Managing Human and Environmental Health by Improving Soil Health
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Vol.LXIII No. 10 February - 2021 Pages-40 Price: Rs.6 Managing Human and Environmental Health by Improving Soil Health Termites – Silent Destroyers of Coconut Health INDIAN COCONUT Coconut Development Board JOURNAL The Coconut Development Board is a statutory body established Vol. LXIII No.10 by the Government of India for the integrated development of coconut cultivation and industry in the country. The Board which February 2021 came into existence on 12th January, 1981, functions under the Kochi - 11 administrative control of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Advisory Board Welfare, Government of India, with its headquarters at Kochi in Kerala State and Regional Offi ces at Bangalore, Chennai, Guwahati Chairman and Patna. There are fi ve State Centres situated in the states of Shri. Rajbir Singh IFS Orissa, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh and in the Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. DSP Farms are Members Shri. B. Venkatesh IFS located at Neriyamangalam (Kerala), Vegiwada (Andhra Pradesh), Shri. Chiranjiv Choudhari IFS Kondagaon (Chhattisgarh), Madehpura (Bihar), Abhayapuri Shri. Devendra Kumar Singh IAS (Assam), Pitapalli (Orissa), Mandya (Karnataka), Palghar Director, CPCRI (Maharashtra), Dhali (Tamil Nadu), South Hichachara (Tripura) Dr. N. Kumar and Fulia (West Bengal) besides a Market Development cum Dr. Biswanath Rath Information Centre at Delhi. The Board has set up a Technology Editorial Board Development Centre at Vazhakulam near Aluva in Kerala. Functions Members Dr. Ravi Bhat Adopting measures for the development of coconut industry. Dr.Venkatesh N.Hubballi Recommending measures for improving marketing of coconut and its products. Imparting technical advice to those engaged in Chief Editor Shri. Saradindu Das coconut cultivation and industry. Providing fi nancial and other assistance for expansion of area under coconut. Encouraging Editor adoption of modern technologies for processing of coconut and its Smt. Deepthi Nair S products. Adopting measures to get incentive prices for coconut and its products. Recommending measures for regulating Publicity Offi cer Smt. Mini Mathew imports and exports of coconut and its products. Fixing grades, specifi cations and standards for coconut and its products. Sub Editor Financing suitable schemes to increase the production of coconut Smt. Sona John and to improve the quality and yield of coconut. Publisher Assisting, encouraging, promoting and fi nancing agricultural, COCONUT DEVELOPMENT BOARD technological, industrial or economic research on coconut and its Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, products. Financing suitable schemes where coconut is grown Department of Agriculture and Co-operation, on large scale so as to increase the production of coconut and Government of India Kera Bhavan, Kochi - 682 011, India to improve its quality and yield and for this purpose evolving Phone : 0484- 2377266, 2377267, schemes for award of prizes or grant of incentives to growers of 2376553, 2375266, 2376265 coconut and the manufacturers of its products and for providing Fax : 91 - 0484-2377902, marketing facilities for coconut and its products. Collecting Grams : KERABOARD statistics on production, processing and marketing of coconut E-mail : [email protected] [email protected] and its products and publishing them. Undertaking publicity Website : www.coconutboard.gov.in activities and publishing books and periodicals on coconut and SUBSCRIPTION its products. Annual Rs. 60.00 The development programmes implemented by the Board under Single Copy Rs. 6.00 Institutes / Libraries the project Integrated Development of Coconut Industry in India Annual Rs. 200.00 are- production and distribution of planting material, expansion Single Copy Rs. 20.00 of area under coconut, integrated farming for productivity improvement, technology demonstration, market promotion and Articles, research papers and letters on di erent Information and Information Technology. Under the Technology aspects of coconut cultivation and industry are Mission on Coconut, the programmes implemented by the Board invited for publication in this Journal. All accepted material will be paid for. e Board does not accept are development, demonstration and adoption of technologies for responsibility for views expressed by contributors management of insect pest and disease affected coconut gardens, in this Journal. All remittances and correspondence development and adoption of technologies for processing and should be addressed to the Chairman, Coconut product diversifi cation and market research and promotion. Development Board, Kochi - 682 011. Article Index 04 Message from the Editor Termites – Silent destroyers of coconut health 05 Sujithra M, Subramanian P and Rajkumar Managing Human and Environmental Health 09 by improving Soil Health Joshy V Cherian Red Palm Weevil Detector 16 Josephrajkumar, A., Chandrika Mohan, Jijo Paul, Jayalakshmi, T. , Rajendran, K. , Vinayaka Hegde, Kalavathi, S. and Anitha Karun 17 Coconut Products Smart Phone - Smart Irrigation 20 Shwetha. R, Are coconut home gardens playing significant role in national coconut production? 22 Dr. Lalith Perera 28 News Vol.LXIII No. 10 February - 2021 Pages-40 Price: Rs.6 32 Cultivation Practices for Coconut Managing Human and Environmental Health by Improving Soil Health 37 Market Review Termites – Silent Destroyers of Coconut Health Cover Picture: 16 year old coconut palm in the backyard of Shri. George Mathew in Maradu, Kochi, Kerala. The palm has recorded a productivity of 500 nuts per year Indian Coconut Journal 5 February 2021 C Message from the Editor t is heartening to see the coconut sector on the path of slow recovery from the impact Iof the pandemic. The export of coconut products is also expected to increase during this year and coconut shell based activated carbon continues to be the highest exported product. Another interesting feature is the increased interest shown by start-ups and young entrepreneurs in coconut processing which is very promising for the coconut sector. Young entrepreneurs are not only into processing but also have recorded success in development of machinery for minimal processing of tender coconut, palm climbing etc. It is very much essential to move forward with innovation, sensing the trends in consumer behaviour and their needs. Coconut is a crop which is still a major source of inspiration for innovation. Increased awareness among the consumers on the health and nutritional attributes of coconut products also increases their demand for convenience foods from coconut. As the world is moving on the path of environment friendly sustainable agriculture, coconut offers tremendous prospects since it is a crop of zero waste and its products are biodegradable. Other major coconut growing countries are moving ahead with innovations in various products incorporating insights by variants of the same product, categories, packaging, geography etc targeting customers in various age groups and categories. Innovative products like non dairy creamers, condensed coconut milk for iced coffee and roasted coffee beans with medium chain triglycerides are ideal for those with allergies and food sensitivities. Entrepreneurs have to be sensitive to the changing consumption patterns and have to be innovating increasingly creative and unusual coconut products, satisfying a growing consumer appetite for coconut. We too have our own innovations, the recent introduction of a coconut paste, without added preservatives and flavours, in the convenience food category is a typical example. Let us move forward, thinking out of the box, creating innovative products produced from ethically sourced coconuts, thereby being partners in the development of a sustained and environment friendly coconut industry. Editor 6 Indian Coconut Journal C February 2021 Article Termites – Silent destroyers of coconut health Sujithra M, Subramanian P and Rajkumar ICAR - Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) Kasaragod – 671 124, Kerala oconut, Cocos nucifera L., is popularly known Cas “Kalpavriksha” or tree of heaven mainly because every part of the tree yields benefits to the humankind. In India, it is cultivated in 2.17 million ha across 19 states and 3 Union Territories producing 21384 million nuts with an average productivity of 9815 nuts/ha (http://coconutboard.nic.in). Coconut is one of the important plantation crops in India Termites are found in almost all the which support millions of small and marginal farmers coconut growing tracts of India. and can grow across diversified agro-climatic zones Generally termites are considered under both rainfed and irrigated conditions. as serious pest in coconut nursery Over 750 insect species that attack coconut palm, which causes 20% seedling loss in the termites are one such major soil insect pests. It is found in almost all the coconut growing tracts of laterite soil. Termite affect not only the our country. Generally termites are considered as seedlings but also the main plantations serious pest in coconut nursery which causes 20% and the associated intercrops grown seedling loss in the laterite soil (Anonymous, 2006). under coconut cropping system However, they affect not only the seedlings but also the main plantations and the associated intercrops grown under coconut cropping system. Out of the 337 termite species known so far from India, about 35 species are reported to damage agricultural crops and buildings. The most dominant termite genera which attack coconut are Odontotermus