Kharif Crops Research Articles

Analysis of climate variability and influence of climate variables on major crop yields in Nalgonda District of Telangana State, India

Climate change has become a major concern globally, demanding immediate attention and action. In view of the extreme climatic uncertainties, it is obvious that Indian agriculture is highly vulnerable to climate change as climate is the direct input for production. This scenario emphasizes the dire need to understand the patterns of climate change and thus prepare agricultural systems for future climatic uncertainties. Therefore, the present study was conferred to analyse the climatic variability of Nalgonda district in Telangana State, considering 30 years (1988 to 2017) of historical weather data pertaining to rainfall and temperature (maximum and minimum). Climatic variability of the district was systematically analysed using box-and-whisker plot, Coefficient of Variation (CV), and trend analysis. The association between climatic variables (rainfall, maximum and minimum temperatures) and the major Kharif crop yields was calculated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. The results revealed that the recent decade (2008-2017) had a stable increase in seasonal rainfall in almost all the months compared to the earlier two decades but with the least consistency in rainfall (CV 29.03 %) and higher fluctuations in the maximum temperature (CV 2.38%). September month had shown the higher risk of recording low rainfall conditions compared to July and August months in the district. The rice crop yields during the recent decade (2008-2017) were found to have significant positive and negative associations with the rainfall in September and October months, respectively. Similarly, the lint yields of cotton crops were found to have a significant negative association with the maximum temperatures of the October and November months of the district. The major finding of the study realized was that climate variability and change exist in Nalgonda district, and the climate variables had significant effects on the crop yields of the district.

An Economic Analysis of the Cost Structure and Constraints of Maize Cultivation in Hyderabad-Karnataka Region

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most versatile emerging crops, with a wide range of adaptation under a multitude of agro-climatic conditions. It is primarily a kharif crop (the kharif cropping season is also called as fall harvest season and is from July to October during the south-west monsoon in Indian subcontinent), with 85 per cent of the area under cultivation during kharif season. After rice and wheat, maize is India's third most important cereal crop. The current study attempts to analyze the cost and return structure of the maize crop in Koppal district of Karnataka state, as well as the marketing costs incurred by 120 maize respondent farmers and the constraints coupled with maize production and marketing. The study concluded that large farmers have incurred higher costs in all the inputs such as seed, farm yard manure (henceforth FYM), fertilizer, plant protection chemicals (henceforth PPCs), human labour and machine labour. For cultural operations, both medium and large agriculture depends on machine labour rather than bullock power. Transportation and packing costs were higher in all farmer categories. The transportation cost varied according to the quantity of produce and the distance between the regulated market and the study area. The maize respondents said that erratic rainfall behaviour was a major production constraint (90.0%), whereas lack of news dissemination was a major marketing constraint, ranking first with 85 per cent.

CHANGE DETECTION OF THE LAND USE LAND COVER CATEGORIES AT LEVEL-II CLASSIFICATION USING MULTI TEMPORAL SATELLITE DATA: A CASE STUDY OF JODHPUR DISTRICT, RAJASTHAN.

Transformation of Land use Land cover is a dynamic process that takes place on the Earth’s surface and becomes a basic component in current strategies to manage natural resources and to monitor environmental changes. Remote sensing and GIS are important tools and techniques for monitoring and assessment of land use land cover change status, which can be helpful to decide the strategies for productive use of land for sustainable development. Therefore, it is important to detect the land use or land cover changes for sustaining growth and development of any region. The objective of this paper is to analyse the land use land cover changes over the last 24 years in Jodhpur district, Rajasthan, using multi season satellite data of 30 meter spatial resolution namely, Landsat-5 TM for 1993 and Landsat-8 OLI/TIRS for 2017. This paper has prepared the land use land cover status map on 1:50000 scale with the help of manual digitization technique for the years 1993 and 2017. Later, the change detection in land use land cover changes from 1993 to 2017 has been calculated using ArcGIS software. Land use land cover classes are classified into various categories such as built-up land, kharif crop, Rabi crop, double crop, fallow land, forest, scrub land, dunes, Barren/Rocky area, Quarrying, Lake/Reservoir/Tank, and others for the years of 1993 and 2017. The result of the study shows the expansion of agricultural land, built-up land, Quarrying and other manmade area during this time period and at the same time scrub land, dunes and barren rocky area are decreased. This has significant impact on the livelihood of the local community.

Evaluation of suitable rice (Oryza sativa) based cropping systems under rainfed medium land situation of Assam for enhancing farmers income and soil health

Rice is the predominant kharif crop grown in low and medium land situation of Assam. As the monocropping of rice is practiced by most of the farmers, the cropping intensity of the state is not upto the mark. In recent years, the farmers of the state have started growing different rabi pulses and oilseeds in sequence which helps in increasing the cropping intensity of the state as well as the farmers income. Diversification and intensification of rice-based cropping systems with remunerative and efficient crops like pulses, oilseeds and vegetables has great scope to generate maximum profit and soil health. Therefore, this study was conducted during 2016–17 and 2017–18 at farmers field to assessed 6 rice-based cropping sequences under rainfed medium land situation for their productivity, profitability and soil health. The treatments consisted of 6 rice-based cropping sequences viz. rice - rapeseed - fallow; rice - rapeseedblackgram; rice - garden pea -blackgram; rice -lentil -blackgram; rice - garden pea– Sesbania and rice - lentil-Sesbania. The results revealed that the performance of individual crops contributing the components of different cropping sequences were more or less identical in both the years of experimentation. The higher land utilization Index (92.33), employment generation (265 man days), relative equivalent yield (117.29 q/ha)), production efficiency (39.90 kg/ha), rain water productivity (8.14(kg/ha/mm), nutrientuse productivity (50.70 kg/ha/kg of nutrients applied), sustainable yield index (0.64) alongwith economic parameters like gross return (134.89103 Rs/ha), net return (66.27103 Rs/ha), benefit:cost ratio (2.16), economic efficiency (236.09 Rs/ha/day) and relative economic efficiency (149.38%) were calculated based on standard formula. The higher Soil organic carbon (0.71 & 0.64% in 0–15 and 15–30 cm depth), available Nitrogen (278.12 kg/ha), Phosphorous (36.08 kg/ha) and Potash (158.18 kg/ha) content after completion of the experiment were recorded under the sequences diversified with pulses. So, it can be concluded from the present investigation that, rice-garden pea –black gram and ricegarden pea-sesbania (GM) were found to be suitable rice-based cropping sequences in respect of farmers income is concerned. But the rice-based cropping sequences diversified with food legumes and green manuring crop contributed to more soil organic carbon and NPK status of soil.

Geographical Analysis of Crop Concentration and Crop Diversification of Dhule District (Maharashtra)

The Present investigation aims in studying the geographical analysis of crop concentration and crop diversification in Dhule District. The present study is based on secondary data collected from different government organizations as well as government report. The data covers 2020-21. All the types of crops are considered for the present study. In this study the economics of crop diversification, land concentration was computed. tahsilwise study showed that area under kharif crop has found to be decreased in all the Tehsils of Dhule District. The area under Shindhkheda, Dhule & Shirpur have high production of cotton. The diversification from subsistence crop to more commercial crops to more commercial crops were taking place in all Tehsils. In Dhule Districts main commercial Crops are Onion, Pomegranate and cotton. Khandesh region in Maharashtra celled highest cotton growing region.
 Dhule district is important agriculture district in Maharashtra. Cotton, Bajara, Maize, Gram, Sugarcane, Jawar, Onion, has major crop in Dhule district. The cropping pattern, crop concentration, crop diversification is play on role for agriculture planning and development. Present paper attempt to geographical analysis to crop concentration and crop diversification Dhule district in period of 2020-21.

Crop calendar optimization for climate change adaptation in rice-based multiple cropping systems of India and Bangladesh

Adjusting crop calendars may present an effective adaptation measure to avoid crop yield loss and reduce water use in a changing climate. In order to better understand potentials and limitations of adjusting crop calendars for climate change adaptation of tropical multi-cropping systems with short fallow periods, we used a regionally calibrated Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) agronomic model to estimate annual caloric yield and blue water requirement (BWR) of irrigated double-rice and rice-wheat cropping systems in India and Bangladesh. We adjusted crop calendars by (a) single-objective optimization to maximize annual caloric yield and (b) multi-objective optimization to minimize BWR under current and future climate scenarios, focusing on climatic drivers of optimal growing seasons. While the short time intervals between harvest of kharif crops and (trans-)planting of rabi crops limit the space for planting date shift in the study area, our results indicate that crop calendar adjustment has great potential to reverse yield loss induced by temperature rise and decrease BWR by utilizing monsoon precipitation. The study indicates a trend towards earlier planting of rabi wheat to mitigate heat stress during the reproductive stage. Moreover, earlier planting of kharif rice can help to utilize monsoon precipitation, avoid cold stress of kharif rice during anthesis, and allow for early wheat sowing during the historic period. By the 2080s, the increase of heat stress in summer and the decrease of cold stress in winter seems to allow more flexibility for late rice in kharif season, but a conflict between later planting for yield improvement and earlier planting for blue water saving is expected in kharif rice on the Indo-Gangetic plain of India and Bangladesh. Therefore, the trade-off between yield improvement and irrigation water use needs to be carefully considered to promote adaptive adjustment of crop calendars under climate change.

Assessment of Plant Invasions in Agroecosystems of Kashmir Himalaya for Better Management

Weeds, unwanted plants, are responsible for significant yield and economic loss in agroecosystems and pose a serious threat to the ecology and efficiency of these ecosystems. Despite these losses, not much is known about the weeds associated with crops grown in Kashmir Himalaya. Here, we present a complete inventory of weeds associated with rabi crops, such as mustard (Brassica campestris), wheat (Triticum aestivum), flax (Linum usitatissimum), oats (Avena sativa), kharif crop, such as paddy (Oryza sativa), as well as apple and other fruit tree orchards. A total of 198 weeds were recorded belonging to 47 families. Poaceae (27 species) and Asteraceae (23 species) included the highest number of species. Most of these weeds were non-native (136 species) and only 62 species were native. Fifty one non-native species were invasive. Most of the weeds were herbs (195 species). Annuals and perennials were almost equally represented with 93 and 92 species, respectively. The number of weeds varied across the surveyed crops with the highest number of species (104) recorded in orchards and the lowest number of 25 species in flax fields. These observations are important for the better management of weeds in the agroecosystems of Kashmir Himalaya.

Google Earth Engine-Based Identification of Flood Extent and Flood-Affected Paddy Rice Fields Using Sentinel-2 MSI and Sentinel-1 SAR Data in Bihar State, India

Flood is the major cause of fatalities associated with natural disasters in the world. In India especially in the state of Bihar, where about half of the area (North Bihar) gets flooded every year due to the overflow of major rivers during the rainy season. Which severely affects human lives, properties, agricultural production, farmers and their livelihood. Usually, the basins of the Kosi and Gandak rivers are known for their worst affects in Bihar. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is widely used for robust monitoring of flood events due to its ability to image the surface of the earth in all weather conditions. However, limited studies are available on flood patterns of Bihar and their impact on agriculture. Here, we investigated the flood extents and affected paddy rice fields for Bihar during the months of June–October (2020) using all accessible Sentinel-1 SAR and Sentinel-2 MSI images with additional supporting datasets available on the Google Earth Engine. The study showed that a large portion of Bihar (7019 km2) was submerged during monsoon season. The floodwater remains in the agricultural fields for 50 to 65 days causing severe damage to the Kharif crops, mainly rice. The extreme effect of flood was seen in agricultural lands (11.23% of the total area) and populations (15.56% of the total population) in Bihar. Satellite-based identification of flood progression and affected rice fields can be helpful for decision-makers at the time of disaster to prioritize relief and rescue operations.

Sustainability – A Way of Life in Shirpur, Maharashtra, India

Shirpur taluka of Nasik division in Maharashtra is in draught prone area. This area suffered from water shortage before 2018. The present study was conducted to comprehend the current sustainable development in this area and revealed a typical geographical condition of that region. Lateral and vertical percolation of water through the yellow silt layers in the aquifers was scarce prior to the completion of the projectAngioplasty of water in 2018. The soil had an effective porosity to the tune of 2.5 to 3%, yet the aquifers were hardly saturated. The dug wells and bore wells in Deccan Basalt hardly yielded water till December. Water was scarcely available after December for drinking and irrigation. Only Kharif crop was possible. Scarcity of water impacted surface water reserves. More burden was experienced on ground water level. Groundwater beingan important renewable resource requires to be refilled every year by rainfall and through water dripped during irrigation. The structure of rocks, geo-morphological, hydrogeological as also hydrometeorological conditions govern the pore water levels. Suitable measures were needed to augment groundwater resources to make existing groundwater structures sustainable.”Angioplasty of water” was implemented to solve water problems. Sustainable use of water was possible in draught prone areas after this project was completed. Industrial and agricultural development followed after this project. Composite Index of Development (CID) as also the levels of development in Shirpur improved considerably as compared to other areas in Dhule district.

Agronomic Practices Enhancing the Productivity of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) – A Review

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is grown in rabi (post-rainy season) following kharif (rainy season) crop or kharif fallow. Late sowing (December-January) should be avoided as the late-sown crop may experience moisture stress and high temperatures at the critical stage of pod-filling, leading to reduced yield and seed quality. A pre-sowing irrigation may be needed, if the available soil moisture is not adequate for germination. Kabuli chickpea should never be irrigated immediately after sowing, particularly in deep black soils. Desi varieties are sown at plant geometry of 30 cm x 10 cm whereas wider row spacing (45–60 cm) can be used in large seeded kabuli chickpea and irrigated crops (both desi and kabuli types). Total quantities of N, P and K should be given as a basal dose. Foliar spray of 2% urea at flowering has been found beneficial in rainfed crops. Pre-emergence application of Pendimethalin 30% EC @ 0.75 – 1.0 kg a.i. ha-1 and one hand weeding or interculture operations at 25-30 days after sowing is economical. Two irrigations (30 mm each), one each at branching and pod filling stages, are recommended for higher yield. Machine harvesting of chickpea will reduce production cost. Tall and non spreading plant varieties are available with suitable mechanization package.

Performance of summer groundnut under different types of plastic mulch

Groundnut is the main kharif crop of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat state. It is also cultivated in summer season in this region. The productivity of summer groundnut is limited by low temperature at initial growth stage, limited availability of irrigation water and higher temperature during reproductive growth period. A field experiment was conducted for two years to evaluate the performance of summer groundnut under six mulch treatments i.e. silver black plastic, transparent LDPE, PP nonwoven, biodegradable, no mulch (raised bed) and flatbed (control). Experiment was laid out with Randomized Block Design (RBD) with four replications. Crop water requirement was calculated by FAO Penman-Monteith method. Irrigation water was applied through drip irrigation in all treatments except flatbed. Silver black plastic mulch resulted in highest plant height, number of pods/plant, weight of pods/plant, pod and haulm yield and minimum weed intensity. Maximum water saving (41.2%), water use efficiency (6.77 kg/ha-mm) and benefit cost ratio (2.85) were obtained from use of silver black plastic mulch.

Effect of Straw Mulching on In-situ Moisture Conservation, Productivity and Profitability of Rainfed Soybean on Farmer’s Field

Soybean is a major kharif crop grown in Marathwada region of Maharashtra under rainfed condition and is being a preferred crop by the marginal and small rainfed farmers. Though, most of the part of the region is comes under assured rainfall zone but it suffers from occurrence of frequent dryspells. The region receives mean annual rainfall of 880 mm. Rainfall in uncertain and erratic in this region. The productivity of soybean particularly in Marathwada region is uncertain due Occurrence of 3 to 4 dryspells in July to September. The crop productivity decreases with either deficiency of rainfall or its distribution or due to moisture stress in critical growth period due to dryspells occurred in July and August. Thus, to conserve the rainwater and to reduce soil evaporation, straw mulching in inter row space was advocated to farmers to avoid moisture stress and to cope with dryspells. The research demonstrations were conducted on farmer’s field for 3 year since 2019-20 to 2021-22. Results indicated that straw mulch was found effective in in-situ moisture conservation. It was observed that soybean productivity was increased by 21.77 per cent due to application of straw mulch. Similarly, GMR and NMR was increased by 22.25% and 30.84% respectively, due to application of straw mulch. Straw mulch was found effective in additional 22% moisture conservation and found effective in avoiding moisture stress particularly during dryspell period.

Monitoring of Spectral Signatures of Maize Crop using Temporal SAR and Optical Remote Sensing data

A study was carried out using the temporal Sentinel-1B microwave data (June to November at 12 days interval) and Sentinel-2A/2B optical data (June to November) to discriminate the maize crop from other competing crops rice and cotton in Siddipet district, Telangana state, India during kharif, 2019 (June to November). The study utilized the data from multiple sources such as Multi-temporal VH backscatter intensity from Sentinel-1B SAR and NDVI values from Sentinel-2A/2B in combination with field data to discriminate the maize crop. Synchronous to satellite pass, ground truth data on crop parameters viz., crop stage, crop vigour, biomass, plant height, plant density, soil moisture, LAI and chlorophyll content were collected. Multi-temporal VH backscatter intensity and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data were used to characterize backscatter and greenness behaviour of the maize crop. The backscatter intensity (dB) for maize crop ranged from -21.83 (the lowest backscatter values) at planting to -12.52 (the highest backscatter values) at peak growth stage. The NDVI values during vegetative and reproductive stages (August and September) were >0.6 and during senescence to harvesting the values were less than or equal to 0.52. The increase in backscatter intensity values from initial vegetative stage to peak stage was due to increased volume scattering of the maize crop canopy and a continuous decline in backscatter intensity values of VH band at maturity stage, was due to decrease in greenness and moisture content in leaves of the maize crop helped in maize crop discrimination from other dominant kharif crops in the study area.

Indian Agriculture needs a Strategic Shift for Improving Fertilizer Response and Overcome Sluggish Foodgrain Production

In India, loss of fertility through soil erosion is primarily a summer monsoons mediated phenomenon. Reversing the land degradation processes contribute to water availability, soil fertility maintenance, adapting to climate change and overall food security. Whereas kharif (monsoon/rainy season crop) foodgrain production largely depends on summer monsoons, the rabi season (post-rainy season/winter crop) rainfall is too little to exert a direct influence. In spite of larger acreage under kharif foodgrain crops, total fertiliser consumption during kharif and rabi seasons is comparable. Negative rainfall anomalies (deficit) adversely affected total fertiliser consumption and their use efficiency. Despite significant differences in fertiliser application rates, the response to applied fertiliser nutrients is almost similar in the two seasons. This implies that nutrient use efficiency (NUE) has a ‘manageable’ and an ‘unmanageable’ component wherein 4R practices are difficult to implement under unfavourable kharif weather conditions. Partial factor productivity of fertilizer nutrients (PFPF) has continuously declined over decades mainly because of depletion of soil organic carbon, imbalanced use of nutrients and inability to maintain soil moisture supplies. These observations plus yield-gap analysis permitted us to conclude that past trends of declining NUE can only be reversed through a shift either in sustainable land management practices or enhancing the genetic yield potential/ biomass of crop cultivars or by combining both and making kharif crop planting independent of monsoons rains through direct dry seeding.

Analysis of rainfall characteristics and moisture availability index for crop planning in semi arid region of north Gujarat

The rainfall, one of the most important natural input resource for dryland agricultural production system, is erratic and temporal in nature. An attempt has been made to analyze thirty years (1990-2019) of meteorological data for prediction of probable week of onset and withdrawal of monsoon and to end with crop planning in North Gujarat region (India).The highest and lowest amount of weekly rainfall was observed in 27th and 39th SMW, respectively. The probability distribution functions viz. generalized extreme value, Gumbel maximum, Gamma and Weibull were found best-fit for prediction of weekly rainfall. The analysis revealed 26th SMW (25 Jun – 01 Jul) and onwards as the most suited sowing time of kharif crops. There are also chances of occurrence of moisture stress during 34th and 35th SMW. The results would be useful for agricultural scientists, researchers, decision makers and policy planners in the field of agricultural crop planning and irrigation management for semi arid regions.

Economic Development of Rural India Through Establishment of Agri-Tech Park

India has always been on the top spot in terms of tourism and has attracted domestic and foreign tourists throughout the year. India is the land of farmers, has a rich and diverse culture and is best known for its hospitality. Tourism has become a source of income for many people, therefore it’s time to connect tourism along with agriculture to enhance the income of Indian farmers. Indian farmers generally face a lot of issues related to their income; hence numerous suicide cases have been registered in the past. The objective of this research paper is to provide a solution for the farmers by introducing Agri- tourism Technology Park. Agri-tourism offers the domestic and foreign tourists an opportunity to connect with the heritage, providing a hands-on-experience, showcasing the rich biodiversity, local food products, handicrafts and culture. On the other hand, the amalgamation of technology can provide smooth and secure tourism experience for the visitors. This Park includes an agricultural patch of about 5 acres, earmarked to cater the needs of Rabi and Kharif crops. Latest agricultural crop growing techniques like vertical farming using 70% less water than traditional farming. Hydroponic system for demonstrating these techniques to Agri- tech park visitors to acquaint them with futuristic farming operations. Aquaponic solar greenhouse will be established for growing vegetables and medicinal plants. A space of about 1 acre shall be delineated for a cattle farm that would be used to rear different breeds of cows like Sahiwal and Hariana and buffalo breeds like Murrah and Nili Ravi. Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence techniques will be employed for monitoring cattle feed, nutrition and milk processing and general well-being of animals. Re – circulatory Aqua culture system will be used for high density stocking of fish in a smaller space. Interactive virtual field trips and activities will be offered in a variety of themes that would give information on the importance of plants, various cropping techniques, role of insects and the feeding and living pattern of animals, fish bees etc. The establishment of an Agri-tourism technology park at Amritsar district of Punjab has been planned with a focus on the sustainable development of human environment in and around the region.

Economic Development of Rural India Through Establishment of Agri-Tech Park

India has always been on the top spot in terms of tourism and has attracted domestic and foreign tourists throughout the year. India is the land of farmers, has a rich and diverse culture and is best known for its hospitality. Tourism has become a source of income for many people, therefore it’s time to connect tourism along with agriculture to enhance the income of Indian farmers. Indian farmers generally face a lot of issues related to their income; hence numerous suicide cases have been registered in the past. The objective of this research paper is to provide a solution for the farmers by introducing Agri- tourism Technology Park. Agri-tourism offers the domestic and foreign tourists an opportunity to connect with the heritage, providing a hands-on-experience, showcasing the rich biodiversity, local food products, handicrafts and culture. On the other hand, the amalgamation of technology can provide smooth and secure tourism experience for the visitors. This Park includes an agricultural patch of about 5 acres, earmarked to cater the needs of Rabi and Kharif crops. Latest agricultural crop growing techniques like vertical farming using 70% less water than traditional farming. Hydroponic system for demonstrating these techniques to Agri- tech park visitors to acquaint them with futuristic farming operations. Aquaponic solar greenhouse will be established for growing vegetables and medicinal plants. A space of about 1 acre shall be delineated for a cattle farm that would be used to rear different breeds of cows like Sahiwal and Hariana and buffalo breeds like Murrah and Nili Ravi. Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence techniques will be employed for monitoring cattle feed, nutrition and milk processing and general well-being of animals. Re – circulatory Aqua culture system will be used for high density stocking of fish in a smaller space. Interactive virtual field trips and activities will be offered in a variety of themes that would give information on the importance of plants, various cropping techniques, role of insects and the feeding and living pattern of animals, fish bees etc. The establishment of an Agri-tourism technology park at Amritsar district of Punjab has been planned with a focus on the sustainable development of human environment in and around the region.

Characterisation of rice fallow period for increasing cropping intensity in Khordha district of Odisha

The possibility of increasing the cropping intensity in Khordha district was assessed by block-wise characterisation of rainfall, soil texture, available water holding capacity of soil and district level temperature during the rice fallow period as well as deciding the appropriate sowing window for both kharif and rabi crops. More than 50% chances of occurrence of wet weeks at the beginning of the kharif season (20-22 SMW) indicated that the summer ploughing and initial seed bed preparation could be taken up during the period followed by sowing of rice from 23 SMW. The 42-43 SMW with greater than 30% initial probability of wet week at 20 mm threshold limit. Considering the length of growing period (LGP) available, the adjustment of rice variety duration by 10-15 days in medium land and advancement of pulse sowing almost by 15 days before harvest of the rice crop (Pira crop) in low land was registered as the best su suitable option for rabi pulses to ensure better utilisation of rice fallow. In addition to these, harvesting surplus water during kharif and storing in farm ponds for judicious utilisation during rabi season further enhanced the possibility of utilisation of rice fallow and increasing the cropping intensity. In the event of delayed monsoon the rice duration has to be adjusted accordingly not to sacrifice the designated suitable period for rabi pulses.

Modelling and mapping weekly rainfall for crop planning in north-western Himalayan states

Modelling and mapping of weekly rainfall was carried out for NW Himalayan states of India for kharif crop planning. Based on the findings of the study it was observed that, J&K states with area coverage of 2.7 m ha witnessed maximum rainy days at 25 SMW indicating 1st week of July as optimum sowing time for kharif crops, whereas in HP, 26th SMW, i.e. 2nd week of July was maximum considering both rainfall amount and rainy days with 0.54 m ha area coverage. But, in case of Uttarakhand, it differs widely which ranges from 26-28 SMW for rainfall and 30-31 SMW for rainy days category in 0.68 m ha area. The spatial-temporal maps of rainfall distribution will help in site-specific decision making for entire kharif crop planning adjusted to different landforms.

Impact of Watershed on Cost and Returns Structure of Soyabean Cultivation in Nek Region

Land is a scarce resource and basic unit for any material production. It can support the needs of the growing population, provided they use land in a rational and judicious manner. The biggest crisis that the world is facing in the 21st century is the crisis of water. Looming water scarcity over large parts of the world and increased withdrawal by agriculture from 2500 km3 in 2000 to 3200 km3 by 2025 has attracted the attention of policy makers and researchers for achieving food and water security. Soybean (Glycine max) was one of the major Kharif crop cultivated in watershed (71.50 acres) and non-watershed areas (80.35 acres). Hence, an attempt was made to study the impact of watershed on the cost and returns structure in soybean cultivation in selected four districts of NEK region with the sample size of 240. It was observed inputs utilized for the cultivation in watershed areas was higher than non-watershed areas. Due to higher input utilization the total cost in watershed (Rs. 17080.90/ha.) was higher than non-watershed (Rs. 14257.62/ha.). The returns were also higher in watershed area (Rs. 27941.76/ha.). The returns per rupee of investment realized in watershed areas was 1.64 which is slightly higher than (1.56) non-watershed areas. The higher returns per rupee of investment indicating soyabean cultivation in the watershed area was financially feasible.