Barwani: Raised-bed technique: Favourable for State’s soil & water
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Barwani has been experimenting with the raised-bed technique of farming for the past couple of years. They believe that the technique is best for the state with the fluctuating pattern of rainfall due to climate change.
Chief scientist at the center, Dr SK Badodiya informed that the technique is better because the germination percentage of seeds is normally high. He said, “In this technique, seeds are planted on raised beds of soil, approximately 12 to 18 inches wide. There is a gap of 4-6 inches between each bed depending upon the type of crop. The raised bed helps by storing water during shortage and during excessive rainfall, the excess water can be made to exit the field easily with the help of flat beds between the raised beds.”
With scarcity of water, this method comparatively uses 20% less water than traditional method of farming. Drip irrigation is the best method of irrigation for this type of farming as it uses less water, and sends the water directly to the roots. This method can be successfully used for spice crops like chilli, ginger, turmeric, garlic, and vegetable crops like tomato, okra, gourd, sponge gourd, bitter gourd and other crops like cotton, gram, maize and soybean.
Scientist Dr DK Jain said, “Last year a total rainfall of 1,175 millimeters was registered against the state average of 746 millimeters. This caused a major crop failure across the state. However, farmers using raised bed technique sailed easy, and the crop planted at Krishi Vigyan Kendra were also easily maintained and healthy at the end. We plan to promote this technique as much as possible in the upcoming year.”
Tunnel technique: Saviour of crops
In a separate experiment Krishi Vigyan Kendra discovered that the tunnel technique of farming works best to curb infestation of pests and weeds in the soil of the state. These experiments are being done to promote cultivation of spices in the area.
Dr SK Badodiya, chief scientist at the center informed that, “Using tunnel technique helps in curbing pests’ infestation. With no infestation, the growth of the crop is generally faster and plants are healthier. In this technique, the plants are initially planted in the raised bed technique. In the spaces between the beds, a ring is created with the help of wires and the crop is covered with a bio degradable cloth which rests on these rings. This protects the crop from viruses and pests.”
The center has organised several workshops and awareness programmes to promote this technique amongst farmers.
