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Adopt water-saving methods to tide over power crisis, PAU advises farmers
The experts say there is no need to maintain standing water in the fields if two weeks have elapsed after transplantation of paddy
As the state reels under acute power crisis, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) here has advised the farmers to adopt water-saving methods during paddy cultivation.
The experts say there is no need to maintain standing water in the fields if two weeks have elapsed after transplantation of paddy. The water should be allowed to seep into the soil completely and the next irrigation should be done after two days. This way, farmers will need to consume less water, reducing the incidence of pests and diseases.
Due to the current power crisis in the state, farmers are facing problems in operating tubewells for watering the paddy crop in absence of uninterrupted and required power supply.
PAU head of agronomy department, Dr MS Bhullar, said, “In case of direct seeded rice, no attempt should be made to pond the water and the irrigation frequency should be five to seven days depending upon soil type. These techniques will also help taper down the electricity demand in the state and farmers to tide over the current crisis.”
Rain deficit aggravated situation
The varsity experts stated that the water requirement of transplanted as well as direct sown rice reaches a high point in the fourth week of June.
PAU’s head of climate change and agricultural meteorology department Dr Prabhjyot Kaur Sidhu revealed that the rainfall data available for around five decades shows that more than 45% of rainfall for June month is witnessed during its fourth week in the state. The rainfall pattern is prone to variations on account of climate perturbations which are on the rise.
“The last week of June was drier than normal this year. The rainfall deficit for this week (June 24-30) in Punjab is more than 60% as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. This has aggravated the problems related to meeting the irrigation needs of the rice crop,” she said adding that the IMD has predicted subdued rainfall activity in the coming five to six days and heat wave conditions are likely to prevail over the state.
