Dr YSP, UHF Solan (H.P.)

1. Zero Budget Farming in Vegetable
Production
Zero Budget Farming in Vegetable
Production
Credit Seminar -I (VSC-691)
Presented by: Vikram Singh
H-15-29-D
PhD IInd
year
Credit Seminar -I (VSC-691)
Presented by: Vikram Singh
H-15-29-D
PhD IInd
year

2. Introduction
Zero Budget Natural Farming
Four Pillars of Zero Budget Natural Farming
Various Production Practices
Insect-Pest Management in Zero Budget Natural
Farming
Challenges
Conclusion

3.  In India, the agriculture sector has been dominated for the past over
40 years by Green Revolution.
 Green Revolution has influenced the economy by increasing
agricultural production and productivity.
 A revolutionary impact of green revolution/modern agricultural
techniques is that it has broken away from the old and outdated
traditional practices.
Introduction

4. Imbalanced use of agrochemicalsImbalanced use of agrochemicals
ENVIRONMENT ?
7/11/2015 4

5. Indiscriminate
use of
agro-chemicals
Effect of Agro-Chemical

6. There is a Wide Adverse Impact of Current Agriculture
Practices…
Health
Environment
Economic
Heavy use of chemical fertilizers
and pesticides leading to
contamination of vegetables and
grains
Increase in life threating diseases
e.g. very high Cancer patients are
found in Punjab as compared to rest of
India
Disturbed Ecosystem
Global warming due to emission of
gases like N2O, ammonia leading to
acid rains
Increase in air and water pollution
Decrease in ground water level
• Impact to Fertile land
Farmer is in financial crisis
Food prices are soaring
continuously
Country’s economy is getting
disturbed

7.  Substantial losses from pests, diseases and weeds persist,
despite billions of lbs. of pesticides are used annually.
 Sustainability in Agriculture is one of the major concerns of
humanity as on today.
 To find farming systems which works in harmony with nature
rather against it.
Need of the Day?

8. Myth of Soil Report card or Health card
These are all myths since the report will always mention a particular nutrient is not
available in the soil. So we need to add them externally.
The efforts should be made to convert these unavailable format to available format.
What is the Solution?
Actually the nutrient is available in the soil but it is not available in the required format.
E.g. It is present dia ,tri, qudra format but requirement is of single format.

9. To all these problems
Natural Farming
can be one of the solutions !!!

10. Natural Farming
• A farming method called 'natural farming'
needs no tillage, no fertilizers, no pesticides,
and no weeding.
• Masanobu Fukuoka, father of modern-day
natural farming, worked on methods based on
his own unique theories, insights and
philosophy.

11. Principles of Natural Farming
Masanobu Fukuoka, in his book, One-straw
Revolution, indicates four basic principles of
natural farming:
No ploughing
No chemical fertilizers
No weeding and
No plant protection.
Fukuoka (1985)

12. Zero Budget Natural Farming
• It is a holistic agriculture practice that
counters commercial expenditure and
market dependency of farmers for
inputs.
• In the Zero Budget Natural Farming
(ZBNF) nothing has to be purchased
from the outside.
• All things required for the growth of
the plant are available around the root
zone of the plants.
“Padma Shri“ awardee Subhash
Palekar, who innovated Zero Budget
Natural Farming in India

13. Why ZBNF ?
 reduces costs
 increases yields, short run and the long run
 reduces risks
 reducing water requirement
 enhancing soil fertility
 promoting bio diversity
 higher price realization

14. What do you need in ZBNF?
 Just a bit of land and nothing more.
 No tractors cultivators needed.
 No need for hybrid seeds to be purchased.
 No fertilizers and pesticides to be purchased.
 No weeding required.
 No flooded irrigation required.

15. How is it possible to cultivate in any soil?
 Earth has all the requirements for the plants to grow.
 If weeds can come, crops also can grow.
 Use microorganisms to enrich your soil. (Jeevamrut)
 Activate the local earth worms dormant in your soil.
 Make non available form or nutrients in soil to available form
for the plants to grow.

16. How in ZBNF we need no fertilizers?
 Bhumi Annapurna: Means soil is rich with all nutrients for
plants to grow.
 We should take only those we use and leave the rest from
the crops to soil itself.
 Stop completely removing crop and burning down the crop
remains.
 Jeevamrut 200 litres per acre per month is enough as a culture to
convert the soil.

17. Why no need for weeding in ZBNF?
 Mulching in the field will stop the growth of weeds.
 Inter crops will replace the growth of weeds.
 Weeds are used for enriching the soil components.
 Plants do not compete for the food. They coexist and live in
symbiosis.

18. Why we do not need Pesticides and anti‐
infectants in ZBNF?
• Pests and infections won’t come to infect a healthy crop.
• Even if infected the healthy plant can have immunity to
withstand their effect.
• Natural pest controls in the form of complementary crops and
Asthras will help.
• Use of desi seeds strengthen the crops.

19. Four Pillars of ZBNF
19
lvcweb@viacampesina.org

20. Preparation of Jeevamrut

21. Nutrient contents of Jeevamrut
Samples Content in Per cent
N P K pH Mn Cu
Jeevamrut 1.40 0.104 0.084 4.92 46 51
Jaggery 0.84 0.209 0.290 6.37 9.1 28.80
Flour 1.47 0.622 0.910 12.40 12.6 12.40
Cow dung (desi) 0.70 0.285 0.231 8.08 9.33 3.60
Cow urine (desi) 1.67 0.112 2.544 8.16 6.3 20.00
ORGANIC FARMING RESEARCH CENTREZ ARS, NAVILE, SHIMOGA

22. Role of Jeevamrut
 Soil is saturated with all the nutrients, but these are in the non-
available form to the roots of the plants.
 Beneficial micro-organisms in Jeevamrut convert the nutrients
in non-available form into dissolved form, when it is inoculated
to the soil.
 Jeevamrut is either sprayed/sprinkled on the crop field or added
to the irrigation tank in regular interval of 15 days until the soil
is enriched.

23. Preparation of Beejamrut

24. Nutrient contents of Beejamrut
Samples Content in Per cent
N P K pH Mn Cu
Beejamrut 2.38 0.127 0.485 8.02 16 36
Cow dung (desi) 0.70 0.285 0.231 8.08 9.33 3.60
Cow urine (desi) 1.67 0.112 2.544 8.16 6.3 20.00
ORGANIC FARMING RESEARCH CENTREZ ARS, NAVILE, SHIMOGA

25. Role of Beejamrut
 Naturally occurring beneficial microorganisms are found in
cow dung.
 These microorganisms are cultured in the form of beejamrut
and applied to the seeds as inoculum.
 It is reported that seed treatment with beejamrut protects the
crop from harmful soil-borne pathogens and also helpful in
producing IAA and GA3.

26. Micro nutrient contents of Beejamrut and Jeevamrut
Nutrient Content in ppm
Beejamrut
(fresh)
Jeevamrut
(7 days old)
Zn 18 12
Cu 36 51
Mn 16 46
Fe 168 318
ORGANIC FARMING RESEARCH CENTREZ ARS, NAVILE, SHIMOGA

27. Microbial studies of Beejamrut and Jeevamrut
Microorganisms Beejamrut (First
day)
Jeevamrut (10th
DAP)
Bacteria (105
) 523 825
Fungi (104
) 17 47
Actinomycetes (103
) 8 9
N- fixers (103
) 46 55
P- solubilizers (103
) 50 54
ORGANIC FARMING RESEARCH CENTREZ ARS, NAVILE, SHIMOGA

28. Mulching
1. Soil Mulch
2. Straw Mulch
3. Live Mulch

29. Whapasa - moisture
Whapasa is the condition where there are both air molecules and
water molecules present in the soil and he encourages reducing
irrigation, irrigating only at noon, in alternate furrows ZBNF
farmers report a significant decline in need for irrigation in ZBNF.

30. Various Production Practices
1. Crop Rotation:-
 Crop rotation means having times where the fertility
of the soil is being built up and times where crops
are grown which remove nutrients
 Crop rotation also helps a variety of natural
predators to survive on the farm

31. 2) Crop Residue Management
The crop residue is the material left after the harvesting of crop.
Farmers have been burning large quantities of crop residues,
particularly in areas with high yield potential.
As the crop residues may interfere with tillage and seeding
operations for the next crop, many farmers prefer to burn the residues
left in the field that lead to air pollution and wastage of nutrients.

32. 3) Seed Quality
32
• In ZBF, Traditional/Desi Seeds are taken as planting
material for next season crop and so on, to reduce input cost
of seeds.

33. 4) Soil Quality Management:
1.Soil Fertility Management
Inherent capacity of the soil to supply available nutrients to the
plants in an adequate amount and in suitable proportion to
maintain the growth and development of the plant.
It is the measure of nutrient status of the soil which decide the
growth and yield of the crop.

34. • In ZBF, addition of Jeevamrut in the soil cause activation of
beneficial microbes in soil.
• It adds about 3 million crores of beneficial microbes in the soil and
also activates the dormant earthworms 10-15 feet deep in soil.

35. 2) Intercropping
 Intercropping gives additional yield income/
unit area than sole copping
 Intercrops provide shade and support to
the other crop.
 Reduction in soil runoff and control weeds.
 Intercropping system utilizes resources efficiently and their
productivity is increased .
 Intercropping with cash crops is highly profitable

36. 3) Mixed cropping
 Mixed cropping lead to an improvement in the fertility of the soil
and hence increase in crop yield because when the two crops are
properly chosen, the products and refuse from one crop help in
the growth of the other crop plant and vice-versa.
 Mixed cropping is an insurance against crop failure due to
abnormal weather condition

37. 4) Depth of Sowing
For most crops, seeding should ideally be done when the soil is
warm enough for rapid germination. Seeds that remain
ungerminated in cool soil are more susceptible to damage by
insects such as wireworms.
Example: Potato Seeds planted at depths greater than 1.5 inch (3.7
mm) take longer to germinate and are at greater risk for infestation
of wireworms.

38. 5) Tillage
 Annual tillage, chemical fertilization and pesticides use
consistently affect populations of earthworms.
 When tillage is avoided, soil moisture content is increased,
augment the propagation of earthworms. Earthworms are
known to make the soil porous and enrich the soil with their
castings.
 Seeds are scattered and covered by straw before harvesting the
previous crop. Seeds are germinated by the arrival of next
favourable season.

39. 6) Mulches
Mulching with straw improves soil moisture content and
conducive to the growth of microorganisms and earthworms.
 It also improves seed germination without tillage.

40. Cont...
Harvesting weed before flowering and covering the
open land reduces the area for the crop weed and
improves the organic matter content in the soil. With
this practice usage of herbicides can be avoided.

41. 7) Association with Beneficial Microorganisms
• A rich diversity of soil organisms
: provide benefits to host plants
through association.
• Some of these plant-microorganism associations may increase
plant defenses against insect pests.
• Mycorrhizal fungi gain constant and direct access to
carbohydrates from the plant roots. In return, mycorrhizal fungi
assist plant in uptake of water and mineral nutrients such as
phosphorus.

42. Insect-Pest Management in ZBF
• Allowing for an acceptable level of pest damage.
• Encouraging predatory beneficial insects to control pests.
• Encouraging beneficial insects and microorganisms by serving
them nursery plants and/or an alternative habitat, usually in a
form of a shelterbelt or hedge row.
• Careful crop selection, choosing disease-resistant varieties.
• Companion crops that discourage or divert pests.

43. • Row covers to protect crops during pest migration periods
• Pest regulating plants and ecologic pesticides and herbicides
• no-till farming, and no-till farming techniques as false
seedbeds
• crop rotation to different locations from year to year to
interrupt pest reproduction cycles
• insect traps to monitor and control insect populations

44. 1) Agniastra- This primarily is the mixture of Chilli,
Garlic, Neem and cow urine (all available in house or
locally) and used to control the insects (leaf roller, stem
borer, fruit borer, pod borer).
2) Bramhastra- mixture of several locally available
plants like Neem, Guava, Custard Apple, Pomogranate
etc. with cow urine and is used to spray over the leaves
of the plant.
1) Neemastra- mixture of cow dung, urine, neem etc. and
used against leaf sucking insects and mealy bugs.
Asthras for pest management…

45. How to Prepare Agniastra (Agni Missile)
Take a pot.
Then add 1 Kg Tobacco by crushing it in
the Urine.
Crush 500 gram of Green Chili &
add it in Urine.
Crush 500 Gram Local Garlic &
add it in the Urine.
Add 5 Kg Neem leaves pulp.
Add 10 litre Local Cow
Urine in it.
Then boil this solution well 5 times continuously.
Let this solution to ferment for 24 Hrs.

46. Filter this solution by cloth.
Spray this medicine Agniastra on the pest like Leaf
Roller, Stem Borer, Fruit borer, Pod borer.

47. How to Prepare Bramhastra (Bramha Missile)
Add 10 litre Local Cow
Urine in it.
Take a pot.
Add 2 Kg pulps of Sitafal
(Custard apple) leaves
Crush 3 Kg of Neem Leaves
& add this Neem pulp in this
water
Add 2 Kg pulps of Papaya
leaves
Add 2 Kg Pomegranate
leaves pulp
Add 2 Kg of Guava leaves
pulps
Add , 2 Kg Lantana
camara leaves pulp
Add 2 Kg White Dhatura
leaves Pulp in it
Then boil this solution well 5 times continuously.

48. How to Prepare Neemastra (Neem Missile)

49. • Bangaru pothalaiah started the experiment at Atmakur mandal
in ½ acre. He cultivated Basmati paddy in SRI method with a
traditional seed variety.
• He never used any chemical fertilizer or pesticide. He applied
only Jeevamrut as per protocol for crop protection.
• The crop grow very well; there was no pest or disease attack.
• He decided to practice Zero budget farming in his entire land.
Success Story 1

50. Cont...
• According to his package of practice he came up with
following benefits
Expenditure Income
Seed – 2kg 200 22 quintals x Rs 4000 8800
Nursery (own labour) 1000 Fodder 1200
Transplantation 600
Weeding with weeder
(own)
1000
Jeevamrut (6 times) 1000
Buttermilk spray (own) 200
Harvesting costs 1000
5000 10000

51. • Pea variety Punjab-89 was raised organically and was sprayed
with Agneyastra 5%, dashparni 5%, panchgavya 10%,
Polygonum hydropiper 5%, neem seed kernel +Sapindus 5%,
Melia 10%, biopesticide neem oil (Nimbecidine 0.03%).
• All the treatments of organic inputs received less incidence
compared to untreated check.
1) Management of pea leaf miner by organic inputs
Sharma et al., 2014
Success Story 2

52. •Case Studies

53. Table1: Effect of Jeevamrut on yield of Field bean
Sr. No. Jeevamrut
(l/ac)
Yield
(Q/ha)
%
increase
1 0 4.27 -
2 200 4.92 15.38
3 300 5.08 18.92
4 400 5.43 27.29
5 500 6.00 40.62
ORGANIC FARMING RESEARCH CENTREZ ARS, NAVILE, SHIMOGA

54. Table 2: Effect of Jeevamrut and cow urine application on fruit yield per
hectare (q) of capsicum
Organic
liquid
formulations
Fruit yield per hectare (q)
60 DAT 70 DAT 80 DAT 90 DAT
Jeevamrut
without
(J0)
with
(J1)
Mean without
(J0)
with
(J1)
Mean without
(J0)
with
(J1)
Mean without
(J0)
with
(J1)
Mean
Cow urine (C)
C0 without 25.19 30.90 28.05 30.21 37.90 34.05 36.35 46.82 41.58 100.75 114.49 107.62
C1 with 27.90 33.62 30.76 34.79 41.21 38.00 40.60 56.44 48.52 107.56 127.91 117.73
S.Em± C.D. S.Em± C.D. S.Em± C.D. S.Em± C.D.
Jeevamrut (J) 0.25 0.75 0.51 1.50 0.86 2.52 1.80 2.57
Cow urine (C) 0.25 0.75 0.51 1.50 0.86 2.52 1.80 2.57
J x C 0.36 NS 0.72 NS 1.22 3.57 2.54 NS
Boraiah et al., 2017GKVK, Bengaluru

55. Table 3: Number of weeds [no·m-2
] in the initial period of growth (mean
for years 2010–2012)
Dose of Straw (t
ha-1
)
Kind of Straw Mean
Rye Corn Rape Buckwheat
Broccoli
No Straw 233.6 217.8 231.7 241.7 231.2
10 69.3 133.3 124.4 56.9 96.0
20 39.1 87.1 101.3 23.1 62.7
Mean 114.0 146.1 152.5 107.2 130.0
LSD0.05 for: kind of straw – n.s.; dose of straw – 31.1; interaction kind of straw × dose of straw – 32.8
Tomato
No Straw 129.4 140.3 134.6 139.2 136.1
10 60.4 87.1 104.0 110.2 90.4
20 27.6 55.1 28.4 17.8 32.2
Mean 72.5 94.2 89.0 89.3 86.2
LSD 0.05 for: kind of straw – n.s.; dose of straw – 15.6; interaction kind of straw × dose of straw – 25.3
Kosterna, 2014Poland

56. Table 4: Plant height and mass of plant depending on the
covering and type of straw (mean for 2010-2012)
Type of straw Plant Height (cm) Mass of Plant (g)
Not
Covered
Under
Covered
Mean Not
Covered
Under
Covered
Mean
Control 58.3 56.4 57.4 274.3 394.7 334.5
Rye 57.5 60.0 58.7 302.6 383.6 343.1
Corn 57.9 67.8 62.9 288.2 485.1 386.6
Rape 60.7 66.5 63.6 298.8 550.6 424.7
Buckwheat 59.1 63.6 61.4 359.4 489.5 424.4
Mean 58.7 62.9 60.8 304.7 460.7 382.7
LSD a = 0.05 for:
Covering n.s. 60.5
Type of Straw 5.3 102.4
Covering X
Type of Straw
4.9 n.s.
Kosterna, 2014Poland

57. Table 5:Economics of cabbage based intercropping
Treatments Yield (t ha-1
) Gross income
(Rs.)
Net return
(Rs.)
B: C ratio
Cabbage (sole) 37.11 148440.00 109810.75 2.84
Beet (sole) 21.88 49230.00 18279.20 0.59
Pea (sole) 5.63 67560.00 36596.75 1.18
Palak (sole) 12.80 38400.00 10216.50 0.36
Coriander (sole) 3.16 20540.00 6285.00 0.44
Cabbage + Beet 32.10 128400.00 83938.25 1.89
Cabbage + Pea 44.39 177560.00 132723.25 2.96
Cabbage + Palak 33.32 133280.00 89713.25 2.06
Cabbage + Coriander 34.60 138400.00 95753.25 2.25
Choudhuri and Jana, 2012Pundibari

58. Table 6: Effect of different organic input treatments on
growth attributing characters of Soybean at harvest.
Treatment Plant height
(cm)
Number of
branches
per plant
Mean number of
compound
leaves per plant
Control 45.80 3.04 3.21
Farm yard manure 5 t ha-1
51.31 3.21 3.31
Vermicompost 2 t ha-1
52.91 6.61 4.80
FYM + VC (50+50) 57.72 7.61 5.90
FYM + Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45
DAS)
51.33 5.64 4.72
VC + Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45
DAS)
56.23 6.94 5.31
FYM + VC (50+50) + Jeevamrut 2
times (30 and 45 DAS)
63.21 8.70 6.00
Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45 DAS) 49.40 3.42 3.84
CD at 5% 6.43 1.91 0.89
Patil and Udmale, 2016Rahuri

59. Challenges
 A growing population with rising expectations demands increased
agricultural productivity.
 Appropriate policy framework---yet to be laid down by the
government
 Setting specific standards for organic produce quality at each country
level to ward off challenging pest species at national or international
level.
 Internalization of essential input resources at farmer’s level to nurture
soil, crops and protect them from pestilence and herbivory.
 Development of package of practices for all crops.
 Pest specific
 Slow to achieve results
 Non availability of commercial formulations

60. Conclusion
 Zero budget farming is environmentally friendly.
 Savings on cost of seeds, fertilizers and plant protection
chemicals has been substantial.
 Because of continuous incorporation of organic residues and
replenishment of soil fertility. Helps to maintain the soil health.
 Pest management is a key component in zero budget natural
farming crop production systems.
 To successfully control pest in an zero budget natural farming, it
is important to understand the interactions of different
components in a specific ecosystem.

61.  The new system of farming has freed the farmers from the debt
trap and it has instilled in them a renewed sense of confidence to
make farming an economically viable venture.
 Often explore biodiversity than conventional farms.

62. Thank