Don’t Remove Too Much Residue

Leave enough crop residue to protect soil and to ensure nutrient cycling

When figuring the dollar value of harvesting corn stover for either livestock use or ethanol production, build a long-term hedge into the equation by first determining how much crop residue the soil can afford to lose.

“Think about residue removal in terms of the long-term impact on productivity and soil sustainability,” says Iowa State University (ISU) agronomist Mahdi Al-Kaisi.

“We’re trying to think ahead to educate farmers and agronomists about potential implications of residue removal.”

In an eight-year study, ISU researchers examined how crop yield and soil quality were affected by varying levels of corn-residue removal and differing tillage systems.

The results indicate that corn yields held steady after one to three years of total removal of residue for both conventional-till and no-till systems.

However, as little as 25% to 35% removal of residue immediately affected soil quality.

“Corn production in Iowa generally produces 4½ tons of residue per acre at harvest,” says Al-Kaisi. “To protect the soil, we found that 3 tons of residue should be left on the soil surface to maintain soil organic matter at no change. Anything below that causes the bulk density of the soil to increase and water infiltration to decrease.”

As bulk density increases, soil becomes compacted, causing soil erosion and water runoff.
With little residue on the surface, soil is particularly vulnerable to rainfall.

“In a normal rainfall, raindrops 6 millimeters in diameter hit the ground at 20 mph,” says Al-Kaisi. “The cumulative impact of raindrops can be incredible, dislodging soil particles and splashing them up to 5 feet away. The splashed particles clog soil pores, effectively sealing off the soil surface and leading to soil crusting and poor water infiltration.”

Besides sheltering soils from wind and water erosion, crop residues provide a critical source of soil carbon. Soil microorganisms consume the carbon, and their feeding activity leads to final-stage breakdown of plant material. This results in the formation of organic matter and the sequestering of some carbon from the atmosphere.

“The loss of residues due to removal for any use can accelerate the loss of soil organic matter and nutrients for plant growth and soil microorganisms,” says Al-Kaisi. “In another long-term study, it was found that corn stover removed vs. stover returned had reduced the total source of soil organic matter by 20% and corn-derived soil organic carbon by 35% in a 13-year period.”

Destructive changes in physical properties of the soil can take 10 years or more to reverse by implementing conservation practices.

While corn yields may not decrease in the short term as a result of annual removal of residue, the diminished level of nutrient cycling by soil microorganisms may soon result in the need for increasing fertilization rates.

“Possible short-term impacts of corn stover removal may include an increase in application of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium nutrients. These are needed to replace the nutrients lost due to residue removal and potential deficiencies in the soil nutrients’ pool in the long term,” says Al-Kaisi.

“Seven years ago, one study estimated that these macronutrients’ replacement cost due to residue removal was approximately $10 per ton of harvested residue,” he says.

WHEAT

About Wheat
 

Indian wheat is largely a soft/medium hard, medium protein, white bread wheat, somewhat similar to U.S. hard white wheat. Wheat grown in central and western India is typically hard, with high protein and high gluten content. India also produces around 1.0-1.2 million tons of durum wheat, mostly in the state of Madhya Pradesh. 

Most Indian durum is not marketed separately due to segregation problems in the market yards. However, some quantities are purchased by the private trade at a price premium, mainly for processing of higher value/branded products.

The production and productivity of Wheat crop were quite low, when India became independent in 1947. The production of Wheat was only 6.46 million tonnes and productivity was merely 663 kg per hectare during 1950-51, which was not sufficient to feed the Indian population. The Country used to import Wheat in large quantities for fulfilling the needs of our people from many countries like USA under PL-480. 

The reasons of low production and productivity of Wheat at that time was (a) the tall growing plant habit resulting in lodging, when grown under fertile soils, (b) the poor tillering and low sink capacity of the varieties used, (c) higher susceptibility to diseases, (d) the higher sensitivity to thermo & photo variations, etc., resulting in poor adaptability, and (e) longer crop duration resulting in a long exposure of plants to the climatic variations and insect pest / disease attacks.

The Government of India appointed a commission in 1961 to assess the feasibility of increasing the crop productivity under prevailing Indian ecological conditions. As result of various steps taken by Govt. of India, the Wheat scenario in our country has completely changed. In the post Independence era, country used to import Wheat for our needs but due to bumper increase in the production and productivity of 

Wheat in the 'Green Revolution' period in late sixties, our country became self dependent in Wheat production. At present, country is producing much more excess Wheat than the requirement and Godowns are over-flooded with Wheat.

Climate requirement 

 

Wheat crop has wide adaptability. It can be grown not only in the tropical and sub-tropical zones, but also in the temperate zone and the cold tracts of the far north ,beyond even the 60 degree north altitude . 

Wheat can tolerate severe cold and snow and resume growth with the setting in of warm weather in spring .It can be cultivated from sea level to as high as 3300 meters.

The best wheat are produced in areas favoured with cool, moist weather during the major portion of the growing period followed by dry, warm weather to enable the grain to ripen properly. 

The optimum temperature range for ideal germination of wheat seed is 20-25 C though the seeds can germinate in the temperature range 3.5 to 35 c. Rains just after sowing hamper germination and encourage seedling blight. Areas with a warm and damp climate are not suited for wheat growing.

During the heading and flowering stages, excessively high or low temperatures and drought are harmful to wheat. Cloudy weather, with high humidity and low temperatures is conducive for rust attack. Wheat plant requires about 14-15 c optimum average temperature at the time of ripening. 

The temperature conditions at the time of grain filling and development are very crucial for yield. Temperatures above 250c during this period tend to depress grain weight. When temperatures are high, too much energy I lost through the process of transpiration by the plants and the reduced residual energy results in poorer grain formation and lower yields. Wheat is mainly a rabi (winter) season crop in India.

 

Soil 
 

Wheat is grown in a variety of soils of India. Soils with a clay loam or loam texture, good structure and moderate water holding capacity are ideal for wheat cultivation. Care should be taken to avoid very porous and excessively drained oils.

Soil should be neutral in its reaction. Heavy soil with good drainage are suitable for wheat cultivation under dry conditions. These soils absorb and retain rain water well. Heavy soils with poor structure and poor drainage are not suitable as wheat is sensitive to water logging. 

Wheat can be successfully grown on lighter soils provided their water and nutrient holding capacity are improved.

Fertilizer management 
 

The time and placement of fertilizer is another area where significant progress was made. It was demonstrated that 120 kg nitrogen, 60 kg phosphorus and 30 kg potash per hectare were required for optimum productivity. 

The N was to be applied in two split doses of 60 kg as basal and the remaining 60 kg at first irrigation and full phosphorus and potash to be applied as basal. Recently, the new wheat varieties have responded up to 180 kg N/ha with optima dose around 150 kg/ha. In the Indo-Gangetic plains, application of zinc @ 25kg/ha in rice-wheat system was found to increase the yield substantially. Recently, the use of sulphur has been found beneficial for enhancing the productivity as well as the grain protein content of wheat. 

Response to Mn (pockets in the Indo-Gangetic plains) and boron (eastern and far eastern region) has also been realized.

Nutrient management 
 

With intensive agriculture, deficiency of essential nutrients has also become wide spread. The work conducted under the All India Coordinated Research Project on Micronutrient in Crops and Soils, has shown wide spread deficiency of zinc in soils in India. 

At the national level, the deficiency level in micro nutrients is Zn: 46 %, B: 17 %, Mo: 12 %, Fe: 11 % and Cu: 5%. The deficiency of sulphur has also been reported across a wide range of soils (38%).The yield response to sulphur has been obtained in more than 40 crops including cereal, millets, oilseeds and pulses etc. To realize the potential yield, strategies may include

• Site specific nutrient management for targeted yields
• Integration of crop residues, bio fertilizers etc with inorganic fertilization
• Tillage techniques like FIRBS for increasing nutrient use efficiencies
• Remote sensing for efficient Nutrient management
• Nutrient management, straw quality vis-à-vis human and animal health

for information on the different seed varieties of wheat, click here

SURGACANE

About Sugarcane
 

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) family Gramineae (Poaceae) is widely grown crop in India. It provides employment to over a million people directly or indirectly besides contributing significantly to the national exchequer. 

Sugarcane growing countries of the world lay between the latitude 36.7° north and 31.0° south of the equator extending from tropical to subtropical zones. Sugar cane originated in New Guinea where it has been known for thousands of years. 

Sugar cane plants spread along human migration routes to Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Here it cross-bred with some wild sugar cane relatives to produce the commercial sugar cane we know today.

Cultivation of sugarcane in India dates back to the Vedic period. The earliest mention of sugarcane cultivation is found in Indian writings of the period 1400 to 1000 B.C. 

It is now widely accepted that India is the original home of Saccharum species. Saccharum barberi and Polynesian group of island especially New Guinea is the centre of origin of S. officinarum. It belongs to family Gramineae (Poaceae), class monocotyledons and order glumaceae sub family panicoidae, tribe Andripogoneae and sub tribe saccharininea. 

The cultivated canes belong to two main groups: (a) thin, hardy north Indian types S.barberi and S.Sinense and (b) thick, juicy noble canes Saccharum officinarum. Highly prized cane is S. officinarum.

Climatic requirement
 

Temperature for different critical stages of sugarcane: The different critical stages are germination, tillering, early growth, active growth and elongation. Optimum temperature for sprouting (germination) of stem cuttings is 32° to 38°c. 

It slows down below 25°, reaches plateau between 30°-34°. Temperatures above 38° reduce the rate of photosynthesis and increase respiration. For ripening, however, relatively low temperatures in the range of 12° to 14° are desirable. 

Reduction in yield of sugarcane due to rise in temperature
 

The sugarcane productivity and juice quality are profoundly influenced by weather conditions prevailing during the various crop-growth sub-periods. 

Sugar recovery is highest when the weather is dry with low humidity; bright sunshine hours, cooler nights with wide diurnal variations and very little rainfall during ripening period. These conditions favour high sugar accumulation. 

The climatic conditions like very high temperature or very low temperature deteriorate the juice quality and thus affecting the sugar quality. Favourable climate like warm and humid climate favour the insect pests and diseases, which cause much damage to the quality and yield of its juice and finally sucrose contents.

Government Should Curb Wastages in Agric Produce and Preserve Food - Experts

As the efforts to position the Nigeria’s agricultural sector to become one of the leading players in food production in world continue, experts have called on the federal government to tackle the level of wastage of agricultural produce usually experienced from distribution to the marketplace and develop innovative ways to preserve them.

Speaking during the inauguration of Fruits2go café, the Chief Executive Officer of the café, Tosan Kukoyi, said government should focus on the end product value chain, as a lot of wastages are being experienced from the farm to the market.

According to her, the wastage is huge and government has not provided facilities to preserve these agriculture produce.

She also stated that if government encourages more people and provide the necessary support, most of the agricultural produce will be better preserved thereby reduce the reliance on imported foods which she noted is most preferred by Nigerians despite the preservatives it contains, “most of these imported products contain products that are not healthy for the body.”

Kukoyi, who stated that there is need for more people to go into farming, commended government’s efforts in positioning sector, adding that Nigerians should create innovations regarding ways of preserving and packaging agriculture products.

Speaking on the café, she said the cafe was a healthy alternative to eateries in Lagos and they are focused on wholeness, noting that the products used are locally sourced in order to provide space in the healthy food options segment where every member of the family can have a good meal, snack or drink.

Kukoyi said the brand is targeted at children because there are no smoothies’ stores or café targeted children, while stressing that they have taken their services a step further to schools to package healthy lunch for school pupils.

She added: “The school authorities have also given us the opportunity to talk with the parents of these kids on the importance of eating right and not compromising with the cheaper alternatives that are in the market. 

Parents are excited to bring their children here because of what we are offering such as the popsicles which looks like ice-cream, but it is made from pineapple fruits and other fruit addition. 

The parents of these pupils reach an agreement with us and they pay for the lunch we serve their pupils, on a term basis. We have covered two major schools.

“Children love our smoothies and juices. We are creating excitement for our customers and still focused on the core of the business. We have juices, and healthy Yogurts made without preservatives. We only persevere these Yogurts with refrigeration. This is the first branch, but we are looking at opening four other locations in 2017.

“Government should evaluate the agricultural value chain, the players and know where the challenges are coming from, then address it. 

I think the challenge before the administration facing is implementation. For private entrepreneurs, we will try our best to set the stage, within our capacity. 

The bank is not helping us with the interest rates they are giving. It is difficult if you don’t have funds. There should more credit facilities to encourage entrepreneurs.”

Anxiety in Nigeria Over Fate of Tomato Paste Industry

With the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s) reluctance to amend its foreign exchange restriction for the importation of certain commodities, value-chain operators in the tomato paste industry have warned of the potential collapse of the N19 billion manufacturing industry before the end of second quarter of 2017, if the decision is not reviewed.

According to the operators, the value of imported tomato paste in Nigeria used to be about $170 million before the CBN ban on 41 items, out of which imported triple concentrate tomato paste used as raw material by the packers account for around $50 million.

Recall that an indigenous local tomato paste manufacturer, Erisco Foods Limited, made good its threat of shutting down the $150 million plant and relocating its manufacturing base to a location outside Nigeria last month.

The Chief Executive Officer, Erisco Foods, Chief Eric Umeofia, had announced that the company was winding down operations preparatory for its final exit from the country, citing that he was moving the factory to China, where he already had a thriving business.

He added that from there, he would be manufacturing and exporting tomato paste back to Nigeria, as it was far cheaper doing so than producing locally.

Spokesman of the Union of Tomato Paste Manufacturers in Nigeria, Nnamdi Nnodebe, hinted that the tomato processing industry is in a dire position as unavailability of tomato paste triple concentrate for the industry is grinding production to a halt.

While some operators had urged government to embrace a gradual backward integration agenda to achieve its objectives, Nnodebe noted that the sudden implementation of the forex policy by the apex ban has affected the profile of the industry drastically.

He said: “It makes better economics to import the raw materials that will enable production, grow the economy and keep jobs rather than importing the finished products or frustrating efforts to get the raw materials, thereby rendering millions jobless which might further kill the economy.

“The local packing industry can also form the hub for exports to the hinterland countries as there are adequate local capacities to more than cater to the domestic requirement. Using the ECOWAS benefits, this can be a huge foreign exchange earner for the country today and in the near future. 

Through the growth of the tomato industry Nigeria can compete with China instead of buying the finished goods from them.

“It is important for the government to recognise that the packing industry is an essential component of the tomato paste value chain and without this sector there can be no link between the farmer and the final consumer. 

Even if we develop our own triple concentrate manufacturing industry in future, the bulk of triple concentrate cannot be consumed in Nigeria alone as exportation of the local production will become more lucrative.”