6.
Supply organic matter – food for soil organisms
Increase plant variety – stimulates rich soil biodiversity
Protect Habitat of soil organisms –
Improving soil conditions like aeration, temperature,
moisture, nutrient quantity and Quality
Reduced soil tillage
Minimized compaction
Refraining from chemical usage
Ensuring Healthy Soil
7.
The zone of intense biological activity near the roots is
called the Rhizosphere.
Bacteria benefit most from the food supplied in the
rhizosphere and may form a continuous film around the
root.
Roots form the microbial highways of the soil.
Other microorganisms liberate nutrients from the clay
and humus colloids.
What is Rhizosphere?
10.
Rhizobium Bacteria
• Provides the plants with soluble nitrogen
compounds synthesized from Nitrogen gas in
the soil atmosphere.
• Extracts carbohydrates from plant
• Symbiotic relation
11.
Mycorrhizal Fungi
• By extending the surface area of the roots by as much as 400
times, the fungi help the plant in absorption of water and
nutrients.
• Also help the plant in its ability to withstand heat and drought.
21.
Composting and Vermicomposting
Mixed cropping
Crop rotation and Selection
Green Manuring
Biogas Slurry
Oil Seed refuge
Leguminous plants
Bio-fertilizers
Cover Crops
Mulching
Permanent Raised Bed
Methods of Soil enrichment
22.
23. COMPOST
A process by which the BACTERIA and FUNGI occurring in the soil convert
dead organic matter present on its surface into a nutrient rich medium.
The nutrient rich medium is called COMPOST.
24.
Impact of use of Raw Manure Benefits of Composting
Initially cheaper than compost Controlled process ensures
organic material is broken down
and nutrients mineralized into
plant available form
Rocks and clumps remains in raw
manure.
Rocks and clumps may be
removed by screening
Bad Odor Minimal odor
Pathogens are present Safer handling through
destruction of pathogens
Big particle size Small particle size for easy
application
Benefits over Raw Manure
27. Environ-
mentally
friendly
Pathogens in
the soil are
destroyed
Weeds
suppressed
Prevents
soil erosion
Moderates soil
temperature
Makes soil
easier to
cultivate
Balances
soil pH
Advantages
Rich in
plant
nutrients
28.
Methods
Pile or Heap Composting
Trench or Pit Composting
NADEP Composting
Vermi-Composting
31.
Improper water drainage
Insufficient aeration
Results in anaerobic, bad smelling compost
Results in pathogen build up
Leads to rotting instead of decomposition
Possible exception - only in a very dry/hot place to
conserve moisture or in a cold place to conserve heat
Disadvantages of
Pit Composting
34.
Composting is brought about by vermi i.e. principally
earthworms.
Functions of earthworms:
Speed up composting process
Aerate the organic material
Enhance the finished compost with nutrients and enzymes
from their digestive tracts
Allows creation of compost around the year.
Vermi-composting
35.
The surface dwelling earthworm alone should be used.
Selection of Earthworms
African earthworm
(Eudrillus engenial),
Red worms
(Eisenia foetida)
Composting worm
(Peronyx excavatus)
36.
What can you compost?
Apples Rice
Bananas and Banana peels Coffee Grounds and Filters
Other Fruits Eggs
Vegetable Peels and Scraps Flowers
Bread and Noodles (that are
not too greasy)
Grass Clippings
Nut Shells Leafs
Tea bags & filters Flowers
37.
What not to Compost?
Do not compost:
Meat
Fish
Greasy Foods
Fried Foods
Cheese
Milk
Yogurt
Oils
Bones
Animal droppings
38.
39.
Sowing of
seeds of
green
manure crop
Retain the
plants till it
attains a
height of
45cm.
Harvest crop
before it
flowers and
upturn and
mix with
farm soil
Sow the next
crop within
two weeks to
avoid
nutrient
losses.
Green Manuring
• Less work than composting.
• Less expensive than buying in manure or fertilizers
Green manures are plants grown to accumulate nutrients for the main crop.
40.
Benefits:
They penetrate the soil with their roots, make it more friable and bind
nutrients, which would otherwise be washed away.
Suppress weeds
Protect the soil from erosion and direct sunlight.
If legumes are used, nitrogen is fixed into the soil.
Some green manures can be used as fodder plants or even to provide food
for human consumption (e.g. beans and peas)
When green manures decompose, they release all kinds of nutrients in the
correct mixture for the main crops to utilize, thus improving their yield.
Encourages the activity of soil organisms and builds up organic matter in
the soil. This improves soil structure and water holding capacity.
Green Manuring
41.
Green Manure Crops
Glyricidia Lupin
Jute/Taag Millet (non legume)
Dhaincha Mustard
Alfalfa, Radish such as tillage radish or daikon radish.
Buckwheat in temperate
regions (non legume)
Sesbania
Cowpea Sorghum
Clover (e.g. annual sweet
clover)
Soybean
Fava beans (non legume) Sudangrass (non legume)
Fenugreek
Sunn hemp, a legume widely grown
throughout the tropics and subtropics
Azolla
42.
Why are they important?
Each year legume Rhizobium symbiosis generates more
useful nitrogen for plants than all the nitrogen fertilizers
produced industrially.
Symbiosis provides just the right amounts of nitrogen at
the right time at virtually no cost to the farmers.
When legumes die, nitrogen stored in the nodules is
released into the soil.
Leguminous plants
50.
Cover crops
Benefits of cover crops:
• Improves soil fertility
• Suppresses weed growth
• Improves soil structure
• Reduces labour costs in soil preparation and weeding
• Fertilizer requirements are reduced
• Helps in soil and water conservation
Selection of cover crops:
• Plants should be fast growing
• Pest and disease resistant plants
• Tolerance to wide range of soil types.
• Should not be competitive to main crop.
51.
52.
Growing different crops like monocotyledons followed by
dicotyledons on the same piece of land is termed as crop
rotation. Helps to stimulate the microbial population in
rhizosphere.
Why Crop rotation?
Not all plants have same nutritive needs.
Soil structure is improved through the action of roots
Pest build-up is avoided.
Helps against build-up of weeds.
Crop Rotation
56.
Companion crops/ Mixed Crops are the crops grown
generally to avoid diseases and pest attacking the main
crop.
The companion crop attract the pests that attack the main
crop in turn maintaining the quality and quantity of
yield.
This helps in reducing the man power and extra costs
incurred on pesticides or insecticides.
Examples : Brinjals and Chillies are usually attacked by fruit
borer. If flower crop like chrysanthemum flower is grown as
a companion crop along with the main crop, then the pest
attack can be avoided.
Companion Crops
57.
58.
Mulching
The process of covering the soil surface to obtain a
suitable soil condition for crop cultivation.
Types:
1. Straw mulching
2. Live mulching(symbiotic intercrops and mixed crops)
63.
The term bio-fertilizer refers to a preparation containing
live microbes which helps in enhancing the soil fertility
either by
fixing atmospheric nitrogen,
solubilisation of phosphorus, or
decomposing organic wastes, or
by augmenting plant growth by producing growth
hormones with their biological activities.
Bio-fertilizers
66.
Environment friendly fertilizers
Bio fertilizers are organisms that enrich the nutrient
quality of soil
The bio fertilizers are beneficial organisms that when
applied to soil and left with minimal tillage practices
help in building up the population in the farm field.
Provide disease resistance and tolerance to adverse
soil and climatic conditions.
Bio-fertilizers
67.
Vermiwash
Jeevamruta
AmrutPaani
BioEnzyme
Bija-amruta
Panchagavya
Slurry
Cow Urine
Liquid Manure
List of Bio fertilizers
68.
Materials:-
Plastic drum – 50 -60 liter capacity
Earthworm number – 800 to 1000 or ½ kg
Sleeved, washed sand – 1 pot
Rotten or half rotten cow dung manure – 3 to 4 pots
Smaller stones or pieces of bricks -10 to 12.
Niolen net or mosquito net piece – size of diameter of drum.
“Poita soil” or organic soil – ½ pot.
To store earthworm culture small vessel or can – 1.
Proportion for sprinkling:
500 ml vermiwash (5%) – At flowering stage spray twice in
a duration of 10 days diluted with 10 liter of water
Vermi-wash
70.
Earthworm secretes a liquid which contains essential
hormones for growth of plants as well as fungicidal
antibiotics. Earthworms excreta contains essential
ingredients for growth of crops. thus obtained
vermin-wash is very enhancing for crops.
vermin-wash when sprayed at flowering and fruit
bearing stage it stops loss of flowers and fruits and
crop grows nicely. resistance of crops against pests
and diseases increases
Benefits of vermiwash
71.
72.
Materials.
Plastic drums – 200L capacity
Fresh cow dung – 10kg
Cow urine – 10L
Black jiggery – 2kg
Any cereal flour – 2kg
Biological soil from underneath the Banyan Tree or
Dams – 2kg
Water – 200L
Jiva-Amruta
73.
Usage:
when soil is moist, sprinkle the water.
Deliver 200 to 500ml/plant or tree
Water the crop through rows or ridges
Benefits
Jivamrta contains 3-6% Nitrogen. It also contains 55-
56% more Carbon than Carbon content of plants and
animals or Microbial bodies.
The ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen in Jivamrta is 10:1
generally. This ratio is found in fertile and rich land
Jiva-Amruta
74.
Materials:
One Plastic drum of 10 liter capacity
Fresh cow dung – 1 kg
Cow urine – 1 Liter
Black jaggery – 250 gm.
Water 10 liter
Amruta-Paani
75.
Usage method:
For 10 liter spraying pump a mixture of 1 liter of above
solution plus 9 liter of water can be sprayed.
Benefits:-
This spray gives supply of nitrogen through leaves to
plants.
It repels pests from the plants.
For 1 acre land 20 to 30 liters of solution is required to be
put in canal water.
This water contains micro-organisms in great quantity. So it
disintegrates organic matter from the soil and provides it to
the crops.
This water can be used for making compost manure.
Amruta-Paani
76.
Materials
Vegetable, fruit waste from kitchen – 3 kg.
Black jaggery - 1 kg.
Water – 10 liter
Plastic drum – 15 liter.
Bio-Enzyme
77.
Usage:
Preparation for spraying (For pest diseases) and to apply to
root of plants
For 10 liter spray pump - 500 ml of above solution mix in 9.5
liter water and spray.
Benefits of Bio Enzyme
It enhances the growth of plants, increases flowering and
fruit bearing by 60 %. useful for fungal diseases.
Bio enzymes contains harmones, vitamins, minerals, thus if
added in soil or passed on roots plants grow nicely, increase
texture of soil, earthworms are attracted.
Bio-Enzyme
79.
Panchagavya consists of 5 products from the cow:
dung, urine, milk, curd and ghee.
Ingredients:
Panchagavya
Fresh Cow Dung 5 kg
Cow Urine 3 Litres
Cow Milk 2 Litres
Cow Ghee ½ kg
Sugarcane Juice 3 litres
Tender Coconut water 3 litres
Cow’s curd 2 litres
Toddy or grape juice 2 litres
Banana (ripe) 12 nos
Mud pot (wide
mouthed), concrete tank
or plastic cans
1 nos
80.
Dosage:
3 litres to every 100 litres of water is ideal for every
crop.
It can also be mixed with irrigation water at
20litres/acre, either through drip irrigation or flow
irrigation.
Panchagavya
81. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
82. ISKCON Daiva Varnasrama
Ministry Promoting Rural
Development in India
www.iskconvarnasrama.com
OM Sri Surabhi Campaign
www.srisurabhi.org
83.
84.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Name HH RP Bhakti Raghava Swami
Age and Gender 71, Male
Country/Province of Origin Canada, Ontario
Educational Degree and Year B.A, 1968, M.Ed., 2004
Educational Institution State University of Yogyakarta
Professional Work/Experience Social Worker/Counselor
Affiliation with ISKCON Since 1974
Present Service in ISKCON Minister, IDVM-India
