• RNRNewsletter

A bimonthly publication of the Ministry of Agriculture & Forests

Vol. VII Issue No. XIII www.moaf.gov.bt 1- 15 September 2019

INSIDE An alternative to drying

chilli with solar enegry

Page 3

The Ministry's Week

Page 6

Beneficial InsectsLadybird beetle

Red tree Ant

NPPC, DoA

Adult lady beetles are oval shaped and most are orange or reddish with black markings , the spot pattern is usually 1-4-2, on the orange or red forewings.

Both adult and the larvae predate upon aphids in different crops , immature scale insect, mealy bugs, mites and other soft-bodied insect pests as well as insect eggs.

The red ant, Oecophylla smaragdina ( Fabricius) was used by the Chinese in citrus grooves to control various foliage feeding pests.This species was also used by the date palm growers of Yemen. In Bhutan these Red tree ants are present in citrus orchards and they are effective predators of the Citrus Shield bug.

Cont...on Pg 2

1- 15 September 20192 RNRNEWSLETTERA bimonthly publication of the Ministry of Agriculture & Forests

Assassin Bug

Praying Mantids

Assassin bugs are generally black or brown, but many are brightly colored. The head is elongate with a short, curved beak. Nymphs are just as effective in controlling pests as adults.

All species are predaceous and attack a wide variety of insects. They will inflict a painful bite if handled

Prying Mantids are usually large insects. Some are brown, others are green and some are a mottled color. The front legs are covered with spines and modified for grasping and holding their prey. Mantids are the only insects that have a freely moveable head, and it has a characteristic triangular shape. Mantids wait for their prey with the front legs in an upraised position. Thus the name praying mantids.

Cont...from Pg 1

Damsel fly

It looks yellowish to brownish in color with prominent eyes. They are important predators, feeding on a wide variety of insects including aphids and caterpillars.

Cont...on Pg 3

1- 15 September 2019 3RNRNEWSLETTERA bimonthly publication of the Ministry of Agriculture & Forests

Syrphid flies

Cont...from Pg 2

Lace wings

Common Lace wings( Green Lace Wings) are common insects, found on weeds, cultivated crops and shrubs. Most are greenish with copper-colored eyes. The wings are transparent with many veins, which give them the name lacewings. Most are relatively slow flyers. The adults may be predaceous or feed on pollen.

Syrphid flies are commonly found on flowers and are also known as flower flies or hover flies. The flies vary greatly in color and size, but most are yellow with brown or black bands on the abdomen. Many resemble wasps, others closely resemble bees, but none sting. The flies have the ability to hover in flight for long periods. Many syrphid fly larvae are predaceous, especially on aphids. The larvae are maggot-like, have no legs or visible head and are a greenish, or light translucent color.

1- 15 September 20194 RNRNEWSLETTERA bimonthly publication of the Ministry of Agriculture & Forests

An alternative to drying chilli with solar energy ARDC Wengkhar

An alternative to drying chilli by using solar energy was promoted in chilli growing areas in Trashiyangtse and Kangpara in Trashigang. The Green house solar drier developed by ARDC Wengkhar based on a prototype developed by University of Silpakorn, Thailand is basically using the heat trapped in GH for drying farm produces. Solar or electric powered fans fitted to the GH takes out moisture and the heat dries up the produce. About 600 kg of chilli can be dried in onne 5 m x 20 m GH drier.

With dried chilli fetching Nu. 700 to 1000 per Kg, farmers can add value to their chilli. Use of GH solar drier not only can dry chilli faster in about 5 days but the produces can be kept clean.

The promotion of GH solar drier is supported through CARLEP - IFAD support to ARDC Wengkhar and Dzongkhags and in jointly implemented by the centre, IFPP, Dzongkhag and farmers on cost sharing basis. Each 5 m x 20 m costs Nu 137000 inckuding site development, accessories, flooring and labour.

1- 15 September 2019 5RNRNEWSLETTERA bimonthly publication of the Ministry of Agriculture & Forests

Please submit your articles for RNR-Newsletter at communication@moaf.gov.bt

JOKESThe manager of a large corporation got a heart attack, and the doctor told him to go for several weeks to a farm to relax. The guy went to a farm, and after a couple of days he was very bored, so he asked the farmer to give him some job to do.The farmer told him to clean the shit of the cows. The farmer thought that to somebody coming from the city, working the whole life sitting in an office, it will take over a week to finish the job, but for his surprise the manager finished the job in less than one day.The next day the farmer gave to the manager a more difficult job: to cut the heads of 500 chickens. The farmer was sure that the manager will not be able to do the job, but at the end of the day the job was done.The next morning, as most of the jobs in the farm were done, the farmer asked the manager to divide a bag of potatoes in two boxes: one box with small potatoes, and one box with big potatoes. At the end of the day the farmer saw that the manager was sitting in front of the potatoes bag, but the two boxes were empty.The farmer asked the manager: "How is that you made such difficult jobs during the first days, and now you cannot do this simple job?"The manager answered: "Listen, all my life I'm cutting heads and dealing with shit, but now you ask me to make decisions

• Maize is one of the most widely cultivated food crops in Bhutan. More than 69% of the rural households grow maize.

• In Bhutan maize is cultivated in an area of 66,042 acres (ac) with a total production of 94,052 Metric tons (Mt) and the average national yield is 1.42 tons per ac as per the Agriculture Statistic, 2017.

• It is a major food crop cultivated widely in the six eastern districts accounting up to 45% of the total maize area and over 57% of the total production (Adhikari etal., 2010).

• Currently there are four released maize varieties in the country namely Yangtsepa, Chaskarpa, Shaphangma Ashom and Bhur Ashom 1.

• Maize has a wide adaptation and in Bhutan the cultivation ranges from less than 300 to 3000masl. Maize cultivation environment can be categorized into three zones namely (i) sub tropical zone I (<1200 meter above sea level (masl)), (ii) sub-tropical zone II (1200-1800 masl) and (iii)highland zone III (>1800 masl). A moderate temperature, adequate moisture are the basic needs of Maize crop. Maize is susceptive to water logging condition.

Brief on Maize

1- 15 September 20196 RNRNEWSLETTERA bimonthly publication of the Ministry of Agriculture & Forests

Haa farmers attend hands-on-training on Organic Farming Technologies

Published by:Information and Communication Technology Division (ICTD)Ministry of Agriculture and Forests Post Box: 1095, Thimphu-BhutanTel. (PABX): 02-323765/321142Fax: 02-324520Email: ictd@moaf.gov.btWebsite: www.moaf.gov.bt

Sanam Lyonpo attends 14th session of UNCCD COP14

RMS towards land livestock economy and entrepreneurship development

The Ministry's week

The Hon’ble Lyonpo Yeshey Penjor attended the High-Level Segment of the UNCCD Conference of Parties (COP14) from 9-10 September 2019 held at India Expo Mart Ltd., Greater Noida.

The UNCCD COP14, hosted by the Government of India, was attended by about 8000 delegates

More than 35 participants from 56 households of Longpa/Nobgang villages under Samar gewog in Haa attended hands-on-training on Organic Farming Technologies from 8- 9 September.

The training was conducted by the Agriculture Research and Development Centre-Yusipang and ICIMOD as a part of the Resilient Mountain Solutions initiative.

The Department of Agriculture and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) have signed a letter of agreement to implement the project titled, Resilient Mountain Solutions (RMS) in Bhutan.

RMS is an ICIMOD’s new initiative that tests simple and affordable resilience-building

Prior to the training, a team from ICIMOD briefed farmers on the preparation of organic manure and pesticides including the raw materials required.

On the second day, farmers were trained on the preparations of organic manure and pesticides practically. They learned how to prepare three different types of Jholmol such as Jholmol 1, Jholmol 2, Jholmol 3 and Amrit Jal.

including 93 Ministers from 196 countries; Intergovernmental organizations; Special and UN agencies; Civil Society organizations; and media personnel. The event was aimed at identifying mutually viable solutions to the growing challenges of desertification, land degradation, and drought.

tools and approaches that community members in rural parts of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) can replicate.

Its overall goal is to enhance the resilience of women and men in the HKH to socio-economic and environmental changes including climate change.