Future prospects and problems in dryland agriculture

fututre prospects and problems in dryland agriculture

1. Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology & Sciences, Prayagraj - 211007 (U.P) India ASSIGNMENT ON FUTURE PROSPECTS AND MAJOR PROBLEMS IN DRYLAND AGRICULTURE SUBMITTED TO- SUBMITTED BY- Mr DEEPAK LALL 19MSHFS006- T. LANUCHILA Dept. of Horticulture 19MSHFS007- AYIMTIBA WALLING NAI, SHUATS 19MSHFS009- ABHIMANYU KUMAR TOMAR 19MSHFS010- AMIT MISHRA (GROUP LEADER) 1

2. 2 CONTENT S.NO TOPIC SLIDE NO 1. INTRODUCTION 3-14 2. PROBLEMS IN DRYLAND AGRICULTURE 15-24 3. DRYLAND AGRICULTURE IN INDIA: SOLUTIONS 25-33 4. FUTURE PROSPECTS OF DRYLAND AGRICULTURE 34-42 5. REFERENCES 43 2

3. 1. INTRODUCTION Dryland Farming is agriculture which is dependent upon the vagaries of weather, especially precipitation. It limits the crop growth to a part of the year due to lack of sufficient moisture 68% of the cultivated area in Indian agriculture comes under dryland , which contributes about 44% of the total food production and plays a critical role in India’s food security. 3 3

4. In view of the increasingly difficult conditions for food production and global consequences like climate change, groundwater scarcity, species extinction and prolonged droughts, solutions are needed to overcome these problems. Dry Farming uses special agricultural techniques for the non-irrigated cultivation of crops and is used in low rainfall areas around the world. 4 4

5. WHAT IS DRYLAND FARMING? Dryland Farming refers to growing of crops entirely under rainfed conditions. It is an improved system of cultivation whereby maximum amount of water is conserved by soil and water management. It involves efficient system of soil and crop management in the regions of low land and uneven distributed rainfall. 5 5

6. It is practiced in arid and semi-arid regions. Main crops: Millets like jwar , bajra , ragi Oilseeds like mustard, rapeseed Pulse crops like pigeon pea, gram, lentil 6 6

7. TYPES OF DRYLAND FARMING Based on the amount of rainfall received, Dryland agriculture can be divided into three categories: 1)DRY FARMING 2)DRYLAND FARMING 3)RAINFED FARMING 7 7

8. DRY FARMING Cultivation of crops in area where rainfall is less than 750mm per annum is called Dry Farming Prolonged dry spells during crop period are most common. Crop failures are more frequent. Dry Farming regions are equivalent to arid regions and moisture conservation practices are important in this region. 8 8

9. DRYLAND FARMING Cultivation of crops in area receiving rainfall above 750mm is known as Dryland Farming. Dry spells during crop period occur but crop failures are less frequent. Dryland farming areas are grouped under semiarid regions. Adoption of soil and moisture conservation practices and provision of drainage in black soils are necessary. 9 9

10. RAINFED FARMING Cultivation of crops in regions receiving rainfall more than 1150mm rainfall is known as Rainfed farming. It is practiced in humid regions where crop failures are rare and drainage is the main problem. 10 10

11. ELEMENTS OF DRYLAND FARMING Conservation of soil and moisture Effective use of the available moisture Control of input costs Retaining the precipitation on the land Reducing evaporation from the soil surface to increase the portion of evapo transpiration used for transpiration Utilizing crops that have drought tolerance 11 11

12. DRYLAND FARMING TECHNIQUES There are agricultural techniques and measures developed specifically for farming under dry conditions. In order to improve the agricultural production in these areas, the following points should be taken into account: Taking proper measures to maintain soil moisture. Using of improved plant varieties that withstand moisture stress. Cultural practices like mix cropping, inter cropping and crop rotation should be followed to increase the yield of crops. 12 12

13. IPM (Integrated Pest Management) techniques should be adopted to create unfavourable conditions for pests and weeds. Drip irrigation systems is recommended for effective utilisation of water. Reducing the loss of soil moisture by soil evaporation and transpiration. Increase water absorptions by reducing the runoff of water. 13 13

14. FOUR DRYLAND TECHNIQUES TO REDUCE EVAPORATION ARE: Mulches Antitranspirants Windbreaks and Shelterbelts Weed Control 14 14

15. 2. PROBLEMS IN DRYLAND AGRICULTURE Crop characterised by low and uncertain yield in Dry land farming.Dry spell may occurs but crop failure is quite common. Higher Evapotranspiration than the total precipitation is main reason for moisture deficit in these areas. These following problems occurs in dryland farming. 15 15

16. 1-Soil Soils of the dryier regions mainly of tropics are highly variable,as they are in any climate. The low rainfall and consequently reduced plant growth and development in these regions ,organic material is produced slowly and again because of deficit rainfall it may be broken down slowly as well. 16 16

17. The amount of organic material in the soil, and thus the potential fertility, is likely to be low in dry land areas. There is a problem of leaching lossese of nutrients which declines soil fertility drastically.Soil salinity and alkanity is always a serious problems in the drier regions. 17 17

18. 2-Distribution of rainfall In general, the rainfall is low and highly variable which results in uncertain crop yields. Besides its uncertainty, the distribution of rainfall during the crop period is uneven, receiving high amount of rain, when it is not needed and lack of it when crop needs it. 18 18

19. Due to late onset of monsoon, the sowing of crop are delayed resulting in poor yields. Sometimes the rain may cease very early in the season exposing the crop to drought during flowering and maturity stages which reduces the crop yields considerably 19 19

20. 3-Prolonged Dry spells during the crop period Long breaks in the rainy season is an important feature of Indian monsoon. These intervening dry spells when prolonged during crop period reduces crop growth and yield and when unduly prolonged crops fail. 20 20

21. 4-Low moisture retention capacity The crops raised on red soils, and coarse textured soil suffer due to lack of moisture whenever prolonged dry spells occur due to their low moisture holding capacity. Loss of rain occurs as runoff due to undulating and sloppy soils. 21 21

22. 5-Disease and Pest infestations Drier regions have sufficient infestations of disease and pest problems. Nematodes are often a severe problem in sandy soils. No general rules are useful, and indeed, agriculture anticipates diseases and pests, and their parasite. Unerractic and continuous rainfall is a major cause of several diseases and pest in these regions. 22 22 22

23. 6-Quality of crops Plant growth is affected ,termed as stunted,is result in less fodder production and farmer get less return on their produce. Grain quality is the biggest issue and it is of inferrior quality due to underdevelopment. 23 23

24. Climate change IPCC had indicated that climate change will have far-reaching implications for future global food production.The threat of rising global temperatuure , higher climatic variability and the possibility oof more friquent and prolonged drought in dryland areas by 2050,will cause change in soil,vegetation and water availability(IPCC,2007). 24 24

25. 3. Dryland agriculture in India: solutions Agronomic approaches : The primary objective to dryland farming is to preserve the soil and water, inorder to achieve maximum productivity. Agronomic approaches are developed based on the land terrain concerned. In marginal lands with poor fertility proper application of fertilizer are beneficial. Drylands near the river beds are to be given management based on the onset of monsoon. Since these drylands are prone to floods in certain part of the year. 25 25

26. Crops grown should be able to manage drought stress, as these areas lack irrigation and should be harvested before the floods. Agronomic measures that has to be followed in plain dry lands tracts to increase the soil productivity can be achieved by proper tillage, proper management of the time of sowing, fertilizer management, selection of proper cropping systems suitable to the area like double cropping, alley cropping, use of better cropping pattern for specific locations, proper weed control and plant protection measures. 26 26

27. Engineering approaches : Various engineering approaches are utilized for conservation of soil and water by the collection of excess rainwater, regulation of runoff, managing evaporation and seepage losses. Lands with 3-5 per cent slopes are subjected to contouring, which preserves moisture and prevents soil erosion. The opening of ridges and slopes across the slopes reduces the flow of water and makes it to percolate into the soil. Compartmental bunding to areas with less than 1 per cent slope provides even spreading of water to the entire area. 27 27

28. Water harvesting measures are utilized for improving the moisture status of the soil. Construction of check dams, farm ponds are other measures being utilized. Breeding aspects: With the development of suitable varieties and utilization of proper technologies will give a wholesome solution for increasing the productivity in the drylands . The new plant types are to be developed which posses all the necessary characters for the drylands . 28 28

29. The particular ideotype should have short duration of growth, extensive root growth, basic modifications necessary for growing in drylands and drought tolerance. An ideal plant suitable for growing in drylands should possess seedling vigor and short duration, deeper roots with good branching, dwarf plants with less but erect leaves to capture more sunlight, moderate tillering to reduce competition, resistance to pests and diseases, efficient photosynthetic machinery to convert more inputs into yields. 29 29

30. Innovation in technology transfer : The technologies developed must be in a watershed basis with people’s participation. Inorder to achieve stability in dryland production, an integration of long, medium and short term technologies are needed. Methodologies should be developed to initiate and encourage farmers’ participation in dryland agriculture. Participatory rural appraisal, group interaction of farmers to know more about farmer perception are to be utilized for the better understanding of a programme to make it beneficial for the dryland farmers ( Rao and Ryan, 2004 and Singh et al., 2004 ). 30 30

31. Even though there is tremendous growth in agricultural research and education, a vast number of farmers are not been exposed to the improved technologies which are been developed. This results in reduction in the final output of the whole improvement of the drylands . The self-help group approach is also gaining momentum in many states of India. All the approaches put together will help to develop the land for a sustainable production ( Rao and Ryan, 2004 and Singh et al., 2004). Other technical knowledge of remote sensing can also be utilized in mapping the drylands based on various criteria and further utilization into development of area based projects. 31 31

32. Suggested agro-techniques suitable for dryland vegetable production Water shed management: Watershed management is now considered an widely followed technology for development of rainfed agriculture. Watershed approach has many elements which help both in adaptation and mitigation. For example, soil and water conservation works, farm ponds, check dams etc. moderate the runoff and minimize floods during high intensity rainfall. 32 32

33. Rainwater Conservation and Harvesting: These include in-situ and ex-situ conservation of rainwater for recycling to rainfed crops. Increased ground water utilization and pumping water from deep tube wells is the largest contributor of irrigation to agriculture. 33 33

34. 3. Future Prospects of Dryland Agriculture Present Scenario:- Concept of Dryland farming is based on the fact that rains are scanty and irregular and that there is hardly any irrigation facilities. Arid and Semi-arid regions comprise almost 40% of world’s land area inhibited by some 700 million people. In India at present 70% of agriculture is rain-fed which contribute 42% of food and supports 40% of the human population People living in dryland areas have meagre resources and low management skills, thus the level of development is also low. 34 34

35. Most of the dry land areas are sparely populated and due to this, the average size of the land holding are larger as compared to other areas with better rainfall and irrigation facilities. The development of an infrastructure i.e communication lines , marketing centres and storage facilities are poor. In areas where there is a wide variability of rainfall, drought-resistant, low yielding and low cost crops are grown. In India the present level of production is very low. However, the methods for improvement are available and therefore the potentialities for increasing food production by dryland farming are tremendous. 35 35 35

36. Mixed cropping is also a common practice to guard against wholesale crop losses. An Increase in the yield per hectare by even 2 quintals could mean an increase by 1.5 million tonnes. Since not much can be done to ‘discipline rain’, scientists have tailored technology to suit the eccentricities of the nature of the dryland zones so that the food production from such areas can be ensured and increased. Food production with less investment, dryland farming will also increase the income of 80% farmers who depend on it. Hence, a suitable or appropriate technology is needed for dryland development. 36 36

37. Future strategic frame work:- Improving water conservation at the root zone implies increasing infiltrability, decreasing run off and reduces run off due to evaporation. Infiltrability depends on surface soil conditions and formation of crust. Hence, mulching prevents formation of surface seal. Tied ridging is a system of building cross ties across furrows to conserve water in-situ. Ridge cropping is also helpful in water conservation. 37 37

38. In arid and semi arid regions growing of food crops alone may not be a profitable enterprise due to uneven rainfall. Agro -Horticultural alley cropping system including Ber fruit plantation with anjan grass is profitable. Alternate land use system not only help in generating much needed off-season employment in mono-cropped drylands but also minimize risk and utilize off season rains which may otherwise be lost at run-off. Alley cropping, pasture management, tree farming, silvi -pastoral management and agro -horticultural systems which are most relevant to dryland situations have to be adopted for successful dryland farming systems 38 38

39. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF DRYLAND AGRICULTURE:- Choice of crops, varieties and cropping systems:- Improved varieties have shown improvement in yield between 15-50% as compared to traditional varieties. Intercropping:- Intercropping is recommended in areas receiving 600-800 mm annual rainfall. In such areas, at least one of the component crops succeeds in producing economic yields. Ratio of component to principal crop is optimized in drylands so as to minimise competition. 39 39

40. Double cropping:- Areas receiving more then 800 mm annual rainfall and soil moisture storage of 200 mm per m, double cropping ids feasible with some adjustments of sowing dates. Alternate High Value Crops:- Cultivation of crops for dyes, medicines and aromatics is economical in drylands. The crops which are of high vale for dyes include Indigo, Henna and Bixa . Medicinal plants like Ashwagandha, Senna, Muccina and aromatics like curry leaves, lemon grass etc. 40 40

41. Integrated Nutrient Management:- 50% of fertilizer N can be replaced by FYM or compost sources. Application of 10t/ha FYM with recommended dose of fertilizer stabilized the yield to 3400 kg/ha in finger millets. A post rainy season cover crop like cowpea can be raised using the post season rainfall and ploughed back into the soil before flowering. Alternate Land use systems:- Any farm enterprise other then crop production is usually referred to as an alternate land use system. Examples are growing trees and arable crops in strips. 41 41

42. Mulching:- Mulching and Crop residue incorporation contribute to the conservation of soil and water. IT controls evaporation and soil runoff and also controls weeds and soil temperature. Experiments have shown the presence of 25 % greater soil moisture storage in the 0-30 cm soil profile Agri-Horticulture:- Lands receiving more than 750 mm annual rainfall, agri -horticulture consisting fruit trees grown with arable crops are recommended. Promising fruit trees, which can be grown successfully in drylands, are jujube , gooseberry, custard apple, guava, tamarind etc in combination with arable crops like cluster bean, cowpea etc. 42 42

43. 5. REFERENCES agritech.tnau.ac.in Plantix.net/ en /blog/dryland-agriculture Infonet-biovision.org M. Mudasir Magray (2014) Int. Jour. of App. Sc. and Eng. (IJASE) 2(2) : Dec 2014, 45-57 AJESIAN JOURNAL OF ENVIROMENTAL SCIENCE, VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 2 | DECEMBER, 2016 | 171-177 Hrish P. Singh, Kapil D. Sharma, Gangireddy , Subba Reddy, and Kishori L. Sharma, Dryland Agriculture in India, Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, India 43 43