Punjab Agricultural University centre holds camp on residue management

Punjab Agricultural University’s Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Bahowal, Hoshiarpur, organised a village-level awareness camp on paddy residue management at it’s adopted village — Thinda — recently.

KVK Associate Director (Training) Maninder Singh Bons urged farmers to shun residue burning for safeguarding the environment. He also told them that like in previous years, this year, too, KVK, Hoshiarpur, would organising campaigns for paddy residue management through awareness camps, trainings, demonstrations, hoardings, wall paintings and literature distribution. Dr Bons highlighted the harmful effects of burning crop residue and exhorted the farmers to refrain from burning it. He also said custom hiring centers on paddy residue machinery had been formed in the block. He laid stress on the need of custom hiring and cooperative basis for the proper utilisation of paddy residue machinery.

Ajaib Singh, assistant professor of agricultural engineering and Parminder Singh, associate professor of animal sciences told the farmers about the different nutrients available in paddy residue and the need for their preservation. Various in-situ and ex-situ residue management technologies for an effective management were discussed, such as use of paddy straw in mushroom cultivation, paddy straw-based biogas plant, for bio char, as mulch and fodder and seasonal management of dairy animals. Seeds of toria, vegetable seed kits, mineral mixture, uromin lick was arranged and literature was also provided to the participants on the occasion.