Feed Editor (Unlicensed) 17 May 2012 04:05:30 GMT National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) http://www.nicra-icar.in/rss/NICRA%20RSS.xml http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss SRI (system of rice intensification) has a great watersaving potential. Its advantage in terms of reduced emissions however is not clearly established yet. 17 May 2012 05:45:57 GMT https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=373505059369153&set=a.371054042947588.102038.371049209614738&type=1 56EF9A48-80B6-45AB-A25E-697972ECEF1B In-situ moisture conservation to cope with water stress, Baramati, Pune, Maharashtra Jalgaon (K.P.), Baramati taluk, Pune district, Maharashtra, is one of NICRA villages. It falls under post monsoon area of Maharashtra and experiences water... stress during late rabi season and due to which crop yields are low. KVK under the NICRA project is promoting in-situ moisture conservation technique by encouraging farmers to adopt planting on flat beds with ridges of 20 x 12 m across the slope. Mr. Dhansing Vinayak Jagtap one of the farmers who adopted this technique harvested excellent crop of rabi sorghum despite receiving only 411 mm rainfall during 2011-12. Jowar variety Phulae vasudha was sown during 2nd week of October utilizing conserved soil moisture. In contrast, the farmers who did not adopt In-situ moisture conservation technique suffered losses up to 80% in grain yield due to crop failure. Mr.Jagtap obtained 13.5 q/ha of jowar whereas other farmers could only harvest a meager 6.0 q/ha. Thus, broad bed and furrow technique has proved as a good drought management technology which helped bring resilience to rabi sorghum production system. 17 May 2012 04:24:59 GMT https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=371644876221838&set=a.371639572889035.102129.371049209614738&type=1 FD051451-2191-4B5E-89E8-CC0919EAEF67 During the month, all the partners were communicated about the continuation of the project for the current financial year. It was time for review and preparing work plan for the year 2012‐13. Al...so workshops and brainstorming were held by different partner institutes. Significant among these was the brainstorming session on climate resilient agriculture organized by National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) at New Delhi on 25th April, 2012. Prof. Abhijit Sen, Member, Planning Commission (Agriculture) inaugurated the session. He made several important suggestions for the group of scientists working on climate resilient agriculture. He showed keen interest in how the programme can be up‐scaled and mainstreamed through a process of planning. He also called upon to research on critical issues like whether climate change affects women more, if so, to what extent. He asked the researchers to address yield stability in the wake of climate change, and how integrated farming addresses climate variability risk. Dr. Sen expressed concern over the challenge of up‐scaling the outcomes of such projects to over five lakh villages of the country and asked if a plan can be suggested to implement the programme in 1000 blocks during the XII Plan. He also agreed that this is the job of the State and Central ministries and not that of NARS. He called upon the organizers to come out with a crisp policy document on the outcome of the brainstorming session 17 May 2012 04:24:33 GMT https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=371639576222368&set=a.371639572889035.102129.371049209614738&type=1 FAF25B12-3AF7-4898-8309-E9608063CAD9 As part of vulnerability assessment, changes in temperature and rainfall were examined as obtained from the downscaled projections using PRECIS for the A1B scenario. Changes were examined for the two periods, 2021‐2050 and 2071‐ 2098 from the baseline 1961‐90. The results indicate considerable increase in maximum temperature during September and October, the critical months for khar...if crops and February and March which are critical for rabi crops (Maps 1‐4). Maximum temperature during February was expected to increase by 1.6 to 2.20C in more than 300 districts. Temperature was also projected to increase by more than 20C in more than 300 districts. Temperature increases ranging between 1‐20C during September and October are likely in most of the districts. 17 May 2012 04:24:13 GMT https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=373480239371635&set=a.371639572889035.102129.371049209614738&type=1 3AE278D4-91B7-4A84-8A2A-44972BAB20F4 Farmers’ Training Cum Field Day on Zero tillage pea, lentil and toria in rice fallow was organized at the ICAR Research Complex for NEH region, Umiam Megha...laya during March 20-21, 2012. Conventionally, after kharif rice, fields remain fallow in lowland, mainly due to excess moisture owing to seepage from surrounding hillocks in mid altitude. Draining water from rice field completely at physiology maturity (about 10 days before harvest) create favorable condition for cultivation of rabi pulses like pea, lentil and oilseeds like toria. A simple drainage channel of 30 cm depth at 5m interval creates the desirable soil moisture situations. Keeping this in view, a two-day “farmers’ training cum field day on Zero tillage pea lentil and toria in rice fallow” was organized at the Division of Natural Resource Management to disseminate the zero tillage technology in rice fallow (Low land/Up land) for cultivation of pea, lentil and toria. During this program, different aspects of zero tillage technology including suitable varieties, cultivation practices, herbicide application, opening narrow furrow with furrow opener, placing fertilizer and seed, pest and diseases management etc. were demonstrated to the farmers. Leaflets on Zero tillage technology (in English and khasi language) were distributed to more than 150 farmers attending the program. Dr. S. V. Ngachan, Director ICAR Research complex, Umiam asked for more collaboration and convergence among different stake holders and farmers for popularizing the zero tillage and other such resource conservation technologies for climate resilient agriculture in NEH region. An exhibition on different rice, pea, lentil and toria varieties, farm tools and implements, fertilizer & manure, pesticides etc. relevant to zero tillage technology was also organized for the benefit of the farmers. Farmers’ Training Cum Field Day on Zero tillage pea, lentil and toria in rice fallow was organized at the ICAR Research Complex for NEH region, Umiam Meghalaya during March 20-21, 2012. Conventionally, after kharif rice, fields remain fallow in lowland, mainly due to excess moisture owing to seepage from surrounding hillocks in mid altitude. Draining water from rice field completely at physiology maturity (about 10 days before harvest) create favorable condition for cultivation of rabi pulses like pea, lentil and oilseeds like toria. A simple drainage channel of 30 cm depth at 5m interval creates the desirable soil moisture situations. Keeping this in view, a two-day “farmers’ training cum field day on Zero tillage pea lentil and toria in rice fallow” was organized at the Division of Natural Resource Management to disseminate the zero tillage technology in rice fallow (Low land/Up land) for cultivation of pea, lentil and toria. During this program, different aspects of zero tillage technology including suitable varieties, cultivation practices, herbicide application, opening narrow furrow with furrow opener, placing fertilizer and seed, pest and diseases management etc. were demonstrated to the farmers. Leaflets on Zero tillage technology (in English and khasi language) were distributed to more than 150 farmers attending the program. Dr. S. V. Ngachan, Director ICAR Research complex, Umiam asked for more collaboration and convergence among different stake holders and farmers for popularizing the zero tillage and other such resource conservation technologies for climate resilient agriculture in NEH region. An exhibition on different rice, pea, lentil and toria varieties, farm tools and implements, fertilizer & manure, pesticides etc. relevant to zero tillage technology was also organized for the benefit of the farmers. 17 May 2012 04:23:43 GMT https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=372347096151616&set=a.371639572889035.102129.371049209614738&type=1 BF92C62D-A404-420E-B896-3C3B9AC6C1F9 Simple and time tested plowing across slope helps rainwater stay in soil without running off taking precious top soil along. 17 May 2012 04:22:18 GMT https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=372449686141357&set=a.371639572889035.102129.371049209614738&type=1 3020E11E-1DA1-4BAA-95BD-9423400EB20F WRKY transcription factors in Zea maize was computationally analyzed by targeted genome mining Here is the homology model of a putative WRKY like protein in maize docked with DNA with a matrix of homologous interface contacts. Our results with WRKY offer a jumpstart for validation, transformation and marker assisted selection experiments which could pave the way for cis/trans genic improvement of maize especially under the predicted climate change scenario 17 May 2012 04:21:51 GMT https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=372514532801539&set=a.371639572889035.102129.371049209614738&type=1 4C97CFA1-8132-4CDD-9E47-F509243BBA8D This means less number of irrigations, saving on water n energy! Besides, no weed competiton!! Saving on labour for weeding and weedicides!!! But of course, this plastic needs to be disposed safely after use 17 May 2012 04:21:22 GMT https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=373017842751208&set=a.371639572889035.102129.371049209614738&type=1 5BAFF1AE-D423-4443-87D8-448EBE17E1CE A small farmer from Nondok village in East Sikkim has made her own innovation in providing better housing for brooding backyard poultry chicks for preventing loss due to low temperature. She took up brooding of Gramapriya and Vanaraja (60 chicks) in a specially designed a brooder house made up of locally available materials such as bamboo and wood to maintain required body temperature to curb the chick mortality due to cold stress and predators. To maintain the temperature in brooder, she used 100 watt bulbs. The movement of the chicks was restricted nearer the heat source with the help of chicks guard made with card board. She fed the chicks with standard broiler starter ration initially. In the second phase, she fed the growing birds with vegetable wastes, grass and other kinds of locally available grains like maize and rice bran besides the feed material available from free range. She made available fresh and clean water at all times in bamboo made watering and feeding trough. On the advice of the KVK she also supplemented the birds with multivitamin (Ambiplex @ 1ml /lt of water). After attaining maturity (3-4 months) she sold the male birds @ Rs. 220/ kg live weight and egg @ Rs. 10/ egg at local market. 17 May 2012 04:19:27 GMT https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=373503386035987&set=a.371639572889035.102129.371049209614738&type=1 C7575861-11DE-421A-B8D6-4A75520D780A Resilient communities will have capacity to cope with climate variability. And this capacity can be built by working with communities vulnerable to variability. 17 May 2012 04:18:43 GMT https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=373624032690589&set=a.371639572889035.102129.371049209614738&type=1 449DC7C1-D358-4D9C-AEF2-E2426E6EED91 Paddy is the major conventional sali crop at NICRA village Chamua, Lakhimpur district, Assam. Farmers in the district normally grow long durationlocal varieties (130-140 days) which regularly experience... moisture stress during various stages of growth. To develop climate resilient crop management systems, Biswanath Chariali, Assam Agricultural University centre of AICRPDA adopted short duration (90-100 days) sali rice varieties like Dishang, Kapilee, Kolong and Luit. There was a dry spell during Mid August, September and October 2011. Short duration varieties escaped mid season and terminal drought while long duration varieties got affected. 17 May 2012 04:06:03 GMT https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=375994172453575&set=a.371639572889035.102129.371049209614738&type=1 09508198-55F6-4A09-94A0-893049518D5B High intensity rainfall can be seen a...s an opportunity for harvesting excess runoff and recycling the same for life saving irrigation of crops during dry seplls. Well planned farm ponds can be very handy for this purpose and revolutionize the concept of life saving irrigation. This is no rocket science. But it takes a lot to operationalise this concept at the field level. 17 May 2012 04:06:10 GMT https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=374303329289326&set=a.371639572889035.102129.371049209614738&type=1 2140226E-FB52-4851-802F-B7EAB515EB0C