Prof R D Gupta
Jammu and Kashmir State has been endowed with diversified nature of physiographic features, climatic conditions and soil characteristics. Accordingly different agroclimatic zones viz, subtropical irrigated and subtropical unirrigated, subtemperate, temperate and cold arid, are suitable for growing of wide variety of crops and domesticating animals.
The submountain tract of Jammu Province (32017′ to 34011′ N and 73035′ to 76046′ E) lying in the Outer Himalayas or Siwaliks of Jammu and Kashmir, is situated between northeastern and southwestern sides of National Highway NHIA. The area arising from Punjab Plains with gentle slope and touching with a low hilly country having elevation from more than 300 m to 1000 m, consisting of Siwalik system of rocks, reflecting undulating and rugged topography which extends from Kathua through Jammu to Udhampur and Doda, and Rajouri and Poonch districts.
The annual average rainfall is 1000 mm, bulk of which occurs during monsoon period. However, rainfall is uncertain, poorly distributed, erratic. This results in paucity of available water for plant growth due to excessive runoff, and high evaporative demand of the atmosphere, and availability of drinking water. The mean maximum and minimum temperatures are 39.9 and 23.40 Celsius in summer and 26.5 and 6.50 Celsius in winter.
About 78 per cent of the farmers are marginal having size of land holdings less than 1 ha and 14 per cent small having size of land holding 1 to 2 ha. Hundred per cent of the farmers use organic manures like FYM, compost and green manure in their fields for crop production.
Cropping systems
Predominant foodgrain crops grown in the area are maize, peal millet, rice, wheat and barley. Rice is mostly grown as rainfed crop.Pulses like black gram, cowpeas, green gram and gram, and oilseeds like mustard and sesame are also grown. Besides each of the farmer reserves some portion of his holdings for raising vegetables like potato, tomato, onion, ginger.
Manures and fertilizer inputs
There is limited use of fertilizer in the studied area. The common practice adopted by the majority of the farmers is to apply FYM which ever is available to them. Some of the farmers practise green manuring also. In some cases, the nomadic Gujjars and Bakerwals are allowed to keep their cattle in the fields when these are fallowed. The cattle dung and urine during penned period, is thus, incorporated in the fields which enriches the soil fertility.
Many of the farmers after sowing the crops, apply urea as top dressing and do not use phosphatic and potassic fertilizers as basal dose. Use of nitrogenous fertilizers alone (urea) without those of phosphatic and potassic has resulted in changing of soil pH from alkaline neutral to acidic especially in sloppy areas and other properties including an accumulated of nitrates in the underground water, lakes and other waterbodies.
Nutrient management and indigenous problems
(i) Existing problems : As functions of nitrogen (N) cannot be performed by application of phosphorus (P) and those of P cannot be performed by K, so balanced use of fertilizers in terms of N, P and K is a must to augment the crop yield and to maintain the soil health. It has further been supported by the results of long-term effect of plant nutrients that response to added N declined sharply without P and that of P without K fertilizer. Thus, imbalanced use of fertilizers by the farmers has not only rendered the soils acidic, but has damaged the productivity of agricultural land in the long run, thereby calling bad names to fertilizers. Imbalanced use of fertilizers can be well documeted by scrutinizing the N,P,K ratio of Jammu region which has been worked out to be 66.5:18:1 against 4:2:1.
There is deficiency of organic matter in most of the soils vis-a-vis deficiency of available P and N as all the fields do not obtain FYM due to its limited availability. Soil erosion is a main problem because of rugged topography and bare steep slopes. Even in a field having slope of 2 per cent, there is loss of surface soil to the extent of 103 tonnes ha-1 with loss of large amount of plant nutrients. Calcareousness and salinity, and deficiency of zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) in soils growing maize and citrus are the other infirmities in the area.
(ii) Indigenous solution : As already stated that fertility status of the soils is replenished by using FYM, compost and green manuring. Green manuring is done during early part of the monsoon by growing sunhemp (Crotolaria junceae). However, it is worthwhile to mention that FYM and compost are not prepared in the pits but are prepared in open pits in the fields. This results in heavy loss of plant nutrients through leaching, drainage and gaseous forms.
The indigenous technology followed by the farmers to conserve soil, its nutrients and moisture is through contour bunding and terracing of the land, as well as following of vegetative barriers, i.e the terraced bunds are utilized for growing of suitable grasses, fodder trees and bushes.
In the eroded/degraded and denuded lands, shrubs such as Vitex negundo, Ipomea crassicaulis, Dodonae viscoasa and Carissa spinarum have been found useful in controlling soil erosion and runoff losses. Grewia optiva, Bauhinia variegata, Butea monosperma, different species of Acacia and Albizia, are some of the preferred fodder trees.
Although use of fertilizers and pesticides has ushered “Green Revolution” in the country, yet it posed imbalanced growth in different regions coupled with ecological disturbances. Benefits of Green Revolution were, however, confined to 37 percent of the area having irrigation facilities and 63 percent rainfed area remained poor. Moreover, use of nitrogenous fertilizer alone without phosphatic and potassic fertilizers caused deficiency in secondary and micro-nutrients, resulted in changing of soil pH and accumulation of NO3 in underground water. The use of organic manures, on the other hand, has proved useful in sustainable agriculture and in saving and environment from being further detrimented. The organic manures are, however, available in limited quantity and have low amount of nutrients to meet the requirement of various crops. So, their use must be blended with chemical fertilizers. Accordingly, Dryland Agricultural Research Sub-station, Rakh Dhiansar, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu, developed an appropriate technology i.e a model for Integrated Nutrient Management (INM). This model supplies nutrients for keeping soil resources more productive in maize-wheat-based cropping system.
This model evinces that application of FYM (10 tonnes
ha-1) alone gave lower yield but when it was supplement with 30 or 60 kg N ha-1, the yield of maize and wheat increased over control as well as with an application of 10 t FYM ha-1. The yield of these treatments was also increased when compared with farmer’s practice (4tFYM+20 kg N ha-1).
The above said technology was further refined for application of FYM with NPK use. Results of “On Farming Testing” at four different locations in Kandi belt of Jammu for three years on maize showed that when FYM was applied with N, P2O5 and K2O fertilizers, there was increase in the yield of maize (Gupta et al, 2001). The maximum yield was realized with recommended N, P2O5 and K2O, followed by half through N,P2O5 and K2 O5 + half through FYM, the minimum being in case of farmer’s practice. “On Farming Testing” in rice (IET-1410) laid out during Kharif 1999 and Kharif 2000 showed that use of 100, 50, 30 (N, P2 O5, K2O)
ha-1 gave the highest yield followed by treatment where 40 per cent of the recommended N: P2O5and K2O was applied through green manuring (31 q ha-1). With 50 per cent recommended N, P2, O5 K2O and 50 percent through FYM, the yield was 29.8 q ha-1. Green manuring with Crotolaria juncea or Sesbania aculeata during onset of monsoon with 70 kg DAP and after 45 days, its incorporation enhanced about 30 per cent wheat yield without applying any additional fertilizer to wheat.
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