Impact of The Project

Impact of training and skill development Programmes.

Through this project farmers of aspirational villages (Langdongdai, West Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, Jetra, South Garo Hills, Meghalaya, and Mabong, West Sikkim, Sikkim) of northeast India were trained on the low-cost mass production of bio-inputs and various methods of biopesticides and biofertilizers applications for crop health management.
Though this project following bio-inputs were distributed in the aspirational villages: Low-cost liquid formulations of Trichoderma reesei, Trichoderma harzianum, Metarhizium anisopliae, Beauveria bassina, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Lecanicilium lecanii, Purpureocillium lilacinum, yellow sticky traps, blue sticky traps, fennel traps with insect specific lures, biofertilizers, extension bulletins on tomato, potato, turmeric and maize in English and native languages, Trichocards with different species to target different lepidopteran insect pests, Chrysopids, and Anthocorid bugs, spraying machines, vermi-beds.
Farmers learnt about the techniques of seed/tuber/rhizome priming with bioformulations.
Farmers knew the accurate methods of biopesticides application against pests and diseases of tomato, potato, maize, and turmeric in their field.
Farmers also aware about mass production of enriched compost.
Through this project, skill of farmer fellows on low-cost mass production of different bio- inputs such as macrobial (Trichogramma chilonis; Trichogramma achaeae, Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi, Blaptostethus pallescens) and microbial (Trichoderma sp., Metarhizium sp., Beauveria sp., Bacillus subtilis) was developed.
Farmers acquired the expertise of producing their own biopesticides, biofertilizers, and macrobials. As per CIBRC rule, if farmers are producing biopesticides themself, no registration is required.
Two trainings on pests and diseases detection of targeted crops including Tomato, Turmeric, Potato and Maize were conducted at each location, through which farmers improved their knowledge and at present they can easily identify major pests and diseases of these crops .
Through different interactions between farmers and scientists at CAU, Meghalaya scientists were aware about the actual problems of crops being face by the farmers. Scientists were able to clear all their doubts and addressed their problems directly.
Scientist, Agricultural officers, Subject Matter Specialist, FPO and Progressive farmers on Meghalaya and West Sikkim were also upgraded their knowledge regarding quality control of microbial biopesticides, time of application, and emerging pest and disease problems of targeted crops under the training programs conducted under this project.
Farmers acquired knowledge on business plan for credit facility from NABARD, RGGVN etc.
Training to fellow farmers encouraged them to conduct activities in the village in order to improve farmers' association communities in their farming knowledge and provided them with the awareness and skills to improve their agricultural produce and income. They also demonstrated activities on application of biopesticides, collect data of different parameters, taking photographs of the plant, reach out to the scientist regarding pest and diseases problems. The fellow farmers were involved in farmer-scientist interactions and gained knowledge from each scientist regarding their crop health management. In this way this activity bridged the gap between the farmers and the scientists.

Impact of demonstration activities

Through these activities the farmers learned on selection of healthy planting material, application of biopesticides and biofertilizers in nursery beds and main fields, method of treating seeds with biopesticides and biofertilizers and preparation of enriched compost.
At each location, after adoption of bio-inputs pests and diseases incidences in targeted crops were significantly reduced up to 60% to 70% in demonstration plots, as compared to the own practice of the farmers with 15% of total yield enhancement.
After application of microbes in the soil at each location in demonstration plots, the population level of Trichoderma and other beneficial microbes was significantly increased (CFU/g soil). At Mabong, West Sikkim, Trichoderma was totally absent in the field where farmers were doing their own practices.
The population of insect pest liketomato pinworm, fall armyworm, thrips, whiteflies and aphids was reduced due to release of trichocards, Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi and Blaptostethus pallescens.

Impact of research activities

Field experiments conducted at different locations of Meghalaya to assess the effect of organic package for cultivation of turmeric, maize, tomato and rice revealed best results in terms of enhancement of plant growth parameters and yield with reduction in disease incidence. An increase in number of tubers per plant, tuber weight per plant and size of tuber in organic cultivation module as compared with farmers production practices along with increase in germination per cent.