Increasing Agricultural Productivity by Amelioration of Problematic Soils

• The total geographical area of India is estimated to be 328.8 m. ha, of which nearly one-sixth of the land area has serious limitations for crop production. The problems of salinity and water logging have appeared within a few years of the introduction of irrigation. An estimated 7 m. ha of land are affected by salinity and alkalinity, of which 0.179 m ha area is in Karnataka
• In several canal irrigated tracts of the country, the excess inflow over outflow from the ground water basin has caused the degradation of soil resource in terms of water logging and soil salinization
• The subsurface drainage, reuse and disposal of drainage waters are relatively new areas of management.
• Subsurface drainage a most relevant and efficient technology for management of waterlogged saline and sodic soils of command areas.
• Subsurface drainage technology has been successfully demonstrated at Bhadra and Cauvery command area farmer,s field covering nearly 300 acers.
• At Bhadra command paddy yields were increased in 67 farmer’s field (136 acre) after subsurface drainage installation to an extent of 30.26 per cent during kharif 2016, compared to paddy yield before subsurface drains installation (average - 21.42 q/acre).
• Similarly, soon after installation of sub surface drainage, about 24.38 and 28.10 per cent increase in yield was recorded during summer and kharif respectively compared to before sub surface drainage installation
• By installation of sub surface drainage in 55 acres of water logged and salt affected lands at VC Farm, Mandya, Karnataka state, more than 20 acres of land was brought in to cultivation (20 acres) by installing subsurface drainage and application of gypsum and sulphur in sodic and calcareous soils, which was left fallow for several years due to water logging/salinity.