Elite seedling production in tomato
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Manures were applied equally
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ORGANIC AGRICULTURE is an environment-friendly ecological production system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and biological activities.
The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimise the health and productivity of interdependent communities of tiring soil, plant, animals and people.
New opportunities
New challenges in India are emerging everyday in the dynamic and global vegetable based industries.
Organic farming of vegetables is aimed at domestic and export markets. When one makes an attempt at organic seed production or vegetable production, it becomes essential that the nursery also is raised organically.
Field trials
Studies were undertaken at the Department of Seed Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, in tomato PKM 1 variety to evolve organic methods for elite seedling production. Organic manures such as farmyard manure, vermicompost, composted coir pith, neemcake, groundnut cake were used as nutrient sources in the nursery.
All organic manures were applied equally. One bed without nutrient application was kept as control.
Maximised yield
The experimental results revealed that the vermicompost application maximised the field emergence to 98 per cent compared to 77 per cent in control.
Seedling vigour as measured through root length, shoot length, dry matter production and vigour index was maximum in the vermicompost applied nursery plot.
Benefits of vermicompost are by virtue of a variety of constituents like enzymes, hormones and vitamins.
V. ALEX ALBERT & V. KRISHNASWAMY
Department of Seed Science and Technology
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
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