The 52nd Integrated Agriculture Research and Development Committee – 2024 has sanctioned the Dada Lad Cotton Technology Research Techniques initiated by Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agriculture University based on experiments conducted over the past three years.
The sanction was given during the committee’s convention held at Akola recently.
Dada Lad, a resident of Parbhani, has been conducting research on cotton agriculture for the past two decades. Several techniques have been developed based on his research. These techniques address obstacles in increasing cotton productivity and include the removal of dead branches after 40 days, providing proteins to the branches, cutting the plant to a certain limit, drip irrigation, polymulch covering, and other measures. These techniques have benefited farmers, allowing them to yield around 20 to 25 quintals per acre more.
The former director of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Dr. Trilochan Mahapatra, came across these techniques. He further studied them with experts in agriculture and directed the agricultural university at Parbhani to initiate experiments on these techniques. The science department of the university conducted experiments for three years and presented the results to the committee during the convention organized between June 7 and 9 at Akola. The committee has now sanctioned the techniques, which will benefit farmers across the country by increasing cotton productivity.
