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Spatial Distribution of Rainy Season Fallows in Madhya Pradesh: Potential for Increasing Productivity and Minimizing Land Degradation.Global Theme 3: Water, Soil, and Agrobiodiversity Management for Ecosystem Health Report no. 3

OAR@ICRISAT

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Title Spatial Distribution of Rainy Season Fallows in Madhya Pradesh: Potential for Increasing Productivity and Minimizing Land Degradation.Global Theme 3: Water, Soil, and Agrobiodiversity Management for Ecosystem Health Report no. 3
 
Creator Wani, S P
Dwivedi, R S
Ramana, K V
Vadivelu, A
Navalgund, R R
Pande, A B
 
Subject Land degradation
Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics
 
Description Madhya Pradesh in Central India is endowed with Vertisols and associated soils along with assured rainfall
(700–1200 mm yr-1). The Vertisols contain high (40–60%) montmorillintic clay and exhibit typical swelling and
shrinking characteristics under moist and dry conditions. Vertisols have poor hydraulic conductivity and conse-
quently, are frequently poorly drained. Traditionally farmers grow a secured postrainy season crop on stored soil
moisture and keep the fields fallow during rainy season. The most dense region of rainy season fallowing in semi-
arid tropical India covers areas endowed with Vertisols.
Realizing the potential of Vertisols in supporting a short-duration crop during rainy season, which
otherwise is left fallow, a pilot study was taken up by ICRISAT to delineate the rainy season (kharif) fallows in
Madhya Pradesh. The Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS-IC/-ID/-P3) Wide Field Sensor (WiFS) data acquired
during peak kharif, post-kharif, and mid-rabi cropping season was used. The analytical approach employed
involves geo-referencing and radiometric normalization of multi-temporal WiFS data, and delineation of kharif
fallows in a Silicon Graphic Work Station using ERDAS/IMAGINE software and
a per-pixel Gaussian maximum likelihood algorithm and limited field check. While mid-kharif and post-kharif
season WiFS data enabled detection of lands that remain fallow during kharif season, mid-rabi season WiFS data
allowed further verification of the delineation since such lands have been found supporting mostly wheat crop
during rabi season. An estimated area of 2.02 million ha, accounting for 6.57% of the total area of the state is
lying fallow. Utilization of kharif fallows for short-duration pulse crops like soybean may help not only to boost
agriculture production but also to improve the sustainability of the agro-ecosystem and minimize land degrada-
tion.
 
Publisher International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
 
Date 2002
 
Type Monograph
NonPeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Rights —
 
Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/3773/1/502-2002.pdf
Wani, S P and Dwivedi, R S and Ramana, K V and Vadivelu, A and Navalgund, R R and Pande, A B (2002) Spatial Distribution of Rainy Season Fallows in Madhya Pradesh: Potential for Increasing Productivity and Minimizing Land Degradation.Global Theme 3: Water, Soil, and Agrobiodiversity Management for Ecosystem Health Report no. 3. Monograph. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics , Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India.