This new variety of tur has helped farmers script success stories in Maharashtra’s Karmala taluka

However, erstwhile Avtade began harvesting the harvest successful January, helium was simply astounded. “As the harvest progressed, I had an inkling that the harvest would beryllium good. All the plants were heavy with pods and erstwhile the last harvest figures came in, my output from the 1.5 acres stood astatine 15.66 quintals – an astounding 10.44 quintals per acre. Such yields are unheard of,” said the husbandman who had sowed the harvest on with 11 others from his village.

“Hanumant Rokade, 1 of our villagers, reported a output of 19.88 quintals from his one-acre tur crop. Now we are reasoning of ditching crops similar sugarcane and expanding tur cultivation,” helium said. Avtade and his chap farmers said this assortment tin truly assistance India execute atmanirbharta (self-reliance) successful tur farming, which Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had mentioned successful her caller Budget speech.

Behind the occurrence of farmers similar Avtade is the caller assortment of tur Godawari oregon BDN 2019-41 developed by the Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (VNMKV) successful Parbhani. Godawari is distinguished by its milky achromatic flowers that besides enactment arsenic a marker for the variety.

Pulse breeder Deepak Patil, who is successful complaint of the Agriculture Research Station astatine Badnapur successful Jalna district, said the caller assortment was developed from established varieties of BDN 2 and ICP 7035. BDN 2, Patil said, is simply a well-established assortment released successful 1976 and is the ascendant 1 grown successful Maharashtra and Gujarat. “However, this assortment is susceptible to wilt and sterility mosaic illness (SMD). The antheral genotype of Godawari was derived from ICP 7035, frankincense it has inbuilt absorption to diseases,” helium said.

Indra Mani Mishra, Vice-Chancellor of VNMKV, said the Godawari assortment released successful 2021 ticks respective boxes successful presumption of demands from farmers. Thus, this assortment is resistant to some SMD and wilt and tin turn successful rainfed areas, helium said, adding that it is besides much tolerant to biotic accent (damage from surviving organisms), which is peculiarly important since the harvest is grown successful rainfed areas.

In her Union Budget speech, Sitharaman mentioned that the authorities intended to summation the accumulation of 3 pulses, which included tur.

For the 2024-25 Kharif season, the Pani Foundation tied up with the VNMKV assemblage to popularise the assortment successful Karmala taluka. “In our assemblage we developed the full modular operating process (SOP) to guarantee the champion yield. From effect attraction to post-harvest care, each facet successful the 165-170 time lifespan of the harvest was taken into account,” Patil said.

Along with the foundation, which has been moving successful the country for the past fewer years, the assemblage besides carried retired an consciousness drive. Ashish Lad, a trainer from the foundation, said they worked with 40 groups of farmers with 11 members each. “Given the committedness shown by this caller variety, astir 80 per cent of the taluka has present travel nether it. Our farmers are truly excited astir this variety,” helium said.

The SOP includes effect attraction and utilizing raised beds to sow the crop. According to Sunil Dounde, different husbandman from the village, this was the archetypal clip they really paid attraction to tur arsenic a crop. “Having raised beds for tur was unheard of, truthful was the installation of vertebrate perches oregon pheromone traps to power pests. Our accustomed signifier with tur is to sow it connected level crushed and harvest erstwhile the harvest is ready,” helium said.

“Weeding became hard arsenic connected level crushed we could not participate the tract but with raised beds, some manual and mechanical weeding utilizing the tiny rhythm mounted weeders became easy,” helium said. Dounde’s 1.5-acre tur harvest has yielded 18.60 quintals. He besides grows crops similar urad and moong connected 4 acres of his seven-acre holding.

Most farmers successful Phisare colony grew tur arsenic a standalone harvest and frankincense the region betwixt beds was 90 cm and the region betwixt 2 plants was kept astatine 20 cm. The assemblage has besides recommended this assortment for intercropping successful which lawsuit the region betwixt rows would beryllium 180 cm. Farmers had utilized biologic works maturation promoters similar Dashaparni Ark (a substance of leaves of 10 medicinal plants) too relying connected manure during ungraded preparation. The crop’s stubble, Avtade said, was stored to beryllium utilized arsenic fertilizer for the adjacent season. Given its nitrogen fixation capacity, the farmers person reported a emergence successful ungraded fertility arsenic well. On average, they reported that the outgo of accumulation was betwixt Rs 25,000-30,000 per acre.

What tilted the scales successful favour of Godawari is the system of scale. “With marketplace prices being unpredictable, the lone mode we tin marque wealth is to person much to sell. This assortment does precisely this and we spot this being favoured by farmers successful the coming seasons. Perhaps we volition soon alteration the sanction of Karmala taluka to Turmala considering the crop’s predominance here,” quipped Avtade.