The Hindu Business Line : `Use brackish water to get groundnut sowing under way'

GROUNDNUT sowing normally begins after the first monsoon showers, but farmers in the water-scarce Saurashtra region of Gujarat have found a novel way of getting around the lack of rainwater at the time of sowing.

Backed by scientific research, several farmers now use brackish groundwater to irrigate their fields at the time of sowing.

With the onset of monsoon rains, the salt is washed away and the crop gets a longer period to grow.

"We found that it did not make a difference to the crop if slightly brackish water was used while preparing the fields for sowing. Even at two months after sowing, one more watering is possible with brackish water, if rainfall is not very strong," according to Professor P.S. Bajrodia, a groundnut expert at the Jundagadh Agriculture University.

The advantage of pre-monsoon sowing is that the crops get 15-20 days extra growth period which translates into better yields and size of the kernel, says Dr Bajrodia.

The normal sowing time for groundnut is from June 15-30.

Mr Pravinbhai Vala, a farmer who has about 100 acres under groundnut cultivation at Kodinar near the Veraval coast, has already completed a large part of his sowing.

Mr Vala used brackish water from his 14 wells to irrigate his land before the monsoon made its appearance.

"We have linked three of our ponds and all wells with spreading channels to increase percolation. We have also constructed percolation wells on our land. That has decreased the salinity of the groundwater to some extent and this year, I was able to use groundwater for pre-monsoon irrigation of my fields," Mr Vala told Business Line.

Mr Vala is participating in the Junagadh University's programmes and is also a beneficiary of the watershed development works being carried out by the Ambuja Cement Foundation, the non-government organisation run by Ambuja Cements Ltd.

If monsoon sets in at the normal time, farmers are advised to go in for varieties such as GG10, GG20 and Akshay-99, all of which mature in the medium term.

But if the monsoon is delayed beyond June, Dr Bajrodia recommends early maturing varieties such as GG5, GG7, Akshay-77 and TAG24.

The Saurashtra region, the largest groundnut growing belt in the country, has 18-20 lakh hectares under groundnut cultivation.

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