Farmers in the district Ibrahimpur village in Telangana have set a good example for others in the state by cultivating green manure crops, which has not only improved soil fertility but also reduced investment costs while substantially reducing the usage of artificial fertilizers.
According to T Nagarjuna, Agriculture Extension Officer (AEO) of Ibrahimpur, farmers have expanded cultivation of green manure crops (Sunhemp, green gram, and dencha) from 84 acres last year to 402 acres this year. Under the supervision of the AEO, farmers reduced their usage of urea from 1,250 bags last year to 800 bags this year, a drop of over 30%. This resulted in savings of Rs.5.40 lakh, including the government's urea subsidy this year, according to Nagarjuna.
The AEO said that organic carbon in the soil must be maintained at 0.5 percent to support normal plant development, despite the fact that organic carbon was dropping in the soil and salinity was increasing owing to excessive fertilizer use.
He stated that the lack of crop rotation and heavy reliance on urea was increasing soil infertility he said that taking all these into consideration, the officials trained farmers in Ibrahimpur to produce green manure crops in their farms to increase soil fertility.
Green manure cultivation on one acre provides 10 tonnes of biomass to the soil, he said, adding that each tonne of bio-mass includes 7.5 kg nitrogen, 5 kg potash, and 2 kg phosphorus, resulting in the maintenance of organic carbon at the desired level and restrict salinity. Farmers who cultivated green gram earned Rs.16000 per acre and received two quintals of green gram output. Bandi Kistaiah, a farmer who grew paddy on three acres, said he used three bags of urea this year instead of seven bags last year, saving a significant amount.
He also mentioned that his paddy output was 79 quintals, which was more than the average yield.
Nagarjuna urged farmers to produce green manure crops prior to Vanakalam cultivation in order to boost soil fertility and minimize investment costs, hence making farming a lucrative venture.
