eChapters

INTRODUCTION

The ultimate objective of forest tree breeding is to develop fast growing high yielding genetically improved superior strains in order to replace the wild natural forest stands so as to obtain higher forest productivity per unit area and time. A breeding programme, in fact, involves purposeful management of genetic variability present in a taxon. The variation is regulated through controlled mating. This obviously, needs detailed information on the nature and extent of genetic variation on one hand and equally on the reproductive biology of the species. A clear understanding of phenological behaviour, time of anthesis, time and duration of stigma receptivity, fertilization, mode of pollination, seed development etc. is necessary for attempting crosses between genetically different forms which is invariably involved in the breeding programmes. Although, tree breeding work has been done to a great extent on the temperate species (Devey et al. 2002; Murat et al. 2006; Gotzenberger et al. 2007), no serious efforts were made in the past on tropical forest species including Jatropha (Jatropha curcas), presumably due to the consideration that similar breeding methods may perhaps, be applied to the tropical trees as well. This, however, is not applicable, as the phenological and reproductive features are typical different to each species. It was in this background that the present research article was planned to collect information on floral biology, breeding behaviour and hybridization programme in Jatropha for subsequent application in its genetic improvement.

INTRODUCTION

Promoting agroforestry is a major opportunity to deal with problems related to land-use and CO2-induced global warming (Albrecht and Kandji 2003). As per recent projections, the area of the world under agroforestry will increase substantially in the near future. Undoubtedly, this will have a great impact on the flux and long-term storage of carbon in the terrestrial biosphere (Dixon 1995). Several studies have shown that inclusion of trees in the agricultural landscapes often improves the productivity of systems while providing opportunities to create carbon sinks (Winjum et al. 1992; Dixon et al. 1993; Krankina and Dixon 1994; Dixon 1995). The amount of carbon sequestered largely depends on the structure and function of agroforestry systems - which to a great extent, are determined by environmental and socio-economic factors. Other factors influencing carbon storage in agroforestry systems include tree species and management system. The significance of agroforestry with regards to carbon sequestration and other CO2 mitigating effects is being widely recognized. There are sound reasons to believe that agroforestry can contribute significantly to carbon sequestration. It is important that research attention is focused on this aspect of agroforestry systems (Nair and Nair 2002).

INTRODUCTION
Agroforestry is a land use option that increase livelihood security and reduce vulnerability to climate and environmental change. Agro-forestry has many potential, such as to enhance the overall (biomass) productivity, soil fertility improvement, soil conservation, nutrient cycling, micro-climate improvement, carbon sequestration, bio drainage, bio- energy and biofuel etc. There are many agroforestry systems practiced in India from time immemorial, but the potential of home gardens and their socio-economic significance is very well documented.   Home gardens represent land use systems involving deliberate management of multipurpose trees and shrubs in intimate association with annual and perennial agricultural crops  and livestock within the compounds of individual houses (Fernandes and Nair 1986). Home gardens can also be called as Multitier system or Multitier cropping. Home gardens are highly productive, sustainable and very practicable. Food production is primary function of most home gardens on sustenance basis.

INTRODUCTION

India is endowed with a rich and vast diversity of natural resources. However, increasing demographic pressure, unscientific use of soil and water, rapid industrialization and urbanization are leading to over exploitation of the resources. Prime agriculture lands are being diverted for non-agriculture use. The per capita availability of cultivated land has declined over the years from 0.53 ha in 1950 to 0.32 ha in 2001 and is expected to further reduce to 0.23 ha by 2025 and to 0.09 ha by 2050 (GOI 2011). Owing to population pressure the consumption of fuel-wood and fodder in the country is much higher than what can be sustainably removed from forests. In India, nearly 86 million tonnes of fuelwood is being removed from the forests and plantations every year in excess of what they are capable of producing on sustained basis (Planning Commission 2001). Our rich and bountiful biological diversity is also showing signs of erosion which is affecting the livelihoods of millions of people who are directly or indirectly dependent on it. Further, water is mostly treated as a free commodity in the country which is leading to its unsustainable exploitation. Erosion due to wind and water is also leading to depletion of natural resources. About 5334 m tones of soil is lost (16 t ha-1) due to wind and water erosion annually which is highest in black soils (24-112 t ha-1) followed by Shiwaliks (80 t ha-1) and shifting cultivation (27-40 t ha-1) (Mandal et al. 2008). It is now widely accepted that future of food, livelihood and environmental security depends upon the attention paid to conservation, sustainable development and management of natural resources. Corrective measures are immediately required to check the damage caused to the resource base and environment. 
Traditionally, trees and crops were grown in association with each other on farm lands. The reason was to get multiple outputs from same piece of land, though such systems were exclusively meant for sustenance with little or no commercial intent. As the population increased there was a need to produce more food and hence slowly the tree component vanished from the farmlands and monocropping became dominant. Over a period of time, due to monocropping, soil degradation had been observed. The need of the hour is to accept the trees as an integral part of the farming system to revert soil degradation and erosion and also to reduce the dependence of external inputs in form of fertilizers, pesticides etc. in the production system.
Of late, incorporating trees on the farm lands has been given impetus to get multiple products (fodder, fuel, timber, fiber and fruits) on one hand and resource conservation (soil, water and environment) on the other. Different agencies (institutes, universities and NGO’s) are working on developing region specific agroforestry models to derive maximum advantage of production and conservation from every unit of land. Agroforestry is capable of yielding both wood and food besides conserving and rehabilitating ecosystems. Agroforestry generates high income and minimises risks through efficient utilization of available resources and is thus considered   a potential technology for commercial and protective farming.
The extent of the area under agroforestry is not very clear. Trees outside forests in India is estimated between 14,224 million (Ravindranath and Hall 1995) and 24,602 million (Prasad et al. 2000) which is spread over an equivalent area of 17 million ha (GOI 1999) supplying 49% of the 201 million tonnes of fuelwood and 48% of the 64 million m3 of timber consumed annually by the country (Rai and Chakrabarti 2001). Dhyani et al. (2006) reported 7.45 million ha under agroforestry.  As per one of the estimates, about 27.52 million ha is under various types of tree plantations, which include agroforestry, social forestry, farm forestry and others (Table 1). The task force on Greening India (Planning Commission 2001) has identified a potential of 10 millions ha in irrigated lands and another 18 million ha in rainfed areas that could be developed through agroforestry on watershed basis. 
The present chapter focuses on the advantage of integrating trees on the farm lands in form of agroforestry for natural resource management.

INTRODUCTION

Rajasthan is the largest state of the country with a geographical area of 342,239 Km₂ which constituents 10.41% area of the country. The state can be divided into four major regions; the Western desert with barren hills, level rocky and sandy plains; the Aravalli hills running south west to north-east; eastern plains with rich alluvial soils; and south-eastern plateau. The state has varied climate from semi -arid to arid. The average rainfall in the state ranges from 480 mm to 750 mm, being as low as 150 mm in arid region and 1000 mm in south-eastern plateau (FSI 2009). The recorded forest area is 32,639 Km2 which is 9.54 % of the state’s geographical area. The maximum forests are found in the Districts of Alwar, Banswara, Baran,, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Dhaulpur, Dungarpur, Jhalawar, Kota, Rajasamand, Swaimadhopur, Sirohi and Udaipur. The hot arid and semi-arid regions in the country accounts for 20 % of the country’s geographical area spread over seven states namely Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka and Maharashtra. It comes nearly 31.63 m ha out of which 19.61 m ha alone is in the states of Rajasthan (62.00 % of total arid region). This area is characterized by low erratic rainfall, high temperature and wind velocity, coarse textured soils with low organic carbon and soil fertility status and poor water holding capacity. The underground irrigation water is limited and highly saline in most of the cases (Chandra 2005). Mono-cropping is a gamble in arid tract of Rajasthan due to low and erratic rainfall and frequent occurrence of drought during crop growth period leading to complete crop failure. To avoid complete crop failure the farmers are adopting mixed cropping system from very ancient time. But the system is not perfect during the adverse climatic situation due to low yield, long duration of traditional varieties and unmatched crop combinations. Therefore, in mixed or multi cropping system, the choice of drought hardy, short duration varieties of crops are necessary to ensure the production of crops even under adverse situations. It has been seen that drought occurrence during month of July and August leads to 67-100 percent decrease in production of pearlmillet and short duration pulses which are the main crops of the region grown under rainfed condition.
The people in arid regions of India, since time immemorial has developed location specific agroforestry systems. The scattered trees /shrubs in the agricultural fields are common features of the landscape. Since the beginning of cultivation the farmers deliberately allowed the trees/shrubs to grow with crops. These trees provided them insurance during drought years and provided fodder, fruits, vegetables, timber, fuel, fiber etc. during lean period.

INTRODUCTION

Agroforestry has long tradition since dawn of the civilization. Farmers and/or land owners integrate different woody perennials in their cropping system along with the animal unit depending upon the physiographic and climatic conditions. It is well proven fact that such adopted systems/practices are location specific and information on such systems is very limited. Therefore, the benefits accrued from such systems are underexploited in comparison to its potential. With depletion of agricultural lands due to shift in rainfall pattern, landslide, run off, regular leaching of nutrients, drying up of natural springs and lack of irrigation facilities have resulted into uneconomical agriculture in the mountain regions of India in general and particular in Jammu & Kashmir. Most of the villages in mountains witness migration on a large scale and lands turning up barren and un-productive. The agroforestry system can provide a viable solution for such problems.

INTRODUCTION

The North-Eastern Himalayas comprise of eastern-Nepal, entire Bhutan, parts of North Bengal and the eight states of North-East India viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Sikkim and Tripura. The region is characterised by diverse agro-climatic and geographical situations. This has a predominantly humid sub-tropical climate with hot, humid summers, severe monsoons and mild winters. The total forest covering this part of India is 17.50 m ha (which includes 8 NE states and hills of West Bengal) which is about 65.94 per cent of the total geographical area (FSI 2013), and the rest either under crops or non-agricultural uses or un-cultivated land. The low area under agricultural crops is due to natural corollary of the physiographic features of the region, as major chunk of the land has more than 15 per cent slope, undulating topography, highly eroded and degraded soils, and inaccessible terrain. Continuous depletion of the forest cover in the region due to shifting cultivation, firewood, and timber collection is posing the most crucial problem resulting in poor soil health and the resultant environmental degradation. In order to overcome these problems the farmers of the Eastern Himalaya have evolved various types of crop rotations in consonance with the varied environmental conditions and agronomic requirements with tradition by practising different approaches since ages. These practices so developed through major and minor adjustments in land use strategies are mostly sustainable from ecological point of view (Dash and Mishra 2001). 
The practises of agroforestry in this region exhibit a great deal of variation in crop diversity which is influenced by the crop composition and crop rotation. Along an altitudinal gradient, diversity in agroforestry practices is influenced by variation in ecological factors and difference in agricultural practices. Agroforestry has the potential to improve livelihood as it offers multiple alternatives and opportunities to farmers to improve farm production and income and also provides productive and protective (biological diversity, healthy ecosystems, protection of soil and water resources, terrestrial carbon storage) forest functions to the ecosystems. It is accepted as the sustainable management system that encompasses the variety and variability of animals, plants and micro-organisms which can be combined together to derive key functions of the agro-ecosystem, its structure and processes for, and in support of food production and food security. It is promoted widely as a sustainability-enhancing practice that combines the best attributes of forestry and agriculture. This practice is now recognized widely as an applied science and is instrumental in assuring food security, reducing poverty and enhancing ecosystem resilience at the scale of thousands of smallholder farmers in the tropics (Sharma et al. 2007). Therefore, strengthening linkages between knowledge systems using “Community” participatory management approaches is now seen as critical for sustainable forestry and agroforestry systems (Adhikari et al. 2007; Dhakal et al. 2007; Ramakrishnan 2007). 
The mountain communities of eastern Himalayan regions have also adopted diverse agroforestry systems as their land use. Environmental, biological, socio-cultural and economic variation existing in the eastern Himalayas have led to the evolution of diverse and unique traditional agro-ecosystems, crop species and livestock, which facilitate the traditional mountain farming societies to sustain themselves. Appropriate agroforestry systems have the potential to check soil erosion, maintain soil organic matter and physical characteristics, augment nitrogen build-up through nitrogen fixing trees and promote efficient nutrient cycling (Patiram et al. 2003).These systems have today become an established approach of integrated land management system not only for renewable resource production but also for ecological consideration (Saha et al. 2012).

INTRODUCTION
Over the past two decades climate change has evolved from a debate about whether the planet is really warming to an increased focus on how to mitigate and adapt to its impacts. After an extensive review of the available literature on evidence of climate change, the Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC, 2007 concluded that “the warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average temperature”. “The scientific evidence is now overwhelming; climate change presents very serious global risks, and it demands an urgent global response” (Stern 2007).

Abstract
Horticulture comprising a variety of fruits, vegetables, ornamental and medicinal crops has emerged in the recent times as a key sector of the Indian economy contributing substantially towards enhanced income, employment and welfare of the rural poor. A visible shift is seen in crop diversification across regions in favour of horticultural crops, especially vegetables over traditional cropping pattern comprising of cereals and pulses, since early 90s. Definitely higher profitability has been identified in comparison to cereals, increased urbanisation, enhanced living standards, besides the growing awareness for balanced nutrition as the main reason for such a shift. Commensurate with this trend has been a visible shift in enhanced R&D investments into horticultural R&D both from the public and private sectors. There is a growing need for the public sector research organisations like ICAR to increase their visibility and promote public private partnerships through innovative methods of research and development at this juncture.

Abstract

The best way to conserve the biological diversity is by involving the local community. It is popularly known as community-based biodiversity conservation (CBC). The conflict between the nature and local communities who have stakes and rights in their territory is a matter of great concern. Likewise, when there prevails the community diversity, what would be the role, participation, share, stake, management issues, equity parameters etc. are the factors that affect CBC. However, CBC is future of conservation of natural resources. It needs adequate focus of community-scale projects on biodiversity conservation implemented by different parties and NGOs. Similarly, empowering community people through adequate financial support and appropriate monitoring and evaluation are the key success factors of community conservation projects. Ethnicity, gender and wealth were the factors that predicted CBC. Hence, the CBC programmes must address these aspects with adequate emphasize. The conflict between human activity and biodiversity conservation, if handled very effectively, will be a productive strategy to highlight pragmatic problems that arise at the field level and creating equitable and sustainable solutions. The general threats as a result of conflict between human activity and biodiversity conservation are agricultural intensification, recreation and human activities and policy related threats. Hence, awareness creation must have an integrative and interdisciplinary approach including the bodies that administer social and natural movements as well as the interests and priorities of local communities. Governing biodiversity conservation measures through political processes by engaging the appropriate representatives has valid implications for the whole process of biodiversity conservation. Alienation of local community, lack of favorable legal framework and lack of addressing the conservation issues through political process may adversely affect the biodiversity conservation as a whole.

Abstract

This paper is intended to focus on importance of Agro-diversity, seed conservation practices, impact of monoculture on biodiversity and connected formal and informal institutions and governance mechanisms. Furthermore this paper explores to discuss the innovation processes, technologies which help in conserving existing diversity, process of evolving newer lines that eventually meet the needs of the farems. Open Source Seed Network (OSSN) would be an organisational platform which consists people engaged in conservation, farmers that can develop Value for Cultivation and Use data for the existing crop varieties in different agro- climatic growing conditions using participatory varietal selection. Farmer breeders engaged in selection and development of newer varieties and Farmers institutions involved in production and marketing of seed to other farmers. Further to elaborate the process the stakeholders will perform the responsibility of conservation and revival of the existing varieties, PVS for generating VCU data, PPB, perform Maintenance Breeding, maintain community seed banks, seed production and marketing. In addition we attempts to focus on mechanisms while making public sector as partners in participatory plant breeding which enable development of locally suitable varieties. An access and benefit sharing mechanism based on an open source model rather than on exclusive rights based is planned for free exchange of germplam within the purview of General Public License for plant Germplasm (GPLGP). This paper emphasise advantages of GPL that prevents exclusive rights, bio piracy, safeguarding farmer derived genetic resources, develop legal/institutional framework that eventually allows farmers to freely exchange, save, improve and sell seeds. In the end this could trigger the emergence of an institutional framework in which farmers and plant scientists work together in plant improvement that contribute to a sustainable food system.

Abstract

The advent of modern chemical industry has resulted in the release of huge amounts of novel organic compounds, as industrial by-products, pesticides, other agrochemicals etc into the environment. These new compounds tend to resist biodegradation, with potential consequences such as persistence in the environment or bioaccumulation in food chains. Early detection of toxic chemical compounds in the environment, particularly in water, and their biological effects on organisms has therefore become increasingly important. The traditional approach to environmental pollution assessment is based on chemical analytical methods which only provide information about the absolute concentrations of known chemicals in the environmental sample without an adequate interpretation of its toxicity to biota. In order to get more relevant information about environmental pollution risk, it is therefore inevitable to supplement the chemical analytical data with the results of methods providing information on biological impacts. The negative biological effects of pollutants present in all kinds of environmental samples can be assessed using different living organisms or cells as ‘analytical devices’. The biological response following the exposure of living organisms or cells to environmental sample usually gives an information on toxicity, genotoxicity, estrogenicity etc. of the whole mixture of chemical compounds. According to the technical principle, methods of biological monitoring can be classified to bioassays, biosensors, immunoassays, and ecological methods. Besides being sensitive only to the bioavailable fraction of pollutants, biotests also have the power to assess the integrated effect of interacting chemical compounds and to detect the compounds, which are toxic only due to bioactivation.

Abstract

India is bestowed with immense richness of agro-biodiversity and a rich diversity in landraces / traditional cultivars/farmers varieties in several Agricultural and Horticultural crops. A huge number of crop plants (384) are reported to be cultivated in India. This includes 168 species earlier reported under the Hindustani centre, one of the eight Vavilovian centers of origin and diversity. Further, an enormous richness (326 species) is reported in wild relatives of crop plants. A total of 49 indigenous major and minor crops have been reported in the “History of Agriculture in India”, published by the ICAR. A large number of cereals, millets, oilseeds and vegetable varieties have originated and are cultivated in India, making it one of the richest Centres of Origin of crop and plant diversity in the world.

Abstract

High Altitude zone is comprised of 40 mandals distributed in parts of Srikakulam, Vishakhapatnam, East Godavari and Khammam districts of Andhra Pradesh covering a geographical area of 1.8 m. ha. The area of this zone lies between 50 to 1680 MSL and is characterized by high slopes, mountains, hills and hillocks as part of Eastern Ghats. Red soils are the most predominant type (94.8%). A small area is covered under alluvial soils and coastal sands. The mean annual rainfall ranges from 1245 to 1288 mm of which about 70 per cent is contributed by southwest monsoon. Large geographical area (58.9%) in the zone is under forests and the net cropped area is only 19.2% with very little irrigation sources. The tribal people of this area practice shifting cultivation locally known as “podu” cultivation for their subsistence. Rice is the most important crop in the zone occupying 36.2 per cent of the gross cropped area of 0.42 m. ha. The other principal crops grown are millets, mesta, niger and tuber crops. Tea, coffee and other plantation crops are also grown in addition to aromatic and medicinal plants. Cropping intensity is 120 per cent. Forest produce such as honey, gum, soap nuts, tamarind fetch income to the tribal people (www.angrau.net).

Abstract

The human race has been dependent on plants for both material and financial needs for millions of years. This has enabled them to evolve a unique system of knowledge on the utilization and conservation of plant genetic resources. Tribals rich traditional knowledge is associated with biodiversity. This knowledge has been acquired over years, treasured and are endowed with and passed on by the local communities and the tribals. Farmers with their age old experience in farming developed a comprehensive knowledge on nutrient content and medicinal properties of various plants. Cereals, small millets, pulses, oilseeds & many more forest plants form important component of food source for the tribal people of North coastal zone of Andhra Pradesh. This knowledge was documented from older generation who could provide age old information about the landraces and traditional life styles which are under threat. This paper briefly describes the extent of knowledge possessed by tribal respondents on Agrobiodiversity in terms of crops and landraces cultivated in selected mandals of Visakhapatnam district. Results indicated low knowledge on landrace of Jowar whereas medium knowledge in case of oilseeds and millets and high knowledge in cereals, pulses and vegetables. This calls for a immediate attention from various stake holders for Agrobiodiversity conservation.

Abstract

Agrobiodiversity is the back bone playing a significant role in food security and sustainable livelihoods. Agricultural systems of India are home to a great diversity of plant species and genetic varieties, but unfortunately these traditional farming systems are facing the danger of extinction today. The present study was conducted from three tribal mandals namely Araku, Paderu and Ananthagiri in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh as it is noted as a hub of biodiversity in North coastal zone of Andhra Pradesh. Data was collected by direct interview method and the traditional storage practices for the conservation of agrobiodiversity (landraces) were described.

Abstract

Irrigation tanks (Traditional water harvesting structures) are our heritage handed over to us by our ancestors and are the lifelines of villages. Tanks are small irrigation structures predominantly serve small and marginal farming communities to sustain the agriculture production by supplementing the monsoon rains. There will be festivities in the villages if its irrigation tanks get filled. A proper maintenance of the tanks will prevent famine, starvation and unemployment and bring in prosperity. In most of the Southern states in India, the major threats to tanks are mainly from the encroachers, inefficiency in the functioning of tank system and improper use by the government itself. Tank irrigation in Andhra Pradesh has played a vital role in the development of its agricultural economy. There are around 79,000 small and minor irrigation tanks providing water for irrigation and domestic use, supporting grazing land, fuel wood growth and ground water recharge. Many of these tanks are hydrologically linked in chains (called tank cascades) that cut across administrative boundaries. With deteriorating tank systems, marginal and small farmers are increasingly at the mercy of monsoon and are forced into a cycle of deprivation and debt. These ancient irrigation systems still function as a crucial element in supplying water for agriculture, and they constitute one of the richest sources of wetland biodiversity in the country. A tank system in a cascade has a small reservoir catchment, the reservoir, a strip of trees downstream of the reservoir that act as wind-breaking barrier, paddy fields, and the village. The village tanks play significant role in food production sector and provide employment in the rural sector. In addition to providing irrigation water, the tanks made the micro-climate pleasant and cool, provided a rich biodiversity and agro-biodiversity

Abstract

Pollinators provide key services to both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Agricultural productivity depends, in part, on pollinator populations from adjacent semi natural habitats. Honey bees are the primary pollinators of mustard crop because it is highly attractive to bees and provides both nectar and pollen. Studies were conducted to assess the diversity and relative abundance of pollinators in mustard (Brassica juncea) of 2011-2012 at Apiary Garden, G.B Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar.A total of 19 insect visitors belonging to order Hymenoptera (15) and Diptera (4) were found to visit the mustard blossoms. Hymenopteran visitors belonged to six families namely Apidae (6), Scollidae (3), Xylocopidae (1), Halictidae (2), Magachilidae (1), Anthophoridae (1) and Sphecidae (1). Lepidopteran visitors belonged to families Pieridae (1). Besides this some Dipteran visitor belonged to families these were Syrphidae (3) and Muscidae (1) were observed on mustard flowers. From the family Apidae, honeybees (Apis mellifera, Apis dorsata, Apis cerana indica and Apis florea), Ceratina sexmaculata, Xylocopa iridipennis and stingless bee Tetragonula laeviceps family Apidae. Scolia (Discolia) binolata, Campsomeriella collaris and C. annulata of family Scollidae, the Alkali Bees (Nomiasp.) and Halictussp. of Halictidae, Leaf cutter bee (Megachile disjuncta) of Megachilidae, the digger bee (Anthophorasp.) of Anthophoridae and Sphex sp. of Sphecidae. Three species from family Syrphidae (Syrphus corollae, Episyrphus valtiatus and Eristalis tenax) and one species from Muscidae (Musca domestica) visited the mustard flowers. The abundance (percentage of insect/m2/2min.) of Hymenopterans were maximum (79.97 %) followed by the Dipterans (16.15 %) and others (3.73 %). In Hymenopterans, the honeybees (Apis bees) were observed maximum (57.55 %) followed by non Apis bees (21.06 %) and the scolid wasp (1.35 %).

Abstract

Indigenous chickens play vital role in sustainable rural development by providing livelihood and nutritional security to the rural and tribal people. However, indigenous chickens in the country increasingly face the threat of their replacement or erosion in their genetic diversity due to introduction of exotic or improved chickens to enhance productivity of backyard poultry production. Therefore, it becomes imperative to improve the growth and productivity of indigenous chickens in order to make the rearing of indigenous chickens economically attractive proposition. Aseel is one of the important indigenous breeds of chicken that is being conserved and improved for growth and egg production at Directorate of Poultry Research (DPR), Hyderabad. The averageegg production of improved Aseel chickens recorded in a laying cycle of 72 weeks of age was 150.3±5.63with an average egg weight of 48.66 ±0.34g. The average body weights of male and female birds recorded at 72 weeks of age were 3156 ± 27.4 and 2133±36.1 g, respectively while corresponding shank lengths were 135.23±0.7 and 104.9±0.4 mm. Another indigenous chicken germplasm, Ghagus-ecotype was collected from border area of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh at Kolar district and is being characterized and conserved at DPR. The comparative growth performance of these indigenous chickens was also studied under similar management conditions. It was observed that the growth and egg production of improved Aseel breed was significantly higher than the Ghagus-ecotype chickens. The improved Aseel breed with its better growth and production performance appears to be a promising indigenous chicken for sustainable rural poultry production.

Abstract

Determining the optimum stocking rate for a grazing land is a key decision affecting the profitability and viability of a grazing system. Forage intake and subsequent performance is dependent on forage availability to the livestock on a daily basis.
Fixing stocking rate too low results in wastage of forage and loss in profit and too high results in lowered forage intake and livestock output thus results in diminished profits. Overgrazing occurs when the grazing pres-sure exceeds the carrying capacity of the land and would modify the physical properties of soil and ecosystem. Due to the overuse of the grazing land, vegetation cover declines and thus reduces the soil organic matter content and soil infiltration capacity. On farm field experiments were conducted in three farmer’s fields at dryland tracts of Tirupur district for a period of two years from September, 2009 to March, 2011 with the objective to assess the carrying capacity of silvipastoral farming system. Treatments were five silvipastoral systems viz.,Acacia leucophloea + Cenchrus ciliaris, Acacia leucophloea + Cenchrus ciliaris + Stylosanthes hamata, Acacia leucophloea + Cenchrus setigerus + Stylosanthes hamata, Acacia leucophloea + fodder sorghum + Pillipesara and Acacia leucophloea + Cenchrus setigerus + Stylosanthes hamata & fodder sorghum + Pillipesara. One unit of Mecheri sheep of five ewes (female) and one ram (male) and two buffaloes were maintained in each location. Observations on carrying capacity, annual forage yield, utilization rate, average daily intake and average fodder requirement of sheep and Length of grazing season were made. The experimental results revealed that, among the different silvipastoral systems, rotational grazing of 39 numbers of sheep per ha of silvipasture land with Cenchrus setigerus + Stylosanthes hamata & fodder sorghum + Pillipesara system is found to be the best. This would imply relatively less pressure on land that would indicate sustaining the carrying capacity of grazing land without exerting pressure on natural resources.