Bhubaneswar: Agriculture scientists from the Khurda Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) have now demonstrated ways to utilise plastic in growing vegetables to increase its yield with limited investments.
Experts claimed that farmers as well as urban dwellers can use this technology termed ‘mulching’ to reduce the amount of water needed for irrigation. They also claimed that it can also help in improving the yield besides early germination.
“The technology can help us in reducing wastage of close to 60 per cent of water. The use of plastic ensures that there is less evaporation of irrigation water. Weed around the plants could also be avoided with this technique. This helps in controlling soil moisture,” said PN Ananth, Senior Scientist and Head, KVK, Khurda, managed by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) and Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA).
The agri scientists at KVK said that this technology can be used in making parallel protruding soil elevations. They are first given manure and fertilizers. A drip irrigation pipe is then fitted to ensure precise administration of water which is essential for the growth of the plant.
After these arrangements, the soil elevation bridges are covered with plastic sheets and small pores are made in a zig zag manner. Seeds or small saplings could be sowed on these pores.
“We have been experimenting with this technique for two years. We have seen very good results. Not only does it help in reducing wastage of water but also aids early germination of the plant,” said Surendra Singh, Subject Matter Specialist at KVK, Khurda.
He also added, “We also use vertical nets over the covered soil bridges which help vine trees to expand easily.”
According to the experts, vegetables like ridge gourd, tomato, brinjal, cowpea, bitter gourd and others are grown successfully in this technology. The KVK experts also said that this could also be used in roof-top farming with some manipulations.
According to the KVK, with the threat of water scarcity looming large, such modes of sustainable farming can be adopted en masse. KVK claims that after training, several farmers from the district have started using this technology and yielding good results.
Manish Kumar, OP