The idea of making a tractor with a joystick came from the bullock cart 

Simple and strong: Thesia driving his new invention in his field at Jamnagar, Gujarat. — Photo: NIF

M.J. PRABU
IMAGINE A tractor driven like a bullock cart. Instead of using reins, two joysticks turn, accelerate or stop the left and right […]

Starting with a worst-case scenario of lead contamination of soil, a scientist at Mie University in Japan has demonstrated the use of poultry waste amendment in combination with plant growth to immobilize soil Pb and restore degraded vegetation in shooting range sites.
Remediation of Pb-contaminated soils in a shooting range is generally very difficult the site […]

Exports have shot up by 89 per cent 
Surge in banana exports by 89 per cent during April-January 2008-09 fiscal suggest that the appetite for Indian bananas in the European and the Middle Eastern countries has increased.
The country’s banana exports have shot up by 89 per cent to 25,013 tonnes during April-January period of 2008-09 […]

The eggs’ pungent odour repels herbivorous animals from entering the field  

A wild bison has strayed into a banana field situated near the edge of a forest. — Photo: M. Balaji
M.J. PRABU
FARMERS IN India and abroad face serious threats from pests, natural calamities, thefts, damages by animals and other types of crop losses, resulting in lower […]

The scheme will boost meat export 
The Centre is considering launching a Rs 300 crore scheme to rear male buffalo calves to boost the supplementary income of farmers.
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Agriculture Ministry will soon approach the Cabinet for approval of the scheme, which will be funded by National Bank […]

Some of the women who are practising the broiler technology with their animals.— Photo: IISR

M.J. PRABU
WHAT DOES a farmer do in times of financial crisis?
Not many operate bank accounts or possess ATM cards. During crises he sells some of his farm animals to tide over the exigency.
“Farmers rear cattle, goats, poultry and pigs for additional […]

Watermelon crop is attacked by many insect pests, of which leaf miner, assumes significance as it causes greater damage.
The larvae feed on the leaves by mining into them. Smaller leaves with limited feeding space are characterised by a secondary blotch.
Damage caused by a single larva is minimal; however, when the population is heavy they are […]

Several farmers are following this practice and getting benefited

 The farmer, Chellamuthu, in his field with the asafoetida placed inside a gunny bag at Kodumudi, Erode, Tamil Nadu.— Photo: M. Govarthan
M.J. PRABU
INVENTIONS AND discoveries by farmers do not often get recognition from experts because they find a lack of scientific validity. But farmers who benefit from […]

J. JAYARAJ & M. ANANTHAN
Ginger is a subtropical shade loving plant.
The economic part of the plant namely the underground rhizome is often attacked by scale insect, Aspidiella hartii, both in field and in storage condition.
The minute crawling nymphs infest near the growing buds and suck the sap. It results in shrivelling and drying of the […]

The bio-village project has made women financially independent  

Manitiri village residents showing visitors around their village. Photo: MSSRF
M.J. PRABU
“UNLESS agricultural policies aim at making farmers, particularly women, financially self reliant, the nation cannot achieve its goal of sustainable food security,” says Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Taramani, Chennai.
The challenge especially […]