Low cost agriculture technique for small & marginalized farmers@JEEVIKA Shehore

JEEVIKA team at Shehore is promoting low cost Systematic Wheat Intensification technique amongst the tribal farmers at Shehore. The technique makes small and marginalised farmers to save almost 70% of seed cost

Principles of the System of Wheat Intensification (SWI)

The prevalent system of wheat cultivation requires more chemical fertilizers and nearly 120-180 kg of seed per hectare. SWI uses only 20-30 kg of improved seed in one hectare. Twenty to twenty five cm spacing between rows, use of manure and organic seed treatment ensures higher yield. Sufficient spacing between the plants and sowing of two seed grains at one point facilitates desired moisture, aeration, nutrition and light to the crop roots. This helps faster growth of plants. Only 2-3 times irrigation and weeding through cono-weeder save time and expenses on labor.

SWI is primarily based on these two principles of crop production 1. Principle of root development and

2. Principle of intensive care

Principle of root development:

For the proper development of crop plant, it must be well established from rooting system. Root development is the first step of healthy growth and development of any plant. For this, it requires proper nourishment and sufficient space around the plant. So, distance between plants is very crucial for proper growth and development of crop plants.

Principle of intensive care:

Intensification does not mean high number of plant density per unit space; rather it is proper space maintenance and taking care of plants very closely. So, to enhance productivity it requires intensive care in every stage of plant growth specially management of weed, insect, disease, organic manure and irrigation.

Based on the above principles the System of Wheat Intensification involves the following modified practices for achieving higher productivity Improved Seed: SWI can be applied for any kind of wheat variety, however the local varieties used under current practice in the hilly districts of Nepal are less productive compared to newly release improved varieties like WK 1204 and Pasang Lhamu. So, selection of improved varieties will be crucial in increasing the productivity of wheat crop. Seed Treatment: Seeds are usually treated with Bavistin or Vitavax to control seed borne fungal diseases including smut. In addition to this, seeds are treated with organic mixture of well decomposed compost, jaggery and cow urine for improving microbial activity in the soil. Procedure for Seed Treatment:

• Grade out bold seeds separately from lots of improved seed.

• Take 10 liter of hot water (60 degree Celsius) in an earthen pot.

• Dip 5 Kg of improved graded seeds in it.

• Remove the seeds which float on the top of water.

• Mix 2 kg well decomposed compost, 3 liter cow urine and 2 kg of jaggery.

• After mixing it properly, keep the mixed material as such for 6-8 hour.

• After this, filter it so that solid materials along with seeds and liquids get separated.

• After that, mix 10 gm of fungicide properly and keep in shade for 10-12 hrs.

• Then wheat gets germinated. The germinated seed is used for sowing in the tilled field.

• Cow urine, well decomposed compost and jaggery in separate vessels

Land Preparation and application of Organic Manure:

Traditionally, farmers accumulate organic manure in open field for months, before final land preparation which results in the loss of nutrients through leaching and evaporation. SWI emphasizes on efficient use of organic manure rather than chemical fertilizers because it helps to improve the soil health in addition to providing nutrients to the crop. Organic manure is applied before land preparation at the rate of 10 quintals per ropani and incorporated in the soil by plowing immediately.

Seed Rate: In traditional method, 8-10 kg of wheat seed is required for 1 ropani but seed rate is lowered to 1-2 kg per ropani under SWI. Treated seeds have high germination rate. So, sowing treated seeds in lines 20-25 cm apart saves a large amount of seed and reduces the cost incurred in it.

Line Sowing: Maintaining plant to plant distance is very important for facilitating proper root development and tillering in wheat crop. So, two seeds are sown per hill and spacing is maintained at 20 cm x 20 cm. Seeds are sown at a depth of 2.5 – 3 cm using seed drill. If seed drill is not available, strings or ropes are used for maintaining proper spacing. Moisture should be available in the field while sowing germinated seed.

Gap Filling: Wherever the seeds have not germinated, the gap should be filled with germinated seeds within 10 days of sowing. If there are more than two seeds germinated in one hill they should be uprooted properly to facilitate proper growth of the plant.

Irrigation: First irrigation is done 15 days after sowing, as root initiation starts during this time. Unavailability of moisture in soil prevents root initiation. Second irrigation is given 25 days after sowing, as tillers start emerging in this stage. Third irrigation is given 35- 40 days after sowing. Subsequent irrigations are given at 60, 80 and 100 DAS upon availability. During the flowering and grain-filling stage, appropriate moisture should be available in the soil.

Weeding: After the first, second & third irrigations, hoeing and weeding should be done using cono-weeder1 to loosen the soil and to make the wheat field free from weed. The loosening of soil results in better aeration for the root zone and increases the root length by letting them take more moisture & nutrient from the soil. This helps in bringing forth more tillers in the plant with more vigor.

Crop Rotation with legumes for increased productivity:

In hilly area wheat is mostly cultivated in rotation with upland rice and millet, year after year. Growing same crops in the same field for many years depletes the soil fertility and helps to build pests and pathogens in the cropland. So, rotating legumes like soybean and pulses will help to improve productivity of wheat by adding nutrient to the soil and improving soil properties. Wheat crop yields more in rotation with legumes because legumes help to fix nitrogen in soil and improve soil fertility. Legumes like soybean have bacteria in their root nodules which take nitrogen from the air and convert them to usable forms. In comparison to wheat-rice/millet rotation wheat-maize/soybean will be more beneficial cropping pattern in a long term because in addition to improving soil fertility, crop rotation with legumes will also help to check the build-up of pathogens and pests in the cropland and reduce the expenditure on agricultural chemicals. Green Manuring with Dhaincha can also improve the soil fertility status.

Source: Dec 2012 monthly report of ANWC-Bhopal JEEVIKA team