More and more urea
Fertilisers boost plant growth but imbalanced application soon leads to use-fatigue
"Subsidy culture has killed local agriculture"
Thupstan Chhewang, Chief Executive Councillor and chairperson of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) speaks to Down To Earth.
Ladakh on the move
Ladakh is the one region in India where sustainable development is the only way ahead. Dry toilets, water efficient crops, cooperative farming, a …
As told to Parliament (July 26, 2023): Trend of decreasing monsoon rainfall observed in five states in 1989-2018 period
All that was discussed in the House through the day
Towards sustainability: Arunachal’s Apatanis use a unique, integrated cultivation method; it needs encouragement
Integrated rice-fish cultivation is a low-input and eco-friendly practice
Maharashtra approves field trials of GM food crops
Only GM cotton is grown in fields in India as of now
Mark of distinction
Genetic marker for authenticating Darjeeling tea
India-Pakistan nuclear war can starve humanity: Study
Food supplies may drop over 20% in 70 poor countries with 1.3 bln people, the study estimated
Agroforestry boosts rice and biodiversity in India
In West Bengal, the adoption of useful trees into paddy fields has boosted crop yields and crop diversity, and has also sparked a movement that …
Meet the Kerala farmer who preserves genetic diversity of rice
He received the National Plant Genome Saviour Award for his efforts towards conserving 45 varieties of rice seeds
How much is the crop loss in flood-hit states?
In Uttar Pradesh, over 30,000 hectares of sown crops have been affected by the floods in 12 districts
Science and Technology - Briefs
Field day
India's soils are in a bad shape. T V Jayan investigates
Not just green: Natural farming in Andhra yielded more produce than conventional methods, shows study
Apart from the higher yield, nutrient availability was also unaffected in Zero Budget Natural Farming
Depleting food grain stock ring alarms: Is India staring at a rice crisis?
Over 44 million tonnes of grains in stock compared to 78.6 million tonnes last year; Wheat dangerously close to buffer limit
Why climate change studies on rice production are important in Wayanad
Area under rice cultivation has been declining rapidly in north Kerala district between 2004-05 and 2018-19
Traditional seeds need to be conserved for organic farming
At the 19th Organic World Congress, more than 55 groups have come together to call for the conservation of indigenous seeds and shunning GM crops
Despite having toilets at home, many in rural India choose to defecate in open
Programmes launched to promote use of latrines have failed to influence sanitation behaviours of many people
Outstanding grain
The aromatic enigma makes basmati a clear winner among grains. The lack of knowledge of what traditional basmati is and an inability to take …
The many ways of GM contamination
Doug Gurian-Sherman, a senior scientist in the food and environment programme at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), is among the most …
Scientists identify genes that can increase drought resistance in plants
African ‘orphan’ crop varieties to help plants battle high temperatures
Agriculture is egocentric
Norman Uphoff, professor emeritus of government and international agriculture at Cornell University, US, likes to say that the system of rice …
Straw in the wind
Punjab's paddy dilemma
In 2009, Punjab became the first state in the country to enact a law banning the sowing of rice before a stipulated date. The aim was to arrest …