Promotion of Rainfed Rabi Cropping in Rice Fallows of Eastern India and Nepal

DFID Plant Sciences Research Programme project R8221

Final Technical Report

DRAFT ONLY

Forum for Rural Welfare and Agricultural Reform for Development (FORWARD), Nepal International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), India Catholic Relief Services, India CAZS Natural Resources, UK.

July 2006

Executive Summary: Rice is the most extensively grown crop in South Asia occupying nearly 50 million ha. Much of it is grown in the kharif (rainy) season. A substantial part of this area remains fallow during the rabi (postrainy) season because of several limitations, the prime one being limited availability of soil moisture. Previous PSP-funded research (R7541) has identified 14.3 million hectares of rice fallows out of 50.4 million hectares of kharif rice in South Asia during 1999-2000, using satellite imagery. India and Nepal have about 11.7 million ha and 0.4 million ha, respectively. This amounts to approximately 30% of total kharif rice area in those countries. Gross environmental conditions in these areas were quantified using publicly available databases and a GIS approach. Technology is available from another DFID/PSP project R7540 that will facilitate the establishment and the growth of short-duration legumes on residual moisture in rice fallows. Introduction of rabi crops on residual moisture can be expected to bring a substantial improvement of farmers economic conditions in these poverty ridden and deprived regions. The project addressed the constraints identified earlier and scaled up the preliminary research outputs of the previous study in villages in Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh states in India and Dhanusha, Jhapa, Kapilvastu, Morang, Saptari and Siraha districts in Nepal. The project followed a holistic approach to overcome the technical and social problems associated with rice-fallow systems through participatory action research and development activities. In India, farmers preferred short-duration kabuli chickpea varieties such as ICCV 2, KAK 2 and JGK 1 over desi chickpea varieties (ICCC 37 and local) because of their bold seed and higher market value. The optimum duration of seed priming kabuli chickpea varieties was worked out to be about 4 h compared to 8 h or overnight soaking of desi chickpea varieties. The preferred tillage method for sowing the rabi crop e.g. chickpea, following rainfed rice involves two ploughings of the land followed by sowing the seed by dropping behind plough and then planking. Planting in large blocks, sometimes involving land sharing, allowed cost-effective protection from free-grazing animals. Most of the rice-fallow soils examined were low in N, P, B, Mo and Zn and native rhizobia. Molybdenum application through seed priming (@ 0.5 g sodium molybdate kg-1 seed l-1 water) increased chickpea nodulation by about 90 percent and grain yield up to about 30 percent and was as good as, but cheaper than, soil application in increasing yield. Relative to controls, molybdenum content in chickpea grain increased up to 2.4-fold using Mo-primed seed. The main advantages of Mo application through seed priming are ease of application, uniform application and cost saving by about 30-fold. Similarly, Rhizobium inoculation was found to be compatible with on-farm seed priming and these two components have been added

to the RRC package. This improved RRC package for growing chickpea on residual soil moisture after rainfed rice was tested and adopted by about 10,580 farmers in representative rice fallow areas of eastern India. Chickpea yields were invariably low in the first year that the farmers tested the package, however, it was a valuable learning experience and the farmers were enthusiastic about growing chickpea in subsequent years. Collar rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii is an important biotic constraint of chickpea grown in rice fallows. Efforts have been underway to protect the crop from collar rot by exploring simple methods of combining fungicide e.g. Captan application with seed priming. Recent trials (rabi 2005-06) at several locations in eastern India indicated that use of short-duration rice varieties (Ashoka 200F and Ashoka 228 developed under another DFID/PSP project) resulted in higher yields of succeeding chickpea crops (122% in Orissa; 94% in Chattisgarh; 36% in Uttar Pradesh; up to 46% in M.P.) compared to chickpea grown after traditional long-duration cv.Swarna or a local variety. The farmers preferred these two short-duration rice varieties because they enabled them to sow post-rice crops earlier and thus maximize the potential of the whole rice-chickpea system. As the rice-fallow soils are generally low in P, the effect of loading chickpea seeds with extra P during the seed priming process was tested during rabi 2005-06. A significant response of chickpea grain yield (11 to 65%) to P application to soil was recorded in six villages, while the response to seed priming with P was recorded in three villages of Chattisgarh and M.P. and the response ranged between 24 and 50%. Chickpea cultivation following rainfed rice has been reported (by farmers in Chattisgarh and Orissa) to be beneficial for the following rice crop and thus should be contributing to the overall sustainability of the rice-based system. Overall rainfed rabi cropping technology developed for rice fallows of eastern India offers great scope to improve the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers.

In Nepal, the project employed a system-based participatory research and development approach where the activities were reshaped based on the feedback from the experiential learning cycles. The interventions included participatory variety selection (PVS) and strengthening community based seed systems for producing seeds of a wide range of crops. Farmers have adopted a range of crop varieties of rice, chickpea, mungbean, pigeon, and other resource management options. Scaling up of farmer-preferred crop varieties through Informal Research and Development (IRD), together with validation and promotion of resource management options, such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Integrated Plant Nutrient Management System (IPNMS), Integrated Crop Management (ICM) is ongoing in the project areas, and in nearby Village Development Committees (VDCs). Within the livelihood systems perspective, the project included other supportive activities, such as development of Local Resource Persons (LRPs), establishment and strengthening of agro-forestry nurseries, and sensitisation about regenerative energy

for the sustainability of the system. Various technological and resource management options were developed and promoted in the project districts and beyond. A total of 1100 households of the project area were organised in 57 groups who participated in various activities of the project, e.g. participatory trials, demonstrations, seed productions and scaling up. Farmers groups were sensitised about group management, cooperative education, and marketing and processing of agricultural products through trainings, visits and interactions. About 100 Local Resource Persons (LRPs) have been developed and mobilized. A number of institutions, from grassroots level through to policy makers were made aware of the technologies and information related to rice-fallows; through their direct participation in workshops, meetings etc; information broadcasting through news media, such as FM radio, television, newspapers; and by proceedings, which were presented in national and international workshops. This project has materialized the partnership in agricultural research for the first time in Nepal as exemplified by release of two-mungbean varieties, namely Kalyan (NM 94) and Prateeksha (VC 6372), jointly by the National Grain Legumes Research Program, FORWARD and CAZS-NR, and more varieties of other crops are in the process of release. An outcome assessment at the project sites indicated that about 60% of farmers have adopted the RRC technologies, with a perception that they have increased the yield of crops by about 25%. These concerted efforts have enabled 70% of project area rice fallows to be covered with various winter crops. A number of institutions including 10 District Agricultural Development Offices have already adopted some of the RRC technologies into their own programs. Overall, the project has created enormous impact on the livelihoods of poor farm communities by increasing the accessibility of technological and resource management options. After the adoption of RRC technologies, the income of farmers has increased by 200 to 300%. They perceived to have improved their livelihoods, and got more empowered in technical capabilities and managerial skills. The technologies are being scaled up through various promotional pathways developed by the project. This report summarizes the research and development activities implemented by the project, their outputs, and proposed future plans.

1 Background Rice-fallows are lands used to grow rice in the kharif season but left uncropped during the following rabi season. A DFID-funded scoping study (Plant Sciences Research Programme project R7541 ‘Assessing the potential for short duration legumes in South Asian rice fallows’) has identified the presence and location of large areas of rice fallows in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The results of this study are available in book form (Spatial Distribution and Quantification of Rice-fallows in South Asia – Potential for Legumes by G.V Subbarao et al., 2001 – ICRISAT , NRSA, and DFID) or may be viewed at: http://www.icrisat.org/gt-aes/text/home5.html Another DFID/PSP-funded research project (R7540 ‘Promotion of chickpea following rainfed rice in the Barind area of Bangladesh’) and implemented by ICRISAT and PROVA (a local NGO), had shown that a combination of: • well-adapted, short-duration chickpea varieties; • minimum tillage after harvesting rice to reduce moisture loss during soil

preparation; and • seed priming can be effective in producing a yield from crops grown on residual moisture in the absence of any irrigation during the rabi season. Given the large area of rice fallows, and thus the great potential for impact of RRC, in India and Nepal (Subbarao et al., 2001) a pilot, diagnostic project (R8098 Promotion of rainfed rabi cropping in rice fallows of India and Nepal: pilot phase) was implemented between October 2001 and June 2002. Surveys conducted during R8098 showed that farmers are generally not aware of, or do not pursue, opportunities for RRC (Joshi et al., 2001 for India; Bourai et al., 2001 for Nepal). Those studies identified many reasons for this, including physical, environmental and social factors, and the relative importance of these varies in different places. The findings of the surveys were complemented by hands-on experience of farmers who implemented preliminary trials of the RRC technology developed in the Barind area of Bangladesh (Musa et al., 2001). An impact study from that project (Saha, 2002) had identified access to seed of appropriate varieties, training and hands-on experience as key factors influencing Bangladeshi farmers to adopt RRC. Additional factors identified by farmers in the India and Nepal study sites (Kumar Rao, 2002) were: the importance of early sowing (and thus the timely sowing and harvest of the preceding rice crop); the value of early maturing varieties (to avoid drought and to target markets for green pods sold as a snack); the difficulty of protecting small, scattered plots of crop during the rabi season from free-grazing animals. Poor soil fertility, linked to lack of resources in general in these villages, was also highlighted by farmers and was confirmed by analysing soil samples taken from trial fields.

Almost all soils were very acidic in nature (and thus prone to various micro-nutrient deficiencies) and were also low in phosphorus (Kumar Rao, 2002; Annex N2). There was widespread enthusiasm for RRC from farmers who participated in the preliminary studies, coupled with penetrating self-analysis of the pros and cons of the elements of the preliminary ‘package’. All groups involved intended in 2002/2003 to sow early in large blocks that could be more easily protected from grazing damage. These and other studies have identified the biophysical and socio-economic constraints associated with rabi cropping, and consequently, a number of technologies, with appropriate implementation strategies have been recommended for sustainable intensification of rice fallows in Bangladesh (Musa et al., 2001; Saha, 2002) and Nepal (Bourai et., 2001; Kumar Rao, 2002; Khanal, 2002). This project addressed the constraints identified earlier and scaled up the preliminary research outputs of the previous study in villages in Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh states in India and Dhanusha, Jhapa, Kapilvastu, Morang, Saptari and Siraha districts in Nepal. These lands constitute an enormous under-utilized resource for poor farmers who are locked into a near subsistence-farming situation, presenting few opportunities for enterprises and income diversification (Annex N1). References Bourai, V.A., Joshi, K.D. and Khanal, N. (2002). Socio-economic constraints and

opportunities in rainfed rabi cropping in rice fallow areas of Nepal. ICRISAT, Patancheru, AP, India.

Joshi, P.K., Birthal, P.S. and Bourai, V.A. (2002). Socio-economic constraints and

opportunities in rainfed rabi cropping in rice fallow areas of India. ICRISAT, Patancheru, AP, India.

Kumar Rao, J.V.D.K. (2002). DFID PSP project R8098 ‘Promotion of rainfed rabi

cropping in rice fallows of India and Nepal; pilot phase.’ Final Technical Report. Centre for Arid Zone Studies, University of Wales, Bangor, UK.

Musa, A.M., Johansen, C., Kumar, J., and Harris, D. (1999). Response of chickpea to

seed priming in the High Barind Tract of Bangladesh. International Chickpea and Pigeonpea Newsletter No. 6. pp. 20-23.

Saha, A., K. (2002). Impact assessment of the DFID PSP project ‘Promotion of

chickpea following rainfed rice in the Barind area of Bangladesh’. Centre for Arid Zone Studies, University of Wales, Bangor, UK.

Subbarao, G. V., Kumar Rao, J. V. D. K., Kumar, J., Johansen, C., Deb, U. K., Ahmed, I., Krishna Rao, M. V., Venkataratnam, L., Hebbar, K. R., Sesha Sai, M. V. R., and Harris, D. (2001). Spatial distribution and quantification of rice-fallows in South Asia – potential for legumes. Patancheru 502324, Andhra Pradesh, India: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. 316 pp. ISBN 92-9066-436-3.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 Project Purpose Methods to optimize cropping systems by agronomic means developed, tested, piloted and promoted in the SA production system. More specifically, we addressed the constraints and opportunities, identified during the pilot phase of this work (R8098), for farmers in the study areas and in similar situations to improve their livelihoods. They attempted/did this by making better use of their land to grow short-duration crops with minimal inputs in the rabi season on residual moisture after kharif rice has been harvested. FROM THIS POINT FORWARD, INFORMATION IS PRESENTED SEPARATELY FOR INDIA(I) AND NEPAL(N). INDIA(I) I3 Research Activities 2002-03 On-farm

1) Participatory varietal selection: Mother trial (chickpea cvs. ICCC 37, ICCV 2, KAK 2, & Local); Baby trial (ICCC 37 vs local; ICCV 2 vs local; KAK 2 vs local)

2) Seed priming (+/-): cvs: ICCC 37, ICCV 2, KAK 2

3) Crop establishment methods (2 treatments: 1, Relay cropping i.e. broadcasting

chickpea seed in the standing paddy crop; 2, Sowing primed seed with minimum tillage) with ICCV 2.

4) Bulk planting of chickpea in Orissa and M.P.

Back-up research

1) Interaction between molybdenum in solution, Rhizobium and seed priming of chickpea in acid soil

2) Chemical and microbiological characterization of selected rice fallow soils

2003-04 On-farm

1) Effect of seed priming/Rhizobium/molybdenum on chickpea (3 trts: 1,primed seed without Mo; 2, primed seed+Rhizobium+Mo; 3, primed seed with Mo added to soil at 500 g Mo ha-1) cv.ICCV 2 and KAK 2.

2) Participatory varietal selection: Mother trial (ICCC 37, ICCV 2, KAK 2, &

Local); Baby trial (ICCC 37 vs local; ICCV 2 vs local; KAK 2 vs local)

3) Seed priming (+/-): cvs: ICCC 37, ICCV 2, KAK 2. 4) Crop establishment methods (2 treatments: 1, Relay cropping i.e.

broadcasting chickpea seed in the standing paddy crop; 2, Sowing primed seed with minimum tillage) with ICCV 2.

5) Bulk planting of chickpea

Back-up research

1) Interaction between molybdenum in solution, Rhizobium and seed priming of chickpea in acid soil

2) Relative sensitivity of chickpea rhizobial strains (IC 59 and IC 76) to

fungicides 3) Chemical and microbiological characterization of selected rice fallow soils

2004-05 On-farm

1) Effect of molybdenum application through seed priming on chickpea (for confirmation of beneficial effects of Mo observed during rabi 2003-04).

2) Bulk planting of chickpea var. ICCV 2 or KAK 2 3) Effect of seed treatment with captan on collar rot incidence, nodulation and

yield of chickpea.

Back-up research

1) Chemical and microbiological characterization of selected rice fallow soils 2) Pot trial on effect of seed priming with P on chickpea performance

2005-06 On-farm

1) Effect of growing chickpea after short-duration rice (cv.Ashoka) as opposed to the traditional long-duration cultivar e.g.Swarna.

2) On-farm testing of chickpea seed priming with P 3) Bulk planting of chickpea var. ICCV 2 or KAK 2 or JGK 1

I4 Outputs 2002-03

• A total of 313 on-farm chickpea trials were facilitated after kharif rice by GVT and CRS spread over CG, M.P., Orissa, Jharkhand and W.B. In addition about 350 farmers participated in bulk planting of chickpea so that farmers can take protective action against grazing animals. In general chickpea yields were low at most locations due to drought (during rainy/post-rainy season) at many locations and hail storms at some locations e.g. M.P. However, farmers were convinced of the advantage of short-duration of the chickpea varieties (ICCV 2 and KAK 2) tested, merits of minimum tillage, timely sowing of rabi crop soon after harvest of kharif paddy, seed priming resulting in faster seed germination and early seedling emergence, bulk planting so that the crop can be protected from cattle grazing by the community.

• Farmers preferred chickpea cultivars ICCV 2 and KAK 2 because of their bold

seed and kabuli type and higher market rate than desi seed type.

• Need for training on crop improvement to interested and dedicated farmers and field staff.

• Seed banks were initiated/developed in some areas e.g. Satna, M.P.

• Analysis of some rice fallow soils from CG, M.P., Orissa, and Jharkhand,

indicated that most of them were low in available N, available P, B, S, Mo and Zn (data not presented).

• Performance of bulk planted chickpea in Chuapani village, Mayurbanj district, Orissa: 33 farmers who had cultivated chickpea cv. ICCV 2 following kharif rice had grain yields ranging from zero to 830 kg ha-1. The yields were zero in some fields as many of the farmers had sold green chickpea in the market and earned income ranging from Rs. 1460 to Rs. 15630 ha-1. Some farmers (6/33) had disposed of the crop totally as green chickpea while others had sold varying quantities (Table I1).

Table I1. Performance of chickpea cv. ICCV2 grown after rainy season rice in 33 farmers’ fields of Chuapani village, Bangriposi block, Mayurbhanj district, Orissa, during rabi 2002-03. Range • Plot area (m2) : 360 to 2800 • Grain yield (kg ha-1) : 0 to 830 • Income from selling green pods (Rs ha-1) : 1460 to 15630 • No. of farmers who sold their complete crop as green pods : 6

2003-04

• Due to unusual rains during Oct/Nov 2003, rainy season rice harvest was

delayed thus causing delayed sowing of chickpea following rice. Chickpea sowings occurred from 1st week of Nov 2003 until 3rd week of Dec 2003.

• Among the tillage methods, tested by the farmers for sowing the rabi crop following kharif rice, namely, 1) relay cropping, 2) minimum tillage (broadcasting primed chickpea seed followed by criss-cross ploughing/ planking) and 3) two ploughings then sowing seed by dropping behind plough/planking – method 3) was reported better than the other two methods in terms of plant stand and growth.

• Seed priming of chickpea had resulted in higher plant stand and vigour than non-primed chickpea particularly in medium-upland paddy fields. However, duration of seed priming i.e. soaking period of the seed in water used for priming, may have to be reexamined particularly for large seeded kabuli variety KAK 2 as it was reported that KAK 2 seed primed for 8 h was damaged more than the seed primed for 4 h due to cattle trampling during sowing time.

• Pod borer was a constraint • Farmers at most locations, where RRC has been tried with improved chickpea

cultivars, preferred ICCV 2 and KAK 2.

• Most of the rice fallow soils were low in available P, organic carbon, B, S, Mo, and native populations of chickpea Rhizobium were either absent or present in low numbers, if any (data not presented).

• Farmers were trained in seed production and seed storage. • Some chickpea farmers who had cultivated chickpea following rice for the

first time were awarded first and second prize in Kisan Melas held at district and block levels respectively in Shirisha village, Latehar district, Jharkhand.

Response of chickpea to molybdenum application Pot culture study: Molybdenum is an essential micronutrient for all plants and is required for the formation and function of the nitrogenase enzyme complex. Legumes can not effectively fix nitrogen in soils deficient in Mo. Molybdenum deficiency is usually restricted to acid soils. Many of the rice fallows soils examined in eastern India were acidic and deficient in Mo. On-farm trials conducted across the High Barind Tract of Bangladesh during 2002-03 confirmed responses to Mo of chickpea where the topsoil is acidic. In these trials, Mo was applied to the soil by mixing sodium molybdate at a rate of 500 g ha-1 with river sand and then broadcasting this mixture. This is not a practical method of application suitable for widespread adoption by resource-poor farmers and, in any case, compound fertilizers containing Mo are generally not available. We tested the effect of very small amounts of Mo (0.5 g sodium molybdate l-1 of water) applied directly to seeds during normal seed priming operation (soaking seed in water combined with Rhizobium for 8 h or overnight before sowing) in pot culture using an acidic soil of pH 6.1. Direct application to seeds resulted in a 27% increase in grain yield over that from soil-applied Mo (Table I2) and also substantially increased the Mo concentration of shoot (6.94 ppm vs, 0.21 ppm), root (12.92 ppm vs. 0.4 ppm) and grain (5.6 ppm vs. 3.22 ppm) and pod husk (2.58 ppm vs. 0.05 ppm) at maturity (Figs. I1-I4).

Table I2. Effect of combining seed priming, Rhizobium and molybdenum on chickpea cv. ICCV2 grown in pots with a rice fallow soil (pH 6.1) obtained from Bangriposi block, Mayurbhanj district, Orissa, India (27th March to 4th Jun 2003).

At maturity

Treatmenta Nod No./pl.

Nod. wt./pl (mg)

Rt.d.wt./ pl (g)

Sht.dwt/ pl (g)

Pod dwt/ pl

(g)

Grain wt/pl (g)

T1 15.3 100 0.32 0.56 0.71 0.55 T2 19.8 94 0.29 0.47 0.63 0.51 T3 12.5 55 0.30 0.55 0.71 0.56 T4 20.9 46 0.27 0.63 0.90 0.70 T5 16.6 63 0.28 0.57 0.69 0.54 CV (%) 45.7 46.4 30.5 15.6 12.2 13.6 LSD at 5% 9.36NS 40.0 * 0.108 NS 0.104 NS 0.107** 0.094 **

a- T1, Control; T2, Seed priming only; T3, Seed priming + Rhizobium inoculation through priming water; T4, T3 + Mo added in the priming water @ 0.50 g sodium molybdate l-1 of water; T5, T3 + Mo @ 500 g ha-1 added to soil before sowing. *, Significant at P≤ 0.05; **: Significant at P≤ 0.01; NS = Not Significant Fig. I1

Mo concentration (ppm) of chickpea cv.ICCV 2 shoot at maturity

0

2

4

6

8

T1 T2 T3 T4 T5

Seed treatment

Mo

(ppm

)

Fig. I2

Mo concentration (ppm) of chickpea cv.ICCV 2 root at maturity

0

5

10

15

T1 T2 T3 T4 T5

Seed treatment

Mo

(ppm

)

Fig. I3

Mo concentration of chickpea cv.ICCV 2 grain at maturity

0123456

T1 T2 T3 T4 T5

Seed treatment

Mo

(ppm

)

Fig. I4

Mo concentration (ppm) of chickpea cv.ICCV 2 pod husk at maturity

00.5

11.5

22.5

3

T1 T2 T3 T4 T5

Seed treatment

Mo

(ppm

)

T1: Control T2: Seed priming only T3: Seed priming + Rhizobium inoculation thru priming water T4: T3 + Mo added in the priming water @ 0.50 g sodium molybdate l-1 of water T5: T3 + Mo @ 500 g ha-1added to soil before sowing On-farm study: Seventy two on-farm trials with the following three treatments were conducted in selected rice fallows of Orissa, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, eastern part of Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal states of India during 2003-04 post-rainy season with the objective of knowing the response of chickpea to Mo applied through seed priming versus Mo applied to soil:

1. Primed chickpea seed + Rhizobium but without Mo (control) (4 g of peat-based Rhizobium culture were mixed with one liter of water used to prime one kilogram chickpea seed – seed priming is soaking the seed in water for 4-6 h followed by air drying to facilitate seed handling for sowing).

2. Primed chickpea seed + Rhizobium + Mo (Mo was added as sodium

molybdate @ 0.5 g liter-1 of priming water per kilogram of chickpea seed), and

3. Primed chickpea seed + Rhizobium but with Mo added to soil @ 500 g Mo ha-1 as sodium molybdate – 12.2 g of sodium molybdate was mixed with river sand or fine soil and applied evenly to 10 m x 10 m plot and mixed with soil before sowing.

A total of 230 soil samples (0-15 cm depth) representing farmers fields having rice fallows, in Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal and Jharkhand, were collected and analyzed for pH and Mo at ICRISAT Center, Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India. About 90 samples of these have been analyzed for B, S, available P

(Olsen P), Zn, and organic carbon. The results indicate that the soils are mostly acidic with mean pH ranging 5.69-6.78, excluding the one from Darjeeling having a pH of 4.32. The Mo content of the rice fallows was either nil or less than 0.04 ppm (Table I3). Most of the soils were deficient in B, S and available P (Olsen’s P) (data not presented). In many of these trials the chickpea plants were light green in the control plots i.e. without Mo, but greener in the plots that received Mo either through seed priming or soil application. Sixty nine out of 72 trials were sampled at flowering time and scored for nodulation ranking on a scale of 1 to 5 (Rupela, 1990). The nodulation was lowest in ‘control’ plot and molybdenum application through seed priming resulted in 89 percent increase in chickpea nodulation compared to control i.e.’no molybdenum’ treatment, while soil application of Mo resulted in 56 percent increase in nodulation over control (Table I4). These results suggest that Mo application was essential for proper nodule development and functioning. In 29 trials (spread over Orissa, Chattisgarh, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal) with chickpea cv ICCV 2, the mean yield increase over a control without Mo (where mean yield was 869 kg ha-1) was 21.6% when Mo was applied through seed priming water and 20.3% when Mo was applied to soil (Table I5). In 19 trials with chickpea cv. KAK 2, the mean yield increase over a control without Mo (where mean yield was 784 kg ha-1) was 16.8% when Mo was applied through seed priming water and 24.6% when Mo was applied to soil. The results suggest that the severe nitrogen (N) deficiency of chickpea commonly observed in eastern India is caused by inadequate levels of Mo and Rhizobium in the soil. This problem can be effectively alleviated by a simple low-cost technology within the scope of resource-poor farmers; by adding these entities in the seed priming process. Table I3. Mean of soil pH and Mo content of farmer fields (0-15 cm) rice fallows some of which were used for Mo response trials during rabi 2003-04 in India.

State District No. of farmers

fields pH Mo (ppm) Madhya Pradesh Satna 60 6.78 0.021 Madhya Pradesh Dindori 41 6.66 0.008 Madhya Pradesh Mandla 34 6.68 0.038 Jharkhand Latehar 8 6.46 0.036 West Bengal Purulia 39 6.12 0.029 West Bengal Malda 2 5.79 0.033 West Bengal Darjeling 1 4.32 0.052 Chattisgarh Bastar 11 6.02 0.024 Orissa Sundergarh 6 5.69 0.001 Orissa Kandamal 5 5.93 0.002 Orissa Mayurbhanj 23 6.54 0.002

Table I4. Mean nodulation ratings1 of chickpea grown in rice fallows in on-farm Mo response trials conducted during the 2003-04 Rabi season, Eastern India. State Village 2T 1 T 2 T 3 SE+/- Significance West Bengal Gobradhi 0.3 1.3 0.4 0.161 p<0.05 West Bengal Jahajpur 1.5 2.6 2.4 0.278 p<0.05 West Bengal M.Sahar 0.8 1.2 1.2 0.144 NS West Bengal Parkidi 0.9 1.6 0.9 0.183 p<0.05 Jharkhand Sirish 2.3 2.6 2.3 0.231 NS Madhya Pradesh Bhodhgundi 1.5 1.9 1.6 0.170 NS Madhya Pradesh Divlaha 0 0.7 1.3 0.236 p<0.05 Madhya Pradesh Kanpur 0.7 1.3 1.3 0.192 NS Madhya Pradesh Mudukhua 2.3 2.3 1.7 0.77 NS Madhya Pradesh Patni 1 2.7 1.7 0.192 p<0.01 Madhya Pradesh Padariya 1.6 1.8 2.4 0.204 p<0.05 Madhya Pradesh Rohania 1.7 2 2 1.262 NS Madhya Pradesh Singarpur 1.1 1.5 1.3 0.133 NS Madhya Pradesh Umariya 0 0.7 1.3 0.236 p<0.05 Chattishagarh Chivurgaon 0 2 1 0.333 p<0.05 Chattishagarh Kirigoli 0 1.1 0.7 0.111 P<0.01 Chattishagarh Kondagav 0 1.2 0.7 0.222 p<0.01 Orissa Asana 1.2 1.3 1.3 0.085 NS Orissa Kanchikana 0.6 2.8 1.2 0.306 p<0.01 Orissa Thakurpalli 1.6 1.4 1.4 0.513 NS Mean 0.9 1.7 1.4 1: According to the 1-5 scale of Rupela (1990) where 1= minimal nodulation and 5= abundant nodulation. 2: T1= Control (seed primed with Rhizobium); T2= Seed primed with Rhizobium + Mo; T3= Seed primed with Rhizobium but Mo applied to soil

Table I5. Effect of Mo application through seed priming and soil application on grain and stover yields of chickpea cvs. ICCV 2 and KAK 2 in farmers’ fields of Eastern India following rice, post rainy season 2003-04.

Chickpea cultivar ICCV 2a KAK 2b

Treatment Grain yield (kg ha-1)

Stover yield (kg ha-1)

Grain yield (kg ha-1)

Stover yield (kg ha-1)

Control (no Mo)

869 1706 784 1571

+Mo applied through seed priming

1057 1967 916 1889

+ Mo applied to soil 1045 1956 977 2018 SED of mean 36.2 68.6 49.8 129.3 Significance P<0.01 P<0.01 P<0.01 P<0.01

a- Mean of 29 on-farm trials spread over Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh states of India.

b- Mean of 19 on-farm trials spread over Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Chattisgarh

Other results

• Mean chickpea yields following rainfed rice in different states of eastern India: The results in Fig.5 show that the mean yields of chickpea ranged between 370 kg ha-1 (in West Bengal) and 1090 kg ha-1 (in Orissa).

Fig. I5

• Application of sodium molybdate (@ 0.5 g l-1 of water sufficient to soak i.e. prime, one kg seed) and peat-based Rhizobium culture (@ 4 g kg-1 seed)

simultaneously to water used for chickpea seed priming had no adverse effect on chickpea Rhizobium strains (data not presented).

• Rice fallow soils whose pH is <5 are not suitable for growing chickpea presumably due to Al and Mn toxicities (data not presented).

2004-05

Effect of molybdenum application through seed priming on chickpea Chickpea grown after rainy season rice responded positively to molybdenum application either through soil application or to the seed through priming water during rabi season 2003-04 in eastern India. The trial was repeated after rice during rabi season 2004-05 for confirmation of beneficial effects of Mo observed during 2003-04 with the following two treatments: I) Control (chickpea seed primed + Rhizobium but without Mo; and ii) With Mo (chickpea seed primed + Rhizobium + Mo). A total of 188 on-farm trials were sown in different locations of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The soil was given a basal dressing of 24 kg P2O5 as single super phosphate. The plot size was 100m2 treatment-1 farmer-

1. The seed was sown either by dropping the seed in furrow behind the plough followed by planking or broadcasting the seed followed by ploughing criss-cross and then planking. At flowering, 3 to 5 plants treatment-1 were sampled for nodulation and plant biomass. At maturity, yield data was collected from four quadrats each measuring one square meter area. Nodulation: Molybdenum application through seed priming had improved chickpea nodulation rating by 62 percent over control i.e. without molybdenum (Table I6). The response to Mo application was significantly different to control in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh but not so in Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Table I6. Mean nodulation ratings1 of chickpea grown in rice fallows in on-farm Mo response trials conducted during the rabi season 2004-05, in eastern India.

State Village No. of trials Cultivar 2Treat-1 Treat-2 SE+/-3 Significance4

Uttar Pradesh Barha 3 KAK-2 1.3 1.9 0.115 P< 0.05 Uttar Pradesh Bashiniya 3 ICCV-2 1.5 2.3 0.529 NS Uttar Pradesh Bhathiya 4 ICCV-2 1.4 2.5 0.222 P< 0.01 Uttar Pradesh Bojh 3 ICCV-2 0.8 3.0 0.306 P< 0.01 Uttar Pradesh Devlaha 4 KAK-2 1.5 2.4 0.507 P< 0.1 Uttar Pradesh Devribeni 2 KAK-2 2.5 3.0 0.100 P< 0.1 Uttar Pradesh Harshapur 10 ICCV-2 1.0 1.0 0.026 P< 0.1 Uttar Pradesh Kalhura 3 ICCV-2 1.8 3.0 0.462 NS Uttar Pradesh Kishanpur 4 ICCV-2 2.3 3.5 0.263 P< 0.01 Uttar Pradesh Pahalwan 6 ICCV-2 1.8 2.3 0.541 NS Uttar Pradesh Murkoha 3 ICCV-2 1.7 3.1 0.133 P< 0.001 Uttar Pradesh Raherniya 3 ICCV-2 0.8 4.0 1.143 NS Uttar Pradesh Rampurgarari 4 KAK-2 1.5 2.6 0.320 P< 0.1 Uttar Pradesh Sonupura 3 KAK-2 2.2 2.8 0.115 P< 0.1 Uttar Pradesh Sundaranagar 3 ICCV-2 0.9 2.2 0.353 P< 0.05 Uttar Pradesh Umariha 3 ICCV-2 1.8 2.4 0.200 P< 0.05 Madhya Pradesh Orri 11 ICCV-2 1.5 2.6 0.169 P< 0.001 Madhya Pradesh Kamhariya 13 ICCV-2 1.1 2.5 0.273 NS Madhya Pradesh Khesali 5 ICCV-2 0.8 1.8 0.297 P< 0.05 Madhya Pradesh Madanpur 5 ICCV-2 1.0 2.1 0.319 P< 0.05 Madhya Pradesh Nanram 7 ICCV-2 1.1 2.6 0.223 P< 0.001 Madhya Pradesh Ran 5 KAK-2 2.1 2.7 0.349 NS Orissa Asthia 7 ICCV-2 0.1 0.1 0.086 NS Orissa Manpur 3 ICCV-2 0.3 0.4 0.406 NS Orissa Tulasibani 2 KAK-2 0.6 1.5 0.100 P< 0.1 Orissa Udali 5 ICCV-2 0.7 1.0 0.260 NS Jharkhand Chotro 4 ICCV-2 1.4 1.5 0.351 NS Jharkhand Gobindpur 2 ICCV-2 2.7 2.9 0.400 NS Jharkhand Hisri 5 ICCV-2 2.2 2.5 0.162 P< 0.1 Jharkhand Jamuari 9 ICCV-2 0.8 0.8 0.102 NS Jharkhand Nowka 6 ICCV-2 0.5 0.3 0.210 NS Jharkhand Uruguttu 5 ICCV-2 0.5 0.3 0.126 NS West Bengal Baliagola 11 ICCV-2 1.5 1.6 0.290 NS West Bengal Jahajpur 11 ICCV-2 2.2 2.4 0.230 NS West Bengal Parikidi 11 ICCV-2 1.3 1.7 0.280 NS Mean (Total:188) 1.3 2.1 1. According to the 1- 5 scale of Rupela (1990) where 1 = minimal nodulation and 5=abundant

nodulation 2. Treat 1: Control (seed primed with Rhizobium); Treat 2: Seed primed with Rhizobium+Mo; 3. Standard error of difference between means 4. P probability; NS: Not significantly different

Grain yield: Seed priming with sodium molybdate significantly increased mean grain yield of chickpea by 7.5% in Uttar Pradesh (mean of 16 farmers in 9 different villages), while the increase in stover yield was not significant (Table I7). Table I7. Effect of molybdenum and Rhizobium application through seed priming on seed yield and stover yield of chickpea in MP/ Uttar Pradesh border during Rabi 2004-05

Seed yield ( kg ha-1)

Stover yield ( kg ha-1)

Test of Significance mean

SNo Name of the village

Rh Rh+Mo Rh Rh+Mo Seed Stover 1. Devlaha (F: 2 ) 1325 1608 1013 1121 * NS 2. Barha (F : 3) 2575 3050 2625 2466 * + 3. Harshpur (F: 3) 2083 2128 2913 2538 NS NS 4. Umariha (F:2 ) 1875 2225 737 1225 * * * *

2053 2207 2023 2047 + NS

POOLEDa (V: 9) (F: 16)

SE(m)+ 96.2 104.9

Note: Pooled data of entire state (i.e. 9 villages and 16 farmers) F; Farmers, V: Villages, Rh: Rhizobium, Mo: Molybdenum a: In some villages replicated data was not available, hence it was not included in village wise analysis. ** Significant at ‘P’ value < 0.01; * ,, ,, ,, < 0.05 + ,, ,, ,, < 0.1 NS…………….. ,, ,, >0.1 In Orissa, Mo application through seed priming increased grain yield by 13.7% over control (mean of 11 farmers spread over 3 villages) (Table I8). Table I8. Effect of molybdenum and Rhizobium application through seed priming on seed yield and stover yield of chickpea in Orissa State during Rabi 2004-05.

Seed yield ( kg ha-1)

Stover yield ( kg ha-1)

Test of Significance mean

Sno Name of the village

Rh Rh+Mo Rh Rh+Mo Seed Stover 1. Asthia (F : 7) 187 180 229 242 NS NS 2. Tulasibari(F: 2) 260 437 175 191 * * * NS 3. Udali

Badamara(F: 2) 666 709 645 702 NS NS

284

323 296

326 + NS

POOLED (V: 3) (F: 11) SE(m)+ 22.6 24.1 --

F, Farmers; V,Villages; Rh, Rhizobium; Mo, Molybdenum

In Jharkhand, Mo had no effect on chickpea yields (mean of 22 farmers in 5 different villages) except in Jamuari village (Table I9). Table I9. Effect of molybdenum and Rhizobium application through seed priming on seed yield and stover yield of chickpea in Jharkhand State during Rabi 2004-05.

Seed yield ( kg ha-1)

Stover yield ( kg ha-1)

Test of Significance

mean

S No Name of the village

Rh Rh+Mo Rh Rh+Mo Seed Stover 1. Chotra (F: 3) 397 347 376 368 NS NS 2. Govindapur (F:4) 846 700 1266 1331 NS NS 3. Jamuari (F: 2) 362 500 617 675 * * * * * 4. Nowka (F : 8) 805 793 1112 1040 NS + 5. Hisri (F: 5) 605 599 593 582 NS NS

664 663 838 816 NS NS

POOLEDa (V: 5) ( F: 22)

SE(m)+

25.6

30.5

Note: Pooled data of entire state (i.e. 5 villages and 22 farmers) F: Farmers,V; Villages, Rh: Rhizobium, Mo: Molybdenum *** Significant at ‘P’ value < 0.001 ** ,, ,, ,, < 0.01 + ,, ,, ,, < 0.1 NS…………….. ,, ,, >0.1 In Madhya Pradesh, Mo application increased chickpea grain (12.7%) and stover yields (11.5%) significantly (mean of 60 farmers spread over 11 villages) (Table I10).

Table I10. Effect of molybdenum and Rhizobium application through seed priming on seed yield and stover yield of chickpea in Madhya Pradesh State during Rabi 2004-05.

Seed yield ( kg ha-1)

Stover yield ( kg ha-1)

Test of Significance mean

S No Name of the village

Rh Rh+Mo Rh Rh+Mo Seed Stover 1. Batondha (F: 5) 387 440 537 597 NS * 2. Pandaria (F: 7) 944 944 1238 1252 NS NS 3. Bhetetola (F: 5) 521 649 712 862 + NS

4. Ran (F: 5) 1632 1610 1064 1100 NS NS 5. Kishle (F: 5) 912 1197 1452 1429 * * * NS 6. Kunte (F: 2) 1074 1073 859 1023 NS 7. Denko (F: 2) 1029 575 899 1405 * * * * * 8. Orri (F: 10) 948 1205 1092 1123 * * * * * 9. Khamharia (F:12) 554 620 923 1141 * * * * * * 10 Nanram (F: 6) 734 952 673 1060 * * * * *

814 917 993 1107 * * * * *

POOLEDa (V: 11) (F: 60) SE(m)+ 28.9 39.2 ---

F: Farmers, V: Villages, Rh: Rhizobium, Mo: Molybdenum a: In some villages replicated data was not available, hence it was not included in village wise analysis. In West Bengal, the yields were very low as the crop suffered due to drought (Table I11) and there was no response to Mo application. Table I11. Effect of molybdenum and Rhizobium application through seed priming on seed yield and stover yield of chickpea in West Bengal during Rabi 2004-05.

Seed yield ( kg ha-1)

Stover yield ( kg ha-1)

Test of significance mean

S No

Name of the Village

Rh Rh+Mo Rh Rh+Mo Seed Stover 1. Jahajpur (F: 5

) 309 317 461 419 NS +

SE(m)+ 27.5

23.7

F; Farmers,V: Villages, Rh: Rhizobium, Mo: Molybdenum + Significant at ‘P’ value < 0.1 NS, Not significant In Bagrai village of Chattisgarh, grain yield increased by 16.8% due to Mo application through seed priming (877 kg ha-1 with Mo, and 751 kg ha-1 without Mo; no replicated data available, mean of 3 farmers). Overall, Mo application through seed priming increased chickpea grain yield by 9 percent and stover yield by 6 percent during rabi 2004-05. This is a mean of 114 trials spread over M.P., U.P., Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal (Table I12).

Table I12. Pooled analysis of state-wise chickpea crop yields in on-farm molybdenum trials in eastern India during rabi, 2004-05.

Seed yield (kg ha-1)

Stover yield (kg ha-1)

Test of significance

State

No.of Farmers

-Mo +Mo -Mo +Mo Seed Stover

Madhya Pradesh 60 814 917 993 1107 *** ** Uttar Pradesh 16 2053 2207 2023 2047 + NS Orissa 11 284 323 296 326 + NS Jharkhand 22 664 663 838 816 NS NS West Bengal 5 309 317 461 419 NS + 114 POOLED 835.0 906.8 974 1029 *** * SE (m)+ 19.33 24.50 CV (%) 38.0 32.2 LSD 38.23 48.20 Mo content of grain: Since Mo is an essential element for human nutrition as well as plants, we also determined the Mo content in chickpea grain produced from control and priming Mo treatments of 62 on-farm trials. Relative to the controls, Mo content of the grain increased in the treatment that received Mo through seed priming in most of the trials as shown in the Table I13. Table I13. Effect of seed priming with Mo on the percent increase of the Mo content of chickpea grain at maturity in eastern India during rabi 2004-05.

Number of OF trials Percent increase in Mo content 9 Nil 13 -10 to 10% 7 10 to 25% 13 25 to 100% 11 100 to 500% 9 >500%

The results suggest that poor nodulation and nitrogen fixation by chickpea, due to Mo deficiency in eastern India can be effectively alleviated by a simple low-cost seed priming technique, which is within the scope of resource-poor farmers. In addition increased levels of Mo in chickpea grain produced by Mo additions to priming water can be helpful in improving human intakes of this essential element. Soil analysis: Most of the rice fallow fields, where chickpea was grown during rabi 2004-05, were analyzed for chemical properties such as pH, organic carbon, available P, exchangeable K, S, B, Zn and Mo. The soils pH was around 7.0, % organic carbon

was <1.0%, low in available P, S, B and Mo. The zinc content was generally above the critical limit of 0.75 ppm (data not presented). Effect of collar rot disease on chickpea grown in rice fallows Effect of collar rot on chickpea plant stand in Chattisgarh: Since 2002 we have been observing collar rot as one of the important biotic constraints of chickpea when grown in rice fallows of eastern India. For the first time we took quantitative data on the extent of plant mortality of chickpea, caused by collar rot disease, grown in rice fallows of Chattisgarh. For this, we took about 9 quadrats of 1 m2 field-1, and took total plant count and also dead plants around 4 weeks after sowing. In many cases we observed the white fungal growth around the collar region of the drying plants and presumed it as the collar rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii. Among the 3 villages examined the collar rot incidence was relatively greater (22 to 29%) in Markatola village, Kanker district, than in Kirgoli of the same district (3 to 12%), and Jhariberi recorded 9 to 28% (Table I14). Table 14. Chickpea plant mortality due to collar rot in rice fallows of Chattisgarh during rabi 2004-05 Location Cultivar Treatment Area Total Dead % mortal- sampled (m2) plants plants ity Markatola/ Kanker KAK 2 Mo only 9 98 28 28.6 KAK 2 Mo/Rhiz 9 96 21 21.9 ICCV 2 Mo only 9 102 30 29.4 ICCV 2 Mo/Rhiz 9 97 28 28.9 KAK 2 Bulk 3 41 9 22.0 Local Bulk 6 84 22 26.2 ICCV 2 Bulk 6 91 22 24.2 Kirgoli/ Kanker KAK 2 Mo 9 180 8 4.4 KAK 2 Mo/Rhiz 9 146 4 2.7 ICCV 2 Mo 9 216 26 12.0 ICCV 2 Mo/Rhiz 9 260 22 8.5 KAK 2 Bulk 3 68 6 8.8 ICCV 2 Bulk 12 331 38 11.5 Jhariberi/ Bastar ICCV 2 Rhiz 9 235 21 8.9 ICCV 2 Rhiz 9 191 50 26.2 ICCV 2 Mo/Rhiz 9 193 19 9.8 ICCV 2 Mo/Rhiz 9 211 59 28.0 ICCV 2 Bulk 9 152 21 13.8

Effect of seed treatment with Captan on collar rot incidence, nodulation, and yield of chickpea Background: Captan was found better than Thiram and Bavistin against collar rot of chickpea in pot trial (data not presented). To confirm this finding on-farm testing was attempted in this preliminary trial. Clean cultivation i.e. removal of stubbles, has been often recommended to reduce the collar rot incidence. The efficacy of this practice in combination with Captan was also tested in this experiment. The trial was conducted in Orissa (4 villages), West Bengal (1 village), and Jharkhand (2 villages) with the following 4 treatments: Trt.1: After paddy harvest with rice stubbles: chickpea seed +Primed+ Rhizobium

(control) Trt.2: After paddy harvest with rice stubbles: chickpea seed +Primed+ Rhizobium+

captan to be seed dressed @3 g/kg seed before sowing. Trt.3: After paddy harvest with rice stubbles cleared as much as possible: chickpea

seed +Primed+ Rhizobium (control) Trt.4: After paddy harvest with rice stubbles cleared as much as possible: chickpea

seed +Primed+ Rhizobium+ captan to be seed dressed @3 g/kg seed before sowing.

Chickpea cv. ICCV 2 was used for these on-farm studies. The fields received a basal dressing of single super phosphate at the rate of 150 kg ha-1 (= 24 kg P2O5 ha-1). Observations on plant stand were taken about 4 weeks after sowing, and grain and stover yields at maturity. In Orissa: The trial was conducted with only two treatments (+/- Captan) in 27 farmers’ fields of 4 villages. Seed treatment with Captan did not have significant effect in controlling plant mortality due to collar rot and the plant stands were similar in both treatments (Table I15).

Table I15. Effect of chickpea seed treatment with Captan on the plant stand (m2, 4 wks after sowing) of chickpea cv ICCV 2 grown in rice fallows of Mayurbanj dist. Orissa, rabi 2004-05

Plant stand m2 with Plant stand m2 with Location Captan No Captan Test of significance

Asthia 29.17 24.33 + Udali 20.83 18.33 + Tulasibani 20.33 18.17 + Andhari 22.67 27.00 + POOLED 23.25 21.96 + (V:4, F:27) SE(m)+ 0.817 CV (%) 12.5 LSD 1.705 V= Villages , F= Farmers + Significant at ‘P’ value < 0.1 In West Bengal: In Jahajpur village the plant stand was higher in Captan treated plot compared to control. Similarly the plant stand was higher in plots where paddy stubble was removed compared to the plots with paddy stubble. At maturity, the grain yield was highest in captan treated and paddy stubble removed plot and least in plots without captan and with paddy stubble (Table I16). Table I16. Effect of seed treatment with captan and removal of paddy stubble on plant stand, nodulation rank, and yield of chickpea cv. ICCV 2 grown in rice fallows of Jahajpur village, Purulia dist. W.B., rabi 2004-05 Treatment Plant stand

(m2) Nodulation

rank Grain yield

(kg ha-1) Stover yield

(kg ha-1) Rh.W.S 18.1 1.90 247.8 488.9 Rh.W.O.S 20.3 2.60 321.8 534.4 C.W.S 18.2 1.95 260.0 530.0 C.W.O.S 26.0 2.10 461.1 630.0 SE (m)+ 1.66 0.27 39.07 34.80 CV (%) 24.1 40.0 36.3 19.1 LSD 4.85 0.54 114.02 101.56 F-Test ** + ** + ** Significant at ‘P’ value < 0.001 + ,, ,, ,, < 0.1

In Jharkhand: Neither Captan treatment nor removal of paddy stubble had any significant effect on chickpea nodulation ranking, plant stand, and final yields of chickpea. (Tables I17 and I18). Table I17.: Effect of captan and paddy stubble removal on nodulation ranking of chickpea cv. ICCV 2 grown after paddy at 4 weeks after sowing in Hisri and Nowka villages, Jharkhand State, during rabi 2004-05. Treatment Hisri Nowka Pooled Rh.W.S 2.20 0.13 1.17 Rh.W.O.S 1.87 0.40 1.13 C.W.S 1.93 0.07 1.00 C.W.O.S 2.27 0.20 1.23 SE(m)+ 0.19 0.12 0.231 CV (%) 36.0 238.6 55.2 LSD 0.55 0.35 0.321 F-Test NS NS NS NS : Non -significant Table I18: Effect of seed treatment with Captan and removal of paddy stubble on plant stand and yield of chickpea cv. ICCV 2 grown in rice fallows of Nowka and Hisri villages, Jharkhand, during rabi 2004-05. Location Treatment Plant stand

(m2) Grain yield

(kg ha-1) Stover yield

(kg ha-1) Nowka Rh.W.S 34.0 620 752 Rh.W.O.S 33.0 603 774 C.W.S 32.1 574 693 C.W.O.S 33.2 588 744 F-Test

NS NS NS

Hisri Rh.W.S 25.0 598 643 Rh.W.O.S 21.8 410 440 C.W.S 22.0 413 457 C.W.O.S 21.2 443 460 F-Test

+ + +

Pooled Rh.W.S 30.4 611 709 Rh.W.O.S 28.5 526 641 C.W.S 28.1 510 599 C.W.O.S 28.4 530 631 SE(m)+ 0.899 36.7 37.70 CV % 8.5 18.5 16.0 LSD 1.819 74.2 76.3 F-Test + + + + Significant at ‘P’ value < 0.1

These preliminary studies indicate the potential of Captan for seed treatment and also the advantage of paddy stubble removal for improving chickpea plant stand and also the crop yield where collar rot could potentially affect chickpea plant stand and yield e.g. in West Bengal but not in Jharkhand. However, these studies need to be repeated at more locations for confirmation of the positive effect of captan for seed treatment and also the beneficial effect of removal of paddy stubble vis-à-vis collar rot incidence. Bulk planting of chickpea var. ICCV 2 or KAK 2 The yield performance of chickpea grown after rainfed rice during rabi 2004-05 varied across states as shown in Table I19. It ranged between 140 kg ha-1 (in West Bengal) and 1340 kg ha-1 in M.P./U.P. border. The reasons for this large variation in chickpea yields following rainfed rice include: delayed sowing of rabi crop necessitated by late harvest of kharif paddy variety, low soil fertility, lack of timely plant protection, drought, lack of previous experience of growing chickpea etc. Table I19. Performance of chickpea grown as bulk after rainy season rice in farmers fields of eastern India during rabi 2004-05. State No. of villages No. of farmers Mean grain

yield (kg ha-1) Mean stover yield

(kg ha-1) Orissa 4 13 324 370 U.P. 6 12 1338 1192 Jharkhand 2 5 813 806 W.B. 1 1 140 448 M.P. Not available Chattisgarh Not available 2005-06 Effect of seed priming with P on chickpea

1) Pot culture study: The objectives of this trial are 1) To test the effect of P

(KH2PO4) added through seed priming on seed germination and plant growth, and 2) To know the interactive effect of P on sodium molybdate and Rhizobium added through seed priming.

Treatments: T1 – Control (no seed priming), T2 – Seed priming, T3 – Seed priming + sodium molybdate @ 0.5 g/ litre + Rhizobium culture @ 4 g / kg seed (1.0 kg seed + 1.0 litre of water + 0.5 g of sodium molybdate + 4 g of peat based Rhizobium),

T4 – Seed priming (T2) + 0.2% P (8.77 g of KH2PO4/litre), T5 – Seed priming (T2) + 0.25% P (10.97 g of KH2PO4/litre), T6 – T3 + 0.2% P (8.77 g of KH2PO4/litre), T7 – T3 + 0.25% P (10.97 g of KH2PO4/litre), Chickpea genotype: ICCV 2 Date of sowing the pot trial: 11 Aug 2005 Conclusions of the pot trial: We did not find any significant effect of priming with P on seed germination, plant growth and final yield of chickpea(data available but not given). On-farm testing of seed priming with P: A total of 88 trials were conducted in different states of eastern India with the following four treatments: i) Seed priming with Rhizobium, Mo and 0.25% P with soil application of SSP

(1.5 kg/100 m2) ii) Seed priming with Rhizobium and Mo (best practice as control) with soil

application of SSP (1.5 kg/100 m2) iii) Seed priming with Rhizobium, Mo and 0.25% P but without soil application of

SSP iv) Seed priming with Rhizobium and Mo (best practice as control) but without soil

application of SSP Data was collected from a total of 68 trials on plant stand, nodulation at flowering, 100 seed mass and final yields. In Jharkhand: Chickpeas response to ‘soil applied P’ was variable across villages. At Paknadi village significant increase in nodulation and final yield (12%) was recorded (Table I20), while at Nowka there was little response to ‘soil applied P’ (Table I21). Response to ‘P-primed’ was similar to that of ‘soil applied P’. At Jamboni village we did not find any response to P (data not presented). In West Bengal: Chickpea yield responded significantly to ‘soil applied P’ by 65.4% compared to ‘no P’ at Makrampur village (Table I22) where there was little response to ‘P-primed’ treatment. At Mandalpara village, the interaction effects between ‘soil P’ and ‘P-primed’ were significant – P-primed gave higher yield of chickpea compared to ‘minus P’ while it gave lower yield with ‘soil P’ (Table I23). At Korapara village there was no response to P (data not presented). In Chattisgarh: Despite low yield, there was clear response of chickpea to P applied to soil and also ‘P-primed’ at Kalipur village. The response was greater with ‘P applied to soil’ than that with ‘P primed’ (47% vs 37%) (Table I24). At Nakna village,

chickpea response to ‘P applied to soil’ was significant but not with ‘P primed’ (data not presented). In Orissa: At Manpur village, chickpea yield increased by 11% with ‘Papplied to soil’, while ‘P primed’ had little effect (Table I25). At Badibahal village the yields were low perhaps due to acidic soil and P application had no effect (data not presented). In Uttar Pradesh: At Devaribeni village, ‘P applied to soil’ had increased chickpea yield by 18% while ‘P-primed’ had no effect on yield (Table I26). In Madhya Pradesh: Chickpea responded positively to P application in two out of seven villages. At Agarikala, chickpea yield was greater by 31% and 24% with ‘P applied to soil’ and ‘P primed’ respectively (Table I27). At Pateri village, the response to ‘P-primed’ was significant (50%) while to ‘P applied to soil’ was little (Table I28). Overall the brief summary of response to P priming is given in Table I29. Significant response of chickpea grain yield (11 to 65%) to P application to soil was recorded in six villages out of 20 villages of eastern India covering Orissa, West Bengal, Chattisgarh, M.P. and U.P. However, the response to seed priming with P was recorded in three villages of Chattisgarh and M.P., and the response ranged between 24 and 50%.

Table I20. Effect of seed priming with P on the performance of chickpea cv. ICCV 2 (mean of 2 on-farm trials) at Paknadi village, Jharkhand state during Rabi, 2005-06.

Treatments Plant Stand m2

at 3 WASa Plant stand m2

at maturity Collar rot affected

plants m2 Nodulation

rank 100 seed wt.( g )

Grain yield (kg ha-1)

Stover yield (kg ha-1)

Main plot SSP 22.3 20.1 0.6 1.6 21.6 1944.0 1650.0

Without SSP 26.8 20.6 0.6 1.4 21.2 1740.0 1431.0

s.e.d 2.08 1.07 0.15 0.40 0.42 120.80 91.50 CV % 17.0 10.6 49.7 59.2 3.9 13.1 11.9 LSD 4.9 2.54 0.35 0.90 0.98 285.70 216.30

F-Test + NS NS NS NS + * Sub plot

P-priming 23.4 20.9 0.5 1.7 21.6 1960.0 1606.0 Without priming 25.5 19.7 0.7 1.3 21.2 1724.0 1475.0

s.e.d 1.86 0.75 0.32 0.30 0.25 118.6 122.10

CV % 13.80 7.6 54.8 38.6 2.0 16.9 15.9 LSD 3.99 1.60 0.68 0.64 0.55 254.50 261.90

F-Test NS + NS + + + NS Interaction

SSP x P 19.8 20.1 0.5 1.9 21.7 1949.0 1645.0 SSP x without P 24.8 20.0 0.6 1.3 21.5 1939.0 1655.0

without SSP x P 27.1 21.8 0.5 1.6 21.4 1971.0 1566.0

without SSP x without P 26.4 19.4 0.8 1.30 20.9 1509.0 1295.0

s.e.d 2.79 1.31 0.35 0.50 0.49 169.30 152.60 CV % 21.5 10.4 150.6 63.9 3.4 18.2 22.4 LSD 5.88 2.81 0.73 1.05 1.06 355.20 317.40

F-Test + + NS NS NS + NS

Table I21. Effect of seed priming with P on the performance of chickpea cv. ICCV 2 (mean of 2 on-farm trials) at Nowka village, Jharkhand state during Rabi, 2005-06.

Treatments

Plant Stand m2

at 3 WASa Plant stand m2

at maturity Collar rot affected

plants m2 Nodulation

Rank 100 seed wt ( g )

Grain yield (kg ha-1)

Stover yield (kg ha-1)

Main plot SSP 23.8 24.8 0.3 2.8 22.7 1669.0 1394.0 Without SSP 24.1 25.3 0.4 2.5 22.8 1618.0 1394.0 s.e.d 2.05 1.12 0.24 0.30 0.40 49.91 81.72 CV % 17.2 8.9 139.5 25.6 3.5 6.1 11.7 LSD 4.9 2.65 0.57 0.68 0.95 118.20 193.30 F-Test NS NS NS NS NS NS NS Sub plot P-priming 23.4 24.8 0.2 2.7 22.6 1604.0 1384 Without priming 24.6 25.3 0.5 2.6 22.9 1683.0 1404 s.e.d 2.50 0.69 0.26 0.25 0.41 60.10 52.7 CV % 15.30 10.6 66.6 19.2 7.2 18.8 15.6 LSD 5.37 1.48 0.55 0.53 0.88 129.00 113.00 F-Test NS NS NS NS NS NS NS Interaction SSP x P 23.6 24.3 0.3 2.7 22.8 1581.0 1400.0 SSP x without P 24.0 25.3 0.4 2.8 22.5 1756.0 1388.0 without SSP x P 23.1 25.4 0.1 2.6 22.4 1626.0 1368.0 without SSP x without P 25.1 25.3 0.6 2.4 23.3 1610.0 1421.0 s.e.d 3.23 1.32 0.35 0.39 0.57 78.19 97.28 CV % 29.6 7.8 212.0 30.1 5.1 10.4 10.7 LSD 6.75 2.86 0.74 0.81 1.20 162.90 210.20 F-Test NS NS NS Ns + + NS

+ significant at P value 0.1%; NS: Not-significant; a : Weeks After Sowing

Table I22. Effect of seed priming with P on the performance of chickpea cv. ICCV 2 (1 On-farm trial only) at Makarampur village, West Bengal state during Rabi, 2005-06. Treatments

Plant Stand m2 at 3 WASa

Plant stand m2 at maturity

100 seed wt.( g )

Grain yield kg ha-1

Stover yield kg ha-1

Main plot SSP 20.1 26.5 19.4 498.0 491.0 Without SSP 23.5 29.5 19.7 301.0 292.0 s.e.d 1.57 2.65 0.84 64.05 33.51 CV % 10.2 13.4 6.1 22.7 12.1 LSD 5.0 8.44 2.67 203.80 106.60 F-Test + NS NS * ** Sub plot P-priming 22.3 27.0 19.7 382.0 379.0 Without priming 21.4 29.0 19.4 416.0 405.0 s.e.d 1.78 5.27 1.03 81.0 78.33 CV % 9.80 24.7 13.4 15.6 16.2 LSD 4.37 12.92 2.53 198.40 191.80 F-Test NS NS NS NS NS Interaction SSP x P 20.0 26.2 20.1 395.0 432.0 SSP x without P 20.3 26.8 18.8 600.0 550.0 without SSP x P 24.5 27.8 19.4 370.0 325.0 without SSP x without P 22.5 31.2 20.0 232.0 260.0 s.e.d 2.38 5.91 1.33 103.36 85.26 CV % 16.4 37.7 10.6 40.6 40.0 LSD 5.42 13.53 3.02 234.20 197.20 F-Test NS NS NS + NS

** : significant at P value 0.01%; * : significant at P value 0.05%; a : weeks after sowing; + significant at P value 0.1%; NS: Non-significant

Table I23. Effect of seed priming with P on the performance of chickpea cv. ICCV 2 (mean of 4 on-farm trials) at Mandalpara village, West Bengal state during Rabi, 2005-06.

Treatments

Plant Stand m2 at 3 WASa

Plant stand m2 at maturity

Shoot dry wt. g plant2

Root dry wt. g plant-1

Total Biomass g plant-1

Nodulation

Rank 100 seed

wt. ( g )

Grain yield (kg ha-1 )

Stover yield (kg ha-1 )

Main plot SSP 24.0 26.5 2.3 0.8 3.1 1.1 18.3 472.0 425.0 Without SSP 22.7 27.3 2.5 0.8 6.3 1.1 18.3 423.0 412.0 s.e.d 1.88 1.50 0.15 0.06 0.29 0.15 0.43 26.44 24.45 CV % 22.7 15.8 9.0 11.5 12.3 43.0 6.7 16.7 17.2 LSD 4.0 3.20 0.49 0.19 1.30 0.31 0.92 56.40 54.40 F-Test NS NS NS NS ** NS NS + NS Sub plot P-priming 24.3 25.8 2.4 0.8 3.1 1.2 18.4 443.0 425.0 Without priming 22.4 27.9 2.5 0.8 6.3 1.0 18.2 452.0 412.0 s.e.d 1.94 1.91 0.16 0.07 0.33 0.15 0.35 28.7 22.20 CV % 15.50 23.6 22.9 27.7 27.1 63.0 10.4 41.3 32.2 LSD 3.96 3.99 0.38 0.17 1.14 0.31 0.71 58.80 45.50 F-Test NS NS NS NS *** + NS NS NS Interaction SSP x P 23.7 23.3 2.3 0.8 3.0 1.3 18.4 426.0 408.0 SSP x without P 24.3 29.8 2.4 0.7 3.1 0.9 18.2 518.0 441.0 without SSP x P 24.9 28.3 2.5 0.7 3.3 1.2 18.3 459.0 442.0 without SSP x without P 20.5 26.2 2.6 0.8 9.4 1.00 18.3 387.0 382.0 s.e.d 2.70 2.42 0.22 0.09 0.44 0.21 0.55 39.02 33.70 CV % 33.3 28.4 12.8 18.9 19.8 63.0 7.6 25.7 21.3 LSD 5.45 4.89 0.50 0.21 1.41 0.43 0.13 78.90 68.70 F-Test NS * Ns NS *** NS NS ** * *** significant at P value 0.001%; ** significant at P value 0.01%; NS: Non-significant ; a : Weeks After Sowing

Table I24. Effect of seed priming with P on the performance of chickpea cv. ICCV 2 (mean of 5 on-farm trials) at Kalipur village, Chattisgarh state during Rabi, 2005-06.

Treatments

Plant Stand m2 at 3 WASa

Plant stand m2

at maturity

Collar rot affected

plants m2

Shoot dry wt.

g plant-1 Root dry wt.

g plant-1

Total Biomass g plant-1

Nodulation Rank

100 seed wt.( g )

Grain yield kg ha-1

Stover yield kg ha-1

Main plot SSP 25.8 20.3 1.1 1.5 0.4 1.9 1.7 21.8 326.0 423.0 Without SSP 23.6 18.0 1.4 1.6 0.4 3.9 1.8 20.7 222.0 328.0 s.e.d 0.82 0.79 0.19 0.09 0.02 0.15 0.14 0.53 28.42 38.60 CV % 10.5 13.0 47.7 21.6 18.6 18.6 28.5 7.9 32.9 32.6 LSD 1.71 1.65 0.39 0.19 0.04 0.31 0.29 1.11 59.50 80.90 F-Test ** ** NS NS ** *** NS + ** + Sub plot P-priming 24.6 20.1 1.2 1.6 0.4 2.0 1.9 21.2 316.0 426.0 Without priming 24.8 18.2 1.3 1.5 0.4 3.8 1.7 21.3 231.0 326.0 s.e.d 0.98 0.99 0.21 0.08 0.02 0.12 0.12 0.54 28.56 36.19 CV % 13.7 13.5 57.7 26.1 27.6 27.6 36.7 12.9 66.7 53.0 LSD 1.97 1.99 0.42 0.15 0.04 0.24 0.24 1.10 57.80 73.20 F-Test NS + NS NS NS *** + NS ** ** Interaction SSP x P 26.1 20.9 1.2 1.6 0.4 2.0 1.7 21.3 373.0 472.0 SSP x without P 25.5 19.7 1.1 1.4 0.4 1.8 1.7 22.3 278.0 375.0 without SSP x P 23.2 19.4 1.2 1.6 0.4 2.0 2.0 21.1 259.0 379.0 without SSP x without P 24.1 16.8 1.5 1.6 0.4 5.7 1.60 20.3 184.0 276.0 s.e.d 1.27 1.26 0.28 0.12 0.03 0.19 0.19 0.76 40.29 52.88 CV % 17.7 23.0 74.8 24.8 21.2 21.2 34.1 11.4 46.6 43.1 LSD 2.55 2.53 0.56 0.24 0.06 0.39 0.37 1.52 80.90 106.40 F-Test NS NS NS NS NS *** NS + NS NS *** significant at P value 0.001%; NS: Non-significant; ** significant at P value 0.01%; a : Weeks After Sowing; + significant at P value 0.1%

Table I25. Effect of seed priming with P on the performance of chickpea cv. ICCV 2 (mean of 5 on-farm trials) at Manpur village, Orissa state during Rabi, 2005-06.

Treatments

Plant Stand m2 at 3 WASa

Plant stand m2

at maturity

Collar rot affected

plants m2 Shoot dry wt.

g plant-1 Root dry wt.

g plant-1

Total Biomass g plant-1

Nodulation Rank

100 seed wt.( g )

Grain yield

kg ha-1

Stover yield kg ha-1

Main plot SSP 26.5 23.5 3.1 2.1 0.16 2.28 0.21 16.2 619.0 718.0 Without SSP 23.5 21.7 3.0 2.1 0.17 2.26 0.24 16.1 558.0 691.0 s.e.d 1.26 1.05 0.58 0.12 0.02 0.13 0.09 0.20 21.06 50.76 CV % 15.9 14.8 61.5 20.9 45.8 20.8 143.0 3.9 11.3 22.8 LSD 2.63 2.21 1.22 0.26 0.05 0.28 0.19 0.42 44.10 106.30 F-Test + + NS NS NS NS NS NS *** NS Sub plot P-priming 25.8 23.1 3.0 2.1 0.2 2.2 0.2 16.1 598.0 699.0 Without priming 24.2 22.0 3.0 2.1 0.2 2.3 0.3 16.2 579.0 709.0 s.e.d 1.31 1.13 0.38 0.18 0.02 0.18 0.10 0.19 23.33 36.62 CV % 19.8 19.0 76.2 42.2 29.4 40.2 109.4 3.1 14.8 19.6 LSD 2.66 2.29 0.77 0.36 0.03 0.37 0.20 0.39 47.40 74.30 F-Test NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS Interaction SSP x P 27.2 23.8 3.3 2.2 0.2 2.4 0.2 16.3 624.0 684.0 SSP x without P 25.8 23.2 2.9 2 0.2 2.2 0.3 16.2 615.0 751.0 without SSP x P 24.5 22.5 2.8 1.9 0.16 2.1 25.0 16.0 574.0 714.0 without SSP x without P 22.6 21.0 3.1 2.2 0.2 2.4 0.23 16.2 543.0 668.0 s.e.d 1.82 1.55 0.70 0.22 0.03 0.23 0.13 0.28 31.53 62.64 CV % 23.5 22.4 56.8 42.8 49.0 40.7 223.5 5.3 17.8 23.3 LSD 3.64 3.10 1.41 0.43 0.05 0.45 0.27 0.56 63.10 126.70 F-Test NS NS NS NS NS + NS NS NS NS *** significant at P value 0.001%; a : Weeks After Sowing; + significant at P value 0.1%; NS: Non-significant

Table I26: Effect of seed priming with P on the performance of chickpea cv. ICCV 2 (mean of 3 on-farm trials) at Devaribeni village, Uttar Pradesh state during Rabi, 2005-06

Plant Stand m2 Plant stand m2 Shoot dry wt. Root dry wt. Total Biomass Nodulation 100 seed Grain yield Stover yield

Treatments at 3 WASa at maturity g plant-1 g plant-1 g plant-1 Rank wt.( g ) kg ha-1 kg ha-1 Main plot SSP 34.8 34.2 9.0 1.3 10.3 2.22 19.1 1275.0 1223.0 Without SSP 28.1 27.8 10.5 1.5 12.1 1.89 18.9 1084.0 1029.0 s.e.d 1.78 1.80 0.32 0.10 0.39 0.27 0.42 65.40 62.20 CV % 13.9 14.3 4.0 9.0 4.2 36.0 5.4 13.6 13.5 LSD 3.92 3.97 1.38 0.45 1.66 0.58 0.92 143.90 136.90 F-Test ** ** * + * NS NS ** ** Sub plot P-priming 32.8 32.3 9.7 1.4 11.0 2.2 18.6 1165.0 1104.0 Without priming 30.1 29.8 9.9 1.5 11.4 1.9 19.4 1194.0 1147.0 s.e.d 1.52 1.47 1.33 0.10 1.40 0.24 0.38 60.00 63.80 CV % 18.5 18.6 16.5 13.2 16.0 28.1 4.7 14.9 21.3 LSD 3.15 3.05 3.69 0.28 3.90 0.49 0.79 124.50 132.40 F-Test + + NS NS NS NS + NS NS Interaction SSP x P 37.2 36.6 8.8 1.2 10.1 2.2 19.1 1380.0 1303.0 SSP x without P 32.3 31.8 9.2 1.4 10.6 2.2 19.2 1169.0 1143.0 without SSP x P 28.3 27.9 10.5 1.5 12.0 2.2 18.1 949.0 906.0 without SSP x without P 27.9 27.7 10.6 1.6 12.2 1.6 19.6 1218.0 1152.0 s.e.d 2.34 2.33 1.37 0.14 1.46 0.36 0.57 88.70 89.10

CV % 16.7 16.4 23.5 12.1 21.7 45.0 7.0 17.6 19.6 LSD 4.81 4.79 3.65 0.37 3.85 0.73 1.16 181.90 182.10 F-Test + + NS NS NS NS + *** **

*** significant at P value 0.001% + significant at P value 0.1% ** significant at P value 0.01% NS: Non-significant * significant at P value 0.05% a : Weeks After Sowing

Table I27. Effect of seed priming with P on the performance of chickpea cv. ICCV 2 (mean of 8 on-farm trials) at Agarikala village, Madhya Pradesh state during Rabi, 2005-06. Treatment

Plant Stand m2 at 3 WASa

Plant stand m2 at maturity

Shoot dry wt. g plant-1

Root dry wt. g plant-1

Total Bimass g plant-1

Nodulation Rank

100 seed wt.( g )

Grain yield kg ha-1

Stover yield kg ha-1

Main plot SSP 24.6 21.5 9.7 0.84 10.5 1.59 21.3 617.0 572.0 Without SSP 24.4 21.6 10.5 0.88 11.3 1.45 20.6 470.0 456.0 s.e.d 1.39 1.26 0.55 0.06 0.58 0.12 0.37 42.70 28.90 CV % 22.8 23.4 12.2 15.3 11.8 39.2 4.0 31.4 22.5 LSD 2.84 2.56 1.25 0.13 1.31 0.24 0.84 87.00 59.00 F-Test NS NS + NS + NS + ** *** Sub plot P-priming 24.5 21.6 10.5 0.8 11.3 1.5 21.1 600.0 542.0 Without priming 24.5 21.5 9.7 0.9 10.6 1.5 20.8 486.0 485.0 s.e.d 1.44 1.26 0.62 0.05 0.65 0.13 0.36 33.20 29.00 CV % 30.6 42.8 44.4 26.6 42.8 46.8 7.0 77.3 66.2 LSD 2.87 2.51 1.29 0.10 1.36 0.25 0.75 66.40 57.90 F-Test NS NS NS ** NS NS NS *** * Interaction SSP x P 25.0 22.3 9.7 0.8 10.4 1.4 21.4 614.0 558.0 SSP x without P 24.2 20.6 9.7 0.9 10.6 1.8 21.3 620.0 585.0 without SSP x P 24.0 20.8 11.2 0.8 12.1 1.7 20.8 586.0 526.0 without SSP x without P 24.8 22.3 9.7 0.9 10.6 1.2 20.4 353.0 385.0 s.e.d 2.00 1.78 0.83 0.08 0.87 0.17 0.51 54.10 40.90 CV % 33.2 33.0 19.4 18.1 18.7 58.7 5.4 34.6 31.9 LSD 3.98 3.53 1.70 0.16 1.78 0.34 1.06 107.90 81.40 F-Test NS NS NS NS NS *** NS *** ** *** significant at P value 0.001%; a : Weeks After Sowing; + significant at P value 0.1%; NS: Non-significant; ** significant at P value 0.01%; * significant at P value 0.05%

Table I28. Effect of seed priming with P on performance of chickpea cv. ICCV 2 (1 on-farm trial only) at Pateri villagea of Madhya Pradesh state during Rabi, 2005-06.

Treatments

Plant Stand m2

at 3 WASa

Plant stand m2

at maturity

Shoot dry wt.

g plant-1 Root dry wt.

g plant-1

Total Biomass g plant-1

Nodulation Rank

100 seed wt.( g )

Grain yield kg ha-1

Stover yield kg ha-1

Main plot SSP 14.3 14.3 12.6 2.0 13.7 1.7 450.0 474.0 Without SSP 18.1 18.1 8.7 1.8 10.3 2.2 543.0 558.0 s.e.d 2.21 2.21 0.24 145.60 141.90 CV % 19.3 19.3 19.6 41.5 38.9 LSD 7.04 7.04 0.66 463.20 451.50 F-Test + + + NS NS Sub plot P-priming 14.6 14.6 6.3 1.3 7.7 2.1 596.0 609.0 Without priming 17.8 17.8 13.9 2.5 16.4 1.8 397.0 422.0 s.e.d 0.55 0.55 0.45 68.40 86.50 CV % 13.40 13.4 25.3 28.3 24.9 LSD 1.4 1.36 1.03 167.30 211.70 F-Test *** *** NS * + Interaction SSP x P 10.3 10.3 1.7 508.0 552.0 SSP x without P 18.3 18.3 1.7 392.0 396.0 without SSP x P 19.0 19.0 2.5 683.0 667.0 without SSP x without P 17.3 17.3 1.9 402.0 448.0 s.e.d 2.28 2.28 0.51 160.80 166.20 CV % 6.8 6.8 51.7 27.5 33.5 LSD 6.81 6.81 1.11 432.20 420.40 F-Test *** *** NS NS NS *** significant at P value 0.001%;

41

** significant at 'P' value 0.01% * Significant at 'P' value 0.05% NS: Non-significant a : Harvesting date of Ashoka ranged 18-10-2005 to 15-11-2005(Chickpea sowing dates range 04-11-2005 to 19-11-2005) b : Harvesting date of local paddy variety (Annapoorna ,Phalguna) ranged 17-10-2005 to 06-11-2005 (Chickpea sowing dates range

c : Mean d : Weeks After Sowing

42

Table I29. Summary of response of chickpea cv. ICCV 2 to P applied to soil, and seed in rice fallows of eastern India, rabi 2005-06 State/Location No. of on-

farm trials Mean yield (kg ha-1)

Response to P applied to Soil Seed Interaction

Jharkhand Jamboni 2 382 12.2% nil nil Nowka 2 1644 3% nil nil Paknadi 2 1842 11.7% 13.7% nil W.B. Korapara 4 710 nil 3.3% nil Sahebdanaga 1 282 nil nil nil Mandalpara 4 448 11.6% nil yes Makrampur 1 400 65.4% nil nil Tupsara 4 162 5.5% 13.2% nil Chattisgarh Kalipur 5 274 46.8% 36.8% nil Nakna 5 259 41.6% 3.1% nil Orissa Badibahal 5 243 2.7% 21% nil Manpur 5 589 10.9% 3.3% nil U.P. Devaribeni 3 1180 17.6% nil yes M.P. Patna 4 939 nil nil nil Kelauhara 6 961 nil 2.6% nil Mudukovah 3 1710 nil nil nil Agarikala 8 544 31.3% 23.5% yes Patni 2 802 12% nil nil Birpur 1 272 nil nil nil Pateri 1 497 nil 50% nil 20 villages 68

Effect of growing chickpea after short-duration rice (cv. Ashoka) as opposed to

the traditional long-duration cultivar e.g. Swarna. Though we had planted 88 on-farm trials to compare the effect of short-duration paddy var.Ashoka vs. local variety on the yield of following chickpea we could harvest 66 trials only. In Orissa: In Badibahal village, chickpea grown following Ashoka yielded 869 kg ha-1 (122% more) compared to 392 kg ha-1 obtained after local paddy. Similar increase was recorded in stover yield (Table I30).

43

In Chattisgarh: Chickpea yield following Ashoka was greater by 94% than the chickpea grown after local paddy (mean of 20 trials at Nakna and Kalipur villages (Table I31). In Uttar Pradesh: Chickpea yielded 36% higher following Ashoka compared to chickpea grown after local paddy (Table I32). In Madhya Pradesh: Chickpea yields were greater following paddy cv. Ashoka in two villages, namely Ran (8%) (Table I33), and Keleauraha (46%) (Table I34) out of 38 trials conducted in seven different villages. Overall the chickpea yields following Ashoka were greater by 7% compared to chickpea following local paddy (Table I35). The mean performance of chickpea cv. ICCV 2 grown after Ashoka and the local paddy variety is given in the following two figures (Fig. I6 and I7). The chickpea grain and stover yields were greater following Ashoka than after local paddy. The better performance of chickpea following Ashoka could be attributed to early harvest of paddy and timely planting of chickpea while there is sufficient soil moisture for the germination and establishment of chickpea. The magnitude of the benefit of chickpea following Ashoka was greater in Orissa, Chattisgarh and U.P. than in M.P. Even in M.P. the chickpea performance was much better after Ashoka in one out of six villages only. These results strongly support the use of short-duration paddy varieties, such as Ashoka, for improving the productivity of rice-based systems and thereby the income of the rainfed rice growing farmers in rice fallows areas. Fig. I6

44

Fig. I7.

Table I30. Performance of chickpea cv. ICCV-2 (mean of 10 On-farm trials) grown after short-duration paddy cv. Ashokaa and local paddy cv. Annapoornab at Badibahal villagec of Orissa state during Rabi, 2005-06.

Treatments Plant Stand m-2 at 3 WASd

Plant Stand m-2 at maturity

Collar rot affected plants m-1

Chickpea after Ashoka 28.3 26.2 1.2 Chickpea after Local 25.4 22.6 1.6 s.e.d 1.47 1.38 0.35 CV % 24.5 25.2 112.6 LSD 2.97 2.78 0.70 F-Test * ** NS

45

Table I31. Performance of Chickpea cv. ICCV-2 (mean of 20 On-farm trials) grown after short duration paddy cv. Ashokaa and local paddy cv. IR-36b in Chattisgarh state during Rabi, 2005-06.

Treatments Plant Stand

m-2 at 3 WASd Plant Stand

m-2 at maturity

Collar rot affected

plants m-1 100 seed wt.

( g ) Grain yield

kg ha-1 Stover yield

kg ha-1

% increase over control grain stover

Chickpea after Ashoka 18.9 16.7 1.5 22.7 677.0 695.0 94.0 75.9 Chickpea after Local 18.3 16.3 1.1 22.5 349.0 395.0 s.e.d 0.92 0.75 0.28 0.46 76.90 67.70 CV % 31.4 28.9 138.3 13.0 94.8 78.5 LSD 1.83 1.50 0.55 0.92 153.2 134.7 F-Test NS NS NS NS ** **

NS: Non-significant ** significant at P value 0.01% a : Harvesting date of Ashoka ranged 27-9-2005 to 14-11-2005(Chickpea sowing dates range 01-11-2005 to 24-11-2005.) b : Harvesting date of local paddy variety (IR-36) ranged 20-10-2005 to 18-11-2005(Chickpea sowing dates range c : Mean 11-11-2005 to 30-11-2005.) d : Weeks After Sowing

46

Table I32. Performance of chickpea cv. ICCV-2 (1 On-farm trial only) grown after short duration paddy cv. Ashokaa and local paddy cv. IR-36b at Mavaiyarecsal villagec of Uttar Pradesh state during Rabi, 2005-06. Treatments

Plant Stand m-2 at 3 WASd

Plant stand m-2 at maturity

100 seed wt. ( g )

Grain yield (kg ha-1)

Stover yield (kg ha-1)

Chickpea after Ashoka 30.0 28.3 20.9 1037.0 1010.0 Chickpea after Local 22.0 22.3 20.7 762.0 673.0 s.e.d 1.23 1.23 0.52 81.70 110.60 CV % 6.7 6.9 3.5 12.8 18.6 LSD 3.89 3.89 1.64 260.10 351.90 F-Test ** ** NS * + ** significant at 'P' value 0.01% * significant at 'P' value 0.05% + significant at 'P' value 0.1% NS: Non-significant a : Harvesting date of Ashoka 30-9-2005 (Chickpea sowing date 26-11-2005 ) b : Harvesting date of local paddy variety 06-10--2005(Chickpea sowing date 26-11-2005) c : Mean d : Weeks After Sowing

47

Table I33: Performance of chickpea cv. ICCV-2 (mean of 20 On-farm trials) grown after short duration paddy cv. Ashokaa and local paddy cv. IR-36b at Ran villagec of Madhya Pradesh state during Rabi, 2005-06 Plant Stand m-2 Plant stand m-2 100 seed wt. Grain yield Stover yield Treatments at 3 WASd at maturity ( g ) kg ha-1 kg ha-1 Chickpea after Ashoka 30.5 28.7 22.7 792.0 765.0 Chickpea after Local 30.3 28.9 22.5 731.0 795.0 s.e.d 1.18 1.19 0.25 57.90 52.30 CV % 24.5 26.2 7.0 48.1 42.4 LSD 2.35 2.37 0.49 115.30 104.10 F-Test NS NS NS NS NS

NS: Non-significant a : Harvesting date of Ashoka ranged 13-9-2005 to 29-10-2005(Chickpea sowing date range 20-10-2005 to 20-11-2005 ) b : Harvesting date of local paddy variety(Jurai) ranged 14- 9 -2005 to 29-10 -2005(Chickpea sowing date range c : Mean 20-10-2005 to 20-11-2005 ) d : Weeks After Sowing

48

Table I34. Performance of chickpea cv. ICCV-2 (mean of 5 On-farm trials) grown after short-duration paddy cv. Ashokaa and local paddy cv. IR-36b at Kaleauraha villagec of Madhya Pradesh state during Rabi, 2005-06. Treatments

Plant Stand m-2 at 3 WASd

Plant stand m-2 at maturity

100 seed wt. ( g )

Grain yield (kg ha-1)

Stover yield (kg ha-1 )

Chickpea after Ashoka 32.0 29.5 19.9 1975.0 1869.0 Chickpea after Local 30.4 28.3 20.8 1355.0 1318.0 s.e.d 1.95 1.18 0.31 159.90 135.70 CV % 19.8 12.8 4.9 30.4 26.9 LSD 4.09 2.46 0.66 334.70 284.00 F-Test NS NS ** *** ** *** significant at 'P' value 0.001% ** significant at 'P' value 0.01% NS: Non-significant a : Harvesting date of Ashoka ranged 8-10-2005 to 10-11-2005(Chickpea sowing date ranged 22-10-2005 to 27-11-2005) b : Harvesting date of local paddy variety ranged 22-10-2005 to 20-11--2005(Chickpea sowing date range c : Mean 28-10-2005 to 27-11-2005 d : Weeks After Sowing

49

Table I35. Performance of chickpea cv. ICCV-2 (mean of 38 On-farm trials) grown after short duration paddy cv. Ashokaa and local paddy cv. IR-36b in Madhya Pradesh state during Rabi, 2005-06.

Treatments

Plant Stand m-2 at 3 WASd

Plant stand m-2 at maturity

100 seed wt. ( g )

Grain yield (kg ha-1)

Stover yield (kg ha-1)

Chickpea after Ashoka 32.5 30.2 21.1 1094.0 1018.0 Chickpea after Local 31.8 30.0 21.2 1021.0 999.0 s.e.d 0.86 0.80 0.15 48.20 40.90 CV % 23.3 23.2 6.4 39.8 35.4 LSD 1.70 1.58 0.31 95.30 80.90 F-Test NS NS NS + NS + Significant at 'P' value 0.1% NS: Non-significant a : Harvesting date of Ashoka ranged 8-10-2005 to 10-11-2005 (Chickpea sowing date ranged 22-10-2005 to 27-11-2005) b : Harvesting date of local paddy variety ranged 22-10-2005 to 20-11—2005 (Chickpea sowing date range c : Mean 28-10-2005 to 27-11-2005 d : Weeks After Sowing

Performance of chickpea after rainfed rice during post-rainy season 2005-06 In Madhya Pradesh: The seed of improved chickpea varieties were supplied to many interested farmers along with peat-based chickpea Rhizobium culture and sodium molybdate and package of practices (along with some training) for growing chickpea after rice. The yield performance of ICCV 2 and KAK 2 varieties are presented in Tables I36 and I37, respectively. The mean grain yield of chickpea cv. ICCV 2, across 188 farmers spread over 45 villages, was 665 kg ha-1 (range:135 kg to 3128 kg ha-1). The mean grain yield of cv. KAK2, covering 34 farmers spread over 17 villages was 712 kg ha-1 (range: 138 kg to 2800 kg ha-1). ((From Satna region/U.P./Jharkhand/Orissa/W.B. (data awaited))

Table I36. Mean performance of bulk chickpea cv ICCV 2 after rainy season rice in farmers fields of Madhya Pradesh (Mandla zone), India, during rabi 2005 – 06.

Grain Yield (kg ha -1a) Participating centre

Village Mean Min Max

Bagdu Centre Harratola Village (10) 836 490 1228 1190 675 3128 Agariya (3) 1692 925 3128 Iswarpur (5) 1093 675 1473 Pindrai (3) 867 688 1100

Balpur (13)

Ran (2) 1166 975 1358 338 188 563 Bagharra (5) 305 263 363 Batondha (2) 400 250 550 Bhardowar (1) 213 Duhaniya (3) 479 325 563 Pakar (2) 331 213 450

Duhaniya (18)

Pandariya (5) 288 188 513 695 205 2000 Bharwai (5) 420 338 475 Bijora (7) 396 205 675 Dhmangwon (3) 507 470 563 Dullopur (2) 388 313 463

Dullopur (45)

Hinota (5) 908 500 1238

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Khamhi (5) 1400 938 2000 Migdi (5) 565 450 713 Mudki (5) 704 500 955 Pandariya (5) 428 300 513

Vicharpur (3) 1371 1175 1538 836 238 2313 Gopisani (5) 475 238 763 Kala Kewlari (5) 910 425 1350 Kala Richka (3) 975 938 1013 Khamhariya (5) 450 450 1175 Mudiya richka (10) 1214 638 2313 Orai (3) 850 625 975

Guttas (36)

Sahajpuri (5) 373 250 588 412 163 1263 Basni (2) 431 275 588 Pakhwar (10) 295 163 438 Pondi (3) 223 200 270 Rahngi (5) 289 175 520 Saida (5) 445 300 550

Harratola (29)

Sunehra (4) 953 725 1263 538 213 838 Dheko (3) 458 350 563 Dondadai (1) 988 Kisli (2) 406 325 488 Kunti (1) 325 Madanpur (4) 666 438 838

Madhanpur (15)

Tabalpani (4) 475 213 713 624 135 1875 Karela raiyat (1) 800 Karele (2) 419 213 625 Khamhariya (4) 453 250 775 Pipri (5) 571 178 1250 Sakwah (4) 1278 638 1875

Sakwah (22)

Samnapur (6) 387 135 500 Average yield across locations/ farmers (188) in MP 665 135 3128

a - Based on 4 x 1m2 areas harvested at maturity. b - Figures in parenthesis refer number of farmers.

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Table I37. Mean performance of bulk chickpea cv KAK 2 after rainy season rice in farmers fields of Madhya Pradesh (Mandla zone), India, during rabi 2005 - 06

Grain yield (kg ha -1a) Centre Village Mean Min Max Balpur centre Tikra village (5) 1070 950 1153

1019 263 2800 Bagharra (1) 263 Batondha (2) 1075 888 1263 Bhardowar (1) 2800 Bhititola (1) 375

Duhaniya centre (6)

Pakar (1) 525 Guttas centre Nandram village (5) 573 288 1263

448 188 1313 Basni (3) 217 188 275 Pondi (1) 275

Harratola centre (5)

Sunehra (1) 1313

509 138 1625 Dondadai (1) 1625 Jonjhar (3) 375 300 500 Kisli (3) 371 138 688 Kunti (2) 325 263 388

Madhanpur centre (10)

Madhanpur (1) 575

850 613 1263 Karela raiyat (2) 969 675 1263

Sakwah centre (3)

Karele (1) 613 Average yield across locations/ farmers (34) in MP 712 138 2800 a - Based on 4 x 1 m2 areas harvested at maturity.

• b - Figures in parenthesis refer number of farmers.

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I4 Publications from the project:

Harris, D., Breese, W.A., and Kumar Rao, J.V.D.K. (2005). The improvement of crop yield in marginal environments using ‘on-farm’ seed priming: nodulation, nitrogen fixation and disease resistance. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 56 (11): 1211-1218 Kumar Rao, J.V.D.K., Harris, D., Joshi, K.D., Khanal, N., Johansen, C. and Musa, A.M. 2005. Promotion of rainfed rabi cropping in rice fallows of eastern India, Bangladesh, and Nepal: An overview. Pages 64-75 in Pande, S.,Stevenson, P.C., Neupane, R.K. and Grzywacz, D.(eds.). "Policy and strategy for increasing income and food security through improved crop management of chickpea in rice fallows in Asia". Summary of a NARC-ICRISAT-NRI Workshop, 17-18 November 2004, Kathmandu, Nepal. Patancheru 502 324, Andhra Pradesh, India: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. 252 pp. Kumar Rao, J.V.D.K. and Harris, D. 2005. Role of legumes in N economy/N use in cropping systems/soil health. Proccedings of Brainstorming Session on Policy Options for Efficient Nitrogen Use – Sponsored by National Academy of Agricultural Sciences at NASC Complex, DPS Marg, NewDelhi,4-5October2005.(www.ipu.nic.in/scon/nitrogen.html) (http://www.ipu.nic.in/scon/conservaion_of_nature/Kumar%20Rao.pdf) Kumar Rao, J.V.D.K., Harris, D., Mahesh, K. and Gupta, B. 2005. Promotion of rainfed rabi cropping of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in rice fallows of eastern India. Pages 98-99, in Abstracts –‘4th International Food Legumes Research Conference – Food Legumes for Nutritional Security and Sustainable Agriculture’ held at New Delhi, India, 18-22 October 2005. (Editor: Kharkwal, M.C.). Siddique, K.H.M., Johansen, C., Kumar Rao, J.V.D.K. and Ali, M. 2005. Role of legumes in sustainable cropping systems. Page 31, in Abstracts –‘4th International Food Legumes Research Conference – Food Legumes for Nutritional Security and Sustainable Agriculture’ held at New Delhi, India, 18-22 October 2005. (Editor: Kharkwal, M.C.). Johansen, C., Musa, A.M., Kumar Rao, J.V.D.K., Harris, D. and Shahidullah, A.K.M. 2005. Alleviating molybdenum deficiency and inadequate nitrogen fixation of chickpea in acid soils of Bangladesh. Page 68, in Abstracts –‘4th International Food Legumes Research Conference – Food

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Legumes for Nutritional Security and Sustainable Agriculture’ held at New Delhi, India, 18-22 October 2005. (Editor: Kharkwal, M.C.). Padma Parvathi, K. 2004. Enumeration of native chickpea rhizobial populations with reference to growing chickpea in rice-fallows. Dissertation work submitted, in partial fulfillment for the award of degree of M.Sc (Environmental Biotechnology), to the Centre for Environment, Institute of Science & Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, A.P., India. 77 pp. Kumar Rao JVDK, D Harris, AM Musa, C Johansen, KD Joshi, N Khanal, JS Gangwar and K Bhattacharyya. (2003). Promotion of rainfed rabi cropping of chickpea in rice fallows of South Asia. Pages 83-84 in Abstracts: International Chickpea Conference (editors:R.N.Sharma, M.Yasin, S.L.Swami, M.A.Khan and Ajit J. William). January 20-22, 2003. Indira Gandhi Agricultural University, Raipur, Chattisgarh, India. Kumar Rao, JVDK. 2003. Utilizing rice-fallows in South Asia: a potential for legumes. Pages 249-251 in RWC-CIMMYT. (2003). Addressing Resource Conservation Issues in Rice-Wheat Systems of South Asia: A Resource Book. Rice-Wheat Consortium for the Indo-Gangetic Plains - International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. New Delhi, India. 305 pp. Gaur,P.M., Jagdish Kumar., Kumar Rao, J.V.D.K., Rao, B.V. and Sandhu, J.S. 2003.Short duration chickpea varieties for crop diversification opportunities. Pages 41-42, in Abstracts - National Symposium on Pulses for crop diversification and natural resource management held at Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur-208024, U.P., India, during 20-22 December 2003. (edited by Shiv Kumar, Basu, P.S., Singh, K.K., Naimuddin and Brahma Prakash). Kumar Rao, J V D K., Harris, D., Johansen, C. and Musa, A M. 2004. Low-cost provision of molybdenum (Mo) to chickpeas grown in acid soils. Abstracts: in CD of IFA International Symposium on Micronutrients, 23-25 Feb 2004, New Delhi, India (International Fertilizer Industry Association – publications@fertilizer.org – www.fertilizer.org). Johansen, C., Musa, A M., Kumar Rao, J V D K., Harris, D., Ali, M Y., and Lauren, J G. 2004. Molybdenum response of chickpea in the High Barind Tract of Bangladesh and in Eastern India. Pages 52-54, in Book of Abstracts – “Micronutrients in South and South East Asia” An International Workshop on “Agricultural Strategies to Reduce Micronutrient Problems in Mountains and Other Marginal Areas in South and South East Asia” held at Kathmandu,

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Nepal, during 8-10 September 2004 (Eds. Tuladhar, J.K., Karki, K.B., Anderson, P., and Maskey, S.L.)

I5 Contribution of Outputs The outputs have clearly shown that rice fallows in India can be used for growing a short-duration crop such as chickpea on residual moisture with minimum inputs. And that farmers are willing to adopt this profitable practice. More than 10,000 farmers have participated in the programme and the approach, pioneered by CRS, has been adopted by the Chattisgarh state government. There is the potential to engage further with other state Departments of Agriculture and broadsen the impact. Impact is clearly not confined to the primary effect of growing an additional crop. CRS is already committed to integrating the RRC approach with its other rural development initiatives such as health, etc. There are also positive issues related to improved sustainability. For instance, interaction with chickpea growing farmers in rice fallow areas of Chattisgarh and Orissa indicated that chickpea cultivation had a beneficial effect on the following rice crop yield. This suggests that if rice fallows can be appropriately utilized for growing a legume such as chickpea then it not only increases the farmers income but also the productivity and the sustainability of the rice-based system. In addition it can have potential additional benefit for human health e.g. seed priming with molybdenum can increase Mo intake in diets dominated by rice, thereby correcting Mo inadequacies. The development of rice fallows using this approach is practical, effective and popular with farmers and can be the catalyst for a whole range of livelihood improvements. We have shown that the approach is scaleable and can benefit large numbers of people. Future promotion and dissemination of the approach is feasible and should be pursued vigorously.

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NEPAL(N) N1.2 Project sites The research sites of the project are located in Jhapa, Saptari and Kapilvastu districts representing eastern, central and western rainfed Terai region of the country (Annex N3; Figure N1,).

Figure N1: Map of Nepal showing rainfed rabi cropping project districts and activities In addition to the main project districts, the project also focused on some of the informal research and technology promotional activities in similar domains of Morang, Siraha, Dhanusha, Tahanun, Banke and Kanchanpur districts, referred herein as informal research and development (IRD). In terms of per capita income, Saptari is one of the poorest districts in Nepal and all the three project districts have lower than national average of per-capita income. In terms of human development indices, e.g. poverty, gender development, adult literacy rate and mean years of schooling Kapilvastu is one the least developed districts, whilst Jhapa is better off. Saptari and Kapilvastu both have below national average figures for most of these development indicators (Annex N1). Conversely, population densities of these districts are high by both national and international standards, suggesting strong need for intensification of rice-fallows to meet higher demand of foods at the local level. However, project districts have highest area in rice-fallows as indicated by satellite image data (Subbarao et al. 2001).

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N3 Research Activities N3.1 Project activities and approaches A pilot phase of the project implemented from October 2001 to June 2002 identified the opportunities and constraints for the sustainable intensification of rice fallows. Drawing on the experiences from pilot phase of the project, the activities were designed and implemented through system-based participatory research and development approach to increase farmers' access to technical and social solution to address the problems. The project employed the multi-stakeholders' initiatives in all stages of the project implementation. Among the stakeholders, CAZS Natural Resources, UK, took the overall responsibility of project management and coordination, whilst FORWARD implemented the field activities, in collaboration with NGLRP and DADOs of the project districts with active support of the farming communities. Project also drew support from the Asian Vegetable Research and Development (AVRDC) and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in terms of germplasm and technical inputs. As a part of testing various suitable options, the project included crops e.g. chickpea, mungbean, field pea, lentil, soybean, pigeon pea, niger, buckwheat etc. As the project was testing the options for rice-based system, rice was included as the major component of the project. The major activities implemented in the project sites are as follows: N3.1.1 Farmers' group formation and strengthening After the identification of the project sites (Annex N3) in consultation with concerned stakeholders, village level workshops/meetings were conducted for making the farmers aware about activities and approaches of the project to be implemented in their areas. Then, the interested farmers were identified and organized into groups in collaboration with Agricultural Service Centre of DADO, for promoting the interventions through the group approach. The group members were sensitised about participatory technology development (PTD). In addition to technical information and approaches they were sensitised about collective efforts, e.g. procedure of generating group capital and welfare fund, organising in to cooperatives etc. In response to growing interest of farmers to participate in the FORWARD facilitated activities, participants were gradually added and organized into groups in the subsequent years. N3.1.2 Trainings, workshops and visits A series of trainings on various aspects of RRC technologies and group strengthening, were organized across the project sites both for the farmers and

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project staff (Table N4). Few selected innovative farmers were trained as what is commonly known as local resource persons (LRPs); and few technicians of DADOs and NGOs were provided with trainings on various aspects of RRC technologies. In addition to PTD, they were sensitised and trained on Participatory Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PPME), strengthening seed systems; collective efforts including group and cooperative management and processing of legumes based products. Attempts were made to mobilize the LRPs in trial implementation and farmers trainings. The LRPs were involved in village /district level workshops, meetings; and exposure visits organized to various research stations, farmers groups, seed companies and processing plants. An exposure visit was organized for the professionals of FORWARD, NGLRP and DADOs to Jharkhand area of India to be familiar with, and acquire information/experiences about RRC technologies. N3.1.3 Participatory trials and demonstrations Several rainfed technological and resource management options, pertaining to sustainable intensification of rice-fallows were tested and demonstrated in the farmers' fields (Annex N4). The promising varieties and technologies that are likely to be promising were promoted through participatory varietal selection (PVS) using mother trials1 and baby trials2 systems; and informal research and development (IRD) 3. In addition to field crops trials and demonstrations, some activities were focussed on on-farm plantation, nurseries etc. The major activities implemented in the project can be outlined as follows: Participatory variety selection (Mother trials, baby trials and IRDs): Participatory varietal selection has been recognized as the most appropriate approach for increasing the accessibility of farmers to preferred crop varieties, thereby enhancing the varietal diversity portfolio in the community. Several varieties of rice, chickpea, lentil, mungbean, pigeonpea, were evaluated and promoted through Mother trials, Baby trials, IRD and community level seed production. Moreover, feasibility study of niger, buckwheat, pea, horsegram through adaptive observation were carried out. FORWARD implemented most of the field activities; in collaboration with DADOs, AVRDC, and NGLRP; with support from CAZS-NR; however, some of the demonstrations and seed production activities were implemented by DADOs. The varieties of mungbean

1 Mother Trial (MT) is researcher designed, farmer managed with farmer level of inputs. Can have many cultivars in several locations, one replicate per location. It emphasizes the collection of quantitative traits (yield and yield attributing traits), however, farmers' preferences are recorded. 2 Baby Trials (BT) are farmer managed with farmer level of inputs, one or two new cultivars per farmer are compared with local cultivar or second new variety. It emphasizes the recording of qualitative traits (farmers preferences) rather than qualitative traits. 3 Informal Research and Development (IRD) is an extension tool used to popularise the promising varieties selected through mother trials and baby trials. It is less intensive and is designed to improve the flow of new genetic materials to farmers and facilitate their dissemination through farmer-to-farmer networks.

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were introduced from AVRDC, rice from Local Initiatives for Biodiversity Research and Development (LI-BIRD), chickpea from NGLRP and ICRISAT and horsegram from GVT (Gramin Vikas Trust). The NGLRP and DADOs provided technical support participating in various stages of the project implementation. Input levels, time and method of planting, crop management, intercultural operations etc were as per the farmers' practice. Field staff provided pest identification and plant protection support to the farmers. The relevant agronomic and other observations were recorded regularly. The crop was monitored to evaluate its performance by the team of concerned stakeholders including farmers through farm walks and focus group discussions. A team of multidisciplinary professionals and farmers also monitored the standing crops. Preference ranking and qualitative assessment of the varietal traits were carried out relative to local cultivars. Integrated plant nutrient management system (IPNMS) and regenerative technologies: To internalise the role of IPNMS for sustainable crop production systems, series of trials and demonstrations were carried out in all of the project sites using lentil, chickpea, mungbean and rice as test crops. For instances, molybdenum loading† in lentil, chickpea and mungbean; effect of balanced nutrient application in chickpea to rice; effect of mungbean biomass to rice; effect of urine sprays on chickpea and mungbean etc. All these trials and demonstrations activities were implemented in Farmers Field School (FFS) approach. In addition, few demonstrations on improved compost making, shade improvement, urine collection and utilizations were displayed by the LRPs in groups were sensitised about the importance of urine and compost improvement practices, and in this connection a few demonstrations were displayed by the LRPs. A few demonstrator (farmers) of Kapilvastu, who have opted the best shade management approaches (proper compost making, urine collection, sanitation etc) were admired by a evaluation team consisting of VDC representatives, farmers' group representatives, DADO representative, FORWARD representative etc. Integrated pest management (IPM): Pod borer caused by Helicoverpa armigera is the most important insect-pest of chickpea, threatening to the production sustainability and environmental protection. Attempts were made to evaluate various botanicals-agave, neem; agronomic practices-mixed cropping with coriander, linseed etc; and biopesticides-Beuveria spp., Metarzium spp. and Helicoverpa Nucleopolydedrovirus (HNPV), for their efficacy for managing the pest as compared to recommended insecticide-Thiodan and control (without using any control measure). Moreover, the communities were made aware about identification of different stages of pest along with different management options

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and strategies. The farmers groups were facilitated for the establishment for local production units of HNPV in farmers' condition in Sirha and Saptari districts of Nepal. Moreover, realizing the roles of neem for the management of insect-pests, the groups were provided with hands-on-training about seedling production techniques for various multipurpose tree species including neem. Few demonstrations were carried out to evaluate the effect of soil solarization on seedling vigour and yield of rice. Integrated Crop Management (ICM): Incorporating all the improved crop management components, some ICM demonstrations were implemented in chickpea, lentil and mungbean. The ICM plots were compared with farmers' practices with their own management practices. N3.1.4 Outcomes Assessment of the project The outcomes of the project was measured to assess the overall performance of the project in terms of reducing rice fallows; to measure the progress in the adoption of rainfed rabi crops, varieties and resource conserving technologies; to analyse the change in productivity and profitability from RRC technologies; and to document the capabilities, skills and knowledge gained by farm communities in line with sustainable intensification of rice-fallows. The study followed “before and after” and “with and without” comparison approach in assessing the outcomes of the project. Therefore, a mix of formal surveys, e.g. household sample surveys, key informant interviews of relevant stakeholders, and participatory approaches, such as use of PRA tools like focus group discussion (FGD), stakeholder interviews, direct field observations and in-depth case studies were employed. Depending on the type of participation, the participants were divided into three groups: Direct participant farmers-farmers actively collaborated in participatory trials and demonstrations; indirect participant farmers- who rarely received direct technical support, but involved in technology scaling up through IRD or seed production; and Non-participant farmers-farmers comprised of those from outside the project villages within the districts, who neither conducted any trials, seed production, IRD nor attended any project activities and received information, and thus served as the control group. First, a purposive sampling of villages and participants farmers' groups (direct and indirect participants) was done from all the project districts (see Annex N2). Then 40 % of households were selected randomly from each of the direct and indirect participant farmers’ group. Non-participant farmers, were randomly selected from nearby project villages outside the project intervened areas. A total of 243 households were selected covering 108 from direct, 75 from indirect and 60 from non-participant farmers.

N4 Outputs

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The project outputs as stated in the project document were:

4.1 Technical and social solutions to overcome constraints to rainfed rabi cropping in rice fallows tested, demonstrated and promoted

4.2 Income of participating farmers sustainably increased following adoption of rainfed rabi cropping

4.3 Awareness of the opportunities for successful rainfed rabi cropping increased

N4.1 Technical and social solutions to overcome constraints to rainfed rabi

cropping in rice fallows tested, demonstrated and promoted The project achieved all the project outputs as planned in the project proposal that has created tremendous impact in the farm communities by increasing accessibility of technical and social solutions associated with the sustainable intensification of rice fallows system. N4.1.1 Technical solutions Over 1000 participatory trials and demonstrations were implemented across the sites in rice; chickpea, pigeon pea, mungbean, cowpea, lentil etc in Jhapa, Kapilvastu and Saptari districts. A number of potential technological options in rice-fallows system were tested (Table N1) and demonstrated and few technologies, which were preferred by the farmers, were promoted. The promising varieties and production technologies were disseminated to the farmers in collaboration with DADOs, CBOs, NGOs, CBSPs, and farmers groups. Most of the participating farmers have adopted the crop varieties that they selected in PVS trials (Table N2) along with their production technologies. Table N1. Summary of technical solutions generated and promoted from RRC project Activities Achievements References Multipurpose nurseries and plantation

Six multi-purpose nurseries were established. About 10,000 saplings of neem, bamboo, mulberry and various leguminous fodder species were produced and distributed to the group members for plantation.

PVS on rice in shallow bunded rainfed system

Some promising rice varieties: Sugandha 1, Panta Dhan 10, Barkhe 1027, Judi 572, BG 1442 etc, selected and promoted through community-based seed production system.

Khanal et al., 2003;Khanal et al., 2004a; Gauchan, 2005

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PVS on rice in intermediate deep water regime

Barkhe 2001 and Barkhe 2014 were preferred by farmers for their 20-30% higher yields in low fertility conditions, and for better agronomic and post-harvest qualities than those of existing farmers' varieties. Barkhe 2014 is in the process of release. Several other varieties have shown promising performance and are under further evaluation process

Khanal et al., 2003;Khanal et al., 2004a; Khanal et al., 2004d

PVS on chickpea

Chickpea crop has been rehabilitated, despite the challenges of botrytis grey mould, collar rot and pod-borer. Varieties: GNG 469, KPG 59, Tara, Kak 2, ICC 37 and Awarodhi were identified as promising varieties, with about 15 - 20% higher yields than local and preferred by the farmers.

Khanal et al., 2003; Khanal et al., 2004b

Chickpea pod borer management

Helicoverpa Nucleopolyhedrosis virus (HNPV) was identified as the best alternative bio-pesticide to chemical pesticide. Six local production units established (five in farmers field and one in central office) and made operational.

Khanal and Khanal, 2004; Khanal et al., 2006a

PVS on lentil Lentil Variety ILL 7723 has been preferred for its bolder grains, Khajura-1, Khajura-2 and Simrik for their promising performance

Khanal et al., 2003

PVS on pea Variety E-6 was preferred for its earliness (matures in 85 days after sowing). Sano Kerau, a small seeded local cultivar from Chitwan was preferred for its better adaptation in the low fertility and moisture stress conditions.

Khanal et al., 2003

PVS on Mungbean

Varieties VC 3960-88A, VC 6372 (45-8-1), NM-92 and NM-94 have been preferred for earliness, longer pod and bolder grains, higher yield (up to 37% higher than local), shining grains, better smell and taste. Adaptation of these varieties in spring, summer and autumn seasons was verified. VC 6372 (Prateeksha) and NM 94 (Kalyan) have been released, and other two varieties are also in the process of release.

Khanal et al., 2004c; Khanal et al., 2006b; Khanal et al., 2006c

Adaptive demonstration on buckwheat

A local landrace from Chitwan, which matured 80 days after sowing, was preferred by farmers for its adaptation in low fertility, and poor management conditions. In a reasonably fertile soil, it is possible to grow Mungbean after buckwheat, thereby tripling the cropping intensity.

Khanal et al., 2003

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Adaptive demonstration on niger

It can be successfully grown in low fertility condition, provided planting is done immediately after the harvest of early maturing rice, by the end of September. Some farmers have preferred this crop.

Khanal et al., 2003

Integrated nutrient management on chickpea & field pea

Supplementation of boron either as basal application or foliar spray increased yield (28%) of chickpea. Four sprays with cattle urine at 20% concentration resulted in 11 and 27% increase in yield of chickpea and field pea.

Khanal et al., 2003; Khanal et al., 2004b

Seed priming on Mungbean, chickpea and lentil

Soaking seeds in 0.5% sodium molybdate solution considerably increased nodulation and yield (23%) in Mungbean. Preliminary results are promising in chickpea and field pea and need further verification.

Khanal et al ., 2004b

Mixed cropping of chickpea and coriander.

Farmers believe that coriander repels pod borer if grown as mixed crop. The on-farm experiments could not prove it. However, if grown together, there was no effect on chickpea yield and production of coriander was a bonus.

Khanal et al., 2006

Pigeon pea and cowpea on paddy bunds

Pigeon pea planted in paired rows in 25 m long bund gave an average of 3.6 kg grains, nearly same amount of fodder and fuel-wood which was sufficient to cook 10 meals for 6-member family. In another instance, a farmer produced nearly 30 kg green pods of cowpea and earned Rs. 600 (£5) from about 25 m bund length.

FORWARD: Unpublished data

Adaptive observation on horsegram

In upland areas under rice-based system, relay cropping of horse gram after early maturing rice varieties viz Panta Dhan 10, Sugandha 1, Barkhe 1027, could increase the cropping intensity and income of farmers.

FORWARD unpublished

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Table N2. Adoption of crop varieties by the farmers in the project areas and nearby districts (ha) Crops Varieties Jhapa Saptari Kapilvastu Others Total Rice Barkhe 1027 10 7 5 10 22 Rice OR 367 5 5 10 7 20 Rice Sugandha 1 7 25 8 10 40 Rice Judi 572 5 7 10 5 22 Rice BG 1442 10 7 9 10 26 Rice PR 101 5 2 10 5 17 Rice Panta 10 5 5 8 3 18 Rice Barkhe 3004 - - 10 - 10 Rice Barkhe 2014 10 15 12 15 37 Rice Barkhe 2001 5 6 8 10 19 Rice Ashoka 228 5 - - - 5 Rice Ashoka 200f 6 - - - 6 Total 73 79 90 75 242 Chickpea KPG 59 2 12 3 16 33 Chickpea Tara 2 9 4 10 25 Chickpea Awarodhi 4 10 2 8 24 Chickpea Kalika 2 5 2 5 14 Chickpea Koseli 3 5 - 3 11 Chickpea KAK 2 2 5 2 2 11 Chickpea ICC 37 1 3 1 2 7 Chickpea ICCV 2 2 6 3 11 Chickpea GNG 469 1 3 2 3 9 Chickpea Jhapa Local 1 3 4 8 Total 20 61 23 49 153 Mungbean NM 92 5 7 7 2 21 Mungbean NM 94 10 9 13 10 42 Mungbean VC 3960 7 8 6 21 Mungbean VC 6372 8 6 8 7 29 Mungbean K-851 5 5 Total 30 30 34 19 113 Lentil ILL-7723 5 6 7 4 22 Lentil ILL-2580

(Sital) 1 2 3 6

Total 6 8 10 4 28 Pigeon pea Upas-120 - 2 9 11 Pigeon pea ICPL-7035 - 2 8 10

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Pigeon pea Pusa-14 - 2 3 5 Pigeon pea Pusa-9 - 1 2 3 Pigeon pea Bageshwari - 1 3 6 Pigeon pea Saptari

Local - 15 - - 15

Total 0 23 23 - 50 N4.1.2 Social solutions A total of 57 self-help groups consisting of 1,013 members (female 383) formed and participated in RRC project activities. All the group members were made aware on group management, record keeping, cooperative education, collection and mobilization of welfare fund. Few selected leader farmers, who got detailed trainings on technical issues: integrated pest management, integrated nutrient management, integrated crop management: participatory planning monitoring and evaluation; recording keeping; seed production and marketing; preparation of various products etc, participated in implementation of participatory trials and mobilized as LRPs in the community. Most of the groups were registered with the DADOs and others are in the process of registration. A total of seven cooperatives: two in Jhapa, one in Saptari and four in Kapilvastu registered in District Cooperative Development Offices (DCDOs). All the cooperatives have adopted seed production and marketing plan. In addition to seeds, agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides have been commercially marketed in the communities. In Jhapa and Kapilvastu farmers have made technical committees to assure the quality of seeds to be marketed from their groups. A good linkage of groups/cooperatives has been established with various services providing line agencies and marketing channels. The outcome assessment study of the project sites indicated that farmers have gradually been able to resolve the problem of stray animals in the project areas due to enhanced group solidarity and cohesion, and RRC technological options (Gauchan, 2005). All the groups have collected substantial amount of group welfare fund, which they have been using in different livelihoods options. N4.2 Income of participating farmers sustainably increased following adoption of rain fed rabi cropping

The overall benefits of the cropping systems increased enormously, after the adoption of RRC technologies across the project areas. Among the various components of cropping system, maximum benefits obtained from legumes based cropping systems (up to $ 1836 with B: C ratio 2.1:1; against $ 435 with B: C ratio 1.7:1 in rice fallow system) (Table N3). Increased accessibilities of grain legumes contributed in human and animal nutrition and provided raw materials for local enterprises.

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It has been estimated that overall cropping intensity has been increased by 25% in the project area with intensive support. There have been significant increases in the adoption of rice and legumes varieties along with their production technologies. Over 50% farmers in the project sites have adopted the RRC technologies., However, short duration rice varieties, and mungberan varieties were adopted by over 80% farmers in the project intervened areas. The yield increment in rice, chickpea, lentil and mungbean were in the order of 35, 67, 25 and 61 percentage respectively after the adoption of RRC technologies in the project areas (Gauchan, 2005) Table N3. Net benefit and benefit-cost ratio from cropping pattern (US $ /hectare)

Net benefit and benefit-cost ratio from cropping options Cropping Pattern Saptari Kapilbastu Jhapa

Rice-fallow 445 (2.3:1) 436 (2:1) 435 (1.7:1) Rice-fallow-Rice (Chaite) 656 (1.6:1) Rice-chickpea-fallow 674 (2.2:1) 609 (1.8:1) Rice-Linseed-fallow 445 (2.3:1) Rice-Potato-fallow 1301 (2:1) 1346 (1.9:1) Rice-Lentil-fallow 703 (2.4:1) 630 (1.9:1) Rice-chickpea-Mungbean 1209 (2.3:1) 1351 (2:1) Rice-Lentil-Mungbean 1239 (2.4:1) 1372 (2.1:1) Rice-Lentil-Mungbean+Maize 1800 (2.4:1) Rice-Mustard-Mungbean 1090 (2:1) 1286 (2:1) Rice-fallow-Mungbean 981 (2.3:1) 1179 (2.2:1) 1103 (2.1:1) Rice- Potato- Mungbean 1836 (2.1:1) 2012 (2:1) Source: Gauchan, 2005 N4.3 Awareness of the opportunities for successful rainfed rabi cropping A wide range of stakeholders including farmers in grassroots level to planners and policy makers were made aware about opportunities of RRC technologies using a wide range of approaches: involving them in meetings, workshops, monitoring visits and participatory trials; and publication of extension materials, such as booklets, leaflets, posters, and proceedings. Some staff and leader farmers were trained about various aspects of RRC technologies (Table N4). Over 100 Local Resource Persons (LRPs), having the detailed information about RRC technologies suited in their conditions were developed and mobilized. In addition to the aforementioned tools, it also employed folk song competition, newspaperss, television and FM Media etc for disseminating the technologies

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covering a wide range of stakeholders. The list of information materials produced and published through the RRC project are as follows: N4.4 Materials published/accepted to be published in proceedings Khanal, NN , K.D Joshi, D. Harris and S.P Chand. 2004b. Effect of micronutrient

loading, soil application and foliar sprays of organic extracts on grain legumes and vegetable crops in marginal farmers' condition in Nepal.

Paper presented in the International Workshop on Agricultural Strategies to Reduce Micronutrient Problems in Mountains and Other Marginal Areas in South and South East Asia, Kathmandu, September 8-10. 2004 14pp (In press).

Khanal, N.N., D. Harris, K.D Joshi, L. T Sherpa, S.Thapa and R. K Giri 2004c. Potentiality of integrating mungbean in cereal fallows in the low hills and terai of Nepal Proceedings of the 24th National Summer Crops Workshop (Grain Legumes). National Grain Legumes Research Program, Nepal Agriculture Research Council. 10p.

Khanal, N. N., K.D Joshi, D. Harris. 2004d. Working with systems perspective: An innovative approach to improve overall systems productivity in Nepal†† Paper presented in the Sharing Workshop on Participatory Research Methodology for Improving the Access of Farmers to New Crop Germplasm and Enhancing Food Security in High Barind Tract of Bangladesh, 9-10 October 2004

Khanal, N.N., D. Harris, Lakpa T Sherpa, Ram K Giri and Krishna D Joshi. 2004. Testing and promotion of mungbean in cereal fallows in the low hills and terai agroecosystems of Nepal. Paper presented in the Final Workshop and Planning Meeting, 27-30 May 2004 at Punjab Agricultural University, India.

Khanal, N.P. and N.N. Khanal. 2004. Bridging the gap: Role responsibilities and approaches in scaling up of IPM of chickpea in Nepal. Proceedings of the national workshop on policy and strategy on promotion of IPM of chickpea in Nepal, 16-17 November 2004 at Kathmandu, International Crops Research Institute for Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

Khanal, N.P., N.N. Khanal, K.D. Joshi, L.T. Sherpa, R.K. Giri and S. Thapa. 2004a. Participatory varietal selection in rice: FORWARD's experiences on upland and medium water regimes of central and western terai of Nepal. Proceedings of National Summer Crop Workshop, Organized by Nepal Agriculture Research Council, Khumaltar Lalitpur Nepal from 28-30 June 2004.

† Paper presented in the Sharing Workshop on Participatory Research Methodology for Improving the Access of Farmers to New Crop Germplasm and Enhancing Food Security in High Barind Tract of Bangladesh, 9-10 October 2004

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Khanal, N.P; N.N. Khanal, G.B.Gurung, S.Thapa, K.P.Gupta, L.T.Sherpa, K.D. Joshi, D. Harris, JVDK Kumar Rao and R. Darai. 2006b. Mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) in cereal fallows: Experience of farmers' participatory research and development activities in foothills and terai of Nepal. Proceedings of 4th International Food Legumes Research Conference (Abst.), 18-22 October 2005, New Delhi.

Khanal, N.P; N.N. Khanal, S.Thapa, K.P.Gupta, L.T.Sherpa, K.D. Joshi, D. Harris and JVDK Kumar Rao. 2006a. Potential of Helicoverpa Nucleopolydrovirus for the management of chickpea pod borer in Nepal. Paper presented in national workshop on food security and sustainable agriculture, 13-15 December 2005, Kathamandu, Nepal (In press).

Khanal, N.P; N. K. Yadav; N.N Khanal; R. Darai; S. Joshi; R. K. Neupane; L.T. Sherpa; S. Thapa;, K. Gupta; R. Neupane; D.N. Pokharel; R.P. Sah; B.N. Adhikari; K.D. Joshi; and D. Harris. 2006c. A proposal for the release of Mungbean varieties NM94 and VC6372 (45-8-1): Jointly Submitted by Forum for Rural Welfare and Agricultural Reform for Development (FORWARD), National Grain Legumes Research Programme (NGLRP), and CAZS-Natural Resources (CAZS-NR), University of Wales, Bangor, UK.

Gauchan, D. (2005). Assessment of the Outcomes of Rice-fallow Rainfed Rabi Cropping (RRC) Project in Nepal Terai. A report of the RRC outcome assessment in Kapilvastu, Saptari and Jhapa districts, Nepal. Bangor, UK: CAZS-Natural Resources, University of Wales, Bangor.

Technical bulletins

i. On-farm seed priming for enhancing crop productivity in rainfed cropping systems

ii. Increasing nitrogen use efficiency in rice based cropping systems

iii. Participatory research and development process: An experience of RRC

iv. Appropriate technology for growing chickpea in rice fallows v. Use of cattle urine for increasing productivity of crops vi. Role of biogas technology for maintaining soil productivity

vii Mungbean: A potential crop for Terai and Foot Hills viii Chickpea production technology ix Technology for local recycling of HNPV (Helicoverpa Nuclear

Polyhedrovirus) for the management of chickpea pod borer

x Integrated management of chickpea disease x i Integrated management of rice diseases (in press) xii Recycling of Helicoverpa Nucleopolyhedrovirus (HNPV) in

farmers' condition (in press)

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Poster: “Burn biogas, not the dung cakes; increase crop productivity by utilizing animal wastes”.

"Promotion of mungbean in cereal fallows in the low hills and terai agroecosystems of Nepal" has been sent to AVRDC for the publication in the proceedings of the Final Workshop and Planning Meeting to be held during 26-30 May 2004 at Punjab Agricultural University, India. Other reports Khanal, N N. 2002. Intensifying Rice Fallows through Rainfed Winter Cropping:

Results of Chickpea, Field pea and Buckwheat Trials in the Eastern Terai of Nepal. FORWARD Working Paper No 1, 8P.

Khanal, N.N., S. Thapa, R. K. Giri, L.T. Sherpa, K. Thapa, S.Chaudhari, B.

Rayamajh. 2003. Promotion of Rainfed Rabi Cropping in Rice Fallows of Nepal: Review of achievements from July 2002-June 2003. FORWARD Working Paper No. 11, 7p.

In addition to the abovementioned reports and bulletins, the technical information, were disseminated through local newspapers, local FM, national newspapers, and television. Moreover, the stakeholders were empowered about various aspects of RRC technologies by involving themselves in meetings, workshops, visits, trainings etc. Few stakeholders committed their roles and responsibilities in spreading and conservation of the technologies developed and promoted in their area in the final community level workshops. It is anticipated that about 30,000 farmers have been aware about RRC technologies. Along with the technical information, the concerned stakeholders were involved in joint montoring, and seed production and demonstration activities. The promising crop varieties that were selected in PVS were disseminated through community level seed production to various organization, such as Clubs, farmers groups, DADOs, NGOs, etc. Two mungbean varieties namely Kalyan and Prateeksha were released by the combined efforts of National Grain Legumes Research Program (NGLRP), FORWARD and CAZS-NR. About 10 quintals seed of the released varieties were planted in seed production through various stakeholders including seed companies, DADOs, farmers groups, and other institutions. The preparation of variety release proposals are in progress for two in mungean, three in chickpea and one in pigeonpea in the combed efforts of three organisations as in mungbean. A recent meeting of NGLRP, FORWARD

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and CAZS-NR professionals reviewed the previous events of collaboration and partnership among the partners and identified the forthcoming events to continue the variety release process. All the parties agreed to actively take part in the forthcoming events and share their information relevant to grain legumes. Table N4. Farmers and staff trainings organized in RRC project Trainings No of participants Farmers training Nursery management 120 Integrated Crop Management including seed production 115 Participatory Planning Monitoring and Evaluation (PPME)

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Cooperatives' management 30 Agrovet management 6 Marketing and processing of seed and preparation of legumes' products

50

Seed plot management and rouging 40 HNPV production and management 30 Staff training IPM in legumes 12 Data management and report writing 4 Participatory Research and Development 1 (7 Months) HNPV production and integrated disease management (IDM) in chickepea

1 (15 days)

In Jhapa, insecurity situation associated with the Maoist rebel disturbed the implementation of project activities for about seven months. As a result, all the project activities were halt for about seven months in Jhapa, and had to be intensified in Sirha district. The activities were continued once the local people requested with FORWARD for reinstating the project activities, creating suitable environment after negotiating with Maoist. This disturbance slightly affected on the implementation of activities, but had negligible effect on project outputs.

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N5 Contribution of Outputs Increasing farmers’ access to simple but viable technological and social options and their empowerment in technical capabilities and managerial skills have long been realized as the key strategies for sustainable adoption of agricultural technologies in marginal farm communities. The project has achieved the outputs in this line through the plurality of efforts for better utilization of their resources based on comparative advantage and socio-economic circumstances. All the aforementioned project outputs have largely contributed to the project goal through the increased accessibility/availability of farmers preferred crop varieties and other technologies directly relevant to marginal farm communities under rice-fallow system as exemplified from increased crop productivity and income, and decrease in rice-fallows. Increased technical capabilities and managerial skills of poor farm communities, and their linkage with various service providers could lead to the sustainable use of project outcomes in achieving the project goal. Moreover, the outcomes of the project are directly linked with various livelihood options of the poor farm communities that may foster their adoption in sustainable manner. Some of the outputs of the project have been institutionalised: two mungbean varieties have been officially released; and three chickpea and one pigeon pea varieties are in the process of release. A few stakeholders have already started seed production of promising varieties through well-designed group/cooperative plans, and are promoting the seed through farmer-to-farmer seed exchange networks. At least 10 DADOs have been spreading the RRC technologies through their own programs. In the current season too, about 15 quintals of mungbean, and 10 quintals of chickpea seed was distributed for seed production. The seeds produced by experienced farmer groups and seed companies could be used as source seed for the next year. Many cooperatives have started to promote the RRC technologies by requesting other inputs from different line agencies that are working in the area. For example, one cooperative in Kapilvastu is preparing to establish a community level dalmot (snacks made from mungbean) factory. Some farmer groups have already started contractual arrangements with dalmot factories, and initiated commercial cultivation of the varieties selected in participatory trials. A very good linkage has been established among the farmers groups, service providers (research organizations, extension services, NGOs, Village Development committees (VDCs), and market outlets. In spite of the numerous other technologies developed by the project these are yet to be widely disseminated. To increase the impact of these technologies, promising technical options identified or developed by the project need to be

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disseminated to similar domains of Nepal. Most of the technologies promoted by the project were related to grain legumes. There is a high demand for grain legumes in the domestic market. For instance, >90% mungbean used for dalmot preparation is imported from India, and the situation seems similar to other legumes also. It has been realized that with the increased accessibility of irrigation, the demand of mungbean has been increased dramatically as evidenced from demand of seeds from DADOs, NGOs and farmers’ groups. The project should focus on dissemination of the research findings through seed production demonstrations, publications, coordination, and technologies should be selected and promoted based on niche specificity. In addition, value addition through the promotion of legume-based small enterprises, and their coordination with production groups may lead to quick adoption of project outputs, and ensure their sustainability in the long run. Some crossing materials of horsegram - collected from GVT; and mungbean, collected from AVRDC, have been evaluated for the promotion in the farmers' field

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N6 Annexes Annex N1. Development indicators of the study districts, Nepal Development indicators Kapilvastu Saptari Jhapa Nepal Per capita income ($) 206.0 172.0 239.0 240.0 Human development index 0.44 0.45 0.49 0.47 Human poverty index 29.2 40.2 48.5 39.6 Gender related development index

0.41 0.42 0.48 0.45

Adult literacy rate (%) 41.46 49.28 66.93 56.0 Mean years of schooling 2.0 2.52 3.67 2.75 Population density per km2 277.0 418.0 428.0 157.0 Source: UNDP, (2004), ICIMOD, (2003); ISRSC, (2004) Annex N2. Soil analysis of the trials conducted sites (Mean ± Standard deviation)† Characteristics Jhapa Saptari Kapilvastu Critical

limit pH (1.25 % H2O) 5.24 ± 0.25 6.81 ± 0.37 6.45 ± 1.08 Total nitrogen (%) 0.06 ± 0.02 0.044 ± 0.02 0.10 ± 0.06 Available Phosphorus P2O5 (Kg/ha)

18.87 ± 17.45 7.29 ± 5.06 6.83 ±4.23

Available Potassium K2O (Kg/ha)

49.20 ± 24.31 103.68 ± 72.68 64.60 ± 41.60

Organic matter (%) 1.15 ± 0.32 0.76 ± 0.29 2.57 ± 1.37 Zn (ppm) 2.86 ± 0.6 1.42 ± 0.5 1.4 ± 0.5 0.8 Fe (ppm) 142.8 ± 59 106.8 ± 49 171 ± 83 2 Mn (ppm) 16.67 ± 9.7 21.3 ± 12.1 16.5 ± 2.8 1 Osp (ppm) 5.19 ± 5.19 18.3 ± 16.3 11.7 ± 11.4 <5 B (ppm) 0.58 ± 0.22 0.3 ± 0.04 0.34 ± 0.06 0.58 DPU (ppm) 0.6 0.62 0.96 - †Information collected from 10 samples per site Annex N3. Summary of project sites (Khanal et al., 2004) Village Development Committees (VDCs) where project sites are located

Number of VDCs

Districts

Juropani and Gauradaha 2 Jhapa Haripur, Malhanma, Madhupatti, Hardiya, Shreepur, Kusoha Pansera and Daulatpur

7 Saptari

Jayanagar, Mahendrakot, Buddhi, Motipur, Gajaheda, Pakadi

6 Kapilvastu

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Annex N4. Summary of participatory trials and demonstration activities implemented under RRC project Crops and trials Years

Mungbean 2002 2003 2004 2005 Total

Mother trials 7 15 24 24 70

Baby trials 5 144 130 80 359

Adaptive demonstration and seed production (ha)

1 4.2 7 20 32.2

Molybdenum loading through seed priming

24 30 54

Rice 0

Mother trials 30 30 24 84

Baby trials 57 90 - 147

Integrated nutritional trials

6 6 12

Seed bed soil solarization trial

30 30

Adaptive demonstration and seed production (ha)

35 40 50 125

Effect of mungbean biomass on rice

12 24 36

Chickpea

Mother trials 21 16 24 10 71

Baby trials 15 80 66 161

Pod borer management trials

15 15 30

Adaptive demonstration and seed production (ha)

3 3 20 15 41

Nutrient management trials

15 15 30

Molybdenum loading seed priming

24 24 48

Lentil

Molybdenum loaded trials

24 24

Seed production (ha) 5 7 12

Vegetable soybean 0

Adaptive observation (No)

15 10 25

Buckwheat

Adaptive observation 15 15

Seed production (ha) 3 2 3 8

Finger Millet

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Adaptive observation (N0)

15 15

Niger

Adaptive observation (No)

20 20

Horse gram

Adaptive observation (No)

10 15 25

Seed production (ha) 4 4

Annex N5. Productivity (kg/ha) of rice and rainfed rabi crops before and after the project Productivity Before project After project Percent change in yield Kg ha-1 aDP IP NP DP IP NP DP IP NP Rice 2535 2527 2676 3416 3009 2976 35 19 11 Chickpea 422 420 378 703 639 372 67 52 -1.6 Lentil 615 661 702 771 973 654 25 47 -6.7 Mungbean 299 170 200 782 634 238 161 273 18.8 Field pea 407 423 480 635 561 474 56 32 -1.3 aDP =Direct participant; IP= Indirect participants; NP=Non-participants (Source: Gauchan, 2005)

Annex N6. Gross cropped area (ha) in the community and change (%) of sample farms by cropping pattern

Before project After project Area change (%) Cropping pattern adopted DPa IP NP DP IP NP DP IP NP

Rice-legume-fallow 27 14 17.0 38.4 16.2 16.4 41 14 -3 Rice–non legume cropb-fallow 36 37 25.5 40.4 41.7 28.8 11 11 12

Rice–non legume-spring crop 6 6.3 2.27 15.8 15.0 4.20 166 149 84

Rice–non legume –Mungbean 0.5 0.5 0.3 3.5 2.33 0.30 642 311 0

Rice-fallow-Mungbean 1.0 1.0 1.6 3.5 2.53 1.60 265 153 0 Rice-legume-Mungbean 0.3 0.03 0.0 2.4 2.47 0.0 711 7300 0 Rice-vegetables (Which?) 4.9 2.8 3.17 9.8 5.70 4.77 100 102 50 aDP =Direct participant; IP= Indirect participants; NP=Non-participants, b Non-legume crops are potato, linseed, oilseed rape, buckwheat, wheat and spring crops included mainly maize and jute (in Jhapa). Legume crops include chickpea, pigeon pea, lentil, Mungbean, field peas etc (Source: Gauchan, 2005).

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Annex N7. Rainfed rice fallow area of sample farmers before and after project intervention

Rainfed rice fallow area (ha) in the project sites Type of participant

farmers/category

Number of sample households Before project After project

Reduction in fallow area (%)

Direct participants farmers 108 53.4 15.3 71.4 Indirect participant farmers 75 48.5 24.2 50.1

Non-participant farmers 60 40.8 34.5 15.3 All Farmers 243 142.7 74.0 48.2 Annex N8. Farmers' perceptions on access to technological information, community institutions and capacity building

Before the project (%) After the project (%) Farmers’ perceptions on access to technology and capacity building aDP IP NP DP IP NP Access to technological information 13.0 12.0 1.7 100 98.7 1.5 Participation in training on technology use 11.0 10.7 0 92.6 68.0 1.7

Participation in workshops & exchange visits 13.0 8.0 1.7 73.0 42.7 0

Membership in CBOs as a leader member 28.7 29.3 5.0 96.3 98.7 36.7 aDP=Direct participant; IP= Indirect participants; NP=Non-participants Annex N9. Meteorological information of the project sites during 2005

Kapilvastu Saptari

Average Temperature

(OC)

Total Rainfall

(mm)

Average Temperature

(OC)

Total Rainfall

(mm) Month

Max Min Max Min Jan 21 11 0 22 11 32

Feb 26 10 18 20 15 15

Mar 33 17 13 31 17 2 Apr 38 20 1 33 20 103

May 40 24 36 34 30 45 Jun 41 27 49 34 24 93 Jul 35 25 310 35 25 130 Aug 34 25 245 34 25 123 Sep 33 25 73 34 25 120 Oct 32 23 21 31 22 26 Nov 30 21 0 Dec 24 11 0

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Annex N10. Meteorological information of the project sites during 2003

Kapilvastu Saptari

Average Temperature

(OC)

Total Rainfall

(mm)

Average Temperature

(OC)

Total Rainfall

(mm) Month

Max Min Max Min Jan 15 8 28 24 9 45

Feb 24 13 10 26 14 14

Mar 31 17 33 31 17 0

Apr 38 23 30 33 22 51

May 40 25 21 35 25 27

Jun 38 26 112 35 25 447

Jul 37 27 73 25 24 390 Aug 36 27 198 34 25 245 Sep 33 25 188 33 25 73 Oct 33 21 0 32 23 21 Nov 28 16 0 30 21 0 Dec 23 11 0 24 11 0

N7. Acknowledgments This document is an output from project R 8221 funded by Plant Sciences Research Programme of the UK Department for International Development for the benefit of developing countries. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the DFID. Farmers of Kapilvastu, Sirha, Saptari, and Jhapa who directly participated in the project activities, and those who involved in IRD, seed production and dissemination, have been duly acknowledged. Technical support from NGLRP/NARC, DADOs/DOA, PROVA, LI-BIRD, NRRP, AVRDC, CIMMYT was invaluable, as was the active participation of Agrovets, Seed Companies, Cooperatives, Dalmot Companies and local institutions. All the FORWARD staff, and other stakeholders who directly or indirectly contributed to the project are also gratefully acknowledged.