Adopt multiple cropping system for sustainability: Punjab Agricultural University
Ludhiana, April 9
The Kharif season has commenced and farmers should adopt multiple cropping system involving pulses, which will not only enhance their income but also save natural resources and improve the soil health, according to the experts at Punjab Agricultural University. The best win-win venture in terms of agricultural and economic sustainability is to go for potato/wheat-moong/mash-short duration rice varieties cropping system.
Include pulses
The cropping systems such as rice-wheat-summer moong, rice-potato-summer moong, DSR-wheat-summer moong, rice-gobhi-sarson-summer moong hold capability to maximise profitability, improve the soil health along with lowering of nitrogen requirement of the next rice crop. — Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, PAU Vice Chancellor
Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, said, “The cropping systems such as rice-wheat-summer moong, rice-potato-summer moong, DSR-wheat-summer moong, rice-gobhi-sarson-summer moong hold good promise to maximise profitability, improve the soil health along with lowering of nitrogen requirement of following rice crop.”
“It is recommended that if crop of summer moong/mash is ploughed into the field after picking pods, then farmers can reduce urea dose of parmal rice by one-third, while there is no need to apply urea to basmati crop,” he said.
Talking of the recommended moong varieties, Dr GS Mangat, Additional Director Research (Crop Improvement), said that PAU has recommended summer moong variety SML 1827, which takes only 62 days to mature. “It is resistant to yellow mosaic disease and gives 5.0 quintal yield per acre on an average. It can be sown up to third week of April. Sowing can be done with seed drill/kera/pora/zero-till drill/happy seeder by using 12 kg seed per acre in rows at 22.5 cm spacing,” he added.
Besides, the university has recommended summer mash variety Mash 1137, which takes 74 days to mature. On an average, it gives 4.5 quintal yield per acre. It can be sown up to first week of April. After the harvesting of moong/mash, the farmers can grow the short duration varieties of paddy/basmati varieties.
Dr Buta Singh Dhillon, Agronomist (rice), said that PAU recommends short duration high yielding varieties (HYV) of parmal and basmati rice, namely PR 126, Pusa Basmati 1509 and Pusa Basmati 1847, which mature in about 93, 95 and 99 days after transplanting, respectively.
Due to shorter duration, these varieties not only save irrigation water but also enable the adoption of multiple cropping systems.
Referring to the less water-guzzling, popular ‘PR’ varieties, Dr Dhillon observed, “PR 126 is an early maturing variety of paddy and takes 93 days to mature after transplanting. On an average, it gives 30.0 quintal of paddy yield per acre. PB 1509 is a basmati variety, maturing in 95 days after transplanting. It yields an average 16.0 quintal of paddy per acre, he added. “PB 1847 is an improved version of PB 1509 and resistant to bacterial blight and moderately resistant to neck blast disease. It takes 99 days to mature after transplanting and on an average yields 19.0 quintal of paddy per acre,” he said.
