Head of the Division: Dr.Ravi Bhat(In charge)

Sections:

• Agronomy

• Soil Science

• Microbiology

The major thrust of the Division is to sustain the production of coconut, arecanut and cocoa through the development of improved production technologies such as cropping /farming system/ organic farming and precision farming in accordance with the climate change and soil biotic and abiotic environment. This include cultivation of compatible crops in the inter spaces and integration with other enterprises like dairy, goat, poultry etc.  to offer considerable scope for  increased production and productivity per unit area, time and inputs by more efficient utilization of resources like sunlight, soil, water and  labour.

Major Research Activities:

• Developing eco-friendly, cost effective production systems for higher resource use efficiency and increased productivity.
  • Precision farming- Developing site specific Management practices
  • Developing tailor made nutrient packages for specific cultivation scenarios of palms and cocoa
  • Developing low cost water harvesting structures to augment the surface and ground water resources along with proper management for judicial utilization of the harvested water in conjunction with ground water.
• Developing cropping Farming system models with high carbon sequestration through waste biomass recycling and utilizing beneficial microbial resources.
  • Developing self sustainable cropping/farming system models.
  • Developing microbial products for enhanced nutrient use efficiency, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance.
  • Developing low input/conservation agricultural practices.