantially improve agricultural production and

sustainability. For instance, best management practices are widely applied

Technological Advancement for Vibrant Agriculture

iv

nowadays. It relies on targeting many of their applications, not broadcasting as

was done in the past. New disease resistant hybrids, biological pest control,

reduced pesticide use, cultural practices that can reduce the incidence of pests

and diseases, and better placement and reduced amounts of fertilizers are all

being employed. Insect-specific chemicals and biological insect controls are

now being utilized, instead of broad-spectrum pesticides, which actually reduce

the number of sprays needed and therefore its capitals. Organic farming by

using only organic fertilizer has helped farmers to reduce costs and improve

products. Crop models, GIS, and remote sensing can provide farmers with

information for realizing precision agriculture, which is done by matching

inputs based on actual yields of different portions on the field.

Conclusions

Even if we convert all remaining land for agriculture, we will be nowhere

near meeting the future demand for food without increasing the agricultural

productivity. Success can be achieved by providing farmers with education to

gain necessary skills and range of solutions for higher farm profits. A major

reason for low crop productivity is the deteriorating soil health over years.

Sustaining soil health for higher food production require not only tilling the

land but also crop rotations, better crop varieties, bringing vegetation back to

degraded land and arrest soil erosion. Challenge now and for the future is and

will be to produce more food from less land. Caring for mother earth will

enable us to achieve the desired food production target with better conservation

of natural resources of the country. Increasing population and industrialization

is posing a threat to the resources such as water, energy, minerals, land and

forest. Productivity of agricultural land is declining due to biotic and abiotic

stresses, climate change, soil degradation etc. There is an urgent need to

change the research strategies for judicious use of natural resources with proper

care which can make substantial contribution towards the economic growth and

development of the country.

Evolution of agricultural practices has meant that there’s greater

productivity and hence prosperity in the farming circles and a variety of

healthy technological options for the community as a whole. The thirty eight

papers of this book published by ATINER is a mirror image of a representative

part of the huge initiatives in the field of agriculture. I hope that the readers

will find this collection of papers interesting as well as stimulating. Many of

the experiments are analyzed and explained in this volume are ongoing, and the

interpretation and suggestions offered will contribute to future course of the

deliberations.

v