VRTI

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VRTIs Efforts on Water Resource and Salinity
Management in Agriculture
CS Pawar, Amit Ghosh, Kumar Satyamurti and KC
Shroff
Shree Vivekanand Research and Training Institute,
Mandvi, Kutch 370 465, Gujarat, India
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Glimpses of a Few Major Structures of VRTI
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Water Conservation and Management Structures
constructed by VRTI in last 28 Years
Total area benefited directly and indirectly
1.0 Lakh ha
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Salinity Prevention and Mitigation, Mundra Taluca
Kutch, SRTT Project (2003-2005)

• Project Brief
• Project outlay Rs. 8.6 Crores (20 farmers
  contribution)
• Area to be benefited 25,000 ha
• Villages to be covered 20 villages
• Activity Targets
• Checks dams to be constructed 16 across natural
  flows
• Farm ponds to provide benefit to 800 ha
• Drip/micro irrigation 200 ha, demonstration and
  support
• Revival of dying Date-palm and other plantations
• Training/education on water use with focus on
  in-situ moisture conservation, proper land
  preparation and agricultural practices
• Teams
• Technical team
• Social team
• Project monitoring team

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VRTI Bio-organic Manure Production Technology

• Pioneering work on aerobic decomposition of
  organic waste.
• Technology transferred to M/s Excel Industries
  to process municipal organic solid wastes.
• Transferring technology to NGOs, Social groups
  and farmers

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Impact of a Bio-organic manure on regenerating
fertility in soil lost due to salinity (Soil from
Sangli, Maharshtra) 1992-94
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Few Glimpses of Working on Salinity Problem in
Sangli, Maharashtra Some Problems
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Few Glimpses of Working on Salinity Problem in
Sangli, Maharashtra Some Solutions
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Changes in soil properties observed in 2 years of
a pilot project on soil reclamation from salinity
in 5 villages of Sangli district, Maharashtra
(21.2 ha), 1999-2001

• Improving drainage
• No sugarcane for 3 years
• Green manure crop every year

• Use of Bioorganic manure
• Reduction in use of fertilizers

Villages Bhilwadi in taluk Pulus, Karandawadi,
Ashta and Uran in taluk Walva, and Kautepiran
in taluk Miraj
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A typical Scene of Inundation with Rainwater and
Salinity in Bhal area (Dhanduca taluca), Gujarat

• Lakhs of hectares get inundated with water during
  the rainy season.
• Flat land with no/little drainage and
  percolation.
• High coastal salinity (NaCl 8)
• No crop in the rainy season.
• Post-rainy crops mainly wheat only in upland
  areas on residual moisture where salinity is
  low very poor yields

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Governments major initiative so far for coastal
saline area

• Funding farmers for digging farm field ponds to
  store water for the post-rainy season as in
  watersheds.

• Outcome
• No benefit, soils highly saline and stored water
  also becomes saline.
• Crops often do not survive in areas closer to sea

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Challenges for Agricultural Development of the
Area

• Opportunities
• Rainfall is sufficient, about 500-650 mm
• Soils are rich in carbon, and not dead
• Fields are large
• Salts are leachable
• Low subsoil percolation of water
• Challenges
• How to drain of water along with salts
• How to use rain water for growing a rainy season
  crop and also a post-rainy crop

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VRTI Experimental Initiative to Address Coastal
Salinity in Bhal (Dholera), 2004

• In February, highly saline land was raised 1 m
  above the ground to get 25 x 5 m bed.
• The bed was washed by imponding 1 ft water 3
  times.
• Land was tilled and a crop of Sesbania was sown.

• Sesbania sp. grew well with watering thru
  Feb-April.

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Rainy Season Crops (Dholera Expt. 2004)

• Just before the start of the rain we dry seeded
  the crops on beds, Cotton, Sorghum, Bajara and
  Sesbania.
• All germinated and grew well while the rain
  water stagnated all around the bed. The water
  remained there for almost 2 months

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How to go for Agricultural Development in Coastal
Area of Bhal, Gujarat

• In highly saline area where water stagnates for
  about 1 m make big beds and channels, each 10 m
  wide, alternatively. Rain water will wash off the
  beds from salts and will remain in channels.
• Dry seed the crops on beds, and culture fish in
  channel water. One crop of fish can be obtained
  within 2 months.

We need to try this, and we are sure it should
work. Initial investment will be more so also the
benefit
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For areas where water stagnation is less, about
½-1ft

• Go for the broad-bed furrow method of land
  preparation with furrows made deeper about 1 ft.
• Beds shall be made well before the rainy season
  and crops be dry seeded just before the onset of
  rain.

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Drip/Micro irrigation Larger Saving on Water

• Drip/Micro irrigation saves 60-75 on water as
  per our study on cotton, castor and others.
• Larger saving when Bio-manure, FYM, green
  manuring etc.is used regularly in the field.
• Saving and benefit in all aspects is more,
  including the prevention of salinity.

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Recommendations for Sujlam Sufalamfor overall
Agricultural Development of Gujarat

• Water- the Boon can become a Bane if not used
  properly. Economic use of water by all means to
  cover the larger area is essential.
• Long-term thinking, review of experiences,
  reworking and adoption of new ideas on water
  resource management are necessary.
• Salinity prevention and mitigation is a must.
  Drip/micro irrigation, use of bio-organic manures
  and concepts of Integrated Crop Management (ICM)
  and Organic farming are essential.
• Remember Haste could be Waste

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Thank you