Experts suggest innovative crop residue management methods

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 18

Delivering a lecture on Paddy Straw Management at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Dr Arshdeep Singh, Assistant Research Engineer, PAU blamed lack of awareness and sensitivity, high operating cost of machinery, fear of delay in wheat sowing, responsible for the menace of stubble burning in Punjab.

Around 600 NSS volunteers of the varsity attended the lecture organised by the Directorate of Students’ Welfare.

He said owing to bumper rice production 20 million tonne of paddy straw was produced in the state. Due to short window period to clear the field for wheat sowing, farmers indulged in stubble burning, which further deteriorated the soil health, polluted the environment, caused accidents and health ailments, he added.

Dr Singh suggested the crop residue can be used for other environmental-friendly purposes such as in-situ straw management, wheat sowing with straw as mulch and incorporation to manage crop residue. Rake and Baler can be used for straw baling, which can be used for ethanol production, cardboard/paper making, mulching in orchards and crops, animal fodder, biomass-based plants among others.

Machines such as combine-fitted super straw management system, happy seeder and straw cutter-cum-spreader can be used for in-situ mulching, whereas, rotavator, seed drill, harrow can be used for in-situ methods, he apprised.

Dr Singh said as per the trials conducted by the departments of agronomy and soil science on the effect of residue management, it was found that rice-wheat productivity touched 122.1 quintal per hectare with paddy straw incorporation and 123.1 quintal per hectare with paddy straw mulching with happy seeder after eight years.

Earlier, Dr Harmeet Singh, Programme Coordinator, welcomed the speaker and the volunteers.

Later, he informed that the lecture was organised on the directions of Vice-Chancellor Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon to train the students hailing from rural areas and exhort them to go to villages to motivate farmers to adopt environment-friendly straw management technologies.