Organic Farming in Fruit Crops

Traditional agriculture was practised for thousands of years without the use of artificial chemicals.  Artificial fertilizers were first created during the mid-nineteenth century, which boosts the conventional agriculture production. The use of artificial fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators etc., while beneficial in the short term, had serious long-term side effects such as soil compaction, erosion, and declines in overall soil fertility, along with health concerns about toxic chemicals entering the food supply. While natural farming is far more away from using such a product.

The studies have already revealed that organic agriculture is the best method for the desired yield by maintaining the agroecosystem as well as the health of consumers. The eco-farming is an alternative agricultural system that originated early in the 20^th century in reaction to rapidly changing farming practices. Organic farming relies on fertilizers of organic origin such as compost, green leaf manure,  FYM, bone meal, etc., and emphasis on techniques such as crop rotation, companion cropping/ planting, biological pest control, mixed cropping, and the fostering of insect predators and/ or the product developed by organic method. In general, organic farming is designed to allow the use of naturally occurring substances while prohibiting or strictly limiting synthetics. Fruit crops such as Mango, Guava, Citrus, Banana, Custard apple, Apple, Grape, Jackfruit, Persimmon, Fig, Aonla, Litchi, Pomegranate etc., are generally cultivated through a natural farming method by poor farmers, but they can also be cultivated successfully in large scale by adopting the eco-farming/ natural farming fruit cultivation methods. Organic farming methods combine scientific knowledge of ecology and modern technology with traditional farming practices based on naturally occurring biological processes.

Organic production is defined by USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) as “A production system that is managed to respond to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity”. Organic fruit production involves more than simply excluding synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Organic agriculture is an integrated approach to active and observant management of a farming system. It begins with good soil management for nutrient cycling, productivity, and tilth. It involves an integrated, preventative approach to pest management to protect the health and productivity of the orchard. Food and Agriculture Organisation predicts that a broad-scale shift to organic agriculture can produce enough food on a global per capita basis to feed the world’s population over the next 50 years (FAO).

 According to FiBL Survey (2016), Oceania has the highest organic area i.e., 40% (17.3mha) followed by Europe (11.6mha), South America (6.8mha), Asia (3.6mha), North America (1.3mha), Africa (0.3mha). Kenya (88,516 ha) recorded the first position in organic fruit cultivation. India’s rank in terms of the World’s Organic Agricultural land was 15^th in 2013. The total area under organic certification is 5.71mha (2015-16), of this, 26% accounts for a cultivable area of 1.49mha and the rest 74% (4.22mha) includes forest and wild area for collection of minor forest produces. Sikkim has become India’s fully organic state at first by implement­ing organic practices on around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land at the end of December 2016. Maharashtra, Ra­jasthan, and other states followed the suit after Sikkim in India’s Organic Farming Mission. More and more cultivated areas are being dedicated to organic farming, with an aim to hit 10 lakh hectares by 2017-18 and 20 lakh ha by 2020. India produced around 1.35 million MT (2015-16) of certified organic products which include all varieties of food products namely sugarcane, oil seeds, cereals and millets, cotton, pulses, medicinal plants, tea, fruits, spices, dry fruits, vegetables, coffee, etc. The production is not limited to the edible sector but also produces organic cotton fiber, functional food products, etc. A hike in population makes it compulsive not only to stabilize agricultural production but to increase it further in a sustainable manner. It can be truly achieved through organic farming. Moreover, having local market potential for organic products, India offers tremendous scope and global consumers are increasingly looking for organic food that is safe and qualitative.

PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC PRODUCTION

The principal methods of organic farming/ production include crop rotation, green manures, compost, biological pest control, mechanical cultivation, off-farm organic waste management, and use of mineral-bearing rocks. These measures use the natural environment to enhance agricultural productivity.

For example, Legumes are used as intercrops in orchards to fix nitrogen into the soil and control soil erosion, natural insect predators are encouraged to control the specific pests, and crop rotation with nonhost crops to confuse pests and renew the soil and natural materials such as potassium bicarbonate and mulches are used to control disease and weeds.  

ADVANTAGES OF ORGANIC FRUIT PRODUCTION

1. Sustainability of fruit production in long run.

2. Self-sufficiency in production.

3. Autonomy/ independence of resources.

4. Food safety and security.

5. Enhances soil fertility and improve soil bio-physicochemical property.

6.     Maintains biological diversity as a result enhances the predators and parasites thus maintaining the pest population below ETL (The pest population at which there is no or negligible crop loss)

7.     Improve the quality, losture, and size of the fruit.

8.     Efficient recycling of waste product.

9.     Organic cultivation doesn’t cause environmental pollution which is there in the conventional methods of cultivation by the use of synthetics.

10. Finally, human and animal health and welfare is another key issue in organic agriculture

DISADVANTAGES OF ORGANIC FRUIT PRODUCTION

1.       Requirement of bulk quantity of organic manure (To overcome it, farmer can use the Farm Yard Manure (FYM), cow dung, green manure, neem cake, caster cake and locally available materials).

2.       Lack of a good marketing system, to overcome this problem one should go for export-oriented production.

3.       Takes a minimum of three to four years for stabilizing the yield.

PRODUCTION PRACTICES

Production practice is similar to that of modern agricultural practices, but the only deviation is instead of the use of synthetic agro-inputs we should go for naturally occurring ones.

Components of Organic Fruit Production

The different components of organic fruit production are discussed below:

1.                          Soil health and soil nutrient management

The aim of nutrient or soil fertility management within organic farming systems is to work, as far as possible within a closed system. Organic farming aims to manage soil fertility through use of organic manures, recycling of crop residues (such as straw, dried leaves, plant residues, grasses etc.), dung and urine from domesticated animals, wastes from slaughter houses, human excreta and sewage, biomass of weeds, organic wastes from fruit and vegetable production and processing units, household wastes, sugarcane trash, oil cakes, press mud and fly ash from thermal power plant. Biological nitrogen fixation through Blue green algae, Rhizobium for legumes, Azatobactor and Azospirillum for different fruit crops, green manuring and green-leaf manuring, manure form biogas plants, legumes in the basin of fruit plant and intercropping systems. Development of INM (Integrated Nutrient Management) system involving an appropriate mixture of organics, biological nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilizing microbes, and need-based chemical fertilizers should be done for sustainability in the production of orchard crops.

Bulky Organic Manures:

In India, the estimated annual production of rural and urban compost is about 226 and 6.6 million tons respectively. It improves aggregate stability, maintains the soil pH, provides resistance to soil compaction, increases infiltration and water holding capacity. Hence well decomposed bulky organic manure should be added to the pit (before planting of seedlings) and in the root zone (after the rainy season in mature plants). Care must be taken that the compost should be properly decomposed otherwise it may aggravate the termite attack.

Recycling of Organic Wastes:

Substantial quantities of crop residues (350 million tons) are produced in India every year. Crop residues in combination with organics have been shown to improve the availability of plant nutrients, soil organic matter, aggregate stability, infiltration rate, microbial population etc., which ultimately reduces the use of synthetic fertilizers.

2.    BIO-FERTILIZERS:

Bio-fertilizers such as Rhizobium culture is an effective source of nitrogen supply to leguminous corps. Azotobacter and Azospirillium help in nitrogen fixation and supply to crops like rice, wheat, sorghum, maize, cotton, sugarcane, fruit corps and vegetables. Phosphate Solubilising Bacteria like Bacillus, Aspergillus help in making available soil phosphorus to the crop plants and increase the solubility of indigenous sources of phosphorus viz., rock phosphate. These are renewable and environmentally friendly supplementary sources of nutrients. Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) has a beneficial effect on plant growth, particularly in phosphorus deficient soils (most important for litchi cultivation). Improved uptake of water, production of plant hormones, and microbial activity are the prime benefits of mycorrhizal inoculations.

3.     Weed Control:

Within organic systems an integrated approach to control weeds using a combination of cultural and mechanical techniques is necessary. Appropriate soil cultivation that is deep ploughing in summer, harrowing, intercropping, cover crops, inter-cultivation using mechanical hoes and harrows, the timing of field operations and good crop establishment are vital for successful control of weeds. Mulching with paddy straw, black polythene etc., on soil surface can physically suppress weed seedling emergence and maintain the soil macro and micro-flora. Soil solarization and transparent plastic sheets are good enough to kill weed seeds (temperature > 65 ⁰C). Good seedbed preparation, timely sowing, line sowing, crop rotation, smoother crops and intercropping systems etc., suppress weed growth and favours normal growth and development of crops in organic systems. Bermuda grass can be controlled by deep tillage and cover cropping from the orchard before planting of fruit plants. Biocontrol agents can be used to control of devastating weeds like-

·        Weevils Neochitina eichorniae and  N. bruchi against water hyacinth

·        Beetle Zygogramma biocolorata against Parthenium weed.

4.    Pest and Disease Control:

Pest and disease control is the more cost-requiring practice after planting materials. Hence Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the best tool for organic fruit cultivation. The system relies on the on-farm diversity, improved health of the soil and crops, the protective influence of beneficial soil organisms against soil-borne pathogens, and use of plant-based insecticides and biological control measures. The population of naturally occurring beneficial insects and other organisms which act as bio-control agents multiplies making natural control of pests possible when the system is free from the indiscriminate use of chemicals. A few examples are:

a.      Crop rotation to minimize survival of crop-specific pests in the form of insect eggs, fungi etc., which can infest the next crop in the orchard.

b.     Manipulation of the moisture and pH level of the soil to inhibit colonization and germination of pests and pathogens.

c.      Selection of the varieties resistance to various diseases and pests. Use of appropriate plant varieties for local conditions.

d.     Trap crop like African marigold, and sunflower can be intercropped to overcome nematode attacks in the orchard.

e.      Use of pheromone trap, yellow sticky trap, water trap, light trap, predator and parasitoid cards for suppression of pest population in the orchard. For example Trichogramma card for borer type of insects.

f.       Field sanitation by burning or composting the dried, withered, and diseased plant parts.

g.     Use of catch crops to divert the insect from fruit crops to other plants.

h.     Removal of the host plants from the surrounding area of the field.

i.       Use of domesticated birds as they can feed on pest populations.

j.       Flooding of the field before planting to avoid termites in the orchard.

k.     Application of biological pesticides, which may be produced locally with short-lasting active ingredients and don’t cause any residual toxicity (for example, neem oil, nicotine).

l.        Biological control methods must be adopted, to encourage natural enemies of pests by providing habitat or by breeding and releasing them in areas where they are required.

· Bacillus thuringensis against caterpillars of Heliothis, Earias, Spodoptera etc.

· Pseudomonas fluoroscenes against Pythium spp., Rhizoctonia spp., Fusarium spp.

· Nematodes like Green commandoes and soil commandoes against caterpillars and grubs

·    Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus (NPV) against caterpillar.

·  Trichoderma virdi against many common diseases of fruit crops. They parasitize the eggs of several pests (codling moth of apple).

· Predatory mites Phytoseiulus persimilis and Metaseiulus occidentalis, which attack spider mites.

·  Ladybird beetles and green lacewings, which feed on aphids and wasps.

`    It is most important for the fruit grower to identify the important pest and diseases in the particular region and to select suitable variety (according to the local demand) to reduce the chance of pest and disease attack in the orchard.

5.    Postharvest Handling:

Many fruits require some type of postharvest handling. Whether done on-farm or off, these processes must be documented in the Organic System Plan. Any off-farm postharvest handling must be done by certified organic facilities and appropriate measures must be taken to prevent contamination of organic products with non-organic products during washing, sizing, packing, storage, and transport.

CONCLUSION:

Organic fruit cultivation must be done in a holistic way to maintain soil health, ecological balance, environmental quality, and both macro and micro-flora diversity thereby producing fruits of nutritional quality in a sustainable way and maximizing the orchard production while benefiting the farmer. A good combination of weed control measures, INM, and IPM will give a better result than conventional synthetic agriculture. As locally available materials are used, organic fruit culture decreases the cost of production; hence it is a better option for small and marginal farmers. Organic fruit culture in long run (3 to 4 years) will stabilize and maximize the yield thus it is helpful for sustainable fruit production.