IJDARD 37(2)2022 ICRA 2022 Special Issue

ISSN-0971-2062
INDIAN JOURNAL
OF
DRYLAND AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
AND
DEVELOPMENT
Volume 37 Number 2 2022
ICRA - 2022
Special Issue
International Conference on Reimagining Rainfed Agro-ecosystems:
Challenges & Opportunities
22-24 December, 2022
Editors
K. Srinivas
V. Maruthi
K.A. Gopinath
R. Rejani
K.B. Sridhar
B. Bhargavi
The Indian Society of Dryland Agriculture
(Regd. No. 1486 of 1986)
ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture
Santoshnagar, Hyderabad-500 059
Telangana, INDIA

INDIAN JOURNAL OF DRYLAND AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Volume 37 Number 2 2022
CONTENTS
50 Years of Dryland Agriculture Research in AICRPDA: An Overview
...... G. Ravindra Chary, Vinod Kumar Singh, S. Bhaskar and S.K. Chaudhari
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in North Bank Plain Zone of Assam
...... P.K. Sarma, N. Baruah, B. Borkotoki, J. Kalita, A. Sonowal, Rupam Borah, Rupshree Borah, N. Kalita, N. Kakati and L.B. Bharali
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Western Plateau Zone of Jharkhand
......Akhilesh Sah, D.N Singh, M.S Yadava and M.K Singh
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Eastern Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh
...... H.C. Singh, Neeraj Kumar, A.K. Singh, Rajesh Kumar, Shabd Adhar and Arpit Singh
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Bastar Plateau Zone of Chhattisgarh
...... A.K. Thakur, T. Chandrakar, A.K. Kerketta, A. Pradhan, G. Ravindra Chary, K.A. Gopinath and B. Narsimlu
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in North Eastern Ghat Zone of Odisha
...... S.K. Behera, D. K. Bastia and M.R. Panda
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Eastern Plain and Vindhyan Zone of Uttar Pradesh
...... J.P. Singh, S.K. Rajpoot, Nirmal De and A.K. Nema
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka
...... M.S. Shirahatti, R.A. Nandagavi, U.M. Momin, B.H. Kumara, S.B. Patil, G Ravindra Chary, V.S. Surakod, M.A. Gaddankeri, S.G.
Kanthi and H.S. Patil
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Scarcity Zone of Maharashtra
...... V.M. Amrutsagar, S.K. Upadhye, N.J. Ranshur, G. Ravindra Chary, S.V. Khadtare and D.K. Kathmale
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Southern Zone of Rajasthan
...... J.K. Balyan, R.K. Sharma, S.K. Sharma, M.L. Jat, A.K. Kothari, K.C. Laddha, S.N. Sodani, P.M. Jain, P.L. Maliwal, B.S. Kumapawat
and G. Ravindra Chary
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Kandi Region of Punjab
...... Manmohanjit Singh, Anil Khokhar, Balwinder Singh Dhillon, Abrar Yousuf and Mohammad Amin Bhat
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Low Altitude Sub-Tropical Zone of Jammu and Kashmir
...... A.P. Singh, Jai Kumar, Brinder Singh, Rohit Sharma and G. Ravindra Chary
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in South West Semi-Arid Zone of Uttar Pradesh
...... S.P. Singh, Arvind Singh, P.K. Singh and S.K. Chauhan
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in South-western Dry Zone of Haryana
...... S.K. Thakral, S.K. Sharma, Manjeet, Rakesh Kumar, B. Rajkumar and Abdul Rasul
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in North Gujarat Zone
...... N.I. Patel, B.S. Parmar, R.N. Singh, Brijal Patel and F.B. Patel
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Central, Eastern and Southern Dry Zone of Karnataka
...... Mudalagiriyappa, M.N. Thimmegowda, B.G. Vasanthi and H.S. Latha
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in North Saurashtra Zone of Gujarat
...... D.S. Hirpara, P.D. Vekariya, V.D. Vora, K.S. Jotangiya, M.L. Patel and S.C. Kaneriya
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Scarce Rainfall Zone of Andhra Pradesh
B. Sahadeva Reddy, Y. Padmalatha, T. Yellamanda Reddy, K.C. Nataraja, A. Malliswara Reddy, C. Radha Kumari, M. Vijaysankar Babu,
K. Madhusudhan Reddy, K. Bhargavi, G. Narayana Swamy, Ch. Murali Krishna, D.V. Srinivasulu, K.A. Gopinath and G. Ravindra Chary
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Malwa Plateau Zone of Madhya Pradesh
...... Bharat Singh, D.V. Bhagat, S.K. Choudhary, K.S. Bangar, M.L. Jadav, N. Kumawat, S. Holkar, A. Upadhyay, S.K. Sharma,
K.A. Gopinath, G. Ravindra Chary, A.K. Shukla and V.K. Singh
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Kymore Plateau and Satpura Hills Zone of Madhya Pradesh
...... R.K. Tiwari, S.M. Kurumvansi, Sudhanshu Pandey, Abhishek Soni, Satish Singh Baghel, K.A. Gopinath and G. Ravindra Chary
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Western Vidarbha Zone of Maharashtra
...... A.B. Chorey, V.V. Gabhane, R.S. Patode, M.M. Ganvir, A.R. Tupe and R.S. Mali
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Southern Zone of Tamil Nadu
...... S. Manoharan, M. Manikandan, V. Sanjivkumar, K. Baskar, G. Guru and G. Ravindra Chary
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Central Maharashtra Zone of Maharashtra
...... W.N. Narkhede, M.S. Pendke, B.V. Asewar, P.H. Gourkhede, D.P. Waskar and G. Ravindra Chary
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Semi-Arid Region of Karnataka
...... S.L. Patil and M.N. Ramesha
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Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 1-22 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00010.0
50 Years of Dryland Agriculture Research in AICRPDA: An Overview
G. Ravindra Chary 1 , Vinod Kumar Singh 1 , S. Bhaskar 2 and S.K. Chaudhari 2
1
ICAR- Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad -500 059
2
Natural Resource Management Division, ICAR, New Delhi -110 012
Email: rc.gajjala@icar.gov.in
Introduction
Dryland agriculture is as old as agriculture. Expanding the domain
of dryland agriculture, currently rainfed agriculture accounts to
52 per cent (which is totally rain dependent) of the net sown
area (73.3 M ha), home to two-thirds of livestock and 40% of
human population and contributes 40% of food production and
supports 83% of coarse cereals, 81% of pulses, 70% of oilseeds,
67% of cotton and 40% of rice. In rainfed regions, agriculture is
influenced by both bio-physical and socio-economic factors and
their interactions. Concerted research and development efforts
in dryland agriculture date back to pre-independence period
in India. In this article, an overview of dryland agriculture
research in All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland
Agriculture (AICRPDA) is presented.
Historical developments in dryland research in
India
Pre-independence period
The First Famine Commission was appointed in 1880 by
Government of India to suggest measures to tackle drought and
also to suggest preventive measures to avoid famine in future.
In 1920, the Royal Commission, India, noted that “the problems
of cultivation of crops in tracts entirely dependent upon rainfall
deserve far closer attention”. In 1923, the first systematic and
scientific approach to the problem of dryland farming was
started by establishing Dryland Research Station at Manjri near
Pune. Subsequently, during 1933-35, the Imperial (now Indian)
Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) established five Dry
Farming Research Stations at Solapur, Bijapur, Hagari, Raichur
and Rohtak. The research at these stations continued up to 1943,
based on which a dry land farming technology package was
developed in 1944. The method of cultivation was named as
Bombay Dry Farming, Madras Dry Farming and Hyderabad Dry
Farming (Kanitkar, 1944, Kanitkar, 1960; Kanitkar et. al., 1968)
depending on the province. These dryland farming technology
package mainly consisted of: i). constructing contour bunds as
the basic and essential treatment, ii). occasional ploughing of
lands, iii). repeated shallow cultivation of soils to remove weeds
and conserve moisture during the rainy season, particularly
for rabi (post-rainy season) sorghum, v). adding moderate
quantities of farmyard manure to maintain the fertility and
physical conditions of eroded land, vi). wide sowing with low
seed rate, vii). repeated (4 to 5) intercultivations, viii). adopting
crop rotation, wherever possible and ix). fallowing a part of
the farm holding systematically every year to grow crops in
alternate years. These measures increased productivity by 15-
20% only over a base level of 0.2 to 0.4 t/ha and thus did not
become popular (Choudhary, 1972). This was the first step to
scientific crop planning as per land capability in dryland areas.
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland
Agriculture (AICRPDA): Genesis
A Central Soil Conservation Board was established in 1953.
During 1954, 8 soil conservation training and demonstration
centres were established by ICAR with focus on soil conservation
techniques with secondary importance to crop production.
During 1963-64, with the introduction of high yielding varieties
of rice, wheat, maize, and pearl millet and other enhanced use of
inputs in irrigated areas, the agricultural scenario changed in the
country. However, there was a wide disparity between irrigated
and dryland areas necessitating completely a new effort to
improve the dryland production systems. Further, the droughts
of mid-sixties catalysed the Government of India to invest on
dryland research significantly.
The Green Revolution in mid-sixties, though a boon to Indian
agriculture, ushered in era of wide disparity between productivity
of irrigated and rainfed agriculture. Alarmed by such a situation,
the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) emphasized the urgent
need for focusing attention on hitherto neglected farmers of
the dryland to participate meaningfully in the agricultural
development process. This socio-economic imbalance led to
a serious rethinking and a comprehensive network research
program was initiated to stabilize the performance of the
then introduced hybrids of coarse cereals in rainfed region
and to moderate the periodic drought related adverse impact
on total agricultural productivity. Further, droughts of midsixties
catalysed the Government to invest on dryland research
significantly. In 1969, the Government of India with strong aim
of eradicating poverty, evinced keen interest in dryland research
and development programs. In 1970 the ICAR launched the All
India Coordinated Research Project for Dry land Agriculture
(AICRPDA) in collaboration with the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA) with 23 centres with cocoordinating
cell at Hyderabad. The AICRPDA centres were
identified based on moisture deficit index (MDI). The initial
objectives of the Project were to i). Conserve soil and water
and make the best use of these resources for crop production,
1

ii). Investigate methods of increasing average per farmer yields
by at least 100%, and iii). Devise means of stabilizing dryland
agriculture by evolving contingency plans to meet seasonal
aberrations. Tangible results were to be tested and adopted in
state government pilot projects attached to each research centre.
Milestones (1970-71 to 1987)
● 1971, the 23 centres included 15 main centres and 8 sub
centres. The 15 main centers were Hisar, Jodhpur, Bellary,
Rajkot and Anantapur in MDI -60 to -80%; Solapur,
Akola, Kovilpatti and Hyderabad in MDI - 40 to -60%; and
Bangalore, Varanasi and Indore in MDI -20 to -40% and
remaining 3 centres, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar and Dehradun
were special problem areas. The 8 sub centres were Bijapur,
Udaipur (shifted to Arjia in 1985), Ludhiana, Anand and
Agra in MDI -40 to -60% and Jhansi, Rewa and Samba in
MDI range of -20to -40%.
● An additional special centre was at IARI, New Delhi
(MDI -40 to -60%) which was subsequently merged with
coordinating cell at Hyderabad. This centre was set up
primarily to cater to basic research needs in the fields of
physiology and agrometeorology
● Dehradun center was discontinued in April 1985. Later
on Anand was shifted to Sardarkrishinagar; Ludhiana to
Hoshiarpur and then to Ballowal Saunkhri, and Samba to
Rakh Dhiansar; Vijayapura and Rewa were upgraded as
main centers
● In 1975, the scope of the project was enlarged to focus
on transfer of technology through training of extension
personnel and teachers of KVKs in innovative dryland
technology
● 1976, the Operational Research concept was introduced
for technology assessment, refinement and transfer. 3 ORP
centres at Ranchi, Bangalore and Hoshiarpur were started.
● 1979 - ICAR launched National Agricultural Research
Project (NARP) which strengthened the regional research
capabilities of agricultural universities with location specific
research including dryland agriculture
● In 1984, 3 ORP centres added at Anantapur, Hisar and Arjia,
in 1985, at Solapur and, in 1986 at Indore
● In1985, Faizabad was added as sub centre
● 1985 - Planning Commission in view of the national need
to strengthen dryland agriculture research, the Project
Directorate /Main centre, Hyderabad was upgraded to
Central Research Institute or Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA)
in April, 1985 to undertake basic and strategic research
while adaptive research continued with AICRPDA centres
with coordinating cell at Hyderabad.
Ravindra Chary et al.
2
Initially AICRPDA’s activities were supported with CIDA
(Canadian International Development Agency) during
1970-1987 through a bilateral collaboration agreement the
Government of India and Canada signed in 1970. In the first
decade of AICRPDA (1971-81) research was on developing
suitable technology required by the farming community for
increasing and stabilizing crop yields in drylands.
Aligning AICRPDA research with national/states
priorities in rainfed agriculture development and
policy
● 1973 - Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP)
● 1970s – ICAR Crop AICRPs-AICRPDA: Crop improvement
research in developing drought tolerant varieties by various
crop AICRPs
● 1974 - Integrated Dryland Development Project
● 1977 - Desert Development Programme
● 1982 - Special Programme on Integrated Watershed
Management
● 1984 – ICAR Model Watershed Progarmme - 30 model
watersheds (500-1000 ha) in 13 states were assigned to
AICRPDA for technological backstopping.
● 1986 - With the success of model watersheds, Government
of India launched National Watershed Development
Programmes in Rainfed Area (NWDPRA) in 15 states
● 1987 - The performance of model watersheds came into
sharp focus during drought period of 1987.
Presently, the Mandate of AICRPDA (since 2018) is:
On-station research
● To optimize the use of natural resources, i.e. rainfall, land and
water, and to minimize soil and water loss and degradation
of environment
● To evolve a simple technologies to increase crop productivity
and viability
● To increase stability of crop production over years by
providing improvements in natural resources management
and crop management systems and alternate crop production
technologies matching weather aberrations
● To develop alternate and sustainable land use systems; and
● To evaluate and study transferability of improved dryland
technologies to farmers’ fields.
On-farm research
● On-farm participatory research on rainfed integrated farming
systems
● Technology assessment/refinement
● Implementation of the research findings/ doable rainfed
technologies

AICRPDA - CIDA collaborative research (1970-71 to 1987)
During 1970-71 to 1987, the AICRPDA-CIDA collaborative
research was in three phases i.e., 1970-75, 1976-82 and 1982-
87. During this period, sound foundations of systematic and
location-specific research were laid out across AICRPDA
centres (IARI, 1970; Krishnamoorthy, 1971; Krishnamoorthy,
1972; Krishnamoorthy and Chowdhury. 1972; Krishnamoorthy
et. al., 1974; Singh, 1987; Singh and Singh, 1987).
First Phase (1970-75): The location specificity of the
technology was emphasized leading to development of specific
projects with the type experiments in agronomy on the concept
of “Low Monetary Input”, the basic crop production practices
like time of seeding and plant population-geometry in relation to
rainfall, and weed management, crop substitution and cropping
systems as a necessary input for improved production. The focus
was on four major aspects related to dryland agriculture viz.
agronomy, soils, plant breeding and agricultural engineering.
The significant feature of this programme was attaching each
dryland research centre to the Integrated Dry Land Agriculture
Development Project (IDLADP), where scientists interacted
with the farmers leading to problem identification.
During early 1970s, the AICRPDA centres were initiated research
on contingency crop planning and midseason correction to cope
with delayed onset of monsoon, early withdrawal monsoon,
intermittent dry spells of various durations, and prolonged
monsoon. During 1971-72, sunflower was introduced as alternate
crop at all centres. Research on rainwater harvesting continued
with focus on farm ponds, storage of water in farm ponds,
protective irrigation and diversification to high value crops.
After 1985, horticultural crops were introduced as alternate land
use systems. Poor crop establishment was the major problem
with most framers using bullock power. Seed drills for bullock
power were developed. Canadian seed drills were imported to
ascertain whether the mechanical principles which they used
could be modified for Indian conditions and adopted for bullock
drawn equipment. At Centres, agricultural engineers worked in
close association with agronomists to develop ferti-seed drills
viz. Shivaji multipurpose tool bar (Soalpur), Malaviya seed drill
(Varanasi), Birsa seed rill (Ranchi), Ridger planter (Hisar) and
later Plough planter by CRIDA.
The emphasis on intercropping research was to identify the
regions where intercropping was feasible and worthwhile to
increase in cropping intensity and secondly, to compare the
productivity and stability of intercropping versus monocropping
in agro-climatic regions where only a single crop is feasible
in a year. The research strategy for each region consisted of
screening of different crops for compatibility in intercropping
systems, modifying planting patterns, such as paired row
planting, identifying optimum row ratios for efficient moisture
and nutrient utilization by component crops, identifying the best
50 Years of Dryland Agriculture Research in AICRPDA: An Overview
3
cultivars for the component crops and determining the optimum
N and P doses for intercropping systems (Freyman, 1975;
Venkatachary et. al., 1979; Patel et. al., 1981; Chetty, 1983;
Singh and Singh, 1983; Singh et. al., 2004). The significant area
identified was tailoring the technology to the aberrant weather
situations.
Second Phase (1976-1982): the focus on dryland research was
identifying efficient methods for crop lifesaving irrigation,
in situ moisture conservation by tillage, continued focus on
identifying efficient crops and cropping systems, crop husbandry
for weather aberrations and alternate or multiple land use.
Third Phase (1982-1987): Dryland research continued cropping
systems, i.e., both intercropping and double cropping, that could
ensure stable optimal yields and maximize profits in relation to
agroclimatic resources, with further refinement of the systems
through identification of genotypes, manipulation of sowing and
harvesting dates and plant populations and fertilizer use. Pulses
and oilseeds formed important components of the cropping
systems research (AICRPDA, 2003). Permanent manurial trials
wer initiated at 18 Centres for efficient carbon and nutrient
balance and optimization (1984 onwards). These benchmark
experiments are serving as platforms for intensive research on
carbon sequestration, nutrient use efficiency, development of
data sets for C modeling and soil quality assessment.
Initial outputs
The dryland research amply demonstrated that yield of
dry land crops could be increased by at least 100% with
improved varieties and sowing methods and higher yields with
advancement of sowing dates, particularly post rainy period
in Deccan region, minimizing the risk with split application
of N, and alternate crops for aberrant weather situations. Dry
seeding is recommended for the locations/soil types where the
conditions (soil) do not permit sowing operations with the onset
of monsoon. Innovated in 1973, in the Alfisols of Hyderabad,
sorghum + pigeonpea intercropping system (2:1) was promising
in replacement series while sorghum (1.8 lakh plants/ha) +
pigeonpea (75,000 plants/ha) and sorghum+ greengram (2:1) in
additive series were promising. Studies on low monetary inputs
like improved seed, timely sowing and timely weeding helped
bridging the yield gaps in sorghum in Alfisols of Hyderabad
(Singh et. al., 1987). Across the AICRPDA centres, probable
and efficient crop growing periods were established based
on rainfall, potential evapotranspiration and water retaining
capacity of soils. Kaolin was identified as the most effective
anti-transpirant for controlling the transpiration losses of barley
and sorghum. Under severe drought at Anantapur, the groundnut
yield increased by 173 kg over 520 kg/ha with 6% kaolin spray
(during the experimental period of 7 seasons, drought occurred
only in 4 seasons). In moderate drought at Dantiwada, pearlmillet

yielded 213 kg more over 894 kg/ha, while the calcium chloride
spray (5%) increased yields by 222 kg over 894 kg/ha (during
the experimental period of 6 seasons, drought occurred only
in one year). In moderate drought, under semi-arid region and
Inceptisols, pearlmillet showed an increase of 75 kg over 1954
kg/ha with kaolin spray. In black soils regions, with 500 to 1000
mm rainfall, the productivity of upland rainy season crops could
be substantially improved by providing furrows graded to 0.2 to
0.3% slope to transmit excess rainwater (Verma, 1982). Another
milestone in dryland research was refinement of cropping
system technology, i.e., in case of rainy season crops, choice
of crops and varieties could be decided by the rainfall pattern
and length of effective growing season, however in post-rainy
season crops grown on conserved soil moisture, the available
soil moisture in the profile at sowing time decided the choice
of crops. With the advent of high yielding and input responsive
varieties to suit different situations, agriculture became more
‘Production oriented’ (Vijayalaxmi et. al. 1975; Friesen et. al.,
1982; Venkateswarlu, 1985; Sigh and Venkateswarlu, 1985;
Singh et. al., 1987; Singh et. al, 1988; Hegde, 1988).
The concepts of off-season tillage and life saving irrigation with
harvested rainwater for better crop production were established.
In chronic drought prone areas, deep tillage (20-30 cm) was
found specifically applicable to soils having textural profiles
or hard pans. Under uni-modal (

either as base crop or intercrop performed better, particularly in
sorghum, cotton and pearl millet based intercropping systems
(AICPRDA, 2003; Rafey and Verma, 1988). In widely spaced
crops like pearl millet and pigeonpea, 2:1 proportion was found
to be better at several locations (Umrani et. al., 1992). Suitable
varieties of predominant rainfed crops for weather aberrations
were identified, for example, for delayed onset of monsoon, the
sorghum varieties recommended were: CSH-1 at Akola; M-35-1
at Bellary; S-1049 at Dantiwada; CSH-6 at Udaipur (AICRPDA,
2003).
Crop substitution concept was evolved in which the performance
of various new crops was evaluated vis-a-vis traditional crops,
for e.g., in Vertisols of Bellary, sorghum was more efficient
than cotton (Singh, 1987). The cropping intensity could be
increased considerably depending on the soil types and moisture
availability period. However, the duration of the crop cultivars
influenced the selection of a cropping system. Hence, the dryland
research in this area clearly brought out that in the high rainfall
(> 1000 mm) regions of Orissa, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and
Madhya Pradesh, a second crop could be grown in the residual
moisture after a 90 days duration variety of upland rice than 120
days duration. Similarly in the Vertisols of Malwa (Madhya
Pradesh) and Vidarbha (Maharashtra), a change of 140 or 150
days sorghums to about 90 or 100 days cultivars provided an
opportunity to grow chickpea or safflower in sequence. Double
cropping was possible only in areas receiving more than 750
mm rainfall with a soil moisture storage capacity of more than
200 mm. Another significant contribution of dryland research
was the identification of the most compatible genotypes of the
component crops of the system for higher system productivity.
A new concept of fertilizer use was evolved to tailor to the
available soil moisture status at least in post rainy season areas.
The studies conducted across AICRPDA centres showed that 1
kg of fertilizer N produced additional grain yield varying from
4.3 to 38 kg in a variety of crops (rice, sorghum, pearlmillet, rabi
sorghum, wheat, safflower and mustard) grown under different
rainfall environments and diverse soil types (Anonymous,
1977). The magnitude of response deceased with the higher
rates, except for maize. Yield advantages were associated with
the split application of N in cereals. Application of inorganic
and organic fertilizers in set furrows in groundnut, pearlmillet
and cotton (Saurashtra) gave better yields.
The sustainability analysis of the practices developed for
increasing productivity of dryland crops is an aspect distinctly
different from productivity. In dryland research, methods of soil
and water conservation have been regarded as a pre-requisite
to providing better crop growing environment. Other practices
like optimum plant density, appropriate cropping system and
fertilizer use have been found to be the key factors in increasing
the productivity of dryland crops. Although these aspects have
50 Years of Dryland Agriculture Research in AICRPDA: An Overview
5
been documented in terms of their relative importance for
increasing productivity, the sustainability aspect did not figure
anywhere. Sustainability is directly linked with the minimum
guarantee that a given practice can hold in terms of productivity
and profitability. In case of plant density, the average productivity
over varying plant densities are positively correlated with
sustainability in most of the situations. Sustainability in yield
due to plant density is interacting with crop, variety, season,
rainfall, soil type and fertilizer.
In most of the situations, the sustainability of yield was higher
when the recommended dose of fertilizer was applied. In
case of cereals, higher sustainability was obtained when the
recommended dose of nutrients was applied through chemical
sources. In the case of oilseeds, however, the recommended dose
applied half through chemical fertilizer and other half through
organic source led to higher sustainability values. Available
nitrogen, organic carbon and phosphorous content in soil were
increased with organic fertilizer application. Application of
crop residues in combination with chemical fertilizer resulted
in higher sustainable yield and maintained higher levels of
nitrogen, phosphorous and organic carbon. Green leaf manuring
proved promising in increasing the sustainability in yield and
improving the organic carbon, infiltration rate and hydraulic
conductivity of the soil (Singh et. al., 1990).
The experiments on alternate land use systems (ALUS) for
arable and marginal lands were initiated at AICRPDA in 1981.
Though the work on alley cropping was in progress since 1981
at AICRPDA, it became a core project of AICRPDA programme
only in 1985 when 10 centres initiated this work. Leucaena
lecocephala based forage alley cropping system was developed
at Hyderabad with the multiple objectives like forage, foragecum-mulch,
and forage-cum-poles. The ALUSs developed were
tree farming, ley farming (Stylosanthes hamata with sorghum
rotation), silivipasture (Leucaena leucocephala + Stylosanthes
hamata + Cenchrus ciliaris) agri-horticulture (guava/custard
apple/pomegranate/ber based) (Korwar et. al., 1997; Singh
et. al., 1987). Leucaena leucocephala is the most popular tree
species to serve as hedgerow in the alley cropping system
(Hegde et. al., 1988). Studies at AICRPDA during 1975-1983,
revealed that Dicanthium, Sehima and Lasiurus are suitable for
severe drought prone areas while Cenchrus ciliaris, Panicum
maximum and Urochloa were for moderate drought prone
areas. Stylosanthus hamata, a pasture legume, was identified for
improvement of soil fertility and as quality fodder for Alfisols of
Hyderabad (Reddy and Hampaiah, 1982)
During 1972-73, large scale scarcity of rainfall was experienced
all over the country, particularly in the scarcity region of
Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Roving seminars
were organized by the ICAR at different locations, at the
end of which new phrases were coined viz., contingent crop

planning, and mid-season correction. As a follow up, dry land
centres collected data on these two aspects and after analysis
of weather data for the past 100 years, listed the weather
aberrations: i) delayed onset of monsoon; ii) early withdrawal
of monsoon; iii) intermittent dry spells of various durations;
iv) prolonged dry spells causing changes in the strategy; and
v) prolonged monsoon. Agronomists at the centres at Solapur,
Bijapur, and Hyderabad worked on these aspects and developed
contingent crop planning strategies for delayed on set monsoon
(AICRPDA, 1983a). The efforts made by the agronomists in this
scarcity region by introduction of safflower as a sole crop in
scarcity zone of Maharashtra ultimately augmented the oilseed
production, further, at Indore safflower was introduced in
rotation with soybean which gave a yield of 2 t/ha with residual
moisture. In Bhubaneswar region, groundnut was introduced as a
rabi crop. Contingency plans, for each region, was a conceptual
approach unique from AICRPDA project in developing location
specific contingent crop strategies which were first published
in 1977 in Indian Farming, and with further refinements and
updating in crops and varieties, the first document was brought
out by AICRPDA in 1983 on “Contingent crop production
strategy in rainfed areas under different weather conditions”
(AICRPDA, 1983b). Another significant outcome of dryland
research in dry land farming was, in 1979, the AICRPDA
was the first to bring out “Improved Agronomic Practices for
Dry land Crops in India” with the recommendations on the
soil type-wise crops and varieties, contingent crop planning,
suitable cropping systems and other agronomic practices. The
concept and contents were well received and emulated by other
AICRPs. The contributions of ORPs in demonstration of dry
land technologies, action research and feedback on technologies
was immense which helped in refining technologies related to
in situ moisture conservation practices, cropping systems, etc.
(Singh et. al., 1987).
Watershed approach for dryland agriculture
development
The soil and water conservation technologies emanated from
the project could contribute to design and implement Integrated
Dryland Agriculture Development (IDLAD) project during
1971-1981 in various states. The project through adoption of 30
model watersheds (1983-87) clearly established that a permanent
solution to the problems of chronically drought affected areas
through overall development of the water and land resources.
Further, productivity gains in these watersheds indicated two
to several fold increase in crop productivity; rise in income
through profits and improvement in cropped area and cropping
intensity and a concomitant rise in number of working days with
overall potential in improving and stabilizing the productivity of
Ravindra Chary et al.
drylands. Above all it stimulated the concept of development of
rainfed agriculture with watershed as the unit of activity. Based
on the experiences of these model watersheds, Government of
India launched National Watershed Development Programmes
in Rainfed Area (NWDPRA) in 1986 in 15 states. Launching
of NWDPRA has its roots in the successes witnessed through
model watershed programme and a vital aspect of this massive
national effort in stabilising and improving the quality of
agriculture in rainfed areas.
Initial experiences gained
Early research efforts in AICRPDA during 1970s and 1980s
helped in identifying potential production through a combination
of simple agronomic techniques such as off-season tillage
and contour farming to enhance in situ water conservation,
improved biotypes of crops, soil fertility management to
overcome nutritional constraints, and weed control to avoid
non-productive use of soil stored moisture and nutrients. The
research also provided feedback for further refinement of
the production agronomy techniques, cropping systems and
rainwater-management methods. By adjusting row ratios of
crops of an intercropping system to minimize competition, the
traditional mixed cropping system was upgraded in productivity.
Compared to earlier efforts, it was clearly recognized that to bring
about stability and improvement in rainfed agriculture, it was
essential to apply the techniques of rainwater conservation and
standard agronomic practices in an integrated mode. With this
approach the productivity of rainfed crops rose by a factor of 2 to
3. More importantly, despite aberrations in year-to-year rainfall
behaviour, occurrence of total crop failure could be eliminated.
Applicability of new research findings was tested in the farmers’
fields with promising results. However, the sustainability of
various farming techniques under farmer’s situation was noncommensurate
with the benefits demonstrated at the research
farm. A major emphasis of the technology application was
aimed at arable farming. As a result, the application ignored the
capability of land to support various farming enterprises and did
not integrate the development of non-arable areas with arable
areas. Nearly one half of the lands in rainfed areas do not qualify
to be devoted to arable farming based upon the land capability
classification criteria. Collection of runoff in farm ponds was
not widely accepted because the cost of seepage proofing, a
necessary investment for high-percolating Alfisols, was not
affordable to a majority of the small and marginal farmers.
Apart from problems of seepage and high initial investment in
constructing individual farm ponds, water lifting and method
of irrigation of limited amounts of harvested water remained
crucial aspects of adoption.
6

Keeping in view the above constraints, the research efforts
were reoriented during the 1980s. It was recognized that
water deficits in a natural body, such as land, is a reflection
of imbalance in the hydrological cycle on a micro-scale. The
effective conservation of rainwater and its management and
budgeting led to the emergence of a watershed concept which
integrates the development of arable and non-arable areas. Since
conduct of rainwater in one area influences its availability in
the adjacent area, with watershed as the basic unit of activity it
became possible to craft comprehensive research approach for
an efficient natural resource use plan. In 1983, ICAR piloted
a National Watershed Programme with 47 model watersheds
spread across the country. AICRPDA was bestowed with
the responsibility of backstopping the activities of 30 model
watersheds in 13 states. Compared to earlier programmes, the
entire strategy framework was holistic in that it combined the
technologies relating to soil and water conservation with the
standard agronomic practices against the backdrop of alternative
land uses. Furthermore, these watersheds served as testing
grounds for the already available technologies. The impact at
Nartora, Tejpura, Mittemari received the National Productivity
Awards for excellence. Significant gains in terms of productivity,
groundwater recharge and cropping intensity could be observed
at several watersheds.
A modest beginning on adoption of improved technologies was
observed as early as in 1970s. This resulted in corresponding
improvement in the productivity of rained crops like sorghum,
pearlmillet, groundnut and cotton are a testimony to this act.
During 1981-93, area under coarse cereals put together (rained
area 91%) had fallen by 17 Mha. Despite this marked fall in area,
the production increased by 6 million tonnes. This indicated a
positive impact of research activities and then interfacing with
development efforts.
The soil and water conservation technologies emanated from
the project could contribute to design and implement Integrated
Dryland Agriculture Development (IDLAD) project during
1971-1981 in various states. The project through adoption of 30
model watersheds (1983-87) clearly established that a permanent
solution to the problems of chronically drought affected areas
through overall development of the water and land resources.
Further, with productivity gains in these watersheds indicated
two to several fold increase in crop productivity; rise in income
through profits and improvement in cropped area and cropping
intensity and a concomitant rise in number of working days with
overall potential in improving and stabilizing the productivity
of drylands. Above all it stimulated the concept of development
of rainfed agriculture with watershed as the unit of activity.
Launching of NWDPRA has its roots in the successes witnessed
through model watershed programme and a vital aspect of this
massive national effort in stabilising and improving the quality
of agriculture in rainfed areas.
50 Years of Dryland Agriculture Research in AICRPDA: An Overview
7
Dryland agriculture research in AICRPDA - Post
1987
The research prioritization in AICRPDA, to the larger extent,
has been in tune with the emerging problems in dryland
agriculture in the country and in tune with the ICAR prioritized
programmes/goals. AICRPDA provided a platform in dryland
agriculture research and development network at national level
to address the emerging challenges in dryland agriculture from
time to time in a concerted and coordinated manner while
maintaining the location specificity of the research.
Milestones – Post 1987
● 1996, Bhubaneswar centre was shifted to Phulbani.
● In 2005, three more main centers were started at Jagdalpur
(IGKV), Chattisgarh, Jorhat (AAU), Assam and Parbhani
(VNMKV), Maharashtra.
● In 2010, Jorhat and Ranchi centres were shifted to Biswnath
Chariali and Chianki, respectively.
● In 2016, during XII Plan, five more new voluntary centres
were started at Darsi (ANGRAU, Andhra Pradesh), Aklera
(Agricultural University, Kota, Rajasthan), Munger (BAU,
Sabour, Bihar), Raichur (UAS, Raichur, Karnataka), and
Imphal (CAU, Manipur).
● Strengthened inter-institutional collaborative research in
AICRPDA at common centres of AICRPDA and other
AICRPs & ICAR Institutes across Subject Matter Divisions
(NRM, Crop Sciences, Horticulture and Agricultural
Engineering) of ICAR.
● AICRP on Cotton and CICR, Nagpur and 4 AICRPDA centres
viz., Parbhani, Akola, Rajkot and Kovilpatti) for evaluation
of high density planting system (HDPS) of cotton in diverse
rainfed agro-ecologies; AICRP on Agrometeorology &
CRIDA and 7 common centres of AICRPDA-AICRPAM
centres on “ measuring, monitoring and management of
dry spells in major rainfed crop(s); AICRP on Agroforestry
and CAFRI, Jhansi and. 12 AICRPDA centres for quality
agroforestry research; AICRP on Forage Crops and IGFRI,
Jhansi and 6 AICRPDA centres for quality research in forage
crops at common centres; AICRP on Integrated Farming
Systems and IIFSR, Modipuram and 5 AICRPDA centres
for strengthening rainfed integrated farming research;
AICRP on Fruit Crops and 5 AICRPDA centres for quality
research in fruit crops at common centres); AICRP on Farm
Machinery- for technical backstopping and capacity building
● In 2018, during SFC 2017-20, a new voluntary centre was
initiated at Adilabad, PJTSAU
● In 2018, 8 ORP centres were closed at Anantapur, Arjia,
Ballowal Saunkhri, Bengaluru, Chianki, Hisar, Indore and
Solapur

Expanding the rainfed research base in the
AICRPDA Centre’s domain ACZ
● To address the rainfed agriculture problems in diverse
agro-ecologies and production systems in the domain ACZ
of each centre, since, 2019-20, thematic experiments were
initiated at 16 Agricultural Research Stations and 2 KVKs
viz. RARS, North Lakhimpur (Biswanath Chariali), ARS,
Kanker (Jagdalpur),RRTTS, G. Udayagiri (Phulbani),
Rajiv Gandhi South Campus, Barkachha (Varanasi), ARS,
Udaipur (Arjia),KVK, Pathankot (Ballowal Saunkhri),
Maize Research Centre, Udhampur (Rakh Dhiansar),ARS,
Balijigapade (Bengaluru),RRS, Bawal (Hisar),RRS,
Radhanpur (SK Nagar),ARS, Annigeri (Vijayapura), ARS,
Mohol (Solapur), KVK, Dewas (Indore), RARS, Nandyal
(Anantapuramu), Cotton Research Station, Kukda (Rajkot),
ARS, Buldana (Akola), Red Soil Farm, Velayuthapuram
(Kovilpatti), Bajara Research Station, Vaijapur (Parbhani).
● In 2018, a new functional mechanism of On-Farm Research
(OFR) was initiated at all 22 centres in AICRPDA. The focus
is on two aspects i.e. technology assessment refinement
and upscaling and on-farm participatory rainfed integrated
farming systems research
● At present, the AICRPDA network has 18 main centres, one
sub centre, and 9 voluntary centres including 3 voluntary
centres at IGFRI, Jhansi, CAZRI, Jodhpur and Bellary centre
of IISWC, Dehradun
●●
Aligning AICRPDA research with national/states
priorities in rainfed agriculture development and policy
● Some national and state programmes/schemes are listed
below.
● Integrated Watershed Management Programme (1990s)
● Taming the droughts: Drought coping measures during the
moderate and severe droughts/deficit rainfall experienced
in 1992,2000, 2013, 2014 and 2015 in various parts of the
country.
● ISOPOM-ICRISAT-Project- Farmer- Participatory
Groundnut Improvement in Rainfed Cropping Systems
(2006)
● Livelihood Security in Hoshiarpur District of Punjab (2008)
● Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) (Since 2015)
● National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM),
● National Food Security Mission (NFSM) (Since 2014)
● Prime Minister Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)
● National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
(2015)
Ravindra Chary et al.
● Revision of Drought Manual, MoAFW, GoI (2016)
● Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme (MGNREGS)
● Prioritization of Rainfed Area for Developmental Planning
- National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), MoAFW, GoI
(2020)
● Revision of Common Guidelines for New Generation
Watersheds, National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA),
MoAFW, GoI and MoRD, GoI (2020)
● National Agriculture Disaster Management Plan (NADMP),
MoAFW, GoI and MoHA, GoI (2021)
● District Agriculture Contingency Plans for 650 districts,
MoAFW, GoI (2011 onwards)
● Drought Proofing Action Plans, MoAFW, GoI for 24
districts (16 in Karnataka and 4 each in Rajasthan and
Andhra Pradesh) (2017)
● Boochetana, Govt. of Karnataka
● Panta Sanjeevani, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh
● Krishi Bhagya Scheme, Govt. of Karnataka
● Farm pond/percolation tanks (Balram Talab and Lakhan
Talab schemes) in Madhya Pradesh
● Dryland Farming Mission, Govt. of Maharashtra
● Dryland Farming Mission, Govt. of Karnataka
● Nanaji Deshmukh Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture
(PoCRA), Govt. of Maharashtra (2017)
● Comprehensive District Agriculture/Land Development
Plans of various districts
● Identification of farming systems modules for small and
marginal farmers of southern Rajasthan (ILRI, ATMA)
● Soil test based P recommendations in groundnut growing
regions of Andhra Pradesh
● RKVY - Strengthening and Promotion of Rainwater
Management Activities for the Enhancing the Productivity
in Rainfed Area of Mewar Region Innovations in Research
(2016)
● DST - Integrated approaches to conserve the natural
resources for sustainable development & to mitigate the
effect of climate change in participatory mode in Kandi
region, Punjab (2015)
● DST - Revival of village ponds through Scientific
interventions in Kandi region, Punjab (2017)
● RKVY - Development and Popularization of Integrated
Farming System Model for Rainfed Ecosystem in Northern
Gujarat (2019)
8

Innovations in prioritization of research in
AICRPDA
A unique and innovative approach for research prioritization
and technical programme development was initiated since
2001 in AICRPDA by conducting: i) Brainstorming sessions,
ii). Production systems-wise National Group Meetings and iii).
Stakeholder Consultation Workshops, in 2001, 2008 and 2013,
respectively. During these meetings/workshops the participants
were farmers, scientists from CRIDA, SAUs, AICRPs, ICAR
Institutes and KVKs, officials from ATMA, state line departments
and NGOs. These meetings/workshops were conducted for
stocktaking of the status and aspirations of the stakeholders
under different land classes with farmers, link departments,
research organizations, non-governmental organizations and
other participants in the system at all Centers for the first time in
the history of Project. The above meetings were conducted after
a series of brainstorming meetings conducted by the individual
centers with the stakeholders at their respective locations to
draw the perspective plan of the centre. During stakeholder
consultation workshops were held on emerging problems in
dryland agriculture to integrate into technical programme of the
centre and convergence mechanisms for technology upscaling.
The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
(SWOTs) are derived. The current status on rainfed agriculture
viz. crops, natural resources etc., were analysed. Then the
ongoing Technical Program was examined along with the
scientists of the centre to analyse the gaps. New programs are
formulated or treatments in the present program are augmented
to fulfil expected needs within the natural resource environs for
implementation. The research collaboration at centres so far has
been with CRIDA, AICRPAM and other AICRPs in NRM, Crop
sciences, Horticulture and Agriculture Engineering Divisions of
ICAR for implementing the core research programmes either
Institute or externally funded national/international/ state funded
projects, some also include consultancy projects. These projects
supported in meeting the objectives of AICRPDA, particularly in
thrust areas of rainwater management, evaluation of germplasm,
nutrient management, soil quality, carbon sequestration,
conservation agriculture, climate resilient agriculture, and also
for technology assessment, refinement and upscaling.
Research focus and collaboration
●●
50 Years of Dryland Agriculture Research in AICRPDA: An Overview
Resource conservation (soil and water conservation/
watershed): Karnataka State Council for Science and
Technology - Establishing vegetation under highly eroded
conditions (1990); KSDA, Government of Karnataka
- Impact of soil and water conservation measures in
model micro-watershed at Yarnal (1984); US-India -
Soil Conservation and Watershed Management (1990);
ACIAR - Tools and indicators for planning sustainable soil
9
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●●
management in semi arid forms and management (1996);
Asian Development Bank - Improving management of
natural resources for sustainable rainfed agriculture (1999);
DST- Behaviour and Pattern of gully erosion in foothills of
lower Shiwaliks and their management (2003) ; ISRO, GoI-
Remote sensing for runoff modelling in watersheds of Dhar
district, Madhya Pradesh (2003); ICAR-AP Cess-Rain water
management through economically feasible water harvesting
tank (2005); RKVY - Improving the productivity of dryland
crops through integrated watershed approach and precision
farming (2007); ICAR-USA-On Farm Water management
for rainfed agriculture on benchmark watersheds in diverse
eco-regions of India (2007); ICAR-National Fellow-
Assessment of Sustainability of Treated/ Developed
Watersheds in Rainfed Agro-Eco-Sub Regions of Peninsular
India using GIS and Remote Sensing (2009); ACIAR-Impact
of meso-scale watershed development in Andhra Pradesh
(India) and comparative catchments in Australia Soil and
water conservation (2011); ICAR- Advanced Research and
Upscaling of Dryland Technologies in Northern Dry zone of
Karnataka (2012);ICRISAT-CRP-Dryland systems- (2012)
Rainwater management: Germany - Artificial recharge
of groundwater through integrated sand filter well injection
technique (1999); DST- Assessment of improved irrigation
scheduling using hydrodynamic modelling (2013); DBT-
Bio-fustigation and bio-irrigation for sustaining productivity
of finger millet and pigeonpea intercropping system (2016)
[ ICAR-CRP - Development and management of integrated
water resources in different Agro-ecological region of India
(2016)
Nutrient management: Permanent Manurial Trials at
18 Centres – for efficient carbon and nutrient balance and
optimization. These benchmark experiments serving as
platforms for intensive research on carbon sequestration,
nutrient use efficiency, development of data sets for C
modeling, soil quality assessment; In 2000, long term
experiments on tillage and nutrient management for
developing conservation tillage strategies in rainfed
agriculture. These experiments laid sound foundation for
soil quality research in 2005, and further to Conservation
agriculture in 2015; INM, SSNM, Balanced nutrition
experiments were initiated to address multiple nutrient
stresses in diverse soil types in rainfed production systems
Soil quality: ICAR- Integrated nutrient supply and
management for rabi sorghum under dryland condition
(1997);ACIAR- Indicators and soil management options for
sustainable agriculture under rainfed situation of Anantapur
(1997); ICAR-AP Cess - Fertility management for soybean
based cropping sequences (2000); ICAR-AP Cess -
Assessing soil quality key indicators for development of soil

●●
●●
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●●
●●
●●
●●
●●
●●
quality index under predominant management practices in
rainfed agroecology (2005); ICAR-AMASS-Application of
micro-organisms in agriculture and allied sectors (Nutrient
Management, PGPR) (2006); ICAR- Crop yield and
quality soil properties and economic returns under organic
management in rainfed agro-ecosystem (2009); Farmers
Participatory Action Research Programme - MoWR, GoI-
Tank silt as an organic amendment for improving soil and
water productivity(2011)
Cropping systems: ICAR- National Agriculture Technology
Project (NATP)-CRIDA-AICRPDA: Production systems
Research in Rainfed Agroecosystems (2000); ICAR-NATP-
Identification of Research Gapes in Intercropping System
under Rainfed Conditions of India (2000); DFID Indo-UK
Collaborative Project on Oilseed Crops Phase-II (2003)
Crop improvement: CSIR-NOVOD-National Network
project on integrated development of Jatropha and Pongamia
(2004); NOVOD-Genetic improvement of Jatropha for oil
yield and adaptability (2005)
Farm mechanization: Indo-US-Research in Mechanization
of Dryland Agriculture (Plan) (1997); NATP-Mission Mode
Project on Dryland Farm Mechanization (2002).
Climate resilient agriculture: MPCoST- Impact of Climate
Change on Agricultural Crops (2008); NICRA-Developing
Adaptation and mitigation strategies to cope with climate
change /variability (since 2011); NICRA-Real-time
contingency planning for managing weather aberrations at
23 centres (2011).
Conservation agriculture in rainfed production systems:
ICAR-CRP project on conservation agriculture in rainfed
production systems (since 2015).
Nanotechnology: Nanoparticles for enhancing water and
nutrient use efficiency: ICAR-EM-Innovative nano-clay
polymer composite for higher water productivity in rainfed
production system (since 2015).
Soil carbon sequestration in rainfed production systems:
ICAR-AP Cess- Organic Carbon Assessment and its
maintenance under rainfed production systems (2004);
DST- - Evaluation of carbon sequestration ability plantation
crops in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh (2013); DST-Carbon
sequestration potential of reduced tillage system under
rainfed conditions (2009)
GHG emission studies: DST - Crop residue management
for enhancing soil quality, crop productivity and mitigation
of climate change (2012); DST -Quantifying Green House
Gas (GHG) emissions in rainfed production systems (2012)
Rainfed farming systems research: ICAR-AP Cess
-Sustainable farming system models for marginal and
small farmers of Malwa & Nimar regions of Western parts
Ravindra Chary et al.
10
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of Madhya Pradesh (2005); Enhancing fodder and milk
production in Dhuwala & Gynagarh watershed of Bhilwara
(2007)
Agroforestry systems /alternate land use: ICAR-NATP-
Development of Agri-horticulture and Agro-forestry
system in Sorghum Area Decreasing Region for Overall
Sustainability of Rainfed Production System in Sangli
district (2000); NATP-Mission Mode Project on Land
Use Planning for Management of Agricultural Resources-
Rainfed Agroecosystem (2002); NABARD- Prospects of
Land Use Diversification Opportunities in distressed districts
of Telangana Region (2009). During 1900s, the focus was on
Zyziphus mauritiana, Annoa squamosa, Tamarindus indicus,
Azadirachta indica, Dalbergia sisso and Grewia optiva
based agroforestry systems, during 2000s, the focus was
on Emblica officinalis, Moringa oleifera, Mangifera indica
based agri-hortisystems and since 2011 onwards, the focus
has been on Casuarina equistifolia, Melia dubia, Bambusa
vulgaris, Gmeliana arborea based agroforestry systems
Action research for technology refinement/ assessment/
upscaling: Capacity building of ORPs in Rainfed
Agroecosystem - An Action Research Project (2004);
Farmers Part
Livelihood improvement: DFID -Enabling rural poor for
better livelihoods through Natural Resources Management
in SAT India (2003); ICAR-NAIP-Sustainable Rural
Livelihoods through enhanced farming systems productivity
and efficient support systems in rainfed areas (2007); ICAR-
NAIP -Enabling small stakeholders to improve livelihoods
and benefits from carbon finance (2009); ICAR-NAIP-Policy
and Institutional Options for Inclusive Agricultural Growth
(2009); MPUAT-Livelihoods under climate variability and
change: strengthening the adaptive capacity of rural poor to
water scarcity in drylands (2011).
Significant research outputs
The Centres developed agro-ecology specific doable dryland
technologies in various thematic areas (Padmani et. al., 2009;
Venkateswarlu et. al., 2009; Jawahar et. al., 2014; Kadma et.
al., 2014; Ramachandrappa et. al., 2014; Sharma et. al., 2015;
Bastia et. al., 2018; Shirahatti et. al., 2018; Singh et. al., 2019;
Pradhan et. al., 2020; Ravindra Chary et. al., 2022).
Resource characterization
● Characterized changing rainfall pattern (1900-2000) in the
domain AICRPDA network centres with indicated.
● Delineated 132 sub-soil groups with 41 diverse land uses in
5428 ha area in 16 microwatersheds across the country.
● Identification of the length of the effective crop-growing
season in different agro-climatic regions

●●
Delineation of drought-prone areas and predictions
on nature and extent of their spread: drought regions
identified viz. DR-I: Chronic Drought in Arid Marginal Rainy
Season Aridisols); DR-II: Chronic Drought Region in Arid
Sub-marginal Rainy Season Vertisols and Alfisols); DR-III:
Chronic Drought Region in Dry Semi-arid Delayed Rainy
Season ;Vertisols and Alfisols); DR-IV: Chronic Drought
in Dry Semi-arid Post Rainy Season Vertic/ Vertisols);
DR-V: Ephemeral Drought in Wet Semi-arid Rainy Season
Vertisols/ Alfisols) ; DR-VI: Apparent Drought in Dry
Sub-humid Alfisols/ Oxisols Regions) (Vittal et. al., 2003;
Ravindra Chary et. al., 2010)
● Characterized rainwater harvesting of potential zones in the
agroclimatic domains of AICRPDA centres
● Developed rainfall intensity, duration and frequency (IDF)
curves for specific rainfed agroecoliogies
●●
Identified emerging nutrient deficiencies in rainfed
production systems: Soils of 19 out of 21 centres had low in
organic carbon (< 0.5%); available N was low in most of the
soils except surface soils of Indore and Ranchi; low to very
high P, available K and S varied from low to high; available
Zn was below critical limit; deficient in available Ca (< 1.5
me/100 g), Mg deficient (0.67, moderately
sustainable (0.33-0.67) and low sustainable ( 1500 mm) and soil types (Entisols,
Inceptisols, Vertisols, Alfisols, Aridisols) viz. deep tillage,
compartmental bunding, inter-plot rainwater harvesting
techniques, conservation furrow, broad bed & furrows,
raised bed & furrow system, ridges & furrows, tied ridges,
zing terracing, mulching techniques etc. (Katama Reddy et.
al.,1992; Yellamanda Reddy,1994; Guled et. al., 2003).
●●
Ex-situ rainwater management: At centres, based on
catchment-storage-command area relationship, standardized
rainwater harvesting structures viz. farm pond and other
water harvesting structures for diverse rainfall and soil
types and efficient rainwater utilization for higher water
productivity (Shirahatti et. al., 2019; Balyan et. al., 2022;
Water resource thus developed could be used for life
saving irrigation, extension of cropping season, increasing

cropping intensity and raising of high-value cash crops.
The advantages of supplemental irrigation from harvested
rainwater were significant and considerable improvement
in crop yields (25-45%) was recorded at AICRPDA centres.
Efforts were made for Packaging farm pond technology with
standard farm pond sizes, lining with single and combination
of environmentally friendly low cost materials, to reduce
seepage losses, water lifting with energy efficient lifting
pumps, reducing evaporation losses, and efficient water
utilization through micro-irrigation systems
● Developed location-specific open well and bore well recharge
models at Parbhani, Vijayapura, Bangalore, Jagdalpur and
Rajkot centres with efficient filtering mechanisms
Cropping systems
The research on crops and cropping systems was focused
on evaluation of the most efficient crops and their varieties
for each agroclimatic location. Systematic designs were
developed and improved to suit dry land conditions for
evaluation of intercropping. Standard agronomic practices
were worked out for important food crops. Most efficient
crop varieties have been identified based on a continuous
evaluation and screening both at research station followed
by farmers’ fields.
With the base crop of 100 days duration, for intercropping,
varieties of 140-150 days duration on deep moisture -
retentive soils and 60-70 days duration on medium deep
soil were highly successful. A pool of germplasm of short
duration underexploited crops such as horsegram has been
screened and promising lines identified for increasing
cropping intensity by sequence/ intercrop. In case of
plant density, the average productivity over varying plant
densities is positively correlated with sustainability in most
of the situations. Sustainability in yield due to plant density
is interacting with crop, variety, season, rainfall, soil type
and fertilizer. When fertilizer was applied the sustainability
index started decreasing at a lower plant density compared
to the situation where fertilizer was applied at a higher plant
density (Ravindra Chary et. al., 2012).
● Developed efficient and risk resilient and productive
intercropping/strip cropping systems for diverse rainfed
agro-ecologies i.e. rainfall ( 1500 mm) and soil
types (Entisols, Inceptisols, Vertisols, Alfisols, Aridisols). In
the late 1980s and 1990s, intercropping of vegetables (okra,
radish, chillies etc.) with grain crops (pigeonpea etc.) for
higher income was pursued vigorously in some AICRPDA
centres (Phulbani, Varanasi etc.) (AICRPDA,2003; Shankar
et. al., 2001; Surakod et. al., 2016). Further, the additive
series in intercropping systems was found to be most
successful with base crops as sorghum, maize, pearlmillet,
pigeonpea, safflower and wheat, with higher LERs (with
Ravindra Chary et al.
12
●●
average of 23% more) than replacement series with multiple
benefits of higher output and returns, spread labour peaks,
maintenance of soil fertility (with inclusion of legume) and
stability in production. In ICSs, the complementarity could
be increased with the staggered planting of component crops
than simultaneous planting. Pigeonpea had been found
to be unique and highly preferred component crop across
production systems (AICRPDA, 2003; Itnal et. al.,1994).
Sorghum+pigeonpea was the most preferred ICS followed
by upland rice/groundnut/sorghum+pigeonpea. Overall, the
best base crops appeared to be upland rice, sorghum and
pigeonpea, while pigeonpea, greengram and soybean were
the best component crops.
Developed double cropping systems for high rainfall
zones: With sufficient rainfall (usually > 800 mm) double
cropping was possible and out of the two crops, one could
be short duration (60-70 days, usually legume), and another
could be long duration of 110-120 days (usually cereal). At
Varanasi, Phulbani, Rewa and Ranchi, sequential cropping
was very much possible while with more success in selection
of suitable crops and their sequence. Short duration (60-
70 days) legumes such as greengram/blackgram or early
cowpea followed by 100-120 days cereal crop was an ideal
sequential cropping system while one cereal in the sequence
was useful to meet grain and fodder requirements. In
regions where rainfall was more than 1000 mm (Rewa and
Ranchi), upland rice-chickpea/lentil was a proven sequence.
Successful intercropping was when the optimum plant
population of base crop through the row arrangements while
maintaining the plant density of companion crop/intercrop
near optimal (range could be 75 -100%). In high rainfall
(> 1000 mm) regions of Odisha, Eastern Uttar Pradesh
and Madhya Pradesh, a second crop could be grown in the
residual moisture after a 90-day duration variety of upland
rice than 120 days duration, similarly in the Vertisols of
Malwa (Madhya Pradesh) and Vidarbha (Maharashtra), a
change of 140 or 150 days sorghum to about 90- or 100-
days cultivars provided an opportunity to grow chickpea or
safflower in sequence. Double cropping was possible only
in areas receiving more than 750 mm rainfall with a soil
moisture storage capacity of more than 200 mm
● Developed strip cropping systems amenable to mechanization
viz. maize (grain) with 2/3 area + maize (fodder) with 1/3 area
(Semiarid Vertisols, Arjia); maize (6 m strip) +blackgram
(2.4 m strip) (subhumid Inceptisols, Ballowal Saunkhri);
soybean + pigeonpea cropping with strips of 18.9 m each
(18 & 12 rows/strip) (semiarid Vertisols, Parbhani).
Crop diversification
Based on the research information for the past 40 years across
AICRPDA, a new approach was identified for horizontal and

vertical diversifications potentials of rainfed cropping systems
in typical rainfed districts in India, which were given for five
major crop based production systems viz. rice, oilseeds, pulses,
cotton and coarse cereals under the Simpson crop diversification
indices of 80-100%, 60-80%, 40-60% and less than 40%, as well
as under different soil degradation status (Vittal and Ravindra
Chary, 2007). Diversification with nutri-cereals in rainfed
agroecologies : at Kovilpatti, in post-monsoon semiarid Alfisols,
intercropping of medium duration pigeonpea (Co(Rg)7) with
nutricereals in 2: 6 ratio, i.e. barnyard millet (CO 2)/ foxtail
millet (CO 7)/ kodo millet (Paiyur 1)/ proso millet (CO 5)/
little millet (CO 5) and pearlmillet (CO 10); in bimodal rainfall
zone, at Darsi, foxtail millet- cowpea/blackgram; pearlmilletgreengram/cowpea/backgram
and pigeonpea+-foxtail millet
(1:5)/pearlmillet (1:2), foxtail millet-greengram; at Phulbani,
finger millet (5 rows) in sunken bed + okra (2 rows).
Contingency crop planning
The rainfall data at 23 AICRPDA locations in the country were
analysed with regards to: a) the dates of onset and termination
of the rainy season and its variability, and b) the distribution of
rainfall within the rainy season. The information so generated
was fitted the selection of efficient crops, varieties, and
cropping systems. Later, the agro-climatological studies helped
the dryland research workers: i). to identify suitable crops and
varieties for early, normal and late commencement of sowing
rains, ii). to identify and match intercropping systems with the
rainfall pattern), iii). determine optimum sowing periods for
different crops and cropping systems, and iv). to assess the
amounts of inevitable runoff available for water harvesting
and recycling in arid, semiarid and sub-humid regions of the
country. Weekly water balance computations were carried out to
determine the water availability periods for crop growth, based
on which, suitable cropping systems (mono, inter and double
cropping) have been identified. The drought vulnerability of
rainfed crops was assessed reflecting dates of commencement
of rainy seasons, and threshold values of moisture availability
for obtaining above average yields were obtained. In order to
explain the patterns of rainfed crops in relation to various dates of
commencement of the rainy season, crop-weather models were
developed using the concept of water requirement satisfaction of
the crop during its growth cycle. The probability of occurrence
of different amounts of rainfall and the corresponding length of
the growing season, as related to the annual rainfall could be
taken as a criterion for stabilizing crop production in any region
(Singh and Ramakrishna, 1993).
Based on significant work during past 50 years, the long-term
strategic approaches were developed to efficiently conserve
and utilize rainwater on the one hand and in-season tactical
50 Years of Dryland Agriculture Research in AICRPDA: An Overview
approaches to mitigate the adverse effects of weather aberrations
with specific management strategies. Research in this area
refined or developed several crop contingency plans specific to
agro climatic zones, districts or even at micro level considering
rainfall variability, soil types and dominant cropping patterns,
to mitigate the drought effects to a certain extent (Singh and
Ramana Rao 1988). The dryland research efforts in AICRPDA
could be able to generate crop contingency plans for a dry land
centre’s domain (Subba Reddy et. al., 2008). Further, during
2009-10, agronomists at AICRPDA centres identified crop wise
contingency plans for the respective domain areas considering
the weather aberrations, seasons, and predominant kharif and
rabi crops with appropriate crop management strategies. Since,
2010, CRIDA has been working on district level contingency
plans for weather aberrations particularly drought, addressing
crops, livestock, fisheries. The farming situation and dominant
cropping system wise soil and crop management strategies
are given for the delayed onset of monsoon (2/4/6/8 weeks’
delay) and also for in season drought (early, mid and terminal)
(Venkateswarlu et. al., 2011).
Under National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture
(NICRA), since 2011, initiated both on-station research and
on-farm demonstration of real-time contingency plans at 23
AICRPDA Network centres. Real Time Contingency Planning
(RTCP) is considered as “Any contingency measure, either
technology related (land, soil, water, crop) or institutional and
policy based, which is implemented based on real time weather
pattern (including extreme events) in any crop growing season”
(Srinivasarao et. al., 2016). The on-farm program is being
implemented in 54 adopted villages in 26 districts covering 15
states. Since 2011, the AICRPDA-NICRA programme is being
strengthened at network centres to address the emerging location
specific weather aberrations such as delayed onset and in-season
droughts in the domain of majority of the centres, excess rainfall
events at specific locations and droughts and floods in north
bank plain zone of Assam. The RTCP implementation was with
two-pronged approach i.e., preparedness and real-time response.
Identified suitable crops and varieties to cope with delayed onset
of monsoon: For example, at Indore, for 14 delay in soybean
cv. RVS 2001-4, JS 335, pigeonpea cv. C 11, ICPH-2671; at
Biswanath Chariali for 18 days’ delay, rice cv. Gitesh Ranjit; at
Parbhani for 18 days’ delay, pigeonpea cv. BDN 711; at Rajkot
for 25 days’ delay cv. groundnut cv. GG 20, sesame cv. G
Sesame 2 and castor cv. GCH 7; at SK Nagar for 21 days’ delay,
pearlmillet cv. GHB 558, greengram cv. GM 4 etc. Developed
46 real-time contingency measures (soil, water and crop based)
to cope with early, midseason and terminal drought in rainfed
crops (Neog et. al., 2016; Neog et. al., 2020; Ravindra Chary
et. al., 2013; Ravindra Chary et. al., 2020; Gethe et. al., 2021).
13

Soil management
Integrated nutrient management (INM) studies have established
the value of several naturally occurring nutrients containing
(organic manures) and generating (biofertilizers) sources to
augment overall nutrient turnovers for soil fertility management.
Green manure was found to be a dependable source of several
plant nutrients. Typically, it could meet half the N requirements
of a crop. Inclusion of legumes in a rotation benefitted the
succeeding crop equivalent to 1030 kg N ha 1 . Short duration
legumes such as cowpea benefitted much more. An integration
of FYM (10 t/ha) + recommended NPK at Bangalore not only
stabilized productivity and improved sustainability but also
improved economics of production. INM in combination with
legume-based crop is recommended for higher productivity.
INM systems, besides nutrient supplementation, enhanced
soils’ ability to hold additional water and produced resulted
in favourable soil biological interactions. Schemes to generate
green manure in a non-competitive way during the no cropping
season and bund farming have been worked out. This has
opened a new vista to make green manuring a viable option.
Long term INM trials conducted for more than 20 seasons at
AICRPDA centres indicated that fertilizer cost can be reduced by
substitution of fertilizer with organics. In most of the situations,
the yield sustainability was higher when the recommended
dose of fertilizer was applied. Further, in case of cereals,
higher sustainability was obtained when the recommended
dose of nutrients was applied through chemical sources. In
case of oilseeds, however, the recommended dose applied half
through chemical fertilizer and the other half through organic
source led to higher sustainability values. Available nitrogen,
organic carbon and phosphorus content in soil were increased
with organic fertilizer application. Application of crop residues
in combination with chemical fertilizer resulted in higher
sustainable yield and maintained higher levels of nitrogen,
phosphorus and organic carbon. Green leaf manure proved
promising in increasing the sustainability in yield and improving
the organic carbon, infiltration rate and hydraulic conductivity
of the soil (Vittal et. al., 2005).
●●
●●
Soil organic carbon stocks in rainfed production
systems: Organic C stocks varied Vertisols, Inceptisols,
Alfisols, Aridisols in decreasing order. Inorganic C and total
C stocks were larger in Vertisols than in other soil types.
Soil organic C stocks decreased with depth in the profile,
whereas inorganic C stocks increased with depth. Among
the production systems, soybean-, maize-, and groundnutbased
systems showed greater organic C stocks than other
production systems (Srinivasarao et. al., 2012)
Carbon sequestration strategies in rainfed production
systems: Conjunctive use of chemical fertilizers and organic
manure resulted in higher sustainable yield index (SYI) over
Ravindra Chary et al.
14
●●
●●
●●
●●
unfertilized control and sole application of either chemical
fertilizers or organic manures. The mean annual C input
were recorded maximum in soybean system followed that in
rice and ground nut systems. The soil organic carbon content
increased from 0.23% to 0.39% at Anantapur, 0. 23% to
0.39% at Bangalore, 0.36% to 0.56% at Solapur, 0.15% to
0.24% at SK Nagar, 0.35% to 0.53% at Indore and 0.24%
to 0.34% at Varanasi due to different INM practices. The
carbon footprints (Tg CE ha -1 year -1 ) were higher in cereals
cropping systems followed by oilseed and pulse systems.
The carbon footprints per unit amount of yield (Tg CE Mg -1
grain) showed higher for rice (2.8800) - lentil (6.1463)
sequence in Inceptisols (Srinivasarao et. al., 2009)
Identified key soil quality indicators in diverse rainfed
agroecologies: Organic carbon (OC), available N, P, K, S,
exchangeable Ca, Mg and DTPA extractable Zn emerged as
key chemical soil quality indicators in most of the rainfed
soils. Among the set of biological and physical soil quality
indicators, dehydrogenase activity, microbial biomass carbon
and labile carbon, bulk density and mean weight diameter
(soil structure) figured as predominant indicators. Based
on soil quality indices, best soil and nutrient management
treatments/practices were identified for rainfed production
systems
Micronutrient research in rainfed production systems: At
Arjia, recommended dose of N&P with all limiting nutrients
(Zn, B and Mg) gave highest maize grain yield (2474 kg/
ha) ; at Bengaluru, rec. N and K + Lime @ 300 kg/ha +
MgCO 3
@ 150 kg/ha + Borax @ 10 kg/ha recorded a higher
fingermillet mean grain yield of 3580 Kg/ha ; in sorghum at
Kovilpatti, maximum grain yield of 1624 kg/ha with 40 kg
N/ha + 20 kg P/ha + 25 kg ZnSO 4
/ha
Site specific nutrient management: At Bengaluru, SSNM
for a targeted fingermillet yield of 4.0 t/ha recorded higher
mean grain yield (3760 kg/ha), followed by the application
of recommended dose of . P 2
O 5
+ 125% Rec. N & K 2
O +
ZnSO 4
+ lime application
Foliar spray of potassium for drought mitigation: Multilocation
experiments on diverse soil types and crops viz.,
Solapur, Maharashtra (rabi sorghum, Vertisol); Arjia,
Rajasthan (maize, Inceptisols); Biswanath Chariali, Assam
(toria, Inceptisols); Rajkot, Gujarat (groundnut, Vertic
Inceptisols) and Jamnagar, Gujarat (chickpea, Vertisols)
indicated, spray of 1% KNO3 @ 35 and 55 days after sowing
(DAS) in rabi sorghum; RDF (40 kg N, 35 kg P and 15 kg K
per ha) + 2% KNO3 before flowering in toria; 2% KNO3 at
60 DAS in groundnut and 2 % KNO3 in maize and chickpea
has increased leaf water content during mid-season drought
and were proven promising to overcome water stress
conditions

●●
Microbial consortia for drought tolerance in rainfed
crops: In semiarid Vertisols at Parbhani (in rabi sorghum)
and in subhumid Inceptisols at Ballowal Saunkhri (in maize),
seed treatment + soil application of microbial consortia (C1:
Pseudomonas putida P7 + Bacillus subtilis B30 and C2:
Pseudomonas putida P45 + Bacillus amyloliquefaciens B17)
recorded significantly higher grain yield.
Energy management/Farm mechanization
●●
50 Years of Dryland Agriculture Research in AICRPDA: An Overview
Low till farming strategies identified: Conventional tillage
was superior at Bangalore for finger millet under semi-arid
Alfisols; for pearlmillet under semi-arid Vertisols of Solapur
and arid Inceptisols of Agra; for rice under moist subhumid
Oxisols of Phulbani and dry sub-humid Inceptisols of
Varanasi; for maize under dry sub-humid Inceptisols of
Rakh Dhiansar; wheat under moist sub-humid Inceptisols of
Ballowal Saunkhri; and for soybean under semiarid Vertisols
of Indore. Low tillage + herbicide application was found to
be superior for maize under dry sub- humid Inceptisols of
Ballowal Saunkhri; soybean under moist subhumid Vertisols
of Rewa; and cluster bean under semi-arid Aridisols of
Dantiwada. Low tillage + hand weeding was found to be
superior for pearlmillet under semi-arid Aridisols of Hisar;
and groundnut under semi-arid Alfisols of Anantapur
(Sharma et. al., 2010; Maruthi Sankar et. al., 2011).
●●
Farm mechanization in rainfed cropping systems:
Mechanization of drylands reduced 20-59% operation cost,
saved 45-64% in operation time, saved 31-38% seed &
fertilizer and increased productivity of dryland crops by 18
to 53%. The energy requirement of major farm operations
in dryland agriculture was worked out. Anantapur and
Bengaluru centres developed energy efficient bullock/
tractor drawn implements/machinery for various agricultural
operations. Complete farm mechanization package is
developed for groundnut, rabi sorghum, maize and chickpea
at various centres. The project over a period of time worked
on suitable implements for mechanization of various
agricultural operations. This reduced 20-59% operation
cost, saved 45-64% in operation time, saved 31-38% seed
& fertilizer and increased productivity of dryland crops by
18-53%.
Alternate land use systems
In the Post 1987 era, the dryland agriculture research was much
important due to shift from field crops to dry land horticulture
plantation, particularly in shallow and slopy lands. The various
alternate land use options were made available viz. agro-forestry
systems (alley cropping, agri-horticulture, horti-pastoral system,
agri-silvi-pasture system,), intercropping with nitrogen fixing
tree species (NFTs) and ley farming in arable lands; and tree
AICRPDA Centre Agroforestry system Tree Crop/grass
Arjia Silvi-pasture Azadirachta indica (Neem) Cenchrus ciliaris/ Stylosanthes hamata
Akola Agri-horticulture Custard apple+ Hanumanphal Green gram
Bengaluru Agri-horticulture Aonla Finger millet
Custard apple
Finger millet
Vijaypura Agri-horticulture Aonla+ Henna+ Custard Apple Chickpea+ safflower
Sapota + guava
Chickpea
Kovilpatti Agri-horticulture Sapota Cotton
Aonla
Greengram
Custard apple
Greengram
Parbhani Agri-horticulture Drumstick Blackgram
Rajkot Agri-horticulture Guava Ground nut
Rakh Dhiansar Agri-silviculture Subabul Wheat
Agri-horti- silviculture Guava+ Melia dubia Setaria+ maize + gobi sarson
Solapur Agri-horticulture Aonla Sunflower
Varanasi Agri-horticulture Guava Pearlmillet
Aonla
Greengram
Ananthapuramu Agri-horticulture Aonla Fodder sorghum
Jagdalpur Agri-horticulture Mango Fingermillet
Hisar Silvi-pasture Azadirachta indica Cenchrus setigerus
15

farming/woodlots, range/pasture management, silvi-pastoral
management system, timber and fibre (Timfib) system in
culturable waste and marginal lands (Singh and Osman, 1995).
Techniques for rehabilitation of marginal lands for planting
annual and perennial crops by restructuring the planting site
were devised through fertility improvement by addition of
tank silt, composted/farmyard manure, black soil etc. With
planting site improvement, a noticeable improvement in crop
establishment, survival and yielding ability occurred. Systematic
designs were developed and improved to suit agroforestry.
Management practices such as mulching, water harvesting, and
soil amendments were evolved for marginal lands for improved
survival of horticultural and forest tree species. Horti-pastoral
system was identified as one of the potential alternative land
use system options in shallow to medium deep soils to meet
the growing demand of fruit and fodder, particularly to small
ruminants. Studies have indicated that ring weeding and in situ
moisture conservation besides micro site improvement were
essential to improve the survival of fruit tree seedlings in dry
lands (Subudhi and Behera, 2008). Water supply to the plant
can be improved by water harvesting using in situ or ex situ
system. At Hyderabad, micro reliefs of 3 m width and 25 cm
height, spaced 9 m from ridge, have been used to store extra
rainwater for fruit trees such as kagzi lime, Coorg mandarin,
and sweet orange with tomato and okra as intercrops (Singh and
Vishnumurthy,1988).
A number of promising alternate land use systems were
identified for different rainfall zones and soil types which
included agri-silviculture, agri-horticulture and silvi-pasture
systems: Aonla + greengram fodder in kharif and mustard in rabi
at Rakh Dhiansar; Aonla + finger millet/ cowpea at Bangalore;
Ley farming with Stylosanthes hamata with sorghum rotation),
silivipasture with Leucaena leucocephala + Stylosanthes hamata
+ Cenchrus ciliaris, agro-horticulture with guava/custard apple/
pomegranate/ber based found better. The agroforestry systems
developed at various Centres are given in table.
Integrated farming systems research
Research on integrated farming systems was started at
AICRPDA centres in 1990s (AICRPDA, 2003). At Kovilpatti,
an IFS model for 0.4 ha comprising sorghum+greengram (0.16
ha) + maize + cowpea (0.08 ha) + clusterbean /senna (0.04 ha)
+ poultry (20 broiler birds) +Kanni goats (4) + Vembur sheep
(6) + dairy - cross bred cow (1) was suggested which could
give more sustainability with higher net returns, employment
generation and increase in soil fertility (Soliappan et. al., 2007).
Other IFS modules suggested were, agroforestry+sheep based
IFS at Anantapur, cereals, and most importantly at Arjia viable
IFS modules were developed with the components of crop,
small ruminants, agroforestry systems for small and marginal
Ravindra Chary et al.
16
holdings, which were included in National Livelihood Mission
programme in Bhilwara district (Rajasthan). The research on
agroforestry systems based IFS modules (with the components
of perennials, annual crops, grasses, medicinal and aromatic
plants, high value crops etc.) have been in progress at AICRPDA
centres and now more priority is given for identifying/
developing farming situation specific IFS modules since 2006.
Identified rainfed farming systems viz. at SK Nagar, integration
of agricultural alone with livestock; at Bangalore, crops + dairy
+ sheep + goat + poultry + sericulture + piggery; at Kovilpatti
(Tamil Nadu) showed that crop + goat (4) + poultry (20) +
sheep (6) + dairy (1); at Bijapur crops, horticulture, goat and
poultry and at Anantapur, sheep rearing (10 no.) and groundnut
cultivation (1 ha) and groundnut cultivation (1 ha) + 1 jersey
cow. Identified efficient integrated farming systems modules for
scarce rainfall zone of Andhra Pradesh (Gopinath et. al., 2013).
Land capability based productive farming systems are identified
for drought prone regions based on land capability, rainfall, and
soil orders and the outcome of research information generated at
AICRPDA centres (Vittal et. al., 2007).
Since 2018, Rainfed Integrated Farming Systems (RIFS) onfarm
research has been redesigned as a flagship programme
in AICRPDA. A standard methodology was developed for
inventory and characterization of traditional rainfed farming
systems in each AICRPDA centre’s agro ecology. The
predominant rainfed integrated farming systems (RIFSs) were
characterized by surveying 5280 farmers (covering marginal,
small and medium, and farming situations-rainfed and partially
irrigated) by 22 centres (240 farmers each) in 132 villages of
44 blocks in 22 districts across 15 states. The traditional RIFSs
were analysed and identified core RIFS practiced under rainfed
conditions viz. crop + large ruminants, crop + small ruminants,
crop poultry, crop + horticulture + large ruminants, crop + large
ruminants + small ruminants + poultry and crop + poultry. Under
partially irrigated conditions, the predominant RIFS are crop +
large ruminants, crop + horticulture + large ruminants and crop
+ large ruminants + small ruminants + poultry. Stakeholder
consultations were held in OFR-RIFS villages to prioritize
component-wise interventions to strengthen traditional RIFSs.
The interventions are being implemented under seven modules
(as per the need) viz. NRM, crop, livestock, perennial tree,
fodder, specific/optional module (interventions specific to
individual farmers’ needs) and capacity building.
Land use planning for management of agricultural
resources in rainfed agroecosystem
During 2001-2005, an entirely new approach of Crop planning
as per Soil-site suitability was conceptualized under NATP-
Mission Mode Project on Land Use Planning for Management
of Agricultural Resources in Rainfed Agroecosystem where in

400 interventions were demonstrated on 132 soil-sub groups on
varying topo-sequences in 16 micro watersheds by 13 AICRPDA
centres.This provided much needed land use diversification
from the traditional rainfed land utilization and indicated micro
level variations of soils (phases of soil series) and management
practices on a topo-sequence (Ravindra Chary et. al., 2008;
Shankar et. al., 2004) are the prime factors influencing land
productivity which increased from 30 to 50 per cent and in
few cases more than double. The soil-site suitability criteria
were developed for 41 field, horticulture and high value crops.
Developed cadastral level soil-site specific cropping systems
centred land use modules for higher land productivity in 19
micro watersheds across rainfed agro-ecosubregions. Developed
a new concept and methodology of delineating each microwatershed
into homogeneous units viz., Soil Conservation Units
(SCUs), Soil Quality Units (SQUs) and Land Management Units
(LMUs) for soil and water conservation prioritized activities,
for soil quality and carbon sequestration and for allocating land
parcels to most suitable land uses (Ravindra Chary et. al., 2015).
Technology assessment, refinement and development
One of the core objectives of AICRPDA is to evaluate and study
transferability of improved dryland technologies to farmers’
fields. In this regard, the coordinated efforts by AICRPDA
centres are the best model for technology assessment and
refinement and also technology upscaling in diverse rainfed
agroecologies. Self-evaluation through ORPs is the hallmark
of AICRPDA. On-farm participatory technology development
has been a continuous process and delivered effectively through
ORP in developing doable rainfed technologies (Sharma et. al.,
2010; Balakrishna Reddy et. al., 2013; Ramachandrappa et. al.,
2014; Bhanavase et. al., 2014; Kothari et. al., 2016; Bhargavi et.
al., 2019). In the ORPs, the action research has been in the real
farm situations. They demonstrated the economic viability, and
feasibility of the recommended location specific technology.
Feedback to research was an important conduit from the ORPs.
Research findings from the main centres were assessed as action
research through Operational Research Projects and feedback
from farmers was given to main centres for refinement, if any.
The revitalization of ORPs has been done by restructuring the
ORP technical programme through Participatory Research
Plans (PRPs) for Participatory Technology Development and
Participatory Extension Plans (PEPs) for technology upscaling.
PRPs and PEP s are now embedded in technical programme of
ORPs for effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation
for impact (Ravindra Chary et. al., 2009). On-farm validation
of contingency measures on real-time basis (delayed onset of
monsoon, early/midseason/terminal drought/high intensity
rainfall events). Soil moisture conservation practices on a small
agricultural watershed including the development of water
harvesting were also a result of the program. Another significant
50 Years of Dryland Agriculture Research in AICRPDA: An Overview
17
achievement was quantification of intercropping systems
management and farm mechanization. Over a period, ORPs
could give feedback on some of the technologies for refinement
and many for wider adoption. Since NRM technologies are
location-specific and needed continuous evaluation. The
technology assessment and development at non-ORP centres
has been through on-farm trials supported by AICRPDA and
externally funded projects including state /SAU funded projects/
programmes.
Experiences gained (Post 1987)
Soil quality has been the major constraint in rainfed
agroecosystems. During 2000 to till date, the research
on Permanent manurial trials, INM, Tillage and nutrient
management, could identify soil carbon management /carbon
sequestration strategies to suit diverse rainfed agroecologies and
also to enhance the crop productivity. Rainfed production system
and soil-site specific soil quality indicators are identified which
help in furthering the research focus on soil quality maintenance
in soils of rainfed agriculture. The project since inception with a
focused approach could identify/develop contingency measures
to cope with drought. The recent high intensity rainfall events
are recurrent during cropping season, particularly in Vertisol
areas of Central India and Southern Deccan Plateau, enormously
affecting production and productivity of rainfed crops. To
address these issues, the research on contingency planning
reoriented under NICRA to evaluate contingency measures on
real-time basis at all centres to identify the risk resilient crop/
cropping systems, soil and nutrient management practices to
cope with delayed onset of monsoon and in season drought.
The impact of these studies indicated preparedness through
rainwater harvesting and efficient utilization through life
saving/supplemental irrigation, in situ conservation measures
such as broad bed furrow, ridge and furrow system etc. enabled
with energy efficient farm implements, short duration drought
tolerant varieties and intercropping systems and implementation
of contingency measures on real-time basis during delayed
onset of monsoon and early/midseason/terminal droughts with
various soil, crop and energy management strategies could
enhance productivity and bring in resilience, to some extent, to
the production system. However, timely availability of seed of
contingency crop/variety and in desired quantity, availability
of materials of foliar sprays, stored rainwater for life saving
irrigation when needed, farm implements to take up sowings in
large area within the limited moisture availability window are
some of the major constraints in implementation of real-time
contingency plans.
Sustaining the rainfed agriculture with stable productivity and
profitability is the major concern. The research on alternative
land use systems for stabilizing and maximizing productivity
could be able to develop some agroforestry models matching

specific agro-ecologies. Crop-livestock based farming systems
have been the sustaining the rained farmers for their income and
livelihood. With animal population dwindling and with forced
non-farm income activities, the research focus is strengthening
traditional arming systems with suitable components that
enhance productivity, income and livelihoods and also act
as adaptation/risk resilient strategy towards climate resilient
rainfed agriculture.
Dryland technologies, which are primarily “natural resource
centered” have to address the challenges of rainfall variability/
drought, land/soil quality deterioration, enhancing crop
productivity for stabilizing production in diverse biophysical
and socioeconomic settings of dryland agriculture. Over a
period, it has been a daunting task for the project to generate
dryland technologies as a package. Yet, the project succeeded
in developing doable agroecology specific rainfed technologies
that resulted in higher water/land productivity, enhance or
maintain soil health, carbon sequestration, mechanization of
dryland farming to some extent. However, as a System approach,
the research in the project needs to be strengthened, may be with
more human resources with needed expertise and knowledge,
advanced research facilities and no doubt with high investment.
Participatory technology development (PTD) is a continuous
process in dryland agriculture research and development. With
institutionalization of On-farm research at all the regular centres
paved the way for technology assessment, refinement and
upscaling under real-farm situation. Further, this mechanism
also helped in on-farm participatory research on Integrated
farming systems.
As far as technology upscaling is considered, the convergence
mechanism needs to be strengthened since NRM technologies
are “Capital intensive” which need multi-programme and multiinstitutional
strong collaboration ensuring the participation of
primary stakeholders i.e., farmers, with much needed institutional
and policy support from time to time for investments in dryland
agriculture development.
Future thrust areas in dryland agriculture research
The major challenges for sustainable dryland agriculture are
natural resource degradation, climate change, increasing food,
feed and fodder demand and slow growth in farm income.
These challenges demand a paradigm shift in formulating and
implementing the dryland agricultural research programmes.
Some perspectives as well as proposals for future dryland
agriculture research are:
i) Addressing the challenges and opportunities facing the
food and agriculture system: Focus of dryland agriculture
research to be more on adaptation. . Innovation efforts should
include focus on new crop varieties, crop protection, innovative
rainwater management, responsible use of fertilizers, soil
Ravindra Chary et al.
18
conservation, and adjustment in farming practices, etc. Increasing
farm productivity on existing land should be a top policy priority
as it is the most productive and environmentally friendly option
available, and will address issues such as biodiversity, carbon
sinks etc.
ii) Food security and environmental protection are not
mutually exclusive goals: Integrated agriculture based on the
judicious use of technology and inputs (such as seeds, manure,
fertilizers and crop protection products) and good agricultural
practices can increase farm production in a sustainable way. So
there is an urgent need to develop appropriate technologies for
precision farming.
iii) Agro-ecology specific resilient integrated farming
systems: Dryland agriculture research has a key role to play
in the innovative research needed to transform agricultural
production systems in future. New food production models will
have to be considered that will take account of ever decreasing
resources while at the same time providing ever increased levels
of output. Developing these new systems will result in a different
approach to farming practices and the natural environment, the
challenge being to develop integrated crop- tree-fodder-animal
systems that increase agricultural output whilst simultaneously
advancing environmental, economic and social goals. Focus
should be on developing risk resilient and sustainable dryland
farming systems.
iv) Sustainable intensification: The concept of ‘sustainable
intensification’ refers to the process of increasing agricultural
yields without adverse environmental impact and without the
cultivation of more land. This concept underlines the approach
required by dryland agriculture research to the challenges
outlined above. Dryland agriculture research must strive to
develop new production technologies and approaches that
maximize the benefits of natural resources while protecting and
restoring these resources for future use. There must be a broad,
inter-institutional and multidisciplinary approach to address
these challenges in terms of crop diversification, enhanced food
safety, improved natural resource management, biodiversity
protection, climate change adaptation, energy security and meet
the demand for environmental goods and services.
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22

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 23-30 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00011.2
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
North Bank Plain Zone of Assam
P.K. Sarma, N. Baruah, B. Borkotoki, J. Kalita, A. Sonowal, Rupam Borah, Rupshree Borah,
N. Kalita, N. Kakati and L.B. Bharali
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre
Assam Agriculture University, Biswanath Chariali – 784 176, Assam
Email: sarmahpk@gmail.com
Brief history of the Centre
The All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland
Agriculture Centre at Jorhat under Assam Agriculture University
was started in 2005. Later, in 2010, the Centre was shifted to
the present location at Biswanath Chariali which is located in
Biswanath District in North Bank Plains Zone of Assam. The
Centre is catering to the dry land research needs of North Bank
Plain Zone (NBPZ) of Assam and the state in general since 2010.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
The zone belongs to NARP Agro-climatic Zone ‘North Bank
Plains Zone (NBPZ) with six domain districts viz., Darrang,
Udalguri, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Lakhimpur and Dhemaji. The
climatic of the zone is sub-tropical having hot and humid
summer, dry and cold winter and high relative humidity.
Summer is experienced from May to August, cold winter from
December to January and a mild winter is experienced from
September to November and February to April. The zone
receives an average annual rainfall of 1980 mm while during
pre-monsoon (March-May), monsoon (June-September), postmonsoon
(October-November) and winter period (December-
February), the average rainfall received is 486.5 mm (24.57%),
1279 mm (64.64%), 150.3 mm (7.59%) and 63.3 mm (3.20%),
respectively. The average maximum temperature is recorded
in July-August (about 33-34 ° C during 28 th to 34 th SMW) and
minimum temperature (6.9-8.2 ° C during January). July and
August month are the hottest months and January-February
are the coolest months. Flood is common in every year and
sometimes flood occurs even in September in Dhemaji and
Lakhimpur districts. Approx. 105 days rainy days per year is
generally experienced in the North Bank Plan Zone of Assam.
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days
(AICRPDA, Biswanath Chariali)
Rainfall
Normal rainfall Normal rainy
(mm) days (No.)
Pre-monsoon (March-May) 486.5 32
Monsoon (June-September) 1279.0 56
Post-monsoon
150.3 9
(October-November)
Dry periods
63.3 8
(December-February)
Total 1979.1 105
Major soil types
The major soil types in the zone are sandy loam and clay loam
soils.
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif are
Sali rice, Boro rice, Bao rice, maize, greengram, blackgram and
sesamum, during rabi are toria, jute, pea, sugarcane and potato
and during autumn Ahu rice.
Dryland agriculture problems
The major problems of dryland agriculture in domain districts
of the centre are
Weather aberrations
● Recurring flood during the monsoon season leading to
extensive damage of crop fields. Prolonged dry spells during
rabi season leading to poor crop yields and non-remunerative
crop production.
Soil and land management related
● Predominance of acid soils resulting in low crop productivity
● Injudicious application of agro-chemicals leading to soil
degradation
● Sand casting of agricultural field in Dhemaji and Lakhimpur
districts resulting in conversion of fertile agricultural lands
to unproductive land.
Socio-economic factors
● Predominance of small and marginal farmers hinders
adoption of modern technology in agriculture
● Fragmentation of land holdings and practice of monocropping
● Non-adoption of community farming
● Lack of adequate farm mechanization due to non-availability
of suitable agricultural machineries for cultivation in small
land holdings.
● Market risks
● Non-availability of quality seed/planting material of
improved crop varieties
● Underdeveloped livestock and fishery sectors
Research initiatives since inception of the centre
23

The North Bank Plains Zone (NBPZ) of Assam consists of
6 districts viz., Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur,
Darrang and Udalguri. The zone covers a total area of 14.42
lakh ha with dominant upland situation. The Centre is presently
undertaking research activities in diverse rainfed agro-ecologies
of NBPZ of Assam and a multidisciplinary team of agronomist,
soil scientists and water conservation engineer are involved in
the need based location-specific research. The hallmark of the
programme is the need based location-specific research of small
and marginal farmers based on natural resource management and
socioeconomic status. The on-station trials of AICRPDA center
are carried out in the experimental farm of Biswanath College
of Agriculture which represents the upland situation. The rice
based cropping system research under midland and lowland
situations is carried out at Regional Agricultural Research
Station, North Lakhimpur, as well as at research field of Krishi
Vigyan Kendra, Sonitpur under Assam Agricultural University
(AAU), for development of technologies for medium/lowland
situations of the zone. The collaborative on-station and onfarm
technology assessment and refinement is carried out in
six agroclimatic zones of Assam both at Regional Agricultural
Research stations and Krishi Vigyan Kendras of AAU for
inclusion of suitable rainfed technologies in state package of
practices which is a joint venture of Department of Agriculture,
Assam and AAU. The technologies are subsequently included
in various extension programmes for various projects of
government of India implemented by government of Assam
through state Department of Agriculture, AICRPDA, NICRA,
TSP, various AICRP projects and NABARD.
Significant achievements
Resource characterization
Agro-climatic resource characterization and crop planning of
Sonitpur district revealed that the annual rainfall varied from
1358 mm (2001) to 2573 mm (2004) with mean value at 2027
± 55.54 mm. The rainy season in the region starts in mid-March
and quantum of rainfall as well as number of rainy days increases
gradually and reaches maximum in the month of July and then
decline to minimum during November/December. During the
study period, highest monthly rainfall recorded was 668 mm in
the month of July. June and July were the wettest months (362
mm) while December (11 mm) was the driest month. Coefficient
of variation (CV) of monthly rainfall from April to September
was less than 50 which reveals that rainfall during these months
are almost stable.
The seasonal and annual rainfall of the zone was verified with
Mann-Kendall trend test and Sen’s slope estimator for the
period of 1984 to 2016. A significant decreasing trend of annual
and monsoon rainfall with slope magnitude of -15.09 mm / yr
and -29.03 mm / yr, respectively, was identified and a positive
Sarma et al.
24
significant trend of coefficient of variation of monthly rainfall
for a 10-year moving period was observed for the month of June
(R 2 = 0.63), September (R 2 = 0.59) and October (R 2 = 0.57).
The study indicated that the rainfall fluctuations with large
amplitudes and increasing frequency of intermittent dry spells
and flash floods in the region has been increasing and also likely
to increase in future.
Analysis of 27 years (1984-2012) rainfall data of NBPZ showed
that seasonal drought occurred in both kharif and rabi season,
however frequency of occurrence of drought was more in rabi
as compared to kharif season. It was also found that the longest
agricultural drought of 4 weeks was experienced during kharif
season, while in rabi, the drought was mostly prolonged for 5
weeks and in some case, it continued up to 11 weeks. The rainy
days with more than 100 mm rainfall in the region has been
increasing, though it is not statistically significant. Decadal
change in CV of monthly rainfall during June and September
in the region was observed to be remarkable. It was observed
that number of dry spells (early, mid and late season) and flash
floods in the region have been increasing. The region suffered
from early, mid and late season drought in recent years 2001,
2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Rainwater management
A concrete rainwater harvesting structure was constructed
during 2012-13 having catchment area of about 320 m 2 with
maximum water storage capacity of 528.26 m 3 , for covering
a command area of about 6000 m 2 for data generation on
catchment-storage-command area relationships and to develop
farm pond technology for the domain districts. The evaporation
was 40-43.5% of the total stored water and seepage is
considered to be negligible (concrete lining), whereas, the dead
storage were observed to be around 17-33.22%. The lifesaving
irrigation (3-5 cm) is applied mainly through drip irrigation, and
sprinkler irrigation systems or with the hose pipes as well, in
the crops based on the 10-days continuous dry spell during the
crop period. The average amount of water used for irrigation
during a year is 200-250 m 3 , for the crops with 300% cropping
intensity. The monthly PET of the station was calculated and
the average of annual PET was found to be 1138 mm, which
is lesser by 887 mm as compared to the normal annual rainfall.
Thus, the region has high rainwater harvest potential (887 mm
annually). Normally, from March to October there was surplus
water (935 mm) which is known as humid part of the year while
total crop growth period is even longer. With 50% probability
level of rainfall there was 884 mm excess water and with 75%
probability the excess amount of water was about 40 mm. The
excess water can be harvested and can be used for irrigation not
only to rabi crops but also for irrigating rice crop during dry
spells. The rainwater collected from a catchment area of 224
m 2 (a roof area of 124 m 2 of a house + pond top surface area

of 100 m 2 ) was sufficient to harvest rainwater of 319 m 3 in a
farm pond of same volume. The water collected in the pond
was sufficient for providing two irrigations (0.06 m depth)
in the potato crop cultivated in the area of 1840 m 2 , resulting
in an increase in the tuber yield by 136% as compared to the
rainfed potato crop (52.43 q/ha). Supplemental irrigation by
using harvested rainwater resulted in higher yield of 14,179 kg/
ha (85.6% increase) and 894 kg/ha (107% increase) in case of
potato (Kufri Jyoti) and rapeseed (TS-36), respectively. Based
on the on-station study during 2013-15, the polythene sheet
lining was found to be the best over the other lining materials
viz., cow dung + soil plaster (2:5 ratio) and cement + soil plaster
(2:10 ratio). With a rainwater harvest potential of 2.45 ha-cm in
cement lined tank, 2.07 ha-cm harvested rainwater can be used
to irrigate potato land of 0.99 ha, 0.31 ha and 0.21 ha by one, two
and three times irrigation at 25, 25 & 60 days; and 25, 60 & 80
days after planting, respectively.
Mulching-cum-manuring with locally available agricultural
waste materials and weeds like rice straw, straw of rapeseed,
water hyacinth etc is proved to be useful for management of
intermittent dry spells in both kharif (turmeric and ginger) and
rabi (tomato and potato) seasons. In potato, labour requirements
were reduced considerably as intercultural operations like
earthling up, weeding and irrigation need not be performed in
mulched crop. It was observed that mulching in tomato not only
assist in the better growth of the crop, but also considerably
increase the length of fruiting (harvesting) period of the crop as
compared to the crops grown without mulching. Combination of
lifesaving irrigation and ridge and furrow systems gives better
system yield and RWUE in both the greengram and blackgram
cropping systems over the flat bed and control.
Cropping systems
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in North Bank Plain Zone of Assam
Under cropping system research, experiments were conducted
mostly on intercropping and sequential cropping with 300%
cropping intensity. The 300% cropping intensity trial was
formulated including cereal crop, pulses and oilseeds with
medium and short duration varieties of the respective crops
developed from Assam Agricultural University. From the onstation
trial of 3 years results and multi-location trial (MLT) and
on-farm trial (OFT), some of the technologies have been included
in package of practices. In groundnut-based cropping system,
broad bed & furrow (bed size of 150-30 cm) recorded highest
system yield and B:C ratio. Among the cropping sequences,
groundnut- rajmah sequence was found better as compared to
other sequences. Among the intercropping systems evaluated,
highest system productivity and B:C ratio was recorded in rajmah
+ lentil (1:1) followed by rajmah+ linseed (2:1) system. In maize
based triple cropping systems under rainfed upland situations,
maize+ greengram (paired row) - rajmah – blackgram sequence
was found better followed by maize+ blackgram (paired row)
25
- rajmah – greengram sequence. In the medium land situation
of KVK, Sonitpur, rice-toria sequence gave the highest system
yield in conventional tillage (CT) transplanted Sali rice- zero
tillage (ZT) toria followed by CT wet DSR – ZT toria. However,
CT wet DSR – ZT toria gave the highest B:C ratio. In upland
situations of the Biwanath Chariali, system yield of minimum
tillage (MT) maize -ZT Greengram- ZT toria was found to be at
par with CT maize-CT green gram-CT toria. However, in terms
of B:C ratio, MT maize -ZT green gram- ZT toria was better
than the conventional system.
Nutrient management
In a permanent manurial experiment, application of 75% RDF
+ 3 t/ha vermicompost in each crop gives the highest system
yield and B:C ratio in both the cropping sequences (rice –
grreen gram-toria and maize-green gram-rajmah) in the rainfed
upland situation of the NBPZ of Assam. This was followed by
application of 50% RDF + 3 t/ha vermicompost in each crop
which was at par with 75% RDF + 1 t/ha vermicompost in each
crop. However, in terms of B:C ratio, application of 75% RDF
+ 1 t/ha vermicompost in each crop was more beneficial than
50% RDF + 3 t/ha vermicompost in each crop. Manure addition
significantly improved the soil physico-chemical and biological
properties, and sequestrated organic C in soil compared to
control and RDF treatments.
Alternate land use
Under alternate land use system four intercrops (Assam lemon,
Colocasia, ginger and fodder congosignal) are being evaluated to
study the interaction effect with Gmelina arborea (Gomari) and
Michelia champaca (Titachopa). The study revealed that Gomari
performed better in terms of growth parameters viz. height,
collar diameter and canopy spread as compared to titachopa.
Higher yield was observed in intercrops grown under titachappa
as compared to the intercrops grown under Gomari. This may be
due to higher shading effect of Gamari than Titachappa.
Energy management
In groundnut, two harrowings and one pulverization with power
tiller resulted in higher crop yield and energy use efficiency
(3.64%) compared to conventional tillage which recorded the
lowest energy use efficiency of 0.22%.
Evaluation of improved varieties
In a varietal evaluation programme on pigeonpea, BAC 1
(Biswanath Arhar Collection 1), matured in 250-260 days
exhibited highest seed yields followed by BAC 2, compared
to recommended variety T21. An early maturing pigeonpea
variety ICPL 88039 (matured in 150 days) exhibited lower
but comparable seed yield than recommended variety. The
observations indicate that ICPL 88039 is a promising early
maturing pigeonpea genotype for the region under normal

sown condition. Rice var. Dehangi is found suitable for rainfed
upland direct seeded condition over the checks Banglami and
Rangadoria in the NBPZ. A medium duration rice variety, TTB
404 performed the best followed by Komal, Satyaranjan and
Chandrama. The observations indicated that there is possibility
of identifying better varieties than the existing recommended
and cultivated varieties in the medium duration group even with
lesser maturity duration. A bulk population of Niger viz. NB-1
has been developed which exhibited higher seed yield than the
recommended variety NG 1.
Technologies developed for North Bank Plains
Zone of Assam
Rainwater management
● Rainwater harvesting and efficient utilization for enhancing
crop productivity through harvested rainwater in ahu ricegreen
gram- rajmah and ahu rice- green gram- potato
sequences.
● Farm pond technology for higher cropping intensity (300%)
and system productivity of rice-greengram-toria) and maizegreengram-potato.
Cropping systems
Intercropping systems
Annual:
● Pigeonpea + ginger/turmeric
● Sugarcane (spring) + cowpea
● Sugarcane (autumn) + toria
● Cowpea/ maize (fodder) + soybean/toria
● Sesamum + blackgram (1:1)
● Pigeonpea + sesame/blackgram/greengram
● Oat + pea
● Oat + lhesari
● Maize + pea/khesari
● Maize + cowpea/rice bean
● Teosinte + cowpea/rice bean
● Pea (grain) + oat (fodder)
● Lentil + oat (fodder)
Perennial:
● Arecanut + banana + pineapple
● Arecanut + blackpepper + banana + pineapple
● Coconut + ginger + turmeric
● Coconut + betelvine + assam lemon + banana + pineapple
+ ginger
Sarma et al.
● Guinea + cowpea/ricebean
● Hybrid Napier + cowpea
Double /Triple cropping system
● Maize-toria-greengram
● Maize-linseed-greengram
● Maize-buckwheat-greengram
● Maize-niger-greengram
● Maize-rajmah-greengram
● Maize-potato-greengram
● Maize-toria-blackgram
● Maize-linseed-blackgram
● Maize-buckwheat-blackgram
● Maize-niger-blackgram
● Maize-rajmah-blackgram
● Maize-potato-blackgram
● Direct seeded Ahu rice-greengram- toria
● Direct seeded ahu rice-greengram- rajmah
● Direct seeded ahu rice-greengram- potato
Nutrient management
Integrated nutrient management practices
Crop/ Cropping
sequence
Ahu rice
(rice-rice,
rice-legume-rice,
rice fallow)
Ahu ricegreengram-toria
Sali rice (rice-rice,
rice-legume, rice
fallow)
INM Practice
Application of organic manure (compost
or FYM) @ 1 t/ha (on dry weight basis)
along with mixed inoculum of Azospirillum
amazonenseA-10 and Bacillus megaterium P-5
@ 4 kg/ ha (0.4-0.5 kg/a.i./ha), rock phosphate
@ 10 kg P 2 O 5 /ha (56 kg/ha or 7.5 kg/a.i./ha)
and muriate of potash @ 40 kg K
2
O/ha for rice
in rice-rice, rice-legume-rice, and sole rice
sequences.
Application of 75% recommended dose of
fertilizers + 3 ton/ha of vermicompost in each
crop in ahu rice-based cropping system viz.
ahu rice -greengram-toria.
Organic manure @ 1 t/ha (on dry weight basis)
mixed inoculum of Azospirillium amazonense
A-10 and Bacillus megaterium P-5 @ 4 kg/
ha (0.4 to0.5 kg/a.i./ha), rock phosphate @ 10
kg P 2 O 5 (56 kg/ha), MOP @ 40 kg K 2 O/ha
for rice in rice-rice, rice-legume-rice, and sole
rice sequence. In low land kharif rice (Sali),
incorporation of 45 days old dhaincha can
substitute 50% of recommended NPK.
26

Crop/ Cropping
sequence
Boro rice
Bao rice
(Deep water rice)
Maize
Maize- greengramrajmah
Rapeseed
Rapeseedblackgram
Potato
Blackgram/
greengram
Rabi pulses /
oilseeds
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in North Bank Plain Zone of Assam
INM Practice
Nitrogenous fertilizers can also be supplemented
by using azolla. About 500 kg fresh azolla/ha is
to be inoculated in the field ponded with 5-10
cm depth of water for about 2-3 weeks prior to
final puddling. At the time of inoculation 8-10
kg P 2 O 5 /ha in the form of SSP is to be applied
in the field, and the corresponding quantities
of phosphatic fertilizer is to be reduced at the
time of transplanting. Fresh azolla @ 500 kg/
ha also can be applied in the standing water
in transplanted crop after establishment of
seedlings. There is no need for application of
additional phosphatic fertilizer in the field at
the time of inoculation with fresh azolla after
transplanting when recommended doses of
phosphatic fertilizer is applied at the time of
transplanting.
Same as Sali rice
Application of neem coated urea @ 30 kg/ha in
two equal splits as basal and maximum tillering
stage.
Compost or FYM @ 4.5 t/ha along with
recommended dose of fertilizer.
Application of 75% recommended dose of
fertilizers + 3 ton/ha of vermicompost in each
crop in maize based cropping system viz.
Maize-Greengram-Rajmah.
Application of FYM or compost @ 2-3 t/ha
along with recommended dose of fertilizers.
Apply 75% of N and P when seeds are
inoculated with Azotobacter @ 40 g/kg seed
and PSB@ 40 g/kg seed. Foliar application
of water-soluble complex fertilizer (19:19:19)
@ 0.5% + ZnSO @ 0.5% and borax @ 0.5%
4
during dry spell (>10 days) and in siliqua
formation and flowering stage along with
recommended dose of fertilizers.
For integrated sulphur management in rapeseedblackgram
(summer) sequence sulphur should
be applied @ 20 kg/ha as gypsum (100 kg/ha)
+ 25% recommended dose of NPK in the form
of urea: DAP: MOP + biofertilizer Azotobacter
and PSB @ 50 g each/kg of seeds + 2-ton FYM/
ha to each crop.
Ten tonnes or 5 truckloads or 20 cart loads
of well decomposed FYM/ha along with
recommended dose of fertilizers
Application of FYM or compost @ 4 to 5 t/
ha along with seed inoculation Rhizobium
culture @ 50 g/ kg of seeds and fertilizer
dose of 10:35:15 kg N, P 2 O 5 :K 2 O/ha.
Application of 0.4% Ipomoea carnea biochar
with recommended dose fertilizers in summer
greengram.
Application of lime @ 1/10 th of lime
requirements of soil (based on SMP method)
in furrows integrated with FYM @ 2 t/ha
together with 50% recommended dose of NPK
is recommended in acid soils (pH

● Staggered planting of rice (Gitesh, prafulla).
● Planting or direct sowing with the photo and insensitive
varieties like Luit and kapili.
● Planting with photo and insensitive HYV rice variety
(Monohor sali).
Delay by 6 weeks (3 rd week of July)
Sowing of sprouted seeds of Sali rice (short duration varieties-
Satyaranjan, Basundhara, Jaya, Swarnaprabha), Ahu rice (Luit,
Lachit, Sonamukhi both direct seeded and transplanted), sesame
(TC 25, Vinayak, AAU SHL TIL 1), toria (TS-38, TS-46, TS-
67, Jeuti, Yellow sarson), potato (Kufri Pokhraj, Kufri Jyoti,
Kufri Megha, Local variety, etc).
● Mulching with locally available organic materials.
● Staggered planting of rice (Gitesh, Prafulla) with old
seedling.
● Planting or direct sowing with the photo insensitive varieties
like Luit, Kapilee etc.
Delay by 8 weeks (1 st week of August)
● Delayed transplanted Sali varieties (Gitesh/Prafulla,
Basundhara, Jaya, Swarnaprabha);
● Maize, greengram/blackgram/sesame, toria, potato
● Mulching with locally available organic materials.
● Staggered planting of rice (Gitesh, Prafulla) with old
seedling.
● Application of life saving irrigation.
● Closer spacing and more no of seedling/hill.
● Planning for early rabi vegetables (cauliflower, cabbage
etc).
b. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
Upland situation
Rice: Clay or clay loam with pH 4.5-6 is suitable for rice
cultivation. Application of 5 cm irrigation water 3 days after
disappearance of ponding water is recommended in medium and
heavy soil. In kharif rice, height of bunds should be 30 cm to
retain rain water for higher yield. N, P O and K O of Sali rice
2 5 2
60:20:40 and 20:10:10 for semi dwarf and tall varieties along
with 10 t FYM per ha has to be applied during land preparation.
Potato: Well drained sandy loam and loam soil, rich in organic
matter are suitable. Water management: furrow method of
irrigation has to be applied. Three irrigations should be applied,
1 st nd
at 25 days (stolon formation stage), 2 at 60 days (tuber
formation stage) and 3 rd at 80 days (tuber development stage).
For rainfed condition, N, P O and K O of 60:50:50 and for
2 5 2
irrigated condition, N, P O and K O of 60:100:100 along with
2 5 2
Sarma et al.
28
10 t FYM per ha has to be applied during land preparation.
Rapeseed-Mustard: Sandy soil to light soil is suitable for
growing of rapeseed and mustard. Water management: 6 cm
depth of water may be applied at 50% flowering and at early
siliqua formation stage. In case a rainfall of 20-25 mm is received
during this period, no post irrigation is required. For rapeseed,
N, P O and K O of 40:35:15 and 60:40:40 & Borax of 10 kg/ha
2 5 2
is recommended for rainfed and irrigated condition, respectively
along with 2-3 t FYM per ha. For mustard N, P O and K O of
2 5 2
80:40:30 & Borax of 7.5 kg/ha along with 2-3 t FYM per ha has
to be applied during land preparation is recommended.
● Medium land/medium low land situation
● Weeding and repeated inter-cultivation
● Replanting in dead hills
● Lifesaving irrigation from harvested rainwater
● Increase bund height (upto 30 cm) in rice fields for soil
moisture conservation.
● Supplemental irrigation through STW /farm pond in the
nursery bed of rice.
● Application of sufficient quantity of FYM or compost in the
nursery bed and main field.
● Spraying of Mancozeb @ 2.5 g/l or Edifenphos 2.0 ml/l or
Carbendazim @ 1g/l against brown spot disease in rice.
Mid-season drought
● Reduce plant population by thinning in toria and jute
● Spray of antitranspirant i.e. Kaolin @ 5%
● Mulching with available farm waste/crop residues
● Life saving irrigation from harvested rainwater, if available
● Weeding and dust mulching at critical stages of growth.
Terminal drought
● Application of 2% KCl if irrigation facilities is not
available
● Incorporation of MOP 22.5 kg/ha in medium and lowland
situations
● Spray of 1% KCl solution at flowering stage and 2% urea
spray at pod initiation stage of pulses
● Spray of 2% KCl solution in rice as and when dryspell
appears before flowering
● Life-saving irrigation, if available from harvested rainwater
● Harvest the crop at physiological maturity stage.
c. Suggested contingency measures for transient water
logging/partial inundation situation
In addition to the occasional drought in the domain districts
of North Bank Plain Zone of Assam, intermittent flash floods
are common during monsoon season, particularly in North
Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts.

Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in North Bank Plain Zone of Assam
Rice
Crop
Blackgram,
greengram,
sesame,
maize
Suggested contingency measures
Seeding/nursery stage Vegetative stage Reproductive stage At harvest
• Community nursery for
rice seedlings
• Mat nursery for machine
transplanting
• Drain out excess water
• Pump out excess water, if
possible
• Drain out excess water.
• Re-sowing of the crop
• Drain out excess water
• Need based plant protection
measures
• Gap filling with more no of
seedlings
• Replanting/direct seedlings
with the photo-insensitive short
duration varieties
• Drain out excess water
• Need based plant Protection
measures
• Drain out excess
water
• Need based plant
protection measure
• Drain out excess
water
• Need based plant
• Protection measure
• Harvest the crop at
physiological maturity
• Shift the bundles to drier
place and hang the bundles on
bamboo line for sun drying
• Sun drying of grains to attain
proper moisture content
• Harvest the crop at
physiological maturity
• Shift the bundles
• To drier place like
• Roof top for drying
For rabi planning
b. Suggested crops and varieties for delayed season
Rice: Short duration varieties-Dishang, Luit for upland situation;
medium duration varieties - TTB-404 (Shraboni) for medium
land situation; long duration variety- Ranjit, Ranjit sub-1,
Bahadur sub-1, local cultivars.
Rabi crops: Potato: Kufri Megha up to mid-December; Toria:
TS-67,Jeuti, TS-46 up to first week of December.
Fodder crops: Hybrid Napier (CO-4), Congosignal, Setaria,
Rabi Maize, Oats
Agroforestry systems
Tree species: Gmelina arborea (Gomari) and Micheliachampaca
(Titachopa) Intercrops: Assam Lemon, Ginger, Colocasia and
congo signal (fodder); Spacing: S
1
: 4 m × 4 m; S
2
: 4 m × 6 m;
S
3
: 4 m × 8 m
Impact of technologies
Three technologies are included in state package of practices
viz., optimum planting time for small tubers potato cultivars,
maize based cropping sequence under rainfed upland conditions
of Assam and intercropping of sesamum with green gram and
black gram. The developed technologies are being upscaled
for enhancing crop productivity by replacing traditional
cultivation practices. Two technologies have been developed
and recommended for inclusion in state package of practices
where AICRPDA scientists collaborated viz, application of
0.4% biochar prepared from crop residues or weed biomass
with recommended dose of fertilizer (15: 35: 15 N: P 2
O 5
:K 2
O
kg/ha) in greengram and low-cost vermicomposting technology.
The low-cost technologies are being popularized through KVKs
of Assam Agricultural University and have received wide
acceptance among the farmers.
The centre contributed and played major role in development
of the contingency plans for the domain districts in particular
and state in general in collaboration with ICAR- CRIDA,
Hyderabad. Demonstrations of climate resilient technologies
generated by the centre and technology developed at AAU
have made significant impact on the livelihood of the farmers
of the adopted villages under NICRA and TSP. The villages
adopted under TSP, NICRA and NICRA upscaling programme
have contributed towards horizontal spread of technology
to nearby areas in terms of improved seed as well as other
improved technologies. Further, on-farm demonstration of the
technologies developed under AICRPDA and disseminated
in collaboration with KVKs have aided in spread of improved
technologies among the farmers of the domain districts as
well as the state. Dissemination of weather-based advisories
in collaboration with GKMS, department of agro-meteorology
have benefited the farmers of the domain districts in adopting
timely contingency measures which have helped the farmers in
realizing higher income from the farming enterprises.
Demonstration of climate resilient technologies through
exhibition of NICRA model in state and national levels have
generated awareness amongst the farmers, scientist and policy
makers regarding various climate resilient technologies suitable
for Assam in particular and the NE India in general. Identification
of various adaptation strategies including climate-resilient crops
and cultivars, rainwater harvesting and recycling, efficient
energy management through farm mechanization, dissemination
of weather information, and weather-based agro-advisories to
farmers on a real-time basis is important adaptation technologies
for climate resilient agriculture. Adoption of climate resilient
crops and cropping systems and use of harvested rainwater
resulted in a 12 to 30% increase in yield with cultivation of highyielding
rice varieties (HYVs) (Ranjit, Gitesh, Mahsuri, etc.)
29

when sown in time (before 15 th June) over late sowing conditions
(after 20 th June). In case of early season drought, replacement
of long duration traditional varieties with short duration HYVs
and providing life-saving irrigation using harvested rainwater
increased yield by about 59% (short duration var. Dishang) over
farmers’ method. In case of mid-season and terminal drought,
application of an additional dose of 22 kg/ha MOP at maximum
tillering to grain growth period increased rice yield by about
33% (Ranjit), 32% (Gitesh), 64% (Shraboni), and 57.5%
(Mulagabharu) over farmers’ practice. In flood-affected areas
under lowland situations, cultivation of submergence tolerant
varieties (Jalashree and Jalkuwari) resulted in higher yields.
Dissemination of agromet advisory service to the farmers helped
in the decision-making process in the preparedness stage of
real-time contingency planning such as land-related (e.g., land
situation wise decision making), rainwater harvesting (mulching,
farm pond, micro-irrigation system, etc), crop-related (selection
of suitable crops/varieties), management related (management
of insect-pests, diseases, nutrient, weed, etc).
The TSP programme by AICRPDA centre, Biswanath Chariali
was implemented in village Jalakiasuti, Sissiborgaon block,
Dhemaji district, Assam. Implementation of the project resulted
in successful adoption of Custom Hiring Centre, low-cost
vermicomposting technology, HYVs of crops etc. Income from
tertiary occupation like production and sale of Eri yarn, sale of
carpets, tie and dyed products etc. played a major role towards
self-sufficiency. Introduction of upgraded pig breed (Hampshire
cross) and goat breed (Beetle) improved the economy of farmers
through increased meat production and breed upgradation
of local livestock population. Empowerment of women folk
through allied activities like mushroom cultivation, rearing dual
purpose poultry Vanaraja and Khaki Campbell duck resulted in
enhanced household income.
Way forward
Assam agriculture is mainly rice-centric. Out of net sown area of
26.99 lakh ha, total area under rice in Assam is 23.6 lakh ha. Out
of 26.99 lakh ha of net sown area, net irrigated area in Assam is
only 2.54 ha. Therefore, more focus should be given on rainfed
rice based cropping systems for sustainability of the production
system. Moreover, Assam is highly vulnerable to vagaries of
Sarma et al.
climate and recent change in rainfall pattern has led to occurrence
of flash flood and prolonged dry spells during the kharif season.
The state agriculture is dominated by small and marginal farmers
representing 18 and 36%, respectively. Therefore, technologies
which address the problems of these farmers are urgent need
of the hour to make agriculture an attractive proposition.
Therefore, climate resilient technologies viz., varieties with
submergence tolerance and drought tolerance need to be
developed to address these vulnerabilities. Rainwater is the key
input in rainfed agriculture. The success in rainfed agriculture
lays in the wise use of natural resources, in particular rainwater.
The rainwater harvesting structures have to be standardised as
per the precipitation and land situations in various regions of the
NBPZ in particular and the state in general. Emphasis should
be on the use of various micro-irrigation methods such as drip,
sprinkler and rain guns for enhancing the water use efficiency
from the harvested rainwater. Research on different land
configurations such as ridge and furrow bed systems, broad-bed
furrow systems, raised bed furrow systems to be conducted for
management of excess and deficit rainfall keeping in view wide
variability in the rainfall pattern due to climate change. Even
though Assam falls under high rainfall zones of India, prolonged
winter dry spells make cultivation of rabi crops risk-prone.
Harvesting and utilization of excess rainfall received during
kharif season may boost the production of rabi crops which will
also act as insurance against crop failure during kharif season
due to high intensity flood. Efforts may be made to introduce
millet crops particularly under intercropping and sequential
cropping systems. More emphasis to be laid on low water
requiring crops like buckwheat, niger, linseed etc. Research on
crop residue management and crop diversification is required
for sustainable land use system. Research on organic farming,
conservation agriculture and natural farming to be carried out
for soil carbon management and reducing GHG emissions from
soils. Standardization of CA techniques with low-cost farm
machinery tools for the poor and marginal farmers is the need
of the hour. Work has also to be done on spray of CDM cultures
for quick in situ decomposition of crop residues. Extensive work
has to be done with nanofertilizers so as to improve fertilizer use
efficiencies along with reducing the chemical load to the soil.
30

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 31-34 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00012.4
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Western Plateau Zone of Jharkhand
Akhilesh Sah, D.N. Singh, M.S. Yadava and M.K. Singh
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre
Zonal Research Station, Birsa Agriculture University, Chianki, Palamu-822 133, Jharkhand
Email: nsingh_bauranchi@rediffmail.com
Brief history of the Centre
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture
Centre was started in 1971 at Kanke, Ranchi, Jharkhand. The
location of the Centre has been shifted from Kanke to Zonal
research station, Chainki during 2009. The Centre is running
under the umbrella of Birsa Agricultural University, Kanke,
Ranchi.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
The domain districts of the AICRPDA Centre, Chainki are
located in Western Plateau zone (NARP) in Jharkhand, in the
Agroecological subregion 11.0 and in the Eastern Plateau and
Hills agroclimatic region (planning commission). The climate
of the zone is sub-humid to semi-arid. The annual rainfall varies
from 800 mm to 1200 mm of which 90% is received during south
west monsoon while 6, 3, and 1% during north-east monsoon,
winter and summer season respectively. The normal onset of
monsoon is during June and the normal withdrawal is during
the first week of November. The rise in maximum mean annual
temperature (2.9 o C) and decline in minimum mean annual
temperature (3.60 o C) has been observed.
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days
(AICRPDA Centre, Chianki)
Rainfall
South west monsoon
(June-September)
North east monsoon
(October-December)
Normal
rainfall (mm)
Normal rainy
days (No.)
1032 43
69 74
Winter (January-February) 36 3
Summer (March-May) 33 4
Annual 1170 54
Major soil types
The major soil types in the zone are loamy and sandy loam soils.
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif
are rice, maize, pigeonpea and blackgram and during rabi are
chickpea and wheat.
Dryland Agriculture Problems
Soil and land management related
● Excess surface runoff due to undulating topography.
● The upland soils are acidic, light and low in organic matter
and plant nutrients
● Poor fertility status of soils
● Soils are generally acidic in nature having pH 5-6.5
Crop production related
● Primitive nature of cultivation, i.e, broad casting methods
of sowing of uplands crops, such as rice, maize, pigeonpea,
blackgram, sesame and niger
● Lack of sate seed corporations and other recognized seed
multiplying agencies
● In sufficient or imbalance use of chemical fertilizer
● Poor irrigation facilities
● Lack of mechanization
● Traditional crops/varieties/cropping system
● Predominant monocropping
● Weed infestation and higher incidence of disease and pests
Socio-economic
● Fragmented land holdings
● Lack of input supply
● Low adoption of improved crop production technology
● Lack of credit facilities provided by the public sector banks
● Poor post-harvest facilities
● Less use of high yielding varieties of crops grown in the
region
● Problem of stray cattle
Significant achievements
Rainwater management
●●
In-situ moisture conservation measures such as land shaping,
broad bed & furrow system, timely tillage and mulching
improved soil moisture retention which helped germination,
crop growth and reduced soil loss by providing more
opportunity time for rainfall to enter into the soil. Ex-situ
moisture conservation measures such as collection of excess
31

ainfall from micro catchments into small ponds facilitated
the supplemental irrigation in rabi and kharif crops during
dry spells. Also, it has helped to grow vegetable crops of
short duration. Studies in the Centre helped to estimate
probability and recurrence period of droughts and heavy
rainfall. Optimization of natural resources through improved
land preparation, optimal use of organic and inorganic
fertilizer and conjunctive use of water helped to increase the
sustainability in crop production and the natural resources like
rainfall, land and vegetation has been used at optimal level.
Timely tillage operation has increased moisture retention of
the soil and use of organic and inorganic fertilizers has helped
to maintain the soil fertility. Conjunctive use of surface and
groundwater has helped to maintain the water table.
Cropping systems
● Rice is considered as a dominant crop of the state and
therefore maximum emphasis was given on rice. In the
evaluation of drought tolerant lines of rice conducted during
2011, the entry BVD-109 and BVD-110 (24.36 q ha -1 ) out
yielded significantly in comparison of all the 15 entries
tested. In rice varietal trial conducted in the year 2011, the
entry Vandana was found to be higher yielder (28.34 q ha -1 )
in comparison to others whereas in the evaluation of drought
tolerant lines of rice during the year 2011-2012, the entry
RR-616-B-2-75-2 (26.75 q ha -1 ) yielded significantly higher
followed by RR-F-25 (24.71 q ha -1 ), Vandana (23.54 q ha -1 .).
● Birsa Dhan 108 (matures in 70 days), Birsa Vikas Dhan 109
(matures in 85 days) and Birsa Vikas Dhan 110 (matures
in 95 days) of upland rice has been developed and given to
the farmers. Farmers are preferring these varieties because of
early maturity, high yielding and also having capabilities of
tolerating drought. Birsa Dhan 108, an extra early maturing
variety and very much suitable for dryland and monocropped
system because second crop during rabi may be
taken on residual moisture available in the field and thus help
in cropping intensity. Birsa Vikas Dhan 109 and Birsa Vika
Dhan-110 are promising varieties for rainfed upland ecology
of rice because both are having superfine grain quality where
all the varieties of rice which has been developed for this
ecology are having course grain. Therefore, farmer may get
good price in the market by cultivating these varieties under
rainfed upland condition.
● In the experiment entitled ‘Evaluation of drought tolerant
lines of finger millet’ conducted continuously for four years
from 2010-11, the entry GPU – 28 (30.4 q ha -1 ) followed by
BBM-10 yielded (27.35 q ha -1 ) out yielded significantly in
comparison of all the test entries. In multilocational trial of
sorghum conducted during 2013-14 , ten entries of sorghum
were evaluated for suitability of rainfed ecology of Palamau
region. Out of which, CSV-20 surpassed the yield 32.58 q
Akhilesh et al.
32
ha -1 and was also superior in comparison of all entries tested.
Whereas SPV-1820 (31.95 q ha -1 ), SPV-2064 (28.26 q
ha -1 ), CSV-15 (27.65 q ha -1 ) and CSH-16 (27.62 q ha -1 ) were
also at par in comparison to other test entries including local.
In linseed varietal trial conducted from 2011-12 and 2012-
2013, the entry NL-259 (7.46 q ha -1 ) has recorded higher
yield in comparison to check T-397 (6.40 q ha -1 ).
● J-1 variety of groundnut was found significantly higher
yielder over existing variety AK 112-24 during 1981-83.
A-300 and A-1 variety of safflower were identified as drought
tolerant, short duration and high yielder for this region during
1990-91.BAU 149-2, BAU 148-30 and BAU 4045 variety
of rice was found significantly higher yielder over existing
variety brown Gora during 1999-2000. CSV-20, SPV-1820
variety of sorghum were found early maturing, high yielder
and suitable for drought like situation during 2008-2009. In
Horse gram var., Birsa Kulthi -1, Madhu and GHG-19 were
found early maturing, high yielder and suitable for drought
like situation. Birsa vikas Makka-2 a composite and short
duration hybrid of maize has been evolved and it matures
in 80 days having plant height of 180-185 cm. Because of
early maturity, it can escape drought which has become
regular feature in the state. This variety has also qualified
for high quality protein maize (QPM) which may provide
the nutritional security to the tribal farmers of the region.
The yield potential is 40-45 q ha -1 and has been found very
much suitable under rainfed condition. Quality seed of high
yielding varieties is being provided to the farmers and has
been found promising under the farmers managed condition.
The quality seed has also been found to increase the yield
by 15-20% alone and if package of practices and IPM
recommended by the University are followed by the farmers,
the yield increase may go up to 60-70%.
● The Intercropping of pigeonpea + Okra (1:1) has given
maximum pigeonpea equivalent yield (2834 kg ha -1 ) which
is about 100% more in comparison to pigeonpea and okra
alone. This intercropping has helped farmers in increasing
their livelihood. The effect of inter-row spacing and level of
nitrogen on grain yield of lentil was studies and maximum
grain yield 4.47 q ha -1 of lentil was observed when 30 kg
N ha -1 was applied while maintaining the spacing of 30 cm
from row to row. The farmers for harvesting the highest grain
yield of lentil are following this recommendation. Sowing of
horsegram, sorghum and gundli in case of failure of monsoon
has yielded satisfactorily in the prevailing drought situation.
● Sowing of early maturing varieties of kharif crop like rice
which may be harvested by the end of September and rabi
crop like Toria, mustard, linseed and lentil has been sown
on the residual moisture available in the field. This has not
only increased the crop production but also the profitability

and sustainability. Pigeonpea based intercropping with
upland rice has been easily adopted with high sustainability
and profitability. The rate of adoption is 40-50%. This has
been very remunerative that is why farmers has attracted and
adopted this intercropping.
Energy management
● Improved animal drawn implements like Birsa ridger plough,
seed drill, dutch hoe and handy implements like grubber,
improved sickle has been tested in farmers field and found
suitable for increasing the operational efficiency.
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
The Centre is working as a nodal agency for addressing the
problems related to Dryland Agriculture and contingency
planning of the region. The electronic and printing media are
very much helpful while covering the experimental details and
publishing it in daily newspaper and also telecasted by Radio and
Doordarshan. The films of the success stories are also prepared
and shown to the farmers at the time of visit to the Centre. The
soil testing facilities helped to know the status of nutrients and
their deficiency. This helps in providing the balanced use of
fertilizer for harvesting the potential yield of the crops/varieties.
These outcomes have been beneficial in improving the socioeconomic
condition of the farmers in general and resource poor
farmers in particular because the farming community of the
region has been benefited a lot by adopting the recommended
variety/technology developed by the Centre. Improved varieties
and its popularization improved the yield of kharif and rabi
crops. Birsa seed cum fertilizer drill is very much popular in
ORP village.
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
● Use of harvested rainwater for production of short duration
leafy vegetables in Ranchi region of Jharkhand.
● Restricted irrigation in mustard during rabi crop for higher
productivity and water use efficiency
● Cultivation of crops with field bunds
●●
In-situ moisture conservation by ridge and furrow
● Rainwater harvesting in farm ponds
Cropping system
Intercropping systems
● Pigeonpea + okra (1:1)
● Pigeonpea + maize (1:1)
● Pigeonpea + sorghum (1:1)
● Pigeonpea + groundnut (1:2)
● Chickpea + linseed (4:2)
● Chickpea + safflower (2:1)
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Western Plateau Zone of Jharkhand
33
b. Double/triple cropping systems
● Rice-wheat
● Rice-chickpea
● Rice-lentil
● Rice-linseed
● Rice-safflower
● Varieties recommended: Upland – Vandana, BVD 109 and
110; Medium land - Naveen and Sahabhagi Dhan and hybrid
Arize Tej, PAC-801 and PAC-807.
Nutrient management
● Spray of 2% Urea solution in rainfed chickpea to compensate
yield loss due to delay sowing of chickpea.
● 50% N through organic source + 50% N through inorganic
source for rice
Energy management
● Adoption of zero tillage technology under rainfed medium
land situation after harvest of rice for saving of energy,
labour cost and time
● Dutch hoe as sowing, weeding and interculture tool for
reducing drudgery and improving efficiency in operation.
● Birsa ridger plough for timely planting of rainfed crops
Contingency crop planning
For Kharif planning
a. Suggested contingency crops/ cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
● Rice (BVD-109, 110,Vandana, IR-36, IR-64, Lalat, Birsa
Dhan-202, Birsamati, Rajendra munsuri-1, MTU-7029),
maize, sorghum (CSV-20, CSV-17 hybrid), pigeonpea
(Birsa arhar-1, Bahar, BR-65, local)
● Inter croping systems: pigeonpea + maize, pigeonpea
+ groundnut; blackgram (Birsa urd-1, T-9, Pant U-19);
soybean (Birsa soybean-1); pigeonpea + sorghum
b. Suggested crops/varieties/cropping systems under delayed
onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (4 th week of June)
● Rice (Naveen, shabhagi); hybrid rice (PAC-807, Uday - 111,
27 P31, Arize-6444); pigeonpea + maize
● Intercropping systems: pigeonpea + groundnut, pigeonpea +
sorghum; sorghum (CSV- 20, CSV-17 hybrid); pigeonpea
(ICPH-2671, ICPH-8)
Delay by 4 weeks (2 nd week of July)
● Rice (Naveen, shabhagi); maize (Kanchan, Suwan,
Composite-1, BVM-2) or fingermillet (A-404, Birsa
Marua-1)
● Intercropping systems: Pigeonpea + sorghum (sorghum:
CSV-20, CSV-17); pigeonpea + okra (Pravani kranti, Arka
Anamika, A-4); pigeonpea + groundnut (Birsa Bold); hybrid
pigeonpea (ICPH–2671); maize (HQPM-1); hybrid rice

(PAC-807, Uday-111, 27P-31, Arize- 6444); blackgram
(Birsa Urd-1, T-9, Pant U-19)
Delay by 6 weeks (4 th week of July)
● Fingermillet (A 404, Birsa Marua-1); maize (Kanchan,
Suwan, composite -1, BVM-2)
● Intercropping systems: Pigeonpea + sorghum (CSV-20 and
CSV-17); Pigeonpea + okra (Pravani kranti, Arka Anamika,
A-4); hybrid pigeonpea (ICPH-2671); hybrid rice (PAC-
807, Uday-111, 27P31, Arize-6444); blackgram (Birsa Urd-
1, T-9, Pant U-19); fingermillet (A-404, Birsa Marua-1)
Delay by 8 weeks (2 nd week of August)
● Plan to sow toria/ cowpea/ niger/vegetable pea (Toria:
Bhawani, Panchali, Pant toria- 303, Lotni (Local)); hybrid
pigeonpea (ICPH-2671, ICPH-8); niger (N-5, Birsa niger-2
and 3); vegetable pea (Azad, Arkel); mustard (Pusa Bold,
Shivani, Pusa Kranti); kulthi (Birsa kulthi-1, Madhu); kharif
potato (Kanchan)
● Sowing of early toria (Var-9, PT-303), niger, horsegram and
kharif potato
● Transplanting if is available mid early variety (Anjali, BVD
109,110,111)
c. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
● Thinning and gap filling of existing crop
● Resowing of crop if previous crop completely fails
● Soil mulching, gap filling and conservation furrow
● Extend area under Shabhagi Dhan variety of rice
Mid season drought
● Repeated intercultivation
● Opening of conservation furrows
● Mulching with available farm waste
● Presowing application of compost to enhance the water
holding capacity of soil
● Removal of weeds and use for mulching
● Life saving irrigation, if available
Terminal drought
● Harvest the crop at physiological maturity stage
● Provide protective irrigation, if available
● Transplanting rice with 5-6 seedling/hill, if age of seedling is
more than 30 days reduce fertilizer dose to 20%
● Harvesting at physiological maturity, early harvest for use as
fodder in case of impending crop failure, in case of total crop
failure early rabi planning
● Plan for rabi with niger/mustard/ chickpea/ linseed
Impact of technologies
Cultivation of HYV Vandana in bunded fields yielded higher
(1989 kg ha -1 ) in comparison to unbunded fields. The BC ratio
Akhilesh et al.
34
was found maximum (1.69) in bunded condition compared
to unbunded condition (1.34). Chickpea variety KPG 59 was
tested with farmers variety under minimum tillage condition
on available moisture after paddy harvest. Variety KPG 59
produced significantly higher mean grain yield (1657 kg ha -1 ) as
compared to local variety (1227 kg ha -1 ). Improved varieties of
upland rice, black gram, pigeonpea and mustard produced 40-50
percent higher yields over local checks. The improved varieties
of these crops were highly adopted by the farmers. About 80-
90 percent adoption is recorded in case of Birsa Vikas Dhan-
109 variety of rice, 60-70% adoption in case of Birsa urad-1 of
black gram and 50-60% adoption in case of Birsa Arhar-1 of
pigeonpea in Ranchi district.
Pigeonpea + rice (1:3), pigeonpea + maize (1:1) and pigeonpea
+ ground nut (1:2) gave pigeonpea equivalent yield of 749, 1233
and 1587 kg ha -1 as against sole pigeonpea yields of 556, 491 and
500 kg ha -1 with a B:C ratio of 0.81, 0.83 and 1.77 respectively.
These systems are adopted by over 25 percent of farmers in the
region. Intercropping of pigeonpea + okra (1:1) gives maximum
pigeonpea equivalent yield of 2965 kg ha -1 with B:C ratio of
4.10 as compared to sole pigeonpea yield of 2123 kg ha -1 with
B:C ratio of 2.5 and sole okra yield of 900 kg ha -1 with BC ratio
of 3.10. The system gives RWUE of 2.51 kg/ha-mm as against
1.8 kg/ha-mm in sole pigeonpea and 1.97 kg ha -1 mm -1 in sole
okra. There is an additional income of Rs.40000 ha -1 with this
system as compared to sole crops.
Labour savings through sowing behind plough was 42 man-hour
per ha over sowing using Dutch hoe. However, higher mean
yield was recorded in treatment of sowing by Dutch hoe (3084
kg ha -1 ) as compared to behind plough (2560 kg ha -1 ). The use of
Birsa ridger plough gives 20-30% higher yield advantage over
traditional plough for major rainfed crops.
Way forward
About 80 percent area of the state of Jharkhand is rainfed
and hence there is a need to give more emphasis on rainwater
management. The declining annual rainfall and its erratic
behavior, necessitates the needs for adoption of newer dryland
farming technology. The watershed management is crucial for
the development of the entire region.
Focused research areas are:
● Optimized use of natural resources, i.e. rainfall, land and
water to minimize the soil and water loss and degradation of
environment through soil and water conservation practices
is essential.
● The drought has become regular phenomenon in the region
and therefore there is need to introduce drought resistant
varieties for higher grain yield and fodder.
● The alternate land use systems such as agroforestry needs to
be encouraged along with animal husbandry for generating
additional income.
● Crop diversification with pulses and oilseeds
● Rainfed integrated farming systems models
● Farm mechanization

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 35-38 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00013.6
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Eastern Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh
H.C. Singh, Neeraj Kumar, A.K. Singh, Rajesh Kumar, Shabd Adhar and Arpit Singh
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre
Narendra Dev University of Agriculture & Technology, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh
Brief history of the Centre
The All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland
Agriculture Sub-centre was established in 1987 at Faizabad
under N. D. University of Agriculture & Technology to develop
location-specific dryland technologies for the dryland farmers in
the Eastern Plain zone of Uttar Pradesh.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
In general, climate in the zone is sub-humid. The south-west
monsoon contributes 90%, north-east monsoon 8% and summer
rains 2% of total annual average rainfall of 1001.7 mm which
is received in approximate 47 rainy days. The historical rainfall
data (30 years) indicated that 15% to 20% of deficient rainfall
during south western monsoon. The onset of monsoon is in
the third week of June and withdrawal is during fourth week
of September. The mean annual minimum temperature varied
from 2.8 o C to 27.9 o C while mean annual maximum temperature
ranges from 13.5 o C to 43.6 o C. For the past fifteen years, the dry
spell during crop season was experienced during September at
grain setting and maturity stages of major rainfed crops.
Major soil types: Silty loam, clay loam, sandy loam and silty
clay loam
Major rainfed crops: The major rainfed crops cultivated in the
zone during kharif season are rice, pigeonpea, maize, blackgram,
greengram, sorghum, sesame and during rabi are chickpea,
mustard, lentil, linseed and barley.
Dryland agriculture problems
The problems related to domain districts are as enlisted below:
Soil related
●●
●●
●●
Poor soil quality, multiple nutrient deficiencies
Saline and sodic soils
Low moisture availability
Crop production related
●●
●●
●●
Mono-cropping
Aberrant weather situations during crop growing season
Lack of crop diversification
Socio-economic issues
●●
●●
●●
●●
Poor adoption of technologies
Poor investment capacity and risk bearing status of farmers
Market risks
Inadequate availability of agriculture inputs
Significant achievements
Rainwater management
● Sowing of pigeonpea in paired on ridges and rice in furrows,
being at par with sowing of pigeonpea on ridges and paddy
in furrows (1:2) recorded paddy yield equivalent of 5436 kg
ha -1 . The maximum grain and straw yield of rice and total
input and output energy and rain water use efficiency was
recorded under 15 cm bund height.
● Significantly higher grain yield of maize (4286 kg ha -1 ) and
RWUE (9.51 kg ha -1 mm -1 ) was recorded with ridge-furrow
planting followed by broad bed (90 cm) furrow planting
(3886 kg ha -1 ).
● Pearlmillet yield was significantly higher (2177 kg ha -1 ) with
supplemental irrigation (25 mm) from harvested rainwater in
farm pond
Cropping systems
● In an evaluation of pigeonpea based intercropping systems,
pigeonpea equivalent yield (PEY) was maximum (2153 kg
ha -1 ) with pigeonpea + blackgram (1:3) intercropping system
with land equivalent ratio (LER) of 1.90 and higher RWUE
(4.28 kg ha -1 mm -1 )
● Pearlmillet equivalent yield was significantly higher (9300
kg ha -1 ) with rice-chickpea cropping system followed by
rice-lentil system (6932 kg ha -1 )
● In an experiment on weed management in upland rice,
application of bispyribac sodium @ 20 g a.i/ha + almix @ 4
g a.i/ha at 20 DAS resulted in higher weed control efficiency
(93.6%)
Integrated nutrient management
● Application of 100% recommended NPK i.e. 60 kg N + 40
kg P 2
O 5
+ 30 kg K 2
O/ha was superior for maize under maizechickpea
system with the significantly higher maize yield of
2006 kg ha -1 . However, significantly higher chickpea yield
of 1188 kg ha -1 was attained by FYM @10 t/ha. Maximum
maize equivalent yield of the system (6162 kg ha -1 ) was
attained with application of FYM @ 10 t/ha.
● In the tillage and nutrient management study for rice-lentil
sequence, conventional tillage + 2 hand weedings at 20-40
DAS together with 100% N through organic source was
superior with a rice yield of 1746 kg ha -1 and lentil yield
of 829 kg ha -1 in the season. Low tillage + 100% NPK
35

(inorganic) was the 2 nd best with a yield of 1392 kg ha -1 of
rice and 730 kg ha -1 of lentil.
● Seed inoculation and foliar application of DAP was found
significantly effective in increasing the yield of chickpea. 50
kg DAP/ha as basal+ 50 kg DAP/ha as foliar in 2 splits at 45
and 60 DAS + seed inoculation with PSB was significantly
superior with a seed yield of 1570 kg ha -1 .
● Maximum grain yield of maize (4538 kg ha -1 ) was recorded
with (75% NPK + FYM @ 6 t ha -1 + ZnSO 4
@ 25 kg ha -1 (soil
application) + FeSO 4
@ 10 kg ha -1 (soil application).
● In pigeonpea + blackgram intercropping system, maximum
pigeonpea equivalent yield (2165 kg/h) was recorded with
RDF + Rhizobium + PSB + FYM @ 3 t/ha + Harit-Vardan
@ 5 kg ha -1 . Maximum availability of nitrogen (161.59 kg
ha -1 ), phosphorus (18.37 kg ha -1 ) and potassium (241.96 kg
ha -1 ) were found with the treatment RDF + Rhizobium +
PSB + FYM @ 3 t/ha + Harit-Vardan @ 5 kg ha -1 .
● Significantly higher grain yield of rice (2582 kg ha -1 ) and
straw yield (3235 kg ha -1 ) were recorded with application of
100% RDF (60:40:30 kg NPK/ha) + 2 foliar sprays of 0.5%
kg ZnSO 4
+ 0.5% FeSO 4
+ 0.25% borax + 1.0% sulphur
Integrated nutrient management
compared to 100% RDF alone (1902 kg ha -1 ).
Energy management
● The maximum grain (2093 kg ha -1 ) of rice was recorded
under sub soiling at 2 m interval with cross pass at 35 cm
depth. The seed yield of succeeding lentil crop after rice was
significantly affected by the sub soiling treatments.
● Conventional tillage + 2 hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAS +
100 % N(organic) was superior for rice (yield of 1270 kg ha -
1
) and recorded maximum equivalent output energy (37244
MJ ha -1 ) and rainwater use efficiency (1.92 kg ha -1 mm -1 ).
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
● In-situ moisture conservation with ridge and furrow system
in rice + pigeonpea intercropping system.
● Tillage management for increasing in-situ moisture
conservation and enhancing productivity of rice under
rainfed condition.
● Compartmental bunding for moisture conservation
Crop NPK Secondary/micro-nutrient Bio-fertilizer/ Organics Time of application
Rice
Pigeonpea based Intercropping
system:
1. Pigeonpea + maize (1:1)
2.Pigeonpea + blackgram
(1:1)
3. Pigeonpea + sesame (1:1)
4. Pigeonpea + sorghum
(1:1)
100% RDF
100%RDF
N 60: P 2
O 5
40: K 2
O 30 Kg
ha -1
100% RDF: N:P 2
O 5
: K 2
O
Kg ha -1
Pigeonpea : N 20: P 2
O 5
40:
K 2
O kg ha -1
Maize N 80: P 2
O 5
40: K 2
O
30 kg ha -1
Blackgram N 20: P 2
O 5
40:
K 2
O 20 kg ha -1
Foliar spray of water soluble
complex fertilizer (WSCF)
19:19:19 @ 0.5% + Foliar spray
ZnSO 4
@ 0.5% + Foliar spray of
Borax @ 0.25% during dry spell
100% RDF +
Sulphur @ 40 kg ha -1 + ZnSO 4
Sesamum: N30: P 2
O 5
20: @ 25 kg ha -1 + Boron @ 1.5 kg
K 2
O 0: S 20
ha -1 applied at the time of sowing
Sorghum: N 40: P 2
O 5
20: as basal
K 2
O 20 kg ha -1
Maize 75% RDF + FYM @ 5 t ha -1
100% RDF N 80: P 2
O 5
40:
K 2
O 30 kg ha -1
Singh et al.
ZnSO 4
@ 25 kg ha -1 + FeSO 4
@
10 kg ha -1 as basal at the time of
sowing
- Full dose of N:P 2
O 5
: K 2
O Kg ha -1 was
applied as basal at the time of sowing
& during dry spell foliar spray of
water soluble complex fertilizer
(WSCF) 19:19:19
Seed of Pigeonpea &
Blackgram inoculated
with Rhizobium culture
and PSB culture at
sowing
-
75% RDF as basal + FYM @ 3 t/
ha was applied before 15 days of
sowing. Seed of Pigeonpea and black
gram inoculated with Rhizobium
culture and PSB culture
75% RDF of Pigeonpea, Sesamum
and Sorghum was applied as basal
along with FYM @ 5 t ha -1 + Sulphur
@ 40 kg ha -1 + ZnSO 4
@ 25 kg ha -1
+ Borax @ 1.5 kg ha -1 . All chemical
fertilizers were applied at the time
of sowing and FYM @ 5 t ha -1 was
applied before 15 days of sowing
- 75% RDF as basal + FYM @ 5 t
ha -1 applied 15 days before sowing.
ZnSO 4
@ 25 kg ha -1 + FeSO 4
@ 10
kg ha -1 as basal at the time of sowing
36

Foliar nutrition
Rice: In Zn deficient soils, application of 5 kg ZnSO
4
+ 20 kg urea
ha -1 in 600-800 litres of water. Application of 5 kg ZnSO
4
+ 2.5
kg lime (calcium hydroxide) ha -1 in 600-800 lit of water. In Iron
deficient soils, foliar application of 0.5% FeSO
4
. Foliar spray
should be done at 15 days interval, when deficiency symptoms
noticed. During dry spell the foliar spray water soluble complex
fertilizer (WSCF) 19:19:19: @ 0.5% is more effective.
Maize: Foliar spray of 0.5% ZnSO 4
and FeSO 4
, @ 0.5% is
effective in Zn and Fe. Spray should be done at 15 days interval,
when deficiency symptom is noticed. During dry spell the foliar
spray water soluble complex fertilizer (WSCF) 19:19:19 @
0.5% is more effective.
Mustard: Foliar spray of water soluble complex fertilizer
(WSCF) 19:19:19 @ 0.5% is more effective at extreme drought/
moisture deficit condition
Energy management
● Evaluation of deep tillage (sub soiling) under rainfed rice
based cropping system
● Sowing of lentil crop with low till drill machine.
Cropping systems
Intercropping system
● Pigeonpea + maize (1:1)
● Pigeonpea + blackgram (1:1)
● Chickpea + mustard (4:2)
● Sesamum + blackgram (1:1)
● Sesamum + pigeonpea (1:1)
● Pigeonpea + greengram (1:1)
● Linseed + lentil (2:4)
● Linseed + chickpea (2:4)
Double cropping system
● Blackgram - chickpea
● Maize - chickpea
● Maize + cowpea - lentil
● Blackgram - mustard
● Greengram - chickpea
● Sesamum - Mustard
● Maize - Linseed
Contingency crop planning
For kharif
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Eastern Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh
a. Crop and cropping system of normal onset of monsoon:
Rice (NDR 97, Baranideep, CO-51), maize (MM1107, Naveen,
Kanchan, Jaunpuri local, Prakash, Sartaj, Tarun); pigeonpea
(Bahar, NNDA-2), blackgram (NDU-1), sesame (T-4, T-12);
greengram (T-44, Pant mung-1, Narendra mung-1); blackgram
(Narendra urd-1, Pant urd-25)
37
b. Suggested contingency crops cropping system and cultivar
on delay onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (1 st week of July)
●
In rice, transplanting/direct seeding of medium and short
duration varieties (NDR-97, NDR-359, NDR-80, NDR-
118, Baranideep)
Delay by 4 weeks (3 rd week of July)
Direct seedling of short duration varieties of rice (NDR-97,
NDR-80, NDR-118, Saket-4); maize (Prakash, Sartaj, Naveen,
Tarun); pigeonpea
Delay by 6 weeks (1 st week of August)
●
Short duration varieties of rice (NDR-97, NDR-80, NDR-
118, Pant dhan-12) should be transplanted/direct seeding;
greengram (T-44, Pantmung-1, Narendra mung-1);
blackgram (Narendra urd-1, Pant urd-25)
Delay by 8 weeks (3 rd week of August)
●
●
Prefer sowing of pearlmillet and sesame.
Pearlmillet (Pusa 322, 323 (Hybrid) and WCC-75, Raj-
171 (composite); sesame(Type-4, Type-78, Type-12);
greengram (T-44, Pant mung-1, Pant mung-2, Samrat,
Malviya, Janapriya, Malaviyajyoti, Narendra mung-1);
blackgram (Narendra urd-1, Pant urd-25, Pant urd-19,
Uttara,Type-9); sowing of pigeonpea varieties (Bahar,
PDA-11, Pusa-9) should be done till first week of September
c. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
a. Early season drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
After seeding of rice, if there is break of monsoon by 7 to10
days and if seedling mortality is observed, take up resowing
with the same variety. Gap filling in rice.
Raise staggered rice nursery at 15 days interval in small
areas at least two times drum seeding
In maize and pigeonpea, adopt gap filling/thinning to
maintain optimum plant population and ridge sowing.
Intercropping of maize/sorghum/pearlmillet with long
duration varieties of pigeonpea.
Thinning of overaged rice seedlings for better establishment
and optimum plant stand.
Foliar spray of 2.5 kg urea + 2.5 kg potash to increase the
drought tolerance
b. Midseason drought
●
●
●
Thinning to maintain proper distance between the plants.
Weeding to conserve the residual soil moisture and leaf
mulching to conserve the soil moisture.
Frequent interculture and earthing up in pigeonpea.

●
●
●
●
●
Foliar spraying of 2% urea or 2% MoP to boost crop growth
and increase the resistance to drought.
In case of late transplanting of rice (beyond 20 th July)
planting should be dense by increasing the number of
seedlings/hill from 2-3 to 3-4.
Mulching with straw/grass cover.
Life saving irrigation in transplanted rice.
Intercropping of greengram / blackgram / maize / sorghum
/ pearlmillet with long duration varieties of pigeonpea
c. Terminal drought
●
●
Alternate management of irrigation should be ensured for
provide life saving irrigation.
Harvesting of intercrop at physiological maturity (maize,
blackgram and greengram).
Singh et al.
●
●
●
Harvesting of green cobs (maize) and sell in market and
remaining portion will be used for fodder.
In case of fallow land, sowing of toria (Type-9, PT303 and
Ageti Rai) should be sown in first week of September while
Bhawani variety can be sown in second week of September.
Better pulverization should be made for conservation of soil
moisture following by planking for sowing of early rabi
crops like toria and potato etc.
Agro-hortisystem/dryland horticulture technology
System Crop Spacing
Agri-hortisystem Guava + maize-mustard 6 x 6 m
Silvi-pasture system Casuarina + grass 6 x 6 m
Agri-silvi system Casuarina + pigeonpea 6 x 6 m
38

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 39-42 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00014.8
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Bastar Plateau Zone of Chhattisgarh
A.K. Thakur 1 , T. Chandrakar 1 , A.K. Kerketta 1 , A. Pradhan 1 , G. Ravindra Chary 2 , K.A. Gopinath 2 and B. Narsimlu 2
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre, Jagdalpur - 494 001, Chhattisgarh
2
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, ICAR- CRIDA, Hyderabad - 500 059
Email: scientist_agrosgcars@rediffmail.com
Brief history
The AICRPDA centre, Jagdalpur started in the year 2004-05 at
S.G. College of Agriculture and Research Station, Bastar district,
Chhattisgarh under Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya.
The domain districts of the AICRPDA centre, Jagdhalpur are
located in Bastar Plateau Zone (NARP) in Chhattisgarh and in
the agro ecological sub region (ICAR) 12.1 and in the Eastern
plateau and hills agro climatic region (planning commission).
The domain districts of Jagdalpur centre are Bastar, Narayanpur,
Dantewada, Kondagaon, Bijapur, Sukma. Since inception of the
centre, both on-station and on-farm research is being carried in
various thematic areas. On-farm research has been focused on
farming-situation-specific (Badi, Marhan, Tikra, Maal, Gabbar)
technology generation.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
Climate
In general, the climate of the zone is sub-humid. The southwest
monsoon contributes 81% while north-east monsoon
8.0%, winter season 1.2% and summer 9.8% of the total annual
average rainfall of 1444.8 mm (mean of 40 years data). The
normal onset of monsoon is during second week of June while
normal withdrawal is during second week of September. The
historical rainfall data (of 10 years) indicated 11.6% excess
of the average rainfall (from 41 years) during south-west
monsoon and 10.73% more annually. The dry spells are being
experienced at panicle initiation and reproductive stages of the
crop i.e during the month of September most frequently in 40 th
standard meteorological week followed by 39 th week. The mean
maximum and minimum temperature in the zone are 30.9 and
17.4 o C, respectively.
Major soil types
Major soil types are Entisols (Marhan), Alfisols (Tikra),
Inceptisols (Maal), Vertisols (Gabhaar) with area coverage of
23.3, 49.7, 14.6 and 12.4%, respectively in the region.
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif
are rice, maize, fingermillet, horsegram, blackgram, pigeonpea,
niger and little millet and during rabi are maize, chickpea and
mustard.
Mean season wise and annual rainfall and rainy days
(41 years from 1980-2020) (at AICRPDA Centre, Jagdalpur)
Rainfall
Southwest
monsoon
(June-
September)
Post monsoon
(October-
December)
Winter
(January-
February)
Summer
(March-May)
Normal
rainfall
(mm)
Nornal
rainy days
(No.)
Temperature
( o C) Hottest
week
Max. Min.
Coldest
week
1168.5 57.5 29.6 22.5 23 rd 40 th
115.5 10.3 28.4 14.2 41 st 52 nd
18 1.9 29.5 11.7 9 th 1 st
142.8 10.9 36.1 21.0 21 st 10 th
Annual mean 1444.8 80.6 30.9 17.4 21 st 52 nd
Dryland agriculture problems
The problems related to domain districts are as enlisted below:
Soil and land management
●
●
●
●
●
Lands are marginal and unfertile
Undulated topography
Severe soil erosion
Water logging in low land situations
Lack of irrigation facility
Cropping systems
●
●
●
Upland rice is grown predominantly during kharif season
as rainfed crop covering 2.89 million ha but productivity of
the crop is very low (8.53 q/ha)
Predominant monocropping
Not following standard package of practicing crops
Socio economic
●
●
Low land holding (1.0 to 2.0 ha) of farmers
Migration due to limited resources and practicing traditional
agriculture
39

Significant achievements
Rain water management
●
●
●
In case of in-situ moisture conservation under upland
situation, one feet sunken/raised bed produced higher
grain yield (2440 kg ha -1 ) and RWUE (1.97 kg ha -1 mm -1 )
compared to crops sown on ½ feet sunken and raised bed.
In an assessment of moisture conservation for mango, U
shaped pits found superior with a maximum plant height of
159.29 cm and plant girth of 10.05 cm.
After rice in rabi season, different vegetable crops were
cultivated by application of supplemental irrigation from
the harvested rainwater and maximum yield of 37423 kg/ha
were attained in bottle gourd followed by pumpkin
Nutrient management
●
●
●
●
In INM trial on groundnut-onion cropping system,
application of 100% general recommended dose (GRD) +
lime @ 3 q ha -1 + MgSO 4
@ 15 kg ha -1 + FYM 5 t ha -1
in furrow was recorded higher groundnut pod yield (3102
kg ha -1 ). The higher agronomic and recovery efficiencies
of primary nutrients were recorded under 50% GRD +
ZnSO 4
@ 25 kg + FYM @ 5 t ha -1 in furrow whereas higher
physiological efficiency was recorded under 50% GRD +
FYM @ 5 t ha -1 in furrow.
In direct seeded rice, application of half dose of NPK with
FYM @ 5 t ha -1 + ZnSO 4
@ 25 kg ha -1 and lime @ 3 q ha -1
resulted in higher agronomic and recovery efficiencies of
primary nutrients However, the maximum net returns and
B:C ratio was recorded with the application of 50% NPK.
Under mid land farming situation, sowing of dry aerobic
rice produced maximum grain yield of 4818 kg ha -1 and
straw yield of 6604 kg ha -1 , RWUE of 3.16 kg ha -1 mm -1 with
energy productivity of 0.52 kg/MJ by adopting line sowing
behind plough + 100% RDF + FYM @ 1 t ha -1 .
Long term effect of inorganic and organic manures on soil
fertility and productivity of direct seeded rice under rainfed
midland situations, application of full dose of NPK + 5
t FYM + ZnSO 4
@ 25 kg ha -1 + Lime 3 q ha -1 resulted in
higher grain yield, rain water use efficiency and improved
soil fertility.
Energy management
●
●
Under dry aerobic rice, line sowing by Nari plough with
100% RDF + FYM @ 1 t ha -1 was recorded maximum grain
yield of 5420 kg ha -1 , straw yield of 9853 kg ha -1 , RWUE of
3.69 kg ha -1 mm -1 and energy productivity of 0.5 kg/MJ.
In a study effect of reduced tillage and nutrient management
on maize productivity under midland situation, summer
Thakur et al.
40
ploughing + conventional tillage + 2 hand weeding recorded
maximum to evaluate the grain yield of 3930 kg ha -1 . In
case of nutrient management, 100% recommended dose of
fertilizer recorded maximum grain yield (4880 kg ha -1 ).
Alternate land use systems
●
Under tikra and marhan situation, mango, amla, guava,
sapota and cashew were evaluated. The biometric
observations revealed that the fruit plants performed better
under marhan situation.
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
●
●
●
●
Multi-storey nursery technique to cope with heavy rainfall
event and water logging conditions
Lehi (sowing of sprouted seeds) technique
Sowing rice and dhaincha together for improving root zone
soil moisture
For upland situations, sunken/ raised bed for rice and
cowpea.
Rainwater harvesting in farm pond and efficient utilization
in midland (Mal) situation for rabi season for vegetable
crops. Pond size of 20x20x3 m 3 was used for supplemental
irrigation
Cropping system
Intercropping systems
● Upland rice+ pigeon pea (8:1)
● Fingermillet+ pigeon pea (6:1)
● Maize+ pigeon pea (4:1)
● Maize+ cowpea (4:1)
● Maize+ Okra (4:1)
Relay cropping systems
●
●
●
●
Lowland rice-Lathyrus
Lowland rice-Linseed
Lowland rice-Fieldpea
Lowland rice-Mustard
Double cropping systems
●
●
●
●
Rice-Chick pea
Rice-Field Pea
Rice- Mustard
Rice-linseed
Nutrient Management
●
Application of Seeding dhaincha (Sesbania) with rice in
same row by seed drill or broadcast and spraying of 2,4-D
at 30 DAS

● Application of full dose of NPK + 5 t FYM + ZnSO 4
@ 25
kg ha -1 + Lime 3 q ha -1 for medium and long duration rice
varieties.
● 100% RDF (30:60:30 NPK kg/ha) + Lime @ 3 q/ha +
MgSO 4
@ 15 kg/ha + FYM 5 t/ha in furrow for groundnut
crop.
●
In Zn deficient soils, spray 0.5% ZnSO 4
+ 0.25% lime at
active tillering stages twice at 10 days intervals. During dry
spells, spray 1% KCl, 1% urea or 19:19:19 NPK + 0.5%
ZnSO 4
twice at 10 days intervals.
Energy management
●
●
Tractor drawn deep tillage equipments like disc plough and
MB plough
Line sowing by Nari plough in rice crop
Contingency crop planning
For kharif
a. Suggested contingency crops/cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (4 th week of June)
●
●
●
●
Rice- (upland bunded)-early duration varieties (Aditya,
Poornima, Annada, Danteshwari)
Rice-Midland (mal): (Danteshwari, Samleshwari, MTU-
1010, Rajeshwari)
Rice-Lowland (Gabhar): (Chandrahasani, Karma Masuri,
Maheshwari, Swarna sub-1, Indira sugandhit dhan-1,
Mahamaya, MTU-1001, Swarna, Badshah bhog selection-1;
Maize (JM-216, Chandan safed makka-2&3, Navjot);
Composite (NAC-6004)
● Pigeonpea (ICPL-87, No.148.BDN-2, ICPL-87,
Rajeevlochan)
●
Fingermillet (Indira ragi-1, Indira ragi-2, CG Ragi-3, GPU-
28)
Delay by 4 weeks (2 nd week of July)
● Midland rice- Poornima, Annada, Danteshwari,
Samleshwari, MTU-1010, Madhuri
●
●
●
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in Bastar Plateau Zone of Chhattisgarh
Low land rice- Bamleshwari, Swarna, Jaldoobi, Indira
Sugandhit Dhan-1, Pusa basmati
Finger millet- Indira ragi-2, CG Ragi-3 to be sown in upland
situation
Little Millet- CG Kutki-1 and 2 and CG Sonkutaki in upland
situation
41
b. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Weather
aberration
a. Early season
drought
b. Mid-season
drought
c. Terminal
drought
Crop
Stage of crop
Real time contingency
measure implemented
Rice Tillering stage Each 7 th row opening by
country plough
Rice Tillering stage Life saving irrigation at
tillering
Maize
Vegetative stage Scooping in alternate row
Rice Tillering stage Each 7 th row opening by
country plough
Rice Late jointing Foliar spray of 2% urea,
1% KCl, 3% Kaolin,
19:19:19 NPK 1% with
0.05% ZnSO 4
Maize
Horse
gram
Niger
Vegetative stage Foliar spray of 2% urea,
1% KCl, 3% Kaolin,
19:19:19 NPK 1% with
0.05% ZnSO 4
Vegetative stage Foliar spray of 2% urea,
1% KCl, 3% Kaolin,
19:19:19 NPK 1% with
0.05% ZnSO 4
Vegetative stage Spraying water twice
Rice Flowering stage Life saving irrigation at
flower initiation stage,
Horse
gram
Niger
Flowering &
poding
Flowering &
poding
Water spraying @ 750 litre
water per ha
Water spraying @ 750 litre
water but failed
Agro-horti system/ Dryland horticulture technology
Mango plantation (cv. Dashhari and Langra) with spacing of 10
m x 10 m with ragi and/or horsegram as intercrop for uplands
(Marhan and Tikra) of Bastar plateau.
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
The technologies upscaled through various programmes are
drought tolerant varieties, furrow opening technique at 2 m
interval in direct seeded rice crop, mechanization of sowing
and threshing by tractor operated machine, placing of FYM in
rice row at the time of sowing for conservation soil moisture
during short term drought at mid-way of growth stages, residual
moisture utilization by growing field pea and chickpea after rice
under midland and lowland situation of the region are some of
technologies which have been gone. District wise contingency
plans were also upscaled in the zone with the help of KVK and
line departments, (agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, veterinary
etc.)

Impact of dryland technologies
Soil moisture conservation practices like U shaped pit found
superior which could control 10% runoff. One feet sunken/
raised bed produced 13% higher yield and recharged ground
water due to sunken bed. In bunded midland and lowland
situations, integration with fish farming produced 6% extra
income to the farmers of Bastar. Utilization of harvested rain
water increased 10% more yield than rainfed situation. The
irrigation was supplied with sprinkler systems. For integrated
nutrient management in groundnut-onion cropping system and
direct seeded rice- field pea cropping system, recommended
dose of fertilizers with micronutrient produced higher yield
and increased soil fertility, agronomic efficiency and recovery
efficiency etc. Under dryland conditions, line sowing with Nari
plough reduced 10% operation cost and manage the crop easily
than the broadcasting. Reduced tillage save the energy and
produced optimum yield which was at par with conventional
methods. Application of bispyrabac sodium herbicides as post
emergence reduced 20% labour and 25 % cost of cultivation.
Under marhan conditions, rice + pigeonpea (5:1) with
transplanting of pigeonpea 40 days after sowing + sodium
molybdate seed treatment @ 4 g/kg seed of pigeonpea gave
maximum rice yield of 2186 kg/ha followed by rice + pigeonpea
(5:1) line sowing + sodium molybdate seed treatment @ 4 g/
kg seed to pigeonpea (2063 kg ha -1 ). However, the intercropped
pigeonpea yield was highest (862 kg ha -1 ) with rice + pigeonpea
(5:1) with transplanting of pigeonpea 40 DAS + pigeonpea seed
treatment with sodium molybdate @ 4 g/kg and application of
Thakur et al.
lime@ 200 kg ha -1 for pigeonpea were successful. In rice based
double cropping system under gabhar situation conventional
tillage (2 pass of country plough and sowing of seed) for field pea
recorded higher seed yield (1823 kg ha -1 ), net Pigeonpea + okra
(1:1) Pigeonpea + cowpea (1:1) Pigeonpea + blackgram (1:1)
Pigeonpea + maize (1:1) produced returns of Rs. 63812 ha -1 , B:C
ratio of 3.48 and RWUE of 3.41 followed by relay cropping of
field pea (Utera) (1234 kg ha -1 ). In the relay cropping of rice
(MTU 1001)-chickpea (JG-11) under lowland farming situation,
higher rice crop equivalent yield of 5569 kg ha -1 , net returns of
Rs.68262 ha -1 , B:C ratio of 3.93 and RWUE of 4.14 kg ha -1 mm -1
was recorded with rice-chickpea.
Way forward
In view of the emerging problems in dryland agriculture, the
following research areas to be addressed are
●
●
●
●
●
●
In-situ and ex-situ moisture conservation in view of the
rainfall variability in the zone.
Focus to be on crop intensification after upland rice to work
in rabi season.
IFS model for upland, midland and lowland considering the
natural resources
In direct seeded rice, package of rainfed rice system with
sowing window to enhance yield through dry aerobic rice,
wet seeding and moist seeding to avoid transplanting.
Mechanization in dry aerobic rice in collaboration with
AICRP-Rice centre
Focus on agroforestry systems
42

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 39-47
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
North Eastern Ghat Zone of Odisha
S. K. Behera, D. K. Bastia and M. R. Panda
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture centre,
Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Phulbani-762 001, Odisha
Email: subrat_behera@rediffmail.com
10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00015.X
Brief history of the Centre
AICRPDA centre was established at Bhubaneswar in 1971-72
under Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology and
was operated at Bhubaneswar upto 1992-93. Then the Centre
was shifted to Bhawanipatna in 1992 and to Phulbani in 1994.
Presently, the Centre is functioning at Phulbani. This Centres has
been conducting research on different theme areas to generate
location-specific technologies.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
The domain districts of the AICRPDA centre, Phulbani are
located in North Eastern Ghat Zone (NARP) in Odisha and in
the Garjat hills, Dandakaranya and Eastern Ghats hot moist subhumid
eco-sub-region of Agro-ecological sub-region (ICAR)
12.1 and in the East coast plain and Hill region of agroclimatic
region (Planning Commission).
The climate of the zone is sub-humid. Out of the total annual
average rainfall of 1407 mm, south west monsoon contributes
80%, post-monsoon 10% and summer rainfall 10%. The onset
of the monsoon is during second week of June and normal
withdrawal is during first week of October. The historical
rainfall data (of 30 years) indicated that the deviation from the
normal rainfall during south west monsoon was found to be 16%
excess and 13% deficit of the average rainfall. The mean annual
maximum temperature is 37 °C and mean annual minimum
temperature is 10.4 °C. Hottest month is May and cold month
is December.
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days at
AICRPDA centre, Phulbani
Rainfall
Normal
rainfall (mm)
Normal rainy
days (No.)
South west monsoon
1145 49
(June - September)
Post-monsoon
125 8
(October - December)
Winter (January - February) 22 2
Summer (March - May) 115 6
Annual 1407 65
Major soil types
The major soil types in the zone are red (63%), lateritic alluvial
(14%), brown forest (2%), mixed red and black (13%) with
sandy to sandy loam texture.
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif are
rice, maize, finger millet, pigeonpea, niger, sesamum, cotton,
greengram, blackgram, turmeric and off-season vegetables
(tomato, brinjal, cauliflower, cabbage, cowpea, bean etc.).
Dryland agriculture problems
Crop production and soil management
●
●
●
●
●
Soils have low water holding capacity, low in organic
carbon and plant available nutrients (NPK)
Prone to soil and water erosion
Crops suffer due to erratic monsoon causing dry spells in
crop cycles
Low adoption level of farm mechanisation at farmers’ field
due to non-availability of improved farm implements and
reluctance to adopt because of higher cost and fragmented
and small land holdings
Predominantly monocropping system, slow rate of crop
diversification and non-availability of a suitable IFS model
based on existing practices
Socio-economic
●
●
●
●
●
●
Small, fragmented and scattered holdings with fragile
resource base of farmers
Frequent failure of crops leads to uncertain production
Low borrowing and investment capacity coupled with lack
of subsidiary enterprises.
Inadequate agri-inputs during cropping season and poor
marketing infrastructure.
Lack of vegetation cover in farm without any social fencing.
Illiteracy and gender bias
Significant achievements
Rainwater management
●
●
Soil cement (6:1) mortar of 8 cm thickness restricted the
seepage loss and the seepage flow in the farm pond. The
cost of the soil cement lining of the tank of 76 m 3 is nearly
41% cheaper than the polythene lining of same tank. Hence
soil-cement (6:1) lined tank is recommended.
Excess runoff water arising due to heavy rainfall events can
be saved in dug out and lined farm ponds and judiciously
43

●
●
●
utilized in continuous furrow method of irrigation.
Continuous furrow irrigation exhibited 29.46%, 46.75%,
57.79% and 28.20% higher REY over ‘no irrigation’ in
radish, cauliflower, yambean and okra, respectively.
Strip and intercropping of cereal crops with pulses/oilseeds
are approved practices for breaking long slopes which
prevent soil loss, reduce runoff and enhance productivity.
Groundnut + pigeonpea (4:2) intercropping system also
gave significantly the highest REY (49.96 q/ha), the lowest
runoff (267.5 mm), the lowest soil loss (6.06 t/ha) which was
42% and 51.6% lower than the cultivated and uncultivated
fallow respectively and also lead to less runoff (19.78%) as
compared to other sole crops.
Application of organic mulch in the vegetable fields was
found to be the best to arrest soil erosion, conserve soil
moisture, intercept surface runoff and suppress weed
growth.
Ridge furrow system of planting was found to be good for
efficient irrigation from harvested rainwater and organic
mulching with dried Sal or Cassia leaves in tomato – radish
sequence. The ridge furrow system with organic mulching
resulted in highest tomato equivalent yield (15.41 t/ha) in
the tomato-radish sequence.
Crops and cropping system
●
●
Intercropping of vegetables with rice in definite row
proportion and optimum plant population resulted in higher
equivalent yield and LER.
Arhar + okra either in 2:2 or 2:1 row ratio provided optimum
plant population of the crops and resulted in maximum
yield of the system. The arhar + okra (2:1) and arhar + okra
(2:2) in row proportions yielded the highest amongst all the
arhar vegetable intercropping system and recorded LER of
1.6 and B:C ratio of 2.5.
● The INM practices viz. 50% CF + 50% N (FYM) and 50%
CF + 50% N (Green leaf) in yam + maize intercropping
system resulted in high productivity under rainfed upland
region.
●
●
Rice + cowpea and rice + rice bean resulted in higher
equivalent yield and net income. Application of FYM @ 5
t/ha + 50% RDF recorded highest equivalent yield among
nutrient management methods. Fodder helps to meet the
requirement of feeding the milch animals.
Intercropping of maize + vegetable resulted in higher maize
equivalent yield (MEY) and net income as compared to sole
maize. Intercropping of maize + cowpea resulted in higher
MEY followed by maize + bitter gourd and maize + runner
bean intercropping system. Application of FYM @ 10 t/ha
+ VC @ 2 t/ha as basal and spraying pot manure at 15 days
interval for 4 times recorded higher yield in all the maize +
vegetable intercropping system.
Behera et al.
44
●
Rainfed vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, knolkhol,
tomato can be taken as intercrops in pigeonpea with various
proportions of combination to provide better economic
returns and sustainability in production. Among all the
intercropping system, pigeonpea + tomato followed by
pigeonpea + cauliflower/radish were found to be the most
profitable intercropping systems, hence recommended for
farmers in rainfed upland.
Nutrient management
●
●
●
●
Lime @ 8 q/ha with P and K each @ 40 kg/ha should be
applied in maize - horsegram cropping system for higher
yield of the system.
Application of 100% RDF (N:P 2
O 5
:K 2
O:20:40:20 kg/ha)
+ Ca (in the form of PMS @ 5 q/ha) + S (in the form of
gypsum @ 30 kg S/ha) + B (in the form of Borax @ 12.5
kg/ha) exhibited highest pod yield in groundnut under
rainfed conditions.
Application of chemical fertilizer and organic manure
separately and in combination along with lime and biofertilizer
resulted in increase of turmeric yield. Blackgram
was grown after the turmeric cultivation on residual fertility
of different nutrients applied previously.
Greengram-toria cropping sequence can be taken in place of
upland rice to overcome drought. However, the productivity
of the system is low due to inadequate nutrient supply and
the soil is acidic in nature in this area. The productivity of
the system can be improved through liming and use of other
organic sources of nutrients as FYM and green leaf along
with P and K.
Energy management
●
●
Use of Phulbani dryland weeder saved almost 53 MD (Man
days) in weeding 1.0 ha of upland crop as against 111 mandays
in case of local weeder (Gadi) and also registered
around 21 and 9% higher grain yield than that with manual
weeding and weeding with local weeder (Gadi). It creates
soil mulch and conserves moisture besides working as a
crust-breaker and potato digger. The weeder eliminates
weeds early in closely sown (15 cm) upland rice.
Conventional tillage + two interculture and integrated
nutrient management with both organic and inorganic
sources such as 50% organic + 50% inorganic gives the
maximum rice yield.
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
●
●
Lining in farm pond for seepage control
Water harvesting through farm pond and judicious
utilization of conserved water in rainfed olericulture
Mulching of vegetable crops under rainfed condition

●
In-situ soil moisture conservation methods and efficient
rainwater utilization on tomato - radish sequence in N-E
Ghat Zone of Odisha
Cropping systems
Intercropping system
● Maize + cowpea (2:2)
● Maize + pigeonpea (2:2)
● Pigeonpea + radish (2:2)
● Maize + runner bean (2:2)
● Maize + bitter gourd (2:1)
● Maize + cucumber (2:1)
● Maize + ridge gourd (2:1)
Double cropping system
●
●
●
●
●
Upland rice - greengram
Upland rice - horsegram
Maize - potato
Maize - horsegram
Maize - mustard
Nutrient management
●
●
●
●
●
Liming of maize - horse gram cropping system for P and K
availability and yield
Integrated nutrient management of turmeric
Organic farming in turmeric - blackgram crop rotation in
NE ghat hills
Long term fertilizer and organic manure application on
rice- horse gram crop sequence
Nutrient management for turmeric - blackgram crop rotation
Energy management
●
●
Phulbani Dryland Weeder
Low till farming in rice - pulses relay cropping system
Integrated nutrient management practices
Crops
Upland rice,
maize, cotton
and turmeric
Niger,
sesame,
greengram,
blackgram
and
pigeonpea
INM practices
Recommended dose of NPK + FYM 5 t/ha + lime
200 kg/ha, application of Azospirillium 2-3 kg/
ha in seedling treatment for paddy, application of
Azospirillium/Azatobacter 0.5 kg/ha in seed treatment
for maize, application of Azatobacter 0.6-1.0 kg/ha in
seed treatment for cotton.
Recommended dose of NPK + FYM 5 t/ha + lime
400 kg/ha, application of Rhizobium 1-2 kg/ha for
pigeonpea and 0.4-0.6 kg/ha for greengram and
blackgram for seed treatment purpose, application of
Azatobacter 0.2 kg/ha in seed treatment for niger and
sesame crops.
Contingency crop planning
Kharif crop planning
45
a. Suggested contingency crops and cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (June 2 nd to 4 th week)
●
●
●
●
●
Rice (Vandana, Khandagiri, Lalat, Naveen), Maize
(Navjot, Hybrids), Blackgram (Pant U-19 & 30, Ujala,
Sarala), Ragi (Dibya Singha), Niger (Deomali, Utkal
Niger), Kharif vegetables Tomato (Utkal Kumari, Utkal
Raja), Brinjal (Blue star, Utkal Anushree, Tarini), Cow pea
(Utkal Manika), Cabbage (Pride of India, Disa Pusa early
synthetic), Cauliflower (Summer king)
Closer row and plant spacing in rice, maize, blackgram,
tomato, brinjal
Apply full dose of P, K and 20% recommended dose of
N along with well decomposed organic matter for early
seedling vigor.
Conservation furrow at 3-5 m apart in maize and blackgram
Sow crops across the slope to develop a ridge and furrow
type of land configuration for effective soil moisture
conservation
Delayed by 4 weeks (2 nd week of July)
●
●
●
●
●
Rice (Sahabhagi, Vandana), Maize (Navjot, Hybrids),
Blackgram (Pant U-19 & 30, Ujala, Sarala), Ragi (Dibya
Singha), Niger (Deomali, IGP-76), Kharif vegetables
Tomato (Utkal Kumari, Utkal Raja), Brinjal (Blue star,
Utkal Anushree, Tarini), Cow pea (Utkal Manika), Cabbage
(Pride of India, Disa Pusa early synthetic), Cauliflower
(Summer king), Toria (Parvati, Anuradha, PT-303).
Intercropping system such as maize + cowpea (2:2), maize
+ pigeonpea (2:2), pigeonpea + radish (2:2), maize + runner
bean (2:2), maize + bitter gourd (2:1).
If mortality is less than 50% gap filling should be done,
if more than 50% mortality, resow the crop with short
duration high yielding low water requiring crops like green
gram, black gram, cow pea after receiving the rainfall.
In-situ moisture conservation practices may be adopted
complete hoeing, weeding followed by ridging to the
base of the crop rows at 20 days after sowing for moisture
conservation.
Hoeing and weeding followed by ridging to the base of the
root crop for in-situ moisture conservation.
Delayed by 6 weeks (1 st week of August)
●
Rice (Sahabhagi, Vandana), Maize (Navjot, Hybrids),
Blackgram (Pant U-19 & 30, Ujala, Sarala), Ragi (Dibya
Singha), Niger (Deomali, IGP-76), kharif vegetables
Tomato (Utkal Kumari, Utkal Raja), Brinjal (Blue star,
Utkal Anushree, Tarini), Cow pea (Utkal Manika), Cabbage
(Pride of India, Disa Pusa early synthetic), Cauliflower
(Summer king), Toria (Parvati, Anuradha, PT-303).

●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Intercropping system such as maize + cowpea (2:2), maize
+ pigeonpea (2:2), pigeonpea + radish (2:2), maize + runner
bean (2:2), maize + bitter gourd (2:1).
Hoeing and weeding in crops except upland rice to provide
dust mulch.
Post emergence spray of Quizalophos 5% EC @ 0.05 kg ai
/ ha in 500 litres of water to control weeds in groundnut.
Foliar spray of 2% KCl + 0.1 ppm Boron to black gram.
Foliar application of 2% urea at pre-flowering and flowering
stage of green gram.
Spray 1% urea in vegetables crops.
Top dressing of 25 % urea and potash after receipt of the
rain for upland rice.
Remove the pest and disease infected plants from the main
field.
In-situ rain water conservation, harvesting excess run off
for recycling.
Delayed by 8 weeks (2 nd week of August)
●
●
●
Prefer early rabi pulses such as blackgram with favorable
residual moisture under upland conditions.
Provide life saving irrigation.
Remove the pest and disease infected plants from the field.
b. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
●
●
●
●
●
Inter-cultivation and thinning to maintain plant population
per unit area of the crop
If mortality is less than 50% gap filling should be done,
if more than 50% mortality, resow the crop with short
duration high yielding low water requiring crops like green
gram, black gram, cow pea after receiving the rainfall.
Hoeing and weeding followed by ridging to the base of the
root crop for in-situ moisture conservation.
Post emergence spray of Quizalophos 5% EC @ 0.05 kg ai
/ ha in 500 litres of water to control weeds in groundnut.
Provide lifesaving irrigation.
Mid-season drought
●
●
●
Hoeing weeding and earthing up for moisture conservation
in maize, groundnut and vegetable crops.
Provide life saving irrigation from rainwater stored in farm
ponds/check dams
Weeding and mulching with organic materials such as Sal
leaves and paddy straw based on the availability.
● Foliar spray of water soluble fertilizer N:P:K 19:19:19 @ 5
g/litre to rice crop.
Behera et al.
46
●
●
Foliar spray of 2% KCl + 0.1 ppm boron to blackgram to
overcome drought situations.
Strengthen the field bunds and close the holes to check
seepage loss.
Terminal drought
●
●
●
●
Provide lifesaving irrigation from check dam/farm pond
Harvest rice at physiological maturity stage
Paira cropping of greengram (TARM 1, TARM 2, OBGG-
52, Pusa 9072)/ Blackgram (PU-31, IPU 2-43).
Sowing of greengram/ blackgram by Zero seed drill for
moisture conservation.
● Foliar spray of water-soluble fertilizer N:P:K:19:19:19 @ 5
g/litre to pulse crops.
Rabi crop planning
Suggested crops and varieties for delayed seasons
●
Pulse crops like blackgram (PU-31, IPU 2-43) and
greengram (TARM 1, TARM 2, OBGG-52, Pusa 9072) can
be grown if irrigation facilities are available.
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
●
●
●
●
Lining of farm pond on all the four sides with soil cement
(6:1) mortar of 8 cm thickness restricted the seepage loss and
conserves excess runoff water from the field and the stored
water could be utilized for raising high value vegetable
crops, which ultimately can double the farm profit. This
technology has been upscaled by the watershed and fishery
departments of the state.
Rainwater management technologies such as raising bund
height of field bund, graded bunding, staggered trench
has been taken up as land development programme under
MGNREGS programme in Kandhmal District.
Maize + cowpea (2:2) intercropping system is advised
to farmers of this district as sole maize cultivation is
comparatively less remunerative, vulnerable to hazards of
nature and depletes soil nutrients. The technology has been
picked up by the Agriculture Department and demonstrated
in all the blocks of Kandhamal district.
Rice + fodder intercropping system has been adopted by
the farming community as they realized the importance of
the green fodder for the cattle. More nos. of training and
demonstration on these aspects need to be conducted for
their awareness.
● Intercropping of maize + arhar (2:1) and arhar + radish (2:2)
adopted by state and district action plans
●
Intercrop like cowpea / greengram / blackgram are
intercropped in mango / cashew orchard for first 3 years and
turmeric/ginger in subsequent years to develop an ALUS

which has been included in NHM programme of Dept. of
Horticulture.
● Popularization of drought tolerant rice (Vandana,
Sahabhagi, ZHU 11-26) varieties among farmers in the
domain districts.
●
●
●
●
Contingent crop plans in adopted village (Budhadani and
Gunjidraga of Phulbani block) during dryspell motivated
farmers of the adjoining villages to include these
interventions in their crop plan.
Maize + ridge gourd (2:1) intercropping systems have been
adopted by the local maize growers. Local maize is grown in
0.15 lakh ha and hybrid maize is grown in another 0.35 lakh
ha in the domain area. Such technology is being up-scaled
through the RKVY programme of the state department of
agriculture.
Organic manures rather than chemical fertilizers in
turmeric is being prioritized by NGOs, state department of
horticulture through large scale demonstrations in village
levels.
Mulching practice in maize-based intercropping systems
is being popularized by RKVY and ATMA programme
of the state department of agriculture. This technology has
also been extended to the maize growing interior district of
Odisha.
Impact of technologies
The AICRPDA, Phulbani centre conducted demonstrations
and training programme for farmers to update their knowledge
and skills in modern dryland technologies. The impact of
different dryland technologies in the North Eastern Ghats Agroclimatic
Zone of Odisha are given below. The Centre also
conducted demonstrations on location specific technologies
to establish its production potentials on the farmers’ fields.
The Centre is working as resource and knowledge centre of
dryland agricultural technology for supporting the farmers and
line departments. The Centre also supported Agriculture and
Horticulture Department of the district as technical expert for
capacity building of functionaries and farmers. The Centre also
acts as an integral part of different agricultural committees of
district administration. Ridge furrow system and broad bed
furrow system with organic mulching improved the water
holding capacity of soil by 34% and equivalent yield by 58%.
Water harvesting in farm pond and its utilization for vegetable
crops increased the equivalent yield by 62%, economic benefit
(net return, B:C ratio) by 35% and 37% respectively. Maize +
Cowpea, Maize + Pigeonpea, Pigeonpea + Radish resulted in 60-
70% increase in equivalent yield by intercropping system than
sole cropping. Green manuring with Dhanicha: Rice resulted in
15% increased yield
Way forward
The following research and development programme of the
centre need to be focused in future.
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
More focus should be given to rain water conservation and
effective utilization of technologies in accordance with
‘more crop per drop’.
Farming system research to aim at doubling the farm
income by identification and addition of supplementary and
complimentary components to the existing set up.
Preparation of situation specific crop wise contingent plan
for dissemination, adoption and validation.
Focus should be given on system research involving
traditional crops. Emphasize on supporting technology to
“Paramparagat Krishi” and Krishi Sinchai Yojana”.
Block level contingent plan should be prepared in context
of climate change.
More research should be given on organic agriculture,
drought coping, carbon sequestration as Kandhamal district
has been declared to be the organic district of Odisha.
Emphasis should be given to strengthen and popularize the
RIFS model in the zone incorporating more components
like seasonal flowers, perennial exotic fruit trees, piggery,
duckery and improved fingerlings of fish on a cluster model.
47

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 48-50 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00016.1
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Eastern Plain and Vindhyan Zone of Uttar Pradesh
J.P. Singh, S.K. Rajpoot, Nirmal De and A.K. Nema
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Email id: jpratapsng@gmail.com
Brief history of the Centre
The All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland
Agriculture Centre at Varanasi was started in 1971 under
Banaras Hindu University. The Centre represents Eastern plain
and Vindhyan zone in eastern Uttar Pradesh (AESR 4.3/9.2).
The domain districts in this zone are Varanasi, Chandauli, Sant
Ravidas Nagar, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
The climate of the zone is semi-arid to sub-humid. Out of the total
annual average rainfall of 1191 mm, the south-west monsoon
contributes 80%, north-east monsoon 15% and summer rainfall
5%. The normal onset of monsoon is during third week of June
and the normal withdrawal is during fourth week of September.
Erratic rainfall (high intensity short duration), undulating
topography and presence of hard rocks provides opportunity
of surface water storage. A good number of water bodies are
present in the region from ancient time but capacity of such
bodies has been reduced due to siltation. Limited ground water
is available and quality of ground water is also inferior.
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days at
AICRPDA Centre, Varanasi
Rainfall
South west monsoon
(June-September)
Post-monsoon
(October-December)
Normal
rainfall (mm)
Normal rainy
days (No.)
945 38
61 3
Winter (January-February) 44 3
Summer (March-May) 32 3
Annual 1082 47
Major soil types
The major soils in the zone are black soils (30.5%), red lateritic
soils (27.8%) and sandy loam soils (41.7%).
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif are
rice, pigeonpea, maize, pearlmillet, greengram and sesame and
during rabi are lentil, linseed and chickpea.
Dryland agriculture problems
●
●
●
Uncertain rainfall events make farming highly risk prone.
Rainfall pattern (amount and distribution) during last
10 years has been very erratic resulting in uncertainty in
cultivation of rice which is the main crop of the region.
Poor resource base and low risk bearing capacity of farmers.
Labour scarcity during peak season.
Significant achievements
Rainwater management
●
●
●
Wide diameter well (percolation well) for Vindhyan region
has been developed & found effective for enhancing
productivity. Rice yield could be enhanced by 25% with
one supplemental irrigation (5 cm) using harvested water
in the event of dry spell of 8 to10 days coinciding with the
reproductive phase. In the event of delayed onset (up to 3 rd
week of July). Pearl millet was found to be an effective
alternative to rice.
Construction of earthen checks and pitching by local
available material (stone pitching) in natural gullies/nalas
stored about 25-30% of total rainfall as the runoff water
of catchment. Due to seepage and percolation losses, about
50% of stored water is lost and rest of the water is available
up to starting of rabi season. Stored water may be used as
life-saving irrigation for drought proofing of kharif crops
or as pre-sowing irrigation / deficit irrigation for rabi
chickpea/ mustard.
Ridge-furrow planting of pigeonpea on (ridge) and rice
(in furrow) respectively in uplands and medium lands
gives additional yield of rice from pigeonpea field. Tractor
operated ridger makes ridges of height of 30-40 cm at 60 cm
spacing. The practice gave additional yield of rice of about
10-12 q/ha. Pigeonpea crop is protected under high rainfall
situations and 20% area of pigeonpea is under this practice.
Nutrient management
●
In a trial on rice at Varanasi, application of 100% RDF
along with 25 kg ZnSO 4
and 10 kg Borax per ha confirmed
its superiority over 100% RDF, giving higher rice yield.
However, yield levels were very poor due to late sowing
and succeeding drought.
48

●
In a long term study of 25 years on INM, application
of organic manure either alone or in combination with
inorganic sources resulted in higher yield of rice and higher
rainfall use efficiency as compared to other treatments.
Incorporation of only organic source (i.e., wheat straw
initially 9 years and 100% FYM) significantly increased
the organic carbon by 10.5% and 14.4% for 0-15 cm soil
layer, respectively. Application of inorganic fertilizer alone
at full or half of the recommended dose decreased organic
carbon by 1.1 and 1.3% while combining organic material
with inorganic resulted in 6.8-9% increase of organic
carbon. A significant increase (36-56%) in the stability of
the aggregates was observed under organic alone and / or
with inorganic nutrient while a decrease in stability was
observed under only inorganic nutrient supplementation.
The bulk density, moisture retention capacity, infiltration
rate and CEC were also significantly improved under
organic alone or / and with inorganic combination as
compared to inorganic nutrient alone.
Crops and cropping systems
●
Pigeonpea (75 cm) + one row of okra was found more
productive and remunerative than sole system on typical
uplands. Planting one row sesame (T12 / GT1) between
2 paired rows of pigeonpea (30+90 cm) resulted in higher
productivity (230 kg/ha) and monetary advantage (B:C
ratio of 3.5).
● Planting linseed + mustard with row ratio 4:2 / 6:2
intercropping resulted in 72% yield and 0.28 to 0.31 SYI.
●
Malviya vishwanath (HUL 57), moderately drought and
wilt tolerant lentil variety developed by Varanasi centre
produced 1400 kg ha -1 which was 25% higher than existing
varieties (PL406 & PL 439) with a B:C ratio of 3.46.
Alternate land use systems
●
Custard apple + green gram system was found more
effective
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
●
Ridge and furrow system in rice+pigeonpea intercropping
system
Production of high value crops under bower system using
harvested water
Cropping systems
●
Malaviya Vishwanath (HUL-57) - A high yielding Lentil
variety for North Eastern Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh
Intercropping systems
● Pigeonpea + rice (1:1)
● Pigeonpea + blackgram (1:2)
● Pigeonpea + sesame (1:1)
● Pigeonpea + okra (1:1)
● Chickpea + mustard (4:1)
● Chickpea + linseed (2:1)
● Linseed + mustard (4/6:2)
● Maize + blackgram (1:2)
● Maize + okra (1:1)
Double/triple cropping systems
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Rice-chickpea
Rice-lentil
Rice -mustard
Maize -lentil
Pearlmillet- chickpea
Greengram–mustard
Blackgram-mustard
Sesame-chickpea
Maize-mustard
Alternate land use system
●
Custard apple based agri-horti system
Integrated nutrient management practices
Crop INM Practice Remarks
Rice, maize,
pearlmillet,
pigeonpea,
greengram,
chickpea, lentil,
mustard , linseed
50 % N through
organic sources +
50% N through
inorganic sources
Contingency crop planning
For kharif planning
FYM/vermicompost to
be applied to meet 50%
N requirement. Zn and
Boron may be applied as
basal or foliar depending
on the need
a. Suggested contingency crops/ cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (1 st week of July)
●
●
Rice short duration varieties (NDR 97, NDR 118, Barani
Deep, Vandana, Govind); pigeonpea (Bahar, Narendra
Arahar-1, Malviya Vakas (MA6) and Malviya Chamtkar)
Intercropping of pigeonpea + sesame
Delay by 4 weeks (3 rd week of July)
● Replace rice with greengram/blackgram/sesame
(greengram: Pant Mung -8, PDM-11, Samrat, Jyoti, Jagriti,
Janpriya, Jan Chetana & Jan Kalyani; blackgram: Type 9,
Pant U 19, 35, Narendra Urd 1 and Azad Urd-3; sesame:
Type 4, 12, 13, Shekhar, GT1 ,TC 25, 289), pigeonpea
(Bahar, Narendra Arahar-1, Malviya Vakas (MA6) &
Malviya Chamtkar)
●
Intercropping systems: Pigeonpea +sesame/greengram/
blackgram;
49

Delay by 6 weeks (1 st week of August)
●
●
Replace rice and maize with greengram (greengram: Pant
Mung-8, PDM-11, Samrat, Jyoti, Jagriti, Janpriya, Jan
Chetana and Jan Kalyani)
Intercropping systems: Pigeonpea + sesame/greengram
Delay by 8 weeks (2 nd week of August)
● Replace rice with pearlmillet (WCC 75, Raj 171, Pusa 23);
Intercropping of pigeonpea+ pearlmillet
b. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
●
●
●
●
●
Resowing of crops to have proper germination. Prefer
drought tolerant rice varieties
(NDR 97, Vandana, Govind Shushka Samrat and
Varanideep)
Intercultivation, thinning and opening of conservation
furrow
Weeding
Earthing up in main crops
Mid-season drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Thinning to maintain proper distance between the plants
Provide life-saving irrigation (5 cm) through harvested
rainwater from farm pond if possible
Dust/ straw mulch (4 t/ha)
Intercultivation
Use of additional N @ 10 kg/ha
Spray of 2% urea as foliar application
Earthing up in intercrops
Terminal drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
Give protective irrigation, if available
Defoliate older leaves
Sowing of toria in the month of September (Type 9 &
Bhavani)
Deep ploughing with rotavator
Harvesting of intercrop at physiological maturity
Planning for rabi crop
For rabi planning
Suggested crops and varieties for delayed season
Mustard: RH-749
Field pea: HUDP-15
Agro-hortisystem/Dryland horticulture technology
Custard apple + sesame
Anola + mustard
Guava + greengram
Singh et al.
50
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
The dryland technologies were upscaled by KVKs, ATMA and
other line departments.
Impact of technologies
Summer tillage helped in greater retention of rainwater (36 per
cent higher over conventional method) and reduces 68 per cent of
total runoff as against 50% of runoff water with farmer’s practice.
This practice enhances the yield of rice (NDR-97) to 2620 kg/
ha, pigeonpea (Bahar I MA-13) to 1080 kg/ha and sesame (Pant
4) to 290 kg/ ha against 2280 kg/ha rice, 580 kg/ha pigeonpea
and 210 kg/ha sesame with conventional tillage. Ridge- furrow
planting helped in runoff modulation, crop diversification, soil
fertility built up, risk reduction and disruption of pest cycle.
This system produces a rice equivalent yield of 8866 kg/ha
(2200 kg/ha of rice and 2000 kg/ha of pigeonpea) as against
3500 kg/ha of rice with farmers’ practice of sole rice under flat
planting. Planting of pearl millet and maize results in increased
grain yield by 37 and 73%, respectively as farmers’ practice of
broadcasting. Pearl millet and maize is grown on 5% area of
this region particularly by progressive farmers, by adopting this
technology in 50,000 ha, there would be an income benefit to
the farmers to about Rs.26.8 crores and Rs. 28 crores, by pearl
millet and maize cultivation. Malaviya Vishwanath (HUL-57)
gives seed yield of 1400 kg /ha, which is 85 per cent more than
the existing local variety (755 kg/ha). HUL-57 showed highest
sustainable yield index of 0.42 compared to 0.35 and 0.38 of
PL406 and PL639 respectively. It performs well in farmers’
fields also. By replacing of wheat (860 kg/ha) by chickpea (2850
kg/ha) or lentil (1620 kg/ha) farmer can realize a rice equivalent
yield of 13127 kg/ha and 7629 kg/ha respectively with ricechickpea
system and rice-lentil system with corresponding net
returns of Rs.72197 and Rs.33400/ha and with B:C ratio of 4
and 1.9 respectively. This is against rice equivalent yield of
4230 kg/ha and net returns of Rs.9600/ha with farmer’s practice
of rice-wheat system. Intercropping of pigeonpea (Bahar) and
sesame (Type 4) (30/90 cm) gave 85 per cent higher productivity
over farmers’ practice of sole pigeonpea cropping or pigeonpea
mixed cropping. This system produces 1180 kg/ha of pigeonpea
equivalent.
Way forward
Future dryland agriculture research focus would be on
developing rainwater management, rainfed integrated farming
systems modules, crop diversification/intensification, strip
cropping systems, soil quality, agroforestry systems and farm
mechanization.

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 51-59 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00017.3
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka
M.S. Shirahatti 1 , R.A. Nandagavi 1 , U.M. Momin 1 , B.H. Kumara 1 , S.B. Patil 1 , G. Ravindra Chary 2 ,
V.S. Surakod 1 , M.A. Gaddankeri 1 , S.G. Kanthi 1 and H.S. Patil 1
1
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre,
University of Agricultural Sciences (Dharwad), Vijayapura- 562 135, Karnataka
2
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, ICAR- CRIDA, Hyderabad - 500 059
Email: msshirahatti@gmail.com
Brief history of the centre
A dry farming research centre was started at Bijapur in 1933.
Later on, a sub centre of All India Coordinated Research
Project for Dryland Agriculture was started at Bijapur in 1970.
Subsequently the Sub-centre was upgraded as Main centre in
1984. This centre was under University of Agricultural Sciences,
Bangalore up to 30 th September 1986 and from 01-10-1986
repatriated to University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad.
Presently, the centre is located at Regional Agricultural Research
Station, Vijayapura (earlier Bijapur) in Karnataka.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
The agroclimatic zone of the centre is the Northern Dry zone
(Zone-3) of Karnataka. This zone covers an area of 4.78
million ha of Vijayapura, Bagalkote, Gadag, Bellary, Koppal,
parts of Dharwad, Belagavi and Raichur. Northern Dryzone of
Karnataka (Zone-3) and it comprises five Agro-ecological sub
regions such as; Hot Arid ESR (24, 28 200 ha), 6.1 Hot dry
semi-arid ESR (13, 88 408ha), 6.2 Hot moist Semi-arid ESR
(60,000 ha), 6.4 Hot dry sub-humid ESR (9,12,000 ha) and 7.1
Hot dry Semi-arid ESR (64, 200 ha). The climate in this zone is
dry semi-arid. Out of the total annual average rainfall of 594.4
mm with 38 rainy days, the South-West monsoon contributes
65%, while 22.5% and 12.5% is from North-East monsoon
and summer, respectively. The normal onset of South-West
monsoon is during the first week of June and normal withdrawal
is during the first week of September. Maximum normal air
temperature ranging from 38.6 to 39.15 °C was noticed in April
and May. The mean monthly minimum temperature of 14.55°C
was noticed in January. Higher wind speed was observed in
June and July and less wind speed in November. The relative
humidity during the period fluctuated between 31.1% in March
to 69.9% during August.
Major soil types
The major soil types in the zone are shallow to very shallow
black soils (43%), medium deep to deep black soils (37%) and
fine red clay loam/ red and black mixed soils (20%).
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days at
AICRPDA Centre, Vijayapur
Rainfall
South west monsoon
(June-September)
North east monsoon
(October-December)
Normal
rainfall (mm)
Normal rainy
days (No.)
387.5 24
134.0 9
Winter (January - February) 6.8 -
Summer (March-May) 66.1 5
Annual 594.4 38
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif are
pigeonpea, green gram, pearl millet and sunflower; during rabi
are chickpea, rabi sorghum and safflower.
Dryland agriculture problems
Crop production related constraints
●
●
●
Inadequate, low and erratic rainfall, most vulnerable and
aberrant weather condition, undulating topography and
rolling plains and lowering of groundwater table
Low adoption of rainwater management techniques with
special reference to moisture conservation practices and
low adoptability of farm ponds at farmer’s level
Soils are highly degraded with low water retention capacity,
multiple nutrient deficiencies and low organic content (0.35
to 0.50%), very low or negligible use of organic manures,
risk of crop failure, monocropping and low yielding crop
varieties
Infrastructure and institutional constraints
●
●
Physical constraints of transportation which link the farmers
with different profiles of market and also facilities of cold
storage and power are existing
Fragmentations of small holdings have constraints for
efficient use of land, family labour and cannot reap scale
economics
51

Socio-economic constraints
●
●
●
Migration of agricultural labourers
Small and marginal farmers do not have the ability to invest
in agriculture and allied sectors requiring high capital and
labour inputs
Market risks
Research initiatives/focus since inception of the centre
To address the above constraints, various research programmes
were formulated and submitted to the different externally
funding agencies for the funding and implemented the same on
station and on farm.
NWDPRA - Operational Research Project: During the year
1993, under the National Watershed Development Programme
for the Rainfed Agriculture (NWDPRA), the University
of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad had been assigned the
responsibility of conducting the adoptive research on rainwater
conservation and sustainable agricultural production system. In
turn, the University assigned a major part of this activity to the
dryland Centre, Vijayapura. This project was operational from
1993-2003 (10 years). Under the project, eleven model micro
watersheds one micro watershed in each of the districts on a
holistic approach in Northern Karnataka have been developed.
National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture
(NICRA): Since 2011, the NICRA project has been operated at
Vijayapura centre. The village, Kavalagi has been selected for
the study. The centre initiated the both on station and on farm
research/demonstrations on real–time contingency measures.
The contingency measures includes both addressing the real
time issues as well as the preparedness.
Advanced research and upscaling of dryland technologies
in Northern Dry zone of Karnataka (DARE-GoI): Under the
DARE, GoI, SFC funded project, during 2013-15, three villages
Honwad, Hansbhavi and Hullur villages were selected from the
Vijayapura, Bagalakote and Gadag districts respectively. SWC
structures (bunds, farm ponds) were constructed in 1,000 ha
area of project villages and also other dry land practices were
demonstrated. About 15-20% increase in yield was observed in
treated areas over the conventional practices.
CGIAR-DS Upscaling of focused dryland technologies
through participatory mode: UASD and ICRISAT
collaborative research project CRP-DS (CGIAR Research
Program on dryland systems) was operated under AICRPDA
(UAS Dharwad, Karnataka) at Vijayapura center from 2014-
2016 (two years) with the main objective of transferring dryland
technologies to the farmers for climate-resilient agriculture. In
this project, three villages viz., Nandihal, Manur and Balaganur
of Vijayapura dist. were selected for conducting demonstrations,
research activities and capacity building.
Shirahatti et al.
CGWB - Rainwater harvesting and ground water recharge
in Vijayapura campus: The CGWB funded project was
implemented during 2012-14 at RARS, Vijayapura campus.
The economics of the project revealed that the cost of rooftop
rainwater harvesting works out to be Rs. 19.20 per 1000 litres
of water. The cost of water harvesting through the artificial
recharge structure is about Rs. 3.64 per 1000 litres of water. The
weighted average of the unit cost of water harvesting of all the
structures would be Rs. 4.35 per 1000 litres.
IWMP - Installation of silt monitoring stations for runoff
and sediment studies: The University of Agricultural Sciences,
Dharwad collaborated with the watershed development
department from 2011-2014 in establishing and monitoring silt
monitoring stations (SMS) at the selected micro watersheds
in the districts of Vijayapura, Bagalakote, Gadag, Dharwad,
Belagavi, and Uttara Kannada. These districts fall in three agroclimatic
zones viz., northern dry zone, hilly zone, and northern
transition zone. The benchmark information (pre-treatment)
on runoff, soil loss and nutrient loss were monitored. Further,
change in the runoff, soil loss and nutrient losses after the
imposition of the soil and water conservation measures in the
watershed were also monitored.
Significant achievements/findings
Rainwater management
●
●
●
●
Impact evaluation of inorganic mulches on the major crops
of this region indicated that in the mulched plots, additional
yield advantage of 11.28-62.8 percent was recorded over the
control, while the average reductions in the runoff and soil
loss over the control were 31 and 52 percent respectively.
In set-furrow cultivation, pigeonpea equivalent yield was
significantly higher in set furrow with residue + glyricidia
incorporation (1409 Rs. ha -1 ). But it was on par with set
furrow with silt + residue + glyricidia incorporation (1349
Rs. ha -1 ).
Compartmental bunds help in conserving soil moisture
and the rainwater is conserved in the bunds where it falls
as the bunds provide more opportunity time for water to
infiltrate into the soil. Adoption of compartmental bunding
in rabi sorghum, sunflower, safflower and chickpea gave
yield advantages of 40, 35, 38 and 50%, respectively over
no compartmental bunding or flat planting.
Wider row spacing with frequent deep inter-cultivation
with blade harrow increased the yield of pearl millet to 500
kg ha -1 as against 250 kg ha -1 with farmers practice. The
effectiveness of this technology was more observed during
sub normal rainfall years. Response of rabi sorghum with
recommended practices to contour key line cultivation in
shallow black soil was conducted at Vijayapura centre.
52

●
●
●
●
●
●
Sowing of rabi sorghum along the contour key line with
60 cm row spacing and recommended dose of fertilizer
gave a higher yield of 8.0 q ha -1 compared to 5.0 q ha -1 when
sowing was done along the slope as per farmer’s practice.
Double cropping was made possible due to this Zingg
Conservation bench terraces in the farmers’ fields. The
extent of increase in the yield of different crops ranged
between 30 to 60%.
Studies on vegetative and mechanical checks for soil and
moisture conservation revealed that the runoff reduction
due to the vegetative and mechanical checks as against the
control plot was in the range of 20.2 % to 47.8%.
Sub soiling (chisel plough) is one of the cheap and effective
in-situ moisture conservation measures. From the three
years study, it is concluded that the subsoiling at 2 m spacing
with vermicompost application @ 2.5 t ha -1 has recorded the
higher yield of 25.3%. The higher yield is attributed to the
sub soiling, which helped higher infiltration of rainwater
into the soil.
Pebble mulch recorded lower runoff (11 ha cm) compared
to conventional practice (38 ha cm), resulting in a lesser
quantity of soil loss of 0.78 t ha -1 as against 4.51 t ha -1 ,
and produced greater wetting front depth. Further, it gave
a higher sorghum grain equivalent yield of 24.5 q ha -1
compared to 16.5 q ha -1 with conventional practice.
The surplus water calculation under GIS environment
showed that the annual runoff as the percentage rainfall was
14.38 percent (81.6 mm).The analysis of rainfall intensity
of eight rain gauge stations of 11 years (2001 to 2011)
period revealed that most of the time i.e., six out of ten
times the maximum rainfall intensity was occurred during
September followed by May and October, hence chances
of filling up of the rain water harvesting structures are very
high during these months. Based on rainfall, topography of
the land, soil type and land use pattern, a farm pond of 150
m 3 size is sufficient for each hectare of catchment area in
black soils with provision of emptying it after its fill-up to
accommodate the subsequent events of runoff. Farm pond
water balance revealed that 625.7 m 3 (27.3%) of water was
lost in the form of evaporation from June to January, 200
m 3 (8.6%) water was lost in the form of seepage and about
6 per cent water was left in the pond as the dead storage,
resulting in the remaining 1328 m 3 (58 %) of water for
use. The evaporation of water was quantified during 2016
and 2017. During this period, it was observed that least
evaporation was recorded in steryl alcohol (106.9 cm)
followed by silicon oil (107.5cm). The highest evaporation
was observed in control (181.07 cm). This water could be
●
●
beneficially used by providing one supplementary irrigation
of 50 mm to obtain additional yield of 39.7% in sorghum
and 29.2% in chickpea.
Groundwater recharge by diverting nala water through a
horizontal filter to an open well indicated the possibility
of harvesting annually 4.14 lakh litres of the runoff water.
The hydro geologically nine significant different thematic
layers viz., geology, soil, land use/cover, water table
fluctuation, depth to bed rock, slope, drainage density,
lineament density and geomorphology were used as the
input and multi criteria evaluation (MCE) for finalizing/
recharge suitability sites for the upper Don river basin.
For arresting the silt in ground water recharge, the vertical
filter performed better than the horizontal filter. Further,
wherever only sand is available, then 60 cm thick sand
filter may be used, it works with the 78 per cent efficiency.
Further, where all the three layers (sand + medium jelly +
small boulder) are available then filter with the nylon mesh
should be used. With this, the highest filter efficiency of
94 percent could be achieved. The impact analysis of SWC
works on groundwater recharge revealed that the shallow
water table was recorded during October, while the deep
was recorded during June, further the average ground water
recharge recorded was 9.9 - 11.5 percent of annual rainfall,
similar recharge results were reported by National Institute
of Hydrology. Further, the SWC structures were effective
for recharging, only when annual rainfall was normal or
above normal. The impact of RWH structures on depth
to the water table, water yield and water quality of seven
observation bore wells, which are falling in the vicinity of
the RWH structures were selected. The year 2012-2013
was treated as pre-treatment year and the years 2013-
14 and 2014-2015 were treated as post-treatment years.
The outcomes of the monitoring of the observation wells
revealed that there was the trend of increase in the water
table and the well yield.
The crop management factor ‘C’ values for USLE soil loss
assessment model were determined as 0.5 for kharif, 0.7 for
rabi, and 0.3 for the bi-seasonal crops. Established the silt
monitoring stations (SMS) at the selected micro watersheds
in the districts of Vijayapura, Bagalakote, Gadag, Dharwad,
Belagavi, and Uttara Kannada. The benchmark information
(pre-treatment) on runoff, soil loss, and nutrient losses
were monitored. Further, change in the runoff, soil loss
and nutrient losses after the imposition of the soil and
water conservation measures in the watershed were also
monitored.
53

Crops and cropping systems
● Residue incorporation alone and residue incorporation +
tied ridging gave significantly higher yield of pigeonpea,
rabi sorghum and chickpea as compared to control.
This is attributed to higher available moisture content
and conspicuous increase in the physical and biological
properties of the soil. For sustained higher yield there
is no need to apply nitrogen to rabi sorghum + chickpea
intercropping system in the yearly rotational cropping
system of pigeonpea-sunhemp - rabi sorghum + chickpea
(2:1) if crop residues (only leaf litter plus roots of
pigeonpea) are incorporated continuously. Tied ridging
is an additional advantage especially during low rainfall
years. In another study to determine the best genotype with
the land configuration for exploiting higher yield potential
of pigeonpea under rainfed condition, the pigeonpea
GRG-152 produced higher seed yield than TS-3R. In land
configuration treatments, planting pigeonpea on broad bed
furrow recorded higher yield over flatbed.
●
●
●
Intercropping of castor + sunflower in the row ratio of
2:4 or 1:1 gave significantly higher net returns compared
to sole crops and other intercropping systems. Net returns
of Rs. 14731 ha -1 in castor + sunflower (2:4), Rs. 55378
per ha with incorporation of crop residue and 1 t ha -1 of
poultry in chilli + onion (2:4) were found significantly
superior compared to traditional cropping systems. Rabi
sorghum grain equivalent yield in rabi sorghum + chickpea
intercropping system was significantly higher when it was
followed by kharif sunflower with 135 cm x 30 cm planting
geometry.
Among different ITK cropping systems which are rotated
with pigeonpea + greengram (2:4), onion relayed with
rabi sorghum rotated with pigeonpea + greengram (2:4)
produced significantly higher pigeonpea equivalent yield
(3751 kg ha -1 ), gross returns (Rs. 77670 ha -1 ) and net
returns (Rs. 52961 ha -1 ). In chilli + onion (2:4), spraying of
cow-pat pit manure (5g/litre), (Rs. 33433 ha -1 ) bio-digestor
(Rs. 31258 ha -1 ) and vermiwash (1:5), (Rs. 30434) spray
found to record significantly higher net returns. Studies
on alternate cropping systems and new crop introductions
in medium to deep black soil shows that, Chilli + Onion
(2:4) cropping system with poultry manure application (2 t
ha -1 ) incorporation of crop residue resulted in significantly
higher net returns compared to other cropping systems.
Among production systems followed by different farmers,
cucumber–sunflower production system gave the highest
B:C ratio followed by the cucumber – rabi sorghum. These
practices during kharif provide substantial income to the
rainfed farmers besides reducing the rain drop impact on
the soil and conserving the rainwater in-situ. Growing of
Shirahatti et al.
54
●
●
●
cucumber, ridgegourd, bittergourd during kharif ensured
substantial additional income to the farmers and efficient
in-situ rain water harvesting.
Growing of Bt. Cotton at 120 cm x 45 cm with application
of 60:30:60 kg NPK per ha produced significantly higher
kapas yield, gross returns and net returns (1433 kg ha -1 ,
Rs. 70,037 ha -1 , Rs. 46115 ha -1 ). In onion, crop geometry
of 45 cm x 10 cm with application of 62.5:25:62.5 kg N,
P 2
O 5
, K 2
O per ha gave significantly higher bulb yield of
7930 kg per ha. Moth bean genotype MBS-27 spaced at 45
cm x 10 cm with application of vermicompost @ 1 t ha -1
produced higher seed yield, gross returns and net returns.
Chickpea variety GBM-2 and JG 11 at 45 cm x 10 cm gave
significantly higher seed yield. Similarly black gram at crop
geometry of 45 cm x 10 cm with application of 15:37.5 kg
N, P2O5 per ha gave significantly higher grain yield of 595
kg per ha. Clusterbean (gum gaur) sown at crop geometry
of 30 cm x 10 cm gave significantly higher grain yield of
408 kg per ha as compared to 45 cm x 15 cm (361 kg ha -1 ),
45 cm x 20 cm (293 kg ha -1 ), 60 cm x 10 cm (275 kg ha -1 )
and 60 cm x 20 cm (229 kg ha -1 ). But it was on par with 45
cm x 10 cm (401 kg ha -1 ). Response of mustard genotypes
to dates of sowing under supplemental irrigation indicated
that, sowing of mustard variety SEJ-2 during Sept II
fortnight with two protective irrigations gave significantly
higher yield compared to other varieties. Sowing of mustard
(SEJ-2) during Sept II fortnight is best suited for this area
under supplemental irrigation.
There was no significant difference in the grain and
fodder yield of rabi sorghum due to hydrogel. Studies
on drought proofing technologies in rabi sorghum and
chickpea revealed that, in rabi sorghum the grain yield
was significantly higher with seed treatment of cow urine
for 8 hours whereas seed soaking in water, cow urine,
panchaganga for 8 hours and seed treatment with KH 2
PO 4
gave significantly higher seed yield of chickpea compared
to control. Seed treatment with cow urine for 8 hours in
sorghum and soaking of chickpea seeds in water are the
promising cheaper non cash techniques of drought proofing.
In real-time monitoring and management of agricultural
drought in pigeonpea indicated that the treatment, including
real-time contingency plan interventions during early, midseason,
and terminal drought, recorded 11.83% higher yield
and 14.34% higher net returns than farmers’ practice (no
interventions) treatment.
In contingent crop planning, the performance of different
cropping systems in different ‘Nakshatras’ were studied
and the suitable cropping systems to different nakshatras at
different soil types were developed.

●
Based on the soil conservation unit (SCU) and soil quality
units (SQU), the land management units (LMU) have
been derived at Kavalagi watershed area. There is a total
of 14 LMUs. However, for the study, four LMU (I, III,
V and VII) have been considered. The study was planned
to observe the effects of NPK fertilizer on growth, yield
and quality of chickpea under different land management
units (LMU’s). The LMU 1 has given significantly higher
seed yield of chickpea as compared to LMU 3, LMU5, and
LMU7. Among the nutrient management, the application
of 37.5:75:0 NPK kg ha -1 has produced significantly higher
seed yield of chickpea as compared to the application of
25:50:0 NPK kg ha -1 and farmers’ practice (25:35:0 NPK kg
ha -1 ). Among the interactions, LMU 1 with the application
of 37.5:75:0 NPK kg ha -1 has produced significantly
higher chickpea seed yield as compared to other treatment
combinations, but it was on par with LMU 3 with the
application of 37.5:75:0 NPK kg ha -1 .
Nutrient management
●
In permanent manurial trial on safflower - rabi sorghum
rotation (1986-87 to 2007-08), the pooled data on seed yield
of sunflower indicated that incorporation of sunhemp at 45
DAS increased the seed yield of sunflower significantly (716
kg ha -1 ) compared to conventional practice (554 kg ha -1 ). A
permanent manurial trial on yearly rotation of rabi sorghum
+ chickpea (2:4) and safflower + chickpea (2:4) (2017-18 to
onwards) indicated that application of 50% N through FYM
+ 50% N through inorganic sources recorded significantly
higher sorghum equivalent yield and safflower equivalent
yield as well as B:C ratio in rabi sorghum + chickpea (2:4)
and safflower + chickpea (2:4) intercropping system. Low
till farming strategies for resource conservation and soil
quality for sorghum-sunflower yearly rotational system
(2000-01 to onwards) showed higher grain yield of rabi
sorghum (1398.5 kg ha -1 ) was obtained with low till (LT2):
1 harrowing + 1 hoeing + weedicide and statistically on
par with low till (LT1): 2 harrowing + 1 hoeing + 1 hand
weeding and conventional tillage (CT). Among the nutrient
management practices, the higher grain yield and monetary
net returns were recorded in sunhemp incorporation @
2.5 t ha -1 + 50% RDF through fertilizer. Effect on soil
productivity by application and utilization of distillery byproducts
as organic manures in dryland regions of northern
Karnataka (2020-21 to onwards) indicated highest grain
yield (1830.3 kg ha -1 ) and B:C ratio (3.9) was observed when
spent wash at 5 ml kg -1 of soil (1:10 spentwash and water
dilution) applied in conjunction with recommended dose of
NP fertilizers and the same on par with the application of
spentwash at 5 ml kg -1 of soil (1:10 spentwash and water
dilution) alone.
55
●
Integrated nutrient management in sunflower – rabi
sorghum cropping system in medium deep black soils
(1998-99 to 2002-03) showed that sunflower seed yield
revealed that incorporation of sunhemp at 45 DAS increased
the seed yield of sunflower significantly (1476 kg ha -1 ) as
compared to farmer’s practice (882 kg ha -1 ) and retention of
stubbles on soil surface (1180 kg ha -1 ), but it was on par with
application of FYM @ 5t ha -1 (1333 kg ha -1 ). The pooled
data of grain yield of rabi sorghum revealed that application
of FYM @ 5t ha -1 gave significantly higher grain yield of
1643 kg per ha as compared to farmer’s practice (1143 kg
ha -1 ). Integrated nutrient supply system for rainfed semiarid
tropics-cereals (1998-99 to 2006-07) indicated that
application of 15 kg N through compost + 20 kg N through
fertilizer recorded significantly higher sorghum grain yield
followed by 15 kg N through sunnhemp + 20 kg N through
fertilizer. Integrated nutrient supply system for rainfed
semi-arid tropics – legume (1998-99 to 2006-07) showed
that the grain yield of rabi sorghum was significantly higher
with supply of 15 kg N through sunnhemp/compost + 20 kg
N through fertilizer which was comparable with application
of 15 kg N through sunnhemp/compost + 10 kg N through
fertilizer. Similarly, integrated nutrient supply system for
rainfed semi-arid tropics: cereal + legume (1998-99 to
2006-07) proved that the grain yield of rabi sorghum was
significantly higher with application of 15 kg N through
sunnhemp/compost + 20 kg N through fertilizer and that
of chickpea with supply of 15 kg N through sunnhemp/
compost + 20 kg N through fertilizer which was comparable
with application of 15 kg N through sunnhemp/compost +
10 kg N through fertilizer. The response of sunflower to
the applied potassium (2006-07 to 2007-08) showed the
yield of crops were significantly higher with application
RDF in conjunction plus organics (RD FYM) as compared
to rest of the treatment. In Rainfed area network project on
balanced nutrition in rabi sorghum (2007-08 to 2014-15),
the highest grain yield of rabi sorghum was reported with
recommended dose of fertilizer plus Zn (10 Kg ha -1 ) plus Fe
(50 Kg ha -1 ) (1778 kg ha -1 ) as compared to other treatments.
The lowest yield was recorded in control (No manure/ No
fertilizer) (1107 kg ha -1 ). The response of chickpea and
rabi sorghum to zinc and iron nutrition (2015-16 to 2016-
17) reported significant increase in the yield of chickpea
and rabi sorghum with the application of RDF with 10 kg
each of Ferrous sulphate (FeSO 4.
7H 2
O) and Zinc Sulphate
(ZnSO 4
.7H 2
O). Studies on foliar spray of nutrients on
growth and yield of rabi sorghum (2015-16 to 2016-17)
indicated that the yield of rabi sorghum was higher in foliar
spray with potassium nitrate (0.5%) at 30 and 60 DAS.

Energy management
●
Sowing of sunflower with ridger-seed-fertilizer drill
produced 22-57 per cent higher yield than sowing with
tractor drawn seed drill. While sowing of rabi sorghum
with bullock drawn seed drill gave 43 per cent higher yield
than ridger - fertilizer - seed drill. In situ incorporation
of sunhemp (5 t ha -1 ) at 45-50 DAS with farmers method
of nutrition under conventional tillage was found to be
significantly superior for both rabi sorghum and sunflower
in yearly rotation cropping system. Among the different
automatic seed drills, CRIDA bullock drawn automatic
seed drill performed better, the experimental data revealed
that in chickpea, sorghum and greengram crops, an
additional yield of 14.5, 12.25 and 20.79% was recorded
over the conventional seed drill respectively. The higher
yield is attributed to uniform seed spacing and placement.
50% of labour could be saved over the conventional seed
drill. Evaluation of lifting devices for farm pond revealed
that CRIDA recommended 2 HP, low head and high-speed
petrol start diesel run engine and 1KW capacity solar
surface pump can be successfully used to lift the farm pond
water to irrigate the field by six sprinkler heads. Adoption
of mechanization in the cultivation of pigeonpea was found
more profitable and energy efficient. The net returns and
benefit cost ratio was higher as compared to the farmer’s
practice because of the precise use of inputs such as seeds,
fertilizers, chemicals, etc. Timely completion of various
field operations reduces the crop damage or infections due
to weeding, insects and pest attack, etc. About 20 to 25%
of farm income can be increased by the reducing input
cost through mechanization. Dryland agriculture centre,
Vijayapura has developed automatic compartmental bund
former, from which per day 6 ha area could be covered. The
cost of the compartmental bunding was Rs.450 ha -1 . The sub
soiler is used to puncture the hard pan, so that it facilitates
the infiltration and thus enhances the soil moisture.
Alternate land use systems
●
●
In tamarind based horti-pasture system, the fruit yield of
tamarind was significantly higher with the geometry of
10 m x 6 m (678 kg ha -1 ) than 10 m x 3 m (493 kg ha -1 )
and 10 m x 9 m (356 kg ha -1 ). The planting of tamarind in
crop geometry of 10 m x 6 m with guinea grass recorded
maximum system productivity as tamarind equivalent yield
(759 kg ha) and net returns (Rs. 70,750 ha -1 ) and it is best
suitable for shallow black soil/eroded soils.
In aonla based agri-horti systems, the arable crops like
chickpea and safflower + chickpea were grown between
horticulture crops like aonla + henna, aonla + custard apple,
aonla + custard apple+ henna and aonla alone in medium
Shirahatti et al.
56
●
black soils. Growing chickpea + safflower intercropping in
aonla + custard apple + henna system is the best practice
for higher system productivity and profitability in medium
black soils.
In sapota based agri-horti system, sapota + guava, sapota
+ drumstick and sapota alone were grown in the main plot
and guava, drumstick and no intercrop in the subplot and
chickpea were sown in between horticulture crops as an
intercrop. The system of sapota + guava with drumstick and
chickpea as intercrop is the best system for realizing higher
system productivity and profitability, and the sunflower –
rabi sorghum + chickpea (2:1) sequence cropping system
in sapota plantation found to be profitable and drought
proofing technique in medium black soils.
● In the simarouba-based agri-horti system, simarouba +
guava, simarouba + drumstick and simarouba alone grown
in the main plot and guava, drumstick and no intercrop in
the subplot and chickpea were sown in between horticulture
crops as an intercrop. Among the main plots, significantly
higher chickpea equivalent yield, gross returns and net
returns were obtained with the plantation of simarouba +
guava compared to other horticulture components. The
system of simarouba + guava with drumstick and chickpea
as an intercrop is the best system in medium black soil
for realizing higher system productivity (1739 kg ha -1 in
chickpea equivalent yield) and profitability (Rs.61295 ha -1 ).
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Compartmental bunding in black soils
Ridges and furrows for in-situ moisture conservation
Tied ridges in black soils
Set furrow cultivation
Cover crops in black soils
Retention of crop residues on the soil surface
Wider row spacing with frequent deep inter-cultivation
Graded border strips for medium to deep black soils
Zingg conservation bench terraces in medium to deep
black soils
Inter plot rain water harvesting technique
Farmpond for rainwater harvesting in black soils
Ground water recharging through defunct dug wells
Filters for recharging open wells
Crop and Cropping Systems
●
●
Growing of moth bean in shallow black soils under
dryland situations
Dry seeding in black soils

●
Priming of rabi sorghum and chickpea for increasing the
germination and better crop establishment
Intercropping systems
● Pearl millet + pigeonpea (2:1)
● Pigeonpea + bunch groundnut (4:2)
● Pearl millet + castor (2:1)
● Pearl millet + bunch groundnut (4:2)
● Safflower + chickpea (2:4 or 1:3)
● Rabi sorghum + chickpea (2:1)
● Foxtail millet + niger (2:4)
Double/triple cropping systems
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Green gram – sunflower
Green gram – rabi sorghum
Green gram – chickpea
Green gram – safflower
Onion - rabi sorghum
Onion - chickpea
Cucumber – sunflower
Cucumber – rabi sorghum
Cucumber – chickpea
Nutrient Management
Integrated nutrient management practices
Green
gram
FYM @ 5 t, 12.5:25 kg N and P 2
O 5
ha -1 , seed treatment
with Rhizobium 500 g and PSB 1250 g ha -1
Pearl millet FYM @ 2.5 t , 50:25 kg N and P 2
O 5
ha -1 , seed treatment
with Azospirillum @ 500 g and PSB @ 375 g ha -1
Sunflower FYM @ 8 t, 35:50:35 kg N, P 2
O 5
and K 2
O, ZnSO 4
@ 10
kg ha -1 seed treatment with Azospirillum 500 g, CaCl 2
2%,
Borax foliar spray 0.5% and
Pigeonpea
Rabi
sorghum
Chickpea
Foliar nutrition
●
●
●
FYM @ 6 t, 25:50:125 kg N, P 2
O 5
and K 2
O (for red soils),
Gypsum 100 kg, ZnSO 4
@ 15kg ha -1 , seed treatment with
Rhizobium 500 g, PSB 500 g, PGPR 500 g, CaCl 2
2%
and
FYM @ 6 t, 25:50:125 kg N, P 2
O 5
and K 2
O (for red
soils), Gypsum 100 kg, ZnSO 4
@ 15 kg ha -1 , seed treatment
with Rhizobium 500 g, PSB 500 g, PGPR 500 g,
CaCl 2
2%
10:25 kg N, P 2
O 5
, ZnSO 4
and FeSO 4
@ 10 kg ha -1 , seed
treatment with CaCl 2
2%, PSB 1250 g, Rhizobium1250 g,
foliar spray of urea 2% and NAA 20 ppm at 35-40 DAS
Foliar spray of 0.5% boron in sunflower.
Foliar spray of 0.5% KNO 3
in rabi sorghum
Foliar spray of 0.5% 19:19:19 + ZnSO 4
and FeSO 4
in
chickpea
Energy management
●
●
●
Weed management through cycle drawn weeder in marginal
farmers’ field
Mechanization of pigeonpea cultivation
Mechanization of pigeonpea cultivation
Contingency crop planning
For kharif planning
a. Suggested contingency crops/ cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (4 th week of June)
●
Sunflower (KBSH-1, KBSH-53, DSFH3); pigeonpea
(Maruti, TS-3-R); groundnut- spreading (GSP-39, S-230
and Mardur local); castor (NPH-1, RC-8, GCH-4, 48-1),
sesame (E-8, DS-5), setaria (RS-118, HMT-1); green gram
(Pusa baisaki, S-4).
Delay by 4 weeks (2 nd week of July)
●
Pigeonpea (TS-3 R); pearl millet (VPMH-7, VPMV-9,
ICTP 8203 and ICMV 221); pearl millet + pigeonpea
(2:1); groundnut (spreading) + pigeonpea (4:2); groundnut
(spreading) + pearl millet (4:2); groundnut-spreading
(GSP-39, S-230 and Mardur local); castor (NPH-1, RC-
8,GCH-4), sesame (E-8, DS-1), setaria (RS-118, HMT-1);
horse gram (GPM-6); moth bean (KBMB-1, BMB-40)
Delay by 6 weeks (4 th week July)
●
●
Pigeonpea (TS-3 R); pearl millet (VPMH-7, VPMV-9),
horsegram (GPM-6), mothbean (KBMB-1, BMB-40).
Fallow during kharif; follow in-situ moisture conservation
practices like compartment bunding, ridges and furrows
Delay by 8 weeks (2 nd week of August)
●
Sunflower (KBSH-1, KBSH-41, KBSH-53, DSFH-3);
horse gram (GPM 6); setaria (RS-118, HMT-1).
b. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
Thinning 30-35% of the population
Weeding and repeated intercultivation
Opening of conservation furrows at an interval of 15-20 m
Opening up of ridges and furrows at 45 and 90 cm apart
and across the slope 45 to 50 days prior
Ratoon pearl millet, sorghum for rejuvenation after rains
For crops like groundnut, take up urea spray (2% solution)
immediately after rains for quick revival
Midseason drought
●
●
Repeated intercultivation and removal of every third row
Growing of short duration pulses
57

●
●
●
●
●
●
Foliar spray of 0.5% KNO 3
or 0.5% 19:19:19 during dry
spells
Harvest sorghum for fodder purpose and allow for ratooning
Spray antitranspirant i.e., 5% Kaolin
Incorporate green gram in soil
Mulching with available farm waste
Give supplemental irrigation, if available
Terminal drought
●
●
Harvest at physiological maturity stage and conserve the
soil moisture for rabi crops
Give supplemental irrigation, if available
For rabi planning
Suggested crops and varieties for delayed season
Chickpea (JG-11, JAKI-9218, GBM-2, BGD-111-1), safflower
(A-1, A-2), sorghum + chickpea (2:4), safflower + chickpea
(2:4), chickpea + linseed (4:2), wheat (DWR-137, DWR-2006)
Agro-hortisystems/Dryland horticulture technology
●
●
●
●
Tamarind based agri-horti system: Tamarind seedlings
can be planted at a spacing of 10 m x 3 m. Growing annual
crops viz., pearl millet/sunflower at 135 cm wider spacing
between the tamarind tree rows. Tamarind trees start
bearing from the 5 th year onwards.
Tamarind based horti-pasture system in eroded soils:
Tamarind seedlings can be planted at a spacing of 10 m x 3
m or 10 m x 6 m. The pasture crops viz., guinea and signal
grass can be grown in between tamarind rows.
Simarouba based agri-horti system: Simarouba can be
planted at a spacing of 10 m x 10 m. In between the plants of
simarouba within a row and in between rows of simarouba,
guava can be planted. Grow annual crops viz., chickpea,
rabi sorghum etc., in between the rows of simarouba.
Sapota based agri-horti system: Plant sapota grafts
(variety Kalipatti) at 12 m x 12 m spacing in medium to deep
black soils. In between sapota rows, the sowing of sunflower
can be taken up during kharif followed by rabi sorghum +
chickpea (2:1) or green gram during kharif followed by rabi
sorghum + chickpea (2:1) or pearl millet (wider row) during
kharif followed by sunflower (wider row). The annual crops
can be sown till the canopy of sapota trees covers the entire
land.
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
Many of the technologies developed at AICRPDA centre,
Vijayapura were integrated and implemented through soil and
water conservation and watershed programmes in the zone,
Dryland Farming Mission of Karnataka, District Agriculture
Shirahatti et al.
Contingency Plans, particularly Krishi Bhagya scheme of Govt.
of Karnataka and also upscaled through KVKs, ATMA and
other line departments.
Impact of dryland technologies developed at the Centre
●
●
●
●
●
●
Graded bunds with strip levelling: The spread of the
technology is to the tune of 50-60% of cultivable dry lands
of Northern Karnataka. The increase in yield was 12-60%
and the economic benefit ranged from Rs. 6000-8000 ha -1 .
Zingg conservation bench terraces: The spread of the
technology is to the tune of 20-30% of cultivable dry lands
of Northern Karnataka. The increase in yield was 10.5-53%
and the economic benefit was in the range of Rs. 12000-
15000 ha -1 .
Vegetative live barriers and mechanical checks: The
technology is practiced in Bijapur, Raichur, H’matti
watersheds, of course the total area coverage is not more
than 2000 ha. The technology was evaluated for rabi
sorghum, groundnut, and chilli. The increase in yield was
20-35% and the economic benefit was in the range of Rs
4000-5000 ha -1 .
In-situ moisture conservation measures: Various in situ
conservation measures viz., furrow and ridges, tied ridges,
compartment bunding, set furrow cultivation and wide row
spacing are being practiced all types of soil in the Northern
Karnataka, these practices cover about 60-70% of the
total dryland. The increase in yield was 10.5-25% and the
economic benefit was in the range of Rs. 8000-10000 ha -1 .
Farm pond technology: The farm ponds are being
dug in all the districts of Northern Karnataka. Under the
Krishibhagya scheme, almost 75000 farmponds was dug.
This increased the cropping intensity and crop diversity in
the farmpond commands.
Crop rotation of pigeonpea + greengram (2:4) rotated
with onion during kharif sequenced with rabi sorghum/
chickpea during rabi: The spread of the technology is
to the tune of 8-10% of cultivable dry lands of Northern
Karnataka. The increase in yield was 12-15 per cent and the
additional economic benefit was in the range of Rs. 15000-
20000 per ha.
● Seed hardening of rabi sorghum and chickpea with 2%
CaCl 2
and cow urine: The technology is practiced in all
districts of northern dry zone, spread of the technology is
20-25% of rabi sorghum and chickpea area. This practice
increased grain yield by 23.7% over conventional practice
and additional economic benefit was in the range of Rs.
3000-3500 ha -1 .
●
Intercropping of rabi sorghum + chickpea (2:4): The
technology is practiced in all districts of northern dry zone,
58

●
●
●
spread of the technology is to the tune of 15-20% of rabi
sorghum area. The additional economic benefit was in the
range of Rs. 6000-7500 ha -1 .
Adoption of pigeonpea variety TS-3R: The technology is
practiced in all districts of northern dry zone and spread of
the technology is to the tune of more than 80 % of pigeon
pea area. The additional economic benefit was in the range
of Rs.20000-25000 ha -1 .
Alternate land use systems: Among various alternate land
use systems, the Sapota based agri-horti system is more
popular and practiced by farmers of Vijayapura, Bagalkote,
Gadag and Belagavi districts of Karnataka. Around 2 to
5 percent of dryland farmers adopted this technology and
additional economic benefit was in the range of Rs.15, 000
to 20,000 per ha.
Balanced nutrition in rabi sorghum: This technology is
practiced in about 55000 ha. The increase in yield was 10-
15 per cent and the economic benefit was in the range of Rs.
6000-7000 ha -1 .
Way forward
●
●
Resource characterization: The gram panchayat-wise
the climate and soil resources information have to be
converted into the form of atlases for better interpretation
and utilization of the resources.
Comprehensive assessment of watershed management:
Identification of potential and future options for
improving impact of watershed through more inclusive
technological interventions, convergence, consortium,
policy implications, institutional arrangements, funding
mechanism and implementing guidelines.
●
●
●
●
●
●
Implementation of four waters concept: rainwater,
surface water, soil water and ground water: Spatial &
temporal rainwater budgeting for seasonal crop planning in
a participatory mode. Better water management in rainfed
areas on a micro basin/ aquifer approach through different
technological/ social options.
Evolving drought management strategies for major
crops/cropping systems: Cost effective technologies/
approaches for managing early and mid season droughts for
stabilizing rainfed crop production.
Crop diversification to minimize risk and enhance
income: Combinations of cropping systems (including
perennial components) and farming systems (involving
animals) need to be tested for their risk minimizing ability
and sustainability.
Developing farming system modules for different
category of farmers and micro farming situations:
Farming systems approach for stabilizing the productivity
and income are well known, but there are no clear modules
of such farming systems suitable to different category of
farmers or soil types/rainfall situations.
Protection and restoration of top soil and its productive
constituents: The efforts will be focused on conservation
agriculture, residue application/recycling, ways and means
of carbon sequestration in the soil, quality of residues and
organic matter.
Precision sowing machinery for dryland crops:
Development of high precision sowing implements will
help the farmers of dryland areas for completing their
agronomic practices in time.
59

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 60-68 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00018.5
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Scarcity Zone of Maharashtra
V.M. Amrutsagar 1 , S.K. Upadhye 1 , N.J. Ranshur 1 , G. Ravindra Chary 2 , S.V. Khadtare 1 and D.K. Kathmale 1
1
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth,
Solapur - 413 002, Maharashtra
2
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, ICAR- CRIDA, Hyderabad - 500 059
Email: vijayamrutsagar@gmail.com
Brief history of the Centre
On recommendation of the Royal Commission on Agriculture
in India, the first systematic and scientific approach to solve
the problems of dry farming was made in the year 1923 and
systematic research on dry farming in the Scarcity tracts of
Bombay-Deccan was first initiated at Manjari, Pune. The work in
the early years was directed towards soil moisture conservations.
After working for few years, it was realized that the problem
was vast and complex and required simultaneous research on
different aspects such as disposal of rainwater, soil characters,
water requirement of plants etc. The results of these preliminary
investigations formed a basis for an elaborate and comprehensive
programme of research undertaken in the years that followed.
The comprehensive research on rainfall and other climatic
factors, disposal of rain water and soil erosion, physico-chemical
characteristics of soil, physiological studies of important millets
grown in dry tracts, agronomy or soil management was initiated
at Solapur under the guidance of Chief Investigator from 1933.
The dry land agriculture research station was established in
1933 to undertake dry farming research with assistance from the
Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, Delhi. It was then
made permanent feature of the State Department of Agriculture
after 1944. A technique known as Bombay Dry Farming Method
laid stress on better utilization of moisture by reducing plant
densities and better inter cultivation. Fertilizer use was not
envisaged at that time, crop and varietal diversity was also not
adequate which resulted in emphasizing the growing of few
crops only. Further, weather observations were not considered
to plan different strategies of crop production. The All India Coordinated
Research Project for Dryland Agriculture centre was
started in 1970-71 at Solapur.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
is during first fortnight of June and normal withdrawal is during
first fortnight of October. The mean maximum temperature and
mean minimum temperature in the zone are 33.6°C and 19.9°C,
respectively.
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days at
AICRPDA Centre, Solapur
Rainfall
South west monsoon
(June-September)
Post-monsoon
(October-December)
Normal
rainfall (mm)
Normal rainy days
(No.)
535.2 24
125.5 13
Winter (January - February) 8.1 2
Summer (March-May) 52.6 2
Annual 721.4 41
Major soil types
The major soil types in the zone are shallow black soils (67.8%),
medium black soils (13.9%) and deep black soils (18.2%)
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif
are pigeonpea, sunflower, pearlmillet, blackgram, cowpea,
greengram and during rabi are sorghum, chickpea and safflower
Dryland agriculture problems
Climate/rainfall related
Soil related
This zone covers geographical area of 73.23 lakh ha with gross
● Inadequate soil moisture, poor organic matter content, poor
and net cultivated area of 58.42 and 53.0 lakh ha. It suffers
soil fertility, soil erosion, presence of hard pans
from very low rainfall with uncertainty and ill distribution.
The occurrence of drought is noted once in three years and the
Crop related
duration of dry spell varies from 2-10 weeks. The climate of the ● Low inputs
zone is semi-arid. Out of the total annual average rainfall of 721.4 ● Low adoption of improved dryland practices
mm with 41 rainy days, the south-west monsoon contributes 74 ● Low crop diversification
% and north-east monsoon 17%. The normal onset of monsoon
● Poor farm mechanization
60
●
Variable rainfall, intensity and distribution of rainfall, late
onset of monsoon, early withdrawal of monsoon, prolonged
dry spells, high temperature, low relative humidity, hot dry
winds

Socio economic issues
●
Lack of capital, labour problem, fragmented land holding,
exodus of rural labourer to urban areas, decreasing
availability of animal draft power
Significant achievements/findings
Rainwater management
●
●
Furrow irrigation method using 6 cm water per irrigation
increased grain and stover yield of sorghum.
Due to soil conservation works (Nala checks) it was
observed that there is an increase in groundwater table of
the wells situated on the downstream sides of the nala and
also there is an increase in area under irrigation.
● Vegetative barrier of Leucaena leucocephala is
recommended for soil and water conservation
●
Harvesting of the runoff water in farm pond during rainy
season and utilization of harvested water as protective
irrigation during 35 to 41 MW (27 th August to 14 th October)
for kharif crop during the dry spells at flowering stage and
or for rabi crops during the dry spells at initial development
stage.
Nutrient management
●
●
●
●
A fertilizer dose of 50 kg N and 25 kg P 2
O 5
is recommended
for hybrid pearl millet in dry farming area. Looking to the
profitability of nitrogen application and the response per
unit and to cover larger area for higher production a dose of
50 kg N ha -1 is recommended to the safflower crop under
dryland conditions.
For improvement of rabi sorghum production as well as
for improvement of soil fertility addition of 25 kg N ha -1
through crop residue (sorghum stubble) + 25 kg N ha -1
through urea, 2-3 months before sowing is recommended.
Addition of FYM 7.5 t ha -1 + Murrum 15 t ha -1 in every
summer season in the surface soil layer of problematic
(sodic) soils for improvement of productivity of dryland is
recommended.
For improvement of soil fertility and higher yield of pearl
millet, two harrowing before sowing and one weeding at
15-20 days and one hoeing at 30-35 DAS is recommended
along with application of 25 kg N through organics (FYM 5
t + Leucaena loppings 1.75 t) and 25 kg N + 25 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1
through fertilizers is recommended.
In Scarcity zone of Maharashtra on medium deep soils,
during the kharif season cowpea grown as a green manuring
crop and incorporated at flowering in-situ either green
lopping or green manuring followed by rabi sorghum with
recommended dose of fertilizer (50:25 kg N: P 2
O 5
ha -1 ) is
recommended for higher grain and fodder yield and for
improving soil fertility.
61
●
Spraying of 1% Potassium Nitrate (KNO 3
) at 35 and 55 days
after sowing along with recommended dose of fertilizer
(50:25:25 N: P 2
O 5
: K 2
O kg ha -1 ) is recommended for higher
yield of rabi sorghum and mitigation of drought in medium
deep black soils of scarcity zone of Maharashtra.
Energy management
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Multipurpose farming machine is good and is developed for
primary tillage, secondary tillage and sowing.
Application of P either at sowing or 3 weeks prior to sowing
of rabi sorghum is recommended.
Considering the draft, field capacity and cost of operation,
the Jyoti and Shivaji multipurpose seed drill ranked first
amongst the seven different ferti seed drills.
The multipurpose “Phule Sheti Yantra” developed by
Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth is recommended for
harrowing, cultivating and sowing of different crops.
One harrowing + sowing with seed drill and light harrowing
+ one hoeing and 25 kg N through inorganic fertilizer
(Urea) and 25 kg N through organic fertilizer through crop
residue and Leucaena lopping (50% nitrogen through crop
residue (byre waste) + 50% Leucaena lopping) + 12.5 kg
P 2
O 5
through fertilizer (SSP) found better for rabi sorghum
grown on medium deep black soils
For improving of soil fertility and higher yield of pearl
millet, two harrowing before sowing and one weeding
at 15-20 days and one hoeing at 30-35 days after sowing
is recommended. Application of 25 kg N per ha through
organics (FYM; tones and Leucaena loppings; 1.75 tonnes)
and 25 kg N and 25 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 through fertilizer is
recommended. Incorporation of crop residue after harvest
of pearl millet is recommended.
In blackgram-sorghum cropping sequence grown on
medium deep black soils, the practice of reduced tillage
followed by sowing of black gram for grain with 75% of
RDF (19.0:38.0 N:P 2
O 5
kg ha -1 ) and hoeing at 3 rd week is
recommended. After harvest of blackgram, sowing of rabi
sorghum along with 75% of RDF (38.0 :19.0 :25.0 N:
P 2
O 5
: K 2
O kg ha -1 ) and two hoeing at 3 rd and 5 th week is
recommended for getting higher yield, monetary returns
and moisture use efficiency with maintaining soil health.
Cropping systems
●
●
●
●
Early September sowing is recommended for rabi sorghum.
Plant density between 50,000 to 1, 00,000 is recommended
for safflower.
In pearl millet, row spacing with 45 cm , clean cultivation
upto 30 days and application of 50 kg N ha -1 is found better
The continuous cropping of sorghum safflower and
chickpea was not found economical. However, the crop

otation like sorghum-chickpea, sorghum-safflower, and
safflower-chickpea is recommended. For minimizing the
pest problem, the crop rotations like sorghum-chickpea,
sorghum-safflower is found better.
● Sowing of sunflower + pigeonpea intercropping (2:1)
system in 24 th meteorological week is recommended.
For delayed onset of monsoon up to 2 nd fortnight of July,
sunflower, pearlmillet and horse gram is recommended
under dryland conditions. Sequence cropping under dryland
conditions are pearlmillet-chickpea; blackgram/green gram
– rabi sorghum.
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Fertilizer N economy: Kharif-cowpea for fodder with
12.5:25 N:P 2
O 5
kg ha -1 followed by rabi sorghum with 25
kg N ha -1 is recommended for medium deep soils of dryland
region
Pearl millet + pigeonpea (2:1) or Ber (5 x 5 m) + Mothbean
(8 rows) is recommended for shallow soils.
For achieving higher yield and sustainability, planting
of castor hybrid DCH-32 at 60 cm x 45 cm spacing with
50 kg N + 25 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 fertilizer dose in Inceptisols is
recommended under dry land conditions.
Sowing of sunflower (Cv. SS-56) in the 28 th Meteorological
Week (July 9 to 15) on ridges and furrows with 60 kg N + 30
kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 fertilizer dose on Inceptisols is recommended
for higher yields and sustainability under the dry land
conditions.
The application of crop residue i.e. chaffed sorghum byre
waste, 5 t ha -1 (25 kg N) along with Leucaena loppings, 3.5
t ha -1 (25 kg N) as a green leaf manure is recommended for
dryland rabi sorghum for best alternative to fertilizer urea
and for improvement in yield and soil quality.
Pearl millet + Pigeonpea (2:1) or (6:3) intercropping system
is recommended for higher yields, monetary returns, land
equivalent ratio and sustainability under dryland conditions.
Sunflower + Pigeonpea (2:1) or (6:3) intercropping system
is recommended for higher yields, monetary returns, land
equivalent ratio and sustainability under dryland conditions.
One hand weeding + three hoeing at an interval of 15 DAS
or an application of Fluchoralin (Basalin) 45 EC at the rate
1kg a.i. per ha as preplant incorporation + one hoeing at
45 DAS is recommended for effective weed control, higher
yield and returns in pigeonpea under dryland conditions.
Alternate land use systems
●
Planting of drumstick (cv.PKM-2) at 8 x 8 m spacing in
between two in-situ aonla plants planted at 8 x 8 m spacing
and their after budded with Krishna cultivar and followed
by sowing of intercrop of pearlmillet + pigeonpea (2:1)
or sunflower + pigeonpea (2:1) intercropping system in
Amrutsagar et al.
62
between aonla + drumstick alley and removal of drumstick
plants after fifth year when aonla plants start commercial
yielding is recommended for sustainable yield and monetary
returns on medium deep soils under dryland conditions.
● On medium deep black soils, planting of Aonla at 8 x 8
m; planting of drumstick in between two aonla plants in 8
m x 8 m alley; sowing of intercropping system pearlmillet
+ pigeonpea (2:1) or sunflower + pigeonpea (2:1) in
between aonla + drumstick alley (Alley width 8 m); remove
drumstick plants after fifth year when aonla plants start
yielding and apply lifesaving/ protective irrigation to aonla
+ drumstick plants.
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
●
●
●
Quantified tank silt application for higher productivity of
rabi sorghum
Ridges and furrows for in-situ moisture conservation
Compartmental bunds are preferred where the infiltration
rate of the soil is moderate and land slope is less. Before
preparing the compartments, the land is prepared with
primary tillage operation. Then with the help of bullock
drawn Baliram plough / ridger or tractor drawn ridger, the
compartments of varying sizes from 6 m x 6 m to 10 m x
10 m with 20-25 cm ridge height are prepared depending on
the type of soil and slope. The cost of making compartment
bunds is Rs. 1500 ha -1 . The main purpose of making
compartment bunds is in situ conservation of rain water
during kharif, to avoid soil erosion and to store more water
in soil profile which is useful for rabi crops. The tractor
drawn bund former developed by Department of FMPE and
AICRP on FIM, MPKV, Rahuri is very useful in making
compartment bunds of 2 x 6 m with effective field capacity
of 4-5 ha per day.
The farm pond is standardized. The excess runoff water
is stored in these ponds. The ponds are lined with suitable
lining materials like polythene film to prevent seepage
losses. On the outer side slopes of the pond, the vegetation/
grasses are grown to avoid scouring. The harvested water
is used for giving protective /supplemental irrigation to the
crops at critical growth stages.
Cropping systems
Intercropping systems
● Pigeonpea + sunflower (1:2)
● Pigeonpea + pearlmillet (1:2)
● Pigeonpea + soybean (2:4 or 1:6)
● Pigeonpea + blackgram (1:3)
● Pigeonpea + greengram (1:3)

● Pigeonpea + bajara fodder (1:3)
● Sorghum + cowpea (4:4 and 6:6)
● Chickpea + safflower (2:4)
● Pearlmillet + sunflower (2:1 or 2:2)
Double cropping systems
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Blackgram - rabi sorghum
Greengram - rabi sorghum
Cowpea - rabi sorghum
Blackgram - chickpea
Greengram - chickpea
Cowpea - chickpea
Blackgram - safflower
Greengram - safflower
Cowpea - safflower
Sorghum cultivars according to soil depths
●
●
●
Shallow soils (upto 30 cm): Selection-3, Phule Anuradha
Medium soils (upto 60 cm): Phule Maulee, Phule Suchitra
Deep soils (60 cm and above): Phule Vasudha, Phule
Yashoda
Nutrient management
●
Potash application in pearl millet and rabi sorghum
for drought mitigation: It involves seed treatment with
azetobactor @ 25 g kg -1 of seed before sowing and
application of 50 kg N + 25 kg P 2
O 5
+ 25 kg K 2
O ha -1 at the
time of sowing on light to medium soil
Integrated nutrient management practices
Crop
Pigeonpea
Pearlmillet
Sunflower
INM Practice
Recommended dose of fertilizers (25 : 50 :0 N:P:K kg/ha)
along with 5 t FYM + seed treatment with 25 g Rhizobium
+ 25 g PSB / kg seed; OR
Application of 25 kg P through decomposed press mud
cake + 25 kg P and 25 kg N through chemical fertilizer +
seed treatment with 25 g Rhizobium + 25 gm SB/kg seed
Recommended dose of fertilizers (50 : 25 :25 N:P:K
kg/ha) along with 5 t FYM + seed treatment with 25 g
Azospirillium + 25 g PSB + 6 g Metalaxil 35 SD per kg
seed for control of ergot disease.
OR
Application of 25 kg N ha -1 through organic (FYM @ 5 t
and Leucaena loppings @ 1.75 t / ha) and 25 kg N + 25
kg P 2
O 5
through fertilizer.
Recommended dose of fertilizers (50 : 25 :25 N:P:K kg/
ha) along with 2.5 t FYM + seed treatment with 25 g
Azotobacter + 25 g PSB + 5 g Emadochloprid 70 wp per
kg seed for control of bud necrosis.
63
Crop
Blackgram,
Greengram,
Cowpea
Rabi sorghum
INM Practice
Recommended dose of chemical fertilizers 25 : 50 N:P
kg/ha along with 5 t FYM + seed treatment with 25 g
Rhizobium + 25 g PSB + 5 g Trichoderma per kg seed
Recommended dose of fertilizers (50 : 25 :25 N:P:K
kg/ha) along with 5 t FYM + seed treatment with 25 g
Azotobacter + 25 g PSB + 4 g sulphur per kg seed
OR
25 kg N through inorganic fertilizer (urea) and 25 kg
N through organic fertilizer through crop residue and
Leucaena lopping (50% nitrogen through crop residue
(byre waste) + 50% Leucaena lopping) + 12.5 kg P 2
O 5
through fertilizer (SSP)
Application of 50 kg N per ha to through Leucaena
loppings (25 kg N per ha) + urea (25 kg N per ha) or FYM
(25 kg N per ha) + urea (25 kg N per ha) or Leucaena
loppings (50 kg N per ha)
Chickpea Recommended dose of chemical fertilizers (25:50:30
N:P:K kg/ha) along with 5 t FYM + seed treatment with
25 g Rhizobium + 25 g PSB + 5 g Trichoderma per kg
seed
Safflower
Foliar nutrition
●
Recommended dose of chemical fertilizers (50:25 N:P
kg/ha) along with 5 t FYM + seed treatment with 25 g
Azotobactor + 25 g PSB + 5 g Trichoderma per kg seed
Chickpea: Foliar spray with 1% KNO 3
at 30 DAS, 2% DAP
at 45 DAS and 19:19:19 at 45 DAS and 55 DAS
● In zinc deficit soils, foliar spray of 0.5% zinc sulphate at 45
DAS
Energy management
●
●
Two bowl ferti seed drill for efficient sowing of rainfed
crops: The beam, handle and types of two-bowl ferti-seed
drill are made by using Acacia wood. The seed and fertilizer
bowls are made up of teak wood. This is attached to the
yoke by means of beam and operated by a pair of bullocks
and two labour. One person will place the seed in one bowl
while driving the bullock and another person drops fertilizer
in another bowl. It is used for line sowing of rainfed crops
like sorghum, sunflower, safflower, pearl millet and pulses.
The fertilizer is placed 3-4 cm below and 2-3 cm apart from
the line of the seed. The improved ferti-seed drill costs
Rs.2000 per piece. Effective field capacity for sowing of
different crops is one ha per day. The operational cost is Rs.
1000 ha -1 .
Cycle hoe: Cycle hoe consists of a steel hoe attached to a
cycle wheel. This has a steel handle for steering the hoe
while in operations. This is operated by one labour. It has
simple design and easy to operate and maintain. Depending
on the spacing of the crop, the length of the blade can be
suitably changed. The cost of a cycle hoe is Rs. 1500/-. The

●
●
●
●
●
●
hoeing operation can be performed at any stage of the crop.
Recommended hoeing in the rabi sorghum at 3 rd , 5 th and 8 th
week after sowing can be performed effectively.
Bullock drawn multipurpose Phule Sheti Yantra for scarcity
Zone of Maharashtra
Energy Management for rabi sorghum grown on medium
deep black soils: One harrowing + sowing with seed drill
and light harrowing + one hoeing and 25 kg N through
inorganic fertilizer (Urea) and 25 kg N through organic
fertilizer through crop residue and Leucaena lopping
(50% nitrogen through crop residue (byre waste) + 50%
Leucaena lopping) + 12.5 kg P 2
O 5
through fertilizer (SSP)
is recommended for rabi sorghum grown on medium deep
black soils in scarcity zone of Maharashtra for getting
higher yield and monetary returns with minimum energy
use and maintaining soil fertility.
Growing of blackgram-sorghum cropping sequence on
medium deep black soils in scarcity zone of Maharashtra
for getting higher yield, monetary returns and moisture
use efficiency with maintaining soil health, the following
technology of reduced tillage is recommended.
Harrowing to be done during onset of monsoon, sowing of
black gram for green manuring or grain with ferti-seed drill
(75% of RDF i.e., 19:38 N:P 2
O 5
kg ha -1 ) and subsequently
light harrowing + hoeing at 3 rd week after sowing of black
gram. Then harrowing after harvest stage of black gram
and sowing of rabi sorghum with ferti-seed drill (75% of
RDF i.e., 38:19:25 N: P 2
O 5
: K 2
O kg ha -1 ) subsequent to light
harrowing. Then two hoeing at 3 rd and 5 th week after sowing
of rabi sorghum and harvesting of rabi sorghum above
ground level.
Spraying of 1% Potassium Nitrate (KNO 3
) or water
soluble NPK fertilizer 19:19:19 or DAP at 35 and 55 days
after sowing along with recommended dose of fertilizer
(50:25:25 N:P 2
O 5
:K 2
O kg ha -1 ) is recommended for
mitigation of drought and management of dry spell for
getting higher yield of rabi sorghum in medium deep black
soils of scarcity zone of Maharashtra.
Practicing of minimum tillage (one harrowing + sowing
with seed drill and light harrowing + one hoeing) and
nutrient management by application of 25 kg N ha -1 through
urea + 25 kg N ha -1 through organics (50% crop residue +
50 % green Leucaena loppings) + 12.5 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 through
single super phosphate to rabi sorghum for improving soil
organic carbon stock (SOC) and carbon sequestration in
deep black soils.
Amrutsagar et al.
Contingency crop planning
For kharif planning
a. Suggested contingency crops/cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (4 th week of June)
●
●
Pearl millet (Adishakti, Dhanshakti), fingermillet (Phule
Nachani, COPN-942), groundnut (Phule Bharati, Phule
Unnati), castor (Aruna, Girija), pigeonpea (Rajeshwari,
BDN-708), horsegram (Phule Sakas), greengram (Vaibhav,
Phule Chetak, Utkarshya), blackgram (TPU-1, TPU-4),
cowpea (Phule Sonali, Vithai), sunflower (Phule Bhaskar,
Bhanu) and mothbean (Phule Sarita, MBS-27)
Intercropping systems: sunflower + pigeonpea (2:1), pearl
millet + pigeonpea (2:1), clusterbean + pigeonpea (2:1),
castor + pigeonpea (1:2), pigeonpea + greengram (1:3),
pigeonpea + blackgram (1:3), pearlmillet + horsegram
(2:1), pearl millet + mothbean (2:1), castor + clusterbean
(1:2), pigeonpea + bajara fodder (1:3), cowpea + blackgram
(2:2)
Delay by 4 weeks (2 nd week of July)
●
Pigeonpea, castor, mothbean, horsegram, cowpea
● Intercropping systems: pigeonpea + clusterbean (1:2),
pigeonpea + coriander (1:2), pigeonpea + deel (1:2),
sunflower + pigeonpea (2:1), pearlmillet + pigeonpea (2:1),
cowpea + blackgram (2:2), pigeonpea + blackgram (1:3)
Delay by 6 weeks (4 th week of July)
●
Pearlmillet, castor, setaria spp., cowpea, sorghum fodder
● Intercropping systems: pigeonpea + clusterbean (1:2),
sunflower + pigeonpea (2:1), pearl millet + pigeonpea (2:1),
castor + pigeonpea (1:2), pigeonpea + coriander (1:2).
Delay by 8 weeks (2 nd week of August)
●
●
●
Sunflower, pigeonpea, greengram, blackgram, castor,
pearlmillet, cowpea
Kharif – fallow and during rabi- rabi sorghum, safflower,
sunflower, chickpea
Kharif – fallow and during rabi, strip cropping of chickpea
+ safflower (6:3); strip cropping of rabi sorghum + chickpea
(6:3), rabi sorghum + cowpea (4:4 and 6:6)
b. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
●
●
●
Resowing in case of poor germination
Thinning in small seeded crops which are closely planted
During kharif to conserve rainwater, make ridge and
furrows, compartmental bunding and tied ridges followed
by regular sowing of rabi crops.
64

Mid-season drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Take up repeated interculture operation i.e., hoeing for
removing weeds and create dust mulching to conserve soil
moisture
Opening of alternate dead furrows in the sole kharif crops
and for pigeonpea, opening of furrow 30 DAS for water/
moisture conservation.
Foliar spray of 2% urea after receipt of rainfall
Foliar spray of 1% KNO 3
at 30 DAS and 2% DAP in
chickpea at 45 DAS
Foliar spray 19:19:19 at 45 and 55 DAS in pulses
Thinning by removing every third row in rabi sorghum
Provide supplemental / life saving irrigation (4 cm depth)
with harvested rainwater in ponds by adopting microirrigation
(sprinklers) wherever possible
Foliar spray of 8 % Kaolin in all rabi crops to minimize
evapotranspiration losses.
Prepare shallow furrow while hoeing by tying ropes to
prongs, which will provide soil support to plants and
conserve soil moisture
Adopt surface mulching with crop residue or tree loppings
of glyricidia wherever possible.
If farm waste is not available, form a thin layer of soil mulch
with blade harrow to avoid cracks
In medium to deep black soils in rabi cropping areas, close
the soil cracks by deep intercultivation in rabi sorghum and
safflower
Terminal drought
●
●
●
●
Provide life saving or supplemental irrigation through
harvested rainwater from farm pond and other resources if
available
Harvest the kharif crops at physiological maturity with
some realizable yield or harvest for fodder and prepare for
rabi sowing of sorghum, chickpea, linseed, safflower in
double cropped areas.
Removal of lower leaves in standing crop to reduce moisture
competition.
Ratoon maize or pearlmillet or adopt relay crops as
chickpea, safflower, rabi sorghum and sunflower with
minimum tillage after soybean in medium to deep black
soils or take up contingency crops (horsegram/cowpea)
or dual purpose forage crops on receipt of showers under
receding soil moisture conditions
For rabi planning
Suggested crops and varieties for delayed season (first
fortnight of September)
●
●
Rabi sorghum (Phule Anuradha), cowpea (Phule Pandhari,
Phule Sonali)
Chickpea (Vijay, Digvijay, Vikram), sunflower (Phule
Bhaskar) and Safflower
Agroforestry systems
● Agro-horti systems: Aonla + pearlmillet + pigeonpea (2:1)
or sunflower + pigeonpea (2:1); aonla + drumstick alley
(alley width 8 m) and remove the drumstick after fifth year
when aonla plant starts yielding.
Crop Spacing Variety
Aonla 8 m x 8 m Krishna
Drumstick 4 m x 4 m PKM 2
● Alternate land use system for shallow soils: Ber (5 m x 5
m) + mothbean 8 rows are recommended
●
Horti-pastoral systems: mango + drumstick + stylo; mango
+ custard apple + stylo
Crop Spacing Variety
Aonla 8 m x 8 m Narendra -7
Mango 10 m x 10 m Keshar
Drumstick 4 m x 4 m PKM 2
Custard apple 4 m x 4 m Balanagar, Phule Purandar
Stylo 30 cm RS 95, Phule Kranti
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
The rainwater management technologies viz., compartmental
bunding and ridges and furrow method of in-situ moisture
conservation were upscaled through State Department of
Agriculture. The farm pond technology implemented and
upscaled in farmers field through special mission implemented
by State Department of Agriculture ‘Magel tyala Shet Tale’
(Farm pond who demand), Shet Tale Astarikaran (Lining for
farm pond), National Horticultural Mission project.
The tractor drawn compartmental bund former required for
preparation of compartmental bunds for in-situ moisture
conservation was developed by AICRP on Farm Implements and
Department of FMP, MPKV, Rahuri based on the feedback given
by Operational Research Project of AICRPDA, Solapur. The
subsidy has been provided for purchase of different implements
through Farm Mechanization Scheme under RKVY. Also
theustom hiring of farm implements is being upscaled through
Implements Bank (Avajare Bank) scheme under RKVY project.
The flagship programme of State Government ‘Jalyukt Shivar’
is focussed on water conservation activities and it includes the
recommendation given by AICRPDA Centre regarding desilting
of cement nala bunds for maintaining its storage life.
65

The recommended package of practices for cereal, oilseed and
pulse crops were demonstrated by the State Department of
Agriculture under National Food Security Mission programme.
Also, the rainfed technologies developed under AICRPDA
Centre are included in the package of practices under Nanaji
Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Prakalp Project on Climate Resilient
Agriculture (POCRA) funded by World Bank and implemented
by State Department of Agriculture being implemented in 5142
villages located in 15 districts of Marathwada, Vidarbha and
North Maharashtra.
The training to the farmers and officials of project implementing
agencies regarding AICRPDA technologies are being given
through ‘Sheti Shala’ component of NFSM. The themewise
Skill Training of Rural Youth (STRY) were organised
by ATMA, Solapur in association with State Agricultural
Management and Extension Training Institute (SAMETI),
Maharashtra and National Institute of Agriculture Extension
Management (MANAGE).
All technologies under rainwater management, crops and
cropping systems, integrated nutrient management, participatory
varietal selection/crop improvement, energy management theme
were published in different leaflets / folders / local language
newspapers as well as Krishi Diary of Mahatma Phule Krishi
Vidyapeeth (Krishi Dainandini every year) and the same
technologies were demonstrated and upscaled in farmer’s field
in collaboration with KVKs, ATMA, State Department of
Agriculture and NGOs.
District wise contingency plan and various drought proofing
action plans in the domain agro-climatic zones of the centre
were upscaled during 2005 and 2017 funded by Department
of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture and
Farmers’ Welfare, Govt. of India through CRIDA, Hyderabad.
These were implemented in the state with the help of Maharashtra
State Department of Agriculture. The centre, in collaboration
with AICRP on Agrometeorology issues weekly weather based
agro-advisories to the 70,000 farmers regarding climate situation
and real time contingency measures that has to be followed and
published in local newspapers, issued messages in different
WhatsApp group of farmers of NICRA villages, OFR villages,
etc. in domain districts (Solapur, Ahmednagar, Sangli, Satara,
Pune, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Kolhapur).
Alternate land use management practices, viz, intercropping in
custard apple and aonla, was upscaled through NHM scheme.
The SHG’s and FPO operating at village level helped in upscaling
of dryland technologies. All the AICRPDA technologies were
evaluated and upscaled through front line demonstrations in
farmers field, organised field day, farmers rallies, training to
stake holders etc., in the domain area through KVK’s of SAU’s,
ATMA and other line departments operating in the zone.
Potash fertilizer management in dryland crops of Scarcity
Zone of Maharashtra project funded by Indian Potash Institute,
Amrutsagar et al.
66
New Delhi implemented under AICRPDA developed different
technologies viz., i) Application of 20 kg K 2
O for blackgram
followed 50 kg K 2
O for rabi sorghum, ii) Application of 50
kg K 2
O for pearlmillet followed 20 kg K 2
O for chickpea iii)
Application of 50 kg K 2
O for pearlmillet followed 20 kg K 2
O for
safflower found suitable for increasing the yield by 15 to 20%
over recommended dose of potash application and sustaining
the potassium status in soil. The upscaling, assessment and
refinement of AICRPDA technologies has been done through
AICRPDA-Operational Research Project implemented in six
villages of Solapur, Sangli and Satara district of Maharashtra
state.
Tank silt as an organic amendment for improving soil and water
productivity is upscaled through the FPARP project funded
by Ministry of Water Resources, New Delhi through ICAR-
CRIDA, Hyderabad in five villages of Solapur district. This
resulted in increase in the yield of rabi sorghum by 20-25 per
cent over farmers practice (without tank silt application). The
early maturing (95 days) horsegram genotype Phule Sakas as
compared to ruling varieties viz; Man (115 days) and Sina (130
days) developed at AICRPDA, Solapur center in collaboration
with AICRP on Arid Legumes is being upscaled through seed
production programme of university and FLDs.
Under the ICAR-CRIDA funded NATP RNPS-2 Project
implemented at Village–Wadala of North Solapur Taluk
in Solapur District of Maharashtra (2000-2005), regional
scale watershed plan and methodologies for identification of
critical areas for prioritized land treatment in the watershed
was developed for nutritious cereal production. Under the
ICAR-CRIDA funded NATP TAR-IVLP Project (1996-
2003), Technology Assessment and Refinement was carried
out through Institution-Village Linkage Programme at Village
Ratanjan of Barshi, Solapur and demonstrated that sustainability
in rural livelihood of dry land areas can be achieved through
improved crop management as well as with interventions of
animal and poultry birds. The NWDPRA Projects (1999-2001)
funded by NABARD implemented at Gulpoli & Turk Pimpari,
Tal.Barshi, Dist.Solapur, upscaled the technologies viz., for
better germination and production of rabi sorghum on sodic soil.
Around 7.5 t ha -1 FYM + 15 t ha -1 murum should be applied and
mixed with upper soil layer and soil health management for rabi
sorghum with 25 kg N ha -1 through sorghum byre waste + 25 kg
N ha -1 urea for saving of 50 per cent chemical fertilizer (urea).
Short duration legumes (cowpea, greengram, etc.) can be used
successfully as green manure crop for dryland rabi sorghum
technology and is upscaled through ICAR Cess funded Ad-hoc
project (1998-2002).
The Custom Hiring Centre (CHC) for farm implements/
machinery in Narotewadi village of North Solapur is established
in the year 2011 by AICRPDA Centre, Solapur under National
Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA). This

CHC is enabling the farmers to hire farm implements/machinery
at an affordable cost for various agricultural operations in
various crops with high energy use efficiency. This has enabled
timely operations and promoted small farm mechanization.
Also the real time contingency measures are being upscaled in
NICRA villages. It is necessary to upscale through SHGs, FPOs,
NGOs, etc. for getting higher prices by exporting or processing
the farm produce.
Impact of dryland technologies
The practice of making compartment bunds during kharif season
for in-situ moisture conservation conserved 35% more moisture
than farmers practice (two harrowing only) and increased grain
yield of rabi sorghum to the tune of 2.0 q ha -1 .The net returns of
Rs.9192, B:C ratio of 1.63 and RWUE of 8.43 kg ha -1 mm -1 were
observed under compartment bunding compared to farmers’
practice (Rs.5240, 1.43 and 6.84 kg ha -1 mm -1 ). The practice is
widely adopted in 20% of rabi sorghum grown area in Solapur
district. The compartment bunding was adopted by Govt. of
Maharashtra and implemented with government cost on wide
scale in dryland areas. This was more and widely accepted
programme by the farmers. The practice of ridges and furrows
during kharif for in-situ moisture conservation conserves 45%
more moisture than farmers’ practice (two harrowing only) and
retains it for longer period (up to 60 days) and increases rabi
sorghum yield (1091 kg ha -1 ) by 53%.
The farm ponds are useful in harvesting excess runoff and the
harvested water can be used for supplemental irrigation / protective
irrigation to crops / orchards during dry spell or after rainy
season. The productivity and income of rainfed crops provided
with single critical/supplemental irrigation with harvested water
was doubled. The yield, net returns and B:C ratio of chickpea
irrigated with harvested rainwater were 1021 kg ha -1 , Rs. 19053,
1.52 respectively compared to chickpea without irrigation (695 kg
ha -1 , Rs. 3919 and 1.11). The RWUE for chickpea with irrigation
was 17.01 and without irrigation was 11.58 kg ha -1 mm -1 . The
sustainable yield index (SYI) for chickpea with irrigation was
1123.4 and without irrigation was 794.8.
Instead of keeping deep black soil fallow in kharif, short duration
pulse crop viz., blackgram / greengram / cowpea are grown
followed by rabi sorghum. Under normal rainfall conditions,
the pulses are grown for grain purpose and under abnormal
conditions pulses are grown either for fodder or green manuring.
It improves the soil fertility and saving of 25 % nitrogen
recommended dose for sorghum. There was an increase in net
returns by Rs.38928/ ha with B:C ratio of 2.03 compared to rabi
sorghum alone (Rs.29775 and B:C ratio 1.79). This practice is
adopted on 20 per cent of rabi sorghum area in domain districts.
The improved sunflower + pigeonpea (2:1) system has been
adopted in 30% area under sunflower in Solapur district (6500
ha), while pearl millet + pigeonpea (2:1) was adopted in about
10 % area under pearl millet in Ahmednagar, Pune and Dhule
districts (80000 ha) in Maharashtra. There is a lot of scope for
enhancing the area under improved intercropping systems due
to risk minimization and attaining higher monetary returns. The
improved intercropping systems gave about 30% increase in
productivity and net returns compared to farmers practice. The
net returns were Rs.11313 ha -1 from sunflower + pigeonpea and
Rs.10580 ha -1 from pearl millet + pigeonpea systems with BC
ratio of 1.76 and 1.74 respectively. In sunflower, net returns of
Rs.6000 with B:C ratio of 1.18 and in pearl millet net returns of
Rs.6500 with B:C ratio of 1.20 were observed.
Seed treatment with azotobactor @ 25 g per kg of seed before
sowing and application of 50 kg N + 25 kg P 2
O 5
+ 25 kg K 2
O
ha -1 at the time of sowing on light to medium soil can mitigate
drought severity, 38% increase in grain yield of rabi sorghum
over no application of potash with 3.48 B:C ratio and 20%
increase in grain yield of pearl millet over no application of
potash with B:C ratio of 2.10. Net returns and B:C ratio of potash
applied to pearl millet and rabi sorghum were Rs. 8893 and
Rs. 12320 respectively compared to farmers’ practice of pearl
millet (Rs. 6324) and rabi sorghum (Rs. 9870). This improved
practice has been adopted in 10 to 15% of pearl millet and rabi
sorghum area in domain districts.
The suitable sorghum varieties for shallow soils (upto 30 cm)
are Selection-3, Phule Anuradha, medium soils (upto 60 cm) are
Phule Maulee, Phule Suchitra and deep soils (60 cm and above) are
Phule Vasudha, Phule Yashoda. The yield increase of Selection-3,
Phule Anuradha (shallow soils) was 15%, Phule Maulee, Phule
Suchitra (medium soils) was 15-20% and Phule Vasudha, Phule
Yashoda (deep soils)was 25-30% over local variety Dagadi. The
net returns and B:C ratio of Selection-3, Phule Anuradha (shallow
soils) were Rs.9890 and 2.1, Phule Maulee, Phule Suchitra
(medium soils) were Rs.11890 and 2.2 and Phule Vasudha, Phule
Yashoda (deep soils) were Rs.10560 and 2.7 over local variety
Dagadi. Adoption in shallow soils was 15-20%, medium soils was
30-35 and deep soils was 35-40% in domain area.
One harrowing + sowing with seed drill and light harrowing
+ one hoeing and 25 kg N through inorganic fertilizer (urea)
and 25 kg N through organic fertilizer through crop residue
and Leucaena loppings (50% nitrogen through crop residue
(byre waste) + 50% Leucaena lopping) + 12.5 kg P 2
O 5
through
fertilizer (SSP) is recommended for rabi sorghum grown on
medium deep black soils in scarcity zone of Maharashtra for
getting higher yield and monetary returns with minimum energy
use and maintaining soil fertility. The improved tillage and
nutrient management practice gives grain yield of 1706 kg ha -1
and stover yield of 4084 kg ha -1 while conventional tillage gives
grain yield of 1350 kg ha -1 and stover yield of 3429 kg ha -1 . The
net returns and B:C ratio with improved technology were Rs.
64879 and 4.21 compared to farmers’ practice (Rs. 45854 and
3.18). This improved practice has been adopted in 15 to 20% of
rabi sorghum area in domain districts.
67

Application of 25 kg N ha -1 through chaffed sorghum byre
waste (5 t) + 25 kg N ha 1 through Leucaena loppings (3.5 t)
is recommended for rainfall zone-IV of scarcity zone of
Maharashtra for improvement in yield of rabi sorghum and soil
quality. The improved technology gives 12.38 q ha -1 grain yield
and 33.47 q ha -1 stover yield and they were higher than RDF of
50 kg N ha -1 through urea (11.82 and 32.96 q ha -1 respectively).
However, significant improvement in the soil fertility at harvest
of rabi sorghum would be more beneficial for sustainable
productivity of sorghum with improvement in soil health. This
integrated nutrient management has been adopted in 15 to 20%
of sorghum area in domain districts.
For improving of soil fertility and higher yield of pearl millet,
two harrowing before sowing and one weeding at 15-20 days and
one hoeing at 30-35 days after sowing and application of 25 kg
N per ha through organics (FYM 5 t ha -1 and Leucaena loppings
1.75 t ha -1 ) and 25 kg N and 25 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 through fertilizer is
recommended. It gives higher grain yield of pearl millet (835 kg
ha -1 ) over 100% organic N (620 kg ha -1 ) and gave maximum net
profit of Rs. 3982 ha -1 over 100% organic N (Rs. 5240 ha -1 ). This
integrated nutrient management has been adopted in 15 to 20%
of sorghum area in domain districts.
Integrated farming system (IFS) model of 1.0 hectare rainfed
area comprising 50% crop component, 40% horticulture
component, 5% animal component and 5% farm pond is
recommended for economic viability of small farmers under
Scarcity Zone of Maharashtra. The average net returns from IFS
were Rs. 76664 with B:C ratio of 2.0 compared to rabi sorghum
alone (Rs. 14928 with 1.5 B:C ratio). In IFS, the contribution of
crop component was 11%, horticulture component was 10% and
animal component was 79% to the net returns.
Amrutsagar et al.
Application of 25 kg N ha -1 through FYM @ 5.0 t ha -1 + 25 kg
N through urea + 25 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 through single super phosphate
is recommended for maintaining soil health, higher grain and
stover yields and monetary returns of rabi sorghum grown on
medium deep black soil in scarcity zone of western Maharashtra.
The improved technology gave maximum grain yield (1448
●
kg ha -1 ) and stover yield (3688 kg ha -1 ) with higher net returns
(Rs.30066 ha -1 ) compared to farmers’ practice (833 kg grain
yield ha -1 , Rs.14254 of net returns). This helps in maintaining ●
soil health and reduces 50% of nitrogen from chemical fertilizer
dose. This improved practice has been adopted in 15 to 20% of
rabi sorghum grown area in domain districts.
●
The horse gram genotype (Phule Sakas) is early maturing (95
days) as compared to ruling varieties viz; Man (115 days) and
Sina (130 days). The variety is having bolder seed with brown ●
colour. The culture is non shattering type, being erect in habit
pods, do not touch to the ground and prevent damage to the
●
pods. The genotype is having high protein (22.09%) and less
tannin (1.14%) content. The culture is moderately resistant to
yellow mosaic virus and minimum and comparable incidence of
white flies (1.18 flies per plant).
68
The average seed yield is 1025 kg ha -1 in station and University
Multilocation trials. The culture (1025 kg ha -1 ) has shown
42.55% increased seed yield over the early check Man (719
kg ha -1 ) and 31.41% over the second check Sina (780 kg
ha -1 ). Whereas, at national level, it has given 19.26% increase
seed yield over the national check AK-42. The net returns were
Rs. 8870 compared to Man (Rs. 6280) and Sina (Rs. 6580). It was
adopted in 25% area of millets in domain district. The location
specific constants K, a, b and d in intensity -frequency-duration
relationship was developed for Solapur, Pandharpur and Jalgaon
region and used for estimation of runoff. The estimation of runoff
is required for design of soil and water conservation structures.
Timely operations of seeding and fertilizer application are
carried out simultaneously with the help of bullock drawn two
bowl ferti seed drill. This improves fertilizer use efficiency and
enhances the productivity of crops up to 20%. The cycle hoe
performs efficiently on the farmer’s fields with a reduction in
drudgery for hoeing operation. It is also convenient for women
to operate. One labour can cover one acre/day. The bullock
drawn multi-purpose Phule seed drill implement can be used
for sowing, harrowing and also as a cultivator and are suitable
for all soil types and crops, and even for sowing of intercrops.
By using this implement, saving of one labour and timely and
efficient agricultural operation is ensured. Further, upscaling of
this practice can be done in different districts with similar agro
ecological features through more extension efforts and linkage
with line departments, and through demonstrations by ATMA,
KVKs and NGOs etc.
Way forward
●
The research should be focussed on crop and cropping
systems, resource management, evaluation of improved
dryland varieties, integrated nutrient management,
integrated farming system and arid legumes viz., clusterbean,
rajma bean, cowpea, pigeonpea, horsegram, mothbean and
pearl millet.
Development of new drudgery reduction implements for
the rainfed farmers especially for rabi sorghum, pigeonpea,
sunflower, pearl millet and safflower are also needed.
Development of new technologies related to sequestration
of atmospheric carbon, soil health management are also
essential.
Mechanization in dryland agriculture, development of hand
tools and equipment for drudgery reduction for small and
marginal farmers are also required.
Development of Integrated farming system module for
small, marginal and medium land holdings.
Development of new technologies for dryland fruit crops
and vegetables especially for ber, aonla, tamarind, mango,
custard apple, drumstick, coriander, amaranthus, ajwain,
etc.

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 69-76 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00019.7
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Southern Zone of Rajasthan
J. K. Balyan 1 , R. K. Sharma 1 , S. K. Sharma 1 , M. L. Jat 1 , A. K. Kothari 1 , K. C. Laddha 1 , S. N. Sodani 1 ,
P. M. Jain 1 , P. L. Maliwal 1 , B. S. Kumapawat 1 and G. Ravindra Chary 2
1
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre
Dryland Farming Research Station, Arjia, Bhilwara
Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Rajasthan
2
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad – 500 059
Email: dfrsbhl62@yahoo.co.in
Brief history of the Centre
The All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland
Agriculture Centre was established at Udaipur in 1976.
The Centre was upgraded to the Main centre along with the
Operational Research Project (ORP) and shifted to Agriculture
Research Sub Station, Arjia, Bhilwara in 1984.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
The Centre is located in Southern zone (NARP) in Rajasthan
and in the Agroecological subregion (ICAR) 4.2 and in the
Western plateau and hills agroclimatic region (Planning
Commission). The climate in this zone is semi-arid. Out of
the total annual average rainfall of 657.7mm, the south-west
monsoon contributes 93.1% while 3.7% and 3.2% is from northeast
monsoon and summer. The normal onset of monsoon is
during first week of July and the normal withdrawal of monsoon
is during first week of October. The historical rainfall data (of 30
years) indicated that the rainfall during south-west monsoon had
been deficit by 17% of the average rainfall. The dry spells during
crop season were experienced during September coinciding with
reproductive stages of the major rainfed crops. Mean monthly
rainfall is highest in August and lowest in February. Rainfall is
relatively more erratic during rainy season (June – September).
After every 3-5 years drought situations generally occurred and
mid season and terminal drought situation occurrence is common
phenomena in the zone, so that most crops affected adversely
during kharif season. In the month of July and August mostly
excess rainfall events occurs. Summers are hot and winters are
cool. The maximum temperature is recorded in the month of
May – June (upto 46.5 0 C) and the minimum temperature in the
month of January (upto -3.0 -4.0 0 C) at Mount Abu.
Major soil types
The major soil types in the zone are loamy and clayey soils. Total
geographical area of the agro-climatic zone IV-a of Rajasthan
spread in 3354 thousand hectares. Out of this Inceptisols are
49.01%, Alfisols are 36.28%, Entisols are 5.30% and Vertisols
& Elfisols are 9.36%.
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days (1970-
2021) at AICRPDA centre, Arjia, Bhilwara
Rainfall
South west monsoon
(June-September)
Post monsoon
(October–November)
Winter
(December-February)
Pre-monsoon (Summer)
(March-May)
Normal rainfall
(mm)
Normal rainy days
(No.)
626.0 30.6
15.4 0.4
13.0 2.1
23.4 1.2
Annual 677.9 34.3
Major rainfed crops cultivated in the domain districts
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif are
maize, sorghum, blackgram, greengram, clusterbean, groundnut,
cotton, sesame and soybean and during rabi are chickpea,
mustard and taramira.
Dryland agriculture problems
Soil and land management
●
●
●
Inadequate in-situ moisture conservation
Excess runoff
Poor soil fertility and imbalance use of fertilizers
Crop production
●
●
●
●
●
Uneven distribution and erratic rainfall
Prolonged dry spells and chronic drought
Use of traditional varieties / mono cropping systems,
Weed infestation and higher incidence of disease and pests
Low adoption of improved crop production technology
Socioeconomic
●
●
Fragmented land holdings, most of the farmers are small
and marginal, low and erratic rainfall, four times drought in
ten years,
Improper rainwater management,
69

Balyan et al.
C and mean minimum temperature 8 °C. The normal rainfall
● Low level of mechanization,
management, sowing of crops may be started on 27 th SMW, and
Farm pond of 1200 m 3 capacity (size 20 x 14.4 m with 3.0 m
the mean duration of the rainy season is 12.5 weeks (88 days)
depth) with side slopes of 1:1 is sufficient for a catchment area
with a coefficient variation of 40.60 percent and recommended
of 2.5 ha. Soil + 500 µHDPE lining was found very effective
that short-duration crops of maize, sorghum, and pulses of 80-90
in reducing seepage losses in zone IV-Arjia of Rajasthan. One
days maturity may be taken in Bhilwara and Udaipur districts.
supplemental irrigation of 5 cm to maize by sprinkler during
During the study of 45 years of meteorological and soil data
dry spells at the grain filling stage enhanced the grain yield by
of Bhilwara (1960-2004), the district has hot dry summers with
25-30%. Besides this, to minimize the evaporation losses from
mean maximum temperature 39 0 C, mean minimum temperature
the farm pond, maize straw mat (6 kg m -2 ) was found effective.
27 0 C, and cold winter with mean maximum temperature 23 0
● Decline in draught power and labour availability.
received is 669.1 mm, out of which 90% received during June-
● Declining livestock population and non-availability of
improved breeds of livestock
September. Total rainy days are 26 and mean pan evaporation
ranges 14.4-72.5 mm/week. Onset of effective monsoon was
● Lack of access to credit facilities, input supply, marketing
found to be 27 th week (2 nd -8 th July) and withdrawal of south west
monsoon by 40
facilities
week (1 st -7 th Oct.), mid-season and terminal
drought are likely to occur during the period of 33-35 weeks
Research initiatives since inception of the centre
and 36 th week onwards, respectively. Further, probability of
AICRPDA centre Arjia worked for generating the improved
crop production technology for dryland agriculture in South
occurrence of two consecutive dry weeks is high (61.90%) from
37 th week onwards in this region.
East Rajasthan. Intensive research efforts have been made
under the project to develop the technology for increasing
and stabilizing the productivity of dryland agriculture in the
region. Research activities primarily focussed in the identified
thrust areas of resource characterization, cropping systems,
rainwater management, integrated nutrient management, farm
mechanization and alternate land use. Centres technologies
enhanced production and increased income of farm families in
rainfed areas. Centre involved in validation of adoptable dryland
technologies with respect to changing climatic variables.
Significant achievements and findings
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture
(AICRPDA) centre at Agricultural Research Station, Udaipur,
and Dryland Farming Research Station, Arjia have developed
location-specific dryland technologies to cope with production
constraints in the domain area. The key technologies are
classified under resource characterization, catchment command
relationship, rainwater harvesting, and recycling, in-situ moisture
conservation, crops and cropping systems, participatory varietal
selection of dryland crops, contingency crop plan to cope with
delays in monsoon and during dry spells, integrated farming
Rainwater management
In-situ moisture conservation through flat sowing and ridging
after first interculture improve different crops yield and widely
adopted by the farmers of the zone. Soil and water losses reduced
by adopting in-situ conservation practices like application of
FYM @ 5 t/ha and vertical mulch of sesame straw @ 5 t/ha
at 10 m interval reduced runoff, soil loss, increased water use
efficiency, physical and biological properties like dehydrogenase
and phosphotase activities of soil and also increased the yield
of maize. Among various types of bunds tested, contour bund
proved most effective in conserving soil and water and for
increased yields of grass and tree growth. In Inceptisol soils of
south Rajasthan, summer disc ploughing followed by cultivator
recorded highest water use efficiency and produced lowest
runoff and soil loss in the region. To overcome the adverse
effect of sub-soil compaction in inceptisols and to break the hard
pan in subsoil, ploughing with a Vibro chisel plough up to 40-70
cm depth at one and half meter interval once in two years was
found useful and recorded 26.72% higher maize grain yield as
compared to cultivator.
systems, energy management and alternate land use etc. The
Also, research over the years revealed that the region experiences
significant achievements of the center since its inception are
an average of 7-11 runoff events per year resulting in 2-2.5 tons
briefly described under the following themes.
of soil loss per hectare. The following are the significant findings
Resource characterization
The weather and soil data was analysed for resource
characterization to characterize the earliest probable sowing
time and defining the risk level in arable farming. Under
dynamic and contingent crop planning for proactive monsoon
over the years that found efficient for effective rainwater
management. Dug-out ponds with the lining of calcareous soil
recorded a minimum seepage rate (1.05-1.08 cm/sq m/day) and
reduced the seepage by 62 percent as compared to the unlined
ponds.
70

Crops and cropping systems
Crops and cropping systems help to cope with any adverse
events like rainfall variability and drought. The cropping systembased
strategies for drought mitigation in the domain area of
AICRPDA- Arjia centre includes growing crops and varieties
that fit into variable rainfall situation year to year. The maize
varieties; Navjot, Pratap Makka (Composite)-3, Pratap Sankar
Makka-3 PHM-3, PHM-5, PM-9, Pratap Maize Chari-6, DHM-
117, DHM-121, HQPM-1, PQPHM-1, and blackgram varieties
like PU-31, Pratap Urd-1, Mukndra-2, and KU-96-3 are suitable
for rainfed conditions due to their tolerance to drought, early
duration, and higher seed yield. Improved varieties recorded 12
to 18% higher yields than the local varieties.
Best yields of maize and sorghum were achieved when sown
with blackgram and greengram as intercrops during the last week
of June to 1 st week of July. Intercropping of maize + blackgram
(2:2) as paired row ratio instead of sole maize was found more
beneficial and adapted by large number of farmers of the zone.
If rainfall is delayed by a week (2 nd fortnight of July), sowing of
contingent crops such as blackgram, greengram, cluster bean,
cowpea, and sorghum/ fodder sorghum are found profitable in
the domain area. Among different rainfed crops, blackgram,
cluster bean and sorghum can be grown as better alternate crops
to maize in rainfed Inceptisols and vertisol as these crops gave
maximum maize equivalent yield over years. Higher maize
equivalent yield was recorded with strips of maize (grain) in 2/3
area + strips of maize chari fodder (1/3) area cropping system.
Higher net returns were also recorded with maize + blackgram
(6:6) row ratio at 45 cm, groundnut + pigeonpea (2:2), maize +
soybean (2:2), castor + greengram (1:2) and groundnut + sesame
(2:2) intercropping systems.
The fodder crops sown during delayed onset of monsoon,
maize Chari fodder and fodder sorghum were found efficient
in fodder production. Fodder sorghum and fodder maize are
potential forage cereals because they can produce more quantity
and quality fodder while also ensuring net monetary returns.
Napier and Lucerne are also grown under partially irrigated
areas of dryland regions for round the year in the domain area.
Application of quizalofop-ethyl @ 50 g ha -1 at 30 days after
sowing in blackgram significantly increased seed yield by 20.21
percent in comparison to weedy check.
Nutrient management
Under integrated nutrient management in maize, application of
FYM @ 10 t ha -1 RDF (N90 P30 K30) and seed inoculation with
azotobacter and PSB significantly increased yield attributes
and yield (43.89%) over control. However, it has also improved
the N, P, and K status of soil by 2.78, 4.31 and 8.56 kg ha -1 ,
respectively, and improved the nutrient content and uptake in
grain and stover as compared to the control.
Management of zinc deficiency in rainfed maize, application
of soil test based fertilizer (STBF) + zinc sulphate @ 25 kg
ha -1 ; STBF + P 33 microbial culture (seed treatment) and STBF
+ P29 microbial culture (seed treatment) at the time of sowing
of rainfed maize increased yield significantly by 55.63% with
application of ZnSO 4
@ 25 kg/ha but it was found at par with 33
microbial culture (42.55%) and P29 microbial culture (45.88%)
over control. Application of K 2
O @ 40 kg ha -1 increased maize
yield (19.6%) over control (2066 kg ha -1 ). Similarly, application
of 30 kg MgSO 4
.7H 2
O ha -1 increased the maize grain yield by
25.9% over control. It also increased the availability of K and
Mg status in soil after harvest of maize crop.
Taramira crop was sown in conserved moisture, application
of RDF (N20:P30:K0) with azotobacter + PSB seed treatment
and spraying of vermiwash @ 7.5% at flower initiation and pod
formation stage increased seed yield by 60% as compared to
control (296 kg/ha).
Fifteen years of long-term integrated nutrient management
experiment conducted at AICRPDA, Arjia revealed that,
application of 25 kg N through FYM and 25 kg N through
inorganic fertilizer + 30 kg P 2
O 5
gave highest mean maize grain
equivalent yield (3533 kg/ha) as compared to control (2057
kg/ha) with an increase of 71.72%. However, applications of
organic treatments significantly affected the organic carbon,
available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in both layers (0-
15 and 15-30 cm depth) and recorded higher with the application
of 25 kg N through FYM and 25 kg N through inorganic fertiliser
+ 30 kg P 2
O 5.
In maize, foliar application of soluble complex fertilizer NPK
(19:19:19) @ 0.5% + zinc sulphate @ 0.5% at both knee high
and before tasseling stages increased the maize yield by 32
percent as compared to control. However, mitigate the dry spell
stress effect in blackgram, by spraying NPKS (18:18:18:6) @
2% before flowering and pod filling stage produced 31% higher
blackgram seed yield over control (1074 kg /ha).
Energy management
Among different seed drills/planters tested for maize sowing,
tractor-drawn nine row Arjia intercropping seed drill has sown
maize + blackgram (2:2) intercropping system (paired row) with
optimum seed rates of maize and blackgram. An interculture
implement (tractor operated weeder) was fabricated with row
distance adjustment for intercultivation in maize, blackgram and
intercropping system. Tractor drawn interculture implements
perform weeding and also ridging simultaneously. The strip
cropping of maize + blackgram (4:8) with deep tillage and
ridging after one interculture operation (RAFIO) was more
energy efficient and increased the energy use efficiency by 33.35
percent in deep tillage as compared to shallow tillage. Arjia
wheel hoe developed by the centre for all crops was fabricated
71

and tested in the field conditions is becoming popular among
marginal and small farmers of the district. The field capacity of
the Arjia wheel hoe has been found to be 6.55 man/day ha -1 as
compared to kudali (23.9 man/days ha -1 ). Dept. of agriculture,
Dist Bhilwara included the equipment in its subsidy scheme for
upscaling.
Alternate land use systems
The soils of the domain area are large, marginal and uncultivated
waste land which are sandy loam, shallow in depth, undulating
topography and poor in soil fertility. Class IV and V lands of
zone IV-Arjia Rajasthan are hilly (4-15%) with these lands
having only some trees and local grass species such as Aristida.
These unproductive degraded pasture class V land can be made
productive with silvi-pastoral system and recorded 239% more
Cenchrus setigerus dry grass yield as compared to the control.
Further, class V unproductive lands made productive by sowing
Cenchrus setigerus as mud pellets/ balls with the application of
20 kg N and 30 kg P 2
O 5
per hectare each year and recorded 103
percent higher dry grass yield as compared to local pasture. Also
with agri-horti aonla based system and integrated with different
need based crops and grasses like aonla+ sesame, aonla +
pumpkin, aonla + aswagandha and aonla + stylosanthes hamata
in class iv land as compared to fallow land. Further, unproductive
class IV lands made productive with agri-horti system like ber +
papaya + greengram, ber + papaya+ blackgram, guava + papaya
+ groundnut as compared to fallow land.
Integrated farming system
The research revealed that, for a farm of 1 ha of land, maize as
a kharif rainfed crop with cow rearing (2) improved the total
net returns by 92 percent compared to crop alone. Besides, it
provides 67 man days of employment after harvest of maize to
the farmer. Similarly, under partial irrigated conditions, agrihorti
system groundnut + guava integrated with cow (2) + goat
(2) rearing is an appropriate system in class IV land for semi arid
region of Bhilwara for the best use of available natural resources.
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
●
●
●
●
In-situ moisture conservation for higher productivity of
maize
Early rabi cropping of chickpea for green pods with
harvested rainwater
Rainwater harvesting through farm pond
Artificial well recharge technology to increase ground
water table
Combat the dry spell effect in maize under real time
contingent crop planning
Balyan et al.
●
●
Planting technique for rainwater management in agro-horti
system on cultivable waste land
In-situ moisture conservation in ber based horti-pastoral
system to enhance productivity of marginal land
Cropping system
●
●
Developed improved horsegram variety Pratap Kulthi-
AK-53
Standardization of tassel removal from standing maize for
alternative use under variable monsoon
Intercropping systems
● Maize + blackgram (2 :2)
● Maize + pigeonpea (1:1)
● Maize + castor (1:1)
● Sorghum + greengram (2:1)
● Pigeonpea + groundnut (1:1)
● Castor + greengram (1:2)
● Groundnut + sesame (6:2)
●
Chickpea + mustard (Intra cropping) across the sowing of
chickpea at 2.7 m interval
Double/triple cropping systems
●
●
●
●
●
Maize-gram
Sorghum-mustard
Sorghum + cowpea (green fodder) -Tramira
Blackgram-mustard
Maize-chickpea + mustard (intra cropping)
Nutrient management
●
Zinc nutrition in maize
Integrated nutrient management practices
Crop
Maize
INM Practice
15 kg N through FYM+10 kg N through subabul
leaves before sowing and 30 kg P 2
O 5
/ha; 25 kg N/
ha at 30-45 DAS through urea 50% recommended
through organic (FYM/compost) and remaining 50%
through inorganic fertilizer and 30 kg P
2
O
5
/ha.
a. Seed treatment
Seed treatment with Azotobacter and PSB or microbial
consortia along with recommended dose of fertilizers.
b. Foliar nutrition
Maize: Two sprays of 0.5% ZnSO 4 .7H 2 O at 40-45
DAS and 60-65 DAS (1 kg ZnSO 4 .7H 2 O + 0.5 kg
lime mixed in 200 litres of water becomes a neutral
solution of 0.5% zinc sulphate) or two sprays of
soluble NPK (19:19:19) @ 2% at knee high stage and
grain filling stage.
72

Crop
INM Practice
Sorghum Application of 50% N through organic and 50%
through inorganic (RD: 40N:20P)
Seed treatment with azosprillum and PSB microbial
consortia along with recommended dose of fertilizers
spray of KNO 3
@ 0.5% at flag leaf stage.
Blackgram,
greengram,
clusterbean,
Groundnut
Soybean
Chickpea
Sesame
Mustard and
Taramira
Energy management
●
●
●
●
●
●
Seed inoculation with rhizobium and phosphate
solubilising bacteria (PSB) microbial consortia along
with recommended dose of fertilizers.
One spray of soluble NPK (19:19:19) @ 2% at flower
initiation.
Seed inoculation with Rhizobium and Phosphate
solubilising bacteria (PSB) Microbial consortia along
with recommended dose of fertilizers along with
recommended dose of fertilizers.
One spray of 0.5% FeSO 4
neutralized with 0.20%
lime solution at flowering stage.
Seed inoculation with rhizobium and phosphate
solubilising bacteria (PSB) microbial consortia along
with recommended dose of fertilizers.
In soybean, spray 0.5% FeSO 4
and neutralized with
0.20% lime solution, if crop seems to be yellow.
Seed inoculation with rhizobium and phosphate
solubilising bacteria (PSB) microbial consortia along
with recommended dose of fertilizers.
Seed inoculation with azotobacter and PSB culture or
microbial consortia along with recommended dose of
fertilizers
Two spray of vermiwash @ 7.5% at flower initiation
and pod filling stage along with recommended dose
of fertilizers.
Arjia wheel hoe for efficient weed control in rainfed crops
Two row bullock drawn Arjia seed drill for rainfed crops
Rota-till drill for ideal seedbed preparation and sowing of
maize
Rain water conservation through Vibro chisel plough and
peripheral bunding
Mechanization of intercropping system
Mechanization of intercultural operations through tractor
drown implements
Alternate land use
●
●
Silvi-pastoral system
Social fencing to develop community pastures in Southern
Rajasthan
73
Contingency crop planning
a. Crops/cropping systems for normal onset of monsoon (15 th
June to 1 st week of July)
●
●
●
●
●
●
Maize (PEMH-2, Pratap hybrid maize-1, PratapMakka-3,
Pratap Makka-5)
Sorghum (Pratap sorghum-1430, CSV-17, CSV-15)
Groundnut (TG-37A, Pratap moong phali-1&2)
Blackgram (Pratap Urd 1, Mukndra-2, Mash 479, KU-96-3,
PU-31)
Sesame (RT-351, RT-346 and RT-127)
Soybean (JS 93-05, JS 20-34, JS 71-05, JS 9560, Pratap
Soya 2, Pratap Raj Soya 24)
b. Contingency crop /cropping systems and cultivars under
delayed onset of monsoon
For kharif crop planning
a. Suggested contingency crops/cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (2 nd week of July)
●
●
●
●
●
Maize (PratapMakka-3, PM-9, Pratap hybrid maize-3;
blackgram: PU-1, Mukndra-2)
Intercropping system: maize+blackgram (2:2); groundnut
(TG-37A, Pratap Moongphali-2); groundnut + sesame(6:2)
Sole crops: soybean (MACS-58, PS-16, JS-335, JS-71-05,
PratapSoya-1)
Sorghum (Pratap sorghum-1430, CSV-17)
Prefer sorghum + greengram (1:1) intercroppingat 30 cm
spacing
Delay by 4 weeks (4 th week of July)
●
●
●
●
●
Maize fodder : African tall, Pratap Maize chari-6
Sorghum (fodder): Raj chari-1and 2, Pratap chari-1080,
SSG-59-3
Greengram: K-851, IPM-02-03, SML-668
Blackgram: T9, RBU-38); sesame (RT351,125and127
Horsegram: AK-21, Pratap Kulthi-1 and Pratap Kulthi-2
Delay by 6 weeks (2 nd week of August)
●
●
●
Sorghum (fodder): Raj chari-1&2, Pratap chari-1080, SSG
59-3
Pearl millet fodder: Narendra chara bajra -2, Gujrat fodder
bajra-1
Horsegram: Pratap Kulthi-1 and Pratap Kulthi-2
Delay by 8 weeks (4 th week of August)
●
●
●
Fallow-mustard (Bio-902, Laxmi)
Fallow-gram (Dahod yellow, ICCV10, RSG-888, Pratap
channa-1)
Fallow-taramira (RTM2002, RTM-314)

. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Re sowing, if germination is less than 50% except groundnut
and increase seed rate upto 20-25%.
Gap filling, if germination is more than 75%, fill up the
gaps through blackgram
Gap filling, if germination is more than 75% and in
groundnut, fill up the gaps through sesame and blackgram
Soil mulch on upper top soil by hand hoe or other manual
operated implement
Spread available farm waste within rows of the crops as
mulch
Avoid top dressing
In groundnut, gap filling can be done by sesame and in
maize by blackgram or sesame
Hoeing by hand hoe to develop soil mulch for conservation
of soil moisture
Weeding
Mid-season drought
●
●
●
●
●
Reduce the plant population by thinning with in rows up to
30-50%
Remove lower leaves of maize and sorghum and use as
green fodder
Foliar application of soluble NPK (19:19:19) @ 0.5% and
zinc sulphate @0.5% during dry spell.
Foliar spray of thiourea 0.1% in maize, sorghum and
soybean and spray kaolin 5% as an anti-transpirant.
Remove tassels of maize and use as fodder
● Earthing up done in maize, sorghum and groundnut at 30-
35DAS.
●
●
Soil mulching by light hoeing and prepare ridge and furrow
in maize, sorghum and blackgram.
Apply available farm waste between the rows for mulching
purpose.
Terminal drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
Harvest maize and sorghum for green fodder purpose
Green cobs of maize marketed and maize plant used as
green fodder
Uproot groundnut and market as wet pods
If crops damaged after long dry spells, prepare the fields for
rabi crop
Provide protective irrigation, if available
Conserve the rainfall and sow rabi crops like chickpea,
mustard / taramira etc.
Balyan et al.
74
For rabi crop planning
Rabi crops may be sown on conserved moisture or harvested
rainwater is available for application as pre-sowing irrigation
for sowing the rabi crops/ supplemental irrigation. These are the
following important crop and varieties for rabi season:
a. Crops and varieties for normal season
●
Chickpea (CSJ 515, RSG 991, Raj Pratap Chana, Pratap
Chana-1)
● Mustard (Bio 902, Laxmi, Pusa Sarson 25, Pusa Sarson 30)
● Lentil (IPL-81, DPL 62, JL 3)
●
Linseed (Pratap Alsi-1, Chambal)
b. Suggested crops and varieties for sowing on conserved
moisture or if rainfall is received in last week of September
or first week of October and harvested rainwater is not
available:
●
Chickpea (Raj Pratap Chana, Pratap Chana-1)
● Taramira (RTAS, RTM 314, RTM 2002)
● Lentil (IPL-81, DPL 62, JL 3)
●
Linseed (Pratap Alsi-1, Chambal)
Agri-horti /pasture/ silvi systems viz. crops, spacing,
management practices
●
●
Ber + Cenchrus spp. (5 m row to row and 5m plant to plant)
Khezri/neem + Cenchrus spp. (boundary plantation of tree)
Variety of fruit crops and field crops
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Ber - Umran, Gola, Apple
Aonla - Hatijhul, Banarsi, Chakya, NA-7, Krishna
Guava - L-49, Pant Parbhat, Saweta, Lalit
Custard apple - NMK-1, Anona-2, Arka Sehn, Balanager
Sapota - Kali Patti, Cricket Ball, DH-1, DH-2
Lasora - Thar bold, Karan Lasora-1
Chickpea - Partap Chana -1, GNG-1958, GNG-2144, CSJ-
515
Linseed - Chambal, Jawahar-17, Jawahar-7 (R-7), M-10,
LC 185, Hira, Mukta, Neelum, B-67,
Taramira - RTM-314, RTN-2002, RTM-1351
Lentil - PL-9, PL-406
Cencurs - CAZRI-76
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
AICRPDA centre Arjia has developed many location-specific
dry land technologies for the benefit of farmers. Successful
technologies were upscaled in convergence with Govt.
programmes, NGOs, and KVKs after demonstrating in the
farmer’s field. In convergence, the collaborated institutes
encouraged the farmers to adopt these technologies to cope

with the climate vagaries and also enhance the productivity of
rainfed crops in the zone. The technologies developed by the
centre were adopted by the Department of Agriculture, Govt. of
Rajasthan, KVKs, NGOs and also included in the Zone IV-arjia
package of practices (PoP) of MPUAT Udaipur.
Impact of technologies
The dryland technologies developed by AICRPDA - Arjia have
significantly improved the productivity of rainfed crops grown
in dryland areas of Rajasthan. Farm pond technology is one such
technology that is more popular, climate resilient and successful
in rainwater harvesting and mitigating the zone’s frequent dry
spells. The impact of technologies was clearly visible with
increased productivity, yield stability and improved livelihoods
for farmers in the region. The impact of the technologies in terms
of yield enhancement and overall productivity improvement in
the zone are shown below.
Rainwater management
●
●
In-situ moisture conservation model for maize/ sorghum
and maize + blackgram (2:2) crop and cropping system
practices increased the maize equivalent yield by 21-25%
as compared to farmer’s practice.
Utilization of harvested rainwater in maize + blackgram
(2:2) and groundnut + sesame (6:2) intercropping system.
Supplemental irrigation increased the maize and groundnut
equivalent yield by 15-28%
Crops and cropping systems
●
●
●
●
Intercropping system maize + blackgram (2:2) and
groundnut + sesame (6:2). Both intercropping systems
practiced by the farmers in medium to deep soil increased
the grain yield by 25-47% in domain area. They get
approximately an additional income @ Rs. 4966 - 8435 per
ha -1.
Intercropping system sorghum + greengram (2:1) and
blackgram + sesame (2:2). These intercropping systems
were practiced by the farmers in shallow to medium-depth
soil and increased the grain yield by 21-34% in the domain
area. They get an approximately additional income of Rs.
2587-3945 ha -1
Contingency crop planning reduced the weather risk and
brought stability under delayed monsoon situation as
contingent measure sorghum (fodder) and greengram was
sown. If monsoon is very delayed, then in place of the
kharif crop, taramira can be sown during September.
Sorghum, cluster bean, greengram and cowpea, can be
grown as alternate crops to maize and these crops were
grown successfully by the farmers in Bhilwara region.
75
Impact of dryland technologies developed at AICRPDA-
Arjia centre
Nutrient management
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Enhancing productivity of rainfed maize through use of
agro-chemicals (Foliar spray of KNO 3
, soluble NPK, and
thiourea). Foliar spray of 1% KNO 3
, soluble 1% NPK, and
500 ppm thiourea application in maize increased the maize
yield by 18-35 %
Seed priming of sorghum with thiourea (0.1%) and maize
with KH 2
PO 4
for crop establishment and contingent
planning. Seed priming of sorghum with thiourea @ 0.1%
and maize with KH 2
PO 4
@ 2% increased the crop yield by
12-23%.
Combating the dry spell effect through foliar application of
NPK (19:19:19) @ 0.5 % + ZnSO 4
@ 0.5% in maize crop
during the dry spell was popularized and adopted by 25% in
the domain area.
Application of PROM (Phosphate Rich Organic Manure)
@ 30 kg per ha in maize + blackgram (2:2) intercropping
system recorded 16% higher maize grain equivalent yield in
comparison to DAP fertilizer.
A large number of farmers of the zone prepared compost by
the NADEP method and get nutrient-rich organic manure as
compared to the open heap manure system.
Application of 125% recommended N in sorghum improved
the grain yield by 22% with additional net return of Rs.
5957 ha -1 in comparison to the recommended practice in the
domain area.
Application of gypsum @ 120 kg ha -1 in groundnut
enhanced the pod yield by 15% with an additional net return
of Rs. 11674 ha -1 being followed by the dryland farmers in
Bhilwara region.
Energy management
●
●
●
In Bhilwara district, large number of small and marginal
farmers use Arjia wheel hoe and 2 HP power weeder for
interculture in different crops and saved 30-35% cost and
68-83% time ha -1
Tractor drawn multi-crop planter and interculture implement
(tirri) with slight modification (in rim and tyre of tractor) is
successfully used by the farmers and saves 80% time and
41% cost per hectare.
Tractor drawn intercropping seed drill developed by the
center which made sowing of maize + blackgram (2:2)
paired row system saved 28-35% cost and 65-78% time.
Alternate land use /agroforestry systems
●
Developed the silvi-pasture on farmers’ field (Desi babool/
khejri + Cenchrus setigerus) and improved the grass
production @ 54-120 t in sustained manner and obtained
additional net returns of Rs. 4540 - 7090 ha -1

●
Aonla based agri-horti system and ber + Cenchrus grass
(horti-pastoral system) adopted by large number of farmers
on wasteland and increased productivity in a sustainable
manner in the domain area.
Way forward
In view of the current changes in climatic conditions, farmers’
awareness, cropping pattern and for increased productivity, the
centre may have to reorient its work focusing on the following
points.
●
●
●
●
Strengthening the data base on climate, soil and plant
resources to develop strategies to mitigating the effect
of climate change using the GIS and remote sensing
technology.
Strengthening the technology for drought preparedness and
amelioration measures during drought situation.
Development of technologies for crops and cropping
systems for sustained production
Introduction and economic evaluation of non traditional
crops like medicinal, aromatic and dye yielding species to
augment the income per unit area.
Balyan et al.
●
●
●
●
●
●
Development of a rainwater management model consisting
of in-situ rainwater management practices, harvesting
runoff, lifting mechanism of harvested water and efficient
cropping systems.
Integrated nutrient management with emphasis on in-situ
generation of biomass and incorporation into soil through
agro-waste management to maintain the soil health.
Evaluation of new cultivars under varying rainwater
management practices and compatibility analysis for
different cropping systems.
Evaluation and development of need based farm
mechanization to improve the timeliness and precision in
farm operations in face of acute shortage of agricultural
labourers.
Ergonomics of farm women at home, farm and allied
activities to reduce their drudgery.
Development of Climate Resilient Farming System models
capable of harvesting the potential yields during normal
season as well as aberrant weather situations.
● Evaluation of organic farming including residue
management, bio-fertilizers and role of legume in rotation.
76

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 77-87 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00020.3
Brief history of the Centre
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi
sponsored an All India Coordinated Research Project for
Dryland Agriculture in September 1970 located at Hoshiarpur
under the control of Department of Soils, Punjab Agricultural
University, Ludhiana with different operational stations from
time to time. Presently, it is located at Ballowal Saunkhri, earlier
in district Hoshiarpur and since 1990 in district Shahid Bhagat
Singh Nagar. Before the establishment of Zonal Research
Station at Ballowal Saunkhri in 1982, the project was operated
in villages of district Hoshiarpur but subsequently it was shifted
to Ballowal Saunkhri. The ORP centre was established in 1976.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
AICRPDA centre Ballowal Saunkhri is located in the agroclimatic
Zone-l in the North-Eastern part of the Punjab (agroecological
sub-region 9.1) in the form of 10 to 20 km wide
strip covering an area of approx. 3.929 lakh hectares which
comprises approximately 7.8% of total geographical area of
the State. This zone is located between 30°44′ and 32°32′ N
latitude and 75°52′ and 76°43′ E longitude at an elevation of
300-500 m above mean sea level. The region stretches from
Dhar Kalan block of Pathankot district to Dera Bassi block of
SAS Nagar. The climate of the zone is semi-arid to sub-humid.
The average annual rainfall is 1051 mm. The normal onset of
monsoon is during first week of July and the normal withdrawal
of monsoon is during fourth week of September. The maximum
and minimum temperature during kharif season ranged from
31.9 °C to 40.8 °C and 21.4 °C to 26.2 °C, whereas during rabi
season it varied from 16 °C to 38.9 °C and 2.3 °C to 20.4 °C,
respectively.
Mean seasonal and annual rainfall and rainy days at
AICRPDA centre, Ballowal Saunkhri
Season
Normal
rainfall (mm)
Normal rainy
days (No.)
Monsoon season (June - September) 840.7 38
Pre-monsoon (March - May) 86.6 8
Post-monsoon
(October - December)
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Kandi Region of Punjab
Manmohanjit Singh, Anil Khokhar, Balwinder Singh Dhillon, Abrar Yousuf and Mohammad Amin Bhat
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre, Ballowal Saunkhri, Punjab Agricultural University
Regional Research Station, S.B.S. Nagar144 521, Punjab
57.7 3
Winter seasons (January - February) 80.0 6
Annual 1064.7 5
Email: mmjsingh@pau.edu
77
Major soil types
The major soil types in the zone are loamy sand to sandy loam.
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif
are maize, blackgram, fodder bajra, sesame and greengram and
during rabi are wheat, raya, taramira, gobhi sarson, toria, lentil
and chickpea. Besides, field crops, vegetables crops such as
ashgourd, cucumber and pumpkin during kharif and vegetable
pea during rabi are also cultivated.
Socio economic characteristics
People of the area are generally poor, illiterate and tradition
bound. They are not conversant with the improved technologies.
The land holdings are small, fragmented and are generally
degraded and poor in productivity. Majority of the farmers in
this region are having holding of less than 2 ha which exist
in small fragmented pieces. The farmers’ capacity to invest is
very limited. The farmers generally do not use inputs needed
for high production, viz., fertilizer, insecticides, pesticides
and weedicides and improved seeds because of (i) uncertainty
about the returns due to crop failure (erratic rainfall), (ii) poor
economic condition and (iii) lack of awareness about improved
technology (extension gaps). In the Kandi area, almost equal
numbers to land holders are landless people who work as daily
paid labourers. Farming as profession even with land holders is
a subsidiary occupation, about 40% of them work at their farms
and others go to cities for earning their livelihood.
Dryland agriculture problems
Soil and land management
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The land in the area is undulating
Gullies and rills are commonly found in the area
The organic carbon (

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Insect-pest problems
Socio-economic status
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Lack of adequate infrastructure
Poor dairy animal breeds and nutritional status
Small and fragmented land holdings
Wild life damage
Significant achievements
Field experiments under rainfed conditions as per mandates
of AICRPDA were conducted at Regional Research Station
(P.A.U.), Ballowal Saunkhri to study the effect of low till
farming strategies and crop residue management on resource
conservation and improvement of soil quality, improvement
of crop productivity by integrated nutrient management
practices, application of locally available mulch material,
thiourea application, seed priming, intercropping, evaluation
of improved varieties under rainfed conditions, phosphorus
and sulphur management with seed inoculation in chickpea,
rain water management, integrated farming systems, precision
levelling and contingency crop planning for seasonal drought
conditions under rainfed conditions.
Rainwater management
In-situ moisture conservation
●
●
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Levelling of individual fields with minimum cut and
fill with prefabricated outlets for drop of

●
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A farm pond was developed at AICRPDA centre
Ballowal Saunkhri in 2015 to harvest the rain water from
the catchment area of about 1.8 ha. The farm pond is
trapezoidal in cross section having the storage capacity
of 696 m 3 water. The lining of farm pond has been done
by cement and soil (1:8 ratio) mixture and gravel in 1×1
compartment. The harvested rainwater is lifted using 1
HP solar powered pump. Supplemental irrigation through
micro-irrigation system in maize and okra resulted in
36.8% and 28.0% higher yield over rainfed maize and okra,
respectively. In rabi season harvested water in farm pond
applied judiciously as supplemental irrigation in wheat at
CRI stage gave 41.7% higher yield over rainfed wheat.
Use harvested water for pre-sowing irrigation in case
of deficit seed zone moisture for rabi crops. If seed
zone moisture at sowing is sufficient, one supplemental
irrigation to wheat at crown-root initiation is best. The
irrigation to wheat at large areas was found beneficial over
two irrigations on smaller area. If there is dry spell during
tasseling and pollination phase of maize crop, use harvested
water as life-saving irrigation.
Application of one supplemental irrigation to maize & okra
during dry spell, at CRI stage to wheat and as pre-sowing
irrigation to pea gave 50, 51, 93 and 100% respectively,
higher yield over rainfed conditions.
Cropping systems
Crops and cropping system available for the region: Maize
was found to be most suitable and assured crop during kharif
season. In case of sandy soils with low moisture holding
capacity pearl millet for fodder purpose performed better than
maize. Performance of rabi crops was better after summer
fallow than after maize. The combined yield of two crops per
year was always considerably higher than that of a single rabi
crop. Maize-wheat sequence was best in years of favourable
rainfall whereas maize-wheat+gram sequence performed better
in low rainfall years. Sunflower and safflower can be cultivated
successfully under rainfed conditions.
Green manuring and use of leguminous crops: The yield of rabi
crops was better after green manuring rather than after maize
crop or after summer fallow. Growing of short duration legume
crop of moong gave an additional yield of 3 to 4 q/ha and proved
even better than green manuring. Green manuring with 40 days
old sunhemp crop was better than that of 30, 50 or 60 days old
crop in terms of wheat yield.
Inter-cropping
●
Sowing of 2-4 rows of pearl millet around maize fields
saved maize crops from animal and human damage, worked
as wind break and provided fodder for livestock.
●
●
Wheat + raya in rows (One row of raya after every 12 rows
of wheat) proved more remunerative compared to wheat
alone.
Intercropping of greengram/blackgram between two rows
of maize spaced 50 cm gave higher maize equivalent yield
as compared to sole maize.
● Intercropping of green gram in paired row of maize (30/60
cm) resulted in highest maize equivalent yield followed by
blackgram.
●
Raya intercropping in wheat and gram at 3.0 m apart in
north-south direction and in lentil at 2.0 m apart provided
additional income and covered the risk of crop failure under
rainfed conditions.
Strip-intercropping
●
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Cultivation of maize and cowpea on 1% slope gave
significantly higher yield (3331 kg/ha), net returns (Rs.23202
/ha), BC (1.75) and WUE (6.22 kg/ha/mm) than 2% and 3%
slope. A strip intercropping system with maize strip width
of 4.8 m and cowpea strip width of 1.2 m (4.8:1.2) gave
significantly higher maize equivalent yield (MEY) (3862 kg/
ha) over maize: cowpea strip width of 3 m: 3 m, 1.2 m: 4.8 m
and sole cowpea with a respective increase of 8.9, 17.8 and
32.8 per cent with highest LER (1.22), net returns (Rs.28428/
ha) and WUE (7.18 kg/ha/mm -1 ).
Strip-intercropping of maize in 6 m and blackgram in 2.4 m
wide strips gave 9.3% higher yield over sole blackgram and
10.9% over sole maize.
Double cropping
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Soils of high and medium water holding capacity were
suitable for maize- wheat system.
If sufficient moisture is available after kharif crop, raya in
rabi is most profitable.
On sandy soils with low water holding capacity, summer
fallow was better than double cropping.
Total productivity of cropping sequence was higher in
blackgram-raya, maize-raya and maize-chickpea sequence
or compared to traditional maize-wheat sequence. Thus,
cultivation of raya and chickpea was found to be more
profitable when grown after blackgram maize crops
respectively.
Triple cropping systems
●
Maize-toria-late sown wheat cropping system resulted in
maize equivalent yield of 10616 kg/ha which was 18.3
higher than maize-wheat cropping system.
RTCPs identified for early/midseason/terminal droughts
Based on the experiments conducted at the station and on the
farm the following real time contingency measures have given
79

promising results in alleviating moisture stress in maize and
blackgram crop during dry spells and low moisture conditions.
Real time contingency measures for early season drought
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Hoeing with wheel hand hoe to control weeds and create
soil mulch to reduce transpiration and evaporation losses
Maintain optimum plant population by removing closely
spaced plants
Use harvested rainwater for life saving irrigation, if
available
● Apply foliar spray of 1% KNO 3
or 19:19:19 @ 0.5% +
ZnSO 4
@ 1% or Urea 2% or Zinc sulphate @ 1%
●
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In case of crop failure grow alternate crops like sesame and
blackgram up to mid-July; greengram in second fortnight of
July and fodder pearl millet in early August.
Avoid top dressing of nitrogen until moisture conditions are
favourable
If crop fails due to the prolonged dry spell, then fodder bajra
may be sown in the month of August.
Real time contingency measures for mid-season drought
●
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●
Apply life-saving irrigation, if available
Remove up to 20% less vigorous plants and use them as
fodder
Remove weeds to avoid competition for water.
Apply locally available vegetative mulch material in
between crop rows
● Apply foliar spray of 1% KNO 3
or 19:19:19 @ 0.5% +
ZnSO 4
@ 1% or Urea 2% or Zinc sulphate @ 1%
●
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Every third row in case of maize/pearl millet can be thinned
out and used as fodder (1/3 rd population)
If grain is set in maize, the tassels can be cut down to reduce
transpiration
Greengram and blackgram can be incorporated as green
manure and conserve moisture for rabi crops
Real time contingency measures for terminal drought:
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Remove cob-less plants and use as fodder
If crop is at milking stage, harvest and sell the green cobs
in market.
At dough stage, harvest the crop and do vertical staking of
the crop.
Apply life-saving irrigation, if available.
● Apply foliar spray of 1% KNO 3
or 19:19:19 @ 0.5% +
ZnSO 4
@ 1% or Urea 2% or Zinc sulphate @1%
●
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If field is vacated due to early maturity of crop, then
cultivate the field to conserve moisture for rabi crops.
Harvest maize crop at physiological maturity in order to
Manmohanjit Singh et al.
80
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conserve soil moisture by immediately ploughing and
planking the field.
With sufficient soil moisture, toria or vegetable pea can be
sown in mid-September as sole crop or toria+ gobhi sarson
can be sown as intercrop (1:1).
Late sown wheat varieties (PBW 752 and PBW 771) can be
sown in December or very late sown wheat variety (PBW
757) may be sown in January after the harvest of toria and
pea.
Real time contingency measures for delayed onset of
monsoon
●
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If monsoon onset is delayed by 15 days sow alternate crops
like greengram, blackgram and sesame.
If monsoon onset is delayed by 30 days sow greengram for
grains or pearl millet for fodder.
Real time contingency measures for rabi cropping
Scenario I: Low soil moisture at sowing
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Placing the seed in the moist soil zone ensures uniform
germination of the crop.
Sowing of wheat at wider row spacing of 30 cm is better
than 22-25 cm.
Chickpea, linseed and rapeseed and mustard perform better
than wheat in low soil moisture.
Sowing of chickpea after seed priming in molybdenum
solution (1 g molybdenum per 2 litres of water) ensures
better germination and higher yield of the crop.
Sowing of wheat crop after soaking seed in thiourea
solution (1 g thiourea per litre of water) results in uniform
germination and higher yield.
● Late sown varieties of wheat like (PBW 752 and PBW 771)
can be sown in December or very late sown wheat variety
(PBW 757) may be sown in January after the receipt of
winter rains.
Scenario II: Failure of winter rains
●
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Apply supplemental irrigation from the harvested rain water
to save the crop.
Application of foliar spray of thiourea solution (1g thiourea
per litre of water) to wheat at maximum tillering and booting
stage increases grain yield.
Nutrient management
Nutrient management in kharif crops
Maize:
● In Sandy loam soils having medium water storage, 80 kg N/
ha is optimum whereas for loamy sand soils with low water
storage 40 kg N/ha is optimum.

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The response to applied P was observed only for soils testing
low in available P and that too only up to 20 kg P 2
O 5
/ha .
All source of N in two splits i.e. ½ at sowing and ½ at knee
high stage proved slightly better than full N at sowing.
Foliar application of N was not beneficial.
Application of 10 t/ha FYM increased maize yield by about
3 q/ha but the effect was observed in low N application only.
Application of crop residues reduced maize yield by 50% as
compared to control. During initial two years, application
of wider C:N ratio plant residues alone (maize stover and
wheat straw) showed depressing effect but during 3 rd year
onwards the response was encouraging.
Equal yields were obtained with 100% inorganic N and
50% organic + 50% inorganic N.
● Application of 40 kg K 2
O/ha resulted in 18.6 and 10.7%
higher grain yield of maize over control and 20 kg K 2
O/ha,
respectively. Magnesium sulphate application @ 45 kg/ha
improved yield of maize.
Fodder crops:
●
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Bajra and fodder sorghum responded to N up to 50 kg/ha.
Napier bajra hybrid responded up to 50 kg/ha applied after
each cutting.
Nutrient management in rabi crops
Wheat:
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Early tall wheat varieties line C-306 responded up to 30 kg
N/ha only in loamy sand soils.
High yielding late varieties responded up to 80 kg N/ha in
medium storage soils and up to 120 kg N/ha in soils of high
moisture storage.
Different sources of N like urea, calcium ammonium nitrate
and ammonium chloride were equally effective however
ammonioum chloride was slightly inferior in performance.
Application of half of recommended N as basal and
remaining half with winter rains proved economical.
Early tall wheat varieties were not responding to P
application but late dwarf varieties responded up to 20 and
40 kg P 2
O 5
in loamy sand and sandy loam soils respectively.
Chickpea:
●
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Response of gram to P application on soils with 16 kg
available P 2
O 5
/ha or less, was up to 20 kg P 2
O 5
/ha.
In Wheat + gram mixture, response to N was observed up
to 60 kg N/ha in clay loam and sandy loam soils, whereas it
was up to 20 kg N/ha in loamy sand soils.
Seed priming of gram with molybdenum increased seed
yield up to 0.5 g/litre of water compared to control.
Application of P+S to rainfed gram gives highest seed yield.
●
Lentil:
●
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Seed inoculation with Rhizobium gave better yield and
economic returns than control.
Seed inoculation with Rhizobium culture and fertilizer
application of N @12.5 kg and P 2
O 5
@ 20 kg/ha gave higher
crop yields.
Green manuring with green gram along with recommended
fertilizers gave highest yield.
Oilseeds:
●
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Application of 50 kg N/ha to sole toria , 75 kg N/ha to sole
gobhi sarson is optimum.
For toria-gobhi sarson intercropping system, application of
30 kg N/ha to toria and 50 kg N/ha to gobhi sarson is better.
Maize-wheat cropping system:
● In maize-wheat cropping system application of FYM @10
t/ha benefitted both maize and wheat crop in normal rainfall
years.
●
●
In maize-wheat sequence when FYM is applied to maize,
a saving of 50% N can be made in case of the succeeding
wheat crop.
Wheat crop responded up to 20 kg P 2
O 5
/ha but there was
no residual effect of P applied to maize on wheat. Long
term application of P to wheat showed its residual effect on
maize crop.
Tillage and nutrient management
In maize-wheat rotation, 50% conventional tillage + interculture
+ chemical weed control was at par with conventional
tillage+interculture, thus saving two tillage operations. Among
N sources, application of 100% N through urea gave best results.
Permanent manurial trial
In maize-wheat cropping system, application of 100%
recommended NPK + FYM @ 10 t/ha gave highest yield of
maize and wheat which was significantly higher over all other
treatments.
Crop improvement/evaluation of drought tolerant varieties
●
●
Maize: Local varieties sown earlier were maturing earlier
that resulting in more residual soil moisture and better rabi
crop yields but these were replaced with composites and
hybrids because of their low yield potential. Prominent
composite varieties were Megha and Kesari whereas
prominent recommended hybrids were Prakash, JH-3459
and PMH-2. Newly developed composites are JC12 & JC4.
Bajra: HB-1 was best variety in seventies, followed by
PHB47, PCB8 and PHB10, PCB15 and PCB138 in eighties
and nineties. In the beginning of twenty first century PCB164
and PHB 2168 were recommended for grain purpose and
FBC16 and PHBF-1(hybrid) for fodder purpose.
81

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Sesamum: Earlier sesamum IVI 24 was best but later on,
TC289, RT346, Punjab Til No. 1 and Punjab Til No.2 were
recommended.
Blackgram mash: Mash 1-1 in seventies, Mash 48, then
Mash 338 and Mash 114 were recommended. KUG 882 is
recently recommended for the farmers of the domain area.
Greengram moong: ML 131 and ML 267, ML613, were
earlier varieties which were replaced by ML818, ML 2056,
ML 1808 and PAU911 under rainfed conditions.
Wheat: In late seventies under low rainfall conditions tall
variety C306 was best but in normal rainfall years dwarf
varieties WL 357, WL 410 and PBW 2265 were better.
Later on PBW 175, PBW 299, PBW 644 and PBW 660 were
recommended for cultivation. Late sown wheat varieties
PBW 752, PBW 757 & PBW 771 are found promising for
late sowing in December after receipt of rains.
Barley: In recent years PL426, PL56 and PL419 were found
better than local varieties.
Gram: Till early eighties C235 was best variety. Later on
PBG-1, PBG-5 and PBG-7 were recommended.
Lentil: Earlier L 9-12 was best but later on LL699 and
LL931 were recommended.
Raya: Earlier RL18 and T59 were significant but later on
PBR91, PBR97 and RLM619 were tested and released.
Taramira: TMLC-2 variety of taramira was recommended.
Linseed: LC54 variety of linseed performed well in dry land
conditions.
Crops for animal damage prone areas:
●
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Safflower strains ISF-1, SPP-A-129 and MKH-9 were
better than local check Bhima. Because of thorns this crop
is not damaged by wild animals.
Sesamum during kharif season and taramira during rabi
season are suitable alternate crops as they perform better
than other crops in animal damage prone areas.
Energy management/ farm mechanization
In maize-wheat cropping system, conventional tillage (Disc
harrow + cultivator + planking) resulted in 15.0 and 5.0% higher
grain yield of maize and wheat over rotavator.
Alternate land use system
Agroforestry: Planting of Kikar (Acacia nilotica) and Safeda
(Eucalyptus spp) in blocks at 3x5 m spacing performed best.
Under these trees in kharif season fodder crops and in rabi
season oilseed crops can be grown.
Agro-horticulture
●
Amla, Galgal, Ber, Guava and Mango can be grown in
rainfed kandi region. These trees can be planted at 7.5 x 7.5
m distance.
Manmohanjit Singh et al.
82
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Up to the age of 4 years of these trees, intercropping with
leguminous crops can be done.
Grasses could also be grown successfully as intercrops in
these orchards.
Fruit based agri-horticulture system like amla + blackgram,
guava+blackgram during kharif and amla + taramira, guava
+ taramira, amla + lentil and guava + lentil during rabi were
better than annual crops.
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
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Minor landshaping of slopy field for soil and water
conservation
Summer ploughing for enhancing rain water intake
Haloding (Earthing-up) in maize with bullocks or tractor
drawn ridger for in-situ moisture conservation
Moisture conservation for rabi crops with post-harvest
tillage
Mulching with locally available shrubs for in-situ moisture
conservation in maize-wheat cropping system
In-situ raised mulch of leguminous crops in maize for insitu
moisture conservation in maize-wheat cropping system
Vegetative mulching for establishing spring planted
sugarcane on medium to heavy textured soils in beet region
of Kandi area
Sowing crops across the slope or along contour lines for soil
and water conservation
V-ditch and crescent bund methods for planting horticultural
and forestry plants on sloppy land
Rainwater harvesting in farm pond and its efficient
utilization for life-saving irrigation during dry spell in maize
Makowal type water harvesting structures to harvest water
from hill seepage and base flow
Establishment of vegetative barriers (Napier-Bajra hybrid)
on field bunds for soil and water conservation under sloppy
land conditions
Higher wheat productivity in Kandi region through
supplemental irrigation with harvested rainwater
Ridge sowing of kharif maize for higher productivity of
maize and succeeding wheat
Conservation furrow planting method for higher productivity
of rainfed maize-wheat cropping system
Crops and cropping systems
●
●
Sowing of maize at wide row spacing to facilitate
intercultural operations
Sowing depth and spacing of rainfed wheat based on
residual soil moisture at sowing

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Optimum sowing time of chickpea in Kandi region of
Punjab
Toria + gobhi sarson (1:1) intercropping system for better
returns
Maize-toria-late sown wheat contingency cropping system
Maize and cowpea strip-intercropping on slopy lands for
resource conservation and sustainable productivity
Integrated weed management in blackgram and greengram
Inter-cropping systems
●
●
Maize and cowpea strip-intercropping with maize strip
4.8m and cowpea strip width 1.2 m
Maize and mash strip-intercropping with maize strip 6.0 m
and mash strip width 2.4 m
● Wheat + Raya (6:1)
● Wheat + Chickpea (6:1)
● Toria + Gobhi sarson (1;1)
Double cropping systems
●
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●
Maize - Wheat
Maize - raya
Maize - taramira
Maize - chickpea
Ash gourd - taramira
Ash gourd - wheat
Maize-toria- late sown wheat
Nutrient management
Integrated nutrient management practices
Crops
Maize
Blackgram
Greengram
Sesame
Wheat
Chickpea
Lentil
Maize
INM Practice
100% NPK + FYM 10 t/ha or 50% N through FYM or
compost + 50% through urea
Inoculate the seed with Rhizobium culture at the time of
sowing and apply full dose of N and P 2
O 5
.
Inoculate the seed with Rhizobium culture at the time of
sowing and apply full dose of N and P 2
O 5
.
20 t/ha FYM + 50 kg N/ha
100% NPK + FYM 10 t/ha; or 50% N through FYM or
compost + 50% N through urea and 100 % P 2
O 5
& K 2
O.
Inoculate the seed with Mesorhizobium (LGR-33) and
Rhizobacterium (RB-1) biofertilizers
Inoculate the seed with Rhizobium culture at the time of
sowing and apply full dose of N and P 2
O 5
.
Application of C1 consortia biofertilizer (Pseudomonas
putida P7 + Bacillus subtilis B30) and C2 consortia
biofertilizer (Pseudomonas putida P45 + Bacillus
amyloliquefaciens B17) in maize
Foliar nutrition
Crops Foliar spray Time of application
Maize Potassium nitrate @1% During dry spell at
knee high stage or
tasselling or grain
filling stage
Wheat
19:19:19 @ 0.5% + ZnSO 4
@ 1%
Urea @ 2%
Zinc sulphate @1%
Urea @ 3%
Apply two sprays of
potassium nitrate (13:0:45)
@ 2% or apply two sprays of
salicylic acid (dissolve 37.5
gram salicylic acid in 1125 ml
of ethyl alcohol) by using 500
litres of water per hectare
During or after dry
spell
After dry spell
During or after dry
spell
Spray at early stages
to reduce the damage
caused to root system
by flooding
At boot leaf and
anthesis stages to
mitigate the effect of
high temperature at
grain filling
Chickpea Urea @ 2% At 90 and 110 days
of sowing
Energy management
●
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●
Reduced tillage for maize-wheat cropping system under
rainfed conditions
Tractor operated seed-cum-fertilizer drill for higher
productivity of wheat in Kandi region of Punjab
Laser levelling for resource conservation in sloppy fields
Wheel hand hoe for efficient weeding for rainfed crops in
Kandi region of Punjab
Alternate land use
●
●
●
●
●
●
Sesame as an alternate crop during kharif season in wild/
stray cattle menace prone areas
Sesame a profitable alternate crop under delayed monsoon
in Kandi region
Groundnut as an alternative crop to maize in lower Kandi
region of Punjab
Taramira crop for minimizing wild animal menace
Ash gourd as an alternate crop during kharif season in wild/
straycattle menace prone areas
Guava and aonla based agroforestry systems for sustainable
land use
Agroforestry systems
a. Agri-hortisystem
●
Guava + blackgram/greengram during kharif and lentil/
taramira during rabi
83

●
●
●
Aonla + blackgram/greengram during kharif and lentil/
taramira during rabi
Spacing: Guava - 6 m x 5 m; Aonla - 7.5 m x 7.5 m
Intercropping with kharif crops can be done up to 4 years in
guava and aonla to 4 years while rabi crops can be taken up
for longer period.
b. Agi-horti-silvi-pasture system
● Guava + Grewia optiva (fodder tree) + Setaria grass +
blackgram-wheat
●
●
67% area is under field crops (Blackgram-wheat system),
20% area is allocated for Setaria grass and 13% area for
fruit and fodder tress.
Guava + Grewia optiva are plantd at inter and intra row
spacing of 6 m x 3 m. Two rows of Setaria grass are planted
in the intra row spaces. During kharif season blackgram is
sown as an intercrop in guava + Grewia optiva and during
rabi wheat is sown as intercrop. Blackgram and wheat
are sown at row to row spacing of 30 cm and 22.5 cm,
respectively.
Contingency crop planning
For kharif planning
a. Suggested contingency crops/cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (3 rd week of July)
● Blackgram (Mash 114, Mash 338); Greengram (ML 1808,
ML 2056)
Delay by 4 weeks (2 nd week of August)
●
Greengram (ML 1808, ML 2056); Fodder pearl millet
(FBC-16)
Delay by 6 weeks (4 th week of August)
●
Fodder pearl millet (FBC-16)
Delay by 8 weeks (2 nd week of September)
●
Keep the field fallow and conserve the moisture for
succeeding rabi crops
● Toria + Gobhi Sarson intercropping (1:1)
●
Sole crop of toria followed by late sown wheat in December
b. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
●
●
●
Hoeing with wheel hand hoe to control weeds and create
soil mulch to reduce transpiration and evaporation losses
Maintain optimum plant population by removing closely
spaced plants
Use harvested rainwater for life-saving irrigation, if
available
Manmohanjit Singh et al.
84
● Apply foliar spray of 1% KNO3 or 19:19:19 @ 0.5% +
ZnSO 4
@1% or Urea 2% or Zinc sulphate @ 1%
●
●
In case of crop failure grow alternate crops like sesame and
blackgram up to mid-July; greengram in second fortnight of
July and fodder pearl millet in early August.
Avoid top dressing of nitrogen until moisture conditions are
favourable
Mid-season drought
●
●
●
●
Apply life-saving irrigation, if available
Remove up to 20% less vigorous plants and use them as
fodder
Remove weeds to avoid competition for water.
Apply locally available vegetative mulch material in
between crop rows
● Apply foliar spray of 1% KNO 3
or 19:19:19 @ 0.5% +
ZnSO 4
@ 1% or urea 2% or ZnSO 4
@ 1%
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Every third row in case of maize/pearl millet can be thinned
out and used as fodder (1/3rd population)
If grain is set in maize, the tassels can be cut down to reduce
transpiration
Greengram and blackgram can be incorporated as green
manure and conserve moisture for rabi crops
Terminal drought
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Remove cob-less plants and use as fodder
If crop is at milking stage, harvest and sell the green cobs
in market.
At dough stage, harvest the crop and do vertical staking of
the crop.
Apply life-saving irrigation, if available.
● Apply foliar spray of 1% KNO 3
or 19:19:19 @ 0.5% +
ZnSO 4
@ 1% or urea 2% or ZnSO 4
@ 1%
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If field is vacated due to early maturity of crop, then
cultivate the field to conserve moisture for rabi crops.
Harvest maize crop at physiological maturity in order to
conserve soil moisture by immediately ploughing and
planking the field.
With sufficient soil moisture, toria or vegetable pea can be
sown in mid-September as sole crop or toria+ gobhi sarson
can be sown as intercrop (1:1)
Late sown wheat varieties (PBW 752 and PBW 771) can be
sown in December or very late sown wheat variety (PBW
757) after the harvest of toria and pea
For rabi planning
a. Suggested crops and varieties for delayed season
Sometimes due to the early withdrawal of monsoon soil moisture
is not adequate for sowing, under such conditions wheat can be

sown after the receipt of winter rains in December. Under this
situation, recommended wheat varieties are PBW 752 and PBW
658 can be sown.
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
The following technologies were upscaled in convergence with
various national, state and district programmes:
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Summer ploughing for enhancing rain water intake
Mulching with locally available shrubs for in-situ moisture
conservation in maize-wheat cropping system
Vegetative mulching for establishing spring planted
sugarcane on medium to heavy textured soils in beet region
of Kandi area
Rainwater harvesting in farm pond and its efficient
utilization for life-saving irrigation during dry spell in maize
Makowal type water harvesting structures to harvest water
from hill seepage and base flow
Establishment of vegetative barriers (Napier-Bajra hybrid)
on field bunds for soil and water conservation under sloppy
land conditions
Higher wheat productivity in Kandi region through
supplemental irrigation with harvested rainwater
Ridge sowing of kharif maize for higher productivity of
maize and succeeding wheat
Conservation furrow planting method for higher productivity
of rainfed maize-wheat cropping system
PBW 660: Improved wheat variety for cultivation under
rainfed conditions
Improved variety of Pearl millet (Fodder)
Sowing of maize at wide row spacing to facilitate
intercultural operations
JC-12: A new composite maize variety for cultivation under
rainfed conditions
Potassium and magnesium application in rainfed maize to
enhance drought tolerance and increase productivity
Foliar spray of potassium nitrate for mitigating dry spells
in rainfed maize
Tractor operated seed-cum-fertilizer drill for higher
productivity of wheat
Sesame a profitable alternate crop under delayed monsoon
Ashgourd as an alternate crop during kharif season in wild/
straycattle menace prone areas
Impact of technologies
The impact of various dryland technologies developed at the
AICRPDA centre, Ballowal Saunkhri is given as under:
85
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Landshaping was done by most of the farmers in Hoshiarpur,
SBS Nagar, Pathankot and Roopnagar districts of Kandi
region. This technology has already been adopted by the
majority of the farmers’ in the domain area.
Summer ploughing is adopted by 45 per cent of farmers in
domain of the AICRPDA centre, Ballowal Saunkhri. Further
extension efforts by line departments and government
schemes can spread this technology on a larger scale in
farmers’ fields.
The hoeing and holding technique were used in most of the
area under maize cultivation in Kandi region and presently
covers over 60% area in the domain districts. Extension
efforts through demonstrations and other government
schemes can push this technology in farmers’ fields along
with assistance from the KVKs in the domain of AICRPDA
centre.
The technique of moisture conservation by ploughing and
planking is practiced by 60 per cent farmers in domain
districts of AICRPDA centre in Kandi region. Extension
efforts through demonstrations and other government
schemes can push this technology in farmers’ fields along
with assistance from the KVKs in the domain of the
AICRPDA centre.
The technique of moisture conservation by locally
available vegetative mulch is adopted on a limited scale
by the farmers as it requires considerable human labour
for collection and spreading and there is also difficulty in
spreading the material in standing crop. Extension efforts
through demonstrations and other government schemes can
push this technology in farmers’ fields along with assistance
from the KVKs in the domain of the AICRPDA centre.
The technique of moisture conservation by in-situ raised
mulch is adopted on a limited scale by the farmers.
Extension efforts through demonstrations and other
government schemes can push this technology in farmers’
fields along with assistance from the KVKs in the domain
of the AICRPDA centre.
The area under sugarcane is increasing in Kandi region.
Presently it is cultivated in ‘beet’ area of Hoshiarpur
districts. Extension efforts through demonstrations and
other government schemes can push this technology in
farmers’ fields along with assistance from the KVKs in the
domain of the AICRPDA centre.
Sowing across the slope has shown a marked increase in the
yield of crops as compared with the sowing along the slope
method. So, most of the farmers cultivating maize, wheat
and other crops on undulating fields sow their crops across
the slope. Further upscaling can be done through extension
efforts by line departments and KVKs.

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The technology of V-ditch method of planting for
horticultural and forestry plants on sloppy land can be
upscaled through demonstrations by line departments and
KVKs situated in the domain of the AICRPDA centre.
The technology of constructing water harvesting pond is
new to the farmers and only few such water harvesting
structures are available with the individual farmer. However,
community water harvesting ponds on village panchayat
land are available in the Kandi region. Large-scale adoption
can be achieved with the government support by giving
subsidy on solar pump and construction cost.
After introduction of Makowal type water harvesting
system there was 14.4%, 5.9% and 3.8% improvement
due to crops, dairy farming and agroforestry, respectively.
After its success in village Makowal, this water harvesting
structures were replicated in about 110 other places in the
Kandi region.
Farmers in the domain area are adopting this technology as
it controls soil erosion and conserves soil moisture for the
succeeding rabi crops. Extension efforts through exposure
visits to the farmer fields adopting this technology by state
agriculture department and KVKs will further increase the
adoption of vegetative barrier on field bunds.
The adoption of this technology will increase the wheat
yield in rainfed areas and reduce the risk of crop failure
under adverse weather conditions. The technology is widely
accepted by the farmers and can be further upscaled through
trainings/demonstrations by line departments and KVKs.
One row of maize is sown on the side of the ridge 6-7 cm
above the base at 60 cm x 20 cm. Sowing on ridges helps
to avoid the adverse effect of excess rainfall, particularly at
seedling emergence during kharif season. The furrows act
both as drainage channels during high rainfall events and
as moisture conservation furrows when rainfall is low. The
moisture stored in the soil profile is utilized by existing and
succeeding crops during moisture deficit conditions.
Ridge sowing of maize is a useful climate resilient
technology under rainfed conditions as furrows act both
as drainage channels during high rainfall events and as
moisture conservation furrows when rainfall is low. It gives
higher yield of maize and wheat crop than flat sowing. The
extension efforts through FLDs through different State
Agriculture Department schemes as well as KVKs can
promote this technology to benefit the farming community.
Conservation furrow method of planting maize is a climate
resilient technology as furrows act both as drainage channels
during high rainfall events and as moisture conservation
furrows when rainfall is low. It gives higher yield of
maize and wheat crop than flat sowing. The extension
Manmohanjit Singh et al.
86
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efforts through FLDs through different State Agriculture
Department schemes as well as KVKs can promote the strip
cropping to benefit the farming community.
The farmers appreciated the advantages of sowing maize at
wider row spacing (45 and 60 cm) as compared to existing
practice (30 cm), though there was no increase in maize yield
due to wider row spacing. The farmers however adopted
this practice due to the ease of intercultural operations and
less requirement of labour. The row spacing of 60 cm is
relevant in the present time. So, it needs to be expanded in
the domain districts with the support of line departments
and KVKs in the domain of the AICRPDA centre.
The area under PBW 660 is increasing in Kandi region
and presently this variety cover about 30 % of the total
area under rainfed wheat in Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar,
Roopnagar and Hoshiarpur districts. Further extension
efforts through FLDs, NFSM, ATMA, RKVY and other
government schemes can popularize this variety among
farmers.
The area under FBC 16 is increasing in Kandi area and
presently covers about 20% of the total area under pearl
millet (fodder) in Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar and Hoshiarpur
districts. Further extension efforts through FLDs, NFSM
and other government schemes can popularise this variety
among farming community.
Late sown wheat varieties have increased the cropping
intensity in the rainfed areas as they can be sown after
the harvest of toria and vegetable pea. Further extension
efforts through FLDs, NFSM, ATMA, RKVY and other
government schemes can popularize this variety among
farmers.
Potassium and magnesium application in rainfed maize is
demonstrated in NICRA villages which resulted in higher
yield than farmer practice. It needs to be demonstrated and
up scaled further with the support of line departments and
KVKs.
The technology of potassium nitrate spray during dry
spells application to maize is a promising technology but
is adopted on a limited scale by the farmers of the domain
area. It needs to be demonstrated on a large scale through
demonstrations by line departments and KVKs to make it
acceptable among the farmers.
About 50 per cent farmers in adopted village of SBS
Nagar and Hoshiarpur districts currently use this seed cum
fertilizer drill. Large scale adoption can be achieved by
more demonstrations by KVKs and line departments.
Laser land levelling not only conserves moisture in
rainfed conditions but also improve the efficiency of other
agricultural inputs. This also results in uniform maturity of

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the crop, better quality and higher yield. Keeping in view
the benefits of laser land levelling technology farmers of
the Kandi region have readily adopted this technology and
it needs to be further promoted in a big way through Govt.
and Non-Govt. organizations.
The area under sesame is less than 1% in the domain
region but farmers are now shifting from maize to sesame
cultivation in the domain area due to lower cost of cultivation
and higher returns besides less damage by wild/stray cattle.
Ash gourd has become the main cash crop for kharif season
in the Beet area. Farmers are getting very good price in
the market which has increased the economic status of the
farmers. Further upscaling can be done through extension
efforts by line departments, KVKs, besides taking up seed
production. This would reduce the menace of the wild
animals in the region to a great extent.
Way forward
AICRPDA centre, Ballowal Saunkhri has been working since
1970. During this period there has been tremendous progress
in all fields of agriculture. The farmers of the region have been
benefitted from the technologies developed by the centre. The
research outcomes have been transferred to the farmers of the
region which resulted in improvement in rural livelihood in
the region. However, during the last 5-7 years, the agriculture
in the region has become vulnerable to the factors like climate
change, increased damage of crops by wild animals, etc. The
centre has given recommendations to the farmers based on the
research carried out at the centre on preparedness and real time
contingent measures to deal with weather aberrations. Also, the
alternate crops tolerant to wild animal damage are tested and are
being recommended to the farmers of the region.
New challenges are being faced by the farmers of the region
because of changing climatic scenario and damage of crops by
wild animals. The centre is working for the development of
the technologies suitable under aberrant weather conditions.
The technologies being generated at this centre are also having
relevance in the Kandi region of adjoining states like Himachal
Pradesh. The rainfed crop varieties developed at the centre
are being adopted by the farmers of that region also. Now a
close linkage has been developed with research and extension
system of these adjoining state agricultural universities so that
technologies developed by AICRPDA centre are disseminated
to these regions also in the nation’s interest. So it will be in the
interest of farming community of Kandi region if the AICRPDA
main centre continues to remain at RRS, Ballowal Saunkhri.
The integrated farming system approach for judicious use of
natural resources under rainfed and limited water conditions
needs to be tested. As the scarcity of water is increasing even
in the irrigated regions, the technologies developed under this
project at the centre shall have relevance in those situations
also. The farmers’ participatory research component needs to be
enhanced for developing relevant technologies and to get benefit
from the ITK of the farmers.
87

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 88-93 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00021.5
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Low Altitude Sub-Tropical Zone of Jammu and Kashmir
A.P. Singh, Jai Kumar, Brinder Singh and Rohit Sharma and G. Ravindra Chary
All India Coordinated Research Center for Dryland Agriculture Centre
Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (Jammu), Rakh Dhiansar
Email: apsinghagron@gmail.com
Brief history of the Centre
The All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland
Agriculture centre was initiated at Samba in 1970-71. In 1977
it was shifted to its present location at Rakh Dhiansar. The
AICRPDA sub-centre came under the control of SKUAST-J&K
in 1982 and after establishing a separate Agricultural University
for the Jammu region, centre has since operated under the
reigns of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences
and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-Jammu) in 1999. The
AICRPDA, Rakh Dhiansar sub-centre is situated at a latitude
of 32° 39’ North and longitude of 74° 53’ East at an elevation
of 332 m above mean sea level. The location of the center
represents the true Kandi (sub-montane) belt and comprising
parts of Samba, Jammu, Kathua and Udhampur districts of
Jammu province.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
The plains and outer hills of lower Himalayas in Jammu province
(Jammu, Samba, parts of Kathua, Reasi and Udhampur districts)
are grouped in sub tropical zone. The altitude ranges from 215 to
360 m above MSL. The area under this region represents fringes
of level lands, in continuation with the Punjab state plains and
touches the Jammu hills. The climate of the zone is humid sub
tropical. The mean annual rainfall of the zone is 1156.5 mm
out of which 75 to 80% rainfall is received during South-West
monsoon. The normal onset of monsoon is 27 th June + 7 days
and the normal withdrawal is experienced during third week of
September. The mean annual rainfall of the zone (1156.5 mm) is
received in 53 rainy days. The average seasonal rainfall during
kharif (June-September) is 866.0 mm and the average seasonal
rainfall during rabi (October-April) is 290.5 mm. In the recent
past, the domain area has experienced dryspells during the month
of September (36 SMW to 48 SMW) due to early cessation of
monsoon which coincided with the grain filling/maturity stage
of kharif crops (terminal drought). This dryspell usually extends
upto November (36 SMW to 48 SMW) due to the late receipt
of winter rains which result in delayed sowing of rabi crops.
The average maximum and minimum temperatures during
kharif crop season is 34.8 0 C (22 SMW to 26 SMW) and 23.7 0 C
while during rabi season is 24.4 0 C and 10.5 0 C (01 SMW to 05
SMW), respectively. June is the hottest and January remains the
coldest month. With respect to shifts in climate within the agroclimatic
zone, it is being observed that there is a small shift in
the onset of monsoon beyond normal (27th June + 7 days) and
similarly, a shift is also being observed in winter rains received
through Western Disturbances (WD) from October/November
to December/ January.
Mean seasonal and annual rainfall and rainy days
(at AICRPDA centre, Rakh Dhiansar)
Rainfall
South west monsoon
(June-September)
North east monsoon
(October- December)
Normal
rainfall (cm)
Rainy days
(No.)
866.0 34
62.9 3
Winter (January- February) 97.3 7
Summer (March-May) 130.3 9
Annual 1156.5 53
Major soil types
The major soil types in the agro climatic zone is categorized into
6 major groups:
1). Brown forest soils are in parts of Kathua, Udhampur, Doda,
Poonch, Rajouri, Districts; 2). Degraded or grey brown podzolic
soils occur in parts of Baderwah, Ramnagar and Poonch districts
; 3). Red and yellow podzolic soils occur in parts of Udhampur,
Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch; 4). Hill or mountain forest soils are
sandy loam to loamy in texture. They occur at lower elevations
and have 32-41% water holding capacity. 5). Lithosols occur
on steep slopes in the forest hills of 400 to 600 meters above
sea level in Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua, Rajouri, and Poonch
districts. They belong to great group Ustorthents and 6).
Alluvial soils cover plains of Kathua, Jammu Rajouri, Poonch,
Udhampur districts. They are situated in the flood plains of Ravi
and Chenab rivers and their tributaries.
Major crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif are
maize, blackgram, greengram, cowpea, pearl millet and sesame,
during rabi are wheat, mustard, gobhi sarson, chickpea, lentil
and barley.
88

Dryland agriculture problems
Soil and land related
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Moderate to severe erosion
Undulating topography with number of ravines and gullies
Soils are low to medium in organic matter
Problems of water logging , salinity and alkalinity
Cropping systems related
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Predominantly mono cropping
Lack of knowledge on intercropping systems
Socio-economic factors
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Small and marginal land holdings and continued
fragmentation
Changes in land use to other non-agricultural purposes
Poor resource availability
Poor farm mechanization
Significant achievements
Rainwater management
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Sowing across the slope
Compartmental bunding
Repeated interculture to remove weeds and create soil
mulch to conserve soil moisture.
Remove lower leaves and use them as mulch during the
terminal drought.
Opening of conservation furrows at 30-35 DAS for moisture
conservation.
Continuous trenching for retaining the soil moisture for
longer period of time, thereby enhanced the yield compared
to farmers practices.
Highest grain yield of maize (1978 kg/ha) was obtained
with two life-saving irrigations at critical stage as compared
to farmers’ practice of without irrigation (1533 kg/ha).
Highest B: C ratio (2.03), highest RWUE (3.11 kg/ha/mm),
highest net returns Rs. 20110/ha was observed.
Cropping systems
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Maize + cowpea: Planting of two rows of cowpea as an
intercrop in paired rows of maize in additive series wherein
maize is sown at 60 cm row spacing and cowpea at 20 cm row
distance without compromising the maize plant population
for higher productivity in maize based intercropping system
while coping with aberrant weather conditions.
Maize + cowpea: Significantly highest maize grain yield
was obtained in treatment with broad bed furrow (BBF) +
mulching with Dhaincha to the tune of 3281 kg/ha with net
returns, B:C and RWUE of Rs.38905, 2.61 and 5.19 kg ha -1
mm -1 , respectively.
89
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Maize + blackgram: Significantly highest maize equivalent
yield was obtained when blackgram was intercropped with
maize 1:1 ratio (additive series) with maize grown at row
spacing of 75 cm.
Nutrient management practices
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Application of integrated use of inorganic and organic
fertilizers, i.e., FYM 10 t/ha + 40 N kg/ha and Leucaena
leucocephala (Subabul) leaves 5 t/ha + 40 kg N/ha proved
to be the best if the organics are applied in the soil about
2 weeks before sowing of maize crop in maize-wheat
cropping sequence.
Application of integrated use of inorganic and organic
fertilizers, i.e., 50% Recommended NPK + 50% N (FYM)
and 50% Rec. NPK + 50% N (crop residues) and the
organics are to be applied in the soil about 2 weeks before
sowing of maize crop under cereal-oilseed system. There
is a pronounced residual effect of the organics in the
succeeding gobhi sarson crop.
Application of 75% N (inorganic) +25% N vermicompost
recorded highest pearl millet mean grain yield of 2637 kg/
ha with 70% increase over control.
● Combined foliar spray of 0.5% N (through urea) and 0.5%
K (through KCl) with RDF (N: P 2
O 5
: K 2
O (60:30:20)) is
recommended for obtaining highest grain and straw yield
in wheat.
Tillage and nutrient management practices
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Treatment with 50% conventional tillage + herbicide
(atrazine @ 1.5 kg/ha) + interculture operations along
with 100% inorganic fertilizer (N: P 2
O 5
:K 2
O (60:40:20))
results in increasing the grain yield in maize as compared to
farmers’ practice (conventional tillage + two hand weeding
with khurpi + no herbicide + use of N and P only).
Agroforestry systems
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Growing mixed fodder (maize + cowpea + pearl millet)
in the alleys of Leucaena leucocephala is found to be
remunerative as this land use system recorded higher
maize equivalent yield (MEY), sustainable yield index
(SYI) and rain water use efficiency (RWUE) as compared
to other land use systems in the rainfed sub-tropics of
lower Shiwalik foothills of Jammu and Kashmir.
The maize crop recorded grain yield of 2595 kg/ha in
treatment Agri-horti-silvi-pastoral System (Guava + Melia
+ Setaria Spp.+ Maize- Gobhi sarson) wherein the maize
crop was sown in the alleys formed by Horti-Silvi-Pastoral
component. However in rabi, the wheat crop recorded grain
yield of 4226 kg/ha in treatment Agri-Horti-Silvi-Pastoral
system (Guava + Melia + Setaria Spp.+ Black gram - wheat)
wherein the wheat crop was sown in the alleys formed by
Horti-Silvi-Pastoral component.

Technologies developed
Rainwater management
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Induction of drought tolerance in chickpea (Cicer arietinum)
under receding moisture conditions
In-situ moisture conservation in maize under rainfed
conditions
Surface mulch using cowpea straw for higher moisture
conservation and yield in wheat
Mulching with Adhatoda vasica along with FYM for
moisture conservation and higher grain yield in wheat
Mulching with Adhatoda vasica for moisture conservation
and higher grain yield in maize
Mulching with sarson trash for moisture conservation and
higher grain yield in wheat
Application of NPK (60:40:20) along with one life saving
irrigation to relieve moisture stress at critical stages for
higher yield in maize
In-situ moisture conservation through continuous trenching
method for higher yield in Maize-wheat cropping system
under rainfed conditions
Cropping system
Inter-cropping systems
● Maize + blackgram (1:1)
● Maize + greengram (1:1)
● Maize + cowpea (1:1)
b. Double/triple cropping systems
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Maize-wheat
Maize-gobhi sarson
Black gram-wheat
Sesame-chickpea
Nutrient management
Integrated nutrient management practices
Crop
Maize
INM Practice
50 % NPK (30:20:10) through inorganic sources through
urea, DAP and MOP + 50 % N through organic source
i.e. FYM @ 10 t/ha which should be applied one month
before sowing.
FYM @ 10 t/ha + 40 kg N/ha through urea + recommended
P and K (40 kg/ha and 20 kg/ha, respectively) should
be applied in maize. Well decomposed FYM @ 10 t/ha
should be incorporated into the soil thoroughly at the
time of first ploughing. The entire quantity of inorganic
fertilizers i.e. recommended DAP and MOP for supplying
P (40 kg/ha) and K (20 kg/ha), respectively and 2/3 rd of
N (40 kg/ha) through urea should be drilled at the time
of sowing as basal dose. Remaining quantity of nitrogen
should be top dressed in two equal splits i.e. 1 st at knee
high stage of maize crop (30 days after sowing) and 2 nd at
just before tassel formation (about 60 days after sowing).
A.P. Singh et al.
Crop
Pearl
millet
Foliar nutrition
INM Practice
Application of 75% N through inorganic fertilizers + 25%
N through vermicompost (37.5 kg N through Urea + 12.5
kg N through vermicompost/ha) along with P and K as
per recommended dose (30 kg/ha and 15 kg/ha) through
DAP and MOP. Half dose of nitrogen and full dose of
phosphorus and potash should be applied as basal dose
at the time of sowing and remaining half dose of nitrogen
is to be top dressed at 40 DAS. Vermicompost should be
incorporated on equivalent dose of nitrogen one week
before sowing of pearl millet.
● In maize, water soluble complex fertilizer (19:19:19) @ 0.5
%+ recommended dose of Zinc should be applied to relieve
moisture stress caused by dry spells during mid crop season.
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In wheat, combined foliar spray of 0.5% K solution in water
through KCl + foliar spray of 0.5% N solution in water
through urea during dry spell at critical crop growth stage.
The entire quantity of inorganic fertilizers i.e. recommended
DAP and MOP for supplying P (30 kg/ha) and K (20 kg/ha),
respectively and 2/3 rd of N @ 40 kg/ha though urea should
be drilled at the time of sowing as basal dose. Remaining
quantity of N should be top dressed in two equal splits i.e.
1 st at active tillering stage of wheat (30-35 DAS) and 2 nd at
10 days before ear head emergence (65-70 DAS).
Energy management
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Two ploughings along with interculture operations for
higher grain production in wheat
Double end hoe for interculture in maize under dryland
condition.
Tractor operated seed cum fertilizer drill for higher grain
yield in wheat
Application of 50% N through FYM and 50% N through
inorganic fertilizers along with 50% C.T.+ herbicide +
interculture for obtaining higher yield in maize-wheat
cropping system
Line seeding of wheat using seed-cum fertilizer drill in
rainfed conditions
Line sowing of maize using maize planter in rainfed
conditions
Wheel hand hoe for interculture operations in maize-wheat
cropping system
Alternate land use/Agroforestry
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Maize (grown in alleys) with Leucaena under alternate land
use system for higher production of maize and tree fodder
in rainfed conditions of Jammu
90

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Wheat (grown in alleys) with guava under alternate land use
system for higher production of wheat
● Agri-silvi-pastoral system (Leucaena leucocephala +
mixed fodder (local maize + sorghum + bajra + cowpea))
in kharif and wheat in rabi for higher green fodder, fuel
wood and wheat grain yield in kandi region of Jammu
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Aonla + maize fodder (Kharif) and gobhi sarson (rabi)
based Agri-Horti system under rainfed conditions of Jammu
Contingency crop planning
For kharif planning
a. Suggested contingency crops/ cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (21 st July onwards)
● Maize - Kanchan-517 (Hy), Kanchan-612 (Hy),
Kanchan-517 Gold (Hy), Double dekalb (Hy), JMC 3 (C),
Mansar (C)
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Pearl millet: Composite: Pusa composite 383, Pusa
composite 701; Hybrids: GHB-744, GHB-732, HHB-223,
Nandi 65
Greengram: PDM-54, ML- 818, SML 668, PDM 139, IPM-
2-3
Blackgram: Pant U-31, Uttara, Mash-338
● Cowpea: PL 1, PL 2
● Sesame (Til) Punjab Til No 2, RT 351, RT 346
● Intercropping of maize + blackgram/greengram/cowpea (1:1)
●
●
●
Maize (Double dekalb/ Kanchan-517) + blackgram (Pant
U-31/ Uttara),
Maize (Double dekalb/ Kanchan-517) + greengram (PDM-
54/ IPM-2-3/ ML-818)
Intercropping of Pearl millet + cowpea/ blackgram/
greengram (1:1)
● Pearl millet (Pusa composite 383/ Pusa composite 701/
GHB-744/ HHB-223/ Nandi 65) + cowpea (Dhiansar local/
lobia super 60),
● Pearl millet (Pusa composite 383/ Pusa composite 701/
GHB-744/ GHB-732/ HHB-223/ Nandi 65) + blackgram
(Pant U-31/ Uttara),
● Pearl millet (Pusa composite 383/ Pusa composite 701/
GHB-732/ HHB-223/ Nandi 65) + greengram (PDM-54/
IPM-2-3/ ML-818)
Delay by 4 weeks (04 th August onwards)
●
●
Maize (fodder) - African tall
Pearl millet - Composite: Pusa composite 383, Pusa
composite 701; Hybrids: GHB-744, GHB-732, HHB-223,
Nandi 65
● Sesame (Til) - Punjab Til No 2, RT 351, RT 346
●
Intercropping of maize (fodder) + cowpea (1:1) for fodder
purpose
● Maize fodder (African tall, Vijay composite/Jawahar) +
Cowpea (Dhiansar local/lobia super 60)
●
Intercropping of sorghum (fodder) + cowpea (1:1) for
fodder purpose
● Sorghum fodder (PC 6/PC 9/UP Chari 1/Raj. Chari 1) +
cowpea (Dhiansar local/lobia super 60)
●
Intercropping of Pearl millet + cowpea/ blackgram/
greengram (1:1)
● Pearl millet (Pusa composite 383/ Pusa composite 701/
GHB-744/ HHB-223/ Nandi 65) + cowpea (Dhiansar local/
lobia super 60)
● Intercropping of Sesame + blackgram (1:1)
●
Sesame (Punjab Til No 2/ RT 351/ RT 346) + blackgram
(Pant U-31/Uttara)
Delay by 6 weeks (18 th August onwards)
●
●
●
Maize (fodder)
African tall, Vijay composite/Jawahar
Intercropping of maize (fodder) + cowpea (1:1) for fodder
purpose
● Maize fodder (African tall/ Vijay composite/Jawahar) +
Cowpea (UPC 287/Bundel lobia 1)
●
Intercropping of sorghum (fodder) + cowpea (1:1) for
fodder purpose
● Sorghum fodder (PC 6/PC 9/UP Chari 1/Raj. Chari 1) +
Cowpea (UPC 287/Bundel lobia 1)
● Intercropping of Pearl millet + cowpea (1:1)
● Pearl millet (Pusa composite 383/ Pusa composite 701/
GHB-744/ HHB-223/ Nandi 65) + cowpea (UPC 287/
Bundel lobia 1)
Delay by 8 weeks (04 th September onwards)
●●
●
Toria -RSPT-2, RSPT-6
Intercropping of maize/ sorghum/pearlmillet + cowpea (for
fodder )
● Maize (African tall/ Vijay composite) + cowpea (UPC 287/
Bundel lobia 1)
● Sorghum (PC 6/PC 9/UP Chari 1) + cowpea (UPC 287/
Bundel lobia 1)
● Pearlmillet (Pusa composite 383/ Pusa composite 701/
GHB-744) + cowpea (UPC 287/Bundel lobia 1)
b. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
●
Reduction of plant population (thinning)
91

●
●
●
●
●
For achieving the optimum plant population in crust prone
areas, amendments like Adhatoda vasica leaves, FYM,
cowpea straw (1 cm thick layer) may be used on the sown
rows.
Compartmental bunding is done to conserve the water.
Gap filling when 15-20% of the total plant stands is poorly
established.
Resowing on receipt of subsequent rains if germination is
less than 30% from the optimal plant stand.
Interculture (dust mulch) to break soil crust and to remove
weeds to conserve soil moisture.
Mid season drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Reduce plant population (thinning) by 25% by uprooting
weak plants to overcome moisture stress and use them as
mulch/fodder.
Weeds after removal should be used as mulch.
Apply life saving irrigation (if available).
Conserve soil moisture by using locally available mulch
materials.
Foliar spray of 0.5% N through Urea + 0.5% K through KCl
after dry spells to relieve stress.
Opening of conservation furrows at 30-35 DAS for moisture
conservation.
Repeated interculture to remove weeds and create soil
mulch to conserve soil moisture.
Supplemental/protective irrigation from harvested water
wherever possible.
Foliar spray of 2% urea solution or 1% water soluble
fertilizers like 19-19-19 to supplement nutrition and to
relieve stress during dry spells.
Surface mulching with locally available organic mulch
materials.
Dust mulch to break soil crust and to remove weeds to
conserve soil moisture.
Terminal drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Provide life saving irrigation, if available.
Harvest the crop on physiological maturity.
Maize to be harvested green for fodder purpose.
Residual moisture of receding monsoon rains should be
conserved in-situ through tillage practices.
Life-saving or supplemental irrigation wherever available
from harvested water.
Harvest maize crop at physiological maturity as green cobs
and use the maize stocks as green stover for fodder purpose.
Sowing of contingent crop (Toria) on receipt of rains and/or
under receding soil moisture conditions.
A.P. Singh et al.
92
For rabi planning
Suggested crops and varieties for delayed season (3 rd week of
November and onwards)
●
Wheat -WH-1080, JAUW-598
● Gobhi sarson - DGS 1, RSPL 25
● Chickpea - GNG 1581, RSG 963
● Barley- Kailash, PL 56
● Lentil - VL 125, PL 639, PL 406
Agri-horti system/Dryland horticulture technology
Alternate land use
systems
Agri-Horti-Silvi-Pastoral
System
Agri-Horti-Silvi-Pastoral
System
Agri-Horti-Silvi-Pastoral
System
Agri-Horti-Silvi-Pastoral
System
Crops/horticultural plants/
agroforestry trees/grasses
Guava + Melia + Setaria Spp.+
Maize-Wheat
Guava + Melia + Setaria Spp.+
Maize-Gobhi Sarson
Guava + Melia + Setaria
Spp.+Black gram-Wheat
Guava + Melia + Setaria Spp.+
Blackgram-Gobhi Sarson
Horticultural plants/agroforestry trees: 6 m × 6 m (square
planting) spacing for Guava and Melia and should be planted
alternatively within each row.
Management practices
●
●
●
During kharif, under horti-silvi-pastoral system components
viz., Guava Var. L-49 -Melia Spp - Setaria Spp. may be
taken to rainfed conditions of Jammu. However, maize and
blackgram should be sown in the alleys formed by hortisilvi-pastoral
components. The maize and blackgram sown
in the alleys should be given 60:40:20 and 16:40:0 kg N, P
and K/ha, respectively.
During rabi, wheat and gobhi sarson may be taken as alley
crops under horti-silvi-pastoral system with 100:50:25 and
50:30:15 kg N, P and K/ha, respectively.
Conservation furrows should be created along side of the
tree rows to drain the field runoff and store it in the furrows
for long retention of soil moisture and its utilization by the
Guava, Melia and Setaria grass.
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
The research technologies recommended for inclusion in the
package of practices of SKUAST-Jammu were discussed
during the Zonal Research and Extension Advisory Committee
meeting (ZREAC) from time to time with the officers such as
Director of Agriculture and allied departments for their further
dissemination amongst the farmers of domain area by way of
integrating the same into State/District Action Plans.

Impact of technologies
The higher maize yield was obtained in continuous trenching
method of in-situ moisture conservation followed by strip
trenching method. The maximum B:C ratio of 2.42 was obtained
in continuous trenching method in maize while maximum B:C
ratio of 3.08 in wheat. Higher maize equivalent yield (MEY)
was obtained in paired rows of maize with 2 rows of cowpea
(2610 kg/ha) with mean LER values of 1.23 and highest
RWUE as well as B:C ratio values of 3.40 kg/ha-mm and 1.83,
respectively. Planting two rows of cowpea as intercrop in paired
rows of maize in additive series. Intercropping of cowpea with
maize is gaining popularity among the rainfed farmers of the
kandi region of Jammu. This technology has been adopted by
more than 70 farmers with a horizontal spread over an area of
about 4.5 ha area. Sowing of maize using maize planter resulted
in maximum benefit cost ratio of 2.59 followed by line sowing
with liner and broadcasting with B:C ratio of 2.10 and 2.01,
respectively. The technology has been extensively demonstrated
in the farmer’s fields. Sowing of wheat by Seed cum fertilizer
drill (improved practice) resulted in maximum benefit cost
ratio of 3.19 followed by line sowing with liner and sowing by
broadcasting (farmers’ practice) with B:C ratio of 2.57 and 2.34,
respectively. The technology has been extensively demonstrated
in the farmer’s fields. Among the alternate land use system,
mixed fodder-gobhi sarson grown in the alleys of aonla trees
under agri-horti-pastoral system followed by mixed fodderwheat
grown in the alleys of Leucaena trees under agri- silvipastoral
system were found to be most remunerative systems
as compared to all other systems. The technology has been
demonstrated at farmer’s field and appreciated by the farmers.
Way forward
The AICRPDA, Rakh Dhiansar Center will focus on mitigating
land degradation by adopting practices that improve soil health,
sustainable water management and promoting diversified
sustainable production systems that are suited for the agroecosystems
and promoting a holistic approach to risk reduction
and climate resilience of farms and landscape. Evaluation of
suitable varieties of millets, legumes, oilseeds, dryland medicinal
and horticultural crops will contribute to efficient and successful
crop production. More focus would be on development of
integrated farming systems (IFS), which synergistically integrate
two or more enterprises (crops, horticultural crops, livestock,
poultry, apiculture, and mushroom cultivation) that can offer
improved income, resilience, and soil carbon sequestration
potential.
93

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 94-98 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00022.7
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
South West Semi-Arid Zone of Uttar Pradesh
S.P. Singh, Arvind Singh, P.K. Singh and S.K. Chauhan
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre, R.B.S. College,
Agra, 283 229, Uttar Pradesh
Brief history of the Centre
Agra Centre of All India Co-ordinated Research Project for
Dryland Agriculture, located at Agra under the jurisdiction of
Raja Balwant Singh College, Bichpuri Agra, formerly known
as B.R College and was initiated in 1970 as a sub-centre at
same location. The Agra centre of AICRPDA represents Southwestern
semi-arid region of Uttar Pradesh covering 8 districts,
i.e., Agra, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Hathras, Aligarh, Mathura, Etah
and Kansi Ram Nagar with geographical area of 22424 Km 2 ,
accounting for 7.62% area of the state.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
The climate is semi-arid sub-tropical characterized with dry hot
summer months and severe cold in winter months. Out of the
total annual average rainfall of 664.5 mm, south-west monsoon
contributes 88% while 9.0% from north-east monsoon and 2.5%
during summer. The normal onset of south-west monsoon is
during first week of July and withdrawal is during third week
of September. The dry spells during crop season had been
experienced in July, August and September coinciding with
germination, vegetative and grain formation stags of the major
rainfed crops. In summer, temperature raises upto 48 0 C with
desiccating winds. The potential-evapo-transpiration (PET) is
about 1850 mm with an average of 5.05 mm/day, a maximum
of 10.7 mm/day in June and a minimum of 2.13 mm/day in
January. Winter is short (end of November to February). The
temperature is as low as 0.5 0 C or occasionally 0 0 C at the peak of
winter in the month of January. The normal onset of monsoon
during south-west monsoon is during third week of June while
withdrawal is during first to second week of October.
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days
(at AICRPDA centre, Agra)
Rainfall
South west monsoon
(June-September)
North east monsoon
(October-December)
Normal
rainfall (mm)
Normal rainy
days (No.)
589.1 35
28.5 2
Winter (January-February) 23.5 5
Summer (March-May) 23.4 -
Annual 664.5 42
Major soil types
The soils in the zone are alluvial in origin and vary from sandy
loam to loamy sand.
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif are
pearl millet, sesame, green gram, black gram, cluster bean and
pigeon pea and during rabi are chickpea, mustard, lentil and
barley.
Dryland agriculture problems
The problems related to domain districts are as enlisted below
Rainfall, soil and land management
●
●
●
●
●
●
Rainfall pattern of area is highly erratic, crops may suffer
from moisture stress at any stage of growth in each and
every year, resulting in poor yields.
Soils of the region are inceptisols, which are sandy loam to
loamy sand with pH of 7.9 to 8.6, low in organic matter, low
in fertility status and deficient in micronutrients,
Ground water table is depleting at an alarming rate, mainly
due to over exploitation of ground water, which is saline to
alkaline in nature commonly applied in cereals crops during
rabi season. Ground water of the area is saline in nature and
about 70% ground water is not suitable for growing pulses
and oilseeds.
Numbers and area of natural reservoirs /community tanks
decreasing day by day, which are the major contributors of
ground water recharge.
Small land holding size and scattered ownership, farmers
cannot individually adopt rain water management
techniques with special reference to farm pond technology.
Lack of accurate forecasting of rains.
Crop production
●
●
Mostly varieties developed for irrigated conditions are also
recommended for dryland conditions.
Most of the varieties performed better in normal season,
but they are not suitable for aberrant weather conditions
especially during late kharif season.
Socio-economic
●
Unavailability of agricultural inputs at proper time.
94

● Unavailability of equipment suitable for different
agricultural operations for fragmented holdings
●
●
Farmers are well aware of the importance of line sowing,
yet they do not follow this practice on their fields,
especially in kharif season. They are dependent on hired
machinery covering more area in less time. It was felt that
the machinery of agricultural operations should be available
at least at the block or panchayat level.
Bluebull is severe problem for pulses cultivation in the
region, which is also responsible for preference to cereal
crops.
Research initiatives since inception of the centre
The focus of research since the beginning was on identification
of suitable crops and their varieties and development of
improved agronomic practices for increasing crop yield. The
centre involved in development of suitable cropping systems
and alternate land use systems. The centre developed feasible
and economically viable, soil, crop & water management
techniques for south western zone of Uttar Pradesh. The major
emphasis was on rain water management, integrated nutrient
management, energy management, crops and cropping systems,
contingency planning, tillage and farm machinery, drought
mitigation strategies and alternate land use system. The centre
has developed many dryland technologies for the region which
led to increased and sustainable production of rainfed crops. The
contingency plan under aberrant weather conditions has been
developed.
Significant achievements
Rainwater management
Rainwater harvesting in farm pond and their availability
indicated that there is good scope of rain water harvesting.
About 1200 m 3 can be harvested each year, which can be utilized
to avoid moisture stress during kharif season or as pre-sowing
irrigation in rabi season. Off season tillage by MB plough /disc
plough helped in increasing moisture conservation (15-20%),
efficient weed control (25-30%) timely land preparation and
sowing resulted in up to 20-30% increase in yield. In various
moisture conservation techniques, planting of pearl millet on
shoulder of ridge in ridge and furrow system of sowing with
40-45 cm row spacing found to be effective technique towards
building in-situ moisture resource, safe disposal of extra rain
water, enhanced biomass, economic yield and reduction in cost
of operation. Under delayed monsoon or late sowing up to 10 th
August, pearl millet sowing by ridge & furrow system gave
appreciable yield without any reduction as compared to yield
recorded in timely sown crop. Kharif crops grown on ridge by
raised bed planter gave higher yield from 13.1 to 27.2 per cent
over yield recorded in respective crops grown on conventional
system. Overall 17.8% more yield harvested with sowing on
95
ridge. Maximum pearl millet yield (PEY) (4992 kg/ha) and
B:C ratio (2.78) were recorded in cluster bean grown on ridge.
The next best PEY and B:C ratio were obtained with sesame.
In delayed monsoon or late sowing up to 1 st week of August,
kharif crops grown on ridge gave appreciable higher mean yield
from 25.7% in pearl millet to 28.8% with cluster bean over yield
obtained in flat system. The highest PEY of 4151 kg/ha was
obtained in cluster bean, followed by sesame. However, sesame
grown on ridge under delayed conditions produced appreciably
higher mean BC ratio of 2.80 followed by cluster bean (2.51).
In tillage and nutrient management system, conventional tillage
comprising of one harrowing in summer + one harrowing after
onset of monsoon rains and two ploughings by cultivator and
one intercultural operation were found to be effective and
productive tillage practice. The grain yield of pearl millet
increased significantly with respect to different tillage practices.
The maximum yield (2720 kg/ha) was obtained with summer
tillage by MB plough/disc plough, which was 22.8% more over
yield obtained in tillage by cultivator alone. To evolve a suitable
device for sowing of kharif crops, ridger seeder appeared to be
more effective seeding device in rainfed areas, gave maximum
mean yield (2752 kg/ha.) and BC ratio (2.42).
Cropping systems
The pearl millet grown on ridge in ridge and furrow system was
found more effective and gave overall 25.5% more yield over
flat system of sowing. Among different varieties of mustard,
Bio-902 followed by NRCHB-101 & DRMRIJ-31 (GIRIRAJ)
are identified as higher yielders. In various cluster bean based
inter cropping system tested, cluster bean + pearl millet/sesame
grown in 6:1 row ratio produced higher CBEY. In sub-normal
monsoon year cluster bean + pearl millet/sesame was more
beneficial system. Experience from the field study indicated
that soil surface temperature always is higher by 12-15°C over
atmospheric temperature during late September or early October,
leading to low mustard yields, therefore sowing in 2 nd week of
October (11-20 Oct) was found to more appropriate sowing
time of mustard. Among high value crops (vegetables), bottle
gourd performed better when grown on ridge and proved to be
more profitable. Aonla/Ber based agri-horti system was found
profitable and drought proof. For better resources utilization and
highest net return, inter space between ber plants, green gram,
sesame should be grown. Inter spaces in Aonla orchard, can be
utilized for growing kharif pulses and oilseed, i.e., sesame.
Crops grown on ridge recorded appreciably higher mean yield
of 13.1 to 27.3% in normal sowing conditions and 20.8 to 27.7%
more in delayed sowing conditions (up to 30 th July) over to yield
obtained under flat system of sowing under both conditions
respectively. The mean of PEY of 13.1 to 27.0% higher
recorded with ridge planting over to flat system of sowing and
highest PEY recorded with cluster bean. In delayed conditions

higher PEY (4151 kg/ha) was recorded with cluster bean. The
maximum mean B:C ratio of 2.78 with cluster bean in normal
and 2.80 with sesame under ridge plant of both crops in delayed
sowing conditions respectively. Over all 17.8 and 25.6% more
PEY registered with ridge sowing in normal and delayed sowing
conditions.
Integrated nutrient management
Application of N (75 kg/ha) equally split in three parts (1/3 at
sowing +1/3 at tillering and 1/3 at flag leaf stage, found to be
more advantageous for boosting yield of pearl millet, produced
37.8 and 17.3 per cent more yield over full N applied at sowing
and split in two parts. Impact of potassium application on mustard
reveals that recommended dose of fertilizer (60 + 40 kg N/ha)
in conjunction with 50 kg K/ha as basal produced significantly
higher mean yield (2507 kg/ha) which was 73.0 and 17.5 per
cent superior over yield obtained without K (1449 kg/ha) and
25 kg K/ha (2133 kg/ha) addition. Benefit cost (B:C) ratio of
5.08 also higher registered in same practices. Application of 40
kg sulphur by gypsum in association with RDF (20 + 40 kg NP/
ha) proved to effective for achieving economically higher yield
of cluster bean . For realizing more benefit application of crop
residue @ 5.0 tons/ha as mulch for moisture conservation and
RDF (40 + 20 kg NP/ha) along with sulphur @ 20 kg /ha prove
to be ideal practice. Site specific nutrient management on pearl
millet under rain fed areas revealed that application of 25% more
RDF (75+50+50 kg NPK/ha) along with all limiting nutrient
(Zn, B and Mn) on soil test basis gave mean highest yield (3523
kg/ha). However, 25% more RDF with zinc @ 25 kg/ha proved
to be more effective, produced economically higher yield (3166
kg/ha) and BC ratio (3.57). Efficient management of deficient
nutrient indicate that application of Zinc, Boron and sulphur
(on soil test basis) in association with RDF (on soil test basis)
in mustard realized maximum mean yield of (1644 kg/ha) by
applying 25% more RDF and all limiting nutrients. However,
25% more RDF in association with sulphur @ 25 kg/ha gave
economically higher yield (1616 kg/ha) and BC ratio (3.29).
Application of FYM to be equivalent of 50% nitrogen of RDF
(30 kg N/ha) in conjunction with rest 50% N of RDF to meet
through inorganic fertilizer proved to be effective combinations
of fertilizer schedule, could sustained productivity of pearl
millet.
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
●
Deep tillage and compartmental bunding for enhanced
pearlmillet productivity
Tillage with disc harrow after each effective rainfall for
enhancing mustard productivity under conserved soil
moisture
S.P. Singh et al.
●
●
●
●
●
●
Summer tillage for in-situ moisture conservation and
enhancing productivity
Efficient utilization of harvested water from farm pond for
growing high value crops (vegetables) during kharif season.
Early season drought management practices for stability in
production of pearl millet
Late season drought management practices for stability in
production of pearl millet.
Field bunding and land shaping to enhance productivity of
kharif crops in semi arid inceptisols of Agra region
Contingency crop planning South-Western Zone of Uttar
Pradesh
Cropping system
●
●
●
●
●
Ridge planting of pearl millet for higher productivity
Strip cropping of pearl millet + cluster bean (4:4) as an
insurance against aberrant weather situation
Strip cropping of pearl millet + sesame (4:4) as an insurance
against aberrant weather situation
Inter cropping of pearl millet + pigeon pea (2:1) for
insurance against risk
Weed management in pearl millet in South-Western Zone
of Uttar Pradesh
Nutrient management
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Sesbania green manuring for higher mustard productivity in
semi- arid Inceptisols
Sulphur application for higher productivity
Split application of nitrogen for higher productivity of pearl
millet
Potassium application for higher yield of mustard
Foliar spray to cope with dry spells and higher productivity
of rainfed crops
Rainfed area network programme on balanced nutrients on
mustard
Response of fertilizer application on yield of pearl millet
Integrated nutrient management practices
Crop
Pearl millet
Mustard
Foliar spray
INM practice
50% of recommended dose of N (30 kg/ha)
through organic + 50% of recommended dose of N
(30 kg/ha) through inorganic + 40 kg P 2
O 5
60 + 40 + 50 kg/ha NPK+ 25kg S/ha
Foliar spray of 0.5% NPK (19:19:19 kg/ha) in pearl millet; and
2.0% NPK (19:19:19 kg/ha) and 2% KCl in mustard.
96

Cropping systems
Inter-cropping systems
● Pearl millet + pigeonpea (2:1)
● Pearl millet + greengram (2:1)
● Pearl millet + blackgram (2:1)
● Clusterbean + pearlmillet (6:1)
● Clusterbean + sesame (6:1)
● Pigeonpea+ greengram (2:2)
● Barley + chickpea (3:2)
● Chickpea + mustard (4 -5:1)
Double cropping systems
●
●
●
Greengram/blackgram (green manuring after first picking)
- mustard
Pearl millet + cowpea (fodder ) - mustard
Green manuring in kharif (Sesbania) - mustard
Alternate land use
Agro-horti systems
●
●
Aonla based agri-horti system: Amal (8m x 8m)+ pearl
millet/cluster bean/green gram ( spacing – 45 cm x15 cm
for pearlmillet/cluster bean; 30 cm x15 cm for greengram.
Pearl millet + cow pea for fodder spacing – 30 cm x10 cm.
Ber based agri-horti system : Ber (10 m x 10 m)+ pearl
millet/cluster bean/green gram (45 cm x15 cm for pearli
millet/cluster bean; 30 cm x15 cm for green gram. Pearl
millet + cowpea for fodder spacing – 30 cm x10 cm.
Contingency crop planning
For kharif planning
a. Crop/cropping systems for normal onset of monsoon
●
Pigeonpea (UPAS-120, Narendra 1 & 2), pearl millet
(Proagro 9001 and Pioneer 86 M 88), greengram (Pant-
Mung-1 & Pant Mung-2), blackgram (Ajad & Type-9),
sorghum for fodder (Varsha, CHS 13, 23 & Bundela),
clusterbean (RGC-1025 & RGC-1017), sesame (Shekhar
& HT-1 ); pigeonpea + pearl millet + blackgram (1:2:1);
pigeonpea + sorghum; fallow- lentil/ mustard/pea/chickpea.
b. Suggested contingency crops/ cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (1 st week of July)
●
Pigeonpea (UPAS-120, Narendra 1 & 2), pearlmillet
(NDFB 3), greengram (Pant Mung-1 & Pant Mung-2),
blackgram (Ajad & Type-9), sorghum for fodder (Varsha,
CHS 13, 23 & Bundela), clusterbean (RGC-1025 & RGC-
1017), sesame (Shekhar & HT-1); pigeonpea + pearl millet
+ blackgram (1:2:1); pigeonpea + sorghum; fallow-lentil/
mustard/pea/chickpea.
Delay by 4 weeks (3 rd week of July)
●
●
Clusterbean (RGC-1025 & RGC-1017); greengram (Pant
Mung-1, 2, Samrat, Asha and K-851); blackgram (Type-9,
Pant U-19 & 30)
Intercropping system: Pigeonpea + pearlmillet + blackgram
(1:2:1)
● Short duration varieties of pearlmillet (WCC 75, Pusa 322
& 323)
Delay by 6 weeks (1 st week of August)
●
●
Short duration variety of pearl millet for fodder (NDFB
3); greengram (Pant Mung-1, 2, Samrat, Asha and K-851),
blackgram (Type-9, Pant U-19 & 30)
Prefer sole blackgram on raised bed using raised bed planter
Delay by 8 weeks (3 rd week of August)
●
Planning for early rabi crops in September e.g. toria (Type
36, Type 9 & Bhavani), mustard (Varuna & Pusa bold)
c. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
●
Gap filling and thinning to maintain optimum plant
population
● Resowing, if the plant population is < 30%
●
●
●
●
Extra intercultivation
Mulching with mustard straw @ 5 t/ha for conserving
moisture
Adopt interculture to break soil crust, remove weeds and
create soil mulch
Open conservation furrows
Mid season drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
Repeated interculture to remove weeds and create soil
mulch
Opening conservation furrow at 30-35 DAS to conserve
soil moisture
In pearl millet, foliar spray of urea (2%) at 30-35 days after
sowing
Under severe moisture stress, ratooning or thinning may be
done in kharif sorghum and pearl millet
Avoid top dressing of fertilizers until receipts of rains
Foliar spray of 0.5% NPK (19:19:19)/ha
Terminal drought
●
●
In case of severity, harvest pearl millet and sorghum for
fodder
Provide life-saving or supplemental irrigation, if available.
97

For rabi planning
Crops and varieties for normal season
●
●
Mustard - DRMRIJ-31, RH-406, RH-749, NRCDR-2 and
NRCHB-101
Chick pea - Avrodhi and Udai
● Barley - Narendra-2 and T-36
●
Lentil-Pant-206, Pant-209, DPL-62, L-4594 and Pant
Lentil-5
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
The centre is working in close collaboration and consultation
with ICAR-CRIDA, AICRP on Use of saline water in
agriculture, cropping system, IISWC centre, Chhalesar, State
Line department, KVKs, and NGOs along with farmers of the
district for developing and refining technology for improving
profitability in rainfed farming and passing on the technologies
to development agencies and extension functionaries for faster
adoption by the farmers. Centre has also developed linkage with
CAZRI, Jodhpur and Coordinating cell of AICRP on sesame &
niger, JNKVV, Jabalpur. Centre also takes technical inputs from
IISWC, Chhalesar and National Research Centre on Rapeseedmustard,
Bharatpur to generate valuable output for the benefit of
the rainfed farmers.
Impact of technologies
Ridge planting of pearl millet resulted in higher productivity.
Pearl millet performed better on ridges with a grain yield of
2288 kg/ha compared to farmers practice (1586 kg/ha). The
increase in the yield is 44.3% and net return is Rs. 13761/- with
a BC ratio of 2.23 over farmers’ practice of broadcasting of
seed. Ridge planting provides enough aeration and porosity to
soil for enhanced root growth apart from safe disposal of excess
rainwater and reduction in soil loss. Pearl millet is grown on
1.07 lakh ha in the region with an average of 1407 kg/ha. There
is a scope to enhance yield level up to 2288 kg/ha. Deep tillage
in summer and compartmental bunds after germination can
support up to 1.5 to 2.0 tones/ha of pearl millet yield under rain
fed conditions. Deep tillage + compartmental bunds conserve
moisture effectively and gave a pearl millet (WCC-75) yield of
S.P. Singh et al.
1875 kg/ha which is 31% higher than yield attained with farmers
practice (1230 kg/ha). This technology gave a net return of Rs.
10,045/ha with B:C ratio of 3.23 as compared to farmers practice,
even during sub-normal rainfall situations. Supplemental
irrigation at flowering and silique formation stages of mustard
give a yield of 2076 kg/ha compared to1459 kg/ha under farmers
practice. The yield advantage is about 42.3% with a net income
of Rs. 10,000/ha and B:C ratio of 3.80. Mustard is grown in
about 79,000 ha in Agra district.
With the adoption of supplemental irrigation to rainfed mustard,
additional production valued at 79 crores could be realized by
the farmers in the district. Sesbania green manuring resulted
in higher mustard productivity in semi-arid Inceptisols of
Agra region of Uttar Pradesh. The improved technology
involves raising a green manure crop during kharif season and
incorporation into the soil, The field is prepared in advance
before onset of monsoon. Seeds of Sesbania aculeata are
broadcast in dry soil. Planking and bund making is done across
the slope to check runoff from the field, Sesbania crop is
ploughed back into soil after 40-45 days after sowing. Mustard
(Varuna, Rohini) is sown during rabi with a nutrient application
of 45 kg N + 40 kg P 2
O 5
/ha. In Agra district, mustard is grown
on about 79,000 ha in fallow-mustard sequence. If Sesbania is
included in this system, considerable saving of N fertilizer can
be made. At present about 15-20% area is under the improved
technology. Application of K along with recommended dose of
N and P gave mustard yield of 2039 kg/ha compared to farmers
practices (1603 kg/ha) which was higher by 27.2 percent. The
net income of Rs 56736/ha with BC ratio of 5.09 was registered
with improved practice as compared to farmers practice which
gave net income of Rs 42305/ha and BC ratio of 4.07. Further,
it was observed that additional investment on MOP fertilizer to
mustard gave ten times more return. Mustard is grown on 1.15
lakh ha in the region with an average yield of 1700 kg/ha. There
is scope to enhance yield level up to 2100 kg/ha. Strip cropping
of pearl millet + cluster bean (4:4) gave pearl millet equivalent
yield of 2587 kg/ha (1040 kg pearl millet + 555 kg cluster bean)
with an advantage of 29.4% yield over farmers practices (2000
kg/ha) and additional yield of 600 kg/ha with extra net income
of Rs. 4000/ha, with BC ratio of 2.54.
98

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 99-102 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00023.9
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
South-western Dry Zone of Haryana
S.K. Thakral 1 , S.K. Sharma 1 , Manjeet 1 , Rakesh Kumar 1 , B. Rajkumar 2 and Abdul Rasul 2
1
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, Hisar, 125 004, Haryana
2
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad - 500 059
Brief history of the Centre
Hisar centre of All India Coordinated Research Project on
Dryland Agriculture started in June, 1971 . Subsequently, an
Operational Research Project was started at under AICRPDA
in 1984 for on-farm research i.e. testing, refining and transfer
of technologies. The project undertook experiments to
generate location specific technologies focusing on rainwater
management, cropping systems, nutrient management, energy
management, evaluation of improved varieties and alternate
land use systems.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
All India Co-ordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture,
Hisar centre is located at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana
Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana. The climate in the zone
is sub-tropical and monsoonal type with prolonged hot period
from March-October and fairly cool winters. The normal onset
of monsoon in the zone is during first week of July and normal
withdrawal is during third week of September. Average annual
rainfall in the zone is about 425.5 mm (kharif with 337.8 and
rabi with 54.9). Major portion (75-80%) of the annual rainfall is
received in June-September. The mean maximum and minimum
temperatures in the zone are 48 °C and 1-2 °C, respectively.
Intermittent dust storms are also common in the region. The dry
spells had been experienced during kharif season coinciding with
seedling, vegetative and reproductive stages of the major rainfed
crops. In the post monsoon winter season, few light showers
(15-20% of annual) are received from westerly depressions.
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days at
AICRPDA centre, Hisar
Rainfall
South west monsoon
(June-September)
Post-monsoon
(October-December)
Normal rainfall
(mm)
Normal rainy
days
337.8 17
16.5 1
Winter (January-February) 25.4 3
Summer (March-May) 48.8 3
Annual 425.5 24
Major soil types
The major soil types in the zone are loamy sand to sandy loam
in surface and sandy loam to loamy in sub-surface layers. About
72% and 28% area comes under loamy sand and sandy loam soil
in the domain area of the zone.
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif
are greengram, pearl millet, clusterbean, and during rabi are
mustard and chickpea.
Dryland agriculture problems
●
●
●
Light soil texture: Soils in dryland areas are light textured
with undulating topography and have poor water retention
capacity.
Poor soil fertility: Soils in these areas are light textured,
poor in organic C and consequently poor in all major and
micro-nutrients.
Poor socio-economic conditions of the farmers and low
adoption of developed technologies.
Significant achievements
Rainwater management
●
●
●
●
●
The maximum net returns of Rs. 12890 ha -1 with BC ratio
of 1.81 from a yield of 1030 kg ha -1 were attained when
greengram was sown across the slope in kharif.
Deep ploughing before the onset of monsoon was superior
and gave a maximum and significantly higher mustard yield
of 2556 kg ha -1 , net income of Rs.29594 ha -1
The highest grain yield of pearl millet was obtained with
pond silt @ 60 t ha -1 (1276 kg); and N 60 + P 2
O 5
30 kg ha -
1
(1402 kg), respectively. The maximum seed yield (1945 kg
ha -1 ) of mustard was obtained with pond silt @ 60 t ha -1 and
N 60 + P 2
O 5
30 kg ha -1 .
Maximum grain yield of pearl millet and mustard were
recorded in RDF + two sprays of Thiourea (2701 kg ha -1 )
and (2548 kg ha -1 ) followed by RDF + 1% KNO3 (2500 kg
ha -1 ) and (2489 kg ha -1 ), resulting in higher net return and
B:C ratio. These treatments were significantly higher than
RDF + No spray and RDF + Water spray 2.
Supplemental irrigation (25 mm) from harvested rain water
in farm pond to pearlmillet gave higher pearlmillet equivalent
yield (2177 kg ha -1 ), net returns (17704 ha -1 ), B:C ratio
99

●
(1.95) and RWUE (10.78 kg ha -1 mm -1 ) compared to without
supplemental irrigation (1976 kg ha -1 ). Similarly, greengram
recorded significantly higher pearl millet equivalent yield
(2133 kg ha -1 ), than pearl millet (2020 kg ha -1 ).
In intra-plot rainwater harvesting, maximum pearl millet
equivalent yield of 2860 kg ha -1 was observed with green
gram under 75% slope and 2/3 rd donor area and the lowest
pearl millet equivalent yield of 1526 kg ha -1 was obtained
by pearl millet under 1.5% slope ½ donor area.
Cropping systems
●
●
●
●
●
Castor paired rows (60-120-60 cm) + two rows of greengram
was superior with maximum castor equivalent yield of 1030
kg ha -1 , net income of Rs. 7057 ha -1 and B:C ratio of 1.45.
Mothbean in paired rows (30-60 cm) + one row of clusterbean
was superior with significantly higher mothbean equivalent
yield of 1154 kg ha -1 , net income of Rs.11891 ha -1 and B:C
ratio of 1.81.
Chickpea as sole crop at 30 cm spacing gave significantly
higher chickpea grain equivalent yield (1948 kg ha -1 ). Inter/
strip cropping of chickpea + barley in 2:1, 4:2 and 6:3 ratios
did not significantly increase chickpea equivalent yield
over sole chickpea. Highest B:C ratio was attained under
chickpea + barley (6:3).
Pearlmillet + mungbean ( 8:4 row ration) was superior with
maximum pearlmillet equivalent yield of 2756 kg ha -1 , net
income of Rs. 9641 ha -1 and BC ratio of 1.67.
Grain yield of Sesbania was recorded highest (1054 kg
ha -1 ) in Sesbania sole at 60 cm. Grain yield of pearl millet
was recorded highest (1778 kg ha -1 ) in pearl millet sole at
45 cm spacing. Sesbania + pearl millet intercropping gave
negative net return due to excessive vegetative growth of
Sesbania at initial stage of crop.
Integrated nutrient management
●
●
●
●
Application of 60 kg N + 20 kg P ha -1 was superior with a
significantly higher castor yield of 1066 kg ha -1 , and 20 kg
N + 40 kg P ha -1 was superior with significantly higher moth
bean yield of 932 kg ha -1 .
Application (60 kg N 30 kg P 2
O 5
and 20 kg K 2
O/ ha) gave
yield of 2063 kg ha -1 in pearl millet and 3070 kg ha -1 , net
return Rs. 37529 ha -1 and B:C ratio of 2.50 in mustard.
Application 40 kg N + 20 kg P ha -1 at sowing time was
superior with barley yield of 4153 kg ha -1 and 20 kg N +
40 kg P ha -1 + inoculation with biomix gave significantly
higher chickpea yield of 1196 kg ha -1 net income of Rs.
14393 ha -1 and BC ratio of 1.94.
In a study on the effect of foliar spray of nutrients on yield
and economics of clusterbean during kharif, application of
recommended dose of fertilizer (20:40 NP kg ha -1 ) + foliar
spray of NPK (0:0:50) 1% + 0.5% ZnSO 4
at flower initiation
Thakral et al.
100
recorded significantly higher seed yield (885 kg ha -1 ) and
stover yield (1776 kg ha -1 ) compared to other treatments
except RDF + NPK (0:0:50) 1% + 0.5% ZnSO 4
spray at pod
formation, RDF + ZnSO 4
spray at flower initiation and RDF
+ ZnSO 4
at pod formation. Higher net returns (Rs.19046
ha -1 ), BC ratio (1.97) and RWUE (2.84 kg ha -1 mm -1 )
were also recorded with application of recommended
dose of fertilizer (20:40 NP kg ha -1 ) + NPK (0:0:50) 1%
+ 0.5% ZnSO 4
spray at flower initiation compared to other
treatments.
Energy management
●
●
Significantly higher pearl millet yield of 2116 kg ha -1 , net
returns of Rs.7058 ha -1 and B:C ratio of 1.44 were attained
by low tillage + two intercultures + 100% N (inorganic)
application.
Ridger seeder (2 rows) was superior with significantly
higher mustard seed yield of 2197 kg ha -1 , net returns of
Rs.29478 ha -1 and BC ratio of 2.74 under normal moisture
condition; and seed yield of 1731 kg ha -1 , net returns of
Rs.19630 ha -1 and BC ratio of 2.16 under receding moisture
condition.
Technologies developed
Cropping systems
a. Intercropping systems
● Pearl millet + greengram (8:4)
● Pearl millet + clusterbean (8:4)
● Pearl millet + cowpea (8:4)
●
●
●
Castor paired 60:120 cm x 60 cm + 2 rows of blackgram
Castor paired 60:90 cm x 60 cm + 1 row of blackgram
Moth bean paired row 30:60 cm + 1 row of cluster bean
Double cropping system
●
●
●
Pearl millet - chickpea
Pearl millet - raya
Greengram - raya
Integrated nutrient management practices
Crop
INM practice
Pearl millet N (30 kg ha -1 ) + P 2
O 5
(15 kg ha -1 ) + Azatobacter +
FYM (4 t ha -1 )/ vermicompsot @ 2 t ha -1
Cluster bean
Greengram
N (15 kg ha -1 ) + P 2
O 5
(30 kg ha -1 ) + Rhizobium + PSB
+ FYM (4 t ha -1 )/ vermicompsot @ 2 t ha -1
N (15 kg ha -1 ) + P 2
O 5
(30 kg ha -1 ) + Rhizobium + PSB
+ FYM (4 t ha -1 )/ vermicompsot @ 2 t ha -1
Mustard N (30 kg ha -1 ) + P 2
O 5
(30 kg ha -1 ) + Azatobacter +
FYM (4 t ha -1 )/ vermicompsot @ 2 t ha -1
Chickpea N (30 kg ha -1 ) + P 2
O 5
(30 kg ha -1 ) + Rhizobium +
FYM (4 t ha -1 )/ vermicompsot @ 2 t ha -1

Foliar nutrition
●
Foliar spray of water soluble complex fertilizer N:P:K
(18:18:18) @ 0.5% + ZnSO 4
@ 0.5% should be practised
in pearl millet as well as mustard crop during the dry spell
of the crop.
Energy management
●
●
Improved ridger seeder places seeds and fertilizer in single
operation and sowing seeds of pearl millet at appropriate
depth (3-4 cm) in the moist zone on the shoulders of the
ridges for overcoming problem of seed burying with extra
soil cover. This results in better germination. It can be
used for rabi crops with better results. It makes furrows
by removing the dry soil and places the seeds in furrows
with adequate moisture. It forms ridges of 30 cm wide and
15 cm height. Depth of sowing can be adjusted. Improved
technology gave yield of 2640 ha -1 , net returns of Rs.80127
ha -1 , B:C ratio of 3.90 and RWUE of 61.51 kg ha -1 mm -1
when compared to farmers practice (2284 ha -1 ).
Harrowing with tractor drawn disc harrow in kharif is more
effective for in-situ moisture conservation, which results
in raising better chickpea crop in rabi. Harrowing is done
after each effective rainfall event of >15 mm. Disc harrow
pulverizes soil to deeper layers for better infiltration of
rainwater into the soil profile. Sowing of chickpea (C-235)
is done in second fortnight of October with bullock or camel
drawn country plough. The cost of this harrow is Rs.25000
and cost of harrowing is Rs.500 ha -1 . A significantly higher
chickpea seed yield of 965 kg ha -1 was realized when disc
harrowing is done during kharif, which is 44 % higher than
farmers practice.
Contingency crop planning
For kharif planning
a. Suggested contingency crops/ cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (3 rd week of July)
●
Pearl millet hybrids (HHB-67 (Improved), HHB 197, HHB
272, HHB 226); clusterbean (HG 563, HG 365, HG 2-20);
greengram (MH 421, MH 318)
● Intercropping systems: Pearl millet (HHB-67(Improved) +
greengram (MH 421) (8:4)
Delay by 4 weeks (1 st week of August)
● Pearl millet (HHB-67 (Improved), HHB 197, HHB 272,
HHB 226) can be sown latest by first week of August
● Pearl millet (HHB-67 Improved); clusterbean (HG 365);
greengram (MH-421)
●
Thinning to reduce 1/3 rd population should be done in
timely sown crop
●
Sowing of clusterbean (HG 563, HG 365, HG 2-20) may be
ensured by end of July and pulses by first week of August
with early maturity varieties
Delay by 6 weeks (3 rd week of August)
●
●
●
Transplant pearl millet hybrid HHB-67 (improved)
Avoid sowing of clusterbean and conserve the moisture for
rabi sowing. However, some area may be used for fodder
(cowpea/greengram)
Do not prefer sowing of sesame beyond mid-August.
Delay by 8 weeks (3 rd week of August)
●
●
Keep land fallow
Conserve moisture for rabi crops
b. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
●
●
●
●
●
In pearl millet, if the plant stand is less than 60 %, go for
resowing as and when rains resume and gap filling by
transplanting under rainy conditions
After receiving 25-50 mm of rainfall, 2 to 3 ploughings to
be done using cultivator followed by sowing
One interculture operation for removing weeds and better
moisture conservation
Avoid fertilizer application, if effective rainfall received
at a later period. Apply second half (20 kg N ha -1 ) as top
dressing at knee high stage (25-30 DAS) in pearl millet.
Practice of intercropping (strip cropping of greengram in
8:4 at 30 cm row spacing with pearl millet as main crop.
Mid-season drought
●
●
●
●
●
Open conservation furrows and ridge and furrow for
rainwater harvesting
Straw mulching in between rows
Frequent interculture; weeding and hoeing with wheel hand
hoe/kasola
In pearl millet, harvest every third row for green fodder
and make ridge and furrow for in-situ rainwater harvesting;
weeding and hoeing with wheel hand hoe/kasola as and
when required
Provide life-saving irrigation (4-5 cm), if possible
● Foliar spray of water-soluble complex fertilizer (18:18:18)
@ 0.5% + 0.5% ZnSO 4
in pearl millet during dry spell
●
Avoid chemical weed control
Terminal drought
●
●
Remove every third row of pearl millet for green fodder.
Provide life-saving irrigation, if available.
101

● Harvesting of intercrop at physiological maturity
(greengram)
●
●
Field preparation for rabi crop sowing during first fortnight
of October
Sowing of mustard (RH 30, RB 50, RH 725, RH 119, RH
406, RH 761) and chickpea (HC 1) during second fortnight
of October.
For rabi planning
a. Suggested crops and varieties for delayed season
●
Mustard (RH 30, RB 50, RH 406, RH 725, RH 761) and
chickpea (HC 1).
● Foliar spray of water-soluble complex fertilizer (18:18:18)
@ 0.5% + 0.5% ZnSO 4
in mustard during dry spell.
Agro-hortisystems
●
Jandi (Local) + greengram (MH 421) ; spacing for jandi
(6*6 m) and greengram (45 x 10 cm)
● Ber (Gola, Seb, Illachi, Kaithli) + greengram (MH 421);
spacing for ber (10 x 10 m) and greengram (45 x 10 cm).
Impact of technologies
Pearl millet (cv. HHB-67) hybrid gives 20 per cent higher grain
yield (2975 kg ha -1 ) with B:C ratio of 1.68 as compared to
existing hybrids i.e. HHB 50 (2475 kg ha -1 ) and HHB 60 (2719
kg ha -1 ). Even under low rainfall and light textured soils, HHB-
67 gives a yield of 1284 kg ha -1 , which is 20% more than HHB-
50 (1090 kg ha -1 ). Strip cropping of pearl millet + greengram
Thakral et al.
(8:4) for higher productivity in Western Dry Zone of Haryana.
Strip cropping of pearl millet + greengram (8: 4) gives a pearl
millet equivalent yield of 3196 kg ha -1 , net income of Rs. 23732
ha -1 and B:C ratio of 2.26. This practice ensures some yield
advantage during drought years. In case of early drought, pearl
millet can survive but legumes cannot whereas, while under
terminal drought situation, the performance of pearl millet is
risky. Thus, this technology provides an opportunity of realizing
good yields and income to the farmers from either of the crops
in case of weather aberration.
Nutrient management for higher productivity of pearl millet in
South-western Dry Zone of Haryana. The improved practice
gives a grain yield of 1843 kg ha -1 compared to 716 kg ha -1 under
farmers’ practice. An additional income of Rs.535 ha -1 with B:C
ratio of 3:1 can be achieved through nutrient management. This
improved practice has been adopted on 189000 ha, i.e, 30%
of pearl millet area in Haryana. Harrowing with tractor drawn
disc harrow is practiced in 45000 ha in south-western district of
Haryana. A significantly higher chickpea seed yield of 965 kg
ha -1 is realized when disc harrowing is done during kharif, which
is 44% higher than farmers practice. An additional net return of
Rs. 4000 ha -1 with a B:C ratio of 1.42 can be realized with disc
harrowing. Improved ridger seeder for planting rainfed crops in
Southern Dry Zone of Haryana. Sowing with ridger seeder saves
15% seed, 60% on labour and operating time and 45% in cost of
sowing. Pearl millet grain yield can increase up to 23%, giving
an additional net returns of Rs.1400 ha -1 with a B:C ratio up to
2.34.
102

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 103-106 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00024.0
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
North Gujarat Zone
N.I. Patel, B.S. Parmar, R.N. Singh, Brijal Patel and F.B. Patel
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre,
Sardarkrushinagar Agriculture University, Sardarkrushinagar - 385 506, Gujarat
Email: nip111967@gmail.com
Brief history of the Centre
The All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland
Agriculture (AICRPDA) Centre came into existence as a
sub-centre at Anand in 1970-71 and it was then shifted to
Sardarkrushinagar in 1979. The Centre was elevated to main
centre in 1984.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
It is located in the North Gujarat Agro-climatic Zone- IV. The
domain districts of the AICRPDA centre, Sardar Krishinagar are
located in Northern Gujarat Zone (NARP) in Gujarat and in the
Agroecological subregion (ICAR) 2.3 and in the agroclimatic
region-13 (Gujarat plains and hills as per Planning Commission).
The represents North Gujarat zone with seven domain districts
under its jurisdiction viz., Banaskantha, Aravali, Sabarkantha,
Patan, Mehsana, Gandhinagar and Kachchh. The climate of the
zone is arid to semi-arid. The mean annual rainfall of the zone
is 749.5 mm and receive in 26 rainy days. About 75% of the
rainfall is received during last week of June to end of September.
The normal onset of the monsoon is during 26 th to 27 th SMW
and withdrawal is during 38 th SMW. In general, winter is very
cold and dry whereas, summer is extremely hot. May is the
hottest month while January is the coolest, the monsoon season
varies from June to September present the rainy months. The
mean monthly maximum temperature ranges between 26 °C and
42 °C. The mean monthly relative humidity varies from 60 to
80%. The PET varies from 1614 to 1998 mm.
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days at
AICRPDA centre, S.K. Nagar
Rainfall
Normal
rainfall (mm)
Normal rainy
days (no.)
SW monsoon (June-September) 749.5 26.0
Post-monsoon
(October-December)
29.4 1.0
Winter (January-February) 3.5 -
Summer (March-May) 8.6 1.0
Total 787.8 28.0
Major soil types
The major soil types in the zone are deep black, medium black
to loamy sand, sandy loam to sandy and sandy and saline soils.
Major rainfed crops cultivated in the domain districts
The major rainfed crops cultivated during kharif are pearl millet,
castor, cluster bean, moth bean, greengram and during rabi are
mustard and chickpea.
Dryland agriculture problems
The problems related to domain districts are:
Soil and land management
●
●
●
Loamy sand soils with shallow depth and low moisture
retention capacity. The maximum water holding capacity
of these soils varies between 22 and 24%. Loamy sand soils
are normally poor in N and P and very low in organic matter.
Some locations are also deficient in S and micronutrients
like Fe and Zn.
The soils have low CEC which results in low retention of
exchangeable nutrients. These soils are highly erodible.
Crusting on drying is a serious problem in seedling
emergence and establishment of a good crop stand.
Crop production
●
●
●
Due to weather aberrations, the crops suffer due to long
dryspells
Lack of suitable implements for farm operations
Unavailability of drought tolerant/ short duration varieties
Socio-economic
●
●
●
●
Small land holdings and pose problems in implementing
land development programmes
Investment capacity and risk bearing status is of dryland
farmers is less.
Market risks
Inadequate availability of agriculture inputs during the
season and for contingent measures
Significant achievements
Rainwater management
●●
In situ moisture conservation with compartmental bunding
of 3.0 m x 4.5 m in pearlmillet grown in moderate slopy soil
for resulted in higher yield while in compartmental bunding
of 3.6 m x 6.0 m in castor gave higher castor yield.
103

●
Adopting castor and cotton crop rotation system on medium
black soils under rainfed condition, and deep ploughing
with disc plough before sowing resulted in maximum yield
and monetary returns of cotton and castor
● Use of roto till drill for sowing of clusterbean (GG 2)
under rainfed condition gave higher seed yield, monetary
returns and rainwater use efficiency with better moisture
conservation.
●
Opening furrows at 3.6 m interval with application of castor
shell mulch @ 10 t ha -1 after last interculture gave higher
seed cotton yield
Cropping systems
●
●
●
●
Intercropping of pearl millet + cluster bean in 2:2 or 2:1 row
ratio and greengram in 1:3 row ratio gave 10.5 & 25.5%
higher pearl millet equivalent yield, respectively over sole
pearl millet.
Pearlmillet + sunhemp (4:2) at 30 cm spacing (in situ green
manuring of sun hemp around 30 DAS by the help of rotary
weeder) resulted in 19.5% higher yield. Intercropping of
castor + cowpea (1:1) gave 31.5% higher net returns over
normal sowing of castor.
Intercropping of castor (90 x 60 cm) + sesamum (1:1) gave
higher yield and 31.6% higher net return over sole castor.
In pearl millet-clusterbean crop rotation, cultivation of
field with 50% of conventional tillage (one ploughing by
tractor cultivation) + interculturing at 20 and 40 DAS + preemergence
application of atrazine @ 0.5 kg ha -1 for pearl
millet and pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg ha -1 for cluster bean was
found optimum. In this crop rotation, application of 80 kg
N ha -1 for pearl millet and 20 kg N ha -1 for cluster bean
through urea or 50% N through chemical fertilizer and 50%
N through FYM resulted in higher yield and net returns.
● Castor taken as a relay crop in greengram resulted in 45.6%
higher greengram equivalent yield over greengram alone, in
which greengram was sown at onset of monsoon and castor
sown after first picking of greengram.
●
●
●
In agri-horti system, intercropping of either greengram
or sorghum in ber was found beneficial and gave higher
monetary return of 27.3 and 15.5%, respectively, over sole
ber.
Karingado taken as a mixed crop along with pearl millet
in every third row gave 9.5% more pearl millet equivalent
yield. Similarly, Karingado grown as a mixed crop in
sorghum at every 6 th line gave higher monetary return under
drought condition over sole sorghum.
Spraying of 5% Kaoline solution in pearl millet at 30 DAS
gave 6.4% more yield as well as it mitigate stress condition
under rainfed condition.
Patel et al.
104
●
●
●
Intercropping of black gram in cotton hybrid (120 x 30 cm)
(1:1) on medium black soil gave higher cotton equivalent
yield and net return over sole cotton.
Intercropping of maize in castor (1:1) at 45 cm spacing
resulted in higher yield and net return over sole cotton.
Sowing of sole moth bean at 45 cm or intercropping of Bt.
cotton + moth bean (1:2) gave higher cotton equivalent
yield as well as monetary returns in medium black soil of
Kutch region under rainfed condition.
Integrated nutrient management
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Application of half dose of recommended N (HRD-N)
through fertilizer along with HRD-N through Gliricidia
leaves green manuring in between the two row of pearl
millet and clusterbean gave 42.6 and 17.4% higher yield,
respectively over control as well as improved fertility status
of soil.
Castor fertilized with 60-40-40 kg NPK ha -1 was found
optimum and resulted in 23.6% higher yield over control
(NP).
Application of 25% recommended dose of N as basal and
75% RDN at 20 to 25 DAS for rainfed pearl millet and
sorghum was beneficial for increasing yield and monetary
return.
Application of 50% RDN as basal and 50% RDN in
two equal splits at 20 to 25 DAS and 40 to 45 DAS is
recommended for castor.
In pearl millet, clusterbean and castor crop rotation,
integration of half recommended dose of N (HRD-N)
through fertilizer along with HRD-N through FYM
improved the yield of pearl millet, clusterbean and castor
to the extent of 99, 86 and 89%, respectively over control.
Application of three sprays of FeSO 4
@ 0.5% along with
ZnSO 4
@ 0.5% (with 0.05% citric acid and lime solution
@ 0.25%) at 30, 40 and 50 DAS along with recommended
dose of fertilizers (80+40 kg N, P 2
O 5
ha -1 ) on medium black
soil deficient in Fe and Zn under rainfed condition gave
higher grain and fodder yield of maize as well as monetary
return.
In green gram-sesame crop rotation on loamy sand soils
in organic farming, application of recommended dose of
nitrogen @ 20 kg ha -1 for green gram and 50 kg N ha -1
to sesame either through vermicompost or FYM gave the
maximum yield and net returns.
In castor-clusterbean crop rotation under rainfed conditions,
it is recommended to apply Azotobactor (Azo 8) + PSB (5
ml/kg seed) as seed treatment and 40 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 as basal
to both crops and 30 kg N ha -1 through vermicompost (2.5
t ha -1 ) and 30 kg N ha -1 through chemical fertilizer to castor

crop while 10 kg N ha -1 through vermicompost (0.83 t ha -1 )
and 10 kg N ha -1 through chemical fertilizer to clusterbean
crop for obtaining higher yield and net returns.
Energy management
●
Sowing of clusterbean (GG 2) with roto till drill gave higher
seed yield, monetary returns and rain water use efficiency
through better moisture conservation.
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
●
●
●
Compartmental bunding for moisture conservation and
higher productivity in pearl millet
Sowing of castor with ridges and furrow system method
Efficient and economic use of harvested rainwater for
sustainable crop production
Mulching of castor shell in rainfed castor
Cropping system
Intercropping systems
● Green gram + castor as a relay crop (2 :1
● Castor + greengram (1:1)
● Castor + greengram (1:2)
● Castor + cowpea (1:1)
● Castor + clusterbean (1:1)
● Castor + sesame (1:1)
● Pearmillet + sunnhemp (4:2)
Nutrient management
●
●
Foliar sprays effect of ZnSO 4
@ 0.5 % + FeSO 4
spray @
0.5% on yield of maize
Spacing (120 cm x 60 cm) and nitrogen requirement (75 kg
ha -1 ) in castor under rainfed condition
Integrated nutrient management
Crop
INM Practice
Pearl millet 50 % RDN through FYM (40 kg N ha -1 ) + 50 % RDN
through fertilizer (40 kg ha -1 ) + Azotobacter + PSB seed
treatment.
40 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 to be applied as common dose
Castor 50 % RDN through FYM(37.5 kg N ha -1 ) + 50 %
Cluster
bean
RDN(37.5 kg N ha -1 ) through fertilizer + 20 kg S ha -1 +
Azotobacter + PSB
40 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 to be applied as common dose
50 % RDN through FYM + 50 % RDN through fertilizer
+ Rhizobium + PSB and 40 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 to be applied as
common dose
Greengram 5 ton FYM + RDF (20,40 kg NP ha -1 ) + Rhizobium +
PSB
Contingency crop planning
For kharif planning
a. Suggested contingency crops/cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (1 st week of July)
●
●
Maize (GM-1, GM-3, GDYMH 1), sorghum (GJ 41, CISV
21,GFS 5), blackgram (GU-1), clusterbean (GG 1, GG2),
castor, groundnut (GG-5,7&TG 37), sesame, cotton, maize
(GM-3) + blackgram (GU-1); Maize (GM-4) + pigeonpea
(GT-101&GT-103); Castor (GCH-4, 7 & 8), castor +
cowpea (GC-4, 5 and 6), clusterbean (GG-1&2); Pearl
millet (GHB-538, GHB 1129), sesame (GT-1, 2 and 3)
Intercropping systems: Castor + greengram (GM-4), castor
+ cowpea; cotton + greengram (GM-4), cotton (GTHH 49
BG II, G. Cot. Hyb 8 (BG II) + cowpea (GC-5), mothbean
(GMO-2), fennel (GF 12l).
Delay by 4 weeks (3 rd week of July)
●
●
Maize (GM-1, GM-3), GDYMH 1 blackgram (GU-1),
groundnut (GG-5, 7 & TG 37)
Intercropping systems: Maize (GM-3) + blackgram (GU-
1); maize (GM-4) + pigeonpea (GT-101&GT-103); Fennel
(GF-2); Pearl millet (GHB-538, 577 and 1129); sesame
(GT-2&3); Clusterbean (GG 2), castor (GCH-4, 7 & 8),
castor (GCH-4, 5 & 7) + greengram (GM-4, 6), castor
(GCH-4, 7 & 8) + cowpea (GC-6), mothbean (GMO-2);
cotton + greengram (GM-4), cotton (Bt) + cowpea (GC-6);
Fodder sorghum (GFS 6
Delay by 6 weeks (1 st week of August)
●
Maize (GM-4) + pigeonpea (GT-101 & GT-103);
blackgram (T-9), pigeonpea (BDN-2); clusterbean (GG 2)
fodder sorghum (GJ 43, GJ-39); castor (GCH-4, 7 & 8),
fennel (GF-2, castor (GCH-4, 5 & 7) + cowpea (GC-6).
Delay by 8 weeks (3 rd week of August)
●
Maize (GM-4) + pigeonpea (GT-100 & GT-101); Blackgram
(T-9), pigeonpea (BDN-2); Fodder sorghum (GJ 43, GJ-39
GFS5, 6); Castor (GCH-4, 7 & 8), fennel (GF-2); castor
(GCH-4, 5 & 7) + cowpea (GC-6).
b. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
●
●
●●
●
Maintain plant population by gap filling, thinning and
resowing
Ridges and furrows
In-situ moisture conservation by opening conservation
furrow
Soil mulch by shallow interculturing
105

Mid-season drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Reduce plant population by 15 to 20% and use as mulch or
fodder
Repeated interculture
Mulching with crop residue or farm waste
Provide supplemental irrigation, alternate furrow irrigation
in castor and cotton if available
Foliar spray of 2% DAP + 1% KCI (MoP) during critical
stages of crop (flowering and grain formation)/Kaolin @
5%
Removal of lower matured leaves and use as mulch
Application of three sprays of FeSO 4
@ 0.5 % along with
ZnSO 4
@ 0.5 % (with 0.05 % citric acid and lime solution
@ 0.25 %) at 30, 40 and 50 DAS in maize
Terminal drought
● Harvest one row of pearl millet/maize at an interval of 3
lines and use as fodder
●
Harvest maize cobs, pods of cowpea, clusterbean, and
pigeanpea for vegetable purpose.
● Reduce leaf canopy by 20%
●
Provide life-saving irrigation, if available
For rabi planning
a. Crops and varieties for normal season
●
Dilseed (GD2, GD 3), Chickpea (GC 3, Gujarat chickpea
5), Mustard (GM 2,GDM 5)
b. Suggested crops and varieties for delayed season
●
Dilseed (GD2)
Agro-horti systems
●
Ber + greengram or fodder sorghum. The trees of Ber
are prunned every year in April, by the time it attains full
regrowth at the end of August, suitable field crops can be
taken viz., greengram or sorghum (fodder) (Spacing: 45 cm
for greengram and 30 cm for fodder sorghum and 80 + 40
kg N:P 2
O 5
ha -1 for fodder sorghum and 20 + 40 kg N:P 2
O 5
ha -1 for greengram) between two rows of ber (10 m x 6 m).
● Green gram or sorghum (fodder) (Spacing: 45 cm for
greengram and 30 cm for fodder sorghum and 80 + 40 kg
N: P 2
O 5
ha -1 for fodder sorghum and 20 + 40 kg N: P 2
O 5
ha -1
for greengram) between two rows of ber (10 m x 6 m).
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
Patel et al.
Dryland technologies were upscaled on farmers’ fields in
collaboration with KVKs, department of agriculture and
department of watershed, Government of Gujarat. District
agriculture contingency plans were upscaled with the
help of ATMA. The farm pond technology and soil and
water conservation measures such as deep ploughing and
compartmental bunding were upscaled through watershed
program. The centre in collaboration with other AICRP schemes
106
such as AICRP on small millet (pearl millet: GHB-558, GHB-
538, GHB 1129), and legume research station developed various
improved varieties of crops viz.,greengram: GM 3, GM 4, GM
6, cowpea: Gujarat Cowpea-1, Gujarat Cowpea-2, Gujarat
Cowpea-4, Gujarat Cowpea-6, clusterbean: GG- 1, GG 2 pigeon
pea: BDN 2. Oilseed research station (castor, GAUCH-1, GCH-
2, GCH-4, GCH-5, GCH-6, GCH-7 and GCH 8), mustard: GM
2, GDM 4& GDM 5 which helped to increase the productivity
of these dryland crops. All these varieties were evaluated and
upscaled through frontline demonstration in farmers’ fields in
the domain area through KVKs of SAUs, ATMA and other
line departments operating in the zone. Alternate land use
management practices, viz, intercropping of clusterbean and
sorghum in Ber and amla, were upscaled through department of
horticulture.
Impact of technologies
Sowing of castor crop with ridges and furrow method of sowing
for maximum use of harvested rain water in the furrows for
in-situ moisture conservation gave yield of 1398 kg ha -1 of castor
crop. Upscaling of this technology in 10% castor area (44970
ha) in North Gujarat region, the expected additional yield of
5666.2 metric tonnes with Rs. 8.32 crores as additional gain
to the farmers of this region. Adoption rate of compartmental
bunding for moisture conservation in North Gujarat is 41746 ha
(8.8%) and productivity of pearl millet is increased 8 to 10%. In
North Gujarat, at present this technology which gives Rs.16.3
crores additional income. With adoption of mulching with castor
shell in castor in North Gujarat the farmers can get 25% more
yield and net return of (Rs. 34939 ha -1 ) than farmers’ practice.
Intercropping of castor (GCH 7) + green gram (Gujarat Mung 4)
(1:1) gave castor equivalent yield of 1671 kg ha -1 and net return
of Rs. 64934 ha -1 with a B:C ratio of 4.96 as compared to sole
castor. Adoption of this technology is between 12 to 15% in
different districts. Adoption of integrated nutrient management
(75% RDN-FYM + 25% RDN-urea + PSB + Azotobacter) in
pearl millet helps in realizing an additional pearl millet yield of
1654 ton and Rs.2.15 crores in 5% rainfed area (5514 ha).
Way forward
The future research has to focus on sstrengthening of IFS in
dryland agriculture, to enhance in-situ moisture conservation
in soil, introduction of medicinal crops in dryland ecosystem,
rainwater management on watershed basis for intensification of
soil and water conservation, alternate land use system including
agri-silvi, agri-horti and horti-pastoral system, and INM with
focus to reduced dependence on external input. Technologies for
sustainable soil health management include enhancing moisture
holding capacity through use of alternate sources of organic
manures and sub soil manuring to improve nutrient availability
from deeper layers, Mechanization which include nano-coated
machinery for energy efficient small scale operation and crop
centric seed to seed mechanization.

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 107-117 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00025.2
Brief history of the Centre
AICRPDA centre, Bengaluru was started in August, 1970-71.
This centre is catering the research needs of dryland farmers of
Central Dry Zone (Zone-IV), Eastern Dry Zone (Zone-V) and
Southern Dry Zone (Zone VI) in the red loamy soils on finger
millet based production system. The mandate of the project is
(a) Optimizing the use of natural resources, i.e., rainfall, land,
water and to minimize soil and rainwater loss and environmental
degradation, (b) To evolve simple technology for sustainability,
increase crop productivity and economic viability, (c) To increase
stability of crop production over years by way of improvements
in natural resources and crop management systems and alternate
crop production technologies matching the weather aberrations,
(d) To develop alternate and sustainable land use systems and
(e) To evaluate improved dryland technologies and transfer
them to farmer’s fields.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
All India Co-ordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture,
Bengaluru centre is located in Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra
of UAS, Bengaluru on an area of 12 hectares. It is located in
the Agro-climatic Zone (V): Eastern Dry Zone of Karnataka
involving parts of Tumkur and entire Bengaluru (Rural),
Bengaluru (Urban), Kolar, Chikballapur and Ramanagara
districts having a total geographical area (TGA) of 17,96,838
ha with 8,48,120 ha area under cultivation. The climate in this
zone is semi-arid. Out of the total annual average rainfall of
751.9 mm, the south-west monsoon contributes 54.70%, while
25.20% is from north-east monsoon and 18.5%. is received
during summer. The onset (south-west) of monsoon is during
first week of June.
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days at
AICRPDA centre, Bengaluru
Rainfall
South west monsoon
(June-September)
North east Monsoon
(October-December)
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Central, Eastern and Southern Dry Zone of Karnataka
Mudalagiriyappa, M.N. Thimmegowda, B.G. Vasanthi and H.S. Latha
All India Co-ordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, UAS, GKVK,
Normal
rainfall (mm)
Normal rainy
days (No.)
508.9 33
237.9 14
Winter (January-February) 10.90 00
Summer (March-May) 171.6 10
Annual 929.3 57
Bengaluru-560 065, Karnataka
107
Major soil types
The zone has three major soil types and maximum area is covered
by red loamy soil (48% of total geographical area), followed by
red lateritic soil (33.49% of TGA) and red sandy loam (17.61%
of TGA). The eastern taluks of the zone are largely composed of
red sandy soils, while the western taluks have red loamy soils.
The central part the zone has laterite soils and laterite gravelly
soil (1.66% of to a limited extent).
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif are
finger millet, pigeonpea, maize, horsegram, groundnut, field
bean and cowpea.
Dryland agriculture problems
The problems related to domain districts are as enlisted below:
Soil and land management
●
●
●
Red soils have usually shallow depth and low moisture
retention capacity. The water holding capacity of these soils
varies between 10 and 15 cm per metre depth and this is not
sufficient to carry the crops for more than a month after the
cessation of rains. Therefore, only kharif crop is possible.
Crusting on drying is a serious problem in seedling
emergence and establishment of a good crop stand. Red
soils are normally poor in NPK and very low in organic
matter. At places, they are also deficient in Ca, S and B.
The soils have low CEC (10-15 Cmol (p + ) kg -1 which results
in low retention of exchangeable nutrients. These soils are
highly erodible.
Crop production
●
●
●
●
Due to delayed onset of monsoon, long dry spells during
crop growth, early cessation of rains and lower water
holding capacity of the soils, the crops suffer several cycles
of drought.
Heavy infestation of weeds.
Lack of suitable implements for land development, sowing
and inter-cultivation in various crops.
Mono-cropping, lack of crop diversification and integrated
farming system further reduces yield of crops.
Socio-economic
●
The socio-economic survey conducted in several places
highlighted the constraint of timely land preparation and
sowing.

●
●
●
●
The land holdings are very small and pose problems in
implementing land development programmes.
Due to poor economic status of the farmers, investment
capacity and risk bearing status is less.
Lack of support price for dryland crops and marketing
problems and predominant role of middle man.
Inadequate availability of agriculture inputs during
the season and for contingent measures due to weather
aberrations
Research initiatives since inception of the centre
AICRPDA centre, Bengaluru is catering the research needs of
dryland farmers of Southern Karnataka comprising of Zone- IV,
Zone-V and Zone-VI. The main focus is on location specific
problems considering the agro-climatic zones, predominant
rainfed production systems and socio-economic situation with
major emphasis on rain water management, integrated nutrient
management, energy management, crops and cropping systems,
contingency planning, tillage and farm machinery, drought
mitigation strategies and alternate land use system. Research
findings of the centre are being evaluated on farmer’s fields
through Operational Research Project, National Initiative on
Climate Resilient Agriculture and Rainfed integrated farming
system.
The milestones in the research on dryland agriculture in
Karnataka are:
1. Integrated Dryland Agriculture Development (IDLAD)
project in collaboration with State Department of Agriculture
and UAS, Bengaluru started from 1971-1981.
2. Action research-cum extension mode - Operational Research
Project on Dryland Agriculture started during 1976.
3. Watershed development project during 1983-84 with two
model watersheds, one at Mettemari in Kolar district and
other at Bommenahalli in Mysore district started with the
financial assistance from World Bank.
4. All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Agrometeorology
is in operation since from 1984.
5. Six ad hoc projects under soil and water conservation and
fertilizer management themes were in operation from 1990’s
to mid of 2000.
6. The financial support by various organizations in India and
abroad resulted in intensive work on dryland agriculture at
Bengaluru centre. These were;
a) Micro-nutrient management for enhancing the
productivity of dryland crops (2001)
b) Land use planning for management of agricultural
resources (2001)
c) Augmentation of green biomass for integrated nutrient
management in dryland crop production (2003)
Mudalagiriyappa et al.
108
d) Enabling rural poor for better livelihoods through
improved natural resource management in semi-arid
tropics of India (2003)
e) The Rural-Urban Interface of Bengaluru: A Space of
Transitions in Agriculture Economics and Society,
Sub-Project on Effect of Agricultural Water & Nutrient
Management on Farmers Livelihood (2016-2021)
f) Standardization of conservation agriculture practices for
Finger millet + Pigeonpea (8:2) intercropping system
(2016 to till date)
g) Comparative assessment of Aldor (30-00-05+7S) as an
alternative to Urea on yield and nutrient use efficiency of
rainfed maize in Karnataka (20121-2024)
h) Studies on different granular fertilizers and bio stimulants
on growth and yield of field crops (2022-23)
i) Effect of foliar application of different nano fertilizers
on nutrient use efficiency, productivity and economics of
finger millet (2021-24)
7. The dryland agriculture technology park comprising various
contingency crop planning measures consisting promising
dryland technologies were demonstrated in a large scale at
AICRPDA since from 2011 for the benefit of farmers and
other dignitaries visiting and nearly 5-6 lakh farmers visit
every year during krishi mela. Long term permanent manurial
trial on finger millet mono cropping and finger milletgroundnut
system is a heritage experiment in operation since
from 1978 for convincing the stakeholders.
8. Custom hiring centre at NICRA village established
during 2011 formed the basis for technical know-how for
establishing Krishi Yantra Dhare programme by Government
of Karnataka.
Significant achievements
Rainwater management
For effective conservation and management of rain water,
graded bunds and levelling of graded border strips in deep red
soils help to reduce the runoff losses and safe disposal of excess
water, thereby increasing the crop yields. Apart from this,
Khus and Nase grass as live bunds conserved soil and water by
reducing the soil loss and runoff by 36% in slope up to 2.5 %.
Vegetative barriers reduced runoff (11-12%) & soil loss (1.52-
1.70 t/ha/year) as compared to control (soil loss: 2.5 t/ha/year)
and helps in increasing the finger millet productivity. Also, insitu
soil moisture conservation through opening of conservation
furrow improved productivity by 25-30 %. Mulching with crop
residue in chilli resulted in enhanced moisture content in soil
which helped in obtaining higher growth and green chilli yield
(30-35%) than crop without mulching. Trench-cum-crescent
bund helped in enhancing productivity and profitability by

impounding water resulting in conservation of higher moisture
content of dryland orchards than that of no trenches. Lining of
farm ponds (brick lining and brick compartment lining) with
400-500 microns gauged LDPE (Low Density Poly Ethylene)
sheet with 8:1 ratio of soil-cement plastering to 5 cm thickness
mortar in brick lining 1m 2 rectangular brick compartments in
brick compartment lining on all the four sides of the farm pond
for higher stability helped in seepage control. The recommended
size of farm pond is 250 m 3 per hectare catchment with 12 m
× 12 m top length and width, 6 m × 6 m bottom length and
width and 3 m depth with 1:1 slope. Subsoiling at 2 m interval +
organic manure resulted in higher productivity and profitability
breaking down the hard subsoil helping in high soil moisture
conservation than the control.
Cropping systems
During early in the season growing of fodder pearl millet
and cowpea followed by green chilli and transplanted finger
millet, respectively was found to be promising double cropping
systems with increased yield and B:C ratio (3.55 and 3.36
respectively) over sole finger millet. During delayed onset of
monsoon, dry seeding of finger millet with higher seed rate
(7.5 kg ha -1 ) in anticipation of rain within 8-10 days was found
to be successful. Practicing cereal based intercropping system
(finger millet + pigeonpea (8:2)/ (10:2), maize + pigeonpea
(1:1) and finger millet + castor (10:1)), pulse based (pigeonpea
+ field bean (1:1), pigeonpea + cowpea (1:1)) and oilseed
based intercropping system (groundnut + pigeonpea (8:2),
groundnut + castor (10:1)) and also bud nipping of castor were
found to be promising by increasing the yield up to 25-30 %
with conservation furrow in paired rows of pigeonpea than sole
cropping. Also, alternate land use system involving finger millet
and mango performed better over their respective sole crops in
terms of growth and yield. Intercropping of amla with finger
millet (1427 kg ha -1 ) was found to be better intercrop among
amla based agri-horti systems, resulting in higher net returns
(₹. 29,446) than sole amla. Similarly, intercropping of custard
apple with fodder maize (2346 kg ha -1 ) was found to be better
in custard apple based agri-horti systems, resulting in higher net
returns (₹.1,19,672) and B:C ratio (6.67) than sole custard apple.
Integrated nutrient management
Integrated nutrient management viz., application of FYM @ 10
t/ha along with 100% NPK resulted in sustained finger millet
productivity and soil health with a mean productivity of 1.8 t/
ha. Similarly, ex-situ glyricidia green leaf manuring to supply
50% N +100% PK improved finger millet yield and also 50%
N through green leaf manure and 50% NPK in finger millet -
soybean-maize rotation system resulted in higher finger millet
(3004 kg/ha), maize (2790 kg/ha) grain yield as compared
to application of recommended NPK (2572 kg/ha, 1150 kg/
ha, respectively). Among secondary nutrients, application of
109
calcium through lime to 45% Ca saturation level (300-400 kg/
ha of agricultural lime) + recommended NPK (25:50:25 kg/ha)
to Alfisols improved the productivity of groundnut (1625 kg/ha)
with a B: C ratio 2.5. Similarly application of sulphur @ 10 kg/
ha in cowpea, blackgram, sunflower and groundnut increased
seed yield (1350, 1160, 1230 and 2000 kg/ha, respectively) as
compared to control. Application of higher dose of potassium
(37.5 kg/ha instead of 25 kg/ha) increased the yield in finger
millet (3.5-3.9 t/ha) and application of nitrogen @ 40 kg ha -1 and
potassium @ 20 kg ha -1 resulted in higher grain and straw yield
of little millet (730 & 1282 kg ha -1 respectively) and application
of nitrogen @ 60 kg ha -1 and potassium @ 20 kg ha -1 resulted in
higher grain and straw yield of foxtail millet (856 & 2063 kg ha -
1
) than farmers practice (without potassium application). Also,
application of zinc and boron along with NPK increased seed
yield by 15-21% in finger millet, 8-31% in pulses and 15-37%
in oilseeds over farmers practice. Crop rotation with legumes
resulted in higher yield of finger millet. Mixing of finger millet
seeds with complex fertilizers like DAP gave higher grain yield
(2460 kg/ha) and B:C ratio (2.11) as compared to broadcasting
method. Band placement of phosphatic fertilizer below the seed
line resulted in higher grain yield of 5210 kg/ha compared to
broadcasting (4690 kg/ha) in maize.
Crop improvement
Sowing suitable finger millet varieties (Long duration:
MR-1, MR-6, Medium duration: GPU-28, KMR-301 and Short
duration: GPU-28, KMR-316, ML-365) depending upon onset of
monsoon is important contingent crop plan for aberrant weather
and these promising varieties resulted in higher yield and also
reduced the risk of crop failure. Among pulses, improved
varieties in horse gram (PHG-9), pigeonpea (BRG- 1, BRG-2
and BRG-5), field bean (HA-3 and HA-4) and vegetable cowpea
(IT-38956-1, PKB-4 and PKB-6) were promising varieties as
compared to local cultivars. Similarly, among the different
oilseed crops, improved high yielding varieties of groundnut
(JL-24, Chintamani-2, ICGV-91114 and GKVK-5), sunflower,
(KBSH-44 and KBSH-53), sesame (TMV-3), Niger (KBN-1
and KBN-2) and castor (DCS-9) were found to be promising
under dryland condition. Further, Samrudhi a high yielding
chilli variety was found to be promising for green chilli purpose
and recorded 30% higher yield as compared to local varieties.
Energy management
Tractor drawn deep tillage equipment like disc plough, mould
board plough and chisel plough conserves more moisture in the
lower strata of soil and helped in better growth, yield of maize
and pigeonpea and in-situ green manure incorporation through
tractor drawn rotovator (covers one hectare in 90 minutes)
resulted in higher yield (32.6%) with reduction in 50-60%
energy costs. Further, tractor drawn post hole digger helped
in reducing the cost of opening pits by 60-70% depending

upon size of pits. Modified bullock drawn seed drill for finger
millet based intercropping system reduced sowing cost up to
30% (Operational cost is Rs. 400-500/- per hectare). Bullock
drawn multi-furrow opener for groundnut sowing covered an
area of 1.5-2.0 ha/day and cost of operation is Rs. 100-125/ha.
Improved hand tools (improved sickles enhanced efficiency of
operation by 25-30 %) and improved hand weeders require only
5 persons to cover one hectare in a day, whereas 25 persons are
required for doing same work by traditional method. It reduced
weeding cost up to 70% (Cost of operation is Rs. 500-600 per
hectare). Adoption of post-harvest processing equipment like
groundnut decorticator for efficient shelling (98%) reduces cost
by 75% with operation cost of Rs. 250-300/quintal. Improved
tractor drawn seed-cum-fertilizer drill helped in maintaining
optimum plant population and reduced the seed rate up to 70%
compared to farmer's practice (Broadcasting). This seed drill
can also be used in different cropping system viz., intercropping,
strip cropping etc.
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●●
●
●
●
Khus and Nase grass as live bunds to conserve soil and
water
Deep trencher for soil moisture conservation in arable and
non-arable lands
Borewells recharge with filter bed using runoff water
Farmpond for rainwater harvesting in red soils with lining
for seepage control
Cropping systems
●
●
●
●
●
Samrudhi: A high yielding chilli variety for rainfed
situations
Nipping in rainfed castor for higher productivity
Groundnut based intercropping system
Double cropping of cowpea-finger millet
Dry seeding of finger millet under dryland condition
Inter cropping systems
● Finger millet + pigeonpea (8:2)
● Groundnut + pigeonpea (8:2)
● Pigeonpea + field bean (1:1)
● Pigeonpea + cowpea (1:1)
● Maize + pigeonpea (4:1)
Double / triple cropping systems
●
●
●
●
●
Field bean-finger millet
Cowpea-finger millet
Sesame-finger millet
Fodder pearl millet-cowpea
Fodder pearl millet-chilli
Mudalagiriyappa et al.
110
Nutrient management
●
●●
●●
●
●
Micronutrient application for higher yield of rainfed crops
In-situ green manuring incorporation for higher finger
millet productivity
Glyricidia for green leaf manuring to improve soil health
and crop productivity
Potassium management in finger millet
Potassium management in foxtail and little millet
Integrated nutrient management practices
Crop
Finger millet
INM practice
FYM / compost (7.5 t/ha) eupatorium green manure
(9-9.5 t/ha) / horsegram in-situ incorporation+
recommended NPK + bio fertilizers (seed treatment
with Azospirillum @ 200 g/ha) + 50:40:37.5 kg
NPK/ha and Zn 5 kg/ha and Borax 4 kg/ha
Sorghum FYM/ compost (5 t/ha) + recommended NPK +
seed treatment with Azospirillum @ 500 g/ha and
PSB @ 500 g/ha
Maize
Horsegram
Pigeonpea,
cowpea and
field bean
FYM / compost (7.5 t/ha) + 100:50:25 kg NPK/ha
25:38:25 kg NPK/ha + seed treatment with
Rhizobium @ 500 g/ha + PSB @ 500 g/ha
FYM / compost (7.5 t/ha) + 25:50:25 kg NPK/ha
+seed treatment with Rhizobium @ 500 g/ha + PSB
@ 500 g/ha
Groundnut Glyricidia @ 2.5-3.0 t/ha + FYM / compost (7.5 t/
ha) + 25:50:25 kg NPK/ha + seed treatment with
Rhizobium @ 400 g/ha and PSB @ 1 kg/ha +
recommended gypsum + zinc @ 10 kg/ha and boron
@ 10 kg /ha
Sunflower
Castor
Niger
Minor millets
Foliar nutrition/spray
Crop
FYM/compost (5 t/ha) + 13:25:25 kg NPK/ha
FYM/compost (5 t/ha) + 38:50:38 kg NPK/ha
FYM/compost (5 t/ha) + 20:40:20 kg NPK/ha
FYM/compost (5 t/ha) + 20:20:20 kg NPK/ha
Foliar nutrition
Finger millet • Foliar spray of 2% KNO 3
• Foliar spray of Thiourea (250 g ha -1 )
• Foliar spray of 1% KCl
Energy management
●
●
●
●
Modified bullock drawn seed drill for finger millet
Improved hand tools and equipments in dry farming
Tractor drawn rotovator for in-situ green manure
incorporation in Alfisols
Mixing of finger millet seeds with DAP fertilizer for sowing
by seed drill

●
Management of soil surface crust in Alfisols
● Maize + pigeonpea (3:1)
●
Tractor drawn deep tillage equipment for Alfisols
●
Pigeonpea BRG-2 as intercrop
●
Groundnut decorticator for groundnut shelling
● Bullock drawn automatic seed drill for finger millet +
pigeonpea intercropping system
Alternate land use
●
●
●
Mango/sapota/tamarind + finger millet agri-horti system
for sustainable income in drylands
Amla based agri-horti system involving cereals and pulses
in drylands
Custard apple based agri-horti system for sustainability
Integrated farming systems
●
Integrated farming system for land use planning and
sustainable management of natural resources in drylands
Contingency crop planning
For kharif planning
a. Crop/cropping system for normal onset of monsoon: June
1 st week
●
●
Finger millet - MR-1, MR-6, L-5, KMR-301, HR-911
Maize - MAH 14-5, Hema, Nithya Shree
● Greengram –PS-16, KKM-3, PDM 84-178
Delay by 6 weeks (3 rd week of July)
●
●
●
●
Finger millet - GPU-28
Little millet - CO-2, PRC-3
Foxtail millet - RS-118,K-221-1
Inter-cropping of maize with cowpea, blackgram, greengram
and field bean
Delay by 8 weeks (1 st week of August)
●
●
●
Finger millet – GPU-28, GPU-66, ML-365, GPU-48, GPU-
26, KMR-204
Little millet - CO-2 and PRC-3
Foxtail millet - RS-118 and K-221-1
● Cowpea- KBC-1, KBC-2, IT 38956-1, KN-5, KBC 9
●
●
●
●
Soybean- MAUS-2 KBS-23
Sunflower- KBSH-44, KBSH-53, KBSH-78
Field bean - HA-3, HA-4 and HA-5
Cowpea - IT-38956-1
c. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
● Black gram – T-9, Rashmi, LBG 791
●
●
●
●
Pigeonpea - BRG-2, TTB-7
Sesame- JT-1, TMV-3
Cowpea - TVX-944-2E, IT-38956-1, KBC-1, KBC-2
Groundnut - JL-24, K-134, GPBD-4
● Intercropping systems: Finger millet + pigeonpea (8:2);
finger millet + field bean (4:1); finger millet + niger (4:1);
maize + pigeonpea (4:1); maize + french bean (3:1)
b. Suggested contingency crops / cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (3 rd week of June)
● Intercropping systems: Finger millet + pigeonpea (8:2);
finger millet + field bean (4:1) finger millet + niger (4:1);
finger millet (MR-1, MR-6 L-5); maize + pigeonpea (3:1);
maize + french bean (3:1); pigeonpea (BRG-2, TTB-7)
●
Cowpea (TVX-944-2E, IT-38956-1); pigeonpea (BRG-2)
Delay by 4 weeks (1 st week of July)
● Intercropping systems: Finger millet + pigeonpea (8:2);
finger millet + field bean(4:1); Finger millet + niger
●
●
●
●
Finger millet - MR-1, MR-6, L-5, HR-911
Groundnut - JL-24, TMV-2, GPBD-4, K-134, VRI-2
Pigeonpea - BRG-2, TTB-7
Cowpea - TVX-944-2E, IT-38956-1
111
Early season drought
●
●
●
●
Re-sowing with short duration varieties, if germination is
failed
Staggered nursery raising of finger millet and transplanting
Thinning and gap filling to maintain optimum plant
population
Contingency crop: Medium duration variety viz., GPU-
28, and short duration variety viz., GPU-48 for early,
delayed and very late monsoon. For late kharif, cowpea (IT
38956-1), horsegram (PHG-9), sunflower and minor millets
viz., same, navane, haraka and oodalu can be sown.
Mid-season drought
●
Repeated inter-cultivation coupled with weeding and weed
mulching
● Foliar spray of 1% KNO 3
● In finger millet-thinning, pruning leaf tips, postponement
of top dressing (till optimum moisture is available) thinning
plant population and mulching
●
●
●
●
Soil mulching
Protective irrigation at critical stages using harvested farm
pond water
Opening of conservation furrows at an interval of 10-15 m
In groundnut, earthing up, apply gypsum after receipt of
rains

●
Controlled grazing by animals to reduce excess vegetative
growth and to minimize transpiration in finger millet and
horsegram
Terminal drought
●
●
Removal of cob less plants and use as green fodder
Harvest at physiological maturity stage (pigeonpea and
field bean)
irrigation if available
Mudalagiriyappa et al.
●
●
●
In case of severe drought, maize crop to be harvested for
table purpose, field bean and pigeonpea to be harvested
as green pods ,topping of maize if grain filling stage is
completed
Harvest whatever crop is available and immediately
conserve the soil moisture for rabi
Irrigate crops through harvested rain water as life-saving
RTCPs info for delayed onset of monsoon and early/midseason/terminal drought in various crops
Condition
Early season drought
(delayed onset)
Delay by 2 weeks June
3 rd week
Delay by 4 weeks July
1 st week
Pigeonpea
Field bean
Groundnut + Pigeonpea
Nipped castor
Delay by 6
weeks July
3 rd week
Shallow
red soils
Suggested contingency measures
Crop/ cropping system Change in crop/ cropping system Agronomic measures
Finger millet
Maize
Groundnut
Pigeonpea
Cowpea and castor
Maize
Maize + pigeonpea (1:1)
a. Groundnut +
pigeonpea (8:2)
b. Groundnut + Castor
(8:1)
Pigeonpea: BRG-1,
BRG-2, BRG-5
No change -
a. Finger millet +
pigeonpea (8:2)
b. Finger millet + Field
bean (4:1)
Pigeonpea: BRG-1,
BRG-2
No change
Continued up to 15 th July
Groundnut: GKVK-5,
KCG-6, ICGV-91114
No change
Finger millet
a. Finger millet + pigeonpea (8:2)
b. Finger millet + Field bean (4:1)
c. Finger millet: MR-1, MR-6, L-5
• Continued up to July end for finger
millet based system
• Finger millet: MR-1, MR-2, MR-6,
L-5
• Maize + pigeonpea (1:1)
No change: Finger millet MR-1, MR-2,
MR-6, L-5
a. Finger millet + pigeonpea (8: 2)
b. Finger millet + field bean (8:1)
112
Conservation furrow
• Use of downey mildew and leaf sheath blight
resistant maize hybrids (NAH 2049, NAH 1137).
Seed treatment with metalaxyl @ 4 g/kg
• Seed treatment with Rhizobium
• Soil application of gypsum @ 500 kg/ha,
earthingup.
ZnSO 4
application @ 10 kg/ha
Thinning, ridges and furrow
• In finger millet: Dry sowing 8-10 days before
rains with 15-20 % higher seed rate
• Nursery – transplanting (Long duration varieties
of finger millet)
• Seed hardening (18 hours soaking in water
followed by 24 hours shade drying)
• Thinning to retain one seedling at 30 cm in
pigeonpea
• Inter cultivation
• Conservation furrow
• In groundnut: Seed treatment with Rhizobium
and soil application of gypsum @ 500 kg/ha,
earthing up. ZnSO4 application @ 10 kg/ha.
Use pigeonpea (BRG-2) for intercropping with
finger millet
• In finger millet: Dry sowing 8-10 days before
rains with 15-20 % higher seed rate
• Nursery–transplanting (Long duration verities of
finger millet)
Seed hardening (18 hours soaking in water
followed by 24 hours shade drying)
Pigeonpea No change Thinning to retain one seedling at 30 cm
Groundnut No change In groundnut: Seed treatment with Rhizobium,
soil application of gypsum @ 500 kg/ha, earthing
up. ZnSO 4
application @ 10 kg/ha

Condition
Delay by 8 weeks
August 1 st week
Delay by 10
weeks
August 3 rd week
Delay by 12
weeks
September 1 st
week
Crop/ cropping system
Change in crop/ cropping
system
Finger millet GPU-28, GPU-66, ML 365,
HR 911
Field bean
Cowpea
Finger millet
Field bean
Foxtail millet
HA-3 and HA-4
TVX-944, IT-38956-1
Short duration variety: GPU-
48, GPU-84
HA-4
CO-2, PRC-3
Little millet RS 118
Niger
Horse gram
Cowpea
Fodder crops
No-71, KBN-1
PHG-9
IT-38956-1
Fodder bajra, fodder maize
and fodder sorghum
Suggested contingency measures
Agronomic measures
• In finger millet: Dry sowing 8-10 days before rains with
15-20% higher seed rate
• Nursery raising of seedlings of medium duration varieties
and transplanting
• Seed hardening – 18 hrs. soaking in water followed by 24 hrs
shade drying
Inter cultivation and opening of conservation furrow
• Finger millet-Dry sowing 8-10 days before rains with
15-20% higher seed rate
• Nursery raising and transplanting
• Seed hardening
• Intercultivation and conservation furrow
Thinning in deficit rainfall situation
Field bean HA-4 • Finger millet- Dry sowing 8-10 days before rains with 15-
Little millet RS 118
20% higher seed rate
• Nursery raising and transplanting
Foxtail millet
CO-2, PRC-3
• Seed hardening
Niger
No-71, KBN-1
• Intercultivation and conservation furrow
• Thinning in deficit rainfall situation
Horse gram
PHG-9
Cowpea
Fodder crops
IT-38956-1
Fodder bajra, fodder maize
and fodder sorghum
Condition
Normal Crop/ cropping system
Crop management
Suggested contingency measures
Soil management
Early season drought
(Normal onset,
followed by 15-20
days dry spell after
sowing leading to poor
germination/ crop
stand, etc.)
Finger millet
Finger millet + Pigeonpea (8:2)
Maize
Maize + PP(1:1)
Maize + FB (3:1)
Maize + Cowpea (3:1)
Pigeonpea
Field bean
GN
GN + PP (8:2)
Cowpea
• Thinning and gap filling
• Resowing if poor
establishment
• Contingent crops and
varieties
• Inter-cultivation to create dust mulch
• Weeding and mulching
• Protective irrigation at places where there
are facilities
• Opening conservation furrow
113

Mudalagiriyappa et al.
Condition
Mid season drought
(long dry spell) At
vegetative stage
Normal Crop/ cropping system
Finger millet
Finger millet + Pigeonpea (8:2)
Maize + Pigeonpea (1:1)
Pigeonpea
Field bean
Groundnut
Cowpea
Groundnut + Pigeonpea
Crop management
• Finger millet –Thinning,
postponement of top dressing
(till optimum moisture is
available)
• Earthing up, apply gypsum
@ 500 kg/ha after receipt of
rains. Life saving irrigation
Suggested contingency measures
Soil management
• Intercultivation to create dust mulch
• Opening conservation furrow between
paired rows of pigeonpea
• Grazing flag leaf in finger millet
• 1% potassium spray
Horse gram • Thinning • Intercultivation to create dust mulch
Condition
Terminal drought
Normal Crop/ cropping system
Finger millet: MR-1, MR-2, MR-6, L-5,
HR-911
FM + PP (8:2)
FM + FB (4:1)
Maize
Maize + Pigeonpea (1:1)
Pigeonpea
Field bean
GN + PP
Cowpea
Crop management
• Life saving irrigation
• Harvest pulses (pigeonpea
and field bean) at
physiological maturity for
vegetable purpose
Suggested contingency measures
Rabi crop planning
Cowpea, field bean, horse gram, chickpea,
fodder crops like fodder bajra and fodder
maize
• Protective irrigation
• Topping of maize if grain filling stage is completed
• Harvest pigeonpea at physiological maturity for vegetable purpose
• Harvest for vegetable purpose
• Field bean to be harvested as green pods
• Pigeonpea to be harvested as green pods
• Harvest for vegetable
purpose
Unusual rains (Untimely, unseasonal etc.)
Condition
Continuous high rainfall in a short
span leading to water logging
Finger millet
Groundnut
Pigeonpea
Suggested contingency measures
Vegetative stage Flowering stage Maturity stage Post-harvest
• Draining excess
water
• Weeding and top
dressing with urea
• Safe disposal of
excess of water
• Safe disposal of
excess of water
• Draining excess
water
• Safe disposal of
excess of water
• Safe disposal of
excess of water
• Draining excess water
• Tying up of lodged plant
• Harvesting at physiological
maturity
• Safe disposal of excess of water
• Safe disposal of excess of water
• Harvesting and drying of plants
• Plant protection measures for
control of pod borers and other pests
• Proper drying and
storage of grains
• Dry in shade and
turn heap frequently
• Proper drying
and storage with
pest management
practices
114

For rabi planning
Crops and varieties for normal season
Chickpea - JJ 11, Annigere-1
Fodder maize - SA tall
Fodder bajra - Giant bajra
Agroforestry systems
Mango/sapota/amla/ custard apple based agri-horti systems with
finger millet/fodder maize as intercrops
Crop
Mango
Sapota
Amla
Custard apple
Agroforestry
Crop
Inter row spacing
5 m ×5 m, 8 m × 8 m
10 m × 10 m, 12 m × 12 m
6 m × 6 m, 10 m × 10 m
5 m ×5 m
Trees for fodder
Recommended spacing
Boundary
planting
Orchards
Management
Practice
Melia dubia 3 × 3 m 5 × 5 m • Regular
Subabool 3 × 3 m 5 × 5 m
Sesbania
grandiflora
Casuarina,
Silver oak
Agri-Pastures
3 × 3 m 5 × 5 m
Silver oak + CO-3 multi-cut fodder
pruning
• Removing of
termites
• Weeding
should be
done twice
per month
upto the age
of three year
plantation
- 2 × 2 m • Pruning,
weeding and
thinnin
Recommended
Inter crops
Finger millet,
soya bean, field
bean, pigeonpea
Finger millet,
soya bean, field
bean, pigeonpea
and vegetable
crops
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
Nine technologies under rain water management, 17 technologies
under cropping systems, 12 technologies under integrated
nutrient management, 9 technologies under participatory
varietal selection/ crop improvement, 12 technologies under
energy management theme were published in package of
practice of UAS-Bengaluru and the same technologies were
implemented and upscaled in farmer’s field in collaboration with
KVK, department of agriculture and department of watershed,
Government of Karnataka.
-
District wise contingency plan and various drought proofing
action plans in the domain agro-climatic zones of the centre
were upscaled with the help of KSDA. The centre, in
collaboration with other AICRP schemes such as AICRP on
small millet, sunflower, pigeonpea and arid legumes developed
various improved varieties of crops viz., Samrudhi chilli, IT-
38956-1 cowpea, PHG-9 horsegram, BRG-5 pigeonpea which
helped to increase the productivity of these dryland crops. All
these varieties were evaluated and upscaled through front line
demonstrations in farmers field, organising field day, etc., in
the domain area through KVK’s of SAU’s, ATMA and other
line departments operating in the zone. Alternate land use
management practices, viz, intercropping in custard apple, amla,
mango and sapota and seed production of new varieties of seeds
was up scaled through department of horticulture under NHM
scheme.
The soil fertility management was upscaled through Bhoo
Chethana program of KSDA & ICRISAT. The SHG’s and FPO's
are operating at village level helped in upscaling of dryland
technologies. The agromet advisory regarding climate change
and a suitable measure that has to be followed was implemented
with the help of AICRP on Agrometerology. The farm pond
technology through Krishi Bhagya scheme, soil and water
conservation measures such as deep ploughing, bunding and
deep trenches in orchards through watershed program helped in
upscaling the dryland technologies.
Impact of technologies
Crop management practices like crop cultivation across the slope
with khus and nase as live barrier at 15 m interval for land slope
of 1-3% reduced and runoff by 36% and soil loss from 1.52 -
1.70 t/ha/year. Similarly opening of trenches up to 30-60 cm
depth and width 50-60 cm using tractor was found to be suitable
for conserving runoff water and this was more suitable for fruit
orchards which helped in getting higher yield. Modified seed
drill helps in maintaining recommended row to row spacing of
30 cm with reduced implement weight by reducing one bowl,
as compared to local implement. It reduces sowing operation
cost up to 30%. The cost of the modified seed drill is Rs.3000/-.
This seed drill has been used by many farmers in few villages of
Kanakapura through Operational Research Project and also in
Nelamangala through National Initiative on Climate Resilient
Agriculture project. Farmers realized that newly modified seed
drill is good and convenient to control weed growth.
By recharging bore well the discharge of bore well was improved
which led to effective utilization of runoff water in dryland and
enhanced the ground water level and yield of defunct bore wells.
The farm ponds lined with 400-500 micron gauge LDPE helped
in minimizing seepage losses and stored water could be used
for two protective irrigations during 20-25 days long dry spell
115

for horticulture crops around the farm pond. This technology
was taken up as one of the flagship programmes under “Krishi
Bhagya” scheme of KSDA which led to popularization of farm
ponds. The farm pond technology (12 m × 12 m top width and
length, 6 m × 6 m bottom width and length, depth of 3 m with
1:1 side slope for one hectare catchment area) is developed by
AICRPDA centre, Bengaluru. This technology is integrated into
Krishi Bhagya scheme of Karnataka and upscaled in Bengaluru
Rural District. About 4 farm ponds are dug out in 4 farmer’s
fields at Bengaluru Rural District. The stored rainwater in farm
pond is being used for supplemental irrigation in rainfed crops
resulting 20-25% in yield advantage/ha and 15-20% income
benefit/ha to the farmers. Similarly, at Kolar 14,424 numbers
of farm ponds are dug in farmer’s field during 2015-2020 by
the KSDA with the technical support of AICRPDA Bengaluru
centre. The stored rainwater in farm pond is being used for
supplemental irrigation in rainfed crops.
Finger millet is grown in an area of 10.2 lakh ha in domain
with mean productivity of 1800 kg/ha during normal rain fall.
By sowing suitable variety depending upon onset of monsoon,
productivity level can be maintained on average of 2100-2200
kg/ha under rainfed condition. Sowing suitable finger millet
varieties depending upon onset of monsoon will increase the
yield and also reduce risk of crop failure. Farmers have the
option of choosing a right variety for right time of sowing.
Improved high yielding varieties of pigeonpea (BRG-1 and
BRG-2), field bean (HA-3 and HA-4) and vegetable cowpea
(PKB-4 and PKB-6) are recommended for rainfed situation
based on their long- term performance. Horse gram is grown in
an area of 0.69 lakh ha in the domain with a mean productivity
of 700-725 kg/ha. Horse gram variety PHG-9 is high yielding,
fairly tolerant to powdery mildew and has bold grain with yield
of 850-950 kg /ha. New variety of cowpea IT38956-1 tolerant to
leaf spot and rust disease suits well for both early and late kharif,
also well suited for double and intercropping system in rainfed
agriculture. Among the different oilseed crops improved high
yielding varieties of groundnut - JL-24, Chintamani-2, ICGV
91114, GKVK-5, sunflower - KBSH-44 and KBSH-53 are
suitable for delayed onset of monsoon as contingent crop, sesame
- TMV-3 (suitable for double cropping), Niger - KBN-1 and
castor - DCS-9 suitable for intercropping in groundnut) helped
in increasing productivity in dryland agriculture. Samrudhi, a
high yielding open pollinated variety of chilli performed well in
dryland situation. Adoption of this variety in 30% of total chilli
area could sustain, green chilli yield.
Growing of finger millet and pigeonpea 10:2 or 8:2 row ratios
using seed drill and maintaining 60 cm spacing between paired
row of pigeonpea helps in conserving water in the furrow and
also the productivity of finger millet can be improved to 2.2-
Mudalagiriyappa et al.
2.5 t/ha during normal rainfall and risk can be reduced during
unfavourable rainfall. This technology is integrated into KSDA
plans/programme in Bengaluru Rural District, Karnataka. This
technology is being adopted on 500 farmer’s field in the district
resulting in 10-15% yield advantage and 15-20% income benefit
to the farmers. Adoption of pulse based intercropping system
involving pigeonpea + field bean (1:1), pigeonpea + cowpea
(1:1), pigeonpea + groundnut (2:4) helped in obtaining 30-40%
higher income than sole crops and also the incorporation of crop
residue enhanced the soil fertility. Intercropping groundnut +
pigeonpea (8:2), groundnut + castor (8:1) is popular. By adopting
this intercropping system, there is good scope for improving the
productivity from 1.4 to 1.6 t/ha during normal rainfall and risk
can be reduced during unfavourable rainfall years. Similarly,
bud nipping in rainfed castor helps in getting higher yield up
to 40%. Intercropping nipped castor with finger millet recorded
higher castor equivalent yield compared to sole castor. If the
improved cropping system is adopted, there is good scope for
improving the productivity to 1.7 t/ha during normal rainfall
years and risk can be reduced during unfavourable rainfall years.
Bimodal distribution of rainfall is favourable for double
cropping thus double cropping of cowpea followed by finger
millet in assured rainfall area helped in sustaining yield and
getting additional income. By following dry sowing of finger
millet, the productivity can be enhanced from 3.74 to 4.03 t/ha
and large area can be sown prior to rain. If this double cropping
of cowpea followed by finger millet in assured rainfall areas of
the state (at least 50 per cent of finger millet area), certainly it is
possible to realize an additional cowpea yield of 2,65,200 tons
or a monetary benefit of Rs. 1.01 crore apart from succeeding
finger millet with improved soil health.
In-situ incorporation of horse gram biomass (18-20 t/ha)
helped in enhancing grain yield upto 2.5 t/ha and saving
50% recommended nitrogen to finger millet. Similarly,
ex-situ glyricidia green leaf manuring to supply 50% N +100
% PK improved finger millet yield and the productivity can be
increased with saving of 50% NPK besides maintaining good
soil health. Applying higher dose of potassium (37.5 kg/ha
instead of 25 kg/ha) increased the yield, thus by upscaling of
this improved nutrient management practice, the productivity
can be further improved to 3.5-3.9 t/ha. Application of NPK +
lime to 45% Ca saturation (300-400 kg/ha of agricultural lime)
to Alfisols improved the productivity of groundnut. Application
of sulphur @ 10 kg/ha to cowpea, blackgram, sunflower and
groundnut recorded 25% higher yield. Application of zinc and
boron with NPK increased seed yield of finger millet, pulses
and oilseeds.
Integrated nutrient management, viz., application of FYM
@ 10 t/ha with 100% NPK resulted in sustained finger millet
116

productivity and soil health with a mean productivity of 1.8 t/ha.
Mixing of finger millet seeds with complex fertilizers like DAP
gives higher grain yield as compared to broadcasting method of
fertilizer application. Application of farm yard manure (FYM) @
10 t/ha or maize residue @ 5 t/ha or 2 t/ha of gypsum depending
upon soil pH to finger millet helps in reducing soil crusting with
increased seedling emergence, reduced yield loss to the extent
of 30-40% besides maintaining good soil productivity. Rotation
of finger millet with groundnut integrated with organic manure
resulted in sustained finger millet productivity and soil health as
compared to monocropping of finger millet. Rotation of finger
millet with groundnut resulted in 19-20% increased yield and
soil fertility.
Using deep tillage equipments like disc plough, MB plough and
chisel plough ensures higher yield due to in-situ conservation of
moisture. Sowing finger millet using modified seed drill ensures
recommended row spacing with reduced drudgery of operation.
Improved hand weeder reduce weeding cost up to 70%, and
increase the efficiency by reducing the energy required to
operate. Likewise, improved sickles reduce drudgery to the
extent of 25-30% compared to locally available sickles.
Custom Hiring Centre (CHC) for farm implements/machinery
in Chikkaputtyanaplaya village, Bengaluru Rural District,
Karnataka State is established in the year 2011 by AICRPDA
Centre, Bengaluru under All India Coordinated Research Project
for Dryland Agriculture (AICRPDA) - National Innovations in
Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA). This CHC is enabling
the farmers to hire farm implements/machinery at an affordable
cost for various agricultural operations in various crops with
high energy use efficiency. This has enabled timely operations
and promoted small farm mechanization.
Way forward
The Karnataka state has 7.0 m ha of net rainfed area out of 10.3
m ha of net sown area accounting for nearly 70 per cent of the
total cultivated area. About 67 per cent of the total cultivated
area receives an average rainfall of less than 750 mm with
intermittent dry spells. The rainfed areas suffer from constraints
with respect to soil and crop management and socio-economic
issues. Reduction in human resource due to exodus of rural
youth to nearby towns has added another dimension to dryland
problems.
The All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland
Agriculture (AICRPDA) has carried out location specific
adaptive research in a network mode which resulted in
development of improved dryland technologies in the areas of
rainfed cropping systems, drought management, soil and water
conservation, nutrient management and farm mechanization.
Some of these technologies have already formed part of package
of practices for crops in different states. However, in view of
the increasing importance of rainfed agriculture and the need
for boosting productivity, emphasis is required on climate
smart natural resource management such as development of
best management practices (BMP), water conservation and soil
aquifer treatment (SAT) for sustainable agriculture, application
of communication & information technology and developing
and implementing IT solutions in rain water management, nanotechnology
for soil and water conservation, evaluation of soil
moisture retainers bio-irrigation technique as a drought proofing
strategy, expansion of alternate land use practices as a long
term strategy, promoting commercial dryland agriculture with
protective cultivation under harvested rain water, harnessing
solar energy in non-crop space including harvested water
bodies to fulfil the farm energy demand, e-dryland portal with
emphasis on large scale dissemination of weather forecast, agroadvisory
and interactive modules. Technologies for sustainable
soil health management includes enhancing moisture holding
capacity through use of alternate sources of organic manures,
sub soil manuring to improve nutrient availability from deeper
layers, studies on carbon emission and carbon sequestration
under different land use systems, conservation agriculture, and
geospatial technologies for soil resource management. In crop
improvement, screening of genotypes for multiple resistances
in different dryland crops with major emphasis on drought
tolerance, short duration for climate extremities is essential.
Mechanization and secondary agriculture plays important role
which includes nano coated machinery for energy efficient small
scale operation, crop centric seed to seed mechanization facilities
for small holder farm, and secondary agriculture including postharvest
management. The above listed are some of the issues to
cater to the need of the hour to increase the productivity.
117

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 118-122 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00026.4
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
North Saurashtra Zone of Gujarat
D.S. Hirpara, P.D. Vekariya, V.D. Vora, K.S. Jotangiya, M.L. Patel and S.C. Kaneriya
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture centre,
Junagadh Agriculture University, Targhadia (Rajkot) – 360 003, Gujarat
Email: dshirpara@jau.in
Brief history of the Centre
The All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland
Agriculture Centre was started in 1972 under Junagadh
Agriculture University. This Centre has been catering to the
needs of the North Saurashtra Agro-climatic Zone for the seven
domain districts viz. Rajkot, Morbi, Jamnagar, Devbhumi
Dwarka, Surendranagar, Bhavnagar and Amreli.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
The climate in this zone is semi-arid. Out of the total annual
average rainfall of 680 mm, the south- west monsoon contributes
70-80%. The normal onset of monsoon is during 1 st or 2 nd week
of June and withdrawal is during 1 st or 2 nd week of October.
The crops experience dry spells during second to fourth week of
August to second week of September. The mean maximum/ and
minimum temperature during crop season is 33.8ºC and 24.6ºC,
respectively.
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days at
AICRPDA centre, Targhadia
Rainfall
South west monsoon
(June-September)
Post-monsoon
(October-December)
Normal
rainfall (mm)
Normal rainy
days (No.)
652 27.5
22.3 1.5
Winter (January-February) - -
Summer (March-May) - -
Annual 674.3 29
Major soil types
The major soil types in the zone are clayey (66.4%), clay loams
(15%), sandy clay loams (7.8%), sandy loams (6.2%) and loamy
sands (4.6%).
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif are
groundnut, Bt-cotton, Deshi cotton, sesame, pearl millet, castor,
soybean, green gram and black gram.
Dryland agriculture problems
The problems related to the domain districts are:
Soil and land management
●
●
●
●
The zone consists of shallow to very shallow black soils
which limits available water holding capacity.
Uneven topography leading to increased runoff.
High cracking in Vertisols and soil moisture loss through
evaporation.
Soils are low in available N, P, organic matter and deficient
in micronutrients resulting in poor crop yields.
Crop production
●
●
●
●
Aberrant weather/rainfall situation
Lack of varieties suitable for rainfed groundnut based
cropping systems.
Lack of suitable implements for harvesting and threshing of
various crops.
Monocropping and poor crop diversification further reduces
yield of crops.
Socio-economic
●
●
●
●
●
Fragmented and very small landholding causes problems
in adopting farm machinery on hire basis for various
agricultural operations.
Poor resources (economic conditions), low level of literacy,
high cost of inputs, lack of awareness and know-how with
regards to available technology.
Unavailability of timely and affordable credit facilities.
Market risks
Unavailability of labours during peak times and high labour
wages.
Significant achievements
Rainwater management
●
For effective conservation and management of rainwater,
cultivation of bunch groundnut in medium black soils at 30
cm distance between rows having three rows on broad bed
of 90 cm and furrow of 45 cm (BBF) for getting higher
yield and net returns as well as to check runoff and soil loss.
● Preparation of ridge and furrow or broad bed with 2
rows (180 cm width) and furrow (60 cm) at 20 days after
sowing in Bt cotton and application of plastic mulch (25
micron)/straw mulch @ 5 t/ha at withdrawal of monsoon
118

●
●
●
in the month of September helped in obtaining higher
productivity, maximum net returns as well as higher in-situ
moisture conservation and rain water use efficiency under
dry farming conditions. Apart from this, if the slope of
field is around 1.5%, then growing of vegetative barrier of
Dicanthium annulatum or Vetiver or Cenchrus cilliaris at
interval of 7 meters checks runoff and minimizes soil loss
and nutrient losses.
For in-situ soil moisture conservation, application of
murrum @ 40 t/ha or FYM @ 10 t/ha helped in increasing
yield of groundnut and moisture conservation.
Adoption of two to four interculture operations along with
deep ploughing for higher yield of groundnut and maximum
moisture conservation.
Mulching with black plastic (50 micron) or groundnut shell
or wheat straw mulch @ 7.5 kg/plant in guava resulted in
higher soil moisture content and fruit yield.
● Application of FYM @ 10 t/ha and kaolin @ 4% spray (400
gm/10 litres water) during dry spell in groundnut and Bt
cotton helped in getting higher productivity and maximum
rain- and crop water use efficiency.
●
Farm pond of size 450 m 3 for 1 ha cultivable area provided
one-irrigation of 5 cm and 7.5 cm to crop covering an area
of 0.764 ha and 0.51 ha, respectively.
Cropping systems
●
Groundnut + castor (3:1 or 6:1), groundnut and sesame
(6:3), cotton + groundnut/green gram/black gram/sesame/
cowpea (1:1), groundnut + pigeonpea (3:1), pearl millet +
pigeon pea (2:1 or 4:1), sorghum + pigeonpea (1:1), castor
+ cowpea/green gram (1:1) were found to be promising
intercropping systems with increased yield and net return
over their sole cropping.
● Adoption of paired row planting of castor + green gram (2:1)
and cotton + groundnut (2:1) was found to be economically
viable for getting higher yield and net return.
●
●
Intercropping of cotton (Bt Hybrid-8) with cowpea (Guj.
cowpea-4) (1:1) gave higher yield and net return than sole
cotton.
In alley cropping system, sowing 16 rows of either
groundnut (GG-2) or sorghum (CSH-5) in alley of perennial
pigeonpea (ICPL-185)/ subabul (Hawaiian Giant) with 8.1
m between two rows helped in obtaining higher equivalent
yield of green fodder and monetary returns.
Nutrient management
● Application of 12.5-25-0 kg N-P-K/ha in groundnut, 80-
40-0 kg N-P-K/ha in pearl millet, 90-30-0 kg N-P-K/ha in
sorghum, 20-40-0 kg N-P-K/ha in pulses crop, 40-0-0 kg
N-P-K/ha in desi cotton, 30-30-0 kg N-P-K/ha in castor
119
●
and 50-25-0 kg N-P-K kg/ha in sesame crop resulted in
sustained crop productivity and soil health.
Application of 50% recommended NPK to groundnut
and 100% recommended NPK to castor in groundnut +
castor (3:1) intercropping resulted in higher groundnut pod
equivalent yield and net returns.
● Application of 80 kg N/ha to hybrid cotton and 25-12.5-0
kg N-P-K to sesame in cotton + sesame (1:1) intercropping
system gave higher seed cotton equivalent yield and net
returns.
●
●
●
In crop rotation, application of 100% NPK (80-40-0 kg
N-P-K kg/ha) only to pearl millet in groundnut-pearl millet
crop rotation resulted in higher productivity under dry
farming condition.
Integrated nutrient management viz., application of 80 kg
N + 10 t compost + 500 kg castor cake/ha along with biofertilizer
(Azotobacter + PSB, each @ 1.25 kg/ha) in Bt
cotton gave higher yield and net return besides improving
soil fertility.
Mulching of wheat straw or groundnut shell or farm waste
@ 5 t/ha with 50% RDN to groundnut and 75% RDN to
pearlmillet in groundnut – pearlmillet crop sequence
resulted in improved soil fertility and crop productivity.
● Application of 25% recommended NPK + compost @ 5
t/ha + castor cake @ 500 kg/ha + Azotobacter and PSM
in groundnut, sesame, pearlmillet, cotton and castor
mono-cropping or crop rotation, preparation of enriched
compost by recycling of crop residues with addition of bioinoculants
and recycling of cotton stalk to prepare enriched
compost within 120 days for sustaining soil fertility and
crop productivity.
Energy management
●
●
●
Use of tractor drawn deep tillage implements like disc
plough, mould board plough and chisel plough conserved
more moisture in the lower strata of soil and helped in better
growth and yield of groundnut and cotton.
Ploughing with tractor up to 20 cm depth in alternate furrow
once in two years and application of FYM @ 5 t/ha + RDF
helped in reducing the cost of ploughing and increased yield
of groundnut.
Improved tractor drawn seed-cum-fertilizer drill helped in
maintaining optimum plant population and reduced the seed
rate up to 20% compared to farmers’ practice (broadcasting
and drilling).
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
Recharging open wells

●
●
Broad Bed Furrow system for higher productivity of
groundnut
Rainwater harvesting in farm ponds
Cropping systems
Intercropping system
Groundnut + castor (3:1), Groundnut + cotton (2:1 ), Cotton +
sesame (1:1), Cotton + cowpea (1:1), Cotton + greengram (1:1),
Cotton + groundnut (1:1), Castor + cowpea (1:1), Castor +
greengram (1:1), Castor + greengram (2:1).
Nutrient management
Crop/crop
rotation
Groundnut
Bt Cotton
BG-II
INM practice
Vermicompost @ 1 t/ha or castor cake @ 500 kg /ha
and 6.25:12.5 NP kg/ ha through inorganic sources.
10 t/ha compost + 500 kg castor cake + bio-fertilizer
(Azotobacter + PSM) each 1 kg/ha + 80 kg N/ha.
Pearl millet 2.5 t/ha compost and 500 kg castor cake /ha or 1
Sorghum
Sesame
Castor
Greengram/
Blackgram
/Cowpea
t/ha vermicompost + NP @ 40:20 kg/ha through
inorganic sources.
2 t/ha vermicompost + NP @ 45:15 kg/ha through
inorganic sources.
1 t/ha vermicompost + 5:12.5 kg/ha NP through
inorganic sources.
5 t/ha FYM or 1 t/ha castor cake & seed treatment
with Azospirillum and PSB (25 g/kg seed) + NP @
23.5:20 kg/ha through inorganic sources.
Vermicompost @ 1 t/ha + NP @ 10:20 kg/ha
through inorganic sources.
Hirpara et al.
Delay by 2 weeks (1 st week of July)
●
Groundnut: (spreading) (GG-12, 13, 17, 18); semi spreading
(GG-20, GJG-22), bunch (GG-2, 5 and GJG-9, 32); cotton
(G.Cot.-10, G.Cot.-13, G.Cot.-21, Guj. Cotton Hybrid-4, 6,
8, 10, & Govt. approved Bt hybrids), sesame (GT- 2, 3 ,
4, 5 & 6); castor (GAUCH-1, GCH-3, GCH-4, GCH-7, 9);
pearl millet (GHB- 538, GHB-558, GHB-732, GHB-744,
GHB-744, GHB-905, GHB-1129, GHB-1225, GHB-1231);
greengram (GM-4, GAM-4); blackgram (GU-1, 2 & T-9).
Delay by 4 weeks (3 rd week of July)
●
Groundnut bunch (GG-2, GG-5, GJG-9, TG 37A); semi
spreading (GG-20, GJG-22); castor (GAUCH-1); sorghum
(GFS-4 & 5, Gundhari, S-1049); greengram (GM-4,
GAM-5); blackgram (GU-1, T-9); soybean (GJS-3, G.S.1);
sesame (GT-2, 3 & 4).
Delay by 6 weeks (1 st week of August)
● Greengram (GM-4, GAM-5); castor (GC-3, GCH-4, 7);
sorghum (Gundhari, GFS-3, GAFS-11, CSV-21F, S-1049);
sesame (GT-2, 3, 4); pigeonpea (BDN-2, Vaishali); soybean
(GS-1, 3); cotton (G.Cot. 13, 15, 21, 23, 25 & V-797).
Delay by 8 weeks (3 rd week of August)
●
Sesame (Purva-1); castor (GC-3, GCH-4, 7); sorghum
(Gundhari, GFS-3, GAFS-11, CSV-21F, S-1049);
pigeonpea (BDN-2, Vaishali, GJP-1); soybean (GS-1, 3);
greengram (Variety GM-4, GAM-5); blackgram (GU 1,
T-9); pearlmillet (GHB-538, 905, 1129, 1225 and Govt.
approved hybrids).
b. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
●
●
Intercultivation to fill soil cracks, mulching with wheat
straw or shredded cotton stalk mulching.
Provide life saving irrigation, if available.
Foliar nutrition
●
●
●
Groundnut:1. Foliar application of seaweed liquid fertilizer-
SLF (Fe-1.3%, Mn-0.7%, Zn-0.5%, Cu-10.2% and B-0.5%
at 15, 30 and 45 DAS.
Foliar application of urea @ 2% at 30-35 DAS.
Pearlmillet: Foliar application of multi-micronutrient
Grade-IV (Fe-4%, Mn-1%, Zn-6%, Cu-0.5% and B-0.5%)
@ 1% at 20, 30 and 40 DAS.
Contingency crop planning
For kharif
a. Suggested contingency crops/cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
●
●
After receipt of rainfall, spray 2% urea solution for revival
of crop.
Foliar spray of Kaolin @ 4% spray (400 gm/10-liter water)
during dry spell.
Mid-season drought
● Weeding, interculturing and mulching/ foliar spray with 1%
KNO 3.
● Mulching with wheat straw or crushed cotton stalk mulching
or plastic mulching (Plastic film 25 micron - 200 kg/ha).
●
●
●
Thinning to maintain plant to plant distance (5 cm) in
sesame.
Avoid top dressing of urea.
Supplemental irrigation, if possible followed by weeding.
120

●
Protection against sucking pests (control of jassid and
aphid, spray imidacloprid 17.8 SL (4 ml/10 lit. water).
Terminal drought
●
●
Provide supplemental irrigation, if possible followed by
weeding.
In cotton, harvest mature bolls and in sesame, harvest
mature plants, thin out plant population, remove old leaves
and completely remove weeds.
Agro-horti system/ dryland horticulture
Ber + groundnut/ blackgram/ greengram/ cowpea/ sesame,
Custard apple + groundnut/ greengram/ blackgram agri-horti
system
Crop Spacing Management practices
Ber (variety-
Gola)
Custard apple
(Gujarat
Junagadh custard
apple-1)
Intercrops -
groundnut/black
gram/greengram/
cowpea/sesame
6 m X 6 m Timely training, pruning,
application of RDF (year wise)
and fruit fly trap for ber fruit fly
management.
5 m x 5 m Timely application of RDF (year
45 cm x 10
cm
wise), keep orchard clean and
use sticky trap for management
of mealy bug. Spray profenofos
50 % EC 20 ml/10 liters of water
for the control of mealy bug.
For intercrops, give
recommended dose of NPK,
spacing, seed rate and control
measures against pest and
diseases.
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
Technologies have been upscaled on farmers’ fields in
collaboration with KVKs, department of agriculture and
department of watershed, Government of Gujarat. District wise
contingency plans and various drought proofing action plans
in the domain agro-climatic zones of the centre were upscaled
with the help of GSDA. The centre, in collaboration with other
AICRP schemes such as AICRP on groundnut, pearl millet,
pulses, sesame, soybean and castor developed various improved
varieties of crops viz., GG-2, GG-5, GG-9, GJG-32 bunch
groundnut, GG-20, GG-22 semi spreading groundnut, GM-4
greengram, GU-1, GU-2 blackgram, GC-5 cowpea, GT-3, GT-4
sesame, GS-3 soybean and GCH-7 which helped to increase
the productivity of these dryland crops. All these varieties
were evaluated and upscaled through front line demonstrations
in farmers’ fields, organising field day, etc. in the domain
area through KVKs, ATMA, FTC and other line departments
operating in the zone.
The technologies for soil fertility management were upscaled
through Soil Health Card program of GSDA. The NGOs, Cooperative
societies and FPOs working in village level helped
in upscaling of dryland technologies. The agromet advisories
based on forecast given by State Meteorological Centre were
regularly provided to the farmers in adopted villages. The farm
pond technology, nala plugging, soil and water conservation
measures such as deep ploughing, bunding and deep trenches in
orchards were upscaled through watershed program.
Impact of technologies
Sowing of bunch groundnut in medium black soils at 30 cm
distance between rows having three rows on broad bed of 90
cm and furrow of 45 cm (BBF) gave higher pod yield (11%)
as well as reduced runoff and soil loss (17%) as compared
to flatbed system. If the slope of field is around 1.5%, then
growing of Dicanthium annulatum/Vetivera/Cenchrus cilliaris
as vegetative barrier at interval of 7 meters checks runoff and
minimizes soil and nutrient losses. Application of murrum @ 40/
FYM @ 10 t/ha increased pod yield of groundnut (16.0-16.5%)
and moisture conservation (2.7-3.5%) than farmers’ practice.
Mulching with black plastic (50 micron)/groundnut shell/
wheat straw mulch @ 7.5 kg/plant in guava increased growth
and fruit yield (9.22- 9.88 kg/plant) than crop without mulching
(6.45 kg/plant). Application of FYM @ 10 t/ha and kaolin @
4% spray (400 g/10 litres water) during dry spells increased the
productivity of groundnut (1257 kg/ha) and Bt cotton (1924 kg/
ha) with maximum rainwater use efficiency of 2.31 kg/ha-mm in
groundnut and 3.82 kg/ha-mm in Bt cotton. Preparation of ridge
& furrow and broad bed with 2 rows (180 cm width) and furrow
(60 cm) at 20 days after sowing in Bt cotton increased seed
cotton yield by 18 and 14%, respectively with higher rain water
use efficiency as compared to flat sowing under dry farming
conditions. Groundnut based replacement series of intercropping
system viz., groundnut + castor (3:1), groundnut + pigeon pea
(3:1), groundnut + sesame (1:1) increased productivity and net
returns during normal rainfall and reduced risk during erratic
and late rainfall. Bt cotton + groundnut/greengram/blackgram/
sesame/cowpea (1:1) also increased productivity and net return
during normal rainfall and reduced risk during erratic & uneven
distribution of rainfall. In groundnut, pulses, cereals and other
oilseed crops, application of recommended N-P-K kg/ha to
groundnut (12.5-25-0), pearl millet (80-40-0), sorghum (90-
30-0), pulses (20-40-0), desi cotton (40-0-0), castor (30-30-0)
and sesame (50-25-0) increased crop productivity and sustained
soil fertility under normal rainfall distribution. Application of
75% recommended NPK to groundnut (1809 kg/ha) and 100%
121

ecommended NPK to castor (1841 kg/ha) in groundnut + castor
(3:1) intercropping system increased groundnut pod equivalent
yield and saved 25% recommended NPK of groundnut. The
integrated nutrient management viz., application of 80 kg N +
10 t compost + 500 kg castor cake/ha along with bio-fertilizer
(Azotobacter + PSB, each @ 1.250 kg/ha) in Bt cotton gave
around 19% higher yield (2298 kg/ha) and net return beside
improving soil fertility as compared to farmers’ practice (1924
kg/ha). Adoption of INM practice (25% recommended NPK +
compost @ 5 t/ha + castor cake @ 500 kg/ha + Azotobacter
and PSM in groundnut, sesame, pearl millet, cotton and castor
mono-cropping or crop rotation also increased crop productivity
with sustained soil fertility.
Hirpara et al.
Way forward
Research focus would be more on systems based approach
with emphasis on rainwater management and efficient use
of harvested water using micro-irrigation system, integrated
nutrient management, crop diversification/intensification,
contingency planning, use of bio-fertilizers and organic manure
for balanced nutrition, organic recycling of farm residues and
farm mechanization.
122

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 123-129 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00027.6
Brief history of the centre
Ananthapuramu, is a southern district in Rayalaseema region
of Andhra Pradesh. Although, the district is located in the rain
shadow region and chronically drought prone, agriculture is
the major economic activity. The annual average precipitation
is 550 mm which is unevenly distributed. Low rainfall and
high intensity rainfall events lead to greater erosion losses
of soil and low crop yields. Agricultural Research Station,
Ananthapuramu under Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural
University, Andhra Pradesh was originally established as “Soil
Conservation Research Centre” during 1964 at Rekulakunta
village, Bukkarayasamudram mandal, Ananthapuramu district.
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture
at Agricultural Research Station, Ananthapuramu has been in
operation since 29 th September, 1971 and Operational Research
Project (ORP) from 1986-1987 with an objective to conduct
multi-disciplinary research on all aspects of dryland farming viz.,
rain water management, cropping systems, farming systems,
nutrient management, alternate land use, crop improvement,
designing and testing of farm implements, etc. The domain area
of AICRP for dryland agriculture comes under Scarce Rainfall
Zone (SRZ) of Andhra Pradesh and zone covers two districts viz.
Ananthapuramu and Kurnool. Presently, the above two districts
were divided into four, namely; Anantapuramu, Sri Sathyasai,
Kurnool and Nandyal districts, respectively.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
The domain districts of the AICRPDA centre, Ananthapuramu
are located in the Scarcity zone (NARP) of Andhra Pradesh;
and in the agroecological subregion (ICAR) 3.0 and in the
agroclimatic region (Planning Commission) – Southern Plateau
and Hills Region.
Climate
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Scarce Rainfall Zone of Andhra Pradesh
B. Sahadeva Reddy 1 , Y. Padmalatha 1 , T. Yellamanda Reddy 1 , K.C. Nataraja 1 , A. Malliswara Reddy 1 ,
C. Radha Kumari 1 , M. Vijaysankar Babu 1 , K. Madhusudhan Reddy 1 , K. Bhargavi 1 , G. Narayana Swamy 1 ,
Ch. Murali Krishna 1 , D.V. Srinivasulu 1 , K.A. Gopinath 2 and G. Ravindra Chary 2
1
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, Agricultural Research Station, Anantapuramu 515 001,
The climate in this zone is semi-arid. Anantapuramu is arid
district with hot and dry conditions prevail for most of the year.
The annual average rainfall of the district is 572 mm. The normal
rainfall for the southwest monsoon period is 338 mm, which
forms about 61.2% of the total rainfall for the year. The rainfall
for northeast monsoon period is 156 mm, which forms 28.3 % of
Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Andhra Pradesh
2
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, ICAR- CRIDA, Hyderabad – 500 059
Email: b.sahadevareddy@angrau.ac.in
123
annual rainfall. The normal daily maximum temperature ranges
between 29 °C and 42 °C. November, December and January
are cooler months with minimum temperature around 17.2 °C.
The aridity index is 73.8, with an average 5 run-off events per
annum and PET is 2140 mm. The normal onset of monsoon
during south-west monsoon is during first week of June while,
withdrawal is during first to second week of October. The
normal onset of monsoon during north-east monsoon is during
first to second week of October while, withdrawal is during
first to second week of December. The dry spells during crop
season in August and October coincide with peg penetration,
pod filling, pod development and harvesting stages of groundnut
and flowering to reproductive stages in other crops. In Kurnool
district, annual rainfall ranges from 500 mm to 750 mm. The
normal average annual rainfall of Kurnool district is 670 mm.
Nearly 68% of rainfall is received from south-west monsoon
and 22% during north-east monsoon period.
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days at
AICRPDA Centre, Ananthapuramu
Rainfall
South-west monsoon
(June - September)
Northeast Monsoon
(October - December)
Normal
rainfall (mm)
Normal rainy
days (No.)
379.0 20
135.1 10
Winter (January - February) 2.2 -
Summer (March - May) 74.2 5
Annual 590.5 35
Major soil types
Shallow to medium deep red soils are predominant in the zone
followed by medium deep black soils.
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif are
groundnut, pigeonpea, cotton, castor, sunflower and during rabi,
chickpea.

Dryland agriculture problems
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Low water retention capacity of soils
Uneven distribution and erratic rainfall
Prolonged dry spells and chronic drought
Inadequate in-situ moisture
Use of traditional varieties / mono cropping system
Poor soil fertility and imbalanced use of fertilizers, weed
infestation and higher incidence of diseases and pests
Fragmented holdings
Lack of access to credit facilities, input supply, marketing
facilities
Poor storage facilities, low adoption of improved crop
production technology
Research initiatives since inception of the centre
AICRPDA centre, Ananthapuramu collaborated with many
institutes / projects / programmes to develop dryland technologies
over five decades of dryland research at Anantapuramu. The
following is the brief list of collaborations made over the years
(Table. 1).
Sahadeva Reddy et al.
Significant achievements
Rainwater management
Rainfall is the critical input for crop production as much of the
area is devoid of irrigation facilities. Proper management of
time and space variations in rainfall is the key to better crop
production. Under frequent dry spell situations, standard crop
cultivation practices are not possible. Besides, research over
the years revealed that the region experiences on average five
runoff events per year which lead to 4-5 tons of soil loss per
hectare. Conserving the rainwater reduces runoff and soil loss,
consequently enhancing crop yields. The following are the
significant findings over the years found efficient for effective
rain water management.
In-situ soil and water conservation practices increase soil water
storage which helps crops to withstand moisture stress. These
are simple and practiced by even individual small farmers.
Suitability of the practice depends on the topography of the field.
Based on extensive research, soil and water losses are reduced
by adopting in-situ conservation practices like conservation
furrows at 3.6 m intervals across the slope (25-30 days after
Table 1: Research issues focussed in collaboration with other institutes / projects / programmes in the domain area of
AICRPDA - Anantapuramu centre
Year
Major research issues focused Collaborating Institutes /
Projects / Programmes
Testing of dryland
technologies under ORP on
watershed basis
1972 to 1980 Soil and water conservation measures in rainfed crops ANGRAU ----
1981 to 1990 Agro-techniques to enhance rainfed groundnut and pigeonpea
productivity
1991 to 2000 Inter disciplinary approach for nutrient, pest and diseases
management and contingent crop planning
2001 to 2010 Soil test based fertilizer, micro nutrients, in-situ soil moisture
conservation, cost reduction technology, rain water recycling
(farm pond technology) and farm mechanization.
2010 to 2015 Integrated farming system, catchment – command-storage
relationship, farm implements and machinery, agro-forestry
systems and crop diversification, dryland technology park and
custom hiring services, crop wise contingency plans to cope with
weather aberrations
2016 to 2021 Rain water management, real time contingency planning, rainfed
integrated farming systems, suitable varieties for wet and dry
spells, Bio-fertilizers, microbial consortia for drought tolerance
and climate resilient technologies
ANGRAU
AICRP - Pearl millet,
ANGRAU, AICRPAM
AICRP - Pearl millet
DFID, ICRISAT
NATP, NAIP, RKVY,
ACIAR
UNDP, ANGRAU
AICRPAM and
AICRP – Pearl millet
ICRISAT, NICRA,
ANGRAU, AICRPAM
and RKVY
ICAR - NICRA
ANGRAU,
AICRPAM
AICRP – Castor
and RKVY
Kandukuru,
Krishnamreddipalli villages
under Yerra cheruvu watershed
Nusikottala, Thanda villages
under Pennar manirevu
watershed
Nagalaguddam Thanda
Singanamala under
Narasapuram Watershed &
Eguvapalli Garladinne under
K. Agraharam watershed
Thuggali (M), Kurnool (D)
under Girigetla watershed
Yerraguntapalli (V), Peapully
(M), Kurnool (D) under
Vajralavanka watershed
Source: AICRPDA Annual Reports, Agricultural Research Station, Anantapuramu (1970 - 2021)
124

sowing) with the receipt of rains. Among various types of bunds
tested, contour bunds proved most effective in conserving soil
and water. In an experiment on the effect of dikes in Alfisols for
increasing rain water productivity in groundnut, it was found that
higher mean pod yield (1003 kg/ha) was recorded with one dike
after every 4 rows by conserving in-situ rain water effectively.
To overcome the adverse effect of sub-soil compaction in red
soils and to break the hard layer facilitating more intake of
rainwater, deep ploughing with a chisel plough up to 40-60 cm
depth at one metre interval once in 2 years was found useful in
groundnut, castor and pigeonpea.
Farm pond of 250 m 3 capacity (size of 10 x 10 m with 2.5 m
depth) with side slopes of 1.5:1 is sufficient for catchment
area of 2 ha. Soil + cement lining with 6:1 ratio was found
very effective in reducing seepage losses. One supplemental
irrigation of 20 mm to groundnut by sprinkler during dryspells
at pod development stage enhanced the pod yield by 25-30%.
Besides, to minimize the evaporation losses from farm pond, the
bamboo mat material was found effective.
Crops and cropping systems
The cropping system based strategies for drought mitigation in
the domain area of AICRPDA-Anantapuramu centre include
growing crops and varieties that fit into changed rainfall and
seasons. The groundnut varities; K-6, Dharani, Narayani,
Kadiri Harithandhra, Visista and Kadiri Lepakshi are suitable
for rainfed conditions due to their tolerance to drought, early
duration and higher pod yield. Improved varieties recorded 10
to 12% higher yield than the local varieties.
Best yields of pigeonpea and castor were achieved when sown
with groundnut as intercrop during June. Intercropping of
groundnut + pigeonpea in 7:1or 11:1 or 15:1 row ratio instead of
sole groundnut was found better. Optimum time for sowing of
sole groundnut is June to July. If rainfall is delayed beyond July
month, sowing of contingent crops such as sorghum, greengram,
cowpea, pearl millet, horsegram and fodder sorghum is found
profitable in the domain districts. Among different rainfed
crops, pigeonpea, castor, clusterbean and sorghum can be
grown as better alternate crops to groundnut in rainfed Alfisols
as these crops gave maximum groundnut equivalent yield over
years. Higher groundnut equivalent yield was recorded with
groundnut + pigeonpea (8:1) which was on par with groundnut
+ pigeonpea (14:2) intercropping system. Higher net returns
were recorded with groundnut + pigeonpea (8:1) followed by
groundnut + pigeonpea (14:2), korra + pigeonpea (8:1) and
korra + pigeonpea (14:2).
The fodder crops sown under delayed onset of monsoon, fodder
maize and fodder sorghum were found efficient in fodder
production. Fodder foxtail millet produced highest green fodder
yield followed by fodder bajra and fodder maize. Fodder bajra,
fodder sorghum and fodder maize are potential forage cereals
because they can produce more quantity and quality fodder
while also ensuring net monetary returns. Fodder cowpea and
sunhemp are the next best suitable forage legumes under latesown
conditions in the semi-arid Alfisols of the domain districts.
Nutrient management
Poor soil fertility due to erosion, low soil organic carbon (SOC),
emerging multi-nutrient deficiencies, poor soil physical and
biological environment for crop growth are limiting factors for
productivity enhancement in this region. Hence, improving the
soil fertility, carbon storage and soil health in the domain area of
rainfed Alfisols is most needed to sustain the crop production.
In this context, some recommended practices for improving
infiltration and water retention in soils include diverse crop
rotations with legumes and addition of farmyard manure
(FYM), use of groundnut shells and other crop residues, green
leaf manuring, etc.
Integrated nutrient management
Thirty seven years long-term integrated nutrient management
experiment conducted at Agriculture Research Station,
Anantapuramu revealed that 100% NPK and 100% NPK +
ZnSO 4
@ 50 kg ha -1 maintained higher mean pod yield (30.1
and 27.5% respectively) than control over 37 years but INM
practice of 50% NPK + groundnut shells @ 4 t ha -1 sustained
higher pod yield and additionally sequestered 30.2% of SOC,
which is a strong determinant of soil quality and agronomic
productivity, especially under semi-arid environments. INM
practices maintained positive balance of available N, P, K, S,
Ca, Mg, Cu, Mn, Fe, Zn and B compared to sole application
of chemical fertilizers over 37 years. Addition of carbon inputs
through groundnut shells @ 4 t ha -1 is proved as a critical practice
to maintain optimum SOC level in soil. Thus, the integration of
groundnut shells along with chemical fertilizers emerged as the
practice in the domain district to sustain groundnut pod yields
and soil fertility for long-term under rainfed Alfisols in semiarid
agro-ecosystem.
Besides, on-farm generation of organic matter with appropriate
policy support needs to be promoted to maintain soil health
and crop productivity. In an attempt to solubilize native soil
phosphorus in rainfed groundnut, soil test based fertilizer
(STBF) + phosphatic bio-fertilizer consortium (PSB @ 5 kg ha -1
+ PSF @ 5 kgha -1 + VAM @ 12.5 kg ha -1 ) were applied as basal
dose at the time of sowing of rainfed groundnut. The results
over 4 years revealed that STBF + P bio-fertilizer consortium
increased groundnut yield by 17.5% over control.
Foliar sprays for drought mitigation
The approach of foliar spray of nutrients not only facilitates
better plant growth and development, but also helps to alleviate
125

different kinds of abiotic stresses like drought. This form of
foliar spray does not address any specific nutrient deficiency
but supplies a small amount of all nutrients to keep leaf growth
lush. In an experiment conducted under AICRPDA at ARS
Anathapuramu to mitigate mid-season drought in rainfed
groundnut, 0.5% KNO 3
as foliar spray at pod initiation and at
pod development stage increased the pod yield and mitigated the
dry spell effect on pod yield.
Improving soil fertility in rainfed Alfisols
The rainfed Alfisols are not only thirsty but also hungry. They
are poor in soil nutrients as soil is subjected to fertility loss
over years due to soil erosion. In this context, the local ITK -
sheep penning is commonly used by local farmers to improve
soil fertility. Sheep penning with one sheep per square meter
significantly increased the pod yield of groundnut by 15%
and haulm yield by 32% compared to control. Sheep penning
significantly increased the available K 2
O also in the soil and
enhanced the soil fertility.
Energy management
In the backdrop of low and erratic rainfall, the sowing window
is very narrow in the scarce rain fall zone. Hence, all the
operations need to be done very quickly. Therefore, to cover the
large area in less time and to save the cost of cultivation through
labour wages, mechanization is essential. In this direction, the
centre developed location-specific mechanization in the district
for the benefit of farmers. Mechanical groundnut planters were
recommended in the region to minimize delay in sowing, to
optimise seed rate and ensure optimum plant population in
groundnut. Among the different seed drills/planters tested for
groundnut sowing, tractor drawn 8 row Ananta planter resulted
optimum seed rate (100 kg/ha) and as well as plant population
(33 plants per m 2 ). The mechanical seed drill developed by
the centre is popular in the district. Department of Agriculture
included the equipment in its subsidy scheme and that reflected
the impact of technology in the region.
An interculture implement (tractor drawn) was fabricated for
intercultivation in groundnut and tested in the fields where
Ananta planter was used for sowing. The implement was
developed to bring complete mechanization in groundnut
cultivation. Suitable interculture implement for castor crop
was fabricated and tested in the field conditions. Aqua planter
to supplement water in conjunction with groundnut sowing
simultaneously when moisture is insufficient was developed.
Groundnut + pigeonpea planter was designed and developed for
sowing groundnut and pigeonpea in 8:1 ratio. A tractor drawn
blade guntaka was designed to harvest groundnut in four rows
simultaneously with minimum field losses. Groundnut fresh pod
thresher that can thresh groundnut immediately after the harvest,
and dry pod thresher were introduced in Ananthapuramu region
to make the stripping operation easy and economical.
Sahadeva Reddy et al.
126
Alternate land use systems
The soils of the domain area are red sandy loam and shallow in
depth, with undulating topography and poor soil fertility. In class
IV lands with limitations with respect to depth, wetness, slope,
runoff and soil texture, soapnut is the only tree that withstands
harsh climatic (low rainfall) and slopy (8-15%) topographic
soil conditions. Since, tamarind comes to fruiting only in well
distributed rainfall years, to make the unproductive class IV
lands productive with tamarind species, it should be integrated
with pastoral system of Stylosanthes as horti-pastoral and sheep
rearing component.
Integrated farming systems
Integrated farming system sustains the system productivity
and farmer economic stability. The research revealed that, for
a farm of 1 ha of land, groundnut as a kharif rainfed crop with
sheep rearing (10 rams) for 4 months (November to February)
improved the total net returns by 100 percent compared to crop
alone. Besides, it provides 65 man days of employment after
harvest of groundnut to the farmer. Similarly, under agri-horti
system groundnut + amla integrated with ram lamb rearing
is appropriate system in class IV land for semi-arid region of
Ananthapuramu for the best use of available natural resources.
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
●●
Standardization of farm pond size, and rainwater harvesting
in farm pond and supplemental irrigation to rainfed
groundnut
In-situ moisture conservation measures for higher groundnut
productivity
Cropping systems
●
●
Use of small and medium seeds for groundnut cultivation
Management techniques for late sown groundnut
Intercropping systems
● Groundnut + pigeonpea (8:1)
● Groundnut + castor (15:1)
● Pearlmillet + pigeonpea (5:1)
Double cropping systems
●
●
●
●
Groundnut (30 x 10 cm) - horsegram
Groundnut (45 cm x 6.7 cm) - horsegram
Groundnut (30 x 10 cm) - fodder sorghum
Groundnut (45 cm x 6.7 cm) - fodder sorghum
Nutrient management
●
●
Phosphatic biofertilizer consortia for groundnut
Micronutrient management in groundnut
● Drought mitigation through foliar application of KNO 3
● Soil test based P fertilizer application for groundnut in
shallow arid Alfisols

Crop
Nutrients (kg/ha)
K Zn B Mg Fe
Groundnut - 1.0 - - 2.5 +
citric acid
Chickpea - 1.0 - - 2.5 -
Desi cotton - 1.0 0.75 5.0 2.5 +
citric acid
Bt cotton
Mode of application
Add 2 g of ZnSO 4
for each litre of water. Add 5 g of FeSO 4
for
each litre of water
MgSO 4
@ 1% twice at 45 and 75 DAS, Boron @ 0.15% twice
at 60 and 90 DAS, and ZnSO 4
@ 0.2% twice at 4-5 days
interval
1% MgSO 4
(10 g/l) 2% urea/2% DAP/1% KNO 3
at flowering
and boll development stage
Crop
Groundnut
Chickpea
Desi cotton
Bt cotton
Castor
Pigeonpea
Sunflower
INM practice
50% recommended dose of NPK + FYM @ 4t/ha
FYM @ 10 t/ha besides the recommended fertilizers
FYM @ 10 t/ha besides the recommended fertilizers
FYM @ 10 t/ha besides the recommended fertilizers
50% RDF (recommended dose of fertilizer) + seed treatment with Azospirillum + 25% N through FYM
FYM @ 10 t/ha besides the recommended fertilizers
FYM 7.5 t/ha 2-3 weeks prior to sowing besides the recommended fertilizers
Energy management
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Tractor drawn Ananta groundnut planter (8 rows)
Tractor drawn Ananta interculture implement
Tractor drawn ANGRAU Blade Guntaka
Groundnut fresh pod thresher
Groundnut dry pod thresher
Sub soil chiseling (deep ploughing)
Ananta Aqua planter for sowing rainfed crops
Tractor drawn Ananta planter for sowing castor
Ananta bullock drawn planter for sowing rainfed crops
Mini tractor drawn Ananta planter and intercultivator
Groundnut grader for kernel separation
Groundnut + pigeonpea (8:1) intercropping planter
Alternate land use
●
●
●
Alternate crops to groundnut for rainfed Alfisols
Groundnut based farming system
Soapnut trees for Class-VI lands
Integrated farming system
• Sheep penning to increase nutrient status in rainfed soils
(revalidation of ITK)
Contingency crop planning
For kharif planning
a. Crop/cropping system for normal onset of monsoon (15 th
June to July)
●
●
●
●
Sorghum - CSH-9, 13, CSV-12, 13, NTJ-1, NTJ-2, NTJ-3
Pearlmillet - ABV-04, Dhanshakti, ICTP 8203, ICMV-221,
ICMH-356
Cowpea- TPTC-29
Castor -ICH-66, GCH-4, DCH-519, DCH-177, PCH-111,
PCH-222
● Greengram – LGG 407, LGG 460, WGG 42 and IPM 2-14
●
●
Sunflower – KBSH 44, Prabhat, DRSH-1, NDSH-1012
Setaria - Lepakshi, Surynandi, Garuda
●●
Intercropping systems: Groundnut + pigeonpea (LRG 52/
PRG-176) (8:1), groundnut + pigeonpea (15:1)
b. Suggested contingency crops/cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (3 rd week of July)
● Pigeonpea- LRG-52, PRG-176, ICPL 85063
● Groundnut + pigeonpea (8:1)
●
Castor -ICH-66, GCH-4, DCH-519, DCH-177, PCH-111,
PCH-222
127

Delay by 4 weeks (1 st week of August)
●
●
●
Pearl millet – ABV-04, Dhanshakti, ICTP 8203, ICMV-
221, ICMH-356
Sorghum - CSH-10, 13, CSV-11, 13, NTJ-1, NTJ-2, NTJ-3
Cowpea – TPTC-29
● Greengram – LGG407, LGG460, WGG 42 and IPM 2-14
Delay by 6 weeks (3 rd week of August)
●
●
●
Sorghum - CSH-9, 13, CSV-12, 13, NTJ-1, NTJ-2, NTJ-3
Pearl millet - ICTP 8203, ICMV-221, ICMH-451
Cowpea - TPTC-29
● Greengram - LGG407, LGG460, WGG 42 and IPM 2-14
●
●
Sunflower - KBSH1, Prabhat
Setaria - Lepakshi, Surynandi, Garuda
● Fodder pearl millet – TSFB 15-4, TSFB 15-8
●
●
Sorghum – CSH-10, 13, CSV-11, 13, NTJ-1, NTJ-2, NTJ-3
Cowpea - TPTC-29
● Greengram – LGG 407, LGG 460, WGG 42 and IPM 2-14
●
Horsegram : APTHG 11, CRHG-18R, PHG-2
Delay by 8 weeks (1 st week of September)
●
Pure crop of sorghum (fodder) (COFS-29)/pearl millet
(ABV-04, ICMV-221,
● ICMH-451)/cowpea (TPTC-29)/greengram (LGG 407,
LGG 460, WGG 42 and IPM 2-14)
c. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought in groundnut
●
●
●
●
●
Mulching with groundnut shells @ 5 t/ha within 10 days
after sowing of the crop
Supplemental irrigation of 20 mm with harvested rainwater
in ponds, if available
Opening of conservation furrow for every row or every two
rows
Avoid top dressing of fertilizer until receipt of sufficient
rains
Foliar spray of 2% urea
Mid-season drought in groundnut
●
●
●
●
●
Mulching with groundnut shells @ 5 t/ha within 10 days
after sowing of the crop.
Supplemental irrigation of 20 mm with harvested rainwater
in ponds, if available
Opening of conservation furrow for every row or every two
rows
Avoid top dressing of fertilizer until receipt of sufficient
rains
Foliar spray of 2% urea
Sahadeva Reddy et al.
128
Terminal drought
●
●
●
Provide supplemental irrigation (20 mm), with microirrigation
if available for groundnut or pigeonpea
Foliar spray of urea, not exceeding to 2% concentration for
groundnut
Sorghum/pearl millet to be harvested for fodder at 45 DAS
and 65 DAS and left for grains if rains are continued
Agroforestry system
Tamarind (Anantha Rudhira/ Thettu Amalika varieties) 10 x 10
m or Soapnut trees + Stylosanthus hamata system in class IV to
Class VI lands.
Amla based agri-horti system: Amla (10 x 10 m) + fodder
sorghum, custard apple (5 x 5 m) + fodder sorghum, Jamun
(10 x 10 m) + fodder sorghum
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
Scarce rainfall zone in Andhra Pradesh faces frequent droughts.
Risk involved in successful cultivation of rainfed crops depends
on the frequency of drought occurrence within the season in the
zone. Hence, technologies developed from AICRPDA centre
Anantapuramu were successful at research station and the same
were tested and demonstrated at farmer’s field and popularised.
Such successful technologies were upscaled in convergence
with Government programmes, NGOs and KVKs. The Centre’s
technologies were adopted by the Department of Agriculture,
Government of A.P., NGOs, KVKs and included in ANGRAU
package of practices. Farm pond technology for rainwater
harvesting and supplemental irrigation to rainfed groundnut
found place in “Panta Sanjeevini” programme of Government
of A.P. and was adopted by MGNREGA scheme. Mini tractor
drawn Ananta planter and intercultivator were included by
NABARD in subsidy scheme for farm machinery.
Impact of technologies
Farm pond technology is popular, climate resilient and
successful in rainwater harvesting and mitigating the frequent
dry spells in the zone. Filled farm pond water from runoff is
used for mitigating dry spells by giving supplemental irrigation.
This technology increased groundnut pod yield by 25% - 30%
during drought years and reduced farmers distress. Subsoiling
increased the yields in rainfed crops such as groundnut,
pigeonpea and castor by 20-25% as compared to normal tillage.
Resilient technology to mitigate dry spells enhanced the castor
yield by 14 to 23% and rainwater use efficiency by 1.3 to 1.7%
as compared to farmer’s practice. The technology was adopted
by Department of Agriculture, Government of A.P. which is
paying subsidy to farmers adopting this technology since 2014-
15 onwards. Timely sowing can be done with aqua planter

developed by ARS, Ananthapuramu by using 10000 to 20000
litre of water per acre depending upon the soil moisture content.
Groundnut pod yield increased by 20-30%. By providing
supplemental irrigation, Rs. 2030/ ha additional income was
realized.
Groundnut + pigeonpea inter cropping system is adopted in 70%
in domain area. Farmers realized approximately Rs. 3000 – 3500
per ha as additional income by adopting intercropping system.
The adoption of drought management practices as a package in
castor gave 35-50% higher yields over farmers practice with
B:C ratio of 1.8. K-6, Dharani, Kadiri Harithandhra and Kadiri
Lepakshi varieties are now recommended for rainfed conditions
as they are tolerance to drought, early in duration and give higher
yields. The improved varieties produce pod yield in a range of
540-699 kg/ha as compared to 421 kg/ha.
Soil test based fertilizer (STBF) technology saves cost of
nutrients and also ensures balanced nutrition besides increasing
pod yield of groundnut by 5% to 25%. Technology spread to
70 - 80% in domain area. Foliar application mitigates the midseason
drought and enhances the yield. The technology spread
to 25-30 % in the domain area.
Tractor drawn Ananta planter ensured timely sowing in large
areas under optimum soil moisture conditions as the sowing
window is narrow. This technology increased the cultivable
dryland area for groundnut by 25 - 30% in domain area. An
amount of Rs.1000/ha can be saved with tractor drawn Ananta
intercultural implement compared to farmers practice. Tractor
drawn groundnut + pigeonpea intercropping (8:1) planter for
intercropping of groundnut + pigeonpea was adopted in 70%
of the total groundnut area (7.0 lakh ha) and found useful for
sowing of large area in short sowing window.
Groundnut based IFS adopted in 20% of domain area has
resulted in approximately Rs. 5000/ha increase in income
among farmers. Practice of intercropping of groundnut with
mixed pulses has been well adopted in slopy fields. This practice
has been adopted in an area of 1.0 lakh ha.
Way forward
Frequent drought and extreme events continue to adversely
impact production and productivity of rainfed crops in scarce
rainfall zone of Andhra Pradesh. Further, these impacts are more
pronounced due to climate change/ variability. In this context,
future long-term and short-term research and management
strategies suggested are: In the zone, water is the critical natural
resource and managing rainwater in-situ or harvesting runoff
water and recycling it is key to mitigate the chronic drought.
Location-specific needs of soil & water conservation measures
vis-a-vis changing rainfall scenario will address water issues
much better. Adoption of improved varieties with real time crop
planning (alternate crops in place of groundnut, contingent crops
if monsoon is delayed) are important under changing climatic
scenario.
There is an increased need for weather based agro-advisory
services (AAS) in farming activities for timely agricultural
operations, improved crop yields, reduced cost of cultivation,
need based changes in cropping patterns and for improved
livelihoods. Micro-level climate risk-assessment in various
crop production systems and specific management strategies
to manage abiotic stresses in crop production systems are very
much needed. Developing weather indices through agronomic
research for real–time monitoring, assessment and contingency
measures implementation is also envisaged.
The main emphasis in scarce rainfall zone soils is to build the
soil organic matter (SOM) for soil health restoration. Location
- specific and need based crop residue management plan
should be developed. The opportunity to promote adoption of
various location specific integrated nutrient management (INM)
practices is to be explored.
There is a need for multipronged approach to maximize crop
production for which site specific crop production techniques
have to be adopted. Crop based approaches for drought mitigation
include growing crops and varieties that fit into changed rainfall
and seasons. In addition, adoption of intercropping systems, crop
diversification, improved agronomic practices and agro-forestry
systems helps to cope with any adverse event, and in particular,
rainfall variability and drought. After recognizing the specific
needs of rainfed dryland agriculture in the scarce rainfall zone of
Andhra Pradesh, considerable efforts are necessary at all levels
to sustain the momentum.
The existing fragile rainfed agroecosystem in the scarce rainfall
zone of Andhra Pradesh needs to be made more drought proof,
more economical and sustainable under increasing frequency
of droughts. The efficient use of rain water, soil and farm
management practices in an integrated approach is both essential
and a prerequisite. All India Coordinated Research Project for
Dryland Agriculture (AICRPDA) Centre at Anantapuramu has
developed several location specific technologies to cope with
different situations including delayed onset of monsoon and
mid-season drought. Key technologies among them are in-situ
moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting in farm ponds and
efficient utilization, INM, foliar sprays for drought mitigation,
resilient crops and cropping systems, and contingency crop plans
for the agro climatic zone. To achieve productivity enhancement
in this fragile rainfed system, there is an urgent need to upscale
these technologies through KVKs, NGOs, ATMA and other
programmes of the governments which are aiming at farmers
welfare.
129

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 130-134 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00028.8
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Malwa Plateau Zone of Madhya Pradesh
Bharat Singh 1 , D.V. Bhagat 1 , S.K. Choudhary 1 , K.S. Bangar 1 , M.L. Jadav 1 , N. Kumawat 1 , S. Holkar 1 ,
A. Upadhyay 1 , S.K. Sharma 1 , K.A. Gopinath 1 , G. Ravindra Chary 1 , A.K. Shukla 2 and V.K. Singh 2
1
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre,
Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Indore – 452 001, Madhya Pradesh
2
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad – 500 059
Brief history of the centre
The All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland
Agriculture (AICRPDA) centre at Indore was started in 1971
while the Operational Research Project (ORP) at the centre
started in 1986. Indore centre since its inception has been
carrying out location-specific research on various themes
of dryland agriculture, viz. rainwater and soil management,
cropping systems, integrated nutrient management, participatory
approach for crops/varietal selection, energy management,
alternate land use system.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
The centre is located in central highlands (Malwa) Gujarat
plain Kathiawar peninsula semi – arid eco-region (AESR 5.1).
It represents Malwa region situated at 76° 54’ E longitude and
22° 43’ N latitude at an altitude of 618 m above MSL. The agroclimatic
zone IX i.e., Malwa plateau comprises of districts Ujjain,
Shajapur, Indore, Rajgarh, Dewas, Dhar, Neemuch, Mandsaur,
Ratlam, Jhabua (only Petlawad tehsil) covering an area of 5.18
million hectares. The climate in this zone is semi-arid. Out of
the total annual average rainfall of 941 mm, about 90 to 94% is
received during south-west monsoon while 3 to 6% and 3 to 4%
is received during northeast monsoon and summer, respectively.
The normal onset of monsoon is during third week of June and
normal withdrawal is during third week of September. The dry
spells during crop season are experienced during September
coinciding with seed formation stage of the soybean and maize.
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days at
AICRPDA centre, Indore
Rainfall
South west monsoon
(June-September)
North east monsoon (October-
December)
Normal
rainfall (mm)
Normal rainy
days (No.)
855.91 -
48.50 -
Winter (January-February) 13.40 -
Summer (March-May) 21.36 -
Annual 939.17 -
130
Major soil types
The major soil types in the zone are clayey and clay loam and
shallow to medium deep, deep black soils.
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif are
soybean, maize and sorghum and during rabi, chickpea, mustard
and wheat.
Dryland agriculture problems
Soils and land problems
●
●
●
●
High intensity of rains
Poor infiltration rate of water
Lack of adoption of suitable conservation measures
The soils are low in nitrogen, medium in phosphorus and
high in potassium
Crop production
●
●
●
●
Low seed replacement rate
Residue management
Lack of locally growing green manure
Poor mechanization
Socio economic conditions
●
●
●
●
●
Small land holdings
Low risk bearing capacity of farmers
Poor adoption of technologies
Market risks
Short supply of inputs
Significant achievements
Rainwater management
●
Maize (grain)-sweet corn cropping system with supplemental
irrigation from harvested rainwater in farm pond was found
more remunerative with total net returns of Rs.159844 ha -1
followed by maize (grain) – chickpea (Rs. 120433 ha -1 )
and soybean- onion (Rs. 108394 ha -1 ). Seven irrigations
(317 m 3 ) were given in sweet corn and onion (344.25 m 3 )
at critical growth stages and one irrigation (39.25 m 3 ) was
given to chickpea crop before flowering stage.

Crops and cropping systems
●
●
Soybean-chickpea, maize-chickpea and green gramchickpea
were grown with three land configuration
treatments viz., farmers practice (flat sowing), broad bed
furrow system (BBF) and raised bed furrow system (FIRBS)
under rainfed condition. The maximum soybean equivalent
yield (SEY) of 3285 kg ha -1 was recorded under FIRBSmaize-chickpea
system followed by BBF-maize-chickpea
system (3011 kg ha -1 ).
Higher soybean equivalent yield SEY (6359 kg ha -1 )), net
returns (Rs. 236150/ha) and B: C ratio (5.72) were recorded
under soybean + maize (4:2)-berseem cropping system
followed by soybean + pigeonpea (4:2) – wheat (4414 kg
ha -1 & Rs. 127178 ha -1 , respectively).
Nutrient management
●
●
In the permanent manurial trial (PMT), based on the average
of last 30 years, FYM 6 t ha -1 + N20 P13 gave higher seed
yield of 1862 kg ha -1 . The study clearly indicated that a
part of the inorganics can be substituted, thus substantially
cutting the cost of cultivation. Application of 50% of RDF
through inorganic fertilizer + 50% through organic manure
gave higher seed yield (1383 kg ha -1 ) followed by RDF
through inorganic fertilizer (1330 kg ha -1 ) and 10 t organic
manure ha -1 (1306 kg ha -1 ).
Application of micronutrients significantly improved the
yield of soybean and chickpea. The highest seed yield
of soybean (1654 kg/ha) and chickpea (2113 kg/ha) was
recorded with RDF + Mo (soil application) 0.5 kg ha -1
(ammonium molybdate as basal dose).
Energy management
● Among sowing techniques, higher seed yield (971 kg ha -1 )
was recorded under raised bed and furrow system, which
was at par with broad bed furrow and significantly superior
to sweep blade type seed drill. Raised bed furrow system
recorded 12.90% and broad bed furrow (BBF) 8.37% higher
seed yield of soybean as compared to sweep blade type seed
drill. The maximum output energy (14279 MJ ha -1 ) was in
FIRBS followed by BBF (13694 MJ ha -1 ) and lowest was in
sweep blade type seed drill (12639 MJ ha -1 ).
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
●
●
Broad bed furrow system of planting to enhance productivity
of rainfed soybean
Ridge furrow system of planting to enhance productivity of
rainfed soybean
Rainwater management through economically feasible
water harvesting tanks in black soils
●
●
●
●
●
Sweet corn with harvested water for higher income in deep
black soils
Percolation tanks for ground water recharge
Farm ponds
Enhancing water productivity in micro-watershed through
efficient utilization
Contingent crop plans to tackle drought situations
Cropping systems
●
●
●
●
●
●
Use of mulches to enhance productivity of rainfed crops in
Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh
Sustainable, productive and profitable intercropping
systems for Malwa Plateau of M.P.
Improved varieties of major crops of the zone Malwa
plateau
Improved varieties of rainfed crops for higher productivity
in Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh.
Sunflower as contingent crop in very delayed sown
conditions in Malwa plateau of Madhya Pradesh
Alternate crop for the region
Double cropping systems
Soybean based
Soybean - chickpea
Soybean - safflower
Maize based
Maize - chickpea
Blackgram - chickpea
Blackgram - safflower
Nutrient management
●
Potassium spray to combat mid-season drought stress in
soybean
Integrated nutrient management
Crop
Soybean, maize, sorghum
Chickpea, wheat, mustard
Foliar nutrition
●
INM practices
6 t FYM /ha + 75% of the
recommended nutrients through
fertilizers; seed inoculation with
Rhizobium/Azotobactor and PSB
75% of the recommended
nutrients through fertilizers and
seed inoculation with Rhizobium/
Azotobactor and PSB
Foliar spray of urea, NPK and ZnSO 4
is done during the
flowering and pod filling stage in soybean.
131

Foliar nutrition in soybean
Treatments
Urea 2% at 25
and 40 days after
sowing
Spray of 19:19:19
NPK @ 2% +
insecticide
Spray of 19:19:19
NPK @ 2%
Spray of ZnSO 4
0.5%
Seed
yield
kg/ha
Alternate land use systems
Gross
returns
(Rs./ha)
Cost of
cultivation
(Rs./ha)
Net
returns
(Rs./ha)
B:C
Ratio
1111 38941 20000 18941 1.95
1037 34678 20000 14678 1.73
1040 34904 20000 14904 1.74
968 38727 20000 18727 1.94
Drum-stick (Moringa oleifera) /aonla (Phyllanthus emblica) +
soybean + pigeonpea - chickpea
Contingency crop planning
For kharif planning
a. Crop/cropping system for normal onset of monsoon (3 rd
week, June)
● Soybean - JS 20-34, JS 20-29, JS 95-60, RVS 2001-4,
Pigeonpea - TJT 501, Pusa 992, Maize - JM 216, JM 219
JM 215, Sorghum - Sweet corn- Sugar-75, Golden cob).
● Intercropping systems: Soybean + pigeonpea, maize +
soybean maize + pigeonpea, soybean + blackgram
b. Suggested contingency crops/ cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (4 th week of June)
●
Soybean (early) (JS 20-34, JS 20-29, JS 95-60), Blackgram
(PU 31, T-9, PU 36);
● Sorghum (RVJ-2357, CSV- 27, CSH- 27, CSH- 41)
● Intercropping system: Pigeonpea (medium) (TJT 501) +
soybean (early) (JS 20-34, Raj Soya 18); sorghum (RVJ
1862) + early soybean (JS 20-34, JS- 20-29); soybean +
blackgram (JU-86)
Delay by 4 weeks (2 nd week of July)
● Early varieties of soybean (JS 20-34, JS 20-29, JS 95-
60), sweet corn (Sugar-75, Golden cob); early to medium
pigeonpea (Rajeshwari, TJT 501)
●
Maize fodder; brinjal/tomato/sponge gourd/kharif onion
● Intercropping systems: Pigeonpea (JKM-89, TJT-501) +
soybean (2:4 rows)
● Blackgram (Pusa-16, PU-31); greengram (Sikha) +
sunflower (Modern); sesame (TKG-55, TKG- 8, JT 21)
Bharat Singh et al.
Delay by 6 weeks (4 th week of July)
●
Sunflower (Modern); sweet corn (Sugar - 75, Golden cob
for cobs); kharif onion; Maize (JM 216, JM 219 JM 215),
Maize for fodder (African Tall); Bajra chari/ MP chari.
Delay by 8 weeks (2 nd week of August)
●
●
Cultivate field for moisture conservation and sowing of
rabi crops, i.e. Toria (JT -1)
Maize fodder (African tall); Ashwagandha.
c. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
In soybean, gap filling with improved seed if the plant
population is less than 60%
Foliar spray with 2% Urea, 2% NPK 19:19:19 during dry
spell
Frequent intercultural operations using doura
Green leaf mulching (subabul/gliricidia)
Thinning for maintain optimum plant population
Foliar spray of water
Earthing up in maize and groundnut
Mid-season drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
Removal of lower leaves in maize, sorghum and soybean
Weed management through intercultural operation between
rows using doura
Gap filling with improved variety, if the plant population is
less than 60%
Green leaf mulch like gliricidia, etc
Supplemental irrigation, if available
Open conservation furrows and ridge and furrow
● Foliar spray of 2% solution of MoP/DAP/NPK 19:19:19
Terminal drought
●
Supplemental irrigation, if available
For rabi planning
a. Crops and varieties for normal season
●
Chickpea (Desi- RVG-201, RVS- 202, RVS-203, RVS-
204), Kabuli-RVKG-101, RVKG-102
● Mustard- Varuna, Pusa bold, Safflower- JSI 97, JSI -99,
JSI-112, Wheat- Amrita, Harshita, Purna
b. Suggested crops and varieties for delayed season
●
Chick pea – (Desi- RVG-201, RVS- 202, RVS-203, RVS-
204)
● Safflower- (JSI -99, JSI-112), Wheat- (GW –173, Pusa -
111)
132

Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
AICRPDA centre Indore developed many location-specific
dryland technologies for the benefit of farmers. Many
technologies were tested and demonstrated on farmers’ fields
and popularised. Such successful technologies were up scaled in
convergence with Govt. programmes, NGOs and KVKs.
Impact of technologies
The dryland technologies developed from AICRPDA - Indore
have significantly improved the productivity of rainfed crops
grown in scarce rainfall zone of Malwa. Farm pond technology
and percolation tanks are the technologies which are more
popular, climate resilient and successful in rainwater harvesting
and mitigating the frequent dry spells in the zone. The impact of
technologies was clearly visible with increase in productivity,
yield stability and enhancing the livelihoods of farmers in
the region. The impact of the technologies in terms yield
enhancement and overall productivity improvement in the zone
is presented below.
Rainwater management
Broad bed furrow system of planting to enhance productivity
of rainfed soybean - The soybean was planted with 25 per cent
reduced seed rate on BBF will enhance yield along with the
improved physical property of soil, root development and water
use efficiency. The excess rainwater collected in furrows takes
care of crops during long dry spell and save crops from drought
stress at pod filling and seed development stage of crop.
Ridge furrow system of planting to enhance productivity of
rainfed soybean - The soybean planted with 25 per cent reduced
seed rate on R&F enhanced yield along with the improved
physical properties of soil, root development and water use
efficiency.
Rainwater management through economically feasible water
harvesting tanks in black soils - Storing excess rainwater in
dugout farm ponds for utilization during the dry spells of monsoon
season or for raising a subsequent crop was a promising way to
improve the cropping intensity and crop productivities and to
stabilize the farming in the Malwa region. As the programme
got wide publicity through media and its demonstrational value/
site, various farmers of the region contacted the project team
to get acquainted with the project objectives and showed their
willingness to construct water harvesting tanks in their fields
if the team members provide technical guidance. In view of
this, the team members provided technical guidance and helped
the farmers to create water bodies in their own fields for better
runoff management. Thus, the project could generate awareness
among the farmers of the region to adopt and propagate this
technology.
Sweet corn with harvested water for higher income in
deep black soils - Medium to small farmers from the villages
nearer to the highways or which are well connected with local
mandi of nearby city were practicing this technology. Micro
irrigation methods like drip, sprinklers are getting popularized
amongst farmers. Govt. of M.P. is providing for these systems
at subsidized rate.
Percolation tanks for ground water recharge - Percolation
tank near the ridgeline was successful in retaining runoff and
recharging the open wells, besides saving the adjoining fields
from sheet erosion. This practice was gradually adopting by
farmers.
Enhancing water productivity in micro watershed -
Construction of water harvesting tank on farmers’ field leads
to availability of water for crop production. Once there is
availability of water farmers raise crops and other components
of farming system like poultry farming, fish rearing, crop
diversification etc.
Cropping systems
Use of mulches to enhance productivity of rainfed crops
- About 11 to 24 per cent higher production of soybean was
obtained by using mulches which conserved soil moisture
efficiently. 52 to 110 per cent higher production of rabi crop
i.e., safflower was recorded as compared to without mulching.
It is obvious that in soybean – safflower cropping system, by
the using mulches the germination and production of crops were
enhanced by conserving soil moisture effectively).
Sunflower as contingent crop in very delayed sown conditions
- This technology is important as contingent crop planning in
very delayed onset of monsoon or failure of timely sown crop
due to drought or any other adverse conditions. In such situation,
the department of agriculture should have sufficient seed of
sunflower and green gram to be provided to farmers. The plan
further can be strengthened by seed bank concept in villages in
which seed of such crops and their varieties be kept for use in
abnormal weather conditions.
Alternate crop for the region - Sweet corn and baby corn can
be cultivated in limited area only and that too in areas, which
are well connected to mandi and near high ways as shelf-life of
these products is less and the produce should reach to sale outlet
immediately after harvest. Medium to small farmers from the
villages nearer to the highways or which are well connected with
local mandi of nearby city, are practicing cultivation of sweet
corn /baby corn. However, for larger area and general farmer the
cultivation maize is good alternative to soybean.
Nutrient management
Potassium spray to combat mid-season drought stress in
soybean - This practice is been recommended to reduce water
133

loss via evapo-transpiration by application of potassium while
crop is experiencing drought stress.
Alternate land use systems and integrated farming systems
Vegetable cultivation on the bunds of farm tank/water
harvesting tank - Bottle gourd, sponge gourd, bitter gourd and
Sem (Dolichos lablab) were planted on the bund of farm tank
whose perimeter is of 160 m and the income thus generated
was of Rs. 5661. The maximum WUE of 58.15 kg ha -1 cm -1
was recorded by Sem (Balhar) (Dolichos lablab), This practice
is currently adopted by 5-10% farmers in the region. It can be
further upscaled in the zone with more extension efforts and
demonstrations)
Drum-stick (Moringa oleifera) /aonla (Phyllanthus embelica)
+ soybean + pigeonpea - chickpea - Fruit crops viz., drumstick
(cv. PKM-4) and aonla (cv. N-7) along with soybean (JS 93-05),
pigeonpea (C-11) and soybean + pigeonpea (4:2 row ratio) found
highly productive, profitable and economically viable. This
practice is currently adopted by 5-10% farmers in the region. It
can be further upscaled in the zone with more extension efforts
and demonstrations).
Way forward
Though many technologies have been developed to improve
the productivity of dry lands, a holistic approach on watershed
basis needs to be promoted. Sustainable agriculture calls for
development of land and water resources without deterioration
of ecosystem and the solution for rainfed areas lies in watershed
approach. The key attributes are conservation of rain water and
optimization of soil and water resources in a sustainable and cost
effective mode. The strategies required to harness the potential
of dryland agriculture in Malwa region are
●
●
Modeling weather variability for forecasts in crop planning
Up-scaling of conservation techniques that have scope for
integration in a watershed through participatory approach
Bharat Singh et al.
●
●
Developing strategies for recharging groundwater in the
watersheds
Promotion of conjunctive use of harvested rainwater with
groundwater through micro irrigation technologies
● Identifying water-productive cropping systems and
potential crops
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Studies on potential for biomass and fodder production
from marginal lands through a combination of annual and
perennial species
Enhancing abiotic stress tolerance of important dryland
crops through conventional physiological approach
Strategies for improving and sustaining soil quality in
rainfed agro-ecoregions
Strategies for promoting balanced fertilization through site
specific and integrated nutrient management and enhancing
nutrient and water use efficiency through precision farming
Strategies for improving and sustaining soil quality through
conservation agricultural practices in rainfed agro-ecoregions
Capitalization of potential of terrestrial rainfed ecosystem for
enhanced carbon sequestration through perennials, efficient
cropping systems and enhancement of C-sequestering
capacity of soil
Quantifying the economic advantage of selective farm
mechanization
Assessing economic viability of crop husbandry and
alternate income generating occupations
Evaluating on-farm technologies, providing feedback
and identifying socio-economic constraints in technology
adoption
Crop and income diversification in rainfed regions
134

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 135-138
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Kymore Plateau and Satpura Hills Zone of Madhya Pradesh
R.K. Tiwari 1 , S.M. Kurumvansi 1 , Sudhanshu Pandey 1 , Abhishek Soni 1 , Satish Singh Baghel 1 ,
K.A. Gopinath 2 and G. Ravindra Chary 2
1
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre
Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Rewa 486 001, Madhya Pradesh
2
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, ICAR- CRIDA, Hyderabad, 500 059
Email: rktkvkrewa@rediffmail.com
10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00029.X
Brief history of the centre
The All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland
Agriculture was started as a sub centre at Rewa in 1970-
71. Later in the year 1984-85, the Centre was upgraded as
main Centre. The Centre has the mandate to develop dryland
agriculture technologies for Kymore Plateau and Satpura Hills
zone of Madhya Pradesh with the domain districts of Rewa,
Sidhi, Satna, Singrouli, Shahdol, Anooppur, Umaria, Panna,
north eastern part of Katni, Jabalpur, Seoni and southern parts
of Tikamgarh.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
In general, the climate in this zone is sub-humid. Out of the total
annual average rainfall of 1084 mm, the south-west monsoon
contributes about 85% and post-monsoon about 15%. The
normal onset of monsoon is during third week of June and
normal withdrawal is during first week of October. The dry
spells during crop season are experienced during August and
September coinciding with flowering and grain formation stages
of the major rainfed crops. The mean maximum temperature
is 45.8 o C (May) and the mean minimum temperature is 2.9 o C
(December/January).
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days
(at AICRPDA centre, Rewa)
Rainfall
South west monsoon
(June-September)
Post-monsoon
(October-December)
Normal rainfall
(mm)
Normal rainy
days (No.)
965.0 40
48.0 2
Winter (January-February) 23.3 4
Summer (March-May) 47.72 5
Annual 1084.02 51
Major soil types
The major soil types in the zone are clayey, clay loam, sandy
loam and shallow to deep black soils
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif are
soybean, rice, pigeonpea, sesame, blackgram and greengram
and during rabi are chickpea, linseed, lentil, mustard and wheat.
Dryland agriculture problems
The problems related to domain districts are as enlisted below:
Soil and land management
●
●
●
●
●
Soil and water erosion
High intensity rainfall
Poor infiltration rate
Multiple nutrient deficiencies
Lack of adoption of suitable conservation measures.
Crop production related
●
●
●
●
●
Low seed replacement rates
Poor residue management
Reduced animal power
Unbalanced use of major nutrients and non- application of
deficient micro nutrients
Poor mechanization
Socio economic issues
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Small land holdings
Low risk bearing capacity
Poor adoption of technologies
Short supply of inputs
Market risks
Constraints of labour availability
Dependence on hired agricultural machinery
Stray cattle menace
Significant achievements
Rain water management
Catchment command storage relationship studies carried out
for, Khuthulia catchment, Rewa District. The highest monthly
135

ainfall recorded was 752.60 mm in the month of August 2016
and the highest yearly rainfall recorded was 1627.4 mm in the
year 2016. In the above 10 years period, July (364.7 mm) and
August (291.7 mm) months recorded maximum rainfall. The
rainfall shows fluctuating nature during the ten years. The
runoff for the study area is calculated using SCS- method for a
period of 10 years i.e., 2008-2017. The calculated yearly runoff
in mm for the years from 2008 to 2017 is 198.42, 61.38, 173.27,
415.84, 622.56, 583.84, 107.32, 219.71, 791.34 and 294.57 mm
respectively. The monthly runoff and yearly runoff is calculated
for the period of 10 years using SCS-CN method. Minimum
runoff 61.38 mm was observed in the year 2009 and maximum
runoff was 791.34 observed in the year 2016 by using SCS-CN
method. The correlation coefficients for daily, monthly and
yearly runoff are 0.862, 0.973 and 0.952, respectively.
The impact of life saving irrigation was 16.16% in wheat, 27.40%
in chickpea, 24.54% in mustard and 19.58% in coriander when
these crops were grown after rice. Wheat, chickpea, mustard and
coriander were grown after soybean also showed variation in
yield under control and life saving irrigation conditions. Grain
yield of wheat was increased by 18.32% gram by 27.17%,
mustard by 23.23% when grown after soybean.
Gabion structure were found most suitable for gully erosion
control and erosion through river bank. These structures are
capable for filling large cavities and deep eroded soil from the
fields. It protect the field from river flood and smoothen the
cavities successfully. Masonary check dam was found suitable
for storing the flowing water and recycling to the surrounding
fields. About 10 farmers were benefited by applying pre-sowing
irrigation to 33 acres of their land. It provide assurance of
growing wheat and gram.
Cropping systems
Rice + pigeonpea intercropping gave maximum seed yield of
22.85 q/ha and gross return of Rs. 12237/ha. Soybean variety JS
76 -205 black seeded gave maximum grain yield of 21.85 q/ha
with 90 kg seed rate/ha. Soybean varieties gave more yield when
pre monsoon sowing was done. Mixed cropping of sorghum +
kodo + pigeon pea + green gram + sesamum (Line sown) proved
better. Chickpea + linseed (4:2 row ration) gave the higher yield
individually as well as chickpea equivalent yield (CEY) up to
10.91 q/ha . Among the pigeonpea based intercropping systems,
pigeonpea + soybean (1:2) system found better. The genotype JS
81-335 is gaining popularity amongst the farmers due to its high
yield and early maturity (93 days). This variety is well suited for
double cropping in rainfed areas so it may be recommended for
commercial cultivation in Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh.
Nutrient management
Application of 40 kg N/ha was considered optimum for rainfed
rice. On the basis of long term study (17 years) in integrated
Tiwari et al.
136
plant nutrient supply system, 100 % nitrogen through compost
was superior in rice- wheat, blackgram – chickpea and rice +
blackgram – wheat + chickpea sequences in terms of yield.
Application of 50% N (urea) + 50% N (compost) + Azotobactor
was the second best combination. Continuous application of
organics helps in reducing tillage intensity and use of chemical
fertilizers and improves soil environment. For the conservation
of energy, low till farming strategy can be adopted in place of
intensive cultivation which includes low tillage + weedicide +
interculture. In a balanced nutrition study for soybean in kharif
and chickpea in rabi , 20 kg N + 40 kg P with 10 kg ZnSo 4
/
ha was found superior for soybean with yield 3114 kg/ha and
B:C ratio of 4.70. In case of chickpea under residual fertility
condition, maximum seed yield of 2654 kg/ha was attained in
the plot where 20 kg N + 40 kg P + 10 Kg ZnSO 4
/ha was applied
to soybean in the kharif season.
Energy management
Bullock drawn 2-row planter was demonstrated at Rithi village
of Rewa region. It was found suitable for sowing soybean,
wheat and gram. It covered 20% more sowing area as compared
to desi plough sowing attachment. Because of its successful
performance it was widely adopted by the farmers of Rithi and
surrounding villages.
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
●
●
Ridge and furrow for in-situ moisture conservation
Water harvesting and recycling from a farm pond for double
cropping
Soil and moisture conservation through vegetative barrier
Cropping systems
Intercropping systems
● Soybean + pigeonpea (4:2)
● Wheat + chickpea (2:1)
● Chickpea + linseed (4:2)
Double/triple cropping systems
●
●
●
●
●
Rice-wheat
Rice-chickpea
Rice-lentil
Soybean-wheat
Soybean-chickpea
Nutrient Management
●
●
●
Integrated nutrient management for rainfed crops
Foliar spray in soybean.
Balanced nutrition in soybean- chickpea system.

Alternate land use system
●
Guava based agri-horticulture for Baghelkhand region of
Madhya Pradesh
Contingency Planning
For kharif planning
a. Suggested contingency crops/cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2weeks (4 th week of June)
●
●
●
●
●
Rice-upland (JR-201, Danteswari);
Soybean (JS20-69, JS20-98, JS20-119,);
Pigeonpea (TJT501, Rajeshwari, Asha)
Greengram (TJM3, PDM-139, Shikha);
Blackgram(IPU 2-43, Indira urd-1, PU-35)
Delay by 4 weeks (2 nd week of July)
●
Rice-upland (JR-201, Danteswari); soybean (JS20-34, JS20-
98); pigeonpea (TJT501, Rajeshwari, Asha); greengram
(TJM3, PDM-139, Shikha); blackgram (IPU 2-43, Indira
urid-1, PU-35)
Delay by 6 weeks (4 th week of July)
●
Sowing of alternate crops sesame, blackgram, greengram
● Intercropping of pigeonpea + Greengram/ Blackgram (2 : 4)
Delay by 8 weeks (2 nd week of August)
●
●
Prefer, greengram, blackgram crops with suitable short
duration varieties
Intercropping of greengram, blackgram, and sesame with
pigeonpea
b. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
Gap filling
Resowing with short duration varieties
Weeding and use of weeds as mulch between row of crops
Use of blade harrow for moisture conservation
Prefer intercropping of greengram, blackgram, and sesame
with pigeonpea
Prefer intercropping of chickpea with linseed
Mid-season drought
●
●
●
●
Provide life saving irrigation, if available
Frequent interculture operations like hoeing and weeding.
Ridges are made after 15 to 20 lines of crops for the moisture
conservation.
Interculture with doura/kulpha/hand hoe in between rows
and use removed weeds as mulch for moisture conservation.
137
Terminal drought
●
Apply light irrigation to kharif crops for proper grain filling
if required; this will also be helpful in field preparation for
rabi crops.
● Foliar spray of 1% soluble NPK (19:19:19)
●
Prefer sowing of lentil, linseed, chickpea, etc during rabi
season
Agri-horti systems
●
Guava + soybean/rainfed wheat/chickpea/linseed/lentil
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
The dryland technologies are being upscaled through department
of agriculture, department of horticulture, KVKs, ATMA, etc.
Impact of technologies
Rainwater management
The impact of life saving irrigation was 16.16% in wheat,
27.40% in chickpea, 24.54% in mustard and 19.58% in coriander
when these crops were grown after rice. Wheat, chickpea,
mustard and coriander were grown after soybean also showed
increased in yield with supplemental irrigation i.e. wheat yield
by 18.32% , chickpea by 27.17%, mustard by 23.23%. Soybean
with broad bed and furrow system enhanced yield along with the
improved physical property of soil, root development and water
use efficiency. Soybean, pigeonpea, blackgram, greengram and
sesame are sown on ridges with the help of tractor drawn ridge
and furrow planter. The ridges are formed 45 cm apart and 15
cm wide on top. The technology of ridge and furrow conserves
45% more moisture than flat bed sowing and retains it for a
longer period. It increases the crop yield by 40-45% than farmers
practice. Masonry check dam was found suitable for storing the
flowing water and recycling to the surrounding fields. About 10
farmers were benefited by applying pre-sowing irrigation to 33
acres of their land.
Cropping systems
Soybean + pigeon pea system (3:2) gave net returns of Rs
38100/ha. This system performs better in low rainfall region.
The farmers are practicing this system in Rewa region in
considerable area. Wheat + mustard (2:1) intercropping system
gave wheat equivalent yield of 3010 kg/ha (2017 kg/ha of wheat
+ 386 kg/ha of mustard) and farmers are practicing this system
in Rewa region in considerable area.
Planting of vetiver grass on field bunds will reduce soil loss by
erosion and holds moisture for longer period two facilitate crop
to survive in dry periods. Adoption of vetivar grass as live bunds
in fields will reduce the soil loss and run off in the slope up
to 2%, live barrier of khus grass reduce runoff and soil loss as
compared to control which results in higher soil loss.

The land equivalent ratio (LER) of all the intercropping systems
studied ranged from 1.32 to 1.65 indicating yield advantage with
pigeonpea based intercropping systems. The maximum LER of
1.65 was recorded with pigeonpea + soybean (1:2) intercropping
system followed by pigeonpea + greengram system (1.64).
Inter cropping of chickpea and coriander, both being important
crops are readily accepted by the cultivators. And this system is
spread to more than 40% in watershed area.
Way forward
The sustainable dryland agriculture calls for development
of land and water resources in watershed approach. There
is need to identify water-productive cropping systems and
Tiwari et al.
under-exploited crop and enhance abiotic stress tolerance of
important dryland crops through conventional physiological
approaches. The future research should focus on strategies
for crop diversification, promoting nutrient and water use
efficiency, improving and sustaining soil quality in rainfed agroeco-regions,
crop and management practices and delineation of
risk-prone zones, strategies for promoting balanced fertilization
through site specific and integrated nutrient management and
enhancing nutrient and water use efficiency through precision
farming and development of integrated farming systems models.
138

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 139-148 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00030.6
Brief history of the centre
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) started All
India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture
(AICRPDA) in 1970 under the control of Dr. Panjabrao
Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola to solve location specific
complexities through a cohesive, multi-pronged approach,
emphasizing farmer’s point of view.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
AICRPDA Centre, Akola is located in the campus of Dr.
Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, the jurisdiction of
which covers 11 districts of entire Vidarbha region. There are
two revenue administrative divisions viz., Amravati and Nagpur.
Akola is situated in the latitude 20°42’ N and longitude 77°02’
E with the altitude of 305 m above mean sea level. Domain area
of the project includes Akola, Buldana, Washim, Amravati and
part of Yavatmal districts. It is classified under moist semi-arid
Agro-ecological sub-region with medium deep clayey black soils
(shallow loamy to clayey black soils), medium to high available
water holding capacity (AWC) and LGP of 120-150 days
(K5Dm4). As per the planning commission, the domain districts
of the centre viz., Akola, Washim, Buldana, Amravati and
Yavatmal fall under agroclimatic zone i.e. western plateau and
hills region. As per the NARP agroclimatic zone classification,
the region is classified under Central Vidarbha (AZ- 97).
Climate
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Western Vidarbha Zone of Maharashtra
A.B. Chorey, V.V. Gabhane, R.S. Patode, M.M. Ganvir, A.R. Tupe and R.S. Mali
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre
Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, Maharashtra - 444104
Vidarbha region of Maharashtra state is mostly characterized by
dryland farming. The climatic conditions of this region can be
broadly described as semi-arid. The jurisdiction of Dr. Panjabrao
Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth is entire Vidarbha region. It is
richly endowed with natural resources of varied types. Akola
centre strives to solve location specific complexities through a
cohesive, multi-pronged approach, emphasizing farmers’ point
of view all the time. The region comprises eleven districts
viz. Buldana, Akola, Washim, Amravati, Yavatmal, Wardha,
Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli. It lies
in between 17° 57’ - 21° 46’ N latitude and 75° 57’ - 80° 59’
E longitude and covers an area of 97762.9 km2, which is 31.92
per cent area of Maharashtra. The mean annual rainfall ranges
from 700 mm at the west to 1700 mm at the east. The day length
and temperature vary, giving a rise from north to south and
E-mail: chiefscientist1057@gmail.com
139
rainfall from west to east. Thus, it gives rise to various agro
climatic situations. This region mostly receives adequate rainfall
in aggregate in monsoon period but suffers from vagaries of
distribution and consequently the scarcity and semi-scarcity
conditions. Some pockets in Khamgaon tahsil of Buldana district
are drought prone. Monsoon sets in from 8 th June regularly and
rains commence in between 18 th to 25 th June with highest rainfall
during July and August and withdraw on 8 th October. However,
rains are meagre after first fortnight of September. Total number
of rainy days ranges in between 47 to 65.
The coefficient of variation of monthly rainfall is 40 to 50% even
for the wet month i.e. July indicating the uncertainty of rains
during the season. The climatic conditions of the region can be
broadly described as semi-arid type on annual basis. The region
experiences sub-humid to humid conditions in monsoon season,
semi-arid in winter season and arid in summer season. Vidarbha
region has been divided into three agro-climatic zones based on
rainfall, soil types and vegetation viz., Western Vidarbha Zone
(Rainfall 700 to 950 mm), Central Vidarbha Zone (Rainfall 950
to 1250 mm) and Eastern Vidarbha Zone (Rainfall

soils are calcareous, highly base saturated, fairly well drained,
well supplied with potash, moderate to low in phosphate, but
low in organic matter content and slightly alkaline.
Soils of the Central Vidarbha are derived from basalt rock,
black in colour and having varying depth depending upon their
physiography. Inceptisols and Entisols are developed from
basalt and they are very shallow to shallow.
Percentage area under different soil types in domain districts
District
Coarse
shallow
Medium
deep black
Deep
black
Salt affected
soil
Akola and 6.03 42.80 24.87 61.31
Washim
Amravati 15.62 32.03 20.90 22.26
Buldhana 29.71 18.81 19.52 16.42
Yavatmal 48.64 6.36 34.72 0.00
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during kharif are
cotton, soybean, pigeonpea, greengram, blackgram, sorghum
and during rabi are chickpea and rabi sorghum. In western and
central Vidarbha zone, predominant crops are cotton, sorghum,
pigeonpea, greengram, blackgram, soybean, sunflower and
maize. The rainfed cropping systems consist of sole cotton,
sole soybean, Soybean + pigeonpea intercropping, Soybeanchickpea,
Soybean-safflower, Greengram-safflower, Soybeansorghum
which are dependent upon the residual soil moisture
status of delayed SW monsoon winter rains. Agri-horticulture
and silvi pasture systems are cultivated in pockets and especially
in degraded land. Only cotton was found suitable for dry seeding
as compared to other kharif crops viz. sorghum, greengram,
blackgram and pigeonpea. Cotton should be sown before the
onset of monsoon to get higher yield.
Major shifts in cropping pattern /cropping systems for the
last ten years
●
●
●
●
●
●
Cultivated area under soybean has considerably increased
replacing area under cotton and sorghum.
Soybean-chickpea evolved as a prominent and major
sequence cropping system in Vidarbha region
Soybean + pigeonpea (4:2)/(5:1)/(6:1) evolved as a
prominent intercropping in soybean based system followed
by the farmers of Vidarbha region.
Cotton + pigeonpea (7:1)/(9:1) intercropping is evolved as
a prominent intercropping in cotton based system followed
by the farmers of Vidarbha region.
Pigeonpea is most prominent intercrop in both cotton and
soybean crop.
Paddy is the major crop grown in eastern Vidarbha
region which includes districts viz: Gondia, Gadchiroli,
Chandrapur, Bhandara and some parts of Nagpur region
Chorey et al.
140
Dryland agriculture problems
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Climate vulnerability associated with biotic and abiotic
stresses such as: early-mid-terminal droughts, prolonged
dry spells, high rainfall events, heavy infestation of diseases
and pests etc.
High cost of inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, insecticides
and weedicides.
Scarcity of labour and high wages.
Attack by wild animals and their management.
Lack of resources for irrigation.
Lack of awareness towards the adoption of new technologies/
varieties among the farmers.
Lack of farm mechanization.
Issues pertaining to the availability of electricity.
Research initiatives since inception of the centre
●
●
●
●
Climate resilient intercropping systems, double cropping
systems, diversified cropping systems have been developed
by the research centre to cope up with the issues of climate
vulnerability
Research centre has developed the low cost technologies
for in-situ and ex-situ moisture conservation and rainwater
management practices for increasing the productivity of
rainfed crops.
Dryland research centre has also developed technologies
for nutrient management involving the integrated nutrient
management strategies for sustainable soil health for
maximizing the crop yields.
National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture
(AICRPDA-NICRA) and AICRPAM-NICRA these two
projects are implemented by the centre in various villages
of the Akola District to disseminate and demonstrate the
technologies of dryland agriculture for the farmers. Weather
forecasting with agromet advisories are disseminated
among the farmers of these villages to cope up with the
climate vulnerabilities.
Significant achievements
Rainwater management
●
●
In graded bunded field, for sustainable soil and water
conservation and obtaining higher monetary returns it is
recommended to plant and develop one vetiver line at the
centre of adjacent graded bunds.
Effect of land treatments for improving moisture regime
in pulse based cropping system was studied at Akola,
Achalpur, Washim, Yavatmal and Buldhana during 1991-
92 to 1993-94. Opening of furrows (after two rows) at
seeding or at 30 DAS is essential for improving moisture

●
●
status of the soil and in boosting crop yield in both contour
sowing and sowing across the main slope in pulse based
cropping system.
Effect of land treatments on the yield of early cotton grown
in shallow soils were studied at Akola and it is recommended
to open furrow after every two rows at 30 DAS with a hoe
for getting higher seed cotton yield in shallow soils.
For obtaining higher cotton yield, monetary returns and
improvement in soil fertility status, integrated application
of 50% RDF (25:12.5:12.5 kg ha -1 N:P:K)+ FYM @ 5t ha -1
+ PSB + Azotobactor and opening of furrow in each row at
30-40 DAS is recommended under dryland condition.
Cropping systems
● In western vidarbha region, sorghum + pigeonpea (3:3),
pigeonpea + soybean (1:2) and cotton + greengram (1:1)
intercropping should be adopted in place of respective sole
crops.
●
●
●
Intercropping of sorghum and pigeonpea in cotton was
studied at Dryland Research Unit, Akola and recommended
that, for getting higher monetary returns and to meet
the requirement of food, fodder and fuel of the famers.
Cotton + sorghum + pigeonpea + sorghum (6:1:2:1) four
tier intercropping system is recommended under rainfed
situation.
For obtaining higher productivity and monetary returns,
intercropping of Pearl millet + pigeonpea (1:1) at 30 cm
row spacing in Inceptisols is recommended under dryland
condition.
For minimizing the risk in rainfed agriculture and obtaining
higher yield and monetary returns, intercropping of cotton:
soybean: pigeonpea: soybean (3:2:2:2) at 45 cm spacing is
recommended.
● For ease in sowing cotton + sorghum + pigeonpea +
sorghum (3:1:1:1) recorded statistically at par net monetary
return of Rs. 20032/- with Cotton + sorghum + pigeonpea
+ sorghum (6:1:2:1) and it also recorded B:C ratio of 2.28
with seed cotton equivalent yield of 871 kg ha -1 .
●
●
For obtaining higher production, economic returns,
convenience in sowing and interculture operations,
intercropping of soybean + pigeonpea (4:2) with 45 cm
spacing between the rows is recommended under dryland
condition.
Under dryland condition, for higher productivity and
monetary returns, intercropping of vegetables cotton
(cotton + cowpea or clusterbean) sown at 45 cm in 1:1 row
proportion and application of 125% RDF (75:37.5:37.5
NPK kg ha -1 ) in two split doses i.e. half dose of N , Full
dose of P and K applied at the time of sowing to cotton +
141
●
●
vegetable intercrops (37.5 : 37.5 : 37.5 NPK kg ha -1 ) and
remaining half dose of nitrogen (37.5 kg ha -1 ) applied at 30
DAS to cotton crop is recommended.
For obtaining high monetary returns, soil moisture
conservation on slopy field (up to 3% slope), it is
recommended to take soybean-chickpea double cropping
on 30% area of lower toposequence in place of sole cotton
under cotton based cropping system in dryland condition.
For obtaining higher system productivity and profitability,
sowing of non Bt cotton + soybean (4:10)-safflower
cropping system with tractor drawn seed drill and
application of 45:55:30 kg ha -1 NPK to the Cotton +
soybean (4:10) intercropping and 13.75:13.75:13.75 kg ha -
1
NPK to safflower is recommended for dryland condition of
Vidarbha region.
Nutrient management
●
●
●
●
●
Application of 5 t FYM + 25 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 as a basal dose and
25 kg N ha -1 as top dressing after 30 days is recommended
to Cotton + greengram (1:1) intercropping system as
an Integrated Plant Nutrient Supply (IPNS) system for
sustainable fertility and productivity of soil in drylands.
Trial on green leaf manuring in sorghum, sunflower and
pigeonpea (Alley cropping) was carried out at Akola and it
was observed that Leucaena loppings @ 3.5 t ha -1 each year,
if added for two years, curtail the fertilizer requirement and
improve the soil health. After two years, there is no need
of fertilizer for sunflower and pigeonpea crops. However,
70 per cent yield over recommended dose of fertilizer is
noticed in case of sorghum when Leucaena loppings @ 3.5
t ha -1 was added.
Studies on the effect of Leucaena loppings alone and in
combination with fertilizers on soil properties and yield
of seed cotton (AHH-468) were conducted at Akola and
results revealed that combined use of organics and chemical
fertilizers is more effective in increasing yield. Use of
Leucaena loppings (4.5 t ha -1 ) reduced recommended dose
of fertilizers by 50%. Alley width of 15 m with 4 rows of
Leucaena each at 45 x 45 cm is proposed in alley cropping.
Leucaena hedge rows act as vegetative barriers for soil and
water conservation.
Experiments on the effect of Leucaena loppings alone
and in combination with fertilizer on growth and yield
of sorghum were conducted and it is recommended that,
Leucaena loppings @ 4.5 t ha -1 and 3/4 th recommended
fertilizer dose be applied to kharif hybrid sorghum for
obtaining similar net monetary returns as that obtained with
the recommended doses of fertilizer.
In medium deep soils where available zinc status is low to
medium, hybrid sorghum crop should be fertilized with 5

kg zinc ha -1 (25 kg ZnSO 4
ha -1 ) along with recommended
dose of fertilizer.
● Pigeonpea crop be fertilized with 20 kg P (46 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 ) along with 5 t FYM and 1.5 kg phosphorus solubilizing
bacteria (PSB) per hectare for economy in chemical
fertilizer.
●
●
Application of 4 t FYM and 100:50:50 kg N, P 2
O 5
and
K 2
O ha -1 is recommended to variety Amber popcorn maize,
for obtaining higher grain and fodder as well as monetary
returns under dryland conditions.
For obtaining higher yield and economic returns in zinc and
boron deficient vertisols, it is recommended to apply 25 kg
Zinc sulphate and 5 kg Borax ha -1 along with 50:25:00 NPK
kg ha -1 to rainfed American cotton. The seed cotton yield
(1062 kg ha -1 ) obtained with improved practice is 23 per
cent higher under 125% RDF + 25 kg/ha ZnSO 4
+ 5 kg / ha
Borax as compared to 100% NPK (50:25:00 NPK kg/ha)
only (861 kg/ha) The net returns with improved practice is
19 per cent higher than the recommended dose. This also
helps in quality of the cotton in general and improves the
soil fertility status in vertisols.
● The improved practice gives higher seed cotton yield (887
kg/ha) with INM practice (50% recommended N (25 kg/
ha) through green leaves of gliricidia + 50% N through
urea (25 kg/ha) + 25 kg P 2
O 5
/ha +25 kg K 2
O/ha) along
with seed treatment, which is 15% higher as compared to
recommended dose i.e., 50:25:0 NPK kg/ha (750 kg/ha)
with 28% higher net returns. The INM practice helps in
improvement of fertility status of soil, especially nitrogen
and potassium status of soil since 1 ton of gliricidia adds
21 kg N and 18 kg K annually. The loppings of gliricidia
serve as mulch, thus conserve soil moisture, further helps in
improving soil physical and biological properties on a long
term.
●
The yield of soybean (1760 kg/ha) with INM practice is
8 per cent higher as compared to recommended dose i.e.
30:75:00 NPK kg/ha (1618 kg/ha) with 13 % higher net
returns. The INM practice helps in improvement of fertility
status of soil, especially nitrogen and potassium status
of soil since 1 ton of gliricidia adds 21 kg N and 18 kg
K annually besides improving soil physical and biological
properties.
Tillage and nutrient management
●
In rainfed condition for sorghum crop, minimum tillage (one
hoeing followed by one hand weeding) with 20 kg nitrogen
through inorganic fertilizer+ 20 kg N through FYM (3.80 t
ha -1 ), 40 kg P 2
O 5
and 40 kg K 2
O as basal dose and remaining
20 kg nitrogen through inorganic fertilizer + 20 kg through
gliricidia (3 t ha -1 , at 30 DAS) is recommended for higher
Chorey et al.
142
rainwater use efficiency, higher grain yield and enhanced
soil fertility
Agronomic technologies
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
The efficiency of Planofix hormone (NAA) on the seed
cotton yield conducted for three years revealed that two
sprays of Planofix at the commencement of flowering and
at 50% flowering should be given in order to get higher seed
cotton yield of variety L-147.
While studying optimum plant population of pigeonpea
Hy-2 for three years, it was observed that spacing of 60 x
30 cm (55555 plants ha -1 ) recorded the highest yield.
Pigeonpea should be sown in 2 nd fortnight of September
with a spacing of 45 to 60 cm x 30 cm. Wider row spacing
(60 cm) may be adopted for deeper soils
Sorghum could be grown in all types of soil with
recommended dose of fertilizers. Cotton could be grown
on class II soils (60 cm) with recommended fertilizers.
However, long duration varieties of pigeonpea should not
be grown on shallow soils (20 cm). Pigeonpea should be
fertilized with recommended dose of fertilizer on class II
and class III soils.
Sowing of castor on the onset of monsoon is recommended
for Akola district. However, sowing could be extended up
to middle of August under contingency. Sowing of castor
in second week of August is recommended for Buldhana
district and it could be delayed up to September when
contingency arises. Spacing of 90 x 40 cm is recommended
for castor at both the places
Requirement of P for hybrid sorghum (CSH-9) on Vertisols
were studied at Akola, Achalpur, Washim and Buldhana and
results showed that, dose of 25 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 in deep heavy
soils and 40 kg P 2
O 5
in medium deep soils is recommended
to hybrid sorghum (CSH-9).
Cotton variety AKH-081 performed better in shallow soils
(< 30 cm) under rainfed condition.
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
In-situ moisture conservation through topo sequence
based cropping: In cotton (Rajat) on fields (up to 3%
slope), in the lower toposequence covering about 30%
area is replaced by soybean (PKV-1), which is followed by
chickpea (ICCV-2) in rabi. This enables double cropping in
lower toposequence. For demarcation of such area, Vetiver
key line is established in the beginning of the system, which
also helps in moisture conservation.
● Continuous Contour Trenches for moisture
conservation and establishment of agri-horti systems:
The technology of continuous contour trenches (CCT)

comprise of demarcation of contour lines with dumpy level
or contour marker on the selected land. Once the contour
lines are drawn, parallel to these contour lines, continuous
contour trenches of 60 x 30 cm are excavated such that the
upper fertile soil is collected on upstream side and below
murrum is spread at downstream side in the form of bund
with suitable berm (space between trench and bund). Then
the fertile soil is used to fill mound in the trench on desired
spacing for example, in this technology, 5 to 6 m between
the plants. The mound is used for planting of custard apple
and hanuman phal at 5 m interval and remaining trench is
left for in-situ rainwater conservation. For the first 5 years
of establishment of the fruit trees, the interspaces between
adjacent trenches are used for cultivation of greengram and
blackgram for efficient utilization of land and resources.
There is also scope for cultivation of soybean, horsegram,
cowpea and other short duration crops.
● Conservation furrow and integrated nutrient
management for increasing cotton productivity: The
technology comprises of American cotton sown at 60 x
30 cm with bullock drawn 3 type seed drill. The seed rate
of cotton is 15 kg ha -1 . The improved practice includes
application of 50% recommended N (30 kg ha -1 ) through
FYM + 50% N through urea (12.5 kg ha -1 ) + 30 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 + 30 kg K 2
O ha -1 in rainfed cotton. Earlier, the seeds
of cotton are treated with bio-fertilizers (Azatobacter and
PSB @ 25 g/kg seed). The half dose of N (12.5 kg ha -1 ),
entire dose of P and K are applied as basal. The remaining
half dose of N (12.5 kg ha -1 ) is supplied through chemical
fertilizer urea applied 30 DAS manually near the plant by
ring method.)
●
Rainwater harvesting through farm pond: Based on
the runoff from two catchments, the capacity of the farm
ponds have been decided. Accordingly, the location for
construction of the farm ponds had been chosen and
the dimensions were decided and construction of two
farm ponds for two different catchments was done. Farm
pond 1, capacity-2750 cum (size, 45 x 27 x 3 m) is
having embankments on all sides however farm pond 2,
capacity-370 cum (size, 18 x 11 x 3 m) have embankments
on two sides only and other two sides are without
embankments which will acts as inlets for sheet flow in the
pond. The sheet flow is to be passed from the vegetative key
lines surrounding the sides of the farm pond. These farm
ponds are having pipe outlets located at suitable places for
safe disposal of the excess water when the farm ponds are
filled to its fullest capacity. The farm ponds are not lined.
The berms are provided on all sides of the farm ponds for
easy access and for stability of the embankments.
Cropping systems
●
●
●
●
Pearlmillet + pigeonpea (1:1) intercropping system in
black soils of Western and Central Vidarbha region:
(The improved technology comprises of Pearl millet +
pigeonpea intercropping system in 1:1 row proportion.
Pearl millet (ICTP 8203) and pigeonpea (C 11) are sown in
alternate rows at distance of 30 cm. The seed rate of pearl
millet is 4 kg ha -1 and pigeonpea is 15 kg ha -1 and are sown
with 3 type bullock drawn seed drill (Tifan /Sartah) with
a basal fertilizer dose of 60:30 kg ha -1 of NP. Half of dose
of N (30 kg ha -1 ) and entire dose of P is applied as basal with
ferti cum seed drill. Remaining half dose of N (30 kg ha -1 )
is applied through urea at 30 DAS. One weeding and one
hoeing with bullock drawn hoe is done at 30 DAS.)
Performance of cotton genotypes under HDPS with
Soybean (6:6)-mustard strip intercropping system: (The
improved practice includes sowing of high density (45 x
15 cm) planting of desi Cotton (AKA-7) + soybean (6:6)
with 40:50:25 NPK kg ha -1 or American cotton (AKH-081)
+ soybean (6:6) with 50:55:30 NPK kg ha -1 to both the crops
and soybean strip sequenced with mustard at 45 x 15 cm
spacing with recommended dose of fertilizer (40:20:20
NPK kg ha -1 ) is recommended for dryland condition of
Vidarbha region. The spacing for cotton crop is 45 x 15 cm
whereas soybean is sown at 45 x 5 cm and mustard 45 x 15
cm with seed rate of cotton (12.5 kg ha -1 ), soybean (37.5 kg
ha -1 ) and mustard (3 kg ha -1 ).
Intercropping of pigeonpea and soybean in cotton
with varying planting geometry: For minimizing the
risk in rainfed agriculture and obtaining higher yield
and monetary returns, intercropping system of Cotton:
soybean: pigeonpea: soybean (3:2:2:2) at 45 cm spacing is
recommended.
Up scaling of Cotton + sorghum + pigeonpea + sorghum
(6:1:2:1) intercropping system: For ease in sowing and
getting monetary returns comparable to risk minimizing
intercropping system 6:1:2:1 (cotton : sorghum : pigeonpea:
sorghum) and to meet the requirements of food, fodder and
fuel of the farmers, 3:1:1:1 (cotton: sorghum: pigeonpea:
sorghum) is recommended under dryland condition).
Nutrient management
●
Nutrient management through greengram incorporation
in cotton: Cotton (Rajat) is sown with 60 cm row spacing.
Without hampering the plant population of cotton, one row
of greengram (Kopergaon) is sown between two rows of
cotton. At the same time 50% N (FYM) +50 percent N
(urea) is applied to cotton. After picking of greengram pods,
the biomass of greengram is incorporated into the soil by
hoeing through interculture operations.)
143

●
●
●
Nutrient management in rainfed cotton on Vertisols:
The technology includes basal soil application of Zn @ 25
kg Zinc Sulphate and B @ 5 kg Borax/ha along with 30
(50 per cent dose of N): 30:00 NPK kg ha -1 with ferti cum
seed drill. In this case, 60 kg ha -1 of N and 25 kg of P are
recommended which is 10 kg ha -1 and 5 kg ha -1 , more than
the recommended dose of N (50 kg ha -1 ) and P (25 kg ha -1 )
respectively. Remaining dose of N i.e., 30 kg ha -1 is applied
at 30 DAS.)
Integrated nutrient management in soybean in black
soils: The technology comprises of basal application of
50% recommended N (15 kg ha -1 ) through green leaves of
glyricidia + 50% N through urea (15 kg ha -1 ) + 75 kg P 2
O 5
+ 25 kg K 2
O ha -1 along with seed treatment of bio-fertilizers
(Rhizobium and PSB @ 25 g/kg seed). The fresh toppings
of glyricidia are applied manually in between the rows of
soybean. The seed rate of soybean is 75 kg ha -1 and spacing
is 45 cm in between rows and 10 cm intra rows.)
Integrated nutrient management in cotton in black
soils: The improved practice includes application of 50 per
cent recommended N (25 kg ha -1 ) through green leaves of
glyricidia + 50% N through urea (25 kg ha -1 ) + 25 kg P 2
0 5
/ha + 25 kg K 2
O ha -1 in rainfed cotton (American cotton).
Earlier, the seeds of cotton are treated with bio-fertilizers
(Azotobacter and PSB @ 25 g/kg seed). The half dose of N
(25 kg ha -1 ) entire dose of P and K are applied as basal. The
remaining half dose of N is supplied through fresh toppings
of glyricidia, which are applied manually in between the
rows of cotton at 30 DAS. The seed rate of cotton is 10 kg
ha -1 and spacing is 60 cm in between rows and 30 cm intra
rows.)
● Performance of intercrops and levels of fertilizers in G.
hirsutum cotton (AKH- 9916) under rainfed condition:
The improved practice gives higher seed cotton equivalent
yield of 2464 kg ha -1 for cotton + cowpea (1:1) whereas 2442
kg ha -1 for cotton + clusterbean (1:1) cropping system with
50% N + 100% P and K applied through inorganic fertilizer
at the time of sowing to intercrops and 50% nitrogen after
one month to cotton crop only. This intercropping systems
of cotton + cowpea (1:1) and cotton + clusterbean (1:1)
provide higher crop profitability (Rs. 363.35/- and Rs.
366.47/- ha -1 day -1 respectively) and system profitability
(180.18 and 181.73 Rs. ha -1 day -1 respectively) with higher
values of crop productivity (13.61 and 13.49 kg ha -1 day -1
respectively).
Tillage and nutrient management
● Tillage and nutrient management for resource
conservation and improving soil quality: The improved
practice includes sowing of sorghum crop with low tillage
Chorey et al.
144
i.e one hoeing followed by one hand weeding with 20 kg
nitrogen through inorganic fertilizer + 20 kg through FYM
(3.8 t ha -1 ), 40 kg P 2
O 5
and 40 kg K 2
O as basal dose and
20 kg nitrogen through inorganic fertilizer + 20 kg through
glyricidia (3 t ha -1 ) is recommended for overall resource
conservation i.e, higher water use efficiency, enhanced soil
fertility and higher grain and fodder yield.)
Integrated nutrient management practices
Crop
INM practice
Cotton FYM @ 5to10 t/ha or glyricidia 2.5 to 5.0 t/ha + 50%N
+ 100% P & K through inorganics + bio-fertilizer
(Azotobactor) 25 g/kg seed
Soybean FYM 5t/ha + bio-fertilizer (Rhizobium + PSB) @25 g/
kg seed + RDF
Pigeonpea FYM 5t/ha + bio-fertilizer (Rhizobium + PSB) @ 25 g/
kg seed + RDF
Greengram
Sorghum
Chickpea
Foliar nutrition
●
●
●
Biofertilizer (Rhizobium + PSB) @ 25 g/kg seed + RDF
FYM 3.0 to 5.0 t/ha + RDF + biofertilizer (Azotobactor
+ PSB) @ 20-25g/ kg seed
Biofertilizer (Azotobactor + PSB) @ 20-25 g/kg seed
+ RDF
In cotton, foliar application of 2% urea at the time of
flowering1% urea + 1% magnesium sulphate at the time
of boll setting, 1% KNO 3
at the time of boll development
stage.
In soybean foliar application of 19:19:19 water soluble mix
fertilizer at pod initiation stage.
In soybean during prolonged dry spells mulching of straw
5tonnes ha -1 with foliar spray of potassium nitrate 1% or
magnesium carbonate 5% or glycerol 5% at 15 days after
flowering.
Cropping systems
a. Intercropping systems
● Cotton + greengram (1:1)
● Cotton + Cowpea (1:1)
● Cotton + Clusterbean (1:1)
● Soybean + Pigeonpea (4:2)
●
●
Cotton + Soybean (4:10) >Safflower
Cotton + Soybean (6:6) > Mustard
● Pearl millet + pigeonpea (1:1)
● Cotton:soybean:pigeonpea:soybean (3:1:1:1)
● Cotton:soybean:pigeonpea:soybean (3:2:2:2)
● Soybean + pigeonpea (4:2)

. Double/triple cropping systems
●
Soybean-chickpea
Contingency crop planning
For kharif Planning
Crop/cropping system for normal onset of monsoon (second
week of June)
●
Cotton (AKH-09-5, AKH-9916), Soybean (AMS-1001,
AMS-MB-5-18, JS-335 & JS-93-05), Pigeonpea (AKT-
8811, Vipula, PKV- Tara & BSMR-736), Sorghum (CSH-
9, PDKV Kalyani) Greengram (PDKV Greengold, PKV
AKM-4), Blackgram (PDKV Black gold, PKV Udid-15)
● Intercropping systems: Cotton+pigeonpea (8:1/9:1),
cotton+greengram/blackgram (1:1), soybean+pigeonpea
(4:2/6:1), cotton+cowpea (1:1), cotton+clusterbean (1:1),
cotton+soybean (4:10).
Suggested contingency crops/ cropping systems and cultivars
under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (4 th week of June)
●
Cotton (AKH-081 (Bt), AKH-09-5, AKH-9916), soybean
(JS-9560 & JS-93-05), pigeonpea (PKV- Tara & BSMR-
736), sorghum (CSH-14, CSH-17, CSH-30), greengram
(Pusa vaishakhi, Kopergaon) and blackgram (TAU-2).
● Intercropping systems: Cotton+pigeonpea (8:1/9:1),
cotton+greengram/blackgram (1:1), soybean+pigeonpea
(4:2/6:1), cotton+cowpea (1:1), cotton+clusterbean (1:1),
cotton+soybean (4:10).
●
●
Area under cotton be reduced and replaced by sorghum and
area under groundnut be reduced and replaced by sunflower.
Prefer greengram, blackgram, soybean, pigeonpea as
intercrops.
Delay by 4 weeks (2 nd week of July)
●
●
Cotton (AKH-081, AKH-09-5, AKH-9916), soybean (JS-
9560 & JS-93-05), pigeonpea (PKV- Tara & BSMR-736),
sorghum (CSH-14, CSH-17, CSH-30), greengram (Pusa
vaishakhi, Kopergaon) and blackgram (TAU-2)
Intercropping systems: Cotton+pigeonpea (8:1/9:1), cotton
+greengram/ blackgram
● (1:1), and soybean+pigeonpea (4:2/6:1).
●
●
●
●
Prefer early varieties of American/ Arboreum cotton
Replace sorghum, greengram and blackgram by soybean
(JS-9560 & JS-93 -05) or pigeonpea (AKT8811, Vipula,
PKV-Tara, BSMR-736)
Adopt 20-25% more seed rate than recommended seed rate
and reduce fertilizer dose by 25% for cotton
Prefer three tier intercropping of cotton:soybean: pigeonpea:
soybean (3:2:2:2) or cotton:sorghum:pigeonpea:sorghum
●
(3:1:1:1).
Replace the hybrids with improved varieties in cotton
(American cotton: AKH-8828, PKV Rajat (Bt) & AKH-
081(Bt); Desi cotton: AKA-5, AKA-7 & AKA-8).
Delay by 6 weeks (4 th week of July)
●
Sole pigeonpea (AKT-8811, Vipula, PKV Tara, BSMR-
736); sunflower (hybrids) or sesame (AKT64) or castor
(AKC-1, GCH-4,5,6 & DCH-117, 32) or pearl millet (PKV
Raj, Shradha, Saburi)
● Intercropping systems: Pearlmillet + pigeonpea (2:1, 4:2).
●
●
●
Avoid sowing of cotton otherwise use only short duration
desi varieties with 25 to 30% more seed rate and reduced
intra-row spacing; replace the hybrids with improved
varieties in cotton (American cotton: AKH-8828, PKV
Rajat (Bt), AKH-081(Bt); Desi: AKA-5, AKA-7, AKA-8).
Avoid sowing of sorghum, greengram and blackgram.
Alternative crops include sunflower, pearlmillet, sesame,
castor and pearlmillet + pigeonpea (2:1or 4:2).
Delay by 8 weeks (2 nd week of August)
● Pigeonpea (AKT-8811, Vipula); sunflower(hybrids)/
sesame (AKT64)/castor (AKC-1, GCH-4,5,6 & DCH-
117,32/pearlmillet (PKV Raj, Shradha, Saburi); pigeonpea
(PKV Tara, BSMR-736); pigeonpea (AKT-8811, Vipula);
sunflower (hybrids)/sesame AKT64/ castor (AKC-1, GCH-
4,5,6 & DCH-117, 32)/pearl millet (PKV Raj, Shradha,
Saburi); greengram, blackgram.
Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies during
seasonal drought
Early season drought:
●
●
●
●
●
Adoption of risk resilient cotton and soybean based
intercropping systems such as cotton+greengram (1:1),
cotton + cowpea (1:1), cotton+clusterbean (1:1), soybean +
pigeonpea (4:2), soybean + pigeonpea (6:1) as preparedness
to cope up with drought situations instead of sole cropping
of cotton and soybean for assured and sustainable crop
production.
Sowing of cotton and soybean on broad bed furrow through
BBF planter for in-situ moisture conservation and to cope
up with moisture stress during early season drought.
Raising of cotton seedlings in polythene bags for
transplanting when sufficient moisture is available after
receipt of rains can be practiced to compensate loss in plant
stand with seedlings of similar age.
If moisture stress occurs at very early stage i.e. within a
week to10 days after sowing, it is recommended to resow
with subsequent rains for better plant stand.
In case of failure of kharif crops, prefer sowing of photo
145

●
●
●
●
●
●
insensitive crops such as pearlmillet, sunflower, sesame and
pigeonpea once adequate rains are received.
Gap filling to be done by watering 7 to10 days after sowing
when crop stand is less than 75%.
Interculture for removal of weeds and creating soil mulch.
Open conservation furrows in each row in cotton and
soybean by tying a rope to hoe and furrow across the slope
for in-situ moisture conservation.
In Pigeonpea, gap filling either with sesame or maize.
In Sorghum, adopt thinning to maintain optimum plant
population.
Avoid applying fertilizer till sufficient moisture is available
in soil.
Mid season drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Take up repeated interculture to remove weeds and create
soil mulch to conserve soil moisture.
If severe moisture stress, ratooning or thinning may be done
in kharif sorghum and pearlmillet.
Open conservation furrows in each row in soybean and
cotton for in-situ moisture conservation by tying a rope to
hoe during hoeing.
Open alternate furrows in row crops such as soybean or
furrows for every 6-8 rows of pigeonpea with Balaram
plough in medium to deep soils.
Foliar spray of 2% urea solution at flowering stage in cotton
to supplement nutrition during mid season drought.
Foliar spray of 19:19:19 mix water soluble fertilizer at pod
initiation stage in soybean to supplement nutrition during
mid season drought.
Avoid top dressing of fertilizers until receipt of rains.
Adopt surface mulching with crop residue or tree loppings
of Glyricidia wherever possible.
Terminal drought
●
●
●
●
●
Provide life saving or supplemental irrigation, if available
preferably through sprinkler or drip irrigation at pod
development stage in soybean and at boll development stage
of cotton during prolonged dry spells of terminal drought.
Harvest at physiological maturity with some reliable yield
or harvest for fodder and prepare for rabi sowing in double
cropped areas.
Foliar spray of 1% KCl at boll development stage in cotton
to supplement nutrition during prolonged dry spell.
Advantage of this situation is exploited for double cropping
with safflower and chickpea.
Safflower may be sown after sorghum till 15 th October.
Beyond 15 th October, chickpea may be sown.
Chorey et al.
146
For rabi planning
Crops and varieties for normal season
Crop
Chickpea
Sorghum
Safflower
Varieties/hybrids
JAKI-9218
PDKV Kanchan
PKV Kabuli-4
CSH-15 R
CSH-19 R
PKV Kranti
SPV-504
CSV 14 R
Phule Yashoda
CSV 18 R
AKS-207
Bhima
Nari-6 (thornless)
PKV Pink
Suggested crops and varieties for delayed season
Crop
Chickpea
Sorghum
Safflower
Alternate land use
Varieties/ hybrids
JAKI-9218
PDKV Kanchan
CSH-19 R
PKV Kranti
AKS-207
● Ber based agro-horticulture system for higher
productivity: The improved practice includes the
plantation of Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana) at spacing of 6 x 6
m with pruning every year and the space between two rows
of ber was intercropped with the cotton + soybean in 1:1
row proportion.)
● Diversification in cotton based cropping system (cotton +
soybean (4:10)-safflower) under mechanization in dryland
condition
Agro-horti systems
Custard apple with high density planting at 5 m x 2.5 m with
greengram as a intercrop on with continuous contour trenches
for in-situ moisture conservation.
● Ber at 5 m x 5 m spacing and intercropped with cotton +
soybean (1:1/3:3) with continuous contour trenches for insitu
moisture conservation.
●
Cultivation of anjan grass on bunds and field boundaries.

●
Cultivation of glyricidia along the bunds used for integrated
nutrient management with the incorporation of green leaf
manuring, mulching with glyricidia leaf and serve as a
amendment with NPK content.
Impact of technologies
If the harvested farm pond water is used for protective irrigation
to soybean crop during kharif, then 38.56% yield increase was
observed as compared to without irrigation treatment. Similarly
for chickpea the yield increase was 31.84 % in protective
irrigation treatment as compared to non-irrigated treatment.
Vegetative barriers as interbund enables to achieve 11.23%
increase in yield of soybean in interbund treatment followed
by vetiver key line 10.39% and graded bund (4.20%) over
control i.e., no barrier treatment. Cotton + sorghum + pigeonpea
+ sorghum (3:1:1:1) gives net income of Rs. 20000/ha with
seed cotton equivalent yield of 871 kg /ha. Cotton + soybean +
pigeonpea+ soybean (3:2:2:2) intercropping gives 36% higher
cotton seed equivalent yield (1537 kg/ha) with net returns Rs.
30,000 /ha compared to sole cotton (976 kg/ha), net monetary
returns (Rs. 14956 /ha). Adoption is 10% area in the domain
districts Pearl millet + pigeonpea intercropping system (1:1)
gives 56% higher pearl millet equivalent grain yield (4018 kg/
ha) with net returns of Rs. 30,000/ha and B:C ratio of 3.29 as
compared to sole pearl millet yield (958 kg/ha). This system also
enhances resource use efficiency and improves soil fertility due
to pigeonpea as intercrop. Adoption is 5-10% area in Buldhana
district. Soybean + pigeonpea (4:2) intercropping system gives
36 % increase in soybean equivalent yield (3277 kg/ha) with
net returns of Rs.72,792/-ha, B:C ratio 4.31 and LER 1.47 as
compared to sole soybean yield of 2058 kg/ha, net monetory
returns of Rs. 36,413 and BC ratio of 2.65. This system also
helps in covering the land during early stages, conserves
moisture and also improves the soil fertility status. Adopted in
more than 50% area of the domain districts (Akola, Buldhana,
Washim, Yavatmal, Wardha. Cotton+ soybean (4:10)-safflower
sequence cropping system with application of 45:55:30 kg ha -1
NPK to Cotton+ soybean (4:10) and 22:13.75:00 kg ha -1 NPK to
safflower recorded high cotton equivalent yield, net monetary
Return, B: C ratio sustainable value & yield index and system
productivity and profitability. Opening of furrow in each row at
30-40 DAS has given 21.27 % increase in seed cotton yield with
improved soil moisture availability and sustainable productivity.
Adoption in 60-70% area in domain districts in predominantly
grown crops.
Conservation furrow and integrated nutrient management gives
higher seed cotton yield (969 kg/ha), net monetary returns (Rs.
30,00/ha). The INM practice also helps in improvement of
fertility status of soil. Loppings of gliricidia also serve as mulch,
thus conserves soil moisture. Integrated nutrient management in
cotton in deep black soils gives higher seed cotton yield (887 kg/
ha) with INM practice (50% recommended N (25 kg/ha) through
green leaves of gliricidia + 50% N through (urea 25 kg/ha + 25
kg P 2
O 5
/ha + 25 kg K 2
O/ha) along with seed treatment, which is
15 per cent higher as compared to recommended dose i.e 50:25:0
NPK kg/ha (750 kg/ha) with 28% higher net returns. Adoption
in 10% area of domain districts. Integrated nutrient management
in soybean in black soils gives higher soybean yield (1760 kg/
ha) with INM practice (50% recommended N (15 kg/ha) through
green leaves of gliricidia + 50% N through urea (15 kg/ha) +75
kg P 2
O 5
/ha + 25 kg K 2
O/ha) along with seed treatment, which
is 8 per cent higher as compared to recommended dose i.e.,
30:75:0 NPK kg/ha (1618 kg/ha) with 13% higher net returns.
Adopted in 10% area of domain districts.
Balanced nutrition in cotton in deep black soils (60 kg N + 30
kg P + 25 kg Zinc sulphate + 5 kg Borax) gives 23% higher
seed cotton yield (1062 kg/ha) as compared to recommended
dose of NPK (50:25:00 kg/ha). Incorporation of greengram in
cotton, over period of time improves soil physical condition and
fertility status resulting in higher productivity and profitability
(net returns of Rs. 12,000/ha) and adopted in more than 50%
of cotton cultivated area in the domain districts. Micro site
improvement with Continuous Contour Trenches (CCTs) helps
in efficient in-situ moisture conservation, which further help in
better establishment, survival and performance of the custard
apple and hanuman phal. In the initial 5 years of establishment
of the fruit trees, the inter space was used for cultivation of short
duration pulse crops. Viz., greengram and blackgram, resulting
in efficient utilization of resources. The CCTs also helped in
increasing ground water recharge as compared to square pit
plantation.
Way forward
In the era of climate change, multiple abiotic stresses are the
key challenges for future dryland crops. In the same season,
crops experience drought in the early part and water logging in
the later growing period due to erratic rainfall distribution. The
centre aims to integrate other components like natural resources,
and livestock and also to identify models for sustainable
integrated farming systems to cope with drought situations. The
research center works on research areas to increase agricultural
productivity, especially in rainfed areas focusing on integrated
farming and improved water use efficiency which is the current
need for the development of such technologies for marginal and
small farmers of rainfed regions. Therefore, a paradigm shift in
future research is necessary.
The research focus needs to be on the following aspects:
1. Diversified farming systems to cope with the uncertainty of
weather conditions imposing multiple risks during the crop
season.
147

2. Development of rainfall-runoff relationship in a changing
climate scenario for the planning of rainwater management
structures and thereby the crop planning based on the
availability of harvested rainwater.
3. Soil health management through conjunctive use of organic
and inorganic sources of nutrients and synergizing resource
conservation and carbon sequestration.
4. Integrated approach in resource allocation to field crops,
horticulture, and livestock depending upon the resource
endowments and proportional contribution.
Chorey et al.
5. Intensification of high-yielding varieties of different crops
with special emphasis on minor millets.
6. Exploring the potential of marginal lands with highly
productive alternate land use system modules.
7. Evolving good agronomic practices for inclusion in the
package of practices of respective field crops.
148

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 149-154 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00031.8
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Southern Zone of Tamil Nadu
S. Manoharan 1 , M. Manikandan 1 , V. Sanjivkumar 1 , K. Baskar 1 , G. Guru 1 and G. Ravindra Chary 2
1
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre
Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Kovilpatti - 628 501, Tamil Nadu
2
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad - 500 059
Email: ssmanogaran@gmail.com
Brief history of the centre
The All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland
Agriculture Centre at Kovilpatti was started as a main Centre at
Agricultural Research Station, Kovilpatti in 1971. This Centre
is intended to cater the needs of the rainfed black soil areas
which occupy a major portion of the southern districts of Tamil
Nadu viz., Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar, Madurai and
Ramanathapuram districts.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
AICRPDA, Kovilpatti centre is located in the Southern agroclimatic
zone of Tamil Nadu with domain districts of Madurai,
Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli,
Thoothukudi and Tenkasi districts. The climate of this zone
is semi-arid and the main cropping season is during northeast
monsoon under rainfed conditions. Out of the total annual
average rainfall of 699.1 mm in 42 rainy days, the south - west
monsoon contributes 20.8% (145.2 mm) while north-east
monsoon contributes 55.9% (390.6 mm) and 19.3% (134.7 mm)
during summer. The onset of south west monsoon is during first
week of June and north east monsoon is during third week of
October. Occasionally the onset of south west monsoon may
delay one or two weeks. Dry spells occur during the early
season and during the middle of the cropping season. Highest
maximum monthly temperature was recorded during May (38
°C) and lowest maximum monthly temperature was recorded
during December (30.8 °C). Highest minimum monthly
temperature was recorded during June (25.1 °C) and lowest
minimum monthly temperature was recorded during the month
of January (19 °C).
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days (at
AICRPDA centre, Kovilpatti)
Rainfall
South west monsoon
(June-September)
North east Monsoon
(October-December)
Normal rainfall
(mm)
Normal rainy
days (No.)
145.2 9
390.6 21
Winter (January-February) 28.6 2
Summer (March-May) 134.7 10
Annual 699.1 42
Major soil types
The major soil types in the zone are clayey, clay loam and sandy
clay loam, red loam to deep red and black soils is observed in
Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi , Viruthunagar and Tenkasi, Madurai
districts. 51% the soil is Alfisols and Entisols, 31% Vertisols,
18% alluvial and sandy soils.
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated in the zone during postmonsoon
are cotton, sorghum, maize, pearlmillet, greengram,
black gram, sunflower, sesame, chillies, coriander and senna.
Dryland agriculture problems
Soil and land management
●
●
In this region black cotton soil occurs in nearly two-thirds
and red soils occur in about one-third of the area. Soils
possess high volume expansion followed by contraction,
resulting in formation of cracks and loss of soil moisture.
Soil cracks are formed generally during January and
develop due to dry weather till receipt of summer showers
in May.
Soils are poor in available N and medium in P and high
in K.
Crop production
●
●
●
●
Crops are mainly grown depending on rainfall received
during North-east monsoon season.
Delayed onset of monsoon, prolonged dry spells during
crop growth and early cessation of rains affect the crops at
different stages.
Poor farm mechanization
Lack of Poor crop diversification
Socio-economic issues
●
●
●
●
Small land holdings and fragmented lands
Poor investment capacity of farmers
Market risks
Inadequate availability of agriculture inputs during the
season
149

Significant achievements/findings
Rainwater management
To understand the runoff water generation for storing in a water
harvesting structure and for effective reuse, rainfall-runoff
relationship was developed by measuring the runoff water, and
it was found that nearly 35% of the rainfall is available as runoff
and runoff causing rainfall events were 3-4. Runoff causing
rainfall (mm) was 170 mm. The probability of getting 30% of
rainfall as runoff is 75%. This runoff water can be harvested
through in-situ and ex-situ moisture conservation practices to
increase the yield of dryland crops.
Adoption of tied inter-rows recorded higher average yield of
623 kg/ha of seed cotton which was 10.9% higher than that of
farmers’ practice. However, higher consumptive use efficiency
was recorded with formation of small watersheds. Studies on
suitable land treatment for soil and water conservation practices
in vertisol revealed that compartmental bunding was found better
for in-situ moisture conservation and achieving higher yields
of cotton, sunflower, sorghum and blackgram. Compartmental
bunding was superior as only 11.8% of the seasonal rainfall
was lost as runoff as compared to the farmers’ practice (30%).
Similarly, the reduction in runoff due to the land treatments was
60, 48.3 and 27.0% due to compartmental bunding, vettiver and
broad bed and furrows, respectively. For example, in semiarid
vertisols, having a land slope of 1% and an annual rainfall of
600-700 mm, compartmental bunding (8 m x 5m) formed across
the slope helps in reducing runoff to the tune of 60% resulting
in 25% yield increase in sorghum with a B:C ratio of 1.40. For
yield maximization in rainfed maize, broad bed and furrows
along with application of recommended dose of fertilizer + 25
kg ZnSO 4
/ha recorded highest grain yield of 2923 kg/ha with a
B:C ratio of 1.96 and RWUE of 6.29.
Cropping systems
Intercropping of cotton with pulses at row ratio of 3:1 was
observed to be more profitable and the yield of cotton was
not affected. The performance of paired row system of cotton
sowing and uniform row sowing along with 12 intercrops viz.,
greengram, blackgram, cowpea (long duration - CO 1), cowpea
(short duration - EC4216), lab lab, coriander, sesamum, sorghum,
sunflower, safflower, bajra and foxtail millet did not affect yield
and monetary return of main crop. Cotton (MCU 6) with black
gram combination produced higher yield of kapas than pure crop
of cotton. Intercropping of foxtail millet and coriander were also
found to be ideal for cotton based intercropping system. There
was extra monetary return by growing cowpea, coriander, green
gram, black gram or foxtail millet as intercrop with the pure
crop of the cotton. Between the two system of planting namely,
wider planting (60 cm between rows) and narrow planting (45
cm between rows), the narrow planting was found to be better
and gave significantly higher yield.
Manoharan et al.
150
High density planting of cotton at 45 cm x 15 cm recorded
significantly higher number of bolls and kapas yield (1242 kg/
ha) than 45 cm x 10 cm. Among the moisture conservation
practices, broad bed & furrow system was found better than
compartmental bunding. In-situ green manuring in cotton with
sunnhemp and daincha produced on an average of 5 - 6 t/ha of
green manure biomass, whereas the fodder cowpea yielded up to
7 to 8 tonnes of green biomass. Higher yield was recorded under
cotton + sunnhemp (924 kg/ha) followed by cotton + dhaincha
(899 kg/ha) as compared to sole cotton (754 kg/ha).
K.Tall (Tall) sorghum hybrids intercropped with different
legumes viz., blackgram, lablab, cowpea and redgram, blackgram
produced higher sorghum equivalent yields and net return than
sole sorghum. Considering the LER and net income under
sorghum based intercropping system, main crop sorghum with
100% population and intercrop of cowpea with 50% population
was optimum to get higher income and LER value under dryland
condition. Similarly, intercropping of sorghum with pulses such
as lablab and pigeonpea in both 2:1 and 4:2 row ratios was found
optimum for achieving higher yields and economic returns.
Intercropping of bajra with cluster bean, cowpea and pigeonpea
was found better for higher yields and highest net return. Among
different millet-based cropping systems, sorghum + sunflower
(2:1) was found superior followed by sorghum + sunflower
(4:1). Among different vegetable based intercropping systems,
field lab-lab + sunflower (6:1) was found better than other
intercropping systems.
Nutrient management
Application of 120 kg N/ha was found optimum for rainfed
cotton. Among the fertilizer application methods, application of
50% fertilizers as basal and 50% as top dressing increased the
seed cotton yield (7.06 q/ha) followed by precision placement 5
cm by side and 5 cm below seed (6.68 q/ha). Application of 20
N + 60 P 2
O 5
kg/ha registered higher grain yield (21.01 q/ha) and
followed by the treatment received 40 N + 60 P 2
O 5
kg/ha (20.06
q/ha) and 40 N + 40 P 2
O 5
kg/ha (19.98 q/ha). Application of 10
kg P 2
O 5
as DAP + 8 kg N/ha registered higher yield (8.81 q/ha)
of Black gram.
Hand dibbling at 45 x 15 cm weeding as and when required,
spraying for complete control of pest and diseases along with
the fertilizer dose of 40:20:0 NPK kg/ha for bajra (KM2)
recorded higher grain and straw yield. Combined application of
urea (20 kg N/ha) + FYM (20 kg N/ha) + 10 kg P/ha improved
the sorghum and pearl millet grain yield by 35 and 66%, over
control. The highest B:C ratio was obtained with application of
20 kg N/ha as farm residue + 20 kg N/ha as urea + 10 kg P/ha.
Combined application of organics along with inorganics (NPK)
+ zinc sulphate of 25 kg/ha recorded 34 and 64% increase over
control for sorghum and pearl millet crops, respectively over

years in semi-arid vertisols. In addition, application of organics
along with inorganic (NPK) fertilizers helped to save 50% of
recommended P besides enhancing crop production under
dryland condition.
In a long-term manurial experiment on cotton + blackgram
and sorghum + cowpea rotation-based cropping systems,
sustainability in yield over years was maintained by combined
application of urea at 20 kg N/ha, FYM at 20 kg N/ha and SSP
at 20 kg P/ha. Combination of 75% of the recommended N as
urea along with enriched FYM at 750 kg/ha and soil application
of Azospirillum (2 kg/ha), Phosphobacteria (2 kg/ha) is
recommended for cotton and sorghum in dry land vertisols.
Combined application of 50% of the recommended dose of
N (20 kg N/ha) as organics (FYM / GLM) and the remaining
dose N (20 kg N/ha) through urea had beneficial effect not
only to improve yield of crops (cotton and sorghum) but also
enhanced moisture use efficiency and maintained soil fertility
in terms of organic carbon, compared to application of 100%
of the recommended dose of inorganics alone. In cotton (KC
3), application of recommended NPK with foliar spray of 1%
MgSO 4
+ 0.5% ZnSO 4
+ 0.5% Borax recorded highest seed
cotton yield and B:C ratio. In the vertisol tract of southern Tamil
Nadu, combined application of 15 kg N/ha as compost and 20
kg N/ha as inorganic fertilizer was found ideal combination for
increased yield of sorghum + cowpea intercropping system.
Alternate land use system
A field study on agro forestry systems revealed that neem,
silk cotton and tamarind are ideal tree components for agroforestry
system which permit sustainable growth of agricultural
crops at lower input levels. The configuration of land created
by the land use system has also contributed much in soil and
moisture conservation and utilization, besides, maintaining
sustainable yield and income level. The average yield and
higher B:C ratio were higher with tamarind plus blackgram
system than other agro-forestry systems. It was observed that
whenever rainfall distribution was uniform, cotton + blackgram
intercropping system gave higher yield and income, whereas the
B:C ratio was low due to high cost of cultivation for cotton.
Under normal rainfall situation, the yield of blackgram raised
under agri-silviculture and agri-horticultural systems were
more. The late sown sunflower crop depends purely on late
showers and residual soil moisture. Among the tree species,
Ailanthus excelsa exhibited poor performance in deep vertisol
as compared to tamarind. In another alternate land use system,
sapota + maize registered higher system productivity followed
by sapota intercropped with sorghum. The mean B:C ratio was
also higher under sapota plus maize system (1.90) followed by
sapota plus sorghum (1.80).
Integrated farming systems
The percentage contribution of agricultural component to the
total gross and net income of integrated farming system was
10 and 6.7% as compared to the percentage contribution of
dairy component with 90 and 93.3% indicating that a dairy unit
also could be included as one of a successful farming system
enterprise under dryland conditions. Involving crops, goat (2
+1), sheep (5+1), dairy (1 milch cow), and poultry (20 broiler
birds) enterprises for an area of 1.0 ac including 0.5 ac for crop
activity, fodder production and cattle shed based IFS model
revealed that total gross income was higher under the IFS model
having crop + goat + poultry + sheep + dairy and B: C ratio
of 1.75, which was closely followed by IFS model having crop
+ goat + poultry + dairy. Modified integrated farming system
(crop, diary, goat) model recorded mean gross income of Rs.
60644 /ha whereas cropping alone recorded Rs.16308 /ha with
an additional income of Rs. 44336/ha was generated by noncrop
units of the integrated farming system. The employment
opportunities were also increased from 191 to 405 man-days/
ha with an additional 214 man-days by the integration of crop,
dairy and goat rearing in dryland vertisols of southern zone of
Tamil Nadu.
Energy management
Performance evaluation of tractor operated air assisted seed drill
for sowing minor millets indicated that, line sowing of minor
millets with air assisted seed drill resulted in 30 to 40% saving
in seed rate. The time taken for sowing one hectare was 1.24
hours with air assisted seed drill and was three times faster
than broadcasting resulting in high area of coverage which
is essential under dryland conditions to make use of the soil
moisture effectively. Sowing of barnyard millet, foxtail millet
and little millet with air assisted seed drill also recorded higher
yield. Rotovator ploughing + chisel ploughing recorded higher
water use efficiency of 2.29 kg/ha-mm, 10 – 23% higher yield
than conventional tillage, higher B:C ratio of 1.54 in green gram.
In cotton (KC3), the rotovator ploughing + chisel ploughing
recorded higher water use efficiency of 2.46 kg/ha-mm, 12%
higher yield than the conventional tillage, and higher B:C ratio
of 1.32.
Technologies developed
Rainwater management
●
●
●
Ridges and furrows for in-situ moisture conservation in
sorghum
Broad bed and furrow technique for in-situ moisture
conservation in rainfed maize
Rainwater harvesting and utilization for enhancing water
productivity for Bt cotton
151

●
Response of cotton to crop geometry, fertility levels and
moisture conservation practices under high density planting
system in vertisols conditions
Cropping systems
Intercropping systems
● Cotton + green gram (1:2)
● Cotton + radish (1:2)
● Cotton + onion (1:2)
● Cotton + clusterbean (1:1)
● Maize + blackgram (2:1)
● Sorghum + cowpea (2:1)
● Sorghum + greengram/blackgram (2:1)
● Pearl millet + blackgram
● Cotton + blackgram
Nutrient management
Integrated nutrient management practices
Crop
Cotton
Sorghum
Maize
pearl millet
Blackgram
Greengram
Sunflower
Foliar nutrition
INM practice
12.5 t/ha FYM+40:20:40 kg NPK/ha + 7.5 kg MN mixture
12.5 t/ha FYM+40:20:0 kg NPK/ha + 7.5 kg MN mixture
12.5 t/ha FYM+40:20:0 kg NPK/ha + 7.5 kg MN mixture
12.5 t/ha FYM+40:20:0 kg NPK/ha + 7.5 kg MN mixture
12.5t FYM+12.5:25:12.5 kg NPK/ha +7.5 kg MN mixture
12.5t FYM+12.5:25:12.5kgNPK/ha +7.5 kg MN mixture
12.5t FYM+40:50:40 kg NPK/ha +7.5 kg MN mixture
Manoharan et al.
Alternate land use
●
●
Custard apple based alternate land use systems
Aonla based alternate land use systems
Integrated farming system
●
Dryland integrated farming systems
Contingency crop planning
For rabi planning
a. Suggested contingency crops/ cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Delay by 2 weeks (3 rd week of October)
●
Black gram, green gram (VBN4, Co 6), pearl millet (Co
(Cu) 9), sorghum (K 12, Private hybrids)
● Intercropping system: Sorghum (K 12) + cowpea (CO 5)
(2:1)
Delay by 4 weeks (1 st week of November)
●
Pearl millet (CO(Cu)9, hybrid CO 9, CO 10, ICMV and
private hybrids), Sunflower (CO-5, Hybrids - COH2,
COH3 private hybrids), minor millets (barnyard millet (CO
2), foxtail millet (CO 5), little millet (CO 5), coriander (CO
2), chickpea (CO 3)
Delay by 6 weeks (3 rd week of November)
● Medicinal senna (KKM-1), fodder sorghum
(Co(FS)27,K11), horsegram (Paiyur 1)
●
Relay inter cropping system: Coriander (CO 2) + Chickpea
(CO 3) (6:1)
Crop Nutrients (kg/ha) Mode of application
KCI ZnSO4 Borax MgSO4 Combination
Cotton 10 5 2 1 1% MgSO 4
+ 0.5% ZnSO 4
+ 0.2% borax
at squaring and flowering stages
Foliar spray in 500
litres of water/ha
Cotton plus 6.25 kg/ha
Sorghum 10 5 - - Polyfeed 19:19:19 + 0.5 % ZnSO 4
during
the dry spell under rainfed condition
Maize 10 5 2 1 1% KCl + 0.5% ZnSO4 + maize maxim
7kg/ha
Pearlmillet 10 5 2 1 1% KCl + 0.5 % ZnSO4
Blackgram 10 5 2 1 2% DAP / pulse wonder 5 kg/ha
Greengram 10 5 2 1
Chillies - 5 1.25 - Micro nutrient mixture 5 kg/ha at the time
of flowering and 15 thereafter
Sunflower - - 1.25 - Micro nutrient mixture 5 kg/ha at the time
of flowering and 15 thereafter
152

Delay by 8 weeks (1 st week of December)
●
Horsegram (Paiyura), medicinal senna (KKM1), periwinkle
(Local)
● Intercropping system: Coriander (CO 2) + chickpea (CO 3)
(6:1)
b. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
Early season drought
●
●
●
●
Formation of ridges and furrows, opening of broad bed
furrows
Resowing, gap filling
Life-saving irrigation, if available
Thinning to retain one seedlings at 30 cm
Mid-season drought
●
●
●
Life-saving irrigation, if available
Foliar spray of 1% KCl, 3% Kaolin
1% MgSO 4
+ 0.5% ZnSO 4
+ 0.2% borax at squaring and
flowering stages
Terminal drought
●
Harvest at physiological maturity stage.
Agro-horti system / dryland horticulture technology
● Aonla (NA-7) + greengram (CO 7), aonla spacing: 5 x 5 m,
planting time - 3 rd week of October ; greengram: spacing:
30 x 10 cm; seed rate: 20 kg/ha; time of sowing: 3 rd week of
October in between the perennial tree crops; pre-emergence
application of pendimethalin at 3 DAS followed by hand
weeding on 30 DAS for effective weed management; foliar
application of 10% pulse wonder at the time of flowering
for enhanced seeds; prophylactic application of pesticides
for effective pest and disease management
●
Custard apple (APK 1) + greengram (CO 7) custard apple
spacing: 5 x 5 m; planting time - 3 rd week of October; pruning
at the time of September every year; foliar application of
micro nutrient mixture at the time of flowering for enhanced
fruit setting; greengram: spacing: 30 x 10 cm; seed rate:
20 kg/ha; time of sowing: 3 rd week of October in between
the perennial tree crops; pre-emergence application of
pendimethalin at 3 DAS followed by hand weeding on 30
DAS for effective weed management; foliar application of
10% pulse wonder at the time of flowering for enhanced
seeds; prophylactic application of pesticides for effective
pest and disease management.
153
Technologies upscaled in convergence with various
programmes
The listed technologies have been upscaled in convergence
with department of agriculture, Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar,
KVKs of Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar districts and field
demonstration through progressive farmers.
Impact of dryland technologies
Broad bed and furrow technique for in-situ moisture conservation
in rainfed maize in Tamil Nadu, using ferti seed drill helped
in formation of broad bed furrows (BBF), fertilizer application
and sowing simultaneously saving time, labour and energy. The
added advantage of the implement was that it can also be used
for interculture operation. This technology helped the farmers of
Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar and Tenkasi districts to
take up timely sowing of maize in an area of 1.2 lakh hectares
which resulted in higher yield and income. Forming ridges and
furrows by using tractor drawn ridger and dibbling of seeds at 1/3 rd
distance from the top of the ridge resulted in better conservation
of moisture and crop growth with 10 to 15% improved yield.
Adoption of ridges and furrows for sorghum resulted in 11.11%
increased yield of sorghum. The cropping system coriander +
chickpea + senna individually and collectively performed well.
The net profit ranged from a maximum of Rs. 15,000-20,000/ha
under limited moisture condition. This system helped in better
farm income and improved the profit of the farmers in an area of
8000 hectares in the domain districts.
Farm ponds of 500 cubic metre capacity for one ha catchment
area can harvest runoff water for giving supplemental irrigation
to 0.4 ha. Providing one supplemental irrigation at 5 cm depth
during moisture stress period resulted in an increased yield of
12 to 15% in cotton. Rainwater harvesting by digging 300 ponds
in each district of Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar and
Tenkasi districts resulted in yield benefit of 360 tonnes and
income of Rs.1.8 crores. Early sowing (immediately after the
onset of monsoon) with higher seed rate of 20 kg/ha treated with
imidacloprid @ 5 g/kg followed by spraying of NSKE @ 5%
45 DAS and neem oil @ 3% 60DAS was recommended as IPM
for sorghum through OFTs which was accepted and included
in crop production guide prepared by Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University, Coimbatore.
Integration of intercropping system of cotton + black gram,
sorghum + cowpea with animal component (goat) recorded
higher system productivity (sorghum equivalent yield) of 16978
kg/ha and total system income of Rs.1,16,098/ha under dryland
condition. This practice has been adopted by small and marginal
farmers and this technology has generated the employment
opportunities for the family members which ultimately resulted
in improved standard of living of dryland farmers. Foliar spray
of 1.0 % magnesium sulphate + 0.5% zinc sulphate (5.0 kg of

MgSO 4
+ 2.5 kg of ZnSO 4
/ha in 500 litres of water) at square
formation stage and boll formation stages in cotton enhanced
the seed cotton yield by 3280 tonnes and income by Rs.16.5
crores in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar and Tenkasi
districts.
Rainwater management technologies such as ridges and
furrows, compartmental bunding and tied ridging for improving
crop yield are being practiced by most of the rainfed farmers.
These technologies have improved yield up to 20% for rainfed
crops. Farm ponds are also constructed in dryland farmers’
fields by providing subsidies through Tamil Nadu Agricultural
Engineering Department and World bank funded TN-Irrigated
Agriculture Modernization project. Using tillage equipment
like disc plough, MB plough and chisel plough ensures higher
yield due to enhancement of in-situ conservation of moisture.
Seed drill, one of the most popular implements for taking timely
sowing is being used in dryland areas.
Improved drought tolerant varieties recommended by
AICRPDA centre such as sorghum - K12, cotton - KC 3, and
K12, blackgram - VBN 8, VBN 11, greengram – CO7 and CO 8,
maize – COH(M)6, COH(M)8, chillies – K1, K2, bajra – CO(Cu)
9, CO 10 are very popular among the dryland farmers. Improved
rainfed cropping systems developed at AICRPDA centre like
sorghum + cowpea, bajra + blackgram, cotton + cluster bean,
cotton + greengram, cotton + black gram and cotton + onion
have been adopted by the farmers in the domain districts.
Manoharan et al.
Way forward
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Optimization on the use of natural resources, rainfall, land,
water and minimize soil and water loss and degradation of
environment.
Development of strategies to tackle drought, diversifying
more crops for resilient farming systems.
Developing suitable sustainable farming system models for
drylands.
Identification of fitting alternate land use system for rainfed
areas.
Cotton intercropped with pulses for nitrogen economy,
studies on water and nutrient interaction in cropping
systems
Development of crop models for high N use efficiency and
water use efficiency, quantification of carbon sequestration
and monitoring changes in soil carbon of agroforestry
systems under rainfed condition.
Nutrient balance studies in different crop production
ecosystems, recycling of biodegradable wastes, revamping
of fertilizer doses.
Assessment of micronutrient status of the soils and
micronutrient management in different cropping systems,
foliar nutrition of macro and micro nutrients, organic
farming.
154

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 155-160
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Central Maharashtra Zone of Maharashtra
W.N. Narkhede 1 , M.S. Pendke 1 , B.V. Asewar 1 , P.H. Gourkhede 1 , D.P. Waskar 1 and G. Ravindra Chary 2
1
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture,
Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani - 431 402, Maharashtra
2
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, ICAR- CRIDA, Hyderabad, 500 059
Email: wasudev1510@yahoo.co.in
10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00032.X
Brief history of the centre
The All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland
Agriculture Centre at Parbhani (Maharashtra, India) was
established in 1977 under Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi
Vidyapeeth to cater to the needs of dryland farmers of the
region. The domain districts the AICRPDA Centre, Parbhani
are Parbhani, Nanded, Hingoli, Beed, Latur, Osmanabad,
Aurangabad, and Jalna.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
Marathwada region is one of the four regions of Maharashtra
state with cultivable area of 5.6 M ha and 85 per cent of
cultivated land is rain dependent. The region receives annual
rainfall in the range of 500 to 1100 mm with assured rainfall
zone (60%), moderately high rainfall zone (20%) and scarcity
zone (20%). Agro-climatically, the region is divided into three
zones. The Central Maharashtra plateau zone is the biggest one
with assured rainfall pattern with parts of Aurangabad, Beed,
Jalna, Osmanabad, Latur, Nanded, Hingoli & Parbhani. Towards
the western end, the parts of Aurangabad, Beed & Osmanabad
come under the scarcity; whereas the north eastern part of the
region, i.e., Hingoli & Nanded has moderately high rainfall. The
information is given in tabular format below.
Particulars Scarcity Zone Assured Rainfall Zone High rainfall zone
Jurisdiction
Latitude
longitude
Aurangabad (7 taluks)
Beed (3 taluks)
Osmanabad (4 taluks)
74 0 .40’ to 76 0 .20’
19 0 .40’ to 20 0 .40’
Aurangabad (3 taluks)
Jalna (3 taluks)
Beed (4 taluks)
Osmanabad (3 taluks)
Latur (4) Parbhani (6)
Nanded (4) Hingoli (2)
76 0 .20’ to 77 0 .30’
18 0 .20’ to 20 0 .40’
Hingoli (3taluks)
Nanded (5 taluks)
77 0 .30’ to 78 0 .16’
18 0 .20’ to 19 0 .40’
Mean annual rainfall 500 to 700 mm 700-900 mm 900-1250 mm
Distribution of
rainfall and soils
Major dry land
crops
Bi-modal distribution of rain-
June-Sept, monsoon & Oct-Dec,
post monsoon
Deep black (11%)
Medium black (65%) Shallow/
coarse textured (24%)
Field crops: Bajra, maize,
cotton, sunflower, sorghum,
soybean, pigeonpea greengram,
blackgram, moth bean.
Fruit crops: Mango, citrus,
guava, tamarind, anola, custard
apple and papaya, pomogranate
Vegetables: Tomato, potato,
brinjal, beans, leafy vegetables
Bi-modal distribution of rain-June-Sept,
monsoon & Oct-Dec, post monsoon
Deep black (23%)
Medium black (60%) Shallow/coarse textured
(17%)
Field crops: Cotton, soybean, sorghum, pigeon
pea, greengram, blackgram, groundnut, chick
pea, safflower
Fruit crops: Mango, grapes, guava, citrus,
sapota, anola, custard apple,
Vegetables: Tomato, potato, chilli, bhendi,
brinjal, beans, leafy vegetables
Bi-modal distribution of rain-June-
Sept, monsoon & Oct-Dec, post
monsoon
Deep black (24%)
Medium black (48%) Shallow/coarse
textured (28%)
Field crops: Cotton, soybean, kharif
sorghum, pigeonpea, greengram,
blackgram, paddy, chickpea,
safflower, rabi sorghum.
Fruit crops: Mango, banana, guava,
Vegetables: Tomato, potato, brinjal,
beans, leafy vegetables.
155

The mean annual rainfall in the zone is 630 mm out of which
about 80% is received during south-west monsoon (June-
September). The normal onset of the monsoon is during 23 rd
e and the normal withdrawal is during 41 st week. The mean
maximum and minimum temperatures in the zone are 32.9°C
and 19.5°C, respectively.
Mean season-wise and annual rainfall and rainy days at
AICRPDA Centre, Parbhani
Rainfall
South west monsoon
(June-September)
Post-monsoon
(October-December)
Normal
rainfall (mm)
Normal rainy
days (Nos.)
545 30
71 04
Winter (January-February) 03 03
Summer (March-May) 11 01
Annual 630 38
Major soil types
The major soil types in the zone are shallow to deep black soils
with clayey, clay loam and loamy texture. Shallow and eroded
soils 22.2%, Medium to medium deep soils 64.80% and Deep to
very deep are 13.0%.
Major rainfed crops
The major rainfed crops cultivated during kharif are cotton,
soybean, pigeonpea, greengram blackgram, sorghum and pearl
millet and during rabi are sorghum, safflower, chickpea and
linseed.
Significant achievements
●
●
Farm pond sizes have been standardized for the Marathwada
region
A suitable open well recharge system was developed.
Working principle: The improved open well recharge
technology comprises a model filtration unit for the
artificial recharging of open wells. The designed model
consists of three blocks viz., the primary filter unit, an
energy dissipation structure, and the main filter unit. Runoff
water is diverted towards the well recharge unit through
field trenches. Then it allows it to enter in primary filter
unit wherein the major sediments are arrested and water
flows to the secondary filter unit where the velocity of the
running water slows down and then water enters the main
filtration unit. The runoff water gets filtered in the threestage
filter and passed to the open well which is connected
to the filtration unit by a 4” dia. PVC pipe at 2 m below
the soil layer. The artificial well recharging resulted in an
increase in water level to the tune of 0.5 m to up to 3.4 m
over a period of 3 years.
Narkhede et al.
156
●
●
●
Borewell recharge system was developed. Considering
the specific gravity of silt in runoff water and using the
principle of Stroke’s law, the filtration unit was designed.
The filtration unit consists of the excavation of a circular
pit of diameter 1.5 m and a depth of 2 m. From the bottom,
up to 50 cm above, small holes are drilled into the casing
pipe of the borewell and then wrapped with nylon mesh in
a double layer followed by filling of stones up to 50 cm
height, the second layer above the first layer consists of a
filling of metal (small stones) and then the overlaid by a
horizontal nylon mesh. The third layer consists of a 30 cm
height of gravel followed by a 20 cm layer of fine sand.
The filtration efficiency was worked out by comparing
the inlet and outlet silt compositions in the water. The pre
and post-monsoon water levels in some of the recharged
and un-recharged borewells were monitored using digital
water level indicators. The water level fluctuations were
worked out. The aquifer characteristic like specific gravity
and transmissivity were determined by conducting longduration
pumping tests on some of the borewells. Thus, the
groundwater recharge was estimated using specific yield
and water level fluctuation data.The filtration efficiency
was found to be 64 to 67 %. The groundwater level has
been increased from 2.13 to 4.84 m. The ground water
recharge in treated borewells was found to be 13.65 percent
of annual rainfall as against 3.92% in untreated borewells.
Artificial well recharging is found effective for groundwater
enhancement.
Opening of conservation furrow after every 4 rows in sole
soybean and soybean + pigeonpea (4:2) intercropping (sown
at 45 cm row distance) after 30 to 35 days of sowing was
adopted as a strategy for moisture conservation on farmers
field during last decade. The conservation furrow has
opened using either bullock or tractor-drawn iron plough
or ridger. The farmers are using their own plough after the
first weeding operation in soybean. The cost of ridger is
Rs.2200/- and the operational cost is found to be Rs. 800 to
Rs. 1000 per hectare.
Sowing of soybean was developed with standard row ratios.
The tractor drawn BBF planter was effectively used for
soybean sowing at 45 cm row spacing so that 4 rows on
soybean are on bed and furrow was opened on both sides
which helps for moisture conservation and furrows also act
as drainage channels in extreme rainfall events for removing
excess rainwater so that crop is not under waterlogged
condition. In assured rainfall area of Marathwada region,
BBF system of sowing soybean proved viable. When rainfall
is less, all water conserved in furrows and crop was free
from moisture stress condition and during excess rainfall
event, the excess runoff water was drained through furrow
and crop was free from waterlogged situation particularly in

●
●
medium to deep black soils of the regions. The crop yields
under BBF are 20 to 25% higher in soybean. Similarly
this BBF technology reduces runoff and soil loss by 20%.
BBF system improves soil physical condition, enhances
root development and water use efficiency and performed
better during dry spell at pod filling and seed developing
condition.
Application of two sprays of 19:19:19 @ 0.5 % at 35 days
and at 75 days after sowing, respectively or potassium
nitrate (KNO 3
) at 35 days (@ 1.0%) and at 75 days after
sowing (@ 2.0%) respectively along with a recommended
dose of fertilizers (120:60:60 NPK kg/ha) in medium to
deep black soils was found significantly superior for dry
spell management in Bt cotton.
In soybean within 40 days after sowings to mitigate dry
spells, an additional two to three hoeing are to be taken
up in addition to normal hoeings with the help of bullockdrawn
hoe. This is to create dust mulch. Further, mulching
can be done with locally available crop residues (within
two weeks after sowing) and also foliar spray is done with
kaolin (6%). The above similar practice can be adopted
in cotton within 75-80 days after sowing to mitigate dry
spells however with an additional four to five hoeing with
the help of bullock drawn harrow. The cost of operations
is Rs. 3000/- ha. These practices help in a yield increase
up to 15% in soybean and 23% in cotton compared to no
mitigation practices.
Cropping System
Intercropping system
● Soybean + pigeonpea (4:2)
● Cotton + pigeonpea (6:1)
● Cotton + greengram (1:1)
● Sorghum + pigeonpea (4:2)
● Maize + soybean (2:2)
● Maize + green gram (1:1)
● Pigeonpea + sesamum (2:4)
Double cropping systems
●
●
●
●
Greengram - rabi sorghum
Soybean-chickpea
Sorghum- safflower
Soybean-linseed
Integrated nutrient management
Crop
Soybean
Cotton
Sorghum
Maize -
Pigeon pea
Greengram &
blackgram
INM
5.0 t FYM or compost /ha + 30:60:30 NPK kg/ha
10.0 t FYM or compost /ha + 120:60:60 NPK kg/ha
5.0 t FYM or compost /ha + 80:40:40 NPK kg/ha
5.0 t FYM or compost /ha + 25:50 NP kg/ha
5.0 t FYM or compost /ha + 20:40 NP kg/ha
● Integrated application of vegetative mulch @ 2t/ha, kaolin
spray (6%), and soil mulch by additional hoeing during
critical dry spells for water stress control and sustainable
crop yield under important intercropping systems of
Marathwada region
Technologies developed
Rainwater Management
● Opening of furrow after every 4 rows in soybean +
pigeonpea intercropping system (4:2)
●
●
●
Bore well recharging for ground water enhancement in
assured rainfall zone of Marathwada region
Broad Bed Furrow (BBF) sowing technique for soybean
Application of cetyl alcohol for reducing water loss due to
evaporation in Farm pond
Pearlmillet 5.0 t FYM or compost /ha + 40:20:20 NPK kg/ha
Chickpea 5.0 t FYM or compost /ha + 20:40 NP kg/ha
Foliar nutrition
Nutrients (kg/ha)
Crop
K Zn B Mg Fe
Soybean 0.5 to 1.0% - - - -
Cotton 0.5 to 1.0% - - - -
Sorghum 0.5 to 1.0% 0.5 to 1.0% 0.02 % 0.02 % 0.5 to 1.0%
Maize 0.5 to 1.0 % 0.5 to 1.0 % - - 0.5 to 1.0 %
Pigeon pea 0.5 to 1.0 % - - - -
Chickpea 0.5 to 1.0 % 0.5 to 1.0 % - - 0.5 to 1.0 %
Standardization of farm pond technology for assured
rainfall zone of Marathwada region
Catchment
area (ha)
Dimensions, m
(L x W x D )
Side slope
Storage volume,
(Cubic m)
Area under protective
irrigation (ha)
Area covered by
farm pond (%)
1 20x20x3 1.5:1 741 0.75 4.0
2 25x25x3 1.5:1 1281 1.05 3.13
3 30x30x3 1.5:1 1971 2.25 3.0
157

Contingency crop planning
For kharif planning
a. Suggested contingency crops/ cropping systems and
cultivars under delayed onset of monsoon
Cropping systems based contingency crop planning for aberrant
weather condition during kharif season for Marathwada region
under normal, delayed, late and very late sowing conditions is
as under.
Sowing date
Up to 30 June
(Normal
sowing)
30 June to
15 July
16 July to
30 July
1 August to
15 August
Crops/cropping systems to be adopted
Cotton + soybean, soybean + pigeonpea, sorghum +
pigeonpea,
Castor + soybean, bajra + pigeonpea, greengram,
blackgram, sorghum, pearlmillet, cotton and soybean
Cotton + soybean, soybean + pigeonpea, castor +
soybean and bajra + pigeonpea
Soybean + pigeonpea, bajra + pigeonpea and castor
+ soybean
Soybean + pigeonpea, bajra + pigeonpea and castor
+ soybean (exceptional situation)
Narkhede et al.
Delay by 6 weeks
Crop
Soybean
Cotton
Variety
Greengram BDN 2003-02
Udid
Pigeonpea
MAUS-158, MAUS-162, MAUS-612, MAUS-71
NHH-44 Bt BG II, NH-615, PA-740
TAU-1, AKU-10-1
BDN 711, BDN 716, BSMR 736, BDN-781
(Godavari, BDN-2013-41)
Sorghum PVK 1009 (Parbhani shakti), CSH -25
Pearl millet
Sesamum
Castor
Delay by 8 weeks
Crop
Soybean
Cotton
AHB-1200 Fe, ABPC-4-3
AKT-64, Punjab-1, Phule-1
DCH-9
Variety
MAUS-158, MAUS-162, MAUS-612, MAUS-71
NHH-44 Bt BG II, NH-615, PA-740
Crop
Soybean
Cotton
Variety
Greengram BDN 2003-02
Udid
Pigeonpea
MAUS-158, MAUS-162, MAUS-612, MAUS-71
NHH-44 Bt BG II, NH-615, PA-740
TAU-1, AKU-10-1
BDN 711, BDN 716, BSMR 736, BDN-781
(Godavari, BDN-2013-41)
Sorghum PVK 1009 (Parbhani shakti), CSH -25
Pearl Millet
Delay by 4 weeks
Crop
Soybean
Cotton
AHB-1200 Fe
Variety
Greengram BDN 2003-02
Udid
Pigeonpea
MAUS-158, MAUS-162, MAUS-612, MAUS-71
NHH-44 Bt BG II, NH-615, PA-740
TAU-1, AKU-10-1
BDN 711, BDN 716, BSMR 736, BDN-781
(Godavari, BDN-2013-41)
Sorghum PVK 1009 (Parbhani shakti), CSH -25
Pearl Millet
AHB-1200 Fe, ABPC-4-3
Greengram BDN 2003-02
Udid
Pigeonpea
TAU-1, AKU-10-1
BDN 711, BDN 716, BSMR 736, BDN-781
(Godavari, BDN-2013-41)
Sorghum PVK 1009 (Parbhani shakti), CSH -25
Pearl millet
Sesamum
Castor
AHB-1200 Fe
AKT-64, Punjab-1, Phule-1
DCH-9
b. Crop, soil, water and nutrient management strategies
during seasonal drought
a. Early season drought
●
●
●
●
●
Gap filling at 7 to 10 days after sowing by pot watering
within the rows with same cultivar or pigeonpea to maintain
at least 75% plant population.
Raise cotton seedlings in polythene bags and transplant
when sufficient soil moisture is available. Take up
interculture with harrow when crop is at two weeks old.
In case of resowing, adopt 15-20% more seed rate than
recommended and reduce fertilizer dose by 25%.
Gap filling within the rows with same or short duration
cultivar to maintain at least 75% plant population or if the
plant population is less than 50%, take up resowing.
If the plant population is less than 75% of optimum, take up
sowing of the alternate crops like sunflower/pigeonpea.
158

. Midseason drought
●
●
●
●
●
Give protective irrigation, if possible.
Avoid applying fertilizers till sufficient soil moisture is
available.
Open conservation furrows for moisture conservation,
interculture with harrows (every four or six rows)
Adopt intra row thinning
Interculture for weeding and to create soil mulch to conserve
moisture.
● Spraying 13:00:45 (Potassium nitrate 1% solution 100 g/
10 lit of water) or 2% urea solution 200g /10 lit. of water
during stress period after 15 days.
c. Terminal drought
●
●
●
●
●
●
Provide life-saving irrigation, if available
Harvest at physiological maturity
Plan for rabi crops like chickpea, safflower and linseed
Sowing of rabi crops like sorghum, chickpea, safflower
immediately after harvest of soybean with minimum tillage
with tractor drawn harrow / cultivator
Harvest, greengram at physiological maturity or in case of
severe drought use as fodder/green manuring.
In pigeonpea, provide life-saving irrigation and or foliar
spray of 2% KNO 3
Rabi crop planning
Suggested crops and varieties
Crop
Varieties/
hybrids
Yield potential
(kg/ha)
Duration
(days)
Chickpea BDN-797 1800-2400 105-110
Safflower
Rabi
sorghum
Vijay, Digvijay 1600-2300 105-110
PBNS-12
PBNS-40
PBNS-86
Parbhani
Shakti
(PVK-1009)
1200-1500 135-140
1600-1800 110-115
PVK-1411 1200-1400 105-110
PVK-1595 1350-1700 110-115
SPV -2407
(Parbhani
Super Moti)
1400-1800 110-115
Linseed LSL-93 800-1000 80-90
Agro-horti systems
●
●
●
●
●
●
Custard apple (Balanagar / Dharur -6) + soybean (MAUS-
612) (1:4)
Custard apple spacing 5 m x 5 m, soybean 45 cm x 5 cm
Drumstick (PKM-1) + soybean (MAUS-612, MAUS-158)
(1:4)
Drumstick spacing: 4 m x 4 m, soybean 45 cm x 5 cm
Ber (Umbran) + soybean (MAUS-612)
Ber spacing: 6 m x 6 m, soybean 45 cm x 5 cm
Impact of dryland technologies
Broad bed and furrow technology for soybean: Mode of
transfer of technology to the farmers’ fields: Field demonstrations
and farmers training; Convergence with PoCRA project of Govt.
of Maharashtra for upscaling; Impact of technology: 25000 BBF
planters have been distributed to farmers in the State; Increased
crop production by 25 to 30 per cent; 16 lakh ha and area already
covered: 2.5 lakh ha (15%); No. of beneficiaries: 1.5 to 2 lakh
farmers; Improvement in yield by 25%; Increased farmer’s
income by 10%.
Borewell recharge technology: Mode of transfer of technology
to the farmers’ fields: Field demonstrations and farmers
training; Convergence for up scaling: PoCRA project of Govt.
of Maharashtra; Increased crop production by 25 to 30% due to
protective irrigation; Targeted area of coverage and area already
covered: 1000 no.; No. of beneficiaries: 200; Improvement in
yield by 25%; Increased farmers’ income by 30 per cent.
Farm pond technology: Mode of transfer of technology
to the farmers’ fields: Field demonstrations and Farmers’
training; Convergence with any state/national programme for
up scaling: PoCRA project of Govt. of Maharashtra; Increased
crop production by 25 to 30% due to protective irrigation; No.
of beneficiaries: 50000; Improvement in yield by 25% due to
protective irrigation; Increased farmers’ income by 25 per cent.
Dissemination of all developed dryland technologies has been
and is being constantly carried out through various extension
activities like on-farm demonstrations, agro-advisories, and
participation in various farmer rallies.
159

Narkhede et al.
Impact in terms of the unit increases in yield of crops as a result of research efforts of technologies developed by centre
Name of crop
Name of AICRPDA technology
adopted by the farmers
Area
(ha)
Increase in yield
(kg/ha)
Increase in yield (%)
over control
Soybean
Cotton
Conservation furrow after every 4 rows
at 30 days after sowing
Conservation furrow after every 2 rows
at 30 days after sowing
1.7 Lakh 270 25
1.8 lakh 210 22
Soybean + pigeonpea Intercropping system of soybean +
pigeonpea (4:2)
70000 240 21
Soybean Broad Bed and Furrow (BBF) sowing 2.5 lakh 280 26
Open well and borewell recharge technology 1000 no. 30% increase in crop
yield due to protective
irrigation during dryspell
28% increase in ground
water recharge
Farm pond- Rainwater harvesting and recycling 50000 250 45
Soybean
Cotton
Foliar application of KNO 3
for dryspell
mitigation
Foliar application of KNO 3
for dryspell
mitigation
12000 145 14
14000 190 16
Way forward
The future thrust area of research are real time contingency plans
for aberrant weather condition, crop specific in-situ and ex-situ
rain water conservation techniques, crop diversification, energy
management, Integrated farming system models for rainfed area,
alternate land use system like cultivation of bamboo species and
its economics and complete or partial mechanisation for small
and marginal farmers.
160

Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev. 2021 36(2): 161-166 10.5958/2231-6701.2022.00033.1
Overview of Dryland Agriculture Research and Achievements in
Semi-Arid Region of Karnataka
S.L. Patil 1 and M.N. Ramesha 2
1
ICAR-IIPR, Regional Research Station, Dharwad, 580 005, Karnataka, India
2
All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture Centre,
ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Research Centre, Ballari 583 104, Karnataka, India
Email: slpatil1001@gmail.com
Brief history of the centre
ICAR-IISWC Research centre, Ballari was established in 1954
by Government of India to conduct research on problems related
to soil and rainwater conservation on medium to deep black soils
of low rainfall region. The All India Coordinated Research Project
for Dryland Agriculture Centre was established in 1970-71 at
Regional Station, Ballari, Central Soil and Water Conservation
and Training Centre (now, Indian Institute of Soil and Water
Conservation) and continued up to 1986. Later, the Centre was
continued as voluntary Centre from 1998 till 2008. Again in
2018, the Centre was made voluntary Centre in AICRPDA. The
domain districts of the Centre are Ballari, Chitradurga, Raichur,
Koppal, Gadag, Bagalakote, Yadgir, Kalaburgi and Vijayapura
districts of Karnataka.
Agro-climatic zone characteristics
The Centre is located in the Northern Dry Agro-Climatic Zone
(Zone-3) of Karnataka, which is divided into five agro-ecological
sub regions (ESR), viz., Hot arid ecological sub-region (coded
as 3), Hot dry semi-arid ESR (6.1), Hot moist semi-arid ESR
(6.2), Hot dry sub-humid ESR (6.4) and Hot dry semi-arid ESR
(7.1). The zone covers 56 taluks of northern Karnataka and
large part of the zone area (2.42 million ha, ~50%) is under hot
arid ESR. The Ballari Centre in the semi-arid tropics of South
India is located in rain shadow belt with an average rainfall of
520.2 mm year -1 occurring in average 32 rainy days. Probability
analysis of weekly rainfall suggests assured rainfall between
standard meteorological weeks of 37 and 44, which corresponds
to the period of September 10 to November 4. This period is
considered safe for cropping in deep and very deep black soils of
the tract. The sixty-five years of rainfall recorded in the Centre
show five years of large-excess rainfall, 16 years of excess
rainfall, 29 years of normal rainfall, 14 years of deficient rainfall
and one year of large-deficient rainfall, over the average annual
rainfall. Both excess and deficient rainfall situation hamper the
crop production in the region.
Soils of the region
The soils are classified as ‘Vertisols’ and fall under the sub
orders of ‘usterts’ and ‘pellusterts’ and sporadic ‘aquerts’. Deep
Vertisols in Ballari region possess ESP of 7.0 or more in case
of swelling soils, which is detrimental to crop growth due to
poor soil physical conditions. The moisture retained at 1/3 and
15 bar suction pressure varies from 36 to 50% and 22 to 25%,
respectively. The maximum water holding capacity of these
soils varies from 60 to 65% and bulk density from 1.2 to 1.3
Mg m -3 . Clay content varies from 32 to 55% and increases with
depth. The clay minerals are of montmorillonite and beidellite
group with cation exchange capacity (CEC) of 100 cmol (p+)
kg -1 of clay. Exchangeable sodium percentage varies from
3 to 21% and pH increases with depth (8.0 to 9.2). Soils are
well supplied with bases and are poor in humus and extremely
deficient in available N and P. Soils are marginal with respect to
iron and zinc and deficiency of these micro-nutrients is higher
under intensive management/crop cultivation. The major rainfed
crops cultivated in the region during kharif-rabi seasons are
greengram, cowpea, cotton, redgram, sunflower, chickpea, rabi
sorghum, safflower and coriander.
Significant achievements
Production agronomy
Under production agronomy, the Centre has evaluated optimum
sowing time of crops for the back-soil region and also conducted
evaluation of hybrids and varieties of various crops, viz.,
sorghum, safflower, chickpea and redgram (Table 1, 2). Further,
plant population studies of the various crops were conducted to
adjust plant density according moisture availability in the soil
as a drought mitigation strategy. Crops and production practices
were evaluated against the prevailing weather conditions in
the regions. Best suited crops and associated best production
practices were identified (Table 3). A multitude of crops have
been screened at different dates of planting to identify crops
suited for different contingencies of weather outlined elsewhere
(Anonymous, 1980).
161

Table 1: Optimum sowing/planting time for major crops of the region
Crops
Sorghum
Sowing/optimum planting time
First or second fortnight of
September (onset of northeast
monsoon)
Patil and Ramesha
Table 3: Choice of crops and production practices for
aberrant weather situations
Crops/production
practices
Safflower, chickpea and
coriander
Explanation
Ideally suited for late rabi sowing
Fieldbeans, redgram,
First or second fortnight of
clusterbean, cowpea,
September (onset of north east
limabean, greengram and monsoon).
soybean
Castor, sunflower and First or second fortnight of
seasmum
September
Chickpea
First week and first fortnight of
October
Coriander and Safflower Second week and first fortnight
of October
Table 2: Suitable varieties of different crops for Ballari region
Crops Varieties/Hybrids
Sorghum Varieties:
Normal and above-normal rainfall situations:
SPV–1359 (Phulae Yashoda), SPV–1413, CSV–14R
and M35–1
Drought years with late sowing situations:
M35–1, Mouli, SPV–1591 and SPV–1359
Hybrids:
Normal and above-normal rainfall situations:
CSH–13 K&R, SPH–1010, SPH–1077 and SPH–1079
Below normal rainfall situations:
CSH–19R, CSH–15R, SPH–1230 and CSH–13K&R
Normal and drought rainfall situations:
CSH–13K and R and short duration hybrids viz.,
CSH–15R and CSH–19R
Safflower A–1, CTV–212, 215, 213, 162, 212, Bly–642,
Bly–1022
Chickpea A–1, ICCC–37, Phule–G-2, DDN–9–3, R–81–1–1
(drought resistant), JG-11 and BGD-103
Redgram Short duration: IPCL–84031, C–11
Medium duration: PT–221, ICPL–87, Maruthi, T–3
Safflower and Dolichos
lablab
Mid-seasonal corrections
in plant population
(Anonymous, 1980).
Whenever profile moisture at sowing
time is low due to either failure of kharif
rains or its erratic distribution or both
Rabi sorghum: removing the alternate
plant, third plant or third row resulted in
a significant 37% yield increase in rabi
sorghum. Plant population reduction and
supplemental irrigation (4 cm depth)
resulted increased in sorghum grain and
straw yields, respectively
Safflower: varied response to population
correction commands for recommended
seed rate
Intercropping of rabi sorghum under different cropping systems
in rainfed Vertisols: Traditionally rabi sorghum is sown along
with either pulses or oilseeds as a mixed crop in the region.
Intercropping on a population replacement basis offers scope for
enhancing the crop yields, besides acting as insurance against
the total failure of either crop. A study conducted (1981–82
to 1984–85) with sorghum (CSV–8R) as the main crop and
coriander (local), field bean (CO–7), safflower (A–1) and
chickpea (A–1) as intercrops in ratios of 1:0, 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 and
0:1 to find out a suitable crop and its ratio, revealed that during
the above normal rainfall years, significantly higher sorghum
grain equivalent yields (SGEY) was recorded under sorghum
+ field beans intercropping (4404 kg ha -1 in 1981–82 and 3965
kg ha -1 in 1983-84), whereas during normal year (1982–83)
sorghum+coriander (2714 kg ha -1 ) and below normal years
(1984–85) sorghum+safflower (1268 kg ha –1 ) performed better.
The sole crop of fieldbeans recorded a higher average SGEY
(2798 kg ha -1 ) and a lower SGEY was recorded in coriander (930
kg ha -1 ). During the below-normal rainfall year (1984–85), when
other intercrops as well as sole crops failed, chickpea recorded
higher SGEY (1343 kg ha -1 ). Therefore, during good rainfall
years it was recommended to cultivate sorghum intercropped
with field beans when crops are sown in the first/second fortnight
of September, whereas, during low rainfall years when sowing
gets delayed beyond September, sorghum is to be intercropped
with chickpea for higher profitability. Among the ratios, 3:1
(sorghum+chickpea) was beneficial for the region. Of late, due
to shift in the rainfall from September (120 mm) to October (140
mm), chickpea alone or chickpea mixed crop with rabi sorghum
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has become more popular by replacing rabi sorghum and
sunflower due to labour problem for harvesting of sorghum and
non-availability of high yielding sunflower cultivars. It has been
advised to have crop rotation of winter sorghum with chickpea
during normal to above normal rainfall situations for sustaining
soil properties with higher crop yields and returns in the region.
Conservation agronomy
Soil and moisture conservation practices: Soil and rainwater
conservation measures are required in deep black soils of
Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka, adjacent Kurnool and
Anantapur districts of Andhra Pradesh, Kovilpatti region of
Tamil Nadu, and parts of Southern Maharashtra which are left
fallow during the south-west monsoon period, to reduce soil and
nutrient losses. Several agronomic and cultural practices have
also been evaluated at the Centre for identifying effective soil
and rainwater conservation (SWC) measures within the bunded
area (inter-terrace level).
Establishment of vegetative cover in kharif season: Cereals,
legumes, and oilseeds/grasses were evaluated for their
suitability, either as cover, grain and/or fodder crops or both
over a decade during 1960’s. Performance of legumes, i.e.,
greengram, cowpea, blackgram, Dolichos, soybean and
clusterbean were poor due to insufficient rains with droughts
of different magnitudes. Cultivation of groundnut was found
highly risky and non-remunerative in addition to crop harvesting
problems in the absence of rains. Therefore, the kharif cropping
on deep black soils of the Ballari region is not much favourable.
Performance of vegetative barriers: A five years (1989–93)
evaluation of vegetative barriers effectiveness showed 19 and
36% lower winter sorghum grain yields in the khus/lemon grass
and Leucaena vegetative barriers when compared to 798 kg ha -1
under control. This indicates the non-suitability of vegetative
barriers as a soil and rainwater conservation practices in the
Ballari region.
Contour strip cropping: Feasibility of contour strip cropping
to reduce soil erosion and increase productivity was evaluated
with erosion permitting (sorghum and cotton) and resistant
(groundnut) crops in 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1 ratio with a view to
determine optimum strip ratio. Results indicated that varying
proportions of groundnut least affected yields of winter crops.
Hence, contour strip cropping was not effective due to poor
establishment of monsoon crops in the black soils of Ballari
region.
Contour cultivation: Cultivation of crops along the slope leads
to losses in fertile top soil, nutrients, and rainwater and does not
wet the soil profile and results in lower crop yields. Cultivation
of crops on contours in the farmer’s fields for three consecutive
below-normal rainfall seasons in and around Ballari in deep
black soils showed an increase in grain yield by 22% in Setaria
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and 35% in rabi sorghum over up and down cultivation.
In-situ rainwater conservation practices: Land treatments like
ridge furrows, listing and corrugations alone or with gypsum
application registered non-significant increase in sorghum and
cotton yields. The magnitude of increase in sorghum yield
was 120% (1230 to 2700 kg ha -1 ) during normal rainfall year
compared to above normal rainfall years 35% (2130 to 2870
kg ha -1 ) with organic trench ridging over control. The interterrace
bedding system (narrow beds on grade would help to
drain out the stagnant water during excess rainfall situations and
conserve every drop of rainwater in-situ during low rainfall)
was beneficial and increased winter sorghum yields by 24% (8
years average) and safflower yields by up to 8% (Average of 7
years) over flatbed sowing. Compartmental bunding (CB) and
ridges and furrows (R&F) conserved fertile top soil, rainwater
in-situ and increased the soil water, nutrients in the profile, and
produced higher grain yield by 28% with CB and up to 36%
with R&F in winter sorghum during the moderate drought year
(2000–01). During severe drought year (2002–03), the grain
yield increased by 16% with CB and 20% in R&F with water
stress at reproductive stages of crop growth. During abovenormal
rainfall year (2001-02) the grain yield was higher by
13 and 16% with CB and R&F, respectively. The mean grain
yield (average of 3 years) increased by 17% (2122 kg ha -1 ) &
22% (2206 kg ha -1 ) with CB and R&F, respectively over flat-bed
(1815 kg ha –1 ). The water use efficiency in CB increased by 13%
(8.26 kg ha -1 mm -1 ) and 16% with R&F (8.48 kg ha -1 mm -1 ) over
flatbed sowing (7.34 kg ha -1 mm -1 ) indicating importance of insitu
rainwater conservation practices in Ballari region.
Tillage practices to reduce evaporation and weeds control:
Organic surface cover reduces evaporation, soil loss and
conserves rainwater in-situ. Even dust mulching reduces
evaporation from soil surface due to reduced surface cracking
at later stages of crop growth. Studies on surface mulching
indicated higher rabi sorghum grain and straw yields by 88%
and 21%, respectively while clod mulch (10 cm deep) recorded
8% higher grain yield of 1833 kg ha -1 over surface mulch
(Average of 5 years during 1980s). In black soils of Ballari,
surface (organic) mulch was highly beneficial. In its absence,
dust mulching (5 to 10 cm) during cropping season conserves
rainwater and increases crop yields. Across four seasons (1978-
79 to 1981-82), weed control by hand khurpi increased yield by
112% over control. Inter-culturing with blade harrow and sweeps
increased sorghum yields by 41% and 32%, respectively over
control. Further, yields increased by 85% and 96%, respectively
when intra-row weeding was done with khurpi. Hence, interculturing
with sweeps along with intra-row hand weeding is
recommended due to low operational cost.
Low tillage farming strategies for resource conservation and
productivity: Conventional tiilage (CT) with recommended

ate of fertilizer (RRF) and hand weeding (HW) (1694 kg ha -1
and 5.89 kg ha -1 mm -1 ) and low tillage (LT) with application
of 2 t ha -1 of Leucaena and HW (1528 kg ha -1 and 5.65 kg ha -1
mm -1 ) recorded significantly higher winter sorghum grain yields
of 83% and 66% and WUE by 48 and 42%, respectively over
LT with herbicide application (930 kg ha -1 and 3.98 kg ha -1
mm -1 ). Hence, resourceful farmers can adopt CT and resource
poor farmers can adopt LT with Leucaena application and weed
control through HW in Ballari Vertisols.
Tillage practices and integrated nutrient management
(INM): During severe drought year (2002–03), when the crop
experienced water stress at reproductive stages, there was no
significant effect of tillage practices on rabi sorghum yields
whereas CT (1 ploughing + 2 harrowing + 2 hoeing + 1 hand
weeding) performed better with significantly greater grain yield
by 15% (1876 kg ha -1 ) over low tillage treatments, i.e., RT (1621
kg ha -1 ) (2 harrowings + 1 hoeing + 1 hand weeding) and 20%
over LT (1561 kg ha -1 ) (1 harrowing + 1 hoeing + weedicide)
during moderate drought year (2000–01) with pre-monsoon
rainfall of 139.6 mm prior to sowing and 90.3 mm crop season
rainfall. Higher grain yield (1791kg ha -1 ) was observed when
50% N was supplied through an organic source and 50% through
an inorganic source during a moderate drought (2000–01).
During above normal rainfall year (2001–02) with sufficient
rainfall (prior to sowing and during crop season), application
of fertilizer through urea alone (inorganic source) recorded
significantly higher grain yield (3064 kg ha –1 ). The mean WUE
was slightly higher in CT (8.98 kg ha -1 mm -1 ) ,
over RT (8.73
kg ha -1 mm -1 ) and LT (8.48 kg ha -1 mm -1 ). Higher sorghum
grain yield (1745 kg ha -1 ) was obtained when N was supplied
through organic sources alone during 2002–03 when there was
a severe drought with only 9.3 mm of crop season rainfall. The
results indicated that sorghum responded to a higher rate of N
application whenever there was sufficient water available in the
profile and whenever there was a scarcity of water in the profile
during the cropping season sorghum responded to the lower rates
of N application . The mean sorghum grain yield (average of 3
years) increased by 9% (2063 kg ha -1 ) and 12% (2120 kg ha -1 )
with 50:50 organic:inorganic and inorganic alone, respectively
over 100% organic source (1892 kg ha -1 ). The WUE was 11%
and 18% higher in organic and inorganic source and inorganic
alone as compared to 100% organic sources.
Under varying rainfall situations, CT conserved more rainfall and
performed relatively better than RT or LT. Sorghum response to
INM varied differently under different rainfall situations in all
4 years of study. In a drought year, 50% reduced N application
serves better whereas in a nearly drought year RRN is better. In
a good rainfall year, 150% RRN produced a significantly greater
yield . In sunflower, reduction in soil bulk density, increase in
infiltration rate and porosity with higher soil water storage under
Patil and Ramesha
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CT compared to RT and LT was observed. Sunflower seed
yields were 13% and 32% higher in CT compared to RT and
LT, respectively. In INM treatments, higher rates of fertilizer
application recorded higher soil moisture, decreased bulk
density, and increased porosity and infiltration rate compared
to INM 2
and INM 1
. Higher soil moisture with greater nutrient
availability produced 8% and 17% higher seed yield with
INM 2
(100% RDN-100% urea) and INM 3
(150% RDN-150%
urea) compared to INM 1
(50% RDN-50% urea). Thus, CT with
INM 3
is recommended for adoption for sustaining sunflower
productivity under rainfed conditions during the winter season
as a climate-resilient agricultural practice in vertisols of SAT
region.
Nutrient management
A study was conducted at research farm and on farmers’ fields
to determine the effect of N rate and sources on sorghum growth
and yield during rabi season in the Vertisols of Ballari region.
During normal and above-normal rainfall years, an increase in N
application up to 40 kg ha -1 increased grain yield from 2128 kg
ha -1 (control) to 2396 kg ha -1 . Further increase in N application
was not beneficial at research farm. During the years of low
rainfall, significantly higher grain yield was recorded with 20
kg N ha -1 over control and was on par with 40 and 60 kg N ha -1 .
Response to added N fertilizer was low in the farmers’ fields as
compared to research farm and it was attributed to lower soil
nutrient status for available N, P 2
O 5,
and K 2
O. During normal to
above normal years of rainfall, an increase in N application up
to 60 kg ha -1 resulted in increased grain yields from 1613 kg ha -1
(control) to 1785 kg ha -1 in the farmers’ field. During normal and
below-normal rainfall years, application of calcium ammonium
nitrate recorded higher grain and straw yields at both research
farm and in farmers’ fields. Application of 38 kg N ha -1 recorded
a B:C ratio of 2.67:1 during normal rainfall years and optimum
rate was 33 kg N ha -1 with a B:C ratio of Rs.1.29:1 during below
normal rainfall years at the research farm. In farmers’ fields,
the relationship was linear with the increase in N rate during
normal rainfall years and quadratic during below rainfall years.
Optimum rate of 27 kg N ha -1 with a greater B:C ratio of 2.15
was observed during below-normal rainfall years.
Significantly higher grain yield 2629 kg ha -1 was recorded with
application of 90 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 with similar trend in straw yield
also at research farm during normal rainfall years. Increased
application of P 2
O 5
had no significant influence on the grain and
straw yield of sorghum. However, higher grain (964 kg ha -1 )
and straw yield (17.6 q ha -1 ) was recorded with application of
30 kg P 2
O 5
during sub–normal rainfall years at research farm.
Grain and straw yields of sorghum in farmers’ fields increased
with increased application of P 2
O 5
during normal rainfall years.
Higher grain yield (1848 kg ha -1 ) was recorded with application
of 90 kg and straw yield with 60 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 (27.5 q ha -1 ). Among

the sources, DAP application proved more beneficial than SSP,
irrespective of rainfall at research farm and in farmers’ fields.
During years of normal rainfall, higher grain and straw yields
were recorded with DAP application, whereas, during sub–
normal rainfall years yield differences due to P sources were not
significant at research farm and farmers’ fields. During years
of normal rainfall, 53 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 produced higher B:C ratio of
1.77 whereas, during sub–normal rainfall years application of
26 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 resulted in a B:C ratio of 1.17 at research farm.
In farmers’ fields, application of 53 kg P 2
O 5
ha -1 was optimum
during normal rainfall years and 26 kg ha -1 was optimum with
greater B:C ratio of 2.14 during sub–normal rainfall years.
Effect of integrated nutrient management (INM) in winter
sorghum and crop rotation with chickpea either over the years
or in strips over 8 years of the study indicated that the response
to different INM treatments was higher in winter sorghum,
followed by chickpea and sorghum + chickpea in strips. The
average (8 years) winter sorghum yield response indicated that
the treatment with 15 kg N through Leucaena loppings+20 kg
N through urea (T 8
) produced higher sorghum grain equivalent
(SGE) by 56% over control followed by 51% increase in SGE
with application of 100% recommended rate of N through
urea (T 2
). In the years of drought, application of N through 15
kg N through compost +10 kg N through Leucaena loppings
(T 9
) increased the sorghum grain and straw yields over other
treatments, whereas in the normal and above normal rainfall
years application of N either with 15 kg N through Leucaena
loppings + 20 kg N through urea (T 8
; 100% RRN through urea)
(T 2
) proved better.
In the chickpea block, treatment T 8
produced 62% higher SGE
over control followed by 53% increase in SGE with application
N through 15 kg N through compost+10 kg N through Leucaena
loppings (T 9
). In the years of normal and above normal rainfall
chickpea yields were higher when sorghum was applied with 15
kg N through Leucaena loppings+20 kg N through urea whereas
during drought years chickpea yields were higher when sorghum
was supplemented with organic amendments through compost/
Leucaena loppings in previous season. In sorghum+chickpea in
strips, the treatment T 8
produced 44% higher SGE over control
followed by 38% increase in SGE with application N through 15
kg N through compost+10 kg N through Leucaena loppings (T 9
)
when sorghum and chickpea were cultivated in strips and yields
of sorghum and chickpea were converted into SGE.
Terrace-level resource conservation measures: Graded bunds
of 0.6 m 2 cross-section at vertical intervals ranging from 0.75 to
1.25 m were demonstrated at the G.R. Halli watershed during
1980-1994, the Chinnatekur watershed in Kurnool district
during 1986-1994, and Joladarasi watershed in Ballari district
during 1987-1994 for resource conservation and to improve crop
yields. At Chinnatekur, the runoff from arable areas got reduced
165
to around 5% when compared to 9% under control with 70%
reduction in soil loss. Across seasons and years, graded bunding
increased yields ranging from 13 to 21% in different crops. In
an evaluation of farmers’ perception, 82% of the respondents
expressed problems with contour bunding as they breach and
cause water stagnation and loss of area, while in case of graded
bunds 66% of the farmers expressed lack of awareness as well
as non-availability of technical guidance, while 6% expressed
lack of conviction.
Inter-terrace level resource conservation measures:
Terrace level measures could not conserve rainwater, as the
lands are slopy with undulations resulting in un-uniform soil
wetting in farmers fields. Thus for uniform soil wetting and
to break the slope and reduce velocity of runoff and increase
opportunity time for rainwater to soak into the soil profile, the
in-situ rainwater conservation practices like land smoothening,
contour cultivation, compartmental bunding, contour borders,
ridges & furrows and dead furrows were demonstrated on
the farmers’ fields across seasons and locations. Adopting insitu
rainwater conservation measures reflected in increase
in crop yields ranging from 7.7 to 114%. Contour cultivation
improved sorghum yields by 14% over control. Adoption
of compartmental bunding resulted in 20 to 25% increase in
groundnut and sorghum yields. Similarly, land smoothing in
the inter-terraced area brought about 16% increases in yield.
Developing the land into border strips brought additional yields
of 19 to 114% in sorghum depending on seasonal conditions
and 22% in groundnut. Vertical mulches brought an additional
grain yield of 41% depending upon the location and seasonal
conditions. The above measures are complementary to each
other and were found to be cost-effective, with a payback period
of 1 to 2 years except border strips which required 5 to 7 years
depending upon the value of the produce.
Land use planning
The performance of crops, many a time is poor due to limitations
of slope, depth, salinity, etc. Soils in the semi-arid region
vary considerably with respect to their physical and chemical
characteristics in a catena. The demonstrations of suitability of
crops for different depths in red soils of farmers at G.R. Halli
watershed indicated that even under irrigation conditions at
given level of input use, the sorghum yields were higher by 46%
when the soil depth increased from 22.5 cm 45 cm and above.
Under similar rainfall conditions, sorghum yields were 71%
higher whereas ragi yields increased by 10% with increase in
soil depth from

ings about economic stability. The class V to class VIII lands
not fit for agriculture account for 11 to 51% land area across
watersheds located in the SAT region. Alternative land use was
demonstrated on fields of ten of class VI lands at G.R. Halli
watershed, Karnataka. Since the area was unfit for cultivation,
the land was bunded to prevent erosion, a few farmers were
permitted to grow crops and the remaining were made to grow
woodlots with Eucalyptus trees. At the end of 5 years, the
B:C ratio for the woodlots was 3.67 while it was only 2.93
for crops. In another case at Chinnatekur watershed, Kurnool
district, Andhra Pradesh, by protecting such lands from biotic
interference, the grass yields improved from 2.6 to 11.6 t ha -1 .
With application of 20 kg DAP ha -1 the yields increased to 17.7
t ha -1 . Further, with introduction of legumes like Stylosanthes
hamata, the yields increased further to 27.3 t ha -1 .
In marginal lands, having the facility of protective irrigation,
shifting to agri-horti system in Vertisols of Joladarasi, Ballari
district, Karnataka, yielded 6 times more net returns with 3
to 4 times more employment on a continuous basis compared
to cultivation of sorghum with protective irrigation. In sandy
river beds with trees planting at Chinnatekur watershed, A.P,
the productivity was 10 t ha -1 yr -1 after 10 years of plantation.
However, when this land was cultivated with jasmine/guava, net
returns per hectare stabilized at Rs. 24,863 for jasmine and Rs.
22,320 for guava. It is clear that land use planning according to
capability and use of alternatives is required for realizing higher
production capabilities.
Intercropping of coriander+safflower recorded 97% more net
returns compared to mixed cropping of coriander and safflower
in black soils of Joladarasi watershed. Setaria + redgram
cropping system recorded 61% additional net returns over setaria
in Vertisols and groundnut + redgram in red soils recorded
10% more net returns compared to pure crop of groundnut of
Chinnatekur watershed.
Among the cereal crops, kharif sorghum, ragi, bajra and setaria
in red and medium black soils and rabi sorghum were evaluated.
Kharif sorghum, across seasons, recorded nearly two-fold higher
grain yields under improved practice when compared to farmers’
practice at G.R. Halli, Hadagali and Chinnatekur watershed. The
demonstrations on improved method of cultivation in oilseeds
such as groundnut, safflower, sunflower and castor revealed
production increases of 29, 182, 55 and 155%, respectively
over farmers’ practices. In the improved technology of pulses
demonstrations, chickpea recorded on an average, across
seasons 451 kg ha -1 as against 190 kg ha -1 under farmers’
Patil and Ramesha
practice at Hadagali and 1020 kg ha -1 at Chinnatekur watershed
due to favorable seasonal conditions. Redgram registered yield
increases to the tune of 418 kg ha -1 as against 298 kg ha -1 under
farmers’ practice at Chinnatekur watershed.
Risk minimization
Dryland agriculture in SAT black soil region experiences 5
droughts of different intensities in a normal decade. Rainfed
rabi cropping success depends upon the moisture stored in
the soil profile at sowing in September and on the receipt of
October rains. Hence, harvesting excess runoff and recycling
as a protective irrigation enhanced 30-85% crop yields and net
returns from 33% to 125% in the region. Based on advance
prediction of October rains (good or bad) contingent plans to
make correction in crops grown on recommended practices were
developed by introducing population corrections in the standing
crop to reduce risks and stabilize yields. Compartmental
bunding (CB) with cultivation of BGD 103 and JG 11 chickpea
varieties in Vertisols at Ballari, increased the grain yields from
13 to 16%, respectively. Similarly, demonstration cum field
evaluation of chickpea variety JG 11 in Joladarasi, K. Veerapur
and Chellagurki villages of Ballari district indicated that higher
chickpea yields, profit and energy gains can be achieved by
cultivating JG 11 variety with micronutrients application at 5 kg
ha -1 in Vertisols of Ballari region during winter season.
Way Forward
According to the prevailing farming situations, climatic regimes
and biophysical endowments of the farming community in the
region, the Ballari Centre has conducted need-based research to
address the issues related to the production agronomy, in-situ
and ex-situ soil and water conservation measures and varietal
trials with varied crop combinations. The Centre has developed
and promoted various in situ moisture conservation techniques,
tillage practices, crops, and varieties along with integrated
nutrient management for sustainable agricultural production in
the domain region. Evaluated and proven dryland technologies
were demonstrated in various watershed developmental projects
in the region. The contemporary knowledge of the climatic
situation and their predictability and improved and efficient
water application techniques are prompting the Centre to
continue its collaboration with AICRPDA for the evaluation of
future technologies to meet the demands of unforeseen climatic
situations and national targets such as doubling the farmers’
income in the dryland regions through the dissemination of costeffective
technologies in crop production.
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