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| KVK minimized losses to paddy crop through field demonstrations | | | Dr Narinder Paul
For the last three years,farmers of Thalsara and
Droundi villages of Bhalla Tehsil of District Doda were suffering huge losses to the tune of 80-90 percent to their paddy crop because of occurrence of a disease unknown to them. Many farmers had left paddy cultivation and others were planning to give it up due to the menace. They lacked of awareness about the disease and moreover farmers were in a firm as whom to approach for the management of the disease which further aggravated the situation. Meanwhile, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Doda, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-J) incorporated these two villages in their cluster villages and team of scientists from KVK Doda visited there for baseline survey and collection of basic village data. During interaction with the farmers of Droundi and Thalsara, this major problem of disease in paddy crop came into the cognizance of the scientists. Farmers only wanted one thing from the scientist which was the control of that major disease so that they could fearlessly continue its cultivation without any loss. A team was constituted by Dr R.S. Bandral Senior Scientist KVK Doda comprising of Dr Narinder Paul, Dr Amit Singh Charak and Dr B. Brahma Scientist of KVK to address the issue.
During the preliminary investigation and interaction with the farmers, the team of scientist confirmed that the disease which has been affecting the paddy crop for last 3-4 years was paddy blast-a fungal disease. A strategy was formulated by KVK Doda to curb the disease at different levels of crop cycle during Kharif-2015. Awareness programmes for the farmers regarding the disease and methods of its management were planned and conducted in the villagers much before the raising of paddy nurseries during the months of March-April, 2015. One month before the time of sowing nurseries in the village, training programmes and method demonstration on the seed treatment of the paddy with trycyclazole and cabendazim were conducted and a movement in these two villages was set for sowing the treated seed for raising nurseries. Many farmers adopted seed treatment before sowing the seed. Thereafter, they were apprised of the symptoms of the disease and advised to frequently visit their fields and monitor their crops for symptoms. It was also advised to immediately report KVK scientists if any symptom appears in the paddy fields in the villages.
On receiving information from some of the farmers about the symptoms of the disease, the team came into action. It organized demonstrations on preparation of fungicidal solution and method of application of solution in the farmers' fields by the scientists themselves. Moreover, KVK also provided Tryclazole, a fungicide recommended for the management of paddy blast as critical input to the farmers willing to cooperate in the Front Line Demonstrations on management of paddy blast. A paddy growing cluster of 120 kanal in the village Thalsara was selected with the consent of both the villages where demonstrations were laid out to practically teach and convince the farmers to adopt scientific management of paddy blast in their own fields by KVK scientists. This demonstration cluster acted as field laboratory for the scientists and a live teaching aid for farmers. Regular monitoring was done and farmers were fully satisfied that disease did not occur and no loss to their crops incurred. Moreover, farmers were convinced about the utility of the technology.
"This year no damage to our crops has occurred due to disease", says Narinder Singh a farmers of village Thalsara. Hoshiyar Singh, another farmer who also owns an essentials shop in the village opines, "This a very unique and practical way to teach the farmers who are generally less educated and many are illiterate by physically demonstrating the agriculture technology by the scientists in their own fields." "Farmers are quite ecstatic over the intervention of KVK which through awareness, trainings and demonstrations enable them to reduce their losses in paddy crop to 86 percent this year, crop has been harvested and losses have been avoided", says Mohd. Shaffi, member panchayat of village Droundi.
A significant outcome of the approach is that the farmers have learnt how to prevent and control the disease in future. During the Kharif Kissan Mela-2015 held by KVK at Berreru, farmers' representatives who spoke on the occasion informed the people the efforts made by KVK Doda in making them aware of the major disease of paddy. Prem Raj, retired school teacher and chief volunteer of the KVK Farmer Club, Droundi while speaking confirmed that the farmers were desperate because of frequent crop damages because of the disease and subsequent losses. However, scientists from KVK Doda pinned a ray of hope. They not only made them aware of the disease but also laid out demonstrations in the panchayat on the management of the disease through chemicals. During the next Kharif season, KVK is planning to replicate the methodology to other areas of the district.
-- (The Author is Scientist at KVK SKUAST-J, Doda) |
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