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Effectiveness of Mole Drainage Technology for Reclamation of Waterlogged Soils for Crop Improvement and Farm Income in Maharashtra

Effectiveness of Mole Drainage Technology for Reclamation of Waterlogged Soils for Crop Improvement and Farm Income in Maharashtra

B. T. Kolgane1* , Swati Khandave1 , P. R. Patil1 , S. S. Patil1

1College of Agriculture, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India

Corresponding Author Email: Kolganebt@gmail.com

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.53709/ CHE.2021.v02i04.017

Abstract

Mole plough technology has proved as a viable and economically feasible alternative to improve the waterlogged and saline soils of canal command area of Sangli district of Maharashtra state. The low cost mole technology was demonstrated on 120 acres area of farmer’s field from Sangli district during 2016-17 to 2018-19 under RKVY. In order to know the effect of mole technology, present research was undertaken with the objectives to study the knowledge about effect of mole technology and its adoption by beneficiaries, its effectiveness on soil health, yield and income of beneficiary and constraints in adoption of technology. The study was conducted in Miraj, Tasgaon and Palus tahsils of Sangli district purposively. A list of beneficiary farmers was obtained from Agricultural Research Station, K. Digraj, Sangli and total 120 respondents were seledted from list. The respondents were personally interviewed with structured schedule and data was analysed for the results. The major results of the study revealed that mole technology has shown effect on soil health, cent per cent respondents were known about that mole technology improved soil texture, decreased salt deposition, resulted in early field capacity. Study further revealed that cent per cent beneficiaries gained the knowledge about practice of trenching to drain out excess water also majority were having knowledge about use of organic manure and gypsum for management of water logged soils and more that half were adopting these practices. Farmers also known that mole technology needs more than 65 HP tractor, length of furrow should be 20 to 100 m and minimum distance between mole drain should be 4 meter. Further impact was observed on increase in yield and income level of sugarcane crop, change in average yield was observed 26MT and Rs. 78000/- was increased in gross income of the farmer. Therefore to popular the technology on large scale mole plough and high power tractor should be make available on custom hire basis.

Keywords

Effectiveness, mole technology, waterlogged soils

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1. INTRODUCTION

Waterlogging is the condition arised due to heavy rainfall or over-irrigation and occurred in the form of natural flooding when underground water rises to surface level.It constraints plant growth and production ,affect the natural processes in the soil and result in a build-up of toxic substances in the soil thereby make the soil unproductive.

In India the area under salt-affected soils is about 6.73 million ha and in Maharashtra it accounts to 0.61 m ha, major states in India accounts for almost 75% of saline and sodic soils in the country.It  would almost treble to 20 m ha by 2050 [1] if the soils health is not taken care.

Nearly 2.96 million ha lands are affected by the waterlogging and soil salinity problems spread across 16 states of the country. The annual crop production and monetary losses due to the salinity problem at the national level are 5.66 million tones and 80,000 million rupees. [2]. In Maharashtra, especially under irrigated conditions, cultivated area is affected due to water logging, soil salinity and sodicity problems. Also due to water-logging and excess accumulation of salts in the root zone crop growth and yield is affected adversly. The best example of this is in Maharashtra  the productivity of sugarcane reduced from more than 150 t ha-1 during the initial stages of introduction  of  irrigation to 50-60 t ha-1 after water logging and salinity of soil (Rathod et al., 2011).The methods adopted for reclaiming the salt affected and waterlogged soils are mainly surface and subsurface drainage systems which are not economical to small and marginal farmers as it requires huge capital investment, wastage of land and frequent maintenance.[3,4]. In some areas, due to very low productivity and less income from waterlogged vertisols, farmers are putting their lands barren and working as farm labor on other farmer’s field. The socio-economic status of these farmers are totally hampered due to problems of water logging and salinity of soil.

Therefore, land drainage research continued to be one of the major thrust areas of Agricultural research organizations in the country and needs to focus. [11, 12]

Therefore, it becomes necessary to provide economically feasible technology to the small and marginal farmers to improve the degraded and waterolgged soils. In this context, a viable alternate to pipe drainage could be mole drainage which is a pipeless and trenchless drainage system. In Maharashtra more than 80 percent farming community fall under small and marginal category where mole plough drainage technology could be easily adapted by the farmers without disturbing the natural recourses with proper ecological, economical balance. Taking this into account, scientists from Agricultural Research Station (ARS), Kasbe Digraj Sangli have successfully demonstrated low cost mole drainage technology on 120 acres area on farmer’s field during 2016-17 to 2018-19. The fund of Rs.1400 per acre was allotted through RKVY-FF project since 2016-17 to 2018-19 for installation of mole drains. These mole drains were installed on 120 farmer’s field of Sangli district through custom hire basis from high HP tractors holders (more than 65 HP).Considering this background it felt necessary to study the effectiveness of mole plough technology in the command area of Sangli district. The research was undertaken with the objectives to study the knowledge and adoption of low cost mole drainage technology ,its effectiveness on soil health,yield and income of beneficiary  and constraints in adoption of technology.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS         

Sangli district from Maharashtra state was purposively selected as it comes under canal commands of the state and three tehsils viz. Miraj, Tasgaon and Palus were purposively selected as low cost mole drainage technology had been successfully demonstrated on farmers field in these tahsils to reclaim the waterlogged and saline soils. The list of farmers who had practiced mole plough technology was obtained from Agricultural Research Station, K. Digraj, Sangli. In all 120 technology adopters from these selected tehsils were purposively selected for the study. The respondents were interviewed with the help of pre-tested interview schedule. Simple percentage and frequency was calculated and data was analysed for the results. Effectiveness of mole plough technology was studied in terms of knowledge gained by the farmer regarding methods for identifying waterlogged soils and its management, adoption of mole plough technology by the farmer and its effect on soil health, yield and income of farmer.


Table.1 Effectiveness of mole plough technology for reclamation of waterlogged soils

*figures in parenthesis indicate percentages

Table 2. Effectiveness of mole technology on yield and income of the respondents for Sugarcane Crop

Table 3. Constraints faced by the technology adopters


3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 
Regarding effectiveness of mole plough technology on soil heath all respondents stated that soil texture has been improved, decreased in salt deposition and field capacity has improved after use, followed by 79.17 per cent told that active plant root zone has been increased. Similar observations were reported by Tiwari and Goel [5]. Data regarding methods used for identifying water logged soils revealed that only 35.83 per cent were having knowledge and 17.50 per cent were using flowing water method. All the respondents were having the knowledge about draining out excess water for management of water logged soil and 61.67 per cent respondents were adopting that practices followed by use of gypsum @5MT/ha was used by 68.33 per cent respondents. Only 11.67 per cent respondents were having the knowledge about zero or minimum tillage but none of them adopted this technology.

 Table 4. Suggestions made by the technology adopters



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Cent per cent farmers were awared about mole technology aspects viz. requirement of more than 65 HP tractor,length of furrow should be 20 to 100 meters and minimum distance between mole drain should be 4 meter. Majority (81.67 per cent) of the respondents were knowing that there should be 90 cm deep trench around field and 69.17 per cent respondents were adopting this technology for effective implantation.
 
It also equally important to study the effectiveness of mole technology on yield and incomeof major crop of the adopter farmers.After adoption of low cost mole plough technology ,the soil affected area brought under cultivation ,major crop grown in the prevailing area was sugarcane. Therefore effectiveness on yield and income level of the respondents of the sugarcane crop was studied and shown in the Table 2. The respondents found that after adoption of mole technology yield and income level of sugarcane crop has been increased. (Similar findings were reported by) [6,7,4].The change in minimum yield and maximum yield in sugarcane crop was 15 MT and 42 MT respectively after use of mole plough technology. Similar findings were reported by Dhakkad et al.[10]. Also the change in average yield was observed 26MT and Rs. 78000/- was increased in gross income of the adopter farmer.Net income after deducting expenditure of mole plough i.e. Rs.5000/- was Rs.73000/- per hectare. Similar results were reported by Rathod et al. [8] and Datta et al. [9].
 
It is revealed from Table 3 that cent percent respondents were focused the constraints of unavailability of mole plough at local level followed by lack of technical knowledge about soil amendments (93.3 per cent).Unavailability of high power tractors was also the major constraints faced by 91.7 per cent farmers.
 
It is observed from Table 4  that all the respondents suggested that subsidy for soil reclamation should be given followed by 96.67 per cent farmers suggested sugar factories should made outlet drains in their command area.95.83 per cent respondents suggested that Gypsum should be made available at primary credit co-operative society in required quantity.
 
4. CONCLUSION
 
Cent percent farmers reported that adoption of mole plough technology helped to improve soil texture, decreased salt deposition and improved early field capacity of soil. Also it enabled to maintain proper soil aeration and adequate soil temperature which resulted an increase in active plant root zone. Moreover it also helped to increase yield and income of the farmers. Thus study can be concluded that there is need to popularize this low cost technology for its adoption on large scale. The mole plough and high power tractor (above 65 HP) should make available on custom hire basis or in subsidized rate for small and marginal farmers.
Competing interests
 
Authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
 
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