As Organic
Management Is An Integrated Approach, Manipulation And Adoption Of One Or Few
Steps May Not Yield Significant Results. For Optimization Of Productivity All
The Essential Components Need To Be Developed In A Systematic Manner. These Steps
Include: (I) Habitat Development, (Ii) On-Farm Facilities For Input
Production (Iii) Cropping Sequence And Combination Planning, (Iv) 3-4 Year
Rotation Plan And (Vi) Growing Of Crops Suiting To The Region, Soil And
Climate.
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Development Of Farm Facilities And Habitat
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Infrastructure
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Reserve 3-5% Of Farm Space For Utilities, Such As
Space For Cattle, Vermicompost Bed, Compost Tank, Vermiwash/ Compost Tea Unit
Etc. 5-7 Trees Should Be Planted Only On This Space, As All Utility
Infrastructure Need Shade. Irrigation Well, Water Pumping Infrastructure Etc
Can Also Be In This Utility Area. Dig Some Percolation Tanks (7x3x3mt Or Of
Any Other Size Depending Upon The Rainfall And Run-Off Pattern) For Rain
Water Conservation (1 Pit Per Ha) At Appropriate Places Depending Upon Slope
And Water Flow. If Possible Develop A Farm Pond Of Preferably 20×10 Mt Size. Keep
Few 200 Lit Tanks (1 Per Acre) For Liquid Manure Preparation And Few
Containers For Botanicals. For A 5 Acre Farm, Develop 1-2 Vermicompost Beds,
1 NADEP Tank, 2 Biodynamic Compost Beds, 2- 3 Compost Tea/ Vermiwash Units, 5
Liquid Manure Tanks, Five Cowpat Pits And One Underground Cattle-Urine
Collection Tank. Efforts Should Also Be Made To Produce Sufficient Quantities
Of BD-500 (Cow Horn Manure) And BD-501 (Cow Horn Silica). 10-12 Horn Products
Are Sufficient For 5 Acre Farm. Use Of Biodynamic Compost Prepared With The
Use Of BD-502-507 Has Also Been Found To Be Very Effective.
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Habitat And
Biodiversity
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Management Of An Appropriate Habitat For
Sustenance Of Different Life Forms Is An Essential Component Of Organic
Farming. This Can Be Achieved By Ensuring Crop Diversity And By Maintaining A
Wide Variety Of Trees And Bushes As Per Climatic Suitability. These Trees And
Bushes Will Not Only Ensure The Nutrients From Air And Deep Soil Layers To
Surface Layer But Also Attract The Birds And Predators, Friendly Insects And
Also Provide The Food And Shelter. More Specifically, If We Classify Areas
Into Wet And Dry Farms, Then On The Wet Farms There Should Be Five To Six
Neem Trees, One To Two Wood Apples, One To Two Star Fruit, Eight To Ten Guava
Or Sour Soap, Three To Four Drumstick, One To Two Fig And 10–15 Bushes Of
Mulberry, Star Gooseberry, Curry Leaf Etc, And On The Dry Farms There Must Be
At Least Five To Six Neem, One To Two Bael Fruit, Eight To Ten Ber Or Custard
Apple, One To Two Aonla , One To Two Drumstick And 10–15 Bushes Of Sasaka ,
Nirgundi (Vitex Negundo), Cassia Auriculata, C. Tora, Etc. In Hilly Areas, Alnus
Nepalensis Is Considered To Be A Wonder Tree As It Fixes Good Amount Of
Nitrogen. It Is Being Promoted In A Cropping System Mode Particularly In
Northeastern India. Bushes Of Prunus, Oak (Quercus Glauca), Pinus Species
Along The Farm Boundary And Yarrow (Achillea Millifolium), Buck Wheat (Fagopyrum
Esculentum), Lupin (Lupinus Sativus), Himalayan Stinging Nettle (Urtica Parviflora),
Marigold, Etc., In Between The Plots Invite A Lot Of Predators And Also
Attract A Large Number Of Pests.
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Fruit Orchards Also Need To Maintain Adequate
Diversity With At Least 3-5 Types Of Fruit Plants And Few Non-Fruit Trees (As
Listed Above). Major And Minor Plots Should Be Separated By Bunds About 1.5m
Wide And Should Be Planted With Glyricidia, Perennial Sesbania (Jayanti), Leucaena
Leucocephala, Cassia Siamea, Etc. The Internal Hedgerow Should Consist Of
Perennial Pigeon Pea, Crotalaria , Seasonal Sesbania, Etc. Lops From These
Trees Will Provide Enough Quantity Of Biologically Fixed Nitrogen. In Between
Glyricidia/Sesbania Rows Insert Few Plants Of Pesticidal Value Such As Adathoda
Vesica, Vitax Nigundo, Calotropis, Datura Alba, Ipomea (Besharam) Etc. Surrounding
The Farm Or Garden, There Should Be Hedgerows Or A Live Fence Of Coppiced Or
Pollarded, Multipurpose, Deep-Rooted Trees And Shrubs And Medicinal Herbs
Such As Adathoda Vasica, Vitex Negundo, Jatropha Curcas, Etc. Ecological Diversity
Is An Essential Component Of Any Successful Organic Farming System.
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Trees On Utility Space Can Be Allowed To Grow
Fully. Trees And Bushes On Farm Bunds Should Be Placed Randomly At Sufficient
Distance And Pruned At Repeated Intervals. Glyricidia Plants Should Be
Planted At Close Spacing On All Major Bunds And All Around The Farm. They Will
Act Not Only As Biological Fence But Also Provide Biologically Fixed Nitrogen
To Soil. A 400 Mt Long Glyricidia Strip Can Provide 22.5 Kg N/Ha Per Year
From The Year 3 And Up To 77 Kg N/Ha From Year 7 Under Rainfed Conditions. This
Can Be 75-100% Higher Under Irrigated Conditions. Three To Four Harvests Can
Be Made Under Irrigated Conditions And Two Harvests Under Unirrigated
Conditions. Never Allow Them To Grow Above 5.5 Ft To Avoid Shading Effect. Lopping
Is Used As Green Leaf Manure. Simply Harvest Them And Incorporate In Soil
Before Sowing Or Use As Mulch.
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