Raising a Vegetable Nursery – in photos

As a follow-up from our Workshop on Growing Exotic Vegetables in Goa (conducted in September this year), ICAR’s Program Coordinator, Dr. Rajnarayan demonstrated the setting up of a vegetable nursery for broccoli, capsicum and Chinese cabbage, on the 30th of November, 2009

Beds are made, approximately 1 meter wide. They can be as long a desired

A clear walking path between two beds is important to access beds on both sides. Vermicompost and well-decomposed cow-dung are mixed into the beds

The compost and dung are worked into the soil and large, hard chunks of soil are either broken down or removed so that the bed is fine and powdery. Using a stick, furrows are made along the with the of the bed, leaving a gap of approximately 5cm or as wide as four-fingers

Seeds are sprinkled in a straight line into the furrows

Farmers giving a hand at sowing seeds into the furrows. Once seeds are sown, the furrows look like in the photo above (right)

After sowing seeds, sprinkle a thin layer of soil and compsot mix on the seeds (traditionally, several women simply take a stick and mix the soil around in a random manner, thereby sending the seeds under a few layers of soil. Namita brings in the hay that will be used to mulch the beds

Straw is then used to cover the beds (mulch) to keep the seeds warm and allow them to germinate. The straw can be removed as soon as the seeds are seen to sprout.

The beds are then watered. Farmers are adept in using their hands to create a light sprinkle (else the seeds will scatter); Sometimes a water can is recommended for a similar effect

Given the stray-cattle menace in Goa, it is advisable to ensure cattle cannot reacht he beds, otherwise the tender shoots will make for tasty meals! Using sticks and branches, a fence is made to secure the beds.

To Mechanise or not…

Agriculture in Goa has taken a backseat in terms of a way of life as well as a means of livelihood. High levels of urbanization, education and family incomes and a rapidly developing real estate market, coupled with high labour costs are some of the factors that seem to propel farmers away from their land towards white-collar jobs in cities. Despite various government schemes, assistance from relevant departments and engagement of banks it has been difficult to revive interest in agriculture in the state.

In order to address the problem of high labour costs and increasing  difficulty in getting labour, the Club has decided to undertake an experiment with mechanisation, supported by NABARD, KVK, Dpt. of Agriculture and TERI. At the end of this experiment we want to be able to decide whether mechanisation is the way forward or not.

The aim of this experiment is to compare costs and yields from four different planting methods i.e.

1. Broadcasting of seeds (scattering seeds in the field)
2. Manual transplanting of 18-21day old seedling from a nursery
3. Drum seeder
4. 8-Row mechanical transplanter

The variety of rice used for this purpose is Revati.

We plan to take a plot of land and divide it into 4 equal parts, one for each method. Plant the paddy as per each of the 4 methods above and track costs associated with it (labour, time, machinery hired etc…) and eventually compare yields.

For techniques 1 & 3 raising a nursery is not required, though paddy seeds need to be pre-soaked for a minimum of 24-36 hours.

For techniques 2 & 4 raising a nursery is imperative. For manual transplantation a regular nursery is planted. For the mechanical transplanter, a Dapog nursery (portable nursery – a Philippine  method introduced in India) is planted.

At present, the site has been selected for the experiment. The nurseries have been planted. Transplantation has been planned in the next 17-18 days.

Updates with photos will shortly follow.