The on-farm programme
on SRI was carried out in the village Mandapghat under RLI command area in Hanskhali
Block of Nadia district in the year 2015 during summer season. The soil of
farmland is clay and situated having latitude of 23°337648’ N and 88°
591695’ E longitude at an average elevation of 9.75 m above the mean sea level.
The climate of this region is humid tropic. The summer is hot and winter is
moderate. May is generally the hottest month of the year. The average
temperature ranges from 39.6O to 25.4OC during summer and
23.7OC to 8.5OC during winter. Monsoon ceases during
October and cool season sets in by November. The average rainfall of this
region is about 1500 mm and normal monsoon breaks in the first week of June.
Though water resources in this area are generally satisfactory and 90% of these
resources are tapped form the ground water source through deep and shallow tube
wells. However, due to faulty crop planning and lack of scientific water
management approach, a significant portion of agricultural area is identified
as gray zone from hydrological point of view. Even many tube wells are becoming
dry due to over exploitation of valuable water from the lower depths of
confined aquifers. Rice is predominant crop during kharif season becoming less profitable because of high input costs
involved. Summer rice gave satisfactory yield but also profitable proposition
because of more input cost and less farm gate prices.
In this stated
background as above, the traditional rice growing technology has been shifted
to SRI, a proven methodology to save water in growing rice were tried as
intervention and adoption for the purpose of creating more man days and more
income per drop of water and increasing agricultural productivity. Rice is pre-dominantly main crop in the area
both during rainy as well as summer season. Rainy season rice with HYV gave an
average yield of 2.5-3.5 tons / ha. Farmers usually grow summer rice (boroseason) to get higher yield at the
higher inputs cost. The average yield of summer obtained was about 4-5 ton/ha.
Presently, the cost of cultivation of rice did not match with the sale price
due to exorbitant input cost hike. As such, rice growing became non-profitable.
Name of the WUA: Mandapghat IV ChitannyaSmriti
Total Beneficiaries: Male: 61,
Female: 8, Total: 69, SC/ST: 39/0 Total : 69
The area was primarily rainfed
before implementation of the same and single crop of kharif rice was usually
grown. The summer season, there was no possibility of growing crop due to
scarcity of water. Summer season rice (Boro) was grown adopting traditional
method in some pockets become non-profitable proposition. So the SRI
methodology of rice cultivation during summer season was provided to the
beneficiaries members of this WUA with objectives:
1.
To reduce the cost of cultivation by reducing input
requirement in the method;
2.
To increase yield of crop and water efficiency.
3.
To increase total income of the farmer by the process
of adoption.
ASS activities
The critical inputs were
supplied in terms of seed and fertilizers along the methodology for growing
rice cultivation (SRI); The Area covered with 20 ha RLI irrigation command with
9 sprouts approximately 2.2 ha coverage by each sprout. The farmers received 6
exposure visits and 10 lead farmers/farmers meeting after implementation of
project. Jute is the prevalent pre-kharif crop and sesame, rice during kharif
and rice, and during winter/rabi season the crops like wheat, lentil,
vegetables, onion, are growing as a part of crop diversification. 15-20% increase in average yield observed
replacing 100% cropping intensity to 160% cropping intensity. The market
interventions of the produce were done with arrangement of buyer-sellers meet
and a fixed market available with 5 km radius distant.
Technology
adoption
 |
| Panicle length under SRI |
The farmer contacted with
WBADMI-personnel being member beneficiary of the WUA in RLI command. He was given 1 kg of hybrid rice(cv
Arize6444)
during summer season to grow under SRI method with water as well as fertilizer
saving technologies. The seed bed was prepared in December 19 and single plant
transplanting was done at 13 days old seedling in puddled soils without
allowing standing water. The water and fertilizer along with organic manures
were applied as per recommendation less than half as compared to traditional
transplanting. The control plots with traditional method was kept separately
with recommended doses of fertilizer as well standing water allowed up to flowering
at the depth of 5±2 cm depth. 12-13 days old single seedling was transplanted
on single plant basis allowing spacing of 25 cm x 25 cm in puddled soil where
no standing water allowed with recommended fertilizer doses of 60:30:30 kg N, P
2O
5
and K
2O, during final land preparation, respectively along with FYM
@5 tons/ha. Because of higher spacing and single seedling, the cost of
cultivation of rice including seed and fertilizer was severely cut down from
the beginning.
 |
Difference between SRI and Conventional method of
rice cultivation |
Unlike
traditional rice, the crop under SRI was irrigated as and when required basis,
just up to soil saturation (Field Capacity), no standing water was allowed.
Thus the number of irrigation required up to 30 with total water requirement
only of 60 cm wherein as compared to number of irrigation required for
conventional planting up to 15 with total water requirement of 120 cm even
under alternate wetting and drying basis. Thus 50% of water cost along with 50%
cost of fertilizer application was saved under SRI method along cost cut in seed
requirement.
The
rice gave 60-75 tillers/plant having 90% of effective tillers under SRI whereas
traditionally rice gave maximum of 20 numbers of tillers. The length of
panicle, number of grain per panicle, straw yield and test weight were observed
more under SRI method than that of conventional method. The crop harvested at
130 days maturity little earlier than traditionally grown rice. The crop
yielded 9.05 tons/ha under SRI as compared to 6.03 ton/ha in traditional
method, thereby 50% yield increase over conventional method. Total cost of
inputs and labours required for 1 bigha of land was (7.5 bighas = 1 ha) rice
cultivation was IRs.7500 in
conventional as compared to IRs.
4500 under SRI wherein the total sale price of rice obtained was IRs. 14400 under SRI as compared that
of IRs. 9600 produced in
conventional method (considering price of rice at IRs. 12/kg). Thus obtained BCR of SRI method was 3.20 as compared
1.28 under conventional rice cultivation.
