Papaya mealy bug is a polyphagous sucking insect pest and has been recorded on more than sixty host plants in India.
But its serious attack was recorded only in a few economically important crops such as papaya, mango, pomegranate, citrus, beans, tomato, potato, pepper and cotton. In other plants it exists as a minor pest.
However sudden […]

About 20-30 volts of electricity is generated when there is a strong wind  

 
Subramaniam and his windmill on the rooftop of his house in Rasipuram, Tamil Nadu. Photo: M.J. Prabu
M.J. PRABU
Good growth of a crop depends mainly on timely irrigation. For irrigation, electricity supply is required (though some use diesel pumps).
A group of farmers […]

The government has approved a Rs. 150-crore poultry development scheme, which aims to help rural farmers to gain supplementary income from the poultry activities.
The decision to approve the centrally sponsored scheme with two new components, Rural Backyard Poultry Development and Poultry Estates — was taken at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs […]

Kaushlendra (left) at one of the vegetable vending centres. Photo: By special Arrangement
M.J. PRABU
When even children of farmers are not taking to farming as a full time profession, a management graduate from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, Mr. Kaushlendra, instead of opting for a high-salaried job, set up a foundation to help […]

Seed treatment is an application of chemicals to the seeds either at the time of sowing or before sowing which is an alternative to traditional foliar or soil treatment.
Application of insecticides to seeds before or at the time of sowing offers the most effective means of protecting the germinating seed or seedling.
The chemical insecticide is […]

The farmer Allimuthu showing the mango tree in which more than 20 varieties have been grafted in his farm at Namakkal, Tamil Nadu.— Photo: M.J. Prabu

M.J. PRABU
More often than not, agricultural discoveries or innovations by farmers come out of necessity and not an accident. Farmers know the practical problems both on and off the field, […]

Thrips and mites are important sucking pests of chilli that inflict yield loss of over 50 per cent in the event of serious infestation.
Unscrupulous use of chemical insecticides to control these pests leads to pest resurgence, secondary pest outbreak, destruction of natural enemies and environmental pollution, apart from pesticide residue related health hazards.
Chilli thrips and […]

Three tonnes of paddy have been harvested from an acre by this method

The farmer, Kailash Murthy with the plantains harvested from his farm at Doddinduvadi village, Karnataka.— Photo: Special Arrangement

M.J. PRABU
“No ploughing, fertilizers or weeding needed to get a good harvest.”
That may sound like a fairy tale. But if one visits the farm of Mr. […]

As the world gets warmer with climate change, the dryland tracts will become even drier making it more difficult for the farmers to grow crops in the region.
The improved crops developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), and its partners, are able to withstand severe droughts, tolerate higher temperatures and […]

 Dr. K. Natrajan at his farm in Erode, Tamil Nadu filtering the PG solution for spraying. — Photo: M.J. Prabu
M.J. PRABU
Increasing input costs due to inflation, lack of proper marketing facilities, an indifferent government policy and an unpredictable monsoon are some of the identified obstacles in farming operations.
“Except lowering the input costs all […]