High density plantation in degraded lands for resource conservation and diversifying farm income under rainfed ecosystem.
Yadav R. P., Prasad R., Aggarwal R. K.
Author Affiliation: Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute, Research Centre, Chandigarh - 160 019, India.
Indian Journal of Forestry 30 : 433-438
Abstract : A model of high density plantation was developed and tested in two 0.5 ha fields each of land capability Class III and IV, at Johranpur Watershed in the Solan District of Himachal Pradesh, India. The system comprised of mango (cv. Dashehari) at 9×9 m spacing interspaced with early bearing mango (cv. Amrapali) at 4.5×4.5 m. In between these two mango cultivars, pawpaw was sown at 2.25×2.25 m. Interrow space was used for growing different annual crops such as tomato, moong, kulthi, toria, radish, onion, capsicum and bottlegourd. In situ budded aonla (cv. NA-7) was planted on the periphery of the field. Prior to the plantation, terraces were constructed on land to cut the degree of slope and Napier was planted on terrace risers to provide strength to bund and green fodder for cattle. Survival percentage in the range of 70 to 89 for different fruit species was similar in both the marginal (LCC III) and severely (LCC IV) degraded lands. Comparatively healthier land facilitated 46 and 40% higher height, and 112 and 89% higher basal girth in Amrapali and Dashehari, respectively. Mango started yielding in the third year only on less degraded land. On the Class III land, gross returns from various components were Rs 27?760, 65?175 and 71?200 per hectare during 1st, 2nd and 3rd year of plantation, respectively. These worked out to be Rs 54?715 per hectare per year in the pre-bearing stage and are much higher than gross return of Rs 47?634 under traditional maize-wheat rotation in similar type of degraded with two supplemental irrigations from harvested rainwater in the same watershed.