That Tamil Nadu has bagged the Krishi Karman Award for 2013-2014 from the Central Government for increased food production is not news anymore.
But what is, is the technological, varietal interventions from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) and the support it gave to the Agriculture Department to increase the cultivable area under pulses and yield in the State.
The University Vice-Chancellor K. Ramasamy says the University introduced a new variety of red gram (tur dal) - Co.R.G. 7 around five years ago - and asked farmers to follow transplantation system just as they did for paddy. In areas like Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri, it asked farmers to go in for drip irrigation, fertigation. It gave farmers benefit. The University also promoted the C 06 variety black gram (urad dal) that saw quick takers in farmers and also traders as the quality saw better tasting idli and vada , he adds.
Aside from newer varieties, which brought down the crop cycle from 180 days to 60 days – 120 days depending on the pulse cultivated, the University joined hands with farmers to multiply pulses seeds through participatory approach, encouraged taking up system of pulse intensification cultivation, recommended the right foliar nutrition and suggested adopting integrated pest management techniques, says J.R. Kannan Bapu, Professor and Head, Department of Pulses, TNAU.
The techniques meant that the farmers need not employ workers three or four times to harvest pulses. They could employ the workers once as the new varieties promoted were synchronised maturing ones. This minimised the farmers’ labour cost.
Mr. Bapu says one more reason for farmers taking up pulses cultivation in good number was the adaptability of the new varieties – the farmers could cultivate it round the year and also as an intercrop.
Along with introducing new varieties, the TNAU also asked farmers to use herbicides, foliar nutrition (to increase flowering content) and ‘TNAU Pulse Wonder’, a spray to boost production. These helped increase the yield.
The TNAU reports suggest that the average pulses yield went up from 223 kg an acre in 2011-12 to 294 kg an acre in 2014-15. (The figure for 2014-15 includes advance estimates). And, the area from 6.68 lakh hectare in 2011-12 to over nine lakh ha this year.
Red gram farmer from Coimbatore B. Ranganathan says that the yield from Co.R.G. 7 is at least three quintals more an acre than the old ADT 5 variety. It dips marginally when cultivated in December, though.
