Natesan Ravisankar

• Phd
• Principal Investigator at Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research

Background India has a rich history of agriculture with its vast biodiversity niches and traditional soil conservation practices. More recently, there have been growing molecular insights into crop-soil management practices and their niche microbial consortia and underlying services. However, harnessing traditional innovations to conserve and promo...

The study assesses the hydrological responses of a major sub-basin in the Upper Ganga Basin, Uttar Pradesh, India, focusing on the effects of land use changes and climate change (CC) impacts. SWAT and General Circulation Models were used to assess the water yields under current (2020) and future scenarios (2030 & 2050), particularly considering the...

The ever increasing global population has intensified the pressure on agriculture, driving a shift toward smallholder farming systems. Historically, agricultural technologies have primarily catered to large, mechanized farms, exacerbating the disparity between large and small landholders. While strides have been made in achieving food security, liv...

Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) is a sustainable agricultural model integrating enterprises such as crops, livestock, fisheries, poultry and agroforestry. This model aims to maximize resource use efficiency, boost productivity, diversify income sources and reduce environmental impacts. By promoting the cultivation of diverse crops and rearing of l...

The effects of integrated nutrient-management (INM) practices on soil quality are essential for sustaining agro-ecosystem productivity. The soil quality index (SQI) serves as a tool to assess the physical, chemical, and biological potential of soils as influenced by various edaphic and agronomic practices. A multiyear (2018–2021) field experiment w...

Introduction The increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration, which mainly is attributed to fossil-fuel combustion and deforestation, is often suggested as one of the prime causative factors toward accelerated global warming. This commends for sequestration of atmospheric carbon under terrestrial systems to partially offset fossil-fuel emissions. Con...

Introduction Over the years, smallholder farmers have faced more vulnerability to risk and uncertainty in India due to their dependence on cereal crops. One way to reduce this risk is through diversified agriculture, integrating different practices for efficient resource utilization, and adopting a farming systems approach. An integrated farming sy...

Climate change and its impacts on agriculture are relatively well documented at the global and regional levels, while adaptation measures to sustain food production are mostly location specific. Such measures integrated into a production system as a farming practice will become robust based on its performance at smallholder farms. Therefore, a long...

Atlas having multicolor maps of district, state, ACZ and AER wise first and second major cropping system besides decadal changes

Chemical free farming methods like natural and organic farming attempt to minimize or eliminate external agricultural inputs, especially synthetic ones and rely on ecosystem management. The intensive uses of inorganic fertilizers , pesticides and other inputs for maximizing agri-production were found essential to meet the food requirement of growin...

Organic farming is emerging oppurtunity towards quality food production and soil health management. However, several critical needs such as soil fertility, nutrient requirements of field crops, horticulture, etc; pest and disease managment, varietal requirements etc to be assessed for sustainable organic farming management. Markets and farmer group...

Introduction Millets are nutritionally superior and climate-resilient short-duration crops and hold a prominent place in cropping sequences around the world. They have immense potential to grow in a marginal environment due to diverse adaptive mechanisms. Methods An experiment was conducted in an organic production system in the North Eastern Hima...

The Andaman and Nicobar group of islands covering an area of 8249 square kilometers with huge biodiversity both in terms of flora and fauna. These islands are considered to be the third most hotspots for biodiversity in the country. The agro biodiversity occupies a unique place within the overall ambit of biodiversity. A total of 14 rice cultivars...

Field experimentation was conducted to evaluate the comparative performance of integrated crop management, organic management and natural farming on crop growth, productivity, profitability and soil health under basmati rice-wheat system in Upper Indo-Gangetic Plains. Treatments comprised of different management practices viz. integrated crop manag...

Introduction: Organic farming is a promising solution for mitigating environmental burdens related to input-intensive agricultural practices. The major challenge in organic agriculture is the non-availability of large quantities of organic inputs required for crop nutrition and sustaining soil health, which can be resolved by e�cient recycling of t...

Introduction Developing an intensive sustainable model and feeding a rising population are worldwide challenges. The task is much more daunting in the North Eastern Himalayas, where, low productive maize (Zea mays)- fallow is the main production system in the upland. To increase farm productivity, nutritional security, and energy dietary returns wh...

A field experiment was conducted during pre-rainy (kharif) seasons of 2019 and 2020 at Research Farm of ICAR-Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region, Sikkim Centre, Tadong, Gangtok, Sikkim to evaluate the performance of maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars under organic management condition. Twelve cultivars of maize like ‘Seti Makkai’, ‘Pahenlo Ma...

India's oldest documented manure, most commonly referred to as Kunapajala, has a long history of over 1,000 years in crop cultivation. Kunapajala is primarily an in-situ decomposition technology of animal waste and can potentially provide an eco-friendly pipeline for recycling bio-waste into essential plant nutrients. This traditional animal manure...

Small and fragmented land holdings do not allow a farmer to keep independent farm resources like draught animals, tractors, bore wells/ tube wells and other sophisticated machineries for various cultural operations. Further, most of the inputs have become costly and out of reach of these resource poor farmers which has resulted farming as an unecon...

The complimentary integration of different enterprises recycled farm waste efficiently and increased the food production and eco-efficiency considerably besides reducing the greenhouse gasses intensity (GHGI) over the existing production system.

Improvement of existing farming systems that change crops, planting programs, adding and improving livestock units, kitchen garden, primary and secondary processing and boundary plantations are important to improve income on the smallholder farm in India. This also paves the way for meeting the domestic needs of a balanced diet, improved renewal us...

Climate change impacts agricultural productivity and farmers’ income, integrated farming systems (IFS) provide a mechanism to cope with such impacts. The nature and extent of climatic aberrations, perceived impact, and adaptation strategies by the farmers reduce the adverse effects of climate change on agriculture. Therefore, a study was conducted...

Soil quality restoration and crop productivity maximization are the global challenge to feed the galloping population. The task is much more daunting in a risk-prone, fragile, and low productive hilly region due to the depletion of supporting and regulating ecosystem services. A five-year long-term (2012–2017) field experiment was conducted to stab...

Organic Farming aims for farming with eco-friendly practices by largely excluding the synthetic chemical inputs used in the present-day conventional agriculture. Keeping in view, the prospective role of organic farming in mitigating the problems of resource (soil, water, and biodiversity) degradation and minimize the implications of climate chan...

A study was conducted in 24 farmers fields during both kharif, rabi seasons in two successive years i.e., 2017-18 and 2018-19 in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh to demonstrate the importance of optimal fertilizers schedule in rice-maize cropping system. The seven treatments consist of control, N, NP, NK, NPK, NPK+ ZnSO 4 and farmer practice....

In Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP, ~18 mha geographical area), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a predominant crop grown in rabi. Improving the productivity of wheat in a rice-based farming system through a suitable cultivar in IGP is necessary to evaluate under the agro-ecological condition of IGP of India. A farmer’s participatory field experiment was...

The integrated farming system (IFS) is a comprehensive farm practice to improve small and marginal farmers’ livelihoods. The IFS enhances nutrient recycling and food security and promotes greater efficiency of fertilizers and natural resources. To improve livelihood, profits, and employment generation holistically through an IFS method, a study was...

Improving the farming systems to attain the household level self‐sufficiency, land utilization efficiency and sustainable livelihood security depends on the better socio‐economic and ecological aspects of the systems practiced by the small farmers in the semi‐arid regions. The higher sustainable livelihood security index (SLSI) in integrated crops‐...

The popularization of backyard poultry is essential in India to ensure increasing access to protein and nutritious food at an affordable price in rural India. In such a scenario, the “scope for backyard poultry is enormous to expand across rural India”. According to a report by management consultants McKinsey & Company, as cited in the NAPEP, India...

Integrated farming systems (IFS) entail a holistic approach to farming aimed at meeting the multiple demands (impart farm resilience, farmer livelihoods, food security, ecosystem services, and making farms adaptive and resilient, etc.). IFS are characterized by temporal and spatial mixing of crops, livestock, fishery, and allied activities in a sin...

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate agrometeorological parameters associated with seed yield of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) varieties in an organic production system. During the study, significant variation was recorded in crop phenophases, growth, yield attributes, and seed yield of mustard. Varieties NRCHB-101 and Pusa Mustard-25...

A field experiment was carried out during winter (rabi) season of 2017-18 and 2018-19 at the research farm of ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research, Modipuram, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India, to study the effect of different weed-management practices on weed density, productivity and economics of Indian mustard under organic production. E...

An inter-organizational certificate course i.e. Certified Farm Advisor (CFA) in Organic Farming was jointly organized by National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad and ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research, Modipuram, Meerut during 2019. The objective of this certificate course was to create a cadre of "...

Banana is a very popular fruit due to its low price and high nutritive value coupled with ample carbohydrates and vitamins. It has a short gestation period and higher potential. It is essentially a tropical plant requiring a warm humid climate. Almost all the parts of this plant viz. fruits, leaves, flower bud, trunk and pseudostem can be utilized...

Organic agriculture is one of the production system which is supportive to the environment. The scope and potential of organic agriculture especially of fruits and vegetable farming is continuously increasing in today’s scenario. Organic agriculture in India is in a growth stage with abundant opportunities and risks. Advancements in agriculture rel...

Adoption of an integrated farming system (IFS) is essential to achieve food and nutritional security in small and marginal holdings. Assessment of IFS to know the resource availability and socio-economic condition of the farm household, farm typology plays a critical role. In this regard, a sample survey of 200 marginal households practicing mixed...

On farm studies were conducted during kharif and rabi seasons for two consecutive years from 2019-20 to 2020-21 in 24 farmers fields each year in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh state to study and demonstrate the importance of balanced fertilization on rice-maize cropping system. The seven treatments consists of control, recommended N alone...

Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO) consist of collectivization of producers especially small and marginal farmers so as to form an effective alliance to address challenges of agriculture. The main aim of FPOs is to help the small farm holders to achieve the economics of scale by strengthening the support and services in the emerging value chains....

The organic movement may have gained a place in the spotlight of the mainstream now, but it has not been like that for long. Since the 1950s, organic farmers operating at a grassroots level have devised, tested and shared production methods. Organic crop production in the organic farming system is gradually gaining momentum worldwide. For achieving...

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) through Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research (IIFSR), Modipuram, Uttar Pradesh, with component schemes of All India Coordinated Research Project on Integrated Farming Systems and All India Network Programme on Organic Farming (AI-NPOF) conducts and organized research on integrated farming syste...

Indian agriculture had the tradition of growing crops, rearing livestock, and culturing fish besides other activities in the pre-Green Revolution period. Adoption of Green Revolution, relying on growing fertilizer-responsive high yielding varieties of cereal-cereal systems namely, rice-rice, rice-wheat, maize-wheat, etc. under assured irrigation tr...

Soil health is important to sustain higher productivity of crops and cropping systems. Considering the importance of soil health for ensuring future food and nutritional security, Government of India started a Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme and has been issuing the SHCs to educate the farmers about the importance of soil and usefulness of balanced n...

Due to complexity of smallholder farms, many times technologies with great potential fail to achieve the desired impact in leveraging productivity and profitability of the farming community. In the Indo-Gangetic Plains there is an urgent need to understand the diversity of farm households, identifying the main drivers deciding their system thus, cl...

An experiment was conducted at Umiam, Meghalaya, to assess the performance of different cultivars of maize (Zea mays L.) followed by no-till French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in cropping system mode under organic production system. During 2015, 2016 and 2017. The experiment was conducted with 10 cultivars of maize (8 composite cultivars and 2 loc...

The effect of chemical pre-treatment on identification and semi-quantification of clay minerals by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was studied in soils (0–15 cm) collected from four ongoing long-term (31 years) experiments located at Ludhiana (Inceptisol), Jabalpur (Vertisol), Pantnagar (Mollisol) and Ranchi (Alfisol) under five treatments with di...

Purpose: Paucity of labour during peak period of cultivation, unavailability of skilled labour, steep increase in wages and looming water scarcity during drought in transplanting rice system, farmers search for alternate establishment method for drudgery reduction and enhancing water productivity. Consequently, direct sown dry seeded rice is gainin...

Purpose: Paucity of labour during peak period of cultivation, unavailability of skilled labour, steep increase in wages and looming water scarcity during drought in transplanting rice system, farmers search for alternate establishment method for drudgery reduction and enhancing water productivity. Consequently, direct sown dry seeded rice is gainin...

Purpose: In recent years, several high yielding and fertilizer responsive rice varieties are being developed and introduced among the farming community for higher productivity. But, traditionally N and P fertilizers have been only the nutrients applied by the rice farmers without proper understanding of yield potential, nutrient dose and their inte...

Organic farming has a positive impact on food quality, soil health and environment. Worldwide, demand for organic foods has increased by leaps and bounds in the recent years. Therefore, to bridge the yield gap between traditional organic farming and scientific/improved organic farming, a nationwide Network Project on Organic Farming (NPOF) was star...

In this study, the effects of integrated farming system on residue recycling and soil quality in rice-based integrated farming systems have been examined. The effective nutrient budget for nitrogen was found higher with rice-fish-poultry-cowpea and the negative values were obtained for rice-chili and rice-baby corn systems. However, the effective b...

The 32 years impact of manuring and fertilization on carbon mineralization in macro- and micro-aggregates in major soil groups of India was studied. Mollisol, Inceptisol, Vertisol, and Alfisol samples were collected (0-15 cm soil depth) from the treatments comprising of control, 100% NPK, 50%NPK+50% N-FYM, 50%NPK+50%N-WR (Wheat residue), 50% NPK +...

“A judicious combination of two or more components using cardinal principles of minimum competition and maximum complementarity with advanced agronomic management tools aiming for sustainable and environment friendly improvement of farm income, family nutrition and ecosystem services” is called as Integrated Farming System (IFS). Preservation of ag...

The integrated crop–livestock system (ICLS) is a farming strategy that helps to sustain agrobiodiversity, ecosystem services, and restores environmental sustainability. Furthermore, ICLS provides food and nutritional security to the small and marginal farmers in developing nations. In this context a mass-balanced ecosystem model was constructed for...

Residue management is the emerging challenge for sustainable growth of Indian agriculture and environmental protection mainly in Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP). Out of 620 MT crop residues produced annually in the country, 234 MT is surplus and 30% of it is contributed by rice and wheat. Approximately 16% of total crop residue being burnt, 62% is contr...

Every development has own shadow in which sustainability issues are hidden or mostly ignored at initial step in consideration of profit. But after a certain period, its prerequisite is realized and addressed otherwise maintaining growth in long path become difficult. Half century of agriculture depended on intensive cultivation with high input use...

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Every technology or interference in the natural ecosystem has its own side effect; from last half a century we are using the pesticides and herbicides indiscriminately to raise the crop production, but now its ill effect visible for us. Story of Malwa region of Punjab (cancer belt) and Kerala's endosulfan tragedy are epitome example of it. Now we a...

A study was conducted from 2015 to 2018 to find out the sustainability, profitability, energy efficiency and environmental impact of crop–livestock-aquaculture integration in west coast of India. Rice grown in rice-baby corn sequence recorded higher yield than rice-cowpea system. About 4 ton of fodder and 0.7 ton of azolla were produced and recycle...

Imbalanced application of nutrients in the intensively cropped areas results in deterioration of soil fertility. Application of recommended dose of potassium (K) is essential for improving the use efficiency of other nutrients. To assess the buffering capacity of soil, three composite soil samples were collected from the surface soil (0–30 cm) duri...

On-farm experiments were conducted during wet seasons of 2008 and 2009 in the farmer's field at Calicut and Manjery villages in South Andaman district to select best management practices for rice to increase the Island level productivity. In on-farm trials, four best treatments of on-station experiment along with the farmer's practice of cultivatio...

Field experiments were conducted during wet season of 2007 and 2008 at Central Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands to evaluate the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) practices of rice in Island ecosystem for increasing the productivity. Time of planting, spacing and nitrogen management practices significantly...

Increased awareness of environmental degradation and growing concern of human health has attracted worldwide attention towards organic farming. A field experiment was carried out during kharif of 2013-2014 to identify suitable maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars having high yield potential under organic production system. Twelve released cultivars of mai...

A field investigation was carried out at ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research, Modipuram during 2013-15 to devise the best nutrient management strategy in basmati (Oryza sativa L.)-wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend Fiori and Paol) cropping system. Investigation used six nutrient management practices, viz. 100% organic; 75% organic + in...

Increased awareness of environmental degradation and growing concern of human health has attracted worldwide attention towards organic farming. A field experiment was carried out during kharif of 2013–2014 to identify suitable maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars having high yield potential under organic production system. Twelve released cultivars of m...

Majority of organic matter is bound to clay minerals to form stable colloidal organo-mineral fraction (COMF) in soil. Stability of carbon (C) in COMF is crucial for long-term C sequestration in soil. However, information on the effect of long-term fertilization and manuring with various organic sources on C stability in such fraction in soils with...

Integrated farming is defined as a biologically integrated system, which integrates natural resources in a regulated mechanism into farming activities to achieve maximum replacement of off-farm inputs and sustain farm income. The productivity of a diversified cropping system always tends to increase when it is integrated with dairy, poultry or fish...

Uttar Pradesh contributes largest acreage of sugarcane (more than 40 per cent) to the national crop acreage; hence an early estimate of the crop acreage becomes paramount importance which was done using AWiFS data. Multi-date data of Resourcesat-2 AWiFS from February to November 2012 and January to November, 2013 for the 27 districts of Uttar Prade...

Role of Integrated Farming Systems for enhancing livelihood of farmers through inclusion of suitable horticultural components

Rice-wheat cropping system (RWCS), a lifeline for the majority of the population in South Asia is under stress, due to the imbalanced and indiscriminate use of fertilizers. Therefore, we conducted an on-farm study at eight locations (Amritsar, Katni, Nainital, Samba, Pakur, Kanpur, Ambedkarnagar, and Dindori) covering five agro climatic zones of si...