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Analysis Of Constraints To Increased Productivity Of Dryland Areas

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Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/5120/
 
Title Analysis Of Constraints To Increased Productivity Of Dryland Areas
 
Creator Kanwar, J S
 
Subject Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics
 
Description The drylands of semi-arid and arid areas of subtropical regions.
contribute significantly to the world's food production, particularly
of coarse grains, cereals, pulses, and oilseed. Although present
yields of these crops are low, they have excellent production
potential in dryland conditions.
In the seventies, a number of concepts and techniques have been
developed that can substantially improve the productivity of many
of these drylands. But they have yet to be exploited extensively
and intensively. There are good indications that the new farming
practices can bring about a breakthrough in production in deep
Vertisols, which occupy many million hectares in India. An analysis
of constraints to productivity and production in drylands
shows that, besides environmental and socio-economic constraints,
technological constraints also seriously limit productivity in many
of these areas.
Water is a limiting factor in drylands and provision of water for
only "lifesaving" irrigation (i.e.. the minimum to prevent total
crop loss) can stimulate a favourable chain reaction. However,
even without irrigation, appropriate biological technology coupled
with fertilisers can enhance productivity manifold. Fertiliser-responsive
genotypes with higher yield potential and stability against
yield reducers are becoming a catalyst of change in drylands.
Such genotypes are available in the case of sorghum, millet, and
maize, but not yet for pulses and oilseeds.
Dryland farmers are becoming interested in the use of fertilisers'
for dry-farm crops, but their first preference is for high-value,
market-oriented crops, high-yielding cereals and for lands with
better moisture-storage capacity capable of giving stable yields
and assured returns. The unirrigated lands of the semi-arid tropics
(SAT) in India are at present given less than 18 kg of NPK per
hectare, while irrigated fields in the same area receive about
58 kg per hectare annually. It is concluded that the rate of
growth of fertiliser use in both these situations is commensurate
with the technology and the infrastructure but there is considerable
scope for increase.
This suggests a need for intensive research on the loss and efficiency
of notrogenous and Phosphatic fertilisers under dryland
conditions and the development of implements for seeding and
fertiliser application at proper depth in relation to soil moisture.
To avoid shortfalls in production of coarse grains, pulses, and oil
seeds and to substantially increase their productivity, intensified
support for research and development of dryland agriculture is
needed. Investment in dryland agriculture should be considered a
cast of social justice and equity to prevent an increasing gap between
the disadvantaged populations of these poor areas and the
rest of the world.
 
Publisher Near Jawaharlal Nehru University
 
Contributor Singh, R
Varshney, B G
Biswas, B C
Sivashankaran, V S
Alexander, T M
 
Date 1980
 
Type Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
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Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/5120/1/0013.pdf
Kanwar, J S (1980) Analysis Of Constraints To Increased Productivity Of Dryland Areas. In: FAI Seminar 1980 on Fertilisers in India in the Eighties, 4-6 Dec 1980, New Delhi, India.