Farm Innovators–2010 Division of Agricultural Extension Indian Council of Agricultural Research New Delhi 110 012 Printed : October 2010 Citation : Farm Innovators–2010, ICAR, New Delhi Editorial Board Chief Editor : Dr K.D. Kokate, Deputy Director General (Agril. Extn), ICAR, New Delhi Editors : Dr V. Venkatasubramanian, Assistant Director General (Agril. Extn), ICAR, New Delhi Dr A.K. Gogoi, Zonal Project Director, Zone III, Barapani Dr S. Prabhu Kumar, Zonal Project Director, Zone VIII, Bengaluru Members : Dr A.K. Mehta, Assitant Director General (Agril. Extn), ICAR, New Delhi Dr A.M. Narula, Zonal Project Director, Zone I, Ludhiana Dr A.K. Singh, Zonal Project Director, Zone II, Kolkata Dr A.K. Singh, Zonal Project Director, Zone IV, Kanpur Dr N. Sudhakar, Zonal Project Director, Zone V, Hyderabad Dr Y.V. Singh, Zonal Project Director, Zone VI, Jodhpur Dr U.S. Gautam, Zonal Project Director, Zone VII, Jabalpur Dr Krishna Srinath, Director, DRWA, Bhubaneshwar Dr B.T. Rayudu, Sr. Scientist (Agril. Extn), Zone VIII, Bengaluru Dr Sajeev M.V., Scientist (Agril. Extn), ZPD, Zone III, Barapani Dr P. Adhiguru, Sr. Scientist (Agril. Extn), AED, ICAR, New Delhi Dr V.P. Chahal, Scientist (Agril. Extn), AED, ICAR, New Delhi The wisdom of the farm innovators, who have contributed their innovations to this publication, is appreciated and duly acknowledged. The efforts of the Programme Coordinators of KVKs, Zonal and National level committees in bringing out this document are acknowledged with thanks. Project Director : Dr T.P. Trivedi Chief Production Officer : V.K. Bharti Technical Officer (Production) : Ashok Shastri © 2010, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi Printed at M/s Royal Offset Printers, A-89/1, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase I, New Delhi 110 028 Minister of Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Food & Public Distribution Government of India Message NDIAN Agriculture is striving towards inclusive growth by ensuring augmentation in Iproductivity, sustainability and profitability by integrating experiences and efforts of the concerned stakeholders. To achieve this, innovation in technology, institution and policy is the key. Going beyond the technologies generated by the research institutions, drawing innovations and reinventions by the farmers for widening basket of the demand-driven technologies to suit various agroclimatic conditions is crucial to have quantum jump in agricultural production to feed burgeoning Indian population in the years to come. In this endeavour, it is heartening to learn that our farming community has developed a number of valuable innovations, and have proved potential through the application of these innovations in fellow farmer’s fields also. I express my gratitude to them. Recognizing this farmers’ potentiality of, documenting their innovations and encouraging them for partnership with the agricultural researchers are equally important in the long run to effectively face challenges and to fully exploit new opportunities. I am glad that the ICAR is making considerable efforts in bringing farm innovators together on one platform, and documenting their innovations. I am sure such an initiative would reorient process of research and development in the country. (Sharad Pawar) 18 October, 2010 New Delhi Farm Innovators-2010 iii Minister of State for Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution Government of India Farmers as Innovators NDIAN agriculture is unique with diverse agroclimatic conditions. Contributions of the Iagricultural scientists in the evolution of modern technologies for transforming Indian agriculture and achieving food security are laudable. Gone are the days when farmers were mere beneficiaries of top-to-down dissemination of technologies. Days have come to recognize bottom-up innovations and of equal partnership of farmers in agricultural research and development. Realizing this, there is a greater need to identify, recognize and promote those farmers who are actually grassroot innovators of agricultural technologies. These innovations have emerged out of farmers vast experience and wisdom-based on their analysis of their own mico-level farming situations. Such explorations have led to the development of numerous technologies including new varieties by the farmers. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has very rightly initiated documentation of farmers’ innovations across the country. I admire the Director General of the ICAR and his team for their dedicated efforts and commitment to the cause of agriculture and farmers of the country. (K.V. Thomas) 18 October, 2010 New Delhi Farm Innovators-2010 v Secretary Department of Agricultural Research & Education and Director General Indian Council of Agricultural Research Government of India Farmers’ Innovations for Prosperous Agriculture ECHNOLOGY transformation for sustainable production, productivity and profitability Tdepends on the decisions and action of millions of farmers. Agricultural scientists in the country are striving towards developing appropriate technologies to suit to complex and diverse agro-ecological situations at the farm level. Concerted efforts are being made to involve farmers as effective partners in evolving technologies not merely for and adopting and adapting lab-based technologies but also to encourage them as innovators for location specific technologies and for upscaling those innovations. The Council is dedicated to the cause of farmers and farming and visualizes massive farmers-scientists contact to identify and recognize farmers’ potential for giving a thrust to agricultural production and productivity. The innovator farmers are strategically important to design, develop and implement any research and development programme of the ICAR. I am happy that the Agricultural Extension Division of the ICAR has taken up a maiden attempt to document farmers’ innovations across the country. I appreciate Dr K.D. Kokate, Deputy Director General (Agril. Extn), and his team for bringing out this valuable publication on “Farm Innovators-2010” which may bring in paradigm shift towards participatory technology development. (S. Ayyappan) 18 October, 2010 New Delhi Farm Innovators-2010 vii Contents Sl. No. Page No. Prologue 1 1. CROP IMPROVEMENT 3 Ekalavya – Ashgourd Variety 5 Pepper Thekken - Black Pepper Variety 6 Panikulangara No.1, 2–Small Cardamom Varieties 7 Thiruthali-Root Grub Resistant Small Cardamom Variety 8 Annona 2, NMK1 – Custard Apple Selections 9 Tilak Chandan - Rice Variety 10 Aromatic Rice Hansraj 11 Varietal Innovation for Sustainable Crop Production 12 Artificial Pollination in Pointed gourd 13 Ananda Sagar- A regular bearer of Mango graft 14 Innovative Okra Breeding 15 Alternate Approach for Sapota Propagation 16 Innovative Mango Sapling Production 17 2. CROP PRODUCTION 19 In-situ-Trash Composting 21 Exotic Vegetables’ Cultivation 22 Easy Line Planting Technique in Rice Cultivation 23 Paired Row Concept for Cultivation of True Potato Seed 24 Cost Minimization in Mushroom 25 Watermelon Transplanting Technique 26 Intercropping Onion with Cabbage 27 Chrysanthemum Nipping 28 Onion cum Coriander Leaves Production Technology 29 Relay Cropping in Vegetable Cultivation 30 Innovative Sugarcane Cultivation 31 Sunflower Plant for Stacking in Tomato 32 Short Duration Banana Ratooning 33 Peach Based Farming System 34 Alternate Year Pruning in Roses 35 Cost Effective Shade Nethouse 36 3. CROP DIVERSIFICATION 37 Additional Crop of Rajmash with Tomato 39 Jhaar Karela - A Selection of Wild Bittergourd 40 Farm Innovators-2010 ix Sl. No. Page No. Crop Diversification with Oilpalm 41 Pomegranate promoted Crop Diversity and Sustainability 42 Sustainability through Crop Diversification 43 Gladiolus as Intercrop with Sugarcane 44 Banana Intercropping with Sugarcane 45 Enhancing Guava Production through Canopy Management in Summer 46 4. CROP PROTECTION 47 Panchagavya - A Bio-pesticide 49 Vermicompost Sieve 50 Yellow Sticky Pot Trap 51 Sing Ki Khad and Amrut Pani 52 Leaves Decoction as Bio-pesticide 53 Technique to Reduce Contamination in Mushroom Spawn Production 54 Red Ants for Control of Tea Mosquito 55 Rat Control Method in Coconut 56 Bordeaux Mixture - Spraying Technique 57 Stethoscope - Now in Agriculture 58 Low Cost Practice for Control of Case-worm in Paddy 59 Chaur Soil for Cauliflower Seed Production 60 Amulya Amrit for Pest and Disease Management 61 Seed Bio-priming for Early Germination in Cucurbits 62 5. FARM MACHINERY 63 Inter-tyned Blade for Weed Control in Cotton 65 Disc Bund Maker with Pressing Roller 66 Sugarcane Seed Setts Cutting Tool 67 Modified Paddy Trasplanter 68 Hand Operated Single Cow Milking Machine (Valarpirai Milker)69 Modified Pulverizing Roller 70 Engine Operated Sprayer 71 Junk Refrigerator modified as Homestead Incubator 72 Multi-purpose Tiller cum Puddler 73 Manually Operated Weeder - Halodu 74 Modified Maize Sheller 75 Vermi-compost and Worm Separator 76 Manually Operated Plastic Paper Roller 77 Seed Sowing Drum in Nursery Bed 78 Nursery Transplanting Machine 79 Carrot Washing Machine 80 x Farm Innovators-2010 Sl. No. Page No. Modified Honey Extractor 81 Cocoon Deflosser 82 Electric Transformers Protection Device 83 Multi-purpose Food Processor 84 Marking Roller 85 Mushroom Compost Turning Machine 86 Cost-effective Improvized Hole Making Machine 87 Manually Operated Line/Row Marker 88 Tool for Rice cum Fish Cultivation 89 Tool for Fertilizer and Soil Mixing at Pits 90 Water Mill for Pounding Rice 91 Manually Operated Tapioca Chopper 92 Portable Cardamom Drier