ICAR Rabi season Agro Advisory for Jharkhand

Wheat

• Improved varieties:
  
  • Timely irrigated condition: HD3249; HD3086; K1006; K0307; Birsa Gehu-3; HD2967; DBW39; HI1612; NW5052; Karan Bandana; (DBW187); Raj 4120; NW5054; K9107; PBW443; HD2733; CBW 38 & HI 1556.
  • Timely unirrigated condition: K1317; HD3171; HI1612.
  • Late irrigated condition: HI1563; DBW 107; HD3118; HD2985; DBW-14; PBW373; HD 2643; WR544 & RAJ 3765.
  • Rani-fed Condition: HI1612; K1317; HD3171 & K8027.
• Sowing time: Wheat is generally sown on timely irrigated condition 1st week of October, timely unirrigated condition 2nd week of November and Late irrigated condition 1st week of December and Rainfed condition last week October to 1st week November.
• Requirement of seed: for timely sowing is 100 kg/ha and for late sowing of wheat 125 kg/ha for getting optimum plant population. Seed treatment should be done with carbendazim @ 2.0g/kg seed. Sowing should be done in lines sowing at a spacing of 20-22 cm x 10 cm.
• Application of fertilizer: In timely irrigated condition 150:60:40 Kg/ha (NPK), in late irrigated condition 90:30:20 Kg/ha (NPK) should be applied. Half of N and entire dose of P & K should be given at the time of sowing and remaining N in two equal doses at 21 DAS and 45 DAS, respectively. About 5 to 10 tonnes of FYM or compost should be applied per hectare at the time of land preparation.
• Irrigation: Proper irrigation is most essential for wheat. Six irrigations at 20-25 DAS (crown root initiation stage), 40-45 DAS (tillering stage), 70-75 DAS (late jointing stage), 90-95 DAS (flowering stage) and 110-105 DAS (milking stage).
• Weed Control: Wheat field should be kept weed free particularly at the early stage of growth apply pendimethalin 30 EC @ 1.5 litre/acre for pre-emergence at under 2 or 3 days sowing of wheat for controlling broad leaved weed, spray 2,4-D @ 0.5 to 1 kg per hectare in about 600 liters of water after 4-5 weeks of sowing for narrow leaf weed- sulphosulfuran 33 ml/ha at 30 to 35 DAS.

Gram

• Improved Varieties: GNG 1958, KGP 59, KWR 108, Pusa 372, Pusa Chana 1021, HK4 (HK 05-169), HK 94-134, KAK-2, Birsa Chana-3, Pusa 256, GCP105, DCP92-3, PG-186 & BG1053.
• Seed rate: About 70 to 85 kg/ha seed is required depending on seed size. The seed should be placed 8-10 cm deep 30X10 cm spacing. Seed treatment with carbendazim 50 WP @ 2 gm/kg seed. Seed inoculation of pulse crops with Rhizobium and PSB bio-fertilizer each @ 20g/kg seed.
• Nutrient management: 25:50:25:20 Kg/ha (NPKS) as basal dose should be given on sowing time. Nipping must be done 35 to 45 days after sowing.
• Water Management: Chickpea is mostly sown as rainfed crop in. However, where irrigation facilities are available, a pre-sowing irrigation should be given. It will ensure proper germination and good crop growth. If winter rains fail, give one irrigation at preflowering stage and one at pod development stage. A light irrigation should be given because heavy irrigation is always harmful to chickpea crop.
• Weed management: One hand weeding or inter culture with hand hoe or wheel hoe after 25-30 days and second after 60 days of sowing. fluchloralin 1 Kg per hectare in 800-1000 liters of water as pre-planting spray may be used for affective weed control.
• Insect Pests management: For management of Pod Borer spray spinosad 45 SC @ 0.1 ml/lit or indoxacarb 14.5 SC @ 0.3 ml/Lit or quinolphos @ 1.5 Liter/ha or flubendiamide 48 SC 0.1 ml/lit or Novacuron 10 EC 1 ml/lit of water.
• Disease management: For management of Wilt treat the seed before sowing with Tricodarma 5gm + carboxsin 1 gm/Kg seeds and benlate or mixture of benlate of thiram (1:1) at the rate of 2.5g per kg Seed. Rouge out the infected plants from the field. Grow resistant cultivars such as Pusa 372, BG1053, HK94-134, DCP92-3and GCP-105. It generally appears after 3 weeks of sowing. Crop rotation should be maintained for 3 years.

Lentil

• Lentil is one of the important pulse crops which is grown as rainfed farming.
• Manure and fertilizers: If available about 25 to 50 q of well decomposed organic manure like FYM or compost should be incorporated in case of very light soils at the time of land preparation. Apply 25:50:25:20 Kg/ha (NPKS) to support optimum growth and yield.
• Improved varieties: HUL 57; WBL77; KLS 218; PL 406; IPL 406; Mallik (K75); Arun (PL77-12); PL639; Narendra Masur-1; Shiwalik (L4076); BR25 and BR26.
• Seed rate: The optimum seed rate for normal crop is 30 kg/ha. Seed rate should be increased to 40 kg/ha in case of late sowing.
• Seed treatment: Treat the seed with carbendazim 50WP @ 2g/kg seed followed by T. viride @ 8-10 g/kg to control wilt.
• Sowing time and method of sowing: The crop may be sown between 15 October to 15 November. The crop should be sown in lines at 25 x 8 cm.
• Irrigation requirement: The crop is mostly grown in rainfed areas. It can tolerate drought condition to some extent. It requires 1-2 irrigations depending upon the rains during the growing season. First irrigation should be given 25 to 30 DAS while second should be given 40-45 DAS.
• Weed management: Lentil being slow in growth in early stage, suffers adversely from competition with weeds. The period from 30 to 60 days after sowing is most crucial for competition with weeds. One or two weeding 30 to 60 days after sowing are enough. Weedicide like fluchoralin 45 EC 2 lit/ha or imazethapyr 400-600 ml, in 800-1000 litre of water or alachlor 50 EC @ 2 lit/ha should be sprayed at the time of final planking or 1 or 2 days after sowing.
• Plant Protection insect Pest: Not many insects damage lentil crop. Hairy cater pillar, semi-looper and pod borer do some damage. Hair caterpillar and semi lopper can be controlled by spraying dimethoate 30EC @ 2 ml/ litre water, for the control of pod borer, spray spinosad 45 SC 0.5 ml/ litre. To control termite in lentil crop spray chlorpyriphos 20 EC @ 4ml/litre water.

Mustard

• Soil: Light to heavy soil is good for mustard and rapeseed cultivation. Rai can be grown in all type of soil, whereas loam to heavy soil is suitable for toria crop.
• Improved varieties:
  
  • Toria: PT203; Panchali; PB737
  • Mustard: Pusa Mustard 25; Pusa Mustard 28; Pusa Mustard 30; NRCHB 101; Siwani T59 (Varuna); Pusa Agrani.
• Optimum sowing time: optimum time for sowing of mustard crop is 15 Oct. to 15 Nov and Toria crop complete sowing time 15 Sept. to 15 Oct. when rapeseed – mustard grown as intercrop, time of sowing a depend upon cultivation of main crop.
• Spacing: for rapeseed mustard keep row to row distance of 30 cm while plant to plant distance of 10-15 cm, seeds are sown at depth of 2 cm.
• Seed Requirement: when rapeseed mustard is grown individually then it requires seed rate of 3.75kg per ha but general recommendation is 5Kg/ha. Do thinning operations three week after sowing and maintain only healthy seeding. To protect seed from seed borne disease before sowing do seed treatment with thiram @ 3g per kg of seeds.
• Application of FYM & Fertilizer: while preparing field, apply 50 to 100q FYM or well decomposed compost in soil. Application of fertilizer for Toria as 50:25:25:20 Kg/ha (NPKs) and for Rapeseed –Mustard as 80:60:40:20 Kg/ha (NPKS) on soil test value basis.
• Weed management: To control weeds take two to three weeding and or 2 hoeing at interval of two weeks when intensity of weed is low. To control weed in Rapeseed & Mustard crop, do pre-plant incorporation of Trifluralin @ 1000 ml/500 liter of water per ha., give pre-emergence spray of isoproturon @ 100g/500 liter within 2 days of sowing.
• Irrigation: Give pre sowing irrigation before sowing of seeds for good growth, crop required in general about three irrigations apply at interval of three weeks after sowing. Apply good quantity of organic manures in soil, it will help to conserved moisture in soil.
• Plant Protection: Aphids suck the sap and plant get weak pale and plant remain stunted and in later stage do not bear pods. To manage, do timely sowing of crop. Avoid excessive use of Nitrogenous fertilizer, when infection is observed in field, take spray of thiamethoxam @ 80 g or imidacloprid 17.8 SL 0.3ml/ litre. White pustules of white rust are observed on leaves, stem and on flowers. Swelling of affected part is observed. To manage this disease spray with Metalaxyl 8% + Mancozeb 64% @ 2 g/lit water or copper oxychloride @ 2.5 g/litre of water should be done twice at the interval of 10-15 days.

Livestock and Poultry

• The Livestock and Poultry houses should be properly ventilated to avoid various respiratory problem smell of ammonia, which may predispose in animals
• Livestock should be kept clean, dry and warm with proper bedding material to avoid contact with cold surface during winter.
• The animal houses should be protected from smoke from fires which are lit to provide warmth. The smoke and dust increase chance to develop pneumonia.
• The houses of Livestock and Poultry should be fully opened during daytime for expos use to sunlight of animal shed. Provide them clean and warm water for drinking every part of animal house to sunlight.
• Newborn animals are more prone to cold stress during winter, therefore provide jute coat them until they start eating concentrate.
• Poultry shed should be preheated during winter before introducing day old chicks.
• Adequate arrangement for drainage of water should be made to avoid water logging in and around the house.
• Spray ectoparasiticidal drugs on animal body surface and in Cattleyard/Pashushala to avoid haemoprotozoal diseases.
• Different varities of Berseem (Vardan, Mascavi and BL-42) and Oat (Kent, Oat-9 and JHO- 851) can be cultivated for use as fodder for livestock.
• The sowing of Fodder (Berseem) should be after seed treatment with rhizobium culture.
• Sowing of oat to be done in October for obtaining maximum yield.
• The surplus green fodder can be dried in sunny days for making Hay, which may be used during lean period.
• The animals should be fed mineral mixture @ 50-60 g/day/cattle or buffalo and balance concentrate mixture @ 1.25-1.5 kg/day/animal for maintenance purpose.
• The kids above four months of age should be vaccinated with PPR vaccine.
• Cattle and buffaloes should be vaccinated for FMD, Haemorrhagic Septicaemia Black Quarter etc. The age of first vaccination should be 4-6 month and it should be repeated every six months for FMD and annually in case of Haemorrhagic Septicaemia and Black Quarter. The female calf should be vaccinated once for brucellosis at the age of 4-8 months with s19 strain vaccine.
• Vaccinate Poultry bird against different bacterial and viral disease Ranikhet Disease, IBD, Mareks disease, Infectious bronchitis, Fowl pox, Fowl cholera etc. as per vaccination schedule
• The poultry and calf feed should be added with coccidiostat to avoid problems of coccidiosis.
• The Mastitis in animals can be prevented with following clean milk production practice.
• The animals should not be allowed to graze near pond and lakes to protect the animals from internal parasitic infestation.
• To avoid formation of litter cake, dampness and bad smell in poultry house, daily raking of litter and mixing of lime powder is required.

Fisheries

The advisories categorized below in the context of COVID-19 include scientifically proven best management practices related to fisheries to be followed by the farmers during Rabi season to achieve expected production potential sustainably following maximum profit & nutritional security.

Pre-stocking management

• Interested farmers can construct new fishponds during this period. Generally, rectangular ponds of clayey loam soil with 1.5-2.5m depth and having a slope ratio of 2:1 is considered ideal.
• Maintain water depth up-to 6-7 ft (i.e., 2m), to provide space for fishes in warmer bottom layer of pond during winter.
• Fluctuation in photosynthetic activity during rabi season caused due to decrease in day length and light intensity results in reduced oxygen level. Therefore, to maintain dissolved oxygen level within 6.5-8 mg/l, it is advised to aerate ponds with aerators or by water exchange using submersible pump.
• Eradicate unwanted weeds and aquatic insects by manual and mechanical method at regular time interval.
• Organic and inorganic fertilization doses should be provided as per soil and water quality parameters. Avoid fertilization if water turns muddy or dark colored and transparency reduces.

Stocking management

• Always purchase good quality fish seeds from certified hatchery.
• Condition the fishes by loosening the mouth of plastic bag and gradually dip the bag for free flowing after 15-20 minutes.
• Avoiding overstocking of fishes. The optimum stocking density varies between 7500-8000 fingerlings per ha.
• Encourage composite fish culture of different fish species at recommended stocking rates. Generally, six (6) species carp culture is the most adopted one in Bihar- which includes Catla: Rohu: Mrigal: Silver carp: Common carp: Grass carp at the ratio 1.5:2:1.5:1.5:1.5:2.
• Introduce small indigenous fishes like pothia, mola, murrels (murrai), etc in fishpond. As, estimated 1 kg of small indigenous fishes contains 1000-fold more of vitamin content with respect to other large-sized culture fishes.
• Diversify candidate species for freshwater fish culture- Amur carp, Jayanti Rohu, Pacu, Mono sex Tilapia, Puntius gonionotus, Bighead carp, Magur, Pabda, giant river prawn etc.
• Construct polyhouse from low cost and locally available materials to grow adult prawns from post larvae in seasonal ponds. Polyhouse helps to maintain temperature when air temperature drops; hence considered beneficial for high-cost fishes like Macrobrachium rosenbergii (Giant river prawn).

Post-stocking management

• Maintain water pH within 6.5-7.5. If the level lowers apply lime and if it tends to be in a higher end than optimum level apply gypsum.
• Avoid feeding when temperature drops to 10°C.
• Generally, fish growth minimizes from mid-November to February due to lower metabolic rate and regains back as the temperature rises.
• Monitor fishes by netting the pond once within 15 days and provide bath treatment using potassium permanganate solution.
• Whenever any unusual fish behaviour is noticed, take immediate precaution to overcome those. For example, when fishes start irregular movement and comes near surface water for gasping, such condition depicts low oxygen concentration in fishpond and immediate aeration is required.
• Fishes are more prone to common fish diseases of bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral such as tail or fin rot, dropsy, gill fluke, EUS and fungal. Therefore, an immediate measure to treat the fishes is required thus it is advised to treat the pond with CIFAX @ 1l/ha just before the onset of winters. Also, apply potassium permanganate @ 3-5 kg/ha or limestone @ 150-200 kg/ha. Salt solution may also be treated in pond @ 250 kg/ha which proves beneficial in protecting fish against disease outbreak during winters.

Fish based Integrated Farming System

Horticulture - Duck based fish farming is considered the best
model among all available options in Bihar for income generation
round the year.
Stocking density of ducks- 200-300 per ha, adequate to produce
manure and serve as bio-aerator for fishpond.

Biofloc farming

• Considered as new technology for farmers who does not possess land for pond construction.
• Minimal or zero water exchange system of fish farming thus utilizing wastewater.
• Suitable species for this farming system is Pangas, Magur, Kawai, Tilapia and Common carp. To construct biofloc set-up of 7 tanks of 4m dia and 1.5 m height, an amount of Rs. 7-8 lakh is required.
• Major constraint in this technique is 24X7 electricity connection.

Cage culture in large reservoirs

• An important water resource (chaurs and mauns of Bihar) to tap the fish production potential.
• Cage culture may be promoted at places having a water depth of 10m round the year with 1000 ha or more water spread area.

Harvesting

• Crafts used for fish catching must be washed with soap solution followed by 5 min dip treatment with 1% Sodium hypochlorite solution and leave it for drying.
• Gears involved in fish catching should be treated with disinfectants or with home-made neem solution after every use.
• During craft operation, a maximum of two persons will be allowed for fishing in freshwater bodies.
• Indigenous boats operating in each area need to follow the rules of keeping 3m safe distance while fishing.

Marketing and transport guidelines

• Fish landing centres may be cleaned using bleaching powder (Calcium hypochlorite) or by Sodium hypochlorite.
• Fish auction points or whole seller market timing may be constricted to avoid unnecessary gatherings.
• Sanitize insulated/ refrigerated trucks at the entry point for interstate transits.
• Wash and sanitize the small- sized transport vehicles on daily basis.
• Adopt Matsya Bandhu- a solar based mobile refrigerated vehicle designed by Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa for fish retailers to avoid distress sale in late hours. The vehicle in eco-friendly and could easily be used to sell fishes in a hygienic way at doorstep.
• Along with the above guidelines, the fishermen and all the stakeholders are advised to abide by the general guidelines of personal hygiene- i.e., wearing mask during all the activities, washing hands with soap at regular intervals, keeping safe distance with others and follow 14 days’ quarantine, if tested COVID positive or has travelled (migrant workers) from other states.

Source : ICAR Rabi agro-advisory for farmers