Farmers – Scientists Interaction Program (Rabi) organized at DAATTC Adilabad on 29-10-2019

Keeping in view the present weather aberrations and upcoming rabi season, District Agricultural Advisory and Transfer of Technology Centre (DAATTC), Adilabad conducted a Farmers- Scientists interaction program in DAATTC training hall. In this program, Scientists and officials from Dist. Hort. & Sericulture, Adilabad acted as experts. Following are the outcomes of the interaction,

1. Using Weather forecast could be useful to take in-time actions to prevent un-seasonal rainfall oriented crop losses.
2. Safflower crop is a versatile rabi oilseed crop which could be cultivated on black soils as an alternate crop to fallow (Soybean-fallow or damaged cotton crop) in the rainfed areas or as border crop (4-5 rows) to Bengalgram, Maize, Sorghum to protect main crop from wild boar and other vertebrate pest in endemic areas of the district. Eight farmers showed willingness to cultivate safflower crop during the rabi.
3. Seed treatment of Bengal gram seed with Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10g/kg or carbendazime @ 2.5g/kg seed and soil application of Trichoderma viridae are essential to prevent wilt and root rot. Seed treatment should be in the form of fungicide-Insecticide- Rhizobium (F-I-R).
4. Cotton crop should be terminated by December month and cotton stalks should be incorporated into soil with tractor mounted shredder and rotavator to avoid burning of stalks. It adds plenty of soil organic matter and improves soil health.
5. Integrated vertebrate pest management was emphasized
6. Ten participants subscribed to PJTSAU monthly magazine ‘Vyavasayam’.
7. Managing cold and hot weather with integrated approach will result in higher production and profit from rabi vegetables. Fertigation in vegetable cultivation is need of the hour.
8. Farmer queries on various agriculture related problems were also addressed by the scientists and allied department officers.

In this program District Horticultural & Sericulture Officer Sri. Venkateshwarlu; Scientists: Dr. Suchitra (HRS), Dr. R. Preetam (HPT), Dr. Sudhanshu Kasbe (DAATTC), Dr. D. Mohan Das (ARS), Dr. M. Sunil Kumar (KVK), Dr. Rajendar Reddy (ARS), Dr. M. Sampath Kumar and Dr. D. Veeranna (DAATTC) and Dr. M. Raghuveer (KVK); RAWEP students and progressive farmers from 6 mandals participated and made it successful.