Journal of Krishi Vigyan Vol 3 Issue 2

157. Abhijit Ghosal, Subject Matter Specialist (Plant Protection), Sasya Shyamala Krishi VigyanKendra, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, Arapanch, P O Sonarpur, District South24 Parganas, Kolkata (West Bengal).

158. Adesh Kumar Verma, Central Avian Research Institute (CARI), Izatnagar (Uttar Pradesh).

159. Aishwarya Dudi, Subject Matter Specialist (Home Science), Krishi Vigyan Kendra (CAZRI),Pali-Marwar (Rajasthan).

160. Ajay Kumar Chaturvedani, Central Avian Research Institute (CARI), Izatnagar (Uttar Pradesh).

161. Ananta Kr. Das, Subject Matter Specialist (Animal Science), Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Howra(West Bengal).

162. Anupam Mukherjee (Farm Manager), Sasya Shyamala Krishi Vigyan Kendra, RamakrishnaMission Vivekananda University, Arapanch, P O Sonarpur, District South 24 Parganas, Kolkata(West Bengal).

163. Deepa Singh, Central Avian Research Institute (CARI), Izatnagar (Uttar Pradesh).

164. Gurpreet Singh Khalsa, Subject Matter Specialist ( Vegetable Science), Krishi Vigyan Kendra,Kapurthala (Punjab).

165. Kiran Singh, Programme Co-ordinator, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Jamshedpur (Jharkhand).

166. Kulwinder Kaur Gill, Assistant Agrometeorologist, School of Climate Change and AgriculturalMeteorology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (Punjab)

167. Manish Kanwat, Assistant Director Research, Directorate of Research, Sri Karan NarendraAgriculture University, Jobner-Jaipur (Rajasthan).

168. Manoj Singh, Assistant Professor ( Animal Science), Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhamora, Rampur(Uttar Pradesh)

169. Moti Lal Meena, Subject Matter Specialist (Agriculture Extension) Krishi Vigyan Kendra(CAZRI) Pali-Marwar (Rajasthan).

170. Mouneshwari R. Kammar, Subject Matter Specialist (Home Science), Krishi Vigyan Kendra,Raichur University of Agricultural Sciences, P.B. Box No. 329, Lingasugur Road, Raichur(Karnataka).

171. Narayan Chandra Sahu, Programme Coordinator, Sasya Shyamala Krishi Vigyan Kendra,Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, Arapanch, P O Sonarpur, District South 24Parganas, Kolkata (West Bengal).

172. Niranjan Lal, Senior Scientist, Technology Transfer Section, Central Avian Research Institute(CARI), Izatnagar (Uttar Pradesh).

173. P. N. Ananth, Programme Coordinator, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK)-Khordha, Central Instituteof Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA), Kausalyaganga, Bhubaneshwar (Odisha).

174. Prasenjit Kundu, Subject Matter Specialist (Horticulture), Sasya Shyamala Krishi VigyanKendra, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University,Arapanch, P O Sonarpur, District South24 Parganas, Kolkata (West Bengal).

175. R Sendilkumar, Associate Professor ( Agricultural Extension), College of Co- Operation,Banking and Management , Kerala Agricultural University, KAU Post, Thrissur (Kerala).

176. Rajinder Kumar, Assistant Entomologist, Regional Research Station, Kapurthala (Punjab) .

177. Ritu Babuta, Assistant Agronomist, Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University,Ludhiana (Punjab).

SCIENTISTS JOINED AS LIFE MEMBER OF SOCIETY OF KRISHI VIGYAN

178. Saikat Gantait, Subject Matter Specialist (Genetics/ Plant Breeding) Sasya Shyamala KrishiVigyan Kendra, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, Arapanch, P O Sonarpur,District South 24 Parganas, Kolkata (West Bengal).

179. Sandip Singh Sandhu, Assistant Agronomist, Department of Agronomy, Punjab AgriculturalUniversity, Ludhiana (Punjab).

180. Sarbaswarup Ghosh, Subject Matter Specialist (Vetenary/ Animal Science) Sasya ShyamalaKrishi Vigyan Kendra, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, Arapanch, P O Sonarpur,District South 24 Parganas, Kolkata (West Bengal).

181. Shyamali Das, Subject Matter Specialist (Crop Production), Krishi Vigyan Kendra ,Bankura,(West Bengal)

182. Sujit Mal, Programme Assistant ( Lab. Technician), Sasya Shyamala Krishi Vigyan Kendra,Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, Arapanch, P O Sonarpur, District South 24Parganas, Kolkata (West Bengal).

183. Swagat Ghosh, Subject Matter Specialist (Fisheries) Sasya Shyamala Krishi Vigyan Kendra,Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, Arapanch, P O Sonarpur, District South 24Parganas, Kolkata (West Bengal).

184. Swapana Sepehya, Research Associate, Department of Soil Science, C S K Himachal PradeshKrishi Vishva Vidyalaya, Palampur (Himachal Pradesh)

185. Tanmay Samajdar, Programme Coordinator, Krishi Vigyan Kendra ,ICAR Research Complexfor NEH Region ,Sangsangiri, Dobasipara ,West Garo Hills (Meghalaya).

Editors MessageDear Readers,

On behalf of the Editorial Team, we wouldlike to express our gratitude to our contributingreadership and independent referees for theirvaluable contributions to the success of Journalof Krishi Vigyan. Our readers will note from thisrecent issue of Journal of Krishi Vigyan that theeditorial handling process and subsequently theturnaround of submission have been speeded upover the past 12 months, such that research papersare now taking as little as 15 days from receipt toappearance but on an average 3 months. Themajor delaying factor is the duration of revisionby some authors and we therefore request ourcontributors to revise their manuscript as quicklyas possible. In most of the cases, we haveachieved our target of 6 weeks for full lengthresearch papers from the day of submission anddate of acceptance. We are also pleased to saythat the number of submissions during 2014 hasincreased by at least 25 per cent and we are fullyconfident that this trend will continue in future.

The Journal of Krishi Vigyan prides itself onbeing a truly multi disciplinary journal in the fieldof agriculture. The editorial team and all those

involved are determined tomaintain and enhance thestatus of the journal and itsleading position but webelieve that this can only beachieved with the continuedcooperation of ourcontributing readership fromthroughout the country. Theeditorial team believes that the key to success ofthis journal depends on the equal partnership wehave with the readers, scientists, colleagues andfriends. We promise to improve and promote ourrole in this partnership and look forward to yourvalued contributions to the journal during 2015and beyond. I would appreciate your feedback. Imay be reached via E-mail [email protected] or visit societys websitewww.iskv.in for any clarification.

(Dr Gagandeep Kaur)

CONTENTSSr. No. Title Page No.

1. Appraisal of Varieties and Fertilizer Use in Rice at Farmers Field in DistrictKapurthala.Gobinder Singh, S S Sandhu , Manoj Sharma and Gurmeet Singh

2. Assessing the Performance of French Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) in DistrictVirudhunagar of Tamilnadu.S Muthuramu, V K Paulpandi, S Sakthivel, K Ramakrishnan and R Karthik

3. Assessment of Available Macro and Micro Nutrients under Sugarcane WheatCropping Sequence in Different Location of Meerut and Bulandshahr Districts ofUttar Pradesh.Ravindra Kumar, Laxmi Kant, Manoj Singh and Pramod Kumar

4. Bottlenecks in Adoption of Feeding Practices for Dairy Animals in DistrictKapurthala.Manoj Sharma

5. Classification and Utilization Pattern of Fruits and Vegetables in Papum PareDistrict of Arunachal Pradesh.H S Gangwar, P Rethy and N D Singh

6. Development of Agrometeorological Models for Estimation of Cotton Yield.K K Gill and Kavita Bhatt

7. Effect of Calcium and Sulphur Based Fertilizers on Yield and Quality of Ground Nutin Red and Lateritic Belt of Bankura District of West Bengal.S Das, K Chowdhuri and A K Singh

8. Effect of Different Packing Systems and Transportation on Physico Chemicalqualities of Carambola (Averrhoa carambola).Rinku Moni Phukon and P C Barua

9. Effect of Foliar Nutrition on Growth, Yield and Quality of Mango.V Krishnamoorthy and Noorjehan A K A Hanif

10. Forms of Soil Potassium as Influenced by Long Term Application of ChemicalFertilizers and Organics in Rainfed Maize Wheat Cropping System.Upinder Sharma and S S Paliyal

11. Impact of Interventions on Knowledge and Adoption of Improved technologies inBanana Cultivation.G Alagukannan, P Velmurugan and M Ashokkumar

12. Impact of Training Programmes on the Gain in Knowledge of Farmers in ChatraDistrict of Jharkhand.R K Singh, S K Dubey, D Oraon, V K Pandey, V P Rai, U K Singh andZ Alam.

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Sr. No. Title Page No.

13. Impact of Vocational Trainings on Adoption of Dairy Enterprise in South-WesternDistricts of Punjab.Bharat Singh Bhattu, A P S Dhaliwal, Satbir Singh and Gurdeep Singh

14. Measure of Central Tendency and Dispersion of Test Day Milk Yield in MurrahBuffaloes.Sumit Kumar, Vijay Kumar and A K Chakravarty

15. Nitrogen Management by Using Leaf Colour Chart in Kharif Rice in AlluvialSoils of West Bengal.Indranil Das and Narayan Chandra Sahu

16. Prevalence of Major Insect Pests and Predators of Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajanL.) in Middle Gujarat.Shakti Khajuria, A K Rai, Kanak Lata and J K Jadav

17. Quality Attributes of Garden Pea(Pisum saivum L.) as Influenced by IntegratedNutrient Management Under Mid Hill Conditions.Swapana Sepehya, S K Bhardwaj and Sushil Dhiman

18. Rice Productivity and Profitability Under Different Crop Establishment Methods,Plant Densities and Weed Control in North-Western Indo-Gangetic Plains.Simerjeet Kaur and Surjit Singh

19. Role Performance in Sheep Farming Activities in Western Rajasthan: A GenderPerspective.M L Meena and Aishwarya Dudi

20. Status of Goat Farming Practices, Knowledge and Adoption Status ofTechnologies in North Konkan Coastal Zone of Maharashtra.P M Mandavkar, A A Hanmante and M S Talathi

Short Communication1. Effect of Feeding Probiotic in Kuroiler Birds in Arunachal Pradesh.

Deepanjali Deori

2. Effect of Replacing Dung Slurry with Vermicompost in Azolla Production.Rakesh Thakur, Gulshan Kumar, P K Sharma, C L Chauhan and AnandSingh

3. Management of Rhizome Rot of Ginger under Mid Hill Conditions of HimachalPradesh.Arti Shukla and S K Gupta

4. On Farm Testing on Effect of Mineral Mixture and Hormonal Catalyst inReduction of Calving interval in Buffaloes.S M Soni and M V Patel

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INDRODUCTIONPunjab and Haryana are battling with crop

diversification to reduce depletion of groundwaterdue to higher area under water-guzzling paddycrop. To irrigate their fields, farmers in both statesdraw groundwater using tube wells, which haslowered the water table to alarming levels, evenif rainfall is deficient or scanty. Rice and wheatare the major crops cultivated by the farmers ofPunjab. More than 60 per cent of the totalcultivated area in the state in the kharif season isoccupied by rice. Non-basmati rice is generallycultivated from May to October and basmatiseason extends from June to November.

In Kapurthala district, Paddy is grown onabout 1 lakh hectares area and the differentvarieties grown were Pusa 1121, Pusa PunjabBasmati 1509, PR 111, HKR 47, PR 121, PR 122etc. The decision regarding selection of varietyby farmer is generally taken at the time ofharvesting of previous crop. Since, there isprovision of minimum support price (MSP) forpaddy which is increasing year after year,therefore, farmers were reluctant to stop thecultivation of paddy inspite of the best efforts madeby the government as well as other agencies.

However, during last 2-3 years when there was aheavy glut of paddy in the grain market and buyersused to pay less than MSP to the farmers, somearea was shifted from paddy to basmati cultivationat the farmers level.

It has been observed by the scientists workingat the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) that farmersgenerally report the higher yield of the crops grownby them whereas in reality, it is not like that becausethe financial condition of the farmers is notimproving to the extent the gross income from onehectare area being reported by them .Hence, inorder to probe this issue further, KVKs teamplanned to make a survey of the grain market atthe time of paddy harvesting to note down the exactgrain yield obtained by the farmers during thekharif season of the year 2014 with the objectiveto assess the performance of various paddy andbasmati varieties grown in the district along withthe fertilizers used during the growing period.

MATERIALS AND METHODSDuring the months of September to November,

the information was collected from the farmerswho visited local grain market at Kapurthala forselling the produce and the data were recorded

Appraisal of Varieties and Fertilizer Use in Rice atFarmers Field in District KapurthalaGobinder Singh, S S Sandhu, Manoj Sharma and Gurmeet Singh

Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kapurthala 144 620 ( Punjab)

ABSTRACTA survey was conducted to collect the information from the farmers of the district regardinginput use and yield of rice varieties obtained during kharif 2014. It was noticed that farmerswere growing many varieties of rice including basmati rice and some of the un-recommendedvarieties. Basmati variety, Pusa Punjab Basmati 1509 and non basmati variety, PR 121wasmost popular however, basmati rice variety Punjab Basmati 3 resulted in the maximum grossreturns during kharif 2014. Regarding urea application, it was noticed that maximum numberof farmers applied urea in the range of 187.5 to 250 kg/ha to the variety Pusa Punjab Basmati1509 and up to 250 kg/ha in case of Pusa Basmati 1121. Maximum productivity of Pusa PunjabBasmati 1509 was obtained without the application of Di Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertilizer,while Pusa Basmati 1121 responded to application of DAP. Non basmati varieties of rice respondedpositively to urea up to a range of 250 to 312.5 kg/ha.

Key Words: Varieties, Fertilizer Use, Urea, Di-Ammonium Phosphate, Rice, Gross Returns.

Corresponding Authors Email: [email protected]

J Krishi Vigyan 2015, 3(2) : 1-4 DOI: 10.5958/2349-4433.2015.00001.X

J Krishi Vigyan 2015, 3(2) : 1-4

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after the produce was weighed and sold in themarket. A well planned questionnaire wasdesigned to collect the information personally byfollowing interview method.

During the harvesting period, a total 184farmers cultivating rice on 940 ha.wereinterviewed. Number of farmers were divided infour categories based on amount of urea and DAPfertilizers applied in rice with the objective to notedown the adoption of package of practices.Likewise the productivity obtained by usinghigher amount of urea and DAP was alsoascertained. The data were classified in differentcategories and interpreted by making use ofaverage, mean, mode and percentage values.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Diversity in paddy cultivationThe results indicated that about 50 per cent

(90) farmers prefer to cultivate more than onevariety of paddy which include basmati varietiesand area covered by such farmers was 342.2 ha(36.4% of total area surveyed ). Out of the totalarea under basmati rice, 113.2 ha was under PusaBasmati 1121(12.04%) and 229 ha under PusaPunjab Basmati 1509 (24.36%). Amongst nonbasmati varieties of rice, variety PR 121 was themost popular and occupied 16.43 per cent areafollowed by variety HKR 47 (10.64% ) and Pusa44 (8.98%).

Performance of varietiesOut of basmati rice varieties, Pusa Punjab

Basmati 1509 was the most popular variety andregistered an average yield of 49.2 q/ha duringthe year 2014 and also resulted in higher grossreturns than the second most popular variety (Pusa1121) in the region (Table 1). However, out ofBasmati varieties, Punjab Basmati No 3 gavehighest productivity and gross return but due toits longer duration it does not fit in the prevailingcropping sequence of the area i.e. paddy-potato-sunflower, paddy-potato-muskmelon, paddy-potato-spring maize, paddy-potato-late wheat.

Among the non basmati varieties, PR 121 wasmost popular and was cultivated on maximumarea. This variety produced the highest yield of

75.8 q/ha and also resulted in highest gross returns(Rs 1,04,217/ha).

Selling price of different varietiesThe average selling price was highest (Rs

2700/q) for Punjab Basmati No 3 followed by Pusa1121 (Table 1). Among non basmati varieties theaverage selling price was almost similar amongPR111, PR121 and 4042 and varied between Rs1372 to 1380/q. These varieties fetched higherselling price than rest of the varieties.

It was important to note that inspite ofminimum support price fixed for the super finenon basmati rice, no farmer got the MSP i.e.Rs.1400/q. whereas highest rate received was Rs.1380/q. This type of situation exists every year atthe grass root level but it is not on the officialrecord. This may be the reason that now thefarmers are shifting from non basmati to basmatirice cultivation. Farmers were of the view that inspite of lower yield of basmati than non basmatirice varieties, the selling price of basmati remainshigher which gave more return than the nonbasmati rice. Contrary to this, when the officialsof the concerned department were interviewed

Table 1. Performance of different varieties at farmers field.

Varieties Area Av. Average Gross( ha ) Yield selling returns

(q/ha) price (Rs/ha)(Rs/q)

BasmatiPusa Punjab 229.0 49.2 2,386 1,17,391Basmati 1509Pusa 1121 113.2 46.3 2,499 1,15,865PB Basmati 3 3.8 51.3 2,700 1,38,577

Non BasmatiPR 121 154.4 75.8 1,374 1,04,217PR 122 62.4 75.0 1,315 98,625PR 116 12.4 75.0 1,298 97,3504042 42.2 69.3 1,383 95,772Hybrid 23.2 73.0 1,298 94,808Pusa 44 84.4 73.9 1,278 94,472PR 111 61.6 68.6 1,372 94,119Nondescript 26.8 73.0 1,278 93,294IR 8 16.6 71.5 1,276 91,234HKR 47 100.4 69.6 1,308 91,036PR 123 6.0 65.0 1,380 89,700HKR 127 0.4 62.5 1,300 81,250

Singh et al


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then it was found that farmers generally broughtthe produce directly from the field after combineharvesting and the moisture contents is more thanthe desired 14 per cent but farmers were of theview that it was not possible to dry the produce inthe open to get 14 per cent moisture level.Therefore, it was inferred that quality produce ismust for getting the MSP in the grain market.

Fertilizer usedUrea used in basmati rice

On an average, the farmers applied urea @242 kg/ha, within a range of 125 to 375 kg/ha,while maximum number of farmers used @250kg/ha as represented by the mode value (Table2). Among the different ranges worked out fromthe present survey regarding urea application, itwas found that maximum number of farmersapplied urea in the range of 187.5 to 250 kg/hato the variety Pusa Punjab Basmati 1509 andharvested an additional yield of about 0.75q/haas compared to the farmers applying 187.5kg/ha. (Table 3). A decline in productivity was alsonoticed with higher application rates in this varietywhile in case of Pusa Basmati 1121 an equalnumber of farmers applied in the range of 187.5kg/ha and 187.5 to 250 kg/ha and the yields werealmost comparable. However, few farmers gotmuch higher yield by applying urea in the rangeof 250.0 to 312.5 kg/ha.

DAP used in basmati riceMajority of farmers did not apply DAP to the

basmati rice, however, against the recommendationof Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana ,veryfew farmers applied on an average 118.48 kg/haof DAP to basmati rice (Table 2). The DAP wasapplied within a range of 62.5 to 250 kg/ha andthe mode value was 125 kg/ha. In case of PusaPunjab Basmati 1509, there was no response toDAP application (Table 4) while in case of PusaBasmati 1121, some farmers reported very goodyield response after applying DAP within a rangeof 62.5 to 125 kg/ha as compared to yield obtainedin case of without DAP application. This variationmay be due to varying available phosphorus statusof the farmers field which requires soil testingbefore applying any fertilizar.

Urea used in non basmati riceThe data on urea application by the farmers in

district Kapurthala (Table 5) showed that maximumnumber of farmers applied urea in between therange of 312.5 to 375 kg/ha, but recorded loweryield (about 1q/ha) as compared to those farmerswho applied urea in the range of 250 to 312.5kg/ha. The maximum grain yield was obtained by thefarmers who applied urea in the range of 250 to312.5kg/ha which was about 4.4 q/ha higher thanthe farmers applying urea @ 250 kg/ha.

DAP used in non basmati riceThe data on DAP usage by the farmers in

district Kapurthala (Table 5) showed thatmaximum number of farmers did not apply DAPwhereas 21.8 per cent farmers who applied DAPwithin a range of 62.5 to 125 kg/ha got only 2.21per cent higher yield as compared to that obtainedwithout DAP application. Likewise, only a lessernumber (38) applied DAP more than 187.5 kg/habut got only 3.96 per cent higher yield ascompared to no application of DAP.

Table 2. Average, range and mode values of fertilizersapplied in rice.

Parameter Average Range Mode Value(kg/ha) (kg/ha) (kg/ha)

UreaBasmati 242.0 125.0-375.0 250Non Basmati 332.7 187.5-437.5 250DAPBasmati 118.5 62.5-250.0 125Non Basmati 158.1 62.5-250.0 125

Table 3. Urea use pattern, area and productivity of Basmati.

Urea (kg/ha) Basmati all varieties Pusa Punjab Basmati 1509 Pusa Basmati 1121No of Area (ha) Av yield No of Area (ha) Av yield No of Area (ha) Av yield

farmers (q/ha) farmers (q/ha) farmers (q/ha)187.5 29 76.6 46.1 10 26.4 48.5 18 49.0 44.7187.5 to 250 66 213.2 48.2 47 163.6 49.2 18 49.0 45.1250.0 to 312.5 21 46.2 50.0 16 33.8 49.0 4 10.4 53.3312.5 3 8.0 47.5 2 5.2 48.7 1 2.5 45.0

Appraisal of Varieties and Fertilizer use in Rice


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CONCLUSIONThe rice cultivation is diversified in district

Kapurthala as basmati and non basmati typesalong with different varieties are being cultivatedhere. Among basmati varieties, Pusa PunjabBasmati 1509 and among non basmati varieties

Table 4. DAP use pattern, area and productivity of Basmati.

Urea (kg/ha) Basmati all varieties Pusa Punjab Basmati 1509 Pusa Basmati 1121No of Area (ha) Av yield No of Area (ha) Av yield No of Area (ha) Av yield

farmers (q/ha) farmers (q/ha) farmers (q/ha)Nil 99 274.8 47.9 59 177.4 49.5 35 91.6 44.90 to 62.5 5 15.2 48.0 5 15.2 48.0 - - -62.5 to 125 15 51.2 48.8 9 32.4 48.0 6 18.8 50.1>125 4 12.8 48.1 2 4 48.7 1 2.4 47.5

Table 5. Urea and DAP use pattern, area and productivityof non basmati rice.

Parameter No of Area (ha) Av yieldfarmers (q/ha)

Urea (kg/ha) 250 37 112.0 69.4250 to 312.5 44 165.2 73.8312.5 to 375 87 253.0 72.9DAP (kg/ha)0 107 359.0 71.50 to 62.5 9 32.0 72.262.5 to 125 43 101.0 73.1125 to 187.5 - - ->187.5 38 96.4 74.3

PR 121was most popular. The basmati rice varietyPunjab Basmati 3 resulted in maximum grossreturns. In case of urea application, it was noticedthat maximum number of farmers were applyingurea in the range of 187.5 to 250 kg/ha to thevariety Pusa Punjab Basmati 1509 and upto 250kg/ha in case of Pusa Basmati 1121. Maximumproductivity of Pusa Punjab Basmati 1509 wasobtained without the application of Di AmmoniumPhosphate (DAP), while Pusa Basmati 1121responded to application of DAP. Non basmativarieties of rice responded positively to urea upto a range of 250-312.5 kg/ha. It was worth tomention that since Pusa Punjab Basmati 1509 takesabout 125 days for its maturity therefore hasproved as boon to the farmers of the district asthey can go for potato- Sunflower, potato-muskmelon, potato-maize after the harvest of thisbasmati variety which otherwise is not possibleby growing long duration basmati varieties.

Received on 1/12/2014 Accepted on 26/12/2014

Singh et al


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INTRODUCTIONFrench bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) belongs

to the family Fabaceae, is a native of Latin America.Being a short duration and a nutritious legumevegetable crop, it is becoming popular with thefarmers of India. It is known by different names,viz., kidney bean, haricot bean, snap bean, navybean, pole bean, bush bean etc. The dry seed typevarieties are called as Rajmah in India. Its seedcontains 21.1 per cent protein, 69.9 per centcarbohydrates, 1.7 per cent fat, 381 mg calcium,425 mg phosphorous and 12.4 mg iron per 100 gof edible part (Ali and Kushwaha, 1987).

It is grown in the states of Tamilnadu,Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,Telengana and Gujarat. There is no varietyavailable which have been recommended forgrowing in southern region of Tamilnadu. Frenchbean is being cultivated in about 90 ha inKariapatti, Aruppukottai, Sathur and Rajapalayamblocks of Virudhunagar district. In that regionfarmers are cultivating old varieties like ArkaKomal. Number of varieties are available but verylittle is known regarding their performance. Hencethis study was undertaken to assess the green pod

yield and market preference of two new varietiesviz., Arka Suvidha and Arka Anoop in comparisonto farmers choice i.e., Arka Komal with theobjective to carry out a critical comparison ofadapted variety and the newly introduced Frenchbean varieties in Virudhunagar district in order toguide and educate the farmers of the area.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThe seed of two newly released varieties viz.,

Arka Suvidha and Arka Anoop released by IndianInstitute of Horticultural Research (IIHR),Bengaluru were used under On Farm Testingduring Rabi 2011-12 at ten identified farmersfields.

Recommended seed rate of 50 kg/ha wasadopted. Seed treatment with Carbandazim @ 2g/kg of seed was done 24 hours before sowing tocontrol fungal diseases. Three varieties wereraised on ridges formed at a distance of 30 cmapart at 15 cm intra row spacing as contiguousblock in an acre in each farmers field. Irrigationwas applied immediately after sowing and lateron as and when required. Farmyard manure@ 25t/ha was applied during last ploughing of the field.

Assessing the Performance of French Bean(Phaseolus vulgaris L) in District Virudhunagar of

TamilnaduS Muthuramu*, V K Paulpandi, S Sakthivel*, K Ramakrishnan and R Karthik

Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Aruppukottai District Virudhunagar 626 107 (Tamilnadu)

ABSTRACTThis study was designed in order to evaluate the yield performance and market preference ofthree French bean varieties namely Arka Komal, Arka Suvidha and Arka Anoop in Virudhunagardistrict. The green pod yield was more or less similar in Arka Anoop (185q/ha) and Arka Suvidha(180q/ha) due to their yield contributing traits namely number of primary branches per plant ,4.06 and 4.18 ; number of green pods per plant, 16.60 and 19.08 and green pod length ,15.32and 17.00 in Arka Anoop and Arka Suvidha, respectively as compared to farmers choice ofvariety. Even though the green pod yield was recorded more in Arka Anoop, the net return andB: C ratio was higher in Arka Suvidha due to higher market price. Farmers realized that bothArka Anoop and Arka Suvidha were better choice of varieties in terms of yield and marketprice.

Key Words: French Bean, Performance, Varieties, Green Pod Yield, Market Preference.

*Corresponding Authors Email: [email protected] Address: Agricultural Research Station, Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu-623707


J Krishi Vigyan 2015, 3(2) : 5-7 DOI: 10.5958/2349-4433.2015.00002.1

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Ninty kg of N and 125 kg of P per hectare wereapplied on one side of the ridges. Two handweeding were carried out, first at 20 to 25 andsecond at 40 to 45 days after sowing followed byearthing up.

Regular field visits were made by the team ofKVK scientists. The biometrical observations wererecorded on number of primary branches per plant,number of green pods per plant, green pod lengthand green pod yield. Economics was also workedout and compared with farmers practice from theinformation obtained from each farmer. Thestatistical analysis of the data was performed inrandomized block design considering locationsas replication using PB-Tools software developedby International Rice research Institute,Phillipines.


Number of primary branches per plantThe data (Table 1) showed that significantly

higher number of primary branches per plant(4.18) were recorded in Arka Anoop followed byArka Suvidha. In Arka Komal, number of primarybranches per plant were 3.94 which is directlyrelated with pod yield. This finding was incongruity with those of Anjanappa et al (2000),Abdel-Mawgoud et al (2005), Mehra and Singh(2012) and Akhilesh et al (2013) for number ofprimary branches per plant.

Number of green podsTable 1 showed that maximum number of

green pods per plant (19.08) was recorded in Arka

Anoop followed by Arka Suvidha (16.6) and ArkaKomal (13.8). This parameter is an important yieldcontributing trait and was in accordance with theresults observed by Anjanappa et al (2000),Abdel-Mawgoud et al (2005) Mehra and Singh(2012) and Akhilesh et al (2013) for number ofgreen pods per plant. Koli and Akashe (1995)observed that pods per plant were higher in 30cm row spacing instead of 25 cm row spacingFrench bean varieties. Therefore, it was inferredthat Arka Anoop may give due response to canopydensity.

Length of green podSignificantly higher length of green pod per

plant (17 cm) was noticed in Arka Anoop followedby Arka Suvidha where length of green pod perplant was 15.32 cm (Table 1). In Arka Komal,length of green pod per plant was 13.25 cm. Itwas evident that pod length has a direct positiveeffect on pod yield per plant .

Green pod yieldThe yield parameters (Table 1) showed that

significantly higher number of primary branchesper plant, maximum number of green pods perplant and higher length of green pod per plantwere recorded in Arka Anoop followed by ArkaSuvidha. The pod yield variations amongst thegenotypes under varying field conditions havebeen reported by several workers (Hariharram andSingh 1990; Jadhao 1993). The result revealedthat number of primary branches per plant,number of green pods per plant and length ofgreen pod per plant were related to the yield

Table 1. Genotypic effect on yield and yield traits & benefit cost ratio of French bean varieties.

Parameters Mean SEm SEdArka Komal Arka Suvidha Arka Anoop

Primary branches (no./plant) 3.94 4.06 4.18 0.088 0.088Green pods (no./plant) 13.80 16.60 19.08 0.492 0.571Pod length (cm) 13.25 15.32 17.00 0.338 0.239Green Pod Yield (q/ha) 169.0 180.0 185.0 0.532 0.325

EconomicsGross cost (Rs./ha) 51,420 52,400 51,400Gross return (Rs./ha) 1,69,000 1,98,000 1,85,000Net return (Rs./ha) 1,17,580 1,45,625 1,31,625B:C ratio 3.29:1 3.78:1 3.55:1

SEm=Standard Error of Mean SE

d=Standard Error of the Difference

Muthuramu et al


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mostly through their direct effects which wasconfirmed by many workers in their correlationand path analysis studied in french bean varieties.

EconomicsThe gross cost of cultivation was almost similar

for all the three varieties. Market preference forArka Suvidha was good and fetched higher price.Even though the green pod yield was recordedmore in Arka Anoop but the net return and B: Cratio was higher in Arka Suvidha due to highermarket price. It was reflected in benefit cost ratioof 3.78 obtained with sale of Arka Suvidhagreen pods whereas benefit cost ratio of 3.55 and3.29 were obtained through Arka Anoop and ArkaKomal, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe findings of the present study revealed that

cultivating Arka Anoop and Arka Suvidha insouthern districts like Virudhunagar was morebeneficial due to their yield contributing traitsnamely number of primary branches per plant,number of green pods per plant and green podlength which were recorded more as compared tofarmers choice of variety i.e., Arka Komal.Farmers realized that both Arka Anoop and ArkaSuvidha were better choice of varieties in terms

of yield and market price.

REFERENCESAbdel-Mawgoud A M R, El-Desuki M, Salman S R and Abou-

Hussein S D(2005). Performance of some snap bean varietiesas affected by different levels of mineral fertilizers. JAgron.4(3): 242-247.

Akhilesh S, Sharma G D, Singh Y, Sharma M, Katoch V andSharma K C (2013). Optimum sowing dates and varieties forseed productivity of pole Frenchbean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)under north western Himalayas. African J Agric. Res. 8(48):6196-6201.

Ali M and Kushwaha B L (1987). Cultivation of rabi rajmash inplains. Indian Farming 31(2): 20-23.

Anjanappa M, Reddy N S, Krishnappa K S, Murali K andPitchaimuthu M (2000).Performance of French bean varietiesunder southern dry region of Karnataka. Karnataka J AgricSci.13(2): 503-505.

Hariharram and Singh B P (1990). Evaluation of French Bean(Phaseolus vulgaris L.) germ plasm. Veg. Sci. 17 (1): 47-55.

Jadhao (1993).Performance of French Bean (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) genotypes in relation to plant population. Indian J.Agron.38(4): 674-675.

Koli BD and Akashe V B (1995). Dry matter production of Frenchbean variety waghaya as influenced by row spacing, plantdensities and the nitrogen levels. Current Res.Univ. Agric.Sci. Banglore, 24: 209-211.

Mehra D and Singh D K (2012).Path analysis for pod yield inFrench bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Veg. Sci. 39 (2): 192-194.


Performance of French Bean


8

INTRODUCTIONSugarcane based crop sequences are being

practiced extensively all over India. This crop isa heavy feeder of plant nutrients and removesabout 1.2 kg N, 0.22 kg P, and 2.83 kg K for eachtonne of cane produced (Lal and Singh, 2002).Sugarcane wheat cropping sequence is one ofthe most prevalent cropping sequences in the northwestern plains of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhandoccupying 10-11 per cent of net cropped area inthe regions. It has been observed during the pastyears that yield of sugarcane and wheat hasreached a plateau in these regions due to decliningfactor productivity (Yadav et al 1998). The loss

in organic matter has been assigned as the primereason for this decline in the productivity. Soilorganic matter influences almost all thecomponent of soil linked with crop production.Macro nutrient (N, P and K) and micronutrients(Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) are important soil elementsthat control its fertility. Soil fertility is one of thefactor controlling yields of the crops. Soilcharacterization in relation to fertility evaluationof the soil of an area of region is an importantaspect for sustainable crop production.

The stagnation in crop productivity cannot beovercome without judicious use of macro andmicronutrients and for that it is essential to know

Assessment of Available Macro and Micro Nutrientsunder Sugarcane Wheat Cropping Sequence inDifferent Location of Meerut and Bulandshahr

Districts of Uttar PradeshRavindra Kumar, Laxmi Kant, Manoj Singh and Pramod Kumar

Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhamora-243 701 District, RampurSardar Vallabh Bhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut (Uttar Pradesh)

ABSTRACTThe organic matter content in the soil influences almost all the component of soil which influencesthe crop productivity. Macro nutrient (N, P and K) and micronutrients (Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) areimportant soil elements that control its fertility. The soil samples of 0-15, 15-30 and 30-45 cmdepth were collected from four different locations of Meerut and Bulandshar districts undersugarcane (R)wheat cropping sequence. The soil samples were analyzed for physico chemicalproperties using standard procedure for pH and electrical conductivity,organic carbon, availablenitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium by the ammonium acetate method andavailable micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) in soil samples with extracted by diethylenetriamine penta acetic acid (DTPA) solution (0.005M) DTPA + 0.01M CaCl

2 +0.1M

triethanolamine, pH 7.3. The study revealed that the soils were normal to moderately alkalinein reaction, low to medium in organic carbon, low in available nitrogen, low to medium inavailable phosphorus and potassium and in general sufficient in available Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn atsurface soil. Correlation values revealed that soil pH has a negative correlation with Fe (r = -0.487) and Zn (r = - 0.265) and significant and negative correlation with Mn (r = - 0.679*)whereas it was positively correlated with Cu (r = 0.327). CEC of soil was negatively correlatedwith sand (r = - 0.560) and silt (r = - 0.140) and positively and highly significantly with clay (r= 0.897**). Available soil nitrogen was significantly and positively correlated with total N (r =0.509*) and microbial biomass carbon (r = 0.605*).

Key Words: Available Macro and Micro Nutrients, Sugarcane, Wheat, Cropping Sequence,Assessment

*Corresponding Authors Email: [email protected]

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the status in soil as wide spread macro andmicronutrients deficiency is being observed in thesoils of Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, an attempt wasmade to assess the macro and micronutrientcontent of the soil under sugarcane wheatsequence and their relation with soilcharacteristics.

MATERIALS AND METHODThe experiment was conducted during the year

2009-2010. The soil samples of 0-15, 15-30 and30-45 cm depth were collected from four differentlocations of Meerut and Bulandshar districts undersugarcane (R)wheat cropping sequence.Collected samples were air dried in shade,crushed gently with a wooden roller and passthrough 2.0 mm sieve to obtain a uniformrepresentative sample. The processed soil sampleswere analyzed for physico chemical propertiesusing standard procedure for pH and electricalconductivity (1:2 soil water suspensions). Organiccarbon (Walkley and Black, 1934), availablenitrogen (Subbiah and Asija, 1956), availablephosphorus (Olsen et al 1954), availablepotassium by the ammonium acetate method(Jackson, 1973) and available micronutrients (Fe,Mn, Zn and Cu) in soil samples with extracted bydiethylene triamine penta acetic acid (DTPA)solution (0.005M) DTPA + 0.01M CaCl

2 +0.1M

triethanolamine, pH 7.3 as outlined by Lindsayand Norvell (1978).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe soil samples were collected from the

villages where sugarcane-wheat cropping systemwas followed. Farmers usually apply 130-150 kgnitrogen per hectare along with 60-80 kgphosphorus per hectare and 50-60 kg/hapotassium. Zinc application in rice was done byall the farmers and compost application was doneby 40 per cent of farmers, while green manuringwas practiced by 12 per cent farmers and biofertilizers use was not prevalent. It was noticedthat 84 per cent of the farmers reported increaseduse of fertilizers to harvest same quantity of grainyield.

Chemical propertiesSoil pH estimated for soil of various depths

was usually found normal to alkaline in reaction(Table 1). It was observed that soil pH ranged from7.3 to 8.3 for surface soil (0 -15 cm) 7.5 to 8.5and 7.3 to 8.5 in 15-30 and 30 - 45 cm depth,respectively. The soil EC ranged from 0.158 to0.240 dSm-1 for surface soil while 0.082 to 0.283dSm-1 in subsurface soil with an average value of0.204 and 0.205 dSm-1 for surface and subsurfacesoil respectively. The cation-exchange capacity

Table 1. Physico-chemical properties of soil under sugarcane-wheat cropping sequence.

Locations Depth pH EC CEC O.C.g/ Available Available(cm) macronutrients micronutrients (mgkg-1)

(kgha-1)N P K Cu Fe Mn Zn

Khetalpur (B) 0-15 8.2 0.211 10.69 5.9 95.06 15.57 103.31 0.844 8.436 3.326 0.82015-30 8.1 0.294 13.60 3.1 82.52 12.76 90.24 0.717 4.539 2.791 0.53130-45 8.2 0.242 9.08 2.9 81.28 12.65 97.19 0.639 3.787 2.131 0.532

Hartauli (B) 0-15 8.3 0.209 13.82 9.6 100.60 27.03 197.72 2.654 13.145 5.584 1.70215-30 8.3 0.212 15.08 5.3 95.12 12.89 289.16 2.187 10.764 2.469 0.90030-45 8.3 0.283 17.65 2.6 64.54 11.19 135.65 0.916 6.066 1.985 0.541

Mavanakhurd (M) 0-15 7.3 0.158 10.69 6.9 125.89 14.96 73.43 0.797 10.693 8.259 1.02715-30 7.5 0.107 10.47 4.2 111.03 7.65 63.90 0.605 9.523 4.513 0.92930-45 7.3 0.082 9.73 3.5 92.52 4.36 72.85 0.470 8.752 3.289 0.499

Lhamdaw;o (M) 0-15 8.3 0.240 13.17 6.9 100.44 3.99 249.55 2.045 3.172 2.065 0.29615-30 8.5 0.215 10.04 3.1 74.47 4.48 146.25 0.647 2.483 1.389 0.25530-45 8.5 0.214 11.60 2.9 59.44 4.12 139.71 0.438 2.135 1.278 0.088

Mean 0-15 - 0.204 12.09 7.2 105.49 15.38 155.00 1.580 8.861 4.808 0.96115-30 - 0.207 12.29 3.92 90.78 9.44 147.38 1.039 6.827 2.790 0.65330-45 - 0.205 12.01 2.97 74.44 8.08 111.35 0.615 5.185 2.164 0.390

In parentheses B stands for district Bulandshahr and M for district Meerut.

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(CEC) ranged from 10.69 to 13.82 cmol (p+) kg-1

for surface soil (0-15 cm) while 9.08 to 17.65cmol (p+) kg-1 in subsurface soil (30-45cm) withan average value of 12.09 and 12.01 cmol (p+)kg-1 soil. The organic carbon was higher at surfacewhich declined along with soil depth. The organiccarbon in surface (0-15cm) and subsurface soil(30-45cm) varied from 5.9 to 9.6 and 2.6 to 3.5 gkg-1 soil with an average value of 7.20 and 2.97 gkg-1, respectively.

Available nutrients statusThe available nitrogen content in surface (0-

15cm) and subsurface soil (30-45cm) varied from95.06 kg ha-1 to 125.89 kg ha-1 and 59.44 kg ha-1 to 92.52 kg ha-1 with an average value of 105.49kg ha-1 and 74.44 kg ha-1 (Table1) suggestingthat all soils were low in available nitrogen.Available nitrogen was found maximum in surfacesoil and decreasing with increasing depth. Thiswas probably due to the fact that a decreasing trendof organic carbon with increase in depth wasobserved. Further, as cultivation of crop is mainlyconfined to the surface soil and depletion ofnitrogen is supplemented by the external sourcesof nitrogen during crop cultivation as reported byPrasuna Rani et al (1992).

The available phosphorus in surface (0-15cm)and sub surface soil (30-45cm) varied from 3.99kg ha-1 to 27.03 kg ha-1 and 4.12 kg ha-1 to12.65 kg ha-1 with an average value of 15.38 kgha-1 and 8.08 kg ha-1, respectively. The highestavailable phosphorus was observed in the surfacesoil and decreased with increasing depth. It mightbe due to the confinement of crop cultivation tothe rhizosphere and supplementing the depletedP by external sources. The lower P content in subsurface soil could be attributed to the fixation ofreleased phosphorus by clay minerals (Leelavathiet al 2009).

The available potassium in surface (0-15cm)and sub surface soil (30-45cm) varied from 73.43kg ha-1 to 249.55 kg ha-1 and 72.85 kg ha-1 to139.71 kg ha-1 with an average value of 155.0 kgha-1, and 111.35 kg ha-1, respectively. Theavailable potassium status also followed the sametrend as that of available N and P.

Micronutrients (Diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid extractable)

The DTPA extractable Cu varied from 0.797mg kg-1 to 2.654 mg kg-1 soil in surface (0-15cm)and 0.438 mg kg-1to 0.916 mg kg-1 soil in subsurface soil (30-45cm) with an average value of1.500 mg kg-1 and 0.615 mg kg-1 soil for surfaceand subsurface soil, respectively. All the observedvalues were well above the critical limit of 0.20mg kg-1 as proposed by Lindsay and Norvell(1978)

The DTPA -extractable Fe in surface (0-15cm)and sub surface soil (30-45cm) varied from 3.172to 13.145 mg kg-1 and 2.135 to 8.752 mg kg-1

soil with an average value of 8.816 and 5.185 mgkg -1 soil, respectively. According to critical limitof 4.5 mg kg-1 soil as suggested by Lindsay andNorvell (1978) all the surface soils (0-15cm) withexception of Khandawali (M) were sufficient inavailable Fe. A decreasing trend with depth wasnoticed in all four locations.

The DTPA- extractable Mn in surface (0-15cm) and subsurface soil (30-45cm) varied from2.065 to 8.259 mg kg-1and 1.278 to 3.289 mg kg-1 soil with an average value of 4.808 and 2.146mg kg-1 soil. According to critical limit of 1.0 mgkg-1 as proposed by Lindsay and Norvell (1978),all the soils were sufficient in available Mn.

The available Zn in surface (0-15 cm) and subsurface soil (30-45 cm) ranged from 0.296 to1.702 mg kg-1 and 0.088 to 0.541 mg kg-1 soilwith an average value of 0.961 and 0.390 mg kg-1 soil, respectively. According to critical limit 0.6mg kg-1 as proposed by Lindsay and Norvell(1978) all the surface soils with exception ofKhandawli (M) were sufficient in Available Zncontent.

Correlation coefficientCorrelation coefficient among the different soil

properties of sugarcane- wheat cropping sequenceof various locations in Meerut and Bulandshahrdistricts at 3 soil depths viz 0-15, 15-30 and 30-45 cm were worked out. Simple correlationcoefficient of soil properties with various elementsrevealed that organic carbon was correlated withavailable N (r = 0.676**), total N (r = 0.748**)

Assessment of Available Macro and Micro Nutrients

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positively and highly significantly, microbialbiomass carbon (r = 0.834**), Cu (r = 0.771**) andZn (r = 0.760**), positively and significantly withavailable P (r = 0.644*), Fe (r = 0.644*), Mn (r =0.632*), positively with CEC (r = 0.113), availableK (r = 0.388) and negatively with bulk density (r= - 0.496).

The soil pH has negative correlation with Fe(r = - 0.487) and Zn (r = - 0.265) and significantand negative correlation with Mn (r = - 0.679*).Soil pH was positively correlated with Cu (r =0.327). CEC of soil was negatively correlated withsand (r = - 0.560) and silt (r = - 0.140) andpositively and highly significantly with clay (r =0.897**). Available soil nitrogen was significantlyand positively correlated with total N (r = 0.509*)and microbial biomass carbon (r = 0.605*).

CONCLUSIONThe study of soil samples of Meerut and

Bulandshar districts revealed that the soils werenormal to moderately alkaline in reaction, low tomedium in organic carbon. As far as nutrient statuswas concerned on the basis of mean value, thesoils were low in available nitrogen, low tomedium in available phosphorus and potassiumand in general sufficient in available Cu, Fe, Mnand Zn at surface soil.

REFERENCESJackson M L (1973). Soil Chemical Analysis. Prentice Hall of

India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.

Lal Mehndi and Singh A K (2002). Importance of plant nutrient insugarcane. Fertilizer News 47 (11): 91-98.

Leelavathi G P, Naidu M V S, Ramavatharram N and KarunaSagar G (2009). Studies of genesis, classification andevaluation of soil for sustainable land use planning in YerpeduMandal of Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh. J Indian societyof soil science 57 (2) 109-120.

Lindsay W L and Norvell W A (1978). Development of DTPAsoil test for zinc, iron, manganese and coper. Soil ScienceSociety of America Journal 42: 421-428.

Olsen S R, Cole C V ,Watanabe F S and Dean L A (1954).Estimation of available phosphorus in soils by extractionwith sodium bicarbonate. USDA CIRC. 939.Unied StatesDepartment of Agriculture, . Washington, D C.

Prasuna Rani P P, Pillai R N , Prasad Bhanu V and Subbaiah G V( 1992). Nutrient status of some red and associated soils ofNellore district under Somasila project in Andhra Pradesh.The Andhra Agri J 39: 1-5.

Subbiah B V and Asija G L (1956). A rapid procedure for thedetermination of available nitrogen in soil. Current Sci. 25,259-260.

Walkley A J and Black I A (1934). Estimation of soil organiccarbon by the chromic acid titration method. Soil Sci 37, 29-38.

Yadav R L, Yadav D S, Singh R M and Kumar A (1998). Longterm effect of inorganic fertilizer inputs and crop productivityin rice wheat cropping system. Nutrient Cycling in AgroEcosystem 51:193 200.


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INTRODUCTIONThe technology transfer plays an important role

in the development of agriculture and othersubsidiary occupations. Transformation requiresthat dairy farmers need to be convinced to acceptand change the existing package of non-recommended practices being followed by them.They need to be prepared mentally and emotionallyto accept the new technologies with the continuousefforts of the government and other extensionagencies. Extension system had played a crucialrole in enhancing milk production in the countrywhich needs no further emphasis. However, therestill exists a wide gap between the technologiesavailable with the research system and its adaptationat farmers field particularly in the sphere oflivestock feeding (Meena et al 2014). A largenumber of problems have been identified whichare responsible for the low productivity in cattleand buffaloes as reported by the different categoriesof the dairy farmers ( Sharma et al 2013b).

The feeding practices followed by the farmerswere considered one of the major constraintsidentified in enhancing the margin of profit forfarmers. Similarly, lack of green fodder throughoutthe year, lack of availability of good quality feedfrom market and poor knowledge of the farmersabout the balanced feeding resulted in number ofproblems related to reproduction, diseases andmilk yield. To enhance the milk production andto prevent the disease incidence, a number offeeding technologies has been identified and weredisseminated amongst farmers through trainingcourses, lectures and demonstrations laid by KrishiVigyan Kendra. Sharma et al (2014a) reportedthat after acquiring the trainings, the knowledgelevel of the dairy farmers has increased in feedingpractices and thus, 55 per cent of farmers havestarted making balanced ration at their own homeand are reluctant to use readymade compoundcattle feeds available in the market. At the sametime, the use of mineral mixture (33.3%) and urea

Bottlenecks in Adoption of Feeding Practices forDairy Animals in District Kapurthala

Manoj SharmaKrishi Vigyan Kendra, Kapurthala-144 620 (Punjab)

ABSTRACTThe present study was undertaken to find out the bottlenecks in adoption of recommendedfeeding practices by dairy farmers in district Kapurthala. The data were collected through aquestionnaire from a total of 200 dairy farmers. It was observed that 27.5 and 39.5 per cent offarmers were having animals between 1 to 5 and 6 to 10, respectively. On the other, 46.5 percent farmers were keeping less than 5 lactating animals and 28 per cent were possessingbetween 6 to 10 lactating animals. Only 5.5 per cent farmers were keeping lactating animalsmore than 20. The present study revealed that poor knowledge about the nutritive value of feedingredients (86.5%) , high cost of raw feed ingredients (28% ), shortage of skilled and committedlabour (32.5%) were found to be major bottlenecks regarding adoption of cattle feed formulationtechnology at the dairy farm. Lack of awareness among dairy farmers (82 %), regarding role ofmineral mixture and its use followed by its non availability in villages (90%) were the mainlimitations in its adoption. Non availability of urea molasses mineral block (UMMB, 95%),Poor infrastructure available for milking lactating animals ( 92.5%), no knowledge about fodderpreservation( 95%) and lack of knowledge about disease symptoms ( 90%) were consideredthe major problems faced by the dairy farmers in the adoption of feeding practices in thedistrict.

Key Words: Feed Preparation, Balanced Feeding, ,Silage, Hay Making.

*Corresponding Authors Email: [email protected]

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molasses mineral block (UMMB) lick (15.0%) hasalso increased whereas technology of silagemaking was not adopted by any dairy farmer. Thepoint that needs special attention was that till nowthe introduction of new skills as well as techniquesdemonstrated through conducting vocationaltraining programmes, practical, lectures, seminarsetc. has met with only partial success as measuredby the observed rate of adoption (Sharma et al2014a). Hence, non adoption of new technologiesand farming on traditional lines were the evidentfactors responsible for low profitability andeconomic losses in dairy farming as reported byBilal et al (2008).Therefore, the specific objectivesof the present study were to find out thebottlenecks in adoption of feeding practices forfeeding of dairy animals by the dairy farmers ofthe area.

MATERIALS AND METHODSOut of five blocks, 2 adjoining blocks to KVK,

Kapurthala were selected. From each block,clusters of 10 villages and from each village 5dairy farmers were selected. In addition to this,this paper is based on the data collected personallyfrom 100 dairy farmers, who visited Krishi VigyanKendra, Kapurthala in order to get information,trainings, seminars, lectures etc. The data werecollected through a questionnaire from a total of200 dairy farmers. Data on the general backgroundand about the adoption of various technologieslike herd size, formulation of cattle feed at thedairy farm, use of mineral mixture, preparationof urea molasses mineral block (UMMB),balanced feeding of the animals, preservation offodder for scarcity period such as hay and silagemaking, urea treatment of wheat straw followedby each dairy farmer in the sample have beencollected by following interview method andclassified by using frequency and percentage.


Herd sizeThe data given in Table 1 showed that 27.5

per cent and 39.5 per cent dairy farmers werekeeping up to 5 and 10 animals, respectivelywhereas 16.5per cent were having between 11 to15 animals. Only 7.5per cent farmers kept morethan 20 animals whereas 9.0 per cent were

possessing between 16 to20 animals. Total numberof lactating animals available with a dairy farmerrevealed that 46.5 per cent farmers possessed lessthan 5 animals which showed that animals werebeing kept in order to meet the home consumptionof milk. It was evident that only 5.5 per centfarmers were having lactating animals more than20 number (Table 1). Furthermore, the high costof a lactating buffalo and cross bred cow isreported to be a major constraint in increasing theherd size by dairy farmers. This observation wasin line with that reported by Sharma et al ( 2013a). Hence, it can be said that due to lack oftechnical guidance as well as other variousconstraints, dairy farmers were not increasing theirdairy herd size.Table 1. Herd size available with the farmers .

Parameter Number Percentage offarmers

A. Number of total animalsi 1-5 55 27.5ii 6-10 79 39.5iii 11-15 33 16.5iv 16-20 18 9.0v >20 15 7.5B. Number of lactating animalsa. 20 11 5.5

Feed preparation at homeIt was observed that the traditional method of

feeding consisted of giving individual ingredientsthat were locally available in a fixed proportion.No attention was given to the different nutrientrequirements of animals kept for differentpurposes. Such observations have been reportedby Quddus (2012) that majority of the farmersdid not follow the recommended feeding practices.Similarly, Sathiadhas et al (2003) were also of theview that about 54 per cent farmers fed their cattlewith concentrate but the feeding of recommendedration was not followed by them. As a result ofthis, the animals are either underfed or overfedwhich leads to occurrence of reproductiveproblems, stunted growth, birth of deformedcalves, night blindness, high calf mortality, poormilk yield, etc., in dairy animals.

Sharma Manoj

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It was found that dairy farmers were usingreadymade cattle feed from the market along withhomemade mixture of cereals and oil cakes. Theadoption regarding formulation of balanced cattlefeed (55%) at the dairy farm was probably due tothe fact that since cereal grains are abundantlyavailable with the farmers and are offered withoutany measurement neither by taking into accountmilk production of the animal nor state of healthi.e. dry, pregnant, milking or growing etc. It wasemphasized in the training courses that feedingof cereal alone is not of much help in increasingthe milk yield and for this, adding of oilseed cakes,minerals and vitamins is essential. Hence, a largenumber of trainees started making compound feedat the dairy farms.

Regarding problems, 41.5 per cent farmersreported that some of the feed ingredientsmentioned in the feed formulae were not availablein the local market and 86.5 per cent farmerswere ignorant about the identification of oilseedcakes and various other ingredients required formaking balanced feed e.g. rice bran, rice polishde-oiled rice bran, wheat bran, maize gluten meal,soya flakes, mustard cake, de-oiled mustard cakeetc ( Table 2).Similarly, all of them were ignorantabout the nutritive value of these feed ingredients,maximum or minimum inclusion in a ration, antinutritive factors present, cost and availability inthe market. In addition to this, whenever a farmerpurchased a small quantity of these ingredientsfrom the market, the cost of compound cattle feed

Table 2. Problems faced by the farmers in adopting feeding practices.

Sr. No. Parameter Number Percentage1. Cattle Feed Formulation

a. Nonavailability of some feed ingredients. 83 41.5b. Poor knowledge about identification and nutritive 173 86.5

composition of feed ingredientsc. High cost of quality feed ingredients 56 28.0d. Lack of mixing and grinding facilities for cakes and small cereals in villages 160 80.0e. Shortage of skilled labour 65 32.5f. Poor storage facilities at the dairy farm 50 25.0g. Absence of weights and measures at the dairy farm 140 70.0

2. Use of Mineral Mixturea. Lack of awareness about role of mineral mixture and its method of use. 164 82.0b. High cost of mineral mixture sold by private firms 150 75.0c. Non availability in the villages. 180 90.0

3. Preparation and use of UMMBa. Unawareness about UMMB composition, benefits, precautions. 162 81.0b. Method of feeding 185 92.5c. Non availability 190 95.0d. No marketing network 160 80.0

4. Balanced Feeding of Animalsa. Non availability of good quality fodder seeds 120 60.0b. Non availability of green fodder throughout the year 60 30.0c. Small land holdings 164 82.0d. No knowledge about fodder preservation 190 95.0e. No knowledge about proper stage of forage harvesting 135 67.5

5. Marketing of milka. Low selling price of milk at the village level 120 60.0b. No knowledge about milk quality 135 67.5c. Poor infrastructure for milking lactating animals 185 92.5d. High incidence of mastitis 152 76.0e. Poor storage facilities at the village level. 140 70.0f. No knowledge about milk testing 150 75.0

Adoption of Feeding Practices for Dairy Animals

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became uneconomical due to the reason that theretailer sold these feed ingredients at a very highrate. Moreover, farmer has to incur expenditurefor its transporting, grinding, mixing, packing etc.which discouraged farmers to make cattle feed atthe house hold level particularly for a smallfarmers. On the other hand, large farmerspossessed all the resources and did not face anyconstraint. Likewise, readymade cattle feedavailable in the market were found to be easilyaccessible to a farmers and that too on credit basisat least for 45 days. These findings were in closeaccordance with most of findings of Quddus(2012). It was thus evident from the discussionwith the dairy farmers that technology should beeasy, cost effective and minimum time consumingfor its quite adaptation.

Use of mineral mixtureFeeds fed to animals are generally deficient

in minerals. Straw used during lean period isespecially a poor feed for animals. It is estimatedthat up to 70-80 per cent of the reproductiveproblems are mainly due to minerals deficienciesin animals. Hence, use of mineral mixturebecomes imperative. It has been reported bySharma et al ( 2014a) that by imparting training,the adoption of feeding mineral mixture reportedby dairy farmers was sometimes ( 61.7%) andalways ( 38.3%) indicating that lack of awarenesswas the main reason was non adoption of usingmineral mixture in daily feeding schedule ofanimals. Therefore, lack of awareness emphasizesthe findings of Gangil et al (2005) who suggestedabout the need for training the dairy farmers aboutbasic knowledge of the diseases.

Contrary to this, emphasis was also given toformulate mineral mixture for use at own dairyfarm and for selling to other farmers. No farmertook initiative and major constraints noticed werelack of confidence in purchasing the raw materialrequired, mixing, packing labelling and marketingof the product (80%), low education level (middle,matric or graduate). Low educational level andnon exposure to the market were considered themain reason for non adoption of manufacturingand selling the mineral mixture. This componentis very important for the job creation point of viewamong the unemployed youth but the study

revealed that until or unless an individual is aneedy, have finance, good personality andbusiness background, it seems impossible to createjob opportunities for unemployed youth.Moreover, in Punjab a youth does not want towork with his own hands rather seeks that somelabourer should work for him and give the earningto him. Thus, it can be said that dignity of labouris missing among the young youth. Thisobservation coincides with that reported by Rathodet al (2011) that majority of the farmers (74 %)opined that youth were not interested in carryingout dairy farming for their livelihood.

Preparation and use of urea molasses mineralblock (UMMB) for feeding of animals

As the name suggests, the UMMB consists ofurea, molasses, some proteins, minerals andbinding agents. All the ingredients are made inthe form of block by using binding agent. Sharmaet al (2014a) reported that after acquiring trainingat the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kapurthala , 65 percent of the dairy farmers started using thistechnology at their dairy farms but only 15 percent were found using it regularly. In anotherstudy, Sharma et al (2014b) observed that dairyfarmers who fed UMMB to the dairy animals,more than 80 per cent of them were fully satisfiedwith the effect of feeding of UMMB on the drymatter intake, milk yield and per cent milk fat butthe availability of the UMMB licks was consideredas the major constraint.

Later on, KVK imparted vocational trainingsto the unemployed youth regarding preparationof UMMB but it was noticed that none of themcould start the business of its preparation andselling. The major bottlenecks identified wereunawareness among the dairy farmers about theUMMB, its importance and benefits. As a result,no one started its production. Moreover, the feedretailers too did not come forward for its salestating that it requires time and energy to makethe concept understandable to a dairy farmerwhich is not possible for them because they aremarketing the products which either the farmerdemands or veterinary doctor prescribes. Hence,it can be said that for a rural youth, it is extremelydifficult to enter in the marketing, therefore,everyone is realizing on the cultivation of cereals

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in which the minimum support price (MSP) isguaranteed by the centre government.

Balanced feeding of the animalsFarmers can sustain the milk yield of 5-8 kg/

d in dairy animals by only feeding green fodderprovided the fodder offered should be a blend ofleguminous and non leguminous fodder crops likeBerseem + Oats, Maize+ Cowpeas etc. Further,supplementation of ration with 1kg. of concentratemixture for every 2.5 kg of milk in case ofbuffalos and 3.0 kg of milk in case of cattle isrequired to get milk yield more than 8 kg. It wasobserved that farmers are not following therecommendations due to the fact that they growthe fodder crops in low fertile soils and moreover,no particular area is earmarked for foddercultivation and did not grow more than one fodderin a season e.g. berseem during rabi and bajraduring kharif are the major fodder crops, whereasoats along with berseem and cowpeas or guaralong with bajra need to be fed so that energy +protein can be fed simultaneously. Some farmers(60 %) reported non availability of good qualityfodder seeds timely in the market. Likewise 30per cent farmers did not possess green fodderthroughout the year, therefore, balanced feedingbecomes difficult and farmers prefer to feedwhatever is available at the farm.

Another recommendation is that each adultlactating animal should be fed at least 40 kg greenfodder, 5-6 kg dry and 2-3 kg of concentratemixture depending upon the milk productionlevel. In the field, it was observed that there is noprovision of weighing green and dry fodder atsmall dairy farms so feeding of a measuredquantity of feed and fodder could not be adopted.Secondly, each farmer is procuring only one typeof readymade cattle feed (Type 2) and is fed atthe time of milking to the lactating animal but notto the dry or pregnant animal. The majorobservation noticed from the present study wasthat the trainings are regularly imparted to thefarmers or unemployed youth whereas all theanimal husbandry practices are undertaken at thedairy farm either by the hired labourer or farmwomen. Hence, a large gap is there in therecommendations and adoption of thetechnologies. In order to go for balanced feeding

of the dairy animals, following feedingtechnologies need be followed at the dairy farm:

Preservation of fodder for scarcity periodFarmers usually dont make planning for

getting green fodder throughout the year.Moreover, due to less land holding, priority forfodder cultivation is low. Hence, there is a greatscarcity during the months of May-June andOctober-November in a year. It has beensuggested by research system that on a piece ofone hectare area about 10-12 animals can bemaintained by adopting suitable crop rotations.During a particular time of a season, when fodderavailability is surplus, it can be conserved as hayand silage. Thus, problem of scarcity can betackled by proper storage of fodder. In one of thestudy, Sharma et al (2014a) observed that nofarmer adopted this technology in spite of the bestefforts made by the KVK scientists.

The various constraints noticed were thatfarmers in the area were growing mainly Paddy-Potato-Muskmelon/Maize/Sunflower. Some ofthem are even purchasing wheat from the marketfor the home consumption. Similarly, dairy isbeing practiced by the small, landless farmers whocannot afford to preserve the green fodder assilage or hay. It is worth to mention that the dairybusiness in the cities or around cities is moreremunerative than in the rural area due todifference in the selling rate of milk. In the cities,the rate is Rs. 40 to Rs.46/kg whereas in the villagesit is around Rs. 22/- to Rs. 25/- kg. The hugemargin is earned by the middleman who procuresmilk from the village and sells in the market.Further, in the cities, dairy farmers purchase dailygreen fodder mixed with wheat straw and directlyfeed to their animals whereas in the rural area, afarmer is growing a fodder crop, cut, transport,chaff, mix it with dry fodder and then offers tothe dairy animals. All these operations requirelabour, time, energy and money.

Silage makingIt was revealed by the dairy farmers (40.5%)

during the survey that feeding of silage does notresult in an increase in milk yield over the greenfodder feeding. Moreover, silage preparationinvolves lot of labour for cutting and the chaffing


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fodder, filling up in the silo pit, transportation ofgreen fodder from field to the chaff cutter unitarea and thus did not suit them to adopt in theirdairy unit. In addition to this, land holding of thesmall farmers is less and thus they prefer to go forcash crops like vegetables. Other reasons reportedby the participants were presented in Table 3.Table 3. Constraints in adopting urea treatment of wheat

straw, silage and hay making.

Sr. No. Parameter No. of farmers Percentage1. Small holding 78 39.02. Less number of 133 66.5

animals3. Cropping system 72 36.04. Labour intensive 136 68.05. Not beneficial 51 25.56. Uneconomical 32 16.0

Hay makingHay making is one of the best methods of

fodder storage. Green forages with 8085per centdry matter preserve most of their nutrients soduring hay making the moisture content of greenforages is reduced to less than 15per cent. It wasobserved from the study that dairy farmers werefully reluctant to use this technique at their dairyfarms due to lack of space for cutting, drying andstoring the dried hay. Moreover they were of theopinion that the rate of wheat straw is increasingday by day, it is better to store wheat straw ratherthan hay because wheat straw is made just afterharvesting of the wheat crop with the help of strawreaper or thresher machine. It was, thus inferredthat farmers in Punjab is more interested inmechanization rather than manual work.Moreover, most of the field operations areperformed by the hired labour.

Urea treatment of strawsThe method is perhaps the most economical

method of improving the quality of straw usedfor animals where there is plenty of straw, mediumto low animal production, and limited access toother supplements. Treated straw can be fed togrowing, lactating, and pregnant cattle and buffalo.The treatment process involves use of 14 kg ureadissolved in 200 l of water is sprinkled on 300kg. Wheat straw in 2 to 3 layers and this treated

material is covered with a polyethylene sheet, forhydrolysis of urea to take place, thereby resultingin more digestibility of wheat straw.

The cardinal factor that determines theeconomics and practicality of urea treatment isthe method of storage. Covering the stack isimportant and can be achieved by using polythenesheets, empty urea bags stitched together, or evendried grass/leaves to keep it airtight. Cementedstorage structures are ideal for urea treatment butnot practised at the field conditions. Pits or mudstructures are the other options available. The dairyfarmers did not see any benefit in adopting thistechnique because it involves labour, time andmoney. Moreover, the beneficial effects are notvisible to the farmers as claimed by the researchscientists. Again educational level, age of the dairyfarmer, economic situation, farming experience,linkages with the development departments etcplay a crucial role in the adaptation of a particulartechnology. These findings were in agreementwith those reported by Rathod et al (2011).

CONCLUSIONThe study revealed that poor knowledge about

the nutritive value of feed ingredients , high costof raw feed materials, shortage of skilled andcommitted labour were found to be majorbottlenecks regarding adoption of cattle feedformulation technology at dairy farm. Lack ofawareness among dairy farmers (82 %) regardingrole of mineral mixture and its use followed bynon availability in villages were the mainlimitations for adoption of mineral mixture andUMMB. Dairy is being practiced by the small,landless farmers who cannot afford to preservethe green fodder as silage or hay. It is worth tomention that the dairy business in the cities oraround cities is more remunerative than in the ruralarea due to difference in the selling rate of milk.In the cities, the rate is Rs. 40 to Rs.46/kg whereasin the villages it is around Rs. 22/- to Rs. 25/- kg.It was thus, inferred that educational level, age ofthe dairy farmer, economic situation, farmingexperience, linkages with the developmentdepartments etc. play a crucial role in theadaptation of a particular technology.

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REFERENCESBilal M Q, Hameed A and Khan B B (2008). Assessment of dairy

farm management practices under field conditions of TobaTek Singh. Pak J Agri Sci 45(2):237-41.

Gangil D, Bardhan D, Dabas Y P S and Kumar A( 2005).Identification of training needs of livestock farmers in improvedanimal husbandry practices in Tarai area of Uttranchal. IndianDairyman 57(5): 47-49.

Meena B S, Chauhan Jitendra, Rajula Shanthy T and Singh B P(2014). Adoption gap and its path analysis in feeding practicesof dairy animals. Indian Res J Ext Edu 14(2):87-90.

Rathod P K, Landge S, Nikam T R and Vajreshwari S ( 2011).Socio personnal profile and constraints of dairy farmers.Karnataka J Agric Sci 24 ( 4): 619-21.

Sathiadhas R, Noble D, Immanuel S, Jayan K N and SadanandanS (2003). Adoption level of scientific dairy farming practicesby IVLP farmers in the coastal agro ecosystem of Kerala.Indian Journal Social Research 44: 243-50.

Sharma K, Yadav J P and Yadav V P S (2013a). Constraints facedby dairy farmers in adoption of dairy husbandry practices.Indian Journal Social Research 54 (6): 561-67.

Sharma Manoj, Singh Gurdeep and Shelly Madhu ( 2013b).Technological problems and training needs of dairy farmers. JKrishi Vigyan 2(1); 59-63.

Sharma Manoj, Singh Gurdeep and Keshava (2014a). Impactevaluation of training programmes on dairy farming in PunjabState. Indian Res J Ext Edu 14 (1):105-108.

Sharma Manoj, Singh Gurdeep and Keshava (2014b). Feeding ofUMMB licks to dairy animals: A farmers reactive study. JKrishi Vigyan 2(2); 39-43.

Quddus M A (2012). Adoption of dairy farming technologies bysmall farm holders: practices and constraints. Bangladesh JAni Sci 41(2):124-135.



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INTRODUCTIONThe North Eastern region of India comprising

eight states namely Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripuraand Sikkim has vast physiographical variationsrepresented in 6 agro climatic zones. This regionis one of the richest reservoir of genetic variabilityand diversity of different crops i.e., various kindsof fruits, vegetables, spices, ornamental plants andalso medicinal and aromatic plants. The diversityfor horticultural crops of this region has mainlybeen managed by local farmers, often women.Considerable diversity exists among the regionalhorticultural species including variation in planttype, morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics, reactions to diseases and pests,adaptability and distribution. Apart from the

Classification and Utilization Pattern of Fruits andVegetables Available in Papum Pare District of

Arunachal PradeshH S Gangwar, P Rethy and N D Singh*

Department of ForestryNorth Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Itanagar 791 11(Arunachal Pradesh)

ABSTRACTDocumentation of species were carried out for a period of two years (2007-09) based on thestandard questionnaire to report the diversity of locally available fruits and vegetable crops indifferent agro-climatic regime in Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh. The study revealedthat a total of 36 fruit and 48 vegetable species were available in the study area. Vegetable cropswere represented by 38 genera from 19 families; however, fruit crops by 21 families from 26genera. Diversity of the species under different genera resulted that Brassica was among themost dominant genera represented by the 7 species followed by Phaseolus (3 species), Alliumand Solanum (2 species each). Large number of plants were represented by the single speciesand contributing to 71 per cent of the total species diversity. Family diversity resulted thatRutaceae was among the most dominant (7 species) family and large numbers of families weremono-specious and contributing 47 per cent of the total species richness. However, in vegetablesBrassicaceae and Cucurbitaceae were among the most dominant family and 11 families wererepresented by single species only. Utilization pattern of the crops revealed that large numbersof species were used as leafy components, followed by whole plats, fruits, inflorescence, rhizomesand tubers etc. Most of the fruit crops were used as fresh followed by fire wood, medicine andpreparation for juice, jelly, jam, beverages etc.

Key Words: Arunachal Pradesh, Availability, Fruits, Vegetable, Utilization Pattern, TraditionalKnowledge.

nutritional value, many regional horticultural cropsare used for medicinal purposes, incomegenerating and poverty alleviation programmesin the rural areas.

The per capita availability of fruits andvegetables is quite low because of post harvestlosses which account for about 25 to 30 per centof production. Besides, quality of a sizablequantity of produce also deteriorates by the timeit reaches the consumer. Perishability isresponsible for high market costs, market gluts,price fluctuations and other similar problems.

Keeping in view the growing population andto overcome the poverty and hunger, a systematicstudy was undertaken to document the cultivatedfruits and vegetable in the district in terms of

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Corresponding authors Email: [email protected]* Programme Coordinator, KVK Dirang, West Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh.


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species diversity and their utilization pattern basedon the extensive survey.

MATERIALS AND METHODSArunachal Pradesh situated in the North-

Eastern part of the country, lies between 26o 28N to 29o 31 N latitude and 91o30E to 97o30Elongitude and comprising the major part of theEastern Himalaya with a total geographical area83,743 km2. The total forest cover is about 68,847km2 accounting about 82.2 per cent of totalgeographical area of the state. Papum Pare is oneof the major and capital district of the state situatedbetween 26o55N to 28o 40 N latitude and 92o

40 E to 94o 21 E longitude with an altitudinalrange of 459 to 1250 msl covering geographicalarea of 2, 875 sq km

The present study was undertaken during theyear 2012-13. In the study area, thedocumentation of fruits and vegetables grown indifferent agro-climatic regions was done throughquestionnaire and field survey in the selectedvillage and indigenous farming communitiesacross different eco-regions and the secondaryinformation from published sources. Traditionalcultivation methods were recorded throughpersonal approach with the selected farmers andby visiting their fields. To understand and recorddata for the utility of fruits and vegetables, specieswere collected as per methodology given by Jain(1987) and Martin (1995).

Survey of villages and market places wasmade separately for complete documentation ofuses and economic potentiality of fruits andvegetables available. Information was gatheredwith the help of local interpreter by consultingvillage elders and wise men, which have profoundknowledge in the use of fruits and vegetableswealth. A detailed enquiry was made regardingdifferent plant parts used and its method of use.All the species of fruits recorded were thencategorized according to its use viz. fresh use,juice, jam, jelly, pickle, medicinal, fodder, fire-wood. For vegetables, i.e. fresh salad, cooked,soup, pickle, medicine, fodder, and others. Basedon observation in market demand and the rate ofutilization of the species by the people, theprobable highly economically potential specieswere identified for management and sustainable

utilization.


Documentation of fruits and vegetablesAltogether, 84 species were recorded in which

36 species were classified under fruits and 48species under vegetables. Thirty six species offruit crops were taxonomically represented by 21families and 26 genera whereas 48 species ofvegetable crops were represented by 19 familiesunder 37 genera (Table 1, 2). Diversity of thespecies under different genera indicated thatBrassica was among the most dominant generarepresented by the 7 species followed byPhaseolus (3 species), Allium and Solanum (2species each). Out of 84 species large numbers ofplants were represented by the single species andcontributing to 71 per cent of the total speciesdiversity (Fig. 1).

Ramachandran (2007) reported that largestcategory was the leaves and green shoot from 25species. As source of fresh fruits, trees dominantwith 20 species; shrubs 13 species and herbs 3species were also recorded. FamilyAmaranthaceae was found to be dominantamongst them with 9 species, Euphorbiaceae with6 species, Solanaceae with 5 species, Moraceaeand Tiliaceae with 3 species and the rest wererepresented by one or two species. In the IndianHimalayan Region, medicinal plants (1748), wildedibles (675), fodder (279), essential oil yieldingmedicinal and aromatic plants (118) and sacred(155) plants were reported (Samant et al 1998;Samant and Pant 2003), while in India about 2,500species of ethno-botanical importance are known(Jain, 1991). Occurrence of maximum wild ediblesin shady moist, riverine, degraded and boundaryhabitats identifies these habitats as potentialhabitats, and merit priority attention forconservation. Awareness among the villagers andmass multiplication through conventional and in-vitro methods of wild edibles facing highanthropogenic pressures and their establishmentand maintenance in the in situ and ex situconditions may help in the conservation andmanagement of these species.

Based on the species richness of the family offruit crops, Rutaceae was among the most

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dominant (7 species) family followed by Rosaceae(6 species) Moraceae (4 species) and Myrtaceae(2 species). Large numbers of families were singlespecies and contributing 47 per cent of the totalspecies richness. However, in vegetablesBrassicaceae and Cucurbitaceae were among themost dominant (8 species each) family on the basisof species diversity in the family followed byFabaceae (7 species) and Solanaceae (4 species).Three species each were recorded from thefamilies Amaranthaceae and Apiaceae whilefamilies Amaryllidaceae and Araceae wererepresented by 2 species each. Altogether, 11families were represented by single species only(Fig. 1).

Species diversity of family at genera level invegetables crop resulted similar pattern to that ofspecies richness of different family except in fewcases. Family Cucurbitaceae was among therichest (7 genera) family followed by Fabaceae(5 genera). Three families were characterized bythree genera each and two family by two genera.Diversity of genera under different families of fruitspecies shows that family Rosaceae was amongthe most important family (3 genera) followed byMoraceae, Myrtaceae and Rutaceae (2 generaeach). Seventeen families were represented bysingle genera only in the study area (Fig. 1).

Sharma et al (2013) reported a total 43 speciesof wild edible plants belonging to 25 families and33 genera form district Hamirpur, HimachalPradesh. Rosaceae (7 species) and Moraceae wereamong the dominant families; 13 families weremonotypic. Among the genera, Rubus (4 species)were dominant genera. Among the parts of plantsused, fruits of maximum species (25 species),followed by leaves (22 species), roots (13 species),bark and whole plant (8 species, each), flower,seed and wood (4 species each), tuber (2 species)and aerial part (1 species) were consumed by theinhabitants of the area. These wild edibles werealso used in the treatment of various diseases/ailments of different body organs such as skin,sex organs, stomach, teeth, throat, ear, eyes, liver,heart, nervous system, muscles, joints, bones, etc.

All the habitat groups like tree, shrub, herbsand climbers are represented by the vegetable andfruit crops. Among the fruits crops (36) the

dominant habitat is the tree and represented bymore than 90 percent species, where in case ofvegetable crops (48) the habitat is mostlyrepresented by annual herbs, shrubs and climbers.In the vegetable group the representation of treehabit is only one (Moringa oleifera). One fungusi.e. Agaricus bisporus is also been recorded as avegetable crop in the area, but limited in itscultivation.

Utilizations patternAlthough the production of cultivated

vegetable crops in the state is generally low andmajority was consumed at home leaving minimumof it is being sold. The local communities cultivateonly limited number of established vegetablecrops for their common consumption. Thecommunity largely prefers the wild plants fromthe forest to meet the vegetable demand. Thevegetables utilized at home were either eatendirect or together with other foods. Although thespecies are cultivated for vegetable purposes theyare also being utilized for other purposes likemedicine, ornamental, fodder, pickle etc (Table1). It has been found that the species like Alliumsativum, Beta vulgaris, Solanum melongena,Momordica charantia, Coriandrum sativum,Zingiber officinale are extensively used formedicine in traditional healing practices. Similarlythe species like Bambusa vulgaris, Brassicaoleracea, Praecitrullus fistulosus, Phaseolusvulgaris, Cucumis sativus, Cyamopsistetragonoloba etc are used for fodder. A fewspecies which yield vegetables are also used asornamental purposes like Amaranthus cruentus.

All such species which have other importantuses are preferred by the communities forcultivation in their home garden. The analysis ofparts used of the vegetable species revealed thatin large number (34.5%) of species of fruit andseed are used for the vegetable followed by leafyparts (15.6%), underground parts like root/rhizome/bulbs (14.5%). It has been found that 65per cent of the total species contributed by thesethree parts (Fig. 2a). The other parts used forvarious purposes were represented by 35 per centspecies which include stem, shoot, and flower.Vegetable species were grouped in to 10categories (vegetables, salad, soup, juice, pickles

Classification and Utilization Pattern of Fruits and Vegetables

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etc.) based on its uses and resulted that of the totalspecies diversity about 77 per cent species wereused for other purposes than the vegetables (Fig.2b).

The local communities of the district althoughgrow and cultivate limited number of crops, theytake interest to grow many fruit plants in the homegarden or other agricultural systems. Most of theseestablished fruit crops are not only to meet thedemand of fruits but for other uses like medicine,fodder, firewood, and religious etc. The fruits areused as fresh and also for preparation of juice,jam, soft drink, pickles, jelly, etc. However it wasobserved that these species are largely used forother purposes which include, firewood, timber,fodder, medicinal, and for worship. Various partsof the plants such as leaves, roots, inflorescences,fruits, etc. or in combination of these parts areused for various purposes (Table 2).

Among the different plant parts used forvarious purposes in the 34 fruit crop species, itwas recorded that the fruit (38%) was mostfrequently used part followed by whole plant(34.7%), leaves/bud (15.8%) (Fig. 3a). Thecollected plant species were also grouped as perthe use for various purposes for day to dayrequirements of the local inhabitants as well asfor marketability. Utilization pattern revealed that,out of the 36 species recorded from the study area,about 30.5 per cent species were used fresh orjuice while medicinal values were reported by 13.2per cent and 27 per cent species having firewood/fodder values (Fig. 3b). The ripen fruits whichare used for fruit purposes, the different parts ofthe fruit like, mesocarp, endocarp, seeds,endosperms are used. However in majority of thecases the fleshy and juicy mesocarp is beingconsumed. Various parts of these majority of the

Fig. 1. Family diversity of species and genera of fruit and vegetable species in district Papum Pare.

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species like Aegle marmelos, Averrhoacarambola, Emblica officinalis, Punica granatum,Prunus armeniaca, P. avium, Pyrus communis,Tamarindus indica, Syzygium cumini etc. arecommonly used as medicinal. At the same timethe species of Artocarpus heterophyllus and Caricapapaya are mostly consumed as vegetable.

Several wild relatives of cucurbits and gourdswere reported with significant genetic variabilityand these vegetables are consumed (Sirohi et al2005; Ram et al 2002; Singh et al 2012). Squash

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