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Principal Dry Farming Zones
in India
Almost all the states have some area under rainfed culture
depending upon topography and irrigation facilities, but only
the major dry farming areas are discussed here.
1. The Indo-Gangetic plains of North India
This zone is the youngest in the geological formation. This zone includes districts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, North- western M.P., and V.P. This zone is characterized by two major soil types namely light loam and heavy loam. The land is nearly leveled with a modest slope of 2 ft/mile length. The soils are very deep and situated at about 700 to 800 ft. above sea level. Because of heavy sand and silt fractions in the soil it has large pore spaces. The soils are rich in essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, calcium etc. and, therefore, quite good for raising the crop excepting few with high water requirements. The cropping intensity, in this zone, stands around 120% and the major crops which are grown in this zone are millets, cereals, oil seeds and pulses.
As far as rainfall pattern in this zone is concerned, it
is observed that about 60% or more of the total rainfall
is observed between the end of July to the end of August,
and the rainfall in remaining months is quite poor.
Thus, due to very high intensity of rainfall, floods
are of frequent occurrence during the first week of
September followed by a long spell of drought subsequently.
2. The trapian plateau of peninsular India
This zone comprises the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka
and Andhra Pradesh. The soil of this zone has been derived
from the Deccan trap .The tract is undulating and consists
of low ridges and valleys due to erosion which results in
rapid run-off. About 40% of the land of this zone is not
fit for cultivation. This tract is situated ; at an elevation
of 1400 -2(XX) feet from sea level. The soil may be grouped
into three types based on its depth as deep. medium deep
and shallow soils. Leaching of lime has resulted in the
formation of lime nodules or kanker on the surface soil.
The soil is quite rich in total and available nitrogen.
phosphorus and potash which favours production of crops
if moisture is efficiently conserved.
In this zone. two high peaks of rain are observed because
the area is affected by both south-west monsoon as well
as northeast i monsoon. About 40-55% of total annual rainfall
is obtained from south-west monsoon and the rest from north-east
monsoon. Mostly the millets and some oil seeds like groundnut.
are grown in this zone.
3. Plateau of granite formation
The soils of this zone are grouped as red soils and black cotton soils. Red soils are shallow while black cotton soils are very deep like clayey soils. The topography is of gentle undulations which favour run-off and soil erosion. The high pore space and high swelling of soil obstruct the permeability of rain water in to the lower layers of soil and its shrinkage results in hardening and clod formation on the surface which is unfavorable for plant growth. The red laterite and black cotton soils are deficient in nitrogen and phosphoric acids.
Next : Steps
for Raising Productivity in Dry Farming
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