News on Grafted Brinjal Farming in Odisha
Category: Organic Farming
Future aspects in value addition of Banana Pseudostem
Introduction
Banana (Order: Zingiberales; Family: Musaceae; Genus: Musa) is an important tropical and sub-tropical fruit crop grown all over the world. India is the largest producer and consumer of banana globally, producing about 30.46 million tons in the year of 2019 (FAOSTAT, 2021), contributing about 23% of world production. India is the largest producer of banana and the major producing states are Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Banana is commonly known as Kela in Indian sub-continent and regionally as Vazhappazham in Kerala, Vazhakkai in Tamil Nadu, Aratipandu in Andhra Pradesh, Kola in Bengali and Kol in Assam.
Banana is a large perennial monocotyledonous herbaceous plant having height up to 9 m with a long pseudostem that arises from the underground rhizomes (Ghag & Ganapathi, 2018). The leaves are oval, elongated and dark green in colour with each plant producing a single inflorescence. The fruits are oblong and fleshy with very small black seeds (Imam & Akter, 2011). All parts of plantain plants namely fruits, leaves, pseudostem, rhizomes and inflorescence are useful. Thus, it is known as a ‘Kalpataru’ in India, which is a Sanskrit term meaning ‘wish granting tree’ (Ghag & Ganapathi, 2018).
The plant is traditionally used as a medicinal herb. The leaves serve as a wrap for cooking, wrapping and serving food in certain traditions. Pseudostem and inflorescence are ingredients in many traditional cuisines. Rhizomes and the outer layer of pseudostem are utilized as animal feed. The fruit part is most commonly used either as raw fruit or in desserts, breakfast dishes when it is ripened. Unripe fruits are used commonly in curries, fried chips etc. The banana fruit, peel, and banana pseudo-stem from various species of banana have been reported to be rich in total carbohydrates, fibre and minerals specially potassium.
The cultivation of plantain is mainly carried out for fruits and the other parts such as leaves, inflorescence, pseudostem, peels and rhizomes are practically wasted. However, currently they have gained the status of valuable by-products generated from banana cultivation (Padam et al., 2014). It is estimated that, for each ton of banana fruit harvested, approximately 4 tons of biomass wastes including rotten fruit, leaves, pseudostem, rhizome and fruit bunch stem are produced (Subagyo & Chafidz, 2018). That is, in a hectare, on an average about 60 to 80 tons is of pseudostem alone. Conventionally, there are a few constraints in utilizing them, for instance pseudostem and inflorescence are considered as a vegetable in certain cultures, but the acceptance is very limited when compared to other leafy vegetables due to discoloration and taste. The surface of the banana pseudo-stem is easily subjected to browning after harvest, which will affect the sensory evaluation and economic value of the banana pseudo-stem made products. Other than the medicinal and culinary uses of banana, recent researches identified plantain and its parts as a great source of phytochemicals (Reddy & Hemachandran, 2014). Several applications of the banana pseudo stem in functional food and nutraceutical industries have been explored.
The part of the plant that looks like a trunk is actually a false stem, called pseudostem. It is formed by the imbrication of the leaf sheaths.
Banana Pseudostem
Banana Pseudo-stem (BPS) constitute a major part of plant biomass, which are wasted usually left in the plantation or incinerated. BPS is a rich source of fiber, total carbohydrate and cellulose (Saravanan et al., 2011). Pseudostem is the part of plantain plant, which is formed by tight overlapping of leaf stalk one over another with a center having tender core in a cylindrical shape. Plantain stem is a low cost agricultural waste, which can be altered into certain value added products in the current scenario.
Banana Pseudostem Applications
At present, the banana pseudo-stem are dumped on road side or burnt which causes environmental pollution. The usage of agricultural wastes contributes to the concept of green technology and hence paves the way towards sustainable development. Moreover it is an additional income for both small scale farmers and processing industries (Padam et al., 2014).
Natural fibre
Some researchers have successfully demonstrated the use of banana pseudo-stem and leaves for extraction of fibers on a small scale. The pseudostem fiber is used for making several value added products namely rope, cordage, fishing net, mat, packaging material, paper sheets, textile fabrics, bag, table cloth, handicrafts, absorbent, polymer/fibre composites etc. (Subagyo & Chafidz, 2018). The fiber is extracted by using a decorticator machine then retting and degumming processes are done.
Fuel
Bio-ethanol can be produced from banana pseudostem by fermentation process. Similarly, through banana waste methane can also be produced using anaerobic fermentation.
Substrate for edible
Banana pseudo stem can be utilized as a good substrate for edible mushrooms because of its high cellulose content.
Heavy metal and dye
Studies reported that banana pseudostem can be powerful absorbers of mercury and lead. Similarly it is also reported that banana pseudostem adsorbed methyl red in aqueous solution.
Organic manure
Banana pseudostem outer peels are used as organic manure for banana plantations itself.
Organic farming
Since banana pseudostem is having a good water retention capacity it can be used in organic farming. It can be done through digging small holes in the banana stem with the help of a sharp object like a knife. Add a little soil and feel free to plant as required.
Others
Pseudo-stem can be used in pulp and paper industries due to its cellulosic content. The banana pseudostem fiber can also be used for ropes such as marine rope since this fibre has good resistance to sea water and has buoyancy properties.
Banana pseudostem: Food applications
The banana central core finds use in south Indian cuisine. The tender core in the centre of the banana pseudostem is edible. In southern part of India, pseudo stem is cooked both as gravy and stir fry seasoned with ginger, garlic, chillies, shallots with curry leaves and grated coconut. In Assam, a dish called kolposola is prepared from young banana pseudostem. Some commonly prepared dishes using banana pseudostem and their recipes are Stir fry, curry, soup, stew, thor ghonto, and stem bajji.
Recently, value added innovative products from banana pseudostem are developed from Central Food Technological Research Institute, Karnataka. Apart from this, the high value products viz., mordant from sap, microcrystalline cellulose powder from fiber and edible products like candy from central core can also obtained (Desai et al., 2016). Stem juice can be prepared with or without addition of other juices like lemon or grape and sugar or jaggery (Kumar & Reddy, 2015; Ravi et al., 2011).
Extensive studies are undergone to explore various possibilities of value addition of banana pseudostem. Banana pseudostem can be dried into powder and can be utilized for carbohydrate and mineral fortification in different bakery products like bread, biscuits, cookies and dairy products like shrikhand, paneer and cheese (Thorat & Bobade, 2018).
Health benefits of Banana pseudostem
- Banana stem is a rich source of fibre and helps in weight loss (Chandrasekaran, 2012).
- Rich in potassium and vitamin B6.
- It helps to control obesity.
- It is said to be a diuretic and helps detoxify the body.
- It can be used as a source of starch, pectin, cellulose, natural dye, bio generation of flavours and nutrients like dietary fibre, carbohydrates and minerals (Padam et al., 2014).
- It has less glycemic index and high dietary fibre and antioxidant content which is good for diabetes (Bhaskar et al., 2011).
- In southern India, it is consumed as fresh juice to prevent kidney stones (Dawn et al., 2016).
- Banana pseudo-stem powder is a well-known remedy for urinary disorders, stomach troubles like diarrhoea, dysentery and flatulence.
- The food products which are fortified by banana pseudo-stem powder served as nutraceutical food and these show nutritional improvement as well as prove as medicine.
- It is known to be nutritionally superior and associated with several health benefits.
Recently researchers are more focused on identification, quantification and isolation of different bioactive components present in the pseudostem which have potential nutraceutical applications. Few are listed in Table 1.
| Variety/Species | Study/ Bioactivity | REFERENCES |
| Musa spp. (8 cultivars) | Invitro Anti-oxidant activity | Saravanan & Aradhya, 2011 |
| Musa sapientum Linn. | Invivo Anti-diabetic and Anti-lipedemic activity | Dikshit et al., 2012 |
| Musa parasidiaca Linn. | Invitro Anti-oxidant activity | Joyetal., 2016 |
| Musa acuminata | Invitro Anticancer activity | Nindiaetal., 2019 |
| Musa spp. (10 cultivars) | Antimicrobial activity | Jouneghani et al., 2020 |
Banana stem extracts
Banana stem extracts having potential hypoglycemic properties are traditionally used as anti-diabetic agents. A comparative study among various plant parts of plantain plant for hypoglycemic effect showed that the banana stem juice extract exhibited highest anti-diabetic activity than other plant parts as fruit, rhizome and peels (Reddy & Hemachandran, 2014).
Conclusion
Banana pseudo-stem is a by-product of banana plant which has a potential for providing profitable products. Banana pseudostem is an agro waste in plantain cultivation. So there is a great possibility of utilizing banana pseudo-stem in the food processing and other industries thereby providing an additional income for both small scale and large scale farmers. In India, the fibers are being used for preparing handicrafts, ropes etc., which otherwise can be used for making fabrics, home furnishings and good quality papers. The presence of various bioactive components in the pseudostem enhances the nutritional quality but also the therapeutic values of the products. So it will be a great opportunity for researchers in future. At the same time, the problem of waste management can also be solved and provides a new scope for the efficient utilization of banana pseudostem. And the farmers will get benefitted directly and it will contribute to our national economy.
References
Dikshit, P., Shukla, K., Tyagi, M. K., Garg, P., Gambhir, J. K., & Shukla, R. (2012). Antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic effects of the stem of Musa sapientum Linn. in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Journal of Diabetes, 4(4), 378–385. https:// doi.org/10.1111/j.17530407.2012.00198.x
Dong, N., Alena, N., Klára, S., Jiří, H., Huong, P., Jitka, V., Milena, S., Jana, H., & Tomáš, R. (2017). Antidiabetic compounds in stem juice from babana grown in natural and greenhouse. Czech Journal of Food Sciences, 35(No. 5), 407–413. https://doi. org/10.17221/172/2017-cjfs FAO (2021). http://www.fao. org/3/t0308e/T0308E03.htm, Accessed on March 10, 2021 FAOSTAT. (2019). http://www. fao.org/faostat/en/, Accessed on March 10, 2021.
Thorat, R.L. and Bobade, H.P. (2018). Utilization of banana pseudo-stem in food applications. Internat. J. Agric. Engg., 11(Sp. Issue):86-89, DOI: 10.15740/HAS/IJAE/ 11.Sp. Issue/86-89.
Ravi et al., “A review on composition and properties of banana fibers” Cellulose 60: 65, 2015.
Subagyo, A., Chafidz, A. (2018). Banana pseudo-stem fiber: preparation, characteristics and applications. IntechOpen.
Author Details:
Gadha Sreekumar
Ph. D Research Scholar, Department of Vegetable Science,
Horticulture College and Research Institute,
Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
Email@gadharajee@gmail.com
The part of the plant that looks like a trunk is actually a false stem, called pseudostem. It is formed by the imbrication of the leaf sheaths. 
Management of Pollinators to Increase Vegetables Production
Introduction
A significant section of small and marginal farming community, who constitute 80% of the country’s farm holdings is significantly dependent on the production of vegetables such as various gourds, brinjal, cucumber, tomatoes apart from potatoes, onions etc. (Sindhu et al., 2005).Approximately 70% of the tropical vegetable crop species produced are dependent on the activity of insect pollinators (Klein et al., 2007).This underpins the 7.53 million tonnes of vegetables grown in India representing 13.4 % of global production (Charan et al., 2010) – a sizeable proportion of which is pollinator dependent.
The consideration of pollination requirements for vegetable crops should be viewed in two broad categories.
Vegetable seed production
Vegetable production
Pollination
Pollination refers to transfer of pollen from the anthers or male reproductive organs of the flowers to the stigmas.
Types of Pollinations
- Self pollination
- Often cross pollination
- Cross pollination
Table 1: Different pollinators which play vital role in pollination
| Pollinators | Contribution (%) |
| Bee | 73% |
| Flies | 19% |
| Bats | 6.5% |
| Wasps | 5% |
| Beetles | 5% |
| Birds | 4% |
| Butterflies | 4% |
Table 2: List of crops which requires and does’t require the pollinators:
| Crops That Require Pollinators | Crops That Don’t Require Pollinators But Have Better Yields With Them | Crops From Which Pollinators Collect Pollen |
| Melons, Cucumber, squash/pumpkin | Eggplant, lima bean, Okra, Pepper | Pea ,snap bean ,tomato |
In vegetable production, insecticides can harm pollinators (including bees) in several ways:
- When pollinators are present, resulting in direct exposure. This can be true for crops that require pollination services and for crops where pollinators are only feeding on pollen.
- Applicators apply insecticides to fruit or vegetables when pollinators are not present, but the insecticide residues persist long enough to potentially harm pollinators when they visit the crop.
- Applicators apply systemic insecticides to fruits and vegetables. These products move through the plant to flowers in quantities that could harm pollinators.
- Applicators apply insecticides outside the fruit or vegetable production field that move (in some manner) into the field in sufficient quantities to harm pollinators.
- The residues of systemic insecticides remain in the soil from a previous crop. The fruit or vegetable crop then takes up the insecticide, which moves to flowers in quantities large enough to harm pollinators.
Best Management Practices to Attract and Protect Pollinators:
- Plant native and other well-adapted flowering plants for season long bloom in or near the garden.
- Create nesting habitat for ground- and cavity-nesting bees.
- Do not spray insecticides or fungicides on flowering plants or fruit trees just before or during bloom.
- If pesticide applications are necessary, choose a product with the least toxicity to bees.
The pollination process:
- Many insects visit flowers to collect pollen and nectar as food. As they forage, these insects spread pollen grains among flowers, accomplishing pollination. Many flowers offer sugary liquid nectar as an added enticement for these pollinating insects. Among insect pollinators, bees are especially efficient because they eat pollen and nectar exclusively, visit many flowers of the same species during a single trip and have hairy bodies that easily pick up pollen grains.
- Cucurbit flowers open shortly after sunrise and remain open until late afternoon or early evening, so each flower is open for only a few hours. The honeybee is the most common and effective cucurbit pollinator. Honeybee activity closely coincides with the period when the flower is open. Honeybees begin to visit flowers an hour or two after sunrise and continue to visit until mid-afternoon. If temperatures are very warm, bee activity may decline about noon. Avoid spraying pesticides when bees are active.
How are vegetables pollinated?
- Vegetable crops that produce a fruit require pollination in order to develop fruit. Some vegetable plants produce a separate male and female flower – pumpkins, squash and cucumbers for instance. Pollination occurs when insects such as bees and hoverflies visit flowers, collecting nectar and pollen.
How do you attract Pollinators to a vegetable garden ?
- How to attract them: Plant large patches of flowers such as vetch, borage, buckwheat, sunflowers, alfalfa, clover, or wildflower mixes to bring them to your yard. You can also hang a honey bee lure in your garden.
- Plants produce nectar to attract pollinators.
How many flowers does a bee pollinate in a day?
- Did you realize that a bee can visit up to 5,000 flowers in a single day? If you think that’s amazing, consider this: to make one pound of honey, a hive of bees must travel over 55,000 miles and visit two million flowers!
What time of day are bees most active?
- Bees are mid-morning risers. Meaning they will be out and about during the day. Early morning could be best if you don’t have time to wait for dry grass. But either way before 9a.m. or after 5p.m. is the best time to mow your lawn to avoid bee stings.
At what temperature do bees die?
- At somewhat lower temperatures bees can survive longer at high relative humidities because desiccation is the limiting factor. PIRSCH (1923) concluded that honeybees die at 46 ° to 48°C and ALLEN (1959) found that they die after 1 hour at 48 °.
Need of management of pollinators:
- Unlike the western countries, the bees that pollinate Indian crops are almost all wild honey bees and other non- Apis pollinators. As a result, very little research has been done on their decline.
- According to Gallai et al. (2009) more than 40 % of honey bees have been disappeared during last 25 years in India
Reference
- Abrol DP. 2009. Plant-pollinator interactions in the context of climate change – an endangeredmutualism. Journal of Palynology, 45:1-25
- Basu P,Bhattacharya R and Ianetta PP. 2011. “A decline in pollinator dependent vegetable crop productivity in India indicates pollination limitation and consequent agroeconomic crisis,” Nature Precedings, http://hdl.handle.net/ 10101/npre.2011.6044.1
- Chakrabarti P, Rana S, Sarkar S, Smith B and Basu P. 2014. Pesticide-induced oxidative stress in laboratory and field populations of native honey bees along intensive agricultural landscapes in two Eastern Indian states. Apidologie 46, 107–129.
- Gallai N, Salles JM, Settele J and Vaissiere BE.2009. Economic valuation of the vulnerability of world agriculture confronted to pollinator decline. Ecological Economics 68, 810-821.
- George RAT. 2009. Vegetable seed production, 3rd ed. CABI, Wallingford.
- Klein MA, Vaissiere EB, Cane HJ, Steffan-Dewenter I, Cunningham SA, Kremen C and Tscharntke T. 2007.Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. (B) 274,303-313.
- Pannure A.2016.Bee pollinators decline: perspectives from india. International Research Journal of Natural and Applied Science,3(5)
- Raj H and Mattu VK.2016.bee pollination and pollinator friendly management Practices in himachal himalaya, india,Global Journal of Bio-science and Biotechnology, 5 (1) : 88-94
- Sengupta P and Ghorai N.2018.A study on the foraging behaviour of hymenopterans on vegetable crops in the South-24-parganas district of west bengal, india.Asian Journal of Science and Technology, 09(1):7319-7326,
- Sushil SN, Stanley J, Hedau NK and Bhatt JC. 2013. Enhancing Seed Production of Three Brassica vegetables by Honey Bee Pollination in North-western Himalayas of India , Universal Journal of Agricultural Research 1(3): 49-53
- Annual report of AICRP on Honey Bee and Pollinators, Bhubaneswar, OUAT, 2016-17.
Author Details:
Shaik Moulana
Research Associate, Banana Research Station,
Dr.YSR Horticulture university, Pulivendula,
YSR Kadapa (Dist.), Andhra Pradesh-516390
Email @moulana1995@gmail.com
The Concept of Organic Kitchen Garden by Abhinavakrishi Research Organisation Sambalpur Odisha
Ashutosh Chattar
MSc Floriculture student
OUAT, Bhubaneswar
Importance of kitchen Garden
Kitchen garden is advice to grow vegetables on a small plot of land. It is delightful hobby and can be pursued at homes or in school. Develop a taste for kitchen gardening and it will stay in your life.
The importance of a kitchen garden is great and manifold. A kitchen garden ensures an inexpensive, regular and handy supply of fresh vegetables which are basic to nutrition. The green vegetables contain vitamins and minerals which protect us against diseases. Lack of vegetables, particularly the green leafy vegetables, leads o malnutrition which causes diseases like anemia and night-blindness. Dark green leafy vegetables such as Palak and brown vegetables like carrots prevent blinding malnutrition.
Kitchen garden also helps us to solve our food problem. Apart from green and leafy vegetables, we can also grow several roots and tubers like potato, suran, goradu etc. which are similar to cereals and provide us heat and energy. These roots and tubers can be substituted to cereals.
Kitchen garden prevents pollution of air. It purifies the air through the plants. Plants breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen which is vital for our life,
In order to preserve health and prevent malnutrition, we should develop a kitchen garden; grow fresh and clean vegetables and make them a part of our daily diet.
Nutritional requirements of farming family
They supply nearly all of the vitamins and minerals required for good health. Vegetable contains fibre and a few of them, such as legumes, are great a source of plant protein. Vegetables have little or no fat, no cholesterol and are low in calories. Vegetables are nutrient dense.
Nutritional value of leafy vegetabls
Green leafy vegetables are vital for growth and good health as they contain all important nutrients.
In India, a wide range of greens are consumed. The most popular ones being Spinach, Amaranth, Gogu, Fenugreek, Drumstick leaves, Mint etc.,
Leafy vegetables are particularly rich in mineral nutrient and iron. Iron deficiency leads to anaemia, a common health problem among pregnant and lactating women and also children.
Inclusion of greens in daily diet would help prevent anaemia and promote good health.
Green leafy vegetables are also a rich source of Calcium, Beta carotene and Vitamin C.
In India, nearly 30,000 children under five years of age go blind every year due to Vitamin A deficiency. Carotene in greens gets converted in the body to form Vitamin A which prevents blindness.
To preserve Vitamin C content in greens, prolonged cooking should be avoided, as this nutrient, which keeps gums in good condition is lost on overcooking.
Greens also contain some of the B-Complex Vitamins
Some Vegetable crops variety and special characters for kitchen Garden
Nutritional and Medicinal properties of Drumstick
Drumstick pods and leaves are a storehouse of essential nutrients, whereas the leaves are the most nutrient part of the plant and one of the finest sources of calcium, iron, zinc, selenium and magnesium. Fresh pods and seeds are a great source of oleic acid, a healthy fatty acid which is known to promote heart health. Moringa leaves is unique among all the greens as it is heaped with a good amount of protein about 9.8 gram of protein per 100 grams. Dry powdered leaves are an amazing source of good quality essential amino acids.
Drumstick is also referred as Moringa Oleifera. Phytonutrients are present in Drumsticks for preventing various conditions such as cancer, asthma, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, anemia, obesity and the phytonutrients improve immune system. The powdered leaves of drumstick also have health benefits related to allergies, stomach disorders, edema, eye protection, diabetes cure, hair care, healthy skin, bone health, cardiovascular health, wound healing. It is also rich in antifungal and antibacterial properties that help to fight against infections.
Nutritional properties of Root vegetable
Cowpea:kashi kanchan
This is dwarf and bush type (height 50-60 cm), photo-insensitive, early flowering (40-45 days after sowing) and early picking (50-55 days after sowing) variety suitable for growing in both spring-summer and rainy seasons. Pods are about 30-35 cm long, dark green, soft, fleshy and free from parchment.
Palak:all green
Leaf colour of this spinach variety is lush green. Variety has good tolerance to diseases.
Radish:pusa chetki
Roots flesh is crispy with mild pungency. Roots are pure white in color. The shape is long, cylindrical. It is grown as a summer and monsoon crop from April September. Root length is 30 to 35 cm.
Cucumber:pusa udaya
Suitable for cultivation both in spring-summer and rainy seasons. Maturity 50-55 days. Average Yield 155 q/ha, which is 28% higher over check (Poinsette).
Bottle gourd:pusa Naveen
Fruits cylindrical, straight and free from crooked neck. Average weight 550 g.
Drumstick:pkm-1
Plants grow to a height of 4-6 m and come to flower in 90-100 days after planting. The first harvest starts 160-170 days after planting and on an average each tree bears 200-225 fruits / year. Pods are 65-70 cm long with 6.3 cm girth and 150 g weight. Fruits are green coloured and highly pulpy.
Okra:Arka Anamika
Plants tall well branched. Fruits lush green, tender and long. Fruits borne in two flushes. Purple pigment present on both sides of the petal base. Green stem with purple shade. Fruits free from spines having 5-6 ridges, delicate aroma. Good keeping and cooking qualities. Resistant to Yellow vein mosaic virus Duration 130-135 days. Yield 20 t/ha.
Chilli:pusa jwala
The most popular hot pepper grown all over India and used in most popular spicy foods in India. This long thin wrinkled chilli which ripen from light-green to red when ripe. If you love hot chilli then this one surely needs your attention. This will be your favorite and won’t stop growing anymore! I assure you the beautiful aroma of this green chilli will stay in your mind for a long time!
This is an ideal chilli for flavouring Indian curries. So taste your own Indian food at home!
They are very easy to grow & easy to maintain. This plant will continuously produce chilli for 5/6 months each year. Best time to sow seeds after frost. Seeds need minimum 20°C to germinate. With a proper care in frosty time this will survive up to 3 years.
Soak the seeds in water for a few hours before planting and sow them in 5mm deep in a sunny, well-drained position. Sow them indoor in warmer condition and transfer outside when mature enough to survive. Germinates between 3-5 weeks, depending on the weather condition.
Onion:Agrifound dark red
Bulbs are dark red,globular round in shape, 4-6 cm in size withtight skin and moderately pungent.Keeping quality of bulbs is good. They contain 130B total soluble solids, 14-15%dry matter and12.
Cauliflower:kashi Gobhi-25 Indian/tropical cauliflower, November maturity (first fortnight of November around 25 °C temperature). White compact and hemispherical curd free from riceyness, leafiness and fuzziness. Marketable curd weight 600-700 g and yield 25-28 t/ha.
