Introduction
In India total geographical land is about 306 mha under which degraded land is about 187mha and cultivable land has marginally declined from 183.5 million hectare to 181.9 million hectare. Non-Agriculture land are increasing day by day, under these conditions, there is less chances to bring additional area for cultivation for increasing population and food grain production. In this situation many lands are left barren and many lands are in alkaline conditions due to its salinity plants cannot grow in that land as it doesn’t get proper nutrients and water. Now only way for getting these lands into cultivable is by improving with good management practices and new scientific methods for improvement.
Overview
MS Subrahmanyam Raju, a Hyderabad based farmers has improved many alkaline lands into cultivable lands with good outcome of yields and he has encouraged many farmers with his techniques and teachings. He has converted lakhs of acres alkaline land which was unfit for cultivation now has become cultivable land.
Mr Raju along with many farmers conducted experiments in places like Raichur district in Karnataka, Vikarabad District in Telangana and Nellore of Andhra Pradesh state. They were successful in cultivation of crops in alkaline soil with good yield.
In Raichur district of Karnataka Mr Raju has converted nearly 150 acres of land growing crops organically which yielded with good outcome of crops.
Mr Raju established HEART Trust including their farmers and other friends. Aim of this trust was to spread awareness on how to utilize degraded land not only about this but many more things about healthily lifestyle Environment, Agriculture, Rural Development and Tourism development.
Dry land or alkaline soil are compacted in nature and they readily do not absorb water and hence seed germination doesn’t take place and if plants are well established they don’t get proper nutrients as PH higher is availability micronutrients like Zinc, Manganese, Copper and Iron will get reduced. This causes nutrient deficiency in plants and chlorosis takes place inside the veins. Iron deficiency is a major problem deficiency in alkaline soils.
Alkaline soil contains extreme amount of sodium, calcium and soil becomes less soluble. Colloidal complex is deflocculated and dispersed. The clay soil gets swelling and chokes the soil pores. Hence, permeability to water and air is poor. The presence of free sodium carbonate will be toxic and effect on plant roots. Also, the high pH and poor physical condition of soil adversely affect plant growth.
To reclaim this soil they utilized sulphur oxidising bacteria, biological treatment with this bacteria changes the soil’s structure and it increases activity of microbes and it provides more amount of microorganisms, organic matter and this matter produces large amount of organic acid. By this treatment salt content and PH can be reduced in the soil. For nutritional deficiency they utilized material prepared with a mixture of fish amino acid, chicken egg amino acid, sugarcane, Jaggery, soybean, sesame, buttermilk and bacteria. Spraying should be done at every fortnight. This mixture can be prepared at farmer’s house with low cost materials.
Conclusion
Million hectares land are left barren or degraded in India. Many farmers are having large scale barren land which will be left unsown, they should utilize this lands with proper scientific methods like applying Gypsum or using biological treatment with sulphur oxidizing bacteria which can lower PH of soil and which also reduced soluble salts in soil thus benefitting land for cultivation. As population is increasing in upcoming future there would be shortage of land and situation might appear to utilize these left barren lands for cultivation.
