Innovative farmers
Innovative farmers like Mr Deshmukh who adopted ICRISAT's concept of broadbed-and-furrows modified the technology slightly to suit their conditions and needs. Instead of four rows recommended by ICRISAT, Mr Deshmukh planted two rows 30-cm apart in each bed. The chemically treated seeds were manually dibbled on the beds which had been brought to a fine tilth by repeated plowings. He ensured an intrarow spacing of 10-12.5 cm between plants. About 100 kg of seeds were used per hectare. Liberal quantities of ripe farmyard manure were added to the soil; basal dressing consisted of 10 kg of urea, and 250 kg of single superphospate per hectare. About 375 kg per hectare of gypsum was added at flowering. Mr Deshmukh used a herbicide at the time of sowing to manage weeds. The crop was manually weeded at 45-50 days after sowing. A few rounds of insecticides were used to control sucking pests. The crop was regularly irrigated. In all, the crop needed 10-12 irrigations to maturity. The total cost of cultivation was Rs 15 000 (US $ 400) per hectare, and the farmer sold the produce at Rs 10 000 (US $ 280) per tonne. His gross return was Rs 55 000 (US $ 1570) per hectare. The irrigated crop sown in late January flourished on broadbed-and-furrows. As a summer crop in heavy, black cotton soil in rotation with soybean, the high-yielding groundnut variety ICGS 76 recorded at least 2.5 tonnes more per hectare than the other improved varieties grown on the same farm. Further, ICGS 76 responded favorably to the improved cultural practices and pest management strategies. Mr Surendra Deshmukh of Gowdi Chowk in Amravati is another innovative farmer. He used two other varieties: ICGS 21, an improved short-duration groundnut; and ICGS 44 a short-duration spanish-type groundnut. He adopted an intrarow spacing of 10-15 cm between plants, and an interrow spacing of 25-30 cm. Mr Deshmukh said that ICRISAT's technology package prevented the soil from hardening, and made weeding easy. Since the soil remained loose, pod formation was good. He added that it was also easy to pull out the matured crop at harvest, and that no nuts remained in the ground after harvest. He used about 100 kg per hectare of treated seeds, and applied liberal quantities of farmyard manure with the final plowing. He also applied 375 kg per hectare each of gypsum, and single superphosphate. While applying gypsum during flowering, the furrows were widened. The 45-day-old crop
was manually weeded, and the uprooted weeds were used to mulch the soil. This ensured
higher soil moisture retention. In all, about 12 sprinkler irrigations were given. Mr
Deshmukh said that this improved cultivation method minimized water use, and thus was
cost-effective. |
