Crop management practices

A) Selection of crops and varieties:

• Short duration crops having high seedling vigour and faster rate of growth
• Extensive root system: deeper root system with extensive branching
• Dwarf plants with lesser number of erect leaves
• Responsive to inputs like irrigation and fertilizers
• High photosynthetic efficiency
• Photo and thermo insensitive
• High harvest index
• Less water requiring
• Drought resistance (avoidance and tolerance)

B) Cropping system:

a) Mono cropping:

• mostly single crop in cultivated during summer season
• Single crop in cultivated in winter season in case of late onset of monsoon and rainfall is not well distributed in rainy season

b) Multiple cropping

• Double cropping: is practiced in those farms where water harvesting and water conservation techniques are adopted by farmers
• Inter and mixed cropping: is practiced in those farms where there is timely onset and well distribution of rainfall during monsoon

C) Sowing techniques

• Plant population is generally maintained lower than average
• Seed rate is higher than recommended rate to cope the risk of future drought
• However, thinning is done to maintain plant population below average
• Sowing depth is higher than rainfed farming (6 times the diameter of seed)
• Sowing time during summer season is just after onset of rainfall
• Sowing time during winter season is immediately after harvesting of preceding crop

D) Nutrient management

• Fertilizer rate particularly nitrogen is reduced by 25 to 50 %
• Fertilizer is placed at the sub soil by seed driller
• Adjust time of fertilization with rainfall distribution
• Splitting of fertilizers: 2/3 rd applied as basal while remaining is applied by foliar spray

E) Weed management: timely weeding and mulching by weeds