Delayed Monsoon: No need to panic as Telangana farmers have many alternatives

HYDERABAD: Rains are delayed but the ‘Vanakalam’ (Kharif) cropping season is still active with the farmers of Telangana utilising the moisture from the scattered but widespread rainfall to commence agricultural operations.

“We issued an advisory a few weeks ago to the farmers that a relook will be required only after July 15, 2023, now that there is sufficient moisture in the system, they can go ahead with the farming operations as planned earlier,” Dr P Raghu Rami Reddy, Director of Research, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), Rajendranagar told NewsTAP on Saturday.

He said that the information from all over the State confirmed the good news that sowing had taken place and farmers had not shifted to alternative short-term varieties instead of the traditional varieties as advised.

The PJTSAU earlier advised paddy farmers who were concerned about the truant monsoon, that they could raise the paddy nurseries with the short duration varieties of 125 days, as an alternative. They were also told to concentrate on dry direct-seeded rice a method usually practiced for rainfed and deepwater ecosystems and direct-seeded puddle rice normally pre-germinated before broadcasting onto recently drained, well-puddled seedbeds.

On the other hand, cotton farmers could take up sowing up to July 20 without any yield reduction by adopting the following sowing rule. Take up sowing with cumulative rainfall of 50-60 mm in light soils and 60-75 mm in heavy soils within seven days after the onset of monsoon. They were advised to go for intercropping with a red gram for higher returns.

Red gram farmers were advised to go for intercropping with green gram, black gram, groundnut, cotton and castor. By adopting suitable management practices castor crop could be sown up to August 15.

For soybeans, the optimum time of sowing was June 30. However, farmers could raise soybean in the first week of July by adopting some pest management practices. For Maize, the advice was to sow the crop before July 15. But farmers were advised to raise the crop in the ridge and furrow method to conserve moisture as the crop was very sensitive to moisture stress.

On the other hand, green gram, and black gram crops could be sown up to July 15. A higher yield could be obtained by maintaining the optimum plant population. Other rainfed and commercial crops such as castor, sunflower, and horse gram could be sown up to month end of July.