Crop loss owing to micro-nutrient deficiencies in the post-flood scenario of the hill district Wayanad is the major concern of farmers. However, a group of farmers in Nenmeni grama panchayat in the district tackled the issue on their field level demonstration plots by applying “Sampoorna KAU Multimix”, a mixture of micro-nutrients developed by the scientists of the Kerala Agricultural University.
The leaching and soil erosion in the wake of the heavy rainfall in the past two consecutive monsoons caused the loss of micro-nutrients like zinc, boron, iron, copper, manganese and molybdenum from the top soil in major parts of the district, says Aparna Radhakrishnan, Assistant Professor, Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Ambalavayal.
Micro-nutrients are vital for the proper growth of all crops and their dearth would adversely affect the yield. However, the application of the mixture in rice could mitigate micro-nutrient deficiencies in the post-flood season in the areas, she said. The situation in the district is aggravated by the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers by farmers. Soil test based nutrient application and balanced use of fertilizers was the need of the hour, Dr.Aparna said.
Sampoorna is a crop-specific formulation for rice, banana and vegetables containing all the important micro-nutrients for the growth of a plant, V.P. Indulekha, Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy, of the college said. It should be sprayed one or two days before transplanting by dissolving 5g of the formulation in one litre of water.
The application has to be repeated at 30 and 50 days after transplanting at the rate of 10g per litre of water. For broadcasted crop, it can be sprayed 20 days after sowing at the rate of 5g per litre of water. The application has to be repeated after 50 and 70 days of sowing at the rate of 10g per litre, Dr.Indulekha said.
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Wayanad, has recommended application of the innovative micro-nutrient formulation “Sampoorna KAU Multimix” for the rice farmers of Nenmeni panchayat through frontline demonstration, she said.
“My rice fields are free from yellowing which mostly affected the other padasekharams post-flood”, Vibin Mathew, a progressive farmer, said.
