JANUARY 2022

Jasmine

Tarragon

Coconut Products

Animal Feed industry

Managing Nematode

Curry Leaf
 CONTENT Tarragon
EDITOR IN CHIEF
V R RAVI KUMAR
B.Sc (Agri), M.B.A. (IIM-B)

EDITORIAL BOARD
Dr. C Manohar
Dr. T. Vasanth Kumar
Dr. L. Manjunath
Dr. Prita
Dr. Priyadarshini
Dr. Indira. VMD

Asst. Editor - Mukesh Kumar Editorial 03

AGRI CONSULTANTS Agri Word Power 05
Tadaeu Rodrigues
Renji Verugese
Manjunatha Reddy Agri News 06
Shiromani
ASR Green House Co. 09
CORRESPONDENTS
S S N Sastry
Balaraju Namdhari's 12
Chandini
Role of Medicinal Plants 13
LAYOUT & DESIGN
Manjunatha M
Managing Nematode 17
PRINTER
Deeya Prints & Design Types of Straw Balers Systems 19
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENTS
NEW DELHI - Gijit Menon
Tarragon 21
MAHARASHTRA - Vinith Mutha
KOLKATA - Aparna Bannerji Coconut 24
CHATTISGARH - Akshay Awasti
M.P. - Rayna Chatterjee
TAMIL NADU - Sembian U
Fallacy of Adopting Allied Farm Enterprises 29
KOCHI - Neha Ashwath Kurian
ANDHRA PRADESH - Hujitha Integrated Farming System 31
TELANGANA - Surya Chandra Rao
ASSAM - Jerieff Khan
RAJASTHAN - Sandeep Sharma
Animal Feed industry in 2021 34
Price : E-copy Rs.30/-
Switching from Paddy to Jasmine cultivation 37
Registered Office:
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Indiranagar, Bengaluru - 560038
Mob: +91 9449831384
+91 7204703294

Email: agroindiamagazine@gmail.com
Website: www.agro-inida.online

PRINTED, PUBLISHED & OWNED BY

V.R. RAVI KUMAR

PERIODICAL REGISTERED WITH THE REGISTRAR

OF NEWS PAPER OF INDIA UNDER NO.65760/97
VOL. XXXI ISSUE 1 JANUARY - 2022
All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be
reproduced in any form without written permission from the
publisher. The publication is not responsible if errors have crept
inadvertently or by over sight. Subject to Bengaluru
Jurisdictions only.

Agro India 01 JANUARY 2022

EDITORI L

What next after repeal of Farm Laws?

Fortunately, Indian Agriculture and Indian Farmer, by and large, has not been
aversely affected by the impact of Covid 19 for last two years and could sustain
mainly due to non reduction of both crop production levels and prices of various
agricultural produce.

Last year, three farm laws which were introduced by government with an aim to
remove subsidies and price regulation of crops were withdrawn after a prolonged
protest by farm unions. It is needless to say government took the decision to
withdraw the laws due to severe opposition from farmers and its effect on ensuing
elections in five states especially in UP and Punjab.

Thus, farmers might have won temporary battle but they have many more
challenges in future like threat of removal of subsidy on crop production and
reduction MSP on many crops. WTO ( World Trade Organization) has pressure
from other member countries to regulate subsidies to as low as 5% and also reduce
MSP levels to facilitate free trade between different member countries.

Presently, Indian farmer gets subsidy equivalent to as high as 50% of production

cost. Other alarming issue faced by Indian farmer is that he is not assured of
minium income/price to many of his crops as he does not have other alternative
source of income unlike farmers from western countries.

Therefore, Indian policy makers would perceive the condition of Indian farmer
with different perspective based on indigenous situations and suitable laws or
regulations would be brought in to support his farming practices.

V.R. RAVI KUMAR

Agro India 03 JANUARY 2022

 AGRI WORD POWER
Agitator : the part of a machine for
harvesting root crops, such as
potatoes, which shakes the earth
off the crop after it has been lifted
Basin irrigation : a form of
irrigation where the water is trapped
in basins surrounded by low mud
walls, as in rice paddies
Chelates : compounds of trace
elements and organic substances
which are water-soluble and may
be safely applied as foliar sprays or
to the soil.
Dartmoor : a breed of large
moorland sheep, white-faced with
black spots, and a long curly fleece.
Epiphyte : a plant that lives on
another plant for physical support,
but is not a parasite of it.
Farmscape : a landscape
dominated by agriculture. Farmland
is the main element in farmscape,
though non-agricultural uses may
be included.
Grapefruit : a citrus fruit of a tree
(Citrus paradisi) similar to the
orange. The fruit is lemon-yellow or
pink when ripe, about twice the size
of an orange, and very juicy.
Heather : a plant (Calluna vulgaris)
found on acid soils, common in
Grapefruit
Agro India
Red currant
upland areas. It is used by game
birds such as grouse for cover and
food.
Invertebrate pests : pests such as
grain mites and storage insects
such as saw-toothed beetles and
the grain weevil, which cause
considerable damage to crops in
tropical or warm temperate areas.
Knee cap : a felt protector for the
knees of horses, used especially
when transporting them as a
protection against damage caused
when slipping. Also used on young
horses when jumping.
Lamb dysentery : a bacterial
disease which enters the lamb from
the pasture. The bacteria infects the
05
land for a very long time. The
disease can be avoided by
vaccinating the lambs as soon as
possible after birth or by vaccinating
the ewes before lambing.
Maize gluten : a type of animal
feeding stuff obtained after maize
has been milled. It is high in protein.
Navy bean : a dried seed of the
common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris,
used in particular for canning as
baked beans. Also called haricot
bean.
Ostrich : a large flightless bird
(Struthio camelus) raised in farms
for its meat.
Pecan : a North American tree
(Carya illinoensis) which produces
sweet nuts which are eaten as
dessert nuts and used in many
forms of confectionery.
Red currant : a soft fruit, growing
on bushes, and used mainly for
making jams
Sclerotinia : a soilborne disease
affecting many crops, including
potatoes, oilseed rape and peas.
Thrips : an insect that is a pest of
vegetables. Thrips operate on the
underside of leaves, leaving spots
of sap or other liquid which are red
o r b l a c k i s h - b r o w n . Ty p i c a l
examples are the onion thrips, grain
thrips and pea thrips.
Undersow : to sow a grass mixture
after an arable crop has
established, so that both develop at
the same time. Cereals are most
often used as cover crops.
Vine crops : (Cucurbitaceae) such
as cucumber, marrow, gourds and
melons, which are annuals and
produce long trailing shoots and
heavy fleshy fruit.
JANUARY 2022

Govt likely to boost farm loan target
The government plans to increase
the farm loan target to roughly ₹ 18
lakh crore in the Budget 2022-23,
which will be announced on
February 1. The government has
set a credit goal of ₹ 16.5 lakh
crore for the current fiscal year.
The government has been
boosting the credit goal for the
agricultural sectors every year,
and the aim for 2022-23 is
expected to be hiked to ₹ 18-18.5
lakh crore.
The figure will be frozen until the
Budget figure is finalized in the last
week of the month. The
government establishes annual
farm credit targets, which include
crop loan targets for the banking
sector. Agricultural loan flow has
continually increased throughout
the years, exceeding the objective
set for each fiscal year. For
example, in 2017-18, farmers
received loans worth ₹ 11.68 lakh
crore, substantially above the ₹ 10
lakh crore objective set for that
Centre agreed to purchase six lakh tonnes Rice
To the relief of Telangana
farmers, the Centre has
agreed to purchase six lakh
tonnes of rice (about nine lakh
tonnes of paddy) from the
Kharif season, bringing the
State's total rice procurement
to 46 lakh tonnes. The Food
Corporation of India (FCI) has
set a target of 60 lakh tonnes
of paddy (or 40 lakh tonnes of
rice) from the state for the
2021 Kharif season, valued at
₹12,000 crore.
Telangana, which completed its paddy
procurement target recently, stated
that the target needed to be revised
because it expected an additional 25-
30 lakh tonnes of paddy. Despite initial
reluctance to raise the procurement
Agro India
AGRI NEWS
year. Similarly, crop loans totaling
₹ 10.66 lakh crore were disbursed
in 2016-17, exceeding the credit
goal of ₹ 9 lakh crore.
Credit is a vital element in
increasing agricultural output. As
per the sources, institutional
finance could also help growers be
free from non-institutional credits
where they are forced to borrow at
usurious rates of interest.
Farm loans are often subject to a
9% interest rate. However, the
government has been providing
target, the Centre has decided to do
so, with the issue taking a political
turn.
The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi
(TRS) has launched statewide
protests calling on the Union
06
interest subvention to make short-
term crop loans available at an
affordable rate, thereby helping to
enhance farm output.
The government is offering a 2%
interest subsidy to ensure that
Farmers receive short-term Agri
loans of up to ₹ 3 lakh at an
effective rate of 7% per annum.
Farmers will receive a 3% bonus
for timely repayment of loans by
the due date, bringing the effective
interest rate to 4%. To bring small
and marginal farmers into the
formal credit system, the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) has decided to
increase the collateral-free
Agriculture loan limit from ₹ 1 lakh
to ₹ 1.6 lakh.
On the use of their own money,
public sector banks (PSBs),
private lenders, cooperative
banks, and regional rural banks
(RRBs) receive interest subsidies,
as does Nabard for refinancing
RRBs and cooperative banks.
Government to buy more
paddy from the state.
Telangana Chief Minister K
Chandrashekar Rao deployed
a five-member Ministerial team
to Delhi, led by Agriculture
Minister Singireddy Niranjan
Reddy, to meet with Union
Food and Public Distribution
Minister Piyush Goyal and
officials.
Given this year's bumper
harvest, they wanted to put
pressure on the Union Government to
raise the upper limit. The state
anticipates a total paddy production of
approximately 1.3 crore tonnes from
Kharif. It anticipates that
approximately 90 lakh tonnes will be
delivered to procurement centers.
JANUARY 2022

Price of Agro Chemicals to raise
A top Tata Chemicals executive
has stated that rising crude oil
prices in the international market
will raise the raw material costs of
the agro-chemical sector because
the majority of them are
petrochemical byproducts.
Farmers will be obliged to spend
more, which will have a negative
influence on their earnings. The
increase in energy prices will have
an inflationary effect on the whole.
India purchased 17.4 million
tonnes of crude oil worth $9.1
billion, 'amounting to 86% of our
annual requirement. This in and of
itself demonstrates how the rise in
crude oil prices will raise the
nation's overall expenditure, so
negatively influencing the fiscal
imbalance. Brent crude oil is now
trading at around $80 per barrel
and WTI crude oil is trading at
roughly $77. Brent crude has
increased by 52% this year, while
total crude oil has increased by
58%.
Crude oil inventories are 7% lower
than the five-year average.
Despite concerns about an
economic downturn caused by the
emergence of the Omicron type of
coronavirus, interest rates remain
stable. Tata Chemicals, one of the
top five global producers of soda
ash, predicts that the chemical's
AGRI NEWS
price would rise again next year.
Langrana stated that the global
economic rebound this year,
following the Covid-19 pandemic
epidemic, has continued to
increase demand across regions
and industries.
On the back of this strong demand-
pull, soda ash plants throughout
the world have been operating at
capacity; and with no major new
capacity coming on the market in
the short- to medium-term, the
market has remained snug to short
a trend we expect will continue
until 2022. One of the commodities
whose market prices have
doubled year to date is soda ash,
which is used in solar glass, lithium
refining for lithium-ion batteries,
power utilities, and vehicles.
Demand growth has been
especially robust in the new
sustainability-focused dawn
applications… while more
established applications in
container glass, chemical
processing, and detergents have
returned to normal levels.
Concerning sodium bicarbonate,
also known as baking soda, which
the company manufactures in the
United Kingdom and India, plans
for 'expanding the product'
remained in place, 'with the
potential for even more ambitious
goals.’
Ta t a C h e m i c a l s s e e s a
comparable chance to boost
output at its UK facility. 'the first
crucial step has been the
installation of our carbon capture
and utilization plant, which
enables us self-sufficient for a
major raw resource. Sodium
bicarbonate, a critical downstream
product from soda ash, has shown
consistent demand during the
epidemic, which is projected to
continue, he said. Every few years,
new applications for the product
emerge, ranging from animal feed
to emission control to the food and
pharmaceutical industries. The
fastest growth is seen in
haemodialysis. With demographic
changes and an ageing population
in many parts of the world, this
sector is quickly developing.

Agro India Invites Articles

Agro India invites articles on new technologies in agriculture and
related subjects. Relevant statistical data, current trends,
photographs may also be included. Company profiles and product
profiles of Agri Business companies will be published free of cost to
give wide publicity and reach your target customers.
Mail to : agroindiamagazine@gmail.com
Agro India 07 JANUARY 2022

Government owned land to be sold to industrial enterprises
Shri Murugesh Nirani the
Karnataka Industries Minister has
announced that a new policy will
permit state-owned land to be sold
to industrial enterprises that have
performed successfully for two
years, a move that the government
hopes will improve the flow of
investments. The government is
developing a 10-year lease-
cumulative-sale mechanism for
land given to enterprises by the
Karnataka Industrial Areas
Development Board (KIADB).
Any industry that runs successfully
for two years soon after the land
being allotted, it will qualify to get
the clear sale deed title from the
KIADB without having to wait ten
long years, and adding that
balance sheets for the previous 24
months will be verified to see if the
unit's business was good. Rules
Vijay Paul Sharma as chairman of CACP
The Centre has re-appointed Vijay
Paul Sharma as chairman of the
Commission for Agricultural Costs
& Prices (CACP) after he resigned
in May last year at the end of his
five-year term. The role of the
CACP chairman will be critical in
the planned minimum support
price (MSP) and other reforms
committees.
Vijay Paul Sharma, a professor at
the Centre for Management in
Agriculture at the Indian Institute of
Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-
A), was appointed CACP
Chairman for the first time in June
2016. He was essential in agreeing
to the government's decision to set
the MSP at 50% of the cost of
production. The MSP was
previously recommended by a
government-controlled authority
based not just on input costs, but
also on other factors such as
Agro India
AGRI NEWS
for the new plan are being drafted,
and a government order is
anticipated to be published in a few
weeks.
At the moment, only land larger
than two acres is leased to
enterprises on a 99-year basis.
There is no provision for the sale of
the assigned land and some
significant private corporations are
hesitant to establish enterprises
because of this condition. This
condition makes it impossible for
industries to receive loans and
global and domestic pricing,
agricultural acreage, and so on.
While farmers demanded that the
Swaminathan Commission
recommendation on MSPs be
accepted, the government agreed
to fix MSPs at cost of production on
an A2+FL basis, and CACP began
recommending MSPs accordingly.
These are the out-of-pocket
expenses experienced by farmers,
such as loans for fertiliser, fuel,
machinery, irrigation, and so on, as
well as the cost of leasing land.
08
money from banks and financial
organizations, as well as mortgage
the leased land.' As a result, the
flow of investments into the state
was hindered.
In the future, KIADB will assign
lands to private enterprises or
institutions on a 10-year lease-
cum-sale basis. This will
necessitate changes to the KIADB
Act, which Nirani stated has been
approved by the Cabinet.
'According to KIADB norms,
MSMEs must establish and begin
production within three years
following land allotment. The time
limit for large and medium-sized
industries is five years. The
modification will encourage
industries to develop further
because the assigned land will be
theirs if they operate successful
operations.
A2+FL: The estimated worth of
unpaid labour for agricultural
harvestings, such as contributions
from family members and others. It
is in addition to the paid-out price.
After Sharma's tenure expired,
Naveen P Singh, a CACP
member, took over as chairman.
Last November, the Agriculture
Ministry began the process of
recruiting two members from the
farming community from the north
and west zones, which had been
empty for several years. The
government has yet to constitute
the committee on MSP and other
reforms suggested by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi during his
announcement of the repeal of the
three farm laws. One of the main
requests was that MSPs be legally
guaranteed so that no farmer sells
his produce below a certain price,
ensuring him a minimum return.
JANUARY 2022
Mob: +91 99164 64640
+91 99864 64644
 COMPANY PROFILE
Since 1993, they are working in this industry, they are continuously developing their
skills & infrastructure to achieve optimum results in big volume projects. This innovation
give their customer the assurance of timely delivery with high quality end product.

Their experience and practical knowledge is mainly focused to provide complete

engineering solution of Poly House / Shade Net Houses, and it’s environment control
systems. Application of modern technology, continuous R & D in manufacturing process
and allied services is prime reason for the exceptional performance of A.S.R. Green
House Co.,

A.S.R. Green House Co., Manufacturer and Supplier in wide range of Naturally
Ventilated Poly House / Shade Net House suitable for every type of Crops and
Geographical location. The firm it’s based in Bangalore (Karnataka State), also they are
EMPANELED in Karnataka State Horticultural Mission, and in a way to expand it’s
Business in National level market. They handle turn key projects on Agriculture
cultivation, contact cultivation and crops.

A.S.R Green House Co., Is leading company in Agricultural and Horticultural sector. The
basic function of the company is Development of protected cultivation of various
Horticultural and Floricultural crops in India and sub continent.

To expand footprint in Hyderabad
To set up farming operations and production facility; Open new stores in City
Louis D'Rozario, Bengaluru
Namdhari’s based in Bangalore are set to expand their footprints in Hyderabad by setting
up farming operations and production facility apart from opening new stores in city.
B
angalore based Namdhari's
Group is all set to expand its
footprint in Hyderabad.
Over the next 24 months, the
company plans to set up farming
operations and a production facility
in the city as well as set up around
five Simpli Namdhari's experience
stores in Hyderabad. Simpli
Namdhari's is the only 100%
vegetarian retailer in India with a
source to fork concept. The Quick
Service Restaurants (QSR) in
Simpli Namdhari's stores is the
culmination of Namdhari's seed-
t o - p l a t e i d e o l o g y, w h e r e
delectable and wholesome
delicacies are crafted with farm
fresh produce and served with
finesse. The company will also
expand into dairy subscriptions
and will set up stand-alone QSR
food outlets in the city.
Plan to expand our footprint in
Hyderabad and concentrate on
this city in a serious way with an
investment of around 50 crores
over the next 24 months. In
Agro India
Namdhari's
support of this, they will be setting
up growing facilities in Hyderabad.
We are considering standalone
food stores Simpli Food Stores,
which will serve healthy and tasty
short eats and snacks to patrons.
They are also planning dairy
subscriptions for direct supply of
high quality, single origin fresh A2
and organic milk and dairy
products.
They are very excited about our
Hyderabad foray and having had
presence in the state in the form of
our seeds division (Namdhari
Seeds) and being one of the
largest B2B suppliers for QSRs in
Hyderabad they are not strangers
to the Hyderabad market and are
known to at least a section of that
market. Our aim is to bring high
quality produce to the general
12
public through these initiatives.
They are a self-reliant corporate
company; as in, would like to set
up our own production units and
warehousing in cities where they
expand to, in order to ensure that
they remain credible, that they are
still able to maintain our depth of
products, maintain excellence,
traceability and ensure that our
products are truly residue free.
Having our own production facility,
we are able to exercise complete
control on the entire value chain,
offering the best of consumable
products, groceries, fruits and
vegetables, delicious delicacies
and snacks, all under one roof.
Namdhari's started as a seed
producer and distributor business
to offer superior quality, high-yield
seeds that match international
standards, and over the last three
decades has grown to become a
market leader in the sustainable
farming, retail and food business.
Today, Namdhari's produce not
just fruits, vegetables and staples,
but also makes them available to
people via large format retail
stores, which include kitchens that
craft signature delicacies for
patrons.
With careful and visionary
investments in talent, acquisitions
and focused strategies
Namdhari's is a significant player
in quality seeds-international and
domestic, fresh exports and a key
player in servicing the entire
spectrum of domestic customers
from QSRs, HORECA, general
trade, retail and exporters.
JANUARY 2022
Role of MEDICINAL PLANTS
As alternative Medicine
T
he term of medicinal plants
includes a various types of
plants used in herbalism and
some of these plants have a
medicinal activity. These medicinal
plants consider as a rich resource
of ingredients which can be used in
drug development and synthesis.
Besides that, these plants play a
critical role in the development of
human cultures around the whole
world. Moreover, some plants
consider as important source of
nutrition and as a result of that
these plants recommended for
their therapeutic values. These
plants include ginger, green tea,
walnuts and some others plants.
Other plants their derivatives
consider as important source for
active ingredients which are used
in aspirin and toothpastes. It has
been estimated that about 13,000
species of plants have been
employed for at least a century as
traditional medicines by various
cultures around the world. A list of
over 20,000 medicinal plants has
been published, and very likely a
much larger number of plants.
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE: The
world's flowering plant species
have been used medicinally.
Sometimes the figure of 70,000
medicinal plant species is cited,
but this includes many algae,
fungi, and micro-organisms that
are not really plants as the word is
understood by botanists .These
days the term Alternative Medicine
became very common in western
culture, it focus on the idea of using
the plants for medicinal purpose.
But the current belief that
medicines which come in capsules
or pills are the only medicines that
we can trust and use. Even so
most of these pills and capsules
Agro India
Dr. Priyadarshini Pillai
Jyothinivas College, Bengaluru
Acorus calamus
we take and use during our daily
life came from plants. Medicinal
plants frequently used as raw
materials for extraction of active
ingredients which used in the
synthesis of different drugs. Like in
case of laxatives, blood thinners,
antibiotics and antimalaria
medications, contain ingredients
from plants.
FUTURE OF MEDICINAL
PLANTS: Medicinal plants have a
promising future because there
are about half million plants
around the world, and most of
them their medical activities have
not investigate yet, and their
medical activities could be
decisive in the treatment of
Mimosa pudica
13
present or future studies.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
MEDICINAL PLANTS: Synergic
medicine- The ingredients of
plants all interact simultaneously,
so their uses can complement or
damage others or neutralize their
possible negative effects.
Support of official medicine- In the
treatment of complex cases like
cancer diseases the components
of the plants proved to be very
effective.
Preventive medicine- It has been
proven that the component of the
plants also characterize by their
ability to prevent the appearance
of some diseases. This will help to
reduce the use of the chemical
remedies which will be used when
the disease is already present i.e.,
reduce the side effect of synthetic
treatment.
C L A S S I F I C AT I O N O F
MEDICINAL PLANTS:
Classification of medicinal plants
is organized in different ways
depending on the criteria used. In
general, medicinal plants are
arranged according to their active
principles in their storage organs
JANUARY 2022

of plants, particularly roots, leaves,
flowers, seeds and other parts of
plant. These principles are
valuable to mankind in the
treatment of diseases. Reports on
the classification of many plant
species yielding vegetable oils
used in cosmetics and body and
skin care preparations are
sporadic or lacking.
Classification According to the
Usage
The herbs are classified in four
parts: medicinal herbs, culinary
herbs, aromatic herbs, ornamental
herbs.
! Medicinal Herbs have curative
powers and are used in making
medicines because of their
healing properties like marigold,
lemon balm, lavender, johnny-
jump-up, feverfew etc.
! Culinary Herbs are probably the
mostly used as cooking herbs
because of their strong flavours
like oregano, parsley, sweet
basil, horseradish, thyme etc.
! Aromatic Herbs have some
common uses because of their
pleasant smelling flowers or
foliage. Oils from aromatic herbs
can be used to produce
perfumes, toilet water, and
various scents. For e.g. mint,
rosemary, basil etc.
! Ornamental Herbs are used for
decoration because they have
brightly coloured flowers and
foliage like lavender, chives, bee
balm, lemongrass etc.
Agro India
Aegle marmelos
Classification according to the
Active Constituents
According to the active
constituents all herbs are divided
into five major categories:
Aromatic (volatile oils), Astringents
(tannins), Bitter (phenol
compounds, saponins, and
alkaloids), Mucilaginous
(polysaccharides), and Nutritive
(food stuffs).
Aromatic herbs: The name is a
reflection of the pleasant odour
that many of these herbs have.
They are used extensively both
therapeutically and as flavourings
and perfumes. Aromatic herbs are
divided into two subcategories:
stimulants and nervines.
Stimulant Herbs increase energy
and activities of the body, or its
parts or organs, and most often
affect the respiratory, digestive,
and circulatory systems. E.g.
fennel, ginger, garlic, lemongrass .
Astringent Herbs: Tannins in
Astringent Herbs have the ability to
Some medicinal plants having good antioxidant potential
Name of the plant Plant part used
Acorus calamus Rhizomes
Aegle marmelos Leaves
Aloe vera Leaf
Andrographis paniculata Whole plant
Carica papaya Leaves
Cassia fistula Bark
14
precipitate proteins, and this
"tightens," contracts, or tones
living tissue, and helps to halt
discharges. They affect the
digestive, urinary, and circulatory
systems, and large doses are toxic
to the liver. They are analgesic,
antiseptic, ant abortive, astringent,
emmenagogue, haemostatic, and
styptic.
Bitter Herbs: Bitter Herbs are
named because of the presence of
phenols and phenol glycosides,
alkaloids, saponins and are
divided into four subcategories:
Diuretic Herbs induce loss of fluid
from the body through the urinary
system. The fluids released help
cleanse the vascular system,
kidneys, and liver. They are
alterative, antibiotic, ant catarrhal,
antipyretic, and antiseptic,
lithotripter, and blood purifier in
nature. asparagus, blessed thistle,
burdock, butcher's broom, buchu,
chaparral, chickweed, corn silk,
dandelion, dog grass, grapevine,
and parsley .
Mucilaginous Herbs:
Mucilaginous herbs derive their
properties from the
polysaccharides they contain,
which give these herbs a slippery,
mild taste that is sweet in water. All
plants produce mucilage in some
form to store water and glucide as
a food reserve. They eliminate the
toxins from the intestinal system,
help in regulating it and reduce the
bowel transit time. They are
antibiotic, antacid,demulcent,
emollient, vulnerary, and detoxifier
in nature. For e.g. althea, aloe,
burdock, comfrey,dandelion,
Active component(s)
Alkaloids
Alkaloids,Terpenoids, Saponins
Vitamin A,C,E, Carotenoids
Diterpenes, Lactones
Terpenoids. Saponins, Tanins
Flavonoids
JANUARY 2022
Echinacea, fenugreek, kelp,
psylium,slippery elm, dulse,
glucomannan from Konjak root,
Irish moss, and mullein .
Nutritive Herbs: Wheat germ
these herbs derive both their name
and their classification from the
nutritive value they provide to the
diet. They are true foods and
provide some medicinal effects as
fibber, mucilage, and diuretic
action. But most importantly they
provide the nutrition of protein,
carbohydrates, and fats, plus the
vitamins and minerals that are
necessary for adequate nutrition.
For e.g. rosehips, acerola, apple,
asparagus, banana, barley grass,
bee pollen,bilberry, broccoli,
cabbage, carrot, cauliflower,
grapefruit, hibiscus, lemon,oat
straw, onion, orange, papaya,
pineapple, red clover, spirulina,
stevia.
Classification According to
their Herbs: Herbs also can be
classified as annuals, biennials,
and perennials. Annuals bloom
one season and then die.
Biennials live for two seasons,
blooming the second season only.
Once established, perennials live
over winter and bloom each
season. They can last for many
years with proper care. Annual
herbs complete their life cycle in
one year; start them from seed.
The annuals have to be seeded
each year unless conditions are
Cassia fistula
Agro India
favourable enough in the garden to
seed themselves.
Classification according to
Nature
Natural products are compounds
consisting essentially of carbon
derived from natural sources and
that generally have very diverse
and interesting properties. Some
of the most relevant applications of
the Natural Organic Products are
using it as Fuels, plastics, fats,
soaps, sugars.
Petroleum: (Petra = stone; Oil =
oil) is a naturally formed by liquid
mixture of hydrocarbons, which
are processed in the
petrochemical industry through
fractional distillation and cracking
to gasoline, natural gas, etc.
Soap: It is the sodium salt of a fatty
acid. Have a party hydrophilic
(dissolves in water) and other
lipophilic (fat dissolves dirt).
Sugars: These are natural
polyhydroxialdehides or
polyhydroxiketones with different
functions: structure, energy
storage components of the nucleic
acids, etc. They are formed by
photosynthesis in plants and are
classified into monosaccharides
(glucose), disaccharides
(sucrose) and polysaccharides
(cellulose, starch, etc.) .
Sweeteners: These are natural or
15
synthetic substance that gives a
sweet taste to food. We can find
natural sweeteners such as
sucrose (cane and beet), fructose
(sugar simpler and sweet, honey),
lactose and galactose (sugars
from milk, less sweet), and
synthetic as: saccharin (300 times
sweeter than sucrose), aspartame
(160 times sweeter), etc.
Agro-chemicals: pesticides,
plant growth regulators, etc.
Modifiers of animal behaviour.
Flavours and perfumes: Food
Additives (flavours, colours,
antioxidants,etc.)
Drugs: Product to be
administered for curative
purposes. Although there are
many natural source products that
are used as drugs, the synthesis of
drugs is well developed and
provides a large amount of
chemicals that are used as such.
For example: sedatives, anti
inflammatories, diurethics,
antiviral, hepatoprotectors, etc.
Regulators: Like dopamine, used
for Parkinson´s síndrome (only L-
Dopa is active) Antibiotics:
chemical products able to inhibit
the growth of microorganisms and
even destroy them.
Classification Based on their
Physiologic Activity:
Approximately one half of the
medicines used today are natural
products, i.e. alkaloids, antibiotics
or synthetic analogs. For that it is
usually employed a classification
that represents the physiologic
activity, such as hormones,
vitamins, antibiotics ad
mycotoxins. Even though the
compounds belonging to each
group have different structures
and biogenetic origins, a narrow
relationship is occasionally
between those aspects and
activity.
Classification based on their
JANUARY 2022

taxonomy: This classification is
based on morphological studies of
plants, or plant taxonomy. In
animals and some of the
microorganisms, final metabolites
are generally excreted outside the
body, while in plant metabolites are
stored inside the plant.
While it was thought that some
metabolites were specific of some
plants, we know today that are
widely distributed in the plant
kingdom and many constituents of
plants such as alkaloids and
isoprenoides have been isolated
from species, genera, families or
specific plant. For example, the
"opium" of Papaver somniferum
contains twenty alkaloids such as
morphine, thebaine, codeine, and
narcotine. they are all
biosynthesized from precursor 1-
bencilisoquinolina by oxidative
coupling.
Classification based on their
biogenesis: Although biogenesis
and biosynthesis are terms that
are used sometimes
indiscriminately, it is customary to
use the first term for a hypothesis,
and the last for a synthetic route
tested experimentally. The
constituents of all plants and
animals are biosynthesized in
organisms through enzymatic
reactions. The most commonly
source of carbon used is the
Agro India
g l u c o s e , w h i c h i s
photosynthesized in green plants
obtained from the environment
heterotrophic organisms.
The relatively recent advances in
biochemistry have greatly clarified
the interplay between
enzymatically catalysed reactions
of the primary metabolites and
biopolymers. These metabolites
lead to secondary metabolites, so
called because it is obvious his role
in the metabolism of many
organisms .
PLANTS AS A BASIS OF SOME
IMPORTANT DRUGS: Higher
plants have been used as a source
of drugs by mankind for several
thousand years. In fact, ancient
man was totally dependent on
green plants for his day-to- day
needs of medicaments. With the
development of modern medicine,
synthetic drugs and antibiotics, the
importance of plants as raw
material for drugs decreased
considerably.
However, plants were used as a
basis of some of the most
important drugs, even in the
modern system of medicine. With
the advancement of synthetic
organic chemistry most of the
active constituents of plants used
in medicine were synthesized. At
one time it was thought that
ultimately all the plant drugs would
16
be obtained from synthetic
sources.
Herbs used as Diuretics:
Medicinal herbs are the significant
source of Diuretics. Mono and
poly-herbal preparations have
been used as diuretics. According
to one estimate, more than 650
mono and poly-herbal
preparations in the form of
decoction, tincture, tablets and
capsules from more than 75 plants
are in clinical use. Some of the
plants are as follows -
Mangifera Indica: Mangifera
Indica is a species of mango in the
Anacardiaceae family.
Mimosa pudica: Mimosa pudica
(Shameplant) also called sensitive
plantbelongs to the family
Fabaceae.
Lepidium sativum: Lepidium
sativum known as garden cress
belongs to the family
Brassicaceae.
Euphorbia thymifolia: Euphorbia
thymifolia (Euphorbiaceae) is a
small branched, pubescent,
prostate annual herb, commonly
known as laghududhika or choti-
dudhi.
Allium sativum: Allium sativum,
commonly known as garlic,
belongs to the family Liliaceae .
CONCLUSION: Medicinal plants
belong to a big plant group with a
great interest due to its
pharmaceutical, cosmetic and
nutritional application. In addition,
they are also an alternative to
traditional crop with species in
high demand at the current
international market. The
botanical characteristics of the
plant which helps in identification
of the plant, Ethno botany which
give traditional use of the plant,
and the reported activities of the
plant. It can be concluded that in
the core of the nature there are so
many plants which possess potent
d i u r e t i c a c t i v i t y. H e r b a l
medications are free from side
effects and toxicity unlike the
allopathic medicines.
JANUARY 2022
 MANAGING NEMATODE
THREAT IN PROTECTED CULTIVATION
R. Umamaheswari and M. S. Rao
ICAR Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru

I
ndustrialization and
urbanization has created a
tremendous pressure on
available cultivable land posing a
massive challenge to the food
and nutritional requirements of
the ever-growing population.
Though India is self-reliant in
food grain production after the
advent of green revolution, the
increasing demand of
horticultural produce has to be
fulfilled to ensure the nutritional
security. This gap can be fulfilled
by adopting advanced
technologies as 'protected
cultivation' which ensures 3 to 5
times more productivity than
open fields and better quality.
Protected cultivation involves the
cultivation of different crops to nematodes. Crops such as vascular tissues, which are
under controlled environmental capsicum, tomato, cucumber, basically mother cells that have
conditions using sound gherkins, melons, carnations and cell wall invaginations to draw
engineering principles which is gerbera grown under protected nutrients from adjacent cells
being done with greenhouse, cultivation are seriously induced by nematodes.
shade net, plastic tunnel, mulch damaged by plant parasitic
etc. that give manifold increase in nematodes. The root knot To contain the nematode
yield per unit area. nematode, Meloidogyne spp. is damage in horticultural crops,
the most destructive pest and farmers resort to indiscriminate
Constantly higher temperature difficult to control in protected use of chemical nematicides
and humidity and use of high cultivation. It spreads from 10 to posing serious hazards to the
agronomic inputs provide ideal 60% of the area because of environment and biotic life. Since
conditions for the introduction mono-culturing and the yield loss the horticultural produce
and rapid multiplication of goes up to 45 60%. especially fruits and vegetables
diseases and pests especially are consumed afresh,
plant parasitic nematodes.In Symptoms due to root knot consumers expect residue-free
India, the monetary losses due to nematode damage produce both for internal and
nematodes in 19 horticultural ! Stunted growth, yellowing of export markets. This brings into
crops were assessed at Rs. foliage, wilting in patch areas focus the importance of
50,224.98 million annually. ! Medium to severe galling on managing the nematode pests
Among the vegetable crops, the roots characteristic with minimal hazard to the
tomato (Rs. 6035.2 million), symptoms ecosystem and ensuring
brinjal (Rs. 3499.12 million) and ! Reduced root growth and absolute safety to human beings.
okra (2480.86 million) suffered reduced yield There is a great need for
comparatively more losses due ! Giant cells are produced in implementation of integrated

Agro India 17 JANUARY 2022


Velvet bean (Mucunapruriensvar. utilis) as rotational crop in polyhouses
nematode management
packages by judicial blend of
management tactics such as
cultural, biological and chemical
strategies in protected
cultivation. The control benefits
comprise reduced susceptibility
to nematodes, improved health
of plants and thereby increased
quantity and quality of produce.
Cultural options:
Crop rotation : Growing velvet
bean (Mucunapruriens var. utilis)
in polyhouse and incorporation of
its residues at 45 90 DAS
significantly reduced the plant
parasitic nematode population in
soil to the extent of 49.1 to 61.9%.
Since velvet bean is well known
for its pharmacological benefits
and as a green manure crop, it is
one of the promising components
for use in polyhouses as a
rotational crop for suppressing
nematode population in soil.
Also, growing marigold
(Tagetesspp.) in polyhouses as
rotational crop significantly
reduces nematode population
s i n c e i t c o n t a i n s
anallelochemical, α -
t e r t h i e n y l t h a t
Agro India
possessesnematicidal
properties (Fig. 3). It is
economically feasible to farmers
as the flowers fetch market value.
Chemical options
! Soil application of Furadan
(Carbofuran 3G) @ 1 kg a.i. per
ha or 33 kg /ha
! Or Apply Nimitz (Fluensulfone
2% G) @ 1 g/plant before
planting
! O r A p p l y Ve l u m p r i m e
(Fluopyram 35%EC) @ 500 ml/
acre upto 15 Days After
Transplanting.
Biopesticide enriched
neem cake suspension
18
Biological control
Step 1. Bed preparation before
planting
! Prepare raised beds after
bringing soil to fine tilth. Add
recommended doses of
fertilizers.
! Incorporate bio-pesticide
enriched FYM or enriched
vermicompost @ 500g/sq.m or
enriched neem cake @
250g/sq.m in top 15-20 cm of
soil in the beds.
Process of Enrichment of
F Y M / n e e m
cake/vermicompost
! One ton of Farm Yard Manure/
neem cake/vermicompost has
to be enriched by mixing with 2
kg each of biopesticides
viz.,Pseudomonasfluorescens
+ Trichoderma harzianum +
Paecilomyceslilacinus. It has to
be covered and maintained at
optimum moisture of 25 - 30%
for a period of 15 -20 days under
shade (Fig. 4).
Step 2: Soil drenching/ drip
application in standing crop:
! Mix 20 kg of bio-pesticide
enriched neem cake / pongamia
cake in 200 lit water, leave it for
two days. This can be used for
drenching at 2 lit/ sq. m (Fig. 5).
! Filter it thoroughly and use it for
sending along the drip, once in
an interval of 30 days.
! Alternatively, liquid formulation
of Arka Plant Growth Enhancer
and Yield Promoter can be
given through drip/
drenching/spraying @ 5ml/ lit.
at regular interval of 30 days.
By adopting all these
technologies in crops grown
under protected conditions,
farmers could reduce the use of
chemical pesticides by 60 70%
and increase the yieldby 20-
30%.
JANUARY 2022
 Types of Straw Balers Systems
Mechanism and its Operation
Dr.P. Vivek and Dr.N.Nisha
Teaching Assistant (Farm Machinery), AEC & RI,
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore.

S
traw is an agricultural by-
product, the dry stalks of
cereal plants, after the
grain and chaff have been
removed. Straw makes up about
half of the yield of cereal crops
such as barley, oats, riceand
wheat. It has many uses,
including fuel, livestock bedding
and fodder, thatching and basket-
making. It is usually gathered and
stored in a straw bale, which is a
bundle of straw tightly bound with
twine or wire. Bales may be
square, rectangular or round,
depending on the type of baler
used.
Baler: A baler is a piece of farm
machinery used to compress a
cut and raked crop (such as hay,
straw, or silage) into compact
bales that are easy to handle,
transport and store. Several
different types of balers are
commonly used, each producing
a different type of bales
rectangular or cylindrical, of
various sizes, bound with twine,
netting, or wire.
Round Baler: The most
frequently used type of baler in
industrialized countries is the
large round baler It produces
cylinder-shaped "round" or
"rolled" bales. Grass is rolled up
inside the baler using rubberized
belts, fixed rollers, or a
combination of the two. When the
bale reaches a predetermined
size, either netting or twine is
wrapped around it to hold its
shape. The back of the baler
swings open, and the bale is
discharged. The bales are
complete at this stage, but they
may also be wrapped in plastic
sheeting by a bale wrapper, either
to keep hay dry when stored
outside or convert damp grass
into silage. Variable-chamber
balers typically produce bales
from 120 to 180 cm in diameter
and up to 150 cm in width. The
bales can weigh anywhere from
500 to 1,000 kg, depending upon
size, material, and moisture
content.
Rectangular Balers: Virtually all
rectangular balers have the
baling chamber oriented in the
direction of travel of the baler. A
windrow pickup unit feeds the
windrow into a cross conveyor
which, in turn, feeds the hay into
the baling chamber. There are
three types of cross conveyors. In
one type, an auger conveys the
hay to a set of packer fingers that
sweep the hay into the bale
chamber. In a second type, linear
moving packer fingers travel the
full width of the pickup in
conveying the hay into the bale
chamber. In the third type,
rotating finger wheels move the
hay laterally to the packer fingers.
The bale chamber is fed from the
side or from below in current
balers. Feeding from the bottom
allows the baler to travel directly
behind the tractor. In all feeder
designs, the packer fingers must
be timed to the movement of the
reciprocating plunger so that the
fingers are out of the bale
chamber except when the
plunger is in a forward position.

Expandable Chamber Round Pick up Baler

Agro India 19 JANUARY 2022

 Operation of Rectangular Baler
As the feeder delivers each
charge of hay, a knife on the edge
of the plunger and a countershear
at the rear edge of the feed
opening shear off the charge of
hay as the plunger moves
rearward. Continued movement
of the plunger compresses the
charge of hay and pushes
previously accumulated
compressed hay through the bale
chamber.
Controlled convergence of the
bale chamber provides
resistance to bale movement and
thus controls bale density. Fixed
wedges and spring-loaded dogs
extend into the bale chamber and
minimize re-expansion of the
Agro India
compressed hay during forward
movement of the plunger. During
compression, a star wheel at the
top of the bale chamber (the
leftmost star wheel) is driven by
the moving bale to trigger the
tying mechanism when a bale of
enoughlength has been formed.
When the plunger reaches its
rearmost position after the tying
mechanism has been triggered,
needles (visible at bottom) move
through slots in the plunger face
to deliver twine or wire to the
knotter. The knotter completes
the knots and the needles retract
as the plunger begins moving
forward.
Operation of Rectangular Baler
Operation of Rectangular Baler
20
! As the crop is lifted by the
pickup, centering augers assist
in feed material to the packer. A
set of packer fingers mounted
on a crankshaft feeds the crop
into the pre-charge chamber. A
set of holding fingers retain the
charge in the pre-chamber until
the density reaches a
predetermined level.
! The holding fingers retract and
the stuffer clutch is tripped. A set
of stuffer forks engage to sweep
the preformed flake into the bale
chamber.
! The plunger sweeps the pre-
formed flake of hay off the
stuffer forks on the compression
stroke and compresses it
forming the bale.
Crop Flow
! As crop enters the pickup,
centering augers smoothly
move it to the center, where it's
collected by the stuffer.
! Crop is moved directly into the
pre-forming chamber, where it
is pre-compressed into a slice
or flake.
! The stuffer moves the pre-
formed flake into the bale
chamber, where the plunger
compresses it into the bale.
Since hay is fed into the bottom
of the chamber, instead of the
side, nutritious leaves are
equally distributed to each side
of the bale.
JANUARY 2022
 TARRAGON
Agro-techniques for cultivation
of under exploited spice
Rani JayadurgaNayak, Dr. Shivaprasad, M. (ADR) and Dr. Ravi, C. S. (Assistant Professor)
College of Horticulture, Mudigere
Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga

I n t r o d u c t i o n : Ta r r a g o n
(Estragon), which is scientifically
called as Artemisia dracunculus
belongs to the family Asteraceae.
The economic part of tarragon is
flowering tops and leaves. It is a
vigorous herbaceous perennial
shrub which is highly cultivated in
Southern Europe (France and
Spain). In India, it is grown in parts
of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and
Kashmir.
Tarragon oil: Tarragon oilis
obtained by steam distillation of
tender leaves and tops for about 1-
1.5 hours. The yield of oil is about
0.3%. It is light yellow to pale
colour having sweet
camphoraceous and strong spicy
odour. The chief constituent
present in the oil is Methyl chavicol
(60-70%). The minor components
in the oil are Alpha-pinene,
ocimene, linalool, myrcene,
phellandrene, eugenol camphene,
sabinene and anethole.
Agro India
Types : There are mainly two
types of tarragon namely, French
tarragon (piquant) and Russian
tarragon. French tarragon
(Artemisia dracunculus, 2n=36) is
mainly cultivated in parts of
Southern France, Netherlands
and USA. The chief constituent
present in oil is Methyl chavicol. It
is propagated through division of
roots. The main character of
French tarragon is having tender,
less vigorous and high quality
f l a v o u r. R u s s i a n t a r r a g o n
(Artemisia dracunculoides, 2n=90)
is mainly cultivated in parts of
Germany and Eastern European
Countries. The chief constituent
present in oil is Elemicin. It is
propagated through seeds. They
are more hardy and vigorous in
nature. They have less flavour
compared to French tarragon. The
other type isPolish tarragon in
Poland which contains elemicin
content in leaf oil.
21
Botany : Tarragon is herbaceous
perennial crop grows up to height
of 75 cm with slender branched
stem. Leaves are smoother,
glossier and darker in appearance,
pungent and aromatic in nature.
Roots are coiled serpentine and
densely branched. Tarragon rarely
produces any flowers (or seeds).
Flowers are produced in small
capitulla which are greenish white
in colour. Some tarragon plants
produce seeds that are generally
sterile.
Uses : Tarragon is one of the four
fines herbs of French cooking. It is
particularly suitable for chicken,
fish, and egg dishes and used in
modern hot and cold soups,
salads, soft candy, sauce and
pickle. Fresh, lightly bruised
springs of tarragon are steeped in
vinegar to produce Tarragon
vinegar. It is the main flavoring
JANUARY 2022
 Tarragon Oil Tarragon vinegar
component of Béarnaise sauce.
The drink, named Tarkhuna, is
made out of sugary tarragon
concentrate and colored bright
green in the countries of Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Georgia, etc.
In Iran, tarragon is used in Persian
style pickles (khiarshoor - pickled
cucumbers) and side dish
(sabzikhordan - fresh herbs). In
Slovenia, tarragon is used in
traditional nut roll sweet cake -
potica. In Hungary a popular kind
of chicken soup is flavored with
tarragon. cis-Pellitorin, an
isobutyramide eliciting a pungent
taste isolated from the tarragon. Its
oil is used in Fragrance industry.
Benefits of tarragon essential
oil: Leaves are stomachic,
stimulant and has febrifuge
property. It helps in improving
appetite. It also improves and
increases blood circulation. It
inhibits the growth of microbes on
skin. It stimulates the secretion of
digestive juice into stomach. It also
stimulates nervous and endocrinal
systems. Eases menstruation and
regulates period cycle in women's.
Agro India
Cultivation : French tarragon
produce sterile seeds, while
Russian tarragon produce viable
seeds. So, the French tarragon is
vegetatively propagated. It is
propagated through division of
roots. Where root segments are
planted in the field during late
winter (February March) by
cutting the root ball into halves
before the new growth emerges.
Traditionally, for home garden
purpose and small scale
commercial production, dividing of
existing plant is used as
propagation method. To keep the
existing plant productive and
healthy, divisions must be taken
from existing plants every 2-4
years once.
For large scale commercial
production, stem tip cuttings are
used as propagation method
which produce large number of
new plants from a few stock plants.
This method is simple, rapid and
inexpensive when compared to
grafting and budding techniques.
The soil with pH of 6.2 is found
preferable for getting better yield of
herb material and essential oil.
22
Tarkhuna
In field, the plants are spaced 30 to
45 cm apart in rows, 75 to 120 cm
apart or 30-45 cm apart in all
directions in intensive beds. It is a
light feeder crop. It does not need
a lot of fertilizers. The best flavour
is achieved when it is planted in
low nutrient soil.
Harvest : Harvest begins when
1/3 of shoot starts growing as
rd
soon as plant have fully expanded
leaves in mid spring. Crop may
harvested twice or thrice during
growing period by cutting the stem
little above the ground level. Plant
should be cut at the beginning of
the flowering stage. Otherwise it
loses some of its aroma and
essential oil. Freshly cut crops are
dried indoor or shade dried to
preserve anise like flavour and
aroma and leaf colour.
A better substitute for French
tarragon is Spanish tarragon
(Tageteslucida), also known as
Mexican mint marigold, Mexican
tarragon, Texas tarragon, or winter
tarragon. It is much more
reminiscent of French tarragon,
with a hint of anise.
JANUARY 2022
 Value added products of
Dr. Sowmya Kumari and Dr. Sachin U. S.
Department of Horticulture, CoA, Shivamogga
KVK, Bramhavara, KSNUAHS, Shivamogga
C
oconut is found throughout
the tropics. It provides almost
all the necessities of life like
food, drink, oil, medicine, fiber,
timber, thatch, mats, fuel and
domestic utensils. For this reason it
has been called the “tree of heaven”
and “tree of life”. The coconut palm
(Cocos nucifera L.) globally
cultivated in around 93 countries
and in India. India is the largest
producer of coconut and the crop is
mainly cultivated in coastal belt of
west and east coast wherein,
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh
and Karnataka are the major
coconut-growing states, accounting
for more than 90% of the area and
production. Coconut farming and
allied activities provide livelihood
security to millions of people in India.
Coconut is used every day of the
year. Value addition of coconut has a
vital role to develop new products for
increasing the income of the people.
Coconut products and by-products
can be commercially exploited for
multiple purposes.
Products from fresh kernel of
matured coconut: The fresh kernel
of ripe coconut constitutes
ingredient in the recipes of diverse
food preparation in the households
as well as in food industries of
different countries. In the household
food preparation, fresh kernel is
used extensively in the grated, paste
or milk from. The fresh kernel is of
low acid nature, meaning extremely
prone to microbial degradation
especially in tropical climate.
Therefore fresh kernel processing
plants require the same level of
hygiene as the dairies for safe and
consistent production. In the fresh
kernel processing industries,
shelling and removal of testa are the
common labour intensive unit
operation.
Agro India
Coconut
Desiccated coconut: Desiccated
coconut is the white kernel of the
coconut, comminuted and
desiccated to a moisture content of
less than 3 per cent. It is white in
colour and a very important
commercial product having demand
all over the world in the
confectionary and in other food
industries, as one of the main
subsidiary ingredients of fillings for
chocolate, candies etc. It is also
used uncooked, as decoration for
cakes, biscuits, ice cream and
toasted for short eats.
Coconut chips: Coconut chips can
be prepared by dehydrating the
intermediate moisture coconut
kernel. Intermediate moisture
coconut kernel is the mature
coconut kernel after removing the
moisture content of the kernel
partially by osmotic dehydration by
using osmotic medium like sugar
syrup. Coconut chips are crispy and
can be packaged and marketed in
laminated aluminum pouches,
which will have shelf life of 6 months.
Since it is in ready-to-eat from, it
could be used as snacks at any time.
Coconut chips with different flavor
can be prepared by adding the
required flavor essence in the
osmotic medium.
24
Coconut milk and related
products: Coconut milk is an
emulsion of coconut oil in water into
which some of the soluble
components of the fresh kernel have
already been passed. It is milk like
liquid obtained from the grating of
the fresh kernel after they are mixed
with some water, kneaded and
pressed out. The milk is pleasant
and sweet with an agreeable flavor.
A comparison of the coconut milk
with cow's milk has shown that
coconut milk is richer in fat, poorer in
protein and sugar content. Apart
from household culinary uses,
coconut milk is utilized as a
substitute for dairy milk as
evaporated and sweet condensed
milk and in the preparation of white
soft cheese, yoghurt and many other
foodstuffs.
Bottled coconut milk : The
processing technology involves
extraction of milk from coconut,
straining the milk in a cheese cloth
into an aluminum kettle with 0.1
percent benzoic acid before placing
the kettle in an autoclave at 1170C
for three minutes with steam
injection. The temperature of the
milk in the pot is then brought down
to 80-850C, by running tap water.
The milk is then homogenized for
JANUARY 2022

about five minutes and bottled at 70-
800C. The final product is as good as
cow's milk and is highly nutritious.
Coconut cream: Coconut cream is
a white, smooth liquid cream with
excellent coconut flavor and 20-30
percent fat, aseptically packed. The
product is easily pourable and ready
for direct serving or to be used in
other food preparation.
Dehydrated coconut milk: This is
produced on a commercial scale in
the Philippines, Malaysia and India.
The fresh coconut milk is blended
with small amount of additives such
as maltodextrin or casein and is
spray dried. The final product is
marketed in laminated foil bags. The
powder is easily dissolved in water
to form a milky white liquid with the
flavor and texture of coconut milk.
Virgin oil: Obviously, coconut oil
has difficulty in competing with other
vegetable oils. However, by altering
the manufacturing process, it is
possible to produce a virgin oil of
high quality with the following added
values viz: retained coconut flavor,
low free fatty acid level, no refining
and maximum natural vitamin E
content. No chemicals are added
and is free from aflatoxin
contamination. In this process,
coconut milk is filtered and
concentrated and then cream is
separated by centrifugation. The
cream is stirred vigorously to get the
Agro India
virgin coconut oil by a process called
phase inversion. The oil thus
obtained is very clear, nutritious and
has got a longer shelf life.
Edible coconut flour: After
extracting the milk, the protein rich
residue is dried and powdered to
obtain a product called coconut flour.
The flour so obtained typically
contains 7-8 per cent protein, 3-5 per
cent moisture and 17 per cent oil. It
can be used as an ingredient in
weight control foods because of its
high fibre content. The protein
contained in the flour is identical to
that contained in the original fresh
kernel. After blanching the residue
has to dry. The dried coconut residue
is passed through a special type of
screw press under a specified
expeller setting to reduce oil content
of the residue. The de-fatted flakes
are dried to reduce its moisture
content to 2.5 to 3.0 per cent.
25
Tender coconut products: Tender
coconut water has a great potential
as a health drink both in Indian and
International market. It has a caloric
value of 17.4 per 100 g of water. Now
technology is available to pack
tender nut water in pouches and it
can be stored safely for 3 months.
Snow ball tender coconut: The
soft tender kernel or solid
endosperm of tender coconut is a
delicious dessert. But the traditional
method of its extraction is difficult,
time consuming. Thus the kernel of
the tender coconut is sometimes
eaten or else thrown away. Coconut
of 8 month maturity is more suitable
for making snow ball tender coconut.
Before scooping out the globular
tender kernel with water, a groove is
made in the shell by using a machine
developed exclusively for this. By
inserting the scooping tool in
between the tender kernel and shell
and then by rotation of the nut, the
snow ball is scooped out from the
shell. It is nutritive and is a drink and
snacks at the same time. Since the
snow ball tender nut can be
individually packed and refrigerated
under hygienic conditions, the shelf-
life of this product is prolonged and
therefore this ready-to-serve
product is found to become popular.
Canning of tender coconut: T h e
tender coconut kernel obtained from
7 to 8 month matured coconut,
usually available in tender coconut
water packaging industries, can be
canned with covering syrup of 30 to
40 degree Brix. For canning, the
pressure processing may be
avoided by adding 0.3 to 0.4 per cent
citric acid in the cover syrup.
Addition of ascorbic acid and
antioxidants will have beneficial
effect.
Products from matured coconut
water: In most of the countries
coconut water is now a waste
product of the coconut industries. As
the nut matures, the composition of
the water especially the sugar
content also undergoes significant
changes. During the early stages of
development, the invert sugars
present in the water increases and
JANUARY 2022
reach a maximum at 220 days. After
this stage sucrose appears in the
water and the concentration of total
sugars falls. Similarly the
concentration of total solids also
declines and subsequently
disappears during germination.
Bottled Coconut water: Bottling of
coconut water for use as a soft drink
is gaining popularity. Coconut water
can be marketed as natural soft
drink if preserved and packed. Non-
carbonated beverage can be
produced from the coconut water of
mature nuts. The process involves
collection of water, upgradation and
pasteurization, filtration and bottling.
Coconut vinegar and nata de coco
are prepared from coconut water
which has got industry demand.
Coconut vinegar : Vinegar can be
produced from mature coconut
water. The mature coconut water is
poured into a wide large plastic
container with clean netted cover to
allow aeration and to prevent
entrance of dirt and foreign objects.
After about 10 days of fermentation
in well ventilated room, the vinegar
can be harvested. To maintain the
quality of the matured vinegar (with
at least 4% acidity), pasteurize it by
heating for 5-10 minutes at 60-65oC,
allow the vinegar to cool before
placing it in clean bottles and then
cover tightly and seal. Vinegar has
extensive use as a preservative in
the pickle industry and flavouring
agent in food processing sector. The
natural vinegar has good export
potential as compared to the
synthetic vinegar.
Copra and coconut oil: The dried
coconut endosperm is called copra.
The copra and the oil it contains are
the principal products of coconut
palm. With oil content of 65-70
percent, copra is the richest source
of fat. The essential requirement of
copra drying is to bring down the
moisture content of the wet fresh
kernel from 45-55 percent to 5-6
percent. There are two types of
copra- edible copra and milling
copra. Edible copra is available in
two forms- ball copra and cup copra.
The cpora is utilized for sweet
Agro India
snacks preparations in households
and as an ingredient in the
processed foods.
Milling copra: The conversion of
fully matured coconuts into copra for
milling purpose is the most common
processing activity in the major
coconut producing countries. Drying
is an important post-harvest
operation in the production of copra
for the extraction of good quality oil.
To obtain good quality white copra,
particularly during rainy season, a
suitable dryer using indirect heating
is essential.
Coconut oil from copra : In most of
the coconut producing countries,
copra crushing has become a
traditional industry. Power driven
rotary mills, expellers and hydraulic
presses are used for crushing on a
commercial scale. The quality of
copra is related to the quality of
coconut oil. Copra is cut into small
chips in a copra cutter. The chips are
fed into steam jacketed kettles and
26
cooked mildly at a temperature of
70 C for 30 minutes. After proper
0
cooking, the cooked material is fed
into the expeller continuously to
extract oil. This oil is filtered by
means of a filter press and stored in
MS tanks. Bulk packaging is done in
tin containers. HDPE containers
and polymeric nylon barrier
pouches are used for small
consumer packing.
Non-food products of coconut:
Many non-food products can also
be prepared from coconut. Among
the non-food products, coir, coconut
pith and shell assume commercial
importance. Other parts of the palm
especially coconut wood and
leaves are recently gaining
attention.
Coir fibre : The coir fibre is
extracted from coconut husk. The
husk of an average coconut weighs
about 0.4 kg of which 30 per cent
constitutes coir fibre and the
balance 70 per cent is pith, outer
skin etc. There are two types of coir
fibre: white fibre and brown fibre.
Coir pith : Coir Pith constitutes as
much as 70 per cent of the husk and
was a waste product of the coir
industry. Accumulation of this waste
in industrial yards caused
environmental pollution and fire
hazard. Coir pith absorbs over eight
times its weight of water and parts
with it slowly. It is also excellent
organic mulch in all kinds of soil.
Now technology is available to
convert pith into compost using
organic culture.
Coconut shell : Coconut shell is
another important commercial
product. The major use is as a fuel.
To a lesser extent, it is used as a raw
material for the manufacture of
hookah shells, various domestic
utensils, curios, fancy items etc.
Major shell products : Shell
charcoal, activated carbon and
shell flour are the main commercial
products obtained from the shell.
Good charcoal is uniformly dark and
produces a metallic sound when
dropped on hard ground. The
JANUARY 2022

charcoal has a high adsorption
capacity for gases and colouring
matter and can therefore, be used as
a refining agent both as a deodorizer
and as a decolouriser. The shell
charcoal also finds way to laundries,
smitheries, etc.
The commercial value of shell
charcoal lies in its use as the primary
raw material for the production of
activated carbon.
Activated carbon: This is
extensively used as agents for
purifying, refining and bleaching of
volatile oils and chemical solution.
They are also in demand as an
adsorbent of gases. Of late, a large
number of plants based entirely on
coconut shell charcoal have come
up in the major coconut growing
countries.
Coconut shell flour: The
pulverized form of shell is known as
'coconut shell flour'. This is
manufactured from shells of fully
matured nuts. Coconut shell flour
gives a smooth and lustrous finish to
moulded articles and also improves
their resistance to moisture and
heat. It is used in plastic industries
Agro India
as a filler material, and in the
manufacture of bakelite and
mosquito coils and agarbathis.
Coconut wood : Coconut wood is
not naturally durable and it should
be properly treated to protect it from
wood destroying organisms like
termites and fungi. The non
pressure method, which involves
brushing, spraying, dipping,
steeping, dip diffusion, double
diffusion and hot and cold bath
appears to be promising. The
preservatives used are either oil
borne liquids such as creosote,
pentachlorophenol and cuprinol or
water borne salts like the standard
chromated copper arsenate (CCA)
under different trade names. The
service life of treated wood is two to
six times more than the untreated
material. Coconut wood is also
found useful in the manufacture of
particle boards.
Inflorescence sap and sap based
products
Inflorescence sap (Neera): The
sap obtained by tapping the
unopened inflorescence/spadix of
the coconut palm is called 'Neera'.
The inflorescence sap is not only
sweet and delicious, but also rich in
27
carbohydrates with sucrose as the
major constituent and also rich in
nutrients. The drink has an
agreeable flavor with high nutritive
value and medicinal properties. The
sap can be processed into sap
juice/drink, syrup, honey, crude
sugar, granulated brown sugar etc.
In Philippines, it is also marketed as
an alcoholic drink (4 6% alcohol) or
as distilled wine (24- 45% alcohol).
Preservation of the collected sap
(Neera): The inflorescence sap
(neera) undergoes fermentation
when exposed to sunlight. It first
undergoes alcoholic and then acetic
acid fermentation through microbial
action. As the sap is highly
perishable due natural yeast
microflora, the harvested sap should
be immediately processed by
pasteurizing for 10 minutes at 65 C
o
in a large caste iron pan. This
prevents the fermentation of the
sap. Such hygienically prepared sap
can be stored up to 3 days without
any change in its quality.
Coconut honey or syrup: Coconut
syrup is obtained by boiling the sap
under moderate to very slow heat
until it becomes sticky. The sticky
liquid is allowed to cool and then
poured into desired container.
Honey can be stored up to one year
in a refrigerator or freezer.
Coconut sugar: The production of
coconut sugar is similar to honey
except for the boiling to further
reduce the water content.
Constantly stir the inflorescence sap
until the liquid thickens at 115oC.
Keep it on the flame until it becomes
granular. Air dry the brown sugar
before packing.
Coconut vinegar: Vinegar can be
produced from inflorescence sap by
fermentation in a well ventilated
room and pasteurization by heating
for 5-10 minutes at 60-65oC. Vinegar
has extensive use as a preservative
in the pickle industry and flavouring
agent in food processing sector.
Thus every part of the palm is
beneficial to mankind and hence it is
described as Kalpa Vriksha.
JANUARY 2022
 FALLACY OF ADOPTING ALLIED
FARM ENTERPRISES IN FARMING SYSTEM
Former Professor, UAS, Bengaluru
F arming system aims to
maximise the output and
income by adopting several
farm enterprises simultaneously
using same resource base. All the
farm resources including land,
water, eco-system, tree cover,
grasses, crops roads, equipment etc
are aimed to be used on sharing
basis to practice many enterprises
on the farm simultaneously so as to
optimise the use of farm resources,
generate more employment and to
attain higher income.
The co-existence of these
enterprises is governed by principle
of interdependence leading more
healthy and sustainable system in
long run. For example, crop
productivity depends on soil health,
which in turn depends on supply of
adequate quantity of manure which
can be strengthened by ideally
practicing the animal rearing
enterprise (like dairying).
Agro India
By MUKUND JOSHI
Many farm based enterprises like
fish rearing, dairying, sheep/ goat
rearing, duck rearing, sericulture,
piggery, vermi- composting have
been popularly suggested as farm
enterprises of farming systems. All
of them can be practiced
independently- but more
sustainable when practiced on a
farm along with crop production.
More effective and cost saving use
of resources, generation of
additional employment, overall
increase in income generation and
year round income (diversity of
income) are motivational
advantages of practicing farming
system.
Large number of success stories of
practicing different combinations
of enterprises and leading to
sustainable and profitable farm
have been reported in farming
circles. Many Government
programmes also promote
adopting of farming system,
29
besides all agricultural universities
in the country recommending the
practice of farming systems in one
way or other ways.
As long as the adoption of farming
system is on limited and individual
scale, they are certainly successful
to generate desired goals. But, mass
adoption of farming system
necessitates large scale
infrastructural modifications
supported by the industry,
Government and other stake
holders. If the infrastructure is
weak, the farmers adopting the
farming systems on mass scale are
bound to suffer very heavily. The
adoption of farming system may
lead to reversal of the desired goals.
For example, in Karnataka around
60 lakh lit of milk is procured daily
through cooperatives and an
estimated 50 lakh Lt is sold &
purchased in informal ways. If five
lakh farming families of Karnataka
JANUARY 2022
adopt dairying as their enterprise as
a part of adopting the farming
systems with 2 cows/ family (in
addition to their existing dairy
cattle), daily extra milk production
will be around 60 lakh Lt ( 2X6 Lit
X 500,000). This means that we
need one more KMF along with all
their cooperatives & infrastructure
to handle additional milk output.
Do we have finance, facility,
manpower and infrastructure to
manage one more KMF to arrange
to procure additional 60 lakh Lit
milk per day? Even if we create
such facility for the benefit of the
farmers, where do we have market
to sell additional milk, especially
when KMF is struggling hard to
cope up with unsold milk daily by
converting the milk into powder
and other milk based sweets
besides selling the bulk milk to out
of state destinations on a limited
scale.
In such a situation, farmers suffer
losses, by adopting the particular
enterprise in absence of proper
procurement, storage and
marketing facilities, especially if
Agro India
the product is perishable. deficiencies of lacking basic
infrastructure and supporting
It is easier to advise the promotion facilities, when it comes to the
of profitable enterprise like question of large scale adoption of
dairying as a component of farming such enterprise.
system. The advice works well and
even make wonders, if the adoption ! Can we manage extra 10
is on limited scale. Neither our million egg production? Where
Government policies and they can be marketed, without
infrastructure nor our marketing slump in the rates?
system support large scale adoption ! Where can we arrange the
of such enterprises. This is not true market or process an extra
with dairying alone. All the broiler production of say 5-8
enterprises suffer such inherent lakh tons?
! Suddenly, if pork production
increases by 1 lakh tons, where
we can market or store?
! Do we have additional re-
reeling centres to handle extra
cocoon production of say 2 lakh
tons?
Our policies have never addressed
to such deficiencies, although
many Government programmes
and university recommendations
seek to promote the farming
systems involving allied
enterprises like fishery, dairying,
piggery, sericulture and poultry.
30 JANUARY 2022
 Integrated Farming System
An Approach to Boost Farm Livelihood in Cold Arid Ladakh
Ms. StanzinLandol, Dr. MS Raghuvanshi and Dr. Anurag Saxena
Regional Research Station, ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Leh, Ladakh- UT 194 201

L
adakh, tucked between
Kashmir and Tibet in the
northern Trans-Himalayan
region. Ladakh is a place of
limited resources with harsh
winter, cold winds and extreme
weather pose numerous
challenges for farmers in this
sparsely populated area. Ladakh
holds 90 per cent of India's cold
arid region and has very short
growing season of 5summer
months. The region experiences
harsh winter (-30 C) for almost 7
°

months. Agriculture season lasts

from May to October and in winter
months there is no agriculture
activity in open field. Ladakh
remains cut off for almost seven
months i.e. from October-May
from rest of the world by surface
transportation. Nearly 70%
population is directly or indirectly
dependent on farming and
livestock rearing. Due to small
land holdings (62% of the
households have less than 1 ha
cultivable land), the local
population subsists on limited
cropping pattern and largely
depends on natural resources for
meeting their basic needs. Farm
families rely essentially more on
subsistence agriculture based on
principal crops like wheat, barley,
mustard, peas, beans and potato
on their stone-built terraces
system. Through adoption of
modern farming practices to
traditional integrated farming
system in cold arid region would
improve the farm profit besides
improving the productivity of
overall farm enterprise through
diversification. During winter
months, the region faces short
supply of food, fresh vegetables
and fodder. Livestock rearing is
backbone of tribal livelihood and
vital for their economy and
nutritional security. However,
acute shortage of green and
nutritive fodder for the most part of
the year due to extremely cold
and arid climate, severely limits
animal productivity as well.
Every house in Ladakh has small
vegetable garden along with
small orchards of apple or apricot
and keep few animals viz., goats,
sheep, cows and Dzo (across
between a yak and a local breed
of cow). Even with such harsh
climatic conditions, agriculture by
almost any measure, is
successful.

In Ladakh, prioritizing crop

sowing is a very amazing
phenomenon when all the
farmers remain on the fields and
women being a main stakeholder
support the agricultural practices
like sowing. Sowing is prioritized
according to altitudinal zonation
with stream flow/ available
moisture regimes. This helps to
tide over the limited growing
period by synchronizing
Agro India 31 JANUARY 2022
Intercropping system at Tsogsti village
harvesting, threshing and storage
before the onset of winter. In this
manner, mutual cooperation
amongst the community and
scarcity of labourers are coped
with effective and efficient crop
management in traditional
farming. The individual farmer is
thus able to attend to his
fragmented land holding which
are spaced over varying altitudes.
Timely availability of seeds is a
major concern in this remote area.
To overcome this problem, the
concept of seed bank is popular
among the local dwellers. The
seed of these genotypes are
produced and sold by local
farmers for meeting the seed
demand. Germplasm of food
crops, acclimatized to West
Himalayan cold deserts, is saved
and conserved year after year.
The seed bank concept helped
the farmers in assured timely
availability of seeds. Traditional
germplasm used in Ladakh are
ne-nak, yang-ma, yang-kar,
sermo, tugzur of barley, buck-suk
of alfalfa, to-chen of small and big
wheat, sner-mar of pea, nyas-
kara of mustard, ta-wo of buck
wheat.
Cereals and pulses occupy 59.2%
and 1.2% of the total cropped
areas in Leh district. Fodder, the
backbone of animal husbandry, is
cultivated on 22.4% of the total
cropped area. Besides facing
several challenges, farmers are
successful in producing much
Agro India
Poultry Farming at Khardong Village
more than what they have been
producing through traditional
cropping in past by adopting crop
diversification. Farmers are also
engaged in vegetable growing,
which is an important economic
activity of this region. But the
region is successfully growing
traditional vegetables as
compared to hybrids. The hybrid
range of vegetable seeds must be
stopped to encourage local
germplasm and their further
multiplications for the future
records and as well as to make
Ladakh totally organic and natural
farming based region for which
the efforts are still progressing.
The Food and Agriculture
Organization in 2008 has
identified Ladakh under The
Globally Important Agricultural
Heritage Systems (GIAHS) which
are the agro ecosystems
inhabited by communities that live
in an intricate relationship with
their territory. And Ladakh region
is most suited to variety of
vegetable species as staple crops
32
Sheep & Goat Farming at Leh
largely depend upon the method
of cultivation.
Diversifying the agricultural
e n t e r p r i s e s l i k e
d a i r y, p o u l t r y, f i s h e r y a n d
horticulture suited to agro-climatic
conditions and socio-economic
status of Ladakhifarmers could
bring prosperity to farmers
besides nutritional and livelihood
security. Different model like fish-
cum-Poultry,and fish-cum-Dairy
farming developed for economic
viability. The Cold water fish
farming and poultrysystem works
well in Ladakh.Farm Yard and
poultry manure are used as
source of nutrientsfor organic
production of crops and
vegetables. Some of the suitable
enterprisesfor cold arid regions
besides crops and agroforestry
are:
! Poultry-cum-Fish farming
! Fish-cum-Duck Farming
! Fish -cum-Dairy farming
JANUARY 2022
 Good crop of barley, potato and onion at farmers' field
! Goat/Sheep-cum-Dairy farming
Line sowing of field crops,
introduced in Ladakh, showing
better results than traditional
sowing method (broadcasting).
Farming community now
understood the benefits of line
sowing and optimum seed rate.
Farmers have adopted line
sowing and they are using
optimum seed rate for sowing.
This practice improved grain
production by 1.5 times besides
saving of seeds. Weed
management, another
intervention, demonstrated yield
increase by >50% in staple crops
(onion and potato). Orchard
sanitation in Nimoo and Basgo
villages improved the Apricot yield
by 40%.
Low tunnel technology becomes
very popular in this region.
Improved seeds of vegetables
helped the farmers in cultivation
and harvesting of good quality
Improved apple and apricot crop
Agro India
vegetables and fetched higher
price. The farmers/nomads taking
good quality pashmina wool with
animal shelters due to better air
circulation besides saving of their
livestock from wild animals.
Poultry chicks are doing wonders
in villages by selling organic eggs
at higher price which has opened
a new avenue for their livelihood
besides nutritional security. The
local dwellers have access to
protein diet through poultry eggs.
Small agriculture tools helped the
farmers in reducing the drudgery.
The underground vegetable
cellars help a lot in storing the food
supplies for the winters. The
interventions made in the villages
improved the crop, vegetables
and fruit production besides
reduction in drudgery. The
initiatives like poultry production
has opened new dimensions in
livelihood option of the local
dwellers.
33
Drying of vegetables and fruits is
a major activity for Ladakh
dwellers for their survival. Solar
drying of vegetable and fruits
(apricot/apple) has added the
value to their products. Better
quality apricot and other
vegetables besides reducing the
drying time is made possible with
solar drying gadgets.
Diversification in present
cropping system provide
sustainable livelihood and
environment security while
maintaining present standard of
living in Ladakh. Keeping suitable
tree species as well as
agricultural crops in mind, the
system should be modified into an
integrated Farming system.
Combinations of agriculture,
horticulture, silviculture and
livestock will help to increase
productivity of available land
resources without undermining
ecology and environment
sanctity. Increasing productivity
would generate new avenues of
employment generation
particularly through integration of
Poultry farming, Fish farming,
Dairy farming and Goat farming in
the system. Through the
conversion and adoption to
modern farming practices as an
integrated farming system the
problem of food security, boost
farming income through multiple
enterprises and global warming
mitigation should definitely be
solved.
JANUARY 2022
 Animal Feed industry in 2021
5 trends shaping the global scenerio
after the impact of Covid-19
Editor in Chief of WATT Feed brands and Feed Strategy magazine
A
t the beginning of 2020, no
one could have predicted the
unexpected challenges and
uncertainty the year would bear.
Now, moving into 2021, several of
the prevailing issues will carry over to
shape global feed production.
In Feed Strategy's 2021 Feed
Industry Outlook report, economists
and feed industry stakeholders
weigh in on the trends and topics to
keep an eye on over the next 12
months.
Rising feed costs: For many years,
the U.S. poultry and livestock
industries have benefitted from
relatively low grain costs compared
to the drought-induced high prices of
2012. However, in 2021, corn and
soybean meal prices are set to spike
in the first quarter of the year.
Despite tracking as the second-
largest harvest ever, the total 2020
U.S. corn and soybean yield has
been impacted by crop losses in
Iowa, a key grain-producing state,
caused by the August derecho and
reduced soybean planting.
FarmEcon LLC president Thomas
Elam predicts corn and soybean
meal prices will increase by about
10% in 2021.
Meanwhile, U.S. soybean exports to
China jumped significantly in 2020
as Brazilian supplies waned, a trend
expected to continue as the world's
largest pork producer restocks its
herd and poultry production remains
strong. U.S. grain futures of
$4.25/bushel of corn and $375/ton
soybean meal prices as Chinese
demand for feed grows as it rebuilds
it hog herd,” reports Will Sawyer,
lead economist animal protein,
CoBank. Mark Jordan, executive
director of LEAP Market Analytics,
Agro India
Jackie Roembke
feels there should be enough of a
supply buffer and uncertainty on the
demand-side to limit the risk of the
prices rising much further.
The price pinch is probably going to
come in the January-February-
March period when China transitions
from receiving all of their soybeans
from the United States to
transitioning back to South American
soybeans. Hughes suggests China
may also begin buying U.S. dried
distiller's grain with solubles
(DDGS), which adds “another bullish
element because that's going to take
DDGS out of the U.S. feed rations
and will help keep the U.S. soybean
crush at reasonably high levels.”
Effects of the COVID-19
pandemic: There are two ways the
COVID-19 pandemic will continue to
impact the global feed industry:
employee safety and animal protein
demand.
! Even though the animal feed
industry has proven to be quite
resilient in the COVID-19 crisis
when compared to other
economic sectors, the current
34
pandemic and risk of other
pandemic outbreaks will continue
to affect the animal feed industry in
2021.
! Throughout the value chain, feed
industry stakeholders must
implement procedures, training
and equipment to protect
employees and prevent the
spread of the virus, and to
maintain their production and
service levels.
! There are no hard and fast
solutions to getting through the
problems that persist, but
companies can be prepared by
thoroughly communicating action
plans to workers and being as
flexible as possible in addressing
their concerns and protecting their
well-being and safety.
! Down the value chain, much like in
the early weeks of the outbreak,
processing disruptions in packing
plants will continue to drive price
levels and earning potential in
markets.
! There is definitely the potential for
supply chain disruptions because
of a resurgence in COVID-19
infections that appears to be
happening right now, at least
JANUARY 2022
 throughout the Northern
Hemisphere.
! Dave Taylor, Borregaard's
Americas area business manager
for feed, cites COVID-19's “wild
card factor” since global
economies lack the experience to
make predictions and the human
reaction to the virus, i.e., resisting
protective measures, has become
somewhat unpredictable.
! The impact this has on the feed
industry is difficult to predict.
Although the feed industry has not
been hit nearly as hard as some
other industries, there have been
impacts as consumer behavior is
shaped by the pandemic. As
producers struggle to anticipate
trends, so too will the feed industry
struggle to keep producers
adequately supplied.
! Given the uncertainty, Jordan
suggests the agri-food industry
display caution in investments and
flexibility in their response as
challenges arise.
! It's probably wise to remember
that now isn't the time to sink huge
chunks of capital into bold new
projects and initiatives that might
be innovative, but could take years
to pay off.
! Getting through the next couple of
years hopefully to a post-COVID
world feels more like a simple
matter of survival. Companies
should keep their powder dry to
get through some of the
challenges that remain for the year
or more ahead.
African swine fever (ASF) shapes
export, protein markets
! After the devastation ASF has
wreaked on the Chinese swine
sector since August 2018, the
country is now rapidly restocking
its hog herd, confident it can
manage the virus due largely in
part to its major investments in
modern, commercial swine
operations, with its sights set on a
self-sufficient pork supply.
! For now, the countries exporting
pork and other animal proteins to
China to offset the demand ASF
created have profited. However,
in the next three to five years, this
will likely not be the case.
Agro India
According to an October 2020
Rabobank report, China could
return to 95% self-sufficiency in
pork production by 2025. In the
near term, it estimates 2021
Chinese pork production will
increase by 10% over 2020
volumes, which is expected to
result in a 20 to 30% drop in
imports.
! To put this in perspective, a drop
of this magnitude equals about
10% of global pork trade or more
than is imported by all but the top
two importers,” the report said.
“With five countries responsible
for 85% of total pork imports
annually, it may be increasingly
difficult to redistribute the pork no
longer needed by China.
! Sawyer notes that this shift risks
an oversupply of U.S. pork if
exports to other markets,
primarily in Asia and Latin
America, are unable to absorb it.
! Meanwhile, ASF continues to
spread through Europe, with
numerous incidents of the virus
being found in wild boars in
Germany, which threatens
Europe's top pork producer.
! Where China is on the road to
recovery, concerns in Europe
Germany and Poland are
increasing. The impact on feed
volumes and pork pricing varies
strongly per country and 2021 will
35
see markets on the winning and
losing side. Without effective
vaccinations available globally,
animal disease outbreaks will
disrupt supply chains.
Market volatility
! The lingering and substantial
effects of both the COVID-19 and
ASF viruses will continue to spur
volatility in the agri-food sector.
! [Volatility] will result in shifts in
volumes between markets and
varying price and profitability
levels of producers, which in turn
will affect the demand for feed
and feed additives.
! The feed industry's greatest
challenges will be protecting their
margins against commodity price
volatility, whether driven by the
supply of feed ingredients or
demand for finished products,
explains Jeff Hernandez, U.S.
Bank corporate banking
relationship manager, food &
beverage.
! Producers hedge risk by utilizing
a variety of risk management
tools, including pairing purchase
and sales contracts, and utilizing
commodity hedging strategies to
limit commodity price risk.
! Continuos volatility of demand
has climbed to unheard-of levels
in 2020 due to COVID-19 not only
domestically but internationally,”
JANUARY 2022

Sawyer says. “This has driven
very clear and significant winners
and losers both regionally and by
species and necessitates
increased customer
diversification by producers.
! Visser suspects this will also drive
further industry consolidation
across the supply and demand
side of the animal feed industry.
Consumer demands and
preferences
! Accelerating an existing trend,
COVID-19 has sparked increased
consumer interest in the food
supply chain.
! Taylor feels consumers have a
growing desire for transparency in
where their food comes from and
how their meat, milk and eggs are
produced, which he believes has
been heightened by the
pandemic.
! In turn, this will lead to increased
demands on sustainable
production, animal welfare and
vegetarian or antibiotic-free
animal diets.
! Feed producers should not wait to
act until government regulations
are imposed, but make sure they
are ready to adjust their supply
chain to meet market demands.
! The feed industry must find ways
to maximize nutrition and
efficiency while providing an
ingredient list that is appealing to
consumers.
Agro India
! Feed industry stakeholders
should also watch consumer
protein consumption trends,
particularly related to animal
protein alternatives gaining
m a r k e t s h a r e . Yo u n g e r
consumers, for example, are
more apt to consume meat
alternatives, not for ideological or
health reasons, but simply
because they view plant-based
meat alternatives as another
centerplate protein option.
! We see 'fake meats' making
significant progress with regard to
scaling and cost efficiency will
allow it to make further inroads
into marketing channels
historically dominated by
traditional meat and poultry
products.
! Visser asserts that though
vegetarian, flexitarian and vegan
diets are becoming more popular
with certain demographics, on a
global scale, animal protein
consumption will continue to grow
in 2021.
Top challenges nutritionists will
face in 2021: Hamlet Protein CEO
Erik Visser identified four additional
feed industry trends set to influence
2021 feed production and offers tips
for planning ahead.
Reduced antibiotics usage driven
by government and consumers:
How to prepare: No single product
36
can replace antibiotics, so a multi-
faceted approach is required. Ample
research on the use of alternatives is
available, i.e., the experience
European nutritionists have
formulating antibiotic-free diets
.
Solution: Optimize nutrition and
vaccination programs coupled with
good farm management and
biosecurity measures
EU Zinc Oxide (ZnO) restrictions
effective 2022
How to prepare: Review possible
adjustments of management
practices and nutritional
modification of diets and test
different diet compositions.
Solution: Lower protein levels and
reduction of the buffer effect of the
diets, use of feed additives that
stimulate gut health or reduce
pathogen pressure, e.g., organic
acids or fiber.
Cost control with shifting
ingredient prices & demands on
diet composition
How to prepare: Feed
manufacturers and nutritionists will
ultimately be concerned with
ingredients and finished feed costs;
therefore, increasing their focus on
the sourcing of raw materials.
Develop precision feeding
strategies; secure availability and
quality of ingredients.
Solution: Increases in reliable,
high-quality feed additives and
ingredients will help alleviate any
animal-related issues.
Maximizing livestock's genetic
potential
How to prepare: Nutrient supply in
early life determines the utilization of
the genetic potential during an
animal's productive life. On-farm
performance-trials, coupled with
expert advice, can provide
producers with insights on
improvement opportunities.
Solution: Invest in designing
feeding practices and diet
composition with a focus on young
animal nutrition.
JANUARY 2022
 Switching from Paddy to Jasmine cultivation
A study on improving the Farmer’s Livelihood
in KRP Dam catchment in Tamilnadu
R. Srinivasan, D. Kalaivananand Rajendra Hegde
ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Regional Centre, Bangalore
ICAR - Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hesaraghatta Lake Post, Bengaluru

T
he development of irrigated
agriculture is important for
fulfilling the rising food grain
requirements to the increasing
national population. Reservoirs
are the important sources for
irrigation for agricultural
production and livelihood for a
larger community. Increasing
population, industrialization,
urbanization and modernization of
agricultural practices together
contributed towards the
deterioration of soil and water
quality. Subsequently, the quality
of reservoir water is affected
mainly by salt enrichment and
eutrophication. Irrigation has
always been the motive behind this ensures that cultural change, high establishment cost
construction of any dam. Recently, operations are completed and pest and diseases are the
concerns have grown on successfully. major constraints/limitations in
overexploitation of natural cultivation of jasmine flower.
resources leading to poor Jasmine flower cultivation is highly Whereas, price fluctuation,
agricultural productivity with its popular and profitable in transportation, commission
negative environmental impacts. TamilNadu. Jasmine occupies charges among traders are the
more than two-fifths of the total other constraints being faced by
Krishnagiri Dam is also known as flower area in the state. Three the jasmine growers while
Krishnagiri Reservoir Project varieties of Jasmine flowers are marketing flowers. Even with this
(KRP) Dam, which is built across being cultivated in TamilNadu such much problems, farmers are very
Then pennai river fall in as Jasminum grandiflorum and keen in cultivation of jasmine due
Dhuduganahalli village, Jasminum Sambac and Jasminum to more profit and improvement in
Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu. auriculatum. The Jasminum their livelihood.
The KRP Dam Project was grandiflorum is being exported for
proposed in the first five-year plan oil extraction in countries like Current land use system: In
and began operational from 1958 Morocco, Spain, Italy and France KRP dam catchment, paddy is the
(dam is now 60 years old) and it whereas the remaining two main crop, which is presently
has a distribution structure with an varieties of Jasmine are mainly cultivated as triple, double and
initial capacity of 68.2×10 m . The
6 3
used for ornamentation and single crop and some parts of land
reservoir has two main canals, one decoration. Jasminum sambac are under coconut cultivation.
on the left side, another one on the (Gundumalli) is prominent in KRP Before construction of the dam,
right side almost parallel to the dam catchment. Cultivation of major lands were under betel vine
Ponnaiyar River. There are 16 jasmine gives enhanced returns to cultivation, which were converted
villages that directly benefit from the farmers and generates to paddy and coconut after the
this reservoir for irrigation and employment opportunities construction of dam.
other purposes. There is water especially for small and marginal
supply from the reservoir for a farmers and women work force. Reasons for shifting from
period of 10 months in a year, and Non-availability of labours, climate Paddy to Jasmine cultivation:
Agro India 37 JANUARY 2022
In KRP dam catchment, excess
availability of water is favoring
paddy cultivation. Along with
paddy other crops viz.,coconut,
mango, ragi and jasmine are
cultivated. Paddy is a prime crop,
which is supporting the livelihood
of the peoples and occupied
maximum area. But recent times
farmers are converting to jasmine,
which is in high market demand
and getting regular incomes. KRP
dam catchment is coming in
Kaveripattinam block, Krishnagiri
district, its connecting NH 48 to
Bangalore, its favors transport and
getting high price. Generally,
granite-based soil formation like
red soils is supporting vegetable
and floriculture farming. These
criteria favours shifting paddy-
basedland use system to jasmine.
Why and how raised bed is
prepared for growing Jasmine
! Excess wet condition may not be
suitable for jasmine cultivation;
therefore, farmers are raising
bed to 3-4 feet height from
ground for the jasmine
cultivation.
! In the first step, soils are
collected from adjoining area,
lower portion of hills or foothills.
! Tractor is used for soil transport;
each truck load soil cost varies
from Rs. 750 to 1000 depending
upon the distances.
! In the second step, stone wall is
Table 1. Cost of jasmine bed construction (16 cents of the area)
S l. No O p e r at io n s
1 10 0 tr a ct or l oa ds o f s oil ( R s. 85 0/ lo ad )
2 S id e w a ll m a k ing a r ou nd the f iel d
3 S e e dlin g - 4 0 b un ch e s ( 10 0 pla n ts/ bu nc h e s)
4 B a sa l a pp lic a tion of 5 tra c to r lo a ds o f F a r m Y a rd
M a nur e (e a c h R s. 1 50 0)
5 D igg ing 5 0 P it f or pla n ting
6 M a nur in g a ft er pla n ting
7 W e e di ng
Agro India
constructed after cutting field in
the upper portion/side of jasmine
bed.
! After filling and leveling the soil,
Jasmine seedlings are being
planted.
! Manuring and weeding needs to
be followed monthly once upto
complete establishment.
! Initial raised bed preparation
requires more cost but regular
incomes are assured through
sale of jasmine flowers.
Marketing cost of jasmine
flower: In the marketing of
flowers, the farmers are mainly
routed through the commission
agents in the Bangalore market. In
case of jasmine flower, the farmers
organize themselves as a small
group and send the flower to the
market through the common
vehicle. They share the marketing
cost based on their quantity of the
flower marketed. The payment is
C o st (R s)
T o tal
38
made to the farmer once in fifteen
days. The marketing of jasmine
flowers shares major cost to flower
production. Because of regular
revenues from jasmine cultivation,
farmers are liking and income is
found to be better than paddy,
therefore farmers are adopting
jasmine cultivation and avoiding
paddy.
Returns from jasmine
cultivation: Total cost of
cultivation of jasmine was worked
out (16 cents/ year) to be around
Rs. 50,000 to 65,000and returns
around Rs. 1,00,000 to 1, 20,000/-
. Almost doubling of the farmers
income, whereas, if farmers are
cultivating paddy twice in year,
returns around Rs. 5000 to
12000/-. The average net return of
jasmine cultivation 10 folds higher
than paddy, therefore farmers are
willing to adopt jasmine
cultivation.
Conclusions: There has been an
impressive increase in jasmine
cultivation area in KRP dam
85 00 0 catchment due to marketing
32 00 0
facility and soil and site suitability.
The cultivation of jasmine flower
12 00 0 generated enhanced returns to
the farmers and good employment
7 50 0
opportunities for small and
marginal farmers as well as
2 00 0 agricultural laborers compared to
paddy cultivation. The livelihood of
2 50 0
jasmine farmers better than
1 00 0 paddy, therefore other farmers are
forced to convert their land to
1 42 00 0
jasmine cultivation.
JANUARY 2022
 Curry Leaf Production
A boon to farmers in Tropical areas of
South India in cultivation of Medicinal & Spice Crop
Dr. G. Chandra Mohan Reddy, S. Raghuveer
Department of Spices, Plantation, Medicinal and Aromatic crops,
College of horticulture, Anantharajupeta, Dr YSR Kadapa, Dr YSR Horticultural University, AP

C
urry Leaf is the integral part of
most of the South Indian
Dishes and most of the Indian
dishes as a Spice and for its
medicinal properties. Curry leaf
plays an important role as a
condiment in the culinary preparation
of South Indian dishes. Curry leaf is
an important perennial tree
vegetable. Its leaves are used mainly
to improve the taste and flavour of
foods. Leaves are slightly pungent
and retain their flavour even after
drying. Ground curry leaf with mature
coconut kernel and spices forms an
excellent preserve. Curry leaves, an
inevitable part of spicing up dishes
are not a part of mere garnishing.

They are rich in medicinal,

nutraceutical properties and have
even cosmetic uses. But from the
age old days it is customary to pick
up curry leaves from dishes and
throw it out first before even tasting it.
Mustard seeds sizzling in hot
oil...into it go chopped onion/garlic
and curry leaf..... No curry in South
India is complete without this step.
Indian cuisine experts, especially in
South India made it a habit to include
curry leaves in our daily diet. More
than adding to the multi-hued look
and spicy taste, there was definitely
some other reason why the wise
Indian ladies included curry leaf a
necessary ingredient in all our
dishes. Though it is customary to
remove these deep green leaves
from dishes we are truly unaware of
its health benefits.
In this article we are exploring curry
leaf health benefits besides the taste
in our daily life. The botanical name
of the curry leaf is Murrya koenigii
Spreng. It belongs to the family
Rutaceae. It grows wild in the
foothills and plains of the Himalayas
from Kumaon hills (Present in
Uttarakhand) to Sikkim. In south
India, especially in Andhra Pradesh,
Agro India
Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka,
at least one curry leaf plant is found in
each homestead. Recently it has
gained importance as a commercial
crop. It is cultivated commercially in
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It is also
cultivated in West Bengal, Assam
and Deccan Plateau.
Botany: A small spreading shrub, it
can be grows upto a height of 2.5
metres high, the main stem, dark
green to brownish, with numerous
greyish or white dots on it, its bark
can be peeled off longitudinally,
exposing the white wood
underneath. The girth of the main
stem is 16 cm. Leaves, exstipulate,
bipinnately compound, 30 cm long,
each bearing 24 leaflets, having
reticulate venation; leaflets,
lanceolate, 4.9 cm long, 1.8 cm
broad, having 0.5-cm-long petiole.
Flowers, bisexual, white, funnel-
shaped, sweetly scented, stalked,
complete, ebracteate, regular,
actinomorphic, pentamerous,
hypogynous, the average diameter
of a fully opened flower being 1.12
cm. Inflorescence is terminal cyme,
each bearing 60 to 90 flowers. calyx,
5-lobed, persistent, inferior, green;
39
corolla, white, polypetalous, inferior,
with 5 petals, lanceolate; length, 5
mm; androecium, polyandrous,
inferior, with 10 stamens, dorsifixed,
arranged into circles of five each;
smaller stamens, 4 mm. long
whereas the longer ones, 5 to 6 mm;
gynoecium, 5 to 6 mm long; stigma,
bright, sticky; style, short; ovary,
superior. Fruits, round to oblong, 1.4
to 1.6 cm long, 1 to 1.2 cm in
diameter; weight, 880 mg; volume,
895 microlitres, fully ripe fruits, black
with a very shining surface; pulp,
Wistaria blue 640/2; the number of
fruits per cluster varying from 32 to
80. Seed, one in each fruit, 11 mm
long, 8 mm in diameter, colour
spinach green 0960/3; weight, 445
mg; volume, 460 microlitres.
Climate and soil : Curry leaf can be
cultivated in a wide range of soils.
Red sandy loam soil is ideal for its
cultivation. It can tolerate
temperature up to 37°C. But below
16°C, its growth is affected.
Varieties
DWD-1 and DWD-2 (Suhasini):
were developed and released by
university of Agricultural Sciences
JANUARY 2022
(uAS), Dharwad. Basically, these
two varieties were developed by
clonal selections from the
germplasm collected from Western
Ghats. Both have good aroma and
suitable for fresh leaves. The oil
content reported to be 5.22% and
4.09% in DWD-1 and Suhasini,
respectively. DWD-1 is cold
sensitive and shows poor growth in
winter season. Whereas, Suhasini
is insensitive to low temperature
and thus produces higher yield than
DWD-1.
Senkaampu: Senkaampu is such
local landraces or farmers' variety
are being popularly grown in
many parts of Tamil Nadu. it has
pigmented petiole, shiny and
leathery leaves with good
fragrance and it has huge local
demand for fresh leaves.
Propagation : Curry leaf is mainly
propagated through seeds. For
raising seedlings, well-ripe fruits are
collected from high-yielding plants.
The seeds are sown either in nursery
or polybags filled with a mixture of
1:1:1 sand, soil and farmyard
manure. Seeds germinate in 3
weeks. One-year-old seedlings are
planted in the main field. It can also
be propagated by root suckers.
There are a number of root suckers
near its plants. They are separated
from the main plant during rainy
season and planted immediately in
the main field.
By means of Tissue Culture Nodal
cuttings from mature curry leaf plants
cultured in Woody plant basal
medium (WPM) supplemented with
4.4 μM benzyladenine (BA) and 4.65
μM kinetin produced 1230 multiple
shoots per node by the eighth week
of inoculation. The shoots easily
rooted in vitro in woody plant medium
contained naphthalene acetic acid
1.35 μM NAA. Ninety percent of the
plants survived transfer to a
hardening chamber and were
transferred to the field after three
months. In vitro-developed shoots
were also rooted ex vitro by dipping
in 2.46 μM indole-3-butyric acid for
one minute. They were transplanted
to sand in a hardening chamber with
7080% relative humidity and a
temperature of 28±2 °C. Eighty to
Agro India
ninety percent of the ex vitro-rooted
plants survived and were transferred
to the field after 3 months.
Planting : Planting in the main field is
done during the monsoon season.
The main field is ploughed
thoroughly. Pits of 30cm × 30cm size
are dug at a spacing of 4m × 4m.
Farmyard manure @ 10kg/pit is
applied.
Manuring and fertilization: Usually
curry leaf plant is not given inorganic
fertilizers. But for higher yields, its
plant may be given 10 kg farmyard
manure and NPK @ 60:80:40g
/plant/year. The fertilizers may be
applied at the onset of the monsoon.
Aftercare : The pit should be
irrigated if there is no rain. The plant
should be irrigated at 3-day intervals,
if there are no rains. The field should
be kept weed free. The plants should
be trained and pruned to maintain a
height of 1m. Their terminal buds are
removed to encourage lateral
branching. A minimum of 56
branches are kept per plant.
Harvesting and Post-harvest
management : Curry leaves are
picked 15 months after planting.
Commercial harvest can be started
from 3 year old plants. With good
management, normal yield can be
obtained up to the age of 2025 years.
The leaves can be harvested at two
and a half to three months intervals.
At the end of first year 250-400 kg
40
of leaves/ha can be harvested.
In II year : Once in 4 months
every time 1800 kg/ha which would
work out to 5400 kg/ha/year.
III year : Yield 5400 kg/ha
IV year : 2500 kg/ha once in
3 months which would work out to
10,000 kg/ha/year
V year onwards : 5000 kg/ha once
in 3 months which work out to 20,000
kg/ha/year.
Important Pest and Diseases:
Citrus butterfly
Biology:
Eggs: Yellowish white, round,
smooth eggs are laid singly on
tender leaves and shoots by P.
demoleus. Egg hatches in about 3 8
days.
Larva: Freshly hatched caterpillars
are dark brown and soon develop
irregular white markings
on their body resembling bird's drop.
The caterpillars feed voraciously on
tender leaves right up
to the mid ribs and defoliate the
entire seedlings or the tree leaving
behind the only midribs.
Adults: Papilio demoleus is a big
beautiful butterfly with yellow and
black markings on all the four wings,
having wing expanse of about 50-60
mm. Its hind wings have a brick red
oval patch near the anal margin and
there is no tail like extension behind
though common in Papilionidae.
Papilio polytes males are black and
females vary in form. Papilio helenus
has black wings with three white
distal spots.
Citrus psylla / psyllid:
Biology:
Nymphs: Its nymphs are yellow,
orange or brown with flattened
bodies. They are hard to see,
since they're only 1/100 to 1/14 inch
long. The nymphs also secrete a
sticky substance called
honeydew that attracts sooty mold.
Adults: Citrus psyllid is a tiny,
mottled-brown, winged insect that
damages curry leaf plants when it
sucks sap out of young leaves. This
psyllid grows to be between 1/16 and
1/8 inch long with red eyes and short
antennae.
JANUARY 2022