Out of at least 1 lakh plant species that humans can consume as food, hardly 30 are used as food and just three- wheat, rice and maize- predominantly get cultivated as food grains. In the unexplored plant species lies India’s wealth, said vice-chancellor of University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Dr D P Biradar here.
Biradar on Wednesday inaugurated the third ‘International Symposium on Underutilised Plant Species – Exploration and Conservation for Future Generation’ at the Agricultural College and Research Institute (AC & RI) under the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU). The first two symposiums were held in Arusha, Tanzania (2008) and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2011). As part of the golden jubilee celebrations of AC & RI, Madurai, the third international symposium is being held by Krishi Vigyan Kendra of the institute in collaboration with the International Society for Horticultural Sciences (ISHS), Belgium.
During the four-day event, researchers will explore the potential of underutilised plants as there is increasing endorsement at national and international levels on the important role that can be played by less-used crops and species in sustainable farming systems and human well-being.
Addressing the audience, Biradar said that according to the West, Indians are not aware of the immense value of these plant species found in their backyard. Plant species found in biodiversity-rich Western Ghats are worth a million dollars, he commented. In addition to being ignorant about their worth, Indians also tend to study these plants in isolation.
For example, a common weed like ‘coat button’ or ‘tridax daisy’ (tridax procumbens) can cure wounds. In the same way, wild vegetables that are yet to be domesticated have a lot of potential, like the wild bitter gourd which is getting more prominence in the food industry.
“There is a need for a multidisciplinary research approach on these underutilised plant species, which is going to be a boon to the Indian economy,” Biradar said.
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University VC Dr K Ramasamy said underutilised plants should be explored in a sustainable manner. He pointed out that though the Western Ghats were safeguarded, the Eastern Ghats from Kanyakumari to Kolkata was getting lost and its impact on environment was becoming visible in the present days.
Dr Bhimu Patil, director, vegetable & fruit improvement centre, A & M University, Texas, Dr Sandhya Gupta, vice chair, commission on plant genetic resources, ISHS, also spoke at the inaugural event.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, TNAU VC said they have identified 156 plant species in the state, of which 56 were medical plants.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Madurai / TNN / August 06th, 2015
right move:Rohini Ramdas, Project Officer, DRDA (left), at the breast milk bank in Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai on Monday.— Photo: S. James
All OP wards in GRH to have dedicated rooms for mothers
The first mother’s milk bank in the district, an initiative of the State government, was inaugurated at Government Rajaji Hospital here on Monday as a part of the Breastfeeding Week celebrations.
“Pre-term babies, babies whose mothers are under medical care and cannot breast feed as well as orphaned babies will greatly benefit from this bank. Since there are many mothers from across Madurai district and the surrounding areas, who come here for their delivery and maternal health care, we will counsel them about donating milk and encourage them to visit the facility in the hospital,” said S. Balasankar, Professor of Paediatrics.
He further said that for newborn babies brought to the GRH from nearby districts soon after birth for health reasons and separated from their mothers, the milk available in the bank would be helpful in building up their immune system.
The breast milk after being collected and put in a deep freezer can be used for over six months.
Dean of Madurai Medical College Rewvathy Kailairajan said that breast milk went a long way in helping build the immune system of babies. “From today, all outpatient wards at the Government Rajaji Hospital will have dedicated rooms for mothers to breastfeed their babies,” she stated.
Ms. Rohini Ramdas, who was present at the inauguration, said that with the opening of separate rooms at bus shelters and dedicated rooms in the outpatients ward of the GRH, more workplaces and public places should step up and have assigned rooms to enable mothers breastfeed their babies.
Awareness needed
“Studies indicate that six per cent of the newborns in the State do not get mother’s milk. With the opening of this bank, I hope that more babies get access to mother’s milk. There needs to be more awareness about the availability of such facilities among people so that the babies can be given adequate care,” she also said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by Staff Reporter / Madurai – August 04th, 2015
GREEN HOUSE:The terrace garden with herbs in the premises of Perungalathur Town Panchayat.Photo: G.Krishnaswamy.
The local body in the outskirts of Chennai uses waste materials
It is not often that visitors walk into a government office, to be greeted by the scent of herbs. In Perungalathur town panchayat, a suburban local body near Tambaram, the sight of lush green herbs on the office terrace is a welcome relief to the eyes.
Staff in the town panchayat office tend plants such as tulsi, mint, cayenne, thyme, cilantro and aloe vera. This they do in addition to their routine daily work.
The town panchayat has set up a model roof garden using waste materials and nourished by organic manure generated from its solid waste management and this has become the centre of attraction to people who visit the office.
“This helps to promote cultivation of chemical-free vegetables and herbs at home. A team of our staff were keen on improving the model garden with innovative methods,” said the Executive officer, M. Kesavan.
Plastic containers and bags produced by Horticulture Department are used to grow the plants. “Organic materials in vegetable wastes seep into the soil through the holes and enrich the soil,” he said.
Mr. Kesavan said the garden had been frequently visited by students’ teams and officials from other local bodies. The room temperature on the ground floor office has cooled down considerably. The town panchayat has been motivating residents to visit the garden and get a hands-on experience. They could use only fertilizer bags and waste containers to raise plants and dry wood for ‘pandhals’.
Using organic wastes generated within the house and wastewater discharged from kitchen is enough to harvest chemical residue-free vegetables.
Above all, it will also provide an excellent green cover to the house, he added. Workshops and training programmes by horticulture experts will be arranged if groups approached them, Mr. Kesavan added.
source: http:/www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by T. Madhavan / Chennai – July 26th, 2015
With the success of brinjal cultivation under the Indo-Israel project by the Horticulture Department in Dindigul, the farmers in the region are showing interest in the scheme.
S Thangavel, a farmer from the region said he was impressed with the cultivation method used in the farm when he visited it recently. “I will take it once the trial is completed,” he said.
K Srinivasan, the project officer said Reddiarchathiram in Dindigul is the only place in Tamil Nadu that has been selected as the centre of excellence for vegetables under the project. Also, nine places in nine states have been selected for the same purpose.
Speaking about the project, he said by open cultivation method, the seeds of the Indo-American brinjal in 45 cents of land were cultivated in Reddiarchathiram.
He also said techniques like mulching and minimize evaporation, powered by Israel were implemented in the project for a cost of Rs 10.8 crore.
Ten grams of seeds is priced at Rs 300. According to him, 100 gms would suffice an acre and its yield is expected to be not less than 25 tonnes.
The presence of pesticide residue is less in vegetables as they are sprayed once in 15 days. However, in farmers’ conventional method, they are sprayed once a week.
To prevent wastage and monitor seedlings, a few special techniques like pro tray seedling production will be used.
The brinjals cultivated in this method would weigh between 100gms and 150gms. Srinivasan said in the next phase, they have planned to implement cultivation of organic crops in a section of the test area under the protected net house cultivation method. Polyhouse cultivation will also be started soon, he added.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India /Home> City> Madurai / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / July 16th, 2015
85-year-old Anbu Sundaranandi Swamigal from Tirupur was one of the 165 students who passed the three B F Tech course offered by TNAU through distance learning. (TOI photo by J Jackson)
Coimbatore :
Sporting just a sandal-coloured veshti and a green shawl thrown over the shoulder, a man with a long and thick grey beard and upper torso bared could not be missed in the queue of students waiting to collect their bachelors’ degree in farm technology. The minute he walked out of the auditorium of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) on Wednesday morning many professors and students, who addressed him as ‘swami’, walked up to the man to congratulate him.
85-year-old Anbu Sundaranandi Swamigal, from Jaisakthi Viraja Gurukulam in Vinayagar Valagam in Tirupur, was one of the 165 students who passed the three-year BFTech course offered by TNAU through distance learning. His presence made many curious onlookers wondering what a man resembling and sounding like a ‘godman’ was doing among the new graduates.
“Well I am someone who decided to dedicate the later part of my life to service and yes I do yoga and am a siddha and naturopathy medical practitioner,” he said. “But my main focus was on serving the people by saving the profession of farming and bringing about organic farming,” he said. “I believe in worshipping the five elements — earth, air, water, wind and fire. But mother earth has been spoilt by all these chemical fertilisers.”
The octogenarian, who worked as a textile technician for 38 years, began learning more about organic farming by meeting and following Indian organic farming scientist G Nammalvar since 1995. “I slowly began going on tours to many districts like Thiruvannamalai and Dindigul and would advise farmers to opt for organic farming,” he said.
Swamigal says he joined the course to obtain scientific knowledge about organic farming and how better they can use natural resources. “This way when I go on tours across the state and country to meet farmers, I can scientifically explain the procedures, their positives and their negatives,” he said.
Swamigal also started offering free consultancy service every Sunday since last month. “It is open to farmers or people who want to get into organic farming and want advice on how to go about it. I also invite buyers so they can meet farmers and procure goods directly,” he said. “I personally have now put papaya in my 1.5 acre land.”
Like Sundaranandi Swamigal, there were many farmers or people who want to get into farming consultancy who decided to get into a classroom at the university for two days every month for three years. “While 35 per cent to 40 per cent of our class consisted of pure farmers who decided to take the course to scientifically understand and improve what they were doing, 50 per cent came from varied professions such as marketing, tax officials and auditors and the remaining 10 per cent came from allied professions within agriculture like seed marketing,” says G Vivek, 38, a graduate.
Vivek, who holds a diploma in electrical and electronic engineering, a master’s degree in social work, and more than 10 years work experience in marketing, decided to take this course for his love of farming and dream of making farming as lucrative as medicine or engineering. “I was always interested in farming. I dreamt of creating collective or integrated farming, so when any crop was produced in large-scale, selling, marketing and even labour sharing would be easier,” he said.
“I, however, knew that I had to study more about it, make more contacts among experts and researchers in the field. I also wanted this degree to have scientific knowledge and backing of the suggestions I give farmers so that they trust me,” he says. “It also helps when we approach banks for loans and government officials for schemes and subsidies,” he adds.
A few students had simply taken the course for the love of knowledge like retired income tax department official Dr K Singharavelu who has obtained eight degrees and a doctorate so far.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by Pratiksha RamKumar, TNN / July 04th, 2015
Free:A. Anthony Raj has been distributing tree saplings to residents’ welfare organisations.— Photo: K. Pichumani
For A. Anthonyraj, happiness is keeping the city green.
Greening the city by planting trees is being taken up by several residents’ associations and activists, but securing saplings for the purpose comes at a cost.
Mr. Anthonyraj, a horticulturist and landscaper by profession, has been distributing tree saplings to residents’ welfare organisations and environmental activists for more than a year. He has given away more than 1,000 saplings free of cost to those volunteering to keep their localities or multi-storeyed apartments green.
He owns a horticulture farm at Thiruporur and said the inspiration was staring at him in the face: a concrete jungle.
“I decided to provide free saplings looking at the city losing its greenery gradually. I have also apportioned a small part of my profits for this venture.”
Mr. Anthonyraj has done landscaping projects in Qatar and Singapore and holds in high regard the rigorous procedure involved in cutting avenue trees even for development purposes in those nations.
He is concerned about the lack of adequate protection for avenue trees in India.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by R.Srikanth / Chennai – July 04th, 2015
A two-day conference titled ‘Higher Level of Siddha Medicines’ is being organised in Vellore on July 11 and 12 by the Tamil Nadu Parambarya Siddha Vaidya Maha Sangam for the benefit of traditional healers and siddha practitioners.
Vaidyar K P Arjunan, president of the Sangam and a member of the National Institute of Siddha, speaking to Express, said this was the first time an effort was being made in the country to impart siddha-medicine knowledge and practical experience at the higher level, to young siddha-vaidyars.
Out of 4,448 diseases classified and documented in the siddha literature, the world has witnessed only around 2,601 so far, said Arjunan. “This is where the use of higher level medicines come in,” he said.
The meet will have around 30 experts and senior siddha-vaidyars from various parts of the country to talk and demonstrate the preparation of higher-level medicines, the purpose of which is to ensure that vaidyars can preserve them for posterity, Arjunan said.
The technique of preparing higher-level medicines has never been discussed in public and “we want to dedicate this treasure of knowledge and the ancient wisdom for the betterment of the community,” Arjunan further said.
Arjunan explained that young siddha-vaidyars dispense lower level of medicines on a routine basis with each containing up to 20 herbs in the form of ‘kashayam’ (shelf life-24 hours), ‘chornam’(shelf life-three months) and ‘lehyam’(shelf life-six months).
While most siddha-vaidyars in the country dispense lower level siddha-medicines, they are not exposed to higher-level medicines, which are prepared and preserved in the form of ‘kattu’, ‘kalangal’, ‘muppu’ and ‘guru’.
Each of these categories comprise over 2,000 herbs in various forms.
While ‘kattu’ is a collection of herbs in solid form, ‘kalangu’ is in liquid form (like wax), ‘muppu’ and ‘guru’ are in powdered form.
Around 500 practitioners from the southern States of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Puducherry are expected to take part in the meet.
Traditional vaidyars belonging to adivasi communities from the hill-regions of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have also been invited to share their experiences in the meet.
The proceedings will be video documented and handed over to the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India for their records and for further promotional activities, Arjunan said.
Dr R S Ramaswamy, director of Central Council for Research in Siddha, under the Department of Ayush in Chennai and his colleague Dr R Kumaravel, president of Scientific Advisory Board will chair the sessions.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by V. NarayanaMurthi / June 26th, 2015
Ophthalmologist Dr.G. Natchiar and educationist Premalatha Panneerselvam are less known for their green house revolution.
Some films inspire us to go the distance. The Malayalam movie How Old Are Youand it’s Tamil remake 36 Vayadhinile were liked by people not only because they were comeback films of Manju Warrier and Jyothika but also because it helped people to change the way they look at things. In the film, the protagonist finds her niche and respect in her family and society after she successfully meets a challenging order of supplying organic vegetables to a marriage party. When celebrities on or off screen boost an idea, they inspire people and often set off a transformation.
DAUGHTER OF THE SOIL: Dr.G. Natchiar, Director Emeritus, Aravind Eye Hospital at Aurofarm. / Photo: S. James / The Hindu
But for Dr.G.Natchiar, Director Emeritus at Aravind Eye Care Systems and Mrs.Premalatha Panneerselvam, the founder of Mahatma group of schools in Madurai, taking up farming was a dream long nurtured and they would certainly love more people to know and see their lush biodynamic farms – a result of sheer passion and labour of years. They are Madurai’s stars for whom life has come full circle because both belong to agricultural families.
“I am back to my roots, you will find me less in the hospital now,” laughs Dr.Natchiar, who after many debates with the family earmarked two acres for organic gardening within the Aurolab campus, a state-of-the-art products manufacturing facility of AECS at Veerapanchan. The year was 2005.
“I had no scientific training but followed my instincts and interest and started planting a variety of trees,” she says. Today, her family, staff, friends and visitors to Aurolab marvel at her “blossoming property” spread over 70 acres now and buzzing with butterflies and birds.
As we walk around the coconut, banana and mango orchards, the aroma garden with every type of jasmine, the organic garden of champa in 30 different colours and endless fields of vegetables, fruits and grains, Dr.Natchiar shares how creating, running and maintaining a farm is a lifestyle.
Unless she is travelling, Dr.Natchiar, is at the Aurofarm everyday at 8.30 a.m. to oversee the requirements of her plants – fondly she calls them babies – and the dozen permanent farmers whom she has hired and the other daily wagers who come depending on the load of work. “After taking a round, I assign them the day’s task,” she says with pride reflecting her intense love for what she enjoys doing the most — gardening and farming.
She zips around on her battery-operated two-wheeler and inspects every field personally. “Everything produced here is 100 per cent organic and the yield caters to about 40 per cent requirement of our hospital and staff canteens,” she informs, and asserts, “I am into this not for selling the produce and making money. I want more people to learn about growing strategies and eat organic.”
It was only after attending series of workshops, interacting with local farmers and researching on eco-friendly farming techniques that Dr.Natchiar could initiate a system that is regenerative to the soil, flora and fauna that are part of the farm ecosystem and the benefactors of the food grown here. “I have learnt from mistakes and now I understand every plant’s requirements and how and why business models should not be compared to farming models,” she says of organic farming still not becoming a financially viable option.
For Dr.Natchiar it is purely a heart warming relationship between her and nature. Farming makes my heart sing and I am focussing all my energy on it now, she says. “All you need is planning and hard work,” she says.
DAUGHTER OF THE SOIL: Premalatha Panneerselvam, Secreatary and Correspondent, Mahatma Group of Schools./ Photo: R. Ashok / The Hindu
Likewise, no matter howsoever much tired she is after the day’s or week’s work, Premalatha Panneerselvam finds farming cool and spends all her evenings and Sundays in her organic farm adjoining her school’s residential campus at Alagar Koil. “I find my inner peace here, she says, taking me to her favourite spot under a banyan tree, one of the seven trees that stood tall among the shrubs and bushes on the 50-odd acres she bought a quarter Century ago in Ayathampatti village.
We had to accommodate our growing number of students and planned a residential school for them here at the foothills. The land was strewn with rocks, stones and pebbles tand we had to clear the area to raise our buildings. About 15 acres was set aside for farming and for the past eight years Premalatha has been growing a variety of plants using only organic practices. The monthly yield of fruits and vegetables from the farm not only meets the demand of all the school canteens but also saves her an expense of nearly Rs.One lakh every month. Some produce is also in excess which we sell at a discount to our teachers and other staff or in the market at a nominal rate,” she says.
There is an indescribable happiness in seeing your plants grow and flower. To feel the texture of the fruits and vegetables is a different kind of joy, says Premalatha as we walk through her multiple gardens looking at the bounty. Rows of leafy plants growing in orderly abundance reveal the wealth that can only be measured by physical labour of clearing, planting and harvesting and the physical growth of the fauna. Her zero-budget farming with home-grown vermicomposting and bio-pesticides is seductive.
Premalatha has been regularly reading about and practicing G.Nammazhvar’s agro-techniques. “With professionals like us having the wisdom and knowledge base, passion is good enough to turn around such zero-budget farming,” she says. She also understands farming, leave alone organic, many not be an easy choice for many. But hopes and advocates that more people get motivated and start doing it within their home compounds, in their small balconies or terraces, kitchen gardens or backyards, sufficient for their family’s needs.
Both Dr.Natchiar and Premalatha share a vision for a sustainable food system. That is, the food we eat should be fresh, nutritious and taste delicious and should be grown in harmony with nature. It is this thinking that makes them the true ‘FarmHers’ belonging to a period when organic farming was hardly considered an option and even less talked about.
Farm facts:
“I proved myself as an ophthalmologist but never felt proud as one. But now at my Aurofarm I feel very proud each time my plants produce something. I can show off as a farmer now.” Dr.G.Natchiar
At Aurofarm you will find over 10,000 trees including 450 mango trees, 300 coconut trees, tamarind, coriander, curry leaves, timber and almond trees; Vegetables such as lady’s finger, brinjal, cluster beans, bitter, bottle and snake gourd, pumpkin, spinach; Fruits such as black and goose berries, sapota, banana; Flowers including jasmine, manoranjitam, mullai, parijatam, bougainvillea, oleander; Paddy fields that yield 200 bags of rice every year. The farm is fenced by mehndi trees about 20 acres are fed by the Dewatts system that is 51,000 litres of waste water from the kitchen, staff quarters and washrooms are treated for use in the fields, water from the Aurolab is also recycled besides the usage of ground water. Another highlight at the Aurofarm is the 20 feet deep rain water fed quarry used for fish breeding.
“If I had not started a school, I would have surely done farming. I want to turn green ideas into meaningful action for the larger benefit of all”. Premalatha Panneerselvam.
The Mahatma-Azhagar campus farm is fenced with teak wood trees all around and has over 200 mango trees, 400 coconut trees besides several other flowering and locally grown trees, banana, papaya, gooseberry, jackfruit, sapota, custard apple, lemon and neem trees. Spinach, tomatoes, brinjal, carrot, drumstick, cluster beans, lady’s finger, groundnut, guava, custard apple are grown in abundance. Seed dispersal, multiple-cropping, drip irrigation practiced at the farm that also boasts of a small poultry and six milching cows. Apart from the two-dozen farmers working here, ten labourers are exclusively deployed to clear the land of stones regularly. Given the location of the site at the foothills, every spell of rain leads to soil erosion.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Soma Basu / Madurai – June 24th, 2015
A biography of Dr Sanjaya Rajaram, who developed 58% of all wheat varieties that exist now, was released in Chennai on Sunday.
The book, “Mr Golden Grain, the Life and Work of the Maharaja of Wheat,” traces the humble beginning of Rajaram and his success.
The book highlights Rajaram’s sheer grit and determination that took him from a humble wheat researcher to a global leader in research arena.
The book, written by agriculture communications specialist G Venkataramani, was released at the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation. M S Swaminathan, founder of MSSRF, released the book and applauded it for being one of the best biographies on scientists.
“Dr Rajaram has shown single-minded devotion and desire not only for knowledge but to work towards public good, bringing him awards cutting across national boundaries,” he said.
“The book not only delves on not only on the humanistic aspects of the person but also on the scientific strength of Dr Rajaram,” he added.
Rajaram — who is the recipient of the 2014 World Food Prize for his scientific research that lead to an increase in wheat production by more than the 200 million tonne — expressed his concern over the growing population and the need to strengthen a holistic approach to agriculture especially related to soils and seeds.
“Wheat is a great programme on paper. However, the quality of seeds is a great concern where different varieties are being mixed and sold. Although it is distributed by the public sector, if farmers don’t get good seed, they won’t get good crops. We can look at public-private or public – NGO supported models for better seeds,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Karthikeyan Hemalatha, TNN / June 21st, 2015
A jamun tree more than 250 years old and a 200-year-old fig tree have been identified in Salem district. They were identified during a research study conducted by retired IFS officer V Sundararaju recently. After retiring from the service, he took on the post of president, Society for Conservation of Nature (SOFCON), Trichy.
According to him, he identified the age of the trees based on the aesthetic, botanical, horticultural, ecological, social, cultural and historical values. “The main criteria for considering a tree as heritage tree are its size, form, shape, age, colour and rarity,” said Sundararaju.
The largest fig tree is found on the western foothills of Yercaud on the river bank of Sarabanga in Denishpet forest range of Salem district. “Its girth is measured at 7.94m and is 28m in height. The wood is not durable, but is said to last well under water and good for well frames. The figs are edible but are usually found with insects,” he said.
The team of researchers also found a jamun tree with a girth of 8.52m and a height of 22m. They found the tree in Kadukkamarathur, a tribal village of Yercaud hills. The researchers calculated its age to be more than 250 years. “There are several jamun trees in Yercaud hills but this tree is the largest of them all. Fortunately, it has managed to escape the axe of wood choppers,” he said.
Sundararaju said that both trees could be classified as heritage trees. These kinds of trees are generally large individual trees with unique value which is considered irreplaceable. These trees take decades and centuries to mature.
“We have many interesting trees across the state. But, no systematic study has been undertaken to identify and prepare a catalogue of these giant trees. Besides the study, awareness programmes must be conducted for villagers, school and college students. Committees must be formed to protect these sacred heritage trees,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by V. Senthil Kumaran, TNN / June 19th, 2015
