Chouhan asks scientists to carry out research on natural farming, without lowering production

July 17, 2024
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN Topics

Chouhan asks scientists to carry out research on natural farming, without lowering production

Sub: Geo

Sec: Eco Geo

Context:

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan urged Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) scientists to research natural farming to maintain crop production levels while protecting soil health for future generations, on the occasion of ICAR Foundation Day

Focus on High-Yielding Varieties:

There is a decline in acreage under soybean and sunflower due to farmers’ reluctance to grow low-productivity crops.
Livestock and fisheries contribute 35% to the GDP, with the potential to exceed 50% with proper attention.

Soybean crop:

About	Soybean called golden beans are belongs to the legume family. It is native to East Asia. It is a rich source of Protein and also an excellent source of fibre. Oil extracted from soybean contain a small amount of saturated fat. In Punjab, it plays an important role in crop diversification.
Geographical Condition required for Soya Bean	Soybean grows well in warm and moist climates. A temperature of 26 to 30°C appears to be optimum for most of the varieties. Soil temperatures of 15.5°C or above favour rapid germination and vigorous seedling growth. A lower temperature tends to delay the flowering.
Major Produces across the Globe and India	In 2020, Brazil overtook the United States as the leading soybean-producing country. Madhya Pradesh followed by Maharashtra.

Sunflower crop:

About	Important oilseed crop in India. A major source of vegetable oil in the world. Used for a variety of cooking purposes. Sunflower seed contains about 48- 53% edible oil.
Production	Ukraine is the largest producer of sunflowers. (Ukraine and Russia together account for about 60% of the global sunflower oil production and exports). In India, Sunflower is grown mainly in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana. India is the largest importer of sunflower oil with imports of about 2.8 million tonnes.
Cultivation	Sunflower is a photo-insensitive crop, therefore, it can be grown successfully in any season viz., Kharif, Rabi and spring throughout India. The crop requires a cool climate during germination and seedling growth. It requires warm weather from the seedling stage up to the flowering stage and warm and sunny days from flowering to maturity. The amount of linoleic acid decreases with high temperatures at maturity. Sunflower is a crop with medium water requirement.
Soil	Sunflowers can be grown on a wide range of soils and tolerate a moderate pH range and some salinity. It thrives best on deep loam soils with good drainage and irrigation facilities. The optimum range of soil pH for this crop is 6.5 to 8.5. It performs better than groundnut in heavy black cotton soils of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Source: TH_BL