Pre-monsoon Paddy Clinic

The KVK held a special Paddy Clinic for the Club members. Besides distributing some basic farm inputs like lime, seeds and trichoderma, discussions were held regarding paddy sowing techniques, land preparation etc. Some highlights are presented below:

Tips for paddy cultivation:

• Goan soil tends to be acidic (naturally as well as due to the use of chemical fertilisers and urea). Thus, to neutralise this acidity chuna/lime should be incorporated in to the soil at the time of land preparation. For every 300sq. mtrs, 8kg of lime should be ploughed into the soil

• Use Trichoderma to treat seeds before planting them – trichoderma is a variety of fungus, common in soil and root systems. The chemicals released by these fungi have a strong local effect and assist in the control of plant disease, increase root growth and development, crop productivity, resistance to abiotic stresses, and uptake and use of nutrients.
• Bokashi (made from EM and rice husk) is also very good for land preparation. Its main function is to enrich soil with microbes. These eventually help fix nitrogen for plants. Bokashi must be added 10 days before planting of seeds. Due to its high level of acidity, it can potentially harm seedlings. Therefore a gap of 10 days after addition of bokashi to soil is important. 1 sq. mt of land needs approximately 30-40 gms of bokashi (i.e. 30-40 kgs per 1000 sq. mts or 120kg-160kg/acre of land)
• EM-5 – can be used as a natural repellent for ants. EM 5 is a non-toxic chemical free insect repellant used to repel pests and diseases in crops.
  • Ingredients:
    • Water
    • Molasses
    • Natural Vinegar
    • Distilled Spirit/Ethyl Alcohol/Whisky
    • EM
  • Method: Mix the five ingredients in the ratio 6:1:1:1:1
    Seal the container. Release gas at regular intervals and re-seal till the formation of gas has subsided. Store in a cool and dark place.
  • Use:
    Spray EM5 diluted in water 1/500-1/1000 to wet the crop.
    Start spraying after germination, before pests and diseases appear.
    Spray in the morning or after heavy rains.
    Apply EM5 regularly.
• Phosphorus Solubalising Bacteria (PSB)[1] : Goan soil contains phosphorus but it is contained within aluminium and iron molecules. These bind the phosphorus in such a way that it is not possible for the plant to assimilate it for its needs. (Phosphorus is essential for plants to fight disease). KVK provides farmers Phosphate Solubalising Bacteria (PSB). This needs to be added to cow-dung (1 packet can be used for 2 gadaas of dung). After adding, it is mixed and kept covered by a plastic sheet for 2-6 days. After a couple of days it can be opened to mix and stir. After a period of about 6 days it can be mixed in the soil. This will assist the plant to uptake phosphorus from the soil.

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[1] Phosphate Solubalising Bacteria: Some bacteria like Aspergillus awamori have the capacity to solubalise the phosphates fixed in soil. It must be recalled here that most of applied phosphorus is fixed in soil, and a small part of it is available to plants every year as labile phosphorous. When such bacteria are grown in large quantity in soil during the plant growth they release large quantities of phosphorus from fixed sources and make it available to crop roots. Recently such bacterial fertilizers are also made available in the market. Phosphate solubalising bacteria have potentiality to solubalise 10 – 20kg phosphorus per hectare – there by avoiding the necessity to apply phosphatic fertilizers.