Green house technology for Vegetables

Vegetable forcing for domestic consumption

During winters in north Indian plains and hills, the temperature and solar radiations are sub-optimal for growing off-season vegetables –tomato, capsicum, brinjal, cucurbits, okra, cowpea, amaranth and chilli. In tomato, low temperature and low radiation cause puffiness and blotchy ripening. Hence, during extreme conditions of winter season (October-February) these vegetables can be well cultivated under polyhouse.

The protected environment could be well adopted in home gardens at slightly high altitude where winter is prolonged. A small-sized polyhouse can be made over uncultivable landscape, even on roof/terrace receiving sunlight for growing chilli, tomato, brinjal, summer squash and okra in pots and other containers. The high-priced vegetables –asparagus, leek, tomato, cucumber and capsicum – are most important crops for production around metropolis and big cities during winter season or off-season.

Raising off-season nurseries

The cucurbits are warm season crops. They are sown in last week of February or in first week of March when night temperature is around 18-200C. But in polyhouse their seedlings can be raised during December and January in polythene bags protected from cold winds and frost. By planting these seedlings during January-end or first week of February, their yield could be taken in one and one-and a half months in advance than the normal method of direct sowing. This technology fetches the bonus price due to marketing of produce in the off-season.

Similarly, in plains as well as in temperate regions of the country, the seedlings of tomato, Chilli, capsicum and brinjal can be grown under plastic cover protecting them against frost and severe cold. The environmental condition particularly increase in temperature inside polyhouse, may have hastened the germination and early growth of warm season vegetable seedlings for raising early crops in spring-summer.

Asparagus, sweet potato, pointed-gourd and ivy gourd are sensitive to low temperature. The propagating materials of these vegetables can be well-maintained under polyhouse in winter season before planting their cuttings in early spring-summer season for higher profit.

Basic requirements

Selection of seeds: It is imperative to have better quality seed possessing genetic characters suited to the environment in which it is grown. Good vegetable seed must be true-to name, viable, disease- and pest-free, free from weeds, dirt and other foreign materials.

Selection of cultivars: Cultivars suitable for open field condition are usually suitable for polyhouse cultivation. But relatively rapid-maturing cultivars and high-yielding hybrids are ideal. The selection of cultivars and hybrids depend on plant type and their growth behaviour. Tomato cultivars and hybrids should be indeterminate type. The plants are grown upright as a single stem rather than bush. The cucumber cultivars should be unique. They should have only female flowering habit, with dark green parthenocarpic (seedless) fruits free of bitterness.

Vegetable Seed Production

Seed production in vegetables is the limiting factor for cultivation of vegetables in India. The vegetables require specific temperature and other climatic conditions for flowering and fruit setting. Some vegetables are grown in one part of the country but their seed production is restricted to another part. To reduce such microclimatic condition a protected environment is essential. Summer squash requires a mild climate for flowering, fruit setting and fruit development, and seed formation. Therefore, its seed production is only restricted to hilly region of north India in summer season. But nowadays seed production of summer squash ‘Australian Green’ and `Pusa Alankar’ is also feasible in north Indian plains in a low-and medium-cost greenhouse. Similarly, seed production of highly remunerative crops –tomato,capsicum and cucumber – is also performed under protected environment. The maintenance of purity of different varieties/lines can be achieved by growing them under greenhouse without giving isolation distance particularly in cross-pollinated vegetables –onion, cauliflower and cabbage. To get proper pollination and fruit set in onion, summer squash, cucumber and bittergourd, the bee-hives are kept inside during flowering.

Vegetable cultivation in low-and medium-cost greenhouse is a technical reality in India. Such production system has not only extended the growing season of vegetables and their availability but also encouraged conservation of different rare vegetables. The seed production of vegetables under protected environment is also a major step to increase vegetable production in India.


Original Article

Benefit of bees: Raise your own pollinators, reap a sweet harvest

The buzz about honeybees in recent years has been about their vanishing act from gardens and farm fields.

But new ranks of backyard beekeepers are trying to ease that scarcity, or at least have enough pollinators to produce a honey of a harvest.

"Feral bees have pretty much died out, so if you don't have someone with bees nearby, your squash and tomatoes, orchards and nut crops won't get pollinated," said Edd Buchanan, a fourth-generation beekeeper from Black Mountain, N.C.

Bees are the necessary germinating link between blossoms and fruit. They pollinate one-third of the world's produce, a service worth some $70 billion per year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.

Yet a combination of factors including pesticides, habitat loss, pollution, disease and pests have all but eliminated wild honeybee populations nationwide, along with about 30 percent of the managed honeybee colonies, according to USDA estimates.

Enter the more than 211,000 bee hobbyists around the United States. Along with the entertainment value that the insects provide, the beekeepers also harvest honey, pollen and beeswax from their hives.

"It does pay for itself over a period of time," Buchanan said. "With just one hive, you can produce all the honey you want to eat, give some to your neighbors at Christmas plus get your investment back."

At least a pound of worker bees and a queen are needed to make a productive apiary, said Buchanan, who got his start 35 years ago by swapping an old lawnmower for an established hive. "There are about 3,500 bees to a pound," he said. "That'll cost you anywhere from $75 to $90."

Another way to buy bees is with a "nuc," or nucleus hive. That includes a queen, worker bees and a starter brood shipped in a wooden box. Prices generally run $110 to $120. Most are available via mail order, the Internet or from fellow beekeepers.

Italian bees (Apis mellifera ligustica) are the favorites, given their reputation for gentleness, cleanliness, disease resistance and energy.

You'll also need:

Water conveniently nearby. "The closer you are to a water source, the less they'll have to fly and the longer they'll be able to live," Buchanan said.

Nectar and pollen-producing plants. "Locust, blackberry, tulip poplar, Devils walking stick and sourwood are the sources for some of the world's most expensive honeys," he said. Clover, milkweed, lemon balm and thistles also are abundant and supply flavorful nectars.

Adequate space. Bees need enough room to store honey for the winter and rear their young. "They dislike disorder or disruption, and will leave the premises if the accommodations are not right," said Charles Walton, who with partner Mike Welsh manages a beekeeping operation near Takoma Park, Md., a Washington suburb.

An accepting community. "Honeybees are defensive, not aggressive (except for the African variety), and so will not attack unless their hive is threatened," Walton said. Many beekeepers reduce the stinging threat by placing hives near fences or shrubs so the insects are forced to fly above where people usually gather.

Coaching. Novice beekeepers are advised to spend time at an apiary, join a beekeeping club or take a class. "Most states have county agents and Extension entomologists whose responsibilities include beekeeping," the USDA says.

By Dean Fosdick, for The Associated Press

County looks for better way to compost carcasses

Animal composting piles can be seen at the University of Kentucky Animal Research Center in Woodford County. County officials are considering building a similar facility.

After two years of depositing dead animals at a local landfill, Fiscal Court is appealing to Kentucky State University to help find a better way to dispose of carcasses.

The county has asked graduate students in KSU’s Masters of Environmental Studies to develop a project for a county animal compost program that is more efficient and environmentally friendly than the Benson Valley landfill.

“At some point in time, the landfill might get to the point where they might not accept dead animals,” Judge-Executive Ted Collins said. “Composting large animals is more economical … and there’s more green initiative. We can reuse the soil.”

Collins took magistrates to see animal composting in action at the University of Kentucky’s Animal Research Center in Woodford County.

Wednesday was the bi-annual county road trip, during which magistrates and other officials look at roads in need of repair and other projects. The research farm was the first stop.

“Very little to no odor at all,” Collins pointed out, as the magistrates gathered around the compost piles. “There’s no vultures flying, no coyotes digging around … there’s no odor to attract them.”

More than 1,000 animal carcasses – mostly large animals like cows and steers – have been dumped at the landfill since the county started the practice in March of 2009. Before that, carcasses were taken to a rendering facility in Central Kentucky, but the company closed, and responsibility fell on the county.

The county has to pay a tipping fee for every animal dropped off at the Benson Valley landfill. Since the landfill program began, those tipping fees have cost the county $48,000, said Greg Butler, Franklin County’s solid waste administrator. 

Animal composting involves burying carcasses in piles of wood chips mixed in with soil or mulch. According to an article on composting by Steve Higgins, a biosystems and agricultural engineering professor at UK, microorganisms in the pile break down the carcass by removing water and releasing it as carbon dioxide, vapor and heat. The process removes about 80 percent of the germs that cause animal mortalities, he said.

“The heat generates it, it bakes … it pretty much disintegrates it so there’s nothing left,” Butler said, as he pointed to the steam coming from the tops of the piles.

The piles are also built on top of a sloping area of concrete to shed rainwater.

Butler said it takes a few weeks for a carcass to completely decompose in warm weather and a month or so to decompose in colder conditions. After the animal is decomposed, the soil in the pile can be reused to compost other animals.

But before an animal compositing program can be put into place, a few items need to be decided – how much composting material will be needed, size of piles, cost and where it would be built. This is where the KSU students come into play.

Collins and Butler laid out a project description that presents the key issues and asked the KSU students to develop a proposal that would determine the cost, needs, benefits and risks of an animal composting facility in Franklin County.

Students received the project description this week and have the rest of the year to develop a plan, which they will eventually present to magistrates.

Collins said he wants to work with the students to have a system in place possibly by spring. The project will probably go to a vote sometime next winter or early spring, he said.

One of the main issues is location. Collins said most of the county-owned land is occupied by public facilities. Available land owned by the county is near water. According to Kentucky law, a composting facility has to be at least 300 feet from waterways.

Collins said he’s hoping the county can work a deal with KSU to use some of its land.

Mainland to invest up to US$300m in biofuels

An Air China Boeing 747 burning a mixture
of biofuels and kerosene takes off from Beijing's airport.

The mainland's aviation industry is expected to inject as much as US$300 million over the next four years to expand its supply of biofuels, says a senior executive at American aircraft manufacturer Boeing.

Billy Glover, vice-president of environment and aviation policy, said the industry would need a full-scale refinery operation - costing US$200 million to US$300 million - by 2015 in order to meet the global target of replacing 1 per cent of individual countries' annual jet fuel usage with biofuels.

He made the remark after Air China successfully completed its first test flight using a biofuel partially produced from jatropha seeds.

The two-hour flight around Beijing by an Air China 747 jumbo jet was a milestone in a partnership formed by the airline, Boeing and PetroChina earlier this year to research and develop a biofuels supply chain on the mainland.

"The mainland carriers have a really strong role not only in signalling their interests in buying the fuel, but also in demonstration use and other aspects that help producers and refiners to make the commercial go-ahead decision," Glover said.

Fuel suppliers, airlines and the Chines government are expected to share the costs of the project. Glover said other mainland airlines, besides Air China, had expressed interest in becoming biofuels buyers or developing the supply chain.

The 10,000 tonnes of biofuels used in yesterday's test flight - produced from jatropha seeds by PetroChina - currently cost twice as much as kerosene, the traditional aviation fuel, and are yet to be economical viable for commercial operations.

However, prices of biofuels are expected to decline with the development of a supply chain. Shen Diancheng, a PetroChina vice-president, told Xinhua yesterday that his company had planted 80,000 hectares of jatropha trees on wastelands in the mountains and hills in Yunnan, Sichuan and Jiangxi provinces.

That is enough to produce 60,000 tonnes (54.5 million litres) of biofuel by the end of 2014. The amount, however, is only about 2.4 per cent of the world's target capacity of 2.27 billion litres. However, Shen said there were about 800 million mu (53.4 million hectares) of barren hills on the mainland suitable for growing jatropha seeds.

Algae - another promising feedstock that could yield 15 times more oil than other crops - had also emerged from the laboratory recently and test planting had begun in Pingdu, Qingdao, Glover said.

Air China is expected to launch another test flight across the Pacific Ocean to a North American city in the next few months.

Airlines around the world are scrambling to find cleaner and more sustainable fuels to replace fossil fuels in a bid to fight global warming, as well as stricter emission caps.

anita.lam@scmp.com Copyright (c) 2011. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Original Post Here

Vegetables to grow in winter: a how-to guide

Janet Renouf-Miller explains how you can create a harvest of fresh, nutritious winter food throughout the cold months

With the help of a bit of cover, and carefully selected varieties of seeds, it is possible to grow vegetables and herbs all year round in the United Kingdom, and presumably therefore in other temperate countries that have frosty winters.

In my corner of Scotland, away from the sea and up in the hills, there is only one month of the year that can be guaranteed to be frost free and that is July. Most years we cannot grow courgettes or runner beans outside without cover. In our case, experimenting has paid off and we often have more produce in winter than in summer. Last year by the end of winter we were fed up with salad!

Why grow vegetables in winter?

There are a number of advantages to growing vegetables in winter:

• Mature overwintered veg keeps growing until December under cover, stands for the winter then comes away fast in February. They can be picked for much of the winter. There might be lean pickings in January but there is usually something – perhaps a bit of kale, land cress, claytonia, lamb's lettuce, herbs and carrots.
• Later autumn sowings will overwinter as seedlings that get going quickly again in February and are ready long before spring sowings. This eliminates the 'hungry gap' – that period of time when seeds have been sown in spring but little is ready to eat.
• Vitamins and minerals are harder to obtain in winter, especially vitamin C. Having something fresh from the garden can make a big difference.
• Fresh organic produce is more expensive in winter. Therefore winter veg saves you more money than summer veg. Rocket, radishes, salad leaves, parsley and mint are all expensive in winter yet easy to grow at home.
• The ground is as well growing something as sitting there empty.
• Protecting plants from frost

Palm oil smallholders can more than double output

JAKARTA: Independent smallholder palm oil plantations in Indonesia could more than double production if given access to better farming techniques, and help combat deforestation, an environmental group said on Thursday. 

Palm oil output in the world’s top producer Indonesia hit about 22 million tonnes last year, and is seen below 22 million this year because of heavy rains. 

Smallholders account for around 20 percent of output, but produce only 2 tonnes of palm oil per hectare compared to 4 tonnes per hectare in corporate yields, Conservation International (CI) said. 

“We’re really interested in looking at smallholders, and the important role they play,” Andrew Wilson, vice president of corporate relations at CI told Reuters. “A lot of the smallholders that large companies buy from, don’t have access to the top methodology (and) the best feeds, so they’re not maximising yields.”

In ideal conditions, palm oil yields can rise to 7 tonnes per hectare, said the group, whose vice-chairman is actor Harrison Ford. 

“Figuring out how to help get them the technical assistance and input they need to improve yields, is a key next step in preventing deforestation,” said Wilson, ahead of his presentation at the annual Palm and Lauric Oils Conference & Exhibition Price Outlook 2011 next week. 

“The yields are important, and figuring out how to grow more palm oil.using water, pesticides, fertilizer and land.” Independent smallholder plantations are not those schemed or created jointly with large corporate plantation companies. 

Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, is seen as a crucial player in the fight against climate change and is under intense international pressure to curb its deforestation rate. 

Last year, palm oil giant SMART released an independent audit after Greenpeace alleged that the company bulldozed high conservation value forests and damaged carbon-rich peatlands. 

Major palm oil consumers such as Unilever , Nestle and Burger King , stopped buying from SMART because of environmental concerns. 

“Palm oil gets a bit of a bad rap internationally, because of its association with deforestation,” said Wilson.

“But palm oil is a very efficient edible oil. 

“You can produce up to 10 times more per hectare than many other edible oils,” he added. “We see it as an important solution to some of the conservation stresses we’re seeing in areas that contain a lot of tropical rain forests.” CI work with companies to help with sustainability policies and land use planning. 

Wilson praised the efforts by top palm oil buyer Unilever in its sustainability drive. 

As well as taking an active role in the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil RSPO, Unilever is targeting 50 percent sustainable palm oil supplies by the end of 2011, moving up to 100 percent by 2015. 

“Unilever, as a leading corporation in the RSPO, has played an important role in helping to catalyse a market for sustainable palm oil,” said Wilson. “We’re very pleased at the progress of the RSPO and Unilever’s leadership in that. 

“Now the challenge is figuring out how we’re going to be able to supply that ever-increasing demand.”

RSPO is an industry body of consumers, green groups and plantation companies, and aims to promote growth and use of sustainable oil palm products.

The News

Diseases of sheep and goat

EXAMINATION FOR DISEASE AND PARASITES

Purpose : Identification of animals in the early stages of sickness can aid the farm manager in restricting the spread of disease in the flock and initiating treatment at the earliest.

A.  Spotting of sick animals

Sl. no.	Parameter	Healthy animal		Sick animal
		Sheep	Goat
1.	Look of animal	Alert		Dull
2.	Head	Raised		Bent downwards
3.	Eyes	Wide open, bright		Dull with white deposition at the corners
4.	Conjunctival m.m.	Normal		Pale or congested
5.	Nose	No discharge		Slimy discharge
6.	Movement	Active		Sluggish, lameness
7.	Response	Quick		Slow
8.	Feces	Normal		Hard / loose, mucus/blood-stained, discolouration, dysentry
9.	Pulse (/min)	70-90	70-90	Increased
10.	Body temperature (oF)	102.4	103.8	Increased
11.	Respiration (/min)	12-30	12-30	Increased, difficult
12.	Grazing	Normal		Abnormal
13.	Rumination	Regular		Irregular
14.	Feed and water intake	Normal		Reduced
15.	Udder	Normal		May be swollen
16.	Skin	Healthy		Infected, external parasites

B.  Sample collection

Samples include blood (microbiology, immunology, hematology, protozoan parasites), feces (endoparasites and enteric pathogens), urine (urinary tract infections), skin scraping (ectoparasites), ruminal fluid (ruminal dysfunction), vaginal discharge (reproductive tract infections)

C.  Administration of medicines

Routes include oral (drenching/feeding bolus), parenteral (intra-muscular, intra-venous, intra-peritoneal, sub-cutaneous) and topical.

Linseed: A Cash Crop

Linseed or Flax seeds (also called Alsi، السی ) is cultivated as a cash crops at industrial level in Pakistan, Russia, Poland, Canada , USA and Argentine. In Pakistan, Punjab and Sindh are the key areas of cultivation. The flax were cultivated in ancient Egypt and Ethiopia also.   

The height of linseed plant is from 30cm to 60 cm. The stem is thin and leaves are pointed.The color of the flower is white or light blue. The seeds are of brownish red color or yellow golden. The dry and sandy lands are good for cultivate. The humid season is not supportive for the linseed crop. The fungus and rust are most dangerous diseases for linseed crop.

Linseed is very useful crop and cultivate for various purpose. The seed and fiber of the linseed are used for various purpose.Various parts of the plant have been used to make fabric, dye, paper, medicines, fishing nets, hair gels, and soap. Flax seed is the source of linseed oil, which has uses as an edible oil, as a nutritional supplement and as an ingredient in many wood finishing products. It is also grown as an ornamental plant in gardens. The fertilizer made from seed cake is also beneficial for the crops.

Nutrition information from the Flax Council of Canada.
Per 1 Tbsp (14 g)

• Calories: 124
• Total fat: 14g
• Omega-3: 8g
• Omega-6: 2g
• Omega-9: 3g
• Flax seed oil contains no significant amounts of protein, carbohydrates, or fiber.

MANGO: A DELIGHTFUL GIFT FROM SINDH

Mango has been in cultivation in this part of the world for well over 4000 years now. Alexander the Great during his Indian conquest had mentioned about mangoes in the Indus valley. Emperor Akbar (1556-1605) had great passion with the mangoes who developed Lakh bagh (100,000 mango plants) in Behar, Abu Fazal (1590 AD) had written about the mango cultivation in Ain-e-Akbari. Prince Ali Muhammad Khan of Multan mentioned following ten qualities indices (1251 A.H.) for a good mango.

1. Sweet 
2. Without fibre 
3. Think skin 
4. Less water 
5. White pulp 
6. Flavour 
7. Large 
8. Good keeping quality 
9. and Takes time to mature on tree (Durani, 2002, Sala-e-Aam).

We can see that all the above quality characters are present in ‘Sindhri’. Sindh has (privilege) to present ‘Sindhri’ mangoes to the world. It is being grown on 50% of mango cultivated area of 45000 hectares and tree is a fairly good producer (375000 tones a total production). There are about 15 varieties grown commercially in Sindh are Almas, Zafran, Saroli, Dusehri, Langra, Saleh Bhai, Gulab Khas, Sindhri, Chaunsa, Anwar Ratol, Alphanso, Swarnarika, Beganpali, Collector and Neelum. Beside, there are thousands of desi (seedling mangoes) with peculiar taste and qualities.

Mango in Sindh comes in the market by 10th May and flooded the same in whole June, It continued till end of July. Although bulk harvest is complete by the 10th July.

District Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sanghar are the major mango production areas in Sindh producing around 75% of total mango production. Due to vicinity of Karachi these districts offer best opportunities of mango export.

Beside, export of fresh fruits, the mango pickle, juice, jam, slices, squashes and other beverage industry has a great scope. Some of the main varieties are as under:

ZAFRAN

Zafran is an early maturing variety. The fruit is available from 10th May, small sized (120-150g ), skin yellow with red shades when ripe, fibre present sweet (14.19% sugar, and acidic (.0.96) The yield is around 3.0 md/tree. Alternate bearer, but can be minimized with timely application of fertilizer. The tree is of medium size, spreading and fast growing. The fruit is more tasty. When matured at tree.

SAROLI

Saroli is a major early season variety. The contractors tend to pick it earlier by 25th April, however, best taste develops after 15th May. The fruit is of medium size, greenish yellow, ovalish oblong, scanty juice, aromatic, fibre absent and sweet (12.0% sugar).The tree is medium, spreading, fast growing and yielding 2.0-2.5 md/tree.

DUESHRI

Dusehri is also a major early season variety. It is available in the market by 10th May, however, actual taste develops by 25th May. Fruit size is small (150-180 g), skin smooth with dots all over the surface, Ovalish narrow, light yellow with green patches, pulp color yellow ochre, firm, sweet (13.55% sugar), less acidic and fibre absent. Flavour pleasantly aromatic.The tree is medium sized spreading, regular bearer and good yielder (4-5 md/tree).

LANGRA

Langra is a early-mid season variety. It has wide adaptab ility. Mostly present in every mango growing area, hence fruit is available all the time in the market. The fruit shape is ovalish oblong, size medium (220-250 g), skin colour of ripe fruit greenish yellow, surface smooth, pulp color uniform yellow, very soft. Flavour excessive smell, slight fibre present, very sweet (14.14% sugar) and less acid. Has very poor keeping quality. The tree is large and spreading and profuse yielder. A 90 year tree at Fruit Farm yielded 107 crates (30 md/tree).

SINDHRI.

Sindhri is the major mango variety grown in Sindh on more than 50 percent of mango growing area. It is a mid season variety available from 10th May in the market, however, its actual ripening period is 25th May. Fruit availability period is very short. Fruit shape ovalish long, size big, length 15.0 cm breadth 8.0 cm, thickness 7.4 cm. Fruit large (400-500g), lemon yellow in colour, surface smooth. Pulp firm, color yellowish cadium, texture very fine, taste sweet (13.08% sugar), less acidic (0.16). Tree is medium to large sized, spreading virorous, dome shaped and alternate bearer. High yielder (6.0 md/tree).

GULAB KHAS.

This is a early to mid season variety available in the market by 10th June. Fruit shape oblong oblique, size small (160-180 g) color yellow with red patch at base extended to the top, surface smooth. Pulp light yellow fine textured, abundant juice, sour sweet, light odor and fibre is present. Tree is large, spreading, round top, regular berer and yield 2-3 md/tree.