Veena Annadana
Well-Known Member
Name of pesticide Food
MRL (Mg/kg)
Aldrine
Food grains, milk, vegetables
0.01, 0.15, 0.10
Captan
Food and vegetables
15.0
Carbendazim
Food grains, vegetable and milk
0.5, 0.5, 0.1
Carbofuran
Food grains, fruit/vegetables, milk
0.10, 0.10, 0.05
Chloropyriphos
Food grains, fruits, Cauliflowers
0.05, 0.50, 0.01
DDT
Milk/milk product, fruits/vegetables
1.25, 3.5
Indosulphan
Fruits/vegetables
2.00
Heptachlor
Food grains, vegetables
0.01, 0.055
Do the plants actually require mineral fertilizers?
Facts regarding evolution
1. Creation of earth - 5 billion years ago
2. First life started - 2 billion years ago
3. Initiation of plants - 500 million years ago
4. Appearance of man - 2 million years ago
5. Pre-historic man started cultivation - 10000 years ago
6 Concept of fertilizers use - J B Boussingault (French chemist) and Justus Von Liebig (German chemist) in 1840.
7. First global fertilizer industry- Roth Amsted Experimental station, London, 1842.
(Single Super Phosphate or SSP)
8. First fertilizer industry in India-SSP (Parry), Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, India, in1906.
9. History of fertilizer - 100 to 160 years only
10. Principal source of Global Fertilizer supply – American II war surplus materials,
Nitrogenous and Phosphatic fertilizers.
FACTS FAVOURING ORGANIC FARMING
Organic proponents are against fertilizer inputs due to the following reasons.
Fertilizer use is only 100-160 years old.
Not willing to accept the claim that fertilizers enhanced global food production.
Lot of plants on road sides, hills and deserts are surviving with humus from biomass years after years, without any fertilizers being ever applied.
Fertilizer is from the brain of the industrial lobby only, and is neither for the advantage of the farmer-consumer nor the environment.
Crop produced with chemicals contains heavy metals and other contaminants, hence, not well for health.
Agrochemicals cause disease and death due to excess nitrate and pesticide residues.
The so called food produced through the use of agrochemicals is devoid of vital minerals and vitamins which, in turn, incapacitate the enzyme systems so vital for proper body functions necessitating their additions to food and medicines.
Fertilizers like Urea and DAP contain heavy metals like lead and cadmium.
Concentration of heavy metals (PPM) on dry weight basis.
Source
Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Nickel, Urea, DAP, 9.9 – 16.2, 4.6 – 35.5, 2.1 – 3.7, 7.4 – 22.2
MOP
Adverse effect of nitrogenous fertilizers on human health and environment
Effects
Causative agents
Human health
Excess NO3 and NO2 in water and food
Methemoglobinaemia
and Cancer
Nitrosamine illness from NO2 secondary amines peroxiacyl nitrate
Environment health
Eutrophication
Excess NO3 in food and water, eutrophication in water bodies owing to run off agricultural fertilizers
Materials and ecosystem damage
HNO3, leading to acid rain and Aerosols in rainfall
Compound growth rate in important crops in India is quite unsatisfactory
Crops
1980-1990,
1991-2000
Rice
3.10
1.27
Wheat
3.10
2.11
Maize
2.09
1.69
Total cereals
2.90
1.56
Total pulses
1.61
0.96
Total food grains
2.74
1.52
Total oilseeds
2.53
1.25
Sugarcane
1.27
0.95
Cotton
4.10
Total non-food grains
2.31
1.04
All principal crops
2.56
1.31
Efficiency of Fertilizers is not more than 50% and the remaining is huge loss
Nutrient use efficiency in India
Nutrient
Efficiency (%)
Nitrogen
30-50
Phosphorus
15-20
Potassium
70-80
Zinc
2-5
Iron
1-2
Copper
1-2
Nutrient utilization by plants irrespective of sources is through mineralization by billions of micro organism which are available in the soil for this job.
Ammonifers Nitrosomonas
Nitrogen (air) —————-à NH3—————–à NO3
mmonification Nitrobector
P-mineralizing
Phosphorus from rocks—————————à P2O5
Organisms (as Bacillus & Pseudomonas)
Excess and indiscriminate use of inorganic fertilizer has deteriorated soil health badly leading to deficiency of both plant macro and micro nutrients.
Why organically grown food are preferred over Inorganically grown food:-
Organically grown food contains more vitamins, minerals, enzymes, trace elements and even cancer fighting antioxidants than conventionally grown food, revealed a two years study made in Chicago, USA. It was also observed that the average level of minerals were much higher in the organically grown food than in the conventionally grown food. Besides, the organically grown food always tastes far better and has a longer keeping quality even without refrigeration.
Minerals
% higher (Chicago study)
Calcium
63% higher over convent grown food.
Iron
73% ,,
Magnesium
118% ,,
Molybdenum
178% ,,
Phosphorus
91% ,,
Potassium
125% ,,
Zinc
60% ,,
Studies reveal that the productivity of organic farming may be less in the initial year(s) but the same increases progressively equating and then surpassing the yields under inorganic farming by 3rd/4th years, with enhanced B:C ratios.
Yield economics of organic farming vis–a–vis conventional farming.
Year
Status
Yield (Q/ha)
Gross income (Rs)
Premium (20%)
Total (Rs)
Net income (Rs)
Surplus/ deficit over conventional
Conventional
10
20000
0
20000
9000
0
1st year
Year of conversion
5
10000
0
10000
750
- 6250
2nd year
- do -
5.75
11250
0
11250
3750
- 5250
3rd year
Organic
6.25
12500
2500
15000
7000
- 1500
4th year
- do -
7.5
15000
3000
18000
10500
1500
5th year
- do -
8.75
17500
3500
21000
13500
4500
6th year
- do -
10.0
20000
4000
24000
16500
7500
MRL (Mg/kg)
Aldrine
Food grains, milk, vegetables
0.01, 0.15, 0.10
Captan
Food and vegetables
15.0
Carbendazim
Food grains, vegetable and milk
0.5, 0.5, 0.1
Carbofuran
Food grains, fruit/vegetables, milk
0.10, 0.10, 0.05
Chloropyriphos
Food grains, fruits, Cauliflowers
0.05, 0.50, 0.01
DDT
Milk/milk product, fruits/vegetables
1.25, 3.5
Indosulphan
Fruits/vegetables
2.00
Heptachlor
Food grains, vegetables
0.01, 0.055
Do the plants actually require mineral fertilizers?
Facts regarding evolution
1. Creation of earth - 5 billion years ago
2. First life started - 2 billion years ago
3. Initiation of plants - 500 million years ago
4. Appearance of man - 2 million years ago
5. Pre-historic man started cultivation - 10000 years ago
6 Concept of fertilizers use - J B Boussingault (French chemist) and Justus Von Liebig (German chemist) in 1840.
7. First global fertilizer industry- Roth Amsted Experimental station, London, 1842.
(Single Super Phosphate or SSP)
8. First fertilizer industry in India-SSP (Parry), Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, India, in1906.
9. History of fertilizer - 100 to 160 years only
10. Principal source of Global Fertilizer supply – American II war surplus materials,
Nitrogenous and Phosphatic fertilizers.
FACTS FAVOURING ORGANIC FARMING
Organic proponents are against fertilizer inputs due to the following reasons.
Fertilizer use is only 100-160 years old.
Not willing to accept the claim that fertilizers enhanced global food production.
Lot of plants on road sides, hills and deserts are surviving with humus from biomass years after years, without any fertilizers being ever applied.
Fertilizer is from the brain of the industrial lobby only, and is neither for the advantage of the farmer-consumer nor the environment.
Crop produced with chemicals contains heavy metals and other contaminants, hence, not well for health.
Agrochemicals cause disease and death due to excess nitrate and pesticide residues.
The so called food produced through the use of agrochemicals is devoid of vital minerals and vitamins which, in turn, incapacitate the enzyme systems so vital for proper body functions necessitating their additions to food and medicines.
Fertilizers like Urea and DAP contain heavy metals like lead and cadmium.
Concentration of heavy metals (PPM) on dry weight basis.
Source
Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Nickel, Urea, DAP, 9.9 – 16.2, 4.6 – 35.5, 2.1 – 3.7, 7.4 – 22.2
MOP
Adverse effect of nitrogenous fertilizers on human health and environment
Effects
Causative agents
Human health
Excess NO3 and NO2 in water and food
Methemoglobinaemia
and Cancer
Nitrosamine illness from NO2 secondary amines peroxiacyl nitrate
Environment health
Eutrophication
Excess NO3 in food and water, eutrophication in water bodies owing to run off agricultural fertilizers
Materials and ecosystem damage
HNO3, leading to acid rain and Aerosols in rainfall
Compound growth rate in important crops in India is quite unsatisfactory
Crops
1980-1990,
1991-2000
Rice
3.10
1.27
Wheat
3.10
2.11
Maize
2.09
1.69
Total cereals
2.90
1.56
Total pulses
1.61
0.96
Total food grains
2.74
1.52
Total oilseeds
2.53
1.25
Sugarcane
1.27
0.95
Cotton
4.10
Total non-food grains
2.31
1.04
All principal crops
2.56
1.31
Efficiency of Fertilizers is not more than 50% and the remaining is huge loss
Nutrient use efficiency in India
Nutrient
Efficiency (%)
Nitrogen
30-50
Phosphorus
15-20
Potassium
70-80
Zinc
2-5
Iron
1-2
Copper
1-2
Nutrient utilization by plants irrespective of sources is through mineralization by billions of micro organism which are available in the soil for this job.
Ammonifers Nitrosomonas
Nitrogen (air) —————-à NH3—————–à NO3
mmonification Nitrobector
P-mineralizing
Phosphorus from rocks—————————à P2O5
Organisms (as Bacillus & Pseudomonas)
Excess and indiscriminate use of inorganic fertilizer has deteriorated soil health badly leading to deficiency of both plant macro and micro nutrients.
Why organically grown food are preferred over Inorganically grown food:-
Organically grown food contains more vitamins, minerals, enzymes, trace elements and even cancer fighting antioxidants than conventionally grown food, revealed a two years study made in Chicago, USA. It was also observed that the average level of minerals were much higher in the organically grown food than in the conventionally grown food. Besides, the organically grown food always tastes far better and has a longer keeping quality even without refrigeration.
Minerals
% higher (Chicago study)
Calcium
63% higher over convent grown food.
Iron
73% ,,
Magnesium
118% ,,
Molybdenum
178% ,,
Phosphorus
91% ,,
Potassium
125% ,,
Zinc
60% ,,
Studies reveal that the productivity of organic farming may be less in the initial year(s) but the same increases progressively equating and then surpassing the yields under inorganic farming by 3rd/4th years, with enhanced B:C ratios.
Yield economics of organic farming vis–a–vis conventional farming.
Year
Status
Yield (Q/ha)
Gross income (Rs)
Premium (20%)
Total (Rs)
Net income (Rs)
Surplus/ deficit over conventional
Conventional
10
20000
0
20000
9000
0
1st year
Year of conversion
5
10000
0
10000
750
- 6250
2nd year
- do -
5.75
11250
0
11250
3750
- 5250
3rd year
Organic
6.25
12500
2500
15000
7000
- 1500
4th year
- do -
7.5
15000
3000
18000
10500
1500
5th year
- do -
8.75
17500
3500
21000
13500
4500
6th year
- do -
10.0
20000
4000
24000
16500
7500