Page 142 - CW E-Magazine (5-12-2023)

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BOOSTING YIELD & QUALITY

‘Planting fl owers beside food crops could help

increase yields’

Planting fl owers beside food crops insects also showed better quality of
on farms attracts bees, boosts pollina- crops, with bigger moringa pods. The
tion and improves crop yield and quality, sites with red gram and marigold fl ow-
researchers have found The research ers which had previously suffered from
published in the Journal of Applied a lack of pollination saw higher yields.
Ecology, is the fi rst Indian study of Numbers of harvestable moringa fruits
its kind and was carried out in South increased by 30% in the orchards with
India by ecologists from the University co-fl owering crops, compared to those
of Reading, UK, and the Chennai-based without.
M. S. Swaminathan Research Foun- ers in South India to design the best
dation. The scientists focused on the co-fl owering crops and boost the num- “India has many crops of high eco-
Moringa crop, a nutrient-rich super- bers of native bees and other insect polli- nomic and nutritional value, such as
food, and its essential pollinators – bees. nators visiting the moringa orchards.” mango and moringa, where there is
potential to signifi cantly increase and
By planting companion marigold Rich results improve crop pollination services.
fl owers and red gram crops alongside The research team worked with Intensive farming practices, using large
Moringa trees in orchards, the research smallholder farmers in the Kannivadi amounts of chemical pesticides and
team increased the abundance and di- region of Tamil Nadu in 24 moringa fertilisers, and loss of natural habitats
versity of fl ower-visiting insects, ulti- orchards. They helped them plant have negatively impacted biodiversity
mately improving pollination and red gram and marigold fl owers in 12 in India, including native bees and
boosting crop yield. Dr. Deepa Sena- orchards while the other 12 had no other pollinators. Smallholder farmers
pathi, of the University of Reading, said, co-fl owering crops planted in them. in the tropics, whose crops depend on
“Planting wildfl owers on agricultural native pollinators, are particularly vul-
land is a tried and tested method seen in Flower visitor numbers and diversity nerable to these impacts. The results of
many arable fi elds and orchards in the were 50% and 33% higher in sites the study show how farmers can boost
UK and across Europe. This farming with red gram and marigold fl owers yields while also managing their lands
technique is known to boost insect polli- compared to those without. Sites with in a more sustainable manner,” the Uni-
nator numbers. We worked with farm- higher numbers of fl ower visiting versity of Reading informed.

GROWTH PLANS
‘RIL to invest Rs. 20,000-crore in West Bengal

in next 3 years’

Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) has come India’s largest bio-energy produ- farmers grow energy plantations. “We
invested Rs. 45,000-crore in West Ben- cer, based on the company’s own indige- will also help farmers to grow energy
gal and is further planning to invest nous developed technology, Mr. Ambani plantations on a large scale. This would
additional Rs. 20,000-crore in the next said. “India has the potential to become help mitigate nearly 2 million tonnes of
three years, Chairman Mukesh Ambani the largest producer of bio energy in carbon emissions and produce 2.5 mil-
said at the ‘7th Edition of Bengal Global the world. We target to establish 100 lion tonnes of organic manure annually.
Business Summit’ in Kolkata recently. compressed biogas (CBG) plants in the We are planning to set up CBG plants in
He further informed that the investment next three years, consuming 5.5 million Bengal that will enable Bengal farmers
by the conglomerate will majorly be tonnes of agricultural residue and orga- to increase their incomes by doubling up
done in three areas – telecom, retail and nic waste,” he added. Mr. Ambani further as anna daatas and urja daatas – pro-
bio energy. The conglomerate has be- informed that Reliance will also help ducers of food as well as energy,” he said.

142 Chemical Weekly December 5, 2023

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