My Farm Journal

  Azolla   Azolla is a genus under plant kingdom consisting of seven species of aquatic fern belonging to the family Salviniaceae . Azolla is the genus of aquatic ferns but they look nothing like a typical fern due to their extremely reduced form.   They are free-floating fern that lives in symbiotic association with Nitrogen fixing blue-green algae that has the potential to produce 50-60 kg/ nitrogen per hectare under suitable conditions. Not just adding nitrogen but being bulky they add organic matter to the soil thus improving the soil structure. They are very productive and can produce biomass by two folds in 2-3 days. Azolla has once considered has invasive weed but after realising its benefits they are fondly cultivated by farmers. Azolla is one of the most commonly used bio-fertilizer by farmers as they are easy to cultivate in the field. Azolla is not only used as a bio-fertilizer but they are also loved by poultry and cattle as feed. Azolla is rich in pro...

  HYDROPONICS Hydroponics is a technique of growing plants in a soilless medium in a nutrient solution. Hydroponics is also known as “Controlled Environmental Agriculture”. The word hydroponics is derived from Greek words, “ hydro ” meaning water and “ ponos ” meaning labor, literally meaning “working water”. The concept of hydroponics is becoming popular due to its requirement of less area for the cultivation of a variety of crops as arable land area is decreasing due to urbanization and industrialization. On the other hand with the increasing population, the demand for food is increasing. And this technique can act as an alternative to conventional agriculture systems. In the world, France is the leading producer of hydroponic produces followed by countries like Netherlands and Spain. The global hydroponics market is estimated at USD 9.5 billion in 2020. Hydroponics is thus expected to a potential solution to meet the increasing global demand. Advantages of Hydroponics: ...

  Botanical Pesticides Some plants or parts of plants have pesticidal properties that are toxic to the pest population. Plants can be considered as a natural factory that produces a large number of biochemical. Secondary metabolites produced by plants are not essential to plants for their growth and development rather for the interaction of plants with their environment and they are produced in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Secondary metabolites produced in plants can be grouped into four , terpenoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, and sulfur-containing compounds. Such, secondary metabolites are helpful in pest control in crop plants. The use of any form of plant extracts to control pests is not a new concept. But with increasing demand for food for an ever-increasing population has shifted to the development and adoption of synthetic chemicals as they are effective and quick in managing the pest problem. But in recent years people are becoming aware of the ill effec...

Ready for transplanting...    

  Green Manuring: Types, Advantages, and Disadvantages Green manuring is the incorporation of entire green plants or parts of plants in the soil without prior decomposition or composting. Green manuring is done to fertilize the soil for the succeeding crop chiefly through the intake of nitrogen. The leguminous crop is preferred over other green manuring crops as they can fix the atmospheric nitrogen. And it is very common to grow green manures, particularly legumes, during the land conversion period to improve soil fertility and structure. Green manuring can be classified based on: I. Location: 1. In-situ green manuring   When the green manuring crops are grown and they are incorporated in the same field. Generally, crops are grown and the whole plant is incorporated while plowing. 2. Ex-situ green manuring When the plants or plant parts are collected from elsewhere and incorporated in the field. People living near forests generally practice this type of green ma...

 Reasons to Get Rid of the Weeds from your Garden   Weeds are the unwanted plants that are growing along with crop plants. In other words, weeds are those plants that are growing out of place and out of time. Weeds are harmful to our crop plants in many ways. Plants need nutrients, water, light, and carbon dioxide for growth and development. When weeds are growing along with the crop plants they compete with each other for resources. a. Nutrients Nutrient concentration in weeds far exceeds the associated crop. Weeds absorb more nutrients from the soil than the crop. Nutrient analysis of weed and crop plants shows that the concentration of nutrients is far more in weed than the associated crop. Some weeds not only depletes the nutrients by absorption but also encourages the loss of nutrients in many ways. For example, Nutsedge not only absorbs Nitrogen but also induces nitrification. b.Light Weeds generally grow faster and shade the crop plants, if not checked. They block the p...

 Fall armyworm ( Spodoptera frugiperda ) has started to infest my sweet corn.