Tips for Field crops in Andaman & Nicobar Island Region

Pulses:

  • Seed hardening of a green gramme or black gramme seeds for dryland ecosystems using 100 ppm MnSO4 at a 1:0.3 ratio for 3 hours and drying back to original seed moisture content (8 – 9 per cent) under shade.
  • As a relay crop, distribute 20 kg of a green gramme or black gramme seeds equally in the standing crop 5 to 10 days before the paddy crop harvest, under optimal soil moisture conditions, so that the seeds become lodged in the waxy mire.
  • Foliar spray of DAP 20g/litre or urea 20g/litre or pulse wonder 5 kg/ha once at flowering and a second spray 15 days later for improved seed set on rice fallow crops.

Maize:

  • Quality maize seeds should be used at a seed rate of 20 kg/ha and sown with a spacing of 60 cm x 25 cm and dibbled at a depth of 4 cm with a single seed per hill if germination is ensured; otherwise, two seeds per hill should be used.
  • Maize is more susceptible to moisture stress and excessive moisture; thus time should be allowed for need-based irrigation to guarantee the availability of optimum moisture throughout the key growth stage of 45 to 65 days after planting. Moisture stress during the vital time will significantly limit yield.

Groundnut:

  • The optimum time to plant groundnuts on the island is from the second fortnight of December to the second fortnight of January. For regular kernel size, a seed rate of 120 kilograms per ha of kernels is recommended, whereas, for bold seeded varieties, a seed rate of 175 kg/ha of kernels is required.
  • Before planting, treat groundnut seeds with 125 mL of Rhizobium and 125 mL of Phosphobacteria per hectare and shade dry them for 30 minutes.
  • On the 25th and 35th days after planting, apply a foliar spray of a combination nutrient solution (DAP 2.5 kg, Ammonium sulphate 1 kilogram, and borax 0.5 kg). The pod contents in bold seed groundnut will be enhanced.

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