Principles of Organic Farming

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Foreword
Preface
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Exordium
Definition
Concepts of organic farming
Objectives of organic farming
Key Principles of Organic Agriculture
Principle of health
Principle of ecology
Principle of fairness
Principle of care
Benefits of organic agriculture
1. Provides multifunctional benefits
2. Biodiversity
3. Recycles plant nutrients
4. Employ, natural and biological control of pests and diseases
5. Integrates animal husbandry into the production system
6. Improves and conserve soil conditions
7. Lower negative environmental impacts
8. Better Water Quality
9. Stable soils – less prone to erosion
10. Carbon sequestration
Sustainability of organic farming
The organic agriculture techniques are known to be ecologically sustainable by:
Social sustainability
Economic sustainability
Organic versus conventional farming
Components of organic farming
Organic conversion challenges
A. Climate-related challenges to conversion
B. Social and cultural challenges to conversion
C. Economic challenges to conversion
Which crops to grow during conversion?
Criteria for crop selection during conversion
Characteristics of an ideal organic farm
a. The ecological goal
b. The social goal
c. The economic goal
Prospects of organic farming
Chapter 2: Scenario of Organic Farming
Historical Perspective of Organic Farming
Agriculture during the sangam age
Agricultural Implements
Land Preparation
Crops and Varieties
Seeds and Sowing
Cropping Systems
Weed Management
Soil Fertility
Irrigation Management
Plant Protection
Harvesting and Threshing
Developmental Era of Organic Farming
Era of Emergence (1924–1970) - Pre-World War II
Era of Development Post-World War II (1970–1990)
Era of Growth – Twenty first century
World Scenario of organic farming
Organic agricultural land
Global market
Africa
Asia
Europe
Latin America and the Caribbean
North America
Oceania
Indian scenario
Tamil Nadu scenario
Organic farming in Tamil Nadu
Chapter 3: Government Initiatives and Research Institutes
Government Initiatives and Research Institutes
Government Initiatives to Promote Organic Farming
i) National Project on Organic Farming
ii) Capital Investment Subsidy for Setting up of Organic InputsProduction
iii) National Project on Management of Soil Health and Fertility (NPMSHF)
iv) Network Project on OrganicFarming by ICAR
v) National Horticulture Mission
vi) Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna
vii) ICAR Contribution in Promoting Organic Farming
viii) Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)
Objectives
GoI Budget 2018-19 – Operation Green
Agencies and institutions related to organic farming
Chapter 4: Biodiversity and Organic Farming
The diversity of agro-ecosystems
a) Genetic Diversity
b) Species diversity
c) Ecosystem diversity
Methods of measuring Biodiversity
Important uses of biodiversity
Consumptiveuse value
Social values
Source of Food and Improved Varieties
Drugs and Medicines
Aesthetic and Cultural Benefits
Megacenters of biodiversity and hot spots
India’s biodiversity
Threats to biodiversity
a) Habitat Loss and Fragmentation
b) Disturbance and Pollution
c) Introduction of Exotic Species
d) Extinction of Species
Conservation of biodiversity
A. In situ Conservation Strategies
B. Ex-situ Conservation Strategies
Biodiversity conservation in India
Provisions of Act.
Functions of Authority
Agrobiodiversity
What is happening to agrobiodiversity?
100 years of agricultural change:Trends and figures related to agrobiodiversity
Organic agriculture and biodiversity
Conservation of cultivars and livestock breeds
Enhances Pollinator Populations
Enhances Bird and Beneficial Spider Populations
Enhances Natural Enemy Populations
Enhances soil biodiversity
Chapter 5: Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
Risk Minimizing Measures following GAP
a) Pre-planting Measures
i. Site Selection
ii. Manure handling and field application
iii. Manure storage and sourcing
iv. Timely application of manure
v. Selection of appropriate crops
b) Production measures
i. Irrigation water quality
ii. Irrigation Methods
iii. Field sanitation
iv. Worker facilities and hygiene
c) Harvest Measures
i. Clean harvest Aids
ii. Worker hygiene and training
d) Post-harvest Measures
i. Worker hygiene
ii. Monitor wash water quality
iii. Sanitize packing house and packing operations
iv. Pre-cooling and cold storage
v. Transportation of produce from farm to produce
Chapter 6: Organic Sources of Plant Nutrients & Its Management
Properties of a fertile soil
Essential plant nutrients
Soil organic matter
Identifying sources of biomass
Feed the Soil Approach
Manures
Farmyard manure
Improving the value of farm yard manure
Sheep and Goat Manure
Poultry Manure
Concentrated organic manures
Other Concentrated Organic Manures
Compost
Why composting is necessary?
Advancing of Composting
The Phases of Composting Process
Methods of composting
The Benefits of Using Composts to Agriculture
A. Improves the Physical Properties of Soils
B. Enhances the Chemical Properties of Soils
C. Improves the Biological Properties of Soils
Economic and Social Benefits of Composting
Vermicomposting
Materials for preparation of vermicompost
Selection of suitable earthworm
Steps for vermicompost preparation
Coir pith composting
Sugarcane trash composting
Collection of trash
TNAU biomineralizer
Crop residue composting
Compost enrichment
Tricho-composting
Biofertilisers
Working Principles of Bio-fertilizer
Application of Biofertilizers
Seed treatment
Seedling root dip
Main field application
A. Nitrogen fixers
Rhizobium spp.
Uses
Methods to use
Azospirillum
Uses
Methods to use
Seed treatment
For transplanted crop
Seedling root tip
For trees
Azotobacter
Blue Green Algae
Uses
Method of application
Azolla
Uses
Method of application
B. Phosphate solubilizers
C. P Mobilizing Biofertilizers
Mycorrhizal fungi
Uses
Method to use
AM Inoculation
Advantages of Using Biofertilizers in Agriculture
Multi varietal seed technique (Navathaniyam)
1. Cereals: Any four crops under this category
2. Pulses: Any four crops under this category
3. Oilseeds: Any four crops under this category
4. Green manures: Any four crops under this category
5. Spices and condiments: Any four crops under this group
Green manuring
Benefits of using green manuring
Erosion
Deposition of Sediment
Compaction
Soil aggregation at the surface
Infiltration
Improved soil moisture
Soil Crusting
Nutrient Loss or Imbalance
Adding organic matter to the soil
Organic Matter
Biological Activity
Ameliorating problem soils
Fertility improvement of soils
Improvement in crop yield and quality
Improvement of soil tilth
Disease control
Addition of Nitrogen
Types of green manures
Legumes
Non Legumes
Selecting which green manures to use
Green manures
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)
Dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata)
Sesbania speciosa
Sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea)
Manila agathi (Sesbania rostrata)
Wild indigo (Tephrosia purpurea)
Indigo (Indigofera tinctoria)
Pillipesara (Phaseolus trilobus)
Gliricidia (Gliricidia maculata)
Karanj (Pongamia glabra)
Calotropis (Calotropis gigantca)
Panchagavya – An effective on farm input
Method of preparation
Modified panchagavya
Method of preparation
Methods of application
As foliar spray
Through Flow/irrigation system
As Seed/seedling treatment
For seed storage
Enriched Panchagavya (for one acre quantity required 200 kg)
EM – Technology in organic farming
How to use EM
EM-1 formulation
EM-5 formulation for control of insects and pests
Fermented Plant Extracts (FPE)
Application of EM formulations
EM- Bokashi
Biogas slurry applications
Conservation Tillage
No-Till
Strip-Till
Agro-industrial wastes
Types of agro-industrial wastes
Agricultural residues
When Crop Residue Incorporated in to Field it Helps in Improving
Crop residue management
Mulching
Animal feed
Composting
Crop Rotation
Chapter 7: Organic Crop Protection
Insect management
Components of organic insect management
1. Preventive practices
2. Habitat diversification
Intercropping system
Trap cropping
Ecological engineering
Ecological engineering for pest management Above ground
Ecological engineering for pest management – Below ground
3. Cultural practices
Crop rotation
Organic manure
Depth and Timing of Seeding
Water Management
Tillage
Summer ploughing
Companion Planting
Biofumigation
4. Physical control
A. Manipulation of temperature
B. Manipulation of moisture
C. Manipulation of light
D. Manipulation of air
E. Use of irradiation
Use of greasing material
Bird perches
Rope method
Use of effigies
Use of Abrasive dusts
5. Mechanical control
Mechanical force
Mechanical exclusion
Appliances in controlling the pests
6. Biological control
Techniques in biological control
Important conservation measures are
Qualities of a Successful Parasitoid in Biological Control Programme
Trichogramma
Predators and Predatism
Insect predator qualities
Predatism
Beneficial insects
Scavengers
Red Ants for control of tea mosquito
Rearing of red ants
Wild birds
The black-kneed capsid
Lacewings
Ladybird beetle
Carabid beetles
Mites and spiders
Wasps
Microbial control
Properties of Bt
7. Farmers wisdom in pest management
Community level practices
8. Use of plant products / botanicals
Use of Cycas flowers
Five leaf extract
In a mud pot, any five of the below mentioned plant leaves pound well
To this add
Turmeric rhizome extract
Cow dung extract
Fermented curd water
Herbal Pesticide formulation
Neem-cow urine extract
PUSH-PULL strategy for insect pest management
How push-pull strategy works
Benefits of push-pull strategy
Disease management
What Organisms Causes Disease?
What types of symptoms can you expect from these organisms?
Principles of Plant Disease Control
1. Preventive practices
2. Cultural Control
A healthy crop
Choice of tolerant or resistant crops and varieties
Field hygiene and sanitation
Eradication of alternate and collateral hosts
Choice of geographic area
Dry areas
Disease History
Soil Drainage
Selection of field
Crop rotation
Manures
Mixed cropping
Soil amendments
Plant spacing
Irrigation
Amount of irrigation
Soil pH
Rouging
Compost application
3. Physical methods
Hot water treatment
Mulching
4. ITK in disease control
Weed management in organic farms
What Weeds are doing in my field beyond competition?
Weeds are an indicator of a soil’s health
1. Weed Management during Transition
2. Preventive methods: Preventing or denying establishment or entry of a new weed species into an area
3. Cultural or Agronomic methods
Field Preparation
Pasturing
Sowing time and density
Planting in narrow rows
Planting direction
Plant density
Planting Method
Stale seed bed
Cover Crop
Intercropping
Crop rotation
Choice of crops and varieties
Water management techniques
Pre-germination of weeds
Planting to moisture
Buried drip irrigation
4. Eradicative method (Physical method)
Deep digging
Hand weeding
Hand hoeing
Digging
Mowing
Cutting
Dredging and Chaining
5. General techniques
6. Mulching
Living mulch
Organic mulches
Pebble mulch
7. Mechanical methods
8. Thermal weed control methods
Flamers
Freezing
Infrared Weeders
Soil solarization
9. Biological methods
Bioherbicide approach
10. Naturally occurring bio herbicides
Allelopathy in bio-control programmes
What other factors might need to be taken into account?
11. ITK’s in weed management
12. Navathaniyam
Control of Nut grass weed in the crop field
13. Recent approaches
14. Herbicide / Kalaikolli
Nematode management
The nematode control methods are
1. Regulatory control
Exclusion
2. Cultural control
Selection of healthy seed material
Adjusting the time of planting
Fallowing
Deep summer ploughing
Manuring
Flooding
Trap cropping
Antagonistic crops
Removal and destruction of infected plants
Use of resistant varieties
3. Physical control
Heat treatment of soil
Hot water treatment of planting material
Washing process
Seed cleaning
4. Biological control
For the control of Root knot nematodes: Meloidogyne incognita & M. enterolobii
Predacious fungi
Non-constricting rings
Endozoic fungi
Rodent and bird pests management
Rat control
Eli viratti (Rat control)
Eli kattuppaduthuthal (Rat control)
Neekalpoduthal (Rat control in rice field)
Rat control method in coconut
Extract of Ipomoea fistulosa
Rat control in field
Birds perching sticks
Prevention of Rodents
Control of Field Rats
Using Mud pots
Paravaithangi (Bird perch)
Tying palmyra fronds
Tying unused recordable tapes
Tying polythene sheet and beating drums
Use of small flags
Inverted coconut fronds
Owl perches
Bird scaring in maize using tin and stick
Wild boar control
Chapter 8: ITK’s in Organic Farming
Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK)
Rational and Principles of ITK’s
Soil and water management
Preparatory cultivation
Manures and manuring
Weed management
Pest and disease management
Storage Pest Management
Rainfall
Chapter 9: Organic Crop Production Techniques
General guidelines for Organic Crop Production
Choice of crops and varieties
Conversion period
Diversity in crop production
Manurial Policy
Pests, diseases and weed management
Pest and disease control
Weed control
Contamination control
Soil and water conservation
Organic Crop Production Techniques
Rice
Pulses
Redgram
Blackgram
Cowpea
Banana
Mango
Vegetables
Brinjal
Cucurbits
Snake Gourd
Ribbed Gourd
Bitter Gourd
Pumpkin
Bottle Gourd
Cabbage
Tuber crops
Radish
Beetroot
Carrot
Potato
Aromatic crops
Red Oleander
Pepper
Cardamom
Garlic
Coconut
Ginger
Chapter 10: Integrated Organic Farming System
The following strategies should be followed for adoption of integrated organic farming
1. Site Selection/land consolidation
2. Cooperative/community approach
3. Availability of organic inputs
4. Selection of crops and cultivars
5. Quality of organic inputs
6. Cropping system approach
7. Developmental and promotional activities
8. Certification and accreditation
9. Sales and marketing
10. Subsidize organic inputs and produce
11. Develop organic farming clusters of villages
12. Increase public awareness and build capacity
Design of integrated farming system model
Before you start your design
Characteristics of an ideal integrated organic farm
The ecological goal
Important environmental goals are:
The social goal
Important social goals include
The economic goal
Important economic goals include
Strategies to improve long-term productivity of the integrated organic farm
Integrated organic Farm Model using 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) land
Challenges
Benefits of integrated organic farming system
Usefulness of Organic Farming in the context of System Approach
Chapter 11: Organic Certification and Legislation of Organic Food
Purpose of certification
The certification process
National Programme on Organic Production
National Standards for Organic Production (NSOP)
Conversion Requirements
Crop production
Food processing and handling
Packaging
Labelling
Storage and transport
General requirement for certification
Application for certification
Review of application
Scheduling of inspection
Verification during inspection
Continuation of certification
Fair trade
Appeal
Initiating organic farming
1. Development of organic farming practices
2. Imparting training on organic farming
3. Identification of areas and villages for organic farming
4. Facility creation for organic farmers
5. Organic certification
Participatory Guarantee System
Guiding Principles for Organic Participatory Guarantee System In tune with the international trends and IFOAM’s PGS Guidelines,
1. Participation
2. Shared Vision
3. Transparency
4. Trust
5. Horizontality
National networking
Advantages of PGS over third party certification system
Limitations of PGS
Operational Structure
Organic Food Regulations in India
Objectives
India Organic Logo- Certification mark of NPOP
PGS-India Organic Logo- Certification mark of PGS-India
Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations, 2017
Salient Features of the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations, 2017:
Chapter 12: Post Harvest Management of Organic Produces
Maturity index for fruits and vegetables
a) Skin colour
b) Optical methods
c) Shape
d) Size
e) Aroma
f) Fruit opening
g) Leaf changes
h) Abscission
i) Firmness
j) Juice content
k) Sugars
m) Acidity
Planning for Postharvest Quality
Influence of Pre-harvest Factors on Postharvest Quality
a) Soil Factors
b) Nitrogen
c) Phosphorus and Potassium
d) Calcium
e) Soil Texture
f) Irrigation
g) Insect Pests
h) Selection of Vegetable Varieties
i) Other Production Considerations
Harvest Handling
Harvesting time
Local weather conditions could affect the harvesting time
Harvesting technique and operations
Fruits
Plucking methods vary according to the kind of produce being harvested:
Vegetables
Flower structure vegetables
Root and tuber crops
Post-harvest transport
Field and farm transport
Transport from the farm
Postharvest handling
Packing and packaging materials
Cardboard and paper
Plastic
Glass
Metal
Storage
Storage potential
Organs of survival
Edible reproductive parts
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Recommended storage temperatures
Marketing
What is value addition?
What is value added agriculture?
Need for value addition
Market forces for product differentiation and value addition
Horticulture as a mean for value addition
Value addition as new product development
Some of the areas of achievement
Choice for value addition
Chapter 13: Problem Soil Reclamation
Multi Varietal seeds sowing techniques
Crop mixture for sowing
Under normal soil conditions
Under inert / dead soil conditions
Methodology
Soil management
Different methods for soil conservation
Problem soils
Physical problems
Slow permeable soils
Management
Excessively Permeable Soils
Management
Sub soil hardening /hard pan
Management
Surface crusting
Management
Fluffy paddy soils
Shallow soils
Saline soils
Management of saline soils
1. Crop management
2. Soil/cultural management
3. Fertilizer Management
4. Irrigation management
Sodic soils
Reclamation of sodic soils
Physical
Biological
Chapter 14: Organic Agriculture and Climate Change
The emission reduction potential of Organic Agriculture
The sequestration potential of Organic Agriculture
Mitigation
Adaptation
Annexures
Annexure 1: Certification Agencies In India
Annexure 2: Traditional Crop Varieties
Annexure 3: Traditional Livestock Breeds
Index