BSS, Rajshahi :
Time has come to wide-ranging and sustainable expansion and adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) system to protect the soil health from further degradation, experts said.
Principles of conservation agriculture are use of reduced tillage, retention of some amounts of residues on the field, sustainable and profitable crop diversification and its rotation and judicious use of natural resources, the said.
In present context of climate change especially unpredictable rainfall, unusual drought and other natural calamities, this technology can help the farmers utilizing the minimum amount of water for crop establishment like avoiding paddling operation.
Agricultural extension officials, scientists and researchers made these observations while visiting some CA-based demonstration plots of wheat, lentil and maize in different areas in Durgapur, Charghat and Godagari Upazilas of the district yesterday.
Regional Wheat Research Center (RWRC), Rajshahi under Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) organized the daylong event styled “Sustainable Resilient Farming System Initiative” in association with International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).
RWRC Principal Scientific Officer Dr Israil Hossain, Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension Hazrat Ali, District Training Officer Mustafizur Rahman, RWRC Senior Scientific Officers Dr Ilias Hossain, Nur Alam and Dr Shakhawat Hossain and Upazila Agriculture Officers Dr Bimal Kumar Pramanik and Monjure Maula were the team members.
Raised beds facilitate sowing without waste of time allowing crop growth to better match water availability, said Dr Ilias Hossain. Under the conventional system, the single largest constraint requires planting of wheat in the country late in winter, leading to a poor yield.
Bed planting improves water distribution and irrigation efficiency, gives better results in using fertilisers and pesticides and reduces weed infestation and crop lodging. It saves crops from disturbance from rats, Hossain said.
The pattern helps farmers save 30 percent irrigation water and 30 to 40 percent of seeds and fertilisers.
Dr Israil Hossain said some proven benefits of the conservation agriculture-based machinery such as power tiller operated seeder (PTOS) and bed former or planters are included early planting, increased yields, reduce production costs and water requirement and help improve the environment by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions.
International donor organizations, he said, should support such kind of need-oriented agricultural activity for its large-scale promotion which needs supply of need-based adequate machineries.
Demand of food production is gradually increasing to feed the huge number population and more pressures are coming on per-unit cultivable land. To this end, the new and updated technology is capable to enhance production and productivity in cost-effective way, he added.
By using the new pattern of crop rotation, the huge tracts of land that remain fallow in the Barind after the harvest of transplanted Aman each year, could be used to grow wheat or lentil, followed by moog daal, by providing small irrigation facilities, said Dr Israil Hossain.
Time has come to wide-ranging and sustainable expansion and adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) system to protect the soil health from further degradation, experts said.
Principles of conservation agriculture are use of reduced tillage, retention of some amounts of residues on the field, sustainable and profitable crop diversification and its rotation and judicious use of natural resources, the said.
In present context of climate change especially unpredictable rainfall, unusual drought and other natural calamities, this technology can help the farmers utilizing the minimum amount of water for crop establishment like avoiding paddling operation.
Agricultural extension officials, scientists and researchers made these observations while visiting some CA-based demonstration plots of wheat, lentil and maize in different areas in Durgapur, Charghat and Godagari Upazilas of the district yesterday.
Regional Wheat Research Center (RWRC), Rajshahi under Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) organized the daylong event styled “Sustainable Resilient Farming System Initiative” in association with International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).
RWRC Principal Scientific Officer Dr Israil Hossain, Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension Hazrat Ali, District Training Officer Mustafizur Rahman, RWRC Senior Scientific Officers Dr Ilias Hossain, Nur Alam and Dr Shakhawat Hossain and Upazila Agriculture Officers Dr Bimal Kumar Pramanik and Monjure Maula were the team members.
Raised beds facilitate sowing without waste of time allowing crop growth to better match water availability, said Dr Ilias Hossain. Under the conventional system, the single largest constraint requires planting of wheat in the country late in winter, leading to a poor yield.
Bed planting improves water distribution and irrigation efficiency, gives better results in using fertilisers and pesticides and reduces weed infestation and crop lodging. It saves crops from disturbance from rats, Hossain said.
The pattern helps farmers save 30 percent irrigation water and 30 to 40 percent of seeds and fertilisers.
Dr Israil Hossain said some proven benefits of the conservation agriculture-based machinery such as power tiller operated seeder (PTOS) and bed former or planters are included early planting, increased yields, reduce production costs and water requirement and help improve the environment by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions.
International donor organizations, he said, should support such kind of need-oriented agricultural activity for its large-scale promotion which needs supply of need-based adequate machineries.
Demand of food production is gradually increasing to feed the huge number population and more pressures are coming on per-unit cultivable land. To this end, the new and updated technology is capable to enhance production and productivity in cost-effective way, he added.
By using the new pattern of crop rotation, the huge tracts of land that remain fallow in the Barind after the harvest of transplanted Aman each year, could be used to grow wheat or lentil, followed by moog daal, by providing small irrigation facilities, said Dr Israil Hossain.
