ICAR Rabi season Agro Advisory for Meghalaya

Boro Paddy

• Boro paddy variety viz., Navin, Bisnuprasad, Joymati, KRH 2, DRRH 1, Swarna Ganga Red should be selected.
• Nursery raising should be done in the month of November to December.
• The field should be ploughed 3 to 4 times followed by laddering. Levelling should be done properly to retain water uniformly in the field.
• Application of FYM @ 50 quintal/ha and treatment with biofertilizer Azospirillum @ 200g/acre seedling.
• Transplanting @ 2-3 seedlings/hill should be done in the month of December to January.
• Spacing of 15-25x10-20cm should be maintained.
• Gap filling of dead hills should be done within 7- 10 days of transplanting.
• Irrigation water is to be applied to maintain 3-5 cm of standing water in the field after 2-3 days of transplanting upto 10-15 days before harvest.

Maize

• Plough the field for 2-3 times to obtain fine tilth for better and uniform germination.
• Maize variety suitable for rabi are Hybrid 4558, Hero 22, DA61, RCM 76, Vivek Hybrid etc.
• Sowing should be done in the month of last August to midSeptember.
• Application of lime @400-500kg/ha in furrows should be done to achieve higher yield due to acidic nature of soil.
• Seed rate of 25-30 kg/ha and spacing of 60 cm x 30 cm row to row and plant to plant should be maintained.
• One hand weeding and earthing up of crop at 40-45 days after sowing found to control the weed and increase crop yield.
• Mulching with rice straw or weed biomass may control weeds and conserve moisture for higher productivity.
• Harvesting should be done when the silk attains brown colouration

Rapeseed and Mustard

• Early sowing (October-November) and harvesting before the onset of frost.
• Growing of toria varieties such as M-27, TS-36, TS-46 and mustard variety PM 27, PM 28, NRCHB 101.
• Soil incorporation of Trichoderma @ 2.5 kg/ha pre incubated in 50 kg of well rotten FYM.
• Seed treatment with freshly prepared aqueous garlic bulb extract 2% or Trichoderma @ 10g/kg seed for the management of seed borne pathogens.
• Avoid narrow spacing/heavy seed rate.
• Use yellow sticky traps for mustard aphids.
• 2% neem oil or 5% NSKE is found to be effective against mustard aphid and diamond back moth.
• Practices of zero tillage mustard/pea in rice fallow to enhance the cropping intensity.
• Zero tillage cultivation of toria after rice and maize is a viable proposition which saves time, energy and reduces cost of cultivation.
• In Dry upland terraces Maize-mustard, Maize + French beanmustard, Rice – mustard and Groundnut – mustard can be grown.
• Marshy/lowland/wetland conditions (raised beds) Maize-mustard, Rice-mustard, Rice-mustard-tomato, Rice-mustard-potato can be grown.
• Intercropping on raised beds: Cabbage + mustard, Broccoli + mustard, Coriander + mustard.
• The crop should be harvested as soon as the pods turn yellowish-brown.

Rabi Vegetables

• Vegetable nursery (cole crops, tomato, brinjal, chilli) should be prepared on raised beds 15 cm high,1 metre width and length as per convenience with polythene cover on top to prevent damage due to excessive moisture loss.
• Improved varieties of cabbage (Golden Acre, Pusa Drum Head, Pride of India Rocket, Blue Jays) cauliflower (Pusa Snow Ball, K-1, KSP 1173, Swati), Tomato (Rocky, Pusha Rohini, Nayak, Romeo, Megha 2, Megha 3, Arka Alok, Arka, Rakshak, Arka Abhed ) Okra (Arka Niketan), Radish (Arka Nishant), Carrot (KSP 135), Broccoli (KSP 5412, Indame Pirate), knokhol (White Vienna, Purple Vienna, Taj, Green Globe), Frenchbean (Phalguni, Arka Arjun, Naga local), Brinjal (US 28, KSP 1072, Signath, Bholanath)
• Seed treatment with Trichoderma sp @5gm/kg of seed and Pseudomonas sp @10g/kg of seed to prevent soil borne diseases both in the nursery as well as in the main field.
• Seedling root dip treatment with Trichoderma viridae or T. harzianum @ 5g/litre of water gives better protection against root diseases in the main field.
• Add enriched FYM/Vermicompost with Trichoderma and Pseudomonas @ 500g/ quintal of organic manure in nursery for healthy vegetable seedlings.
• After transplanting mulching with locally available resources like paddy straw to prevent moisture loss and suppress weed growth.
• Spraying with bio insecticides like Neem oil; Beauveria bassiana; Metarhizium anisoplea, Verticillium lecani should be done on need based basis depending upon the severity of infestation by insects. So also, the same with organic fungicides like blitox-50; bordeaux mixture 1% etc against diseases like leaf blight; leaf spot; downy mildew.
• Making own biopesticides by using locally available neem leaves, garlic, tobacco etc.
• Install yellow sticky traps @ 12/acre to monitor cabbage aphids.
• Install pheromone traps @ 4-5/acre for monitoring Diamond back moth.
• Mulching with paddy straw or any dry leaves can be done to increase soil temperature, conserve soil moisture especially during the dry periods.
• For farmers that lacks source of irrigation, they can go for vegetables cultivation in fallow paddy fields with the raised and sunken bed system.
• Harvested maize stalk should be used for mulching purpose in between the two rows of the french bean.
• Crop rotation: Paddy-Frenchbean (Lowland), Maize-Frenchbean (Upland), Maize-Carrot-Frenchbean (Upland), MaizeFrenchbean-Tomato (Upland), Maize-Frenchbean-Toria (Upland), Frenchbean-bhindi-blackgram (raised beds) Frenchbean-bhindifrenchbean (raised beds)

Fruit Crops

• Khasi mandarin should be prune out for the diseased and dead branches after the harvesting of fruit.
• Prune 30-40% of shoots during November- December to increase fruiting.
• Bordeaux paste (1:1:10) should be applied after every pruning operation.

Piggery

• Use the improved breed of pig viz., Hampshire cross, Ghungroo, Lumsniang, Large black should be reared for higher growth rate and productivity
• Keep the houses clean, dry and warm.
• Deep litter pig shed should be constructed to maintain the temperature of the shed in order to avoid winter stress.
• Silage preparation using sweet potato vines and other green forages should be prepared for feeding of pigs during lean period.
• Warm bedding materials like paddy straw and jute gunny bags to be kept in conventional pig shed to keep the pigs warm.
• Supplement mineral mixture @ 50-60g/day/ adult sow and calcium to the lactating and pregnant sows @ 60-80 ml/day/sow to maintain productivity.
• Protect the piglets from cold and prepare the bedding with dry paddy straw, gunny bags.
• Deworming should be done with Albendazole/ Febendazole @ 7.5 mg/kg Body wt (at three months’ interval).
• Vaccinate the pigs against Swine Fever.

Prevention and Control of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Pig

• Immediate quarantine of infected and suspected farms until diagnosis is confirmed. 
• Establish disinfection points at entrances and exits of the pig farm/pig sty. Foot dip with disinfectant should be made mandatory at the entry point of each pig shed. Pig shed should be disinfected daily with 1% formaldehyde or 2% NaOH or paraphenyl phenolic disinfectants.
• Personnel and visitors leaving the farm should ensure that shoes, clothing and equipment are disinfected.
• Pigs should not allow them to comingle with other pigs, wild boar and other animals.
• No diseased pigs should be sold to traders/ butchers. Stringent environment friendly measures should be adopted for proper disposal of farm waste.
• Proper disposal of dead carcass with deep burial of 6 feet deep using lime/bleaching powder.
• Purchase of new pigs from known sources only. Newly purchased pigs/ piglets should be housed separately in quarantine shed for about 4 weeks.
• Swill feeding should be restricted and if practiced, it should be boiled properly before feeding.
• Farm utensils used for feeding of diseased pigs should not be used for feeding of healthy pigs.
• Movement of animals from one household to another/ animal fairs should be strictly prohibited.
• Movement of personnel (veterinarians and farm workers) from one farm premises to another is prohibited. No visitor should be allowed to go inside the farms.
• Management of animal health including regular deworming and minerals and vitamins supplements.
• If any pig suffers from disease, it should immediately be separated from the healthy stock and should be reared in quarantine shed till it is fully recovered. 
• Proper record keeping of animal health and entry and exit of visitors should be maintained.
• Any suspected cases of ASF should be immediately reported to Veterinary doctors and to the District Veterinary Officer. 

Poultry

• Dual purpose breed of poultry viz., Vanaraja, Kamrupa, Srinidhi, Kuroiler, Rainbow rooster etc should be selected for rearing.
• Proper housing is required during this period in order to prevent from extreme winter cold.
• Proper light is required @ 2 watt/bird to keep the birds warm. Birds to be given lukewarm water to prevent any chance of upper respiratory problems.
• Gunny bags should be hanged in proper direction to avoid entry of cold wind.
• Poultry shed must be cleaned and ventilated and provide clean drinking water 3-4 times in a day and sometimes add electrolytes to water.
• Overcrowding should be avoided. Care should be taken to avoid cold stress in birds.
• The litter materials in poultry shed need to be changed to prevent coccidiosis infestation. If red diarrhoea symptoms are noticed in the birds, immediately administer anticoccidial drugs in the drinking water for 3 -5 days.
• Farmers are advised to clean the house of poultry birds regularly with phenol@1 ml/ l of water to prevent infection.
• Birds should be vaccinated against the Ranikhet disease, Gumboro and Fowl pox as per the schedule.
• Vitamin supplement to be given @ 5ml/100 birds (Chicks), 7ml/100 birds (Growers) and 10 ml/100 birds (Layers).

Cattle/Goat

• Cattle breed of Jersey Cross can be used.
• Mineral mixtures to be given @20-25 gram for calves, 50 grams for heifers and 100-200 gram for lactating cows and bulls.
• Cattle shed should be kept warm and avoid entry of cold wind.
• Goat breeds like Black Bengal, Assam Hill Goat should be selected.
• Animal sheds should be cleaned, dry and well ventilated.
• Deworming and vaccination should be done as per schedule
• Provide sufficient clean drinking water. Supplement mineral mixture and vitamins daily.
• Prepare the waste land for growing fodder and plan for winter fodder production like oat and Lucerne.
• Silage preparation using maize and other green fodders should be prepared for feeding of cattle during scarcity of fodder in winter periods.
• Oats, being a good rabi fodder should be grown during the month of October-November @ 80-100 kg seeds/hectare.

Fishery

Composite fish culture

• Supplementary feed which comprises of rice bran and MOC should be given in the ratio of 1:1. Feed may be given at 3-5% of the total weight of the stocked fish.
• If seed is available partial harvesting can be done in the month of October depending on the growth of the fishes to marketable size.
• Number of fishes harvested may be replenished by equal number of fingerlings.
• Final harvesting is done by repeated netting and then by application of MOC @2500kg/ha in case of perennial pond.

Common carp breeding

• Collection and maintenance of brooders are started in the month of December.
• Breeding in happa is conducted in the month of February to march Clean the pond embankment and remove all weeds. If algal bloom develops in the pond, feeding and manuring should be temporarily stopped.
• During cold weather (Severe winter), feeding and manuring in the fishpond should be restricted.
• Liming @ 65 kg/ha should be given once a month.
• Partial harvesting about 25 % of the total stock can be done to avoid overcrowded.
• Three to four months before the breeding season, the common carp brood fish are detached and stocked in segregated ponds (for male and female) to avoid the unwanted spawning.
• At the end of the season, complete harvesting and marketing of fish can be done.
• Pond repairing/renovation. Maintain depth of at least 1.5 metre.
• Harvesting of marketable size fish and restocking with available fish fingerlings can be done.
• Construction of new pond can be taken up.
• Water quality should be checked periodically and ensure the water colour of fishpond is always light green.

Oyster Mushroom

• Growing of different species of Oyster mushroom like Pleurotus ostreatus; P. djamor; P. sajorcaju; P. flabellatus etc is advocated from September onwards as the weather condition is highly congenial for mushroom production.
• Moreover, consumption of mushroom boosts immunity in humans against biotic stress particularly viral infection including Covid 19.
• It also ensures income, employment, and livelihood security.

Self Help Group (SHG)

• Women members in SHGs, should establish Nutrition Garden in each household to get fresh vegetables which are rich in vitamins and minerals to enhance immunity to combat COVID19.
• The vegetables like brinjal, capsicum, chilli, cucurbitaceous vegetable etc can be grown in kitchen garden/Nutrition Garden.
• The members of SHGs can also make mask, hand gloves, cotton clothes for family members and neighbouring community for safety from COVID19 as well as additional income.

Source : ICAR Rabi agro-advisory for farmers