Factors behind poor apple crop
By C.M. Kumbhkarni
RESEARCHERS are of the opinion that the fall in apple production this year is expected, and they have identified the reasons for the adverse phenomenon.

Biodrainage best way to check salinisation
PROVISION of adequate irrigation has long been recognised as one of the key inputs for increasing and sustaining agricultural production in arid and semi-arid regions. To achieve this, large investments have been and or being made in major and minor projects to create substantial irrigation potential in the country. However, despite the best efforts put in, adverse effects of irrigation have been seen in almost all the irrigation command areas.

Choose right kind of farm technology
AN Australian agronomist says that India must be careful about choosing the right kind of technology for its agriculture being marketed by the multinational companies (MNCs).

Competition in cane price field
By V.P. Prabhakar

WHO is the more farmer-oriented Chief Minister among the three states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh?

Notwithstanding other polices and announcements made from time to time for the farmers, the Chief Ministers, irrespective of the person concerned in the saddle, have been vying with one another in giving better price to the farmers for their sugarcane. They have been indulging in this game, irrespective of the economic health of the sugar mills in their states both in the cooperative and private sectors.

Competition in this game has been very keen in the past as the price announced by the three states used to be quite near to each other. However, this time the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, has put his two counterparts in a fix by giving the highest-ever cane price in Haryana. He has announced Rs 110 a quintal for the early varieties of sugarcane to benefit the farmers at the cost of sugar mills. The rate for mid-varieties has been fixed at Rs 106 a quintal and for the late varieties Rs 104. Last year the rates in Haryana were Rs 95 for early varieties, Rs 93 for mid-varieties and Rs 91 a quintal for the late varieties.

Mr Chautala must have effected this steep hike in sugarcane price in the face of talk of a mid-term poll and also to benefit the farmers most because he has not given any concession to the farmers, who are Jats and his vote bank, so far and they are unhappy over this.

Although the crushing season has already started in all the three states, the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, after holding meetings of the state sugarcane boards, have not announced the prices of sugarcane in their respective states. The owners of the sugar mills in the private sector have already met Mr Parkash Singh Badal and opposed any hike in the price of sugarcane. They have argued that any hike will wreck their economy. The Phagwara sugar mill has already been closed.

Even Sugerfed does not want any hike in the price as it thinks that last year the hike was quite substantial. Of the 15 sugar mills in the cooperative sector in Punjab, 12 were running in loss, according to the Managing Director of Sugarfed, Mr Jagjit Puri. The cumulative losses of two mills are more than their capital and one is under liquidation six of the seven private mills are also in loss.

The private mill owners in Uttar Pradesh have also opposed any possible hike in the price of sugarcane. Last year Punjab and Haryana had given Rs 10 per quintal more to the farmers than Uttar Pradesh. The price of the sugarcane in both states was Rs 95 a quintal. Last year UP farmers were paid at the rate of Rs 80 and Rs 85 a quintal. Even then Rs 300 crore has yet to be paid to the farmers. The UP Government has already closed 11 sugar mills of the state sugar corporation as they were running in loss. Three private mills have also been closed because of heavy losses. The cumulative losses of the cooperative sugar mills and that of the state sugar corporation is almost Rs 2,300 crore.

In fact this process of competition was started by the then Chief Minister of Haryana, Mr Devi Lal, in 1987 and it had since been followed by his successors.

Haryana has 10 cooperative sugar mills and three private mills. Six cooperative mills are running in loss and their cumulative losses are of the order of Rs 50 crore. Of the three private mills, two are new and hence they are not supposed to give levy sugar as they are exempted for eight to 10 years. When Mr Chautala took over, there were arrears of about Rs 22 crore to be paid to the farmers of last year. These were wiped out before the start of the new season.

Mr Jagjit Puri of Punjab says that payment to the farmers is made within 48 hours. The Haryana mills have been asked by the Chief Minister to make payment to the farmers in a week otherwise they would have to pay an interest at 15 per cent for the delayed payment for more than 14 days. Mr Puri said that he had asked for Rs 50 crore from the Punjab Rural Development Fund in order to pay to farmers, but the PRDF has refused to release this because of tight position. He said that he had directed the sugar mills to start crushing only at 8 per cent recovery to minimise the loss. He is hopeful that if the price of sugarcane is not increased this time, sugar mills may be able to do much better.

Mr L.M.Goyal, Financial Commissioner, Cooperation, Haryana, and Mr Puri have opined that one of the reasons for sugar mills going into losses is that sugar distribution is controlled by the Central Government. Except for the new mills, all are supposed to give 40 per cent of their production in levy to the Centre and levy price is fixed on many factors, including the support price of cane fixed by the Centre, which is very less than the price fixed by the states. This time the Centre has fixed Rs 56.10 a quintal as support price. Even the remaining 60 per cent of the sugar has to be released in the open market on the directions of the Centre. There is lot of time gap in this and the mills are supposed to pay heavy rate of interest on the loans raised by them. The levy price is announced very late. Till now this been price has not been announced for this season as a result the quota is released on the last year’s price and the difference will be paid by the Centre later.

Over and above this, the Government continues to import sugar. This is despite the fact that there is sufficient stocks of sugar in the country. This time the maximum import of sugar was made from Pakistan.

Moreover, both the states are interested in the diversification from the wheat-paddy rotation. Sugarcane is a cash crop and the farmers also get sugar at concessional rate to the extent of 30 kg each per month. This is applicable to those farmers who supply cane to the mills.

Mr Puri says that the prices of molasses are fixed by the state government. Only 50 per cent production is sold in the open market and 50 per cent at fixed rates. In Haryana, the rate is Rs 160 per quintal. Sugarfed, Punjab, is trying to assess the work force in the mills and even in its office.

Factors behind poor apple crop
By C.M. Kumbhkarni

RESEARCHERS are of the opinion that the fall in apple production this year is expected, and they have identified the reasons for the adverse phenomenon.

Scientists in the Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry say that the causes of low productivity in apple during 1999 has been due to heavy cropping last year, inadequate snowfall during winter, high temperature and low relative humidity at the time of flowering and fruit setting, unsynchronised and poor flowering of pollinising varieties, heavy incidence of mite, and premature leaf fall.

The proliferation of area under apple in Himachal Pradesh increased substantially from 3,025 ha in 1961 to 83, 056 ha in 1998-99, with a corresponding increase in production from 12,000 tonnes to 3,93,653 tonnes. However, the production remained more or less static during the past two decades ranging from two lakh to four lakh tonnes. The highest production of apple was first recorded in 1989 which was 3,94,868 tonnes, and thereafter it was only during 1998 when the previous production level was nearly touched again. This year the total production has been not more than 20 per cent of the previous year, and may be below 85,000 tonnes.

According to Dr S.P. Bhardwaj, Associate Director, Regional Horticultural Research Station, Mashobra, since the previous year was an “on-year”, the current year is expected to be an “off-year” for apple. The winters were warm and on account of inadequate snowfall, the chilling requirement of the trees was not completed.

The prevailing temperature at the time of flowering and fruit setting was exceptionally more than 26°C, which is not conducive to effective pollination by bee and insect pollinator activities.

Further, the average relative humidity was less than 50 per cent, resulting in poor pollen germination due to drying up of the stigmatic secretions.

Low proportion of pollinising varieties and non-synchronisation of flowering with the delicious varieties also affected the fruit setting in major applegrowing belts of the state.

The warm and dry climatic conditions during May 1998 were also conducive to mite infestation, which affected 65 to 70 per cent orchards. It resulted in low fruit bud differentiation and consequently low production in the current year.

About 70 to 80 per cent of the orchards were also affected by the premature defoliation which further accounted for the low production.

The experience of horticulture experts in apple cultivation during the past 40 years has been that there are many regular bearing varieties which have consistently given regular production and can be introduced in the planting plans.

Some of these varieties, according to Dr Bhardwaj, are McIntosh, Gloster, Spartan, Jonathan, Granny Smith, Cox’s Orange Pippin and commercials. In addition, two more varieties, Scarlet Gala and Red Fuzi, which are becoming leading commercial varieties in the USA, Australia and New Zealand, have been introduced at the Regional Horticultural Research Stations at Kulu and Mashobra. These varieties have come into bearing at Kulu and have shown excellent performance both in terms of production and quality.

In view of these varieties, the university has drawn up a strategy by which the proportion of delicious varieties is required to be reduced from 85 to 50 per cent, thereby making a provision of 33 per cent for pollinising varieties, 5 per cent for processing varieties and the remaining 12 per cent for regular bearing varieties so that assured production is obtained.

Where the productivity standards have gone down, the main reason had been improper and inadequate scientific management practices. Dr Bhardwaj has suggested the need of greater emphasis for proper scientific management of orchards, which must take care of soil and floor management, training and pruning and disease and pest management.

He has also suggested the necessity of taking to high-density planting of apple, which has been successfully demonstrated at the Mashobra station where a yield of 70 tonnes per ha was obtained in “Vance delicious” on “MM-106” rootstock, High-density planting on “MM-106” rootstock can be taken up to increase productivity of apples where the land is flat, fertile and irrigated.

Nutrient management of orchards also requires to be given due attention, according to Dr Bhardwaj.

Most of the orchards are not properly trained and pruned on scientific lines with the result that the incidence of disease and pest is increasing year after year, and the productive life of the trees is reducing. Also the canopy management has not been given proper attention, and full utilisation of the orchard space is not made. The technologies have been developed by the university, which need to be popularised for large-scale adoption by orchardists.

The university has also devised spray schedules against premature defoliation, apple scab and powdery mildew, and also mite. New chemicals and summer spray oils are also being evaluated against the mite infestations.

The university has advised that apple cultivation should be confined to those areas where the winter chilling requirements are met. Plantation of apple in the lower elevation has shown frequent crop failures, along with production of poor-quality fruits.

The university has suggested that in marginal apple-growing areas, fruit trees such as walnut, pear, peach, plum, apricot and almond can be taken up as alternative crops.

Biodrainage best way to check salinisation
By Narendera Pal Thakur and Ranbir Chhabra

PROVISION of adequate irrigation has long been recognised as one of the key inputs for increasing and sustaining agricultural production in arid and semi-arid regions. To achieve this, large investments have been and or being made in major and minor projects to create substantial irrigation potential in the country. However, despite the best efforts put in, adverse effects of irrigation have been seen in almost all the irrigation command areas. Due to seepage from the canal and faulty distribution and water management, a large part of land has become waterlogged in different states.

To prevent the rise of watertable above the critical level, attempts are usually made to lower it by installing sub-surface drainage systems. Such systems are expensive, can’t be adopted by an individual farmer, require energy to operate and pose a problem for the disposal of drainage effluent.

Biodrainage, which is defined as the process of removing the excess soil water through transpiration using bio-energy of the plant, can be a supplement or an alternative to this engineering solution to avoid rise in the waterable and subsequent development of secondary salinisation. It is an option to prevent the development of water logged and saline soil, especially in land-locked areas, where there is no possibility of disposing of saline drainage effluent. This study has been conducted at the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, for the past five years in RCC lysimeters of 1.2 m dia and 2.5 m depth filled with sandy loam alluvial soil (typic ustochrept) with provisions to maintain waterable depths at 1 m, 1.5 m and 2 m from the surface and ground water salinity of 0.4 (control), 3, 6, 9 and 12 DSM-1. Two tree species, mainly eucalyptus and bamboo, were tested. It describes the capacity of these trees to control the rise in watertable and thus prevent formation of waterlogged soils and development of secondary salinisation in canal-irrigation areas.

The amount of water biodrained by eucalyptus and bamboo at given watertable depths and its ground water salinity levels was monitored over five years by daily measuring the water needed for maintaining the watertable. The trees continued to absorb and transpire water throughout the year, the capacity being more in summer and rainy season than in winter. The amount of water biodrained was more at 1.5 m as compared to 1 m and 2 m depth of watertable. The biodrainage capacity of the trees was significantly affected by the salinity of the ground water due to its impact on root growth, biomass production and leaf area index. However, even at salinity of 12 DSM-1 the eucalyptus biodrained 53 per cent of that under non-saline conditions. It was calculated that eucalyptus could control watertable rise up to 1.95, 3.48, 3.76, 3.64 and 3.56 m in the first, second, third, fourth and fifth year respectively. The secondary salinity development in the root zone up to 45 cm depth, didn’t exceed 4 DSM-1 even at the watertable depth of 1 m with salinity of 12 DSM-1. Similarly, the volume of water biodrained by bamboo increased with time and could control watertable rise up to 1.09, 1.86, 2.46, 2.96 and 3.05 m in the first, second, third, fourth and fifth year of growth, respectively.

Trees like eucalyptus and bamboo only help in removing the drainage surplus water by absorbing it through the roots and transpiring from the leaves, thus lowering the watertable and help in counteracting the harm done by excessive irrigation or a seepage of the water through the canal. These trees don’t bioharvest the salts as such and thus don’t remove the salt from the soil. But by controlling the watertable rise and decreasing the capillary water fringe, the trees help in preventing the accumulation of salts in the root zone.

Specially in land-locked states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu region of J&K and Rajasthan where there are medium to light texture soils, and in situation where the salts are transported due to horizontal movement of the ground water, trees by reducing the movement and quantum of water will check the rise in watertable as well as movement of salts. This can be very effectively used to control waterlogging along the canals caused due to seepage.

The study indicates that due to high transpiration capacity and an ability to extract water from deeper layers containing saline ground water, biodrainage by trees can control the rise in watertable in irrigation command areas and prevent the formation of waterlogging and eventually the saline wasteland. Hence, biodrainage is the best way to lower watertable and avoid the problems of disposal of drainage effluent which otherwise is going to cause problems of increased salinity of natural drainage and fresh canal water sources. This technique, in addition to improving the environment and providing firewood to the farmers, is economically, effective and doesn’t require extra energy for controlling the watertable.

Choose right kind of farm technology
By A.S. Prashar

AN Australian agronomist says that India must be careful about choosing the right kind of technology for its agriculture being marketed by the multinational companies (MNCs).

“It is really the question of being discriminated against in selecting the most appropriate farm technology for boosting agricultural production,” said Prof Angela Delves, Pro- Vice-Chancellor, Southern Cross University, Australia, during the course of an interview with TNS at Ludhiana last week. She also visited Punjab Agricultural University and interacted with the Vice-Chancellor, Dr G.S. Kalkat, and other farm scientists.

She noted that there had been a widespread concern in India over attempts by an American multinational, Monsanto, to introduce terminator seed. “I share that concern and we in Australia are also facing a similar situation,” she says. However, it must be remembered that hybrid seed was being used throughout the world to grow food which was used for only one year. So the terminator seed was not that much different. But some of this kind of technology may not be appropriate for small-scale agriculture witnessed in most parts of India.

She pointed out that most of agricultural holdings in India were small. “Therefore, I will question very much if this kind of technology is at all relevant or appropriate for the kind of small-scale agriculture you have in India.”

She said that much of the scientific work done by the MNCs in the field of agriculture was with government support and funds. “So the debate in Australia is that since the original scientific work had been done with public money, its results should be freely available for public good and not owned by MNCs which are using them only to make money....”

At the same time, she said that there had also been a lot of misinformation in the Press about the food produced through hybrid seed to the fact that such food was intrinsically dangerous. This was also not correct.

Prof Anjela Delves, visited Ludhiana and Chandigarh on the invitation of Dr Gulshan Sharma, Director of the Chandigarh-based Institute of Tourism and Future Marketing Trends.

Horticultural operations:

— The best time for the application of farmyard manure and compost to the fruit trees in Punjab is the second fortnight of December. Inorganic fertilisers like superphosphate and muriate of potash are also applied along with farmyard manure, especially in deciduous fruit plants like pear, peach, plum etc.

— If the growers have not properly covered the young fruit plants uptil now, they should do so without any further delay to save from frost.

— The dead and diseased wood and criss-crossing branches from the bearing citrus trees should be removed during this month soon after the harvest of fruit crops.

— The ber trees need an irrigation or so during the period as the fruits are in the developing stage. If there is rainfall, this irrigation can be skipped.

— The harvesting of malta and grape fruit will be in full swing. The fruit should be properly sorted, graded and packed for market.

— To control the citrus canker, the infested plant parts should be cut off and destroyed by burning. The pruned trees should be sprayed with Bordeaux mixture (2:2:250) periodically. In ber, if the attack of powdery mildew is still persisting, give another spray with 0.25% wetable sulphur (250g in 100 litres of water) or 0.5-0.08 per cent Karathane 50 EC, immediately. In papaya, spray the plants with 0.2 per cent Ziram or Capta or Diathane M-45 (200G in 100 litres of water) at fortnightly intervals to check the attack of anthracnose.

Ornamentals:

Annuals: Annuals planted both in flower beds and pots should be given proper attention to get the desired effect. Timely irrigation is essential for good growth and to save the annuals from the adverse effect of cold nights. To boost the growth of seasonals in pots, application of liquid manure can be very useful.

Chrysanthemum: Well-developed plants must be producing wonderful flowers in this month. This is the best time to select and label the plants required to be used as mother plants for getting cuttings in the next season.

— Progressive Farming, PAU