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ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Ludhiana - 141 004, Punjab
ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Ludhiana - 141 004, Punjab
The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
AGRI-INNOVATORSThe Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
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Agri-InnovatorsThe Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
ICAR- Agricultural Technology Application Research InstituteLudhiana - 141 004, Punjab
Rajbir Singh
Rajesh K Rana
V P Chahal
A K Singh
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Suggested citation:
Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P, Singh A K (2018) Agri-Innovators: The
Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. ICAR-ATARI-1, Ludhiana,
Punjab: 140p.
Editors:
Compilation Assistance:
Published by:
Disclaimer:
Year of publication:
Copies published:
© Copyright:
Printed at
Rajbir Singh
Rajesh K Rana
V P Chahal
A K Singh
Harinderjeet Singh
Dr. Rajbir Singh
Director
ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Zone-1,
PAU Campus, Ludhiana-141 004, Punjab, India
Tel.: 0161-2401018
Fax: 0161-2412719
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Website: http://atari1icar.res.in
The opinions and information published in the book are not necessarily of
ICAR-ATARI, Zone-1, Ludhiana.
2018
500
Director, ICAR-ATARI, Zone-1, Ludhiana-141 004, Punjab
Printing Services Company
3801/1, Pritam Nagar, Model Town, Ludhiana-141 001
Ph: 0161-2410896, 09888021624 Email: [email protected]
ISBN: 978-93-5321-999-4
ISBN 978-93-5321-999-4
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FOREWORD
TRILOCHAN MOHAPATRA,
Innovations are the key to the development. Level of economic development and
quality of innovations mutually support each other. While developed countries
support the path breaking innovations the incremental innovations are considered to
be the best for developing economies. Even within India the kind of innovations
Punjab was doing two to three decades back are being currently done by the states
like Bihar.
Rapid economic development during previous one and half decade in India has
changed socio economic level of the people tremendously and the new lifestyle
demands much higher family expenditure. Half of the Indian population is
contributed by farming families and rate of growth in Indian agriculture being much
lower than the national income, the farm families are generally under financial
distress. However, some determined people opted to innovate and tried the untested
waters for much remunerative returns.
This book “Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture” is a
compilation of extra ordinary experiences of some enlightened minds working in
agriculture. The documented experiences are not only a source of appreciation and
recognition of the concerted efforts of these farm innovators but it will also act as a
reference book for others who want to emulate these experiences. I congratulate
authors of this book for bringing out a valuable collection of outstanding Agri-
Innovations from the four states of north western India.
(T. MOHAPATRA)
Dated the 24th October, 2018
New Delhi
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PREFACE
India is predominantly an agriculture based economy where about half of the
population derives livelihood from farming. However this large proportion of
population employed in agriculture generates less than 14% of National Gross
Domestic Product. This acts as a source of sustaining in the state of being poverish
and resultant financial distress for majority of the farming community. The much
lower rate of growth in agriculture compared to the overall economy further
aggravates the problem.
Indian economy grew at very attractive rates especially during previous one and
half decade resulting in higher standard of living of general people. However farm
families, by and large, were left behind in the course of distribution of benefits of this
rapid economic development in India. In the attempt to match the lifestyle of non
agricultural families the farmers came under serious financial stress and distress.
There are brilliant minds that never give up and always strive hard to create
opportunities in adversities. Such determined persons in agricultural sector with
outstanding abilities to understand innovation for earning exceptionally high farm
incomes over identified from all ATARI Zone-1 states viz. Punjab, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. These outstanding experiences have
been documented in this book Agri-Innovators: Torch Bearers of Brighter
Agriculture”. We hope that our humble effort of publishing such experiences will go
beyond just recognition and appreciation of the selected farm innovators and will act
as a source of inspiration and reference for many more that are likely to follow the
suit.
The intellectual input received from the specialists of different fields contributed
a lot in the process of verification of figures and concepts as the agri-innovations
reported in different chapters of the book covered diverse fields. In this endeavour
the contribution of Drs M S Sidhu (Agricultural Economics; Ludhiana), Yadvinder
Singh (Soil Science; Ludhiana), S R Dhiman (Floriculture; Solan), Devinder Tiwari
(Agricultural Extension; Samrala), Harmeet Singh Saralch (Agro-forestry;
Ludhiana), Gulzar Singh Sanghera (Sugarcane Breeder; Kapurthala), Navprem
Singh (Fruit Science; Ludhiana) and Mahantesh Shirur (Mushroom Science; Solan)
was noteworthy.
Editors
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CONTENTS
Foreword
Preface
Why Agri-Innovations are important? 9
1. Exponential returns through innovative social engineering infood processing 13
2. Restoring human and environmental health through creativenatural farming 18
3. Corroborating 'Bane to Boon' through innovative in-situ of paddy stubbles 25
4. Game-Changer Heat Tolerant apple variety for non-traditional areas 29
5. Doubling Farm Income through innovative crop planning 33
6. Innovative blend of techniques made strawberry cultivation alucrative agri-business 37
7. Innovative technique of collecting vermiwash 41
8. Flourishing through floriculture: innovation worth emulation 45
9. Innovative blend of technologies produced export quality fruitsfrom barren dunes 49
10. Innovative initiative sharing biogas with community at no cost 53
11. Innovative terrace farming on spent mushroom compost bringsadditional income 57
12. Innovative grafting recuperated Collor Rot damage in apple 61
13. Innovative tractor operated sprayer pump 65
14. Scientific goat farming pays dividends 69
15. Portable onion flower thresher cum seed extractor: A farmer innovation 73
16. Doubling income through demand driven intercropping in sugarcane 77
17. Earning two lakhs from one-forth hectare: intercropping under polyhouse 81
18. Innovative natural farming through organic fertigation 85
composting
S.No. Title Page No.
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19. Innovative intercropping system: solution for doubling income ofsmall farms 89
20. Innovative cultivation of melons earned name and fame 93
21. Mobile cleaning cum grading machine: value addition at farm gate 97
22. Prosperity through free range poultry in apple orchard 99
23. Making mushroom cultivation sustainable through processing 103
24. Taking apiculture to new horizons through air-conditionedapiary migration truck 107
25. Modified paddy drill eased direct seeding of rice 111
26. Doubling income through single bud planting of sugarcane 115
27. Innovative eco-friendly techniques for dodging termite attack 119
28. Self designed tiller 'Apna Hal' 123
29. Augmenting farm income through late planting of Palam Basmati-1 125
30. Enhancing small farmers' income through tractor operated minigrinder mill 129
31. Mushroom and vegetable production: pathway of doublingfarm income 133
32. Innovative digger made carrot cultivation lucrative 137
33. Rajmash relaying tomato emerges as risk compansating crop inKullu valley 139
S.No. Title Page No.
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9Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
WHY AGRI-INNOVATIONS ARE IMPORTANT ?
Innovation process
Principles of frugal innovation
Innovation is integral part of sustainable development. If invention of wheal was a
discovery then putting wheals into various uses is a result of series of innovations. However,
the nature and quality of innovations change with the level of economic development of
needs of the targeted society. The process of innovations is generally different than the usual
corporate development strategies unless there is critical scarcity of any one or more factors
of production. The innovation process, especially for the frugal innovations in developing
economies, flourishes under the environment of scarcity and is strikingly in contrast to the
typical “bigger is better”approach of developed worldcorporates.
“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a
trough of genius-and a lot of courage-to move in the opposite direction”
--Albert Einstein
The process of frugal innovation, especially in the developing economies, has to
essentially base on one or more of the following six principles:
Harsh constraints of resources create required
environment and provide stimulus for innovations e.g. consequent upon shortage of farm
labour on account of nation wide implementation of rural development initiatives like MG-
NREGA, the Punjab farmers devised a number of farm innovations to sustain their farming.
Hence the attitude of seeking opportunity in adversity is very strong pre-condition for a
society to be innovative.
Scarcity is the mother of innovations, hence the guiding
principle of doing more with less is very important for successful innovations. How to use
existing waste or underused material, equipment and/ or machines has largely been the
guiding force of most of the farm-innovations in India.
Thinking out of
the box or keeping a flexible mindset helps the innovator to raise questions on the status quo
as other options also seem open to him/ her which eventually helps in transformation of
existing product/ service or even the entire enterprise into a much resilience and vibrant
entity.
Creative simplicity is the soul of successful innovation
especially in the developing economies. Hence, innovations don't essentially need highly
1. Seeking opportunity in the adversity:
2. Doing more with less:
3. Following flexibility in the process of thinking and implementation:
4. Keeping things simple:
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Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture10
sophisticated, precise and perfect solutions as an output of over-engineering, but on the other
hand a simple solution good enough to get the job done is the essence of successful
innovation.
Particularly for
development agencies and service companies it is imperative to design innovative cost-
effective solutions taking needs of under-privileged and under-served stakeholders in to
consideration is essential.
Innovators generally don't have existing examples to track and
they have to rely on what their heart says especially when they understand their stakeholders'
needs and the products to be offered, very well. There are several experiences where
innovators followed their intuitions, empathy and passion to successfully innovate than
relying on analytical thinking and employing well documented tools and techniques.
The structured innovation approach is highly time and money demanding that is why it
is much popular in developed economies. The frugal innovation approach on the other hand
is inevitable for developing economies as these economies are unable bear the expenses of
structured innovations. However, even in the developed economies the considerable part of
the innovationsdoes take place in the form of frugal innovations. The frugal innovation
approach is so popular in the word that it possesses specific term(s) in many countries
including the developed ones e.g. the French term for frugal innovations is 'Systeme D' while
in Brazil, China and Kenya it is called 'Jeitinho', 'Zizhuchuangxin' and 'Jua kali',
respectively. There are plenty of examples of frugal innovations from countries like
Argentina, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, India, Kenya, Mexico, Philippines etc.
Agriculture sector is known to ensure not only the food security for any country but
mitigation of poverty and malnutrition too. Innovations in terms of development and
diffusion of agricultural technologies and services are important at all the stages of economic
development. At early stage of economic development, incremental innovations (frugal
innovations) on the available technologies in other parts of the world or the location specific
solutions, better serve the needs of a country than going for breakthrough innovations. For
emerging economies the role of innovations in information & communication technologies
and value chain management also has high importance.
However, the innovation policy of emerging economies faces very strong challenge to
achieve inclusive growth which generally affects the ability of the system to promote
innovativeness through financial incentives. Agriculture being the best sector for poverty
reduction throughout the world, innovations in this sector ensures the best results for the
overall economic growth. Therefore, existence of supportive policies and IPR framework is
5. Intent of including marginal stakeholders in the mainstream:
6. Following your heart:
Significance of Agri-innovations
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11Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
imperative in order to realise the intended impact of innovations in general and agri-
innovations in particular.
Creating niche competencies has been a noteworthy innovation strategy of some of the
countries for exploiting international markets through exports. Malaysia has remarkable
innovations in the production of palm oil and its derivative products. Nationalisation of its
three major plantation companies and founding a Commodity Exchange during 1980s was
key strategy of Malaysia for creating this success story. Similarly, Colombia and Ecuador
have made their mark in international flower industry while Uganda (fish exports) and
Argentina & Chile (wine exports) are other examples.
China is replete with the experiences of incremental or frugal innovations in agricultural
sector that suited to their local conditions and economy in the process of mitigating food
insecurity and poverty. The Chinese strategy of understanding farmers' innovations,
improving rural communication for better agricultural extension services, heightened
emphasis on genetic engineering and agro-ecology, rainwater harvesting innovations, use of
technology and market based innovations to improve welfare of agricultural producers and
consumers are the highlights of their innovation strategy.
The evolution of Indian NARS has primarily been guided by the motive to serve very
large number of small holder and resource poor Indian farmers. Innovations had been
integral part of Indian NARS right from the beginning; however, they were not subjected to
their analysis, documentation and commercialization as in the developed world. Taking clue
from the technologically advanced economies, India realized in the beginning of this
Century that management of agri-innovations will be an important source of future agri-
business generation and expansion.
ICAR was prompt in responding to this national need and it prepared guidelines for
Agri-IPRs Management and Commercialization in 2006. Subsequently a countrywide
network of Institute Technology Management Units (ITMUs) was created for the
management of agri-innovations and agri-intellectual properties in all ICAR institutes duly
supported by the Zonal Technology Management & Business Planning and Development
(ZTM&BPD) units at selected five ICAR institutes.
This infrastructure helped in kick starting the mechanism of innovation awareness and
their commercialization. ICAR Rules and Guidelines for Professional Service Functions
were published for smooth functioning of this Indian agri-IPR network in the year 2014.
Eventually many agri-technologies and services from Indian NARS have been successfully
Few global experiences in agri-innovations
Indian Agri-Innovations management system
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commercialized. This entire process of innovation generation and commercialization has
also resulted in an intangible treasure of experience and knowledge in the system which will
lead to better and more efficient management of agri-innovations in the future.
Innovations play imperative role in economic progress of countries. The nature of
innovations varies with the level of economic development of a country or the region. Indian
economic development has reached a stage where role of innovations in general and agri-
innovations in particular, has become very critical. With this realization the ICAR aptly
conceived the idea of nationwide assessment and documentation of Agri-innovations
through all its eleven Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes during 2018
and the compilation of this edited book is an effort in the same direction.
Epilogue
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13Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Rajesh K Rana, Rajbir Singh and Harinderjeet Singh
ICAR-ATARI, Zone-1, Ludhiana-141 004, Punjab
Background
Significance
Miss Rekha Sharma is a resident of Ramgarh Sikri, a small
village in Kandi area of Punjab, where people generally
depend upon Agro-forestry and Animal husbandry for
supplementing their meagre livelihood from farming. Overall,
income of the farmer is not sufficient to manage family
expenses comfortably. Mostly people migrate to other areas
and earn livelihood to support their families. However, Miss
Sharma decided to try social innovation for making local
communities financially independent and self-reliant. She
created Women Self Help Group and trained them in
processing of Fruits and Vegetable. For managing the most
difficult task of marketing their processed products, she
created a vibrant marketing network/ infrastructure mainly
through retail outlets present throughout the states.
Inefficient agricultural marketing system is responsible
for realization of low prices for agro-products in India. Large
number of farmers being small and marginal holders, generally become victims of marketing
mal-practices and market
middlemen ruthlessly
exploit these farmers.
Policy-makers and social
workers very commonly
advise such small holders
to make cooperatives and
adopt fruit processing
enterprises to get rid of
such market mal-practices.
Al though very large
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Website:
Ms. Rekha Sharma
30 yrs
Vill. Ramgarh Sikri, Teh. Mukerian, Distt. Hoshiarpur
Post Graduate in Sociology and Diploma in Watershed Management
+91-7087559562
www.ssm.apnikheti.com
Agril-Innovator - 1
EXPONENTIAL RETURNS THROUGH INNOVATIVE SOCIALENGINEERING IN FOOD PROCESSING
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14
number of farmers don't follow such advises, Miss Sharma showed strength of her character
and determined to follow this path of social and personal welfare. Her innovation of bringing
very large number of women agro processors on a single platform has gained distinguished
heights of business accomplishments
The brilliant youth of this agriculturally disadvantaged area, due to rain-fed and wildlife
infested agriculture, generally decides to migrate to other economically vibrant areas in
order to earn an attracting livelihood. However, Miss Sharma took an extra-ordinary
decision of investing her academic brilliance and hard-working abilities to innovate ways
and means to ensure better employment and livelihood for the proper development of her
area. Instead of chasing higher turnover and profits, she focussed on the health of people by
producing near organic products mostly based on raw material obtained from forest
adjoining to her village. Members of this “Self Help Group” don't use any chemical
pesticides and fertilizers on their crops. Despite being an underdog in All India-level Food
Processing Fair 2012 at “Delhi HAAT”, Miss Sharma was surprised to get first prize for best
quality of products from her processing plant. This event proved to be a turning point in her
life with no looking back. More confident and determined Ms. Rekha Sharma empowered
herself with knowledge and skills from different research and development agencies.
Miss Sharma received trainings from different reputed agencies with the intension of
Uniqueness
Working of this innovation
Exponential Returns through ....... in Food Processing
Food processing facility of the Self Help Group
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Name of Product 2007 sales
2017 sales
Annual Trend Growth Rates@
Estimated 2018 sales
Amla Pickle/ Murabba 8000 728000 65.56 1205251
Harar Pickle/ Murabba 8100 250000 49.52 373797 Garlic Paste 7500 315000 55.22 488937 Bael Squash 800 216000 85.67 401048 Mango Pickle
2400
136000
53.52
208785
Bamboo Pickle
3000
337000
68.76
568714
Karela Pickle
2400
80000
43.89
115109
Chilly Pickle
3200
160000
57.99
252780
Amla Candy
3000
240000
65.30
396715
Lemon Pickle
4000
88000
37.46
120967 Total
42400
2550000
4132103 #=Sales are in Indian National Rupees (`);
@=Annual trend growth rates were calculated based on the sale of all years in the range of 2007 and 2017.
15Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Rana et al.Exponential Returns through ....... in Food Processing
upliftment of socio-economic profile of farm women in and around her village after
acquiring the scientific knowhow and skills in the field of food processing. This young
women innovator went door to door for making people aware about significance of food
processing as a mode of economic wellbeing. She earned the confidence of 30 families and
initiated a “Self Help Group” having one member from each of the 30 families. This Self
Product-wise Annual Trend Growth Rates (2007 to 2017) and estimated sales#of year 2018 for top 10 products.
Growth in sales turn-over in top ten products of the group during 2007 and 2017
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16
Help Group having 30 member committee, was named as “Sada Shiv Modern Self Help
Group” and currently they have more than 350 members.
They established state of the art processing plant on a piece of 2 acre land having all
modern facilities needed in food processing. Member as well as non-member suppliers of
raw material for food processing are immediately paid for their produce after weighing it on
the digital machines. The entire process of food processing and the processed material has to
Product share over 2007 to 2017 period (%)
Exponential Returns through ....... in Food Processing
Lab with necessary instruments for quality control
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17Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Rana et al.Exponential Returns through ....... in Food Processing
pass rigorous quality control checks and tests. The quality checked material is scientifically
packed and sent to different outlets for ensuring quick sale. They have more than 20 retail
outlets, almost in all districts of Punjab for selling their produce directly to the consumers
which ensures quality to consumes and multiple profits for the member families of this “Self
Help Group.
The main work of Self Help Group is to make and sell almost eighty types of food
products such as Pickle, Sauce, Jam, Marmalade, Bael Candy and Gooseberry Candy etc. by
processing near organic wild fruits and vegetables. Her innovative approach for ensuring
suitable market for products through booking of bulk orders in marriages etc. established her
reputation. Moreover, they are regularly selling their products through their own retail
outlets. The group realised an exponential expansion in the sales of processed products
during 2007 and 2017. Amla Pickle/ Murabba gained the highest net increase in sales during
this period while the sale of Bael Squash (85.67%) followed by Bamboo Pickle (68.76%)
increased at the highest annual compound growth rates. Amla Pickle/ Murabba has been the
most demanded product of this group followed by Garlic Paste, Harar Pickle/ Murabba and
Bamboo Pickle. However Harar Pickle/ Murabba and Lemon Pickle have lost proportionate
share in total sales of the group over the years while Bamboo Pickle and Bael Squash have
gained this share. Based on the annual trend growth rates, the estimated sale of the top ten
products for the year 2018 stands at impressive ̀ 41.3 Lakh.
The group with S. Parkash Singh Badal, Former Chief Minister of Punjab
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18
Exponential Returns through ....... in Food Processing
Awards and recognitions
Scaling up and scaling out the innovation
Miss Sharma has been honoured with a very large number of awards and prizes for her
hard work and talent in this field and some of them are given below.
·First Prize for Better Quality of Processed Products in National Food Processing Fair
2012 at Delhi Haat, New Delhi.
·Parmaan Pattar 2013, Agricultural Summit, Gujrat.
·National Award, 2012 by the Foreign Minister, Govt. of India, New Delhi.
·Chief Minister of Punjab, S. Parkash Singh Badal also visited their processing unit on 26
July, 2012. He appreciated the work done by them and honoured them with incentives
worth ̀ 77 Lakh for their initiative & hard work.
·First Prize, 2014, from Ministery of I&B, Government of India, New Delhi.
·First Prize, Kisan Mela, SKUAST-Jammu, J&K.
The innovative food processing practices demonstrated by Miss Sharma are capable of
increasing farmer's returns several times. Such innovations need to be emulated by other
farmers and women for raising their standard of living. Different development and extension
agencies should popularise and help the new farmers/ women to adopt such practices and
contribute towards doubling farmers' income by 2022. Moreover, in order to scale up her
own business miss Rekha Sharma needs the necessary technical support for creating an FPO
and concerned development agencies may take up this important activity.
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Rana R K, Singh R and Singh H (2018) Exponential Returns through Innovative Social Engineering in Food Processing. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 13-18.
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19Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
RESTORING HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH THROUGHCREATIVE NATURAL FARMING PRACTICES
Rajesh K Rana and Rajbir Singh
ICAR-ATARI, Zone-1, Ludhiana-141 004, Punjab
Background
Significance
Modern day's agriculture has become highly dependent
upon chemical inputs. Chemicals in the form of fertilizers,
weedicides and pesticides are being abundantly used in
farming. With the result chemical residual levels in different
types of foods are becoming higher and higher with the every
passing day. Simultaneously, the water bodies/ reservoirs, air
and soil are also getting degraded and polluted. Residual effect
of chemicals in farm products including the milk has been
gradually and severely taking its toll on human health. People
are spending a lot on healthy food even then they are unable to
get the desired results and are more frequently exposed to
different kinds of diseases and disorders. In order to curb this
deterioration some compassionate farmers have decided to
stop production of food using chemicals. These farmers have
adopted organic farming or natural farming to provide ideal
health and environmental benefits to themselves, their
families and people around
them. Sh Anirudh Vashisht is
one of such considerate
farmers, who havebeen
doing 100 per cent non-
chemical farming for last
five years.
This learned farmer has
Name:Age: Address:
Qualification: Mobile No. :Email:
Sh. Anirudh Vashisht47 yrs
135, Ward No. 16, Mohalla Bhai Ka, Sunam, Sangrur-148 001, Pb.
BA +91-9814689114
anirudh_vashisht2002 @yahoo.com
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20
adopted mix of
several techniques
in the field of
organic/ natural
f a r m i n g a f t e r
u n d e r g o i n g
intensive trainings
f r o m v a r i o u s
a g e n c i e s a n d
o r g a n i z a t i o n s
i n c l u d i n g t h e
K h e t i Vi r a s a t
Mission, Jaitu,
Faridkot. After
initial difficulties
in marketing the
Restoring Human and ....... Natural Farming Practices
Economic comparison of organic versus conventional farming
CropsArea
(Acre)
Yield (q/Acre)
Price (`/q)Cultivation Cost
( /acre)`Gross Income
( /acre)`Net Income ( /Acre)`
Net Farm Income ( )`
Org. Con. Org. Con. Org. Con. Org. Con. Org. Con. Org. Con.
Potato 1
60
150
1000
500
22000
38000
60000
75000
38000
37000
38000
37000
Wheat 14
13.5
20
2250
1735
6000
10000
30375
34700
24375
24700
341250
345800
Linseed 0.5
2
3.5
7500
4200
3000
5000
15000
14700
12000
9700
6000
4850
Chickpea 1
2.5
4
6500
4400
3800
6000
16250
17600
12450
11600
12450
11600
Chickpea white
0.5
2.5
4
7000
4400
3800
6000
17500
17600
13700
11600
6850
5800
Veg. Rabi 1
70
120
1100
700
20000
35000
77000
84000
57000
49000
57000
49000
Sugarcane$
0.5
210
350
Gur
255
11000
15000
210000
89250
180000
74250
90000
37125
Mustard 0.5
3.5
5
5500
4000
4500
7000 19250
20000
14750
13000
7375
6500
Lentil 0.5 1.7 2.5 6000 4400 4000 6000 10200 11000 6200 5000 3100 2500
Barley 0.5 8.5 13 1800 1410 5200 8000 15300 18330 10100 10330 5050 5165
Cotton 1
4.1
6
5400
4020
12000
18000 22140
24120
10140
6120
10140
6120
Paddy 11
14
25
4250
2590
8500
13000
59500
64750
51000
51750
561000
569250
Chillies 1
40
60
2000
1550
24000
38000
80000
93000
56000
55000
56000
55000
Moong 1
4
6
8500
5575
3500
4800
34000
33450
30500
28650
30500
28650
Mash 0.5
3
5
7500
5400
3500
4800
22500
27000
19000
22200
9500
11100
Veg. Kharif 1
70
95
1050
700
18000
28000
73500
66500
55500
38500
55500
38500
Fodder Rabi@
0.5
200
300
-
-
4200
5500
Fodder Kharif @
2
250
300
-
-
4000
5000
Total 38 1289715 1213960
Note: Org.=Organic, Con.=Conventional, Veg.=Vegetables; $=Sold as organic Gur (jaggery), @=used at home for dairy farming
21Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Rana and SinghRestoring Human and ....... Natural Farming Practices
premium product from his farm the
farmer started selling his produce at
premium price at Kudrati Kisan
Haats located at different locations
in Punjab. He is simultaneously
selling his produce to his known
people who have trust on the quality
of his chemical free produce.
Although, the farmer is currently
facing yield depression due to shift
from conventional to natural
farming even then due to premium
prices received for his products and
sizeable cost advantage, he is getting slightly better profits compared to the conventional
agriculture. His successful natural farming experience has also motivated other farmers in
the locality to follow natural farming. Most of these follower farmers are young and are
guided by the force of feeding their families with healthy food.
Sh. Vashisht has been practicing natural farming on his farm of 20 Acres. In order to
make his natural farming feasible he is rearing four lactating cows and five lactating
Working of this innovation
FYM: Backbone of natural farming
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Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Rana and Singh
22
buffaloes. Farmer is putting a lot of emphasis on the system of root intensification for making
plants more robust and capable of fighting various abiotic and biotic stresses. Although he is
growing rice and wheat on more than half of his land under natural farming yet he is
cultivating a large number of other crops such as potatoes, linseed, chickpeas, vegetables,
sugarcane, lentil, barley, mustard, cotton, fodder and perennial fruit plants. Since his natural
farming is in sixth year of existence, he is facing yield depression in most of the crops and he
is getting 60 to 70 per cent yield levels in various crops compared to the conventional
agriculture. However, a huge saving on cost of cultivation and premium price received for
his premium produce his profitability is slightly better than the crops grown under
conventional agricultural practices. Inversely, productivity of his dairy animals is slightly
better than those reared from the output of conventional farming.
As a result of system of root intensification and robustness due to natural farming the
farmer is not getting major disease or insect attacks on his crops including the cotton crop. As
natural farming needs a lot of human labour, farmer has sufficient number of permanent
labourers with him. These labourers are used for weeding operations that also serve the
purpose of getting nutritious fodder for his animals. He is sometimes resorting to inter-
cultural machine operations for managing weeds on his farm. For managing insect and
Restoring Human and ....... Natural Farming Practices
Chemical free Gur has strong demand
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23Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Rana and SinghRestoring Human and ....... Natural Farming Practices
disease attacks, which are generally mild due to his natural farming practices, he prepares
spray formulations of various ingredients available on his farm itself. For managing soil
fertility he is exclusively depending upon the manure prepared from cattle dung.
Economic feasibility of organic farming vis-a-vis the conventional farming has always
been debatable. Crop wise economics of this 20 Acre farm was examined and results are
satisfactory as the farmer earned net income of `12.90 lakh through organic farming while
under similar management practices in conventional farming he was estimated to earn
`12.14 lakh per annum. The economics is based on yield and prices applicable for crops
harvested in 2017. All cereal crops (rice, wheat and barley) has economic disadvantage
under natural farming as compared to the conventional farming. However, vegetables,
pulses (except Mash), Sugarcane, Cotton, Mustard and Linseed crops had economic
advantage in natural farming over the conventional farming during 2017. We would like to
stress upon that this comparative economics indicative and highly likely to vary on year to
year basis. Selling premium produce of natural farming is a real big challenge and the farmer
under consideration used the platform of Kudrati Kisan Haats for this purpose. Sale of fake
organic or natural farming products by very large number of people is in fact hurting this
novel initiative the most.
Sustaining the natural farming movement through special outlets
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Rana and Singh
24
Restoring Human and ....... Natural Farming Practices
Scaling-out the innovationThe farmer has demonstrated that it is economically feasible to adopt organic/ natural
farming even in one of the most modern agricultural states like Punjab. The farmer managed
his natural farming at its own and has a complaint of not being supported by government
policies and programmes for this cause of social welfare. This year's union budget has been
supportive to natural farming hence such farming will become financially more
remunerative. The natural/ organic farming model adopted by Sh. Vashisht has a lot of
potential of being adopted by other farmers in his locality and in distant places. The
incentivisation of natural/ organic farming on the fields of other farmers will not only serve
as a source of public welfare through safe food and environment but also be an economically
sustainable and attractive proposition.
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Rana R K and Singh R (2018) Restoring Human and Environmental Health through Creative Natural Farming Practices. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 19-24.
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25Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
CORROBORATING 'BANE TO BOON' THROUGH INNOVATIVEIN-SITU COMPOSTING OF PADDY STUBBLES
J S Brar, G S Dhillon, Rajbir Singh, D S Bhatti and J S Mahal
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bathinda-151 001, Punjab
BackgroundRice-wheat is the major cropping
system in Punjab occupying about
29.75 lakh ha. The increasing scarcity
of labour and time has lead to the
adaptation of mechanized farming area
in cropintensive rice-wheat system in
the state. The proportionate area under
combine harvested rice and wheat is
about 91% and 82% respectively.
During past two decades, burning
paddy straw has been the practice method because residue interferes with tillage and seeding
operations for sowing the next wheat crop. Burning of residues has been doing great damage
to the environment. The paddy straw burning is a major contributor towards reduces air
quality (particulates matter and green house gases) and widespread human respiratory
ailments during second half of October and first half of November months. The loss of plant
nutrients (especially N and S) and organic carbon further add to the disadvantage of paddy
stubble burning.
Farmers desperately want an
economical alternative to crop
residue burning. KVK Bathinda
i n v e n t e d a s c i e n t i f i c a n d
environment friendly method of
underground in-situ composting of
p a d d y s t u b b l e s . W h i c h i s
env i ronment f r iend ly a l so .
However short window between
paddy harvesting viz-a-viz wheat
sowing, additional cost of residue
managements and hassle averting
tendencies of farmers keep them
Agri-Innovator - 3
D.C. Diprava Lakra, watching the pit after paddyharvest alongwith PAU ADEE & ADR, & other dignitaries.
IAS,
MGNREGA workers fill the pit with rice residue for compostingin interior village Mehma Sarja
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Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Brar et al.
26
sustaining this evil. However, there are a number of farmers and farmer groups who are
adopting good agricultural practices and managing residual paddy straw in various ways.
Incorporations of residue in the soil through multiple soil operations and removing residue
for different purposes (electricity productions, mulching and animal feed) are the common
practices. Incorporation of residue in soil is quite expensive method while removing of
residue deprives soils from nutrients.
KVK, Bathinda is promoting various machineries available for management of paddy
straw for last five years which are
becoming popular among medium and
large farmers. However, small farmers
and farmers who lease land from others
still cultivate in traditional way i.e.
burning paddy straw and grow wheat as
time availability is very less and adopting
machinery is quite costly which reduces
their income. Further, such farmers do not
find it convenient to collect and stock the
paddy straw at one place as it will further
reduce their already small holdings.
Uniqueness
Corroborating 'Bane To Boon' ....... of Paddy Stubbles
ADC(D) Smt. sheena aggarwal, IAS watching atPit site after wheat harvesting at KVK, Bathinda
Dr. B.S.Dhillon, and Dr. Rajbir Singh, Director, ATARI alongwith otherdiginitaries seeing the crop condition of wheat on Pit.
VC PAU
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27Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Brar et al.Corroborating 'Bane To Boon' ....... of Paddy Stubbles
Looking into the scenario, KVK, Bathinda took initiatives to popularize some newer
options for small and marginal farmers to tackle the problem of paddy straw which can
convert this waste into resource. The scientists of KVK Bathinda under leadership of Dr.
Jitender S Brar, Programme Coordinator explored to prepare compost from paddy straw &
allow the sowings of wheat simultaneously without burning the straw. The team started
venturing this In-situ Compost making from Paddy Straw during last year.
A pit of the size 30' long, 15' wide and 6' deep was prepared to accommodate the paddy
stubbles from 1-3 acres. About 1.5 feet deep layer of straw was created at the bottom of the pit
and was then pressed
manually. Urea spray (4%)
was applied on this layer.
Another layer of FYM and
field soil (equal parts) was
created (about 0.5 feet) to
narrow down the C:N ratio
a n d a c c e l e r a t i n g
decomposition of the straw.
The process was repeated
two more times. The upper
most of the pit was made of
one feet layer of soil
collected with the help of
tractor leveler and properly pressed with tractor so that there no depression in the field. After
this, the wheat was sown in the whole field included the area of pit where paddy stubbles
were systematically and scientifically buried. For
the purpose of getting them decomposed all the
wheat operations were done as per the
recommended package of practices.. The yield of
wheat sown over the pit was found slightly higher
than rest of the field. Later on, paddy was
transplanted on the same field in last week of June.
The growth of paddy and final yield was remarkably
higher on area of the pit. After harvesting of paddy,
the pit area was dug opened and the compost so
prepared was incorporated in the field. The
evaluation of compost is under progress. In current
season, scientific On Farm Trail has been laid out to
further refinement the technology.
Working of this innovations
Farmer filling the pit of rice residuefor compodting
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Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Brar et al.
28
Scaling-up and out scaling the innovationsThe technology can be well replicated in other districts of Punjab and Haryana where the
problem of paddy stubble burning is large scale. The compost made through this method will
augment the soil health significantly. Small and marginal farmers and farmers who take land
on lease can also make use of this technology without making any compromises on available
land for making compost on land surface. This technology can further be refined by
enrichment with employing scientific means for higher nutrient content.
Corroborating 'Bane To Boon' ....... of Paddy Stubbles
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Brar J S, Dhillon G S, Singh R, Bhatti D S and Mahal J S (2018) Corroborating 'Bane to Boon' through Innovative In-situ Composting of Paddy Stubbles. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 25-28.
Farmer collect the rice residue without burning at village Ghania
Farmers collecting rice residue stublles with harrowFarmer collect the rice residue for mulching inpotato crop at village Ghania
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29
GAME-CHANGER HEAT TOLERANT APPLE VARIETY FORNON-TRADITIONAL AREAS
Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
J D Sharma, K S Verma, Ravinder Singh, Sanjay Kumar and Seema Shah
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bilaspur at Berthin-174 029, Himachal Pradesh
Background
Significance
Bilaspur district is situated in subtropical mountain low 0hill zone of Himachal Pradesh. It lies between 31 12' 30'' and
0 0 031 35' 45'' North Latitude and between 76 23' 45'' and 76 55'
40'' East Longitude in outer Himalayas. Its elevation ranges
from 290 m to 1980 m above mean sea level. Net sown area of
the district is 30,000 ha, out of which only 3164 ha is irrigated.
Low altitude areas of the district experience hot summers 0
(maximum temperature up to 44 C) and annual rainfall of
1470 mm, 70 percent of which is received in monsoon season
only. Land holdings are small and marginal with fragmented
and terraced fields. Mango, litchi and pomegranate are the
major fruits grown in the district. Sometimes, there is a
problem of severe frost in some parts of the district.
Apple is traditionally the fruit crop of high hill temperate
zone of Himachal Pradesh due to its special requirement of
chilling period. It has not been possible to grow apple under
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Sh. Hariman Sharma
62 yrs
Paniyala, P.O. Kothi, Ghumarwin, Bilaspur-174021, HP.
Under Matric
+91-9817284251 7018520244
Agri-Innovator - 4
Nursery of heat tolerant apple variety HRMN-99
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low hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh where 0temperature goes as high as 44 C. The variety
evolved by the innovative farmer Mr. Hariman
Sharma, is named after his name as 'HRMN-
99', has very low chilling requirement and is
suitable for cultivation in warmer climate. It is
in great demand throughout the country,
particularly in warmer regions. In view of huge
demand of this variety, production of apple
plants are increasing year after year as the fruits
of this apple variety are harvested early in the
season and are available in the market in mid
June as off-season fruits which fetch very
good price. Development of this new apple
variety, having very low chilling requirement,
has brought “apple revolution” in non-
traditional tropical and sub-tropical regions.
This is a commendable innovation and great
service to the farming community.
Mr. Sharma has distributed thousands of plants to hundreds of farmers throughout the
country. The National Innovative Foundation (NIF) Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat has extended its
support to him for conducting multi-location trials in tropical and subtropical regions. NIF
started trials from 2014-2015 on introduction and evaluation aspects of 'HRMN-99' apple
Uniqueness
Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Sharma et al. Game-changer Heat Tolerant ....... for non-traditional areas
30
Innovator offering plants of heat tolerant apple to Late Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam
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31Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Sharma et al.Game-changer Heat Tolerant ....... for non-traditional areas
variety by planting 7572 saplings in different tropical and sub-tropical parts of the country to
study the establishment of this apple variety in those areas and bearing of fruit. Plants of this
variety are bearing fruits in seven states, viz., Delhi, UP, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh and Manipur. The analysis of IARI, New Delhi confirms fruit quality of
'HRMN-99' with good nutritive value. Morphological and SSR DNA finger printing got
conducted by NIF from Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission confirms its diversity and
superiority over other low chilling varieties like 'Anna' and 'Dorsett Golden'. NIF has filed
the application on behalf of Mr Sharma for the registration of 'HRMN-99' variety under PPV
& FR Act.
Mr. Hariman Sharma purchased some apples from local market in the year 1998 and
after consuming them, he disposed the seeds in his backyard. A year later, he noticed some
apple seedlings emerging out there and finally one plant survived. In 2001, he observed some
fruits on that tree. As an innovative farmer, he could sense that this apple tree bearing fruits in
a warm area, like his village situated at 550 m above mean sea level, was unprecedented and
extraordinary. So he preserved this plant and next year he took out some branches and grafted
on a plum tree as no apple tree was available there. The grafting was successful and started
bearing good quality fruits after three years. During 2004-05, he brought crab apple
seedlings from Shimla and grafted his apple on them. He established an apple orchard of his
own variety 'HRMN-99' and is bearing fruits regularly. Now, he obtains crab apple seedlings
every year from Kashmir and raises the grafts on those plants. Usually apple can be grown at
altitudes of 1500-2600 m above mean sea level in the Himalayan range, which experiences
1000-1500 hours of chilling but this heat tolerant variety developed by Hariman can be
grown in low hill/ plain areas which are about 550 m above mean sea level or less.
Working of this innovation
Sh. Hariman Sharma receiving prize from Former President Sh. Pranab Mukherjee
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Sharma et al. Game-changer Heat Tolerant ....... for non-traditional areas
32
Awards and recognitions
Scaling-out the innovation
Mr. Sharma has been widely recognized
for his innovation and national and state level
by varied organizations. Out of about two
dozen major awards and recognitions,
Innovative Farm Award by the Union Minister
for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
(21.03.2016), National Award by the Hon'ble
President of India (04.03.2017); Proud of
Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh
Award by Hon'ble Governor of HP
(04.09.2017) are the few prominent ones.
Mr. Sharma sold 1,90,000 apple plants to 6000 farmers in Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra,
Una, Mandi and Solan districts of Himachal Pradesh where it has not been possible to grow
apple earlier. Besides, he has supplied 6000 plants to research stations and Department of
Horticulture and 5000 number to NGOs in HP. With the help of NIF, he has supplied 10790
plants in 29 states of the country during 2014 to 2017. Till date 2.25 lakh plants have been
distributed all over the country. As of now,
8000 farmers and scientists of the country
have visited his farm and appreciated the work
as recorded in the visitor's book at his farm.
Presently 'HRMN-99' variety is in fruiting at
Rastrapati Bhawan (New Delhi); Navada
(Bihar); Karnal, Hisar, Gurgaon and Sirsa
(Haryana); Banguluru and Belgaon
(Karnataka); Hoshiarpur (Punjab); Pilibhit
(UP); Haldwani and Kotbag (UK); Scihoor
and Hawalpur (MP); Manipur (Chhattisgarh);
Kerala; Maharashtra; Rajasthan; Dadar Nagar Haweli; Ahmedabad and Navsari (Gujarat)
and six districts of Jammu region (J&K). However, the process of scaling-out of this
innovation is still ongoing.
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Sharma J D, Verma K S, Singh R, Kumar S and Shah S (2018) Game-Changer Heat Tolerant Apple Variety for Non-Traditional Areas. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 29-32.
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33Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
DOUBLING FARM INCOME THROUGH INNOVATIVECROP PLANNING
Gurdarshan Singh, Jagdish Grover and Rakesh Kumar
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Faridkot-151 203, Punjab
Background
Uniqueness
Working of this
innovation
Crop diversification has been regularly suggested as an
important policy recommendation in conventional rice-wheat
areas of north western India. However, inability of farmers to
manage risk and marketing challenges has restricted them
from doing so. This unique and innovative experience of
doubling farm income has been identified for documentation
in this publication with the intent of benefiting other farmers in
the state as well as in rest of the country.
The farmer adopted innovative mix of high value
horticultural crops to double his farm income. In order to
mitigate his production and price risks, the farmer has very
well diversified the cultivation of different crops/ plants in
such a way that he regularly
gets farm income in all the
months of the year.
The farmer has designed
his crop plan in such a way
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Amarjeet S. Dhillon
42 yrs
Bargari, Faridkot-151208, Pb.
B. Tech (Mechanical Engineering)
+91-9814322390
Email: [email protected]
Agri-Innovator - 5Downloaded from http://atari1icar.res.in/Publications/Agri-Innovators- The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Singh et al. Doubling Farm Income through Innovative Crop Planning
34
that during each month of the year he harvests at least one of the crops, so that there is regular
inflow of money. The harvesting schedule from his farm is as follows:
January : Kinnow, GuavaFebruary : Summer Squash, Kinnow, GuavaMarch : Capsicum, Summer SquashApril : Bottle Gourd, Tomato, Summer Squash, Capsicum, Ash GourdMay : Ash Gourd, Bottle Gourd, Tomato,June : Grapes (Perlette and Flame Seedless)July : Bottle Gourd (rainy season), Grape (Flame Seedless)August : Guava, Bottle Gourd,September : Bottle Gourd, GuavaOctober : Bottle Gourd,November : Bottle Gourd, GuavaDecember : Guava, Kinnow
Sowing and harvesting schedule of different crops
Brief economic analysis of different crops on per ha basis (`)
Sr. No.
Fruit/vegetables
Sowing/Transplanting time
Crop over by
Area (ha)
1 Guava
Perrenial crop
Not applicable
0.8
2 Grapes
Perrenial crop
Not applicable
0.6
3 Kinnow
Perrenial crop
Not applicable
1.8
4 Bottle Gourd under Bower
Rainy season crop : last week of May to first week of June
Second
week of November 1.2
5 Bottle Gourd Summer : last week of November Second fortnight of May 0.8
6 Capsicum
Second fortnight of November
Last week of May
0.2
7 Tomato
First week of December
Last week of May
0.2
8 Summer Squash
Last week of November
First week of April
0.8
9 Ash Gourd Last week of November Second fortnight of May 0.2
Sr.No.
Crop(s) Gross income
Net income B:C Ratio Farm net returns
1 Guava
462000
366500
4.84:1
293200
2 Grapes
338800
220800
2.87:1
132480
3 Kinnow
444000
330250
3.90:1
594450
4 Capsicum under low tunnel 380000 270000 3.46:1 54000
5 Summer Squash under low tunnel 370000 288750 4.55:1 2310 00 6 Rainy season Bottle Gourd on bower 360000 269250 3.97:1 323100 7 Summer season Bottle Gourd under
low tunnel
312000
247000
4.80:1
197600
8 Ash Gourd under low tunnel
197500
149250
4.09:1
29850
9 Tomato under low tunnel
300000
226250
4.07:1
45250
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35Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Singh et al.Doubling Farm Income through Innovative Crop Planning
Net returns per ha from prevalent paddy –wheat rotation are
` 1,30,260/-. He has already doubled his returns by following
diversification through horticultural crops. In order to bridge the
gap between potential and realized yield, the farmer has employed
innovative mix of modern technologies like development and use
of automatic spray pump for orchards, self designed Guava picker
and tractor mounted weedicide sprayer for orchards, low cost poly
house for nursery raising of vegetable crops, bower system for
rainy season cucurbits and modified venturi in drip irrigation
system. Further, he has resorted to self marketing of his farm
produce and he never deviated from the scientific package of
practices recommended by the PAU, Ludhiana and the ICAR. The
farmer is a recipient of very large number of national and state
level awards and recognitions.
This unique and innovative experience of doubling farm income and spreading income
Scaling-out the innovation
Mechanized spray operation in the orchard
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Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Singh et al. Doubling Farm Income through Innovative Crop Planning
36
throughout all months of the year
with meticulous crop planning is
worth emulating by other
farmers in the state and other
parts of the country. Hence
scaling-out this innovation will
help all of us to realize the
ambitious goal of our honorable
Prime Minister, Sh. Narinder
Modi Ji's for Doubling Farmers'
Income by 2022.
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Singh G, Grover J and Kumar R (2018) Doubling Farm Income through Innovative Crop Planning. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 33-36.
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37Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Ashok Kumar, Sanjeev Ahuja and V K Rampal
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ropar-140 001, Punjab
Background
Significance
Cultivation of paddy and wheat over many decades has led
to a serious depletion of natural resources, especially the
ground water and soil fertility. Crop diversification is the need
of the hour, not only to maintain ecological balance, but also to
raise the economic status of the farmers. With the fast
increasing household expenditure during recent past has
equally been experienced by farm families. With the result the
higher income expectations of farm families have also been
realized. This factor contributed towards farmers' tendencies
to try new ideas and skills even on the high value crops such as
strawberry. A noteworthy such experience was found worth
documenting for the benefit of other farmers. This farmer
having 15 acres of agricultural land employed innovative
ways to increase his returns through yield enhancement and
reduction of the cost of strawberry cultivation.
Our nutrition is becoming compromised by every passing day
due to higher intake of processed food. Including strawberries
in diet can provide important nutrients to our
body. Strawberries are a rich source of
antioxidants, polyphenols, and many other
nutrients such as Vitamin C, Vitamin K, folic
acid, potassium, manganese, dietary fibre
and magnesium. Strawberry has certain
health benefits which include boosting
immunity, curing arthritis and gout, weight
management, prevention of cancer, heart
diseases and high blood pressure etc. Due to
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Parduman Singh
45 yrs
Rukali Mai Mangarh, Chamkaur Sahib, Roopnagar-140 001, Pb.
Matric
+91-9872719986
Agri-Innovator - 6
INNOVATIVE BLEND OF TECHNIQUES MADE STRAWBERRYCULTIVATION A LUCRATIVE AGRI-BUSINESS
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38
its multi-nutritional benefits, this high value crop has a huge demand in the market.
This innovative way of growing strawberries can be explained in following three points.
1. The farmer produces the strawberry plants by planting runners of the plant in plastic tea
glasses during the month of September. By this practice the early nursery of strawberry
is raised with lower mortality rate leading to early produce that fetches premium price in
the market. From half an acre of the runners planted in the plastic tea glasses, strawberry
plants for three to three and a half acres can be planted after a month. Usually, the
strawberry growers purchase plants every growing season. This innovation thus reduces
the cost of production as the farmer produces his own planting material and does not
need to purchase the strawberry plants every season.
2. The farmer follows three different planting methods for strawberry cultivation. He
grows strawberry in two rows with density of 20000-25000 plants, three rows with
25000-30000 plants and four rows with 30000-35000 plants per acre at 75 cm wide beds
per bed system. Thus, he earns ` 2,59,500 from two row system, 2,93,000 from three
row system and ̀ 2,13,000 from four row system. Among all three, the 3 row system was
found best in terms of net returns and fruit quality followed by the two row system.
Working of this Innovation
`
Rigorous monitoring of crop health is imperative
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39Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
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Based on his own experience over years, he is following 3 row system in 10 acres of land
at present.
3. He cultivates strawberry in 10 acres under drip irrigation system, in which he uses
fertigation method to precisely application of fertilizer.
The innovative practices followed by the farmer are environment friendly and
economically beneficial. The reduced and judicious use of water in 3 row planting of
strawberry plants and use of drip irrigation is an important aspect of the farmer's practice. He
has got the soil tested for his land and applies fertilizers on the basis of the soil test results. To
maintain soil fertility, Praduman uses farm yard manure (FYM) during alternate years
especially before sowing the Kharif crops. By adopting this innovative method, the farmer
gets an average yield of 80 q per acre. The strawberries are sold at a price of ̀ 100 per kg in
the market. The net returns from the strawberry cultivation comes out to be ̀ 2,93,000 from
one acre of land. Self marketing of the strawberry is done by the farmer in mandis of
Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Delhi and Calcutta depending upon the favourable market
price.
Impact of the innovation
Attributes Rows per bed
2 3 4
Planting material cost 85000 100000 115000
Fertilizer cost 4000 5000 6000
Plant protection cost 3500 4000 4500
Irrigation cost including electricity 3000 3000 3000
Human labour cost 95000 120000 136000
Packing material 175000 200000 212500
Marketing cost including transport 50000 50000 50000
Miscellaneous cost 25000 25000 25000
Total variable cost 440500 507000 552000
Total yield (q) 70 80 85
Gross returns 700000 800000 765000*
Net returns 259500 293000 213000
B-C ratio 1.59 1.58 1.39
Comparative economic analysis of strawberry cultivation under three
different methods (` per acre)
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Scaling-up and scaling-out the innovationsStrawberry cultivation being highly economical can be scaled out at other farms in
Punjab or other parts of India. The innovative blend techniques followed by the farmer has
helped him to establish a successful strawberry cultivation business that has inspired many
young farmers of Ropar as well as nearby districts. Even the existing farmer might explore
the possibility of scaling up of this innovation subject to his marketing ability vis-a-vis the
demand scenario. In future, he is planning to have value addition unit at his farm to handle his
produce during peak availability.
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Kumar A, Ahuja S and Rampal V K (2018) Innovative Blend of Techniques Made Strawberry Cultivation a Lucrative Agri-Business. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 37-40.
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41Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Agri-Innovator - 7
Sanjay Kumar Sharma, B K Sharma, B N Sinha and Yogita Sharma
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Una-174 303, Himachal Pradesh
Background
Vermiwash
Conventional practice
Vermicomposting is quite popular among small and
marginal farmers of Himachal Pardesh converted waste into
value Growers in term of vermicompost which has many
advantages in horticultural and seasonal crops. Government is
also popularising this technology so that farmers can develop
their own fartilizer units. Some farmers have gone one step
ahead to develop other organic products from these units
which has vast scope in their vegetable and food production.
Vermiwashis a liquid that is collected after water is
allowed to pass through a column consisting of multiple layers
of varying thickness of materials such as broken bricks, pieces
of stones, sand, partially decomposed cow dung, soil plus
plenty of earthworms. This liquid contains excretory products
and mucus secretions of the earthworms. It is very useful as
foliar sprays and as soil amendments because of its pest
repellent and nutritional properties. The vermiwash may be
diluted with water in 1:1 ratio or it may be diluted with 10 per
cent cow's urine to enhance its pesticide efficacy. It can be prepared and stored for later use in
the farm.
It consists of a plasticbucket or iron
barrell of about 200 litre capacity. One stop
cork is set up on the lower part of the bucket
and a layer of broken bricks, pieces of stones
having thickness of 10-15cm is placed in the
bucket. Then, another layer of sand having
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Sh. Ram Kumar
64 yrs
VPO Lower Dehlan, Una-174306, HP
Graduation
+91-9418124980
INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUE OF COLLECTING VERMIWASH
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42
thickness of 10-15cm is laid over it.
Afterwards, a 30-45cm thicklayer of
partially decomposed cow dung is put
over it. It is followed by another layer of
soil having 2-3cm thicknesses.
Subsequently, 150-200 earthworms are
placed in the bucket which are then
coverd by about 6cm thicklayer of paddy
straw.
After setting up a unit in this manner,
the stop cork is opened and water is
regularly sprayed for a period of 7-8
days. For this purpose, a pot with a
bottom hole is hung over the bucket in
such a way that water trickles drop by
drop. Everyday 4-5 litters of water is to
be poured in the hanging pot. After 10-15
days, the liquid vermiwash is produced
in the bucket. The falling water passes
through unit and is collected a
vermiwash in the container kept
underneath. Sh. Ram Kumar a small farmer from Lower Dehlan, Una is a progressive farmer.
In order to meet nutritional requirement of a diversified farm having polyhouse (1ooom2) for
flower cultivation, seasonal vegetables and horticultural plants like papaya, amla and
different species of citrus. Shri Ram Kumar has constructed a four compartment
vermicompost unit (10x3 x 1m). An above ground cemented tank (12 x 5.5 x 2m) for
harvesting rain water as well as other
sources of usable water has also been built
to ensure timely irrigation of crops.
However, this established procedure
to set up a vermiwash unit appeared a bit
cumbersome to Ram Kumar. In his
opinion, the production capacity of such
vermiwash units is sufficient to meet small
farm requirements only. Therefore, instead
of installing such separate vermiwash
Innovation
Typical vermiwash unit
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43Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Sharma et al.Innovative Technique of Collecting Vermiwash
units, he searched for some simpler ways to
achieve higher vermiwash production. After
thoroughly understanding the intricacies of
the vermiwash units in vogue, he thought of
utilizing his existing vermicompost unit in
some way for vermiwash production. After
much contemplation, he hit upon a simple
plan to modify his existing vermicompost unit
that could yield sufficient quantity of
vermiwash to meet his farm requirements.
Shri Ram Kumar converted his entire vermicompost unit into an integrated
vermicompost-cum-vermiwash unit where he produces vermiwash with no additional cost.
Working of this innovation
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44
He simply made small holes along
the f loo r i n a l l t he fou r
compartments of his vermicompost
unit and constructed a narrow drain
with a gentle slope on the exterior
of the compartments through the
entire length of the vermicompost
unit. He fixed small pipes at the end
of this drain so that the vermiwash
dropped into the plastic container
kept for its collection. The regular
w a t e r i n g t o m o i s t e n t h e
vermicompost unit is mandatory to
keep it functional. However, in this vermicompost-cum-vermiwash unit, a little extra
watering is done. This controlled extra watering does no harm to the earthworms. The excess
water simply passes through the vermicompost bed after rinsing the earthworms and drains
through the small holes to ultimately get collected in the container kept outside. The
vermicompost unit being just a little above the soil surface, he dug a hole in the ground to
house the collection container. Since, with this simple minor modification the entire
vermicompost unit has been utilized for vermiwash production, the capacity got increased
manifold. Many times, the vermiwash is used fresh. However, it is also stored in containers
and used as per requirement later on.
Many state governments are putting extra emphasis to popularize and propagate the
vermicomposting technology by providing heavy subsidy on installing vermicompost units.
In Himachal Pradesh, efforts are afoot to provide every farmer with a vermicompost unit.
Already, the state Department of Agriculture have installed vermicompost units on the
farmers' fields in many villages. Increasing number of farmers are coming forward to have
vermicompost units of their own. However, minor modification in the design of brick based
or plastic sheet vermicompost units, presently provided on subsidized rates, might enable
farmers to produce vermiwash as well. Use of vermicompost and vermiwash on large scale
can potentially enhance nutrient status of the soil, improve soil structure and promote
multiplication of depleted beneficial soil microflora.
Scaling out the innovation
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Sharma S K, Sharma B K Sinha B N and Sharma Y (2018) Innovative Technique of Collecting Vermiwash. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 41-44.
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45Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
FLOURISHING THROUGH FLORICULTUREINNOVATION WORTH EMULATION
Background
Uniqueness
Shri KP Saini was cultivating rice, wheat, sugarcane etc
with traditional practices on his 2.5 ha farm before he realized
the imperativeness of diversifying his farming with flowers.
Haridwar being world known religious city, has high demand
of flowers for pilgrimage. Shri. Saini diversified the rice-
wheat, rice-wheat-sugarcane cropping system with autumn
planted Sugarcane with intercropping of marigold in autumn
and Green Gram and Black Gram in the spring of 2015-16. He
also diversified with other floricultural crops like Gerbera in
polyhouse and Gladiolus and Brassica (Japani flower) in open
fields.
Farmers in the locality are generally risk averse in nature
and settle with low risk low return strategy. However, Shri
Saini went big way in creating modern agricultural
infrastructure at his farm
and adopted cultivation
of high value crops. This
move not only helped
him realize several fold
higher farm income but
it also demonstrated and
acted as a source of
inspiration for his follow
farmers.
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No.
Sh. Kunwar Pal Saini
57 yrs
Vill. Premrajpur, Block Bhagwanpur, Roorkee, Uttarakhand
Graduate
: +91-9837705638
Agri-Innovator - 8
Sucheta Singh, Purushottam Kumar, Ujala Singh, Vinod Kumar
and Yogendra Pal
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, DhanauriHaridwar at -249 404, Uttarakhand
Gerbera growing is the key to prosperity for this farmer
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Working of this innovation
He built up two polyhouses in the area of
one acre duly equipped with facilities like drip
irrigation system, double door protection from
insects and pests, fogger, micro sprinkler etc.
for which he spent around ` 35,27,920. The
beds were prepared by mixing 50 tonne
compost, rice husk and neem compost which
resulted him in an additional expenditure of
around ` 1,70,000. This onetime investment
was likely to generate income in several years to come.
The fast increasing family expenses during recent past stimulated Shri Saini to go for
flower production in polyhouses as well as in the open fields. After establishment of the
necessary infrastructure for protected cultivation, he started cultivating Gerbera crop with
the purchase of tissue cultured 29,000 plants from KF Biotech, Pune. The common diseases/
pests of flowers viz. blight, leaf minor, mite, thrips, etc were timely controlled using standard
recommended package and practices. The beds were prepared at a width of 75 cm with two
rows of Gerbera and two rows of drip irrigation at the 30 cm plant to plant distance. The crop
matures in three and half months and fetches a price in the range of ` 2 to 7 per cut flower
depending upon festivals and marriage season (see the Table). The plants once established
provide flowers for subsequent three years resulting in reduction of cost of cultivation and
rise in net return over the time.
Flourishing Through ....... Innovation Worth Emulation
Comparison of B:C ratio in differentflowers under polyhouse and open field
B:C
Ra
tio
Flower crop
Gerbera(Polyhouse)
Gladious Brassica (japaniflower)
0
1
2
3
4
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He has also sown Gladiolus and Brassica in the open fields nearby his polyhouses. These
flowers also have a very good market demand in the marriages, hotels, festivals and
institutions etc. Gladiolus is sown in the month of October at 75 cm row to row and 7 to 8 cm
plants to plants distance. The crop matures in three and half months. The market price of
Table: Economic analysis of flowers vis-a-vis other traditional crops in
open fields (2017)
Crop Yield(Q/ha)
SEY
(Q/ha)
CoC(`/ha)
GR(`/ha)
NR
(`/ha)
B:C ratio
Gerbera*#
1600000
--
1243000
4800000
3557000
3.9
Gladiolus*
200000
--
580000
1250000
670000
2.2
Brassica*
60000
--
625000
1200000
575000
1.9
Rice+Wheat 46+45
601.00
70000
189315
119315
2.7
Sug (conventional)
700 700.00 118000 220500 105500 1.8
Sug+Marigold
650+80
1411.90 133000 444749 311749 3.3
Sug+Green gram
660+10
812.38 126000 255900 119900 1.9
Sug+Black gram
670+11
834.13
126000
262751
126751
1.9
* Yield is in number of cut flowers / ha; # crop was grown in polyhouse (2016-17)
Note: CoC= Cost of Cultivations; GR= Gross Returns; Sug= Sugarcane; SEY= Sugarcane Equivalent Yield;NR= Net Returns
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Gladiolus varies from ̀ 5 to ̀ 6.50 per cut flower as per the market conditions. The bulbs are
harvested in March, graded and sorted for next season. There is very low attack of pests and
diseases in this crop. During its cultivation the farmer gets fallow land for seven months to be
utilized for other crop combinations.
Brassica (Japani flower) is a very attractive flower which looks like cabbage and has
different colours. Shri Saini, has white, pink, red and multicoloured Brassica on his field. It's
nursery is prepared in the month of October, which is transplanted in open fields in
November. The flowers mature in the month of February and on an average it gets a price of
`20 per cut flower. Although the flowers are disease resistant yet the crop need to be
protected from the aphids in nearby fields of mustard. The Table shows that it is always
economically better to diversify the agriculture from traditional practices to the innovative
crops and practices.
The innovative farming practices demonstrated by Shri Saini are capable of increasing
famers' returns several times (see the Table). Such innovations need to be emulated by other
farmers for raising their standard of living. Different development/ extension agencies
should popularise and help the new farmers to adopt such practices and contribute towards
doubling farmers income by 2022.
Scaling out the Innovation
Flourishing Through ....... Innovation Worth Emulation
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Singh S, Kumar P, Singh U Kumar V and Pal Y (2018) Flourishing through Floriculture: Innovation Worth Emulation. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 45-48.
Japani flower (Brassica) cultivation is innovative step of the farmer
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49Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Nirmaljit Singh Dhaliwal, Chetak Bishnoi and Karamjit Sharma
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sri Muktsar Sahib-152 026, Punjab
Background
Uniqueness
In Sri Muktsar Sahib district a lot of undulated high dunes
are present where surface irrigation is not possible and
underground water is not suitable for irrigation in this part of
Punjab. S. Balwinder Singh Tikka established Kinnow
orchard in four acre land during 1981 then further increased
the area up to 8 acre under surface canal water irrigation. In
1994 he started purchasing low cost undulated land and
planted orchard under fully drip irrigation system and got
quality produce along with better returns as compared to his
already established orchard under canal water. Then he
decided to purchase more cheaper undulated land in the
vicinity and developed five different orchards in 150 arce of
land. Being science graduate he was the first farmer of this
region who adopted orchard farming on fellow undulated
dunes.
Muktsar district came
under water logging due to rise
of underground water and large
area under fruit plantation was
affected. Majority of orchards
except on higher elevation
w e r e u p r o o t e d d u e t o
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Balwinder Singh Tikka
50 yrs
Abul Khurana Muktsar, Malout, Sri Muktsar Sahib-152114, Pb.
B.Sc., B.Ed.
+91-9815478653
Agri-Innovator - 9
INNOVATIVE BLEND OF TECHNOLOGIES PRODUCED EXPORT QUALITY FRUITS FROM BARREN DUNES
Healthy Kinnow orchard of Mr. Tikka
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Phytophthora disease that occurs in waterlogged soils. The orchard of Balwinder Singh
Tikka was not affected by water logging in the same season. He started planting orchard on
undulated lands by minimum disturbance to the soil. He attained good economic returns near
about ? 1 Lakh per acre annually as compared to only ? 40000 per acre from cotton-wheat
and paddy-wheat cropping system received by other farmers of the area. He used lesser
Established kinnow orchard on barren dunes
Sand dunes converted into oasis of fruits
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quantity of canal water and produced higher returns from per unit area land. He self marketed
whole produce in various markets of India and also exported his Kinnows to Russia and
Dubai.
The ground water of Muktsar district is not fit for irrigation in many parts. To get higher
yield of fruits, quality water is prerequisite. Inspired by the Israeli agriculture, he purchased
undulated cheap sand dunes and without much disturbing the land he planted an orchard of
citrus plants viz. Mandrin, Sweet Orange, Grape fruit and Lemon. He established ponds for
collecting canal water and irrigated his all orchard through drip irrigation. He provided
macro nutrients through fertigation and micro nutrients through foliar application. He
mulched all his fields with Sarson and Paddy straw which is easily available and is quite
cheap. By mulching he conserves the soil moisture and reduces evaporation losses. He
collects dung of his own farm and from different sources for preparing farm yard manure
with recommended technology. He collected clay soil from other areas and applied to sandy
ponds to reduce the seepage of water during early years of orchard establishment and now his
all ponds are brick lined. Farmers of other villages Kothe Dashmesh Nagar and Gandar have
also adopted this method of orchard plantation on high undulated dunes with drip irrigation
system successfully.
Valuing his innovative hard work and scientific mindset he was honoured in 2007 by
Working of this innovation
Awards and recognition
Canal water storage tank
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NRI award at Kissan Mela of PAU and national level award from IARI in 2008. He was
awarded prestigious Chief Minister's awards for progressive farmers in March, 2009 at PAU
Kissan Mela. Further he was awarded with Chief Minister's Award by State Government in
2010.
The much appreciated innovation of Mr. Tikka is not only good for economic upliftment
of farmers but it is good for the natural ecosystem too. Although this innovative mix of
technologies and ideas has been replicated on the farmers of adjoining location yet this
experience needs to the emulated at much wider locations.
Scaling-out the innovation
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation
Dhaliwal N S, Bishnoi C and Sharma K (2018) Innovative Blend of Technologies Produced Export Quality Fruits from Barren Dunes. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 49-52.
Management of undulating lands
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53Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Aparna, Ashok Kumar and V K Rampal
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ropar-140 001, Punjab
Background
Significance
Sh Dilbar Singh of village Bahadurpur of District Roopnagar,
Punjab is a progressive dairy farmer owning a herd of about
150 cross-bred cattle and a producer of around 1200 litre of
milk daily. He is running the enterprise under the name of R S
Farm. He has adopted a mix of recommended technologies in
dairy farming like regular prophylactic vaccination, silage,
total mixed ration (TMR), teat dipping, machine milking and
well ventilated shed for his dairy cattle. The issue of dung
disposal led him to installation of biogas plant at his farm.
Surplus production of biogas persuaded him to idea that the
biogas can be supplied to other households too, as a source of
cooking fuel. Practicing this idea proved to be an immediate
success and now the whole village is getting the free supply
and is proud of this dairy farmer and his initiatives.
The biogas plant of Sh Dilbar Singh is a source of cooking
fuel not only for his own
house, but the biogas is also
being supplied free of cost to
all the households in the
village, Villagers report that
e a r l i e r t h e i r a n n u a l
consumption of LPG gas
was twelve cylinders and
due to the selfless initiative
of Sh. Dilbar Singh, it has
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Email:
S. Dilbar Singh
57 yrs
RS Farm, Bhadurpur, Ropar-140 001, Pb.
Higher Secondary
+91-9888301375
Agri-Innovator - 10
INNOVATIVE SHARING BIOGAS WITH COMMUNITYAT NO COST
INITIATIVE:
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reduced to mere four cylinders. Not only this, Biogas is a kind of bio-fuel generated through
biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen and is a renewable and
considered as a clean source of energy. Gas generated through bio-digestion is non-polluting
and leading to the deceleration of global warming process. Cattle dung used in the
production of biogas makes it a sustainable and cost effective option too.
This is one of the rarest social
i n n o v a t i o n s e x h i b i t i n g t h e
generosity, social responsibility and
compassion of an agri/ dairy
entrepreneur in an era of highly
competitive and materialistic world.
Usually biogas plant usage is
restricted to owner’s household but
here in this case the output of this
plant has been shared among the
community of entire village. In
addition, two tankers of slurry (500
Uniqueness
Overview of the farm of S. Dhilbar Singh
Stoves burning on the biogas
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55Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Aparna et al.Innovative Initiative: Sharing ....... at Free of Cost
litre) produced daily by this
plant are also shared free of
cost among the fellow farmers
of the village for its use as
fertilizer. Consequently, the
problem of disposal of excess
c a t t l e d u n g h a s b e e n
significantly solved and
emission of greenhouse gases
in the process of cattle dung
decomposition has also been
eliminated. Hence, this
innovation has proved to be
conducive to the social and
environmental health.
The innovation is more of
a will to enhance social
c o h e s i v e n e s s t h r o u g h
e n v i r o n m e n t f r i e n d l y
integrated approach to make
use of output of one enterprise
as input in the other enterprise.
With this guiding principle,
t h i s d a i r y f a r m e r h a s
established a pipeline network
through-out the village and
biogas is being supplied
through a pipeline for two
hours in the morning and two
hours in the evening. The slurry produced in the process of making biogas is also supplied
free of cost to other farmers in the village.
Biogas can also be converted into electricity and the farmer also plans to run generators
on biogas so that the village may become self reliant in electricity and cooking fuel. Apart
from farmer’s plan, the technology can be further upgraded because just like natural gas,
Working of this innovation
Scaling up and scaling out the innovation
Gas distributions system
Regulating supply of biogas
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56
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation;
Aparna, Kumar A and Rampal V K (2018) Innovative Initiative: Sharing Biogas with Community at No Cost. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 53-56.
biogas can be easily compressed and used to power automobiles. Better still, biogas can be
purified and upgraded to the natural gas standards when it’s converted to bio-fuel known as
bio-methane. For out-scaling this innovation, more dairy farmers may be motivated towards
this aspect in Punjab and other states so that the dependence on fossil fuel energy is reduced
to a greater extent. The process of anaerobic digestion leaves behind a nutrient-rich matter
called digestate, which is commonly utilized as fertilizer. Other agri or dairy entrepreneurs
can augment their farm income by locally selling bio-gas and slurry.
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INNOVATIVE TERRACE FARMING ON SPENT MUSHROOMCOMPOST BRINGS ADDITIONAL INCOME
Pankaj Sood, D S Yadav and L K Sharma
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Mandi at Sundernagar-175 019, Himachal Pradesh
Background
Significance
Sh. Parama Ram Chaudhary is a source of inspiration for
the farming community as he is an innovative farmer
practicing new technologies in crop husbandry, animal
husbandry and nonfarm enterprises for maximum returns
from his 2.5 acre land. Sh. Chaudhary has set an example for
other small and marginal farmers on efficient and effective use
of limited resources to earn handsome sustainable returns. He
has been practicing sericulture and mushroom cultivation in
an old house of 400 sq m on his farm. He was using spent
mushroom compost in his fields near the mushroom house
which was inviting flies and other pathogens. Hence he tried
these compost bags on terrace of his house for vegetable
cultivation which gave encouraging results. He adopted this
innovative and sustainable method for enhanced returns and
has developed a model of sustainable farming system which is
worth replicating by all mushroom growers with small/
marginal land holdings. Moreover, byproduct or waste from
one component is a potential raw material for other
enterprises.
Sh. Chaudhary has set an
example for other small and
marginal farmers on efficient
and effective use of limited
resources to earn handsome
sustainable returns.He was
earning about 41000 rupees
from small mushroom unit of
400 bags; but afterwards the
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Sh. Parma Ram Choudhary
65 yrs
Chhattar, P.O. Jugahan, Sundernagar,
Mandi-175002, HP
Matric
+91-9805756261
57Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
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58
spent compost was simply mixed in the field inviting pathogens and insects which were
posing threat to ensuing mushroom crops. Using these bags for terrace cultivation not only
was the best effective way to utilize the nutrient rich compost but earned an additional
income of about ̀ 28000. Moreover, the process ensured maintaining hygienic conditions in
the mushroom cultivation house avoiding infections.
The spent mushroom compost after harvest of mushroom is generally used as compost in
agricultural or vegetable fields. Sh. Parma Ram Chaudhary earned additional income of `
28000 from 400 bags of spent mushroom compost i.e. about ̀ 70 per bag of spent mushroom
compost which is almost equal to the purchase value of the mushroom bag.
Sh. Chaudhary has become a source of inspiration for the farming community in the
region. He has demonstrated the low cost innovations and models for marginal farmlands
through efficient and effective use of limited resources by following sustainable Farming
System Model for livelihood security. He has been instrumental in transfer of farm
technology in the region. He is always keen to assist and guide fellow farmers for adoption of
new technologies. White button mushroom cultivation is now being adopted by many
farmers in the district.
Uniqueness
Roof top farming on spent mushroom
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Sood et al.Innovative Terrace Farming ....... Additional Income
Working of this innovation
Awards and recognition
The farmer had a room in his old house measuring about 400 square meters. The farmer
conceptualized the unique and innovative idea of using spent mushroom compost bags as
such for terrace cultivation of vegetable crops like Okra from April to June, Brinjal and
Coriander July to September, Spinach and Coriander October to December and green peas
January to March for harnessing the full potential of nutrient rich spent compost. This not
only ensured higher returns with lesser risk, but also the nutrient rich spent mushroom
compost was utilized in the best way. The KVK provided him with all possible support to
continue with his experiment with terrace cultivation. KVK Scientists not only provided him
with technical backstopping but also constantly boosted his moral by providing platforms to
showcase his innovative ideas at the state and national level, which helped him sustaining the
innovation at his farm.
He has been recognized at various platforms at the national and state levels. Amongst all,
ICAR's Jagjivan Ram Abhinav Kisan Puruskar from Zone-I for the year 2013 has been the
major recognition as an innovative farmer.
Innovative roof top farming is a source of curiosity for many
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60
Scaling-up and scaling-out the innovationThis noble innovation could prove a boon among other small & marginal farmers
especially mushroom growers in the region for getting the additional income as well as
getting rid of the problems of disposing off the spent mushroom. Officials from development
department arrange regular visits of other farmers to his farm for further dissemination of the
innovation.Sh. Chaudhary kept in constant touch with other KVK and many farmers groups
are interacting and learning from his experiences for adopting the innovations at their places
for enhanced returns.
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Sood P, Yadav D S and Sharma L K (2018) Innovative Terrace Farming on Spent Mushroom Compost Brings Additional Income. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 57-60.
Thorough understanding of the experience for better replication
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61Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Agri-Innovator - 12
Neelam Kumari, N S Kaith, Bandana, Ashok K Thakur and Tanuja Banshtu
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Shimla at Rohru-171 207, Himachal Pradesh
BackgroundCollar Rot caused by Phytophthora cactorum is a very
serious problem in apple orchards of Shimla district. The
disease causes severe losses to apple growers resulting in
decreased productivity with poor quality of fruits. Affected
apple trees show sparse foliage, slow growth, bronzing and
yellowing of leaves with browning of bark at collar region.
The incidence of the disease is sometimes up to 50 per cent in
many of the orchards especially, where the orchards are
planted in heavy soils with low pH.
h Mohan Lal Sharma, a progressive and innovative
farmer of Jubbal area is having apple plantation infected with
Collar Rot disease inflicting heavy losses to him. He used all
the recommended practices to protect his orchard from the
Collar Rot disease, but could not get the desired results. At last
he used the innovative approach grafting technique to give
additional food to the plants.
For this, he first scratched the
dead/ diseased bark up to
healthy portion from the
affected collar portion and
applied Chaubatia paste, then
he gave approach grafting of 5-
6 seedlings of apple in each
SName:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Sh. Mohan Lal Sharma
62 yrs
Shari, PO Jubbal,Shimla
Graduation
+91-9418059113
INNOVATIVE GRAFTING RECUPERATED COLLOR ROTDAMAGE IN APPLE
Apple tree infected with Collar Rot
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62
affected plant besides drenching with Ridomil MZ (0.4%) 10-15 L per plant in the month of
March and July.
The Collar Rot is the major disease problems in apple orchards, mainly in orchards
having heavy soils and where wrong inter-cropping and wrong cultural practices have been
practiced. However, adoption of proper cultural practices and integrated disease
management for Collar Rot along with approach grafting technology has improved the
productivity and quality of apple that improved farmers' income within two to three years of
treatment.
After the use of approach grafting technology by this innovative farmer, the other
farmers also adopted this technology in their orchards in Jubbal block as well as in other parts
of the district Shimla resulting in similar benefits on their orchards too.
The recommended Apple Collar Rot management practices check the spread of diseases
but the plant still remains weak due to the want of adequate nutrition on account of rotten
plant skin and peripheral stem portion near ground level. With the help of Approach Grafting
Significance
Uniqueness
Grafted plants acting as multiple stems
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63Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Kumari et al.Innovative Grafting Recuperatd ....... Damage in Apple
Technique, diseased plant gets additional nutrition through the healthy system of grafted
plants which serve as root stocks.
Majority of the apple
orchards in the Shimla
district are based on
plants developed through
seedling root stocks.
These seedling root-
stocks have deep and well
spread root system,
which helps in the
absorpt ion of more
nutrient elements and
other solutes from much
wider and deeper soil
l a y e r s . A p p r o a c h
Grafting technique is based on the principle of supplying additional nutrients to the plants
from wider and deeper soil layers when the original collar portion of the plants gets damaged
due to the Collar Rot disease. Under such conditions the original root system of the plant is
unable to supply sufficient nutrient elements and other solutes to the plants. It results in the
inhibition of plant growth and the above-ground portion of the affected plant gets infected
with various diseases due to the plant weakness.
In the Approach Grafting technique, 5-6 seedlings cheaper options are planted all around
in the tree basin during the winter season and after one year of their establishment these
seedlings are grafted directly above the diseased portion of the plants in the tree trunk, tied
with the grafting paper and when they are well connected with the tree trunk the grafting
paper is removed. These seedlings act as supplier of additional nutrients to the plants and
within 2- 3 years the plants become as healthy as other normal plants in the orchard and the
plant life is increased for a period of over twenty years.
Mr. Sharma refined the approach grafting technology under the guidance of scientists.
He used this technology in his orchard and validated this technology perfectly. Application
of this technology impressed his fellow farmers who are surprised to see his regenerated
orchard. Now Mr. Mohan Lal Sharma has become expert in this technology and many
farmers come to his orchard to learn the details of the technology so that they can also treat
their orchards affected by the dreaded collar rot disease.
Working of this innovation
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Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Kumari N, Kaith N S, Bandana, Thakur A K and Banshtu T (2018). Innovative Grafting Recuperated Collar Rot Damage in Apple. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 61-64.
Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Kumari et al. Innovative Grafting Recuperatd ....... Damage in Apple
64
Scaling-out the innovationThis is a good innovative technology and after perfecting it the farmer is now abundantly
using it to save his Collar Rot infected plants of apple. His innovation has been emulated by
several other farmers having the problem of Collar Rot in their respective orchards.
However, concerted efforts to disseminate this technology will prove to be beneficial to a
large number of orchardists having their apple plants infested with the dreaded Collar Rot
disease.
Completely rehabilitated apple plant
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65Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Nirmaljit Singh Dhaliwal and Balkaran Singh Sandhu
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sri Muktsar Sahib-152 026, Punjab
Background
Significance
Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) based farming is predominant
method of paddy cultivation in Muktsar district of Punjab. In
fact this district accounts for about 25% of total DSR area in
Punjab and this is the number one district in terms of area
under DSR. However the problem of weed infestation in DSR
is enormous as compared to the transplanted crop. The major
contributing factor for popularization of DSR in South-
Western Punjab is extreme shortage of farm labour in addition
to the high uncertainly of labour availability. Mr. Gursewak
Singh provided solutions to this problem by modifying the
existing non-functional cotton sprayer (large number of cotton
farmers have shifted to rice cultivation in South-Western
Punjab due to sustained falling profitability in cotton crop)
through use of some nozzles and other attachments. This
modified sprayer is a multipurpose device for its applicability
in orchard crops in addition to the field crops.
The modified tractor
operated sprayer ensures
un i fo rm app l i ca t ion o f
weedicieds/ pesticides with
tremendous reduction of the
dependence on labour. This
sprayer has enabled the farmer
to achieve higher scale of
operations as the average land
holding in this locality is higher
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Gursewak Singh
44 yrs
Kothe Dasmesh Nagar, Gidderbaha, Sri Mkatsar Sahib-152 031, Pb.
Higher Secondary
+91-9814172305
Agri-Innovator - 13
INNOVATIVE TRACTOR OPERATED SPRAYER PUMP
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66
than the state average. This
device is multipurpose one
with which farmers are also
applying faster spray of
nutrients solutions. Further,
this sprayer has also been used
fo r ca r ry ing ou t sp ray
operations in orchards. Overall
the sprayer is very convenient
for the farmers and as it has
been based on modification of
existing cotton sprayer it is
highly cost effective. Due to all
these advantages these sprayers have been used by a large number of other farmers in the
locality.
Mr. Gursewak Singh Sekhon has used different nozzels and other attachments to make
this device as multipurpose one. This modified tractor operated sprayer is in fact a
multipurpose device that takes care of weedicide/ pesticide application in field crop as well
horticultural crops in addition to folliar applications of nutrients. This device being tractor
operated facilitates use of adequate quantity of water during spray operations which
otherwise is kept sub-optimal by the farmer. The uniqueness of this device stems from the
Uniqueness
Multipurpose pump spraying the orchard
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67Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Dhaliwal and SandhuInnovative Tractor Operated ....... Crops and Orchards
fact that is extremely cost effective (with an expenditure of 5 to 10 thousand rupees) as
compared to the comparable branded sprayer without any compromise on quality and
quantity of the output.
Weed infestation is a major bottleneck in DSR crop and it is extremely difficult to control
weeds in this crop with the help of ordinary manual sprayer. For effective weed control
uniform application of herbicides is needed and it requires a lot of skilled labour. However,
availability of farm labour is highly scarce and uncertain in the district under reference. To
overcome this problem the innovator decided to develop/ modify his existing tractor
operated spray drum which he had been using earlier in cotton crop.
He modified his cotton spray pump by adjustable steel pipes. These pipes can be
adjusted in horizontal as well as in vehicle direction with the help of nuts and bolts according
to its use in the field or on horticultural crops. For every 45 cm distance removable nozzles
are attached, which may be changed according to the kind of spray (for herbicide application
flood jet nozzle is used and for insecticide application cone type nozzle is fixed). This
sprayer is operated by the power take off (PTO) shaft of the tractor. So, water used for
applying spray may also be adjusted by adjusting speed of the tractor through gear changing.
Generally we use 150 to 300 liters/ acre water for spray (300 litre/ acre for herbicide
application operating 45 st
HP tractor in 1 low gear
and 150 litre/ acre for
insecticide/ nutrient
application operating 45 nd
HP tractor in 2 low
gear).
For this innovation,
Gursewak Singh was
awarded 'Udami Kisan
Award' in Progressive
Punjab Summit 2014 at
Mohali by the Chief
Minister of Punjab. He
is now acting as a key
communicator for other
farmers for adopting
DSR in the nearby
localities.
Working of this innovation
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68
Scaling-out the innovationThe modified tractor operated sprayer has multipurpose applicability which ranges from
application of weedicide/ pesticide to the foliar application of nutrient solution in field as
well as orchard crops. In fact spray operation in orchards is a really difficult task which has
been very well taken care by this device. All these positives about this sprayer have
contributed towards its popularity among other paddy farmers in this location who were
earlier cultivating cotton crop. However, this innovation needs to be popularized and scaled-
out at the farmers of such farmers for saving their Lakhs of rupees on account of purchasing
comparable branded sprayer.
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Dhaliwal N S, Sandhu B S (2018) Innovative Tractor Operated Sprayer Pump for Field Crops and Orchards. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 65-68.
S. Gursewak Singh being honoured for his innovation
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69Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Agri-Innovator - 14
Sanjay Kumar Sharma, B K Sharma, Yogita Sharma and B N Sinha
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Una-174 303, Himachal Pradesh
Background
Significance
Shri Vijay Kumar Thakur was encuraged by his cousin to
initiate goat farming for milk production. However, his family
and friends opposed this idea because he had no practical
experience of goat farming. The major challenge appeared not
of rearing goats but the poor acceptability of milk because of a
typical unpleasant odour. In order to understand the cause of
the problem, he discussed the matter with the experts and came
to the conclusion that the unhygienic conditions practiced in
traditional goat farming and keeping lactating goats in
association with the male goats (rams) are the real source of
that typical odour. At present, Shri Thakur's goat farm has
twenty eight female goats of different breeds viz. Sirohi (12),
Beetal (8), Amritsari (2), Boer (1) and mixed breed of Sirohi x
Beetal (5). He also maintains a male goat of Amritsari breed.
Besides, he also has 17 goat kids that will add to his herd size in
near future.
Goat farming is a profitable business and requires
comparatively lesser investment. It can
yield a wide range of products like milk,
meat, wool, manure, leather etc. Goats
have been considered as poor man's cow
because of their immense contribution to
rural economy. Goat milk has rich
medicinal properties and many
medicines based on traditional Indian
health care system are prescribed with
goat milk. Goat products are not only
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Sh. Vijay Kumar Thakur
61 yrs
Sainsowal,Una-177 220, HP
Graduation
+91-9310987335Email: [email protected]
SCIENTIFIC PAYS DIVIDENDSGOAT FARMING
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70
nutritious and easily digestible; they are also a
source of regular income for the poor, landless
and marginal farmers. In Himachal Pradesh,
goat farming is practiced in many parts of the
state, but it is particularly popular in lower
belts including Una district.
Milk of goats reared traditionally in rural
areas possesses a distinctly unpleasant
odour. That is why goat's milk, despite its
medicinal properties, does not find favour
for regular usage by public at large. But this
myth has been proven wrong by Shri Thakur
who runs a successful goat farm and the milk
produced in his farm has a normal aroma. He
made it possible by following an entirely
scientific technique of goat farming.
After having understood the real cause of
the problem, Shri Thakur thought of goat
farming on an elevated enclosure with
perforated floor for pellets and urine to drop
down instantly. He got fabricated a
scientifically designed elevated enclosure
(50'x15') at a height of five feet above ground.
The whole structure rests on the iron pillars
securely grouted in the ground. A slanted
corrugated sheet affixed between the elevated
floor and the ground serves as the only entry/
exit point for the goats.
The side walls made of wire mesh are 10
feet high to ensure safety of the goats from
wild predators. The side walls have also been
equipped with rolling curtains with a
Uniqueness
Working of this innovation
Overview of the structure
Segregation is imperative
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71Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Sharma et al.Scientific Goat Farming Pays Dividends
mechanism for effortless expansion or rolling up to provide protection against vagaries of
wind and rain. The elevated floor consists of a plastic mesh. The mesh size is just sufficient
enough to allow the pellets to drop down easily.
The gentle flexibility of the plastic floor
quicken the process of pellet drop down by
tapping due to mobility of goats inside the
enclosure. The main larger enclosure has been
partitioned into five smaller sub-enclosures of
varying dimensions. It includes one enclosure
to house male goat (6'x5'), three for female
goats (17'x6', 20'x6', 20'x15') and one for kids
(10'x6') separately. This space is sufficient to
rear thirty four goats.
The partitioning has been done so as to keep a three feet wide central path for the care
taker to look after the goats. In each enclosure, a long feeding pot is kept hanging at a height
with the side wall which is lowered at the time of feeding concentrate. The goats are also
grazed in the open twice a day. Also, a blocked wash basin is affixed in a corner of each
enclosure to provide fresh drinking water.
The tap point of the wash basin has a
floating valve to prevent spilling of water. All
the tap points are connected to a water tank
(500 litter capacity) placed at a height on one
side of the structure. Whenever, the water
level in the wash basin comes down, it gets
replenished immediately. The two adjacent
enclosures are separated by corrugated sheets.
The door of each enclosure is three feet wide
and opens into the central path. This
mechanism allow entry or exit of goats from
one enclosure at a time. The height of the dividing wall is just sufficient to prevent goats from
crossing over to other side. Underneath the elevated floor, slanting corrugated sheets ending
in a drain have been meticulously affixed allowing the dropped pellets to get collected in the
pot kept at the end of drain.
The collected pellets are sun dried and then stored in bags. The empty space below the
slanted sheets serves as temporary store for the collected pellets. These pellets are either sold
or used in own fields. The milk obtained from these goats is absolutely normal with no foul
odour at all. Such milk fetches a premium price to the Shri Thakur as compared to other dairy
farmers because of its medicinal properties. He easily sells the goat milk @ ` 50 per litre
Separation of excreta
Ensuring cleanliness
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72
when the prevailing price of cow and buffalo milk is around ̀ 25 to 30 per litre, respectively
at the producer's place.
This innovative technique of goat farming on scientifically designed elevated
enclosures can easily be out-scaled with government intervention. Though big entrepreneurs
having necessary wherewithal can erect such structures, but small and marginal farmers
would require initial financial support in the form of subsidy on the pattern of poly-houses
and solar fencing. It might open new avenues for generating self employment opportunities
in rural areas through this enterprise
Scaling-out the innovation
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Sharma S K, Sharma B K, Sharma Y and Sinha B N (2018) Scientific Goat Farming Pays Dividends. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 69-72.
Scientific practices ensure healthy stock
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73Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
PORTABLE ONION FLOWER THRESHER CUM SEEDEXTRACTOR: A FARMER INNOVATION
Karun Sharma, Devinder Tiwari, Harshneet Singh and S C Sharma
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ludhiana at Samrala-141 114, Punjab
Background
Significance
Seed production of Rabi onion in Punjab can give farmers
remunerative returns. In the recent past, the demand for PAU
recommended varieties of Rabi onion (Punjab Naroya and
PRO 6) has increased manifolds as these varieties are better
yielding and have higher shelf life. In order to cater to the
larger demand for the quality seed of onion, some farmers
came forward for production of onion seed in Ludhiana
District. Mr. Sukhjeet Singh of Diwala village was also among
such farmers who showed keen interest in the production of
Rabi onion seed. In the first year, he started onion seed
production on small area (i.e. 1 Kanal) which yielded him
good returns of around `50000. Encouraged from the
results,he planned to expand the area under seed production to
one acre in next year. The major constraints encountered
during the seed production was that all the operations starting
from sowing of the crop till extraction of seed were labour
intensive, time consuming, expensive and laborscarcity
especially during harvesting & threshing of the crop
coinciding with peak sowing time/phase for next kharif crop. It made onion seed production
a much difficult task. There constraints forced Sukhjit to think of other alternatives for onion
seed extraction e.g. mechanization. He started searching for mechanical seed extractors for
onion seed and found that the available seed extractors even of small capacity were very
expensive and unaffordable. All these factors stimulated him to devise his own machine
from the locally available material and skill.
For threshing and extraction of onion seed, this innovation has reduced man hours upto
15-16 per acre as compared to the manual process which required 100-120 man hours per
acre. Previous process of manual extraction was done with help of sticks beating and then
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Sukhjeet Singh Baraich
47 yrs
Diwala, Samrala, Ludhiana
B.A.
+91-8146400936
Agri-Innovator - 15Downloaded from http://atari1icar.res.in/Publications/Agri-Innovators- The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
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74
rubbing with the hands resulting into some damage to the seeds. On the other hand, with
machine not only quality seed can be obtained but also the process takes a very less time to
complete. Therefore, the innovation proved to be very effective in mechanizing the process
of seed extraction.
The manufacturing of the machine from locally available material and skill makes it unique
in a way that till today no seed extractor is available at such a cheap cost to the farmers. As the
fabrication of the machine takes very less time i.e. 2-3 days so the prototype has great
potential to cater the larger demands in a shorter span.
The proverb “Necessity is the mother of invention” proved true when Mr. Sukhjeet Singh
designed and fabricated a very efficient thresher cum onion seed extractor that too at very
cheap price costing him just ̀ 5000/-. The design of the machine was very simple comprising
of cylinder-concave assembly fitted on two ball bearings inside a cylindrical frame. The
Uniqueness
Working of this innovation
Portable Onion Flower ....... A Farmer Innovation
Onion bulbs after harvest
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75Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Sharma et al. Portable Onion Flower ....... A Farmer Innovation
upper side of the frame fitted with a
hopper for feeding onion seed flowers
(umbels or matured inflorescence) and
lower portion having opening where
different sized meshes can be installed
for obtaining clean seed. For threshing
of onion seed flowers, two rubber
bushes made from worn out conveyer
belts were fitted on rotating cylinder to
get the beating effect. The provision
was also made on the cylinder to adjust
the rubber bushes according to the
beating effect required in order to avoid
any damage to onion seed. A small
sized blower fan was also installed on
the lower portion of the machine below
the mesh opening for separating
Onion seed extractor
During extract operation
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76
Portable Onion Flower ....... A Farmer Innovation
unwanted material from seed. The machine was initially manually operated but later-on it
was upgraded to motorize the whole process.
This machine has a good potential to be acclaimed as commercial model. With some
modifications and refinements, the machine can be converted into seed extractor cum grader.
The capacity of the machine can be further enhanced for meeting specific needs.
Scaling up the innovation
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Sharma K, Tiwari D, Singh H and Sharma S C (2018) Portable Onion Flower Thresher cum Seed Extractor: A Farmer Innovation. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 73-76.
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77Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Background
Uniqueness
Shri Gurjeet Singh completed his formal education up to
10th class and joined his parental occupation of farming. He
has 4.0 ha land and is growing sugarcane, rice and wheat by
conventional method for supporting a family of 15 members.
He also has 5 cows (American and Red Sindhi) and 3 buffaloes
(Murraha).
His earnings from farming and the dairy was sufficient to
meet their family needs until the year 2013. In order to cope
with rapidly increasing expenses, the farmer decided to try
something innovative. Consequently, he decided to adopt
innovating sowing method of sugarcane at a row to row
distance of 120 cm with intercropping of Cauliflower,
Vegetable Peas, Spinach, Gram and Berseem with the August
planted sugarcane. He later on started providing technology to
the fellow farmers and helped his community to flourish too.
This practice of planting
single bud sugarcane planting
material is new practice
introduced by this farmer in
his locality. This practice
generates several time higher
farm income with limited
land and other resources.
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Gurjeet Singh
35 yrs
Vill. Bhoapur, Block: Bahadarabad, Haridwar, Uttarakhand
High School
+91-7088974981
Agri-Innovator - 16
DOUBLING INCOME THROUGH DEMAND DRIVENINTERCROPPING IN SUGARCANE
Sucheta Singh, Purushottam Kumar, Ujala Singh, Vinod Kumar and Yogendra Pal
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Haridwar at Dhanauri-249 404, Uttarakhand
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78
Wo r k i n g o f t h i s
innovation
The innovative sowing
method of sugarcane 120 cm
apart along with intercropping
of Cauliflower, Vegetable
Peas, Spinach, Gram and
Berseem with the August
planted sugarcane is a
promising experience for the
farmer. He planted sugarcane
varieties of Co 0118, Co 0238,
Co 5011, with trench 120 cm
apart. He used single bud
sugarcane pieces @ 16500-17000 pieces (1-2 tonne) per hectare as planting material. It
resulted in 95% germination and proper plant stand. The benefit of sowing in August is that
whole sugarcane could be used for sowing. He used basal dose of NPK 180 kg/ha and 20 kg
zink sulphate at the time of sowing. He used chlorpyriphos 20 EC 1.5 litre + 300 gm
Carbendazim + Mancozeb 750 gm for seed treatment and chlorantraniliprole is used as a
remedial measure for top borer. He also sprayed soluble fertilizer @ 5 kg/ha. Three lines of
each Vegetable Peas, Cauliflower, Spinach and Gram were adjusted in between two line of
Doubling Income through ....... Intercropping in Sugarcane
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79Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Singh et al.Doubling Income through ....... Intercropping in Sugarcane
Economic analysis of sugarcane (conventional method) and sugarcane (120 cm
apart) with intercropping of different crops.
Crop S/Ptime
P.G.
Yield (q/ha)
SEY
(q/ha) GR
(`/ha) COC
(`/ha) NR
(`/ha)
B C
Ratio
Sug (Conventional) March
800
-
252000
120000
132000
2.1
Sug+Veg. Peas Aug-Nov 1:3 1800+80 2308 727001 142400 584601 5.1
Sug +Spinach Aug-Oct 1:3 1700+100
2335 735500 135400 600100 5.4
Sug+Cauliflower Aug-Oct 1:3 1600+150.0 2552 804000 137400 666600 5.8
Sugarcane +Gram Aug-Oct 1:3 1800+35 2078 653783 132400 52138
3
4.9
Note: S/P= Sowing/Planting; P.G.=Planting Geometry; SEY=Sugacane Equivalent Yield; GR= Gross returns;COC=Cost of Cultivations; NR=Net Returns; Sug=Sugarcane
Sugarcane. Seed/ seedlings of intercrop were treated with trichoderma 5 gram/kg or 5 gram/
lt. The financial or economic benefits raised manifolds as the benefit cost ratio raised from 1:
2.1 to 1: 5.8.
Ensuring higher income through intercropping
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80
Doubling Income through ....... Intercropping in Sugarcane
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Singh S, Kumar P, Singh U, Kumar V and Pal Y (2018) Doubling Income through Demand Driven Intercropping in Sugarcane. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 77-80.
In the due course of producing
vegetables viz. Vegetable Peas, Spinach,
Cauliflower and Gram with Sugarcane and
earned net return of `584601 in Vegetable
Peas, `600100 in Spinach, `666600 in
Cauliflower and ̀ 521382 in Gram. He sold
the vegetable produce and the Sugarcane at
the prevailing market rate in the region. The
Table shows that with the benefit cost ratio
rose from 1: 2.1 to 1: 5.8 due to this
innovative practice.
Sh. Gurjeet Singh has become a source of inspiration for the farming community in the
region at a young age. He has demonstrated the sugarcane planting method at a very low seed
rate and intercropping of
sugarcane with high
yielding vegetables. His
model of sugarcane
sowing is very efficient
and effective in using
limited resources viz.
seed, labour, fertilizers,
insecticides, pesticides
e t c . H e h a s b e e n
instrumental in transfer
of farm technology in the
region and other districts
also. This innovative
practice has resulted in tremendous enhancement of farm income (Figure). There is lot of
potential of scaling-out this innovation among the farmers in the locality and even at distant
places.
Scaling out the innovation
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81Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
EARNING TWO LAKHS FROM ONE-FORTH HECTAREINTERCROPPING UNDER POLYHOUSE
Tasneem Mubarak
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kulgam-192 233, Jammu and Kashmir
Background
Significance
Aeijaz Ahmad Kutai is a resident of a remote village about 20 km away from the district head quarter (Kulgam). The only source of income for his family is agriculture. Though the land holding is extremely small (0.25 ha), his innovative idea of diversification and intensive cultivation has helped him to earn a good livelihood for his family.
The innovator was desperate to have additional income from the small piece of land so that his family members are able not only to live a comfortable life but also to impart good education to his children. Aeijaz came to know about the government scheme in which incentives in terms of infrastructure are provided for floriculture. He approached the department of floriculture and succeeded in getting 2 subsidized poly-houses sanctioned. Though the purpose of this scheme was cultivation of cut flowers (Lillium) but he could think of every opportunity to get the maximum out of the limited area. He kept on
thinking of different possibilities of crop intensification based on the demand in the market. Ultimately he succeeded in doing so by designing an innovative mix of high value crops u n d e r p r o t e c t e d c u l t i v a t i o n t o improve his farm income substantially.
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Sh. Aeijaz Ahmad Kutai
46 yrs
Vill Kawdran, Yaripora, Kulgam-192 232, J&K
Graduate
+91-9622886488
Agri-Innovator - 17Downloaded from http://atari1icar.res.in/Publications/Agri-Innovators- The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Mubarak Earning Two Lakhs from ....... Intercropping Under Polyhouse
82
Working of this innovationrThe crop cycle starts in the month of December with the planting of Lillium bulbs.
Around 6 thousand bulbs are planted in 2 poly-houses each of the dimensions of 20X80 feet. The cost incurred on the purchase of seed, land preparation, fertilizers, fungicides and
harvesting was `79720. Since the bulbs sprout and emerge during February end and early March, he thought of utilizing this period for cultivation of other crops. He looked for different options and decided to go for Spinach or Kale as per the demand and crop season.
rdSpinach/ Kale become ready for market by the 3 week of February and is completely harvested and sold in the market before the Lillium crop start competing for the space. The average yield of 740 kg of these leafy vegetables is obtained by the farmer, which is sold @ `20/kg in the wholesale market. The cost involved in cultivation of Spinach/ Kale, including seed cost, sowing, irrigation and harvesting, was `1170 and the gross income was `14800. After few days of harvesting of Spinach/ Kale the field is again irrigated.
stLillium emerges and bears flowers during May end and 1 week of June. During the growing season of Lillium 2-3 sprays of Carbendazim @ 0.1% are given to protect the crop from diseases. Around 4000 cut-flowers are harvested and sold @ `12/ spike earning ` 48000. The cost incurred on harvesting, packing and transportation is `4400. The field is
Highly demanded leafy vegetables for Srinagar market
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83Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
MubarakEarning Two Lakhs from ....... Intercropping Under Polyhouse
cleared from crop residues and is slightly worked upon with rakes in the month of September for which the cost involved is ̀ 1170. The Lillium crop becomes ready for sale in the month of November and yield obtained is 900 kg which is sold @ ̀ 17.5/kg earning him ̀ 15750 as gross income.
The Lillium bulbs are uprooted in the last week of December for sale and replanting in the poly-houses. He replants 6000 bulbs and sells surplus 12000 bulbs in the market @ `12/ bulb. This way a gross income of `144000 is earned. Cost involved in uprooting is `680. The use of own farm grown seed results in saving cost on seed. The economics of the two poly-houses is given in the Table below. As evident from the Table he gets additional income of
Lillium flower ready for the market
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Mubarak Earning Two Lakhs from ....... Intercropping Under Polyhouse
84
`28210 through sale of leafy vegetables over and above the intended cultivation of Lillium crop resulting earning of ̀ 207410 form a very small area of just 0.25 ha.
This innovation has helped the farmer earning more than `207000 from an area of 0.25 ha. However, there is a scope of further scaling up this innovation by incorporating other high value crops either replacing Spinach/ Kale on along with these exiting intercrops. Farmer has sufficient experience and can think of further enhancing the scale in order to augment his family income. This innovation experience being an eye opener for other farmers in the locality needs to be adequately popularized and replicated at the farms of other farmers
Scaling up and scaling out the innovation
Economics of crop cultivation in 2 poly-houses of 20 x 80 feet dimensions Sr. No Crop Cost of Cultivation ( ` ) Gross income (` ) Net Income (` )1 Lillium 84800 264000 179200 2. Vegetables 2340 30550 28210 Total 1+2 87140 294550 207410
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Mubarak T (2018) Earning Two Lakhs from One-Forth Hactare : Intercropping under Polyhouse. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 81-84.
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85Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Raminder Kaur Hundal, Parvinder Singh, Bhupinder S Dhillon and Astha
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Amritsar-143 601, Punjab
Background
Bhagat Puran Singh Natural Farm of Pingalwara is
situated at Dheerekot village near Jandiala Guru, on national
highway G.T. Road, 32 km away from Amritsar city (towards
Jalandhar). This farm is a true picture of natural farming,
operational since, 2006. This farm is acting as a demonstration
farm for the farmers; motivating them towards prudent use of
pesticides and along with promoting organic farming.
Pingalwara has started a silent and constructive revolution to
save the environment, to regenerate farmer – friendly micro
organism, to bring back soil productivity, to re-establish
ecological balance by practically doing Natural Farming in its
32 Acre Farm following different crop rotation. In this farm,
cultivation is done without using any type of chemical
fertilizers and pesticides. The soil of this farm has been
regenerated and rejuvenated and yield of any crop is as good as
or even better than the yield achieved with the help of
chemical fertilizers. The belief on the famous verses from holy
Sikh scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib 'Pavan Guru Pani Pita,
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Rajbir Singh
65 yrs
B-204, New Amritsar-143 601, Pb.
Graduate
+91-9781401141
Agri-Innovator - 18
INNOVATIVE NATURAL FARMING THROUGHORGANIC FERTIGATION
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86
Mata Dharat Maht' (air is guru, water is
father and the earth is mother) can be seen in
practical shape at Bhagat Puran Singh
Natural Farm of Pingalwara. This
cultivation has proved to be more healthier
for the soil, more eco-friendly, less expensive
i.e. (almost zero budget) and most of all less
toxic to the ground water, resulting in saving
of the humanity from the dreadful
consequences.
At this farm, a new innovation was observed,
in which use of cow urine alongwith cow
dung as bio fertilizer on crops like
sugarcane, wheat, gobhi sarson, paddy,
basmati and seasonal vegetables on an area of
32 acres. They are using this mixture
alongwith irrigation water in the ratio 1:400.
This farm is implementing this technology
from last eight years and they do not use any
chemical fertilizer. Following changes have
been observed on this farm.
- The texture of soil in this farm is sandy loam with high organic matter.
- The crop sown in this farm does not show any micro nutrients deficiency symptoms.
Impact
Innovative Natural Farming through Organic Fertigation
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87Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Hundal et al.Innovative Natural Farming through Organic Fertigation
- Basmati crop was healthier than the conventionally grown basmati fields (chemical
fertilizers used).
- Enhances the soil micro flora and fauna especially earthworms population.
- Even low fertile area was ameliorated with the use of these organic fertilizers and
soil texture also improved over the period of time.
- Incidence of insect-pest and diseases also reduced.
- This practice resulted in good returns in terms of yield and income.
- Cost of cultivation was cut down is almost all crop rotation cycles.
This practice is different from indigenous practice of applying farm yard manure (FYM)
to the crops in tonnes. They apply the fermented waste product along with irrigation water,
which has immediate response for its application. FYM is required in large quantity and it
applied seasonally, while this bio fertilizer is applied regularly with irrigation. Therefore this
method is efficiently utilizing the farm waste through the process of fermentation and direct
application of nutrients in the root zone. Irrigation sources for this farm are canal along with
four tube wells.
The dairy farm on Bhagat Puran Singh
Natural Farm of Pingalwara has 40 cattle
(Sahiwal cows). They collect the urine, dung,
waste water after doing different dairy
operations through the small channels in a big
tank located outside the dairy farm, where all
wastes are allowed to ferment for few days.
This tank having three different chambers
and sieving meshes separating them. The
solid leftover is separately collected for
further use. For better results regular stirring
is done in the tank. A small electric motor
(1HP) is installed on this tank for pumping
Uniqueness
Working of this innovation
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88
out the fermented mixture. After 5-7 days,
when the fermentation is complete, it is
sucked from the tank with a pipe (8 inches
diameter) and supplied to the main irrigation
tank (8 X 10 feet depth) through a pipe of 3
inch diameter having approx length of 900
feet. In the main irrigation tank, irrigation
water of four submersible motors is
collected. When there is need of irrigation,
the bio-fertilizer are mixed with irrigation
water and supplied to the fields. This
irrigation water is judicially used for bed planted wheat and oilseed crops, turmeric crop
sown under popular plantation and vegetable crops like, spinach, broccoli, cabbage,
cauliflower and pea crop. In kharif season this water is used for basmati, soybean and pulses.
Sugarcane crop is sown in twin rows twelve feet apart in north- south direction, and the area
in between rows is used for sowing vegetable crops.
This innovation can be used or applied on
larger scale by testing the composition of the
effluents of fermentation tank. Business
potential of this innovation can be tapped by
selling the fermented manures to other
farmers. This easy technique can be easily
used by all the organized dairy farmers for the
organic farming. It will also protect the long
term fertility of soils by maintaining organic
matter levels, encouraging soil biological
activity. Above all replication of this
innovative method of growing safe food at
more and more farms has tremendous health benefits for Indian population.
Scaling-out of innovationInnovative Natural Farming Through Organic Fertigation
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Hundal R K, Singh P, Dhillon B S and Astha (2018) Innovative Natural Farming through Organic Fertigation. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 85-88.
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89Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Sanjeev Ahuja, Ankurdeep Preety and V K Rampal
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ropar-140 001, Punjab
Background
Significance
More than three-fourth of Indian farmers being small and
marginal in size of holding represent majority of the Indian
farming community. Providing adequate livelihood to these
farmers is the real challenge for the policy makers and public
representatives. However, Mr. Singh having just 2 acres of
operational holding has exhibited the innovative mix of
intercropping solutions for raising his farm income to the
respectable levels. His experience needs to be documented for
the benefit of very large number of small and marginal farmers
who can replicate it on their respective farms for similar results.
The intercropping of different crops along with vegetable
crops gives higher returns per unit area and time. This also
leads to proper utilization of the soil moisture, which is taken
up by the intercrops resulting in reduced growth of weeds. The
combination of intercropping is done in a smart way that the
crops are easy to manage and harvest. There is an overall
increase in farm income from these intercropping solutions. In
addition, the farmer is also using an
indigenous sprayer which gains power
from the movement of the bi-cycle wheel in
order to save time as well as money. The
farmer has also kept 60 honey bee colonies
to enhance pollination in vegetable crops
hence increasing the yield. These colonies
yield approximately three quintal honey
each year, which is an another smart way to
generate additional income.
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Jinder Singh
53 yrs
Sandhuan, Shri
Chamkaur Sahib, Roopnagar-
140 112, Pb
Higher Secondary
+91-9914736803
Agri-Innovator - 19
INNOVATIVE INTERCROPPING SYSTEM: SOLUTION FORDOUBLING INCOME OF SMALL FARMS
Bicycle sprayer in intercropping
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Uniqueness
Working of this innovation
Out of a land parcel of just 2 acres, Jinder Singh designed combination of different crops
in an innovative way thus shooting his net income to the tune of ` 433950/- which is worth
emulation by other marginal farmers. In addition, he produced fodder for his own animals
and income from that component has not been accounted for. Similarly supplementary
income from his apiculture enterprise has also not been included. Overall, Jinder has
designed an innovative (additive and supplementary combination) and unique mix of inter-
cultural operations (synergistic) along with supplementary enterprises to raise his farming
income beyond limits in this pack of land.
Sh. Jinder Singh has followed a series of inter-cropping practices for raising his farming 2
income to a level which is really incredible. On one piece of 2 Kanal (1 Kanal= 500 m ) land,
the farmer followed Chili and Coriander intercropping for eight months (thus managing each
inch of land) and earned net income of ` 60,750. On the same piece of land, he cultivated
Cauliflower to earn ` 21,250 just in three months time. Similarly, he cultivated Capsicum
and Onion inter-crop for four and half months and earned ̀ 34,000 net income from 2 Kanal
land followed by Cucumber and Coriander inter-cropping (` 21000 net income) and Tomato
- Palak (Spinach) inter-crop (` 68750; 5 month) of another piece of 1.5 Kanal the farmer
Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Ahuja et al. Innovative Intercropping System: ....... of Small Farms
90
Year round vegetable based intercropping system
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91Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Ahuja et al.Innovative Intercropping System: ....... of Small Farms
cultivated Capsicum followed by Cucumber ( 68400; 6 months) under net house. This
sequence was followed by Cucumber for 4.5 months to earn ̀ 45000. On a piece of 3 Kanal
land, the farmer raised nursery of Chili, Onion, Tomato, Brinjal and Capsicum and sold
plantlets under the name Chamkaur Sahib Paniri Farm, Sandhuan and earned ` 85000 in a
span of 5.5 months by
growing Turmeric. On a
patch of half Kanal land,
the farmer earned ̀ 8500 in
a time period of 6.5 months.
Wheat (` 8500; 6 months)
followed by Basmati rice (`
7500 in 5 months) was
grown on 3.5 Kanal of land.
Among cereals Maize was
another crop gown on one
Kanal in a time span of 4
`
Earning more from less land through intercropping
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92
months for earning net income of 4800. Overall earning 433950/- from a land parcel of 2
acres in addition to dairy income supported by the fodder grown within these two acres and
income from 60 honey bee colonies is the result of his innovative mix of intercropping
solutions.
Sh. Jinder Singh has standardized a working model of generating high net returns from a
2 acre farm. As we have about 67 per cent marginal farm families in India hence, Mr. Singh is
a real role model for them. Scaling-out this innovative mix of intercropping practices on
farms of other marginal farmers has tremendous potential towards their welfare and
improving income and livelihood. His model of intercropping system can be a valid pathway
of doubling farm income for small and marginal farmers if it is replicated at different agro-
ecosystems which has the evidences of supporting various components of farming system.
` `
Scaling-out the innovation
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Ahuja S, Preety A and Rampal V K (2018) Innovative Intercropping System: Solution for Doubling Income of Small Farms. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 89-92.
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93Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
INNOVATIVE EARNEDNAME AND FAME
CULTIVATION OF MELONS
Navjot Kaur Dhillon and Harinder Singh
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Fatehgarh-140 406, Punjab
Background
Significance
Sh. Harpreet Singh Gill was engaged in traditional
farming, cultivating paddy and wheat crops on his land.
Although he had reasonable income from cereal farming but
he knew that it is not enough to meet rising income
expectations of farm families and has to try innovative ideas of
enhancing his farm income. Exotic melon cultivation for early
market by Mr. Gill is one of these innovative ideas. The farmer
has adjusted his sowing time in such a way that his farm will
produce market ready melons in February month for filling the
supply void of at this time. This innovative planning has
helped the farmer getting very high prices for his produce.
With the use of drip irrigation application of water is done
directly to the root zone of the plant, resulting in less water lost
to evaporation in the sun and wind. By use of drip irrigation,
water is applied only where it is needed, with less runoff and
evaporation, also drip irrigation directly water the roots
thereby inhibits germination of weeds because the area
between plants is not wet there by
Conserving Earth's Resources.
Innovator used biodegradable polymer
plastic sheets for mulching his
muskmelon crop that get degraded by
the naturally occurring microbial
community in an environmental
system. They offer a more sustainable
alternative to conventionally used
plastics for mulch films. Providing the
same benefits as of conventional
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Email:
S. Harpreet Singh Gill
51 yrs
Haripur, Amloh, Fatehgarh Sahib-147 203, Punjab
MA, MJMC
+91-9872327764
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Dhillon and Singh Innovative Cultivation ....... Name and Fame
94
plastics, which are likely to accumulate in soil and the disposal of these conventional plastic
mulch sheets lead to the problem of plastic accumulation in soils which is solved by use of
Biodegradable mulching sheets.
Low tunnels used by innovator are mini green houses and don't have shading effect on
nearby cropping area. As the low tunnels are temporary arrangements, thus they can be
shifted from one place to other. Thus, the soil do not get infested by nematodes which is
persistent problem in permanent green houses.
·Raising soil and ambient temperature in Punjab to suit this warm season crop is a
real challenge. The use of low tunnels and electric bulbs to create congenial
conditions is the core of this innovation.
·The muskmelon is sown mid February for best results. However, the innovator
raises crop by providing a suitable cover during winter so that premium of early market
is realized. He gets almost double price for his produce than the main season crop.
Besides adoption of high yielding variety, better quality product, good marketing
conditions make demand situation highly favourable to the farmer for raising his overall
profitability.
UniquenessShowing his off-season melons
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95Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Dhillon and SinghInnovative Cultivation ....... Name and Fame
Working of this innovationThe innovator did not follow the routine practice
of installation of polyhouse or net house but work
successfully with the use of drip irrigation system,
mulch sheets spreading with use of machine
specially made to spread the mulching sheets. This
mulching technique helped reduce wastage and
control of weeds. Also to get early crop, low tunnel
technology has been constructive for this innovator.
With application of precision farming technology,
innovator is able to get his crop ready about 40 days
early than the conventionally grown Muskmelon and
it helps him to fetch premium price for his produce.
Due to heavy and prolonged rains, Muskmelon
crop gets damaged and yield is reduced by 40% in
such case, which also prompted this farmer to try
exotic Muskmelon which has negligible effect of
heavy rains. For marketing of these exotic
muskmelons, the innovator hired a team of salesmen
in Patiala which went door to door and conducted
organoleptic tests for his produce. Consequent upon
the unexpected success of these tests the demand of
Variety Type Area (acres)
YieldAcre (q)
/
Crop duration
Cost of cultivation/ acre (`)
Price received `/ kg
Cost of Seed/ acre (`)
Gross profit
(`)
Net profit
(`)
Bobby (you seed)
Known
Exotic
35
130
5 months
80,000
25
13,000
3,25,000
2,45,000
InthanonRZF1 (Rukzwaan)
-
Exotic
3
140
5 months
1,00,000
35
30,000
4,90,000
3,90 000
Sunny(Namdhari)
Exotic 3 120 4 months
70,000 15 5,000 1,80,000 1,75,000
Madhurima (BAYER)
Exotic
4
120
4 months
70,000
15
5,000
1,80,000
1,75,000
Harra (PAU)
Madhu Indian
5
90
3 months
20,000
8
700
72,000
65,000
Note: Crop duration includes nursery time.
Exotic Melons
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96
this Muskmelon is such that the innovator finds it difficult to meet it. Retailers too earn ̀ 25
to 30 per kg for these melons as compared to ` 8 to 10 for the regular melons. Innovator
supplies these Muskmelons under the brand of Jauhars Fresh in the prominent markets of
Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Patiala, Kurukshetra and
Dehradun.
Currently, majority of
Muskmelon demand of
Punjab state is being
catered by other states.
Therefore, promotion of
Muskmelon cultivation
in Punjab is the need of
the hour. Adequate
awareness generation on
market potential of this
c rop wi l l mot iva te
f a r m e r s t o a d o p t
profitable cultivation of
Muskmelon in mixed
farming with potato,
t u r m e r i c a n d o t h e r
vegetable crops rather than practising the stereo type Wheat-Rice crop rotation. Overall
there is a huge potential of scaling-out this innovation on the farm of other farmers in Punjab.
For similar reasons the Muskmelon area on the farm of Mr. Gill has the potential of
expansion leading to scaling-up of this innovation under the existing management.
Scaling-out and scaling-up the innovation
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Dhillon N K and Singh H (2018) Innovative Cultivation of Melons Earned Name and Fame. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 93-96.
Melons ready for the market
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97Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Nirmaljit Singh Dhaliwal and Chetak Bishnoi
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sri Muktsar Sahib-152 026, Punjab
Background
Significance
Muktsar district of Punjab is emerging as hub for good
quality Kinnows as area under kinnow is increasing day by
day (more than 2200 ha). For getting remunerative prices of
their Kinnow produce, farmers of this area are getting their
produce graded after transporting it to the grading centres. In
this process, there is a lot of time consumption and additional
transport expenses. During the process, the fruits used to loose
their freshness which resulted in lower price for the produce in
the market. In order to solve this problem, Mr. Sirbeender
Singh designed and fabricated own Mobile Kinnow cleaning
cum Grading Machine. This mobile machine is taken to
orchards for carrying out cleaning and grading operation in the
field itself for making entire process cost and time effective.
After harvesting of fruits, cleaning and grading are major
steps to ensure better price in the market. This district has four
grading cum waxing plants and all are situated in Lambi block
with the result, farmers of other blocks have to travel to Lambi
(sometime from far away places) for
getting their produce graded. For this,
farmers have to bear expenses on
transportation of kinnow to these plants.
Due to limited capacity of these plants,
farmers queue up long to get their
produce graded. The machine is solely
designed by Sirbeender has made
Kinnow post harvest operations much
more systematic, cost effective, time
saving and labour efficient. Now a days,
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Sirbeender Singh Sidhu
57 yrs
Muktsar, Sri Muktsar Sahib-152 026, Pb.
Post Gradute
+91-9876500051
Agri-Innovator - 21
MOBILE CLEANING CUM GRADING MACHINE: ADDITION AT FARM GATE
VALUE
Mobile Cleaning cum Grading machine
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98
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Dhaliwal N S and Bishnoi C (2018) Mobile Cleaning cum Grading Machine: Value Addition at Farm Gate. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 97-98.
most of the kinnow growers used this machine
for cleaning and sorting of Kinnow fruits in the
district.
In the Muktsar district, all the four grading
plants are available in single block and farmers
use to take their produce to these plants from
distant places for cleaning and grading which not
only increases the cost due to transportation but it is time consuming also. This machine is
tractor operated and can easily be taken at the door step of farm. Hence this innovation saves
farmer's cost, time and hassle. Above all, farmer's produce fetches better price in the market
due to uniform in size and freshness.
This tractor operated machine is 30 feet long and 20 feet wide and capacity is 1-1.5
tonne/ hour. This machine is operated with power take-off shaft of tractor. Machine sorts
kinnows in 6 grades for efficiently serving different sections of consumers. Cost incurred on
this machine is approximately ̀ 3 Lakh. Machine being able to handle high volumes of fruits
per unit time, ensures quicker supply of kinnows in the market. Fresh supply of properly
graded kinnow fetches higher price in the market. During peak harvesting time earlier
Sirbeender used to employ 5-6 labourers per day each for cleaning and grading of 150 crates
(of 20 Kg capacity each) of kinnows. This machine helped him in cutting cost of above
operations by ̀ 500 per tonne of kinnows.
This farmer innovation being cost effective, time saving, highly convenient and
ensuring fresher fruit supply in the market for getting higher prices has been adopted by large
number of local farmers. However, this innovation needs to be emulated by other
entrepreneurs in order to earn profit and provide valuable service to the orchardists on
custom hiring basis besides improving his own income. The innovation of Sirbeender has
made him popular in the region for providing mobile grading unit at doorstep. With little
modification the same machine can be utilized for other fruits (vegetable) as well. The
concept is well taken among farmers of his region.
Uniqueness
Working of this innovation
Scaling-out the innovation
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99Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Background
Mr. Tehseen Ahmed has currently about 200 layer birds
(poultry) and is getting about 160 to 170 eggs per day during
summer months and about 130 to 140 eggs per day during
winter months, as the production goes down because of short
length of day light and harsh conditions in winters. He sells his
farm eggs (free range poultry), in the town and adjoining area
@`10 per egg. In addition, he is selling non-productive birds
in the meat market for earning additional income. His income
from this enterprise is on an average `30000-35000 per
month. This innovation is still in its early stage and to upscale
it he purchased 500 more layer birds this year. The droppings
of these birds act as a good source of manures for increasing
soil fertility of his apple orchard where these poultry birds
roam about. Seeing his success, two more farmers from the
same village got motivated and are planning to start this
enterprise in their orchards.
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Sh. Tahseen Ahmed Mir
26 yrs
Bugroo Arigam
Khansahib, Budgam
10th
+91-9086791151
Farmer Innovator - 22
PROSPERITY THROUGH FREE RANGE POULTRYIN APPLE ORCHARD
Nazir Ahmed, Nasir Ahmed Dar, Lyaqat Ali and Iram Farooq
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Budgam at Hamchipora-190 007, Jammu and Kashmir
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100
Uniqueness
How this innovation works?
In modern days, poultry
birds are kept in cages without
adequa te exe rc i se , food
diversity and exposure to
sunlight, which result in poor
quality of eggs and meat.
However, this farmer rears
poultry birds under free range
conditions and also produces
chicks by hatching eggs in
traditional way. These birds feed
upon green grass, insects, earth
worm, apple waste etc. and produce premium quality eggs. Above all, the financial aspects
by this practice ensures best animal welfare practices.
Mr. Tehseen Ahmed started a free range poultry farm of 200 birds on his 15 kanals apple
orchard. He also constructed a simple, low cost shed, made of bricks and mud, at the corner
Prosperity through Free Range Poultry in Apple Orchard
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101Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Ahmed et al.Prosperity through Free Range Poultry in Apple Orchard
of his orchard for night shelter of the
poultry birds. The aim of this innovative
farming practice is to produce high
quality nearly organic eggs as the birds
are raised in natural environment on
natural and diversified feed. To save the
expenditure on feed which alone
contributes about 70 per cent of total cost
of poultry enterprise, he utilizes half
kanal of land for feeding his birds for a
period of 10 days. He uses green net to
restrict the movement of these birds
beyond the earmarked half kanal of land
and gradually shifts the feeding area to
another half kanal of land for another 10
days. Likewise he moves his birds in his
orchard round the year except winter months (January and February) due to sever winter and
zero outside temperature. During this period, he uses kitchen waste, maize, soybean etc. as
poultry feed. He also keeps water channel in his orchard for providing ample fresh water to
these birds. He provides nesting space to birds in the shed and collects eggs on daily basis and
sells them every day. He is very particular about the health issues of the birds and their
management.
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102
Scaling-up and scaling-out the innovation
Mr. Tehseen Ahmed Mir needs to upscale his innovative enterprise through more
scientific management practices such as latest packaging of eggs, adoption of better yielding
breeds and further increasing the number of birds. Installation of white light bulbs to increase
lights hours during winter months will further help him to get more number of eggs. Kashmir
being a cold place, people eat a lot of eggs and chicken meat. This region of Jammu and
Kashmir is having huge land under horticulture so this model of poultry farming is best
suited for other unemployed youths of the region.
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Ahmed N, Dar N A, Ali L and Farooq I (2018) Prosperity through Free Range Poultry in Apple Orchard. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 99-102.
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103Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Agril-Innovator - 23
MAKING MUSHROOM CULTIVATION SUSTAINABLETHROUGH PROCESSING
Ravinder Singh, K S Verma, Sanjay Kumar, J D Sharma and Seema Shah
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bilaspur at Berthin- 174 029, Himachal Pradesh
Background
Indian agriculture will continue to be the backbone of
Indian economy. With variety of agricultural crops grown year
around, we have ensured all time highest food supply by
producing over 278 million tonnes of food grains (2017-18).
We have significant achievements in milk, vegetable and fruit
production but more is required to achieve nutritional security.
Increasing population, depleting agricultural land, climate
change, water shortage and quality food products at
competitive rates are going to be important issues in future. To
meet these challenges and provide food and nutritional
security to our people, it is important to diversify agricultural
activities in such a way that food also gets diversified beyond
cereals and pulses diet. Mushrooms are one such component
that not only diversify agriculture but also help in addressing
the problems of quality food, health and environment related
issues. Moreover this agri-enterprise is not dependant on
availability of productive land.
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Sh. Jagdish Chand Verma
49 yrs
Parhu, P.O. Balghar,Jhandutta, Bilaspur -174 031, HP.
Higher Secondary
+91-9817072485 9816974520
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104
Significance
Uniqueness
Indian diet is primarily based on cereals,
which is deficient in protein. Supplementation
of mushroom recipe will definitely bridge
protein gap and improve general health
conditions. It is considered to be a nutritious
food and suitable for all age groups.
Mushrooms are generally consumed in
different forms like soup, powder, biscuit,
nuggets, ketch-up, candy, murabba (preserve),
pickle and chips in additions to their use as
vegetables. They are rich in protein,
dietary fiber, vitamins (especially B and
C) and minerals (K, Na, P, Cu, Zn and
Mg). Being edible fungi, it promotes
immune function, boosts health, lowers
the risk of cancer, inhibits tumour growth,
helps in balancing blood sugar, wards-off
viruses, bacteria and fungi, reduces
inflammation and supports the body's
detoxification mechanisms. Presently,
Europe, America and East Asia contribute
about 96 per cent of the world mushroom
production. In India, mushroom production is 1,20,000 tonnes per annum, whereas, it is as
high as 21 million tonnes in China. In our country, button mushroom is cultivated
predominantly in Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. In Himachal Pradesh, its cultivation is taken up on
large scale by some of the innovative farmers. Sh. Jagdish Chand Verma of district Bilaspur,
HP is one of such farmers.
Mushroom cultivation has been started in the past by very large number of new
entrepreneur. However, there has always been very high rate of attritions due to various
reasons. The strongest reason out of several such reasons is small size of enterprise and very
small proportion of family income being derived out of mushroom cultivation. Mr. Verma,
however, had aspired for taking mushroom cultivation to economically viable levels of scale
and became the only large scale and serious mushroom grower in his district.
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105Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Singh et al.Making Mushroom Cultivation ...... through Processing
Working of this innovation
In September 2008, he got seven days mushroom cultivation training at ICAR-
Directorate of Mushroom Research, Chambaghat, Solan, Himachal Pradesh and started
button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) cultivation with 10 bags in 2009. He slowly raised his
mushroom unit upto 200 bags during 2015. In February 2016, with the technical guidance
and assistance of Department of Horticulture, ATMA and Krishi Vigyan Kendra, he got a
loan from Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank Jhandutta for ̀ 14 Lakh. Further, he got
a subsidy of ` 8 Lakh from Department of Horticulture, Bilaspur in order to establish his
entire project worth ̀ 22 Lakh.
He constructed three rooms each of 25 x 15 feet with controlled atmospheric system,
with one packing-cum-office room of 25 x 9 feet. He has kept ACs (1.5 tonnes, 3.0 tonnes) o
and heaters for maintaining temperature between 14-18 C and relative humidity of 80-85
Mushroom is a wonderful employment generation enterprises
Processed mushroom products for the market
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Singh et al. Making Mushroom Cultivation ...... through Processing
106
per cent. At present, he has kept 1350 mushroom compost bags (each of 10 Kg capacity) @ st
450 bags per room at 20 days interval staring from 1 September, 2017. He had purchased
these mushroom compost bags from Khan Mushroom Centre Pvt Ltd, Una. According to
him, under optimum temperature and relative humidity, mushroom picking started after 30-
35 days. This farm generated ̀ 3.59 Lakh gross income and ̀ 1.84 Lakh as net income during
five months period in this year.
According to Sh Jagdish Chand, besides selling button mushroom in local market, he has
prepared mushroom pickle for off-season use and sold 35 kg pickle @ ̀ 200 per kg in nearby
locality. Till date, he had not faced any problem in successful cultivation of mushroom. He
has not only self-employed his family members, but also provided employment to 3-4 rural
youths. He is having one of the biggest mushroom units in the district and is acting as an
ambassador for the farming community. His experiences need to be replicated in other areas
for proceeding towards doubling farmers' income and achieving rural development goals of
the government.
Scaling-out the innovation
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Singh R, Verma K S, Kumar S, Sharma J D and Shah S (2018) Making Mushroom Cultivation Sustainable through Processing. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 103-106.
Being awarded by Union Cabinet minister Sh. J P Nadda
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107Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
TAKING APICULTURE TO NEW HORIZONS THROUGHAIR-CONDITIONED APIARY MIGRATION TRUCK
Reet Verma, Harinder Singh and P K Chhuneja
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Fatehgarh Sahib-140 406, Punjab
Background
Significance
Migration of honey bee colonies is very important for
enhancing production of honey and other bee products. In
Punjab, beekeepers conduct long distance migrations
depending upon the availability of flora in other states. This
process is not only stressful for the honeybees but it is also
fatal for long distances. About 10 to 20 per cent honey bees are
generally reported dead during such migrations due to heat,
suffocation and other reasons related to damage to the
honeybee colonies. The air conditioned (AC) and
scientifically designed Apiary Migration Unit takes care of all
this stress and has the potential in enhancement of apiculture
profitability of the entrepreneurs tremendously.
The scientific beekeeping for obtaining higher production
of quality honey (honey
e x t r a c t e d f r o m s u p e r
chambers), this innovation is
likely to change the scenario
of migratory beekeeping as
with the help of this unit
colonies with super chambers
can be migrated with human
ease and honeybees' comfort.
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Gurdas S. Kaler
47 yrs
#17, Lane 3, Blossoms enclave, Nabha Road, Patiala-147 001, Pb
Diploma in Automobile Engg., Diploma in Mechanical Engineering
+91-9888110265
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108
In India more than 98 per cent of migratory beekeeping is going on with single chamber as
beekeepers show reluctance in handling supers during migrations. When there will be
improvement in the production of honey and increase in quality of honey it will increase
income of the beekeeper tremendously. As the global market demands quality of honey, this
innovation will lead honey exports to new heights in India.
The expected outcome of this innovation will be realized in terms of increased number of
effective migrations leading to nearly doubling the production of quality honey, pollens,
pollination process, propolis, royal jelly, bees wax etc. Secondly, the mortality rate of bees
will be reduced to negligible levels from about 10 to 20%. Thirdly, there will be ease in
loading and unloading of honeybee colonies due to presence of rails on the platform of the
trolley. The overall impact of these outcomes has been assessed from the increased quantity
and quality of honey per colony and reduction in required labour and time in apiculture
operations.
The innovation differs from conventional practice on the following counts:
·In AC Apiary Migration Unit, loading and unloading of bee hives is easier as there are
Uniqueness
Taking Apiculture to ....... Apiary Migration Truck
AC apiary migration unit
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Varma et al.Taking Apiculture to ....... Apiary Migration Truck
rails on the platform of the trolley. The bee boxes are loaded in sequence very easily
with less manpower requirement. In this system there is no danger of destruction of
honey bee colonies due to jerks
as special suspension system is
provided so that no jerks or
shaking adversely affect these
colonies.
·Under usual practice the over-
crowded bee colonies result in
death of bees in large number
due to reduced and inefficient
ventilation enroute. Further,
nectar/unripe honey drains out
of combs and smear upon the
bees during migration of colonies due to unsuitable suspension system in load carrying
trucks. However, in this system of migration special air, water and artificial feed
arrangements for the bee colonies are provided during long distance journeys for several
days and in case of any traffic jams. The bee hives are also modified so that the main
entrance will remain open. The complete alighting board is covered with a wire mesh so
that the bee colony is completely cross ventilated through the mesh.
·Moreover, being independent the bee keeper can move according to his requirements.
By using this specific approach bee keeper can migrate his apiary multiple number of
times in a year and double the production with enhanced labour efficiency.
·During the stay at the migrated place, this trolley provides the space for extracting the
honey at the migration sites and for storage of the beekeeping equipments.
The dimensions of this
AC Apiary Migration unit are
3 8 ' x 8 . 6 ' x 1 3 ' . T h e A C
container body is puff
insulated to maintain the
temperature. The generator
set of 15 K.V.A is provided to
run the AC compressor of AC
unit which maintains the
Wo r k i n g o f t h i s
innovation
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otemperature between 15 to 22 C. During night,
the AC is cut off and the windows are opened to
supply the natural air.
The loading and unloading of the heavy
colonies that are of double or triple chambers is
very easy with the help of railing and electric lift
arrangement provided in this unit. The generator
set supplies the electricity to the electric motor of
the lift. A front cabin is provided for the storage,
processing and packaging of honey. The top roof
can be utilised for keeping empty bee boxes and
other equipment. The height of roof can be
adjusted using a handle, rope and pulley
arrangement. We can use roof for loading of
single colonies.
During day time, there is provision of water
showering system on each colony with the help
of plastic pipes, having small holes at equal
distances, which are fitted on roof. One electric
jet pump is provided which sucks the water from water tank and supplies to roof pipes. This
electric jet water pump is also used during extreme summer for water showering on the hives
in the apiary. The front cabin has the capacity for storage of honey upto 5 tonnes.
Scaling-out the innovation
This air conditioned apiary migration system has not only exhibited the honey bee
welfare attributes by mitigating transportation stress to honeybees well within desirable
limits but has produced better quality and higher quantity. Better handling of entire value
chain of apiculture through this innovation has improved overall profitability is enterprise
tremendously. Hence, scaling-out of this innovation to other entrepreneur will lead to better
quality honeybee production and significantly enhanced profitability.
Taking Apiculture to ....... Apiary Migration Truck
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Verma R, Singh H and Chhuneja P K (2018) Taking Apiculture to New Horizons Through Air-Conditioned Apiary Migration Truck. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 107-110.
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111Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
MODIFIED PADDY DRILL EASED DIRECT SEEDING OF RICE
Nirmaljit Singh Dhaliwal, Balkaran Singh Sandhu and Karamjit Sharma
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sri Muktsar Sahib-152 026, Punjab
Background
Significance
South-Western Punjab in general and Muktsar district in
particular had cotton as main cash crop before productivity
and profitability started falling in the first decade of this
century. Farmers of this region started shifting towards paddy
planting especially the Basmati. However this crop enterprise
being labour intensive and their being severe shortage of
labour in this part of Punjab where land hordings are generally
larger than the state average, the paddy planting was seriously
constrained. In order to overcome this bottleneck the Mr.
Ravinder Singh Brar came out with an innovative seed drill for
DSR. This innovation was so pertinent and useful that very
large number of other farmers of the region started using this
technology.
Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) got popularized mainly due to
labour shortage. Generally, the labour charges account for `
2500/ acre for transplantation operation while the hiring
charges of DSR drill are just ̀ 500/
acre. In addition to the cost
saving on labour charges the
DSR drill also ensures faster rice
planting as the drill is capable to
planting up to 8 acres per day. On
the other hand labour scarcity
g e n e r a l l y c o n s t r a i n t s
transplanting up to 1 to 1.5 acres
per day along with the potential
risk of delay in planting beyond
recommended dates of sowing.
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Ravinder Singh
40 yrs
Kauni, Gidderbaha, Sri Mukatsar Sahib- 152 031, Pb.
Higher Secondary
+91-9872800916
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Dhaliwal et al. Modified Paddy Drill Eased Direct Seeding of Rice
112
However y ie ld and
quality of rice produced
through both the methods
is at par to each other.
In paddy sowing
adequate depth of seed is
essential for ensuring
germination. By ordinary
DSR sowing drill the
germination was not
uniform. The field where
tractor tyres crossed, the soil becomes compact and low-lying areas are developed as
compared to the adjoining area. Due to this effect crop germination becomes uneven and it
results in loss of yield. To overcome these problems, Mr. Singh modified the ordinary DSR
sowing drill machine by providing a roller before the seed drill (for uniform soil compacting)
that helps to control the depth of the seed sown which in turn increases the rate of
germination. In his field productivity of basmati rice under DSR and transplanted rice has
been similar. He has reported more than 20% water saving under DSR as compared to
transplanting rice. The presence of roller to ensure uniform depth of seed placement is the
uniqueness of this innovation.
One of the significant pre-
requisite for successful DSR is
shallow depth seed placement (2-
3 cm). In ordinary seed drills
farmers had to increase depth of
seed placement in order to
compensate the compactment of
soil under tractor types resulting
in poor germination. The fields
with uneven surface often
r e s u l t e d i n p o o r c r o p
establishment under DSR due to
uneven depth of seed placement
and uneven distribution of
irrigation water. Hence, the laser
Uniqueness
Working of this innovation
Paddy crop sown using direct seeded drill
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113Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Dhaliwal et al.Modified Paddy Drill Eased Direct Seeding of Rice
land leveling is recommended at least a month
before sowing. DSR machine has been
modified by Mr. Ravinder Singh by providing
a roller before the seed drill that helps to
control the depth of the seed sown which in
turn increases the rate of germination. This
roller pressed the field to ensure uniform seed
placement. This technique further ensures
uniform irrigation, uniform crop stand and
higher yield in rice crop. Muktsar district
holds highest area in Punjab under DSR
technique.
Mr. Ravinder's innovation has been
recognized with several awards from
different organization. Some of these awards
include Krishak Samrat Sanman 2012- A
Mahindra Samridhi India Agri Award (North
Zone) for diversified farming. Innovative
farmer award 2012 from Indian council of
Agricultural Research Award, new Delhi,
Progressive Farmer Award 2013 for quality
seed production at Vibrant Gujrat Agri
Summit, Progressive Farmer Award 2014 at
Progressive Punjab Summit, Mohali, Chief
Minister Award 2015 from PAU, Ludhiana,
State Award in Agriculture 2015 from Govt. of th
Punjab at 68 Independence Day.
This modified DSR drill has ensured
tremendous labour saving, water saving and
time saving without making any compromise
with yield and quality parameters compared to
the transplanted crop. All these economic
benefits along with the added ecological
advantage made farmers of nearly locations
Awards
Scaling-out the innovation
Awarded by former Agricultural Minister
Awarded by former Chief Minister S. P S Badal
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Dhaliwal et al. Modified Paddy Drill Eased Direct Seeding of Rice
114
follow this innovation on their respective farms. However, this innovation needs to the
popularized among the farmers of other localities too and hence wider scaling-out of the
innovation is likely to benefit other farmers and the nation itself.
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Dhaliwal N S, Sandhu B S and Sharma K (2018) Modified Paddy Drill Eased Direct Seeding of Rice. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 111-114.
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115Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
O S Sandhu, Aparna and V K Rampal
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ropar-140 001, Punjab
Background
Significance
Uniqueness
Sugarcane crop requires large quantity of seed (35 q/ acre)
which accounts for about 40-45% variable cost of cultivation.
However, the innovation of Sh. Singh in terms of planting
single seed bud of sugarcane at wider space (1.25x1 m) has
dual advantage of saving cost of seed as well as higher yield
(more than 65%). In his view, single bud method of sugarcane
cultivation helps in developing stronger root system leading to
less incidence of crop lodging. Wider row space facilities for
intercropping of other suitable crops like oilseeds and pulses
for further supplementation of farm income.
Sugarcane being relatively more resistant to various biotic
stresses has been a preferred crop for very large number of
farmers in India. This crop attains higher attention of farmers
who cannot afford intensive farm management efforts vis-a-
vis other low volume high value crops. This innovative
practise of Mr. Surmukh Singh obtaining higher yield at lower
cost compared to the conventional
sugarcane cultivation. His case study
is worth documenting so that other
sugarcane farmers in this part of
Punjab as well as other parts of the
country can also get benefitted.
The single bed method of vertical
seed planting in sugarcane cultivation
is not a prevalent practise in district
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Surmukh Singh
56 yrs
Paprali Morinda, Roopnagar-140 101, Pb.
Senior Secondary
+91-9988812365
Agri-Innovator - 26
DOUBLING INCOME THROUGH SINGLE BUD PLANTINGOF SUGARCANE
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116
Roopnagar of Punjab. The farmer standardized spacing of sugarcane rows at 1.25 m so that it
leaves sufficient space for intercrops like pulses or oilseeds without affecting yield of the
main crop i.e. sugarcane. With this method the farmer obtained better root growth, plant
height and vigour at much lower cost of cultivation.
Sh. Singh has been the centre of attraction among the farmers of adjoining villages and
even in the far-flung villages due to his innovative single bud technique coupled with wider
spacing to facilitate intercropping. He grows sugarcane in 15 acres of his land by this
method. He uses very low seed rate of sugarcane by planting on the beds at a spacing of 1.25
x 1 m with seed rate of 3q per acre compared to 30-32 q per acre used in conventional method.
The sugarcane buds are planted on Southern side of the bed while the beds/ rows are aligned
on East-West direction. This helps in better germination because of higher temperature on
Southern side of the beds. He has not only reduced seed rate of sugarcane from by more than
90% but has also increased cane yield considerably (more than 65%). He also saves labour
(5-6 man days/ acre) by growing sugarcane by this method. He grows early varieties of
sugarcane viz. Co J 92 and Co J 8903, in which he intercrops gram, lentil and summer moong
on the northern side of the beds. By growing these intercrops he further earns extra income
(` 17500/ acre).
The innovation is simple, economically viable and can be adopted without any
extraordinary skill and input cost. On an average, farmer harvests 500 q of sugarcane per acre
with this planting method against 300 q/ acre under conventional method. Comparative
economics of sugarcane cultivation under this system and conventional system of
cultivation has been presented in the following Table. The intercropping of pulses in this new
system of sugarcane cultivation further adds to the farm income. The various benefits
observed by the farmer under this system of planting are, less seed requirement (more than
Working of this innovation
Economic comparison of conventionally sown and single bud sown sugarcane
(`/acre)
Input Conventional sowing Single bud sowing Seed 12000 1300 Fertilizer 5800 4900 Plant protection 6500 6500 Human labour 2500 2000 Total variable costs 26800 14700 Total yield (q/ acre) 300 500 Gross returns @ ` 300 per q 90000 150000
Net returns 63200 135300
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117Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Sandhu et al.Doubling Income through Single Bud Planting of Sugarcane
92% reduction); better germination percentage of seed material and less mortality rate of
plants due to less competition between plants; easier and economical transport of planting
material for a longer distance; intercultural operations can be carried out much easily with a
power weeder due to wider spacing; higher exposure of plants to air and sunlight, which
results in stronger root systems and more millable cane; reduction in lodging due to earthing
up and better root growth; increase in length and weight of individual canes; higher number
of millable canes; better land utilization by intercropping and suitable for ensuring better
seed health.
Economic comparison among different spacings used by the farmer for single
bud sowing method in sugarcane (`/ acre)
Input 2.5×1 m 1.25×1 m 1.25×0.6 m Seed 600 1300 2400 Fertilizer 4900 4900 4900 Plant protection 6000 6500 7000 Human labour 2000 2000 2000 Total variable costs 13500 14700 16300 Total yield 420 500 500 Gross returns @` 300 per q 126000 150000 150000
Net returns 112500 135300 133700
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118
Scaling-out the innovationThis farm-based approach gives farmers the options of growing sugarcane with single
bud method and wider spacing of 1.25 x 1 m (the best amongst the tested three) an alternative
to conventional (seed, water and space intensive) sugarcane cultivation. With this method of
sugarcane production the farmers can grow intercrops such as pulses to improve their
income. Sh. Singh has standardized a working model for sugarcane growers and scaling-out
this innovation on farms of other marginal sugarcane growing farmers has tremendous
potential for doubling farmer income.
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation;
Sandhu O S, Aparna and Rampal V K (2018) Doubling Income through Single Bud Planting of Sugarcane. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 115-118.
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119Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Priyanka Suryavanshi and Yashwant Singh
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, S.A.S. Nagar (Mohali)-140 103, Punjab
BackgroundMr. Tejinder Singh is practicing vertical farming in the
fruit orchard in which 600 plants of mango, Nashpati, peach and papaya are planted according to their canopy height and grown simultaneously for optimum utilization of land and regular fruit yield. He is also growing desi variety of Pakistani wheat, black wheat having anticancer properties, linseed, lentil, chickpea, mustard, haldi and seasonal vegetables having low irrigation requirement in his farm. At the boundary of this diversified farm, he has planted lemon trees to maintain a buffer zone from surrounding fields. Apart from agricultural and horticultural crops, he has planted 20 varieties of herbal
and medicinal plants in his farm. As water table in this area is below 600 m, i r r iga t ing c rops i s a challenge. He is conserving soil moisture by using parali for mulching entire crop, area, growing leguminous crops l ike mung and vegetable crops on raised
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Tejinder Singh
58 yrs
Saidpur, Kharar, S.A.S. Nagar, Mohali-140 103.Pb.
Diploma in Civil Engineering
+91-9876766480
Agri-Innovator - 27
INNOVATIVE ECO-FRIENDLY TECHNIQUES FORDODGING TERMITE ATTACK
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Suryavanshi and Singh
120
beds. He is able to manage the entire farm through single tube-well by using the techniques of moisture conservation and minimum irrigation. He is also using waste decomposer made by National Center for Organic Farming, Ghaziabad in his farm. However, the innovative method of this farmer to manage termite attack is the most important aspect of the story worth emulation by the others.
Mr. Singh has developed a patch of 5 acres land in an exhibitive form by adopting multiple approaches of latest farming techniques on his farm and proved the adage “where there is a will, there is a way”. In this region, termite attack is major problem in establishment and survival of trees in orchard. At this farm, he used an innovative idea to dig a pit before planting trees, fill it with wooden sticks and left over sugarcane stalks after juice extraction which acted as source of food to attract termites. Instead of damaging roots of fruits trees, they attack the wooden material and decompose it first, so that Orchard is successfully established.
Termites feed on dead organic material such as crop residues, mulches and soil organic matter (humus). However when this type of food is not available they start feeding on live
Significance
Uniqueness
Innovative Eco-Friendly ....... Termite Attack
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121Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Suryavanshi and SinghInnovative Eco-Friendly ....... Termite Attack
plant material including crops such as groundnuts, millets and maize. Termites can attack plants at any stage of development i.e. from the seed to the mature plant.
Mr. Singh used the innovative practice of attracting termites in pits and diverted the attack of termites towards wooden material and undecomposed biowaste filled in these pits. As termites were busy in decomposing this dry material, the orchard was successfully established.
Mr. Singh used all possible biological and agronomic measures to control termites. The major idea behind these innovations was that termites prefer to eat dead plant material. Their attacks were controlled by increasing organic matter content of soil. This might be because such soils contain enough food for termites to live and they resort to feeding on living plant material when there is scarcity of dead plant material. Adding compost or well-rotted manure to the soil and growing green manures also helped to increase the organic matter in the soil. Where possible, green manure crops were ploughed into the soil. Moisture plus organic matter attracted the termites and prevented them from attacking the target crop. In field operations, termite colonies are destroyed or exposed to predators such as birds. Planting the
Though many measures have been suggested to control termites,
Working of this innovation
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122
Innovative Eco-Friendly ....... Termite Attack
same crop on the same land year after year reduces soil fertility and damages soil structure. Crops growing under such conditions will be weaker and susceptible to termites so he used crop rotation to reduce termite attack. The farmer opines that if there is any termite built-up due to this innovation then it can be easily managed by the supply of abundantly available rice straw residue. In the process the termites convert this waste (paddy straw) into precious manure.
This innovation can be scaled-out on larger scale on the farms of other small scale farmers having problem of
termites at their farms. This low cost and environment friendly method of termite management has caught attention of several farmers of this area. Mr. Singh is a source of inspiration among farmers of Mohali district.
Scaling-out the innovation
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Suryavanshi P and Singh Y (2018) Innovative Eco-Friendly Techniques for Dodging Termite Attack. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 119-122.
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123Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Agri-Innovator - 28
SELF DESIGNED TILLER 'APNA HAL'
K C Sharma, R K Rana and Chanderkanta
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kullu at Bajaura-175 125, Himachal Pradesh
Background
Significance
Uniqueness
Consequent upon shortage of traditional hill draught
power i.e. bullocks, hill farmers have been experiencing great
difficulties in tilling their lands. What to talk about the regular
tractors which are not useful due to very small and irregular
field sizes, even the power tillers are not able work efficiently
due to topography and soil conditions. All these problems
encouraged Sh Kapoor to design his own power tiller with
rotary Hoe suitable to hilly terrain.
This innovation has been rapidly catching attention of
other farmers. Many farmers are taking this machine for
demonstration or testing at their own field conditions. So far
five farmers have already purchased this local made plough
and are using at their field with satisfaction. Local TV
channels are also broadcasting this innovative farm machine
for wider spread. The way this machine “Apna Hal” is gaining
popularity, it is expected that it will revolutionize hill farming.
This entire assembly costs about
` 45000-50000 while other tillers of
comparable specifications are
available at around ` 70000. The
maintenance, spare parts and repair of
this machine is easy and cheap.
Effective digging depth of this plough
is about 7 inches whereas, other
machines plough at a depth of 4-6
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Sh. Harish Chander Kapoor
58 yrs
Dwara, P.O. Dobhi,
Kullu-175 125 HP.
8th standard
+91-9459885650
01902-240250
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124
inches while its fuel efficiency is almost same as with other similar machines i.e. 1.25-1.5 l/ 2 800 m of ploughing. Above all, this machine is very easy in handling. It ploughs about 1200-
2 1600 m land in an hour. It is also suitable for making basins of horticultural plants.
Sh Kapoor used a 5 HP
engine and to control rpm he
used a reducer gear for making
this machine. For making
tractor tines he is using
“Kamani” of three wheelers
while the chains of motorcycle
are also used for rotating parts
of the plough. As far as fuel is
concerned, petrol is required
for starting this machine and
then the tractor runs on
kerosene. This is a multi-
purpose machine which can be used as sprayer and electricity generator with quick and slight
manipulations.
This machine has been designed and developed by the innovative farmer by using
locally available tools and parts at very low cost. This plough is easy to handle and has
narrow rotary hoe which makes it suitable for hilly terrains and narrow fields. The innovator
is constantly trying to scale-up this innovation by improvising upon its continuous
improvement. In fact, this innovation has great potential of being scaled-out on the farms of
other hill farmers. Appropriate promotion of this innovation through policy/ financial
support might help mitigate constraints of hill agriculture on one hand and augment farm
income on the other.
Working of this innovation
Scaling-out and scaling-up the innovation
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Sharma K C, Rana R K and Chanderkanta (2018) Self Designed Tiller 'Apna Hal'. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 123-124.
Apna Hal in action
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125Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Agri-Innovator - 29
AUGMENTING FARM INCOME THROUGH LATE PLANTINGOF PALAM BASMATI-1
D S Yadav and Pankaj Sood
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Mandi at Sundernagar-175 019, Himachal Pradesh
BackgroundTomato/ paddy-cauliflower/ wheat/ peas is a prominent
cropping pattern practiced by the farmers in Balh valley of
Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. This cropping sequence
is followed in about 2500 ha of area in Balh valley with 200%
cropping intensity. The general transplanting window of
university recommended paddy cultivars does not fit well
after the harvest of summer tomato. Hence, the fields remain
fallow for about three months (July to September) after
harvest of tomato crop. Non availability of suitable public
sector cultivars of paddy especially after the harvest of
summer tomato was a major concern in the region. The
farmers had been looking for or trying short duration paddy
cultivars at their own to find out the suitable cultivars which fit
well in the tomato- paddy- wheat/ peas cropping sequence; not
only to increase the cropping intensity and per unit
profitability but also for avoiding concurrent occurrence of
soil borne pathogens in tomato. Some short duration private
sector hybrids fit well as far as duration is concerned, however
all these are highly susceptible to diseases resulting in failures
in the past. Sh. Narpat Ram, an innovative young farmer of the
area delayed the transplanting th
time (20 July) of newly released
paddy cultivar HPR 2612
(Palam Basmati-1) after the
harvest of tomato crop and got
optimum yield. This variety
matured in about 100 to 110 days
and performed better compared
to the other cultivars in terms of
yield and disease resistance.
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Sh. Narpat Ram
37 yrs
Chawari, P.O. Rajgarh,
Balh, Mandi-175 027 HP.
Matric
+91-8350981545
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126
Significance
Uniqueness
This innovation not only lead to an additional crop during the fallow period but also
provided profitable cropping sequence with less disease incidence in the new crop rotation
involving paddy and vegetable crops. This sequence of growing Tomato (March to
July)–Paddy (July to Oct.) -Cauliflower/ Peas (Nov. to March) was found the most profitable
cropping sequence with net returns of ̀ 755000/ ha. This innovation is likely to expand areas
under tomato-paddy-cauliflower/ peas cropping sequence in Balh valley in the near future.
Tomato is an important cash crop grown by the farmers under irrigated conditions in
Balh valley of Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. This crop is generally planted during the th
month of March and harvested upto 20 July forcing farmers to keep the fields fallow for
about three months (July to September) after harvest of summer tomato crop. The paddy is th th th th
generally transplanted during 15 to 30 June (scented cultivars) and 15 June to 7 July
(other cultivars/ hybrids). Hence, modification in transplanting time of Paddy Cv. HPR 2612
provided opportunity to tomato growers to grow additional paddy crop during the fallow
Off-season tomato crop as cash crop
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Yadav and SoodAugmenting Farm Income ....... Palam Basmati-1
period. The paddy followed by tomato resulted in lowering the pathogen inoculums in the
fields in addition to enhancing cropping intensity and profitability.
HPR 2612 provides highest yield and mature relatively earlier than other cultivars. Sh.
Narpat Ram conceptualized the idea of late transplanting of HPR-2612 after the harvest of th
tomato crop. During, 2014 he transplanted the crop on 20 July after the harvest of summer
tomato crop. This crop matured in about 100 days and provided grain yield of 47.5q/ ha
which was 35.7% higher than the check variety. This not only lead to an additional crop
during the fallow period but also resulted in a profitable cropping sequence with less disease
occurrence in the new crop rotation involving paddy and vegetable crops. During Kharif
2015, farmers of the surrounding area purchased the seed of this variety from him and
cultivated this variety in about 10 ha after the harvest of tomato crop. At present, this
innovation has been practiced in about 200 ha of area in Balh valley of Mandi district.
This innovation offers great potential both in monetary terms as well as to break the
dominance of intensive vegetable based cropping sequence specially to avoid build-up of
Working of this innovation
Scaling-out the innovation
Paddy following tomato for higher farm income
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128
soil pathogens which could cause problem for future sustainability of cash crops. It can
provide a suitable crop rotation in vegetable based [Tomato (March to July) –Cauliflower
(Aug-Sept. to Dec.) –Cauliflower (Dec. to March)] cropping sequence. The concerned
departments are expected to play role in motivating the farmers through training
programmes about this innovation and must ensure the timely seed supply for its large scale
adoption particularly after the harvest of summer tomato.
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Yadav D S and Sood P (2018) Augmenting Farm Income Through Late Planting of Palam Basmati-1. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 125-128.
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129Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Background
Significance
Sh. Jodha Singh of Village Raipur Arayiyan, Distt.
Jalandhar is a progressive dairy farmer owning a herd of about
40 animals and a daily producer of 200 ltr of milk. He has also
installed one bio gas plant near his dairy shed. The progressive
farmer is continuously working on mechanizing various
operations like feed and silage making for his dairy business.
He has also mechanized his other dairy shed operations and he
has the provision of supplying water spary to animals. He has
made the Mini Grinding and Filling Mill with a mechanism
that enables it to be operated on Tractor PTO. This helps in
making the operation independent of electricity cuts and saves
additional cost of electric motor. This innovation can help
many farmers to increase the working hours and functioning
of their tractor as well as saving on labour cost. The Mini Mill
can be used for grinding and filling of various grain crops like
maize, wheat, pulses, bajra, barley and turmeric etc.
This agri-innovation is
of special importance for
small farmers involved in
p roces s ing and da i ry
business. This mini grinder
mill uses tractor as a source
of power. Mostly farmers
use tractor during crop
sowing and harvesting
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Jodha Singh
41 yrs
Raipur Arayiyan, Nakodar, P.O. Mehatpur, Jalandhar-144 041 Pb.
Higher Secondary
+91-9463705722
Agri-Innovator - 30
ENHANCING SMALL FARMERS' INCOME THROUGH TRACTOROPERATED MINI GRINDER MILL
Kuldeep Singh, Rupinder Chandel, Rohit Gupta and Arpan Boparai
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Jalandhar at Nurmahal-144 039, Punjab
Tractor operated mini grinder mill
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Singh et al.
130
Enhancing Small Farmers' Income ....... Mini Grinder Mill
seasons. The tractors are involved mostly in field preparation, seed sowing/ planting
operations and for transport of produce to markets and inputs from the market etc. All this
does not exhaust minimum working hours of tractor per annum (i.e. 1000 hours/year). This
innovation helps in increasing applicability and working hours of tractor thereby reducing
fixed cost effect of tractor and thus gives economic benefits to the farmer. Electric motor
operated Mini Grinding Mills have a constraint of working only during electric power
availability so this innovation also helps in overcoming this constraint with the help of
tractor power. It is worth mentioning that extent of power cut is very large in rural areas. This
innovation also helps in reducing initial purchase/ installation cost of Mini Grinder Mill as
there is no need of electric motor unit. This machine can be operated on different grains for
coarse and fine grinding and ground grains can also be fed directly to animals. Another
aspect of this innovation is that the conveying unit is attached to grinding mill for final filling
of ground material in bags leading to significant saving of scare labour. This machine creates
new entrepreneurship opportunities for rural youth and farmers.
Jodha Singh has made this machine by using scrap material. Various adjustments were
made to make it operational by tractor PTO. The belt and pulley transmission system were
precisely designed to drive through tractor PTO to grinding unit. The blower mechanism was
Uniqueness
Assembly for tractor PTO
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131Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Singh et al.
provided to pass ground material (coarse/fine/flour) through conveying unit to the filling
bags. A hole is provided in cyclone duct where blast of air passes and ground material is filled
into bags. The traditional mills are electric motor operated which are subjected to availability
of power supply and in case of carelessness of labour i.e. overfeeding of material, can lead to
failure of motor and hence affects the work. This innovation is different from usual practices
in a way that the power source is a tractor equipped with diesel engine which ensures
streamline work even in case of variation of electric load and unavailability of electricity.
The tractor operated Mini Grinded Machine is operated by tractor PTO by a universal
coupling mechanism which allows power transmission at angle from tractor to grinding unit.
The one end of shaft is engaged with tractor and other end of shaft is attached with mini
grinding mill which drives a bigger pulley. The power from tractor PTO is firstly transmitted
to this pulley. Then power is transmitted to smaller pulley which is mounted on common
shaft having another bigger pulley. Finally the power is transmitted from this bigger pulley to
a smaller pulley (to increase rpm) mounted on a shaft coupled with grinding unit. The PTO
speed and hence the grinding unit rpm can be adjusted as per requirement by changing the
engine rpm. The tractor was operated at rated rpm and corresponding to PTO rpm of 540 the
speed increase was affected by belt pulley mechanism in such a way that the ground unit was
Working of this innovation
Enhancing Small Farmers' Income ....... Mini Grinder Mill
Working of mini grinder mill
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Singh et al.
132
Enhancing Small Farmers' Income ....... Mini Grinder Mill
operated at around 1000 rpm (speed ratio 2:1). The size of ground material can be changed
by changing the size of sieve. The material is fed into the grinding unit through an attached
hopper and duct is opened for gradual movement of material into grinder. The tractor PTO
rpm are adjusted by changing engine rpm. The ground material is sent through a conveyor by
blower action and filled into the packing bags. Depending upon the grain type and ground
material requirements its capacity varies between 8-10 q/h and fuel consumption varies
between 3-4 l/h. The labour requirement for this innovation is only at feeding and packing
end. The operator needs to adjust the engine rpm according to material to be ground and a 40
HP tractor is needed for this mill.
The machine is in trial phase and after modifications and additional trials it can be
commercialized. The approximate cost of this machine is ̀ 30,000/unit. In order to increase
its capacity for commercial use its feeding unit should be of bigger size. Conveyor unit and
packing unit size also needs to be increased accordingly. This mill can also be operated on
custom hiring basis. Overall this innovation can be helpful for small and marginal farmers as
the enterprise can be established with very low investment.
Scaling-up and scaling-out the innovation
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Singh K, Chandel R, Gupta R and Boparai A (2018) Enhancing Small Farmers' Income Through Tractor Operated Mini Grinder Mill. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 129-132.
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133Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
MUSHROOM AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTION: PATHWAYOF DOUBLING FARM INCOME
Gurdarshan Singh, Jagdish Grover and Rakesh Kumar
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Faridkot-151 203, Punjab
Background
Uniqueness
Sh. Anil Chhabra is an innovative farmer who has diverted
14 acres from wheat cultivation to Vegetables and Mushroom
cultivation. He raises parthenocarpic cucumber on 0.5 acre in
polyhouse. Besides, he has cultivated Colored Capsicum
varieties Orobelle and Bombi (non-green) along with green
Capsicum variety Indra on 0.25 acre. He has also started
raising the nursery of Onion, Tomato, Cauliflower and
Cabbage under polyhouse on 0.13 acre. He raised Tomato and
Peas on 3 acres each under open conditions. He now raises two
crops of Cauliflower comprising of main and late season
varieties viz. Jyoti-2 and Automn Queen on 6 acres. Besides,
he has 7 low cost outdoor units with the dimensions of 80' X
35' X 10' and has produced 196 quintals of Button Mushroom
from compost made of 700 quintals of wheat straw. He has
established 10 units of fruit ripening chambers by availing
subsidy from National Horticulture Mission. On an average,
10 tonne of Papaya and 70 tonne of Banana get ripened in his
ripening chambers daily.
As the water table rises to the depth of 3-4
feet in rainy season in this area, it becomes
almost impossible to grow Kharif vegetables
instead of paddy by the farmers. However
diversifying to Rabi vegetables by a farmer
of this economically backward area was
really unusual. Further Mushroom
cultivation being highly technical and
Name:
Age: 5
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Sh. Anil Chhabra
3 yrs
Basti Himmatpura, Ariyanwala Kalan-151 203, Faridkot, Punjab
Higher Secondary
+91-9216404262
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Singh et al. Mushroom and Vegetable ....... Doubling Farm income
134
cumbersome did not create a barrier for him. Raising his family income tremendously is a
unique experience worth emulation by others in the locality.
This achievement is highly significant
considering the fact that he belongs to highly
backward area of district Faridkot and is only
Higher Secondary pass. His village has been
grappling with the problem of fluctuating
water table, wherein, water table rises to 3-4
feet depth, even under moderate rainfall
during the months of July-September. Under
such conditions, he has no options other than
paddy cultivation during Kharif. He was eager
to divert area from wheat cultivation to other
crops to double his income. He took formal
training in the field of vegetable cultivation
under poly-house and open conditions. He
grasped the knowledge about vegetable
cultivation ranging from training and pruning
to seed and seedling treatment with fungicides
to combat damping off, use of sticky traps as
means of IPM in poly-house and micro
irrigation systems from different sources. It
required courage and dedication to shun monoculture and opt for multi-pronged cropping
pattern. He visited DMR (Solan), Department of Microbiology, PAU and commercial
mushroom farms in Solan. He acquired formal training in mushroom cultivation from KVK
Faridkot and established first commercial mushroom farm in the district Faridkot in 2015.
There were some bad years in Vegetable production, mainly due to low market prices of the
output, but he didn't feel depressed and his endeavour of vegetable cultivation has paid him
rich dividends in long term over the conventional crops.
Working of this innovation
Enterprise Gross income (`/ha) Net income (`/ha) B-C ratio
Tomato 295000 225000 4.21
Peas 123000 76300 2.63
Cauliflower 212500 167500 4.72
Economic output from different crops
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135Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Singh et al.Mushroom and Vegetable ....... Doubling Farm income
He always grades the
produce and markets it at his
own to earn higher net income.
He markets his vegetables in big
cities like Amritsar, Ludhiana,
Patiala, Jalandhar and Bathinda.
Since mushrooms have shorter
shelf life, he markets his
mushrooms in nearby places like
Guru Harsahai, Jalalabad,
Fazilka, Abohar, Bathinda and
Malout.
Enterprise Gross
Income
Net
income
B-C
ratio
Economic Impact of technology/intervention
Parthenocarpic
cucumber
345570 246780 3.49 He earned net profit of parthenocarpic cucumber from 0.5 acre underpoly house. His produce was sold at premiumprice and earned him ` 1000 per quintal higherthan the ordinary cucumber.
` 246780 by raising
Capsicumunder polyhouse
301500 155570 2.10 He has earned a profit of
from Capsicum under poly-house. By optingfor early planting in September, he has attained21 % early yield, which fetched him premiumprice in the market.
`155570 in 0.25 acre
Nursery of vegetables
plants
100000
68579
3.18
He has earned net profit of nursery of Tomato, Cauliflower, Cabbage andOnion on 0.13 acre under poly-house. Byraising nursery in plug trays and by followingseed and seedling treatment, disease incidencehas reduced by 17 per cent, which helped himin raising his farm income
`68579 by raising
Button
Mushroom
1575000
695000
1.79
This is a lucrative subsidiary has got additional income of `695000 fromone acre.
occupation. He
Economic output from poly-house and Mushroom farm
* Note: Gross and net income in ` per annum
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He earned net profit of ̀ 225000/ ha from Tomato, ̀ 167500/ ha from Cauliflower and ̀
76300/ ha from Peas cultivation. He takes two crops of Cauliflower by raising main season
variety Jyoti-2 and late variety Autumn Queen. He earned net income of ` 246780 from
Parthenocarpic Cucumber (0.5 acre) in his poly-house. He cultivated Colored Capsicum
(non-green) varieties Orobelle and Bombi along with green capsicum variety Indra and
earned a profit of ̀ 155570 (0.25 acre). He has earned net profit of ̀ 68579 by raising nursery
of Tomato, Cauliflower, Cabbage and Onion seedlings (0.13 acre) under poly-house. By
raising nursery in plug trays and by following seed and seedling treatment, disease incidence
was reduced by 17 per cent on his farm, which generated proportionally additional income
for him. Above all, he generated net income of `695000 from his Mushroom cultivation
enterprise.
In spite of his inability to
diversify from conventional paddy
cultivation in Kharif reason due to
very high water table, the farmer
could increase his net income many
folds by undertaking high-tech
vegetable cultivation during Rabi
season. This innovation can prove to
be a lucrative venture for other
farmers in the district. Low tunnel
cultivation of vegetables, being
cheaper can prove to be a boon for
small farmers. For this purpose,
subsidy under NHM should also be provided for 25 micron films as 50 micron poly film
(under subsidy) is quite expensive. Farmers from other geographies can be made aware
about his innovations by arranging exposure visits at his farm which will help them replicate
the same at their respective fields. This innovation needs ample publicity in the interest of
other potential adopters.
Scaling out the innovation
Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Singh et al. Mushroom and Vegetable ....... Doubling Farm income
136
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Singh G, Grover J and Kumar R (2018) Mushroom and Vegetable Production: Pathway of Doubling Farm Income. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 133-136.
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137Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Chetak Bishnoi and Nirmaljit Singh Dhaliwal
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sri Muktsar Sahib-152 026, Punjab
Background
Significance
Carrot is an important crop that contributes significantly
towards ensuring nutritional security of people. In addition,
this crop being a high value crop also ensures livelihood
improvement of farm families. Very large number of magical
farmers in Maan Singh Wala village in Sri Muktsar Sahib
district traditionally grow carrot in Rabi season in over 350
acre of land. These farmers harvest carrot in small quantities at
a time and sell them as retailer to the final consumer for getting
higher price. Hence tractor operated carrot digger can't be used
on their farms. In the process of carrot harvesting using
Khurpa or spade a large proportion of produce gets damaged
resulting in poor market price. Mr. Sulkhan Singh solved this
problem by designing manually operated digger that ensured
damage free harvesting of carrot. Now the entire village is
using this innovation.
The manually operated
low cost (less than ` 1000)
digger has been used by all
carrot growers in Mann Singh
Wala village of Muktsar
district due to its ability to
safely harvest carrots. In
addition to its near zero
damage to the carrot this digger
saves a lot of time as compared
to the Khurpa or spade
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
S. Sulkhan Singh
36 yrs
Maan Singh Wala, Sri Muktsar Sahib-151 203, Pb.
Matric
+91-9464908584
Agri-Innovator - 32
INNOVATIVE DIGGER MADE CARROT CULTIVATIONLUCRATIVE
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Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Bishnoi and Dhaliwal Innovative Digger Made Carrot Cultivation Lucrative
138
harvesting. This digger has been easily used by women without feeling fatigue or drudgery
that they used to experience with the traditional Khurpa or spade harvesting. More over this
digger is much faster than the traditionally used implements to harvest carrots.
This low cost carrot digger has not been used earlier in the Muktsar district. The
innovative design of Mr. Sulkhan Singh has proved to be a boon for magical farmers growing
carrots on very small area (1 to 1.5 acre). Such small farmers are unable to avail the service of
a tractor for digging carrots as farmer harvest very small quantities for retailing themselves
in the market. This device has been used with still higher efficiency in raised bed (1 meter
wide) cultivation of carrot. As the soils of Muktsar district have sandy texture this factor
beings additional advantage to perfect working of this implement.
The low cost manually operated carrot digger is totally local manufactured. This
implement is mainly comprised of a long iron handle (3 feet long) which is attached to a
horizontal bar (1 feet wide) having 5 spikes (each of them one foot long). When we apply
force on handle from top with an angle, the spikes go deep in the moist soil with a very little
effort and the soil becomes loose and roots of carrot very easily come out from the soil
without any damage.
The experience of Maan Singh Wala
village in Muktsar district has proved that this
low cost manual carrot digger ensures time
saving, higher labour efficiency, ideal
produce quality and suits very well to the light
soils present in the district. However, this
digger has been used in limited area and there
exist a lot of potential of its expansion in other
areas too. Hence, use of this innovation in other areas will also help farmers of those areas to
have highly convenient digging operations with a lot of time saving and near zero damage to
the carrots
Uniqueness
Working of this innovation
Scaling-out the innovation
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Bishnoi C and Dhaliwal N S (2018) Innovative Digger Made Carrot Cultivation Lucrative. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 137-138.
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139Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Agri-Innovator - 33
RAJMASH RELAYING TOMATO EMERGES AS RISK COMPANSATING CROP IN KULLU VALLEY
K C Sharma and R K Rana
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kullu at Bajaura-175 125, Himachal Pradesh
Background
Significance
Sowing of trailing crop of Rajmash (indeterminate) or
beans along the Tomato rows either at first earthing up or at the
time of first fruit picking has been found beneficial for the
farmers of Kullu district. If sown early it behaves as inter-crop
but it behaves as relay crop when sown late i.e. at the time of
first fruit picking. The trailing legume crop uses the same
staking provided to tomato crop as indeterminate tomato
varieties are cultivated in the area. With little additional cost (`
26000/ ha), this innovation gives additional production of
about 10q/ ha of Rajmash beans (` 150000/ ha) when sown in
combination with the tomato crops.
Farming in hills, including the Kullu district, is largely un-
irrigated with inherent high risk of crops failure. Consequent
upon fast increasing farming expenses, farmers have adopted
cultivation to cash crops. Due to the same reason, Tomato has
become main contributor to the farm income in these areas of Kullu district in HP. However,
frequent Tomato crop failure led Sh. Nain
Prakash to innovate and use additional crop
of Rajmash (indeterminate type) as trailing
crop on the same staking material provided
to the tomato crop. Even if the Tomato crop
is the normal crop, the trailing Rajmash crop
extends the crop tenure of Kharif crop. This
extension of crop period reduces the gap of
fallow between Kharif and Rabi crops.
Moreover, Rajmash being a leguminous
crop improves soil health to great extent.
Name:
Age:
Address:
Qualification:
Mobile No. :
Sh. Nain Prakash
59 yrs
Bari, P.O. Katrain, Manali, Kullu-175129 HP.
8th standard
+91 9817081382
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Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture
Sharma and Rana Rajmash Relaying Tomato ....... in Kullu Valley
140
Working of this innovation
Scaling-out the innovation
Tomato is the main summer cash crop of the Kullu valley and farmers are getting
attractive returns when the growing
conditions are favorable. Tomato crop is
grown on an area of 700 ha in the district.
Assured irrigation facilities are meager but the
crop is being grown even as rainfed after
initial crop establishment by irrigation
through poted water. However, when
conditions are adverse, like occurrence of
drought or heavy rainfall, frequent tomato
crop failures are happening. Under such
conditions, the crop terminates early after 2-3
pickings resulting in low yield and returns to the farmers. However, this loss is compensated by
Rajmash crop as it grows on the same staking material of Tomato crop and being a legume, with
deep root system, does well in droughts also.
When there are heavy rains during rainy season,
even then the tomato crop gets damaged due to
heavy disease incidence. Under such situation
also the rajmash crop compensates the losses to
some extent.
Hence, this innovative technique
addresses both drought as well as heavy
rainfall problems. Moreover, it helps to
improve soil fertility by fixing atmospheric
nitrogen by the leguminous rajmash crop.
The innovation is simple, eco-friendly, economically viable and can be adopted without
any extra skill and input cost in others areas of the district and other hilly areas having similar
conditions. Until now 200 ha out of total 700 ha under tomato in the district has already come
under this innovative practice.
Suggested citation for this Agri-Innovation:
Sharma K C and Rana R K (2018) Rajmash Relaying Tomato Emerges as Risk Compansating Crop in Kullu Valley. In, Agri-Innovators: The Torch Bearers of Brighter Agriculture. Singh R, Rana Rajesh K, Chahal V P and Singh A K (Eds). ICAR-ATARI, Zone-I, Ludhiana, India: 139-140.
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ISBN 978-93-5321-999-4
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