AICRP Biennial Report 2014-16

Abstract

In India, 6.73 million ha (M ha) area has been characterized as salt affected, out of which 3.77 M ha is sodic and the remaining 2.96 M ha is saline. Besides, use of poor quality water in different states varies from 32- 84%. These soils and waters threaten the livelihood security of farming community. Uttar Pradesh has the largest sodic area 1.35 M ha with 35.75% of total sodicity affected area. Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Punjab are having about 80% of the total sodic lands. Similarly, salinity is a serious problem across 13 states of the country with Gujarat having largest area of 1.68 M ha. Gujarat, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are severely affected states. As per estimates of ICARCSSRI, India loses 11.18 million tonnes (M t) of cereals, oilseeds, pulses and cash crops from 3.77 M ha sodicity affected area every year; which is equivalent to the monetary loss of Rs. 1,50,000 million (Rs. 15,000 Crores). Also crop production loss due to salinity at the national level is 5.66 million tonnes (M t), accounting for the annual monetary loss of Rs. 80,000 million (Rs. 8,000 Crores), at prevailing Minimum Support Prices (MSP) of different crops during 2015. It is matter of pleasure that over the past few decades, chemical amelioration of sodic soils in Indo-Gangetic plains of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh has been well standardized. With the support of World Bank, European Union and other developmental agencies, India has reclaimed 1.95 M ha of sodic lands in various states with signicant contribution to Indian food basket. Use of salt tolerant varieties of rice, wheat, mustard and other crops has played important role in enhancing productivity under such situations. Implementation of large-scale subsurface drainage projects under schemes like CADA, RKVY, etc. has picked up reclaiming about 66500 ha waterlogged saline soils. Reclamation and management of sodic and saline soils, use of tolerant crop varieties and strategies for management of poor quality ground waters in India have made positive impact on increasing cropping intensity, crop yields, improving the socioeconomic status of farmers and ensuring livelihood security. The twelve centres of AICRP located in various agro-ecological regions work to nd solutions to location specic water and salt problems and to provide technologies suiting to those environments. It is satisfying that soil and ground water characterization studies are being undertaken in different states and results are compiled to produce soil and ground water quality maps and to provide guidelines for their use. Several technologies notably chemical amendments and organic manures for reclamation of black sodic soils, cost effective agronomical/irrigation management interventions to use saline/sodic waters in alluvial soils, resource conservation technologies in sodic soils in Gangetic plains, subsurface drainage with controlled option for waterlogged saline Vertisols in southern peninsular India, groundwater recharge in poor quality areas, use of drip/ sprinkler for vegetables in coastal region as well as for eld crops in arid region, use of protected structures for growing vegetables with poor quality waters, land shaping and integrated farming system models in coastal lands are being tested and successfully demonstrated through eld trials and operational research programmes. I believe that the site-specic technologies developed at coordinating unit and cooperating centres have the potential of application not only within limits of state of jurisdiction but beyond the state. This biennial report contains the research results for 2014-16 at 12 research centres including 4 volunteer centres covering arid, semiarid, irrigated, rainfed and coastal eco-systems.