One crop, two ways, multiple benefits

Right, faba bean was cut for 'green manure' just after the flowering stage. The remaining plants cover the soil, add nitrogen and other nutrients, and improve soil conditions. The plants on the left were allowed to grow to the dry bean stage, then harvested.

Nitrogen fixation is one of the best examples of cooperation in nature. Soil microbes  naturally occurring bacteria in the soil work with plants to pull nitrogen from the air. They turn the nitrogen into a form the plant is able to use. In return, the plant lets the microbes eat some of the sugars it makes.

In Sikkim, PM Narendra Modi bats for organic farming, names two orchid varieties

PM Modi unveiled three new varieties of Orchid developed in Sikkim.

Citing the successful example of Sikkim, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday batted for expansion of organic farming across the country as part of efforts to transform the agriculture sector entailing better remuneration for the farmers.

Oyo State Fish Farmers Receive 150,000 Fingerlings

Fingerlings

The Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture at the University of Ibadan (UI), has distributed 150,000 catfish fingerlings to fish farmers in Oyo State.

Climate Change: Buhari urges global cooperation

Climate Change

President Muhammadu Buhari has called for greater global cooperation against the devastating effects of climate change, reiterating Nigeria’s readiness to partner with global players to combat the scourge, the Daily Times reports.

Soil frost affects greenhouse gas emissions in the Arctic

Marina Becher, doctoral student at Umeå University.

Soil frost is a nearly universal process in the Arctic. In a recent dissertation by doctoral student Marina Becher at Umeå University, it is shown that the frequency and extent of soil frost is important for the release of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from arctic soil.

Manure applications elevate nitrogen accumulation and loss

Researchers in China studied the co-application of manures and chemical nitrogen fertilizers in high-input greenhouses. They said the environmental risks may outweigh the benefits.

Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient for plant growth, and nitrogen fertilization  including the application of manures  is a major management strategy in agriculture across the globe. 

EU Commits $20m Euro To Great Green Wall Programme

European Union

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), has said that European Union has committed the sum of 20m euro to the implementation of the Great Green Wall programme in Nigeria and five other African countries.

Cattle Fever Ticks Vaccine Developed

cow grazing

A new vaccine that could control and help prevent a re-infestation of cattle fever ticks had been developed by Agricultural Research Service scientists with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Cross River Govt To Create 20,000 Jobs Through Agriculture

Prof. Anthony Eneji

The Cross River Government says it will create more than 20,000 jobs through agriculture this year.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Prof. Anthony Eneji, made this known on Sunday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar.

Can Dangote beat imported tomato pastes in Nigeria’s market?

Dangote

According to media reports on Sunday, the much-anticipated Dangote Tomato Paste plant located in Kano, northern Nigeria, is now ready for operation. The plant, worth $20 million, is expected to produce about 430,000 tonnes of paste, which is a significant ingredient in most local Nigerian dishes such as jollof rice, stew and soups.