• Agronomy
• Agroforestry
• Plant Physiology
• Soil Science
• Water Management
• Farming System Research

Natural Resource Management - Agronomy

• Package of practices for organic production of groundnut, French bean, rice and maize had been developed. The effect of continuous  use of organic manures and their effect on physico-chemical and biological health of the soil vis-a-vis inorganic fertilizer application had been evaluated. Considerable improvement in soil health such as soil organic carbon, bulk density, porosity, soil microbial biomass carbon etc. was observed.


• Package of practices for system of rice intensification (SRI) and integrated crop management (ICM) for rice had been developed and demonstrated at farmers’ field. On an average 15 – 20 % higher yield was obtained under SRI and ICM and the crop duration was reduced by 10 – 15 days compared to conventional cultivation practices.


• Technology for double cropping of rice in mid altitude under rainfed condition involving pre-kharif rice and its ratoon has been standardized. Varieties such as Krishna Hamsa, IR 64 and Shahsarang were found suitable for pre-kharif (March – July) season (4.5 – 5t/ha). IR 64 and Shahsarang could give a acceptable ratoon yield (2.5 – 3 t/ha).
  

• Bio-organics from different plant species for production and protection of various crops viz. rice, maize, turmeric, zinger etc. were developed which resulted in 10-30 % increase in productivity.


• A noble herbal formulation (GF1) developed using vegetations abundantly available in the region was effective for controlling soft rot of ginger. The formulations helped in early sprouting and establishment of crop. On an average, 30-50 % more pseudostems appeared in treated crop. The harvested rhizomes were free from disease and had superior self life


• Needed package support for production of Institute varieties and identified suitable varieties from other sources developed.


• Conservation agriculture approaches for rice and maize based cropping system involving minimum tillage, zero tillage and residue management had been developed (2006-11). The productivity of low land rice under zero and minimum tillage was either similar or higher than conventional tillage from 1st year onward. Whereas, in case of upland the productivity of rice under zero and minimum tillage was lower than convention tillage, the productivity of succeeding toria, pea and lentil were always higher under zero tillage compared to convention tillage in all the land situations.


• Eight farming systems models for different farm holding sizes have been developed / standardized for sustainable production without impairing soil fertility under sloppy land. The crop and animal combinations, appropriate ratio, soil and water conservation,  bio-resource flow, soil fertility, soil erosion data along with economics of different model had been work out.


• In-situ fertility management by recycling crop residue and weed biomass was evaluated in wetland rice. It is possible to achieve reasonably good yield (3.5 t/ha) of rice without any external fertilizer and manure application. Soil fertility including the growth of micro-flora improved over the years.

Area of work

• 1. Suitable integrated farming system for NE Region
  Among the five IFS models, highest benefit to cost ratio (1.76) was obtained in Dairy-fish-crop-vermi-compost-horticulture-hedgerow system. The resource poor farmers can adopt Crop-fish-poultry-MPTs system which required less investment with B:C ratio of 1.51.
  2. Suitable agroforestry systems for hill ecosystem
  Peach + Maize was found the most remunerative followed by Guava + Maize and Assam lemon + Maize in the mid hills of Meghalaya.
  3. Mucuna genetic resources for higher yield and L-DOPA content
  Highest seed yield per plant was recorded in the collection UPMP-11 (792 g) followed by WBNMP-3 (667 g), UPMP-2 (604 g), NGLMP-25 (572 g), WBNMP-6 (532 g) and WBNMP-7 (512 g). Nine collections such as ASMMP-30, NGLMP-25, NGLMP-28, UPMP-2, UPMP-11, WBNMP-1, WBNMP-3, WBNMP-6 and WBNMP-7 were resistant against rust.
  4. Jatropha germplasm for higher yield and oil content
  Highest seed yield was obtained from the PJS-2 (495 kg/ha) followed by Mawhati (485 kg/ha) and PJS-1 (475 kg/ha). Oil content was maximum for Mawhati (40.67 %) followed by Tura (39.67 %) and TFRI-2 (39.46 %).

Technologies / interventions available for farmers

1. Location specific agroforestry models / integrated farming system for NE Region.
2. Jhum improvement for sustainable production
   • Bench terracing
   • Bun across slope
   • Contour cropping / Hedge row cropping
   • Water harvesting (Jalkhund)
   • Mixed cropping
   • Half-moon terrace for fruit trees
   • Contour drench / Catch pits
   • Bio-fertilizers / Botanicals/ Composting
   • High Yielding varieties
   • Plant protection measures
   • Mulching
3. Micro-enterprises
   • Piggery
   • Poultry
   • Apiary
   • Aquaculture
   • Mushroom
   • Sericulture
   • Lac cultivation
   • Duckery
4. Value addition

• Agronomy Doable Technology
• Studies on moisture conservation in rice and lentil systems
• Pea and lentil pays dividened under zero tillage in rice fallow.

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