PUSA gel helping farmers save water, upping yields

[vikramgemini]

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/agri-biz/this-wonder-gel-is-helping-farmers-save-water-while-multiplying-yields/article6292481.ece

 

 

[vikramgemini]

Laxmi Lokkur, a farmer from the Udikeri village in Karnataka’s Belgaum district, has been able to triple her yield over the past two years, despite the monsoon playing truant.

 

The innovative farmer uses a polymer-based bio-degradable gel to ‘irrigate’ her 24-acre farm, where she grows vegetables, fruits and cereals.

 

The gel, Pusa Hydrogel, a semi-synthetic super absorbent polymer, has been developed by the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI). It is mixed with the soil on which the seeds are sown.

The gel then absorbs water and expands to 300 times its original size.

 

It sticks to the roots of the plants and when the soil moisture falls as the temperature rises, the gel sheds water to nourish the crop.

 

Pusa Hydrogel has been in use since 2012, and its benefits are now being reaped across the country. Extensive trials have established that Pusa is non-toxic and bio-degradable, said HS Gupta, Director of IARI. It increases plant yield by 10-25 per cent. Even ITC Ltd has reported encouraging results from its fields, he said.

IARI has licensed the technology to six Indian companies, including the Murugappa Group’s Carborundum Universal India.

 

Lokkur, whose village is in a rain shadow area, told BusinessLine that before she started using the gel during the summer seasons, she cultivated only three to four acres of her farm due to water scarcity. Today, she uses up to 15 acres.

 

Her cotton production had shot up to 12 quintals per acre compared with her neighbours’ 6-8 quintals. Jowar was at eight quintals while other farmers got only three-four quintals. Similarly, she produced eight quintals of wheat compared with the four quintals produced by others.

 

Jagadeesh Sunkad, Project Leader at Carborundum Universal, pointed out that because of the unpredictable monsoon and water availability for farming, crops across the country suffer due to either excess water in the fields or inadequate water.

The gel mitigates the risks, if the water availability drops.

 

Saving water

It works as an anti-drought mechanism and reduces the water requirement of plants. Typically, a farmer irrigates his field every four days for high value crops, but with the gel, he can irrigate the farm every eight days, said Sunkad.

“Farmers are able to defer irrigation cycles and hence use the water effectively. Due to use of Pusa, there is a 40 to 70 per cent saving of water.

It also reduces fertiliser application — as it binds the fertiliser to the root, it reduces leaching of fertilisers,” he said.

The gel helps crops store water for a dry spell and aids farmers to cope with the increasingly unpredictable monsoon seasons.

[Cyclist]

edhoo mettagaa bubbles laagaa

choopinchaaru last time agri expo loo

nenu nalipi choosaa

[Cyclist]

udikinchina saggu biyyam lekkana anipinchindi naaku

[MVS]

enta expenditure avutundi idi...

[chsrk]

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  How Agricultural Hydrogels are Made

  Hydrogel polymers are made from petroleum based products, but recent research has enable their manufacture using soy oil. These hydrogels are more biodegradable and therefore kinder to the environment.

   

   

  Agricultural hydrogels are referred to as water retention granules because they swell to many times their original size when they come in contact with water. Two broad classes of hydrogels are soluble and insoluble. The soluble variety is used to reduce irrigation erosion in fields. The insoluble variety is used in gardens, nurseries and landscapes to reduce frequency of watering.

  Hydrogels are polymers that are physically or chemically cross linked and can absorb large amounts of water while retaining their shape. They also do not dissolve with the ingress of water and the large swelling due to the water does not affect the mechanical properties of the hydrogel. Hydrogels can hold an amount of water that is many times its own weight .This characteristic helps it to store water which can include nutrients. This water is then released slowly negating the evaporation process. This is especially useful in arid lands.

  Hydrogels commonly used in agriculture can absorb between 400 and 1500 grams of water for every gram of hydrogel. So using these hydrogels in places where post plantation irrigation has its limitations, the hydrogels can store large quantities of water and make it available to the plantation so that it has time to establish itself.

  Hydrogels can be natural polymers, semi synthetic or synthetic polymers. The polymers used for agricultural purposes are the synthetic variety which consists of polyvinylalcohols and polyacrrylamides. The one disadvantage with synthetic polymers is that they may take up to six hours to complete hydration which is three times the time taken by natural polymers. The advantage of synthetic polymers is that they are less biodegradable and would last for a longer time.

   
   

 

The Use of Agricultural Hydrogels

Using hydrogels requires some elementary precautions like masks to prevent eye and skin irritation. A lot of care has to be takin in storing hydrogel, as their huge capacity to absorb water can cause an increase in weight.

Soils sometimes form semi hydrophobic crusts which allow the water to run off instead of being absorbed in the soil. The addition of hydrogels in the soil allows the water to percolate instead of running off and this retained moisture is then passed back to the soil over a period of time.

The use of agricultural hydrogels also allows damaged or unusable agricultural land to be reclaimed. When hydrogels are added to the surface of the soil the water holding capacity is increased and rainfall percolates the soil quite easily. Hydrogels also reduce nutrient loss from soils as runoff is prevented. In saline soils however hydrogels seem less effective.

If hydrogels are allowed to dry out they become less effective, so good irrigation practice is important to the longevity of the hydrogels. Hydrogels have been used for turf management for golf courses and athletic fields. It is also useful for fruit and vegetable production. It can be very easily be used to ensure forestry activities especially in remote areas where irrigation cannot be assured.

Hydrogels can be applied by either mixing with the soil or by spraying. While using the spray technique, hydrogels can be mixed with micronutrients and pesticides.

 

[AbbaiG]

enta expenditure avutundi idi...

2000 per kg anta

 

1 to 3 kgs per acre depending on soil type

[chsrk]

Better ituvantivi vaadakunda undatame manchidhi........temporary ga baagunnattu anipisthundhi...long run llo ee hydrogels usage valla impact vere untundhi.......soil contamination ekkuva untundhi......vaallu biodegradable ani claim chesukuntunnaru.......this is a tricky claim they make.....it doesn't matter if it is bio-degradable....it should be compostable......common people ki evariki Biodegradability ki Compostability ki madhayana unna difference theliyadhu.....post-harvest scenarios taruvatha kooda toxic residues soil llo undipothaayi....

 

water retention kosam aiythe....better to go for mulching and other natural techniques....in that way it is zero cost to the farmers...

 

Dont be fooled with such technologies......this is all a marketing gimmick.....