JABALPUR CHAPTER OF INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCEDepartment of Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry

Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur (M.P.) 482004NEWSLETTER

FORTHCOMING EVENTSNational Training Programme on"Climate Resilient Soil Manage-ment Strategies for SustainableAgriculture” from October 14 toNovember 03, 2015 under Centre ofAdvanced Faculty Training.

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In this issueChief Patron's Message............ 01

Patron's Message...................... 02

Presidential Remarks .............. 02

Visits........................................ 03

Retirement .............................. 08

Obituary................................... 08

Participation in Meeting/Training/Seminar/Workshop/Kisan Mela 03

Awards Received by the FacultyMembers ................................. 04

Events and Activities of JabalpurChapter of Indian Society of SoilScience : National Conference 05

Centre of Advance FacultyTraining .................................. 06

Academic Activities ............... 07

Soil Trivia .............................. 07

Liquid Bio-fertilizers: A PotentialTool For Sustainable CropProduction............................... 07

No. 2 July - December, 2014

Chief Patron's Message

“Soil Health for Human Health”Soil is the living outer layer of our planet and is a wonderful gift of

nature which serves as a medium for plant growth and a habitat foranimals and other organisms. It has been established that soilfertility is one of the key components to determine productivity offarming systems, however the understanding of soil physical andbiological properties is of utmost important. With the advent ofsustainable agriculture concept the sustainability of soilproductivity takes into consideration areas where dependence on

agrochemicals and fertilizers has sharply increased for cropproduction. The current concept of soil health monitoring thus is a subject of vital concernfor not only the soil fertility and productivity factors but also other aspects responsible forthe better health of soil.

The scope of increasing land area for producing food is very limited, bringing themarginal lands under plough is very risky and may pose threat to fragile ecosystem. Thesituation is getting worse due to competition from other sectors and changing climaticpattern and also due to deteriorating soil quality because of increased anthropogenicactivities. In view of these issues, the pressing need has arisen for managing the precioussoil resources for improving and sustaining its various functions to meet the demand ofquality food and quality environment. However, in the era of rapidly degradingenvironment due to increased interference by man, role of soil in various environmentalprocesses such as sink and source for pollution is emphasized in policy making.

A need therefore, arises to integrate all our efforts to improve and sustain the health ofsoil for higher quantity and better quality of food and fodder production from diversifiedfarming system as well as for better quality of environment. As a result of intensive farmingsoils of various agro-ecological zones have developed fatigue with declining fertility ofcultivated soils, particularly with respect to plant nutrients. Adoption of inappropriatecropping systems along with faulty soil management has also contaminated soils andgroundwater resources.

Comprehensive soil fertility research has emphasized that there is an urgent need foreffective soil protection and land use policy along with establishment of framework formonitoring of soil fertility to save precious soil resources from misuse and degradation. Theloss of soil fertility from continual nutrient mining by crop removal without adequatereplenishment, combined with imbalanced plant nutrition practices, poses a serious threat tosoil fertility and agricultural production. Hence, the concept of integrated nutrientmanagement (IMN) needs to be popularized wherein use of chemical fertilizers along withorganic manures is practiced to meet crop requirement.

The Jabalpur Chapter of Indian Society of Soil Science is actively engaged in teachingand research. The role played by the chapter in developing potential agricultural humanresource is of utmost importance. This Newsletter will certainly prove as catalyst inenhancing the health of soil and plants.

I wish the members of this chapter a grand success in their endeavour.With best wishes and compliments.

Prof. V. S. TomarVice Chancellor

JNKVV, Jabalpur

“To Forget how to Tend the Soils is to Forget Ourselves”- Mahatma Gandhi

Soil is considered to be the "skin ofthe earth" with interfaces betweenthe lithosphere, hydrosphere,atmosphere and biosphere. Soilprovides ecosystem services criticalfor life. Soil acts as a water filter anda growing medium; provides habitatfo r b i l l i ons o f o rg an is ms ,contributing to biodiversity; andsupplies most of the antibiotics usedto fight diseases. Humans use soil asa holding facility for solid waste,filter for wastewater, and foundationfor our cities and towns. Finally, soilis the basis of our nation's agro-ecosystems which provide us withfeed, fiber, food and fuel.

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Newsletter - 2014

Patron's MessageAnticipating future developments

in global agriculture is by no means asimple exercise. In the last few years,many of the acute phenomenaobserved have complicated further theformulation of long-term prospects.Atpresent agriculture experiences a wideclimate variability and naturalresource base economic development.

Global projection indicated that agricultural and food demandis expected to slow over the next decades, following slowingpopulation growth and raising incomes. However, populationwill still grow considerably in the coming decades, and requireworld agricultural production to increase substantially by 2050.The macroeconomic outlook indicates that economic growthmay bring significant reductions in poverty in the 2050horizon, but climate change may impose additional constraints,particularly through increased pressures on land and waterresources.

Other areas explored in the volume are natural resources -notably land and water-as well as capital investment andtechnology. However, the bulk of production increase will needto be generated through increased yields. Technically, thereseems to be considerable scope for pushing the agriculturaltechnology frontier outwards. But much could also be done bysimply applying existing technologies. To overcome this,farmers and other stakeholders along value chains need toreceive the correct scarcity signals from markets to be able toaccess appropriate inputs and to invest. Global fixed capitalstock in agriculture has been growing steadily over the lastthree decades, although at declining rates. Research is shown tobe among the most productive investments for supportingagriculture, education, infrastructure and input credits.

India is bestowed with diverse soil groups due tovariability in parent materials, land topography and climaticconditions in different regions. Each soil group as well assubgroup has a distinct physical and chemical propertiesinfluencing soil-plant-atmosphere continuum and thuscontributing to distinct advantages and constraints in variousoperations of crop management practices affecting theproductivity of crops.

Enhancement and maintenance of soil productivity isessential to the sustainability of agriculture and for meetingbasic needs of rising population In this context, some importantissues that need to be addressed includes the existing naturalresources which may be adequate to meet the food demands,identification of the potentials and constraints of soil resourcesand development of generic technology that can be adopted tosoil and site specific conditions for sustainable management inincreasing the fertility of soil and productivity of the variouscropping system.

Dr. S.S. TomarDirector Research Services

JNKVV, Jabalpur

Presidential RemarksSoil is linked to everything

around us and performs manyimportant roles in sustaining life onEarth. Soil plays seven key roles:

Unless sealed(covered over by roads, buildings,etc.), all soils support biomass

production, whether it is naturalvegetation or planted for agriculture and forestry. From thesmallest seedling to the largest tree, all land-based vegetationdepends on soil to provide them with nutrients, water and rootsupport. In turn, this vegetation supports animal life on land.The productivity of soil is dependent upon its physical,biological and chemical conditions, as well as on climate. Themost productive soils are usually used for arable farming andless productive soils support grassland, heath land and forests.Currently, major portion of land is used for food production;however, future needs (e.g. biofuel production, urbandevelopment) may result in competition for this high qualityagricultural land resulting in further pressure on soil.

Soil and water quality arevery closely linked and, to a significant extent, soil propertiesdetermine water quality. As water passes through soil it isfiltered and purified which helps to generate clean andwholesome groundwater.

Soil organic matter is an extremely importantcomponent of soil. It improves nearly all soil properties (e.g.moisture retention, soil structure, drainage, nutrient storageetc.) and therefore plays a vital role in many functions of soil.The ability of soil to store carbon is important in reducing theamount of carbon dioxide (CO ) in the atmosphere, therebyregulating climate change. Soil organisms continuallybreakdown complex organic molecules into simpler organicmolecules and when the process is complete they are releasedas nutrients and gases, including greenhouse gases such as CO .However, soil organisms are also involved in a process calledhumification where new, more complex and stable organicmatter is formed. The amount of organic carbon in a particularsoil is determined by the balance between carbon input to thesoil (as organic matter) and carbon loss from the soil. On aglobal scale, soils contain about twice as much carbon as theatmosphere and about three times as much as vegetation. Themajority of CO emissions from soil occur as a result of land usechanges such as the draining or cultivating of organic soils, orthe conversion of grasslands to arable land.

A habitat is a place that provides an organism with everythingthat it needs to survive, including food and shelter. Soil is a verycomplex habitat, sustaining a diverse range of organisms bothabove and below ground. Biodiversity is the term used to referto all the variety of life on Earth. It consists of all species,

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Providing the basis for food andbiomass production:

Controlling and regulating environmental interactions-regulating water flow and quality:

Storing carbon and maintaining the balance of gases inthe air:

Providing valued habitats and sustaining biodiversity:

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July - Dec., 2014

VISITSl The ICAR accreditation team members Dr.

Chinnachany Ramasamy, Former Vice Chancellor,TNAU, Coimbatore, Dr. T.A. More, Vice Chancellor,MPKV, Rahuri, Dr. Opender Koul, Director, InsectBiopesticide Research Centre, Jalandhar and Prof.Syed Akhter Hussani, Professor & Head,Biotechnology, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi visitedthe laboratories, classrooms, seminar hall and otherinfrastructure facilities of the department and reviewedthe progress of the departmental activities on October,29, 2014.

varieties and genes living both above and below ground.Biodiversity above and below ground is influenced andcontrolled by soil properties. Scientists believe that soilbiodiversity is much higher than in any other terrestrial habitat,even rainforests. Whereas above ground biodiversity isrelatively well known and understood, most soil organisms arestill unknown and not yet scientifically described. The largestgroups of soil organisms are micro-organisms such as bacteriaand fungi.

Buildingsand infrastructure require land for their construction. Theconstant need for land for development has resulted in a gradualreduction in productive soil and land as they becomepermanently covered with roads and buildings.

Soils provide a direct source ofminerals and other resources. These include: material forpotters, sand, gravel & stones for building, ore for industry,peat and coal for heating and peat for horticulture.

Soilcan conserve and preserve the archaeological record byforming a protective layer over archaeological sites and buriedartifacts, ensuring their protection from potentially destructiveelements like wind and rain. Landscape features such ascultivation terraces and rig and furrow resulting from historicland use also form part of our cultural heritage.

President, Jabalpur Chapter of ISSSProf. & Head, Department of Soil Sci. & Agril. Chem.

JNKVV, Jabalpur

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Providing a platform for buildings and roads:

Providing raw material:

Preserving cultural and archaeological heritage:

Dr. A.K. Rawat

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Dr. Pradip Dey, Project Coordinator, AICRP on STCR,IISS, Bhopal visited on farm experiments on September3, 2014 at JNKVV, Jabalpur (MP).

Dr. Muneshwar Singh, Project Coordinator, AICRP onLTFE, IISS, Bhopal visited on farm experiments onSeptember 3, 2014 at JNKVV, Jabalpur (MP).

PARTICIPATION IN MEETING/TRAINING/SEMINAR/ WORKSHOP /KISAN MELAl

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Dr.A.K. Rawat, Prof. & Head and Principal Investigatorattended group meeting ofAll India Network Project onSoil Biodiversity-Biofertilizers at Directorate ofGroundnut Research, Junagarh during December 6-8,2014.Dr. B.L. Sharma, Principal Scientist and Dr. H.K.Rai,Senior Scientist attended state level meeting on SoilHealth, organized by Principal Secretary, Departmentof Farmer Welfare & Agril. Development, Bhopal onAugust 22, 2014.Dr. H.K. Rai attended workshop on revising IPMpackage held at National Institute of Plant HealthManagement, Hyderabad duringAugust 25-27, 2014.Dr. P.S. Kulhare, Principal Scientist, attendedInternational Symposium on New-Dimensions inAgrometeorology for Sustainable Agriculture (NASA-2014) during October 16-18, 2014 held at G.B. PantUniversity ofAgriculture & Technology, Pantnagar.Dr. H.K. Rai, Senior Scientist delivered a lecture onIntegrated Nutrient Management in Organic Farming

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Newsletter - 2014

during one day State Level Workshop on Jaivik Khetiheld at JNKVV, Jabalpur on December 17, 2014.Shri Vinod Kumar, Ph.D.Scholar attended theAsian Plant ScienceConference held atBhairahava, Nepal 1-3November, 2014.Shri Vinod Kumar, Ph.D.Scholar attended the 79Annual Convention ofIndian Society of SoilS c i e n c e h e l d a tANGRAU, Hyderabadduring November 24-27,2014.A field day and training programme was organizedunder AICRP on Long Term Fertilizer Experiment atKuramaili village of Mandla district on Oct. 29, 2014.

A field day and training programme was organizedunder AICRP on STCR at Katamal village of Mandladistrict on November 11, 2014.

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Awards received by the faculty membersBest poster presentation awards received by thefaculty members under different themes of the NationalConference on “Soil Health: A Key to Unlock and SustainProduction Potential” organized by the Department ofSoil Science andAgricultural Chemistry, JNKVV, Jabalpur(M.P.)duringSeptember3-4,2014.

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Dr. R.K. Sahu – First position in "Soil healthmanagementandbiodiversity" theme

Shri S.S. Baghel – Second position in "Soil healthmanagementandbiodiversity" theme

Dr. R.K. Thakur – First position in "Strategic nutrientmanagement forsustainable soilhealth" theme

Dr. G.D. Sharma – Second position in "Strategicnutrient management for sustainable soil health"theme

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July - Dec., 2014

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Shri G.S. Tagore – First position in "Remote Sensingand GIS application for soil health management"theme

Dr. B.S. Dwivedi – First position in "Socio-economicaspects" theme

Dr. B.S. Dwivedi, received the best poster presentationaward in National Seminar on "Challenges andopportunities for Agricultural crop productivity underclimate change" September 21-22, 2014 held at CollegeofAgriculture, Rewa (M.P.).

Dr. R.K. Sahu, received2nd runner up award inN A S A - 2 0 1 4 I n t e r -national Symposium onNew-Dimens ions inAgrometeorology forSustainable Agricultureduring October 16-18, 2014 held at G.B. Pant UniversityofAgriculture &Technology, Pantnagar.

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Inaugural Function

Events and Activities of Jabalpur Chapterof Indian Society of Soil ScienceNational Conference� On the eve of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the

Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur Chapter of Indian Societyof Soil Science, Department of Soil Science &Agricultural Chemistry, JNKVV, Jabalpur inCollaboration with Indian Society of Soil Science, NewDelhi and Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopalorganized a National Conference on "Soil Health:AKeyto Unlock Production Potential" during September, 3-4, 2014. The conference was partially sponsored byM.P. Council of Science &Technology, Bhopal.

Felicitation of Chief Guest Dr. A.K. Sikka,Hon'ble DDG (NRM), ICAR by Hon'ble

Vice Chancellor, Dr. V.S. Tomar

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Release of Newsletter of Jabalpur Chapter ofIndian Society of Soil Science

Release of Souvenir of National Conference

l Dr. A.K. Singh, Hon'ble Vice Chancellor, RVSKVV,Gwalior delivered 8 Dr. T.D. Biswas MemorialLecture of Indian Society of Soil Science, New Delhi on

during the National Conference.

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"Feeding 1.6 billion - Can Soil Scientists Deliver ?"

Newsletter - 2014

Centre of Advanced Faculty Trainingl Department of Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry,

JNKVV, Jabalpur organized a National Trainingprogramme on "Management of Soil Health:Challenges and Opportunities" under CAFT duringSeptember 29 to October 19, 2014 sponsored by IndianCouncil of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. A goodresponse was received for this training programme.Forty three applications were received for participationand out of these, twenty five applicants from twelvestates were selected for the training programme.

Felicitation of Dr. A.K. Singh, Hon'ble Vice ChancellorRVSKVV, Gwalior by Hon'ble Vice Chancellor

Dr. V.S. Tomar

Felicitation of Dr. S.K. Patil, Hon'ble Vice ChancellorIGKV, Raipur by Director Research Services,

Dr. S.S. Tomar

Felicitation of Hon'ble Vice Chancellor, Dr. V.S. Tomarby Dr. A.K. Rawat Prof. & Head and

Organizing Secretary of the National Conference

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July - Dec., 2014

AcademicActivitiesStudent's Placementl

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Mr. Dinesh Baretha, joined as FEO at Cost ofCultivation Scheme (CCS), Dept. ofAgril Economics &Farm Management, College ofAgriculture, JabalpurMr. Shri Ram Patel joined as Team Member atWatershed Management Organization at Barwani

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Mr. Vijay Jat joined as Team Member at WatershedManagement Organization at DewasMr. Chandrabhan Raghuwanshi joined as CreditManager in HDFC bank at ItarsiMr. Samrath Patidari joined as Credit Manager, HDFCbank at DharMr. Gajendra Patel joined as Field Executive Officer,IGS, NGO at Seoni

Mr. Narendra Chouhan, ResearchAssociate qualified for the NationalEligibility Test (NET) - 2014

Mr. Rishikesh Tiwari , M.Sc.(Previous) received the best posteraward in Agriculture Exhibitionduring Golden Jubilee Year 2013-14on October, 01, 2014.

Mr. Anil Nagwanshi, Ph.D. Scholarqualified the National Eligibility Test(NET) - 2014

Do you know that there are more living individualorganisms in a tablespoon of soil than there are peopleon the earth?Do you know that almost all of the antibiotics we take tohelp us fight infections are obtained from soilmicroorganisms?Do you know that agriculture is the only essentialindustry on earth?Do you know that soil is a non-renewable naturalresource?Do you know that the best china dishes are made fromsoil?Do you know that about 70% of the weight of a text bookor glossy paged magazine is soil?Do you know that putting clay on your face in the formof a "mud mask" is done to cleanse the pores in the skin?

Dr. A.K. Rawat

Soil fertility declines when its nutrient content diminishes,and/or when it's physical, chemical and biological makeupchanges in a way that lower its ability to support and nourishplants which limited crop production. Low soil fertility iscaused by continue crop and using imbalanced chemicalfertilizer. The availability and affordability of fossil fuel basedchemical fertilizers at farm level in India have been ensuredonly through imports and subsidies which are largelydependent on GDP of the country. Nitrogen and Phosphorous

Award/ Recognition

SOIL TRIVIA

Liquid Bio-fertilizers: A Potential ToolFor Sustainable Crop Production

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Tele-fax: +91 761-2681119, E-mail: headsoil@gmail.com, web: www.jnkvv.nic.inJawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur (M.P.) 482004

Department of Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry

Dr. A.K. Rawat, Dr. A.K. Dwivedi, Dr. H.K. Rai and Dr. R.K. ThakurCompiled and edited by

Obituaryl

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Dr. M.S. Padihar, Sr. Scientist, Soil Science & Agril.Chemistry, Zonal Agricultural Research Station,Powarkheda passed away on July 11, 2014.Shri T.S. Chopra, Retired Professor,Department of Soil Science & AgriculturalChemistry, JNKVV, Jabalpur passed awayon November 22, 2014.Dr. D.C. Bisen, Retired Professor,Department of Soil Science & AgriculturalChemistry, JNKVV, Jabalpur passed awayon November 30, 2014.

Published by

Newsletter - 2014

are two major nutrients for plant growth which are providedthrough chemical fertilizers or organic manures. Certain soilmicroorganisms have an ability to fix part of elementary formof atmospheric nitrogen to the available form for the plants and/ or solubilize part of the bound phosphates of the soil andthereby make them available to the plant which increasesfertility of the soil and crop yield. India is one of the importantcountries in the world towards biofertilizers production andconsumption. In agricultural eco-system, microorganisms havevital role in fixing/solubilizing/ mobilizing nutrient recycling.These microorganisms occur in soils naturally, but theirpopulations are often scanty. In order to increase the crop yield,the desired microbes from rhizosphere are isolated andartificially cultured in adequate count and mixed with suitablecarriers or as they are in suitable combinations (microbialconsortium) by artificial culturing. These are known asBiofertilizers or microbial inoculants. In order to encourage thebiofertilizers, five biofertilizers namely

Phosphate solubilizing bacteria andhave been incorporated commonly in crop

production.

The earlier products of bio-fertilizers were carrier(solid) based where lignite is usually added as a carriermaterial. Carrier based bio fertilizers are not so tolerant to thetemperature which is mostly unpredictable and uncertain in thecrop fields. In the carrier-based (solid) bio-fertilizers, themicroorganisms have a shelf life of only six months. They arenot tolerant to ultra-violet rays and temperatures more than30 ºC. The population density of these microbes is only 10colony forming unit (CFU) ml at the time of production. Thiscount reduces day by day during stage. In the fourth month itreduces to 10 CFU ml .

These defects are rectified and fulfilled in the case ofLiquid Bio-fertilizers (LBF). LBF formulation is the promisingand updated technology of the conventional carrier basedproduction technology. Basically LBF have been classifiedinto, 1) Dry products which include dusts, granules andbriquettes and, 2) Suspensions containing cell protectants. Aconsortium of microorganisms provided with suitable mediumto keep up their viability for certain period which aids inenhancing the biological activity of the target site. The shelf lifeof the microbes in these liquid bio-fertilizers is two years. Theyare tolerant to high temperatures (55 ºC) and ultra violetradiations. The count is as high as 10 CFU ml , which ismaintained up to two years. So, the application of 1 ml of liquidbio-fertilizers is equivalent to the application of 1 kg of

Rhizobium,Azotobacter, Azospirillum,Mycorrhiza

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5 months old carrier based bio-fertilizers. Since these are liquidformulations, the application in the field is also very simple andeasy. They are applied using hand sprayers, power sprayers andas basal manure mixed along with FYM etc.

1. Contains special cell protectants or substances thatencourage formation of resting spores or cysts

2. It ensure longer shelf life, better survival on seeds and soiland tolerance to adverse conditions

3. Since the organisms are stabilized during production,distribution and storage, the activity is enhanced after thecontact and interaction with the target crops

4. No loss of properties due to storage up to 55 ºC5. Product can be 100% sterile with least contamination6. Greater potentials to fight with native population7. Dosages are 10 times lesser than the carrier-based bio-

fertilizers8. Very high enzymatic activity since contamination is

minimum or nil9. Additionally, LBF can be used in drip irrigation and as a

component of organic farming10. No health hazards to production workers and easy to

transport, handle and apply

OTHERADVANTAGES OFLBF:

Vinod Kumar (Ph.D. scholar) &Ms. Chinmayee Roy (M.Sc. student)

Retirementl

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Dr. S.M. Singh, Associate Professor, College ofAgriculture, Rewa, retired on 31-10-2014

Shri G.P. Tembe, Associate Professor, Department ofSoil Science & Agricultural Chemistry, JNKVV,Jabalpur retired on 31-10-2014