Advanced agriculture

The IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd has launched a green SIM card for farmers (IKSL). IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertilizers Cooperative) and AIRTEL have partnered to form IKSL. IKSL empowers rural farmers by providing voice-based agricultural information in regional languages. In 2008, this service was launched. Subscribers receive 5 recorded voice messages. everyday. Each voice message is of one minute duration. These messages are in regional languages, covering various fields like Agriculture, Animal husbandry, Horticulture, Insurance, Government policies and schemes, Mandi prices, weather forecast, Sericulture, Pisciculture, Crop Loans, Plant protection, Health etc.

Application of growth retardants significantly reduces the plant height; this effect improves the appearance of banana and increases the use of plant for ornamental gardening. Plant height was reduced two months following application of PP333 0.25 mg/plant at the conclusion of the hardening period. The addition of growth retardants (GR) to liquid culture media during the multiplication stage of bananas, such as Ancymidol (ANC) or Paclobutrazol (PBZ), reduces the excessive growth of stems and leaves. Paclobutrazol, when applied to the soil, reduces plant height by 25% while having no effect on flowering.

DSR is direct seeded rice. The nursery for transplantation is not raised in direct seeded rice (DSR) farming. In the event of a monsoon delay or a water constraint, DSR allows the farmer to direct sow paddy with a suitable duration variety to fit into the remaining season. This enables for the seeding of rabi wheat in a timely manner. When compared to transplanted flooded rice, direct sown rice uses less water. When compared to transplanted rice, the energy requirement for pumping irrigation water is also lower, and savings can be significantly higher during periods of low rainfall.

The study of growing and marketing flowers and foliage plants is known as floriculture or flower farming. Floriculture is the cultivation of flowering and attractive plants for direct sale or as raw materials in the cosmetics and perfume industries, as well as in the pharmaceutical industry. Seeds, cuttings, budding, and grafting are also used to produce planting materials. Floriculture, in its simplest form, is the art and science of growing flowers to perfection. Floriculturists are professionals who work in this industry.

The growing of plant cells, tissues, or organs on specially formulated nutritional media is known as tissue culture (TC). A single cell may regenerate an entire plant under the appropriate conditions. Plant tissue culture is a method that has been used for over 30 years. Tissue culture is regarded as a critical technology for developing countries in the creation of disease-free, high-quality planting material as well as the rapid manufacture of large numbers of homogeneous plants.