Cultivation of vegetables and fodder in rice fields

THE AGRONOMY, soils and agroforestry division of Central Agricultural Research Institute at Port Blair has developed a state of the art technology to grow vegetables and fodder in rice fields.

The technology involves making of broad beds and furrows alternatively in rice fields.

Broad beds are made in the shape of inverted trapezium by digging soil from either side of the broad bed and putting it in the bed area by cut and fill method.

The excavated depressed area is used for rice cultivation and the raised broad bed area which is above the water level of the paddy fields are used for cultivating any seasonal vegetable or fodder crop during monsoon period.

The beds of 4-5m wide and furrows of 6-7m wide were found suitable for this system of cultivation. The broad beds are stabilized by planting two rows of hybrid napier on the ridges on either side.

After the rice is harvested the rice area can be planted with medium duration vegetables in the month of December and can extend up to the end of March depending upon the stored moisture availability in the rice furrows.

The broad bed area can be used for either 3 crops rotation of two medium and one short duration crop like bhindi - brinjal - radish from mid April to mid January or for single long duration crop like ginger or turmeric from May to January or perennial fodder crop like hybrid napier.

On such beds vegetables like french bean, cow pea, tomato, capsicum, chilies, cluster bean can be successfully cultivated. After harvesting of rice in the furrows, the area can be used to grow pulses or oil seed crops, besides vegetables.

This technology envisages efficient crop rotation and nutrient management besides restricting pest migration from one vegetable bed to another due to the presence of fodder and rice in between them.

Further it provides a giant African snail attack free zone for vegetables, as they do not invade rice fields. Bacterial wilt can be controlled effectively by manipulating the soil reaction through liming or by growing wilt resistant cultivars.

All this technology being practiced in rice fields provides bright sunshine for growing crops.

The system also increases the cropping intensity from the present level of 100 in the rice to 300 in the beds and 200 in the furrows of the Broad-Bed-Furrow System.

The initial cost incurred on land manipulation is easily returned back from vegetables produced in one season.

The technology helps in replacing 40 per cent of the rice area with vegetables and fodder and also assures continuous supply of fodder and vegetables during peak monsoon period in these islands.

A.N. Ganeshmurthy, R.P.Dubey & A.K. Nair Central Agricultral Research Institute, Port Blair - 744 101, Andamans

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Science & Tech
Previous : Distinct greengram variety