Cultivating paddy, the Aerobic way!

While the farmers across the district, especially those in the tail end villages are struggling for water, farmers of Mangala village in the taluk, have silently experimented with cultivating paddy in the Aerobic method.

This method needs only half the required water for cultivation and is a boon for the farmers, who are facing shortage of water.

About 80 acres of land in Mangala village has adopted the Aerobic system for paddy on an experimental basis.

Two acres of paddy has been grown following this method with water that is used to cultivate one acre. IR - 64, BR-2655, NTU-1001 varieties of paddy has been sown and transplanted.

After 30 days the crop is healthy, rising hope among farmers here.

Farmer Puttaswamy said the farmers had followed Ramesh of the same village, who had grown paddy in this method successfully last year, and adapted the system, which requires less water and expenditure.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Ramesh said he had observed the method during his visit to Agricultural research centre at V C Farm and experimented on it. He was successful in getting a yield of 23 quintal in 35 guntas, he said.

Simple

Explaining further, he said that sugarcane is grown largely in the region and if paddy has to be grown, the land had to be levelled, the expense which would cross Rs 25,000. This Aerobic method has come as a boon to farmers, as it does not involve complex procedures. It is sufficient if the crop is watered twice a week, unlike normal paddy, which requires more water.

Senior scientist of V C Farm M P Rajanna said that as there was sufficient space between the crop, the pest attack can be controlled easily.

The number of labourers needed for harvesting would be less and most importantly, about 40 per cent of the water can be conserved, he added.