Salt tolerant varieties: A biological intervention to manage saline and sodic environment and sustain livelihoods

Abstract

Worldwide, soil salinity causes enormous loss to crop yield. Study depicts the problem of soil salinity managed through intervention of salt tolerant crop varieties on farmers’ field. For this 50 rice and wheat growers from Karnal, Jind and Sonepat districts of Haryana were interviewed along with focused group discussion. Study observed increased level of adoption of salt tolerant varieties with increase in pH and EC of the soil. In rice variety CSR 30 scored highest rank for its market price and cooking quality while CSR 36 scored highest in terms of tolerance to salt. In wheat KRL 210 variety was observed to be high resilient in terms of lodging, diseases and yield; variety KRL 19 scored highest for salt tolerance and KRL 213 variety reported high compatibility to climatic variability. Yield over existing variety and price in the market were two most important factors considered by the farmers in replacement of old variety. Significant adoption gap was observed in cultivation of salt tolerant varieties, particularly with reference to fertilizer application. Extension contact and participation were positively correlated, while land holding, pH, EC were negatively correlated with the yield of salt tolerant crop varieties. Study concluded that by using salt tolerant varieties, saline and sodic land can effectively be brought under cultivation enabling farmers to adapt to biophysical and socioeconomic stressors for sustainable livelihood.