ICRISAT Archival Report 2006 - The seedlings of success in the ...

Table 9B13. Rainfall, runoff and soil loss from two land treatments at Vertic Inceptisol (BW7) watershed,
2005.
Parameters BBF Flat
Seasonal rainfall (mm) 1029 1029
Seasonal runoff (mm) 162 227
Peak runoff rate (m 3 s -1 ha -1 ) 0.101 0.137
Runoff as % of rainfall 15.8 22.1
Total no. of runoff events 11 11
Soil loss (t ha -1 ) 3.70 5.91
ii. Impacts of watershed interventions on water quality
Ch Srinivasarao, SP Wani, KL Sahrawat, P Pathak and G Pardhasaradhi
[REF17]
Quality of water from different water sources, such as tube wells, open wells, hand pumps and dug out ponds was
monitored within two watersheds in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan during kharif 2006. Sampling occurred once in
June and once in August. At the same time information was collected on crops/cropping systems/fertilizers/
manures/ pesticides/ tillage/ soil type/ slope etc. of these watersheds. Table 9B14 summarises some of the data
collected from the Semli and Syampura watersheds of Madhya Pradesh.
Table 9B14 Concentration (mg L -1 ) of NO 3 -N, sodium, iron and boron in different sources in water at Semli
and Shyampura watersheds, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh.
Source of water Nitrate - Nitrogen Sodium Iron Boron
June 2006
Open wells (6) 1.21-8.42 (Nil)* 19-214 (1) 0.03-0.19 (Nil) 0.03-0.30 (1)
Tube wells (6) 1.81-17.74 (4) 21-238 (1) 0.06-0.17 (Nil) 0.15-0.30 (2)
Dugout ponds (6) 1.23-6.14 (Nil) 7-42 (Nil) 0.15-0.31 (1) 0.17-0.30 (1)
August 2006
Open wells (6) 2.48-15.04 (2) 9-45 (Nil) 0.05-0.30 (1) 0.12-0.38 (2)
Tube wells (6) 5.29-35.74 (5) 20-235 (1) 0.04-0.40 (2) 0.08-0.41 (3)
Dugout ponds (6) 1.86-4.31 (Nil) 2-29 (Nil) 0.07-0.31 (1) 0.05-0.15 (Nil)
Safety limits: NO 3 -N = 10 mg L -1 ; Sodium = 200 mg L -1 ; Iron = 0.30 mg L -1 ; Boron= 0.30 mg L -1
* No of water bodies showed above safety limits
Similar observations were made in Rajasthan, with some water sources having nitrate levels beyond prescribed
safety limits. Some water sources also showed levels of iron and boron beyond the prescribed safety limits for safe
drinking water for humans and livestock. It was observed that some of the tube wells and open wells also showed
sodium levels above safe limits (>200 mg L -1 ). However, none of the water bodies showed heavy metal
contamination.
9 B5: Eco-friendly pest management strategies for legume-based cropping systems developed.
i. Protecting vegetables on-farm with biological approaches OP Rupela, GV Ranga Rao, SP Wani and SJ
Rahman
Chemical pesticides remain the first option of most farmers for crop protection. Fruits and vegetables consume 26-
28% of the total 2.254 million t of active ingredient of synthetic chemical pesticides produced globally. Pesticideresidues
in market samples of vegetables 15 to 20 times higher than the acceptable limits are not uncommon. After 3
years of managing insect-pests on pigeonpea and cotton, using low-cost and biological options in a long-term
experiment at ICRISAT Center, similar protocols were evaluated on-farm using cotton as a test crop[REF18].
Seeing success on cotton, the collaborating farmers from two villages (Kothapally and Yellakonda) requested
ICRISATs help in protecting vegetable crops (mostly tomato and onion). The experiment was initiated during
summer of 2005. The results from the 2-years are reported here. [REF19]
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