scholarly journals Fertilizers, BT technology, and insecticides contributed to 60%, 23%, and 17%, respectively to the increase in BT cotton yield: An analysis from 2000 to 2014 in India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Parameswaran ◽  
B Cayalvizhi

AbstractComplementary technologies and agricultural practices capable of sustaining profitability to the farmers cultivating BtCotton in India require urgent attention. In India, approval of Btcotton, cultivation of fertilizer-intensive hybrids, higher dose of fertilizer application by farmers, usage of novel pesticides all happened simultaneously during the same period (2002-04) which makes very difficult to identify the individual effect in the yield gain of cotton. In this background, we attempted to understand the proportionate contribution of fertilizers, BT technology and novel group of pesticides in enhancing cotton yield in India. For the analysis, linear regression model and change in partial factor productivity (PFP) of cotton was considered in four different scenarios for yield estimation between 2000 and 2014, i.e. Scenario I: Cotton yield in the absence of technology and enhanced fertilizers usage, Scenario II: Cotton yield only due to enhanced fertilizer usage, Scenario III: Cotton yield with enhanced fertilizer and application of novel pesticides for the insect control, and Scenario IV: Cotton yield due to BT technology, enhanced use of fertilizer, and novel insecticides (actual yield of Cotton in India during Bt phase).Their comparison showed that the individual effect of fertilizers, BT technology and insecticides contributed to 60%, 23% and 17% of cotton yield, respectively in India. Further, 18% reduction in PFP was observed recently as compared to 2003-08. Besides, 125 Kg/ha of fertilizers was identified as optimum dose for sustaining high yield in cotton. Thus, present analysis identified the individual effect of different technologies contributing to the yield of cotton in India which can be used in decision making processes for crop improvement. Further, in our opinion, three strategies namely drip fertigation, intercrossing Bt and non-Bt hybrids for resistance management in bollworms, and IPM for sucking pests will primarily drive the research priorities and policy actions for the next 5 to 10 years in sustaining the economic benefits of the six million cotton farmers in India.

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 1771-87
Author(s):  
Channaveer rachayya Mathapati ◽  
Bhagyashree Vadageri

Abstract Agricultural practices are generally organic and inorganic practices. Organic agriculture is more about producing agricultural products without disturbing the ecosystem, biodiversity and the soil health; whereas, inorganic farming is completely opposite of organic farming.  Use of chemicals nutrients, hybridisation of seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, is commonly used to get high yield. Since inorganic agriculture is practicing from long time and we are used to get more yield in less time, farmers are bit hesitant to change to organic farming. Behavioural, economic and social attributes of the farmers largely influence the future of organic farming. Objectives: The principal aim of the study is to assess the attitude, perception, lifestyle and satisfaction of organic and inorganic farmers. Methodology: A sample of 30 organic and inorganic farmers were selected from different districts of Karnataka state. Semi-structured tool was designed to collect data from the farmers through interview method.  Thematic and free-listing techniques were used to analyse and present the data. Results: Organic farmers tend to be resilient and motivated as compared to the inorganic farmers.  There were issues as perceived by the inorganic farmers that the organic farming was not an easy way to reap economic benefits and high yield for which conventional farming has been in practice.  However, the shared views were that the agriculture has to receive the due place and dignity as compared to other market occupations which are more profitable.  Conclusion: The study observes that organic farming needs sustainable systems to support, promote, advocate and practice it.  Behavioural domains and economic domains are equally important to influence the lifestyle and satisfaction of the farmers. Key Words: Agriculture, Organic, Inorganic, Satisfaction, Life Style, Attitude, Perception ____________________________________________________________________________ *Professor & Head, Department of Social Work, Dean, School of Media Studies, Central University of     Karnataka, Kalaburagi, Karnataka, India, Email Id: [email protected]   ** Doctoral Scholar, Department of Social Work, School of Social and Behavioural Sciences,      Central   University of              Karnataka, Kalaburagi, Karnataka, India.  Email Id: [email protected]


Author(s):  
V. Ramamurthy ◽  
G. Sangeetha ◽  
B. Shyla

Background: Horizontal expansion of area under pulses at country level has very little possibilities. This necessitates exploring alternate ways to increase the area and production of pulses. Bt cotton is the major cash crop grown in large area in Southern transition zone of Karnataka on red soils. Bt cotton hybrids are sown at wide row spacing hence provide sufficient space for cultivation of short duration pulses like cowpea and horse gram.Methods: On-farm trials were carried out in medium deep red soils of Basavanagiri village of Mysore district, Karnataka during 2014-15 and 2015-16. There were six treatments consists of Bt cotton with farmers practice (T1), Bt cotton with best management practice (T2), sole cowpea (T3), sole horse gram (T4), Bt cotton intercropped with cowpea (T5) and Bt cotton inter cropped with horse gram (T6). On-farm trials were laid out by using RCBD design in five farmer fields, which served as replications.Result: On-farm investigation indicated that there was no much difference between cotton yield sole crop with BMP and inter cropped cotton yield. However, cotton yield was significantly lower in farmers practice over BMP. Intercropping of cowpea and horse gram with Bt cotton resulted in higher cotton equivalent yield, LER and production efficiency over the sole cotton cropping system. This was due to the wider spacing of the cotton and better resource use efficiency in intercropping system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1958) ◽  
pp. 20211259
Author(s):  
Victor O. Sadras

Technologies, from molecular genetics to precision agriculture, are outpacing theory, which is becoming a bottleneck for crop improvement. Here, we outline theoretical insights on the wheat phenotype from the perspective of three evolutionary and ecologically important relations—mother–offspring, plant–insect and plant–plant. The correlation between yield and grain number has been misinterpreted as cause-and-effect; an evolutionary perspective shows a striking similarity between crop and fishes. Both respond to environmental variation through offspring number; seed and egg size are conserved. The offspring of annual plants and semelparous fishes, lacking parental care, are subject to mother–offspring conflict and stabilizing selection. Labile reserve carbohydrates do not fit the current model of wheat yield; they can stabilize grain size, but involve trade-offs with root growth and grain number, and are at best neutral for yield. Shifting the focus from the carbon balance to an ecological role, we suggest that labile carbohydrates may disrupt aphid osmoregulation, and thus contribute to wheat agronomic adaptation. The tight association between high yield and low competitive ability justifies the view of crop yield as a population attribute whereby the behaviour of the plant becomes subordinated within that of the population, with implications for genotyping, phenotyping and plant breeding.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 107-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Gauchan ◽  
K P Pant ◽  
B K Joshi

This study assesses economic benefits of international exchange and flow of key rice germplasm in Nepal under globally operated multilateral system of facilitated access using a case of an improved rice variety Khumal-4. Khumal-4 rice is popular and widely grown in mid hills region of Nepal which was developed by crossing a high yielding dwarf foreign sourced germplasm IR-28 with a local Nepali variety Pokharilo Masino. Economic benefits of Khumal-4 rice adoption and impact was analysed using economic surplus model, where additional productivity and profitability gained from developing Khumal-4 was estimated in monetary value in comparison with existing farmers’ variety Pokharilo masino. The finding showed that Khumal-4 covered 9% of rice area in the mid-hills and 7% in the mountains during year 2010-12 years covering about 40 thousand hectares of rice area. Data show that there is a clear yield gain of 1.25 mt per hectare with cost in rice yield equivalent when farmers switch from traditional Pokhareli Masino to improved Khumal-4 variety. Estimation of additional revenue per hectare with total adoption area of Khumal-4 in prevailing market price in Nepal was NRs 1.07 billion (US $ 11 million) per annum. This is reasonable economic benefits obtained annually from flow of foreign sourced genes (IR-28) for the development of an improved Khumal-4 rice variety in Nepal. This finding indicates that access to foreign germplasm is important for ensuring national food security and gaining higher economic benefits in the country.Agronomy Journal of Nepal (Agron JN) vol. 4, 2016


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander A. Zhgun

A filamentous fungus (also called molds or moldy fungus) is a taxonomically diverse organism from phylum Zygomycota and Ascomycota with filamentous hyphae and has the ability to produce airborne spores or conidia. Currently, more than 70,000 molds are known, and some of them contain unique and unusual biochemical pathways. A number of products from such pathways, especially, the secondary metabolite (SM) pathways are used as important pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, statins, and immunodepresants. Under different conditions, the individual species can produce more than 100 SM. The strain improvement programs lead to high yielding in target SM and significant reduction of spin-off products. The main tool for the strain improvement of filamentous fungi is random mutagenesis and screening. The majority of industrial overproducing SM strains were developed with the help of such technique over the past 50–70 years; the yield of the target SM increased by 100- to 1000-fold or more. Moreover, most of the strains have reached their technological limit of improvement. A new round of mutagenesis has not increased overproduction. Recently, it was shown that that the addition of exogenous polyamines may increase the production of such improved strains of filamentous fungi. The possible molecular mechanism of this phenomenon and its biotechnological applications are discussed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 64 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 21-32
Author(s):  
Djordje Savic ◽  
D. Matarugic ◽  
N. Delic ◽  
D. Kasagic ◽  
M. Stojanovic

The objective of the investigations described in this work was to determine the energy status and to make recommendations for correcting the cow diet at a farm of high-yield dairy cows, on the grounds of values for the concentration of organic components of milk and their ratios in individual milk samples. A total of 147 cows were examined, including 97 in the first and 50 in the second lactation. Average concentrations of milk fat and urea were within the physiological values. Namely, the milk fat concentration in cows in the first lactation was 38.88?5.07 g/l, and it was 36.47?4.82 g/l in cows in the second lactation, while the urea concentration in cows in the first lactation 3.16?0.58 mmol/l and it was 3.72?0.64 mmol/l in cows in the second lactation. The protein concentration in both groups of cows was below the physiological values, being 30.33?2.35 g/l in cows in the first lactation and 30.17?2.27 g/l in cows in the second lactation. Based on the ratio of urea and protein concentrations, as well as of fat and proteins in the individual milk samples, it was concluded that in most examined cows, both in those in the first and those in the second lactation, there is a deficit of energy, along with a deficit or relative surplus of proteins. On the grounds of the obtained results, recommendations were given for correcting the feed rations in the coming period. .


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-25
Author(s):  
Mohd Nahar Mohd Arshad ◽  
Nur Nadhira Baharuddin

AbstractThis study analyzes the net returns of educational investment in Malaysia using the net present value approach. The estimations consider the tuition payments of nine different bachelor degree programs of public and private universities in Malaysia and the forgone earnings while undertaking the degree programs as the cost of investments in human capital. The returns to education investment are based on the expected income accrued by the individual over the employment period until retirement. Under the assumptions that an individual would work until the retirement age of 60 years and a discount rate of 4 percent, the estimations show that holding a computer science degree from Universiti Sains Malaysia would give the highest net present value. Holding a medical degree, in general, would give the lowest net returns on educational investment as compared to the other selected programs. The net returns are sensitive to the costs of education, earnings and the duration of undertaking the degree programs.Keywords: Human capital investment, net present value, private rate of return, educational investment, Malaysian degree programmes


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Gu ◽  
Antonio Carlos Fernandes

The influences of Re (Reynolds number) on the response of vortex induced vibration (VIV) have been studied by previous researches, which indicate the influences should not be ignored. However, due to the limitation of experimental facilities and complexity of the cases, the explicit influence of Re on VIV is still not fully known. Meanwhile, the industry standards also do not supply design reference taking account of Re effects quantitatively. In present work, an innovative dimensionless parameter (denoted as “inertia-viscosity”) is proposed to displace the Re in the dimensionless system, in order to clarify the individual effect of Re. With this method, comparing tests are concisely carried out, and the effectiveness and feasibility are demonstrated. Through the comparing of tests, several remarkable results are obtained.


Author(s):  
Dara Levitch ◽  
Melanie Shaw

Institutions of higher learning invest a great deal of time and money on retention issues. Research has identified institutional variables significant to student retention. Current researchers suggest each institution conduct studies to determine the specific factors important to the population served. Increasing retention has considerable financial and economic benefits to the institution, as well as benefits to the individual, especially if it leads to program completion. Research of literature has also indicated that quality of faculty and academic advising communications are two important factors perceived by students as contributing to overall the academic experience.


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