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VIII. Recommendations for Dry Farming Areas
The research programmes of all India coordinated research projects for dry land agriculture have concluded into certain recommendations to the farmers of dry land areas which are described below.
1. Bunding across the slope and leveling the land should be done before onset of monsoon.
2. Deep summer ploughing should be followed by surface tillage during monsoon months and also rest of the year.
3. Application of organic manures like FYM compost. etc. @ 15-20 tonnes/ha or green manuring should be done. These manures should be applied about 20-25 days before sowing and should be well mixed in the soil.
4. Fertilizers should be basal placed at a depth of7.5 to 10cm in the soil and the seeds should be sown in the same furrows about 3 cm. above the fertilizers. This is important especially during winter season. The nitrogen (20-50% of total) should be top dressed by side or band placement method at about 10- 15 cm apart. The crop rows should be done soon after the rains but if there is not sufficient moisture in the soil, the nitrogen should betrayed over the foliage with urea solution containing 3-5% nitrogen. Zinc and sulphur should be applied as basal if needed.
5. Soil application of BHC (10%) dust @ 25-30 kg/ha for termites and Thimet 20 G @ 15 kg/ha for white grub should be done. These chemicals must be mixed with soil properly while ploughing or at the time of sowing.
6. Selection of suitable crops and their varieties should be done I according to their suitability to a particular region/micro climate.
7. Seeds must be treated with a suitable fungicide and that of legume with Rhizobium culture before sowing. Soaking seeds in plain water for rabi sowing helps in getting higher gem1ination, better seedling vigour and an early maturity within weeks time.
8. Proper crop rotation should be followed which should preferably have at least one legume every year.
9. For better seed soil moisture contact through soil compaction should be done by running a plank or roller especially for rabi crop.
10. At the event of total crop failure during kharif season a suitable catch crop like urd (T-9) or toria etc should be sown.
11. Intercropping of oil seeds and pulses should be done with jowar, bajra and maize crops for the purpose of making best use of soil and inter row moisture harvesting.
12. Line sowing by drilling the seed at a depth of7.5 to 10cm or even more depending upon the situation should be practiced because it helps in better seed germination. This also helps in stabilizing the required plant population and thereby in getting better yield.
13. Proper weed management practices should be followed by adopting integrated weed control measures.
14. Mulching should be done by providing frequent interculture and pulverizing the soil. If intercultural operations are not possible then use of artificial mulches like covering the
surface with tree leaves, uprooted weeds, sugarcane leaves, saw dust or polythene sheets are used to check the evaporation of water from the soil.
15. Water harvesting between the rows should be done by growing some pulse crops and run off water should be collected in some nearby located ponds and used as life saving irrigation.
16. An efficient plant protection measure should be adopted to protect the crop from insect pests and disease damage.
17. The crop should be harvested at proper physiological maturity so that the following or succeeding crop may be sown slightly earlier than the scheduled time and best use of rain water or residual moisture may be made for crop production.
18. Crops like cotton, chilies, etc. should be sprayed with CCC or cycocel and groundnut should be sprayed with planofix for modified growth, higher drought resistance and better yield.
IX. Conclusion
Even after utilizing all the available water resources, about 50% of our culturable area will still depend on rains. Therefore, our agricultural scientists, policy formulators and farmers should appropriately realize the magnitude of role that. rainfed agriculture or dryland farming can play. They should thoroughly examine the problems of dry land agriculture from different view points and evolve appropriate technologies, crop varieties, etc. for these areas to better the economic position of the farmers. Dry farming areas, therefore, need a much closer attention.
Farmers should utilize well in time whatever improved technology and varieties suitable for dry farming are available. They should be extra careful about the utilization of available rain water, selection of crops and protection of crops from different harmful physiological or biological agencies. And only then they can make dry farming as profitable as irrigated farming itself.
Next : Recommendations for Dry Farming Areas
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