Contents: Preface. 1. Integrated Plant Nutrition System (IPNS): an approach towards organic farming. 2. Preparation, processing and preservation of organic fertilizers. 3. Development of biofertilizers. 4. Nitrogen fixing microorganisms: symbiotic. 5. Nitrogen fixing microorganisms: asymbiotic. 6. Crop response to biofertilizers. 7. Soils and plant growth. 8. Organic matter. 9. Pest management in organic rice fish system. 10. Changing concepts in the residual toxicity of pesticides. 11. Rice diseases under organic cultivation. 12. Mycorrhizae in transplanted crops. 13. Biochemical and genetic characterisation of mineral phosphate. 14. Effect of phosphobacterium. 15. Inoculation of phosphomicrobes. 16. Phosphocompost from neem. 17. Cyanobacteria on soil characteristics. 18. Crop response to algalization in rice variety. 19. Biofertilizers in Banana fields. 20. Isolation of pesticides from wheat crop. 21. Azotobacter isolated from mulberry. 22. Sulphatic biofertilizer on pigeonpea. 23. Biodynamic agriculture. 24. Indigenous knowledge in rice organic farming. 25. Rice diseases in organic rice-fish system. 26. Permanent manurial experiments in rice. 27. Success story of organic farming. Bibliography. Index.
"Our concern about environmental safety and sustainability of land productivity is increasing among the scientists, environmentalists and higher officials. With the increasing population, it is also becoming clear that food security for the millions will not be possible unless the available resources are efficiently utilized for increasing the productivity. The strategy adopted during the green revolution cannot be valid anymore under the present conditions. A new strategy of living with the nature and nurturing it of sustainable high productivity should be evolved. Though the use of chemical inputs cannot be altogether avoided, but their use in agriculture has to be minimized or rationalized. So organic farming shows us the way to effectively use the available natural resources for the benefit of the mankind. But unfortunately there are a lot of misunderstanding. A compilation of the available information with upgrading technology has been felt need of students, research workers, agriculturists, environmentalists and scientists in the field of agriculture. In this handbook almost all the aspects related to organic farming are covered with a balanced approach. The author demonstrates the newness of the organic concept for readers. This will help readers to discover easily the philosophical and technical differences between organic and conventional farming system." (jacket)
