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E-commerce, R&D

SNper gathers more information while reducing genotyping costs by up to 70%. 

 

 

NRGene announced the launch of SNPer – a new product that optimizes genotyping processes and gathers more information while reducing genotyping costs by up to 70%. 

Genotyping (or DNA tests) is a lab process that determines if a unique difference is present in the DNA sequence of any individual plant, animal or human. In agriculture, breeding genotyping can identify and select individual crop plants or livestock with favourable genetic content, leading to improved productivity. 

Although selecting favourable genetics is as old as agriculture itself, genotyping was introduced only five decades ago. Today, large-scale genotyping is very common. Tens of thousands of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) can be tested on numerous individuals, contributing more genetic knowledge in the decision-making process of agriculture breeding. Because of the high price tag, which comprises a significant portion of breeding budgets, there is a pressing need to optimize genotyping procedures. 

To this end, NRGene developed SNPer — a software solution that optimizes genotyping processes of any organism. SNPer enables the design of a customized SNP set for a given breeding project to maximize genetic information with a minimum number of DNA data points.

How does SNPer work?

First, we analyse the full genomic content of the individuals designated to initiate the breeding program, resulting in the identification of millions of differences in the DNA content between them. Next, a target set of SNPs that best represent the overall genetic differences is selected and used in the breeding project. This optimization process reveals more genetic information while often reducing the SNP number tested by 10 to 50-fold as compared to commonly used genotyping tools. 

Using SNPer, genotyping data generation costs can be reduced by up to 70%, because the generated SNP data can reveal a fuller genetic makeup of each tested sample in a “reverse-engineering” computational process called imputation. When applied correctly, imputation drives costs down as fewer data points are measured directly and more data is added computationally. A breeder can thus understand the broader picture and make an informed decision to accelerate the breeding process. SNPer is now available for breeding programs of any size, crop plant or animal breed.

SNper gathers more information while reducing genotyping

E-commerce, IT, Seeds

It allows retailers and farmers to plan for weather volatility, soil variability and planting specifications

Data empowers farmers to make more informed decisions in their day-to-day lives. To help them further maximize profit potential through data-driven seed recommendations, Syngenta and NK Seeds have launched the Cropwise Seed Selector. 

The Cropwise brand is the latest example of how Syngenta is accelerating innovation to address the increasing challenges for farmers and the environment. It eliminates a key issue facing the digitization of agriculture, which is ensuring different systems developed in the market can connect with one another to provide growers with quality data. 

The tool builds on technology that combines artificial intelligence, two decades of agronomic information and a simple user interface. Along with the added benefit of being connected to a larger network of digital technologies from Syngenta, the Cropwise Seed Selector introduces NK resellers and customers to several new features designed to streamline and optimize the seed selection process, including satellite imagery for crop diagnostics and a tool that expedites field-by-field hybrid decisions. 

“Our goal from the start with digitizing seed selection has been to support growers from the ground up – combining the expertise of our retailers and agronomists with data-driven technology,” says Justin Welch, Syngenta digital product manager. “By looking at what data and science are saying through an unbiased, fact-based lens, innovations like the Cropwise Seed Selector are helping farmers make better business and agronomic decisions.” 

An archive of agronomic information allows users of the Cropwise Seed Selector to tailor their seed portfolio based on geographic location, soil productivity, precipitation levels, historic crop stress and performance of products by year and region. Users are able to adjust these factors to understand how a specific corn hybrid or soybean variety would perform under an array of different conditions — information critical to making confident seed selections. 

The platform is highly adaptable, allowing retailers and farmers to proactively plan for weather volatility, soil variability and planting specifications by being able to see real results from real places.

“The Cropwise Seed Selector helps growers make the tough decisions by simplifying the entire process and taking out a lot of the guesswork,” Welch says. “Through the tool, they can figure out which hybrids and varieties will work best and have the highest yield potential in their specific fields and individual growing conditions.”

 

It allows retailers and farmers to plan

Agro chems – Pesticides, E-commerce, R&D

Entrust is based on metabolites produced by fermentation of a naturally occurring soil organism 

 

 

Corteva Agriscience is set to launch a new organic insecticide named “Entrust” to the Australian market this October for the sustainable product for its organic certification, favourable environmental profile making it ideally suited to many Integrated Pest Management (IPM) systems. 

Entrust organic insecticide is a naturally derived product based on metabolites produced by fermentation of a naturally occurring soil organism, it has received regulatory approval by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) in July 2020. 

Nick Koch, Corteva’s Marketing Manager for Horticulture and Insecticide, said, “Entrust organic belongs to a unique insecticide group known as the ‘Spinosyns’, a group 5 insecticide for resistance management, shared only by two other products, Success Neo and Delegate insecticide”.  

“The introduction of Entrust Organic offers organic growers a new resistance management tool for the selective control of some of Australia’s most damaging pests. As with all insecticides, it is beholden on users to rotate between different chemical Modes of Action (MoA) per label directions to prevent the onset of resistance,” Koch added.  

Entrust Organic offers growers’ effective control of several damaging Lepidoptera species including Diamondback moth, Heliothis, Cluster caterpillar, Light brown apple moth and many other caterpillar pests including loopers. It also controls Western flower thrip, leaf miner and Cherry slugs (Diptera). 

Managing Director ANZ Rob Kaan said, “There is a strong market demand for softer, more sustainable chemistry and we’re responding to that not just by making these new options available, but also phasing out products like Telone and Lorsban (Chlorpyrifos).” 

Entrust is based on metabolites produced by

E-commerce, Oilseeds

The company launches cold pressed mustard oil on e-commerce platforms.

 

Dabur India announced that it is foraying in the edible oils space with the launch of its cold-pressed mustard oil, in a bid to strengthen its food business. The product is being exclusively launched on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and MilkBasket. 

The company has rolled out more than 40 products this year since the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.

Mohit Malhotra, Chief Executive Officer, Dabur India said, “Dabur is committed to introducing products that offer the best of nature for holistic health and well-being of every household. The launch of Dabur Cold Pressed Mustard Oil is another step forward in this direction and is part of our strategy to increase the width and depth of our food business in India.” 

The homegrown FMCG major said this launch was also in response to the government’s push towards creating an Atmanirbhar Bharat.Dabur cold pressed mustard oil is priced at ₹220 for a 1-litre pack. 

Malhotra added that the product has been specially created to meet the growing consumer needs for healthier cooking oils. There has been a massive rise in health awareness and management of lifestyle in India. Consumers are today becoming more conscious of what they eat and are increasingly focusing on healthier diets and consumption of healthier cooking oils,” he added.

The company launches cold pressed mustard oil

Agro chems – Pesticides, Agro Universities, R&D

It can control the Fusarium fungi from multiplying and affecting the roots

 

The scientists of Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), have found a cure for one of the most dreaded agricultural diseases. The fungal disease, called Fusarium Wilt, is popularly known as the ‘Panama Disease’ and afflicts banana plants. For the first time, Indian scientists have brought out a bio pesticide that can control the disease. This bio pesticide has been made using another fungus. 

For a long time, banana cultivators have been struggling with the Panama Disease. This disease affects the Cavendish variety or the G9 Banana cultivar, which is the most widely grown banana in the world. In India, more than 60 per cent of bananas are of the G9 variety. They go by names like ‘Grand Naine’, ‘Robusta’, ‘Bhusaval’, ‘Basrai’ and ‘Shrimanth’. Farmers in at least four Indian states — Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh — have been badly affected by this disease. All these are areas where the Cavendish variety is grown.

 Panama Disease is caused by a fungus with a long and complicated name called Fusarium Oxysporum f. Sp cubense. One of its strains which is called ‘Tropical Race 4’ or ‘TR4’ is creating the most havoc, threatening almost 80 per cent of the global banana production. 

It was found that ICAR scientists had already developed a herbicide that was effective for Fusarium Wilt in tomatoes and chillies. The scientists decided that they would modify this formulation to tackle Panama Disease in bananas. 

In 2018, the field trials of this new bio-fungicide began. It was called ‘ICAR FUSCIONT’ which was made from a novel strain of fungi called ‘Trichoderma EC’.  This fungicide can control the Fusarium fungi from multiplying and affecting the roots. It also adds to the immunity of the banana plant. The fungicide needs to be applied at regular intervals during the crop cycle of the banana plant, which is for 14-16 months. 

It can control the Fusarium fungi from

Animal Health, World

The month-long drive will cover 20 flood-affected villages across 10 districts of Assam

International animal welfare organization World Animal Protection, along with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Veterinary Emergency Response Unit (VERU) East Zone, Department of Animal Husbandry, Assam, West Assam Milk Producers Cooperative Union Limited (WAMUL) and local communities is organizing mobile veterinary treatment camps for animals affected by the floods in Assam. Till now the camps have been organized in five villages, covering 694 households and providing treatment to 3912 animals.

Heavy monsoon rains caused floods, landslides and destruction in Assam in July 2020. Two mighty rivers, Brahmaputra and Barak, and their tributaries have flooded almost all of the 33 districts in Assam.

Many rural economies and livelihoods have been destroyed. According to government reports, 2,543 villages in Assam are affected, 136 people lost their lives and approximately 50,000 people are residing in relief camps. 

A total of 143 animals have died in the Kaziranga National Park and 165 have been rescued. More than 2.3 million farm animals have been affected in Assam.

Many animals in flooded areas are stressed and stranded in contaminated floodwaters and are at risk of parasites, infection, diseases and injuries.  

World Animal Protection will continue to organise these veterinary treatment camps in 15 more villages that have been severely affected by the floods.

This response is also a reminder for the need of a state-level disaster management plan for animals in Assam.

While disaster response rightly prioritizes people’s immediate needs, the long-term recovery from disasters is inextricably linked with the well-being of their animals.

The month-long drive will cover 20 flood-affected

E-commerce, Packaging & Labelling

Promoting Khadi products will be a boost to farmers

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has adopted handmade paper envelopes/packets and handmade carton boxes for packaging of articles except for liquid materials to prevent any leakage during transportation and to align with Khadi’s principle of ‘Green Chemistry’. It has specially designed handmade paper envelopes made of banana fiber which it will soon start production.

This assumes significance in wake of the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to various E-commerce companies for putting a check on excessive use of plastic in packaging of goods. KVIC is using the handmade paper packets manufactured at its Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI), Jaipur, which is creating additional employment in manufacturing handmade paper packaging materials.

KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said that Khadi products are natural and use of handmade paper is the most environmentally conscious way of packaging Khadi products to our customers. This has helped it win appreciation from its online customers for delivery of goods in paper packets. Promoting Khadi products will be a boost to farmers who provide the raw materials required for this newly trending industry in India.

 

Promoting Khadi products will be a boost

E-commerce, R&D

Bayer will incorporate AbacusBio’s expertise in trait prioritization and valuation to advance products

 

AbacusBio and Bayer have announced a deal in the area of predictive plant breeding. Under this agreement, Bayer will incorporate AbacusBio’s expertise in trait prioritization and valuation to advance products that anticipate grower and market needs. Through computational integration of bio- economic, trait preference and socio- demographic data, AbacusBio technology can improve predictions that influence trait improvement priorities, market segmentation and economic potential. 

“Bayer’s global leadership in plant breeding was built on our extensive germplasm library and a data-centric mind-set in R&D decision making,” said Dr Mike Graham, head of plant breeding for Bayer’s Crop Science division. “Our new partnership with AbacusBio is the latest example of how we advance our pipeline using the industry’s best genetics, integrated data science and partnerships to deliver the best-in-class products our customers have come to expect.” 

“We anticipate we will be able to accelerate our annual rate of genetic gain through AbacusBio’s platform, which will enable more effective use of the detailed data we collect on a very broad range of candidate traits,” said Graham. 

“One of the key factors that underpins the success of genetic improvement programs is balancing genetic gain across a combination of traits to meet production, quality and sustainability needs in the market,” AbacusBio Partner and Project Lead Dr Tim Byrne says. 

“This is why we’ll be working directly with scientists, commercial growers, seed retailers, and other stakeholders across the supply chain. We want to bring their knowledge and experience with relevant traits to the fore, in building selection indexes for Bayer.” 

The economic and survey outcomes, and the associated indexes, will be integrated into and used in concert with Bayer’s existing predictive selection and advancement engine. 

“This is an exciting project for us, where we can contribute to Bayer’s track record of generating value for agriculture and society through their best-in-class seed products,” says Byrne. 

Source: AbacusBio

Bayer will incorporate AbacusBio’s expertise in trait

Agro chems – Fertilizers, AgroPolicy

All fertilizer companies to adopt gas based technology  

 Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Sadananda Gowda has said that India will be self-reliant in the production of fertilizers by 2023 as new fertilizer manufacturing units will be setup with an investment of Rs 40,000 crore to reduce dependency on import.

Addressing a webinar on ’Self-Reliant India and Sustainable Agriculture’ organized by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) , the Minister said that all fertilizer companies will be converted to gas based technology to promote indigenous industries as per the vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat. The webinar was held on September 13, 2020 for the farmers of Karnataka.

He informed that the government is encouraging the production of organic and nano fertilizers in the country as they are 25 to 30 per cent cheaper, gives 18 to 35 per cent higher yield and also maintains the health of the soil.

He advised farmers to use fertilizers according to the health of their soil. He also praised IFFCO and thanked other fertilizers companies and Railway department for playing important roles in the timely supply of fertilizers during the COVID pandemic period.

 

All fertilizer companies to adopt gas

Agro chems – Pesticides, AgroPolicy

The Bill is slated to come up for discussions and subsequent consideration in the impending Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning 14 September 2020. 

 

 

The Pesticides Management Bill 2020 (PMB) was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on 23 March 2020 to replace The Insecticides Act 1968, which currently governs the registration, manufacturing, export, sale and use of pesticides in India. While PMB is noble in intent, its many lacunae could end up hurting the interests of farmers and Indian agriculture. 

According to CCFI,in the best interests of the farmers’ community, as well as society and industry at large, the Bill needs wider consultations within Parliament. Ideally, it should be placed before a select committee of Parliamentarians for critical review and necessary changes addressing the needs of farmers, Indian agriculture and the pesticides industry. This is imperative if India seeks to be Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) as a credible manufacturer and supplier of pesticides to the world while promoting food security objectives and generating employment opportunities for its people. 

Elaborating the importance of pesticides in protecting crops, Dr Ajit Kumar, Chairman (Technical Committee) – Crop Care Federation of India, said: “The well-being of India’s farmers and its food security goal is inextricably linked with the timely use of crop protection products. Time and again, pesticides have helped farmers safeguard their crops against a plethora of pest attacks. Some pest attacks occur on a mass scale – such as the recent locust swarm invasion across various parts of the country. Had farmers not used pesticides in time, their crops could have been devastated, jeopardising their income. PMB 2020 needs to consider these issues and review certain provisions that will impact the availability and accessibility of pesticides. For example, the Registration Committee (RC) has powers to subjectively review the registration of a pesticide and then suspend, cancel or even ban its usage without any scientific evaluation. Such scenarios can disrupt Indian farmers’ functioning and productivity. Accordingly, an independent regulator is imperative to oversee the RC’s decisions in safeguarding the interests of farmers, the crop protection industry and India’s food security goals.”

 Dr Krishan Bir Singh Chaudhary, President, Bharat Krishak Samaj said, “The demands presented by the Dr. Ashok Dalwai Committee, constituted in 2018, to promote domestic and indigenous industries and agricultural exports from India are missing from the PMB 2020. In fact the Committee had recommended for reduction in import and reduce dependence on imported formulations, but the present PMB will increase the import of formulations and will damage the Export of Agro Chemicals. The Prescription clause should be also removed and the bill should be sent to Select Committee.”

The Bill is slated to come up

Pulses

It will cover key aspects such as sowing, weather impact, expected production and price outlook for Kharif pulses 

 

 

  India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA), the nodal body for India’s pulses trade and industry will be hosting a KHARIF CROP OUTLOOK WEBINAR under the aegis of ‘THE IPGA KNOWLEDGE SERIES’ at 5 pm on Friday, September 18, 2020. The IPGA KNOWLEDGE SERIES consists of webinars hosted with eminent domain experts from the Government, Market, and Industry to discuss and explore topics of critical interest to the pulses sector in India and the world at large. 

The speaker panel for the kharif crop outlook webinar will include esteemed panellists such as Dr S. K. Malhotra, Agriculture Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India,  Jatin Singh, Founder & Managing Director, Skymet Weather Services Pvt. Ltd.,  Nirav Desai, Managing Partner, GGN Research,  B Krishnamurthy, Managing Director, Four-P International Pvt. Ltd., Chennai, Mr. Anish Goyal, Director, AgroPure Capital Foods (GPA Capital Foods) and  Nitin Kalantri, CEO, Kalantry Food Products. The webinar will be moderated by well-known commodities expert and television anchor, Ms. Manisha Gupta, Editor – Commodities & Currencies, CNBC TV 18. 

Jitu Bheda, Chairman, IPGA said, “It is that time of the year when the entire trade in India and overseas starts to take a closer look at the Kharif harvest and the expected production numbers. This provides the best opportunity to bring together domain experts together to try and make sense of what can be expected from this year’s Kharif harvest.”

The webinar panelists will also delve on the challenges faced by the milling sector in the current COVID-19 pandemic situation and strategies adopted by millers to optimize their capacity utilization and milling margins.

 

It will cover key aspects such as

Agro chems – Fertilizers, India

Company now provides all agri inputs to farmers 

National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) has surpassed its production targets by producing 16.11 Lakh MT urea in the first five months of 2020-21, higher by 13 percent compared to 14.26 LMT produced during the same period in 2019-20.

NFL, a PSU under Deptt of Fertilizers, has recorded total fertilizer sale of 23.81 Lakh MT in April-August, 2020 showing a growth of 16 percent compared to previous best of 20.57 Lakh MT recorded during same period in 2019-20. 

In the last few years, the company has transformed from a single product to multi product company by adding Diammonium Phosphate (DAP), Muriate of Potash (MoP), Single Super Phosphate (SSP) and Complex fertilizers, Bentonite Sulphur, Seeds, new strains of bio-fertilizers and agro chemicals in its product line. The NFL is now providing all agri-inputs to the farmers under one roof. 

It operates five Urea Plants located at Nangal and Bathinda in Punjab, Panipat in Haryana and two Plants at Vijaipur in the Guna district of Madhya Pradesh besides having Bio-Fertilizers plant in Vijaipur and Bentonite Sulphur plant in Panipat.



Company now provides all agri inputs to

Agrotech, Industry Reports / Analysis

The agriculture IoT market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.2% from 2020 to reach $32.7 billion by 2027

As per the new market research report ‘Agriculture IoT Market by Component (Hardware, Software, Services), Application (Precision Farming, Smart Greenhouse, Livestock Monitoring, Smart Irrigation, Others), and Geography – Global Forecast to 2027’, published by Meticulous Research®, the agriculture IoT market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.2% from 2020 to reach $32.7 billion by 2027.

Agriculture IoT refers to the adoption of advanced technologies for producing higher yield from farms in order to cater to increasing food demands and enhance productivity by optimizing fertilizer use for increased efficiency.

Due to the rapid dip in demand and unavailability of raw materials, workforce, and assets, production plans are expected to change on a much higher frequency. This would slow down the adoption of agriculture IoT solutions, as farmers are inclined to manage their business with existing technologies and resources.

  • In the overall agriculture IoT hardware market, in 2020, the automation and control systems segment is estimated to account for the largest share. Field automation and control systems are incorporated by farmers to cope up with complex agricultural processes and execute operations at high efficiencies without polluting the environment.
  • In the overall agriculture IoT software market, in 2020, the cloud-based segment is estimated to account for the largest share.
  • In the overall agriculture IoT services market, in 2020, the professional services segment is estimated to account for the largest share.

However, the rising government initiatives towards digitization, strong inclination of businesses and governments toward storing and processing data locally, and growing adoption of agriculture IoT by the farmers in the region are helping the Asia Pacific to register the fastest growth in the global agriculture IoT market.

The agriculture IoT market is expected to

Agrotech, E-commerce, Machinery - Pre-harvesting

It has been designed for the efficient removal of weeds in sloping farmlands and fruit orchards

Honda India Power Products Limited (HIPP), a leading manufacturer of power products in India unveiled its new 1.3 hp 4 Stroke Backpack Brush Cutter, Model: UMR435T across different regions in India. HIPP has been the market leader in the brush cutter category offering a wide range of models ranging from 1hp for light usage and up to 2hp for heavy-duty usage. 

Vijay Upreti, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, HIPP said “With the increasing scarcity of farm labour and shrinking farmland sizes, customers are seeking more portable solutions for their regular de-weeding and crop harvesting requirements. A large number of consumers today have started using brush cutters for their daily de-weeding, crop harvesting, farm & road-side maintenance needs”.  

Honda brand of brush cutters are the preferred choice of customers owing to their state-of-the-art 4-Stroke engine technology and superior product quality backed by a nationwide chain of over 600 sales & service dealerships. 

The objective of launching a new variant is to offer a cost–effective solution to customers in the hilly and mountainous regions of the country. The new model has been designed for the efficient removal of weeds in sloping farmlands and fruit orchards. The machine also offers an effective solution for weed removal amongst closely spaced row crops. 

UMR435T backpack brush cutter comes in two variants, L2ST with 2-teeth bar blade & LEDT with 3-teeth blade & Nylon Line cutter offering customers a choice of cutting attachments suitable to the landscape. An ergonomically designed backpack harness with flexible shaft and coil spring mounted engine minimizes user fatigue so essential for long-duration working. 

It has been designed for the efficient