Organic Farming: Land Preparation

Land Preparation For Cereals And Millets

• Paddy

You might know that cereal and millet require comparatively more pulverized soil in comparison to that of pulses and oilseeds. For them, the field should be ploughed 20 to 25 cm deep by mould board plough in summer. The field should be flooded or saturated with water one fortnight before final preparation. This helps decomposition of chaff and straw of the previous crop and flushing of weeds. Before puddling, ensure 30 cm high bund around the field. The puddling kills the weeds and buries them in the soil. The rate of germination of weeds is also reduced in subsequent growing periods of the crop. It helps to create beneficially physical, biological, and chemical conditions in the soil for the proper growth of the rice plant. The soil surface should be left in levelled condition. The field should be puddled three to four times. Puddling also ensures breaking of capillaries and reduces seepage and percolation of water.

• Wheat

Wheat crop requires a well pulverized but compact seedbed for good and uniform seed germination. In irrigated areas, after the harvest of the previous crop, the field should be ploughed with disc or mould board plough. Where tractor is available, one deep ploughing followed by two to three harrowing with disc or tines and 2 to 3 planking should be given to prepare a well-pulverized seed-bed. But where bullocks are the source of power, deep ploughing followed by two to three harrowing or four to five intercross ploughing with local ploughs should be done. Planking should be done after each ploughing.

In rainfed areas, the field preparation should be done with care as conservation of moisture is dependent on it. Fields are usually prepared by giving one deep ploughing followed by two to three ploughing with local plough and then planking. In these areas, ploughing should be done in the evening and furrows should be kept open whole night to absorb dew moisture. Planking should be done early in the morning.

• Maize

Maize needs a friable, well-aerated, moist and weed free seed-bed. The first ploughing should be done with soil inverting plough so that at least 20-25 cm deep soil is loosened. It should be followed by two to three harrowing or three to four intercrossing ploughings with local plough. Planking should be done after each ploughing. A properly levelled and uniformly graded field is required for good water management also.

• Sorghum

Sorghum seeds should be drilled in a well prepared seed-bed free from weeds. The first ploughing should be done with soil turning plough so that 20-25 cm deep soil is loosened. It should be followed by two to three harrowing or three to four intercrossing ploughings with country plough. Thereafter, planking should be done to break the clods and to level the field.

In black cotton soil, if the land is badly infested with weeds, ploughing followed by harrowing is usually practiced, but where land is free from weeds or with few weeds, the land is cultivated only with Bakhar [ Blade Harrow ].

• Pearl Millet

Pearl millet also requires a fine seed-bed which should be free from clods it’s the seeds are very small in size. A deep ploughing [at least 15 cm deep] with soil inverting plough followed by two or three harrowing is considered to be optimum. While leveling the field, care should be taken to ensure that rain water does not stagnate. Adequate moisture in the seedbed at the time of sowing is needed for good germination.

• Barely

A good seed-bed is required for raising the barley crop, though the land preparation is not as thorough as that for wheat. Barley is mostly grown on light soils where four to five ploughings with local plough or three to four harrowing followed by planking are sufficient to prepare a good seed-bed. However, in rainfed areas, ploughing or harrowing should be done in the evening time and planking should be done next morning to conserve dew as indicated earlier.

• Finger Millet

The field for the finger millet crop should be prepared as thoroughly as possible. The first ploughing with mould board plough should be done immediately after the harvest of the previous crop. In black cotton soils, where the soil becomes too hard with the loss of a small amount of moisture, for ploughing, a shallow stirring should be given by heavy ‘Kunte’ [blade harrow] or a disc harrow. With the onset of monsoon, the field should be harrowed or ploughed with local plough two to three times and finally levelled. Under rainfed conditions, with every succeeding rain the ploughing is repeated or the ‘Kunte’ is used.

 

Land Preparation For Pulses And Oilseeds

Pulses usually require well-aerated and cloddy soil. We know, Rhizobium is associated with the pulse crop roots require oxygen to function. Well pulverized and compacted soils are not prefixed. Now, let us examine the field condition requirement of some of the pulse and oilseed crops.

• Chickpea

Chickpea is very sensitive to soil aeration. This crop is not suitable for cultivation in heavy soils and calls for special care in seed-bed preparation. A rough, loose and well-aerated seedbed is required for chickpea. In case the chickpea crop is taken after a Kharif fallow, it would be desirable to go for a deep ploughing during the monsoon.

• Other Pulses [Lentil, Pigeon Pea, Green Gram, Black Gram, Cowpea, And Soybean]

On heavy soils, one deep ploughing followed by two to three cross harrowing should be given. In the case of light soils, less tillage is needed to prepare an ideal seedbed. After harrowing, the field should be levelled by giving a gentle slope for easy irrigation.

• Groundnut

Deep ploughing should be avoided which will encourage development of pods in deeper layers of soils making harvesting difficult. One deep ploughing with soil turning plough followed by two harrowing are sufficient to achieve a good surface tilth up to 12 to 18 cm depth. One or two summer cultivations will minimize weeds and insect pests to a great extent in problem areas.

• Sesamum

As the seeds of sesamum are very small, the seedbed should be fine, firm and compact. Usually, one ploughing followed by two to three harrowing and planking is essential.

• Rape Seed, Mustard, And Linseed

A clean and well pulverized seed-bed of good tilth is needed for better germination. The land should be well prepared first by ploughing deep with soil turning plough, followed by two cross harrowing. Each ploughing should be followed by planking so that the soil is well pulverized and levelled.

• Sunflower

Sunflower requires well pulverized and weed free land with adequate moisture supply. The first ploughing should be done by the mould board plough and subsequently, two to three ploughings could be done by local plough followed by planking.

 

Land Preparation For Cash Crops

• Cotton

Cotton is a deep rooted crop. It requires a deeply prepared seed-bed. The field, after the harvest of the preceding crop should be ploughed 15 to 20 cm deep with mould board plough. Thereafter, three to four harrowing or four to five ploughings with local ploughs should be given. After each ploughing, planking is essential to make soil pulverized and levelled.

• Sugarcane

Sugarcane needs deep tillage. In North India, sugarcane is mostly grown on alluvial loam soil. To prepare the seed-bed we should undertake one deep ploughing with soil turning plough followed by two cross harrowing or five to six ploughing with local plough. Planking should be done to make the field smooth and clod-free. In irrigated areas, fields are prepared after giving a pre-irrigation but in rainfed areas, fields meant for sugarcane are left fallow during the preceding monsoon and are ploughed at certain intervals to conserve the moisture in the field till cane is planted.

In peninsular India, sugarcane is cultivated mostly on clay and clayey loam soils which require more ploughings. For it, at least one or two deep ploughings and one cross ploughing with a mould board plough are essential. It should be followed by two to three harrowing to bring the seedbed into fine tilth.

 

Land Preparation For Green Manuring Crops

For green manure crops, we should prepare soil suitable for maximum seed germination and fast plant growth are obtained. Let us deal with some important green manure crops.

• Sun Hemp

This is the most important green manure crop. The soil should be made friable and weed free for sowing of sun hemp. One ploughing followed by two to three cross harrowing is sufficient. In case summer ploughing is done, only two harrowing or ploughings with local ploughs are needed.

• Lucerne

Lucerne needs a fine well levelled seed-bed with adequate moisture. The field should be prepared thoroughly and levelled properly. It should be ploughed once with a mould board plough and three to four times with a local plough or two to three times with harrow, followed by planking each time to secure a firm and fine seed-bed.

 

Subsidiary Activities

Besides, cultivating the field crops and planting trees, the farmer should carry out other subsidiary enterprises. Apiculture, poultry farming, sericulture, mushroom culture and dairy farming should also be taken up at the farm. It adds to the biodiversity of the farm. Appropriate areas should be demarcated for the growing the fodder crops to maintain the dairy cattle. There may be some areas under scrubby, rocky jungles and such areas may be left out undisturbed as a natural habitat for birds and natural enemies of pests. The subsidiary enterprises not only add in the total income of the farm but also act as a contingency factor in case of failure of one enterprise, something is obtained from the next enterprise.

 

Buffer Zone

This is the most important area in an organic farm. Buffer Zone is a distinct piece of land that separates agricultural commodities grown under organic practices from agricultural commodities grown under non-organic practices. It is a must to meet the standards of organic certification. Further, it is used to prevent the possibility of unintended contact by prohibited substances or organisms called contaminants. The effectiveness of the buffer zone depends on the locality, quality of the soil and topography. It also depends on the type of vegetation used to establish the buffer zone.

The appropriate width of a buffer zone is based on the topography and crop cover. Generally, the width of 10 to 30 meters is recommended for an ideal buffer zone. A hedge row or trap crop or trees of 1.5 times more height of the crop are considered appropriate.

Heavy rains leading to run-off waters carry pesticides into streams, ponds and wells. To reduce these pesticide losses from treated fields located along with streams and ponds, planting should be carried out across the slope. Buffer zones of 5-10 m can reduce losses on relatively flat land but help little on sloping land. Wells and Farm Ponds may be protected against surface run-off waters by providing bunds. There are no adequate means of preventing contamination from subterranean seepage.

Perennial grass or a legume grass mix may also be planted in the buffer zone because the land can easily be converted back to arable use once the risk of contamination is eliminated. The grass of the buffer zone can also be harvested as livestock feed.

Some operators raise crops in the buffer zone. These crops are not eligible for organic status. However, if the producer grows both organic and non-organic crops then he must provide a visually distinguishing system and must keep the records separately in relation to production, storage and marketing. This type of parallel production without distinction is usually restricted by certifying agencies.

The most effective buffer zone may result from a cordial relationship with neighbors. Organic producers may enlighten their neighbors about the organic production, certification and problems of contamination. The neighbors may become responsible and help avoid possible contaminants across the boundaries from their fields.

Organic farms have the right to be legally and physically protected from the threat of cross-contamination, and organic farmers are hoping for a reasonable compromise. A buffer zone of 660 feet should be provided by the Bt cotton grower and it should be in place between all transgenic and organic crops. The 660 feet is the recommended isolation distance required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for keeping seed varieties pure and thus allows organic farmers to save their own seeds.