Q1. Write concepts of Organic Farming. Explain Components & Scope of Organic Farming.

Concept
Organic Farming : 1) Farmer recycle of waste and manure within a farm but the export of the product
from the term result in a balanced drain of nutrient. 2) Control of insect paste with disease in achieved
luxury by the development of ecological balance within the system of by the use of bio pesticides and
various cultural technique d point. 3) It safeguards/ improves quality of resources, environment and it
is labour intensive and provides an opportunity to increase rural employment and achieve. long-terni
improvements. 4) Organic production systems are largely based on specific standards precisely
formulated for food production and aim at achieving agro-ecosystem, which are socially and
economically sustainable. SCOPE OF ORGANIC FARMING : In the post independence era, India had to
face set of challenges. The biggest challenge was feeding the million mouths. Green revolution has
been greatest success story of free India. Green revolution brought spectacular increase in production
and productivity in the country. But after initial success, situation today has changed and in the quest
of short term gains without due consideration of long term sustainability, our resources particularly
soil, water and environment have all now overstrained, and are getting increasingly deteriorated. The
indiscriminate use of fertilizers and plant protection chemicals to increase the yield potential and to
save the crops from insect pests and disease respectively, no doubt increased our total food grain
production, but has also created a number of health hazards and deteriorated the agro-ecosystem
badly. .This situation compelled us to switch over to organic farming.

Q2. Principle of organic farming : 1. Crop and soil management 2. Nutrient Management 3. Plant
protection 4. Soil and water conservation. Explain 1. Crop and soil management: Organic farming
encourage crop rotation and use of organic manures including green manuring for increasing soil
organic matter and hummus leading to improvement in soil water retention, ion exchange, soil
conservation and animal life in the soil. 2. Nutrient Management: Composting of all organic wastes, in
general and FYM in particular is iportant in organic farming Organic matter produced on the farm
should form the basis of the manurial programme. All the organic matter produced on the farm should
be returned to the soil to maintain adequate humus content on along term basis. Biofertilizers should
be regarded as supplementary and not replacement for nutrient cycling. 3. Plant protection: Primary
strategy in controlling pests, diseases and weeds is prevention. Healthy soils due to organic farming
produce healthy plants, which are better able to resist insect pests and diseases. Organic farmers also
relay on diverse population of soil organisms, insecis, birds and other viganisms to keep the problems
in check. Weeds are controlled through tillage and intercultivation and through cover crops, mulches,
crop rotation and manual weeding. 4. Soil and water conservation: Only running water can erode the
soil. The velocity of running water can be minimized by through counter cultivation, counter trenching,
terracing, gully plugging, grassed waterways etc depending on slope and other farming practices.
Watershed management programmes play key role in organic farming.

Q3. Explain in brief the methods of recycling the organic residues.recycling the organic residue in the
soil : 1. In-situ manuring. 2. Ex-situ manuring. 3. Biological manuring. 1. In-situ manuring :- In this
method the manure is provided by animal or plant sources at site. 2. Ex-situ manuring :- The organic
matter and plant nutrients taken out in terms of biological yield need to be returned to the soil for
sustaining the soil fertility. Incorporation of decomposed plant and animal wastes are the major
source for this type of manuring. 3. Biological manuring :- Several types of fauna and flora which
either help in mobilizing organic matter and nutrient or act as nutrient provider from other sources
e.g. Nitrogen fixing microbes.
Q4. Define Green manuring. Explain types of Green manuring with suitable examples. Green
manuring : Green manuring can be defined as practice of ploughing or turning into the soil
undecomposed green plant tissues for the purpose of improving physical structure as well as fertility
of soil. Types of green manuring There are two types of green manuring : 1)Green manuring in-sit: The
most common green manure crops grown under this system are sunhemp (Crotalaria juncea),
dhanicha (Sesbania aculeata), Sesbania rostrata and gaur (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba). In this system,
green manure crops are grown and buried in the same field, which is to be green manured, either as a
pure crop or as an intercrop with the main crop. 2)Green-leaf manuring : Green-leaf manuring refers to
turning into the soil green leaves and tender green twigs collected from shrubs and trees grown on
bunds, wastelands and nearby forest areas. The common

Q5. Define Organic Farming & Write advantages and Disadvantages of Organic Farming. Organic
farming is a production system that integrates site specific cultural, biological and mechanical practices
designed to foster the cycling of resources, ecological balance and biodiversity. ADVANTAGES 1.It helps
in maintaining environmental health and reduces pollution. 2.It helps in maintaining biodiversity.
3.Ensure optimum utilization of resources for short term benefits and conserve them for future
generation. 4.It improves soil’s physical properties such as granulation and goodb tilth. 5.It improves
the soil chemical properties such as supply and retention of soil nutrients and promotes favourable
chemical reactions.Disadvantage : 1. In changing over to organic farming, an initial crop loss generally
occurs. 2. There are no fully developed markets for organic products. 3. Biological control may have
been weakened or destroyed due to chemicals, which may take further three/four years to build up.
4. Limited availability of inputs like FYM, Compost and vermicompost etc. 5. Slow release of nutrients
from organic sources which is not matching the nutritional.

Q6. Define Biofertilizer. Give classification of Biofertilizers and state advantages of Biofertilizers.
Biofertilizer : The term bio-fertilizer refer stothe preparation containing primarily active Strains of
microorganism. OR “Biofertilizers are substances that contain microorganisms, which when added to
the soil increase its fertility and promotes plant growth.” Classification of biofertilizers: 1. Nitrogen
Fixer. 2.Phosphate solubilizer and mobilize 3. Compost accelerators and enrichers. 1. Nitrogen fixer:
Depending upon the mechanisms of nitrogen fixation this group is broadly grouped as: 1) Symbiotic
Nitrogen fixer: There microbes fix atmospheric nitrogen with symbiotic association. a) Rhizobium is
host specific and they fix nitrogen with symbiotic association with host plant. It is recommended for
leguminous pulses and oilseeds. b) Azolla (Azolla and Anabaena azollae) 2) Associative symbiotic
Nitrogen fixer. a)Azospirilluum b) Acetobacter 3)Non-Symbiotic Nitrogen fixer: 1. Azotobacter. 2. Blue
green algae. 2.Phosphate solubilizer and mobilize: These are responsible for conversion of fixed form
of phosphorus to available form. The Phosphate solubilizing biofertilizer includes Bacillus,
Pseudomonas or fungi such as Aspergillus, Penicillium The Phosphate mobilizing biofertilizer includes
VA-mycorrhizal fungi such as Blomus, Gigaspora etc. 3. Compost accelerators and enrichers:
Decomposition or composting is essentially a microbiological process accomplished by the combined
activity of bacteria, fungi. actinomycetes and protozoa. Compost accelerators are needed to
decompose the lignin and cellulose of the waste materials. Species of Trichoderma, Penicillium,
Aspergillus, Trichurus and Paecilliomyces are the compost accelerators. Cellulolytic (Trichoderma) and
lignolytic (Humicola).
Q7. Define Compost. Give classification of Compost with suitable examples. Compost: A mass of well
rotted plant and animal residues is called the compost. Composting:- Composting is a process by which
organic wastes are converted into organic Fertilizers by means of biological activity under controlled
conditions. classification / Types of Compost: 1.Rural compost (compost from farm litter) : This utilize
weeds, crop stubbles, farm yard wastage, straw, crops residues such as cotton Stalks, ground nut husk,
leaves, sugarcane trash, urine soaked earth and litter from cattle shed, Waste fodder etc. Average
nutrient Contains = 0.5% N, 0.15% P2O5, 0.5% K2O 2.Urban compost (compost from town refuse) : The
main components of town compost are night soil and street and dust bin (house) refuses And wood
ashes. Average nutrient Contains = 1.4% N, 1.0% P2O5, 1.4% K2O Most of the Indian farmers prepare
their compost in open pit or above ground by piling Organic wastes and other materials. This
technique require more time and final product is also not Very well decomposed.

Q8. What are the characteristics of a Green manuring crop? State advantages and disadvantages of
Green Manuring. Characters of good green manuring crops : 1. It should yield a large quantity of green
material with a short period 2. It should be quick growing, especially in the beginning so as to
suppress the weeds. 3. It should preferably be a legume. 4. It should succulent & has more leafy
growth. 5. It is easy to incorporate. 6. It is quickly decomposable. ADVANTAGES OF GREEN MANURING
: 1. It adds the organic matter to the soil & stimulate the activity of micro-organisms. 2. It improves the
Structure of the soil, thereby improving the water holding capacity of soil decreasing runoff erosion. 3.
It improves aeration in the rice soils by stimulating the activities of surface film of algae and bacteria.
4. It fixes the nitrogen from atmosphere. 5. It suppresses the growth of weeds. 6. It takes nutrients
from lower layers of the soil and adds to the upper layer in which it is incorporated. 7. Many green
manure crops have additional use as sources of food, feed and fuel. 8.Certain green manure like
Pongamia and Neem leaves are reported to have insect control effects. DISADVANTAGE OF GREEN
MANURING : 1. Incidence of pest & diseases may increase. 2. Loss of one crop. 3. Depletion of
moisture which affects the growth of the succeeding crop.

Q9) Conventional Farming & Organic Farming. 1.It is based on economical orientation, heavy
mechanization, specialization and dis-appropriate development of enterprises with unstable market
oriented programme. 1. It is based on ecological orientation, efficient input use efficiency,
diversification and balanced enterprise combination with stability. 2.Supplementing nutrients through
fertilizers, weed control by herbicides, plant protection measures by chemicals and rarely combination
with livestock. 2.Cycle of nutrients within the farm, weed control by crop rotation and cultural
practices, plant protection by non-polluting substances and better combination of livestock. 3.Based
on philosophy of to feed the crop/ plants. 3.‘Feed the soil not to the plant’ is the watch word and
slogan of organic farming. 4.Production is not integrated into environment but extract more through
technical manipulation, excessive fertilization and no correction of nutrient imbalances. 4.Production
is integrated into environment, balanced conditions for plants and animals and deficiencies need to be
corrected. 5.Low input : output ratio with considerable pollution. 5.High input : output ratio with no
pollution. 6.Economic motivation of natural resources without considering principles of natural up
gradation. 6.Maximum consideration of all natural resources through adopting holistic approaches.
Q10. Describe in details various Recyclable organic wastes used in organic farming. 1. Crop residues:
Residues left out after the harvest of the economic portion are called crop residues/straw. Straw has
good manurial value since it contain appreciable amount of plant nutrients. On an average, cereal
straw and residues contain about 0.5%N, 0.6% P2O5 and 1.5% K2O. 2. Agro-industrial wastes: Agro-
industrial wastes are available in substantial quantities at processing sites and can be effectively
utilized as manure. i) Rice husk: It is the major by-product of the rice milling industry. Unhulled paddy
grain constitutes 20-25% of husk. It is a poor source of manure and the nutrient is very low (0.3-
0.4%N, 0.2-0.3% P2O5 and 0.3 – 0.5% K2O). ii.) Bagasse: It is the by-product of sugar industry. It is
mainly used as fuel in boilers of sugar factories. It can be used as manure raw or after composting. It
contain 0.25%N and 0.12% P2O5 . iii) Pressmud: It is the by-product of sugar industry. It contain
1.25%N, 2% P2O5 and 20-25% organic matter. Addition of pressmud is highly useful to acidic soils
since it contains high amount of lime (upto 45%) .iv)Tea wastes: In the tea industry, tea wastes are
available during the course of tea production, processing and storage. v) Coir waste: It is the wastes
product from the coir industry and mostly dumped near the road sides. To reduce the bulk and C:N
ratio, composting of coirpith is recommended. The composted coirpith contains 1.26%N, 0.06% P and
1.2% K with C/N ratio 24:1. The lignin is reduced to 4.8% due to composting. 3. Livestock and Human
wastes: Cattle shed wastes, other livestock and human excreta, byproducts of slaughter houses and
animal carcases 4. Urban and rural wastes: Human habitation has always created large usable wastes.
Such a. Garbage – Household wastes, road sweepings wastes b. Sewage – Consisting of solid and liquid
wastes from internal drainage. 5. Marine wastes: Fish meal and aquatic /sea weeds.

residues : Enlist : incorporation. burning, surface mulching, composting etc Explain: 1) Incorporation :
The crop residues like maize, rice, sorghumi, wheat straw can be directly applied to the field and
ploughed in the soil before the rainy season las beneficial effect on soil properties. 2) Burning : A large
quantity of sugarcane trash, cotton stalks, caster stalks etc are available and many farmers burn them
in the field. It is not advisable practice as burning kills the soil fauna and flora, increases losses of N, C.
S and possibly some other. 3) Surface mulching : One unique and simple way of profitable recycling the
crop residues is their use as surface mulching materials. Mulches are thermo insulators, have smother
effect on weeds, protect the soil from rain drop impact, reduce salinisation. 4) Composting : As
discussed earlier compost is the stabilized and sanitized product of composting which is beneficial to
soil health and plant growth. A huge quantity of crop wastes/residues and animal wastes are always
available on a farm.

Q.11 What is Biodynamic Agriculture? State the principles of biodynamic agriculture. “It is a method
of farming that aims to treat the farm as a living system which interacts With the environment, to
build healthy living soil. And to produce food that nourishes, Vitalises and helps to develop humanity”
Principles of Biodynamic farming : 1) Biodynamic farming in to restore or human status of the soil
ecosystem to hold its fertility and productivity. 2) Biodynamic farming consider a plant as living entity
which consist not only mineral element but also of organic matter such as protein carbohydrate. 3) To
restore soil for utility dynamic farming give priority to proper crop rotation. 4) Biodynamic farming
also gives importance to maintain sol structure such as bulk Density. Nare space, water holding
capacity and soil texture.
Q12. Give an account of Government policy on promoting Organic Farming.? National Programme of
Organic Production (NPOP) Which has been notified under Foreign Trade Development and Regulation
(FTDR) Act. Recently, NPOP has also been notified under Agricultural Produce (Grading & Marking)
Act, 1937 (APGMC) as Organic Agricultural Produce Grading and Marking Rules, 2008 with Agricultural
Marketing Advisor (AMA) in Department of Agriculture and Cooperation as its controller. Under these
programmes a mechanism has been launched to authorize/accredit certification and inspection
agencies for certification of organically produced agricultural Goods. National Horticulture Mission
(NHM) launched in 2004-05 and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) launched in 2007-08. Under
NHM, assistance is provided @ 50% of cost subject to a maximum of Rs. 10,000 per hectare (upto 4
hectares per beneficiary) for organic horticulture cultivation. Assistance is also provided for setting up
vermi-compost units @ 50% of cost upto Rs. 30,000 per benef ciary. For organic farming certification,
assistance of Rs. 5 lakh is provided to a group of farmers covering an area of 50 hectares. RKVY is an
omnibus scheme in which any organic cultivation activity can be taken up. Substantial funds have been
released under these two schemes for organic cultivation in recent years as brought out below.
National Centre of Organic Farming, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare,
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. Objectives : 1)Promotion of
organic farming in the country through technical capacity building of all the stakeholders including
human resource development. 2) To act as nodal quality control laboratory for analysis of biofertilizers

Q13. Define Integrated Weed Management. Describe different Biocontrol agents used in IWM.
Define: It is suitable combination of preventive measures, mechanical, cultural and biological method
of weed control for minimizing weed growth and population and maintains them below level of
economic injury to the crop with minimum damage to the environment. Biological weed control:- In
this method, a natural enemy of weed plants is used which attack them and reduce their number
below an economical level. This method has advantage over chemical method, as it is permanent,
cheap and effective but this is a slow process and suits to only specific weeds species. Bio agents like
insects, Pathogen etc., and other animals are used to control Weeds. Insects and pathogen infest
weeds and they either reduce growth or kill weeds. For example 1.Insects:- i) Lantana camera was
controlled by two beetles viz., Octotoma scabripennis and Uroplata giraldi. ii) Prickly pear weed
(Opintia spp) was controlled by Cochineal insects (Dactylopius tomentosus). iii) Alligator weed
controlled by flea beetle. 2. Fish: Common carp and Chinese carp control aquatic weeds. 3. Mannals:
Manetee or sea cow is very effective in controlling water hyacinth. 4. Snails:Marisa spp and other fresh
water snails feed on submerged weeds like cattail & Algae. 5. Fungi:- Water hyacinth can be controlled
by Rhizoctinia blight. 6. Mites: - A spider mite is found effective in controlling prickly pear.
Sort note : 1) Labeling of organic produce:- In India trade mark 'India organic' is granted on the basis of
compliance with the national standards for organic production (NSOP). The label should be attractive,
clear, accurate information on the organic status of product. The label for organic and conventional
product should be distinguishable by different colour labels. The detall like name of product, quality of
product. Name and address of producers, Name of certification agency. Certification lot no. etc are
given on label.

2) Certification of organic farm : ORGANIC CERTIFICATION : It is a certification process for producers of

organic food and other organic agricultural products. In general, any business directly involved in food
production can be certified, including seed suppliers, farmers, food processors, retailers 1. Avoidance
of synthetic chemical inputs (e.g. fertilizer, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives, etc) and genetically
modified organisms; 2. Use of farmland that has been free from chemicals for a number of years
(often, three or more); Keeping detailed written production and sales records (audit trail);
3. Maintaining strict physical separation of organic products from non-certified products; 4.
Undergoing periodic on-site inspections.

3) Integrated Intensive Farming System (IIFS) : The methodology provides the pathway to achieve an
evergreen revolution in agriculture according to MS Swaminathan. It involves agricultural
intensification, diversification and value addition. Intensification is through integrated farming
involving animal husbandry, fishery and agroforestry Such farming processes provides scope for
organic recycling Value addition to every part of plant and animal biomass is through the
establishment of biofertilizers. Soil health care, vermiculture,

4) Indian National Standards for Organic Production (NSOP) : National Programine on Orgame
Production (NPOP) is administered by APEDA using the IFOA Basic Standards (2000) under the Ministry
of Commerce, Deline principles, basic standards, documentation, inspection and certification
guidelines are approved by the National Standards Committee constituted by the members of IFOAM
in India. Certain responsibilities to define details are delegated to the accredited certification bodies
the accrediting agency appointed by the Government of India, viz., Spices Board (Kochi), Coffee Board
(Banglore). Tea Board (Kalakatta), Coconut Development Board (Kochi), Cocoa & Cashewnut Board and
APEDA (New Delhi).