NEW DELHI, FEB. 19:
Faced with stagnating yields from Bt cotton hybrids, seed makers are now advocating high-density planting or putting more plants an acre by reducing the spacing to boost the output.
Nuziveedu Seeds, the largest Bt cotton seed vendor, has experimented the concept of high-density planting in about 10,000 acres in Vidarbha covering some 3,500 farmers last kharif in a public-private partnership (PPP) project to improve cotton production.
“We are looking to scale up this project to about one lakh hectares during the kharif season this year and are in talks with the Maharashtra Government,” said M. Prabhakara Rao, Chairman, NSL Group.
Traditionally, farmers have planted some 5,000-6,000 hybrid plants an acre. “In the first year of the project, we had doubled the plant density to 10,000-12,000 plants, ” Rao said, adding that the results were encouraging as cotton yields went up by 25 per cent to 75 per cent.
CULTIVATION COSTS RISE
High-density planting increases the cultivation cost for farmers as they have to use more seeds an acre. Besides, they also have to use a plant regulator – mepiquat chloride – to reduce the vegetative growth at regular intervals and advance the maturation of the cotton bolls and some micronutrients.
“The increase in cultivation costs is estimated at around Rs 3,000 an acre, which is offset by higher yields for the farmer,” said S.V.R. Rao, Senior Vice-President – Strategic Planning, Nuziveedu Seeds.
PUBLIC PRIVATE PROJECT
Under the PPP project, Nuziveedu gave a subsidy of Rs 100 for a packet of Bt cotton seeds (of 450 grams), costing Rs 930.
S.K. Goel, Principal Secretary –Agriculture, Maharashtra, said that the cotton improvement project was one of the 12 projects taken up under the PPP for Integrated Agriculture Development (PPP-IAD) under the World Economic ForumΆs New Agriculture Initiative.
“We expect the private players to invest in the front-end to connect farmers to the market,” Goel said. Nuziveedu had set up a ginning mill in the Vidarbha region and is planning seven more as it plans to expand the acreage under the project.
Goel said the average increase in yield reported by farmers stood at 49 per cent. “We are looking to expand the acreage under the project and expect to finalise the area soon,” he said.
K.R. Kranthi, Director of Nagpur-based Central Institute of Cotton Research, said that the concept of high-density planting works even in the State-owned hybrids. However, it is the additional cost of seeds that the farmers have to bear, which increases their cultivation costs.
Mahyco Monsanto Biotech India has also conducted trials in the North central and southern zones last year using some 60 different hybrids and the results have been encouraging, a spokesperson said. Monsanto has reported a 13-65 per cent rise in yields in Gujarat, while the yields were up 44 per cent in Maharashtra. In Andhra, the yields were up by about 48 per cent, the spokesperson said.
