Friday 8 June 2012

Frogeye Leaf Spot

How to recognize the disease:
The diagnostic symptom of frogeye leaf spot are angular spots with light gray centres and distinct purple to red-brown margins. No chlorotic halos surrounding lesions are present. Leaf spots can be single or merge to form larger lesions. This can result in premature leaf drop. Lesions on stems and pod can occur later in the season, but they are less common and distinctive than lesions on the leaves. Seeds near pod lesions can be infected and develop conspcuous light to dark gray or brown areas.

The concentric pattern of light brown to tan center portions of the leaf spot ringed by darker purple margins is the origin the name “frogeye leaf spot.”  Young leaves exhibit circular spots with indistinct purple edges about 2 weeks after petal fall.  Many of the spots develop no further and a well-defined circular brown spot is present by summer.  However, in other spots, there is secondary enlargement during the summer and the brown spots develop irregular discoloured lobes.  Tiny black fruiting structures often develop in the center of the leaf spots.  Extensive spotting of leaves initially causes chlorosis followed by early leaf loss.



Damage to apple trees and crabapple trees from this disease can be severe. Once the fruit stage sets in, the fruit is inedible and completely rotten. Cankers can become quite large, several feet in diameter and length, and can completely girdle and kill the tree itself, not to mention branches and twigs.

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Season for Guava!

Guava is a tropical fruit produced by the guava tree. Large quantities of the guava fruit are produced in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Mexico. The fruit is commonly eaten fresh or made into beverages, jams, and other foods. The fruit, leaves, and juice are also used as medicine. Guava (Psidium guajava Linn.) is an important fruit of subtropical countries. Do you know? It is affected by about 177 pathogens of which, 167 are fungal, 3 bacterial, 3 algal, 3 nematodes and one epiphyte. Wilt is the most important disease of guava. Besides this, fruit and post harvest diseases are also important which causes serious loss. The fruit diseases are of two types i.e. field diseases and post harvest diseases, which develop during transit and storage. Due to its perishable nature a number of pathogens are reported which causes different types of rots in fruits. In the present communication all major diseases are described with their symptoms, causal organisms and disease management practices. Guavas are evergreen members of the myrtle family that reach heights of 6 to 33 feet, depending on the cultivar and growing conditions. In summer, they produce 2- to 4-inch round or oblong pale yellow fruit. Grow guavas in a location with mild, frost-free winter weather. The trees do best in full sun and rich, well-drained soil. You can propagate guavas from seed, but the new plants may differ from the trees you harvested the fruit from. Take special care to prevent the seedlings from developing fungal disease, which is often fatal.

Know more: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/season-for-guava

 

Tomato & Diseases

Useful tips for growing tomatoes:
  • Use disease free seed. There's no evidence that it is carried by seeds.
  • Start with a clean garden. Dispose of all affected plants. The fungus does not remain in the soil, but it can over-winter on the debris of diseased plants. So it's important to dispose of all the affected plants far away from the garden and the compost pile.
  • Avoid overhead watering. Water aids the spread of Septoria leaf spot. Keep it off the leaves as much as possible by watering at the base of the plant only.
  • Provide room for air circulation. Leave some space between your tomato plants so there is good air flow. Stake them so that they are not touching the ground and not all bunched together. Good air circulation is especially important during damp and rainy periods.
  • Mulch (A protective covering of rotting vegetable matter spread to reduce evaporation and soil erosion) below the plants. A layer of mulch will prevent spores on the ground from splashing up onto the lower leaves.
  • Consider organic fungicide options. Fungicides containing either copper or ​potassium bicarbonate will help prevent the spreading of the disease. Begin spraying as soon as the first symptoms appear and follow the label directions for continued management.
  • Plant next year's tomatoes in a different section of your garden. In small gardens, it's not always practical to rotate your crops, so good clean up and sanitation become even more important.
Know more about Tomato diseases & control: http://seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/tomatoes-diseases

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Know About Farm Bill

The current farm bill, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, replaces the last farm bill which expired in September 2007.
Now that the World Trade Organization (WTO) has accepted Russia into its membership, Congress will need to pass Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status for Russia for the United States to benefit from the agreement. The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations will continue with a goal of completion in 2012. With Japan now joining the negotiations, the economic importance for U.S. agriculture, especially beef and pork, increased significantly. And with the WTO ruling against the United States on country-​of-origin labeling (COOL), the administration will determine early next year whether to appeal the decision.
When the farm bill is considered by the House of Representatives, it is expected that animal welfare amendments may be offered. This could include the agreement between the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the egg industry, banning downer animals (including fatigued hogs) from entering the food supply, horse slaughter etc.
A number of tax provisions expired on Dec. 31 including the biodiesel tax credit. Congress is expected to address the tax extender provisions this spring. The blender’s tax credit for ethanol also ended on Dec. 31. It will not be reauthorized. These are just a few of the many issues important to U.S. agriculture. This being an election year, there will be many other issues that will confront producers and agribusiness.

Read the complete article: http://seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/farm-bill

Agricultural Challenges

The World production of major cereal grains (rice, wheat, sorghum [jowar] and corn) has risen steadily each decade since 1960, but when you examine per capita global production of the same grains, only corn is on the rise because of its hybrid production. Dr. Jerry Bigham of The Ohio State University shared eye-opening population numbers for India and China, home to one-third of the world’s population. India’s projected population, is heavily inclined in the age groups of 0 to 14, is expected to increase 31% between 2000 and 2025. Statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations predicts the world’s population will increase from 6.8 billion people in 2010 to 8.9 billion people by 2050 almost one third greater than today. They reported that escalating food prices led to riots in 30 different countries during 2008. Also the patterns reveal that food prices worldwide have doubled since 2006. Countries will face major challenge as the land available for agriculture will be constantly falling. With more population entering in this sector and the family held lands will be divided more and more amongst the successor. Hence, the land available for cultivation will fall resulting in the total produce to reduce.
The financial crisis may have disrupted the ability of agricultural producers and agribusinesses to access capital, and the looming recession will reduce demand for many agricultural goods. The financial crisis and recession could create an agricultural business environment that discourages decision makers from looking ahead to meet the 30-year challenge. In this situation, decisions about management practices, investment and research to align public and private activities are likely to focus on short-term profitability and rising capital costs rather than long-run objectives relating to food security, energy security, natural resources, climate change, and economic development.

Read the complete article on: http://seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/recent-agricultural-challenges

Monday 4 June 2012

Seeds: Diseases & Treatment



 Seeds can spread plant diseases from one farm to another, from one state to another, and from a distant country to the other. Some disease pests may survive for years, safely lodged on or in a seed or on bits of stem or leaf mixed with the seeds. Many seedborne diseases cannot be recognized when seeds are examined, and cannot be detected during incubation. Only by inspecting the growing crop can one be sure that the seeds are free of viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Most seedborne parasites do not affect germination immediately. They do not harm the seeds but multiply on emerging seedlings, which may then succumb to the disease. Some seed lots that show high germination in tests are nearly destroyed when they are planted under conditions that favor development of the organisms they carry.
Control of such diseases begins with the seed, it is easier and cheaper to eliminate a pathogen from a few pounds of seeds than to attempt to spray or dust entire fields of growing plants. Some pathogens can be eliminated or their range of occurrence can be reduced by treating the seed with suitable chemical compounds, hot water, or fumigants. Some seedborne diseases do not prevail in regions of low rainfall and relatively high temperature during the growing season. Seeds produced under such conditions usually are free of many of these destructive, disease-causing bacteria and fungi. The commercial production of seed of certain vegetable, ornamental, and forage crops therefore has been shifted from humid areas of the East and Midwest to irrigated, semiarid western areas.
Careful inspection and weeding out of diseased plants in fields destined for seed production greatly reduce the incidence of seedborne diseases. Although hundreds of pathogens are known to be seedborne, effective control measures have eliminated some and reduced the incidence of others to the point where they are troublesome only occasionally.
Some of the worst diseases of vegetable crops are seedborne. In most instances, no varieties resistant to seed-borne diseases have yet been developed. For some, no chemical seed treatment gives satisfactory control. Rain, hail, and high humidity following storms, which are responsible for the spread and development of the bacterial blight organisms, occur much less frequently during the growing season in parts of Idaho and California than in the other States. Consequently the production of seed of snap beans now centers in those sections.
Several fungi that cause seed decay and seedling diseases are seedborne. Phomopsis seed decay, frogeye leaf spot, anthracnose, purple seed stain, and downy mildew can cause seed rots, reduce emergence and prevent adequate stand establishment. These problems are usually more severe in cool wet soils. The best tactic for avoiding these diseases is the use of high quality disease-free seed. The most common of these seedborne diseases is phomopsis seed decay. The herbicides used on the field must be considered when a decision to replant is made.

learn more about disease management: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/seeds-diseases-treatment

Tunnel farming



Our agriculturists are researching on more new methods and techniques to increase their yields, one of those techniques is Hydroponic Cultivation commonly known as Tunnel Farming. This cultivation of vegetables within the protection of plastic tunnels was first practiced in the Republic of South Africa during the early seventies and spread to the north where the largest areas planted with vegetables and flowers occur today. The advantages of using a water culture (hydroponic method) of cultivating vegetables under protection are that the vegetables are very nutritious and that large yields of a high quality can be obtained. The tunnels are also called the hoops house, polytunnels, and high tunnels.  This cultivation is often confused with greenhouse, but both are different. Tunnel farming is less expensive and the tunnels provide less climate control also they are not heated.


In order to practice this method, the following are necessary:
  • A wind-free area. If this is not possible, windbreaks must be erected or planted.
  • Water must not be very saline. Remember: the water is further enriched by the addition of fertilizer for the plants in the tunnel.
  • The tunnel must preferably be situated close to a market, because the harvest must reach the market place as soon as possible.
 
Know more on tunnel farming: http://seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/tunnel-farming